It is the same woman named Fan. At first glance, she is dressed plainly and elegantly. But if you look closely, you will find that her clothes are embroidered with a pattern of Ruyi water clouds. Under the moonlight in the sky and the lights of the market, she is looming. She is rich, dazzling, noble and graceful, but that's all.
However, at this moment, she should be covered with a mask, and she only had half or six of the charm of her previous appearance, so that she would not cause too much sensation in the market.
She still stared hard at Chen Pingan. Chen Pingan put down his bowl and chopsticks and had to ask: "What do you want from me?"
She suddenly reached out and rubbed her forehead, looked around, and frowned.
There was a diner at the next table who got into an argument with someone. He started swearing, slapping the table and glaring in the eyes. He pointed at the other person's nose and cursed angrily. You are an old madam and a little whore. It's nothing more than three things. If you dare to talk about it again,
I'm going to open a brothel directly in your house.
The two sides argued in a strong Nanyuan capital accent, which was both unpleasant and messy.
The woman gently kneaded her temples with her fingertips and returned to normal expression. With the voice of a martial artist, her eyes were full of curiosity and longing. She asked: "This young master, are you... an immortal?"
Chen Ping'an laughed dumbly, shook his head and said: "I am just a foreigner who came to Nanyuan Kingdom to travel. I am not an immortal like the girl said."
The woman felt a little regretful and said apologetically: "I'm sorry for bothering you so much, sir. Please forgive me."
Chen Pingan waved his hand, "It doesn't matter."
She hesitated for a moment and then reminded: "The capital of Nanyuan Kingdom has not been very peaceful recently. The young master is a good person among people and can easily be targeted. I hope the young master will be more careful."
Chen Pingan cupped his hands and clasped his fists, "Thank you, Miss Fan."
Fan Guan'er is not a sloppy person. Just leaving this bustling late-night snack market, some green-skinned hooligans want to take advantage of the opportunity, but every time they take action, she always just escapes, like a fish swimming in the water.
Among the water plants and rocks. Chen Pingan was a little confused. According to the old man in Zhulou, whether a martial artist's talent is good or not depends on whether he can develop the best fist skills from a poor boxing frame. This is the reason why he chose Chen Pingan in the first place.
one.
However, the old man surnamed Cui is very concerned about face and does not want to admit that "Shaking Mountain Fist" actually has many merits. Chen Pingan does not want to expose it.
The strange woman in front of me who has never been masked but has come to see him twice. According to the previous chats between the old man surnamed Ding and the Ya'er and the hairpin man Zhou Shi, she is probably the world-famous Fan Wan'er who stayed in his hometown.
Aquarius Island is the position where the daughter of the Shen Gao Sect crowns He Xiaoliang.
Fan Guan'er clearly has some "shortcut" ideas. Why is it that his martial arts cultivation seems to be weighed down by a huge stone weighing ten thousand kilograms, and he can't get up?
One's aura can be hidden and one can return to one's original nature, but after a long time, one's inner will cannot be deceived. The slowness of each breath and the charm of raising one's hands and feet will often reveal the secret.
The old man surnamed Ding, who had previously been wearing a silver lotus crown, seemingly casually stepped into the main hall of Baihe Temple. Chen Ping'an immediately noticed a strange phenomenon in the world.
Chen Ping'an came out of Lizhu Cave. He had seen quite a few people on the top of the mountain. People who could make Chen Ping'an think "very powerful" were certainly not simple. The fist-feeding person in Luoluoshanzhu Tower was once
A martial artist at the top of the ten realms, the swordsman on Osmanthus Island is also an old golden elixir after all.
After Fan Wan'er disappeared, Chen Ping'an thought for a while and left the busy place.
The capital of Nanyuan Kingdom is divided into eighty-one squares, large and small. The general layout is similar to that of many dynasties and vassal states that Chen Ping'an passed by. This city is known as the best in the world. It has Guizhou in the north, poor in the south, martial arts in the east, and Baihe Temple in the south.
