Summer has passed, and on early autumn nights, Yingshui County is still very cold.
Shi Ziju brought a bowl of hot chicken soup from the kitchen and walked slowly through the cold corridor from the kitchen to his residence.
He walked slowly, firstly because he was a little old, and secondly because the porcelain bowl in his hand was full of chicken soup, and he had to walk slowly to prevent the chicken soup from spilling.
At this time, the night was already deep and Jiang Yu was still practicing the piano. Shi Ziju wanted to bring her a bowl of chicken soup to replenish her body so as not to collapse from exhaustion.
Although the old man made things difficult for Prince Li, no matter how he looked at him, he really treated his disciple with all his heart and soul. If he didn't have the slightest bit of cultivation, it would be a young and strong young man who would respond to him in this night.
Jun Jun would be trembling with cold every time he walked there, not to mention that Shi Ziju was already over seventy this year.
Shi Ziju, who finally walked back to the room, quickly closed the door to block out the cold wind rolling outside.
"Yu'er, stop for a moment, drink chicken soup and then practice..." Shi Ziju said kindly, looking sideways into the room, but the sight he saw made the old man stunned.
Jiang Yu was seen lying on the desk at this moment, leaning on the guqin in front of him and falling asleep.
The old man stopped what he was saying, walked to the girl, put the bowl of chicken soup aside, then sat next to the girl and looked at it for a while.
Jiang Yu, who was sleeping soundly, looked peaceful and peaceful, like a carefully carved porcelain doll. The old man felt a little distressed. At this moment, he suddenly slapped his thigh and secretly cursed himself for being confused. He hurriedly went to the house and found a picture.
I want to spread the blanket on the girl gently.
It's just that because of his age, his hands and feet are somewhat inflexible. Even though he was careful enough, he still accidentally touched the strings on the side. The strings made a soft sound, waking Jiang Yu from his deep sleep.
The girl was obviously sleepy. She looked around and then met the eyes of the old man who was holding up a blanket but had not yet put it on her body.
Jiang Yu blinked his eyes in confusion, and suddenly came back to his senses the next moment.
She exclaimed, then looked guilty and said: "I'm sorry, Master, I fell asleep! I will continue practicing..."
Jiang Yu was like a child who had done something wrong. He sat down in a panic and reached out to play the piano again.
Seeing this, Shi Ziju stretched out his hand to press the strings, and shook his head slightly under Jiang Yu's puzzled gaze: "I won't practice today. These days, you practice martial arts during the day, and you have to manage the newly admitted children of the academy at night.
You come here to learn piano again, and you don’t have a moment to spare. It’s too hard, so you should take a rest.”
The old man's tone was kind and his attitude was extremely sincere. He was by no means a pretentious talk.
Jiang Yu, who heard this, shook his head decisively: "I promised Master that I would learn the two pieces of music "The Sky Hangs a Bright Mirror" and "The White River Enters the Urn" before autumn. Now that it's early autumn, this "White River"
"Into the Urn" has never been understood, and the progress has been delayed. I have failed the master, so I dare not rest anymore. Master, don't worry, Jiang Yu can hold on."
Jiang Yu said seriously, but the master Ziju who heard this shook his head and said: "Silly boy, too much is too much. If you continue to practice tiredly like this, you will get half the result with twice the effort. It is better to have a good rest and come back tomorrow."
After saying that, seeing that Jiang Yu wanted to talk more, Shi Ziju added: "Actually, I am too harsh on you."
"These are troubled times, and you have already been overwhelmed with things to do. I still ask you to practice piano every day, which is really unkind and forcing you to do something difficult."
There was a hint of self-blame and guilt in Shi Ziju's tone. Seeing this, Jiang Yu felt even more uncomfortable. She hurriedly said: "Master, what are you talking about? When Master promised to play the piano for the senior sisters in Dafeng Academy, I also
Only then did I become a disciple of Master."
"Master is already old, and playing the piano every day is very tiring, but he never stops working day and night and never breaks his promise. How can Jiang Yu break his promise and live up to his master's trust?"
"You girl are good at everything, but you are stubborn and don't know how to adapt." Shi Ziju said with a smile when he heard this. Although what he said was scolding, it did not mean the slightest criticism, but rather showed some appreciation.
"You, you have to learn from that girl Xue Yanzhen, who is heartless and likes that bastard Li Danqing, so just strike first, regardless of whether he makes any progress or not. The fate is set. From now on, it will be Li Danqing who flies to the sky.
