red dust robbery

For many years after the age of 19, Zhan Ji never saw his mother again.

As for the father who gave him a trace of spirit, Mr. Yang who once smiled like a spring breeze on the Songjiang boat, and the iron-clad God of War in the Temple of the True Monarch, never appeared in his world again.

Thinking about it carefully, except for the short-term teaching and learning when he was young, it seems that he never had the opportunity to listen to him speak a few words properly.

His parents, Zhan Zhao and Ding Yuehua, both passed away and were buried together in a mountain suburb near Mohua Village.

He can only add a stick of incense every year during the Qingming Festival.

It's just that his official duties in Kaifeng Mansion became more and more busy later, and he might not be able to come back every year.

He and the little Wuyi brothers traveled around the world of mortals, experienced dozens of major cases, licked blood with the tip of a knife, and narrowly escaped death. They faded away from the youthfulness when they entered and left the public office, and added a bit of maturity and rationality. Some people began to say, now Now, he has more and more the demeanor of a guard back then.

As for that Bao Longtu, whenever he heard the people around him talk like this, his eyes always seemed empty and far away.

Over the years, Bao Zheng had already begun to age inevitably, and the other senior generals and ministers also began to wither one after another.

When Zhanji was 25 years old, Taijun She took Tianbo Mansion to resign from the imperial court and returned to seclusion. Di Qing, a general at the border, died of anger and depression due to slander, and Wuqu Xingjun returned to the throne early.

And Song Emperor Zhao Zhen was also getting older and his health was declining.

When Zhan Ji was 28 years old, Bao Zheng fell ill and passed away after half a year.

It's just that three days before his death, he specially asked someone to find Zhan Ji, and Zhan Ji saw that he was in good spirits, and he didn't look like a dying person at all.

"My lord looks quite good today."

"It's just a flashback." The old Bao Longtu laughed at himself, and stopped the young man who hesitated to speak, "You don't have to be sad, birth, old age, sickness and death are human nature. of."

"grown ups……"

"Ji'er, do you still...remember your father?"

Hearing him mentioning his old friend suddenly, Zhan Ji was slightly taken aback, and after a while he said in silence, "Your Excellency knows that my father already..."

Bao Zheng shook his head: "I'm not talking about Zhan Wei."

It took a long time for Zhan Ji to react, his face changed slightly, he thought that the old incident had long been buried deep in his heart, and no one knew about it.

But today...he just realized that although Mr. Bao looked sick and weak, there was a peaceful atmosphere in the air, which was very different from the past.

Surprised in his heart, under hesitation, he secretly opened his heavenly eyes, only to see that there were seven-star body guards around him, surrounded by auspicious energy, which made him slightly change color in shock.

"My lord...you—" he thought to himself, could it be that Master Bao is also the reincarnation of some righteous god?

"In the past few days, I have felt weak and weak, but Lingtai is very clear-headed and remembered many things." Bao Zheng smiled: "I was ordered to reincarnate in the lower world to help protect the peace of the Song Dynasty for decades. I have been in charge of the Kaifeng Mansion for decades, and for my Song Dynasty, I hope that the people will be safe and peaceful, and the country will last forever, but it is a pity that I am single and weak... There are internal and external troubles in the Song Dynasty, the poor and the weak, and the deep illness. You can only do your best, and just ask for a clear conscience... So Ji Er, you don't have to be too sad when I leave in the future."

It took a long time for Zhan Ji to speak: "No matter what, my lord has pleaded for the people sternly and selflessly in this life, and the people of Song Dynasty should thank you."

"It's just a matter of duty." Bao Zheng shook his head, a little self-deprecating, "But when I think about it these few days, it's really incredible that Erlang Zhenjun was able to work for my Kaifeng mansion... ..."

Zhan Ji's eyes moved slightly.

