The leisurely and peaceful pace of life in the mountains makes it easy for people to forget the passage of time.
Ye Jingtang had been out fighting for nearly a year, and suddenly he became free and returned to the days of sleeping and practicing kungfu. After staying there for a few days, he gradually fell in love with this monotonous and pure life.
Every morning at dawn, I get up and go to the bamboo forest at the back of Yuxu Temple to practice martial arts with Huayang's little nephew. When he gets tired from dancing on the plum blossom pile, he comes down to practice boxing and kicking. Occasionally, he and Huayang will spar with wooden sticks.
Seeing Huayang squealing and jumping around, I felt the pleasure that my adoptive father had when he abused vegetables.
The Queen Mother lived in the mountains and forgot about the troubles outside. She just wandered around with Shui'er every day. When it was time to eat, she would cook herself and walk over ten miles of mountain roads to deliver food to him; but in order not to let him
When someone gets suspicious, the reason is to come over to burn incense and take a look.
At night, it was a little more monotonous. Shui'er's combat effectiveness was too low. He didn't dare to burn even after being tortured for several days at a time. He was also afraid of disturbing his martial arts training during the day. Therefore, every day when he came back, he would already hide in the Queen Mother's room.
Fortunately, the hand-warmer cares about people and pushes water into his room every day. Calculating, he can still relax once every two or three days.
At other times, Ye Jingtang meditates all night long, pondering over the martial arts insights gained at the end of the day. Although the test questions on the Nine Plum Blossom Pillars are very difficult, if you calm down and practice hard day after day, coupled with your extraordinary understanding, your progress can be seen with the naked eye, almost.
You can experience progress every day.
Ye Jingtang can't describe that state. When the energy, muscles, instincts, etc. are adjusted to a certain level, you will feel a sense of familiarity. The dragon qi sword of the past nerve knife is no longer nerve-wracking. Just think about it.
Opportunities can be captured and used under the most reasonable conditions.
Being able to adapt to local conditions and find the most suitable method in any situation, no longer following a fixed line of luck, is already the Mahayana atmosphere of returning to nature.
But he is still far away from becoming a saint, and Ye Jingtang feels that whether he is compared with King Zuo Xian or Bing Tuo Tuo, the power of his burst of energy is a bit weaker.
Ye Jingtang understands that this is related to 'skill'. Internal strength is the source of strength, and external strength is the force. He has the strength of a dragon and an elephant. Naturally, there is no need to practice external strength. However, internal strength can only rely on accumulation over time, or Tianlang beads, essence.
The three pictures of Qi and Shen and other divine objects that protect the meridians and expand the meridians can be used to improve the condition.
After all, he is too young. He has been practicing three maps in his family for a long time and still lacks one. He only relies on the skill of two Tianlang beads to reach this point. His talent is unprecedented. He wants to compete with those old people in the mountains who are often in their fifties and sixties.
Strange arm wrestling is indeed a bit difficult.
After all, those who can reach the Martial Saint level are all geniuses of the generation. Who doesn’t have a great opportunity?
The martial sages of the Northern and Southern Dynasties were either Taoist and Buddhist masters, or hegemons of the Northern Wilderness who were descendants of the Mohist family. Even King Zuo Xian, who was at the bottom, had the best resources in the West Sea and regarded Xuehu Forest as his own backyard.
Bingtuotuo had such an outrageous talent, but because he was just a small leader from Tiannan and didn't have many resources, he was suppressed for many years and couldn't advance.
He has more resources at his disposal than Bing Tuo Tuo. It is not an exaggeration to say that Da Wei has gathered the strength of a country to support him, but the time is too short. If he wants to crush these old monsters, he still has to continue training.
After realizing this, Ye Jingtang no longer expected to pass the plum blossom pile quickly, and began to allocate time to meditate and practice, so that his internal energy could catch up, so as to avoid being seriously biased in the end, and his martial arts attainments were enough, but his foundation could not hold up.
, a situation where the ambition is high and the end is low.
If you spend half of the day practicing and studying plum blossom piles for the other half, the speed of passing the test will definitely be much slower.
The Night Terror Hall was originally estimated to take ten days and a half, but I discovered halfway through that it was actually not that difficult. If I didn't get distracted and used my brain more, I could basically pass it in six or seven days. But in the end, I still practiced for half a month before I started to see results.
Time flies and it is late in the twelfth lunar month. The sky is overcast and it looks like it is going to snow on the mountains.
