Sword of Coming

The young Taoist had already thought of a lot of words to answer the question of "who" the straw-shoe boy was, but unexpectedly, the courtyard door opened quickly, and it was obvious that the back-alley boy skipped that link directly.

Mud Bottle Alley is one of the narrowest alleys in the town. It is impossible for the Taoist's two-wheeled wooden cart to be placed outside to block the road. Fortunately, Chen Ping'an looked skinny and had only a few kilograms of strength. In fact, he had quite a lot of physical strength and was able to help. The young Taoist carried the rather heavy cart into the yard without much difficulty. From the beginning to the end, the young man said nothing, which made the young Taoist priest a little embarrassed behind the door. It was like a person who shamelessly went to the door to borrow money. The host entertained her with good tea, wine and meat, and the guest always had some leftovers. Conscience will become increasingly difficult to speak of.

The young Taoist thought that it would be embarrassing anyway, so he might as well have a good time, so he lifted up a cotton mattress covering the cart, revealing a girl in black who was lying on her side and curled up, with her hat askew but not falling off. She was still stubbornly covering her master's face. For some reason, when she lifted the thin bedding, a smell of blood suddenly hit her face. Only then did Chen Ping'an realize that she was dressed in black, with blood seeping out vaguely. Chen Ping'an didn't expect that a small quilt could completely cover up this strong smell. The young man just took a few steps back and asked: "Taoist Master, what are you going to do?"

The young Taoist said: "Save her! She was seriously injured. No one in the town is willing to save her. No wonder they are all trying to save her, so I thought about it and thought you might be an exception."

Chen Pingan hit the nail on the head and asked, "How did she get hurt?"

The Taoist's face was not red and his heart was not beating: "When the poor Taoist was pushing the cart past the archway, he saw this young woman from a foreign country. She actually said that she was going to rub the plaque of 'Angrily Bullfighting', and she brought the rubbing bag and brush with her. Waiting for something, I climbed up slowly. As for rubbing monuments, how should I put it, it is just such a copying activity. It is generally supported by scholars who are full. I can’t explain it for a while, but this little girl After climbing up, he lowered his head and bent down to sit on the beam. The poor man was frightened by the sight, so he had to stop and remind her to be careful from time to time. Who would have thought that she was still too absorbed in the end, and suddenly, with a bang, she fell solidly to the ground. The ground is on the ground. As you know, the ground over the archway is no better than your Mud Bottle Alley. It is almost as hard as the bluestone slabs on Fulu Street. This is great. The fall probably hurt all the internal organs and intestines. Pindao is a monk, so he must You have to be compassionate, don't just ignore it, right? Along the way, every household disliked her for being covered in blood. She had just celebrated the New Year, which was too unlucky. No one was willing to carry her into the house. Pindao also knew that this was human nature. So I really have no choice but to come here to find you. To put it bluntly, if you are not willing to take her in, I am not a fairy who can pull people from the dead. I can only wait for that girl to swallow it. Take your last breath, try your best to find a place, dig a hole, erect a monument, and call it a day.

The Taoist deliberately spoke very fast and his pronunciation was not clear. He obviously wanted to confuse the young man in circles and get through it first. Everything is difficult at the beginning. As long as you make a beginning, you can take it one step at a time. The road is endless and there will always be a bright future.

Chen Pingan's eyes were complicated. He glanced at the young Taoist priest who was full of hope, and then glanced at the lifeless girl in black. After a battle between heaven and man, he nodded and said: "How to save?"

The young Taoist suddenly brightened up, "Come on! With your words, Chen Ping'an, it's half the battle. Even though she looks horribly injured, she feels like the Lord of Hell has checked off her name in the book of life and death. In fact, you don't think so." It's so exaggerated... Of course, everything Pindao said just now is true. There are various mysteries involved in it. For example, this girl has an extremely strong desire to survive. In addition, she seems to have some family traditions that can protect her. The most important ones are the heart aperture and alchemy room, etc., as well as our town, which is a very interesting place with many strange things. Eating or catching them will be of great benefit."

The young Taoist came back to his senses and realized that he had revealed a lot of secrets. He laughed dryly and said: "You can't understand it anyway, right?"

The young man said seriously: "I don't understand, but I remember most of them."

The young Taoist asked tentatively: "So when you heard the knock on the door in the house, you knew it was Pindao, the fortune teller setting up the stall?"

Chen Pingan hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes."

The young Taoist asked curiously: "Do you have a good memory? How good is it?"

