readx(); After Zhang Molu was full of food and drink, he looked at Tang Yuanhua and asked, "Senior, if I follow you, what good will it be?" ”

Tang Yuanhua picked up the teacup and took a sip: "At least you won't die on the street." ”

Zhang Molu glanced at Xing Boqiu and said coldly: "The two of them are not ordinary people, in the troubled times, I am a slippery, and with the two people who want to pretend to be ordinary people, but they are not ordinary people, maybe there will be a more tragic end than dying on the street." ”

Xing Boqiu was very unhappy when he heard it, and he didn't have the slightest good impression of Zhang Molu, who was not particular about his words.

Tang Yuanhua put down the teacup and asked, "What do you want?" ”

Zhang Molu asked rhetorically: "Senior, I just want to know, why do you want me to be your apprentice?" ”

Tang Yuanhua said bluntly: "I hope you and Boqiu will help me find a place." ”

Tang Yuanhua's words had never been said to Xing Boqiu, which made Xing Boqiu a little surprised, and looked at the master in confusion.

Tang Yuanhua said again: "The reason why I chose to tell you now is because you will know sooner or later, for you, it is better to know earlier than later, because if you know later, you will wonder if I am using you." ”

Zhang Molu sneered: "Then are you using us?" ”

After Zhang Molu finished speaking, he deliberately glanced at Xing Boqiu, and at this time, Xing Boqiu also squinted at the master Tang Yuanhua sitting next to him.

Tang Yuanhua said: "I am using you, I am using you to pass on my ideas and my knowledge, and I am using you to complete things that I can't accomplish. Boqiu, you can also make a new decision, whether you leave or stay, Master doesn't blame you. ”

Xing Boqiu immediately said: "One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father." ”

Tang Yuanhua let out a "hmm" and looked at Zhang Molu.

Zhang Molu sighed: "Let's make an agreement, if one day, I find out that you are more heinous than I imagined, then I will definitely leave immediately, because even if I am from a slippery background, there is a rule in our industry, that is, to seek wealth and not take life, except for the wicked." ”

Tang Yuanhua smiled, he finally gathered two apprentices, and he could also officially teach and pass on his skills to them.

Of course, Tang Yuanhua's teaching is still selective, and of course he will pass on the basic knowledge of the cargo master to the two of them at the same time, but in terms of martial arts, as he guessed, Zhang Molu is not interested, but Zhang Molu likes to study classics, and he will not put down the book as soon as he holds it, and he will study it every day, and he will be more concerned about Qimen than Xing Boqiu.

And Xing Boqiu, in addition to studying martial arts, is more thinking about when he can return to Xiaocheng and fulfill his duties.

After a few years, Tang Yuanhua's body finally couldn't hold on, and before he died, he told the two of them all the clues he had gotten about the Cast Iron Immortal, and asked the two to swear that even if they couldn't solve the secret and couldn't find the location, they would have to accept the apprentices and let the apprentices continue.

Xing Boqiu and Zhang Molu agreed, and after burying the master, Zhang Molu bluntly said to Xing Boqiu: "I know that you have filial piety in mind, you go back to Xiaocheng now, do what you have to do, and I will do the rest." ”

Xing Boqiu felt that he couldn't go, and hurriedly said, "I'm with you." ”

"No, Master said, the most important thing to be a cargo chaser is to focus, your heart is not here now, it's useless for you to stay, let's go." Zhang Molu pressed his senior brother's shoulder, "You have a home in Xiaocheng, if I am in trouble in the future, I will have a place to avoid it, and I also know where to find you." ”

The two have been separated since then, this farewell is a few years, and when the two get together again, Xing Boqiu already has a son, that is, Xing Renju, and in order to hide his identity, Xing Boqiu changed his name to Chen Defa, and named his son Chen Jiujin, living in the suburbs of Xiaocheng, Hebei, making a living by farming and selling vegetables, secretly guarding the Guo family, the heir of filial piety in Xiaocheng, while also waiting for the arrival of Zhang Molu.

