On the Yanbei Plain, the stars are scattered with large and small villages and towns, and because of the fertile land and open terrain of the plain, the population has increased. At sunrise, the peasants picked up their tools after breakfast and went to the fields to start their day's work. If anyone had worked harder and had to take advantage of the cold weather to work in the fields at dawn, he would have noticed that on the road to the county seat, a young man of about twelve years old was walking in the direction of the city in the morning fog.

The young man's clothes were shabby, and even took up a lot of stains, his hair was a little disheveled, and he clutched a yellow paper bag tightly in both hands, for fear that he would lose it. From time to time, he swept a few wary glances around him, and was ready to flee at any time. At an intersection with dense weeds, the boy's body disappeared in a flash, and the sound of rustling in the grass marked the boy's whereabouts. The boy walked deep into the grass, where there was a large pit. The boy slid down the edge of the pit and came to a shelter from the wind and rain, covered with thatch and a plank to block the morning breeze. On the thatch lay a dying young woman, the young man's mother.

The young man named Wei Zeng and his mother were originally from a nearby village, and his mother was deceived when she was young, and she was abandoned from the beginning to the end but became pregnant with a child. His mother was determined to raise the child and rejected her parents' plan to secretly have a baby. When the child was born, she became the laughing stock of the whole village, and her parents, who were under moral pressure to keep her at home, built her a modest house on the edge of the village and announced that she would be expelled from the family.

For the next 12 years, the women endured the ridicule of the villagers and the harassment of the village scoundrels, and made a living by working as female laborers in the city, selling and picking wild vegetables, and capturing small animals. In the days when mother and son depended on each other, life was very hard, but women were kind by nature and knew righteousness, and they always taught Wei Zeng to be an upright person and a person of self-respect and self-love. And took out a small amount of savings to implore Mr. Teach in the village to teach Wei Zeng to read, but Mr. Teach was reluctant at first. But the woman said that she had become a shameless person, but she didn't want her son to be like this, she wanted her son to be a self-respecting and self-loving person, even if he couldn't achieve much, she hoped that he could live an ordinary life. Although Mr. Jiaoshu adheres to secular etiquette, he is also moved by the woman's love for her son, so he allows Wei Zeng to listen in class.

This ordinary day may continue forever, Wei Zeng will grow up to rely on his efforts to change his mother and his own situation, and will marry a wife in this small village to guard his mother and live an ordinary but happy life. At least ten days ago, Wei Zeng thought so. Wei Zeng has been very sensible since he was a child, knowing his mother and his own situation, Wei Zeng's biggest wish since he was sensible is to grow up quickly, he believes that as long as he grows up, no one dares to bully his mother and himself, and he will work hard to make his mother no longer work hard to live her old age in peace. I work hardest when I study, and I rush to do it when I work. He also got into a big fight when he heard the ridicule of his mother. No matter how hard life is, Wei Zeng has never cried, no matter how painful he was beaten when he was in conflict with others, Wei Zeng has never cried, he believes that as long as he grows up, all this will change. At least ten days ago he thought so.

"Little Liu'er, is that you?" Wei Mu heard the footsteps and opened her eyes, turned her body, and turned sideways to the entrance of the cave to see Wei Zeng who was walking in.

Wei Zeng saw that his mother had turned around, so he hurriedly went over and sat beside his mother: "Mom, it's me and I'm back, I'm back with food." ”

"The child's mother is dying, and I thought I wouldn't see you before I died. Xiao Liu'er spent the last period of time with her mother, and her mother really didn't want to go to the underworld alone. Mother Wei stretched out her hand and hugged Wei Zeng, trembling all over her body and said sadly.

"Mom, don't talk that nonsense, you'll be fine. Look, I've brought back food, and you'll be fine after eating this stuff. Wei Zeng took out the yellow paper bag in his arms and opened it, revealing a few white-flour steamed buns and a chicken leg.

"Where did this come from? Xiao Liu'er, I told you not to be a thief, don't be contemptuous. I don't eat any of these things. A trace of sternness appeared on Wei Mu's pale face, and there was also a little sadness in her eyes, as if she was sad and angry.

"Mom, how could I steal, this is the salary I earn for working for the big family in the village, and the person is very kind to see that I work hard and give me an extra chicken leg. I've earned it back. Wei Zeng hurriedly explained. A few days ago, Wei Zeng took back the stolen food, but his mother refused to eat it, so Wei Zeng said that it was given by his grandparents, it was given by Mr. Teaching, it was obtained by begging, and it was earned by part-time work.

After hearing this, Wei's mother softened slightly, showing a relieved expression: "I knew that Xiao Liu'er would not be a thief, you must know that you steal needles when you are young, and steal gold when you grow up." Sooner or later, a thief will be sent to prison, and that is a road from which there will be no return. can support himself, Xiao Liu'er will definitely not starve to death. I went to the Netherworld and I was relieved. ”

"Mom, you're talking nonsense again. Eat quickly, your body will be fine when you are full. Wei Zeng heard that his mother was still thinking about himself at this time, and a sore feeling welled up in his heart. Wei Zeng secretly said in his heart: As long as his mother can live, don't say that she will go to prison, even if she is willing to die. Afterwards, how the mother blamed herself, she was willing, as long as her mother lived.

Wei's mother ate some food and fell asleep again. During the day, Wei Zeng didn't dare to leave his mother's side for a moment, and only went out to look for food late at night. When it was close to noon, Wei's mother suddenly struggled and broke out in a cold sweat, this situation has appeared many times in the past ten days, and Wei Zeng felt a heart cramp every time. Maybe after ten days of tossing, Wei's mother has run out of oil, and she is extremely weak after sweating this time. Near evening, when Wei Zeng fetched water to feed his mother, Wei's mother suddenly woke up. Wei Zeng was very happy, thinking that his mother had finally improved. Who knows, this is just a return to the light.