Located in Xicheng, it is mostly the residences of middle-level civil servants and wealthy businessmen, and craftsmanship can be seen everywhere.
At this time, Chen Pingan was walking on a stone arch bridge. In the dead of night, Chen Pingan lightly jumped onto the railing and walked to the railing on the top of the bluestone bridge. Chen Pingan looked at the small river under his feet, gurgling and flowing.
A water-suppressing beast, shaped like a dragon, is not uncommon.
In many prosperous cities in Aquarius Continent, there are water-suppressing beasts like these used to suppress water monsters on the columns and pillars or the dragon gate stones. But Chen Ping'an couldn't detect the slightest trace of this ancient water-suppressing beast.
The remaining aura seems to be just a decorative ornament.
While Chen Ping'an was looking at the water in a daze, the fairy Fan Wan'er, who was born in Jingxin Pavilion, met His Highness the Crown Prince, Wei Yan, who was supposed to return to the palace of Nanyuan Kingdom.
Although this person is a nobleman of Tianhuang, he is a young master who hides his secrets. His martial arts mentor is an older generation grandmaster who exiled from the northern Great Wall to the Nanyuan Kingdom. As Wei Yan said, he is
In today's world, there is a small group of people closest to the top ten masters. The master of Crown Prince Wei Yan has an sworn hatred with the Chuihua Sect, one of the three sects of the Demon Sect. Therefore, His Highness the Crown Prince, who has this status and is respected by Hushan, is also
Both Pai and Jingxinting believed that he was a man of the right path and had the potential to become a leader of the next generation. Jingxinting even intended to support him as the next monarch of Nanyuan Kingdom.
Ya'er, who was a member of the demon sect, was the emperor's younger brother Wei Chong who secretly supported Wei Yan. The two sides had been fighting for the favor of the old emperor of Nanyuan Kingdom for five or six years.
Fan Guan'er and Wei Yan were scattered in the quiet night. Wei Yan said softly: "Fan Fairy, if you want to see that person, you don't need to hide it from me. He can hide in the main hall of Baihe Temple and never let us know from the beginning to the end.
I realize that he is definitely not an ordinary gangster. What if he is a member of the Demon Cult and something happens to you?"
Fan Guan'er didn't want Wei Yan, the future Emperor of Nanyuan, to have a grudge, so he smiled and said: "Your Highness, do you think you are related to Guan'er, the demon sect's Qing Ya'er who doesn't know his real name, and the hairpin flower of Chunchao Palace?
Lang Zhoushi, plus the other six young masters of similar age, make a total of ten people, echoing the top ten masters in the world. Among the ten of us, who has the highest martial arts?"
Wei Yan already knew this. In addition to having a good master, he was also the prince of a country. He had spies all over the world. Even if he had never been in the world, he was already familiar with the secrets of the world. Wei Yan spoke without thinking.
Come on, "It's hard to say who is the leader, but the top three have already been determined. Once the battle of life and death happens, once they meet on a narrow road, who will live and who will die will depend on who is better at fighting for the general trend in the world. The time, place, and people are favorable, and whoever takes over
Whoever has more wins."
Speaking of this, Wei Yan glanced behind the woman. When traveling tonight, Fan Wan'er did not carry any weapons. He smiled and said: "Fan Fairy is proficient in Jingxinting, Hushan School and the long-lost White Ape Back Swordsmanship. She is one of the three saints.
Learning, being inclusive, can certainly be ranked among the top three. My master praised the fairy sincerely. With or without the sword on his back, he is like two Fan Wan'er."
Fan Wan'er smiled and said, "Your Highness is so complimentary."
Wei Yan held his back with one hand and tapped the jade belt around his waist with the fingers of the other hand, "That Ya'er from the Demon Sect, when she first entered the capital, she was so arrogant that she dared to go to the Imperial Preceptor and even ate Imperial Preceptor Zhong.
