The scholar thought for a while and felt a little confused. "Speaking of which, I have only a limited understanding of Dong Zi's works. It is really difficult to judge the quality of this scholar's works."
Chen Chao asked curiously, "Sir, you were at Dongzi Temple that day. You didn't seem to have this kind of mentality, right?"
Even the old man persuaded with a smile, "Well, in fact, no matter what the predecessors said, there are always good and bad, and there is nothing that cannot be discussed. In my opinion, today we will open up and talk about what everyone has to say.
Anyway, there are no disciples or grandsons of Dong Zi present, so if it’s bad, no one will spread it everywhere, right?”
The scholar still shook his head and said, "I was a bit arrogant that day, but it's not good to think about it now. If I really want to talk about Dong Zi's works, I really can't open my mouth."
The old man was dissatisfied and said, "This is boring."
He seemed to want to focus on igniting the situation and insisted on bringing up this topic.
Chen Chao suddenly smiled and said, "In that case, forget it, I'll think about it myself, I won't bother you sir."
The scholar nodded and didn't say much. He just looked at his expression and seemed to be thinking deeply about something. The old man was obviously a little disappointed, as if he had prepared a lot of words.
However, this topic did not continue. It seemed that all three of them didn't know what to say, and the atmosphere became a bit dull.
The old man fiddled with the charcoal and said regretfully, "There's no point in just staring, I have to say something."
Obviously, the old shopkeeper has not given up yet. He probably wants to bring up the topic again and watch a good show.
The scholar glanced at the old man, but he didn't reveal the old guy's little thoughts. Instead, he smiled and said, "Indeed, it's not interesting to just sit there, so let me talk about some interesting gossip first?"
Chen Chao nodded and looked like he was listening carefully.
The scholar thought for a while and asked with a smile, "Do you know Yuan Sheng?"
Chen Chao nodded.
The ancestor of that scholar was the scholar with the highest status in the lineage of Confucianism. Later generations of scholars in the world regarded him as the Yuan Sage scholar. His status was actually the same as that of the Taoist ancestor of the Taoist sect.
If you add the Buddhist Buddha, these are the three people in this world that no monk can get around.
"When Master Yuan Sheng was young, before he had integrated the knowledge system in his heart, he was actually quite cheerful. He often argued with others, but Yuan Sheng himself almost always won."
The scholar smiled and said, "It seems to outsiders that he is Master Yuan Sheng. He has already attained great knowledge."
Chen Chao interjected, "It is said that Yuan Sheng is indeed very knowledgeable and good at persuading people with his virtue."
"By the way, the problem lies in the word "conquering people with virtue."
The scholar smiled and asked, "Do you know what it means to persuade others with virtue?"
Chen Chao was a little confused. Is there any other explanation for these four words?
"Master Yuan Sheng wears a sword on his waist, which is famous for his virtue."
The scholar smiled and said, "How?"
Chen Chao smiled bitterly and asked, "Which book did you read it, sir?"
According to Chen Chao, this must be an extremely wild wild history. How could a scholar like Yuan Sheng be like this?
The scholar smiled and said, "It doesn't matter where you read it. The important thing is to keep the truth of this matter, but it is destined that no one will be able to verify it."
This is actually more like a joke, but there is no drinking, and there is no such thing as drunk talking.
Chen Chao thought for a while and said, "If Lord Yuan Sheng is such a scholar, he should be very interesting and not like a corrupt scholar."
In today's world, there are many scholars, but there are not many true pure scholars.
The scholar laughed and said, "It is said that Master Yuan Sheng originally wanted to practice swordsmanship to become a great swordsman with a sword on his waist, and he could go anywhere in the world. However, his qualifications were limited, so he finally decided to give up swordsmanship and pursue literature.
I didn’t give up, but I didn’t really give up. After all, although Master Yuan Sheng’s swordsmanship at that time was not one of the few in the world, it was definitely not bad. But even so, in these years, no second scholar dares to say that
His swordsmanship is higher than that of Lord Yuan Sheng."
Chen Chao asked, "That female swordsman named Xie?"
