There was only one white-headed old man in the courtyard, wearing a short linen blouse and an old pair of trousers with several holes that were no longer than the ankles. Sit in front of the room and concentrate on sharpening the wide knife in your hand.

The iron piece and the whetstone collided sonorously, and the old man was engaged, except for a random glance when the two of them first appeared, and there was no superfluous look.

Song Huiya came to the hospital, but he didn't give any reaction.

Song Huiya half-squatted in front of him, and quickly wiped the blade of the knife with his fingers, feeling that it was just an extremely ordinary knife, just sharpened, and had nothing to do with the so-called famous soldiers, and it was not worthy of such precious treatment.

The old man scooped some water from the basin beside him, splashed it on the blade, twisted his wrist and turned it in a different direction, and sharpened it again as if no one was around.

Song Huiya said: "It's going to be overdone." ”

The old man should have been dissatisfied with someone pointing him out, and said angrily: "Are you still alive?" ”

His joints and knuckles are thicker than ordinary people, and even when he is sitting, he can tell that he is not a tall person. It's just that the hands and feet are so big that they don't match the height, and it's quite weird to look at.

The skin on his hands is dark, the calluses on his palms are thick enough to cover the palm prints, and the loose skin on the back of his hands has old brown spots, which truly reveal his age.

Strangely, in such a cold winter, he only wore such a single coat, and there was an endless stream of heat coming out of his body, sitting in the cold wind, there was a vast layer of white smoke floating on his muscles, making him feel as if he was ignited by fire.

Song Huiya looked at him secretly, and said with a smile: "Sounds like you're not very happy?" ”

The old man said: "The thousand-year-old king and eighty-thousand-year-old turtle, you have a long life, what is the strange thing?" ”

Song Huiya saw that he reacted coldly, and felt that there should be no deep friendship between the two, but he really couldn't understand why such an old man would let himself be remembered before he died. Even if you crawl out of the grave, you must be the first to see you.

"Do you ......," she reasonedly speculated, "do you owe me money?" ”

The old man glanced at her, lowered his head and continued to sharpen his knife.

After a moment, he raised his gaze and looked at her carefully, and the movement of his hand stopped. picked up a piece of linen hanging on his lap, wiped it casually, and knocked it on Song Huiya's head.

As if shooting a winter melon, he asked seriously: "You gave your brain to the donkey to kick?" ”

Song Huiya: "......"

Song Zhiti had already swayed around the front yard with short legs, and his eyes were rolling in all directions. One moment touching weeds, another moment kicking tables and chairs, at first glance, he is an idle person.

Holding the burden and listening for a long time, he shouted without hesitation: "He scolded you!" Master! He scolded you twice! ”

Song Huiya raised his hand and waved it, signaling her not to interject.

Song Zhiti threw the things in his hand on the stone table in the middle, ran behind her, rolled up his cuffs, crossed his waist with both hands, straightened his chest and stomach, bared his teeth, and looked like he was full of dog legs, ready to rush up and bite people.

However, Song Huiya only found a wooden stool to sit down, not taking his ridicule to heart.

She had slender limbs, and she sat on the low stool, with a kind of grievance that she couldn't exert. Song Zhi walked over timidly, beat her back and pinched her shoulders, and served her diligently. He took the teapot on the table by himself, and poured a glass of water for Song Huiya with the posture he had practiced many times on the road.

Even if the old man was calm, looking at this pair of master and apprentice, he still felt a little puzzled. Pointing at Song Zhiti, he said, "You can't afford to buy clothes?" Where did you get your apprentice? ”

Song Huiya had a headache and said, "You ask her yourself." ”

Song Zhi flicked his sleeves timidly, and said with an innocent smile: "I don't want to wear it!" I don't dare to walk anymore. I'll wear it later. ”

She had sores on her head, so Song Huiya cut her hair short. He was still wearing the old clothes that were about to rot into rags, and he looked like he had been carried out of a beggar's nest, and he was indescribably shabby.