The world thinks she is lucky to be able to be injured without dying with her fists, but my father told me that the Imperial Master once said that that little girl is so talented in martial arts that she can be called Lu Fang among women."
"The last person should be Feng Qingbai, whose origin is unknown. He came out of nowhere in the past ten years. There is no trace of his life experience or sect. He likes to travel around and constantly challenges masters and masters from all walks of life. I only know that
This person has made rapid progress. If you look at his opponent selection, you will find that he has grown from a layman who knows a little about three-legged cats to a top-notch master in the world in just ten years."
After saying this, Wei Yan turned around and asked: "Fairy Fan, among the other seven, is there anyone who is hiding deeper?"
Fan Guan'er clasped his hands behind his back and walked on a quiet little bridge, close to the railing, patting the head of the squatting lion carved on the small stone again and again, shaking his head and saying: "Even if it is true, at least Jingxinting and I don't know about it.
.”
Wei Yan smiled warmly. He had never thought that Fairy Fan could be so playful. For a moment, he looked at those moist eyes and felt a little crazy.
A man's inferior eyes only look at a woman's face, his medium eyes only look at her figure, and his superior eyes only look at a woman's demeanor.
What's more, Fan Wan'er has all three, and he is still the most popular in the world.
How can we make His Highness the Crown Prince of Nanyuan Kingdom, who has eyes above his head, not be moved? She is a graceful lady and a gentleman. Wei Yan's love for her, whether it is words or sight, is neither naked or unrestrained, but also never deliberately hidden.
.
Wei Yan stopped, then quickened his pace, walking side by side with her, wanting to reach out and hold her delicate hand, but unfortunately he didn't have the courage.
Fan Guan'er stopped, turned sideways, raised his eyes and looked into the distance, his eyebrows were sad, and he said slowly: "The reason why I talked about this is to talk about a strange thing that I still can't figure out."
Wei Yan asked curiously: "Tell me about it."
Fan Guan'er rubbed his eyebrows, and Wei Yan worriedly asked: "What's wrong, but what insidious tactics did the white-robed swordsman use?"
She smiled and shook her head, "Your Highness, have you ever heard of 'banishing the immortal' from your master?"
Wei Yan said with a smile: "My master is a charlatan, don't mention this. He doesn't like literati and poets the most. He always says that they are just helpless women. When I was young, I learned martial arts from my master. Whenever we chat, I say
If you have to be a little more refined, you will be beaten. So I can only appreciate the grace of banished immortals from poetry."
Since Wei Yan had no clues, Fan Wan'er did not want to say more about the matter and changed the subject. She looked far-reaching and murmured: "Your Highness, have you ever had the feeling that when we experience something or walk through
After meeting someone in a place, you always feel a little familiar?"
Wei Yan nodded, "Yes, why not?"
His Royal Highness found it interesting and asked with a smile: "Does Fairy Fan also believe in the Buddhist theory of reincarnation?"
Fan Wan'er shook his head.
————
On Guniu Mountain outside the capital, there were seven or eight people standing tonight. Among them was Yu Zhenyi, who looked like a child from the Hushan School, with a solemn expression, looking at the outline of the capital in the night.
A sloppy man smelling of alcohol, who even gave his sword to the woman in the liquor store, was named Lu Fang.
Zhong Qiu, the national master of Nanyuan Kingdom, is a thin, unsmiling man with an elegant temperament. It is hard to imagine that he will be the best in the world.
There is only one person left,
Yu Zhenyi's voice was as young and clear as his appearance, and he slowly said: "Except for Old Devil Ding, Chunchao Palace Zhou Fei, Ranger Feng Feng, and Jingxinzhai Tong Qingqing, these are the four people already established, and we are afraid we will have to kill one more person.
."
Lu Fang laughed at himself: "It can't be me, right?"
