In the summer of the thirtieth year of Dachu Longxing, the fifth day of the sixth month, Shangling Village, Heshun County, Yuzhou

"Stinky boy! Stop! ”

An old man in his 50s, dressed in a coarse cloth coat and with gray hair, holding a tree branch, angrily chased a 10-year-old boy in the small fenced yard in front of his yellow mud thatched hut.

"Daddy! I was wrong! Don't you beat me up? ”

The young man, also dressed in shabby coarse clothes, his head was covered with dirt, and his bright eyes were blinking, and his face was full of astonishment, and he begged again and again.

His steps were fast, running in circles around the yard, and the old man's pace was completely inferior to him, and he stopped from time to time to catch his breath, and then continued to chase after it was straightened out.

"You stinky boy, you dare to steal your Aunt Li's chicken, see if I don't break your legs!"

"That old rooster ran to the road by itself, and I caught it and roasted it, how did I know it was Aunt Li's!"

The two fathers and sons were chasing and answering questions at the same time, and the neighbors who lived around all ran to the door and outside the fence to watch the excitement.

"What's going on? What's going on? Brother Xiao! What are you angry about? ”

At this time, a middle-aged man with a black beard hurriedly ran over, stopped the old man, snatched the branch down, and threw it on the ground. When the young man saw this, he breathed a sigh of relief, leaned on the edge of the camphor tree in the yard, and avoided his father from a distance.

The old man panted and said, "Jin...... Brother Jin, don't you know, this ...... This stinky boy actually dared to steal the crowing rooster that the aunt of the Li family had raised for half a year, and ate it! Angry with his aunt, squatting ...... Squatting next to the chicken bones and crying bitterly, I ...... I won't teach him a lesson today, and I won't know who to harm next time! ”

The young man hurriedly defended: "I didn't mean it, the rooster ran out of the nest by himself and walked on the village road, I thought it was a pheasant, so I caught it directly." ”

This middle-aged man surnamed Jin is the head of this village, and if there is any irreconcilable conflict between the villagers, it is all up to him to mediate.

The old man said angrily: "You are still quibbling! Then tell Lao Tzu that the pheasant of that famous mountain has a red crown and yellow feathers, a black and bright tail, and is flawless? People who are not blind will know that they are domesticated at a glance! ”

With that, the old man suddenly coughed violently.

The man surnamed Jin was busy giving him a good breath: "Brother Xiao, are you okay?" Then, he turned his face to look at the young man and said, "Ah Guang, look what you have made your father angry!" It's not that you don't know that your father has fought in the past, killed the Northern Barbarians, and returned to his hometown only after being injured, he has to be angry, and he has broken the old wounds, and you will not regret it when the time comes! ”

"This stinky boy wants me to see his mother soon!" The old man said with a sad face.

"Daddy, I don't have ......"

The young man named Ah Guang stood up and said urgently.

Jin Li said: "Why don't you come over and admit your mistake to your father!" ”

Ah Guang moved to the old man this time and knelt down with his hands crossed and said, "Daddy, the child admits his mistake to you, you punish me." ”

The old man surnamed Xiao picked up the branch and slapped it Ah Guang's back several times, until Ah Guang grinned and finally cried.

Jin Lizheng hurriedly took it again: "The child is still so young, just give one two hits, what should I do if I break it with such a heavy hand?" ”

Xiao Laohan said angrily: "Lao Tzu did something wrong in the barracks, he was going to hit the board, what's wrong with smacking him a few times!" ”

"Brother, you are a dragon and a tiger, but your son is only ten years old, how can you fight like this......"

Jin Lizheng persuaded him, Xiao Laohan stopped, Li Zheng saw that it was okay, so he was relieved, and said to the onlookers: "Oh, there's nothing to look at, the big guys are all scattered." ”

The village was all talking, and there was no excitement again, so everyone left one by one and went home.

"Go back to the house!"

Xiao Laohan opened the door with a "bang", obviously his anger had not completely subsided.

"Oh."

Ah Guang obediently followed his father back to the house.

This old man Xiao was originally named Xiao Jin, and when he was young, he was recruited by the army and became a member of the Liangzhou army of the Great Chu State.

