Sword of Coming

(I uploaded the chapter late, sorry.)

Just as Xiao Mo was about to draw his sword, a faint sound sounded between heaven and earth, like the rustling of leaves, with a strong sense of silence, "It's really you."

Xiao Mo waited quietly for the next words. After a while, the voice sounded again, "You all should go back. Meeting each other won't help."

Xiao Mo sneered, and stopped talking nonsense with the fellow Taoist whom he had only met a few times. He walked forward slowly, raised the long sword in his hand, "Young master, just follow me. At most, I can see you in half a stick of incense." To the other party’s true body.”

Xiao Mo first nailed a long sword into the ground, and the entire empty and lonely world changed colors, like a painting, which turned yellow due to the passage of time.

Chen Ping'an knew that the purpose of Xiao Mo's sword was to serve as a temporary journey against the long river of time. No matter how powerful that Taoist friend was or how weird his skills were, Xiao Mo could always find this sword that he had built by relying on his mind. Time Ferry, and then pass the sword again, only need to be pulled in two places by one thread, and it will not be completely lost. After Xiao Mo walked a dozen steps, he swung his sword again. This was after the battle of Mingyue Haocai, Chen Pingan saw Xiao Mo wield his sword again.

The sword light was not a straight line, but like a gossamer floating in the wind, spreading out for more than a thousand miles.

Xiao Mo kept drawing out his sword, either tilted or horizontally or vertically, lightly, but the sword energy contained in the sword light became more powerful each time.

This is a "casual" sword strike from a peak sword cultivator in the Ascension Realm.

The rules of this small world are indeed a bit weird. Xiao Mo's sword light is condensed, but in Chen Ping'an's field of vision, the traces of those sword lights are lost, as if they have been folded and bent, as if they have followed quiet forks in the road. Go far away.

Xiao Mo said in his heart: "Master, these forked roads are similar to the roots and veins of the sycamore tree. But don't worry, Master, there is an upper limit to the number of roads and the size of the small world. There are even weirder small worlds, such as Xiao Mo's." It’s not like I haven’t experienced it myself.”

Chen Pingan nodded, not in a hurry.

The voice sounded in the ears of the two of them again, "Since we are reunited as old friends, why bother meeting each other at war."

Xiao Mo held the sword in one hand and sneered: "I want to see if this small world of fellow Taoist can withstand hundreds of thousands of swords."

As long as you keep passing the sword and the sword energy and sword intention continue to accumulate, the sword light will naturally burst out like a cone.

At that time, when they are all condensed into one sword, it will be a real question of swordsmanship.

It is recognized that the world is full of monsters, it is difficult to practice, it is difficult to enlighten, and it is slow to practice. The only advantage of this kind of Taoist friends in the mountains is that if there are no natural or man-made disasters, their lifespan is extremely long, especially those of the grass and trees. Once they reach the upper five realms, their Taoist age is especially old, but when it comes to their Taoist qualifications, they really are not. Xiao Mo is arrogant and arrogant. Compared with sword cultivators like me, there is a world of difference. Even if I sleep for ten thousand years and give you ten thousand more years of Taoism out of thin air, so what?

If you are polite to me, I will be more polite than you. You're welcome to me. Even better, I'll thank you by asking for the sword.

The old coachman in the capital, the ghost fairy Yu Jin, is a very polite person.

When he arrived in Haoran World, he always followed the Romans, so he stretched out his hand to avoid hitting the smiling person. This made Xiaomo hold back for a long time.

After Xiao Mo handed out more than a hundred swords, he was able to pull the light of one of them with his mind. It rolled up like a spiritual snake and swayed violently on one of the roads. The light of the sword splashed and exploded, like a slender galaxy that instantly collapsed.

The voice was silent for a moment, and could only remind aloud: "Chen Ping'an, you'd better advise this fellow Taoist not to act like this. If the vitality of this place is damaged by the sword light, it will only affect the fate of the entire Tongye Continent, and even more. It’s difficult to restore it to its original appearance.”

Chen Ping'an said calmly: "It's better to choose the lesser of two evils than to be rejected and go home in despair without even seeing the senior's face. The crux of today's problem is not what Xiaomo and I do. It just depends on whether you are willing to open the door to meet the guests. You and I know very well that your so-called recovery is just a superficial effort. In fact, there are many hidden dangers. The descendants of Tongyezhou have to pay off their debts one by one for today's people. You follow the way of heaven, so naturally it doesn't matter. The many sequelae of the collapse of rituals and music in the past will not affect your own practice. As long as the overall number of a certain one remains unchanged, your predecessors will still be considered to have completed their merits and contributed to the world. Just wait three to five hundred years, just wait for the Confucian Temple and the monks, as well as the major dynasties under the mountain, and of course me, to replenish the mountains and rivers everywhere, and you will be able to survive this catastrophe safely and return to perfection. Realm. But I am using humane methods to make up for the lack of a continent. The longer you delay, the more trouble you will have. Your covenant with the Confucian Temple has ended. You are staying behind closed doors today, waiting for your realm to reach the ascension realm. Perfection has invisibly replaced and filled the vacancy left by the old Donghai Temple Master, and has become some kind of illusory master of a continent. Let alone if I come to see you again, it will be extremely difficult to find you when the time comes. "

The voice did not deny the matter, "That's right. I will go into seclusion soon, do some great deductions, and find a path for myself to reach the Fourteenth Realm."

Apparently Chen Pingan was right.

This was the first time Xiao Mo heard about this, and he was immediately furious. He felt that the previous so-called "fellow Taoist" title was just a slap in his face.

Therefore, dozens of swords were handed out in an instant, and the sword light was like a rainbow, and the entire yellowing sky and earth suddenly turned white.

Chen Ping'an walked slowly behind Xiao Mo, stopped, raised his foot and stepped on the ground, lowered his head and smiled: "Senior is highly respected. In his early years, he was able to become an ally with Li Sheng and build a demon-suppressing tower for the Confucian Temple. This junior has climbed over The secret clerk of the Confucian Temple knows that the senior has a gentle temperament and is unconcerned with the world. This is the reason why the junior is willing to talk to the senior. But now that I will be completely free soon, the senior can't be sure what I have to do. It’s not just about standing by and watching, but it’s about crossing the river and burning the bridge. How can it be so embarrassing for a junior who is less than a year old? The Clay Bodhisattva is still very angry, let alone a junior?”

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "If it doesn't work, I'll ask Li Sheng to move half of the Sword Qi Great Wall here."

"I want to see if the senior who wants to reach the Fourteenth Realm can still see me, and if he still has a chance to ask me face to face whether he agrees or not."

"It's hard for me to see."

The voice was a little annoyed and said hurriedly: "The Confucian Temple promised me that the great catastrophe has passed, and the covenant will be destroyed by itself. Even the accompanying saints who are here to worship cannot hinder my practice."

If this young man really acted like this, it would be okay if he could not find the path to the Fourteenth Realm in seclusion, but it would be terrible if he found the avenue but was blocked by a wall.

And once they fall into such an embarrassing situation, then they and this young swordsman will have a veritable battle between them. As long as one party wants to reach the Fourteenth Realm, they will need to fight the other party to the death.

Are you, Chen Ping'an, still a close disciple of the literary sage lineage, or a disciple of Confucianism? !

Chen Pingan shook his head and said: "Since I can't replace the Confucian Temple, the Confucian Temple certainly can't replace me."

Anyone who prevents me from repairing the land shortage of a continent is asking me for swordsmanship.

This is not a joke, please take it seriously.

