One morning half a month later, Zhou Xiang walked out of the door, only to find Yang Zhiding standing in the courtyard, looking at him without saying a word.

"Uncle!" After Zhou Xiang worshiped him, Yang Zhiding smiled and said, "Xiang'er, I heard that Yu'er has been living with you for half a month?" ”

"Yes, he was alone, with no one to take care of. My nephew took matters into his own hands and moved him in with me. ”

Yang Zhiding sighed softly: "You think very thoughtfully. Is he okay these days? What is the body? What are you doing? ”

Zhou Xiang said: "It's definitely not as good as before." He also has nothing to do, and all day long he either reads a book, or is alone in a daze, and refuses to speak. Uncle, what's wrong with Sister Qing'er? ”

"It's no big deal, you don't have to worry." Yang Zhiding smiled and glanced at the closed door. "He's in the house?"

"Yes; He was still weak and had nowhere to go. Do you go in and see him? You haven't been to see him for half a month. ”

Yang Zhiding looked at Zhou Xiang. "Xiang'er, do you have a lot of opinions about uncle?"

Zhou Xiang looked at Yang Zhiding honestly and said, "Uncle, my nephew does think that you are too ruthless. The fourth brother and Qing'er are childhood sweethearts, and the two have no guesses, everyone sees it in their eyes and hopes that they can get married soon. The fourth brother has always been very simple, and he only wants to be with Qing'er wholeheartedly, and he has never had other thoughts. It's ...... that you can nullify his martial arts so easily Bloody. You know better than anyone how he grew up, and how much blood and tears and hardships he has honed his martial arts. You say that he relies on martial arts to do nonsense, and he can't live forever - forgive your nephew, you don't want to think about it, you are a doctor, although you are well versed in the way of the five elements meridians, but you have no martial arts yourself; If the fourth brother really relies on his martial arts to excel and bully the weak, how can he take you in his eyes, let alone kneel there obediently, and let alone let you abolish his martial arts. The fourth brother has always linked his martial arts with Qing'er's happiness and his revenge for killing his father, which is more important than his life. Now how do you let him live? How do you let Qing'er live? You treated the fourth brother like this, which really made everyone feel a little chilled. ”

Yang Zhiding sighed: "Xiang'er, you scolded me in horror." I was really mad at him. But I'm not as dizzy as you think. Xiao'er is so good, do you think I can't bear to abolish his martial arts? One day, you will understand the painstaking work of your uncle. I'm going to go in and see Xiao'er and have something to say to him. What are you supposed to do, what are you going to do. ”

Yang Zhiding pushed open the door and walked to the side room where Liang Tiehan once lived. Shen Ruoyu lay on the couch, motionless, as if he was asleep, but half of the bed fell to the ground. Books and clothes were scattered everywhere, and it was clear that Zhou Xiang had brought all his belongings over, except for the sword.

Yang Zhiding carefully re-covered Shen Ruoliao with felt, sat on the edge of the couch for a while, looked at the young man who was motionless on the couch, sighed softly, got up and began to collect the things thrown on the ground.

He took it for a while, but when he turned around, he met Shen Ruoliao's eyes.

"Xiao'er, I woke you up?" He asked apologetically.

Shen Ruoyu shook his head and sat up; He hadn't been asleep all the time. He didn't speak.

Yang Zhiding put the things in his hand on the case, sat down beside him, and asked with concern:

"Xiao'er, how are you feeling, are you feeling better?"

Shen Ruoyu didn't look at him, lowered his head and replied softly, "I'm fine." How did you get here? ”

Yang Zhiding said: "Come and apologize to you." ”

Shen Ruoyu was slightly taken aback.

"Uncle, don't say that. Everything is self-inflicted, nothing more than yours. ”

Yang Zhiding sighed: "Do you know that my precious girl has ignored me for several days since she knew what I did to you. Xiao'er, to be honest, I didn't dare to come to see you for half a month, for fear that you wouldn't pay attention to me. ”

Shen Ruoyu still lowered his head and asked in a low voice, "Qing'er-how is it?" If only I could ask. ”

Yang Zhiding said: "She is much better, she can already get out of bed, it's no big deal, you don't have to worry." It's just that my grandson is gone. He let out a long sigh.