"There should be no chance. The female swordsman's mind is not on the sword. Instead, she is quite interested in things like marching and fighting. It's not that she is not talented, but she just doesn't have this ambition. If she wants to achieve great achievements, she won't
So easy. In this world, it is not easy to do something well. If
With luck, I might be able to accomplish one more thing, but I can’t say for sure.”
The scholar raised his eyebrows, glanced at the old man here, and said, "Just like this old shopkeeper, he has only made tea all his life, so this skill... is not bad."
The old man didn't bother to pay attention to the scholar's remarks, and just turned the pot beside the stove.
Unknowingly, another interesting story was told by the scholar. He glanced at Chen Chao, probably knowing that this young man might not speak at this time, so he took the initiative to ask, "There is something that you can do for me."
May I clarify your doubts?"
Chen Chao said, "Sir, please speak."
The scholar asked, "His Majesty has been on the throne for more than ten years now and has made many moves in the northern border. People with a discerning eye can see that it is not simply to resist the demon clan from going south, but to go north to regain 30,000 miles of Mobei one day, and even destroy the demon clan."
.Leave aside these two things for now, I just want to know, if the demon clan is determined to go south, can the imperial court stop it at this moment?"
After hesitating for a moment, before Chen Chao could speak, the scholar said, "I also know that your Lord Guardian has made some efforts over the years, but even with these, can it be said that it can be defended?"
In these years, the Monster Clan has never thought about breaking through the Great Wall of the North. Firstly, it is because the place where the Monster Clan is located has not yet reached a situation where it cannot survive. Secondly, because of the so-called big monsters,
No matter what the other monsters are, they all cherish their lives.
What scholars say now means that one day, the demon race no longer has these thoughts, and they just want to go south with all their strength, and they want to destroy the human race or make the human race surrender.
As for the scattered cultivators from the North that Chen Chao had previously gathered, whether he was gradually holding the line of Southern Qi Practitioners in his hands, or whether he was developing Chixin Guan as his own ally, in fact, all of these are to deal with what will happen next.
.
The demon clan has not twisted into a rope now, so it is not that scary, but it does not mean that the demon clan will never twist into a rope. In other words, if one day the demon clan really twists into a rope, and
The human race has always been scattered, isn’t it?
How to deal with this?
A long-term perspective is required.
Chen Chao thought for a while and said, "This is not a question of whether we can defend it, but we must defend it. If the Great Wall of the North is broken, then starting from New Liuzhou, the human race's territory will be an open land. After that, the human race will cede five or six
Whether the state capital is lingering on, or... the entire race is exterminated and enslaved by the monsters. Neither is what we want to accept."
The scholar said, "Master Yuan Sheng once said that if the intention is sufficient but the strength is insufficient, it will not hinder the result."
His meaning is very clear. Even if you have such intention, this matter only depends on the result. If one day you can't hold on, then what's the use of crying bitterly?
Chen Chao was silent, as if he was seriously thinking about whether this matter would be possible in the end. After thinking for a long time, he said softly, "There is about a 40% chance, for the time being... but he will not let go of any of the 40% chance.
"
The scholar suddenly laughed and said, "I'm just discussing, why are you so serious, as if you really have the general trend of the world and the survival of the human race on your shoulders?"
Chen Chao turned around and smiled, saying, "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world."
The old man who had been silent suddenly asked, "I also have a question. When a person first does something, he will definitely think about what he will do in the future and what kind of person he will become. Let's talk about it? I'll go first. I learned to cook first.
Tea, I just want to be a person in this world, so that when future generations mention the word making tea, they can't get around me."
The scholar seemed to be interested, and said, "Let me also tell you that when I was studying, I just wanted to change the world and make it better."
I was very ambitious at first, but later I was heartbroken by the world.
Chen Chao asked curiously, "Isn't it similar to the four sentences of Mr. Zhang?"
The scholar smiled and said, "It's almost the same. It's almost the same."
After saying this, both the scholar and the old man looked at Chen Chao, as if they wanted to know why they started practicing in the first place.
