The third day of August.

The autumn rain in the white dew season is a good weather for the small county of Fenghuai on the edge of the deep mountains, when the summer heat dissipates, the crops are ripe, the deer and rabbits in the mountains are fattening, and the stream fish are waiting for the net, which is the leisure time for a few days before the harvest.

Pei Li's spirit in the past two days was also not bad, at this time, he was carrying a fishing rod and a basket, and straw sandals stepped on the stone bridge on the edge of the county seat. As soon as he walked down the last step of the stairs, an old face with a roe deer head and rat brain next to him came over upside down: "Brother Pei, are you fishing beautifully?" ”

Pei Li's footsteps didn't stop, and he slanted down: "Ang." ”

But it was the crazy widower Lao Xiangzi who lived in the courtyard next door, and this time Pei Li couldn't help but look at him more, because there was a crude unfamiliar symbol painted on his dirty forehead with blue paint, which obviously came from his own trembling and weak hands, which looked strange and happy.

Seeing that the young man noticed his achievements, Lao Xiangzi seemed to have been rewarded, and his spirit doubled to Pei Li's eyes and kept tilting his head back and forth: "Hehe...... Hey hey ......"

Pei Ye couldn't help but smile, retracted his gaze, and asked in satisfaction of the old man's wish, "What are you looking for me?" ”

Lao Xiangzi's expression suddenly became excited, he straightened his back, just opened his mouth, and immediately covered it, bent over and looked around, before he came to Pei Li's ear and whispered: "Be a fairy." ”

“……”

"Be a god! Be a fairy! Lao Xiangzi's eyes were shining, and he could see that he was eager to share with others, "I have a way to be a fairy, Brother Pei, you give me a hand, we have become a fairy together, no disease and no disaster......"

"......" Pei Ye didn't bother to pay attention to his new round of madness, "You can do it yourself." ”

Lao Xiangzi is not chattering for a day or two.

He has lived alone for many years, has no children, eats, wears, lives and travels alone, and his spirit is not normal. A few years ago, I could still see him running around the street with the neighbor's little girl, but now that girl has grown up and married, she doesn't want to get close to him, and he is alone all day long tinkering with these gods, ghosts, Taoism, Buddhas and the like.

Lao Xiangzi is not a devout believer, nor does he rely on enough incense, but he is good at casting a wide net, worshipping Buddha today, worshipping tomorrow, and worshipping the Buddha tomorrow, the mountain god and the little ghost, the Hebo Dragon King, and the Hades King Chenghuang have all received a few sticks of incense from him, as well as strange sects and gods from various places, all of which can occupy a place in his family.

And Lao Xiangzi doesn't understand the teachings, it's all up to him, others urge him to farm quickly after plowing the land, don't miss the farming time, he lies on the bed and says that my land doesn't need to be ploughed, others ask why, he said that I believe in the Buddha this year, and the Buddha will do the work for me.

This joke is widely spread in the east of the city, and it is conceivable what Pei Ye's attitude towards him is.

Lao Xiangzi saw that he didn't care, and explained anxiously: "No, no, it's true this time!" You believe me, I slept in the broken temple in the east of the city yesterday, and I heard with my own ears, the big ears of asking for food under the big willow tree, the gods lit him, and he has become an immortal......"

"Oh."

"Well, why don't you believe it? You are also sick and I am also sick, we have become immortals, aren't we all fine? ”

"I'm not sick."

"Wow - can dick cock!"

"Avoid medical treatment. It's true that I'm not sick, it's an injury, and I can't be cured. ”

"Whatever he is! Can the gods be cured? Maybe the gods will go down to earth tonight, and if we don't go, we won't have a share! Lao Xiangzi said bitterly, "I really saw it with my own eyes, the big ears have become immortals, more than a zhang high, wearing armor, majestic!" ”

"Then he became an immortal, didn't he want to go to heaven?" Anyway, the two of them stopped by for the time being, and Pei Ye said perfunctorily.

"That's right! He's in heaven! ”

"......" This answer was a little unexpected by Pei Li, "He didn't ask for food under the big willow tree at this time?" ”

"Not there! No one else can find him, only I know, he is ......" Lao Xiangzi hesitated for a moment, looked around with a thief's eyebrows, gritted his teeth and whispered: "Brother Pei, I will tell you secretly, he drank immortal water and became an immortal." ”

"Then go drink it."

"It's gone!" Lao Xiangzi patted his thigh, "There is a bottom left in that cup, I am afraid of pain, I, I fed the fairy water to the cat, and the cat will become an immortal!" The fire is not burning, the knife can't be moved, Brother Pei, you are very powerful, you can't be cut by a knife without bleeding - I'll try ......"

