Sword of Coming

Chen Pingan looked around for the first time and saw nothing strange. Then he took the little girl's hand and said softly: "Let's go somewhere else to talk."

Chen Ping'an thought for a while. It was quiet beside the stream and it was easy to hide away from people. But since he noticed that there was something dirty in the stream, he no longer went into the water easily.

After the little girl in the red cotton jacket said this in a hurry, she immediately regretted it, because there was an outsider standing next to Chen Pingan, Sister Ruan with a ponytail in green clothes. Although Li Baoping had actually been with Ruan the previous time at Qingniu Bei, Xiu had met him once, and there were two golden boys and girls from the Taoist family present. One was raising two big green and red fish, and the other was holding a snow-white elk. They were related to the little girl's family. Ruan Xiu certainly doesn't look like a bad person at this moment, but what the little girl is most afraid of right now is precisely this kind of person. They have a half-baked relationship. They look very kind, but in the end they don't hand out the knife, and the people close to them are already... Stabbed to death.

At the beginning, Mr. Ma and the man named Cui walked together, quoting scriptures, talking loudly, singing poems and drinking songs. In Li Huai's words, the man surnamed Cui was either the illegitimate son of old man Ma, or the legitimate grandson, otherwise the relationship would be different. Not that good. No one thought that the high-spirited Mr. Ma would die in the hands of that gentleman who was famous all over the world. According to Mr. Ma’s earliest statement, among all the Confucian gentlemen and sages in Dongbaopingzhou, two of them were particularly outstanding and were known as "Little Lord", Mr. Cui is the famous "Little Lord Guanhu". Before the unexpected incident, almost everyone had a very good impression of Cui Minghuang. He was gentle, elegant, and extremely knowledgeable. He seemed to know everything and could answer anything you asked him. Lin Shouyi was the only one who didn't like Cui Minghuang from the beginning, but Lin Shouyi, who was born in a wealthy family in Taoye Lane, seemed to be born with the cold expression of "you owe me millions of taels of silver", because he and the other four Meng Tong The relationship was estranged, so Lin Shou had many sarcastic remarks about Cui Junzi at first. No one understood it. They just thought it was Lin Shouyi who was jealous that Cui Minghuang was more handsome than him.

Although Ruan Xiu didn't understand why the little girl looked at him unkindly, he still suggested: "Why don't you go to the new sword-making room we just built?"

The little girl, who was already in a state of panic, held Chen Pingan's hand tightly, shook her head vigorously, her eyes full of begging: "Chen Pingan, let's not go to a place with many strangers, okay?"

Chen Ping'an gently shook Li Baoping's little hand and said softly: "Believe me, the sword-making room in the blacksmith shop is the safest place."

The little girl looked up at Chen Pingan's eyes, which were like the stream she saw when she was young and walked to the waterside for the first time alone. It was crystal clear and the water flowed so slowly. At that time, the child felt that she was not It will never grow up. At this time, the little girl was in danger of life and death. All the grievances came to her heart for no reason. She cried again and sobbed: "Chen Pingan, you can't lie to me!"

Chen Ping'an said with firm eyes: "I won't lie to you!"

Ruan Xiu took one child and one child to the sword-making room, took out the key and opened the door. She stood there and smiled softly: "I won't go in. I will keep you outside to watch. Even if my father comes, you are not allowed to go in." He comes in."

Chen Ping'an was a little embarrassed and explained in a low voice: "Can you bring her something to eat and drink? I think her energy will suddenly collapse after she is not so nervous. By then, filling her stomach will be better than anything else. This was always the case when I was little.”

Ruan Xiu nodded vigorously and turned slightly. She flipped her wrist and produced a small silk bag from somewhere. She handed it to Chen Pingan, "Take the five pieces of peach blossom cakes newly made by the New Year's shop first. I'll take them first." Go get a jug of water and tell her not to eat too fast or choke."

Chen Ping'an and Li Baoping sat opposite each other on small benches. Although the little girl accepted the peach blossom cake, she showed no sign of wanting to eat it.

Chen Ping'an said softly: "What's going on, tell me."

