Chapter 4: Apprenticeship

Yishan was bored in the carriage alone, lifted the curtains, glanced around, and shouted to Cheng Zheng, "Hey, you come here." ”

Cheng Zheng rode closer, "What do you command?" "Before returning to the palace, it is better to keep a low profile, so Cheng Zheng ordered people to be called young ladies all the way.

Yishan said heartily, "You come in and talk to me." ”

Cheng Zheng hesitated for a moment and then responded, this section of the road is flat and open, if there is anything abnormal, you can see it from a distance, Cheng Zheng is relieved to enter the carriage.

Yishan asked, "Your name is Cheng Zheng, right?" ”

"Yes."

Yishan asked, "What should I call you?" Master Cheng? General Cheng or? ”

Cheng Zheng said directly, "Just call your name." There are many people on the road, and the young lady does not need many etiquette. ”

"Then I call you Cheng Zheng?"

Cheng Zheng nodded and said, "Okay." ”

Yishan asked again, "Are you so sure I'm a princess?" ”

Cheng Zheng replied affirmatively, "The cinnabar mole behind your left ear is the birthmark of the princess, and the age of adoption is also the same, the emperor has ordered someone to secretly investigate for a long time, it should not be wrong." ”

Yishan analyzed curiously, "The emperor asked you to pick me up, I should trust you very much, how big an official are you?" It seems that she is also in an important position, and the dignified princess will be handed over to someone who is not at ease to take her back to the palace? ”

Cheng Zheng said modestly, "My Yun clan has always been trusted by the emperor, no matter the official position, as long as the emperor needs it, he should be loyal to the emperor." ”

Yishan came to be interested, "Yun Clan? I heard people from the capital say that the people of the Yun tribe are all brave and good at fighting, and they have made great contributions to the country, and they have been deeply used by the emperor. How old are you, you look young. ”

"Just past the weak crown."

Yishan was surprised, "Twenty? Became a big official at the age of twenty? ”

"I have fought with my grandfather and father since I was a child, and I captured Deputy General Xichi alive when I was a minor. Cheng Zhengyun replied lightly.

"Wow, that's so powerful, then your grandfather and father should be famous generals, maybe I've heard their stories." Yishan's face was full of longing.

Cheng Zheng replied one by one, "My grandfather was the king of Zhenxi, and now he is old and has returned to his hometown, raised in Pingzhou, and my father unfortunately died on the battlefield. ”

Yishan knew that he was speechless, and grinned, "Huh? I'm so sorry. You must be in danger when you fight. ”

Cheng Zheng said awe-inspiringly, "What is the danger of personal safety, if the border passes can be kept peaceful and the people are stable, it is worth it." ”

"Here," Yishan took out a bag of snacks from the package, "This is my favorite almond crisp, this princess thanks you for being born and dying for the country." Come, taste. ”

"Princess Xie." Cheng Zheng was a little restrained, she called herself a princess for the first time, but it was to give herself something to eat. He didn't shirk it, so he took a small piece and put it in his mouth.

"How? Is it tasty? "Yishan is looking forward to it.

Cheng Zheng smiled and nodded, "It's delicious." ”

Yishan praised informally, without the shyness of a girl, "You look better when you smile, but I saw you with a cold face all the way, are you unhappy?" ”

"Not really."

"Oh~ I know, you must miss your wife at home. You guarded the border and finally came back, but you came to Jiangnan to pick me up and take me back to the palace, you must be very reluctant, right? Yishan speculated.

"Miss Yan smiled, there is no wife room below."

"Huh? You're past the age of majority, why don't you get married? Is there no one at home to do it for you? In this way, I know a lot of girls in Jiangnan, some are beautiful, some are gentle, some are virtuous, some are spicy, which one do you like? If you have another chance to come to Jiangnan, I'll introduce you to it. "Yishan was very interested.

"Miss, don't make fun of me." When you come to Jiangnan again, I am afraid that there is no more scenery in front of you, but I hope you will never come to Jiangnan again.

Yishan suddenly changed her words, "Hey, tell me, what are the women in the capital like, and how are they different from those in Jiangnan?" What's prettier? ”

"I can't say this." In the face of this kind of problem, it is better to avoid it.

Yishan didn't give up, "Tell me, let's talk about it, what are the women in the capital like?" ”

Seeing Yishan's face full of expectation, Cheng Zheng hesitated and spoke, "The women in the capital, at the feet of the Son of Heaven, must be cautious in their words and deeds, obedient and gentle. It's really rare to kick people out of the house like Miss. ”

Yishan pursed her lips and scolded, "You said that I drove Liu Gongzi, he deserved it." Hmph, that scum. Relying on a little power in the family to be lawless, I catch this kind of person once and for a lesson. Forget it, don't mention him, I get angry when I think about it. Tell me about your army, I have rarely heard of it. ”

"Okay."

