Song You folded a few pieces of barmao that had just grown in the spring. They were not long yet and were thin and tender. He used them to make a hollow ball. He looked around and found that he was not very satisfied. Walking was boring anyway, so he made a hollow ball.
I threw them away and knitted two more, then selected the one I liked and put it in the quilt bag.
Such leisurely picking of fruits and grass did not actually delay the walk, but actually added a lot of fun to the walk.
It felt like I was back in my childhood.
At that time, no matter where I went, no matter how long the road was, as long as I walked on the road, in the fields beside the road, or on the trees in the forest, I would have countless fun.
Back then, walking was never just for walking.
Gradually, I walked higher and higher, reaching the top of the mountain.
The calico cat stopped and turned to look into the distance.
Song You also stopped.
I don’t know where this place is, I just know that when I look at it like this, the mountains and rivers are at my feet, and the scenery is wonderful.
There is a lot of sugar cane grown here.
Between the hillsides is flat and regular land, dyed densely green by tracts of sugarcane forests. There are paths in the middle, leading to places that you will never go to in this life. Big trees grow quietly beside the roads, and they are no longer tall.
How many years have passed, and villages and houses can be vaguely seen at the end of the line of sight. I don’t know how many years they have been there. Everything is clear, quiet and beautiful.
Song You couldn't help but think that maybe the scenery here was like this hundreds of years ago.
Maybe it will still be like this hundreds of years from now.
But whose hometown is this? What kind of people live here? What kind of life do they live?
Song You looked natural on the surface, but he was very excited in his heart. He wanted to go down and take a closer look at the appearance of this land, get to know the people here, and listen to the stories here, but he also knew that the mountains and rivers were infinite, and even gods could not see them.
The world is big and life is short, so regrets are inevitable.
But maybe regret is normal.
"gentlemen."
At this time, a swallow landed and stopped on the horse's head. It turned to look at him: "Where are we going?"
"Yan'an..."
Song You did not rush to answer, but asked him: "Have you flown to the south to spend the winter?"
"Mr. Hui, I grew up with my ancestors since I was a child, so I didn't need to fly to the south to spend the winter. Later, I gained Taoism, opened my spiritual wisdom, and transformed into another form, so there was no need to go."
"That's it."
"Sir, are you very interested in things in the south and overseas?" Yanzi stared at the Taoist with a pair of dark eyes, always feeling that he sounded a little regretful after hearing that he had not been there, "I have heard my ancestors say that since I was a child,
If you want to hear about things about the South and overseas, I can also tell you."
"That's not it."
"That is……"
"I just think it's unusual to fly south for the winter."
"How is it unusual?"
"I heard that you have to fly thousands of miles, and the farthest flight is tens of thousands of miles. I don't know how many mountains and rivers you have to cross, and how many different scenery you have to see. The journey must be very exciting." Song You sighed, "This is
Even the gods in the world are trapped in place by their beliefs and have never known the true appearance of the world. Most people can't even dream of such a vast world, but you are born to move south and meet most people.
I don’t know how you feel about the vast world that you will never see in your lifetime, but many people are envious of it.”
When Yanzi heard what he said, he felt that it was really unusual, so he also felt a little regretful.
"I have never been to……"
"You can go anytime."
"Is it dangerous out there?"
"Hard to say."
"oh……"
Song You thought for a while and then said:
"When I was young, I asked my master if it was dangerous down the mountain.
"She said to me: The world is more than 100,000 miles wide. I don't know how many people die in misfortunes every day, and I don't know how many people die in misfortunes. But there are also people who stay where they are, never going anywhere, never doing anything special.
, some died of illness and starvation on the way. There are also people who live to old age, but they are also confused. You still need to see and decide for yourself. What you have seen and what you have encountered in this life is closely related to how you choose.
"But she is known as a Taoist of many walks of life. When she was young, she loved to travel around the world. This is just her idea, naturally. You and I should have our own ideas and choices."
Yanzi thought for a long time and then said anxiously: "I have always wanted to ask sir a question."
"Just ask."
"Sir, walking around the world like this has no destination, so what is your purpose?"
"What do you think?"
"..."
Yan Zi thought for a long time and then said carefully: "I originally thought it was to punish evil and promote good, to punish evil and eliminate demons."
"Along the way, I have punished evil and promoted good, killed evil and eliminated demons, but I didn't go down the mountain specifically for them." Song You shook his head and smiled, "Sometimes I do this, sometimes I don't.
"
"Sir, don't you want to accumulate merit?"
"Don't accumulate merit, only accumulate peace of mind."
"Sir, don't you want to become a god?"
"Not to become a god, nor to become a Buddha."
"..."
Yanzi was stunned for a moment. He was used to seeing his ancestors go to great lengths to become gods. Now that his husband said so lightly, "Not to become gods, nor to become Buddhas," he suddenly didn't know how to answer.
"Then... is it to become an immortal?"
"What is a fairy?"
"Is the immortal... immortal?"
"Those who intend to live forever will not live forever; those who do not intend to live forever will not live forever."
"That's freedom and ease."
