Zhongzhou, Qihuang Mountain.

Bangzi rang three times, and most of the Qihuang Mountain turned off the lights into the night, but Fang Huaiyuan was still working in the study.

As the head of the Linyuan Sect and the leader of the martial arts alliance that dominates the White Dao, Fang Huaiyuan can be said to be the busiest person in the rivers and lakes, he is forty-four in his fifties this year, and he has already passed the age of the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period.

His aging is so obvious, the thoughts of the martial arts alliance will inevitably fluctuate, Fang Huaiyuan is clear about the thoughts of these people, but he only restricts the disciples of the Linyuan Sect to keep to themselves, and does not impose shackles on others.

In the early years, Fang Huaiyuan still had the spirit of youth in his heart, and he would be depressed and unwilling because of it, but in the battle of Jiangcheng five years ago, he witnessed Fu Yuanyu being buried in the fire, and saw Bu Hanying leaving lonely, so he should have unloaded a big stone in his heart, but he didn't feel half relaxed, but he was more melancholy.

There will be twilight in the end, and heroes will always come to an end.

Their generation, whether it is grievances or hatreds, they are all in the past.

Therefore, after realizing that he was becoming more and more inadequate, Fang Huaiyuan decided to convene a martial arts conference, wanting to cultivate the next generation of martial arts alliance masters when he still had the strength to spare, not only to complete the unfinished business for himself, but also to be better than the blue in order to cope with the next changes in the world.

He pondered for a while, and worked hard to write for a while, and when the last secret letter was reviewed, the leaky pot on the table had passed the fourth watch.

Fang Huaiyuan was physically and mentally exhausted, and his mind was abnormally lucid, even if he went back to the room, it would be difficult to fall asleep quickly, but it would disturb Mrs. Jiang, she had been a little unhappy recently, and the doctor had told her to rest well.

As soon as he thought of this, Fang Huaiyuan sighed slightly in his heart, put on a thick robe, took the lantern and walked out.

He retired his guards and maidservants, and walked out of the courtyard alone with lanterns, and met the disciples who patrolled the mountains along the way, and they saluted Fang Huaiyuan, and watched him walk through the gravel path to the remote and quiet bamboo forest.

There were new disciples in the mountain patrol team, and when they saw Fang Huaiyuan's figure disappear, they asked in a low voice, "In the middle of the night, where is the alliance leader going?" That place...... Didn't you hear about haunting? ”

"Fuck you!"

The old disciple standing next to him was frightened by these words, and hurriedly covered his mouth, and quietly landed at the end of the line, only then did he lower his voice and said, "Be careful when you speak, do you know what kind of place it is?" ”

The new disciple was startled, and said, "I don't know, there's ...... It seems to have been abandoned for a long time. ”

"Phew!" The old disciple looked left and right, making sure that no one else was paying attention to this side, "Let me tell you, there is a small courtyard in the bamboo forest, called 'Qingxinju', right...... The place where the eldest lady lived before her death. ”

The so-called eldest lady refers to Fang Huaiyuan's deceased wife, about her in the martial arts league is as secretive, even the old people in the Linyuan Gate do not dare to say more, everyone only knows that this eldest lady and Fang Huaiyuan childhood sweethearts, the couple is in deep love, but the blessing is too thin, fifteen years ago Huaiyuan just became the leader of the alliance, the only son Fang Yongyan was only five years old, the eldest lady died, it is said that something happened, and no one dared to ask if she studied it carefully.

The whispering between the two finally attracted the stares of the team leader, who quickly shut up and continued to patrol the mountain.

The gossip among these disciples naturally could not reach Fang Huaiyuan's ears at this time.

The spring is cold and cold, and it is rainy at night, and he walked in the bamboo forest with a lantern for a short time, and there was a slight drizzle falling down from the cracks in the bamboo leaves.

Qingxinju is located in the middle of the bamboo forest, Fang Huaiyuan held the key in his hand, looked at the big lock on the courtyard door, and did not move for a long time.

Linyuanmen faction in Yongzhou Cuiyun Mountain, the mountain is evergreen all year round, especially the bamboo forest in the back mountain is like waves, he and his sister Qinglan have been practicing martial arts in the forest since childhood, it can be said that they are very affectionate, and so on until Fang Yulou established a martial arts alliance in Qihuang Mountain, Fang Huaiyuan became the head of Linyuanmen, it is inevitable to deal with affairs at the beginning, often sleepless all night, I can't sleep and go to the bamboo forest to practice martial arts and meditation, every time at this time, Qinglan will come to him with lanterns and hot soup, accompany him to practice a set of swordsmanship, and then sit beside him, Coax him to sleep peacefully after drinking the hot soup.

After a few years like this, even if Fang Huaiyuan gradually became handy, he had developed a habit, after becoming the leader of the alliance and moving into Qihuang Mountain, he deliberately found this bamboo forest and asked people to build this small courtyard according to the drawings, but unfortunately the courtyard is the same as before, and the people's hearts are not yesterday.

"Senior Sister ......"

