[Four]
My head grew very fast, and by the time I was thirteen or fourteen, I had passed his shoulders. These years, I have acted honestly. When I let go of my thoughts of revenge, when he saw me repeatedly practicing the only superficial exercises that remained in memory, he only thought of it as strengthening my body, and occasionally gave me a half-stroke. I just think those tricks are amazingly wonderful, but I can't tell what is so wonderful. When asked how he knew it, he only said that it was taught by my parents.
There is a small town ten miles away from the village. I go to the market every month with the stripper. I carry a few bamboo baskets and vegetable baskets to sell, and then buy some ingredients and utensils. That day, I was shouting at the top of my voice when I suddenly saw two familiar red clothes flashing across the crowd.
My hot blood rushed straight to my brain, making my eyes scarlet. I couldn't control my hands and feet, so I grabbed the saber at my waist and rushed into the crowd, chasing after the two men and beheading one of them.
The man suddenly turned around to avoid my blade, and at the same time he unsheathed his sword and stabbed at me. I staggered back in a panic, and his companion had already attacked with a palm, blocking my way of retreat. When I first encountered a strong enemy, I threw the rules out of the sky long ago. Out of hatred, I charged up against the edge of the sword. I felt a chill in my stomach, but the blade in my hand cut off half of his bloody arm holding the sword brutally, breaking it. It hangs bone-to-skin.
Those two people seemed to be shocked by my madness, the one with the broken arm retreated suddenly, but the other had the wind like a knife, and slapped my Tianling Gai in an instant.
Suddenly someone kicked my knee from behind, I was caught off guard, my foot was unsteady, I immediately fell to my knees, barely avoiding the palm in front of me.
When I fell down, the corner of the stripper's clothes passed before my eyes.
This is already the second time he saved me from behind.
In a blink of an eye, he pulled out the long sword that had pierced into my belly, and with a flip of his wrist, the person who made the palm slapped the tip of the sword so hard that he couldn't take it back. Note. I was lying on the ground so painful that I almost fainted, and I saw the bamboo craftsman standing with a sword in his trance, not making any moves, but Sen Han's eyes were like Hell's Yama.
The two were defeated and left, and the bamboo craftsman dragged me and threw me on his back, and went to find a medical clinic to apply medicine and bandage. Then he didn't dare to stay for long, and rushed home with my back on his back.
The ten miles of land, he was out of breath and crumbling after he walked. I was so pained that I lost my mind, and it took me a long time to suddenly realize that there was no internal energy left in him.
I asked him in a hoarse voice: "You... are you alright?" He kept silent, held my breath and took me home and put me on the bed.
He said coldly: "The life I saved, who gave you the courage to throw it away at will?"
I spit out a mouthful of blood and said: "Those people killed my parents..." He said: "So what? You go and die with them?" I said: "What's the matter? That's it! You are so good at fighting, why don't you teach me and let me take away a few more villains?"
The bamboo craftsman said with a sneer, "You are really a natural born Jiang Hu."
I was badly injured and developed a high fever late in the night. I fell into an ice cave all over my body, and someone hugged me up in a daze, and poured bitter medicine down my throat. I was talking nonsense, screaming for beating and killing, and begging him to let me hide for a while, lest my father come and pull my ears. I kept muttering and begging him, "Don't leave me, don't go—"
I don't remember how he answered it.
[five]
When my injury recovered enough to sit up, the bamboo craftsman bound my hands and feet with cloth strips and locked me in the house whenever I went out.
I have an advantage that I never rebel against him on the bright side. During those days, I was recuperating quietly, and when I had nothing to do, I recalled every move my parents and the strippers taught me in my mind. Conclusion: I have turned fourteen and missed the good years of martial arts. Even if I meet a good teacher today and catch up, there is no hope of defeating them in this life.
I am less anxious. When the dolls in the village tore open the window paper and looked in, I was tied to the bed and hummed. The baby smiled and said: "I heard that you were locked up for stealing things?" He is the son of the guy I whipped with bamboo sticks back then. His face was dirty and muddy.
I also laughed and said, "What a lie, I'm obviously doing something big."
The baby wondered: "What's the big deal?" I said: "I am looking for a pair of scissors. Only the fastest scissors in the world can cut the strip of cloth in my hand. But until today, hundreds of people have come to try it." After that, no one can cut it open."
The baby tilted her head and said, "I do have a pair of scissors at home, but my parents won't let me touch them." I laughed and said, "Go and get it secretly, throw it in through the window, and I'll know when I try it."
Half an hour later, I took some coils and a dagger, went out through the window and left the village.
I asked people for the direction of Bakumen along the way, and at night I followed the example of a beggar to find a place out of the wind and sleep with my clothes on. After wearing out two pairs of shoes, I finally entered the boundary of one of their branches.
I found the busiest teahouse in the city, and I mixed in with the job of washing dishes and pouring slops, and at the same time I pricked up my ears to hear news about Bakumen. They have grown to be overlords here, and even their parents and officials have to give up three points. The gangsters in the door dare to domineering when they come to the teahouse to listen to the music.
If a person rushes to die to do something, most of the time he can always get it done. I put on a smart face, and I work faster and faster than anyone else. When I was taken up to work as a waiter in the lobby, it had been a whole year since I left home. I dreamed of a bamboo craftsman only six or seven times.
The first few times he always reprimanded me sharply, but in the end he didn't say a word, just looked at me indifferently, then turned his back and walked away. I chased him in my dream, into the chaotic night, but I couldn't find his shadow no matter what. Finally waking up exhausted, the clapper outside the door knocked heavily on the street.
I am not afraid of death at all, I am just afraid of him, afraid that he is still waiting for me to go home.