As a result, the young man gave a ridiculous explanation, "When I started to practice, I only wanted to take revenge and save my life."
However, when the scholar and the old man heard this answer, they did not feel disappointed. Instead, they smiled with relief. This was actually very sincere.
However, the young man quickly added, "Later
I came to practice because I wanted to do something."
The scholar asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
Chen Chao took a deep breath and said with a smile, "First I wanted to prevent others from looking down on me, and then I wanted to let the people live their lives with a straight spine. Of course, I also did something for the girl I liked, but the two things are almost the same.
, in fact there is no conflict.”
The scholar said sincerely, "This is one step at a time, starting from nothing, step by step. It can be seen that your martial arts cultivation should be like this, and the foundation is very good."
Chen Chao laughed loudly, "It's a ridiculous compliment."
The old man said quietly, "It's not appropriate to drink tea now. It's a pity that I don't have any wine here."
"It's okay, it's a good thing if you have fun talking."
The scholar said, "Though these words are indeed good for drinking."
Chen Chao asked, "I have some wine here, but it's not a good thing. If sir and the old shopkeeper don't mind it, can I take it out and drink some together?"
The scholar said, "Yes."
The old man smacked his lips and said with a smile, "That's okay. I haven't had a drink for many, many years. I think I'll have a good drink now."
Since both of them said that, Chen Chao took out the wine and gave each of them a jug. He didn't think about the wine utensils, but just planned to drink from the jug.
The scholar seemed to see something and said with a smile, "There is just no drinking utensil. Otherwise, the old shopkeeper would take out the tea bowl and use it?"
Chen Chao hesitated to speak. Although he didn't quite understand the way of making tea, he also knew that it was inappropriate for someone to use a tea bowl as a wine bowl.
However, the old man didn't seem to care at all, he just threw out a few tea bowls, poured himself a large bowl of wine, took a quick sip, and nodded with satisfaction.
"In the early years, when I watched Lao Yue drinking, I didn't feel the slightest taste. Now I don't know why, but now it tastes a bit better. If I had known, I would have asked Lao Yue to learn how to make wine. That old boy's wine making skills are not comparable to those of ordinary people.
.”
As the old man drank wine, he thought of his old friend and became even more sad.
That guy Lao Yue seems to have been gone for many years.
Thinking back to the last time they met that year, the old man and his old friend argued endlessly over drinks and tea, but in the end neither of them took a step back.
One person drinks wine and the other person drinks tea.
If we could do it again, just drink.
Just give in, we are all friends anyway, and this is the last time we meet.
The old man's eyes flashed with tears when he thought of this. Some things seemed ordinary at the time, but he always regretted them afterwards.
Who would have thought that that seemingly ordinary meeting would become the last time they met.
The scholar looked at the old man in front of him and felt his emotional changes, and sighed, but he really didn't know what to say.
The three of us were really good friends back then.
So the scholar also drank a lot of wine, and did not deliberately try to resolve the drunkenness. He just let himself get drunk, sip after sip, pot after pot.
After drinking too much, he talked too much, and the scholar murmured, "Heaven is the ancestor of all things, and the one who is all things is the son of heaven."
"The great virtue of heaven and earth is life, and the great treasure of saints is status."
Nagging and nagging without getting tired of it.
Chen Chao also smelled of alcohol, but he picked it up, peeled it and chewed it carefully. The old man smiled and said, "It's quite fresh with wine."
Chen Chao just smiled in greeting and didn't really want to talk at this moment.
The old man smiled and said softly, "Young man, you should keep your usefulness well and don't think about fighting for your life. Living is important. Only by living can you do the things you want to do and do at the critical moment.
.”
Chen Chao suddenly said, "The old man's tea is unusual, isn't it?"
At this moment, the old man did not hide it, and said with a straightforward smile, "Of course it's unusual. The name of the tea is sweet and bitter, and the taste is ordinary, but it has some effect on treating injuries. Your injuries are not serious. It looks like
First, you suffered a nearly fatal fight, and then someone came to treat you, so that you would not be injured, but you were not healed. But don't underestimate such injuries. It is like a drop of water piercing a stone. If you don't pay attention,
At once
There will be endless troubles.”
