After the Lantern Festival, the air is still filled with the residual smell of the Chinese New Year. In the courtyard of a farmhouse on the outskirts of Beijing.

"Brother He Xian, are you there?"

He Xuan only returned home not long ago, and at this time he was in the utility room to put away the things he brought out when he went out today, and just when he stopped, he heard someone standing in his yard shouting to himself, no need to look, just listening to this voice that made people get goosebumps, He Xuan also knew who was calling him.

"I've just come back, let's come in and sit." He Xuan stood in the utility room and said loudly.

Today is the third anniversary of the death of his father-in-law, Tao Yizhi.

Early in the morning, He Xuan took the opportunity of practicing the exercises to go to sweep the grave of his father-in-law first.

He Xuan wiped his face and walked out of the utility room, only to see Qiu Shizheng sitting at the table in the main room and pouring himself tea.

"Is there something wrong, Brother Qiu?" He Xuan walked into the main room, asked indifferently, and then sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Oh, that's right. My dad told me early this morning, you have to worry about the expiration of the exam today, and right now, there is less than a month to take the exam, although my dad helped you hand over the roster, but still let me ask you if you will participate in this year's exam. ”

The benevolent brother who was called Brother Qiu by He Xuan, surnamed Qiu Mingshi, has a short figure, and although his appearance is not obscene, he can only barely be regarded as Zhou Zheng. His father is a squire in this village, and a few years ago, he spent some silver to donate a chief for himself, and he is also considered to be a Wang clan in this village.

Nearly ten years ago, He Xuan and Tao Yizhi came to this village, and they were taken care of by this family. In order to report, Tao Yizhi taught He Xuan to read at the same time, and also taught this Young Master Qiu incidentally.

"It's really embarrassing for Qiu Baochang, I still remember my father's death day. Please Brother Qiu help me reply, just say that I haven't thought about it yet. The period of Ding Worry has just expired, and I haven't prepared yet......" He Xuan listened to Qiu Shi's words and replied.

"Brother Xian's words are wrong!"

As soon as he heard this, He Xuan's eyebrows were twisted together, thinking in his heart that he would not be able to survive this catastrophe in about half an hour! Sure enough, Qiu Shi talked endlessly about the great truth, from the emperor's grace to the common people, from the ancient world to the Xuanhuang, and now to the morning tea and dinner......

He Xuan sat on the side and looked at Qiu Shi, feeling funny, but in two or three years, how did this person become pedantic? It turned out that he just thought he was a little nerdy, but since he became this "official", he has been "benevolent, righteous and moral" all day long...... If this was when he was a child, he would have kicked him out of the yard with three punches and two kicks.

However, now that I'm older, my father-in-law said before he passed away that he was sometimes too impatient, and the current situation really made me angry, but let's bear with it...... It's all about sharpening your temper.

Finally, when Qiu Shi stopped, He Xuan asked with a smile: "Brother Qiu's meaning has already been understood, do you want me to take the exam?" ”

"That's a mistake! Why do I want you to participate? A good man is determined to serve the country, a good man should serve the country, a good man ......" Speaking of this, Qiu Shi coughed excitedly, He Xuan grinned and looked at him breathlessly, it was really a little unbearable, and finally Qiu Shi took a breath, took a sip of tea, and continued: "Scholars like me, although they have no power to bind chickens, but they have read poetry and books since childhood, which is far stronger than that barbaric person, and they should contribute to the cultivation of the people......"

"Good!" Before Qiu Shi could continue, He Xuan took the case and said: "What Brother Qiu said is very true, it is like an initiation, let the next Mao stopper be opened, just for Qiu Shi's generous words, I will also try it in the next place!" ”

Qiu Shi was startled by He Xuan's sudden "good", and suddenly jumped up from the chair, for fear that He Xuan would lose his temper and throw himself out as a sandbag like when he was a child. It wasn't until he listened to the latter words that he was relieved.

"This is the spirit of a scholar! My dad is still waiting for me to go back to my life! The foolish brother will not be here for a long time. As he spoke, he made a gesture to He Xuan and trotted out of the He family's courtyard. When he arrived at the door, he saw that He Xuan was still looking at him, and arched his hand again, before walking in the direction of his house.

He Xuan looked at his back, couldn't help but laugh dumbly, and thought to herself: It's fortunate that the elder Bao is waiting for him to return to his life, otherwise, he wouldn't have told me until the evening. I think it should be the first big competition since this Bao Elder took office, and the only people in this village who are qualified to participate in the examination are himself and this Young Master Qiu, so he was sent to be his lobbyist. I have been taken care of a lot by him, and going to take the next exam will also help him in this year's political exam.