"Can you be free and easy after becoming an immortal? Or can you become an immortal only if you are free and easy? But if you are already free and easy, what difference does it make whether you become an immortal or not?" Song You said in a gentle tone.
"..."
Yan Zi was digesting and thinking at the same time, but his confidence was no longer enough: "Is the gentleman just simply practicing in the world?"
"But I don't practice for the sake of joining the world."
"That is……"
"Where can there be so many reasons? Where can there be so many purposes?"
"Sir, please give me some advice."
"How can I talk about teaching? Life is short, and walking around the world, I just want to see more scenery, see more things that I have never seen before, and taste more of the fun of this world. In this short life,
Fill it in with more interesting things according to your own preferences, so that when this life is over, you can think back and say that it is not a loss." Song You smiled, "But the interesting thing is that when you don't think about anything, you have a lot more.
An unexpected gain. This kind of unexpected gain without any expectations is the happiest thing.”
"..."
The swallow fell into silence and thought.
If he had turned into a human form, he would have frowned.
Not to become a god, not to become an immortal, not to practice cultivation, but to make this life more interesting according to your own inner wishes.
What the teacher said seems to be just a mortal, but if you think about it carefully, what is the difference between this and an immortal?
Whether it is becoming a god, becoming an immortal, becoming a Buddha, or practicing in the world, if you pursue it deliberately, even if it is different from the worldly fame and fortune, how big of a difference will it make?
A voice suddenly came from my ears:
"let's go."
"Which way... which way?"
"below."
Song You has already made a decision: "It's okay if I haven't met you. Now that you have met, you won't miss it."
It happens to be already afternoon, maybe we can stay overnight down there.
So we went down the path again.
After not walking far, the world under the mountain came into view. I saw only a mountain village road with evergreen cypress trees on the side. I don't know where it leads, but the road is flat, so I think there are often people walking there.
The calico cat still ran ahead, very lively, and would only stop to look at them when they encountered a fork in the road.
This is just for fun——
As long as she runs a little faster, she can stop in front, smell the grass on the roadside, sometimes take a few bites, or catch bugs on the roadside and feed them to the swallows, or look at the scenery in the distance.
Gradually, it is approaching dusk.
Song You looked up and saw smoke rising from the depths of the bamboo forest in the distance. There was a lot of smoke. There should be a village.
Maybe you can stay overnight.
Just as he was thinking about it, the calico cat in front suddenly stopped. The whole cat stopped moving. He raised his head and stared straight ahead. He turned his head to look at Song You, and then continued to look forward.
Song You walked over slowly.
Follow her gaze——
I saw a child standing alone under the cypress tree on the roadside. He was a boy, about seven or eight years old. He was neither crying nor fussing, but he was looking left and right, feeling a little dull in a daze.
There was a wind blowing by the river, causing him to shrink his neck.
"It's a villain!"
"Miss Sanhua has good eyesight."
"Where's his mother?"
"Not here."
"Then you are lost!"
"possible."
Song You looked at the smoke from the kitchen in the distance, and even though it was blocked by the bamboo forest, he still saw a corner of the village house.
I think this kid came from there.
"That's just right."
"What's just right?"
"It's easy to stay overnight tonight."
"right!"
The calico cat turned its head and glanced at Song You in surprise. It immediately woke up and then trotted and jumped towards the child.
The child was still in a daze, looking left and right, at a loss. It was not until the calico cat came close to him that he seemed to be attracted by the cat and began to stare at the calico cat intently.
But still no action.
Song You also stepped over.
"Little Doll."
"Um?"
The child looked up at him with a dull expression.
Song You put on a smile, tried to look gentler, and softened his voice: "Where did you come from? Why did you come here alone?"
The child looked around again and stretched out his hand to point, but after waving his fingers half a circle, he couldn't tell the direction.
"what's your name?"
"Little Niuer..."
"How did you get here?"
"do not know……"
"Where do you live?"
"Home..."
The child stared at him stupidly.
When the wind blew, he couldn't help but shrink his neck and shivered because he was wearing thin clothes.
Song You stood over and blocked the wind for him.
The child got much better immediately.
Suddenly, Song You turned his head again, as if he heard some sounds from the wind.
It seemed that someone was calling the child.
"Calf."
"Um?"
"Did you hear someone calling you?"
"It seems to have……"
The child nodded and answered dully.
"Which way?"
"do not know……"
The child stared at him blankly.
"..."
Song You had no choice but to turn his head and look at the Sanhua Cat: "Where is the Sanhua Empress? Did you hear something?"
"What did you hear?"
"What is it?"
"Someone is singing."
"Sing?"
"Yes! Weird talking sounds!"
"Is it over there?"
Song You pointed in the direction of the rising smoke.
"Seems to be."
"good."
So Song You squatted down, looked at the child calmly, and stretched out his hand to him:
"Let's go, take you home."
The child looked at him and then at the cat.
After hesitating and tangled, he seemed to feel that this man was quite friendly, so he finally chose to believe it, so he reached out to hold his hand, followed him, and walked forward along the path.
No one came looking for me along the way.
On the contrary, the sound became clearer.