Shen Ruoyu muttered softly, "Actually, you should kill me directly." ”

"Xiao'er, you must not think so." Yang Zhiding sighed, "This matter, in the final analysis, is still the uncle's fault. My father was too careless, and he didn't even see such a big thing; It happened, and I completely lost my mind and calm, and hurt both of you at once. Xiao'er, Uncle came today to make up for it. Do you remember what day it was? ”

Uncle looked at himself lovingly. Shen Ruoyu was stunned for a moment, counted slightly, and said hesitantly:

"Today is ...... March 12, the day of my mother's death. ”

The pain and sorrow in his eyes were very deep, and Yang Zhiding felt distressed for a while.

"Son, today is your seventeenth birthday. For the past sixteen years, every birthday you've had has been the happiest day of the year, and that's not right. This seventeenth birthday, Uncle must make it your happiest day. ”

Shen Ruoyu was speechless for a while. Yang Zhiding continued: "I have already told the swing to let her cook a table of good dishes tonight. Let's all have a happy meal together. When Qing'er is strong, I will take you two out of the mountain and take a walk outside; This time, I must have seen all the three mountains and five mountains. ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled helplessly and said, "Uncle, why do you have to make such a big move, I will be very uncomfortable." ”

Yang Zhiding shook his head and smiled: "What words; It's your birthday. Xiao'er, Uncle came to you and wanted to discuss something with you. Today is just in time for your birthday, which is a happy event; Uncle thought, it's better to be happy and happy, so that you and Qing'er can get married; Let's hold a birthday banquet and a wedding banquet together. What do you think? ”

Shen Ruoyu was shocked, and stood up from his seat. "What?" He couldn't trust his ears. "Uncle, this must not be!"

"What?" Yang Zhiding's smile was immediately stolen, "Never? What do you mean? ”

Shen Ruoyu bowed his head and said, "Uncle, I did something wrong, and I deserved to be punished; I don't need you to pity me. I will never tolerate Qing'er marrying a useless wretch like me. ”

Yang Zhiding sighed: "Xiao'er, you still hate me." ”

Shen Ruoyu shook his head resolutely: "Why should I blame you?" You should do it. All the hardships she endured were caused by me, and I hurt her. I only hate myself. I'm not worthy of Qing'er; She deserves to marry someone a hundred times stronger than me. You can't let me delay her for the rest of her life because of my momentary mistakes. ”

"Silly boy," Yang Zhiding smiled bitterly, "My stupid girl threatens that she will not marry you, no matter what I do to you." ”

"She's going to hate me soon."

"Nonsense; Is my daughter that kind of person? If you dare to treat her badly, I will never spare you. Yang Zhiding feigned anger. Then he laughed again.

"Don't be stupid. I have long seen the intentions of you and Qing'er, and I have long thought that I must do a good thing for you. This idea does not change because of the accident that has happened. Shen'er was dressing up the bride in Qing'er's room. I told the swing and asked her to bring us two warm pots of wine. Your body is still weak, and you don't need to drink too much wine, Uncle just wants to have a good chat with you. Really good wine and good food, just wait for the evening banquet. Now that I'm a little free, Uncle is just showing you something. ”

Yang Zhiding said, took out a wooden box from behind him like a trick, put it on the table, and said with a smile, "This is the birthday gift that Uncle gave you." ”

Shen Ruoyu was a little embarrassed in surprise. He had never been treated like this, and he didn't know what to say for a while, so he blushed and said, "Uncle, this is ...... Why bother. I am used to going to my mother's grave on this day every year and listening to my father's scolding...... Besides, seventeen is not anything special to celebrate. ”

"Silly boy, this is your first birthday, of course you have to celebrate it." Yang Zhiding said. "Tomorrow morning, we'll go see your parents together. Don't think about it now, look at what's in the box. ”

Shen Ruoyu carefully looked at the wooden box, and the wood grain on it was simple and simple. He guessed what would be inside. A book? The Four Treasures of the Study? Or something else he couldn't think of?