Li Baoping speaks very slowly, which seems to be very contradictory to her usual eagerness to do anything. However, the little girl spoke slowly, just enough for Chen Pingan to think through his thoughts and put himself in his shoes to think about the problem. Before the death of the old Mr. Ma from the school, the five Mengmeng children went on a smooth journey away from their hometowns to study. The ox cart and the two horse-drawn carriages traveled hundreds of miles. Mr. Ma and Guanhu Academy Cui Minghuang chatted happily and became lifelong friends. However, one day, when Mr. Ma was checking their homework, he suddenly said that he wanted to talk to Mr. Cui about the itinerary. It was possible that the two parties would part ways and never see each other again. After all, There is no never-ending feast.

But the children waited for a long time and did not see Mr. Ma and Cui Minghuang return, so Li Baoping and Li Huai ran to find someone. As a result, Li Huai was the first to find Mr. Ma who was lying in the blood, not to mention his hands and feet. The old man's injuries were so serious that blood was bleeding from his eyes and ears. It felt like the old man's body was like a bamboo basket lifted from the stream, with all the water leaking out. The dying Mr. Ma asked Li Huai to take Li Baoping to him alone. After Li Baoping arrived at his side, the old man just held her hand. For some reason, the old man who could not say a word might have It was a moment of reflection, maybe it was because he tried his best to give Li Baoping a brief explanation of his funeral affairs.

When she said this, the little girl in the red cotton jacket had already burst into tears and burst into tears.

Chen Ping'an was not the kind of person who could comfort others, so he had to move the stool closer to the little girl silently, stretched out his hand to wipe her tears, and repeated: "Don't cry, don't cry..."

The little girl sniffed vigorously and continued: "Mr. Ma grabbed my hand and told me that I must find you alone, and that you should be careful about the people in Guanhu Academy and Dali Capital City, and don't believe anyone! "

Chen Ping'an looked solemn and asked, "Where are Shi Chunjia and the others?"

Li Baoping, whose face was full of tears, suddenly grinned and said: "The four of them were taking the foreigner's coachman for a circle around Mubo Alley. Lin Shouyi felt that the coachman was not a good person, and maybe he was on the same road as Cui. They teamed up to kill Mr. Ma. After we found a place to bury Mr. Ma, the coachman said that it was impossible to go to the Cliff Academy because Mr. Ma and Mr. Cui had just received the news that the academy where Mr. Qi was the owner of the mountain had been removed from the university. Li moved to the enemy country of Sui Dynasty. Now there is no Mr. Ma to lead the way. Before we reach the Sui Dynasty, all of us will be killed by the border army on the name of collaboration with the enemy and treason. When Mr. Ma arrives, we will be killed by the border army. In the end, he didn't tell us what to do. Whether we should go back to the small town school and wait for the next teacher, or go to Sui Dynasty to continue studying at Shanya Academy, Mr. Ma didn't tell us either. So we had to follow the coachman back here, but the coachman He also said that the elder families of all of us have moved to the Great Li capital city. If you don’t believe it, you can go to the small town’s home and ask someone. Once you ask, you will know that he is telling the truth, because the Great Li government allows every family to retain people. In a small town.”

Ruan Xiu knocked on the door with a pot of water and walked into the sword-making room. Li Baoping immediately fell silent.

Ruan Xiu did not forget to close the door after leaving.

The little girl waited until the door was closed before continuing: "The coachman was very strange and deliberately asked us if we knew a young man named Chen Ping'an who lived in a place called Mud Bottle Lane. He said that he wanted to help Mr. Ma I’ll give you the words. I didn’t say anything at the time.”

Chen Pingan nodded: "You're right. Fill your stomach first."

Li Baoping devoured three pieces of cake in succession, took a swig of water, wiped his face with the back of his hand, and said quickly: "Then the five of us looked for an opportunity to work together, and we felt that it was absolutely impossible to just sit back and die, so we came up with this idea. One way to do this is that one day before returning to the small town, Shi Chunjia started to pretend to be ill, so I had to take care of her all the time. Then I privately told Li Huai about the distribution of alleys in the Mud Bottle Lane area, asking him to admit that he had actually known her for a long time. You, the reason is that his father, Li Er, worked as a waiter in Yang’s shop. There used to be a young man from Mud Bottle Alley named Chen who often went to the shop to sell herbs, but when the coachman first asked about it, he didn’t think of it at all.”

Chen Pingan was a little confused.

Li Baoping explained with a shy face: "I often see you by the stream in the town going up the mountain to collect herbs alone, or carrying a large basket of herbs on your back when you go down the mountain."

Chen Pingan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and his eyes indicated that he understood.

