long friend

"The ancients said that fighting is fighting. Warriors should stop cowardice inside and violence outside. Knowing shame is close to courage. No matter what the level of martial arts is, virtue is always the quality that warriors value. And don't do to others what you don't want, don't do it to others. Brute force to deceive people, otherwise what is the difference between them and thugs? Ayan, what do you think?"

After Ran Qiu said these words slowly, he looked at the young man in the courtyard who was practicing his lower back, and added: "Don't bend your calves, why is your flexibility so poor at such a young age?"

Su Yan felt beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, his waist was extremely numb, and his legs were almost unconscious. He gritted his teeth and said, "Master Ran, I thought your words were wrong. Just now you said, 'Don't do to me what you don't want to be done to you. People', it's hard for me in a blink of an eye."

Ran Qiu put the teacup aside and said, "This is the basic skill, how can you force it?" He looked at Su Yan carefully again, walked over and pressed his shoulder to prevent him from being lazy , categorically said: "More than half a stick of incense."

In the end, he ignored Su Yan's hateful gaze, turned around and left.

His hands were numb, in order to make the extra time not difficult, Su Yan had no choice but to let go of his thoughts.At first, he smelled a little fragrance of flowers, and then thought that Qingming had passed, and there was a moist breath in the wind. Occasionally, there were two or three birdsongs. Su Yan adjusted his breathing rate, and unexpectedly found a trace of patience from this hard training. .

When the incense on the table in the corridor burned out and Ran Qiu came after him, Su Yan still maintained his original movements.Ran Qiu helped him up, stretched his muscles and bones for him, and asked, "Is it okay?"

"It wasn't so difficult after that." Su Yan said honestly, and asked Ran Qiu again, "I don't seem to be proficient in this way, I can only say that my talent is mediocre. Although my father marched and fought, he didn't fight against the Ouchi's hidden guards at all. Don't fall into the wind... Youdao is a tiger father but no dog son, why am I not like him at all?"

Ran Qiu brought a cup of tea to Su Yan, stepped back to look at him for a while, and said: "I have been with you these days, and I don't think your bones are not suitable for martial arts. Could it be that you are not well coordinated?"

Su Yan's eyes were subtle, but he hesitated to speak.He sat peacefully on the porch drinking tea, his eyes rested on the apricot tree, which had passed its flowering period, so the short-lived prosperity withered after a rain and was replaced by lush green leaves.

"I heard from your father that you and your brother were originally twins?" Ran Qiu asked suddenly, seeing Su Yan nodding, he said to himself, "I once read a book that said that the original mother was pregnant in October and rarely had twins. , Maybe they belong to the same person. In this case, the talent and ability of one person are distributed to two people, so it is normal for each to have shortcomings-you are not very proficient in this way, so that's all, maybe your brother is more suitable Xi Wu can't say for sure."

Su Yan stretched out his hand and scratched the itchy spot on his eyelids, trying to keep his tone calm: "But he's not here anymore."

Ran Qiu wondered, "Oh?"

Su Yandao: "Since Mr. Ran was born in the palace, he should have heard about my brother's disappearance that year, right? It has been four years now, and everyone dare not say it, and my mother does not want to believe it, but in fact, I know it well. I can't find it, and [-]% of it will never come back."

As he spoke, there was genuine sadness in his eyes.Su Yan still doesn't know how to control his emotions. His brother's premature departure was a blow to him. Once he was told by himself, it was like breaking a dike. The paralysis immediately fails.

Ran Qiu was slow to speak, pursed his lips, and finally chose to remain silent.

Su Yan sat with his head down for a long time, but didn't take another sip of tea.From Ran Qiu's perspective, he couldn't see his expression clearly, but when Su Yan put down his teacup and stood in the courtyard again, his eyes were obviously a little red.

He took a steady stride, and said to himself: "I know a stick of incense."

Ran Qiu said: "If you really don't have talent, I'll discuss it with your father. I'll just practice some basic skills in the future, and spend the rest of my time studying...Why force it?"

Su Yan looked directly at him and said, "No, if it's true as you said, I was taken away by Ah Jin. He is now alive and dead, and it is very likely that he will never have a chance to contact him again. I should work harder That's right. Lord Ran, I'm not forcing you at all, so don't be soft-hearted and come according to the original plan."

"Ah Jin?" Ran Qiu frowned and said, "Your brother...could it be called Su Jin?"

Su Yan nodded. He didn't care at all, but when he raised his eyes and saw Ran Qiu's expression changed, he wondered, "What's wrong?"

Ran Qiu waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I just suddenly thought about an old friend. Young master, if you can trust me, after I return to Chang'an, I will find a way to inquire about him for you again, how about it?"

After hearing this, Su Yan was not as surprised or grateful as Ran Qiu expected.He looked as usual, smiled very lightly, and said: "Then I will trouble my lord, and wait for the good news."

