Seeing the "victorious" return of the only craftsman in Lin'an City, followed by two high-ranking officials who seemed to be the imperial court, there was an indescribable sense of pride in the hearts of many people who had been waiting at the city gate for a long time. The atmosphere that had been cold and silent was rekindled, and everyone cheered at this moment.

The old man and the young man guarding the city gate lit two strings of red firecrackers hanging on the bamboo poles, and with the joyful crackling sound one after another, the group led by Hong Zhong gradually entered the city gate.

As soon as they stepped on the wide bluestone street in the city, the people who had been waiting on both sides for a long time gathered up and stretched out their hands to Hongzhong and the others one by one.

The people's feelings for the big people who can bring them hope and benefits are always sincere, so many people are full of good things that have just been carefully selected from many New Year's goods, or snacks to eat, or fine porcelain.

But the new craftsman Hongzhong, who walked in the forefront, did not accept any of them, he gently waved his hand to refuse the kindness of the villagers, perhaps because he was infected by this atmosphere, perhaps out of politeness, the corners of his mouth, which had been stiff since entering the city, finally rose slightly at this moment.

But the big-hearted people didn't pay much attention to this, and when they saw that Hongzhong didn't accept gifts, they ran straight to the two high-ranking officials who followed him from the capital, and handed them those gifts that Hongzhong had never accepted.

But the two high-ranking officials did not accept it, smiling and waving their hands to refuse. Then he sat down on the side of the horse with his feet between his feet, and followed the craftsmen of Lin'an City, who had distanced themselves from them.

"I didn't expect that our Xuanwu Kingdom would have such a good place with such simple folk customs, it's really rare!"

The man on the left was the first to speak, and the smile on his face was even stronger.

"Yes, I've been in the capital for so many years, and I've been dealing with those big people, how long has it been since I've felt such a simple people's feelings?" The man on the right with the saber at his waist looked at Hongzhong with a smile and asked, "But why doesn't Hongjiang look a little unhappy?" Are you not satisfied with the above arrangement? ”

"Originally, if the Hongzhong craftsman came back this time without accident, he would be the leader of Lin'an City, but he gave us two brothers a sideways kick, big brother, how did you say this made the Hongzhong craftsman happy?"

When Hongzhong heard this, he hurriedly clenched his fists, his face was full of panic, and said: "The two adults laughed, but they were just sad that they couldn't shine at the ceremony as a craftsman, and they were a little regretful." Where can you dare to criticize Your Majesty's arrangement? ”

"Oh, really?" The black-armored saber man on the right, who looked a little older, squinted his eyes and looked at Hongzhong, and finally smiled with relief, and said, "It seems that I am wrong to blame Hong's craftsman, what a sin." In the final analysis, after all, this is still the territory of Hong craftsmen, our brothers come here to take office, it is inevitable that there will be things to consult Hong craftsmen in the future, and when the time comes, I hope that Hong craftsmen will not hesitate to give advice, don't think our two brothers are annoying. ”

Hongzhong clenched his fists, grinned the corners of his mouth, and said, "That's nature, that's nature." ”

After withdrawing his hand, Hong Zhong sighed in his heart, and said in his stomach, your second elder is a Jindan monk, I am a small Yunling Five Realms, how dare I dislike you.

The two black-armored people with knives who followed Hongzhong to Lin'an City this time, one is called Fa Xiu, and the other is called Fa Jing. Both of them are worshiped under the Dingwu Gate under the jurisdiction of the royal family in the capital, Jindan strength, and both of them are high-grade spiritual weapons, with good power and stronger lethality.

The reason why he followed him to this small border city was that in addition to the prescribed selection of martial arts or cultivation geniuses for the Dingwu Sect, I heard that he also had a secret mission. However, as for what the secret mission is, with Hongzhong's current level, he is not qualified to know.

And the reason why Hongzhong is unhappy is indeed not that he is dissatisfied with the emperor's arrangement, after all, as a craftsman who is obsessed with refining, his dream is to forge a real divine weapon, as for power or anything, he doesn't care.

