Then the man stopped suddenly, and turned to look at us children who were hiding on the edge of the road, his eyes blazing, as hot as the sun. He shouted: "It's time to bring the new imps to pick up weapons." I didn't understand the meaning of his words, but Lord General looked at me meaningfully and smiled. Later, I learned that this man was the patriarch of the Yan clan, he was only twenty-one years old that year, but he had already led the Yan soldiers to complete one great and mysterious mission after another, and led the Yan clan to another peak of history, so that the court lords were afraid to show favor and not be an enemy. ”

I stared at Zhu Jing seriously, imagining the appearance of the patriarch young Kong Wu in the crowd.

"Originally, according to the custom, the patriarch would personally receive the new clan in the same year, but he was entangled in affairs and did not return to the city until three years later. He did not have the majesty of the patriarch, he sat casually on the stone steps of the courtyard in the middle of the city, apologized to the three of us recruits who had not been received, and said that as a sign of apology, he had personally set up some weapons of his own choice, which we could choose as apologies. We didn't dare to say anything, but the Lord told us to hurry up and not waste the precious time of the patriarch. The patriarch laughed and teased the main general, saying that he was a monkey in a hurry, and he took out the weapons one by one and displayed them in front of us, so that we could pick them at will. I like the long sword he dances in his hand very much, I have been staring at it and dare not choose, I am not tall enough at the age of eight, but I still stubbornly want to dance, but I can't dance it at all, and it feels very laborious to hold it with one hand-" Zhu Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, there were tears in his eyes, that scene must have been deeply rooted in his heart, and he walked through countless moments of lost faith.

The long sword he was talking about was the same sword that had been tied to his back?

"The patriarch tore off his belt, and tied the long sword, which I could not dance with one hand, tightly on my back, and he held my shoulder, and knelt down on one knee to meet me, like my brother and like my father, and said to me, A man's ambition and courage are a hundred times more important than strength, and this long sword is yours, and one day you will be able to dance it for a hundred miles, and make the enemy fearful."

The patriarch is different, and any word can make people feel convincing.

"The patriarch takes good care of each of us, remembers the name of each of us, and knows the strengths and weaknesses of each of us, sometimes watching us practice martial arts, he can't help but itch his hands to come to us for a few moves, he likes to gather everyone together, practice Yan Xingyun Qiao together, the scorching torch, bend the moat, there will be the shadow of the brothers who rise and fall from time to time, and the main general who has never been in trouble with us will also join, we are not divided into identities and generations, only compared to the length of martial arts, everyone is very happy."

"Yan Xingyunqiao, what is it?" I think this name is a little familiar, I think I've heard it somewhere.

Zhu Jing said: "It's a kind of light skill that only the Yan people know, there are thirteen steps in total - at least we thought there were thirteen steps, until a few days ago, I didn't know that there was a fourteenth step......

I suddenly remembered that at the end of the comparison between him and Yan Cuo in the rain that day, Xiang Zhou asked this question, and Yan Cuo said that he made the fourteenth step, what is the name of the tired swallow returning to the nest, and then they read this sentence and left inexplicably.

Zhu Jing continued to recall: "After trying light exercises, the patriarch will start a fire in the middle of the courtyard in the city, and the brothers will sit together around the fire ring, talk about ideals, talk about ancient and modern, everyone has expressed what they have seen, and sometimes they will fight for red eyes, the patriarch always listens very carefully, and does not persuade the brothers to argue, but laughs curiously on the side, and laughs with his palms when he hears the highlights, and even like a child, he encourages us to fight if we can't quarrel." ”

Zhu Jing smiled, as if his eyes were the moat, silently recording the glorious past of the Yan clan: "Sometimes it is so good that even the lord and general can't help coughing to remind the patriarch, don't take us juniors." The patriarch will smile and wave his hand, and then seriously say to us, joining the Yan clan is not to be a dog as a horse, but to let one of our skills have a place to use, not to bury the talents given to us by God, the Yan clan has no rules and regulations that imprison people, it is just a family, a place where everyone gathers together with courage and righteousness. ”

I nodded, as if I were now sitting in the torch-filled compound, in a circle with the crowd, laughing and feasting with the great leader in the circle.

"He is our father and brother, our leader, and our faith, I began to understand the pride on my father's face when I left home, and I also understood the reason why the Lord said that I would be moved and honored to change my surname to Yan, and we aspire to become Yan soldiers, not for fame and profit, but for ourselves to be valuable."

I was thrilled to hear this, but I couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for Zhu Jing, because I remembered that the patriarch he was talking about as a father and brother had abandoned them when he was a teenager. Such a good patriarch, such a brother-like figure who loves his brother, why would he abandon them? So what kind of abandonment would make them so desperate?

After that period of time, the patriarch instructed the Lord to give the Lord a new task, and the Lord handed over the daily matters to Xiang Zhou, and never returned. Then the patriarch left with a dozen or so brothers in the clan, as if to carry out a very mysterious mission. It was the time of the Kunyuan coup, and the situation in the temple was unpredictable, and no one knew what the new name of the country would be when the sun rose the next day. But we can't do anything except make ourselves able to take on heavy responsibilities, so we can only step up our martial arts training and learning in Yancheng. ”

"Although the patriarch and the main general are not here, we follow the previous routine, practice martial arts and learn to fight, and are in order, but the patriarch or the main general has not shown up, and there is no new task, Yancheng has always been very quiet, and in the past, I always learned the news of the DPRK and China from the Lord General, but no one passed the news to Yancheng anymore when the Lord General left. Yancheng is like a completely isolated city, no one goes out, and no one comes in. ”

"I've been waiting, because where the new Ding has been in the clan for seven years, through the strict assessment, you can really become a member of the Yan general, the Yan ceremony, the patriarch will personally tattoo the Yan character on the shoulder of the new member, this is the honor that every clan brother has received, it will be a big ceremony in the city, called the Thorn Yan Ceremony, the patriarch has never been absent from the table......"

