The rain dispersed and the clouds closed, the dark night finally passed, and the first glimmer of light shone from the sky, quietly spreading to the world.
Qingyun Mountain's Dazhu Peak was still peaceful. Although the disciples were diligent, they would not get up so early. Outside the Shou Jing Hall, between the eaves and tiles, there was still the residual dew left last night, which turned into water droplets and slid down intermittently.
.The bamboo forest in the distance is still as green as ever. Looking from a distance, there is still mountain mist permeating the bamboo forest at this time, like a gauze, gently fluttering.
The door of Shoujing Hall is still wide open as usual. Behind the threshold, the yellow curtain on the blue bricks is rolled up beside the pillars. The long lamp in front of the statue of Sanqing God is burning quietly in the morning light.
With.
The slightly chilly morning breeze blew from afar, passing through the houses and pavilions, gently swirling around the Shoujing Hall, and then blew farther away. In the wind, there were several clear and sweet sounds.
Birdsong is the only sound in the morning.
This is a very peaceful picture, a Taoist wonderland. I don’t know how many mornings have been spent like this, without the slightest trace of worldly atmosphere. But on this morning, it is different from the past, with an added disharmony.
abnormal.
A drenched figure knelt at the door of the Shoujing Hall, his head buried deeply between his arms and pressed against the ground. The land around him was already soaked by the water drops dripping from his body.
, and there were still water droplets seeping and sliding down from his body and clothes.
Six feet away in front of this man, on the blue brick steps at the door of Shoujing Hall, Tian Buyi's body was lying quietly at the door of Shoujing Hall. Although there was no life left, Tian Buyi looked very peaceful, with a face on his face.
There was no sign of pain, as if death was not that important to him.
Tian Buyi's hands were folded and placed between his chest and abdomen. The clothes on his body had been carefully sorted and put on neatly. In addition, there were traces of wetness on his clothes, but the moisture was far greater than before.
The man kneeling under the steps is much better, but there are traces of mud stains on his clothes. Although it can be seen that someone has washed and tidied them up, they could not be washed away in a hurry, so these traces are still visible everywhere.
.
However, I guess he wouldn't care about this.
The morning breeze was still blowing, gently blowing over the top of Dazhu Peak in Qingyun Mountain, blowing over the eaves and green tiles of Shoujing Hall, and blowing in front of Shoujing Hall. As if feeling the chill in the wind, Gui Li's body gently
After trembling for a moment, his body still looked weak, but he still knelt motionless, facing the door of Shoujing Hall, and buried his head deeply.
There is everything he is familiar with here, the pavilions and palaces, the stone steps and statues, even the soil on which he knelt, and the faint smell emanating from the soil. They are all fragments deep in his memory that cannot be forgotten for a moment. I don’t know how many there are.
Once upon a time, he had dreamed of going back to the past and returning to this land of mountains. But now that he was back, he was filled with despair.
Behind Gui Li's kneeling figure, he walked through a long open space. As far as he could see, there was Zhang Xiaofan's former paradise - the kitchen. Ten years later, the kitchen door made of two wooden boards seemed to
There is still no change, just a few more scars and a few pieces of wood missing, making it look more weathered.
The kitchen door was ajar, but it was quickly pushed open by a furry hand. With a few subtle "squeaks", the monkey Xiao Huida came to the door and jumped in gently.
Even the furnishings in the kitchen seemed to have not changed. The tables and chairs for eating, the stoves and pots for cooking and cooking were all still in their original places. Xiao Hui rolled his eyes and jumped up to the house skillfully.
The table in the middle, then looking to the right.
Sure enough, on the right side of the kitchen table, against the wall, there was a pile of dry thatch piled together. On it, a yellow figure was sleeping soundly, with "chichi" sounds coming from his mouth and nose from time to time. It was exactly
The big yellow that grew up playing with Xiao Hui.
Xiao Hui squatted on the table, his tail rolled up, but he did not immediately jump forward to hug his long-lost friend. He just scratched his head, turned his head and looked outside the kitchen door, and then looked again
Dahuang, who was sleeping soundly, seemed a little hesitant.
At this time, Dahuang, who had been sleeping soundly with his ears drooped, his eyes still closed, but his ears suddenly stood up, as if he heard something, then his head moved and he opened his eyes.
What came into view was a familiar figure lying on the table not far away. Dahuang was startled, but he immediately became energetic and lost all sleep. He jumped up happily and called "woof woof" twice to Xiao Hui.
, leaped over in two or three steps, landed on his hind feet, and leaned on the edge of the table with his two front feet, his eyes full of excitement, and his tail wagging non-stop.
Xiao Hui grinned, and seemed to be infected by Da Huang's emotions. He held Da Huang's dog head in his arms and stroked Big Butter's shiny fur. Da Huang couldn't help but push his head against Xiao Hui, and then stretched out his tongue to lick
Xiao Hui's face.
Xiao Hui laughed "Zhi Zhi", turned over and jumped off the table, and Da Huang also turned around. After playing for a while, Xiao Hui seemed to remember something, frowned, stretched out his hand and patted Da Huang on the head,
Then he pointed outside the kitchen.