"The True Monarch occupies a high position in the Heavenly Court. For hundreds of years, he has turned his hands into clouds and rained his hands. It seems that the scenery is infinite, but in fact he is struggling. He changed the rules of the sky with his own power, became the Dao, and did not hesitate to lose his reputation. This is the great man with the world in mind. The person I love, compared with him, I am really inferior." When Bao Zheng talked about the long past, he couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion, but he just thought of the gentle and elegant guard in red clothes more than 20 years ago. Adding a bit of depression, "Ji'er, you disappeared in Dongting for nearly two years that day, presumably you met him."

Zhan Ji was silent for a while, and lowered his eyelids: "I was escorted back to the heavenly court for trial that day, and I didn't have a few words with him..."

Bao Zheng smiled wryly: "He is in charge of the rules of heaven, so he can't indulge you."

"So, in the end, it was my mother who sent me back to Mohua Village, and now... I'm afraid it's impossible to see you again..." Zhan Ji took a deep breath, and his expression became a little sad.

Bao Zheng looked at him, feeling slightly unbearable: "It's not impossible, although immortals and mortals have different paths, but Jier, ordinary people can also cultivate immortals..."

Zhan Ji raised his eyes with slight surprise.

But Bao Zheng paused for a moment: "However, Zhenjun didn't mention this when he taught you Heaven's Eye, so he must have just hoped that you can be a mortal for the rest of your life, because being a fairy is not without hardships... ..."

He turned his eyes away and looked at the heavy sunset outside the window: "Ji'er, the Song Dynasty values ​​culture over military affairs, and it is difficult for generals. After the old man leaves, you and your brothers will be separated. You have been working hard for more than ten years, and it is time for the birds to return." Lin, reunited with family..."

Three days later, Bao Zheng, governor of Kaifeng and a senior official at Longtuge University, passed away, and the whole country mourned.

Zhan Ji and Xiao Wuyi brothers, after helping to arrange the funeral, discussed it and handed in their resignations one after another.

Because of the many trivial matters, Zhanji was the last one to leave Kaifeng mansion, and then went straight to the long-lost Songjiang mansion.

Traveling to Hangzhou, he heard people say that there was a snake demon in the West Lake, so he had a thought, and finally couldn't bear it anymore and rushed there. When he arrived at the West Lake, someone had already suppressed the snake demon under the pagoda.He heard the rumors from passers-by that the fairy who received the demon was dressed in a crimson robe and was handsome and stern. It's gone again, except for the West Lake, where the blue waves are vast and the wind is calm.

Zhan Ji really wanted to look for the legendary fairy, but unfortunately the crowd was so vast, he had disappeared long ago, so he had to find an inn to stay, and the next day he took the road to Songjiang Mansion.

Unexpectedly, just outside the city of Hangzhou, someone was already waiting for him in the ten-mile long pavilion. His blue shirt and white robe were flying, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved in the golden morning light, warm as spring when he entered the mouth.

He was stunned for a moment, holding the rein of the horse and did not speak for a long time.

The man smiled lightly: "Come and sit down, I know Wenquxing has returned, so I'm here waiting for you."

When Zhan Ji was very young, he knew that he had lost his father.

Although he has not experienced those sad past events, nor has he enjoyed the ordinary fatherly love, so it is not sad, but when he sees his young cousin playing with his uncle, he will feel a little envious and lost.

The legendary Nan Xia who is gentle and gentle, people always sigh and hurt their spirits when they mention him, but his mother has not been as sad as imagined in the past ten years, but seems transparent and indifferent.

When he was a child, he was stalking him so badly that he could only sigh and say: "Your father... is watching you in the sky..."

When he grew up, he felt that these words were really perfunctory, but now that he thought about it, it really wasn't really perfunctory.

Zhan Ji smiled wryly, and sat down on the edge of the simple square table, watching the man skillfully pouring a pot of fragrant tea, but he didn't know how to speak, how...to address this man?

After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly remembered something, looked around, but only saw the official road was empty, with a big black dog showing its white teeth flatteringly at his feet.