At noon, they continued on their way after eating and resting at an inn. Not long after getting into the carriage and setting off, Yishan felt tired and fell asleep in the carriage, Xu didn't sleep well at night, and he had been talking to Cheng Zheng all morning. Cheng Zheng took out his clothes from the package and draped them on Yishan, then got out of the carriage and rode around to check on it.

At this time, Cheng Zheng's younger brother Yuanxin, an idle boy who had been traveling freely under the banner of joining the army, led his horse and walked leisurely on this quiet mountain. He didn't like the life of open and secret fighting within the clan, although the old prince wanted him to establish meritorious deeds like Cheng Zheng, but he still insisted on leaving.

Yuanxin was extremely bored and began to chat with the horse, "This deep mountain, there is not even a ghost, horse, do you think it is very boring?" Would you love a mare to talk to you? There is no mare, but there is one handsome and dashing uncle, so you will talk to me for a while. Don't worry, when you get out of this mountain, I'll let you rest for a few days...... Do you think my music is good? Compared with the girl in Pingle Building, which one is better? There's a cave in front of us, let's go in and rest for a while. ”

Yuanxin took the dry food and water bag on the horse's back at the entrance of the cave, threw the horse's reins, let it graze outside, sat down on the stone, drank some water, and shouted to the horse, "Horse, I'll go to the cave to see, you eat first, don't run around." Yuanxin had just taken dozens of steps inside with a water bag, and the light suddenly dimmed. Yuanxin couldn't see the road clearly, stepped on the air, and fell into a cave with a thud, and the entrance to the cave was immediately closed.

"Ah, my God, what are you doing, I fell to my death." He struggled to his feet, moved a little, and was fine. When I was on it just now, I felt that the light was insufficient, but I didn't expect that this cave was quite bright, and Yuanxin flew up with light skills, but found that the stone slab at the entrance of the cave was very strong. There was no focus point, there was no way to stay, so I had to come down again, staggering and patting the dirt on my body, looking to see if there was any other way out.

"Boy, don't look for it, you can't go out. Ahem, ahem! An old voice came from around the corner

"Huh? Hell! I didn't fall into hell. The sudden voice startled Yuanxin.

"Perhaps, this is your hell. The sky is open, cough cough cough, after so many years, there is finally a person who knows martial arts. The old man's voice echoed throughout the cave like a ghost.

Yuanxin stepped back in fear, "What do you want?" ”

"Just look around."

"Ahh Yuanxin saw a bunch of skeletons in the corner, shouted, and retreated again and again in another direction, "You shouldn't be looking for someone to compete, and the loser will be eaten by you." I don't compare with you, I don't eat human flesh, the point is that I don't know martial arts. ”

The old man didn't believe it, "Boy, I can see that if your light skills just now weren't first-class, cough cough, it would be impossible to stay in the air for so long." ”

Yuanxin frowned and explained seriously, "I really didn't lie to you, I will do a little light, and the rest is some three-legged cat kung fu, which is unsightly." ”

The old man didn't care, "It's okay, accompany me to play a game of chess." Ahem, ahem. ”

"If you don't compete, then, it won't be that the person who loses in chess will be eaten by you, right?" Yuanxin is still not at ease.

"I'll talk about winning first."

Yuanxin got closer and saw the person talking in the corner, his white hair was frizzy, almost covering his face, obviously he hadn't combed it for a long time. The white clothes were faintly gray and tattered, and the cyan eagle pattern embroidered on the chest could still be distinguished. If you look closely at the chessboard drawn with wooden sticks on the ground, the sunspots are made of broken stones, which is very rough. And the white son turned out to be a small piece of white bone.

"You come first. Ahem, ahem, ahem! The old man coughed violently again.

Yuanxin didn't resist, for now, it's better to be obedient and think about a plan, he walked to the place where he fell, picked up the water bag on the ground and came back, "Senior, drink some water." Listen to your cough and your throat is hoarse. ”

"Thank you." The old man did not refuse.

This chess game is really frightened by the far faith, and I am really afraid that if I make a wrong move, I will become a white bone, and then become a white son in the hands of this old man. Every time he fell, he peeked at the old man's expression, but in the end he was defeated by the old man. Yuanxin hung his head and said, "I lost, you won't really eat me, right?" ”

The old man said, "I am already a man in the last years of the wind, and I have ridden more boats than you have traveled. Ahem, it's no surprise that you lost to me at such a young age. ”

"You know I'm going to lose, but what kind of fulfillment are you looking for in me?" Yuanxin couldn't help but complain, are you interesting, a lot of age.