Zhong Qiu glanced at him coldly.
Lu Fang spread his hands and said helplessly: "Can't you just make a joke?"
In addition to three of these four great masters, there are also some people on the top of the mountain who should never appear here.
But without exception, they are either one of the top ten masters on the list, or a martial arts master like Master Wei Yan.
Tonight's Guniu Mountain, and the next Nanyuan Kingdom's capital city, are destined not to talk about good and evil.
Yu Zhenyi stared at a certain place in the capital and said softly: "Lu Fang, you and your friends should solve the biggest accident first. I don't care whether you join forces to kill someone or commit suicide alone, but you can only succeed and not fail.
, within three days, bring the man’s head and all the items on his body, the old rule is, the murderer gets it.”
Lu Fang touched the back of his head and sighed.
Someone in the distance smiled sinisterly, eager to try.
————
Chen Ping'an did not return to his house. He just wandered around the capital alone at night like a lonely ghost. During this period, he sneaked into the library of a scholarly family and browsed through books.
Before dawn, he quietly left again and listened to the masters' lectures at the Imperial Academy in the capital. It was not until noon when the sun was shining brightly that he walked back to Zhuangyuan Lane, deliberately avoiding the old man surnamed Ding and Zhou Shi, the hairpin man.
That house.
There are several small and cramped bookstores in Zhuangyuan Lane. In addition to selling books, they also sell some four treasures of the study that cannot be called desk supplies. They are crude and simple, but fortunately the prices are not high. After all, the buyers here are all coming to Beijing to take the exam.
Poor scholar Chen Pingan bought a few loosely written landscape travel notes in a shop. He will definitely not read them in the near future. He just wants to add more books to Luopo Mountain.
When Chen Pingan walked back to the alley where he lived, the handsome little guy happened to come back from get out of class. The two of them walked in the alley together. The child seemed to have something to hide, and he was too embarrassed to say it after holding it in for a long time.
Chen Pingan pretended not to see it and returned to the house. Dinner was at the same dining table with the child and his family. As agreed when renting the house in advance, the family bought Chen Pingan a pair of bowls and chopsticks and charged an extra thirty dollars a day.
In exchange for money, the old woman swore that there must be fish in every meal. In fact, Chen Ping'an often went out, either leaving early and returning late, missing the meal time, or simply not being seen for a while. The old woman was very happy.
There was not much oil or water on the table today. The old woman smiled and apologized, saying why Mr. Chen didn't say hello earlier today so that he could prepare the ingredients.
Chen Pingan smiled and said that it would be enough if he could eat enough.
The old woman asked what Ming'er said. When she heard Chen Ping'an said that she would go out tomorrow, the old woman sighed and complained that Mr. Chen was too busy and it was so difficult to eat a home-cooked meal. In fact, her daughter-in-law's cooking skills were pretty good.
Yes, I can’t say how good it is, but it will definitely be delicious.
The woman who had been lowering her head to pick up the rice, not even daring to pick up an extra chopstick, raised her head slightly and smiled honestly. Her mother-in-law praised herself for the first time.
After Chen Pingan had eaten, he moved a small stool and went to the street corner where the child's grandfather often played chess with others. It was a rare street paved with bluestones. People who had lived here for generations were there.
Watching people coming and going, chatting with neighbors about family affairs, can relieve boredom. If you see a rich kid riding a horse passing by, or a slightly famous brothel girl passing by, it can make the whole person happy.
The streets lit up.
Chen Ping'an was sitting not far from the chess stall, where a lot of people were surrounding him. Suddenly he found that the child had also moved a stool and sat next to him.
I had already taken off the "Sword Qi" and put it in the house to enjoy the cool weather in the market, and I still carried a sword on my back. It was outrageous. I took the sword gourd with me, but let the more obedient Feijian Fifteen stay in the yard.
To prevent others from stealing it, the capital of Nanyuan Kingdom is not at peace now, and there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers. It must be time for everyone to get up soon.