The young man glanced at the dying girl in black. The young Taoist smiled and explained: "She is in a rather mysterious state now. She cannot move her body at will. It is best to wait for a while."

Chen Ping'an was doubtful, "It's easier for me to remember things when I see them than when I listen to others talking."

The young Taoist asked: "An analogy?"

Chen Ping'an thought for a while, "For example, the head of our dragon kiln, Master Yao, his 'jumping knife' technique is the most powerful among all the masters in the town. I can actually remember all the details after watching it once. but……"

The young Taoist smiled and took over the topic, "But your hands and feet can't keep up, right?"

Chen Pingan's eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously.

The young Taoist smiled knowingly, "Then have you ever thought about what is really great about Old Man Yao's unique skills?"

Chen Ping'an's face was gloomy, "I couldn't figure it out before. Later Liu Xianyang told me that Old Man Yao said that if you want to be the best in the art of jumping swords, you must have a steady heart, not just a steady hand. I heard this After talking, I started to understand a little bit. I was too anxious before. The more anxious I am, the messier my hands will be. The messier my hands are, the easier it is to make mistakes. Once I make a mistake, I can see clearly and know what I didn't do like Old Man Yao, and I will make more mistakes next time. I'm impatient, so I've always been the worst at drawing billets at the Long Kiln."

The young Taoist said calmly: "There is an old saying that it's up to you to be led by the master to practice. But if someone is a master, he doesn't even think about bringing you in. How can you practice?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said: "I'm clumsy. Not to mention Liu Xianyang, I can't compare to ordinary apprentices. It's not surprising that Old Man Yao doesn't like me."

The young Taoist priest suddenly smiled and said: "Chen Ping'an, do you know how difficult it is to understand the word 'stable mind'? It is very difficult to understand, so you must not underestimate yourself."

Chen Ping'an still shook his head and said: "It's like catching fish in a stream. I stand in the water no deeper than my knees, bend over and catch the fish. It's a catch. Some people are good at water, and they will plunge into a big pit with all their strength. Go down and hold your breath for a long time to catch a fish. That’s still catching. It’s the same as catching a fish, Taoist Master, but the two are different, right?”

The young Taoist laughed and said suddenly, noncommittally, "We can save people."

Chen Ping'an was stunned on the spot, and the young Taoist was also stunned, "Why are you so dazed? Take that girl to the bed in the room!"

Chen Pingan remained motionless, "What then?"

The Taoist said matter-of-factly: "Of course, I need to help the girl change into clean clothes first, and then go to the drug store to grab some herbs that can replenish Qi and nourish the body. At that time, I need to go out in person and show off my skills."

Chen Pingan asked with a dark face: "When the girl wakes up, will I be beaten to death by her?"

The young Taoist said resolutely: "No! You are her savior. How could there be such an ungrateful person in the world?!"

Chen Pingan remained silent.

The Taoist coughed and his momentum suddenly dropped, "Probably not?"

Chen Pingan sighed and asked tentatively: "There is a girl named Zhigui in the house next door, let her do these things?"

The young Taoist said helplessly: "No, this is the crux of the problem."

Chen Ping'an didn't insist. He squatted on the ground and scratched his head with both hands.

The young Taoist suddenly asked: "Do you have anything you want to ask? If you ask, I may not be able to answer all the questions, but I'll try my best to pick some that I can answer. How about that?"

Chen Pingan sighed, stood up and said, "Save people first."

The young Taoist smiled broadly and said, "Good!"

He quietly flicked his sleeves and suppressed a flying sword that was about to move in its sheath.

Chen Pingan carried the girl on his back and walked into the house, placing her gently on the wooden bed covered with quilts. The wooden bed that Liu Xianyang had previously collapsed had been repaired not long ago, and a bench was placed under the bed.

The young Taoist followed behind him and crossed the threshold. He looked around and saw that his family had nothing but walls.

The young Taoist slapped his head and went out to get pen and paper, preparing to write a prescription for the young man to grab the medicine.

After returning to the house, the young Taoist shook his head and deliberately did not look at the wooden bed, thinking that this poor boy would definitely run away without food.

It turned out that the young man sitting on the edge of the bed had taken off the girl's hat in black, revealing a pale face covered with blood.

The so-called bleeding from the seven orifices probably refers to the scene under the young man's nose.

