Yinming Village.

This is a small village, there are about 100 people in the village, most of the people in the village live a life of farming and hunting, ordinary and ordinary, the name of this village does not know who gave it, the current villagers only know that from the grandfather's generation, Yinming Village has already existed zài, no one is interested in exploring the name of this village, occasionally a few outside businessmen will come to the village, buy some wood and prey and other things, every time at this time, it is the most lively time in the village.

"Dad, why did you come back so early today?"

The young man who was chopping firewood in the yard saw his father coming in from outside the door, and said excitedly, chopping firewood is a physical job, and he was so tired that he was sweating profusely, so all the clothes on his upper body were thrown aside by him, and he looked eighteen or nineteen years old, but his body was unusually strong.

"I heard that someone in the village is coming to collect wood tomorrow, so I went to the mountains to take a look, and then you and I will go and cut down those trees. The middle-aged man who was called his father by the boy said lightly, walked into the house, and left the boy alone to continue what he had just done.

The young man's name is Chu Hao, his arm swings very skillfully when he struggles to chop wood, he is very experienced, every time the firewood knife falls, the sawdust flies everywhere, maybe Chu Hao himself didn't see it, there is a small birthmark-like thing on the outside of his right arm, like a sword, but it is less than two inches long, like a painting, imprinted on the outside of his right arm.

Chu Hao's father entered the house and poured a cup of tea, walked out of the house with the tea leaves, and looked at Chu Hao, who was struggling to chop firewood in the courtyard, his face remained unchanged, only a little flustered, and then shook his head and smiled, with a calm smile, I don't know what he was thinking.

"Daddy. What are you laughing at?" his father's smile was inadvertently seen by Chu Hao, who turned his face sideways. Curious to ask. In Chu Hao's impression. My father seldom smiled, and when people from outside the village came to collect wood, he never smiled, and the people in the village envied that their family's wood could always be sold for a high price, but when my father took the money from the merchant, he did not smile at all, as usual.

"I suddenly remembered something from the past. The middle-aged man drinking tea laughed at himself, looking at his son in the middle of the courtyard. The expression was in a trance.

"You haven't told me anything before. Chu Hao said curiously, the firewood on the ground had been almost chopped by him, enough to burn at home for more than a month, so he stopped.

"I used to have anything to do, not to go into the mountains to chop wood, hunt or anything like that. The middle-aged man said casually, saw the clothes on the ground, and said, "Put on the clothes, be careful of catching a cold." ”

"Got it. Chu Hao picked up the clothes on the ground. I knew in my heart that what my father had just told him was not true, and he was perfunctory at first glance.

"Quan'er. If you leave here and someone asks you where you're from, don't say you grew up here. The middle-aged man said suddenly, leaving Chu Hao on the side confused.

Putting the dry firewood next to him, Chu Hao found that his father's words today were actually a lot more than in the past, could it be that there was something to hide from him?

"Hmm. Chu Hao responded, although he wanted to know why he said this, but he still knew in his heart that his father didn't want to say it, and he couldn't ask anything no matter how much he asked.

"I've been here for almost 20 years, and I've never been out of the mountains for 20 years. ”

The middle-aged man got up from the chair in the courtyard, looked at the sky above his head, and said to himself, his expression was lonely, the man who usually looked like an ordinary man suddenly had an ethereal feeling at this time, and the cloudy eyes in Chu Hao's impression became extremely bright.

"Dad, what's wrong with you today?"

Chu Hao, who had a puzzled look on his face, found that his father not only came back earlier than before today, but also talked so much to him that he couldn't understand it at all. In other words, his father had been silent, and occasionally he would say a few words to him when he was told to do something, and he would say a few words when people from the village came to his house to borrow something, but he never said something that he did not understand.

"I promised your mother that I would stay here for twenty years. With his back to Chu Hao, the man's slightly hunched waist suddenly straightened, and he said lightly.

"Today is the last day I agreed with your mother. Speaking of Chu Hao's mother, the tone of this usually calm man suddenly became a little excited.

"Mother?" Chu Hao was stunned, a lonely tomb in the back mountain was often taken there by his father since he was conscious, and he heard his father say that the person who fell asleep in it was his mother. Slowly growing up, the children in the village would occasionally laugh at him for having only a father and no mother, and when he was a child, he fought with a few children for this, and then he grew up slowly, and after knowing that people can't be resurrected after death, he no longer fights with others because of this.

"Your mother is a good person. The middle-aged man groaned, and a figure appeared in his mind, and for more than twenty years, this figure had never faded. Now that Chu Hao has grown up and looks like his mother, it is gratifying enough.