He opened the wooden box. Sure enough, it was a book, and I lay quietly in it. Shen Ruoxiao's heart instantly became cold, and the cover of the book was printed upright: Autumn Water Returns to Heart.

He didn't speak, he looked at the title of the book, and he didn't move, not knowing what to do for a while.

Yang Zhiding saw his reaction clearly in his eyes, and he was very sad in his heart. He said:

"Xiao'er, this Qiushui Returning Heart Skill is actually not a martial art, but a heart skill. Martial arts are naturally important; However, as a human being, the heart is the most important, and martial arts are secondary. Those who don't know martial arts can also achieve something; However, no matter what you do, the mind is inseparable. In our cottage, after your father and third uncle, there are only four people who really practice martial arts: Xiang'er, Tie Han, you and the mortal brothers. Others study, farm, or hunt, and in the end everyone lives the same; It's the same everywhere in this world, and what really distinguishes people is not in their careers, but only in their hearts. ”

Shen Ruoyu remained motionless and did not answer. Yang Zhiding said:

"Xiao'er, do you still remember the song you played in Nanshan before Qing'er's accident that day?"

Shen Ruoyu nodded.

Yang Zhiding asked, "Can you tell the uncle, what is the name of the song?" ”

Shen Ruoyu replied: "Assassin Qin." ”

"Did Jing Ke assassinate the King of Qin?"

"Yes."

Yang Zhiding nodded, shook his head again, and said with a faint smile:

"Xiao'er, we'll talk about the song itself, we'll talk about it later. It was a rare good tune; It's just that you were too immature and young at that time. All of this can be heard from the song. In the past, because you were still too young, Uncle always felt that it was too early to teach you this mental skill, and I am afraid that you would not be able to comprehend it at all. But now, you've been through something, you've grown up a lot, and you're going to be an adult; It's time. This Qiushui Returning Heart Gong is not a martial art, so there are no moves to speak of, but it is difficult to comprehend; But from shallow to deep, with your understanding, there will be no problem. Mental work must not be rushed; Uncle will take you, let's take our time, and gradually you will find that this is also very good for you to recover your body and martial arts. ”

"Restore martial arts?" Shen Ruoyu involuntarily repeated, and her heart sank secretly. Can the abolished martial arts be restored? sixteen years; Father's expectations and whips, his sweat and blood and tears; In the blink of an eye, the ashes are gone, how to find it again?

Shen Ruoyu said softly: "Uncle, forget it; What's the use of learning this now? I can't do anything in my life anyway. ”

Yang Zhiding sighed, picked up the thin book, and handed it to Shen Ruoliao.

"Xiao'er, don't be too busy jumping to conclusions; Whether it's useful or not, you won't know until you've seen it. ”

Shen Ruoyu hesitated for a long time, reluctantly took the book, and turned the first page. There are only four familiar big characters on the first page, which are written in thick ink and calligraphy, which is very eye-catching:

Real water has no fragrance.

At the foot of Yeyao Mountain, at the entrance of Zhenshui Village, beside the road that must pass up the mountain, there is a boulder, which is covered with white snow all year round. Wipe off the snow, you can see that on the stone face, the four big characters passed down from generation to generation are engraved by Yang Zhenshui, the founder of the cottage a hundred years ago.

He turned the page, and on the back of the page was a short text:

"Good is like water. Water is good for all things without fighting, and it is evil for everyone, so it is in the way. Dwelling in a good place, having a good heart, being kind and benevolent, being kind and believing, being good in governance, doing good things, and moving in good times. The husband is indisputable, so there is no especially. ”[1]

It was as if a meteor flew through my mind, marking a clear and profound line of seal inscriptions in the deep night sky; In the past seven years, he has never forgotten the autumn wind sword, and the mysterious inscription on the sword surface jumps in front of him at this moment:

The goodness is like water, and the sword is in the autumn wind......