The voice suddenly said angrily: "The Holy Master has been here before and personally wished me a smooth journey in my practice."

Chen Ping'an said expressionlessly: "Then in this matter, I'm afraid I'm going to let down the Holy Master."

When the other party heard this, he was obviously shocked beyond measure and was speechless for a moment.

Even the literary sages dare not say such things, a lunatic who dares to disobey the most holy teacher! You bullshit scholars, you are so polite, you swordsmen cultivators, you have a bad temper that will never change for thousands of years...

Xiaomo smiled knowingly.

After being silent for a long time, probably trying to calm his heart, the voice spoke again, and finally said in a somewhat weak tone, "I can trust the Lisheng, but I can't trust you."

Xiao Mo narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice: "I have read the almanac. Today it is forbidden to disturb the earth, carry out coffins, make stoves, plant, and bury. It is better to go out, cut trees, build beams, build houses, and make alliances."

Chen Ping'an took a step forward, patted Xiao Mo's arm, indicating that he was not in a hurry to hand over the sword, and stood side by side with Xiao Mo. He put his hands in his sleeves and smiled: "I also know the situation of my predecessors. In this ruined mountain and river, we came into being and took advantage of the situation. For seniors, all living beings in the world are not just flesh on the palms and backs of their hands. The heaven and earth are reverse journeys, where the great road lies, and all living creatures are like dogs. There is no distinction between loyal ministers and thieves, and filial sons and unfaithful sons."

The voice continued: "To be precise, I can't trust a swordsman who only acts based on his preference and has no taboos in using his sword."

After a moment, he added, "I am even willing to believe the foreign ranger who walked into the Flying Eagle Castle back then, but I cannot believe the last hidden official from the Sword Qi Great Wall."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "If senior had treated others with sincerity earlier, he wouldn't have broken up with a long-time friend."

"Chen Ping'an! Your murderous intention at this moment is even more serious than this 'Xiao Mo'."

"Then let this junior take it back."

In front of Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo, a passage similar to a post road appeared, with both sides as dark as night, similar to the two ends of the Sword Qi Great Wall in the past, and connected to some kind of Taixu realm.

Chen Ping'an looked back and saw the white mist, and he had lost track of where he came from.

Xiao Mo frowned, Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "Now that you've come, let's make peace with it, just treat it as a short trip."

Chen Ping'an took out a gold-made white horse crossing gap talisman from his sleeve. It came from the "Authentic Alchemy Book" presented by Li Xisheng. It was also called the "Moon Talisman". This talisman was relatively far back in the book.

This talisman hovers on the side of the shoulder.

At the same time, in the world of Chen Ping'an's Heart Lake, a sundial used for precise timing appeared. As expected, the speed of time passing between the two worlds inside and outside was very different.

Glancing at the burning speed of the White Horse Crossing Gap Talisman, Chen Ping'an had a rough idea. In this world, it might have been a year, but only one day had passed in Tongye Continent outside.

Chen Pingan reminded: "No matter how hospitable the senior is to the guests, according to the time of the outside world, at most ten hours later, I must see the real body of the senior and negotiate a deal."

Two donkeys appeared out of thin air on the side of the road, probably as a means of transportation. Chen Ping'an laughed dumbly, but he didn't worry about any plot, so he turned over and sat on the donkeys.

He carried a sword in his green robe and tied a vermilion wine gourd to his waist. He gently clamped the donkey's belly, hoofed and started to sway forward.

Xiao Mo shook his wrist, and a long sword flashed into his sleeve. Xiao Mo is still dressed in a yellow hat and blue shoes, holding a green bamboo stick and sitting on the back of a donkey.

There are only two colors in the world, black and white. Xiaomo looks around, like a scribbled ink freehand painting.

Xiao Mo asked: "Master, what are the other sword lights?"

Chen Pingan complained: "There is no reason to take back a gift after sending it out."

Xiao Mo nodded lightly, feeling quite regretful. If he had known better, he would have handed out two or three hundred more swords.

At this moment, the scene in the scroll was dusk. The two of them rode donkeys and soon came to a hillside that suddenly appeared. When they reached the top of the mountain, they looked far away and saw a narrow road with simple buildings similar to a posthouse. The team was huge and spread out on the mountain road. There were no less than thousands of people, and there were even imperial chariots among them. Looking at the hurried expressions of the civil and military officials, were they leaving the capital to take refuge? Chen Ping'an took off his sword gourd and took a sip of wine. In his eyes, he saw a picture of hundreds of officials rushing to and fro in the capital. There was only one person in the picture, just like a painting. The man with middle-aged appearance had a long bamboo tube tied to his waist. The index finger and middle finger of the right hand are slightly calloused. After leaving the crowded road alone, he chewed the cake and walked along a stream deep into the mountains.

Chen Pingan discovered an interesting thing. If the small world before was an ink painting, then when he saw the man, with that man as the center, or what the man saw in his eyes, it would gradually change into a fine brushwork painting. Every detail appears, every flower, every tree, the fish swimming in the stream, all come alive and full of life, eventually turning into a lifelike green landscape painting, which is no different from the "truth" in the world.

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "Let's follow this little god."

In the dusk, the man found a village house by the stream. The eaves were low and there was only an old woman and a woman, lonely and dependent on each other, sitting opposite each other and weaving a chicken coop.

The old woman invited the man to eat some food. In order to avoid suspicion, the man slept under the eaves at night. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep at night, so he simply took out a chess book from his arms under the moonlight, stood up, sat upright, and read through it for a while. He began to close his eyes and concentrate, twisting his hands like chess pieces, and placed them one after another, as if he was playing a score.

Chen Pingan was under the tree far away from the thatched house. He just took the opportunity to glance at the cover of the chess book. It turned out to be a well-documented and famous chess book. In the history of Haoran, it was quite famous. It was just that at the foot of the mountain, the two sides played chess. Five games, it has the reputation of "don't watch five games of chess when you are sick".

Chen Ping'an rode on the back of the donkey and glanced at the White Horse Crossing Talisman next to his shoulder. The speed of time did not change.

In fact, even if there are monks Yufeng, overlooking the entire world at the moment, it seems that there is only this scene. It is probably the senior who reminds himself that after one pass, there will be the scenery of the next. When all the passes have passed, both sides will Only then can we meet? Picture what? Are you trying to stall for time so that you can ask the Confucian Temple for help? Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense to invite someone to come here to help and hinder yourself and Xiaomo.

Xiao Mo asked: "Master, do you need me to use my sword to find out?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said with a smile: "Be patient and wait and see what happens."

Xiao Mo asked: "That person's identity is that he is a chess player waiting for an imperial edict, right?"

Chen Ping'an nodded and said: "It looks like your chess skills are not weak."

The man under the thatched roof doesn't seem to be playing score at this moment, but is playing chess with himself. No matter how high his chess skills are, he doesn't seem to be much higher.

When it comes to the starting moves and established patterns of Go in the world, Chen Pingan thinks that he is quite familiar with it. He can just memorize it by rote. What's more, except for Wei Hailiang, the four picture scrolls who were born in Lotus Flower Land, the other three are Zhu Lian, Lu Baixiang and Sui Youyou is considered a master even if he is placed in the vast world. Moreover, there were Zheng Dafeng and Tiger King Wei Bo on the other side of Luo Po Mountain, both of whom were good at this. Besides, there were also many masters in the summer palace back then. Lin Junbi and Scrophulariaceae Cao Gun were all top-notch. national champion.