When Zhang Molu recalled this, he sighed: "The year I went to look for your father, Xiaocheng sent a big flood. ”

Xing Renju fell into memories: "I was still young that year, and I later learned that my father took the risk of blowing up the berm of the lake in order to prevent those who were trying to restore the Manchu Qing Dynasty from finding Xiaojin, and Xiaojin was saved, but many people in Xiaocheng also died. ”

Zhang Molu nodded and said: "Yes, our master didn't kill so many people to keep secrets, so at that time, when I found your father, he had already pretended to be a madman, I know, he was really almost crazy......

Zhang Molu found Xing Boqiu in front of the mass grave outside Xiaocheng, when Xing Boqiu knelt on the hill and looked at the people below who buried their relatives with tears.

When Zhang Molu walked to his side, Xing Boqiu just said: "I killed these people, I am a sinner, I am the biggest sinner in Xiaocheng, in order to protect Xiaojin, I blew up the berm, so that the lake flooded the cave containing Xiaojin, and also flooded the entire Xiaocheng." ”

Zhang Molu didn't know how to comfort him, just knelt down with him and listened to him quietly repent.

After Xing Boqiu finished speaking, Zhang Molu just said lightly: "I know where Qimen is." ”

Xing Boqiu turned his head to look at him: "Do you want to find it?" ”

Zhang Molu looked at the mass grave below, and suddenly his thoughts changed: "I don't want to." ”

"Really?" Xing Boqiu didn't want to believe it, "Why? ”

Zhang Molu said: "It will be dead." ”

Xing Boqiu shook his head slightly: "If we don't look for it, others will also look for it." ”

Zhang Molu looked at his senior brother: "You mean, let's go and find it?" ”

Xing Boqiu got up and said: "Look, hide it after you find it, disrupt all the clues, and let the later people know that it is difficult to retreat." ”

Zhang Molu smiled: "Senior brother, you think things are still so simple, no matter how we disrupt the clues, the clues are still there, because it was not us who left the clues first, but the Cast Iron Immortal, all we can do is try to stop it." ”

……

Zhang Molu recalled this, and took another puff of cigarette: "I asked your father, why do you want to protect filial piety?" He said that it was a responsibility passed down from his ancestors, and I asked him again, why did we go to Qimen? He said that it was Master's last wish. How ridiculous? Your father and I are not curious about what is in Qimen at all, these two are not curious at all, they have already seen all the things in the world, but the two people who are disheartened have found Qimen. ”

Xing Renju didn't speak, just listened quietly, because from Zhang Molu's words, he already felt that whether it was Zhang Molu or his father Xing Boqiu, they were already tired, and they just wanted to live a stable life, no longer bothering about strange doors and chasing strange goods.

Zhang Molu suddenly asked, "Renju, what about you?" Are you curious about Qimen? ”

Xing Renju shook his head: "Before my father told me everything about Qimen, I was a policeman, I witnessed a series of tragedies caused by filial piety, and the Guo family, the heir of filial piety, was also killed, but only Young Master Guo was left, after we found Xiaojin, no one had the idea of touching that batch of treasures, because we all knew very well that the treasures were actually just a **." ”

Zhang Molu finally had a smile on his face: "That's why your father and I will choose to let you do this, only those who can control themselves can take on this responsibility, ** cannot be strangled, and those who lose ** will only be the walking dead, and people can only do their best to control **." ”

Xing Renju asked, "Then you really found it?" ”

Zhang Molu nodded: "Yes, I found it, it's exactly the same as what I speculated, the Cast Iron Immortal deceived all the people, in fact, Qimen is close at hand, but the people in the past, because of the complicated methods he played, left behind the wrong clues and deviated." ”

Xing Renju hesitated for a while and asked, "Then, the chopsticks and bowls, as well as the secrets left by the Helian family, do they really point to Qimen?" ”