The young man stood up quickly, took a stool from the table and put it next to the bed, then quickly ran to a corner of the wall, where a small wooden shelf was set up, with pots and pans neatly placed. Next to the wooden shelf, there was a covered A small water tank with wooden boards to protect it from mosquitoes and flies. The water tank was filled with well water brought from the iron lock well in Xinghua Lane. The young man took a wooden basin and gourd gourd, squatted next to the water tank, and took a spoon from the pottery tank. Quickly pour the clean water into the wooden basin, then put a piece of clean cotton cloth on the edge of the basin, bring it to the bed and place it on the stool, and start to wipe the blood of the girl who took off the curtain.

The young Taoist priest turned his head and raised a piece of paper in his hand, "There is a small pharmacy over there on Fulu Street. You can use this prescription to get some medicine."

The young man asked doubtfully: "Didn't the Taoist Master say that before?"

The young Taoist looked confused, blinked and said, "Yes, Pindao is telling you to be careful when taking the medicine, and not to be too high-profile, so as not to cause trouble in the city and ruin the girl's reputation."

Chen Pingan said oh, and while cleaning the cotton cloth, he asked: "Does the Taoist priest have money for medicine?"

The young Taoist suddenly became nervous, "You don't have one?"

Chen Ping'an put the wooden basin on the table, took out a golden copper coin from somewhere, and gently pressed it on the table. "Taoist priest, I'll take this and exchange it with you for ordinary copper coins. As for how to exchange it," he said. The chief has the final say."

The young Taoist thought for a moment and said, "The copper coin on the table is enough to buy the medicine. I will go and get the money for you right now."

Soon the Taoist brought back a bag of ordinary copper coins and a few grains of silver, and handed them all to Chen Pingan.

Chen Pingan warned: "I will pour this basin of water later. The Taoist Master does not need to help. Song Jixin, who lives next door, prefers new things. It is not good if he sees it."

The young Taoist said solemnly: "Chen Pingan, don't you have any questions you want to ask?"

Chen Pingan stood there, roughly weighing the copper coins and broken silver. After he knew what he was doing, he carefully put them away, and his eyes indicated that he should go out to talk. After the two of them walked out of the threshold, the straw-shoe boy raised his head and said slowly: "I know you are not. Ordinary people, Old Man Yao said when he was drunk very early, our town is unusual, everything is strange, everyone is strange, but Old Man Yao can't explain what is strange, and of course I don't understand it. This time Gu Can said that the storyteller had an ordinary big white bowl that could pour out a large vat of water. Although Gu Can was quite annoying, I knew he was not lying about this matter. Just like... "

The young man paused and continued: "Just like today, there was a very tall woman. In the alley outside the door, she flicked my forehead once with her finger, patted my heart with her palm, and finally she said that I would be here soon. I'm going to die, I know what she said is true."

The young Taoist priest's face was heavy.

Chen Pingan finally said: "The Taoist priest said that the talisman paper you wrote will bring good luck to my parents after being burned. I actually believe the Taoist priest. So the Taoist priest came to the door and asked me to save people. I didn’t say anything just now, but I hope that the Taoist Master will promise me something. If he agrees, no matter what the Taoist Master asks me to do next, there will be no problem. If the Taoist Master does not agree, I will grab the prescription this time and help the Taoist Master again. After frying the medicine, I will drive them away."

The Taoist asked: "What are the conditions? Please tell me."

The young man who always gave the impression of being calm and mature actually felt a little uneasy and replied: "My parents passed away early when I was very young. I don't know why, but I remember many things when I was a child. It's just the appearance of my parents. It was vague and I couldn’t remember it clearly. Later, I ate a lot of food for a while and relied on my neighbors to survive. One time I accidentally heard someone say that I was born on the fifth day of May. They sounded like it was not an auspicious day. Someone next door said it more frankly..."

The young man kept making detours, paused, and finally went straight to the topic. He lowered his head and said in a dull tone, "After helping the Taoist priest save people, if, I mean if, if I suddenly die one day, can the Taoist priest help me?" In the next life, will you be reincarnated as my parents’ child?”

The young Taoist remained silent.

Chen Pingan grinned and scratched his head, "If it doesn't work, forget it. Indeed, there is no such thing in the world. It's just because I grew up."

The Taoist smiled bitterly and said, "What should we do about that girl?"

Chen Pingan suddenly turned around, turned his back to the Taoist, raised his fist and waved, and for the first time made a joke: "She is so handsome, I would be a fool not to save her!"

The young Taoist looked at the boy in straw sandals who pretended to be relaxed and pushed the door open to leave.

The young man walking in Mud Bottle Alley seemed to have thought of someone, and burst into tears.