Xiao Jin was very brave in battle, righteous and bold, and quite popular, so he was soon promoted to centurion, and then to the commander of the thousand, the captain, and finally, when Xiao Jin was in his thirties, he was promoted to the pioneer officer.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and in the battle against the enemy again, he rode a horse and led the team to charge, and was plotted by the enemy's arrows and crossbows, turned over and fell off his horse, and he was also hit by three arrows, but fortunately he was rescued back to the barracks by the soldiers who fought with him.

Although he picked up a life, but the place where he was hit by the arrow touched the old wound, if he continued to fight, it would definitely cause the old wound to recur, endangering his life, the Lord had to order him to return to his hometown to recuperate, in fact, he had been removed from the army, and completely returned to his hometown.

Xiao Jin was very frustrated because of this, and after returning to his hometown in the village, he used the monthly recuperation money sent by the army to the village to buy wine, so as to drown his sorrows, and he got drunk.

Jin Lizheng has always respected the old soldier who returned home, and he didn't want to see him sink so much, so he acted as a matchmaker and introduced the Luan family girl in her twenties in the village to Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin naturally refused, he didn't want such a young yellow flower girl to lose money on himself for the rest of his life, but he couldn't bear the persuasion of the people in the village, so he married the girl of the Luan family.

Luan's gentle and virtuous, and diligent and thrifty, not only helped Xiao Jin's home to be well organized, clean and tidy, but also helped the Xiao family to cultivate farming, weaving clothes and sewing cloth, self-sufficient, with this good wife, Xiao Jin has also changed a lot, he no longer alcoholic, but with his wife sunrise and rest, life is getting better and better, and in the year when Xiao Jin was forty years old, Luan gave birth to a big fat boy for Xiao Jin, which is now Ah Guang.

But there were unforeseen circumstances, and Luan's was weak and did so much work all day long, and finally died when Ah Guang was three years old. When Xiao Jin was giving his wife a funeral, he fainted several times with sadness and tears. Since then, the father and son have begun to live together for their lives.

Xiao Jin did not continue after that, on the one hand, he loved his deceased wife deeply and could never forget it, on the other hand, he was afraid that the one who entered the door after entering the door would be bad to himself and his deceased wife's only flesh and blood, Ah Guang, and let him be wronged. And so it went on for another seven years.

The two came to the small hall where the guests came, Xiao Jin sat on the chair a little tiredly, and Ah Guang hurriedly poured him a bowl of water: "Daddy, drink saliva first." ”

Xiao Jin took it easily, drank the whole bowl in a big gulp, and said, "Ah Guang, do you know why I want to punish you? ”

Ah Guang stood in front of his father, lowered his head and said, "It's because I ate Aunt Li's chicken." ”

"It's not just for this," Xiao Jin gently put down the bowl, "but before you do something, you don't think about the possible consequences after doing something, and act blindly." ”

Ah Guang was confused, he didn't understand what his father meant, he scratched his head, and he didn't know what to do.

Xiao Jin sighed and patiently explained: "Let me tell you this, Aunt Li's big rooster ran to the village road, and happened to be bumped into by you, you were greedy, thinking it was a wild pheasant, so you grabbed it and roasted it." Have you ever thought about what if it's not a pheasant, but your neighbor's? ”

Ah Guang muttered, "Where can I think of so many ······?"

"You can't imagine it, it's the reaction you have to make!"

Xiao Jin's tone suddenly became stern, and Ah Guang couldn't help but shrink his neck in fright.

"If you don't do one thing with a lot of certainty, then you have to take on whatever happens later." Xiao Jin said very seriously, "In the future, if you do things so casually and recklessly, you will definitely suffer a big loss." I hope you remember that don't be blinded by what is presented in front of you, everything has its own cause and effect, and only by tracing back to the source can you be foolproof. Also, if you do something wrong, you have to bear it, and no matter how many reasons you say, you can't cover up the facts. ”

Ah Guang nodded thoughtfully, bowed to his father and said, "I understand, thank you Daddy for your teachings." ”

At night, Ah Guang went to bed early, but Xiao Jin couldn't sleep, he carried two pots of wine, and came to Jin Lizheng's small courtyard.

