Sword of Coming

Chen Pingan glanced at the green bamboo scabbard on the waist of this uninvited guest, pretending to be puzzled, and asked: "Swordsman?"

The man held a bamboo hat in one hand, patted the handle of the knife with the other, and said with a smile: "I can't find a sword worthy of me at the moment, so I have to use this instead to humiliate the people in the world who use swords."

Hearing this somewhat familiar tone, Chen Pingan breathed a sigh of relief and felt that Liu Baqiao should be able to be good friends with this man.

Behind Chen Ping'an and Li Baoping, the father and daughter were walking slowly side by side. The girl Zhu Lu was a little disapproving and sneered: "The Dragon King yawned, and he could suck in a river. It's such a big breath. Dad, this guy is Isn’t there something wrong with your brain?”

Zhu He saw that there was a silver-white wine gourd hanging on the other side of the man's waist. It was the size of a palm and was smooth and shiny when rubbed. It looked like an old thing. He whispered to his daughter: "Although I can't notice his... There is something strange about Qi. It's just a little longer than ordinary people, but you still have to be careful. Although Dad has never traveled far in his life, he has heard many anecdotes from his ancestors. He said that when traveling in Jianghu, you should be careful with Taoist nuns, old monks, and children. And drunkards, in addition, the more the character does not look like a master, the less he can be taken lightly."

The girl screamed, nervous and excited at the same time, wishing that the unattractive-looking man was the assassin, just the right one to serve as a whetstone for her fledgling life.

Chen Pingan asked: "Are you looking for me?"

The man grinned and said: "I will take you to the border of Sui Dynasty. Before that, we will travel together so that you can be taken care of."

Chen Pingan asked tentatively: "Do you know Master Ruan, the blacksmith?"

The man nodded and said, "Of course I know him."

Chen Pingan breathed a sigh of relief again.

Before leaving the town, as part of the deal, Master Ruan promised himself that he would ensure his safety before arriving at Yefu Pass, a strategic place on the border of Dali.

Chen Ping'an believed that Master Ruan would not break his promise, especially since this person appeared so early and almost appeared under Master Ruan's nose, so he should not be one of the three forces of Zhengyang Mountain, Yunxia Mountain and Laolongcheng. Moreover, the timely appearance of father and daughter Zhu He and Zhu Lu behind him also gave Chen Pingan a lot of confidence.

However, Chen Ping'an was afraid of what might happen.

So he asked: "Then you accompany me to the other side of the town to meet Master Ruan, and then we set off south? I just found out that actually going out from the east gate of the town, although it is a detour, there is a post road that is feasible, and there are ox-carts and horse-drawn carriages. You can walk, but it’s faster than us crossing mountains and rivers.”

The man smiled playfully: "So cautious? You don't have the generosity of the people in the world at all."

Chen Ping'an did not turn his head, and kept his eyes fixed on the man, but said solemnly: "Zhu He, can you let Zhu Lu return to the town with the treasure bottle first. We are not in a hurry."

Zhu He immediately figured out the joints and nodded: "This is best."

Then Zhu He said to his daughter: "Lu'er, you take the young lady back first. Chen Ping'an and I will accompany this brother A-Liang, whether it's drinking or sparring, it's not too much to meet him by fate."

The little girl in the red cotton coat, who was held by Zhu Lu, did not hesitate at all. She did not cry and shout that she wanted to be with her junior uncle. She just tugged on Chen Pingan's sleeve and whispered the word "be careful". Then he decisively followed Zhu Lu and left quickly. Li Baoping was not sloppy. On the contrary, the maid who was not afraid of tigers was full of disappointment and hoped that she and her father would change places.

After seeing this scene of separation, the man rolled his eyes, took off the wine gourd, leaned against the white donkey, took a sip of wine, and sneered: "Just let the little girl take the little girl and leave first. After a stick of incense, we three gentlemen will go to the town again."

Then the man raised the silver-white wine gourd in his hand, reached out and patted the donkey's back, looked at Zhu He, and asked with a smile: "You are considered a good player, don't you recognize this thing?"