Chen Pingan was a little scared at the same time, and said in a deep voice: "What you are doing is actually very dangerous."

The little girl nodded and said: "I know. So before the five of us discussed this matter, I made it clear to them. Lin Shouyi said that Li Baoping's life is the most valuable and he is not afraid of death. He is just an annoying illegitimate child. , it doesn’t matter anymore. Shi Chunjia is stupid and says he will listen to me anyway. Li Huai said, what are you afraid of? He will die in the sky. Besides, if something happens to him, although his father Li Er is very coward and has no ability, he My mother will definitely help him get revenge. Dong Shuijing was the most straightforward and said that he is very strong. If the matter is exposed, let the four of us run away first, and he will fight the driver."

"But I don't think it's actually that dangerous. If the coachman really wants to kill us, there's no need to delay us to the town. He must have a plan. I guess one of the real purposes of the mastermind must be related to you."

Li Baoping ate the last two pieces of peach blossom cake and took a deep breath. "Then we finally arrived at Xinghua Lane in the small town. I asked Dong Shuijing and Li Huai to get off the bus with the driver, saying that we could take a shortcut to Mud. Actually, Li Huai had to take him in a big circle in Pingxiang Lane. As soon as I waited for them to leave, I immediately ran out of the car and went to Mu Pingxiang to look for you. As a result, the door of your courtyard gatekeeper was locked. Fortunately, there was someone at that time. When a neighbor passed by, I asked and found out that you were an apprentice in a blacksmith shop. I was really anxious at that time."

Chen Pingan was a little shocked this time and asked: "Did you come up with this series of plans?"

Li Baoping shook his head and said: "Lin Shouyi also had some ideas. For example, we couldn't just find a place far away from Mud Bottle Alley at the beginning and casually say that this is Mud Bottle Alley. This would easily expose the secret and I wouldn't be able to run far. It is best to park the car at Xinghua Lane of Dong Shuijing's house. It is not far or close to Mud Bottle Lane. There is room for a detour. Besides, when the coachman arrives at Xinghua Lane, he will definitely ask his ancestors to make sure it is genuine. After that, it will be much easier for us to lie to him."

Li Baoping said solemnly: "The final proof is that it is indeed the case."

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but rub the little girl's head and praised: "It's amazing."

Li Baoping smiled and said: "If you are not at home, Li Huai and Dong Shuijing will be fine. They don't have to worry about being forced to confront each other and expose the truth."

Li Baoping asked curiously: "Why do Mr. Ma from the school and the coachman who can't speak the town dialect clearly want to find you?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and said, "I'm also very surprised. For now, I only know that it may be related to a few things Mr. Qi gave me."

Mr. Qi once took him to beg for locust leaves, but the last locust leaf with the character "Yao" on it had been used up.

That jade hairpin? But Mr. Qi himself and Ning Yao both said that this hairpin was made of ordinary material and was just an ordinary hairpin used to tie hair.

seal?

Chen Ping'an was in a solemn mood, which was probably the case.

Mr. Qi gave him two seals, totaling four places.

A long time ago, Old Man Yang had told himself to treasure the seal with the word "quiet" in it.

The complete printed text is "quiet mind and contentment".

In addition, Mr. Qi also casually said that if you see a landscape painting that you find interesting in the future, you can use the pair of landscape seals to mark the painting.

Considering the thousands of miles of mountains and rivers now that Lizhu Cave has fallen to the ground, there will really be gods of mountains and rivers sitting in charge, and this is the case for the Luopo Mountain that he is about to buy.

Li Baoping suddenly took out three yellow locust leaves, held them in the palm of his hand and showed them to Chen Pingan, and said distressedly: "The green leaves have turned yellow."

Chen Ping'an suddenly realized that it must have been these three locust leaves that helped Mr. Ma from the school stay alive so that he could say a few more words.

In fact, this is the truth. If Li Baoping hadn't kept these three Ancestral Sophora locust leaves close to his body, I'm afraid the old man wouldn't have been able to say a single word and would have died so unwillingly.

Chen Ping'an has now stored all his valuable belongings in the blacksmith shop. Master Ruan gave him the yellow mud hut where Ning Yao lived before. Not to mention the eight snake gallstones that still have the same color and luster, there are about a hundred others. Ordinary snake gallstones, large and small, were also moved from the ancestral house in Niping Lane and the yard of Liu Xianyang's house, and they were all piled up at the foot of the wall of the house here.

