Copper Coins Chapter 71: Passerby (2)

Although the letter was written in haste, it was not rash. Taibu never mentioned the so-called "very similar to the national teacher" from the beginning to the end. After all, this is considered disrespectful in a sense.

No one in Taichang Temple has the courage to be so reckless in front of the national teacher. Because in their impression, the national teacher has never been stern, and whenever he appears, he has a sense of being unable to get close or intrusive.

Even though Taibu and Taizhu were brought back to Taichang Temple by the national teacher since childhood, after so many years, the national teacher is still an untouchable and disobedient existence for them.

"In that letter of yours..." Taizhu pulled the reins and opened his mouth with some hesitation before setting off.

Taibu didn't have to listen to know what he wanted to say, "I'm not that stupid, just mentioned that the person we were ordered to find is dead. If Lin Ge goes well, he will be able to settle at Famen Temple in the evening. , even if it encounters wind and rain, it will arrive at the latest the day after tomorrow. The national teacher will have an arrangement after reading the letter, and we will follow it. Before that, let's act according to the opportunity."

They have limited abilities, and they can only borrow wood pigeons to send letters, but the national teachers are different. If the lord wants to reply, he will use the fire to burn it, and even if they can receive it, they will not delay at all.

So if you want to confirm whether the national teacher is still at Famen Temple, you will have results in at most two days.

"Actually, when we enter the village and meet that person, there should be a result." Tai Zhu whispered, "After all, no one else can act as a national teacher."

Although they are not the real disciples of the National Teacher, they can only be counted as half of them. The food, housing and education are all under the gate of Taichang Temple, and the National Teacher likes a secluded place with few people, so he lives alone in Tianjiyuan all year round. But they can be regarded as the most common people to see the national teacher. From childhood or even childhood, after so many years, they have already understood the habits and temperament of the national teacher.

It's no exaggeration, even if the national teacher wears a mask and blends in with hundreds of thousands of people dressed in the same way, the two of them can be picked out at a glance.

Writing that letter was just asking for instructions and asking for peace of mind.

The two looked at each other, and without further delay, the long team walked towards the small village on the south side of the mountain with the sound of horses' hooves...

********

In the depths of the small village, under the branches of an old loquat tree, there is a single-door cottage. On the low eaves of the hut, there are two large bunches of heavy garlic heads and bright red chili peppers, and flowers are woven out of hemp ropes.

The hemp rope was very elaborate, and at first glance it didn't look like it was simply hanging out to dry. When I got close, I could smell the smoky smell on the hemp rope.

This is the residence of Uncle Qu that the wounded soldier said.

Xue Xian walked to the door, but instead of knocking on the door first, he shrugged his nose, frowned, and sniffed the twine, then raised his sleeves to cover his nose, and said in a deep voice : "The smell of blood is still old."

Xuan Min used to dislike this kind of thing, so he raised his hand and pulled Xue Xian, and dragged the ancestor who put his head and head back, as if standing by the hemp rope for a while, he would get stained It smells like that.

The blindfolds of the two have not disappeared, so ordinary people can neither see nor hear them. Just as Xue Xian was being pulled away from the hemp rope by Xuan Min, a man in a thick jacket walked past Uncle Qu's door with a child who was just over his waist.

The child just glanced at the hut, and was dragged a few steps away by the man, as if the house was infected with chicken plague.

"How many times have I told you? Don't go here when you are free." The man frowned and muttered.

The child let out an "oh", and honestly shrank his neck and walked around with him, but glanced here as if he couldn't hold his eyes.

As it happens, another pair of mother and son who watched the lively entrance of the village also passed by the door of the house. The woman nodded and greeted the father and son who were on the way, and then dragged her own children around a few steps...

"The people in this village don't seem to like this surnamed Qu so much." Xue Xian grumbled.

He planned to wait for the passers-by to walk away and knock on the door, but as soon as he finished speaking, the wooden door of the hut with a crack opened with a creak.

An old man with a shriveled mouth squinted and stuck his head out of the room, glanced blankly, and fixed his eyes on where Xue Xian and Xuan Min were standing. Although his eyes were cloudy and his focus was somewhat scattered, Xue Xian still felt that the old man could see them, or at least feel their existence.

"Who is it? Why are you standing at the door? I'll close the door if you don't come in." The stubborn old man shouted inarticulately.

He's probably a little deaf himself, so loud enough for those around him to hear.

"Hurry up, hurry up, the old man is going to suffer from madness again." The man muttered in a low voice, dragged his child, and walked away in three and two steps. The mother-son reaction was the same.

In the blink of an eye, there was no one in front of the house.

"Pu——" Old Qu was obviously not a good-natured person. He held the wooden door, waited for a while and still no one came in, so he scolded him and wanted to close the door.

But just as the door was about to close, Xue Xian raised his hand to stop it.

"Excuse me, borrow a place to hide from the wind." Xue Xian said.