He stared at the few lines, pondered for a moment, and turned another page. To his surprise, this page was printed with a familiar piece of prose:

"When the autumn water comes, hundreds of rivers irrigate the river. The flow is so big, between the two Zhuzhu cliffs, there is no argument about cattle and horses. So Yan Hebo was happy and took the beauty of the world as his own. Going down the river and going east, as for the North Sea, looking at the east side, not seeing the end of the water, so the Yanhe Bo began to turn his face, looked at the ocean and sighed: "There is a wild saying, "I hear the Tao and think that I am not the one who is the same", and I also say it. And the husband and I taste the news of Shao Zhongni and despise the righteousness of Boyi, I believe in it; Now I see the difficulty of the son and the poor, I am not the door of the son, I am smiling in the generous house. ’

"Beihai Ruo said: 'The well frog can't speak to the sea, and he is confined to nothingness; Summer insects can't talk to the ice, but to the time; Qushi should not speak to the Taoist, and be bound to the teaching. Today, you are out of the cliff, looking at the sea, you know that you are ugly, and you will be able to speak of Dali. The water of the world is greater than the sea, and the rivers return to it, and I don't know when it will stop and not profit; The tail is leaking, and I don't know when it has been; Spring and autumn remain unchanged, and the water and drought are unknown. The flow of this river cannot be counted. And I have not tried to use this self-many, since I compare myself to the shape of heaven and earth and suffer from yin and yang, I am between heaven and earth, like a small stone and a small wood in the mountains, Fang exists to see less, and ridicule himself more! The four seas are between heaven and earth, not like the emptiness in Dazehu? Counting China's in the sea, not like rice in the big warehouse? The number of things is said to be 10,000, and people are in one place; People die in Kyushu, where grain and food are born, where boats and vehicles pass, and people are in the same place; This is more than all things, not like the end of the horse body? The five emperors are connected, the three kings are fighting, the benevolent people are worried, and the people are working hard. Bo Yi words as the name, Zhongni language as Bo, this is more than it, not like Erxiang is more than water? ’

……”

Shen Ruoyu raised his head and looked at the patriarch in surprise. "Is it Zhuangzi? Autumn water," he asked.

Yang Zhiding smiled: "Not bad; You've read it. The 'real water without fragrance' on the title page is the clan motto of my real water village, and it is also the highest state to be achieved by returning the heart to autumn water. This passage on the back of the title page can be said to be an interpretation of this four-character discipleship, and it is also the opening sentence of the whole Qiushui. This first article "Zhuangzi? Although Autumn Water is only an excerpt, it is the essence of the pen. The meaning of the article, Uncle doesn't need to explain it to you. To be a human being, we must have a mind as broad as heaven and earth, no matter how many things are high or low, and there is no gain or loss, because there is something, there should be, because there is nothing. This is what Fan Zhongyan said: 'Do not be happy with things, do not be sad with yourself'; only when people have the mind to accept all rivers and rivers and the attitude of not being shocked by humiliation can they fully understand the world in which they live and look at everything around them fairly. 'The most virtuous can be hot, water can drown, cold and heat can harm, and beasts can be thieves. This is the first lesson of Qiushui's heart-to-heart work. ”

The meaning of the patriarch's words, Shen Ruo could understand every word; He had just lost his life-like martial arts, and the uncle just wanted to comfort him and let him go. He pondered and meditated, but it was hard to be convinced. However, it was irrefutable for a while. "The husband looks at the big one endlessly, and the arrogant one doesn't know the small"; "The lord of the world is not enough to persuade, and shame is not enough to be humiliated; Knowing right and wrong cannot be divided, and small and large cannot be ni"; Every word was true, but it made him feel depressed. "Destroy the sky without man", destroy the sky without man; No one can destroy the sky......

"Good is like water". "Water is good for all things". "The husband is not fighting, so there is no especially".