Nowadays, with Chen Ping'an's Go skills, it's okay to pretend to be a master in the first thirty or fifty moves he plays with others, but the secret will be exposed later on.

So when he was teaching people how to play chess in the summer palace, Master Yinguan liked to call himself half a bad chess player.

There were no lights in the house, so the old woman and the woman who lived in the same house started to play chess. There was no chess board and chess pieces. Both sides just dictated the positions of the pieces. There were so many long tests that it was not until dawn that the sky turned white before the two sides played. Less than forty hands. The man had already taken out the chess pieces and chess paper from the long bamboo tube, spread them out on the ground, and listened to the chess game in the room while placing the chess pieces on the paper chess board. When the old woman said that she had won with nine pieces, the woman gave up. The man then plucked up the courage and knocked gently on the door. After a while, the old woman and the woman walked out of the house. The man humbly asked for advice, and the old woman went to light a fire to cook. She just asked her daughter-in-law, who was no longer married, to teach him chess skills. Jing Chai cloth The woman in the skirt only taught him for less than half an hour, and she said it was enough to make him invincible in the world.

Having said this, the woman looked up at the tree outside the hut, and intentionally or unintentionally, she smoothed her temple hair.

Chen Pingan turned a blind eye to this, and the woman got up to go about her business. The man said goodbye and left. Looking back along the stream, he saw that the hut was no longer there. The man was disappointed.

In an instant, Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo seemed to be traveling backwards along a long river of time, riding donkeys on the hillside again, and saw the man with a bamboo tube tied around his waist again, walking along the stream.

Xiao Mo smiled and asked: "Master, do you need to beat them in chess to pass?"

Chen Pingan nodded and said: "That should be it. You can continue to stare at the chess piece and wait for the imperial edict. I will go to the post road to see if I can pick up the missing pieces. I will meet you again at dawn."

After that, Xiao Mo rode a donkey and continued to follow the man. Chen Pingan went to the road at the foot of the mountain and found an old official who looked like the man in the painting. He was wearing a purple robe and a goldfish bag. Chen Pingan casually found a topic and chatted with the old man. , and finally said that he was willing to pay a high price to buy the books, but the old man declined, saying that those boxes of books had been treasured for a long time and were not easy to buy. Without saying a word, Chen Pingan knocked over the book boxes on the carriage to the ground. Then he waved his hand and a breeze blew. After the books were spread out page by page, they were all blank except for the covers.

The figures, carriages and horses all seemed to have fallen into a state of stillness. Chen Ping'an stood there, shook his head and smiled: "The landscape is barren, and the collection of books by my predecessors is still a little short, so it's hard to show off."

After that, Chen Ping'an had no interest in exploring at all. This kind of fake small world was too thin. It had only bones and muscles but no flesh and blood. Without flesh and blood, how could there be a deeper spiritual energy?

I got back on the donkey on the roadside and went to find Xiaomo and that hut.

But he didn't forget to wave his hand again and put the books back into the box. The scene was reversed and they returned to the carriage one by one.

Waiting until dawn again on "this day", Chen Ping'an didn't wait for the woman to look up at him again, and already led Xiao Mo forward on the donkey. He only waited for the old woman to say those invincible words, and said with a smile: "Not necessarily .”

When he reached the wooden corridor under the eaves, he cupped his hands with the chess player and said with a smile, "I'll borrow the chess pieces and chess paper from you sir."

After that, Chen Pingan played a game of colorful clouds played by his senior brothers Cui Chan and Zheng Juzhong. But today, Chen Pingan was of course using a trick, pretending that Zheng Juzhong was playing chess and inviting the other party to continue playing chess.

The woman was stunned and speechless, and the old woman also murmured to herself: "Is the chess skills of future generations already so high?"

Chen Pingan held his hands in his sleeves, looked at the chess game, and said casually: "I think the way of chess is like the way of the world, it always leads to higher places."

The old woman nodded and smiled, and the woman also raised her hand to stroke her temples and looked at the guest in green shirt with a hosta on his head with a smile.

As soon as Chen Pingan said these words, the scene of heaven and earth disappeared, leaving only an ancient chess book in the corridor and in the house. Chen Pingan glanced at it, put the two chess books in his sleeves, and accepted it with a smile.

Xiao Mo turned around and glanced, "That fellow Taoist, why did you even take the donkey away?"

Chen Pingan patted Xiao Mo on the shoulder and praised: "No wonder he can be our enshrinement in Luo Luoshan."

After that, the two of them walked on foot, because there was a wider official road under their feet, with rice fields on both sides, and it looked like autumn harvest time.

Suddenly, a horse passed by behind him, heading into the distance. Xiaomo then looked into the distance, and soon there was a hotel.

On the ride just now, the young man was wearing short brown clothes and riding a green horse. He looked like a poor and down-to-earth scholar. However, Chen Ping'an took a few more glances and found that this man had a prosperous official career and had a kind of thing called "in the blue yarn" in Feng Shui Kanyu books. "Human" appearance, in short, is a noble person who is destined to be the prime minister.

When Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo walked into the roadside hotel in a hurry, they found that the young man was sleeping soundly with his head leaning on a celadon. Sitting next to him was a smiling old Taoist priest with white hair, sitting on the steps. There is a large package leaning against it. If you are used to reading fantasy novels and meet this kind of outsider, then you should ask for advice on the magic of immortality.

The owner of the hotel seemed to be steaming millet. When it was about to be cooked, a fragrance came out of the kitchen.

Chen Pingan clasped his fists and asked with a smile: "May I ask the old immortal, where does this official road lead?"

The old Taoist priest smiled and replied: "Handan."

Chen Ping'an asked: "Are you really not going to Daoxuan Mountain, a liquor store that sells Huangliang wine?"

The old Taoist priest exclaimed, and began to seriously look at this knowledgeable young man. He shook his head and said with a smile: "Young master, this question is really ruining the scenery."

Chen Ping'an glanced at the bag. The old Taoist priest understood, patted the package that he carried with him, and said with a smile: "There is nothing else, just a bag of frustration and dissatisfaction, so I will not open it for the young master. To avoid chaos."

The old Taoist priest glanced at the young scholar who was still sleeping soundly on his celadon pillow. After retracting his gaze, he glanced at the road outside and sighed: "I have nothing to ask for, I only ask for the meaning of the Tai Chi book. No one else, it is Handan Taoism." Leftist."

Chen Pingan immediately stood up with a smile, took two steps back, bowed and said: "Junior Chen Pingan, I would like to pay my respects to Lu Zu."

The old Taoist priest who was respectfully called "Lu Zu" by Chen Ping'an waved his hand, motioning to sit down and talk, and asked: "Liang Shuang from the Divine Continent of the Middle Earth, Mr. Huolong from the Julu Continent, Taoist Master Guan Sun from the Xuandu City of Qing Ming Tianxia, ​​have they ever broken through?" territory?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said: "None of them have broken through."

The old Taoist sighed endlessly and looked up at the sky, "The spirit is in harmony with Taixu, and the path is connected to the heaven and earth. The five elements of Qi are wonderful, and the sun and the moon are just an inch away."

Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged and said with a smile: "Wine flows in the river, and people climb the Yellow Crane Tower. The light of the Tao is endless, and it has its own merits in ancient and modern times."

The old Taoist priest clicked his tongue in wonder, stroked his beard and smiled, "Pouring a piece of Lei will relieve a thousand worries."

Chen Ping'an asked curiously: "Does the old man have any connection with the Huangliang Kingdom of Aquarius Continent?"