Sensing the child's awkwardness, Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "Are you worried?"
After attending school, the child who knew some rough etiquette lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Chen."
Chen Pingan said softly: "How to say?"
The child was sitting on a low bench, with his hands clenched into fists and placed on his knees, not daring to look at Chen Ping'an. "My mother often goes through Mr. Chen's things when Mr. Chen is not at home."
Chen Ping'an was stunned for a moment. He thought it was the old woman with harsh words who often went to his room to "visit" and look through things. He never thought it was the mother of the child who looked very honest.
The child's mood became more and more heavy, "Later, Mr. Chen left for a long time, and my mother secretly took the books Mr. Chen put on the table and gave them to me. I couldn't help myself, so I flipped through the books and took a peek. I knew this was not good.
"
Chen Pingan wanted to say an understatement of "It's okay," but he quickly swallowed it back and changed his words: "It's not okay."
I was walking around the capital before, and one day at a noisy temple fair, I saw a wealthy and elegant couple, followed secretly by a group of bright-eyed servants. A five or six-year-old child saw a beautiful sister selecting items at a stall.
He ran over and tugged on the girl's sleeve. Of course, the child had no ill intentions and was just trying to attract the attention of the adults. The girl ignored him at first. It was just that the child was from a powerful family, so when he saw that this sister was ignoring him, he felt a little bit.
Annoyed, the strength of her hands became stronger and stronger. The girl was impatient with the entanglement, but she was sensible and did not care about the ignorant child. She looked up at the child's mother standing not far away, who shouted
Bring the child back and prevent him from continuing his mischief.
At that time, if this scene had stopped there, it would have been fine if Chen Pingan had seen it.
But that woman with a luxurious temperament said something that Chen Pingan couldn't let go of, but he couldn't figure out the crux of it.
The woman who must have walked out of the house of Zhongming Dingshi taught her children, "Look, my sister is angry, stop being naughty."
At first glance, there was no problem. The woman's demeanor had always been worthy of the word grace. She looked at her son with kind and loving eyes, and her attitude towards the girl was absolutely not bad at all.
It wasn't until this moment when Chen Pingan was chatting casually with the child that he finally figured out the reason.
The tragic disaster related to the senior Song Yushao of Shushui Kingdom is similar but different.
It is wrong for a woman to teach her son this way.
Could it be that if the girl next to the stall is not angry, then the child can behave like this?
Compared with the tragedy that happened to Senior Song Yushao, this kind of "innocuous little thing" in the market seems to be too serious to mention. If you really want to talk about it endlessly, it will definitely be suspected of being inhumane. Maybe the woman
Do you think you are being unreasonable and pushy, and really think that the family name is easy to bully? Even the girl may not appreciate it.
Chen Pingan took out the bamboo slip, looked at the left and right ends, and kept moving his eyes towards the middle.
Many marks have been carved on it.
The left and right index fingers of Chen Pingan's hands were pressed against the two ends of the bamboo slips that looked like a ruler, hanging in the air. He turned to the uneasy child and smiled: "Your mother must be doing something wrong by doing this. Do you know that you are wrong?"
It’s still not quite right to change it, but after knowing this, you must also understand that things in the world are divided into big and small. In life, apart from right and wrong, right and wrong, there are still human feelings after all. For example, why did your mother do this?
, don’t you want you to study more and become a child student, a scholar, a master of education, or even a Jinshi? Your mother is such a hard-working person, is it for the sake of honoring her ancestors, for her to dress well and eat well? I don’t think so.
Yes, I just want you to live a good life in the future, right? If you understand why your mother did such wrong things, you can stop thinking about it. You already know her mistakes and her kindness to you.
, then it’s your turn. You have read the book and learned the principles of the sages and sages in the book, and you know the etiquette. So if time goes back and you are given another chance, what will you do?"