Zhang Molu nodded and said: "This is true, the secret hidden by the Helian family is how to use bowls and chopsticks to find the key clues to the location." ”

Zhang Molu paused again after speaking: "After we found Qimen, we found that what was hidden in it was far more terrible than we imagined, so we swore that we would always keep this secret, and according to the previous agreement, confuse Qimen and Xiaojin, and at the same time disrupt and cover up the clues. ”

Xing Ren said: "It turns out that everything was planned by you and my father, after my father told me his true identity, he also told me everything about the chasers, he taught me everything, and let me deliberately mix in with the palm of the chasers, so that I tried my best to prevent them from finding Qimen, in fact, you deliberately spread the lie that I know the clues of Qimen, the purpose is to cover up, use one bureau to trap another bureau, let people go around in circles, and always be confused by lies." ”

"Don't blame your father, this is what I taught him, if you want to deceive others, you must first deceive your loved ones, otherwise, who will believe it? It's the same with you, from today onwards, you can't trust anyone, not even yourself. After Zhang Molu finished speaking, he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Xing Renju, "This is the roadmap I designed for you, you follow this route and the method I wrote to cover up the clues, as for the pair of chopsticks, you will put them in the Tian family, when you complete the plan according to what I wrote and find my two disciples, I will naturally explain what they will do in the future, and their disciples and grandchildren will also do what I have explained." ”

Xing Renju looked at the piece of paper: "Uncle Shi, in fact, it is in vain for us to do this, you also said that the first to leave all the clues was the Cast Iron Immortal, and the clues he left behind, we cannot erase them, even if I hide the clues in your way, the clues will always exist, and someone will find them sooner or later." ”

Zhang Molu took off the dry cigarette holder in his mouth: "We are not doing this to really stop future generations from finding Qimen, covering up clues is an action, you can stop part of their actions, but you can't change their hearts." In the final analysis, what matters is not where Qimen is, but what happens in the process of finding Qimen. Like the chaser, what we really pursue is only this process, just like playing cards, winning money is important, but we enjoy the process of playing cards, because the money is always there, not moving, as long as you win, you can get, but the process of playing cards is never the same. ”

Xing Renju thought for a while, and put the paper away: "I understand, you want to let the people who come to find it understand for themselves in this process, now, I just want to know one thing, where is Qimen?" ”

Zhang Molu pondered for a long time, and shook out the ashes in the smoke pot: "Will you go to find it?" ”

Xing Renju thought for a while and said, "I don't know, I'm not ** about Qimen now, but curious." ”

Zhang Molu smiled: "Perhaps, after you see what is inside Qimen, you will feel at ease to do what I say, I'll give you a hint." ”

Xing Renju nodded silently, and Zhang Molu began to take off his coat: "In the ninth year of the Republic of China, there was a major earthquake in Haiyuan County, Dao, Ningxia, I can only talk about this, if it wasn't for that earthquake, I'm afraid I would never have been able to find the location of Qimen." ”

Xing Renju wondered: "Luck? ”

Zhang Molu stopped taking off his clothes: "Luck? Providence? Or maybe it's a miracle of the cast iron fairy, who knows? Who knows, in fact, the beginning is the end, and when I finish speaking, it's time to go back and continue to be a beggar, and we'll see you in heaven. ”

After Zhang Molu finished speaking, he folded the clothes and pants he had taken off, placed them flat on the tram seat, and walked slowly down from the tram in a tattered beggar suit.

Xingren stood up, followed Zhang Molu off the tram, and watched Zhang Molu walk towards the street where the lights were still on in the distance—this time, he did not go to the darkness, but to the light.

After Xing Renju watched Zhang Molu's figure disappear completely, he slowly left, walked to the corner of the street, looked at a rickshaw parked there, and the driver sitting under the car munching on baked cakes, went straight to the car, and said, "Nanjing Road." ”

The coachman finished eating the baked cakes in two or three bites, pulled Xingren on the road, and when he turned the street, the coachman slowed down and asked in a low voice, "How is it?" Do you know the location of Qimen? ”

Xing Renju looked at the back of the coachman: "I don't know, I just got the clues that I left." ”

"Give me the clue." The coachman stopped and turned to look at Xing Renju.