But Chen Ping'an always carries these two things, Fang Jing's Seal and Shan Shan Pu.

After Chen Pingan thought deeply, he slowly said: "The coachman should be on his way to the blacksmith shop now. Otherwise, you can hide here first, and I will secretly take Shi Chunjia and Lin Shouyi who were left behind with the oxcart and carriage. Come here? If the coachman asks, I can ask the people here to tell him that I have the habit of going out for walks. Also, as for you taking a long way, when the coachman arrives at my house on Mud Bottle Lane, he should He will be aware of it, of course he may not say anything on the surface, but after that, you will be really in danger."

When Chen Ping'an saw that Li Baoping was still hesitant, he said in a deep voice, "Believe me, if all your family members have moved away, then this is the only safe place in the town."

Li Baoping thought for a while and asked: "Do you trust Master Ruan who is forging here?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said, "I believe more in the 'rules' Mr. Qi once said."

Li Baoping smiled brightly, "I understand!"

Once Li Baoping made up his mind, he burst out with amazing decisiveness in an instant, "Since you believe in that sister Ruan, then I will ask her to take me to bring Shi Chunjia and Lin Shou over, and then find a place to hide. You can Let's keep chatting with that bad coachman, and let's see what kind of medicine he sells in his gourd first."

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "Okay."

Chen Pingan took Li Baoping out of the sword-making room, probably to avoid suspicion. Ruan Xiu sat a little further outside the door on a small green bamboo chair, swaying his body from side to side out of boredom.

After Chen Pingan finished his request, Ruan Xiu said without hesitation: "No problem."

Then Ruan Xiu squatted down, turned to look at the little girl in the red cotton jacket, and motioned for her to lie on his back.

Li Baoping looked reluctant, "I ran so fast!"

Ruan Xiu smiled and said: "I will definitely be faster."

The little girl turned to look at Chen Pingan angrily, obviously hoping that he could prove that he could indeed run fast.

Just as Chen Pingan was about to speak, Ruan Xiu said sternly to the young and old: "I've been back and forth several times, but neither you nor Chen Pingan have gone to the town yet."

Li Baoping pouted, "I know there are gods and ghosts in the world, but you think it's so easy to be a god."

Chen Ping'an made the final decision, "Listen to Sister Ruan and hurry up!"

Li Baoping sighed and lay obediently on Ruan Xiu's back. It was so soft and comfortable that the little girl felt sleepy and dozed off.

Before Ruan Xiu left, he said to Chen Ping'an: "If anything happens, you can come to my father."

Chen Pingan nodded.

Whoosh.

The little girl in the cotton-padded jacket who was hugging Miss Ruan's neck was suddenly so frightened that her hair stood on end, and she felt a strong wind whistling by her ears.

She turned around and looked down. Why was the house as small as the bluestone slabs on Fulu Street? That stream is as thin as a rope?

On the ground, Chen Pingan was stunned, watching Miss Ruan rise from the ground carrying Li Baoping and disappear in a flash.

The young man thought to himself that Miss Ruan and Miss Ning were both gods.

In a quiet and peaceful house in Erlang Lane, Cui Chan stood by the pool, and the dull boy sat quietly on a small bench.

Cui Chan whispered: "Go get a glass of water."

The young man immediately stood up and brought a glass of cold water with both hands.

Cui Chen took the water glass, flicked his wrist, and a glass of water was poured into the pool, turning into a thin blue water curtain.

Cui Han's thoughts moved slightly, and in the water curtain, the scene of the ox cart and horse carriage entering the town one after another appeared, with people and objects clearly visible.

Cui Chang had his hands folded and his sleeves, and he looked very relaxed and relaxed. He exerted force on his toes and heels, and his whole body was swaying back and forth like a roly-poly.

There is no trace of the nervousness and anxiety that a Qi practitioner should have when the opportunity for enlightenment approaches.

When Cui Chang saw the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket saying goodbye to her two blushing peers, she jumped off the carriage and ran on the street. Then the coachman was deceived by two teenagers into Xinghua Lane.

The Grand Master of Da Li clicked his tongue and said, "Before, I mocked the spies raised by Song Changjing for growing up by eating shit, but I didn't expect that the spies I trained were almost the same. They grew up drinking urine."