He patted his head and said, "I forgot that your Lizhu Cave genius has just opened. It's weird that you know it. It's okay, it's okay, we can talk slowly, there's plenty of time."

The man pointed to the old willow tree across the stream, "Shall we go over there and sit and chat?"

Chen Ping'an and Zhu He looked at each other and felt that this was the best and they could wait and see what would happen.

The man led the white donkey and followed Chen Pingan and Zhu He to the old willow tree. He loosened the reins and let the donkey eat the grass at will. He walked up to the willow tree, walked along the main trunk to the stream bank, and finally sat down. After putting on the bamboo hat again, he picked up the silver-white wine gourd and was about to pour the wine. Suddenly he turned his head, handed out the wine bottle, and asked with a smile: "Who wants to take a sip? It is better to have fun alone than to have fun together, two people. Kuigang Immortal Brewing, which costs two taels per tael, is the favorite of all the rich men in the Sui Dynasty. I drank it all the way north and tasted more than a hundred kinds of wine, and this Immortal Brewing is the most authentic."

Chen Pingan shook his head, "I don't drink."

Zhu He also shook his head, "I haven't mastered martial arts yet, so I don't dare to drink."

The man shook his head, looked at them, and said with regret: "It turns out they are not gentle people. I met a young hero not long ago. He was really charming..."

The man suddenly noticed that Chen Ping'an and Zhu He had strange expressions on their faces. He was a little confused, but he didn't want to lose his expert demeanor, so he had to take a sip of wine to cover up his confusion.

Chen Pingan coughed slightly, and the man asked, "What's the matter?"

Chen Pingan stretched out his finger and pointed at the outermost part of the old willow tree with a crooked neck.

The man frowned and turned around to look, only to see two legs blocking his view. The man's face instantly stiffened. He suddenly looked up and saw an expressionless middle-aged man who weighed at least one hundred, fifty or sixty pounds. This guy actually stood lightly on the top of a willow tree that was no bigger than the thickness. This guy was so elusive that the man in the bamboo hat couldn't sit still and fell into the stream, which was extremely embarrassing.

The visitor was none other than the military sage Ruan Qiong. As Old Man Yang said, he was not interested in what was going on within the thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. Only Ruan Qiong, who was dedicated to making swords, would take action unless Cui Zhang broke the rules and provoked him. Ruan Qiong didn't think anyone dared to attack Chen Ping'an within a hundred miles. That would be a slap in Ruan Qiong's face. But the face of a military strategist and swordsman on the 11th floor was compared to the face of a dynasty. Only heavy and not light. So Ruan Qiong didn't even bother to pay attention to the scene here. A straw-shoe boy and an innocent little girl were just traveling together. How could it be worth his personal attention?

But Ruan Qiong was distracted by something.

Someone shook the object, and Ruan Qiong immediately felt the majestic sword energy contained in the object, which was pure and vast. Especially, it felt extremely familiar, with a sense of intimacy and sadness. Regarding this matter, Ruan Qiong was in Zong I have been practicing in the door for many years. Although I have never seen it with my own eyes, I have heard about it for a long time, so I immediately came from the blacksmith shop.

At this time, seeing that man acting worse than an ordinary master, Ruan Qiong, instead of being sarcastic, looked more serious and asked: "But the Wei and Jin Dynasties in Shenxiantai?"

The man who fell into the creek flailed for a while, and finally stood up straight. After picking up the wine bottle from the stream, he took off the bamboo hat on his head and shook it. He looked up at the culprit and said angrily: "My name is A Liang." .”

Ruan Qiong stared at him condescendingly, full of scrutiny, and asked: "Can you lend me a few sips of wine?"

The man threw the wine gourd and threw it high at Ruan Qiong, "Why not? Just remember to return it to me."

Ruan Qiong took the jug, took a sip of wine, and asked with a smile: "It's not Wuhuang wine?"