, I have to admit this. What about you? You just follow me around stupidly, you only know how to do things, but you don’t know how to show your feelings. If you continue like this, you don’t know where you will be ranked."
Shi Ziju's words made Jiang Yu's face suddenly turn red.
"Master, what are you talking about? I only have a master-student relationship with the dean, and we have never been separated..."
"I've been here before. The look in your eyes at that little bastard clearly shows what's on your mind. I can see it clearly, and others can see it too. It's human nature for a man to love a woman, not to mention that little bastard.
You may be a bit of a bastard, but you do have some merits..." Shi Ziju said calmly.
Jiang Yu's face became even redder after hearing this, and she whispered shyly: "I...I didn't."
"If not, then there won't be. You young people can handle the affairs of young people by yourselves. Most of the old man's body is buried in the soil and he won't interfere with your affairs anymore." Shi Ziju shook his head and said.
After saying this, he added: "Anyway, I won't be practicing the piano today. If you feel guilty, you might as well listen to me tell you the story of the piano."
The old man said and pointed at the guqin in front of Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu was stunned and suddenly became interested: "I heard from the dean that this qin is a relic of Mr. Liu Shen, and it is called the Tiger Soul Changqin."
"Hmph, that kid is not good at anything else, but he does have a good eye for seeing things. I have been in Holly City for so many years, but no one has ever seen the root of this thing. But that little bastard can see the details at a glance."
Ju snorted coldly and said angrily.
"Although the dean is usually joking and joking, he has hidden beauty in his heart. He is much better than those who claim to be romantic talents..." Jiang Yu responded, but as he spoke, his voice became louder and louder.
The younger, because when she was saying this, Shi Ziju on the side gradually looked at her teasingly.
The old man's eyes were clearly speaking, and he was still speaking arrogantly. Didn't he reveal his secret without even saying a few words?
Jiang Yu felt a little ashamed, lowered his head and did not dare to say anything.
However, Shi Ziju smiled and did not dwell on this matter anymore and continued: "This thing is indeed something left to me by my husband. In fact, although the workmanship of this thing is fine, the materials are also extremely sophisticated, and it was made by a master."
But in terms of value, it is not as valuable as those long-famous guqins. What really makes it sought after by the world is just because it is Mr.’s qin..."
Speaking of sir, the eyes of the old man, who is clearly over seventy years old, are flashing with hot colors at this moment, like a ignorant child of seven or eight years old who sees the idol he admires. That look is pure, hot, and that
It is the clearest longing and the purest yearning.
Jiang Yu saw the old man's change in his eyes and couldn't help but ask again: "It seems that Mr. Liu Shen must be a great person, right?"
Hearing this question, the old man came to his senses. He thought for a while, but then shook his head: "Sir, he is just an ordinary person. When he meets a woman he likes, he will toss and turn around at night, and he will also say it because he is too shy to speak.
I swallowed my love in my belly. I will shed tears secretly because of the suffering of the people, and my blood will surge for the sake of the soldiers."
"My husband often said that people in the world always think that he has divine help, but they don't know that he is just obsessed with this and spends more thought than others."
Jiang Yu seemed to understand, and then asked: "Then where did Mr. Liu Shen go in the end? Why did he disappear after being defeated by Qi Shengyan Nishang more than 20 years ago in Baizi Mountain?"
This question made the old man tremble slightly, but then
He returned to normal in an instant, but Jiang Yu, who was simple-minded, did not notice anything strange about the old man at that moment.
The old man looked at Jiang Yu at this time, but did not answer her question. Instead, he said: "These days, you practice harder than before. Why?"
Jiang Yu was somewhat uncomfortable with the old man's sudden change of topic, but after a slight hesitation, he still said truthfully: "The war is coming at the border of Youyun and Chenbing. I thought that if I work harder in practice, I will be able to do a lot more by then."
point……"
"But learning the piano can also help them." The old man asked.
Jiang Yu was stunned for a moment, and then said: "If you can have master's skills, you can sing "The Generals Are Here" or "The White Wolf Enters the Battle Song" during the war, maybe it can boost the morale of the army and lead to a better future.
There are hundreds of enemies, but my disciple is stupid and stupid. If he wants to reach the master's realm, he may not be able to do it in a short time, so..."
Having said this, Jiang Yu panicked and said hurriedly: "But master, don't worry, after this incident, the disciple will definitely try his best to spend more time to learn piano skills, and will never let the master down!"