However, Cui Zhang soon felt relieved. Li Baoping's running figure kept appearing on the water screen, and said to himself: "The children here are inherently smart, especially those like Song Jixin and Zhao Yao. This is the second group including this little girl. They are outstanding people. They are very smart and quick to understand. They should not be underestimated."

When he saw the little girl in the red cotton jacket running towards the stone arch bridge, the light in Cui Han's eyes rippled like waves hitting the rocks.

Cui Chang shifted his gaze slightly, no longer staring at the water curtain, and closed his eyes to relax. When he opened his eyes, the little girl had already run across the stone arch bridge.

Cui Han frowned slightly, "Is it because the methods of the Da Li royal family were too bloody and cruel, so it aroused the natural resentment of the old sword? So much so that he also had some feelings of hatred towards me, the person who supports the dragon in Da Li. ? But it stands to reason that although there is no evidence of the true history of this sword, there are only some vague rumors, but since it is an ancient sword, what kind of fighting scenes have you never experienced, so you can't be so stingy, right?"

The water curtain scene is getting closer and closer to the blacksmith shop.

The water curtain created by the glass of water suddenly shattered without warning.

Countless water droplets splashed out in all directions, hitting the walls, windows, beams and pillars of the house, and exploded countless holes.

However, the beads that shot toward Cui Han and the boy seemed to hit an invisible copper wall and exploded into finer water droplets in an instant.

Ruan Qiong's voice came from the patio, "Don't push yourself too far!"

Cui Chan raised his head and said with a smile: "The saint is stingy. If you don't want to see it, you won't read it. If you have something to say, please say it. After all, this is the ancestral home of the Yuan family. What should I do if I return to the capital and be reckoned with by the queen?"

Cui Chan said to himself: "It's time for the remaining prisoners of the Lu Dynasty to arrive."

Cui Han lowered his head and glanced sideways at the young man. After looking away, he tapped his left and right index fingers hidden in his sleeves and said softly: "Just in case, just in case."

When Li Huai and Dong Shuijing took the coachman to find Chen Pingan, the latter was building a house with others.

Li Huai's eyes turned sharply.

Dong Shuijing's expression remained as usual, showing the demeanor of a general.

Chen Ping'an, covered in dust, walked up to the three of them and asked doubtfully: "You are looking for me?"

The coachman didn't look amazing. He looked like a simple and honest farmer. He rubbed his hands and came to Chen Pingan. He whispered: "Can you change the place to talk?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said solemnly: "Just say it here!"

Although the coachman had a displeased look on his face, he felt a little more relaxed. This is the temperament that an ordinary young man in the city should have.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, "Do you know Mr. Qi from the small town school?"

The straw-shoe boy said angrily: "No one in this town knows Mr. Qi, but it's hard to say whether Mr. Qi recognizes us."

Li Huai was holding back a bad smile.

Dong Shuijing in Xinghua Lane took a deep look at Chen Ping'an in Ni Ping Lane.

Someone on the other side of the room hurriedly yelled: "Don't be lazy, you surnamed Chen. Hurry up and finish your sentence and get back to work!"

The young man sighed and said to the coachman: "If you have something to say, just say it, okay?"

The man rubbed his cheeks with both hands, exhaled, and whispered: "I am a dead soldier of the Dali imperial court. I am responsible for protecting these children from going to the Cliff Academy to study. Of course, I do not deny that I also supervise them to prevent them from being abducted by outsiders. Responsibilities, such as Sui Dynasty, and Guanhu Academy, it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand these, it doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. But I don’t care what your relationship is with Mr. Qi, or whether you know Mr. Ma Zhanma , I hope you will be careful and safe in the near future, because Mr. Ma was killed on the way to send us to Cliff Academy. Before that, Mr. Ma occasionally chatted with me and accidentally mentioned you twice, once He said that he remembered that a long time ago, when he was sweeping the floor, he often saw a child who liked to squat outside the school window. The second time was when Mr. Qi said that before he resigned as a teacher and the master of the academy, he said that you are also a scholar, but it is a pity that he I can’t take you to Cliff Academy.”

The man smiled bitterly and said: "It's just a pity that these children are really homeless poor people now. They dare not go to the academy and their home in the town is gone. You must know that not everyone in the Cliff Academy founded by Mr. Qi There are millions of people in our great Lijing City who can go in to study. It is said that after so many years, there are only a dozen disciples from Shanya Academy, and now all of them have become high officials."