Ran Qiu knew that he only thought he mentioned it casually, and didn't say much, so he patted Su Yan on the shoulder.

The spring flowers are all in bloom, and the spring breeze is ten miles away, it is the best time of the year, but Ran Qiu feels that the young man in front of him is a bit lethargic.

His worry lasted for a few days, and he mentioned it to Su Zhi cryptically once and then stopped talking.It can be said that Ran Qiu did his best to teach Su Yan, but the other party was limited by himself and was still unable to reach a higher level.

After the basic skills are still solid, Ran Qiu wants to fight him, the reason is that even a general can't avoid close combat on the battlefield, let alone an ordinary soldier.And Ouchi's hidden guard is so agile, when he knocked down Su Yan at first, the other party couldn't see what Ran Qiu was doing, so he just sat on the ground dumbfounded.He was so surprised that he couldn't even feel the pain.

Cold comes and summer goes, when Su Yan can hold on to twenty strokes under Ran Qiu's hands, it will be another midsummer year.

A small pond was dug in the garden of Pingyuan Houfu, only enough for two or three koi to swim leisurely in it, because the place is too narrow to build a gazebo, so the place to enjoy the cool air is conveniently under the corridor.

Placing a square table and two or three stools is enough for self-cultivation.

On this day, Ran Qiu and Su Yan were sitting on the porch drinking tea.He glanced at Su Yan who was staring at the apricot tree in the courtyard in a daze, and said, "Young master, I have nothing to teach you in martial arts now, what do you want to do in the future?"

After a long time, Su Yan said: "You look down on me too much, is this also called 'nothing to teach'?"

Ran Qiu smiled and said: "Young master hit the nail on the head, I feel ashamed. My kung fu is accumulated in the lives of people one by one, and if I go up, it will be a killer move against you - this is beyond my control. Please forgive me."

The corner of Su Yan's mouth curled slightly, and he said, "I would like to learn how to march and use soldiers, but unfortunately I don't have good teachers and friends."

Hearing what he said, Ran Qiu clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "That's wrong! When it comes to the way of marching and using soldiers, no one in the entire Great Liang can compare with your father. If you don't ask him for advice, you will worry about not having a good teacher?"

"...I really haven't heard much about his deeds. It is said that the world is peaceful these years. He plays chess or walks birds all day long. He doesn't look like a general in your mouth."

Ran Qiu said: "When Marquis Pingyuan was a young boy, he went out with the army for the first time in Youzhou. The Turks at that time were strong and strong, and their khans had been trying their best for many years, and they managed to break into the city. , our army couldn’t take it back. As soon as your father arrived at the front line, he led a 300-man light cavalry surprise attack on the Turkic luggage, and caught them off guard. Later, he set fire in the valley and burned the Turkic Although the food and grass supply road was punished for this, after more than half a year of fighting, Daliang took back Youzhou City smoothly because of this incident."

Su Yan said nothing, but there was a longing look in his eyes.He didn't know that his father, who is now at home all day long, was so high-spirited and daring.

Ran Qiu guessed what he was thinking, drinking tea with a smile, and said: "Throughout the founding of our country in Daliang, only this Marquis of 'Pingyuan' came from conquering generations and expanding the territory for the country. Since Emperor Taizong Since then, all the Marquises of Pingyuan in all dynasties have joined the army at a young age and spent half their lives fighting bloody battles... Now it is your father, and from now on, I will depend on you."

After finishing speaking, Ran Qiu looked at Su Yan, and saw that he was frowning tightly, as if he had mountains and rivers on his shoulders. He couldn't help thinking that he was cute, so he flicked Su Yan on the forehead.

"When you start joining the army, I'm afraid they will call you Young Master."

Su Yan frowned and said, "I can't afford it."

He only said four simple words, but Ran Qiu became more and more sure that the child had deep thoughts, and the feeling of oppression when he first met him came back.This feeling is very inexplicable, neither majestic nor evil, but it is always uncomfortable. Ran Qiu didn't realize it until later. It was Su Yan's stability that didn't match his age, because it was too much, and he always looked a little bit Unfathomable.

People are always instinctively afraid of things they cannot see through, whether it is people or things.

After that day, Su Yan seemed to have finally figured out his destination, or accepted the fact.It took him a year and three months to finally admit that he was not good at martial arts, and he talked with Su Zhichang for a long time. When he came out, he smiled happily for the first time to Ran Qiu who was waiting in the corridor.

Su Yan is good-looking, although he speaks softly, he is usually serious, so he always looks serious and overly mature.When he showed a rare youthful look, the appearance of his eyebrows like spring mountains and eyes containing autumn water came out, his thin lips were lightly raised, full of tenderness, not fully opened, and the embryonic form of a handsome man in the future can be vaguely seen.