As for the experience of participating in the craftsman's ceremony in the capital, I gained a lot and took a lot of risks. Especially during the competition, it was an eye-opener for him. After seeing the shocking scene of the refining operation, Hong Zhong realized that the so-called craftsmen not only referred to those divine weapons that could kill people, but also those methods that seemed to the world to be miraculous and ingenious, but also craftsmen's skills.

He was very shocked in that competition, and he lost very badly, and his Dao heart almost collapsed. Fortunately, I adjusted in time in the end, so I didn't get into it. But later, the emperor issued another order to let Hongzhong be enlightened like thunder.

No caster unless there is an edict!

This time, even the autonomy of the caster is gone, and this craftsman is really boring.

At this time, Hongzhong's mind came to mind again, when he was just about to leave Minghuo Lane, the meaningful words said by Liu Laosan, a colleague at the mouth of the alley: "Sometimes it's not a good thing to climb too high." He couldn't help but sigh.

The three of them walked to an intersection, and the older way Xiu stopped the horse and asked Hongzhong: "Is Craftsman Hong planning to go to the county government with the two of us to report?" Or ......"

Before he could finish repairing, Hongzhong immediately spoke, saying, "I want to go back and worship my parents' tablet first, after all, I have won such an honor, and I should boast to the old man." ”

Fang Xiu was stunned for a moment, and then smiled: "I didn't expect Craftsman Hong to be so thoughtful that he is a person who abides by filial piety." In that case, our two brothers will not delay the craftsman. After speaking, he left here with a way to Jing and went straight to Lin'ancheng County.

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Zhang Fengmian was concentrating on pulling the bellows lever and carefully controlling the temperature of the flame, for fear that he would accidentally damage the iron embryo inside.

But suddenly, the street outside was boiling in an instant, and listening to the excited words of those blacksmiths, it seemed that the new craftsman Hongzhong had returned.

Zhang Fengmian listened to the movement outside, his heart was itchy, and the hand pulling the bellows slowed down unconsciously.

The boss Liu Laosan was also woken up by the movement outside. He rubbed his eyes and walked out of the backyard, came to the front door and squatted, tilting his head to look at the mouth of the alley.

"If you want to come and see, why mother-in-law?" Liu Laosan turned his back to Zhang Fengmian and said.

Zhang Fengmian hesitated, "What about the iron embryo in the furnace?" ”

"It's okay, do you really think that ignition can burn that iron embryo?"

"Then if it really burns out, you won't deduct my wages, right?" Zhang Fengmian was a little apprehensive.

Unexpectedly, Liu Laosan directly put down the sentence "Don't look at it" and stopped talking.

After Zhang Fengmian fought between heaven and man, he finally let go of the bellows, walked to the door, stood next to the boss, tilted his head, and looked at the mouth of the alley through the bustling crowd.

Hong Zhong rode into the alley on a tall horse amid the stars and the moon, and he pretended to smile when he was on the main street. When he arrived at Minghuo Lane, he directly pulled his face down, thinking about all kinds of unlucky things he encountered in the capital as he walked. The more I think about it, the more unpleasant it is, and the more unpleasant it is, the longer my face is.

The rough man in Minghuo Lane didn't care about this, but when he had the identity of a craftsman, he naturally had a craftsman's shelf.

But Liu Laosan pointed to Hongzhong and smiled gloating at Zhang Fengmian.

"Haha, look, I'll just say, you kid still don't believe it. Oh, this time Hongzhong can have it! ”

After speaking, he stood up and patted his buttocks, and went back to sleep, leaving Zhang Fengmian standing alone at the door, watching the craftsman Hongzhong pass by in front of the shop.

Maybe it was because he remembered the unlucky words that Liu Laosan said to himself before leaving here, Hongzhong suddenly had a strong sense of disgust for the people in this shop, and when he saw Zhang Fengmian standing at the door, he frowned directly, his face was full of disgust, just like seeing a street rat.

Zhang Fengmian was confused by Hongzhong's eyes, and said inexplicably: "What are you staring at me for?" Did I provoke him? ”

Seeing Hongzhong disappear into the wide vermilion gate at the end of the alley, Zhang Fengmian reluctantly retracted his gaze, even if he was glared at by the other party just now, he was not annoyed at all.