In the mountain bamboo forest behind Yuxu Temple, Hua Yang was holding a bowl of rice, squatting next to a large bird's nest half as tall as a man, and looking intently at the pool.
The fluffy bird poked its head out of the round hole of the bird's nest and looked at the bamboo leaves hanging on the bamboo frame. It seemed that it was ready to laugh at Tangtang.
At the edge of the pool, Ye Jingtang was dressed in black clothes. He looked at the one hundred and eight bamboo leaves hanging in front of him. His eyes were as calm as dead water. After brewing for a while, he lifted his spirits slightly, tapped his toes, and his body became windless.
rise.
Although the movement of jumping onto the wooden stake seems huge, between starting and stopping, the body shape is like flowing clouds, and it seems that even the fluttering of the clothes and hair are following the rhythm of the movement.
Hua Yang was holding his rice bowl, his eyes lit up slightly when he saw this, and he carefully watched Ye Jingtang jumping back and forth on the plum blossom pile.
Although it is said to be a jump, all the muscles and even the breath are under control, and the control is just right. In the eyes of others, it seems like gliding at a constant speed.
Ye Jingtang jumped over the plum blossom piles continuously. Whether in the air or with his feet on the wooden piles, his speed did not fluctuate at all, and he did not make any noise. At best, it sounded like flowing clouds, but at worst, he looked like a ghost. From the dense bamboo
It floated through the leaves.
Hua Yang still didn't know how much effort was put into it, but just looking at the outside, he could feel the light and airy mood, and knew that this time it would definitely pass.
After all, the current state of Ye Jingtang's gas looks just like when he first met the master when he poured the water from the teapot into the cup - the water column was even and steady, as if it was still, without making any noise. At that time, he thought it was ordinary.
, no difficulty.
But when he tried to learn how to pour water, he realized that there were so many things hidden in this ordinary thing. Not to mention ordinary people, even the most virtuous and respected master uncle on the mountain, who might have practiced hard all his life, would never be able to touch such a great thing.
The state of not working.
This is the so-called "returning to nature". Although it is ordinary and has no edge, it seems to be just a little "just right" than ordinary warriors, but the difference behind it is a whole world!
Phew~
Ye Jingtang floated to the ground and stood at the other end of the pool. He looked back at the still bamboo leaves and water surface. There was a little bit of pride in his eyes. He turned to look at Junior Nephew Huayang, who was staring intently, and said:
"Look, I just said it's easy to jump over."
"puff--"
Huayang was still in shock at first, but when he heard the sound, he spit out a mouthful of rice and looked at the Night Terror Hall in disbelief:
"Ye Da Xia, you danced day and night for half a month before you got there. It's simple?"
Ye Jingtang also felt that half a month was a bit long, but for ordinary people it should be very fast. He returned to the other side of the pool and said with a smile:
"It's been half a month and I haven't been slow. When you jump over in the future, you will understand what I mean by simplicity. This practice is not about dancing on plum blossom piles, but a state of mind."
Hua Yang knew that he was practicing something that was difficult for ordinary people to touch in their lifetime, but he didn’t know what it was exactly, so he asked out of curiosity:
"What realm?"
Ye Jingtang pulled out the Chilong Knife and hung it on his waist. After thinking about it for a moment, he said nothing and held the handle of the knife with his left hand.
Choking——
A cold light flashed in the gloomy bamboo forest.
Huayang didn't feel any energy hitting his face. The beautiful ring-shou sword was returned to the scabbard. It felt like he just pulled it out casually and flashed it.
?
He was about to ask questions when he suddenly heard the sound of branches and leaves breaking.
Looking at it in a blink of an eye, I discovered that a green bamboo three feet away from the Night Terror Hall had a diagonal cut at shoulder level. The bamboo fell sideways, bending countless bamboo crowns, and fell in the middle of the wild forest.
.
Bang~
?!
Huayang has a big mouth and his eyes are full of surprise:
"Oh..."
Ye Jingtang slowly sheathed his sword and explained:
"Practice makes perfect. It's not difficult to gather energy at one point. What's difficult is to learn and use it at your fingertips. When you know what countermeasures to use when and how to display them perfectly according to your heart, you naturally don't have to worry about it anymore.
Moves are organized; if you don’t have fixed moves, your opponent will not be able to break them, and with all the secrets in the world, you can always find a way to deal with them, and you will naturally be invincible..."