Shi Ziju felt helpless when he heard this: "You kid, I know you are serious and you won't break your promise."
"But what I want to say is that the old immortal on Bailong Mountain once said that everything in the world can be solved by shortcuts."
"Huh?" Jiang Yu was a little confused and looked at the old man in confusion.
The old man said again: "All practitioners in the world are martial arts practitioners, and those who practice other Taoism are only rare. The reason is that martial arts can achieve immediate results. Even those who don't have the slightest talent or foundation can only spend a month or two to get qualified.
By practicing some good elixir exercises, you can clearly feel your progress."
"As for the rest of the ways, they need to be chewed slowly and eaten over many years before they can be effective."
"So there are many martial arts practitioners, but there are few practitioners of other arts. So you are obviously very talented in piano music, but you are still willing to spend a lot of time on martial arts where your talent is not outstanding. Just for this immediate result..."
Jiang Yu became increasingly confused and unsure of what the old man meant. He just subconsciously apologized and said: "Master, I..."
"Don't always apologize. I didn't say you did anything wrong. In fact, I was too demanding, or I was too impatient." The old man interrupted Jiang Yu before he could say anything.
"You have your own difficulties. I'm getting older and it's hard to find a successor. I want to live up to Mr. Liu Shen's instructions and want to pass on all my life's learning to you in my lifetime. But these piano music are all top-notch.
Things, even if you are a master with superb attainments in Qin Dao, if you want to learn this technique in a short time, it will take a lot of time, not to mention you are new to this Dao... You can persist until now,
I’ve never had any complaints, it’s actually pretty good.”
"Master, I..." Shi Ziju's heartfelt words made Jiang Yu feel more and more self-blame. She lowered her head and spoke with guilt.
But the old man waved his hand and once again interrupted what Jiang Yu was about to say: "So, after thinking about it, I don't think you will have to practice the piano in the next time."
"Master! I can do it! I will discuss with the dean to share the work of teaching those children with other seniors and sisters, and spend more time learning piano skills..." Jiang Yu, who secretly thought that he had let the old man down, suddenly felt a little agitated.
Terrified, he hurriedly spoke at that time.
But the old man said again: "Silly boy, I don't mean to blame you at all."
"Youyun's army is approaching the pond. This is the most important thing. You should practice martial arts more in order to escape from this war, so you can do these things with peace of mind for the time being. As for the Qin Dao matter, I will discuss it later.
Find a way to compile what I learned from my husband into a book. You can carry it with you in the future and read and study it more. I believe that with your understanding and character, you will not let me down or let you down.
.”
After hearing this, Jiang Yu felt relieved. She hesitated for a while, then nodded, and said firmly: "Master, don't worry, Jiang Yu will practice diligently in the future and will never let Master down."
The old man smiled and nodded with a kind expression.
"By the way, there is something I have always wanted to tell Master." Jiang Yu said again at this time.
"Huh?" The old man looked at the girl doubtfully.
Jiang Yu said: "The war is coming. Although the dean didn't say it, I can tell that the future of Yingshui County is worrying. The imperial court has not sent more troops. Yingshui County is afraid of becoming a war-torn place. How about I go and ask
The dean wants some money. Master, first go to Yanma County or Lanshan County to find a place to stay, a clean place, so that you can compose music with peace of mind. When the war calms down, I will pick you up..."
Jiang Yu tried to downplay the matter as much as possible, but with her temperament that would never lie, how could she hide her little thoughts from the old man's eyes.
The old man smiled, waved his hand, and said, "I'm too old to walk anymore, so I won't leave."
"What Shanshui Hou said is right. This Yingshui County is our territory. If Youyun comes, we should give it to them. If I stay here, I can also play the piano for you and cheer you up without having to go into battle.
If we fight together, you don’t have to worry about my safety."
"By the way, it's getting late. You should go back and have a good rest. You won't have to come to my place for the rest of the day."
Jiang Yu's face turned slightly red as the old man revealed her thoughts, but seeing that the old man was resolute, she couldn't say anything more. She just asked the old man to take a rest before turning around and walking out of the room.
…
After Jiang Yu left, the old man's door became deserted.
The old man was sitting alone in his seat. He stretched out his hand and gently touched the guqin placed on the Andai in front of him.
His old and wrinkled palms plucked the strings one by one, and his eyes suddenly became wandering and trance-like.
"Then where did Mr. Liu Shen go in the end? Why did he disappear after he was defeated by Qi Shengyan Nishang in Baizi Mountain more than 20 years ago?"