He reached out and pulled out the dagger on Pei Li's waist, Pei Ye reached out and pushed him away speechlessly: "I'm familiar with this, Aunt Zhang said that she saw you carrying a dead cat, is it the one you said to be an immortal?" ”

Lao Xiangzi was stunned for a moment, and said anxiously: "Yes, no!" No, it isn't. The cat died because it didn't draw this! ”

Lao Xiangzi stretched out an index finger in each hand and pointed to the crooked blue and blue symbol on his forehead: "Look! See? I'm enlightened! If you want to become an immortal, draw it first. That day, the big ears had this on their heads, and with it, drinking fairy water, they could become immortals. Brother Pei, you also hurry up and draw one, let's get fairy water together, become immortals together, won't your disease be cured? ”

Pei Ye didn't say a word, he had already passed the alley at the door of the house at this time, and he knew that Lao Xiangzi couldn't follow far.

He has long been experienced in dealing with Lao Xiangzi, and the more he cares about him, the more energetic he becomes.

The big catfish is the river god, the widow at the head of the city is the queen mother, the stone picked up by the stream is the stone to mend the sky, and now there is a fairy water. Lao Xiangzi didn't mean to deceive people, he really couldn't tell the difference between fantasy and reality.

Lao Xiangzi chased Pei Li and chattered non-stop, Pei Li was stunned that he didn't have him, and finally he stomped his feet angrily: "You don't believe it!" Then I'll find it myself! When I become an immortal at night, come over and be angry with you first! ”

When leaving, he trampled the water very loudly.

But after only a few breaths, the sound of "snapping" came back, and the old man lifted the bamboo basket: "Divide me with a fish!" ”

Pei Ye rolled his eyes: "I didn't catch it!" ”

……

got rid of Lao Xiangzi, Pei Ye walked to the west of the city.

Since two years ago, Pei Ye no longer dares to experience the coolness of the rain, but even if he is wrapped in a quilt and lying in the house on a rainy day, the pain in his chest and abdomen is still about to attack.

There are still a few vein protection pills that Qian Lang opened, but the liquor he swallowed has bottomed out, and he feels that he can't escape the weather this time, so Pei Li has to go to the wine shop to get some.

However, as soon as he arrived in the west of the city, he saw that he was carrying a wine gourd in his hand, and a familiar face shouted: "But do you want to sell wine to Lao Zhang?" He won't open the door! A few days ago, I sold the shop, and I made a fortune and moved to the county to live happily, and now I have to go to Lao Lu's house in the north of the city to drink! ”

Pei Ye then went to the north of the city, this time he was about to pass the big willow tree, Pei Ye took a look at it, and he really didn't see the tall lame and big-eared beggar under the tree, but there were two tolerances who didn't know what he was asking.

It is said that Big Ears made a mistake in his early martial arts practice, and he was found by someone who had offended and broke his leg, and his family suffered repeated accidents, and his relatives died one after another, and he finally fell into a state of collapse.

Fortunately, he was not arrogant in the martial arts hall back then. Pei Ye laughed at himself, crossed the big willow tree in his steps, and went straight to the Lu family wine shop.

The wine trick provoked not long ago was already in sight, and Pei Ye hurried a few steps to the door.

When the curtain was lifted, a noisy bustle suddenly poured into his ears, and the heat mixed with the aroma of wine came to his face, drawing a clear boundary between the small restaurant and the cold rain and fog outside.

There are always more people in the idle season, Pei Ye bypassed the drunken man who was reclining in a ball, stepped over the casually stretched legs and feet on the ground, and put the gourd on the counter.

"Uncle Lu, it's full."

"Okay." Lu Youcai was in his forties, his eyebrows were like knives, he pulled out the lid of the gourd and walked to the barrel, "Xiao Pei, since you moved, it has really become more and more rare." ”

"That's helpless, if you don't have the money to sell the house, you have to take half my life." Pei Li said with a smile.

"Alas, there are blessings that hurt money, and no blessings hurt oneself. Xiao Pei, you are also blessed, you have to look at the better, and there is hope for the future. ”

"yes, I'm not dissatisfied." Pei Ye took the gourd, "Or four coins?" ”

"!" Lu Youcai frowned, and put the full gourd on the table, "I asked you for money before?" What kind of big head is a poor ghost now? ”

Pei Ye laughed, still counted out the four copper plates, and insisted on pushing them in front of Lu Youcai: "It is precisely because of the poor ghost now that he can calculate everything clearly." ”

Lu Youcai sighed, accepted the copper plate, Pei Ye was about to say goodbye, Lu Youcai suddenly said: "By the way, I think you are out of the city again?" You have to be careful in the past two days, as if someone outside the city was eaten by a tiger and a wolf. ”

"It's okay, I won't go into the mountains." Fenghuai relies on the mountains to eat the mountains, and it is inevitable that there will be medicine pickers and hunters in the lost mountains, although there are not always but they are not unheard, Pei Ye didn't care too much.