The man became furious when he heard this, rolled his eyes and said, "The price has increased."

Ruan Qiong laughed loudly, threw the wine gourd back, and asked: "Why did you come so fast? I thought the fastest would be about ten days."

The man who called himself A Liang walked ashore wet and cursed: "Can you take care of it? A saint is amazing."

Ruan Qiong asked: "Would you like to sit in my shop? My daughter admires you very much."

A Liang pointed at himself and said with a smile: "To me? Then your daughter has really good taste."

Ruan Qiong seemed to have known this man's absurdity for a long time, and asked: "Could it be that you are responsible for the Longji Mountain issue this time?"

A Liang waved his hand, "It's not me, there's someone else."

Ruan Qiong looked at the uninterested man in a bamboo hat and suddenly laughed, "Is it possible that you met that little Taoist nun on the way north?"

A Liang's face remained as usual, "I don't understand what you are saying."

Ruan Qiong sighed in his heart and stopped testing and saying no more.

In the Fengxue Temple where Ruan Qiong was born, there was a famous swordsman who was young and talented. He rarely stayed in the sect. Even in the Fengxue Temple, some people did not know his name. When he was young, he was spotted by an ancestor of Fengxue Temple who was traveling down the mountain, and he was accepted as a retreating disciple. Therefore, he had a very high seniority. When he went up the mountain for the first time, he was only the age of the crown. Many monks who were more than 100 years old were He obediently called him "Master". Later, the Zhongxing Patriarch of Fengxue Temple failed to break through, and with the decline of talents in this line, the relationship between the young swordsman and Fengxue Temple became even more alienated.

This person has been traveling around the world for seven or eight years. Except for the occasional appearance in the sect on the anniversary of his master's death, he still walks alone. Even when he returns to Fengxue Temple, he never greets anyone. It is said that he got a priceless sword gourd very early, but he did not use it to warm the flying sword. Instead, he wasted it, using it to hold thousands of kilograms of fine wine. He was drunk at least half the year, so he was He is known as the Drunken Sword Immortal. When he is drunk, he will be carried by a snow-white donkey and go wherever the donkey goes.

Before Ruan Qiong left the Fengxue Temple, he heard that for some unknown reason, he fell in love at first sight with a young Taoist nun who was known as "the most blessed woman in the world", and he was deeply involved in it. Taoist nun Mei had no intention of looking for a Taoist companion, so this incident became an anecdote on the mountain that caused a sensation in Aquarius Island.

Ruan Qiong thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I'll ask you to send them to Dali Yefu Pass."

The man nodded.

Ruan Qiong clasped his fists to say goodbye and disappeared in a flash.

Only the branches of the willow branches swayed gently.

Zhu He asked cautiously: "A-Liang...senior is an immortal from Fengxue Temple?"

The man led the donkey and said lazily: "I'm not familiar with Fengxue Temple."

Zhu He smiled, not embarrassed at all.

Warriors in the world may not have a good impression of Qi practitioners, but for the monks of Fengxue Temple and Zhenwu Mountain, they still have to give them a thumbs up.

In the past, Zhu He might have thought that this man was too loud and his posture was artificial, but after the coming and going of the saint Ruan Qiong, Zhu He looked back now and saw that the ordinary-looking man in a bamboo hat in front of him was really a real person. , the immortal is hidden in the city. It is estimated that the long sword with a green bamboo sheath must be a magical weapon that will shock the world as soon as the sword is pulled out of the sheath.

A Liang took a sip of wine to warm up and said to Chen Pingan: "That little girl is back."

Chen Pingan turned around and looked around. Not only were Li Baoping and Zhu Lu returning the same way, but there were also two familiar faces and a mule with heavy luggage hung on both sides.

Li Huai and Lin Shouyi.

Chen Pingan trotted over, Li Baoping looked gloomy, and Zhu Lu said in a clear voice: "We met these two children on the way, and they said they were going to study at Cliff Academy with the lady. Our ancestors just showed up and beat them. Hello, let me come back to you."