He Xuan was not interested in taking the exam because of his father-in-law's request, but his father-in-law always thought that if he wanted to avenge his father, it was an indispensable link.

Today, someone actually mentioned this matter again, thinking that in the dark, the father-in-law is also telling himself, since this is the case, then participate. Maybe you can really take this opportunity to get close to that Zuo Junzhong, who is already the person who is already the ruler of the court.

Early the next morning, He Xuan, as usual, got up at dawn and came to the mountain. For ten years, regardless of cold, summer, rain or snow, this time of day has been the time for He Xuan to practice martial arts.

After a simple warm-up, He Xuan first played a long fist, and after closing the momentum, he took a little rest and took out a pair of Emei thorns from the package on the side.

Back then, the little girl who would only poke holes in the watermelon with Emei thorns has already been able to make this pair of thorns fascinating.

I saw her piercing, piercing, picking, pointing, penetrating, and belting...... The rings are tightly linked, flashing, turning, soaring, and moving step by step.

The pair of thorns in her hand seemed to have an aura and would change: I saw that it was sometimes like a knife, and it was close to the enemy; Instantaneous and like a stick, flickering and turning, changeable; Sometimes it is like a sword, the movements are light and subtle, and it turns around.

About half an hour later, He Xuan stopped as soon as he regained his momentum.

Then, as usual, she chose a lesser-tracked path and walked towards her house.

He Xuan returned home, and after having a simple breakfast as usual, she began to tidy up the yard......

After everything was taken care of, He Xuan sat down under the pergola with his back to the courtyard door, and suddenly, a sound of horse neighing came from the backyard. Listening to the voice, He Xuan couldn't help but think of the scene ten years ago, when he was riding a horse on the grassland.

Think about it, I must have been very happy at that time. Since then, I seem to have completely lost the word happiness, and in the past ten years, the only thing I can think of every day is to avenge my father......

Just as He Xuan was immersed in his memories, he suddenly heard a rapid sound of horses' hooves, galloping from a distance.

He Xuan is not used to this kind of thing, this is not far from Kyoto, and the courtyard of his house is near the official road, so there are often high-ranking officials and nobles passing by the door with horses and whips.

However, this time, the situation is a little different from usual......

He Xuan only heard a "plop" outside, and it seemed that something had fallen heavily from the horse. Moreover, it seems to have fallen right outside the door.

He Xuan thought that maybe some postman or something had dropped the package, she impatiently walked to the door and looked out, and couldn't help but be surprised.

What fell from the horse was not something at all, but a person - although, now I don't know whether it was dead or alive, but it was indeed a person. The outfit on his body didn't look like an official errand, but like a businessman. A bolt struck the man deep in the left shoulder, already through his body. He Xuan looked at it simply, it shouldn't have hurt the meridians, but she had lost too much blood.

At this moment, He Xuan vaguely heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from the distance, and the sound was chaotic, it should be more than one person, at least four or five people.

According to the analysis of the current situation, it should be that this businessman has met a bad person. He Xuan thought for a while, and tried it with his hand, this person still had breath.

As soon as she lifted her breath, she dragged the man into the firewood room by the door of her yard.

Then he hurriedly swept the blood stains in the courtyard with a broom, then turned back to the courtyard and closed the door.

By the time she had put her broom away and arrived in the courtyard, the horse team behind her had already whizzed past her door. He Xuan took the book, sat in the courtyard and read it. I thought the group would come back in a while.

Sure enough, it was not as He Xuan expected, and in a moment, the four or five people really turned back.

"Hey, scholar, do you see a man passing by here?" A black-faced man at the head asked in a loud voice.

He Xuan put down the book in her hand unhurriedly, smiled faintly, and said, "I saw it." And not just one. ”

"Where? Where are you going? ”

"I didn't go anywhere, but in front of me, isn't it you?"

"Stinky boy, you play uncle!" One of the men with some roe head cursed loudly.

He Xuan ignored him, turned around, and prepared to walk towards the house.

At this time, one of his subordinates noticed the bloodstains on the surface outside the courtyard and said, "Big brother, look at this bloodstain. ”

The leader took a closer look, turned over and dismounted, and kicked open the courtyard door.

Those people stood in front of He Xuan, and one of the rat-eyed subordinates said viciously to He Xuan: "Stinky boy, are you impatient?" Dare to pretend in front of the uncle......"

As he spoke, the man was about to make a vivid hand on this book that seemed to be able to strangle to death, but at the moment when everyone blinked, that person was already lying on the ground for some reason and couldn't move, and the wrist of He Xuan's hand that he hadn't touched just now was still being pinched gently by He Xuan with two fingers.

Seeing this, except for the leader, those people were about to rush up to make a move on He Xuan, but they were ordered by the leader to stop with a shout.