The old Taoist priest nodded and said: "Pindao's birthplace is over there, but he left his hometown very early and traveled around. In fact, he spent more years in Qingming World than in his hometown."

The old Taoist priest immediately smiled and said, "If the poor Taoist had been involved in the Cicada Slaughter Cave Heaven's Wenjian in the early years, the man named Chen might not have been able to escape unscathed."

Chen Pingan did not comment on this. In fact, this is a loss-making thing of "saying one thing and offending two people".

Chen Pingan asked again: "Senior, have you ever met an old tree spirit?"

The old Taoist priest thought for a while, nodded and said: "By chance, I gave it some guidance on how to practice."

When Chen Ping'an attended the meeting at the Zhongtu Confucian Temple, he visited more than 30 rooms in Yuanyangzhu Baofuzhai. Li Huai, who was traveling with him, only picked out one favorite object. It was a bonsai, a stone the size of a fist, with the seal carved " The word "mountain fairy" can of course also be regarded as "fairy mountain". There is a small old willow tree entrenched at the root of the mountain. Under the tree stands an old tree spirit with a view of the sea. He looks like an old man, only three inches tall. He is old and has a bad temper. He is bigger and claims to be the Old Heavenly Lord of the South of the City. He seems to have an immortal restraint on his body that suppresses his realm. When the old man saw a customer and had any intention of buying, he would start cursing them with his hands on his hips, spitting on them, and persuade them to fly high in the day.

Later, I heard from Li Huai that this old tree spirit said that he had met a swordsman named "Chun Yang" in his early years. He was an expert in the Taoist swordsman lineage. He had humbly consulted him on swordsmanship. He had good qualifications. In a few words, he Breaking through one after another.

This kind of language can only be heard half-heartedly. As expected, the old tree spirit did have a Taoist fate with Lu Zu, whose Taoist name was "Chun Yang".

Chen Ping'an asked again: "Senior and that Bao Fu Zhai?"

The old Taoist priest laughed and said, "You have good eyesight. I am an old friend of the Baofengzhai ancestor."

The scholar woke up in a daze. After having a beautiful dream of enjoying all the glory and wealth in the world, he looked around blankly at this moment and saw that the old Taoist priest was still sitting beside him, and the host of the hotel was still steaming millet, but it was much better than before. A man in a green shirt and an attendant.

The scholar felt sad for a long time, and finally sighed and bowed to the old Taoist priest. After thanking him, he said that he already knew the principles of honor and disgrace in life, love between men and women, and life and death.

Just as the scholar was about to leave, Chen Pingan quietly waved his sleeves, and the clouds and mist rose. Suddenly, in the open space in front of the hotel, an ancient locust tree appeared, with dense branches and leaves, and acres of shade.

The scholar was in a daze, as if he was still in a dream. Looking to the side, he could no longer see the old Taoist priest and the green-shirted guest. He could only see a small green oil car driving out of the hole of the big locust tree, driven by four high-headed horses. , there is a messenger in purple, holding a jade scepter, kneeling to worship the scholar, claiming to be from a neighboring country, and His Majesty the Emperor admires the talent... The scholar is moved, but he is still a little surprised. The green oil cart is hung with a bamboo curtain, and there is a beauty behind the curtain. The figure lifted the curtain with her slender jade hands. The woman was beautiful and fragrant. She and the scholar looked affectionate... The scholar's mind suddenly wavered. When hesitating, the beauty's eyes were filled with resentment and she bit her lip. The purple-clothed waiter fell to the ground and spoke sincerely. , the scholar finally moved forward and boarded the car...

In the blink of an eye, the small car with green oil, the waiter in purple clothes, the beautiful lady holding hands with him, and the big locust tree all turned into smoke and dispersed.

The scholar fell to the ground and rubbed his buttocks in pain.

Now I was finally sure it wasn't a dream.

The old Taoist priest suddenly put his hands on his hands and laughed, "Wonderful."

At the same time, Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo also changed the landscape painting, but in Chen Ping'an's heart, the voice of the old Taoist priest rippled, saying that somewhere in Huangliang Kingdom, there was a sword secret.

Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo came to a land where the heat was rising. There was a drought. There was no rain for three consecutive months. The rivers dried up and the lakes dried up. There was no harvest, and all the vegetation was gone for thousands of miles.

Chen Ping'an cast a water spell that brought down the rain, but after casting the spell, he would return to the original place. But if he wanted to ride the wind, it would be like going back in time, so he had to take Xiao Mo on foot on the earth. During the drought season, there was no harvest and the people were migrating. Along the way, there were piles of bones and the horrific human tragedy was everywhere. Previously, when he met a group of women, children and children who were about to die on the way, Chen Pingan knelt down and gave them food and drink, but... It will just slide through the throat and intestines and fall straight to the ground.

Chen Pingan was squatting on the spot and did not get up for a long time.

Xiao Mo consoled him, "Master, it's all fake."

Chen Pingan nodded, then shook his head, "It used to be true."

After getting up and walking on the road again, Xiao Mo took a look at the young master's face, but there was nothing strange about it.

Later, we encountered a county town, where someone had opened a warehouse to provide disaster relief, and a porridge shop had been set up for many days. However, a group of bandits who came after hearing the news rushed past.

By the time Chen Ping'an entered the city, it was already like purgatory on earth.

In that family where everyone was dead, there was a young man lying in a pool of blood. With tears on his face, he turned his head with difficulty and looked at an old man who had been hacked to death with a knife.

The young man and his father repeatedly said that since ancient times, disaster relief has required military guards. Why don't you listen? Why don't you listen...

Chen Pingan sat on the courtyard steps covered with blood and corpses. He stood up and came to the young scholar. He wanted to gently hold his hand, but there was an afterimage, but Chen Pingan's hand still hovered in place. He said softly: "Don't be afraid. For you good people, walking through this world is like walking through hell."

Afterwards, they walked out of the county town and came to the outskirts of a state city with Xiaomo. On the bank of a dry river, officials with chapped lips were praying for rain, while the folk custom of showing off the Dragon King was being practiced in the city.

Chen Pingan squatted on the other side of the river, reached out and grabbed a handful of broken soil, listened to the official's hoarse voice praying for rain, read it over, and started from the beginning again. After Chen Pingan stood up, he stepped down, walked to the other side of the river, and stood on the other side of the river. Next to the incense table, he took out a pen and paper and helped rewrite a prayer for rain. After handing it to the sallow-looking official, the latter, with the mentality of treating a dead horse as a living horse doctor, prepared to recite this prayer for rain that was inconsistent with the etiquette system. , just after reading the beginning, the official looked flustered and turned to look at the man in green shirt, as if asking with his eyes, is it really okay? Will it really not cause more disasters?

Because the content of the prayer for rain on that piece of paper was really too disrespectful.

Generally speaking, this kind of rain prayer book has a formal standard similar to that of the officialdom, mixed with some respectful words, such as "sincerity and fear", starting with "I want to send a letter to the rain master", and then writing some "Spring rain is like a benevolent edict, and summer rain is like a benevolent edict". Pardon Letter" words.

The letter he held in his hand to pray for rain began with "Uncle Feng, Master of Rain, Lord of Thunder, Mother of Lightning, obey my orders, and those who disobey orders will be killed."

Therefore, when the official endorsed the letter, his voice was trembling, which meant that he had not had a hearty drink of water for a long time, otherwise he would have been sweating. When he finished reading the treasonous rain prayer, the official felt relieved and collapsed to the ground.