Chen Pingan did not ask who Zhu Lu's so-called ancestor was, but looked at the cunning Li Huai and the down-and-out nobleman Lin Shouyi.

Li Huai stiffened his neck and said confidently: "If I don't follow you, how can I be a beggar in a small town?"

Lin Shouyi still looked cold and said: "Wealth can be found in danger."

Li Baoping snorted coldly: "You can start from the east gate and go to the academy by yourself. Why should my junior uncle and I take you two with us?"

Li Huai said angrily: "Li Baoping! After all, we are friends in adversity who have lived and died together!"

Lin Shouyi was not as scoundrel as Li Huai, and said frankly: "Li Huai and I can't even reach the border of Dali, not to mention Shanya Academy."

Chen Pingan nodded, gently pressed his hand on Li Baoping's head to stop her from speaking, and then asked: "Are Shi Chunjia and Dong Shuijing sure they won't come?"

Lin Shouyi explained: "At the New Year's Shop, someone will take Shi Chunjia to the capital. Dong Shuijing heard that the small town rural school will open again in the future, so he will replace you as a day laborer in the blacksmith shop."

Chen Ping'an looked at Li Baoping, Li Huai and Lin Shouyi, three elementary school students, and said with a smile: "Then let's set off together."

A Liang brought the white donkey back from the creek. When he saw Li Huailin Shouyi, he said reluctantly: "It's okay to bring one more cute little girl, but what's going on with you two bastards?"

Li Huai cursed loudly: "What kind of green onion do you have?!"

Aliang replied without changing his expression: "I am your long-lost father, your biological father."

Li Huai was struck by lightning and stared at this strange man.

On the contrary, the man looked at him and felt very angry. Could it be that this little bastard's parents really had an ulterior story?

Li Huai quickly changed his original dull expression, twitched the corner of his mouth, looked sideways at the man in the bamboo hat, with a look of disgust on his face, and muttered: "Fight with me?"

The man was frustrated and said: "Hey, there are a lot of little tortoises in the shallow water."

Li Huai held the back of his head with both hands and muttered: "Don't listen to the bastard chanting sutras."

Chen Pingan asked for no reason, "Alian, why do you speak our small town dialect?"

The man smiled and said, "Ask Ruan Qiong."

Chen Pingan looked at him and suddenly smiled, "Forget it."

The man pointed at Chen Ping'an and lectured: "It's not good to be so thoughtful at such a young age."

Aliang, who claims to be a swordsman but carries a sword, and his white donkey.

Chen Pingan and Li Baoping were each carrying a backpack, Li Huai and Lin Shouyi were empty-handed, and Zhuhe and Zhulu father and daughter were walking at the back.

Seven people with very different identities went south together.

Because A Liang, who came from the same place as Master Ruan, said that the way here was not difficult, and if you go south along the Tiefu River, you will soon see the Dali Post Road that is being built day and night.

But in the next pause, A Liang was still willing to listen to Chen Pingan's opinion.

During Li Huai's break, he ran over to the man in the bamboo hat. He was not afraid of life at all. He put his hands on his hips and asked, "Hey! Ah Liang, is your donkey male or female?"

The man didn't dislike the child, but he was a little annoyed. "It's none of your business."

"Would you like to ride for me?"

"I don't want to ride it myself, why do you? You really think you are my own son."

"What if you give me the donkey and I ask my mother to remarry? Of course, if my mother doesn't agree, you can't blame me. The donkey still has to be mine."

"Get away from you and your mother!"

"Ah Liang, I'm not telling you, you have to change your temper from now on."

Li Huai clasped his hands behind his back, shook his head and left with a sigh.

Leaving behind an eye-opening man in a hat.

By the stream, the two people walked towards the blacksmith shop. One was Ruan Qiong, and the other was an old man with gray hair and a red face. The latter was the ancestor mentioned by the maid Zhu Lu, Li, one of the four major surnames in the town. the real backbone.