"I knew you were coming." Kim Ri Zheng said with a smile.

Jin Lizheng's original name is Jin Man, now forty-five years old, has a wife and a pair of children at home, in the early years of the Chu State of the capital of the east of the capital served as the door of the Dali Temple, and later because of the corruption of the Dali Temple was investigated, the personnel in the temple were implicated, he is no exception, although the latter was confirmed innocent, but Jin Man has seen the darkness of the Qing Dynasty, so he resigned and returned to his hometown, because he has the experience of being a official in Beijing, so he was raised by the villagers as Lizheng.

"Are the children and wives asleep?" Xiao Jin looked at the room where the lights were out and asked.

Jin Man didn't speak, just nodded.

"Take two sips!"

Xiao Jin put the two jars of wine on the stone table in the courtyard, and Jin Man went to the side kitchen, brought two pottery bowls and a plate of fried soybeans, and the two sat on the stone bench, chatting about the wine.

After a while, Xiao Jin, who was slightly drunk, sighed heavily: "Alas, Ah Guang, this child, has been staying by my side, it's not good." Although there is a private school to teach, his personality is too naughty and unstable. There are a lot of monkey children in this village, I'm really afraid that if one of them is not careful, Ah Guang will be taken bad by them, and he won't even read books, and he will become a ruffian, so how can I be worthy of his mother. ”

"Hey, children and grandchildren have their own children and grandchildren, brother, you are fifty years old this year, what are you doing with that heart? Isn't it good to spend the rest of your life in peace? Jin Man also said a little drunk.

Xiao Jin shook his head and said: "No, Ah Guang must not stay in the village all the time, I must find a way to let him go to a place where he can not only learn literature, but also practice martial arts, and cultivate people who are virtuous and virtuous." ”

"If you say that, I know a good place to go." Jin Man drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, and said with a smile on his eyebrows.

"I also hope that Brother Jin Xian will teach you." Xiao Jin said in a slightly eager tone.

Jin Man said, "I wonder if Brother Xiao has ever heard of Xingyanzong?" ”

Xiao Jin nodded and said: "That's natural, Xingyan Sect is the head of today's martial arts sect, and the disciples are all outstanding, I heard that they are not only skilled in martial arts, but also comparable to Hongru in literature, and they are in our Bauhinia Mountain in Yuzhou...... Brother Jin Xian, don't you want to say that Ah Guang will go to Xingyan Sect to learn art, right? Thinking of this, Xiao Jin couldn't help but tremble with excitement in his heart.

"That's right," Jin Man nodded, "I heard that in three days, it will be the day when the Xingyan Sect will open its doors to recruit disciples, brother, you can take Ah Guang to have a look." ”

Xiao Jin waved his hand and said: "No, I heard that Xingyan Sect is extremely strict in accepting disciples, just like my family Ah Guang, it is estimated that there is no play." ”

Jin Mandao: "Brother Xiao, why be so arrogant, you have to have confidence in Ah Guang, besides, just try, even if you fail to enter the eyes of the Xingyan Sect, you will not be ashamed, it's a big deal to come back and think of other ways." ”

When Xiao Jin heard this, he was silent for a long time, and finally slapped the table and said, "Okay!" I'll take Ah Guang to Bauhinia Mountain tomorrow! ”

"That's right!"

The two of them poured the bowl full of wine, touched each other, and drank it in large gulps.

In the early morning of the next day, as soon as Ah Guang finished breakfast, Xiao Jin picked up the bags he had already packed, pulled up his son and said, "Ah Guang, go with your father, I will take you to a place." ”

As soon as Ah Guang heard this, he knelt down "poof", and said with tears in his eyes: "Daddy, I really know it's wrong, don't you drive me away?" ”

Xiao Jin was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then said with a smile: "Silly boy, who said that they were going to drive you away?" Daddy, I'm just taking you somewhere to go and see it. ”

"Scared the hell out of me."

Ah said secretly in his heart, breathed a sigh of relief, got up, supported his old father, took a fellow countryman's ox cart, and looked out of the village.