Huayang was still laying the groundwork. How could he understand this? He thought for a while and said:
"What if two people who are good at practice come together?"
"Normally speaking, it is a matter of defeating ten groups with one force, and comparing who has the deeper skills. But this situation is rare. Even if they are all familiar with all schools of thought, there will always be one who has higher understanding, deeper experience, and faster reaction. There are no two in the world.
They are exactly the same people, so they are no better in martial arts."
After half a month of hard training in Ye Jingtang, he really gained a lot of insights. He sat down next to the bird's nest and told Hua Yang some martial arts concepts that he could not use for the time being, but would definitely be used for a lifetime in the future. This was considered as reciprocating a favor and thanking Lu Taiqing.
The kindness given to him.
Hua Yang probably thought that Ye Jingtang was more handsome than his master, had better martial arts skills, and had bigger birds. He regarded Ye Jingtang as a role model and listened very seriously.
After the first one and the second child talked like this for a while, there was a sudden movement outside the bamboo forest.
The bird was very hungry for a long time. As a bird of prey, it couldn't follow the monks to eat fast, so it ran out of the nest when it heard the sound:
"Chi chi chi..."
Outside the bamboo forest, the Queen Mother came with Hongyu, and Hongyu was holding a lunch box in her hand. As for Shui'er, she didn't dare to run here these days because she had no face to meet the elders of Yuxu Mountain.
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang stood up and came outside the bamboo forest:
"I'll be going back later. Why don't you bring me food this afternoon? The road is difficult."
"It's not too far, it's okay anyway."
The Queen Mother took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Ye Jingtang:
"Just now a letter came from the capital, please read it."
Because it was a confidential document of the Yamen, the Queen Mother did not stand nearby to examine it. After handing it to Ye Jingtang, she turned around and teased the birds.
Ye Jingtang was a little confused and looked at the yellow envelope. It could be seen that there was paint and the seal of the black government on it. He opened the envelope and found the letter paper and a smaller letter inside, which read 'Ye Jingtang personally expresses'.
When Ye Jingtang saw the clumsy handwriting, the corners of his mouth naturally curled up, as if he had received a letter from his wife. He first looked left and right, then leaned against a bamboo and read the contents of the letter.
The documents written in the Hei Yamen are all business matters, mainly the speculations of Eunuch Cao and the news reported by spies outside the pass. Except for the routine military exercises at the Xihai Protectorate and the absence of King Zuo Xian, there is no definite news.
The Night Terror Hall currently uses Tianlang Beads, and the improvement is not huge, but it is obviously there, and the son, daughter, and apprentice will definitely use them in the future, so they must be concerned about a group of magical items like Snow Lake Flowers.
After reading the document, Ye Jingtang frowned and thought for a moment, took the matter to heart, and opened Da Benben's envelope. He was still wondering if the beginning of the letter would be "Jingtang, seeing the words is like the face."
Such warm words.
As a result, the letter paper was unfolded, and the fluent writing came into view. The first sentence was:
Se embryo, you promised to pick me up, where is he?
"Well……"
Ye Jingtang thought about it for a while, and felt that this was like seeing the words on the page, and even the look of Benben holding his head high and staring at him was vividly reflected on the page.
When he left the capital, he did say that he was going to pick up Benben, but the prerequisite was that Yuhu would go back. If Yuhu didn't leave, he couldn't force him back.
Ye Jingtang looked down with some shame in his eyes:
I knew this would happen, and I will take care of you when I get back. The New Year is about to come, so there is no need to rush back after receiving the letter. I will spend the New Year at my parents’ home with the Queen Mother first...
I know that you are thinking about me. These days in the capital, I am very relaxed and unattended. I have almost forgotten you. If Eunuch Cao hadn’t asked for an interview, I wouldn’t have thought of you...
I went to Tianshui Bridge a few days ago. Six of your old subordinates got married. They married the daughter of the shopkeeper. I didn’t want to inform you for fear of trouble. I gave you a gift...
Hua Qingzhi from Beiliang left. Before leaving, she gave me a painting, including you in it. She seemed to have some ideas. Unfortunately, this is the farewell. I gave her a dagger, Qinghe.
, let her leave a thought...
How is your sister doing? Did you go to the poetry club all day long and make a fool of yourself? Master is drunk all day long and can't control your sister. You must be careful when you are a guard by your side...