[six]
During this period of time, I tried my best to find out the details of the Bakumen, so when the man with a skinny face was greeted into the wing by a group of men in crimson clothes, I recognized him as the leader at a glance.
I turned to the kitchen to serve the dishes, shook out a pack of rat poison from my sleeve, poured it all into the soup, stirred it intimately, and placed it in front of him with a smiling face.
After half a stick of incense, there was finally a commotion inside, and there was a near-death cry, which was really enjoyable to hear. There was a loud bang of "Kala", and someone kicked a big hole in the wooden wall of the wing room. There was a sudden commotion in the lobby. A group of people in crimson clothes rushed out of the room with their swords, their eyes searched around in the crowd, and finally fell on my face, rushing towards me in no time.
I ran away, but how could I have time? Those people kept shouting, and the swords of the first two people had already chased after me, the cold air was pressing on the bones. I had to turn around to parry, seeing the two swords slashing towards them, I got close to the two of them with a low body, and pointed lightly on one of the arms, causing his sword to turn halfway and swing towards my companion. Taking advantage of their confusion, I picked up the teacup bone saucer on the table and threw it at the pursuers while stepping back.
Kankan retreated to the door, suddenly a hand grabbed me by the collar and lifted me, leading me to a vertical leap, and both landed on the horse's back. He clamped his legs between the horse's belly and led me to rush out of the city.
I turned my head to look in surprise in the bumps, but I didn't see the face in my memory. The person behind him took off a human skin mask, revealing a middle-aged man with slender eyebrows and long beard.
He rode all the way to the outskirts, and just jumped off the horse with me, and said with a smile: "Young man, your technique is really powerful, where did you learn from?"
I was taken aback, and after thinking about it carefully, I vaguely remembered that the trick was taught to me by the bamboo craftsman. I warned: "There is no school, I came up with it myself." I didn't want to, but he praised it greatly: "Then you are a genius, the trick just now has the charm of a master many years ago."
My heart moved, and I asked, "What kind of expert?"
He asked back, "Have you heard of Gu Jiu?"
I have never heard of it. As a knight in the rivers and lakes, I only know my parents.
He asked again: "You don't know anything, so how could you think of poisoning the person who killed the Bakumen?" I told him about my life experience, and he was greatly moved, and sighed: "The Bakumen is vicious and rampant, you killed that just now. Boss, I'm afraid they won't let it go. If you want revenge, you might as well join my sect and follow me to Cangzhu Mountain to practice."
I immediately knelt down and called out to him, "Master."
I begged him to let me go home first to say goodbye to my relatives and take some luggage by the way. But he said that the Eight Suffering Sect must be chasing me everywhere right now, and it is safest to leave earlier.
It takes half a month's drive to Cangzhu Mountain. My master is the younger brother of the head of the side sect. He originally came here to visit friends, but in the end he picked up a disciple to go back. Since I joined his sect, I began to practice martial arts day and night. Based on my age, I can't really practice well. Fortunately, the most famous side sect is not martial arts, but poison making.
A pack of rat poison can kill a boss. When I refine the top-notch poison, will I be able to wipe out all the enemies? I devoted myself to learning to gather herbs and recognize poisons, a bloody dark fire was burning in my heart, and there were a few relatively bright beliefs.
I want to impress the bamboo craftsman.
I want him to know that I have made my way into a world that he despises.
What I want to do the most is to drag him out of that backcountry and into this colorful world.
When Master finally let me go home, another half a year had passed. I carried a load of medicinal herbs for warming and nourishing health, but I was timid because of my hometown. I lingered at the entrance of the village for a long time before walking to the familiar shabby room.
He was still sitting by the window where he always stayed, with his head lowered and cutting strips. Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his head to look at me. I suddenly felt great pain in my heart, and my knees softened and I knelt down in front of him.
He lost a lot of weight and looked haggard. He calmly looked at my new clothes and the sword hanging from my waist. I said: "I entered the side door." He was silent for a while, then slowly said: "You are fine."
He stood up and walked to the kitchen to light a fire and cook. I knelt for a while, then got up to help him wash rice and vegetables. He made a portion for two people, and I set up two sets of bowls and chopsticks as before, and sat at the table with him to eat.
There was the sound of cicadas outside.
I pondered for a long time before I said: "You forgot your name and surname, I found it for you. You are..." He interrupted: "I know."
I was very surprised and said: "You are faking your amnesia? Then...why don't you go back?" In the past six months at the side door, I found out too many legends about Gu Jiu. Thinking of him becoming famous at a young age and fighting swords all over the rivers and lakes without defeat, what a chic and happy scene it must be!
He laughed. I hate his smile the most, as if I will always be an ignorant child in front of him. He said: "Since you have checked, you should know that Gu Jiu is already dead. He set the blame for a traitor, was besieged by several former friends, and finally beheaded his friend by the sword with his own hands, and left without using his own skills."
I said anxiously: "Now that your stigma has been cleared, even if your skills are gone, your reputation is still there. How many people are looking forward to your return... Don't you want to kill the person who blamed you?"
He said: "I don't want to. I have created enough killing karma, it is better to chop bamboo."
I thought to myself: You are a coward.
He raised me and I was the exact opposite of him. I suddenly understood that he would never look at me with admiration, just as I would never understand him.
Everything in my bedroom is still the same, it has been cleaned spotlessly, and the quilt is folded at the foot of the bed. I couldn't help but feel sad in my eyes, so I hurriedly staggered my eyes. As of now, I will not be trapped by anything, whether it is the cloth that tied me that day, or other entanglements.
I shook out the quilt and slept all night, and folded it back the next morning. I put the things I brought him on the table, and when I was about to leave for Cangzhu Mountain, I found a new roll of bamboo mat beside the burden.