"Xiao Liu'er, you must have self-respect and self-love as a man, and don't belittle yourself. It's hard for you to support yourself when you're young, and your mother is really worried that you'll go astray. Now that my mother can't take care of you anymore, I will take you to remember my mother's instructions: don't be a thief. "After Mother Wei left this sentence, you passed away. Wei Zeng lay on his mother, who was getting cold, and wept bitterly. It is like a long moon on the branches. Wei Zeng dug a hole in a clearing with a tree branch, and dug a hole nearly two meters deep in a few hours to bury his mother.

Watching his mother, who used to teach him earnestly, turned into a nameless mound. Wei Zeng's sorrow came from his heart, he couldn't hold back his tears, and looked to the east where there was an enemy who forced his mother to death. Wei Zeng knew that he was now powerless to avenge his mother, so he knelt three times in front of his mother's grave. Then he went to the north, he heard that there is a big city in the north called Guiwu, there are many powerful martial artists in that big city, and now there is no way to go, it is better to go to learn martial arts, and after learning in the future, he will personally kill the enemy and avenge his mother. But where did he think, how could those famous martial artists accept an orphan like him who has no power and powerless, and even if he accepts him, how can he really teach him as a servant.

Wei Zeng didn't think so much and didn't have to think so much, all he needed now was a goal, as for whether this goal was realistic or not, whether it could be achieved or not was not the most important thing. First of all, there must be the belief to live, and then there is anything else. In this way, Wei Zeng went north.

Now the season is upright, the weather is still very hot in late summer and early autumn, Wei Zeng is walking on a northbound road, he doesn't know where Guiwu is, only knows that Guiwu is in the north. Ask passers-by along the way, and come like this along the way. Yanbei is a plain, the altitude is low, the wild land is commonly known as the big depression, although there is no river, but the groundwater level is extremely shallow, the shallowest place as long as digging down more than ten centimeters will have cold groundwater gushing out, Wei Zeng is the indigenous people of Yanbei are familiar with the matter of finding water sources.

Along the way, Wei Zeng hit the small beasts with stones, and sold the captured small beasts to farmhouses or hotels in exchange for supplies along the way. In the Yanbei Plain, there are no high mountains and dense forests, and there are naturally no birds of prey and beasts. But there are many small beasts such as hares, foxes, and weasels. These little beasts are easy to provoke, and they are very clever, and if they are not careful, they will let them escape. In winter, when the snow is heavy, there are often farmers chasing and hunting in groups with a few Shiba dogs. Wei Zeng lived a hard life, and he also learned to hunt with one hand, and used the stones in his hand to hit the small beast often seven or eight times out of ten. The value of the little beast's life is more than the dead, so Wei Zeng hit the little beast in the leg, and then stuck it alive with a forked branch.

In the fields of the Yanbei Plain, there are often stacks of firewood piled up by farmers, or wheat straw or corn stalks, peanut vines and cotton branches. Wei Zeng slept in it at night, but fortunately, although it was cold at night at the beginning of autumn, it was not very cold to have thatch to cover his body.

I have been walking for ten days, and this evening I met an old man who happened to have been to Guiwu when he was young. Older people live in a lonely life, and they are very talkative when they meet someone who can talk. Although Wei Zeng was dressed in rags, the ordinary peasants in the Yanbei Plain were not wealthy, and they did not despise him, plus Wei Zeng used to go to school and knew some etiquette. Therefore, the old man thought that Wei Zeng was a hard student who was studying. From the old man, Wei Zeng learned that Guiwu was not in the Yanbei Plain, in the farther north, to get to Yanbei had to pass through the Yushan Mountain Range, and Yushan had been a gathering of thieves since ancient times. The north of Yushan is collectively referred to as the Guanbei region, the land is vast and sparsely populated, the folk customs are fierce, there is a martial tradition since ancient times, and Guiwu is one of the three towns in Guanbei. There are many martial arts scholars in Guiwu, and they can be described as masters, in addition to the various martial arts sects that are exposed on the surface, there are also many gangsters in secret. Outside the northern city of Guanbei, the political instability over the years has caused many displaced people, some of whom have gathered in the mountains to fight for their crimes, and many have joined the notorious cult to harm one party. The old man warned Wei Zeng that before he crossed Yushan, he must get together with the past business travelers, even if he spent a little more money, and if he didn't have money, he promised to work for him. Because business travel in the past is also eager to cross the mountain, one more person has more strength, and he is also willing to travel together. Don't provoke the gangsters when you get to Guiwu, although those people don't say that they are lawless, they will also be repaid. As for the notorious cultists, they fled when they encountered them, and they fled with all their might.

After saying goodbye to the old man, after walking for about an hour, it was completely dark, Wei Zeng found a nearby firewood stack, got in, and took shelter today, nibbled on a few mouthfuls of dry food exchanged from the farmer, and settled the dinner with a few pickles. Lying in the woodpile and closing his eyes, but he couldn't fall asleep for a long time, when he was a child, he was ignorant and couldn't eat enough to sleep, he always told his mother that he was hungry, and his mother said that as long as he didn't shout hunger, he would tell stories, and in order to listen to the stories, he would hold back his hunger and be quiet, those stories seemed to have magic, and he could always indulge in them and forget his hunger and fall asleep quietly. Now that his mother is gone, he is not hungry, but he still has trouble sleeping, so Wei Zeng silently recited the story told by his mother in his heart.

"Once upon a time there was a village, and there lived an old man and an old woman in the village, and one day."