The inscription on the autumn wind, lingering back and forth in front of the eyes, reflects the cold light: the good is like water, and the sword is the autumn wind...... Isn't it a contradiction?

He was caught in a contradiction, and for a moment he couldn't say a word. Yang Zhiding looked at his distressed expression and smiled:

"Xiao'er, this spiritual cultivation is not something that can be improved in a moment; You put the book away first, and then you can ponder it after tonight. ”

The door opened; The wooden swing walked in with a tray. Scattered snowflakes had fallen outside. It snows in March, and it's not uncommon to see it in the mountains. A breeze blew in through the door; Shen Ruoxiao, who hadn't gone out for half a month, suddenly smelled the cold air stained with the smell of snow, and felt a little cold. His physical strength is indeed much worse than before.

He shook his head, trying not to think about it; He has to make himself look happy in order to make Uncle and Qing'er happy.

Mu Qiuqian smiled and put the tray in the middle of the table, squeezed his eyes at Shen Ruoyu, and then happily withdrew, closing the door, leaving only the uncle and nephew to drink in the room.

Shen Ruoyu poured the wine, picked up the wine glass in front of him and took a sip. The wine is very strong; For the first time, he felt the wine so strong that it was uncomfortably strong. He blamed everything on his declining physical strength, swallowed it with bated breath, tried his best to hide it, and tried to pretend to be calm, but he couldn't bear the choking, and the expression on his face was extremely strange.

Yang Zhiding looked at his stupid appearance, couldn't help laughing, raised the wine and tasted it, let out a long breath, and said, "This wine is strong enough." We can't drink too much yet; If the bridegroom and the old father-in-law were drunk, our bride would cry. ”

Shen Ruoyu lowered his head and whispered, "Uncle, my nephew is sorry for you; You are still so kind to me, this grace will make my nephew die without retribution. ”

Yang Zhiding said with a smile: "Silly boy, you are young, and you can say things to death casually, so that people laugh at you for not knowing it." It's all a family, why are you so polite, it makes me feel rusty; Do you still hold a grudge against Uncle in your heart? ”

Shen Ruoyu's heart tightened, and said: "Uncle, don't say that again, where can I be so ignorant; Don't talk about it again, okay? I'm really—"

He suddenly stopped talking and looked at Yang Zhiding strangely.

"Uncle? What's wrong with you? He asked.

Yang Zhiding's face suddenly became a little strange. He put the wine glass back on the table, his eyes stared at Shen Ruoyu, and he was silent for a while, his eyes were extremely nervous, as if he was trying to remember something, and as if he was waiting for something. Suddenly, his face sank, and he spoke:

"Xiao'er, you have to understand Uncle; Uncle abolished your martial arts at that time, actually—"

"Don't talk about this, uncle, my nephew understands everything." Shen Ruoyu shook his head and interrupted Yang Zhiding's words. He now runs away from everything related to martial arts. "I know that I have created my own sin, and I have never blamed you. But please, don't talk about it again, I really can't stand it. ”

Yang Zhiding said: "Xiao'er, listen to me, you will be good to Qing'er, right?" ”

"Uncle......" Shen Ruoyu looked at him suspiciously; The uncle's words were slow, and there was an abnormal tremor in his voice. "I swore to my mom and dad that I would—"

His whole body suddenly froze, and his heart became cold in an instant; He remembered that day at the top of the rain peak, in front of Yang Suqing, he made an oath to his dead parents, and he remembered it vividly; Only the content of the oath, for a moment, he couldn't even remember a word. How so? He had clearly thought about it seriously, and made that oath carefully and carefully, and now, only a few days, he had completely forgotten what he had said!

What will happen to him? is probably nothing more than staying with Qing'er for life, never changing his heart and so on; He has made the same vow hundreds of times, and there is nothing new about it; But never had he ever been so serious as this one, and he had never believed that the words of his oath could one day become a proverb. He can still remember most of the promises he made before, but the only time he made a serious oath was that he forgot a word!