Yang Jian glanced at him: "Don't look at it, your mother spent 300 years of skill to heal your wounds that day, and now she is cultivating under the teacher's door, and she will not come out within a hundred years."

Zhan Ji's face changed, he only thought that his mother must have spent a lot of thought for him that day, but unexpectedly it was such a heavy price...

Probably seeing his thoughts, Yang Jian breathed a sigh of relief: "You don't have to blame yourself, your mother is willing to do it for you, not to mention that the lifespan of a god is long, a mere hundred years will pass in a blink... If you Because of this, I feel uneasy, but I have let her down."

Hearing what he said, Zhan Ji calmed down a bit, but he felt lost in his heart. Immortals live forever, but mortals live short lives. He thought he would never see his mother again in this life.

He raised his eyelids and looked at the man in white in front of him.

His eyebrows are still the same as they were at the beginning of the year, but he always remembers his intimidating appearance in armor, and he doesn't know how to speak for a while.

Yang Jian saw that he was hesitant to speak, sighed slightly, and handed over a cup of tea: "I sentenced you to 25 sticks in court that day, are you still holding grudges?"

Zhan Ji was slightly startled, and hurriedly said: "Zhan Ji is also a member of the mortal family, so he naturally understands the principle of clear rewards and punishments, so how can he hold grudges?"

"Then..." Yang Jian paused, stood up, faced the dusty yellow sand, but turned back to look at him meaningfully: "Why are you worse now than when you were a child, and you don't even want to call me? "

Zhan Ji was stunned for a long time.

"First..." He hesitated for a while before changing the words unskillfully, "Father...Father..."

Then he saw that the man slowly raised the corners of his mouth, like a spring breeze wrinkling a pool of spring water.

In autumn, the city of Hangzhou is already a little cool, the phoenix trees are bleak, the geese flock south, and the ancient road of Yuhang, the yellow sand is flying.

Talking about the snake demon in West Lake, Yang Jian did not deny it.

"It's nothing more than a little effort." He said lightly, "I don't need to take action against such little monsters."

So just hand in hand?

Zhan Ji stuck out his tongue secretly, but saw that Yang Jian had already turned around: "You have resigned now, what are your plans?"

Hearing his question, Zhan Ji was silent for a while.

"I don't have too many plans for a while. I've been away all these years. Anyway, I'd better go home and have a look." He said slowly, but he felt a little emotional in his heart, "In fact, it was only because Mr. Bao Now, we can do more things for the people of Li. Now I resign because I don’t want this official uniform to bind us..."

"It is true that the distance between the rivers and lakes is more comfortable than the height of the temple, but the rivers and lakes also have bloody rivers and lakes..." Yang Jian sighed, "If you don't want to live in seclusion for the rest of your life, you will inevitably have things you can't help yourself. Don't say that In the mortal world, even the gods and Buddhas of the heavens may not necessarily be free from worries."

"But in this world, there are so many people obsessed with seeking immortality, don't they just hope to live forever and be at ease?"

"Ordinary people seek immortality because they are afraid of death." Yang Jian looked away, looking at the extended ancient road, "but they don't know that the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. There are hundreds of righteous gods in the heavens. Everyone performs their own duties, and if there is a slight mistake, they will be subject to the precepts of heaven. Only in this way can the normal operation of the three realms be maintained. Of course, there will be some of them, like the courts in the world, who will be brewed because of selfish desires. All kinds of conspiracies, so the world of the gods is not as beautiful as the world imagines."

"Actually, for thousands of years, there have been very few people who have become immortals by virtue of their own cultivation. Cultivating immortals not only has to abandon the fetters of relatives and friends in the mortal world, endure long-term loneliness, but also endure arduous trials and tribulations." This test is not something that just anyone can walk through." He slowed down, "Immortals are not immortal, they will transform into immortals, and the Buddha's light will disappear, otherwise, where would those ancient gods be? "

"I remember when you were young, you told me that your mother only wanted you to be like Bai Yutang, because you, Uncle Bai, are the most free and easy people in the world. Both your mother and I have experienced People who have been fighting for thousands of years, it may not be happier to be a mortal for a lifetime than to become an immortal. So at that time, I only taught you to control the eyes of the sky, but did not teach you Taoism."