Dahuang looked at Xiaohui, not quite understanding what Xiaohui meant. Xiaohui called out "Zhizhizhizhizhi" a few more times and jumped on Dahuang's back. Dahuang stepped forward and ran out of the kitchen, looking around.
, and soon saw a kneeling figure in the Shoujing Hall.
And that figure is clearly familiar to it.
Dahuang couldn't help but get excited, and barked "woof, woof, woof" several times at the figure, then he took a big step and ran over, his tail wagging all the way. Soon, he ran across the open space.
, approached Gui Li, but when he was in China, Dahuang's footsteps suddenly stopped for a moment.
It looked past the figure of Gui Li who was kneeling in front of the gate of Shoujing Hall, and saw Tian Buyi's body lying peacefully on the stone steps outside Shoujing Hall.
Xiao Hui slipped off Da Huang's back so quietly, ran to Gui Li's side, touched his head, looked around, and then squatted on the ground, close to Gui Li's body.
Da Huang slowly walked over, climbed up the stone steps, and came to Tian Buyi's side. It first stared at Tian Buyi's face for a long time, then gently sniffed Tian Buyi's body, and then sniffed the other parts of Tian Buyi's body.
place. While doing this, its tail kept wagging gently towards Tian Buyi. Finally, Dahuang turned his head, still seeming a little confused, walked to Tian Buyi's head, and gently rubbed his head against Tian Buyi's head.
Buyi's face made a low "wuwu" sound from his mouth.
Tian Buyi didn't have any reaction.
Dahuang stayed there for a long time, but there was no barking or howling as expected. It rubbed Tian Buyi's face feebly for the last time but still had no response, as if it had given up. The yellow dog lay down silently in front of Tian Buyi.
When it came down, its eyes were still staring at Tian Buyi, as if hoping that Tian Buyi would wake up suddenly. It put its head on its front feet, drooped its ears, and nestled against its owner's lifeless and cold side.
The morning wind, carrying the chill from last night, blew quietly. Under the stone steps, Gui Li's body trembled slightly again, but he soon fell into a still state again, kneeling motionless.
In this chilly morning, time is still passing quietly.
"ah!"
With a soft cry, Suru woke up from her dream, covered in cold sweat.
Her hair was slightly disheveled and her face was haggard. She slowly stood up from the table. It was on this table that she fell asleep quietly last night.
The closed window opened a little, and a ray of early morning light came through the gap, shining into the house. Suru stared at the light for a long time, and when her mood gradually calmed down, she smiled slightly.
For a moment, he turned around and pulled over a small round mirror placed on the table.
In the mirror, her beautiful face appeared. Even though she looked a little haggard due to missing her and staying up late, the grace emanating from her face was still heart-warming.
My appearance has not aged yet, but where is my heart?
She looked at her appearance in the mirror for a long time, sighed, put the small round mirror on the table, then stood up and walked to the window, stretched out her hand, and opened the window completely with a "squeak" sound.
The early morning light suddenly flooded into the house, driving away all the darkness and making people feel shocked. A faint smile appeared on Suru's face, she faced the window and slowly stretched.
The feeling of the morning breeze blowing on my face also brought with it a vague chill.
She opened the door and walked out.
Seeing as it was still early, those disciples must not have gotten up yet. Anyway, let them sleep a little longer. Later, they would be ordered to go down the mountain to look for Niu Yi. I guess some of them were tired.
Suru thought this in her mind and walked towards the front hall of Shoujing Hall.
The curved corridor slowly extended under the feet. Outside the corridor, Xiuzhu swayed in the morning breeze, making a rustling sound. Somehow, on such an early morning, Suru discovered many things that she had usually ignored.
The paint on the railings of the corridor has become mottled and peeling over the years, and has fallen off in many places. I remember that the last time I renovated the Shoujing Hall was when I was newly married to Tian Buyi. Unknowingly, this corridor also accompanied me through the time.
It has been here for countless years, but I did not notice it when I passed by the farmland. When Tian Buyi comes back, I must let him find time to repaint it.
There is also the thickest branch of bamboo in the bamboo forest outside the railing. You can still vaguely see the two small swords carved on the bamboo. They were carved on the green bamboo when I was happy about my wedding, hoping that the two swords could be combined.
, a fellow practitioner of immortality. I remember that at that time, Tian Buyi once made a joke that was ugly, pretending to be angry, and immediately made him anxious to death, and it took him a long time to coax him to let him go.
The scene from that year was still vivid in her mind. A smile appeared on Suru's lips, and she felt better. She took a deep breath of the slightly sweet air in the morning and continued walking. Then, she thought again, rhubarb is
Bu Yi has raised a dog since he was a child. He has been gone for so many days, and I don’t know if his apprentices have taken good care of him. If he accidentally lost weight due to hunger, Bu Yi would have to complain again when he comes back.