After a while, dark clouds gathered, thunder rolled, lightning thundered, and in an instant there was heavy rain, and nectar fell all over the place thousands of miles away.

Xiao Mo raised his head and said softly: "Young master, in the county town before, I almost couldn't hold back and handed the sword over to him. Killing it counts, so I can't just let it continue to deliberately disgust you."

Chen Pingan stretched out his hand to catch the soybean-sized raindrops, "It actually has nothing to do with your fellow Taoist."

Xiao Mo smiled and said: "To be honest, if Xiao Mo saw this kind of scene ten thousand years ago, he would only be indifferent. Even if Xiao Mo opened his eyes wide and stared at it for several days, he would still be confused. It's indifferent. It's different now. Maybe I've been with you for a long time and have become a little soft-hearted. Master, is this the difference between a cultivator and a Taoist?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "The transformation from ancient Taoist priests to today's Taoists is actually not all a good thing. Just speaking of the speed of cultivation, it will definitely be slower."

After that, Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo came to a new situation, a county, which was flooded year after year, and their homes were submerged in the water.

It turned out that there was a river in the county that had been flooded since ancient times. Chen Ping'an found that he had suddenly transformed into the prefect of a county. He was from the Han tribe. Fortunately, he seemed to be a young prodigy. He was a Jinshi at a young age. Not married yet.

Because he roughly knew the method of the "God", Chen Pingan gave up the idea of ​​using magic and began to beg for help with wealthy people in counties and counties. As for the specific method of controlling water, Chen Pingan had a method. After all, in addition to the construction methods compiled by Zhu Lian, there are also many books from the Nanyuan Ministry of Industry. I have carefully read them. It is more than enough to be a plumber for the imperial court. Chen Pingan took Xiao Mo and a group of subordinates to inspect the city. After studying the geography of the riverbed outside, we found that we only need to build a fish-mouth water dike. We need bamboo cages filled with stones to block the water, and then open a flat water tank and a spillway. The curvature of the bottom of the riverbed is also somewhat particular, and they are all those Chen Ping'an just copied and used the knowledge recorded in detail in ancient books.

After that, I went from house to house, seeking wealth with the local rich, and saw some anecdotes about high-level people and various things in the market. One of them once slapped the table in front of his face and said, "We who read the books of sages all work hard on the principles." A rich man, but in the end he was only willing to give out fifty taels of silver. At the beginning of the year, a piglet ran out of his pigsty and went to his neighbor. He thought it was unlucky, so he sold it to his neighbor at the market price. By the end of the year, it had grown to more than one hundred taels. The big pig, weighing 5 pounds, ran into the house again. As a result, the rich man could only pay according to the "market price" at the beginning of the year, so he started a lawsuit and went to the county government. Chen Ping'an, the county governor, So he looked for an opportunity to take action on the matter, raised an army to investigate, and made a fuss about it. Only then did Mr. Maocai, who had worked hard on the rule of law, come to the door overnight and take an extra hundred taels of silver.

The largest family in the county was a man who had retired from the Ministry of Rites in the capital. He had no children and only had a daughter. He claimed to the public that his daughter had written thousands of articles on the subject, including Cheng Mo's history and examination papers for masters in various provinces. , if it was a son, dozens of top scholars and Jinshi would have won the prize long ago.

When Chen Pingan took the initiative to come to discuss Taoism with him, the old man had served as a reviewer for several times. Even when he spoke to the county governor, he still regarded himself as an elder in the officialdom and said categorically that if the imperial examination essays were well done, you can do whatever you want. Everything is a mark with a whip, a slap with blood. But if the imperial examination articles are poorly done and lack of attention to detail, no matter what you do, it will be wild fox Zen and evil heretics... Chen Ping'an, a young prefect with a clean and upright background, could only nod his head vigorously and echoed. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get money by cheating. The old man then talked about his sadness. The son-in-law who entered his wife's house was a well-matched and talented son-in-law, but he refused to start a career. The young county governor comforted him by saying that as long as he raised a son early and taught him to read, he would be able to study next year. What's the difficulty in accepting the offer of Jinshi from my grandfather? At the end, he resolutely said, "In this way, Miss's title is still extremely secure." This made the old man very happy. He was so happy that he gave him three thousand taels of silver. .

As a follower of the county guard, Xiao Mo watched and listened, and felt that he had learned a lot about the world outside of books.

In this scroll of heaven and earth, there are three colorful characters. In addition to the old man Gaosheng who was quickly ordered to return to the center of the court by a piece of paper from the capital, there is also a poor scholar who has been trapped in a house for many years. His family is poor, and there is a man who lives in the county town. The last father-in-law in the cooked food case is none other than the wealthy Mr. Maocai who ran away with a little pig at the beginning of the year and returned with a big pig at the end of the year.

When the old man moved his family back to the capital, the old man turned black and white. However, when Chen Ping'an completed the water conservancy project and there were no more floods in the territory, he was praised by the court, but he found that Brother Maocai was still the same as the poor scholar. Chen Pingan thought for a while and had to pay a private visit incognito. He went to the latter's home and saw the poor man saying goodbye to his wife at the door. He patted his chest and promised that he would definitely win the provincial examination. , I have been patient for more than a month, you are definitely a lady. The woman wiped her tears and said with a smile, "I hope that I will be both wealthy and wealthy, so that I can win some glory for my ancestors and help my wife to be poor. Then I will pray to heaven and earth."

As a result, it happened that Chen Ping'an, the county governor, had made great achievements in water control. The imperial court ordered him to serve as an academic administrator for a state and to serve as the examiner of this examination. He extracted the examination article of the poor scholar from the failed examination paper and circled his name. Painting can be regarded as being promoted to a scholar. From this moment on, the scholar who transformed into a scholar became black and white. As for Brother Maocai, he was ill and was dying. Chen Ping'an was still puzzled and had to sneak into the other person's home. He found that the man's hand stretched out from the quilt, stretched out two fingers, and refused to swallow. Take your last breath. Chen Ping'an didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he had to push the door open and go in. He picked out one of the oil lamps on the table that was lit with two lamp grasses. Everyone looked at the man on the bed, who nodded, lowered his hand, and immediately lost his breath.

Xiao Mo leaned against the door and shook his head helplessly.

When Chen Pingan walked out of the house, the picture scroll changed. He and Xiao Mo seemed to be on the edge of the battlefield. The two armies were facing each other, separated only by a river. The chariots and figures were all of ancient appearance. One side had a large banner with the words benevolence and righteousness written on it, and the other One side has strong troops and horses, and the monarch is laughing with the military advisor beside him and saying, "The enemy has more than enough armor but not enough benevolence and righteousness. The enemy has not enough armor but has more than enough benevolence and righteousness. We will definitely win a great victory."

Later, the military counselor saw that the enemy was crossing the river with troops and horses, so he suggested to the benevolent and righteous monarch to attack halfway across the river. However, he refused. The two armies fought and were defeated.

Chen Pingan stood aside and watched. After the scroll was restored to its original state twice, he went to the army and came to the carriage of the only colorful figure. The latter asked: "Is I wrong?"

Chen Ping'an put his hands in his sleeves and remained silent.

"What do the history books of later generations say about the widowed people?"

Chen Ping'an still said nothing.

"Let's not talk about history books, what about the people in the market, and what about the official and unofficial history?"

The monarch was full of sorrow and tears filled his eyes. He slapped Che Shi hard and said with grief and anger: "There should be a good word, right?!"

Chen Pingan still did not give a direct answer, "Right things, good things, immediate things, behind-the-scenes things, current things, and eternal things are all mixed together. How can we distinguish them clearly?"