When Lao Qu heard this, he hesitated: "Is it a human or a ghost?"

But before Xue Xian could answer, he shouted to himself: "It shouldn't be a ghost, my string to ward off evil spirits is hanging brightly, and ghosts don't dare to come... Who are you? Come to me. what to do?"

"Let's ask something." Xue Xian replied.

Old Qu still held the door, hesitantly did not let them in: "What's the matter?"

"I heard that you are from the Xiashan area in Langzhou?" Xue Xian didn't really care whether he could enter or not. After all, the hut was a bit short. He and Xuan Min had to bow their heads when entering the door. You can ask questions at the door, and it saves you the trouble of bending over.

Old Qu nodded, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Just now I sent a little brother back to his hometown, and I heard him mention that he heard from you when he was young that there are many magical medicines in Xiashan, Langzhou?"

Old Qu listened for a while with a strange look on his face, then touched his chin and pondered for a while, but he still let go of the doorknob: "Come in, let's talk about it, standing is very tiring, I have bad legs and I can't stand it."

This old man seems to have lived alone for a long time, and the house has not been cleaned up, and I don't know how long it has not passed the wind, and he has a sour smell, just the sour smell, and there is also a garlic mixed with it. taste.

As soon as he released his hand and the wooden door opened, the indescribable smell smeared Xue Xian's face.

Xue Xian: "..." Why don't you just stand and say...

He took a sigh of relief with a green face, bowed his head and stepped into the door, grabbed Xuan Min who wanted to stay outside the door, and dragged him in together.

While the old man Qu turned around and groped for the time to sit down, Xue Xian grabbed Xuan Min's monk robe, put it in front of his nose, and took a deep breath, only to relax a little.

Xuan Min: "..."

Old man Qu is not very hospitable, and he didn't ask the two to sit down. There are not many places in his house where people can sit.

"What kind of magic medicine are you asking about?" He sat in a chair covered with thick cloth and asked with squinting eyes, "There are a lot of Cordyceps in Langzhou, so some magic medicines are not unusual."

"Is there a life extension or a change in fortune or misfortune?" Xue Xian asked tentatively.

Old Man Qu squinted at them and said after a long while, "There are rumors about that kind of magic medicine, but it is not the same kind. It is said that there are two kinds of them, and they are very similar, but their effects are completely different, one can prolong life. One of them will hurt your life, and there are rumors that one of them can be **** for three lifetimes, but I don’t know which one it is, anyway, we don’t have that kind of knowledge, so it’s all up to our ears to hear whether it’s true or false.” said.

"Then do you know where that Yaosheng is?" Xue Xian asked again.

Old Qu did not disappoint them, he really gave a more specific circle, "Hundred Wormholes!"

Xue Xian understood, "That's it, do the locals know where the Hundred Wormholes are? If so, we'll ask when we arrive at Xiashan."

"Where!" Lao Qu waved his hand, "If you really ask, I'm sure no one can answer it."

Xue Xian frowned: "Why?"

"You don't know how poisonous the bugs are in our place. The name Hundred Wormholes is half-life just listening to it. Besides, who has nothing to ponder about these untrue rumors?" Qu The old man said, "The reason why I have heard of this is because my ancestors were witch doctors, and Jing Ai tinkered with these things. Let's be honest, you are asking the right people, so I can give you some pointers. ."

He raised his hand and stroked the other palm with his index finger, saying: "When you reach the Xiashan area, walk like this and go around the southwest mountain pass. There are three peaks there, one of which has a crooked peak. Cliff, the Hundred Wormholes are nearby, as for jumping to the bottom of the cliff or what, I don't know, if you have your life, try all kinds of methods."

Have a life, this is the most important thing.

Xue Xian snorted, thinking that it wasn't too much trouble. It wasn't too difficult for him and Xuan Min to find the entire cliff.

Actually, Xue Xian would not believe it so much if it was true. But if it is said to be "hundred wormholes", it may really be found. After all, the thing in Xuanmin's place is called "Tongshou Spider", isn't it related to insects?

It is nonsense to rely on one kind of worm alone to change your life, but if you use the gu raised by that worm, and then use some kind of talisman or a nearby sorcery to urge it, maybe It can really be effective, but this kind of thing must only benefit one party, and the other party is afraid that it will be tortured.

Ask the place, and the two naturally won't stay for long. Before leaving, Xue Xian glanced at the old and rotten shabby furnishings in the house, and silently dropped a gold bead in the cloth bag hanging behind the door as a reward for questioning.

Old Man Qu is eccentric, but not annoying. He didn't ask Xue Xian what they were going to do, and he didn't intend to send the two of them farewell, but when Xue Xian opened the wooden door and was about to step out, the old man Qu murmured again like a dream: " However, let me advise you that even if you find it, it's best not to use it. My ancestors wrote about a love story, it is said that they want to continue their life or want to be **** in the next life, I don't remember much. It's clear, in short, it was very difficult in the end, life is better than death, and I don't know what to do..."