Chu Hao nodded gloomily, suddenly he had to accept so many things, and suddenly he found that the simple life was suddenly no longer simple, but full of all kinds of mysteries, and he couldn't know it.

Looking at his hands, trembling slightly, have you come back for the past twenty years of cultivation? The middle-aged man secretly said in his heart, but his mood was the same as before, after so many years, there was nothing that could make his mood fluctuate.

"Let's go and have a look at your mother's grave. The middle-aged man walked out of the courtyard and said to Chu Hao behind him.

Yinming Village is beautiful, a few hundred-year-old trees in front of the village will shroud the whole village, outsiders can only see the green trees from afar, but they can't see the hidden Yinming Village under the big trees, how many people live here in hundreds of households, no one has ever thought about these trees, these trees do not belong to anyone, how many years have stood in the world.

Back mountain, a grave in front of the deserted, sometimes the sound of birds and birds undulating, quiet and quiet, two people stay here, silent, the dust after the burning of a few paper coins in front of the grave is blown up by a gust of wind, floating in the air.

Chu Hao looked at his mother's grave and was speechless, he looked at his father's face that should have been years of hardship and vicissitudes, but today it exudes a shining color, and the Buddha is more than ten years younger, and he is rejuvenated. None of them were within the scope of Chu Hao's comprehension.

"I know what you want to ask, but your mother told me that I will always know what I should know. Shouldn't have known. Maybe that's what your mother thinks. Your mother, like you, is an ordinary person, she met me in the last few years of her life, she just wants you to live an ordinary life, what kind of path you will take in the future, it is all your idea, I will not interfere from it. Chu Hao's father said slowly, he didn't go to see Chu Hao. Just looking at this tomb affectionately, as deep as it was twenty years ago.

"Ordinary people?" Chu Hao repeated these words with difficulty, a little bitter.

The teenager did not know the exact meaning of the three words "ordinary person".

The man who was called his father by Chu Hao looked at Chu Hao at this time, and a kind gaze flashed in his eyes that Chu Hao couldn't see.

Father's words are like a chasm in Chu Hao's heart, no wonder for so many years, his father rarely talks to the people around him, it turns out that they are just ordinary people in his father's heart, no matter how they are. In his father's eyes, he was just an ordinary person.

The young and immature heart of the teenager. A seed was quietly planted.

The breeze was blowing, the clothes were fluttering lightly, and there was no weed in a radius of dozens of meters, maybe Chu Hao's father had cleaned up all these weeds here for decades, which was enough to see that this man was attentive to his wife, would a man who was attentive to his wife treat his son harshly, of course it was impossible, otherwise he would not be willing to stay here and wait for twenty years.

"Dad, who are you?" Chu Hao finally asked.

"Me?" said the middle-aged man, as if muttering to himself, "I'm just one of a bunch of crazy people out there, pursuing the pinnacle of my life, but also delusional about immortality, and for hundreds of years, there have been thousands of people like me. ”

"Crazy?"

A few fresh words jumped into Chu Hao's mind, could it be that there are really immortals in the world? He had heard the children in the village say that there was a kind of person who was an immortal in the sky, who could possess all kinds of magical powers, and that immortals were immortal, and that every immortal was eternally young and immortal.

"In addition to the ordinary people you know, there are several kinds of people you don't know, among them, some people cultivate the Tao, some people cultivate demons, and there is another kind of people who inherit the Dharma, refining qi and refining the body to absorb the essence of the sun and the moon to consolidate the cultivation of their own physique, in addition, some creatures in the deep mountains can sometimes break through the limit and produce spiritual wisdom, which is what the people in the village often call 'becoming essence', the wild boar I killed last year, and the mink, are all refined, but their cultivation is too low. The middle-aged man looked at Chu Hao and said slowly, then his eyes spread around, as if he had noticed something.

The surroundings were still quiet, and there was nothing abnormal, but Chu Hao found that his father was silent, as if he was looking for something around, and he was also curious to look around at the moment, but he couldn't find anything.

"Before I closed my cultivation, I felt that in this village, there was something that I didn't know yet, and after twenty years, I now know what the familiar feeling is all these years, and it turns out that there are things in this village that have become refined. ”

Chu Hao's father said with a relieved expression, and said in a random direction around: "Since I found out, I haven't come out yet." ”

Hearing his father's words, Chu Hao wondered, what else would be around, this area of dozens of meters was empty, and the weeds couldn't be seen, could it be that his father was bluffing him.

