small town
There was snow in the sky, thick clouds were heavy in the sky, white salt snow particles hit people's faces, and the howling wind blew all night. The weather suddenly became extremely cold. People on the road were rubbing their hands with cold and their noses were red.
It was almost the New Year. Pei Ziyun was sitting in the inn, looking at the falling snow outside the window. The mountains and rivers in the distance were covered with white snow, and he heard some faint crying.
"Boss, what's wrong?" The boss was posting a couplet. It was almost over and there were very few guests. The boss announced that anyone who came to eat or stay today would be given a 20% discount.
At this time, Pei Ziyun asked and sighed: "They are a mother and daughter. The man died of illness halfway. They are dead and have no money to go back. They are crying."
"The mother and daughter are going to sell themselves and buy a coffin to bury the man, but their crying disturbs you!"
Pei Ziyun said nothing after hearing this, and went out. A cold wind suddenly blew up, wrapped in snow. Pei Ziyun looked around and saw that the river not far away was frozen, and the snow on the ice was swirling like smoke.
Pei Ziyun saw two people squatting under the eaves, but did not come forward. He said for a long time: "Boss, boss!"
The boss caught up and said, "Sir, your food is almost ready. What are your orders?"
"I remember that three taels are enough for an ordinary coffin. A few taels are enough to stay in your store. Here are you." As he said this, Pei Ziyun took out two ingots of silver from his arms and threw them away.
The boss took it and took a look. There were two and a half taels. At one glance, the boss could see that the edges were frosty white and the bottom was fine and deep white. When he took a bite, he found that the inside was slightly white. This was 980% of the highest grade official silver. , then said: "Master, what are you doing?"
"Send it to this mother and daughter, return your hotel, buy a coffin, and use the rest as a package to take home."
As soon as he said this, the boss's smile froze, and then he became more sincere: "Young Master is really kind-hearted, but I don't want the hotel fee. This store has been in my hands for five generations. If a customer dies in the store, I never do it." Don’t worry, sir, to collect the store fee, I’ll send you the money.”
Pei Ziyun sat and nodded. At this moment, a waiter came over with wine and food and said, "Sir, your wine and food are here."
Pei Ziyun nodded and the waiter went downstairs with the plate in hand.
Pei Ziyun just ate his meal and stared at the snowflakes in the distance. Since he killed the Japanese pirates many days ago and burned the Taoist talisman, no thieves have attacked him along the way.
go back
If something like this happens, you won't be able to complete the task of requesting a seal when you go back. When the time comes, someone will be replaced in the sect to do the job. Who gets the credit
If you lose points, you will lose the opportunity to be selected as the head disciple. You cannot retreat on this matter, you have to move forward.
Thinking of this, I still had some depression that couldn't be dissipated, and my face looked a little depressed. I took a glass of wine and drank it in one sip. I felt a burning sensation coming down my throat. Then I started eating the food and took a few bites, and then my eyebrows relaxed. .
"Young Master, I see that you are depressed and it seems that things are not going well for you. Can you please give me a glass of wine so that I can help you resolve your knot?" A voice came. Pei Ziyun looked up and saw that it was a Taoist man who was leading the way. A Taoist boy stood at the table in front of Pei Ziyun and said.
"This Taoist is here in a strange way. Let's see what he has to say before we make a plan." After thinking about it, he said, "Taoist, please sit down and just drink."
The Taoist sat down in front of Pei Ziyun, picked up a peanut with a pair of chopsticks, it was fragrant and crispy, and drank a cup directly, which seemed very refreshing.
Pei Ziyun smiled and poured himself a drink. He saw the little Taoist boy beside the Taoist. The little Taoist boy looked delicate with his hair tied in a hairpin. His face was red with cold and expressionless. A sense of familiarity came over him, which made Pei Ziyun frown. .
"Who is this girl? She looks familiar, and judging from her expression, she seems to be unkind to me!" Pei Ziyun was surprised. After hesitating for a while, Pei Ziyun laughed: "Taoist priest, I'm afraid you're here to cheat me out of wine and food, but this It’s nothing, I’m in a bad mood. If you want to drink, Taoist Master, please do so. In this windy and snowy weather, the two of us just happen to be drinking together and talking to each other.”
"Brother, bring on the bowls and chopsticks, and add a few more dishes for these two people." Pei Ziyun turned to the waiter and shouted.
"Okay, sir, wait a moment, I'll be here soon!" the waiter responded, and later came up with bowls, chopsticks, and wine glasses. The little Taoist boy also sat on it, picked up bowls, chopsticks, and ate vegetables with his hands, as if he was a little hungry.
The Taoist took the jug, poured himself a cup of hot wine, drank it, and said, "The wine is good. Did you just give the mother and daughter some money? You must be kind-hearted."
"The New Year is coming, and those who still stay in the inn are all destitute people. I have it in my hands, so why should I be stingy with some good money?" Pei Ziyun drank a few glasses of wine and saw the Taoist thinking thoughtfully, so he smiled: "This is the human heart. It’s just a sense of sadness, not a good heart, or to put it another way, good comes from wealth, and evil comes from poverty. People all have good and evil, so it can’t be black or white.”
"The more people are rich, the more good they will be. The more people are poor, the more evil they will be. People all have good and evil. How can it be either black or white?" The Taoist nodded and sighed: "That's a very insightful statement."
"The world is so chaotic and people are competing to eat each other. I can't say I have good roots. I, the Taoist, are also deeply affected."
"Now the world has been peaceful for seven years, and good seeds are born from peace. Young Master, how long do you think this world of peace can last?"
Pei Ziyun took a sip of a drink, ate some vegetables, looked at the falling snow, and smiled: "Taoist, you are curious about my opinion. If you want me to say it, the major events in this world will be reunited after a long time, and they will be divided after a long time. It’s been coming and going for thousands of years.”