The distance from Shangling Village to Bauhinia Mountain is not close, but it is not far, and it is necessary to cross three mountains to reach the foot of Bauhinia Mountain.

Although the road is far away, the scenery on this road is quite beautiful, especially when walking on the official road on the mountain, the scenery is even more unobstructed, you can see the magnificent Jing River flowing down the river to the east, rushing straight down, and there is a deafening roaring sound of the river.

Although there are high mountains and valleys on the left and right, there are birds and insects chirping from time to time, stacking colorful peaks and mountains, green trees and green forests, winding paths, cliffs and cliffs, but also a wonderful beauty.

The ox cart that Xiao Jin and his son took could only go to the nearest mountain to the village, and after that, the two could only rely on walking, sleeping in the open air, day and night, tossing and turning on the way, but when they were lucky, they could also invite other carriages and horses to carry a section.

In this way, Xiao Jin's father and son rushed for three days to reach Bauhinia Mountain, just in time for the day. After arriving at the destination, Xiao Jin told Ah Guang his true intentions.

"Go to the Xingyan Sect to apprentice?" Ah Guang scratched his head, "It's okay, in fact, I also want to practice martial arts...... No, this shouldn't be the Taoist priest who asked me to eat fasting first, right? If I don't have meat to eat, I won't do it. ”

After Xiao Jin heard this, he almost fainted, and said straight in his heart: People don't have to be you stinky boy!

However, he said: "I heard that the Taoist priests here do not abstain from meat, you think about it yourself, if you don't eat meat to replenish your body, how can you practice martial arts?" ”

"That's right." Ah Guang nodded.

Xiao Jin immediately took Ah Guang to Bauhinia Mountain, and when they arrived at the mountainside, they found that it was not only them who came to Xingyan Sect to apprentice, but a dense group of people, including gorgeously dressed dignitaries, poor Confucian scholars, chivalrous warriors with swords on their waists, weak and slender women, and children as big as Ah Guang, all of them were all targets of Xingyan Sect on the top of Bauhinia Mountain.

Among the people who go up the mountain, there are many people who are good and strong to compete for the first, each showing off their kung fu and surpassing everyone with light footwork.

"Shhhh Stinky show! What's the big deal! ”

Those who don't understand martial arts can only grit their teeth and stare dryly. And those who don't want to show their skills too early just laugh softly.

Although Xiao Jin has martial arts, after all, he is old and has sores, and besides, he doesn't want to compete with young people to win.

After about half a pillar of incense, the trend of the mountain road began to become more and more gentle. After another meal, a Taoist temple-style room came into the eyes of Xiao Jin and Ah Guang.

That looks like the ordinary Taoist temple on other hills, but it occupies a slightly larger area, almost wrapping the entire mountain, with green tiles and white walls, the gate is facing the intersection of the mountain, and there is a plaque hanging on the door, which reads "Xingyanzong" three vigorous and powerful Lishu fonts. At the door, there was a young man dressed in a Taoist robe, with good facial features, about eighteen or nineteen years old, and a table was placed in front of him, and beside him stood a young Taoist priest who was a few years younger than him.

I saw that everyone who went up the mountain to enter the Xingyan Sect lined up in a long line, like a fish, and the young Taoist priest had to register them with a book that seemed to be written in an account before they could enter.

"Didn't you say that entering the Star Yan Sect is very strict? How can anyone who goes up the mountain go in? Xiao Jin scratched his head, puzzled, and at the same time pulled Ah Guang and lined up behind.

There were too many people going up the mountain, and Xiao Jin's father and son waited for almost half an hour before it was their turn.

The young Taoist priest glanced at Xiao Jin and arched his hand, "I'm sorry, this old man, we only recruit disciples under the age of twenty-five here. ”

Xiao Jin smiled and said, "Little Daoist, it's not me who you made a mistake to get started, it's my son." As he spoke, he pushed Ah Guang in front of him.

The young Taoist priest leaned over to look at Ah Guang and asked with a smile, "This little friend, what is your name?" ”

Ah Guang raised his head and said loudly: "My name is Xiao Chongguang!" ”