Li Huai lowered his head and couldn't see his expression clearly.

Dong Shuijing stood there with no expression on his face.

Ruan Xiu coughed slightly in the distance, Chen Pingan turned his head, and the girl in green smiled and nodded.

Chen Pingan understood clearly and just called Li Huai's name, "Li Huai, you two come here. I have something to ask you first."

Li Huai said oh and pulled Dong Shuijing forward.

When the man realized something was wrong, Chen Ping'an suddenly pulled Li Huai and Dong Shuijing behind him. He took a step forward and said in a deep voice: "Thank you for saying hello to me. From now on, I will take care of these school children for Mr. Ma." I have to ask their opinions whether I will go to the capital to find their parents in the future or do something to take care of them, sir."

The man laughed dryly and said, "Chen Ping'an, isn't that right? After all, I can take care of their safety better than you."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "It's okay. I am rich now, and I have met the county magistrate Wu Yuan, and the right minister of the Ministry of Rites Dong Hu. If something really happens, I will find them. Of course, I will ask our Master Ruan to help spread the word first. .”

The driver pursed his lips, glanced out of the corner of his eye, and saw a man who was not tall standing under the eaves.

The coachman who was already murderous suddenly started sweating profusely, and said with a smile to Chen Pingan: "Okay, since Mr. Ma is willing to believe in you, of course I can trust your character. I'll bet, Chen Pingan, if you need my help with anything in the future, Just go to Sannuzhong Lane in the north of the town to find me, and I will live in the small house at the northern end of the lane."

Chen Ping'an smiled angrily and said, "It's a deal."

The driver turned and left.

Sweat dripped from Chen Pingan's forehead. He waited until the man completely disappeared from sight, then said to the two of them: "Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, come with me to see Li Baoping."

Li Huai asked: "Has Li Baoping told you everything?"

Chen Pingan nodded.

Dong Shuijing asked: "What should Shi Chunjia and Lin Shouyi do?"

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "It has been taken over."

Dong Shuijing glanced at him and said nothing.

Still in the temporarily empty sword-making room, Chen Ping'an stood, facing the five school boys sitting on two benches in rows. According to their age, they were Shi Chunjia from Qilong Lane, Tao Ye Lin Shouyi in Alley, Dong Shuijing in Xinghua Alley, Li Baoping in Fulu Street, and Li Huai in the westernmost part of the town.

Except for Li Huai, who is the youngest and has a big gap with them, the other four are actually only a few months apart.

Chen Pingan asked: "Li Huai and Dong Shuijing have already explained the situation just now. What do you think the foreigner who claims to be the dead man of Dali wants to do?"

Lin Shouyi, who had long since disappeared the precious fox fur, said coldly: "We don't even know the answer to why Cui killed Mr. Ma, so how can we talk about anything else?"

Shi Chunjia clung to Li Baoping's shoulder, her face pale, and she was still a little frightened. However, after returning to the town, especially when she saw the relatively familiar Chen Ping'an, the little girl with braids felt much more at ease. At least you don’t have to worry about Mr. Ma suddenly becoming as miserable as he was after his death. When they helped dig a hole for burial, Shi Chunjia was so frightened that he hid in the distance, hugging his head and crying. He couldn’t help from the beginning to the end. Li Huai Not much better, hiding further away than she was, teeth chattering.

At this moment, Li Huai hugged his belly, looked sad, and muttered: "I'm hungry and thirsty. The so-called being hungry and cold is nothing more than that. Parents, your son is living a very hard life now."

Li Baoping turned around and glared: "Li Huai!"

Li Huai lowered his head and secretly tugged on the sleeve of Dong Shuijing, who was sitting on the far right, "Shuijing, are you hungry?"

Dong Shuijing said calmly: "I can pretend not to be hungry."

Li Huai rolled his eyes.

Li Baoping was discouraged and subconsciously reached out to grab Shi Chunjia's braid and shook it vigorously. "Actually, everything is a haze now. It's hard to see through and guess. Lin Shouyi is right. The opponent is playing chess." Those people must be experts, we are too young, the top priority is to save our lives, and after confirming that it is safe, we can talk about other things, such as quickly saying hello to the family members who have moved to Dali Capital City, and saying that they are safe."

After Li Baoping said the phrase "Send peace", everyone subconsciously looked at the guy wearing straw sandals opposite.