The child listened very attentively, because Chen Pingan explained the truth in a simple way, and he was a smart child, so he understood it. After thinking carefully, he said, "I should quietly put the books that my mother stole back into Mr. Chen's house."
, and then I borrow books from you openly, is that right?"
Chen Pingan nodded and said: "I can only say that on my side, it's already right. If it were someone else, you might have to think more."
The child said happily: "Mr. Chen, you won't blame my mother, will you?"
Chen Pingan rubbed his little head and said, "Some mistakes can be made up for, so you just did it."
The child nodded vigorously, "So sir, tell us that knowing your mistakes can greatly improve things!"
Chen Ping'an, who never spoke a few words to anyone, actually talked so much to a child today. Even he was surprised. However, his mood became a little calmer. He felt that even if he went to walk and practice right now,
The sword is no longer a problem.
Chen Ping'an put away the bamboo slip and put it back in his sleeve, then simply said a few more words.
"You must eat every day in order to survive."
"Under the premise of having enough food and clothing, reading and reasoning is not necessarily to become a sage, but to make one's life better. Of course, it may not necessarily be better, but the classic teachings of Confucian saints have been passed down from generation to generation.
The wise words of gentlemen and sages, at the very least, give us the most 'correct' possibility, telling us that we can live like this and live with peace of mind."
The child said in a daze: "Mr. Chen, I don't understand some of this."
Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "There are many things that I haven't thought through. It's like building a house with just a few pillars. It's still far from being able to shelter from wind and rain, so you don't have to take it seriously. Just listen.
It’s okay if you don’t understand. If you have questions in the future and you don’t understand, you can ask the teacher at the school.”
The child stood up with a smile, carrying a small stool, bowed to Chen Pingan, and said that he was going home to copy and write. The teacher was very strict, and he would get punished if he was lazy even a little bit.
Chen Pingan smiled and waved: "Go."
Chen Pingan did not turn around and said: "Throw away the stone in your hand."
A young voice sounded from behind, and then there was the sound of pebbles falling on the ground. It seemed that the pebbles were not too small.
A skinny little girl clapped her hands, walked to Chen Ping'an and squatted down, turned around and asked, "Can you lend me the stool?"
Chen Ping ignored this, took off his sword gourd, and started drinking.
The little girl asked again: "You are so rich, can you give me some? Didn't you just say that you have to eat every day to avoid starving to death?"
Chen Pingan didn't look at her and asked: "How did you find me here?"
The conversation between the two was completely different.
The little girl said pitifully: "I know you are not short of money. You don't feel bad if you give me a few taels of silver, but I can buy a lot of dry biscuits and meat buns. In winter, many old beggars freeze to death in the capital every year.
It would take a lot of effort to take off the rags they had on them. Look, that’s how I got the clothes I’m wearing now. If I had money, I would definitely be able to get through it."
Chen Ping'an still didn't look at her, "This one must be so good, but the one I wore last time was the one that the little girl secretly took out as a gift to you, right? Why didn't you wear it today just to see me?"
"
The little girl seemed innocent and didn't understand the meaning of Chen Pingan's words at all. She smiled sweetly and said: "In summer, the clothes are torn, but they are cooler. The one she gave me is something I usually can't bear to wear. In winter,
Take it out again and wear it on your body, it will be very warm."
Chen Ping'an suddenly stood up, looked at both ends of the street from left to right, and said to the squatting little girl, "Go and stand against the wall. No matter what happens next, don't make a sound."
The little girl was quick-thinking and was secretly observing Chen Pingan all the time, so she glanced at Chen Pingan early, then mumbled and complained, got up, and was about to run to the wall to take refuge, when she suddenly heard
The man said: "Take the bench."
She was unhappy, "Why should I help you get it? You are my long-lost wild father?"
Chen Ping'an said straightforwardly: "Ten coins."
"Okay, Dad!" A smile broke out on the little girl's dark face, she picked up the small stool and ran away.