"Besides, you are not a Taoist. When you are in charge of your political affairs, you must always take care of the safety of the people of a country. As a battlefield warrior, you must win the battle in front of you."

The king who had subjugated his country shouted "benevolence and justice" several times, and his figure disappeared.

After that, Chen Pingan and Xiaomo met many strange people and things.

The two of them were sailing in a small boat on a moonlit night, drifting with the water. When they arrived at an ancient bridge, they saw a small building like a painting, closed by the water's end. It turns out that every time the breeze blows and the moon shines, the ethereal figure of a woman can be seen between the winding sills of the cloister. Wandering and leaning, lingering and melancholy, throwing money into the water.

Later, thousands of miles away, Chen Ping'an finally saw another elegant young man with a colorful figure. In the bustling market, he asked the servants to kneel on his back, ordered the book boy to play the flute, and ordered the servants to do the flute. The luan and crane were flying, and the servants were a little slow to get up. The young master felt sad and couldn't stop crying. He said to himself that I can't become an immortal, so I went to see the beautiful woman as a narcissus. Then he got up and ran wildly, jumped into a nearby pond, and probably drowned himself, but was quickly picked up by a servant and drowned.

Chen Pingan asked Xiao Mo to do it for him and help deliver the letters. Even if the relationship between such a talented and beautiful woman was sincere and genuine, Chen Pingan was too lazy to be the matchmaker.

Later, when we came to a mountainside, an old monk took a young novice down the mountain. When he met a woman on the way, the old monk only said that the tiger at the foot of the mountain can eat people and should not be approached and must be avoided.

When he returned to the mountain, the little novice monk looked dazed, touched his little bald head, and said to his master, I don't want anything but the man-eating tiger at the foot of the mountain, and I can't bear to let him go.

Chen Pingan held back his laughter.

Afterwards, he returned to the dilapidated temple in the mountains. When the weather was freezing, the old monk chopped down the wooden Buddha statue for firewood and started to light a fire to keep warm. He turned to look at the green-shirted scholar who stayed in the temple and came to Beijing to take the exam.

Chen Pingan shook his head and said, "You can do it, monk, but I can't."

The old monk asked why he couldn't do it. He always worshiped Buddha, but he didn't worship himself.

Chen Pingan just remained motionless.

So this picture of the master and apprentice going down the mountain, and the old monk returning to the temple to chop the Buddha statues and burn firewood, continues in this cycle.

In the end, Xiao Mo couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but say something to the old monk.

The old monk then stood up and smiled, lowered his head with Xiao Mo, and clasped his hands together.

After the rain, I met an old woman on the road. She was wearing ragged clothes and riding a horse with a gorgeous saddle and bridle, which seemed a bit nondescript.

The old woman looked kindly, stopped her horse quickly, and asked in a warm voice: "Where are you going, Master?"

Chen Ping'an said he was going to visit relatives in the countryside. The old woman said: "The road is difficult and there are many tigers. Why don't you come with me to a humble house to rest for a while? We can go early the next day and take it easy."

Chen Pingan bowed to express his thanks.

The old woman rode her horse slowly and led the two of them along a secluded path for about three or four miles. They saw a faint light in the forest. The old woman pointed her whip at the light and smiled.

The house can be described as bare-walled. Apart from a wooden bed and a table, there was only a lantern hanging on the wall. A woman slowly raised her head, brushed her temples, and her face was bleak. After that, the old woman entertained the guests with quite a lot of food, all of which were fish and meat. To use a basin instead of a pot, Chen Pingan and Xiao Mo needed to break branches into chopsticks. However, the fish and rice were both cold and difficult for ordinary people to swallow, but to Chen Pingan, it was nothing. After the meal, Chen Pingan sat at the table. The dirt floor was uneven, and the table was crooked just now. Chen Pingan went to the forest outside the house, chopping firewood to make wooden blocks, and padding the table legs. The old woman thanked her, and the woman held the lamp. Lice, Chen Ping'an didn't ask the poor people why the food and hospitality were so lavish, he just took out the dry tobacco stick and started puffing away the smoke. The woman stared at him several times, unable to speak.

Chen Ping'an asked: "May I ask grandma, what time of year is it now?"

The old woman smiled and replied: "The Hungry Ghost Festival has just passed, and the previous meals were sent by my master."

Chen Ping'an suddenly nodded and stood up to say goodbye, as there was only one room and it was inconvenient to stay overnight, but he just said he was in a hurry on his way. The old woman couldn't hold him back, so she had to say: "Young Master has traveled more than fifty miles along the previous road, and there is a post station. My husband works there as an errand. He is hunchbacked and lame. He is easy to recognize. I beg you to please speak to me." I urged him to send some copper coins back quickly, saying that my family had enough food and clothing."

Chen Ping'an took Xiao Mo away from the house in the forest. If nothing else happened, if he looked at this place again at dawn, he would probably see the ancient tombs slumped, half leaning into the basil and thorns.

The two of them took their time and walked to the inn on foot, passing by a large tomb with dense pines and cypresses. The sky was slightly bright, and I saw a hunchbacked and lame old man. He claimed to be the tombkeeper of an official and worked as a day laborer at the inn. His wife was the official's maid during his lifetime. The old man said that he wanted to borrow money. Go to the incense and candle shop that specializes in casual business and buy some paper money. Chen Ping'an took out some broken silver and gave it to the old man, reminding him not to forget that in addition to buying paper money, houses, carriages, horses, paper clothes and other items at the incense and candle shop, it is best to ask the shop for a custom-made paper dry tobacco pole, along with The tobacco was burned together.

Xiao Mo looked at the back of the old man stumbling away and asked in his heart: "Sir, does this well-informed Taoist Wutong friend already know my current pseudonym and Taoist name?"

The pseudonym is unfamiliar, and the Taoist name is Xi Zhu.

Since it is the birth of human beings, it is also the birth of living beings.

Chen Pingan shook his head, "That Taoist friend's intentions may be more meaningful."

After waiting for a while, the old man burned paper money and other objects in front of the grave as promised, and Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo also changed the scroll.

It turned out to be an ancestral temple. On the incense table, there was an oath of covenant. There were two words on it, one was as solid as a rock, and the other was erratic. Judging from the content, the former was a woman's oath, showing colorful colors, but the man's oath, such as The water was undulating and swaying, but it was white in color, like ashes.

It turns out that local infatuated men and women often come to this temple to swear that if either party violates the oath, they will be held accountable and convicted by the gods.

Xiao Mo raised his head and glanced at the two statues in the temple, one high and one low. The tall painted statue had the face of a young master, while the lower one had the face of Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo smiled. We haven't seen each other for ten thousand years. Did this fellow Taoist just learn these fancy magic techniques?

Chen Pingan picked up the oath to testify with "himself", sighed, and looked into the distance. With the magical power of "one god", there was no doubt that it was the infatuated woman and the heartless man. The former had vomited blood and died, becoming an orphan. The soul is wandering, the body is found in a Taoist temple, and the man is a little clever. He has moved to the capital. He has already started a family and has a high career. He has a smooth career and a successful career because the daughter he married is from this dynasty. The legitimate daughter of a great scholar... Chen Ping'an, as a local god, had a slight change of heart. He shrunk down the mountains and rivers and reached the border of his territory in one step. However, it would be difficult to go further.

Xiao Mo suddenly said: "The golden body of the temple is beginning to show cracks."