"It's not in the mountains, it's outside the city." Lu Youcai corrected, "What someone saw this morning, outside the ruined temple in the east of the city, only a piece of ragged clothes and blood remained, and people didn't even have their flesh and bones, and they didn't know who was victimized." ”

Pei Ye was stunned: "Where?" Broken temple in the east of the city? ”

"That's right. This beast dared to run so close, and the people in the east of the city were worried that it would enter the city at night to eat people. ”

Pei Ye remembered Lao Xiangzi's words, frowned, and said, "Have you reported to the official?" ”

"It's definitely reported, and the catch will be over early in the morning."

Pei Ye thought of the two poor people under the big willow tree, it seemed that the government had found the victim, so he no longer worried, didn't go over Lu Youcai, went out to pick up the fishing rod and basket, and walked home.

Pei Li's house is next to Lao Xiangzi's dilapidated courtyard, and it is also dilapidated.

Push the door into the yard and open the fish basket, inside are some herbs picked along the way.

Pei Ye took out a few flavors, put them in a stone mortar and crushed them finely, took out a clean cloth, and came to the corner of the wall to pick up a dark hair ball from the basket.

Pei Ye lifted the little black cat, looked at the pair of jasper eyes for a while, and gently put it on his lap to look at it.

On the small and soft abdomen, the bandage was slightly bloody, and Pei Ye knew that there was a fatal wound underneath.

This black cat was picked up by Pei Li when he went fishing by the stream yesterday, and his stomach seemed to have been cut with a long wound such as a sharp stone.

It is not a domestic cat or a wild cat, there are many cats in the city, and they mate indiscriminately without restraint, so they gradually form such a group of cats begging for food in the vague area between the county town and the deep mountains.

In all fairness, this cat is very beautiful, with a jade black body, no variegation, delicate hair, no scars and no disease, and does not have the cunning and vicious temperament of a wild cat.

If cats also have society, then its temperament should be the level of princes and nobles, and when Pei Ye treated its wounds, it didn't scream, nor did it resist, and it looked calm and graceful.

The bandage was removed, the wound had solidified, and Pei liquid was applied with new herbs to re-bandage it intact.

After dealing with it, Pei Ye walked into the room and pushed out a ghostly old man.

If the old man stood up, he should be taller than Pei Li, but Pei Li knew that there was no such opportunity. The old man leaned on a rough and simple wheelchair, motionless, as if he had stopped breathing, like a piece of dead wood that had been worn for years.

In the dark daylight, the details of his face were even more hideous—the scars on his cheeks were like fleshy centipedes, spreading all the way to his scalp and neck. The eyes were completely gone, leaving two dark holes, sparse white hair, and a large area of the scalp exposed.

"Grandpa Yue, I'm going to start practicing swords, and now it's just past the Shen time, and I'm practicing until the moment of the unitary hour."

"Okay, I'll listen......"

As soon as the old man spoke, his neck was stretched straight, his chin was raised to the sky, and his back was slightly out of the wheelchair, using all his strength like a cormorant swallowing a fish, which looked ridiculous and terrifying.

The so-called sword practice is the swordsmanship that the old man taught him after Pei Li's "dantian seed" was injured, and said, "At least you may learn it now." ”

The process of teaching is also too difficult and peculiar, because this swordsmanship was created in his heart after the old man was paralyzed, and the old man neither practiced it himself, nor could he see the movements of the young man, so he could only rely on his sense of hearing to judge whether the young man's movements were standard and whether the force was in place.

Fortunately, the old man is indeed close to swordsmanship, and even so, he can always point out Pei Li's mistakes with a sharp point. Of course, there will inevitably be times when I really can't hear or answer Pei Li's question, and then the old man will say: "Let's practice a few times, not here." ”

But in any case, this is indeed a wonderful sword, Pei Li has practiced for two years, the sword moves have become more and more proficient, the sword theory has a lot of understanding, and the sword sense is getting better and better, he can be called a master of the sword, but he has not really learned even one style.

Even the cognition of "I didn't learn it", Pei Li was only vaguely aware of it after his swordsmanship had progressed to a certain extent. Before that, he once thought that it was enough to practice those sword moves to be exquisite and proficient, and he had never seen a higher level of realm at all.

"I'll be able to hear it when you actually learn." "You can even see it." ”

But this is obviously not today, Pei Ye practiced for enough time as usual, and raised his hand to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead. Maybe it was because of the sweat, there was some itching on his forehead, and Pei Ye wiped it twice.

Seeing that the cold wind was getting heavier, he pushed the old man back into the house and began to pick up the food, while boiling himself a small pot of warm medicine.

It had rained a lot in the morning, but the black clouds had not dispersed at all, but had become thicker and heavier, and at this time it seemed that they were really overwhelmed.

The miserable wind and rain, the dilapidated and cramped courtyard, the dry and thin jujube trees in the courtyard, the terrifying paralyzed old man, and the old sword with the sheath faded constitute the place where Pei Ye has lived for two years.

The willow branch that hung down into the courtyard was blown on his face by the wind, and the young man tore off a piece of it casually, pulled off the wooden core and put it to his mouth, and blew a light and loud whistle.

He looked up, and the sky swallowed up the last rays of light.

It's nightfall.