Xing Renju stretched out his hand to take out the paper, but he didn't immediately hand it to the coachman: "I have to follow the route planned above to cover up the clues, because Zhang Molu is still staring at me, my memory is not so good, it is impossible to memorize it all in such a short time." ”

The coachman still maintained the posture of stretching out his hand, and said coldly: "When you joined us, you swore that you should not forget. ”

Xing Renju sneered: "When I joined you, it was recommended by Zhang Molu, if it weren't for me, you would always stay on those clues left by the Cast Iron Immortal, and now in this world, the only one who knows the location of Qimen is Zhang Molu." ”

The coachman put down his hand: "You mean, let's not move Zhang Molu, right?" However, we are running out of time. ”

"You've been waiting for hundreds of years, is that much time missing?" Xing Renju held up the piece of paper, "Judging from the paper, if you want to really find Qimen, it may take decades, even a hundred years. ”

The coachman realized something: "Do you already know the location of Qimen?" ”

Xing Renju still shook his head: "I don't know, only Zhang Molu knows, so if you want to follow these clues left by him to find Qimen, you must let me do what I have to do, otherwise, you won't get anything." ”

After listening to Xing Renju's words, the coachman clapped his hands, and soon, dozens of men with guns came out from all corners of the street, and these people invariably raised their guns and aimed at Xing Renju on the rickshaw.

Xing Renju glanced around: "This is a public concession, once you shoot here, not only will people come to the patrol house, but also the troops stationed in various countries will rush over, and when the time comes, it will be difficult for you to fly, in addition, the national government is already planning to deal with you, you can do it yourself." ”

The coachman said coldly: "We have known this for a long time, we have left a group of people, let them arrest and let them kill, but they can't kill the Zhangrong Cargo Division, we will definitely find Qimen, retrieve everything left by the prophet, and revitalize the Great Unification Manichaeism!" ”

Xing Renju was dismissive: "Crazy." ”

The coachman frowned: "We may be crazy, but we are also better than you people who eat and wait for death, without any pursuit and ideals, as long as we find the miracle of the prophet, we can change everything!" ”

Xing Renju shook his head and closed his eyes, no longer arguing with the coachman: "Tomorrow night, still in that place, I will hand over the piece of paper that Zhang Molu gave me to you, and I will spend a day copying it, there is only one condition, if you don't want to, even if you shoot me, but I advise you to think about it, once I die, Zhang Molu's plan will not continue, and the clues will all be broken." ”

Xing Renju just sat there with his eyes closed, waited for a long time, and when he opened his eyes again, the coachman in front of him was gone, and the gunmen around him had all disappeared, and he knew that the other party had agreed to his request.

Xing Renju stepped out of the rickshaw and walked slowly through the streets and alleys, but he could not escape the ghostly stalkers who he knew would follow him until the day he died.

That night, Xing Renju made a decision on his own, he modified the last path that Zhang Molu arranged for him, he decided to die in prison, and always cover up everything he knew with black soil.

The next night, Xing Renju returned to the street where he got into the rickshaw, handed the piece of paper to the coachman, and then turned to leave, the moment he handed over the paper, he felt extremely relaxed, and he finally started Zhang Molu's plan - if he handed over the paper last night, those people would not believe him, only every other day and night, let them monitor it for a day and a night, and those Zhangrong chasers would pay more attention to the piece of paper and the bureau set up by Zhang Molu, without knowing that they had slowly fallen into the gameIt's like stepping into quicksand.

After doing all this, Xing Renju left Shanghai by train and returned to his hometown in Xiaocheng, preparing to go to the grave one last time to pay homage to his father Xing Boqiu before starting the road of death.