In fact, it is not singing, but the tone is melodious, and every shout has a long ending, which is slightly different from the usual speech and shouting. If you listen carefully, there is a mysterious and simple charm. Although the girl in Heyidu Xiaoyuan
The voices of ghosts singing are different, but the calico cat cannot tell what singing is. It only remembers Song You's words, which sounded strange, so it said it was singing.
"Little Niuer..."
The sound can still be heard clearly across the river.
"Little cow...
"Little Niuer..."
…
"Come home...
"Come back for dinner...
"Come back and take a nap...
"Promise quickly...
"Come back soon...
"Don't let your family worry anymore..."
A group of young and old men and women were shouting around the house.
Some were standing on the roof, some were standing on the hill behind the house, and some were standing on the field ridge in front of the house. The voices were all prolonged and merged into one.
Among them was an old man with a long beard, holding a bowl of turbid water in his hand. Every time he shouted, he would take water from the bowl and sprinkle it in the sky. There was also a middle-aged woman, with a cry in her voice, and
It adds a rich emotional flavor to this simple and ancient shouting method.
Suddenly, everyone looked forward.
I saw a young man wearing Taoist robes walking along the path. In front of him was a calico cat, jogging at a slow pace, and behind him was a bay-red horse, which did not need a rein but followed him honestly.
There is a swallow flying in the sky.
The Taoist himself was amazing enough, but it was more than that. What was even more amazing was that his right hand was slightly raised to the side, as if he was holding an invisible, tall person.
When the Taoist walked up to the crowd, the shouting and singing that had just been loud had basically stopped. I felt that the scene in front of me was too mysterious. I was at a loss and did not dare to say a word, so it suddenly changed from the noisy scene just now.
It has become silent now.
Song You nodded to them, then lowered his head to look at the child on his right, and said with a soft smile:
"Go back quickly."
After saying that, he let go of his right hand.
After the woman thought about it, she couldn't care less about marveling at the mystery of this scene. She just wiped the tears on her face, turned around and ran towards the house.
Soon a shout came from inside:
"Wake up, wake up!"
A bunch of people all ran towards the house.
A man only glanced at it, then ran out, came to Song You again, bowed and held his hands in front of him:
"Thank you sir, thank you sir..."
"I was just traveling through this place and happened to see your son's soul standing on the side of the road, unconscious. I heard everyone's shouts and brought him back following the sound." Song You paused and looked at the man next to him.
The old man, who was at a loss as he held the water bowl, said, "You should only thank the old man. Thanks to the old man's method, the son did not go far."
"Thank you all, thank you all..."
The man was so excited that he was a little incoherent. He quickly extended his hand and said, "Gentlemen, please come and sit in the room!"
"Old sir, please."
"Please, please..."
"How dare, junior."
"Then I'll go first..."
The old gentleman then walked into the house carrying the bowl.
Song You also walked in.
It's just a thatched cottage in the village, simple but refreshing. The middle room is the main room, with an old Eight Immortals table and thick bowls for tea. The table and bowls must have been around for many years.
There was a bowl of tea that belonged to the old man. The man quickly went to get another bowl and poured a bowl for Song You.
After taking a sip, he saw that several people at the table were looking at him, but didn't know how to speak. Song You knew that most of these people were simple people from the countryside and did not have that much eloquence, so he put down the bowl, raised his hand and said:
"My surname is Song Mingyou. I come from a mountain in Lingquan County, Yizhou. I have traveled all over the world and passed by this place. I am destined to be acquainted with your son, so I brought you here to ask for some tea."
"Thank you sir, we are all anxious."
"Don't worry, don't worry. The old gentleman is here. Maybe he will come back if he calls a few more times."
This is just talk.
In fact, this native method is only useful for people whose souls have been separated but have not gone far, and are near the door of their home. This child's soul has already traveled more than a mile, and he cannot come back if he shouts like this. However, this kind of folk gentlemen usually have many
With experience, I can't tell if there are other ways.
In short, I just came here to stay overnight and ask for food. Sometimes the words I said casually were worth a lot of money, so I didn't want to ruin someone else's sign.
"Where are you going, sir?"
"Pingzhou."
“Where is Pingzhou?”
“I want to visit Yunding Mountain.”
"Yunding Mountain..."
The man was a little embarrassed and had not heard of it.
But he also immediately said: "To get to the border of Pingzhou, I'm afraid we have to walk nearly two hundred miles. It will take a day to run fast on horseback, and it will take two days to walk at least on foot. Sir, I have great kindness to the villain.
I didn’t have anything to entertain you here, so I shamelessly asked him to stay for dinner and stay one night.”
"Being respectful is worse than obeying orders."
It is better to have a place to stay and have a hot and decent meal than to sleep in the open air.
Someone in the back room fed the calf some water and some meat porridge, and the calf gradually recovered. Although it was weak, it was still awake and could speak.
When the adults asked him what was going on, he couldn't tell. When asked where he had gone, he couldn't tell either. He only said that he vaguely remembered standing on a small side of the road. It was foggy around him and he couldn't see anything clearly. Later, a cat came with him.
A Taoist priest came to him, talked to him, and then led him along a road to the door of his house.
Everyone was surprised for a moment.
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