Fang Huaiyuan closed his eyes, and it took a long time to slowly open them, and he raised his hand to push open the courtyard door.

The small courtyard that goes in and out does not occupy a large area, but although the sparrows are small, it is a pity that the courtyard has been idle for many years, even if there are servants who clean it regularly, after all, it is less popular, and many objects are also sealed, looking empty, very bleak.

The grass in the yard is green, the red apricot tree in the corner of the wall grows luxuriantly, Fang Huaiyuan walked close to the lamp to take care of it, and the buds are faintly visible between the branches, and I think that there will be a lot of apricot blossoms this year.

Qinglan likes this flower the most, red and beautiful, every flowering period has to climb the tree to pick, once he was caught red-handed and refused to admit his mistake, biting a flower branch, reaching out to him to compare.

The red apricot branches are in spring. (Note)

He couldn't help but smile, but the raindrops fell on his lips in the corners of his eyes, and the smile quickly turned into sadness.

Sad and drizzled with tears, there is no old man in the spring of the old garden.

Fang Huaiyuan didn't enter the house, sitting on the stone bench under the red apricot tree, silent as a stubborn stone.

The rain became heavier, and the candle flame in the lantern flickered a few times and finally went out, and his whole world was plunged into darkness, and the cold rain penetrated his clothes, and the cold was not sharp, but like small insects, they burrowed into the cracks of the bones one after another.

At this time, Fang Huaiyuan heard footsteps, and a light lit up not far away.

He was a little displeased, and when he looked up, it was a beautiful woman with a pale face holding a cloak, carrying a lantern and an umbrella, and walking towards this side, it was Mrs. Jiang who should have been sleeping soundly in the room.

"You ......"

"The concubine had a nightmare, and it was difficult to sleep after waking up." Mrs. Jiang moved the umbrella above his head, "Seeing that my husband didn't return all night, I was worried about my well-being, and I asked the disciples who patrolled the mountains to come to look for you." ”

Fang Huaiyuan got up and held her hand, only to feel cold, and went to warm her up with gentle internal force, and said, "Madame is in poor health, she should recuperate in the room." ”

"It's okay to come out for a walk." Mrs. Jiang smiled slightly, and accompanied him to the eaves, "My husband came here in the middle of the night, did you miss Sister Lan?" ”

The newcomer and the old man, the original stepfamily, in the end, are their own wives, in line with respect for Mrs. Jiang, Fang Huaiyuan rarely mentioned Qinglan to her, but he was in a depressed mood tonight, and he was in this small courtyard for many years, looking at the rain under the eaves like a string of beads, and mourned before he spoke.

Mrs. Jiang said: "The first husband has only been there for two years, and the concubine body misses him day and night, if you see the old things, it will increase the injury, and my brother is afraid that I will be sick, so he will take me back to the osprey dock, and the servants have been replaced with new ones, so that for a long time, the concubine body gradually no longer mourns for him, but there is always a piece of emptiness in my heart." ”

After a hundred years of cultivation, sleep together, and be a husband and wife for a lifetime, if it is not a wolf's heart and dog lungs, who can let it go lightly?

Fang Huaiyuan has been lukewarm to Mrs. Jiang for ten years, and now he is telling her about the past, and a certain string in his heart is also touched, and he sighs: "I owe her a lot." ”

Mrs. Jiang asked softly, "What kind of person is Sister Lan?" ”

"She's ......" A smile appeared on the corner of Fang Huaiyuan's lips, "She is an orphan, she was picked up by my father and raised in the mountain gate, she has a stubborn temperament since she was a child, and she can't see the appearance of a beautiful jade girl at all, and she is a completely different person from you." ”

Mrs. Jiang couldn't help but smile, she had heard a thing or two from her brother Jiang Tianyang, but it was the first time she had learned about this, and it was not difficult to hear two little guesses from Fang Huaiyuan's words alone.

She said: "A person like Sister Lan should live happily. ”

Fang Huaiyuan's smile gradually faded, he was silent for a moment, and laughed at himself: "Yes, she should be a free and happy woman...... It's a pity that she married me. ”

The eccentric Qinglan married Fang Huaiyuan and became a quiet and dignified alliance leader's wife.

She is no longer unbridled, no longer smiling, and no longer climbing the red apricot tree to pick flowers.

On the contrary, she has become unrecognizable, following the rules and not knowing how to be flexible, taking care of affairs with all her heart, exhausted her husband and children, doing more and more things, and really wanting to say less and less, and never going back to her youth.

Mrs. Jiang was silent for a while.

After a while, she asked, "Husband...... Have you really loved Sister Lan? ”

This time, Fang Huaiyuan was silent for a long time, and said with a wry smile: "It's too late." ”

The person he is most sorry for in his life is Qinglan.

Childhood sweetheart, two little guesses, for more than ten years, the heart is full of that person, even if he is hard-hearted, he can't be indifferent.

When Fang Yulou made the marriage contract for the two of them, not only Qinglan smiled like a flower, but Fang Huaiyuan himself was also happy.