He couldn't help but think of the question he didn't answer Jiang Yu.
He suddenly looked outside the house. It was cold and the doors and windows were closed. But at that moment, the old man's eyes were deep, as if he could see through the darkness in front of him and see something that others could not see.
…
Shi Ziju is seventy this year.
When he was eight years old, Shi Ziju, who lost his family due to war, was homeless and adopted by a well-meaning wealthy family.
The owner of the family treated him very well and even spent money to let him study in a private school and learn calligraphy.
Later, when the master had a child, he never let the children regard him as scary and called him big brother. However, Shi Ziju knew his duty and did not dare to overstep his bounds. He liked the child and often followed him to take care of him.
Seeing that he was attentive, the owner felt relieved to leave the child to him.
Fast forward more than ten years, Shi Ziju was already over 20 years old, and the master's child had also grown to sixteen years old.
The child showed amazing talent since he was a child. The articles he wrote when he was fourteen were regarded as classics by scholars in the city, and they rushed to pass them on and read them. The music he played was also like the sound of nature, and was sought after. This reputation is getting more and more popular.
The sound became louder and louder, and he was even summoned by the then-reigning Emperor Wuyang to play the piano for him in the palace.
Liu Shen was only eighteen years old at that time. If he was willing to stay in the palace, countless glory and wealth would be waiting for him in the rest of his life.
But Shi Ziju, who had been taking care of Liu Shen all year round, could tell that the little master was not happy.
Later, Liu Shen's parents fell ill and died within a year of each other. They returned home to worship their parents. After completing her period of filial piety, Liu Shen did not return to the palace. Instead, she sold her family property and took Shi Ziju with her.
Start traveling around.
They have been to many places, seen the thousand-mouthed Emperor Sword on Donghua Mountain like flying snow breaking through a dragon, seen the graceful figure of the peerless dancer Miao Chenchen, and tasted the bitter waters of the Guixu Sea at the end of the Southland.
I also once witnessed the scene of Yin spirits raging and people with lofty ideals fighting bravely outside the Fierce Yin Mountain, and I wrote the famous poem "The Fierce Yin Zhao" that has been passed down orally by the world.
They even went to Bailong Mountain and climbed the Bailong Platform to discuss scriptures and Taoism with the old immortal.
But despite this, Shi Ziju felt that he, a gentleman who had traveled thousands of miles and was admired and respected by the world to the extreme, still seemed unhappy.
He seems to have been chasing something, but he has made no progress.
He also asked the other party, but Liu Shen just said that he was seeking enlightenment.
Shi Ziju didn't quite understand what Tao was, but he had a relationship with Liu Shen, and he wanted to understand him, so Shi Ziju, who was almost forty years old at that time, decided to learn the art of piano.
This is not a very good age, but fortunately with the master Liu Shen here, Shi Ziju's talent is also surprisingly good. He learned quickly and gradually gained some proficiency.
At that time, Liu Shen met a woman.
Her name is Yan Nishang.
As her name suggests, she is a girl as beautiful as the colorful clothes in the sky.
During that time, my husband and Yan Nichang were always together, eating together, playing the piano together, discussing articles together, and studying chess records together.
Shi Ziju could tell that Mr. Yan Nishang liked Mr. Yan Nishang, and Yan Nishang also liked Mr. Yan Nishang.
Shi Ziju was very satisfied with that kind of life, not because he lived a carefree life, but because he felt that Liu Shen was very happy. Every time he walked with Yan Nichang, the corners of his mouth would slightly and unconsciously rise. That was only
The joy that can only be brought by the truest happiness is a smile without any pretense.
He thought that days like this would last forever, and Yan Nichang also thought that days like this would last forever.
That day Yan Nishang suddenly asked Liu Can to go back to Baizi Mountain with him and propose marriage to her master.
This is a matter of course, Yan Nishang feels so, and Shi Ziju feels the same.
But that day, Liu Shen, who was sitting in front of the desk, shook her head gently after drinking a cup of tea.
He declined Yan Nishang's invitation.
He said that he was very happy with her, but he had more important things to do.
He wants to find the way.
That night, Shi Ziju quarreled with Liu Shen for the first time in his life.
He asked what on earth he was looking for? And what on earth was more important than the people who cared about him?
Liu Shen remained silent, but Shi Ziju could see that he was a little shaken.