Suru smiled and shook her head, and decided to go to the kitchen to look at rhubarb while it was still early. She walked and thought about it, and unknowingly, she reached the front hall of Shoujing Hall.
"when!"
The first sound of bells and cauldrons in the morning came from far away. It was the signal for Qingyun Gate to wake up in the morning, and it was also the sound that woke up the new day. The sound of bells and cauldrons was deep and heavy, echoing in the mountains.
Stay around for a long time.
Suru's heart seemed to jump violently in response to this voice.
In front of the Shoujing Hall, there were figures kneeling or lying down, but Dahuang, who always liked to sleep in, got up so early for some reason today, and was lying obediently on the stone steps at the door of the Shoujing Hall, looking listless.
As if he heard some sound, Dahuang's drooping ears twitched, his head turned around, and he glanced into the Shoujing Hall. In the shadow where the morning light had not yet fully illuminated, a woman stood in a daze.
Watching all this blankly.
Suru's heart was beating faster and faster for some reason, even as if it was about to explode, making her feel out of breath. The figure lying quietly on the stone steps of Shoujing Hall looked as familiar as
A shadow engraved deep in her soul that cannot be erased no matter what.
But at this moment, she prayed a thousand times in her heart that she was wrong, that she had seen it wrong...
Her face was as white as paper, and her feet were like lead. She walked slowly step by step, and her lips were trembling slightly. Dahuang, who was lying next to Tian Buyi, looked at Suru's slowly walking figure, his tail
He shook her slightly, then buried his head on the ground again, his eyes silently staring at the hungry master lying in front of him.
They got closer, and finally they were so close that they could no longer escape. Tian Buyi's familiar face came into Suru's eyes, and he seemed to be asleep, sleeping quietly.
Suru felt that the world was spinning for a while, she staggered, and fell to the ground. Fortunately, she had profound moral principles and managed to steady her body. However, her eyes turned black for a while, and her feet were weak, and she walked next to Tian Buyi's body.
, fell down and sat down.
Her trembling hands slowly caressed Tian Buyi's body, clothes, and passed Tian Buyi's chest. Suru's hands paused for a moment and trembled even more. Then, two lines of clear tears slowly flowed from the corners of her eyes, one drop at a time.
A drop fell on Tian Buyi's face.
Beside her, Dahuang whined, moved his head over, and rubbed gently against her legs.
She slowly raised her head, looking at the kneeling figure under the stone steps, and the gray-haired monkey beside the figure. After a while, she said lowly and choked with sobs: "Are you... Xiaofan?"
Gui Li's body trembled and he did not raise his head. On the contrary, his head was buried even lower, and even pressed tightly against the rough ground. The soil rubbed his skin, and at first he seemed to be unconscious.
After a while, I heard his trembling voice.
"I am...disciple..., master...mother."
Suru smiled sadly and said: "You don't have to be like this, get up and talk."
Gui Li knelt on the ground without raising his head, as if he had lost all his courage. He did not dare to look at Suru again, and said in a low voice: "This disciple deserves to die the most. He failed to... fail to protect the master..." His voice
Intermittently, every word he said was a punishment to him.
Suru slowly lifted Tian Buyi's upper body and hugged her in her arms. Her body was trembling slightly. She didn't know whether it was because she felt the coldness on Tian Buyi's body, or she was thinking about using this cold body to
Use your own warmth to warm yourself up.
"Get up." Her voice sounded hollow and desolate. In Gui Li's memory, he had never remembered that Suru had such a weak and helpless tone. This discovery could only make him more painful. He couldn't help but feel sad.
He moved his face slowly in the sand, so that the pain on his face could distract him from his heart that was about to explode.
"How can you tell me what happened if you don't get up?" Suru said lightly, but her eyes were only looking at the unconscious body in her arms. It seemed that at this moment, her eyes could no longer accommodate anything else.
.
Dahuang crawled forward two steps and gently rubbed his head against Tian Buyi's body, whining in a low voice.
Gui Li paused for a while, then slowly straightened up, raised his head, and looked at Suru. That dignified and beautiful woman seemed to have never lost her grace even at this desperate moment. In the morning breeze,
Her slightly undulating hair floated around her temples, as she pressed her fair cheek against Tian Buyi's face.
"You're back, you're finally home..."
This was the last thing Gui Li heard Suru say.
Then, there was a sudden surge of energy and blood in his chest, and the blood energy rolled up like a raging wave, and then his vision went black, as if a string that had been tightly stretched in his mind suddenly broke apart.
He fell to the ground like a wooden board with a "plop" and passed out.
The moment before he was about to lose consciousness in a daze, there was a dark patch of darkness in front of him. It felt as if his whole body was being burned, and it was extremely hot, but inside his body, it was as cold as ice. And there was a faint sound in the distance.
There were a few shouts, and the shouts were filled with fear and pain, and after a moment they turned into a cry.
Chaotic footsteps sounded everywhere, but they were all coming in the same direction.
"Master's wife! Master's wife..."
This silent cry was the last and only thought that flashed through Gui Li's mind, and then he lost consciousness. (To be continued)