"But he didn't come, did he?" I remember one time when Zhu Jing took off her rain-soaked coat under the eaves, she had two deep scars on her back, but there didn't seem to be any tattoos on her shoulders like Yan.

Zhu Jing said in frustration: "Yes, so I can't be regarded as a real Yan clan soldier, at most I am just a new recruit who is ready to be replaced." There are a total of thirty-six generals in the Yan clan, who can only be listed after a very strict screening, they are the pillars of the entire Yan clan, and they are often given different tasks to run around, and they will only come back at important celebrations, but there are also some who will help preside over daily affairs in the city, such as my eldest brother Xiang Zhou. ”

"Didn't you say that there were more than 100 people in Yancheng? So what are the others? I wondered.

"In addition to the thirty-six generals, there are fifty-four members, and the generals are different levels from the members, the generals are above, the members are below, and below the members are those of us who have not yet entered the new Ding, referred to as Ding. Each general will be accompanied by one or two members, and the members will be brought with them. In fact, the level is very simple, but generally people of advanced races are elders, and we respect our elders very much, regardless of age. Usually we practice martial arts and learn literature, all with the staff, will generally not participate, even if there is a simple guidance, understand? ”

I nodded slowly, half-understood.

"The Thorny Yan celebration has been delayed again and again because I have not received a reply from the patriarch, and the eldest brother has also found various excuses to comfort me, the political situation is turbulent, not to mention the patriarch, even if it is a Yan general who is on a foreign mission, he may not be able to come back, etc., but how can I understand at the age of twelve. Seeing that my thirteenth birthday is approaching, there is no movement in the matter of the thorny swallow. Just as I was about to give up, the patriarch suddenly returned. ”

I was very deep in the play, and I was so happy that I almost thought I was twelve-year-old Zhu Jing.

"The patriarch came back very low-key this time, that is, he didn't meet us in the courtyard, nor did he meet anyone, but he just closed his door in his own courtyard, and the clan brothers who came back with him also kept silent about any matters of this mission. I was very anxious, I always wanted to see the patriarch, and wanted to ask him when he would be able to correct the identity of my Yan clan personnel, but the patriarch did not show up, and it was even more impossible for me to break into his courtyard and ask him. At that time, I had already achieved a little success in learning Yanxing Yunqiao, and when I was depressed, I jumped up to the city and looked at the night of Yancheng. That night, at the top of the gate, I met the patriarch who sat alone at night, and he remembered my name and asked me how I was dancing with my sword. I was young and vigorous, and asked him when he would join the clan for me, but he sighed, stared at the dim moon in distraction, and said something that he would not say. ”

"What?"

"Mu is too beautiful, the wind destroys it, the moon is too full, and it is close to loss. The patriarch, who had always been in high spirits in our hearts, suddenly said such a dejected word, and his brows were furrowed, and he was troubled. I didn't dare to ask him about such a small ego as Thorn Yan, so I asked him cautiously, I heard that the court coup has stopped, the overall situation has been decided, and the patriarch must have the merit of history, why is he worried? The patriarch sighed and whispered to Yue, no matter what decision I make, you will always be my good brothers. As long as the Yan heart is not extinguished, the Yan clan can not die. ”

My heart trembled.

Zhu Jing's eyes were moist, her voice was choked, and she said softly: "Yan's heart is immortal, and the Yan clan is immortal...... I can only keep remembering this sentence to keep my belief to this day, but after so many years, I realized that this sentence is just a joke from him, Yan's heart is not extinguished, but the Yan clan has already died......"

My eyes were hot and I whispered, "Why do you say that?" ……”

Zhu Jing looked at Yan Cuo distractedly, and said quietly: "The patriarch left Yancheng that night. It didn't take long for a piece of holy decree to be brought to Yancheng by light horse, and the whole city was in an uproar. Shengshang Zhiyan, high merit and hard work, but now Taiping Shengde, in the present Yan, the golden silk in the city is included in the needs of the court, those who wish can be naturalized in the house of hundreds of officials, and the rest can be unloaded and returned to the field, not to return to their original hometown, not to obtain fame, not to enter the official rank. The Yan clan will not be allowed to form a party, will not be allowed to travel to the Yan surname, and will not be allowed to return to Yancheng, otherwise they will be convicted of treason. ”

After so many years, Zhu Jing actually remembered the text of the holy decree at that time so clearly, word by word, sonorous and powerful, although I didn't fully understand the meaning of this holy decree, but I roughly knew that the huge and mysterious Yan clan no longer existed.

Zhu Jing gritted his teeth and said: "In one day, the famous and admired Yan clan was accepted by the court, and there is no Yan clan Yancheng in the world. Do you know what it feels like to fall from heaven to hell in an instant? ”

I looked at him sadly.