Has Concubine Xue gained a few kilograms from eating again? She still has to run errands in the new year, and it’s impossible for her to be so fat that she can’t fly...
And Miss Fan, should you come in now? I see her clinging to you all day long and I know you are such a pervert that you can’t control yourself...
…
The whole article is full of small words, all about family history. Although there are no sweet words to express my heart, there is lovesickness everywhere in the words.
Ye Jingtang looked at the paper and moved his lips several times to reply, but they were thousands of miles apart and finally stopped. After reading the letter, he carefully folded it and put it in his arms. He turned to look in the direction of Yunzhou and lightly
Sighed lightly.
The Queen Mother had been waiting at the back. Seeing that Ye Jingtang did not come back after reading the letter, she walked behind and asked:
"What does the letter say? Is there something urgent that requires you to go back?"
Ye Jingtang really wanted to return to Beijing now, but the whole family was in Jiangzhou, and now he could only go on the road to celebrate the New Year. It was even worse for him to go alone, so he turned around and said with a smile:
"I have nothing to do. I just talked about some official business. I may go back to work for a while before the New Year. The New Year's Eve is only a few days away. Let's prepare to go back and don't miss the New Year's Eve."
When the Queen Mother saw that Ye Jingtang had not left, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:
"Okay, there is nothing to do in the mountains. Shui'er is not obedient and refuses to serve you every day. Why not go back early... How is your martial arts practice?"
"It's almost done. The rest is hard work. Don't rush."
After Ye Jingtang said a few words, he came to the water pool and looked at Huayang who was immersed in eating rice:
"Every banquet in the world comes to an end. I've been bothered for half a month. It's time to go back. I also ask the little Taoist Master Huayang to help me say thank you to your respected master. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely come and visit you often."
Hua Yang knew that there was a time to gather and part ways, so he was not surprised. He waved his hand and said:
"Master Ye, walk slowly. You have to inform me when Senior Aunt Xuanji is getting married. Then Master and I will go to a banquet."
"hehe……"
Ye Jingtang estimated that that day should not be too far away, so he held his hands and said:
"Okay, let's see you in the world."
Huayang did seem to have a good master, who not only taught martial arts but also liberal arts. When he saw this, he put down the bowl and made a decent ceremony:
"When I met you for the first time nine years after I was born, I felt like I was in a dream in heaven. Now... um... um..."
??
When Ye Jingtang saw Qiu Daxia's similar posture, he felt pressure on the spot. Seeing that little nephew Huayang couldn't hold it in, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Now we are outside Qingshan again, and we will talk about our old friendship again one day. See you again in the world."
Huayang didn't hold back anymore, nodded and said with a smile:
"Hey, see you in the world."
Seeing this, the birds also waved their wings to say goodbye.
Hua Yang liked Big Bird quite a lot. He waved his hand and said worriedly:
"Master Ye, how long can this bird live? It will die before I grow up..."
"grumble?!"
Niaoniao felt that this little kid couldn't speak at all, so he turned around and chirped a few times, probably saying that as long as he was well raised, he would be sent away.
Ye Jingtang could understand the meaning and felt that Niaoniao needed to lose weight, so he smiled and said:
"An eagle can live sixty or seventy years. It is not a serious eagle. It is estimated that its lifespan will be longer. Don't worry."
"That's good……"
…
——
In the afternoon, a light snow fell on the top of the peaks covered by clouds and fog.
In the small Taoist temple at Qingping Peak, Ye Jingtang and Hongyu packed up the bedding, sheets and other items, and put daily utensils into the cupboard.
The Queen Mother didn't know what year or month she would come back next, so she took Niaoniao with her and carved words on a green bamboo with a dagger and gallbladder in front of the door. It was a souvenir of her visit for future reference.
remember.
The day Xuanji was discovered by her senior brother, she felt that she couldn't stay in this place any longer. She didn't dare to show her head, and she didn't dare to visit her senior brothers and sisters. Now that she finally made it back, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, white jade stood like snow.
On the edge of the cliff, holding the Hehuan Sword in his hand and looking at Yuxu Temple, he seemed to be saying goodbye.
After Ye Jingtang packed up his things, he moved the carriage over, held the hand warmer on it, and turned around and said:
"Fairy Lu, let's go."
Master Xuanji has always been happy-go-lucky and has no lingering emotions. Hearing this, he turned around, jumped onto the carriage, entered the carriage and leaned against the Queen Mother. He thought for a while and said:
"The Chinese New Year is only a few days away, so we have to walk faster on the road. I remember your birthday is on New Year's Eve, right?"