Chen Pingan was silent for a long time and asked: "Since we can't figure out what others think, then let's figure out what we think."

After seeing that the five people across from him had no objections, Chen Ping'an asked: "Do you want to go to Dali Capital safely and find your parents and elders? Or?"

Li Huai wailed in pain: "My father and mother took my sister to who knows where to enjoy their happiness. I went to the damn capital. My uncle and his family have such a bad temper. Now that they are rich, they will only bully me more. I used to be a fool." See, thief, you can’t be an enemy in the future? The world is so big, there is no place for me, Li Huai, is there?"

Li Baoping walked around Shi Chunjia and hit him with a chestnut, which made Li Huai lose his temper immediately.

Dong Shuijing thought for a while and said dullly: "I want to study. If my parents stay in a small town and don't study, they won't study. I can help them work in the fields, but what can I do if I go to the capital?" They don't know the Mandarin of Dali, and I'm not Li Baoping, who can learn everything quickly. Besides, when my grandfather dies, I will die in a school. If I can't become a scholar in the future, don't go to school. When he visits the grave, he no longer recognizes me as his grandson. If the school in this town continues to operate, I will stay in the town."

Shi Chunjia's eyes were red and she said timidly: "I want to go to the capital to find my parents."

Lin Shouyi, who was sitting on the far left side of the bench, frowned and said, "I will go wherever it is safe."

Li Baoping crossed his arms across his chest, his eyes sparkling, and he said loudly: "I want to go to Cliff Academy! Go to the place where Mr. Qi studies!"

Li Baoping stood up and stood between Chen Pingan and four classmates Meng Tong. She pointed at Dong Shuijing, "Not to mention Da Li, Mr. Qi's Cliff Academy is the most famous in the entire Dong Baoping Continent. If your grandpa knew that you stayed in the town to study instead of going to Cliff Academy, I guess his old man’s coffin would not be able to cover it. Of course, if you are afraid of death, don’t go. You can study here and survive for more than ten years. It is better to be a half-hearted scholar than to die on the way to study."

Dong Shuijing's face turned red after holding back what he said to Li Baoping.

Li Baoping pointed at Lin Shouyi, "Aren't you an illegitimate child who is looked down upon by others? And from the bottom of your heart, do you look down on a rich kid like me who was born on Fulu Street? After you arrive at Cliff Academy, who dares to look down on you? Of course, Mr. Qi said that a gentleman does not stand behind a dangerous wall. So if you, Lin Shouyi, are willing to stay here, I won't bother to care about you."

When Shi Chunjia saw Li Baoping pointing his hand at him, he burst into tears.

Li Baoping sat back down with an angry expression on his face and expressed regret for his misfortune. Li Huai wondered: "Li Baoping, why didn't you tell me?"

Li Baoping replied: "I don't want to talk to you."

Li Huai was stunned, then silently raised his head, his face full of sadness and anger.

Chen Pingan did not look at the other four people, but looked at the little girl in the red cotton jacket and asked, "Are you sure you want to go to Cliff Academy?"

Li Baoping nodded and said: "Mr. Qi said that the collection of books in our Cliff Academy is the best in the world! Mr. Qi also said that all my questions, even if he cannot answer them, can be learned from the books there. Find out!"

Our Cliff Academy.

It was obvious that the little girl had long regarded herself as a student and disciple of that academy.

Chen Pingan finally asked: "Aren't you afraid of hardship?"

The aura on the little girl's body dropped slightly, "I'm a little scared when I'm alone."

Chen Pingan smiled brightly and said, "Okay."

Li Baoping looked confused, "Huh?"

Chen Pingan said seriously: "I will accompany you to the cliff academy."

Li Baoping hesitated to speak, her eyes were red. This little girl in a red cotton jacket who was fearless would have cried again if it weren't for the four cowards sitting next to her.

Just like the first time she went to the creek to "catch" the crab a long, long time ago, she had actually cried secretly outside the house, so she could be so proud after running into the house.

Chen Pingan waved to Li Baoping. After Li Baoping walked up to him, he said to the other four people on the bench: "The four of you wait here for a while. Li Baoping and I go find someone and say something." Things will also have something to do with you. So don’t leave in a hurry."

Then Chen Pingan took the little girl's hand and walked outside the sword-making room together.

The boy in straw sandals seemed to be talking to himself and to someone else, "I said, I must do what I promised."