"Young people. A deep voice seemed to have not spoken for many years, hoarse and confused, and suddenly came from underground, which surprised Chu Hao, the "thing" that his father said was originally hidden underground, no wonder he didn't find it.

"I haven't spoken for many years, you can find me, you should have stepped into that realm, right?" A hoarse voice from the ground shook Chu Hao's eardrums, and he didn't stop, but continued: "Twenty years ago, you couldn't find me, and it was really unexpected for me to have this twenty years later." ”

"Then you still don't show up?"

The middle-aged man said softly, not seeing the slightest ripple on his expressionless face, as if he was not afraid of the "thing" that came from the underground.

The long-sealed desolate aura filled the small open space in the back mountain, as if it instantly isolated this place from the outside world, and a vague cyan mist suddenly floated around it. I couldn't see the scenery outside, and there were a few pine branches fluttering in the wind, and I couldn't tell the strange feeling.

In the cyan mist, a figure faintly walked out, to be precise, an old man's figure, not as tall as Chu Hao and the others, but with an indescribable majestic temperament.

"You're not from here, I've been watching you since you came here twenty years ago. These twenty years. You seem to be closing your cultivation?"

The old man's face was withered. No other expression could be seen on his wrinkled face, his body was weak but not as weak as the old man who was about to enter the earth, and his lean body seemed to be filled with an unknown power that could not be ignored.

Chu Hao's father glanced at this old man who didn't know where he came from, and there was not much surprise on his face, he just said calmly: "Your age also shows that this place is extraordinary, since you appeared today, it means that my changes make you have to appear, right?"

Chu Hao listened curiously to the words of his father and the strange old man in front of him. Although he didn't know if the old man in front of him was friendly, judging by his father's expression, he didn't seem to be a big threat to them.

"Haha, young man, I haven't seen a cultivator like you for many years, you're right, I'm not just showing up today because you discovered me. The old man laughed dryly, and his speech became smoother, a trace of color flashed in his eyes, and he turned to look at Chu Hao. After taking a closer look at Chu Hao, he continued.

"This young man is ordinary. I'm a little surprised that someone like you can make your son be ordinary. ”

Chu Hao's father glanced at Chu Hao, and saw that the latter was also looking forward to his return, and said lightly: "You don't care about my affairs, don't you also have spiritual roots, but you have never been out of this village for twenty years." ”

When the old man, who had no expression, heard Chu Hao's father's words, his face couldn't help but be a little moved, so he had to stop making a sound.

"I've been here for twenty years, and I'm about to leave now, I don't know what your purpose is, it's just that living here for the past twenty years has had some influence on you, but I can keep this secret, so I don't have to ask more about my affairs, and my son won't stay here, just like it never happened." Chu Hao's father said slowly.

"Why should I believe your words, young man. The old man, who was not very kind, looked at the man who had always had a flat expression, as if nothing in the world could arouse his interest.

"That's because of this. When he said this, Chu Hao's father glanced thoughtfully at the short old man, and then pointed to Chu Hao's mother's grave and said.

Feeling the gaze cast by Chu Hao's father, the old man, who looked like he was about a hundred years old, hesitated, as if he was thinking about something, wanted to say it but didn't dare to say it, and finally sighed and had to compromise.

"Okay, since you say so, I'm relieved, but if you leak it out, Hugh blames me for not abiding by morality, and you have the words first. The scorching old man suddenly stared at Chu Hao's father and said, as if he wanted to see Chu Hao's father clearly.

The surrounding fog began to fade, and the scene outside began to become clearer, and the old man who suddenly appeared did not seem to have any intention of leaving immediately.

"I don't need you to threaten me, I have never failed to abide by what I have said. Threaten me? Your cultivation has no chance of stopping me. ”

See the changes around you. Chu Hao's father chuckled, that kind of smile was a kind of light smile, Chu Hao had never seen this kind of smile on his father.

"Okay, then I'll quit first. Seeing that the threat was fruitless, the old man believed Chu Hao's father's words for the time being, and walked towards the edge of the clearing, with every step, his figure dissipated a point, and finally all turned into a stream of green qi and disappeared, leaving Chu Hao behind him with his mouth wide open.

"Dad, what is he?" Chu Hao asked in surprise as he looked at the old man who disappeared in front of his eyes.

"He's what I call a spirit, a dryad. Chu Hao's father glanced at the grave behind him again, turned around and walked in front, and said.

"It's just that this dryad is different, he's a 10,000-year-old dryad with spiritual roots. ”

"What is a spiritual root, is the 10,000-year-old Dryad a Dryad that has lived for 10,000 years?" Chu Hao asked reluctantly.