"Haha!" The Taoist laughed: "Young Master is joking, the general trend of the world is indeed divided for a long time, and it will be divided for a long time. It's just that for you and me, there is a world of difference whether we live in peace or in troubled times."
"This is the seventh year since the collapse of the previous dynasty of our Great Xu Dynasty, and we have been cleaning up the country. The stability of the court is really a blessing to the world and a blessing to the people."
Pei Ziyun laughed after listening to this man's words: "This world is far from stable."
After a pause, he added: "It takes three years for a person to be stable. Therefore, the ancients said that one should not change his father's ways for three years."
"Being a king can only be considered stable in thirty years. Da Xu's dynasty only lasted seven years. It will take at least twenty years of peace before the world can be considered truly stable."
The Taoist listened and smiled: "Young Master has indeed seen clearly. Today, the Holy Emperor's body is a little unstable. He is eager to clear the world of dragons and snakes and pave the way for the Crown Prince. There is an ambush for trouble. There are variables in the world's energy. Young Master, regarding this, How do you think about it?"
Pei Ziyun shuddered, and the "guo" swallowed the wine and smiled with the smell of wine: "The Taoist is joking, I, the Great Xu, ascended the throne in the 45th year of my reign. It has been seven years now, and the Spring and Autumn Period is in its prime. I hope that the Emperor will take care of himself. He has been in power for twenty years without any worries, and he will enjoy peace in the world."
"Young Master is right, that's the truth. It's just that the Young Master said before that the world is still uncertain, and now he says that he hopes the Emperor will stay in the imperial palace for twenty years. Are you saying that without these twenty years of peace, there will be deep disasters?"
"If this is the case, the young master and Pindao are in agreement. The world is still changing. I think the young master is a great talent and has a thorough understanding. He will definitely be able to make things happen in the future."
Pei Ziyun snorted coldly: "I think Taoist Master, you know better. Does Taoist Master want to cause the tide or the wind?"
Listening to Pei Ziyun's words, the Taoist smiled and said nothing while drinking. Then he stood up and said, "The wine is almost done. Look, my mother and daughter thank you for coming."
When the mother and daughter came over, the mother raised her head and glanced at Pei Ziyun, thanking him profusely.
"My man went to the state to take the exam, but he still failed. He had no face to return to his hometown. My mother and I heard the news and hurried here, and found him in this inn."
"I was already sick, and I was there to take care of her. I couldn't recover from it, and I only saw her for the last time."
"I have spent all the money I have with me. I don't want to meet the young master who brings me ten taels of silver."
After saying that, she started crying. Pei Ziyun comforted her for a few times and learned that she had a son at home and several acres of land. He estimated that the money would be enough for them to go back, so he said: "No matter what, I will buy a coffin for him." Going back is like a fallen leaf returning to its roots.”
The boss then came up to persuade them to leave.
Pei Ziyun was a big customer and spent a lot of money. The boss boiled a large bucket of hot water and delivered it to the room. Pei Ziyun soaked in the bucket, and the boss added water from time to time.
"It's really troublesome boss."
"Nothing can compare to the kindness of the young master."
Pei Ziyun got a little confused and asked, "How are the people's sentiments on your journey?"
"Fortunately, first of all, the public security is good. In the past few years, there was chaos, killings, and thieves everywhere. Even though my store has been passed down for five generations, it has not been closed. Now that the world is peaceful, we can live a better life."
"Don't look at the misfortune of the mother and daughter. In the past few years, those who died on the road had no time to bury them." The boss said, his muscles twitched, obviously remembering the tragic scene.
"I'd rather be a peace dog than a person in troubled times." Pei Ziyun nodded and stood up. The boss retreated and packed up later.
Pei Ziyun was lying on the quilt and saw an old book. It turned out to be a novel. He leaned on the bed and read it casually, and gradually fell asleep.
The night gradually deepened, the wind blew, and a flash of light appeared under the eaves, coming in through the window, and a scream from Pei Ziyun came from inside, which seemed to be a wail, but in the blink of an eye there was no sound.
There was silence inside and outside the room for a long time, and snowflakes continued to fall. After a long time, Pei Ziyun's voice suddenly came from inside: "Taoist Priest, why don't you come in?"
"Bah bang!" Applause came from outside, and a Taoist priest appeared: "Mr. Xie Yuan, you are so alert and can avoid attacks. How can I put myself in danger?"
After hearing this, Pei Ziyun opened the window: "I talked with Brother Tao about national affairs during the day. I didn't expect Brother Tao to come and kill me at night. Who leaked the news about me? I hope Brother Tao will tell you frankly."
The Taoist had already taken the boy away. Hearing the sound, he turned around with a smile and said, "Mr. Jie Yuan, you are pointing your sword at us. How can I tell you who marked your body so that we can know your whereabouts?" "
"Taoist Priest, if you didn't want to say anything, you would have stopped answering."
"That's right. This is an upright plan. If you look sideways, you will find the person who buried the Taoist talisman." As he said this, the Taoist walked away.
"Yes, Song Zhi and I hate each other and will certainly take advantage of outsiders. This is a blatant conspiracy. It's a pity that I really have to accept it, because how can I tolerate the person who framed me not getting retribution?"
Pei Ziyun thought melancholy, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. The Taoist led by this Taoist was the daughter of the leader who attacked and killed him on Jiang Bian. He had seen her at the inn.
But it looked familiar at that time. Could it be someone the original owner knew
He shouted: "Taoist priest, please go slowly. Can you tell me the name of the little girl you are bringing?"
"Qi Aiguo!" the Taoist replied, took a big step, and disappeared into the snowy night.
(End of chapter)