The next day, Yan Nishang came to the door again. She wanted to gamble with Liu Shen. They went to the top of Baizi Mountain and played a game. If Yan Nishang won, Liu Shen would have to stay. Otherwise, Liu Shen would
You can go and find what he calls the way.
So an unprecedented chess game began on the Xingluo chessboard in Baizi Mountain.
Yan Nichang was young, but he was a chess genius. He once played against three national players, but within two seconds, all three players were defeated. From then on, Yan Nichang became known as the Wuyang Chess Sage.
.
The two played chess on the top of Baizi Mountain for three full days. At first, Liu Shen pressed forward step by step, forcing Yan Nishang to defend himself at all times. But towards the end, Liu Shen suddenly lost a fool. The duel between masters is often
One wrong step after another, Yan Nishang seized this opportunity and turned to attack. In the end, he won the game with an advantage of one piece.
But instead of letting Liu Shen fulfill the bet, she asked Liu Shen to leave.
Others didn't know what was going on, but Shi Ziju saw it clearly.
In that chess game, Liu Shen actually won. He gave up a piece. He wanted to tell Yan Nishang that if you love someone, you have to learn how to fulfill him, so I lost to you and stayed with you to fulfill your life.
And Yan Nishang understood.
Therefore, she chose to let Liu Shen leave and told him that I can also help you.
…
Ever since, Shi Ziju, who was nearly fifty years old at that time, once again accompanied Liu Shen on the road.
When they came to the northern border, they met a rather enthusiastic young man. Liu Shen was grateful for his kindness and gave him a gift: "There are three thousand avenues. If you practice them to the extreme, they can all be the Dao."
I heard that the young man later discovered a set of sword skills in a place called Blackwater and lived a pretty good life.
But these are digressions.
Liu Shen, who had gone all the way to the far north, finally chose to live in a border area anonymously.
Shi Ziju still took care of his daily life every day, watching him lock himself in the house all day playing the piano, painting, writing articles, and playing chess with himself.
At that time, Liu Shen gradually became a little crazy, as if she had fallen into a demonic state.
He repeated all this day after day, even forgetting to eat and sleep, not caring about anything in the world, so that he became increasingly haggard, looking even older and haggard than Shi Ziju, who was more than ten years older than him.
Shi Ziju was very worried about him, but after trying to persuade Liu Shen several times, he did not change Liu Shen's mind. He could only take care of him as much as possible.
until one day.
…
It was a very cold winter, and Shi Ziju still remembers how biting the cold wind was that night and how dark the sky was.
He had prepared the meal in the kitchen nearby and was about to serve it to Liu Shen.
"I understand! I understand!"
But at this moment, Liu Shen's somewhat crazy voice suddenly came from the room.
Shi Ziju hurriedly walked out of the kitchen at that time, and was about to go to the door where Liu Shen was, but then a dazzling light suddenly fell from the dome and shone into the room where Liu Shen was.
At that moment, Shi Ziju couldn't tell whether he was frightened stupidly by the scene in front of him, or whether he was controlled by some inexplicable mysterious force. He stood there blankly, looking at the cyan...
A beam of light flashed before his eyes.
When he came to his senses and wanted to go to the house to check, there was no sign of Liu Shen in the house.
Shi Ziju didn't know where Liu Shen had gone. He waited there for a long time. It took him until the snow fell the next year before Shi Ziju was sure that his husband would never come back.
He was taken away.
I was taken away by the bright starlight that fell into the mortal world that night.
Shi Ziju became a little confused.
He spent most of his time with Liu Shen, sharing his joy and chasing after him.
He is his shadow, and when the person leaves, the shadow doesn't know how to move forward.
Therefore, his shadow could only stay in Yingshui County. He thought that maybe one day, people who went to heaven would miss the shadow walking in the mortal world. Take a look at him and tell him...
What exactly is Tao?
How wonderful it is that it can make people abandon everything.
…
And this wait lasted for another twenty years.
Therefore, he would not leave Yingshui County. He thought, what if his husband comes back?
He has to wait for him, even if the possibility of this is slim, but isn't life just for hope?
Thinking of this, the seventy-year-old man sat in the door of Dafengyuan and sighed. Ignoring the biting wind and snow outside, he opened the window and looked up at the dark night sky above his head.
In the past, he always liked to look at the sky like this, looking for a star shining with blue light. He thought that maybe when the star lit up, it would mean that his husband had come back to see him.
It's a pity that he has never seen stars like that, and today is no exception.
The old man felt a little disappointed. He sighed again and murmured to himself.