Chen Ping'an nodded, looked around the territory, and found a local wealthy businessman who was known for his chivalrous spirit. He then entrusted this person with a dream, told him the reasons, and gave him a thousand gold coins as a means of traveling to Beijing.

After the wealthy man woke up from his dream, he rode his horse and rushed to the capital day and night without saying a word.

In less than half a month, outside the Taoist temple where the soul had stopped, there was a powerful man with a halberd and beard and fist hair, galloping on a horse with a sword in his hand, and passed several gates.

Carrying a bloody package on his back, he immediately stood in front of the coffin, raised his beard and shouted, "The person who betrayed his heart has been killed."

Then the hero untied the package, which contained a blood-smeared head, threw it out with all his strength, and rolled away to the ground. It was the head of the unfaithful man.

The female ghost wandering outside the Taoist temple, her eyes dim with tears, and the powerful man who rode away gave him a blessing and shed tears of gratitude. Then he turned around and knelt down to thank the two local gods in the Taoist temple.

Later, they changed their identities and became two literati traveling to visit friends.

Near that friend's house, there was a rumor that there was a haunted house that had been abandoned for many years. Every night, the white walls were covered with bones and looked hideous.

A businessman secretly communicated with the government officials, took advantage of the loophole, tampered with the house deed, and turned the house into a private property, which turned out to be a hot potato.

Inviting Taoist priests to the altar to perform practices, and eminent monks to preach, all failed. Instead, they were teased by ghosts, who laughed and said, "Is this what a Taoist person can do?"

Later, Chen Ping'an's "friend" did not believe in evil and thought he was a gentleman who had read the books of saints and sages, and he was also an official. Why should he be afraid of such things, so he carried a few books of sages and sages and hung an official seal on his waist, and wanted to spend the night there. As a result, he was so frightened that he almost lost his soul. In less than a moment of burning incense, he fled back in embarrassment, so that he couldn't afford to fall ill. It took him more than ten days of cultivation to get better, and he met his two close friends. He only said that the evil ghost was very troublesome. I really don’t know anyone in the world who can surrender.

Chen Ping'an took Xiao Mo to the haunted house in the night, strolling around the grounds, turning a blind eye or hearing the terrifying visions on the walls, as well as the permeating movements and sounds.

Xiao Mo held the hiking stick in one hand and clasped it behind his back. He suddenly widened his eyes and looked at the blood-stained face on the wall. The latter seemed to be frightened by this guy. Xiao Mo then turned around and smiled. He asked: "Sir, what should I do? Our swordsmanship and magical powers are obviously useless here, so how can we defeat demons? Is it possible to move them with emotion and reason? Or should we spend money to buy them from that merchant? After signing the title deed, let’s put a seal on the gate?”

Chen Ping'an leaned against the pillar, crossed his arms across his chest, looked at the wall, and said with a smile: "The way of the world is that there is a difference between Yin and Yang, there is a clear path, and there is no trouble for mediocre people. As long as you can respect ghosts and gods and stay away, nothing will happen." "

A faint sigh came from the other side of the wall, and a woman in colorful clothes and beautiful makeup walked out of the wall and landed on the ground, "Sir, these words are so comforting."

The female ghost suddenly smiled like a flower, "Then let me take you to a beautiful place with hundreds of flowers."

A door opened on the wall, and the woman walked in first, turning around and waving.

Xiao Mo couldn't help but ask: "What do you want to do with such twists and turns?"

That Taoist friend has been playing these little tricks for some reason.

Chen Ping'an said with a smile: "The boat will naturally straighten up when it reaches the bridge. Just think of it as a roadside trip to see flowers."

Chen Ping'an almost mistakenly thought he had arrived at the Paradise of Hundred Flowers.

Along the way, there are strange flowers and plants, and the woman standing beside them, all kinds of charm.

Finally, we came to a gorgeous hall. Outside the hall, a girl seemed to be doing a roll call and announced the names of Chen Ping'an and his two "human scribes".

The girl was only fourteen or fifteen years old. Her figure was slender and frail. Her steps were slow and her joints creaked.

After Chen Ping'an led Xiao Mo across the threshold, he saw the lady sitting high in the palace, graceful and graceful, wearing a green crown on her head, like a concubine.

There are dozens of maids in the palace, all of whom are beauties.

As a result, the lady who was sitting high on the throne said that both of you were talented and learned people, so she began to ask for poems.

Chen Ping'an just drank wine, a so-called Baihua ointment. When he heard that he wanted to sing poetry, he asked Xiao Mo to do it for him.

Good guy, Xiao Mo didn't have any stage fright. He raised his glass and stood up, and directly gave dozens of poems about flowers and plants, and they were all poems that Xiao Mo pieced together.

Chen Pingan lowered his head and held his forehead, afraid to see anyone.

Those women were very supportive. They were surprised and seemed to be impressed by Xiao Mo's talent and learning.

In the end, Xiaomo really managed to get through with help.

Both of them still held wine glasses in their hands. Xiao Mo smiled and said, "I still feel like I still have more to say."

Chen Pingan threw the slightly rosy wine glass in his hand to Xiao Mo, then patted Xiao Mo on the shoulder, "In the future, I will ask people about swords more often and less often fight with people about poetry."

We were already in a busy market, where there was an old man selling flowers, which were white and red, very cute. When the sun was getting warm, the old man took off the burden on his shoulders, took out a fan, and fanned the breeze. Even if we don't say that the old man is a colorful character, we just say that the folding fan in his hand does not look like something in the hands of a village man. On top of the fan, there is a poem. The handwriting is beautiful, each word is a reflection of beauty, and there is a signature at the end of the fan.

Chen Ping'an patted Xiao Mo's shoulder heavily again.

Xiaomo looked confused.

Chen Ping'an said with a smile: "Don't you mean that you still have more to say? What a coincidence, I have memorized so many books, a lot of knowledge, and a real wealth of knowledge. The next step is where I can put it to use."

Xiao Mo's face was full of confusion, but Chen Pingan looked more like pretending to be stupid and said with a smile: "Don't be stunned, hurry up and ask the old man about the origin of the fan, if I pretend to be your follower again, you can say that you are Scholars who come to Beijing to take the exam, there is no doubt that there will be a wedding night waiting for you."

Xiao Mo glanced at the fan, frowned, and shook his head, "This lady's poems are really... comparable to Xiao Mo's."

Chen Ping'an said with a serious face: "Xiao Mo, what's going on! Have you read so many novels about talented men and beautiful women in vain? This kind of poems sing in harmony and praise each other's poems. We must praise each other's poems more. When describing talented men and beautiful women, we must talk about their poems. No matter how good the writing is, novelists will still write many good poems for them."

Xiao Mo's head suddenly became as big as a dustpan.

After that, as the young master said, he almost had a wedding night with a young woman, but in the end, both parties exchanged love tokens, which was regarded as a deal and passed the test.

Seeing the serious look on the young master's face, Xiao Mo immediately asked in his heart: "Young Master, is this a series of calculations?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said: "It's not a calculation, it's a conspiracy."

After that, Chen Ping'an became the king of a country in a peaceful and prosperous era. His behavior was ridiculous. He had just awarded a young girl with quick talents as the female champion. There was a lot of traffic, and there was an endless stream of people asking for calligraphy and poetry. When she was a girl, she saw a girl upstairs. The young scholar who had been waiting for a long time, because of his lameness, used reserved words and made some sarcastic remarks. The scholar was born in a wealthy family, but his knowledge was half-full. He did not understand the meaning of the girl's teasing. When the room was full of friends, he was complacent, but someone revealed the mystery. , made a huge joke, and from then on I held a grudge, threw my wine glass, and said angrily, "Is the daughter of a living prime minister bullying me, the son of a dead prime minister?"