Yang Zhiding didn't notice his abnormality; In other words, Yang Zhiding's performance at this time was not normal than Shen Ruoxiao. He opened his mouth, but his voice was like drunkenness, and he said:

"Then I'll be relieved; You are a good boy with a sense of responsibility and a lot of faith, but there is no need to swear. He smiled, but the smile was extremely strange. You'll understand, you'll forgive me, you...... You have to be careful, be careful......"

He suddenly stretched out his hand to Shen Ruoliao, but before he could reach him, he fell on the table. Shen Ruoyu was stunned.

"Uncle," he whispered, "what's wrong with you?" ”

Yang Zhiding lay there and did not react.

Drunk? Unlikely. The uncle drank much more than himself; He didn't have anything to do.

Shen Ruoxiao grabbed the hand that was reaching out to him and shook it. "Uncle, uncle?"

Yang Zhiding still didn't move.

There seemed to be something uneasy in my heart, an extremely familiar uneasiness, as if something was constantly wriggling in my heart; The movement was separated by another layer of things, and he felt that the answer was close at hand, but he couldn't remember it for a while. Shen Ruoyu instinctively stood up, walked to the edge of Yang Zhiding, carefully picked up the wine glass that Yang Zhiding tasted, sniffed it carefully, and didn't smell anything unusual.

"Big brother," the third uncle's voice suddenly sounded in the courtyard, getting closer and closer to here. "Big brother, how are you preparing for Xiao'er, why don't you let the younger brother come to join in the fun?"

He Yu pushed open the door and saw Shen Ruoyu. "Xiao'er, where is your uncle?" Without waiting for an answer, he saw Yang Zhiding lying on the edge of the table. "Big brother? What, drunk? ”

Shen Ruoyu's mind was blank, and he couldn't say a word. He Yu walked over and saw his expression, and his face immediately changed color. He helped Yang Zhiding up, and both of them were startled. The patriarch's former radiant face turned out to be as gray as a brick, bloodless. He Yu was shocked and involuntarily let go of his hand, and Yang Zhiding fell to the ground like a bundle of straw.

"Quick, get him to bed!" The third uncle ordered, then turned around and ran out of the house. Shen Ruoyu watched him run out, hazy and hazy, with a sense of impending disaster, and he couldn't say it really. He bent down and picked Yang Zhiding up, his whole body so numb that he couldn't feel the slightest weight. He put Yang Zhiding on the bed in the inner room; A vial rolled out of the patriarch's arms. Shen Ruoyu bent down and picked up the vial. A delicate celadon vial with a bakelite lid tightly tucked.

As soon as he stood up, He Yu ran in from the door, and when he saw the vial in his hand, his face immediately changed color:

"Livestock! Sure enough, you did a good job! ”

Shen Ruoyu looked at him in a daze, not understanding what he meant.

"What's going on?" He uttered the first words.

"What's going on? I haven't asked you yet! He Yu said angrily, "How can the antidote be in your hands?!" ”

Shen Ruoliao did not answer. The hazy and uneasy squirming in his heart became more and more real, and he felt sick; He suddenly came to his senses and found that the medicine bottle in his hand had been taken away by the third uncle. He Yu groped with his hands for a while, suddenly stopped in his chest, then reached into his arms, and took out another white porcelain vase of the same shape and size. Shen Ruoyu looked at the white porcelain vase incredulously, and for a while there was only a blank blank in his mind.

"What else do you have to say?" The third uncle asked coldly.

Shen Ruoyu stood there like an expressionless stone statue. He said, "You know better than I do. ”

He Yu stared at him for a while, and suddenly reached out and slapped him twice on his chest. Shen Ruoliao's whole body was weak, and he involuntarily took two steps back, leaned against the wall and sat down weakly, unable to move anymore. He watched the third uncle walk out of the door.

The moment the door opened and closed, he noticed that outside, the snow had fallen heavily.

********

[1] Tao Te Ching

[2] Zhuangzi? Autumn Water