"A craftsman should have the temper of a craftsman."

Zhang Fengmian nodded, feeling that this sentence was really reasonable, maybe when he became a craftsman in the future, his temper would become the same as today's Hongzhong.

After joining in the fun, Zhang Fengmian began to take care of the casting furnace conscientiously. Looking at the raging flames in the furnace, Zhang Fengmian couldn't help but sigh.

After being an apprentice in Liu Laosan's shop for so many years, every time he wanted to start formally learning how to make iron casters, Liu Laosan would refuse for various reasons. This made Zhang Fengmian very distressed, he didn't even know how to strike iron, how could he become a world-renowned swordsmith?

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Perhaps it was Hongzhong's depressed face that made Liu Laosan right, he was in a good mood today, so he asked Zhang Fengmian to get off work early. Then, this young man in old clothes first ran to the school in the north of the city and squatted outside the window to listen to the lecture of Mr. Xu Jingru, who was not confused.

This gentleman was a scholar who was jointly funded by the Lin Mansion and the county government in the early years, and he was not only knowledgeable, but also a monk in the Quenyuan Realm. Speaking of the class, he is dignified but humorous, and is deeply respected by the rich families of Lin'an City who study here.

What's more, he doesn't have the slightest dislike for poor "students" like Zhang Fengmian who can't afford to pay the tuition, if this school wasn't opened by him, he probably would have directly let Zhang Fengmian go in to listen to the class.

Zhang Fengmian lay outside the window, staring at the gentleman who was pacing back and forth in the school, and occasionally looked at each other, and the two would smile. However, what made Zhang Fengmian feel strange was that Lin Hua, the annoying ghost who usually stood by the window and tore off the pages of the book and crumpled it into a ball to smash him, didn't come to class today.

After finishing the class, Zhang Fengmian hurriedly ran back to a remote vegetable stall in Xishi again to see if there were any unsellable vegetable leaves of poor quality left, so he would buy them at a relatively low price.

After doing this, he rushed back to the village again, and did not enter his own house, but rushed directly into the house of Li Lao and his wife next door.

Since the legs and feet of the old couple became more and more inconvenient three years ago, Zhang Fengmian cooked the food and served it to them almost every time. Later, he felt that this was really troublesome, so Zhang Fengmian simply cooked directly at Uncle Li's house.

Before Zhang Fengmian stepped into the courtyard gate of Uncle Li's house, a girl had already walked out of the back room. She was thin, and although she was only fourteen years old, she was already slim. Even in such a poor environment, wearing brown coarse cloth clothes, she still has a kind of extravagance in her. It's a pity that, for some unknown reason, the girl's eyes are blind and are now covered with a white cloth.

Hearing the familiar footsteps, the corners of the girl's mouth involuntarily curled, and she said softly to Zhang Fengmian: "Brother Feng, you are here!" ”

Zhang Fengmian looked at this girl who was picked up from the ice and snow by Uncle Li and his wife fourteen years ago and named Li Nian, looking at this girl who was like his own sister, and smiled happily.

It's just that when he saw Li Nian's eyes covered by a white cloth, he felt a little distressed.

Regarding Li Nian's origin, Zhang Fengmian still heard his parents say it by chance when he was a child. He really couldn't imagine how ruthless his parents were, so they would abandon their own flesh and blood in the wilderness in the cold winter.

Perhaps out of pity, Zhang Fengmian has taken special care of this sister since he was a child. Now that his parents have passed away for many years, Li Nian is regarded by him as his most important relative.

"On such a cold day, how did you come out wearing such a thin one? Also, didn't I tell you that in winter, try not to touch the water with your hands, and you can easily get frostbitten. When the time comes, your hands will be full of tears, see what you do. Zhang Fengmian wiped Li Nian's wet hands with his sleeve and said deliberately angrily.