When the Queen Mother heard this, her eyes moved slightly:
"Yes, when I was in Honghe Town, I heard someone say that Ye Jingtang is going to die soon?"
Ye Jingtang sat outside the car and drove to the mountain trail, saying:
"I don't know what year or month I was born. My adoptive father picked me up in the winter and regarded New Year's Eve as my birthday. Every year after that, I will be one year older. The same goes for birds. In fact, there is no need to pay attention to these things."
Because the weather was cold, Hongyu was tinkering with the small brass heater. Hearing this, he interjected:
"Young Master Ye is now the Duke of Wei, and celebrating his birthday is a big deal. How can we not pay attention to it? We have to tell the Duke of Qin when we go back. When the time comes..."
"No, it would be nice to celebrate the New Year as a family and be happy. It would be pointless to do this in a big way."
Master Xuanji didn’t want to make a big deal. After all, if she came that way, the Night Jing Hall would have to deal with the guests, so she wouldn’t have time to celebrate the New Year at home.
However, for such a big thing as celebrating a birthday, even if it is not a big deal, it still needs to be done.
Master Xuanji thought for a while and said, "According to the rules, I have to give a red envelope as a gift when celebrating my birthday at home. Huaiyan, what are you going to give me then?"
The Queen Mother just remembered this and didn't have time to prepare. How could she know? She asked:
"Well...what are you going to give me?"
Master Xuanji blinked her eyes, raised her chest slightly, and her eyes were meaningful.
?
When the Queen Mother saw that Shui'er was about to give it away, her face suddenly turned red and she quickly shook her head:
"Hey~ you are really..."
Master Xuanji came closer and asked, "Do you want to come together?"
Together?
Can we do that kind of thing together?
The Queen Mother didn’t even come. How could it be so expensive for the first time? She said:
"Don't talk nonsense, I... um... we'll talk about it later when we get back to the capital..."
Perhaps because she felt that this topic was too sensitive, the Queen Mother did not dare to discuss it in detail, so she changed the subject and said to the outside:
"Night Terror Hall, it's cold outside, why don't you come in and sit down and let Birdie drive the car."
"grumble??"
Hongyu's head was not stupid, and he saw that something was wrong with both Master Xuanji and the Queen Mother. At this time, he got a look and stood up and said:
"I'll drive. Mr. Ye, please rest for a while. We'll change shifts later."
Driving was far from tiring, and Ye Jingtang didn't refuse. He handed the reins to Hong Yu, took out the small brass heater and put it in the arms of Hong Yu's little cotton-padded jacket.
When the Queen Mother saw Hongyu running out of her own mind, her expression became obviously nervous and she looked at the seat next to the car window.
Ye Jingtang didn't mean to mess around in front of the maid. He wanted to sit down by the car window, but Shui'er was very considerate and moved to the side, leaving a place in the middle, and pulled him over and sat down.
between the two of them.
?!
The Queen Mother was afraid that Hongyu would find out, and she quickly moved to the side with a slightly annoyed expression on her brows.
Master Xuanji was as usual, she got angry when she saw Huaiyan squirming, leaned into Ye Jingtang's arms, raised her eyebrows, and put Ye Jingtang's hand in the Queen Mother's arms to warm it.
?!
The Empress Dowager had never experienced such a battle before. Her face turned red and she wanted to hide, but she was afraid that the movement would be too loud for outsiders to notice. After twisting twice, she simply put Ye Jingtang's other hand in Shui'er's arms, retaliating in kind.
.
Ye Jingtang didn't do anything, just one thing in each hand. Naturally, it was not easy to pretend to refuse. He just made a serious look and started chatting about irrelevant gossip:
"This snow is really heavy."
"Yeah, it's white and big, right?"
"Shui'er, you... the snow over there is so light."
"?!"
"Pfft~haha...hiss! Then what..."
…
Creaking, creaking——
The carriage slowly drove down Qingping Peak and towards the vast land of Jiangzhou Plain.
Hongyu sat outside holding a small heater, listening quietly, frowning and wondering what the three of them were doing.
Niaoniao, on the other hand, was squatting next to him, staring blankly at the equally large falling snow on both sides of the carriage...
———
Thank you to [Chang Diao] [Golden Steel Explosive Beast] for the 10,000 reward!