This person kept scheming and caused a series of troubles for the girl's family. Fortunately, her father was a high-ranking official and a leader of the Qing Dynasty. He still managed to settle a series of troubles. One day After discussing the matter with his daughter, the minister understood the twists and turns. Later, he recruited a son-in-law for his daughter. It was like having a son-in-law riding a dragon in the family. After that, the son-in-law joined forces to deal with the conspiracy of the son who claimed to be the dead prime minister. Logically speaking, the ending is of course the one who does not suppress evil and good people, and the moon is full.

But Chen Pingan, the most respected monarch, just watched the farce with a cold eye. At the critical moment, he did not say a word of justice for the imprisoned Minister of Civil Affairs, let alone the champion scholar who was about to live thousands of miles away. The imperial edict to save life was issued just before the young girl, who was now a married woman, was about to become a member of the religious community. After leaving the palace, the emperor called over the lame man who was already crowded with middle-aged people and came with him. The two men looked at the embroidered building in the distance together. The emperor asked the man, thinking back to those days when you were here, what were you thinking in your heart? Can you still remember it after so many years?

The lame man nodded and said he remembered it clearly.

After getting the true answer, His Majesty the Emperor went to the so-called imperial prison. Through the iron bars, he looked at the old minister who was kowtowing. "His Majesty the Emperor" knelt down and asked the Lord Heavenly Official if he still remembered. I remember a sentence from back then.

The old minister with thatched hair looked confused, and His Majesty the Emperor reminded him, what was your first sentence when you first learned that the lame young man was being teased by your daughter.

The old minister could not remember those old events, so he could only continue to kowtow and beg His Majesty the Emperor for mercy.

I just heard His Majesty the Emperor say slowly: "You said, 'That's all,' and then you started discussing with your daughter how to clean up the mess."

The old minister raised his head and became more and more confused. Where did he go wrong?

Chen Ping'an stood up, looked at the Master Shangshu who was probably a real person in history, and asked: "That's it? Why is it just 'that's all'?!"

Finally, Chen Pingan said in his heart: "Open the door."

Xiao Mo sighed, and the fellow Taoist Wutong really opened the door.

Then they came to a cave on a cliff and saw a Taoist man sitting upright, with jade tendons hanging down his nose, a golden book in his sleeves, and an ancient pine walking stick at his feet.

After Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo appeared here, the long river of time began to slowly flow backwards. The lame man came to life, "stand up", "pick up" the crutches, and "walk backwards".

Those who have attained the Taoism learn to sing the songs of birds in the countryside, and then walk in the market with their unkempt clothes on, singing loudly, with a ladle hanging on their waist, turning the water into wine. They often lie drunk on the road in the wind and rain, and are good at painting dragons, spitting wine on tattered paper. Above, there are puffs of smoke and vivid scales.

Time went back "hundred years" until the lame Taoist regained his youthful appearance and traveled to an isolated overseas island. There were remnants on the island. The people were simple and they loved writing. However, they had no teachers and no school. So this man wrote a word on the palm of his hand. , taught to those children who came to inquire about the text, and only received one coin per word. "In a few years", the copper coins piled up like mountains. Chen Ping'an also came to visit. Every other month, he would only ask for one word of advice from this enlightened man who was not known as a master but had a real sense of being a master. The only request was that it be written on paper, not in the palm of his hand. That man Chen Pingan was asked to bring wine.

In the end, Chen Ping'an exchanged seven pots of wine and seven copper coins for seven pieces of paper and seven words.

spring. Book. sound of water. Mountain. sword. water. simple.

This landscape painting took the most time. Judging from the burning degree of the white horse passing through the gap, almost three months had passed.

After that, Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo came to the last picture of someone else's life.

After a great war, there was a cake seller in a country shop. Every evening, a woman came to the shop with copper coins in her hand, just enough to buy a piece of cake. When the shop owner asked the reason, he said that her husband had not returned from a long trip. Not knowing whether he would live or die, the children at home were so hungry that they could only come here to buy cakes to satisfy their hunger. The shop owner didn't doubt it at first, but as time went by, he discovered that there was a piece of paper money in the money jar every day. There was no doubt that some neighbors said it was a ghost coming here to buy cakes. The next day, the shop owner collected all the buyers' money. They all quietly threw them into the water bowl. Sure enough, it was the woman's copper coin. It floated into the water, but did not sink to the bottom of the bowl. They were immediately frightened to death. On the third day, the woman came to buy cakes again, and the shopkeeper pretended not to know the truth. , as soon as the woman left, they immediately called the neighbors, lit torches one after another, and chased the woman. The woman looked back with a complicated expression, like a bird, looming, and finally everyone found a dilapidated coffin with the woman inside. The man was already a bone, but the child in the coffin looked like a living person. He still held a piece of bread in his hand and was not afraid of others. Everyone felt pity for her and hugged her back. In the distance, a ghostly woman stood in the distance, raising her sleeves to cover her face, and there was a sound of sobbing. Every night after that, if the child couldn't sleep, there would be sounds like babbling and patting on the quilt, and the child would just fall into a deep sleep... One day after that, the woman would not be seen again, and the child would grow up. He talks, laughs, and lives just like ordinary people, but he often sheds tears in silence, just because he can't remember the appearance of his parents...

Chen Ping'an has been staying in this picture, doing nothing and saying nothing.

Xiao Mo didn't rush him, he just quietly accompanied his son, either walking in the afterglow of dusk, standing by the shop, or following the crowd holding torches, walking on the night road, or sitting on the steps outside the door. Listening to the children in the house waking up and falling asleep...

Until the ten hours had been exhausted, Xiao Mo stood with the young master in the cake shop again. The two of them stood next to the bowl of water. Chen Pingan still watched the scene of the copper coin sinking into the water again and again. Xiao Mo He sighed and said softly from his heart: "Master, just one word of truth can break the illusion here. It's time for us to leave."

Chen Pingan's lips moved slightly, but he remained silent.

Xiaomo hesitated several times, but finally did not speak.

That truth is too cruel. It could be that the woman was not dead but the baby died early, or it could be that both mother and baby died in childbirth.

Just like the man who never returned home, he may have died in a foreign land, or he may not have died, who knows.

Xiao Mo suddenly looked up, and the surrounding scenes disappeared. A sky-high sycamore tree appeared in front of him, as if growing in the water.

Chen Pingan lowered his head, overlooking the towering tree that seemed to be hanging upside down.

A sycamore tree, with yellow and fallen leaves all over the ground.

Xiao Mo glanced at it, and saw the flowing scene of the world, one leaf at a time, looking at the flowers, each having his or her own life.

In an instant, the originally bright and brilliant sky and earth became dark and unclear, and another light was suspended above the water. After that, it was like stars in the sky scattered in the mountains and wild people, gradually becoming denser, shining brightly, countless, countless.

Xiaomo suddenly subconsciously took a step sideways.

It turned out that Chen Ping'an beside him had unknowingly transformed into a man wearing a bright red robe. His face was blurred, and his entire body and soul were made of criss-crossing lines.

Probably because he was overwhelmed by a demon-suppressing tower, waves of blurry afterimages flashed across his body, and the sounds of intertwining souls and trembling sounds were louder than the sound of metal and stone in the world, just like several Great Walls of Sword Qi appeared at the same time. The last hidden official.