After he finished speaking, he said in a self-deprecating manner: "But I've told so many people about this, and no one believed me, and they all said I was crazy. You just listen to this, let's go, let's go, I'll go back to sleep later."

"I'm not so busy. Besides, can I continue my life?" Xue Xian replied casually, waved at the old man Qu, and pushed Xuan Min out the door.

When they asked what they wanted to ask, the two of them would not delay any longer, and immediately followed the narrow path in the village and walked towards the entrance of the village. Halfway out of the village, when passing the river pond, Xue Xian inadvertently glanced into the distance, only to see that the wounded soldier was really standing in front of the door, as if he planned to stop for sixty years.

He doesn't really understand this kind of overly intense emotion, whether it's the "ancestral love" in the mouth of the old man Qu, or the wounded soldier who cried horribly, what they did contains That kind of feeling, he really can't empathize with it.

He once met a fellow soldier, probably sixty or seventy years ago.

It was a desert in the extreme north, and he followed the sky to spread some rain. When I got there, I saw the wind blowing, the sand filled the sky, and the ground was covered with bones. Burnt chariots, shattered battle flags, and rotten and broken armor lay ten miles away.

The soldier was sitting alone by the side of the chariot at that time, with one foot bent, the air was kicking on the upturned wheel, and his head was looking at the broken flag beside him.

Xue Xian just glanced at it and knew that it was a wild soul that had been dead for more than half a year. Everyone else left early, only he, who didn't know what to think about, didn't leave. Xue Xian was a bit lazy by nature, and he was not an enthusiastic person. He didn't intend to care about him.

The lonely soul has been wandering around for a long time, and his mind is a little cloudy. No matter who Xue Xian is, he just dragged him to jump on the beans. Just like the wounded soldier, he spoke out of the blue, which was rather difficult to understand.

Xue Xian always looks at his mood when he does things. That day, he happened to look at the corpses and felt a little emotional, so he was a little more patient with the lonely soul and tolerated his nonsense for a long time. In conclusion, there are only two things, one is "if this battle is won," and the other is "don't dare to go on the road".

"I'm not afraid of death, why are you afraid of going on the road?" Xue Xian asked.

The Lonely Soul spoke upside down for a long time, and Xue Xian barely understood: he was afraid that he would go on the road and he would have to live in his next life, but his wife still stayed in this life, he I'm afraid I'll never see you again.

"I don't have a chance to see you." Xue Xian said, "You are tied here and can't leave."

The lonely soul gave him a sad look, and then said for a long time with gestures: If only I could remember to find her in the next life, it would be better, and it would not be so uncomfortable. If there is still fate, it is best to meet her from a young age, watch her grow up a little bit, from a little girl to a big girl, and then marry her, there is no need to live and die like the most ordinary little days in the play. That's alright, it's better...let's stop fighting...

Xue Xian looked at the wild corpses and listened to his sour tirade, but he wasn't bothered.

Before he left, he threw a long rope to the lonely soul.

"What are you doing for me with the rope? I'm already dead, so I don't need to hang?" The lonely soul asked with a dumbfounded mind.

Xue Xian said angrily: "Wrap a circle around your left wrist to make a mark. Don't you want to find someone in your next life? Although it won't make you remember these bits and pieces, but after making a mark, it will be more conspicuous. , maybe the obsession is deep enough to really find it."

That lonely soul wandered for half a year just because of this little concern. Now that it's over, naturally he didn't stay any longer. When Xue Xian left, he also went his own way.

Now, when Xue Xian saw the wounded soldier, he thought of the lonely soul again. Sixty or seventy years later, he still doesn't quite understand the kind of emotion he can't forget after his death.

However, when he remembered these bits and pieces of the past, he unconsciously glanced at Xuan Min.

"What?" Xuan Min, who was half a step ahead, asked in a low voice when he saw Xue Xian's footsteps paused.

Xue Xian came back to his senses, only to realize that his eyes were on Xuan Min's shoulders, "Oh", and turned his eyes away, "It's nothing, I just think of a passerby."

"Passerby?" Xuan Min glanced at the other side of Hetang, then turned to Xue Xian.

However, Xue Xian's eyes had already landed on the road ahead, "Let's go, get out - someone!"

They have already walked past the monument at the entrance of the village and have just removed their blindfolds. When you turn this corner, you will be able to exit the mountain road. As a result, Xue Xian was just halfway through talking when he caught a glimpse of a long queue standing on the mountain road not far away.

"Which funeral is so pompous?" Xue Xian just muttered, when he saw a flag standing beside the carriage sandwiched in the procession, with two words written on the flag: Too often.

Both he and Xuan Min stopped, and before he could see the person coming, he heard a clear and lingering female voice: "Get off the horse."

Then, the hundred or so people got off the horse in unison and gave them a big gift.

Xue Xian: "..." Which play is this singing?