The Li family, which had high hopes for such a beloved Li Baoping, would certainly not just let the father and daughter be their personal followers. If Master Ruan hadn't shown up today, the ancestor of the Li family who was accomplished in Qi training would have escorted him all the way to that palace. Yefu Pass.

The old man smiled bitterly and said: "Master Ruan, is this person the helper you invited from Fengxue Temple? It looks really..."

Ruan Qiong said straightforwardly: "You don't look like a master at all, but more like a street guy, right?"

Ruan Qiong said slowly: "When I took the wine gourd and drank, I checked carefully. The natal sword energy in the sword gourd is still alive. It is indeed the true inheritance of Fengxue Temple, and the Fengxue Temple Immortal Platform There are only a few people in this lineage, and the Wei and Jin Dynasties have a cold temperament that does not like to make friends with others. Instead, they like to wander around the rivers and lakes, and have a strange temperament, which is easy to explain. Although there are insidious methods in the world that successfully seize the life objects after killing people, but the Wei and Jin Xiu Because I am absolutely not inferior, I want to successfully take away the sword-raising gourd and the sword energy from him..."

Ruan Qiong laughed, "Then even if I, Ruan Qiong, take action today, I can't stop what that person wants to do."

The old man sighed, "You can't say that. If the Three Religions and their family had not taken away the most important thing and the formation was still there, Master Ruan wouldn't have to be so tied up in many things."

Ruan Qiong thought for a while, "I'm going to meet with the people from the Dalugou lineage of Fengxue Temple later to understand the situation. They are not far from here. It happened to be about the carving up of Dragon Slaying Platform by Longji Mountain. People in Zhenwu Mountain cannot speak directly. During this period, if anything happens to the town, please ask Mr. Li to find Xiuxiu and ask her to pass the message with her flying sword."

Fengxue Temple and Zhenwu Mountain are the ancestral homes of two major military dynasties in the East Aquarius Continent, one in the south and one in the north. The relationship between the two parties has always been good or not. Generally speaking, it is a matter of well-being and no offense. Of course, at critical moments involving right and wrong, they will definitely give up their sectarian views. , choose to join forces to fight against the enemy.

Among them, Zhenwu Mountain pays more attention to the development of secular dynasties at the foot of the mountain. There are many monks from Zhenwu Mountain in the Great Li Dynasty. The fallen Lu Dynasty and the Gao family in the Great Sui Dynasty all have the shadow of Zhenwu Mountain monks. Most of them are personal followers of the generals on the battlefield. , or a middle-level military commander who holds real power.

The Fengxue Temple tends to keep to itself and travels to major ancient battlefield sites. It is a bit like a knight-errant in the rivers and lakes. He has superb martial arts and does everything according to his heart. When he is happy, he kills demons and performs chivalrous acts of justice. When he is unhappy, he goes to seek help from others. When people compete in Taoism and swordsmanship, they usually force their way into the mountain gate without being invited. Whether the master agrees or not, they have to fight with them before talking about anything else. However, these weird-tempered guys from Fengxue Temple don't fight to gain fame, let alone kill people, so even if they are beaten to a pulp by the monks from Fengxue Temple, they don't have to worry about making their family ugly.

Regarding the flying swords, the old man said doubtfully: "Master Ruan, my house also has several good-quality messenger flying swords..."

Master Ruan smiled and waved his hand, "It's different, the difference is quite big."

The old man understood immediately and said with a shy face: "Talking about flying swords in front of Master Ruan will make you laugh, it will make you laugh."

Ruan Qiong suddenly sighed softly: "The trees want to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop."

A petite but plump woman in palace clothes was walking in Mud Bottle Alley.

There were three people following far behind, a middle-aged man with a tall build and a resolute expression.

An old man has a pale face and no beard. He seems to have weak eyesight and is always squinting.

A young woman held a long sword in her arms, and the golden sword tassels just curled up on her plump breasts.

The woman finally stopped at the gate of Song Jixin's house and said with a smile: "Only Cui Chan can do such a thing as stealing Spring Festival couplets."