"Life is like chess, if you are not careful, you will lose all the games." The old man sighed, "By observing your tactics on the chessboard, you can see who you are." ”

Yuanxin seemed to see life, "Then have you found that I am a rare good person, handsome and chic, and upright-hearted?" And then decided to let me go? ”

The old man vetoed, "I found that you are scheming, unscheming, cough cough, and you are by no means an honest person." ”

Yuanxin scratched his head, "No, right?" ”

The old man laughed without saying a word, laughed and coughed again.

Seeing him smile, Yuanxin felt that the old man was not so terrible, and chatted, "How can the senior survive in this cave alone?" ”

"Didn't you see that?"

"Huh? What a cannibal? What if there is no one? ”

"Aren't you here?"

Yuanxin shuddered, "Senior, don't laugh, I'm timid." ”

The old man stood up and walked tremblingly to Yuanxin's side.

Yuanxin was slightly surprised when he stood up, "Senior can walk, seeing that you have been leaning on the stone, I thought your leg was useless." ”

The old man didn't answer, but quickly punched Yuanxin and fought. Yuanxin hurriedly dodged, put a little harder under his feet, and quickly retreated,

"Boy, look at the move."

"Why did you start your hands without even saying a word, it scared me to death. My martial arts are really bad! ”

Without waiting for Yuanxin to finish speaking, the old man made another move.

Yuanxin shouted as he retreated, "Hey, hey, stop, don't come here!" ”

After a few moves, Yuanxin just retreated all the way, and the old man's body had obviously spent a lot, coughing loudly, "Boy, why don't you fight back?" ”

Yuanxin said to him bitterly, "I said I wouldn't, where did I get the move to fight back." ”

The old man was not going to give up, "Don't talk nonsense, come here." ”

Yuanxin took a few steps back, "I was beaten by you in the past, I'm not so stupid." ”

"Okay," the old man sat down panting, "You have such a good foundation, why don't you learn more martial arts?" ”

"You're right, my family has practiced martial arts for generations, can I have a bad foundation. It's just that I'm not interested in this, I just want to travel around the world happily. Yuanxin excitedly depicts the life he yearns for.

The old man asked, "Then if I let you learn, will you learn?" ”

"Don't learn!" Yuanxin's tone was decisive and resolute.

"Don't you really want to learn?"

Yuanxin pouted helplessly and said, "I said senior, if you really have a unique education, open a master and accept apprentices, you can not only carry forward your kung fu, but you are also respected, isn't it better than nesting in this cave?" Why force me, a person who doesn't love martial arts, to learn? ”

The old man did not speak.

Yuanxin's self-caring analyst, "Senior, were you hunted down by the enemy and hid here?" Then you set a trap, waiting for someone who doesn't have a long eye to fall, and then you pass on his martial arts, and he will help you take revenge. Isn't it? Or ......"

Yuanxin was talking with great interest, and the old man instantly moved to Xin's side like a light cloud under him, and pinched Yuanxin's neck before he could react.

"Senior, I was wrong, where did I say the wrong thing, you should bear more. I don't dare to talk nonsense anymore. The more Yuanxin spoke, the more he felt that his throat was tight, and it was difficult to even breathe.

The old man said fiercely, "The old man won't force you anymore, since the martial arts have not been taught, you can continue the life of the old man." ”

Yuanxin's face was flushed at this time, and he only spit out two words with all his strength, "I learn." "Yuanxin is walking outside, and his improvisation is good, but he can still tell which is more important, and it is really not worth losing his life.

The old man let go of his hand, and Yuanxin fell to the ground panting, "When I was a child, my father whipped me with a whip, and I didn't compromise, if my father had forced me to death earlier, I guess I wouldn't have fallen into your hands today." ”

The old man dug out a cloth bag from under the white bones in the corner, brushed away the dust and unveiled it, "This is a phantom formation. ”

"Phantom Array?" Yuanxin thought thoughtfully, "Isn't the Phantom Array a legendary evil art?" ”

"Sorcery? Hehe, cough, cough, it depends on who uses it. Do you know the Phantom Array? The old man asked.

"I heard a little bit when I was walking outside, it is said that it has long been lost, but I didn't expect my predecessors to ask me to learn the Phantom Array, I said it earlier, I said it earlier, I definitely agreed, and it made such a big fuss, and it almost killed me." Yuanxin muttered dissatisfied.

The old man said earnestly, "This phantom array is not something you can learn if you want to, and you can't control it without some internal force." ”

"So seniors have been looking for people who know martial arts?" Yuanxin remembered that when he just fell, the old man said, "The sky is open, after so many years, there is finally a person who knows martial arts." ”

"Come here, I'll pass on your tips first."