Chen Chao nodded, he had noticed it before.
The old man smiled and said, "But now I'm better and my injuries are gone, so I don't need to worry about it anymore."
Chen Chao said gratefully, "Thank you, senior."
This person is extraordinary, so the scholar is also extraordinary. He just walks around the world and encounters many strange people and strange things, so he just knows about them and doesn't need to inquire further.
However, the old man seemed to have become more interested after drinking, and asked curiously, "How many monsters have you killed in this life?"
Chen Chao thought for a while and gave an honest explanation, "I can't figure it out clearly."
The old man smiled and nodded, then changed the question, "How many monsters were killed?"
Chen Chao thought about it carefully and said with some uncertainty, "There must be about ten people?"
The old man clapped his hands and said with a smile, "That's a lot. You are young and promising, it's amazing."
Since the other party asked about this matter, Chen Chao also asked one more question, "That tea set?"
The old man said seriously, "It was not sent by a certain emperor."
Chen Chao hummed, as if he was a little disappointed, but also a little relieved.
The old man just smiled. Of course, His Majesty would not be willing to give away the tea set that he regarded as a treasure. He later personally brought out the tea set from the imperial mausoleum.
But the manuscript was actually real, but it was not in the imperial mausoleum, but outside the imperial mausoleum. The emperor deliberately left it as a cover-up for the world so that others would not covet it.
But this has become a clear weapon, but he has never cared much about it. Anyway, Your Majesty, if you say so, then I will help you cover up the lie. It's not a big problem.
Besides, this tea set is a waste of money if you hold it by yourself. Good things should fall into the hands of the right people.
This truth goes without saying.
The old man glanced at the scholar over there. The scholar who didn't need to cultivate to suppress his drunkenness would have fallen asleep long ago, and he didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional.
The old man smiled and said, "I can't help much, and I don't have the ability, but if you happen to be passing by here one day, you can come in and have tea for free."
Chen Chao frowned and said, "How can this be done?"
The old man thought for a while, nodded and said, "That's right, my tea leaves are not cheap. To say they are priceless but not marketable is an insult to the tea leaves. Let's do it this way. If you kill a big demon in the future, you will even pay for a cup of tea."
"
Chen Chao smiled and said nothing.
The old man said softly, "Back then, I had a friend who was good at making wine, but he died at the hands of the demon clan. This can be regarded as my revenge for him."
I've heard of people buying murder to kill, but it's hard to see the so-called buying a monster's life with tea.
The old man rubbed his cheek and said softly, "It's a pity that he is gone. Otherwise, if you drank the wine he brewed, you would feel that other wines in the world would have no taste."
Chen Chao nodded, probably knowing something about that "Old Yue", but he still couldn't confirm it.
He also turned to look at the scholar. In fact, at this moment, he also had some guesses about the identity of the scholar.
The old man saw what Chen Chao was thinking, shook his head and said, "This thin lover is as stubborn as a cow."
"By the way, you can call him Cao Zhong. He is a heavy mountain, not an important weapon of the country."
Chen Chao understood and nodded.
The old man finally laughed and said, "You are really pleasing to the eye. It's a pity. I'm used to being alone all my life. I've never thought about asking for a wife. Otherwise, if I had a daughter now, I'd probably think about betrothing her to her."
Here, it’s a good thing for the two of us to be husband-in-law.”
These are the old man's true words.
But unexpectedly, the young man over there who drank a lot and was already a little drunk said in surprise, "If the old man really has a daughter, will he be too old?"
The old man was startled and rolled his eyes. Okay, I still picked this boy, because he didn't know how prosperous I was when he was young? How can the daughter he gave birth to be so bad?
Besides, only guys like you like young girls. Only men with some experience will know that older women are more attractive!
The old man shook his head, thinking that this boy must be a young boy, otherwise he wouldn't understand anything.
He took a sip of wine and looked at Chen Chao with a faint smile, "Young chicken?"