But it was too easy for him to get it, he took this joy as usual, and when he saw a more amazing and beautiful woman, he regarded his heart as a love affair, and lived up to Qinglan's affection.

"I shouldn't have married her...... Fang Huaiyuan muttered, "I'm not worthy of marrying her." ”

Mrs. Jiang did not speak again.

She knew very well that Fang Huaiyuan didn't need to be comforted by her own pettiness, this was a past that belonged to him and Qinglan alone, and she couldn't allow herself to intervene.

Mrs. Jiang stood quietly, and it wasn't until Fang Huaiyuan's breath calmed down that she said, "The past is difficult to chase, the husband cherishes himself, and treats Yongyan well, so that he can comfort Sister Lan's spirit in the sky." ”

Fang Huaiyuan frowned slightly: "What happened to Yongyu?" ”

"Look at what you said, the Haitian Gang is my mother's family, and it is also a family with Linyuanmen, how could you let Yongyan have an accident on your own territory?" Mrs. Jiang snorted in disgust, and couldn't help but sigh softly, "However, Yong's body is ......."

If Qinglan is a scar on Fang Huaiyuan's heart, Fang Yongyan is his heart knot.

"Husband, I really don't understand you." Mrs. Jiang turned her head sideways, "Yongyan and A Luo's marriage seems to be very good, but in fact, there are many hidden dangers, what do you think in your heart?" ”

Fang Huaiyuan was noncommittal and asked, "What do you think of Brother Tianyang?" ”

"He has always loved Aluo, and you don't know it." Mrs. Jiang pressed the corner of her forehead, "The people in the rivers and lakes are fighting for their will, and there are countless bullies, although A Luo's appearance is good, but others can only see the name of the eldest lady of the Haitian Gang." Yongyan is your son, and he is already under a lot of pressure, and now you want him to be the son-in-law of the Haitian Gang, how many people are talking about it, although he is frail, he is still a dignified man, how do you tell him to face this? ”

"Gossip, don't pay attention to it."

"You speak lightly!" Mrs. Jiang almost laughed angrily, "Husband, the concubine body to tell the truth, Yong Yan marrying A Luo is just a superficial scenery, when it comes to life, it is better to marry an ordinary lady, even if the Fang family no longer masters the martial arts alliance, with the background of Linyuanmen, as long as the peace of mind is kept, future generations will not be defeated, you ask him to marry A Luo, isn't it the Italian Haitian Gang, even if the Fang family can't produce the third martial arts alliance leader, it's good to have an alliance leader's in-laws!" ”

"Madame is cautious." Fang Huaiyuan said lightly, "The position of the alliance leader is related to the various factions of the martial arts, how could anyone manipulate it?" ”

"The concubine said that you can't." Mrs. Jiang's willow eyebrows frowned, "Husband, there is a sentence that should not be said by the concubine, but ...... You are not only the leader of the martial arts alliance, but also the father of Yongyan. ”

Fang Huaiyuan is a continuation of the string, Mrs. Jiang is also remarried, her husband is a famous arrester, upright, because of an important case to provoke the enemy, for the deceased to clear the snow and avenge the grievances but three days was hacked to death in the alley, Mrs. Jiang was pregnant with Liujia at the time, and she was shocked and sad, the child could not be saved, and her body was also injured, and she could no longer have children, and after marrying Fang Huaiyuan, she took care of his housekeeping for him, and regarded Fang Yongyan, who had lost her mother since childhood, as her own.

She has been married into the Fang family for ten years, and she is aware of the estrangement between the father and son, but she is helpless, she thought that after the incident in Jiangcheng, the relationship between father and son should be able to break the ice, but she didn't want to make the rift deeper.

One is the son raised by herself, and the other is her own niece, even if Mrs. Jiang knows the character of the two children, but people's hearts are fickle, she can't bear to see Fang Yongyan and Jiang Yanluo look together, but her brother seems to have a whisper about marriage, but in fact, he is extremely concerned, the Haitian Gang has made frequent moves in the past two years, and its power has extended from the eastern coast all the way to the central hinterland, which makes Mrs. Jiang tremble.

How muddy the water of today's martial arts is, even if she is a backyard lady, she has heard of it, Mrs. Jiang admits that her brother is a hero, but it is still too far to be in charge of half the sky in the martial arts, she opposes this marriage, and she is also afraid that her brother's ambition will grow unscrupulous.

The more Mrs. Jiang thought about it, the more solemn her expression became, and she was seen by Fang Huaiyuan in her eyes, and her eyes moved slightly.

"Madame's good intentions are a blessing for our father and son." Fang Huaiyuan stretched out his hand and gathered the cloak for Mrs. Jiang, "Yongyan is my only son, how can I not think about him?" ”

Mrs. Jiang raised her head and said stubbornly: "That husband will make it clear with the concubine." ”

"Because ......" Across a curtain of rain, Fang Huaiyuan looked at the apricot tree, the wind and clouds under his eyes changed, and he fell silent in an instant.

"Flowers are not red for a hundred days, and people are good for a thousand days."