Hearing his eloquence, Zhan Ji reacted for a moment: "Father...you mean—"

"Since you have my essence and blood on your body, the fairy root and spirit are still there. It's just that I thought that you were too young at that time and didn't understand many things. I can't make such a decision for you, but now... ..." Yang Jian's voice was low and flowing like running water, but there were some complex emotions in his eyes. If it wasn't for the vigorous battle at Dongting Lake, he would have almost ignored it. His son, after all, still inherited his blood and responsibility. of.

"Now that you are standing here, you can choose some things yourself." He walked over and patted him on the shoulder, "No matter what you choose, I will respect your decision."

Zhan Ji was stunned for a moment, and it took him a long time to understand the deep meaning of his words.

There was a huge wave in my heart.

But Yang Jian didn't stay any longer, and the ink fan in his hand flashed a cold light, and there was already a small jar of fine wine on the table: "This pot of wine will be brought to your fifth uncle for me—by the way, if you choose that difficult road, you might as well go West Kunlun."

Before the words were finished, the person disappeared suddenly, and the black dog disappeared without a trace.

In fact, Zhan Ji didn't have much attachment to the question of whether or not he wanted to practice Taoism.

He is not yet in his thirties, far from reaching the stage of understanding the world of mortals and breaking through the world, and there are still many entanglements in this world, but he thought, if he really went to practice Taoism, would he still have the opportunity to see himself retreat for a hundred years? mother?

The days after returning to Mohua Village are not free. The cousin of the family has already left the court, and the cousins ​​have also engaged in marriage one after another. The two aunts saw that he was still alone, so they were busy arranging marriages for him. Changing the arrangement and looking at each other, he managed to find some free time and went to the empty island with the jar of wine.

Only then did he realize that Bai Yutang was also an insider of what happened back then.

"Your father—whether he is a mortal or a god, it will not be too easy to think about." Drinking the wine sent by his old man, Bai Yutang still couldn't stop making up his mouth, Zhan Ji, who is the son of man, He could only silently sip the rim of his wine glass.

At this time, Bai Yutang was much older than ten years ago, and the injuries he suffered in the Seven Fiends Formation when he was young began to worsen year by year. Fencing and fighting wine was a pleasant time.

In his own words, in his life, he stole the Three Treasures, made troubles in Tokyo, and fought against Xichuan. He had made countless friends, and even paid for his confidantes. In his later years, his wife and children were around his knees. Spring is sad and autumn, it is better to still come and go as chic as in the past, living up to the reputation of being suave in the past.

"However—" he stopped talking in general, and changed the topic, "If life only cares about the word "relaxation", it is probably quite boring..."

His voice was long and drawn out, Zhan Ji raised his eyelids, looked at him now lazily leaning on the corner of the table and slightly drunk, vaguely recalled his youthful figure wielding the sword Tianya, his heart moved slightly.

It is said that Bai Yutang is the most free and easy person in the world, but if he is really a reckless person, where will those vigorous legends come from?

The sword in the hands of a swordsman exists for justice after all.

And the way of the immortal family is not for the sake of all beings in the three realms?

Zhan Ji took a deep breath, and turned his gaze to the blue sky outside the window. The sky on the sunken island was exceptionally clean and pure, occasionally dotted with flocculent white clouds. radian.

Bai Yutang looked at his ecstatic expression, and vaguely felt that the cat had something on his mind today, so he was silent for a while, and was about to ask, but he heard him speak softly.

——"Uncle Wu, tell me, what kind of place is Kunlun Mountain?"

THE END