Li Baoping wiped his tears and said, "But you also said at that time that if you can't do it, you can say hello."

Chen Pingan shook his head and said softly: "Mr. Qi is no longer here. He can't hear me saying hello."

It only took about a stick of incense. Even though the boy had already walked away with the little girl in the red cotton jacket, the military sage Ruan Qiong was still sitting on the small bamboo chair, somewhat unconscious.

Ruan Xiu also sat on the chair, looking at the empty bamboo chair, feeling confused.

The young man asked Ruan Qiong to help buy five hills, but he would leave the town soon. If he could not come back, he would buy four of the five hills, Luolu Mountain, Baolu Mountain, Caiyun Peak, and Xiancao Mountain, respectively. To Liu Xianyang, Gu Can, Ning Yao and Ruan Xiu. He only left the lonely Pearl Mountain to himself for three hundred years.

You can ask Master Ruan to hire people to help look after the two adjacent shops in the small town, Luosui and Caotou. If they are not managed well, it doesn't matter if the shop closes one day. However, he will keep the hundred or so ordinary snake gallstones and let Master Ruan help sell them there, and the money earned will be used to maintain the operation of the shop. Although the two shops do not need to consider profits and making money, the boy hopes that every clerk in the shop can be told that the owner of the shop here is a family named Chen in Mubo Alley and is owned by their family.

Then Master Ruan must safely send the four young men from the school to the capital of Li.

As a reward, the young man gave half of the dragon-slaying platform and all the remaining gold and copper coins after buying the mountain and shop to Master Ruan.

Ruan Qiong did not refuse.

However, Ruan Qiong said that he could only guarantee that he and Li Baoping would be sent to the southern border of Dali. After leaving the country, life, death, wealth, and wealth would have to be left to fate.

Chen Pingan nodded in agreement.

In the dusk, after Chen Ping'an settled his five children, he walked to the town alone.

After walking across the stone arch bridge, into the small town, into the Mud Bottle Alley, and back to his house, as night fell, the young man looked calm and lit a lamp.

The young man stayed awake all night in front of the lights, just like he did every Spring Festival in the past.

The lights flickered, reflecting the young man's silent and stoic eyes.

On the stone arch bridge, someone asked with a smile: "A thousand-year-old darkroom can be illuminated with just one light. How about it, senior?"

Someone answered: "Yes."

When Chen Ping'an "woke up", he found that he saw the man for the fourth time, hovering in the air, with his snow-white sleeves fluttering in the wind.

The man landed lightly on his toes and walked towards Chen Ping'an.

With every step he took, the man's face became clearer.

The man was still tall, but he didn't look bloated at all.

That person turned out to be a woman.

For the young man, it can only be said that she was extremely good-looking, and she couldn't be any prettier.

She stood in front of the young man and finally stopped. She lowered her head and bent down, staring into the young man's clean eyes. She said in a soft voice: "I have been waiting for eight thousand years. Chen Pingan, although your cultivation talent , far inferior to my previous master, but it doesn’t matter.”

She lowered her head and got a little closer, almost touching Chen Pingan's forehead with her forehead, "Chen Pingan, I want you to help me say a word to the four worlds outside, is that okay?"

Chen Pingan nodded subconsciously.

The tall woman suddenly smiled.

She suddenly knelt down on one knee. Even so, she still only raised her head slightly to look at the thin Chen Ping'an.

"Okay, from today on, Chen Pingan, you are my second and last master."

Chen Ping'an looked dull.

The tall woman covered in snow-white light narrowed her extremely long eyes, with a smile on her lips. She knelt down on one knee, kneeling towards the ignorant young man. Amid the scenery of mountains and rivers, she said in a deep voice: "Chen Ping'an, please read that oath with me again. Can you?"

She stretched out a palm and raised it gently in front of the boy.

Chen Ping'an also stretched out a palm and gently clasped his palms together.

She closed her eyes and said slowly: "The way of heaven has collapsed. I, Chen Ping'an, have only one sword. I can move mountains, break rivers, overturn seas, subjugate monsters, suppress demons, command gods, reach for stars, destroy cities, and open the sky!"

The young man then muttered in her heart: "The way of heaven has collapsed. I, Chen Ping'an, have only one sword. I can move mountains, break rivers, overturn seas, subjugate monsters, suppress demons, command gods, pick stars, destroy cities, and open the sky!"