He briskly closed the study door, and shook the volume of books in his hand towards Ran Qiu.

The book is probably quite old, the pages have turned yellow and have been flipped through many times, and some edges are even a little damaged, but from Su Yan's expression, he regards it as a treasure.When he looked carefully, it turned out to be an ancient military book - "Six Secret Teachings".

Ran Qiu comforted: "Young master has fulfilled his wish, and he will be able to accomplish a lot in the future."

Su Yan heard something wrong from his words, and asked doubtfully, "Is your lord leaving?"

Ran Qiu said: "I came back to Beijing secretly to report on my duties, but now I have stayed for too long, I should go to Chang'an. I won't be able to look at you all day in the future, it really feels like an apprentice is a teacher."

Su Yan's joyful mood suddenly fell, and he said, "How often do you come back?"

"Three years." Ran Qiu said, gently stroking the top of Su Yan's head, "I am already a person outside the temple, and I should not get too involved with you and other dignitaries, so as not to delay my job. I will come back after three years and come to you again. Then you have to show me some skills!"

Xu had hoped too many times in vain, Su Yan was used to this kind of parting, he solemnly looked at Ran Qiu, corrected his brows and eyes as if swearing, and said: "We will fight again when you come back in three years."

He thought this was another separation, so he stopped talking nonsense like "there will be a period later".The so-called serious business in Ran Qiu's mouth, Su Yan heard some bits and pieces from his father, and knew that he lived with his head tied to the waist of his trousers, so the agreed matter, to the two of them, might just be mentioned casually, but Also better than nothing.

Seeing that Su Yan was quite uncomfortable, Ran Qiu couldn't help saying softly: "Come, there is another gift for you."

He took Su Yan outside the guest room where he lived temporarily, and took out a long box from behind the door.Ran Qiu signaled Su Yan to open it, but the other party was puzzled, but he did as he wanted.

In an instant, a white light flashed, and Su Yan couldn't help closing his eyes.

When he opened it again, he exclaimed, "This is... a sword?"

Lying quietly in the long box was a sword without a scabbard, which looked simple and unpretentious, stable and dignified, but faintly revealing an incomparable arrogance.Su Yan picked it up, and the heavy sword made him use both hands to hold it steady.

It is radiant and sharp.

There are faint water ripples on the sword body, Su Yan looked carefully, and saw that the sword inscription was two characters carved in seal: "Bihai."

Ran Qiu explained: "When I first settled down in Chang'an, I once forged two swords. Apart from killing people in my life, forging swords is my forte. One of the 'Ling Xiao' has been given to an old friend, and the other has been kept to this day. I After meeting you, I think you are very suitable for it. The sword is given to the hero, and it is yours from now on."

"Bihai..." Su Yan muttered to himself, and looked carefully over and over again. After a long time, he came back to his senses and said to Ran Qiu, "I'm not a hero, but I like it very much. When I go to the battlefield, I will always take it with me. "

He wanted to say something more, but the sense of powerlessness came back. Su Yan thought for a long time, then raised his head to Ran Qiu and said, "Your Excellency is for the country and the people. Although what you do is unknown, I can understand the hardship. In the past year, please take care."

Ran Qiu looked at him helplessly, still unable to express her worry.

He finally patted Su Yan on the head, and said: "A child has to act like a child. You...seize the past few years so that you can have fun, so that you won't be dragged down by ordinary things in the future, and you won't have time to rest."

Since you are still a teenager, you don't have to put on a mature and stable appearance. Even if there are accidents in your family and you have experienced all kinds of involuntary things, but you were born in such a family, and at this age, how can you think about studying military books all day long? Or do you want to become a talent quickly?Even if this is the kind of diligence that people like to hear, but it has become what Su Yan really wants to do, which is unavoidably chilling.

It's a great time, if you don't waste your youth quickly, you will regret it later.

Even if he said these principles, Su Yan would not understand.Ran Qiu chooses to stop and stop talking.

He left at dusk on a summer day, and Su Yan sent him outside Jinling City. Su Yan didn't go back until he rode away with no shadow on the horizon.

Su Yan still remembered the three-year agreement with Ran Qiu, while thinking about how to make rapid progress so as to open his eyes, at the same time, he was worried that he would not be able to quickly understand the "Six Secret Teachings" given by his father.He was worried about whether Han Guang would be worried if he didn't go to the Imperial College for a long time, and he also thought of Xiao Qichen in the deep palace, wondering if he was doing well.

When walking, the two small stones in the purse tied around Su Yan's waist occasionally collided, making a slight noise.This sound always reminded him that there is still someone who cares about him.

He walked through the smooth and stable streets and looked in the direction of Taicheng again, still solemn and majestic.

Su Yan didn't know that this was the last time he and Ran Qiu would meet.

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