Li Nian made a grimace, cute and cute, and said coquettishly to Zhang Fengmian: "Oh, Brother Feng, you don't know my situation, you are not afraid of the cold at all in this kind of weather." Besides, even if my hands are frostbitten, aren't you still there? ”

Li Nian came to Zhang Fengmian, smiled skillfully, and said, "You're my brother, you won't ignore me, right?" ”

Zhang Fengmian tapped Li Nian's forehead with his finger, and smiled helplessly: "You girl, you will say okay." Then he looked up at the house and asked, "How are Uncle Li and his wife?" ”

When Li Nian heard this, he put away his smile, there was sadness between his eyebrows, and said softly: "Grandpa's leg is still very painful, and grandma can't get out of bed directly." Anyway, the recent days have been very difficult, and it is estimated that the old couple may not have much time. ”

Zhang Fengmian sighed helplessly, gently wiped the tears from the corners of Li Nian's eyes, and said, "Let's go cook first, no matter how the days go, the rice still has to be eaten." ”

Li Nian raised his head and smiled. Then, the two went into the kitchen one after the other. Chef Zhang Fengmian and Li Nian's helper, although they couldn't see with their eyes, they didn't affect her movements at all.

If the eye is blind but the heart is clear, all things can still be discerned.

After eating, Zhang Fengmian cleaned up the kitchen utensils and returned to his home. After sitting for a while, I remembered that the garden will be more lively at night, and it is estimated that the streets and alleys in the city are now hung with lanterns, just like the Lantern Festival in the near future.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fengmian was a little moved, he wanted to go to the city to have a look, carefully appreciate the colorful and gorgeous pictures, so that he could come back and describe them one by one to Li Nian. She likes to listen to Zhang Fengmian talk about this the most.

Zhang Fengmian nodded, got up and walked towards the city.

The village is still a little far from Lin'an City, but Zhang Fengmian is not in a hurry, anyway, it will be crowded if he goes too early, and maybe he will meet a few nasty guys.

Zhang Fengmian walked slowly like this, the young man who was used to staying up in the cold winter did not feel how cold the temperature was now, on the contrary, he had a somewhat comfortable taste.

Zhang Fengmian enjoys this kind of time alone, but every time this time does not last long, and this time is no exception.

Less than halfway down the road, he suddenly saw a black dot descending from the night, leaping over the tall dead trees, and gradually approaching him.

Before Zhang Fengmian could react, the man in black had already arrived in front of him. Without saying a word, he put a knife on Zhang Fengmian's neck and said, "Where is your home?" Take me there, you'd better have no other thoughts, or I'll kill you!" ”

Zhang Fengmian was frightened at first, but quickly regained his composure. He looked this person up and down a few times, this person was black all over, carrying a long wooden box behind his back, and there were a few yellow paper talismans around his waist, which seemed to have been used in a critical moment, and the remaining few were casually pinned around his waist.

He was badly wounded, the wound on his shoulder was deep to the bone, and there were several other hideous wounds that were gurgling and bleeding, perhaps because of the pain, the black towel he used to cover his face was soaked with sweat and was still oozing out.

"What are you doing in a daze, don't you leave quickly, aren't you afraid of death?" The man in black's tone was weak, but it was still cold.

Zhang Fengmian waved his hand helplessly and said, "Big brother, it's useless to run to my house, my family is poor, and there is no medicine to treat you!" ”

The man in black suddenly opened his eyes angrily, and his left hand holding the knife was about to slash Zhang Fengmian's neck, when he suddenly heard movement from the city gate in the distance.

"There was one who ran this way just now, chase after him, and turn over the ground to find him for me!"

Then countless fires and shouts poured out of the gates and ran towards it.

Seeing this, the man in black hesitated for a while and then stopped, quickly took out a yellow paper talisman from his waist and pasted it on the door of Zhang Fengmian's head, and with a light touch of his two fingers, the talisman emitted a gentle yellow light.

Zhang Fengmian was exposed to this light, only felt that his body was light, and then he was more than three feet off the ground, and the man in black went around behind Zhang Fengmian, grabbed Zhang Fengmian's collar and pushed it forward, Zhang Fengmian felt like he was flying, and quickly swept forward, extremely fast, stirring up the snow on the road.

The man in black didn't know what method he used, he used Zhang Fengmian as an ox cart and flew to Xiangning Village. Then he desperately raised his injured right arm to draw the mud and snow on the side of the road, covering the mottled blood on the ground.