"The spiritual root is the spirituality that has been ignited by people, and it is more convenient to cultivate, but some people and goblins are born with spiritual roots. The man who walked in front continued, ignoring Chu Hao's surprised expression behind him, these words were probably the first time Chu Hao had heard them in his life.

"Then do I have a spiritual root?" Seeing that his father had said so much to him, Chu Hao asked worriedly.

The man in front paused slightly, continued to walk forward, and did not answer Chu Hao's question. The two of them walked towards the house in an orderly manner, and occasionally met one or two people from the village on the road, Chu Hao's father said hello, and Chu Hao also smiled behind him, but the doubts in his heart became more.

Yinming Village is still the same as the original, I can't see any changes, the people in the village who go out early and return late still live an ordinary life every day, but a teenager's mood has changed, he began to be full of curiosity and fantasy about the world that has long been ripe in his impression, and he began to yearn for the outside world, the world full of legends of fairies and monsters.

Back to the house where Chu Hao had lived for more than ten years and nearly twenty years, the old furniture and familiar furnishings were still the same as before, his father made a fire to cook, silent, Chu Hao ran to the water tank to scoop a scoop of water, drank a fine light, sat on the stove and went to the inside to add firewood, the fire shone on this young man with a red face with ups and downs.

"Quan'er. The man who was chopping vegetables suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?" Chu Hao agreed, looking at his father suspiciously.

"Today is the last meal I ever cooked for you, and after this meal, I'm leaving here. The man's voice was melancholy.

Chu Hao didn't feel strange, since his father had said so many things today, he naturally had his own thoughts, but now when he heard his father say that he was leaving, his heart was unusually calm.

"Your mother doesn't want you to be like me, and I can't force it, the road ahead is for you to go by yourself, what is it like is your own idea, I don't force it, as long as you think it should be like that, you don't have to blame yourself. The middle-aged man's flat voice came from Chu Hao's front again.

"Dad, will we meet again then?"

"Later?... I think so. ”

There was a moment of hesitation in his voice.

"Oh. ”

"There is a Ganoderma lucidum in the back cabinet, you can take it to the city tomorrow for Uncle Wang, who often comes to us to receive goods, and then listen to his arrangement, you don't have to come back. ”

While eating, the man said in a deep voice. Chu Hao looked at his father in surprise, he knew that when Uncle Wang came to the house to discuss this lingzhi with his father some time ago, his father didn't seem to agree, why did he suddenly figure it out today.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Chu Hao asked.

"I'll leave tonight. The man said without hesitation, and the decision was never delayed.

The meal was quickly finished, Chu Hao's father began to look for things from the cabinet, until he found a gourd that looked a little old, the gourd was glowing with a simple color, and it was filled with wine, Chu Hao's father pinned the wine gourd to his waist, and then turned out a wooden box from the cabinet, needless to say that Chu Hao also knew what was in the wooden box, it was the Ganoderma lucidum.

"Tomorrow you take it to your Uncle Wang, just say that I asked you to give it to him, don't charge him a penny, he knows what to do. Chu Hao's father said lightly.

"Got it. Chu Hao put down the dishes and chopsticks in his hand and took the wooden box handed by his father.

The tentacles of the wooden box made of unknown materials had a cold breath, sticking to Chu Hao's arm, and then spreading to the whole body, turning into a warm feeling flowing around the body, and a strange feeling came from the wooden box.

"When I left, I said hello to Grandpa Huang in the village, saying that I went outside to pick up work, you are going to a relative's house in the city, thank him for taking care of our family over the years, we are outsiders, your Grandpa Huang has been kind to our family over the years, and I can't forget the things that I know about the kindness. The man with only one wine gourd continued.

Chu Hao nodded, Grandpa Huang is a respected village chief in the village, he is still capable in his eighties, he rarely comes to his house, but he came to his house to drink with his father once during the Chinese New Year, and he seemed to have talked a lot to his father that time, and when he left, he also gave Chu Hao some broken silver, saying that he wanted him to go to the city to buy some things he liked.

"You don't have to come back to see your mother in the future, your mother likes to be quiet, although she can't see you for so many years, but you have been here with her for many years, you can be regarded as a filial man, but at any time you don't forget, you have a home here, although I am not here, but I am also your father, whether we can see you again in the future, it depends on the tacit understanding of our father and son." ”

After saying this, the man who had always been silent pushed open the door, walked out of the house, and walked to the small courtyard, where the pile of firewood that Chu Hao had just chopped during the day was neatly stacked there, and I don't know when this pile of firewood will have a chance to burn again. (To be continued......)