The old man's words became more: "Why did you accept an apprentice on a whim?" ”

The momentum around him suddenly increased, and he still maintained his original posture, but the muscles on his shoulders and back were slightly tense, and there was a kind of fierce beast staring at his prey, and he said firmly: "You won't accept apprentices." ”

Song Zhi was so frightened that he took a step back, and tightly tugged at the corner of Song Huiya's clothes in his hand, afraid that he would make a move for her, so he loosened it a little more, and moved his toes towards the door.

Song Huiya sat casually, separated from him by a long whetstone, thought for a moment, and laughed at himself: "Xu is really kicked by a donkey." I don't remember. ”

The old man picked up the knife on the ground and asked, "Didn't you tell your junior brother that you are still alive?" ”

Song Huiya was thoughtful, and after a while, he shook his head and said, "Think again." ”

The old man's eyelids were heavy, and with an unpredictable emotion, he asked, "What do you think?" ”

Song Huiya said very slowly: "I want to know who I am." ”

The old man got up, took the knife into the house, and hung it on the wall.

Song Huiya asked curiously: "Don't grind?" ”

I saw that the old man came out with a new knife.

Song Huiya: "......"

Song Zhi came back to his senses and blurted out a scolding: "Old thing, you scared me to death!" ”

The old man sat back slowly, pressed the back of the knife with his fingertips, and said without being salty or light: "Something new." ”

Song Huiya smiled and said, "You don't believe it? ”

The old man said truthfully: "I don't believe it. ”

He sharpened his knife rhythmically, as if he were sorting out his thoughts.

After a while, he stopped his movements and said, "Believe." ”

This time, my back bent a lot, and the frequency was much faster.

Song Zhiti heard it in a fog, and hugged his head with both hands.

Song Huiya originally wanted to ask what he was doing when he made an appointment to meet him. It can be seen that when he reacts like this, he always feels that there will be no satisfactory answer to her. Rubbing his fingers, he guessed that it was probably some promise made by the outlaws to each other—such as murder; For example, seeking revenge.

So I also held it down and didn't mention it.

She suddenly felt a little sad in her heart, and found that she had been rolling in the sea of corpses and blood for half her life, and there was little affection. Many thoughts are miserable, and today's search and pursuit may be just another kind of obsession.

Also.

The world's acquaintance is just a lonely photo, only a short meeting, will not be, and it is not necessary to be a confidant who pays each other with blood and care.

Song Huiya pressed his knees with both hands, and was about to get up to say goodbye, only to remember that his apprentice had not made a sound since Fang Cai, and it was too unusually quiet.

She turned her head, Song Zhiti was still pretending to be a grimace that she hadn't had time to put away, and after meeting her eyes, she put her hands behind her back in a panic.

Song Huiya didn't care about her before, but at this time he decided to turn over the old accounts for a while, sat steadily, and asked with a soft smile: "Are you scolding again?" ”

Song Zhiti's scalp was numb, and his brain was spinning rapidly, thinking about how to explain.

The old man squinted at Song Zhiti, maybe he couldn't get used to Song Huiya's slightly lonely expression at the moment, and said charity: "Your apprentice is a little similar to you before." ”

Song Zhi was frightened, and felt that this old man not only had bad eyes, but his eyes were probably crooked, and he smiled brightly: "Yes!" I am as well-behaved and sensible as my master, smart and intelligent! In the future, I want to be a hero like my master! ”

The old man ignored it, looked at Song Huiya and said, "When your master first accepted you, people who knew your nature were very puzzled, why did she accept such an apprentice?" Buliushan has always advocated the style of a gentleman, but by the time of your master's generation, he has withered. But when they are famous, they are all amazing heroes. Disciples who want to enter the door to learn the art can go three miles from the foot of the mountain. But they chose you. And you are so different that you can be called shocking, you regard benevolence and righteousness as hypocrisy, dignity as bullshit, and you never have a word of truth in your mouth. If you can't beat it, you can cheat, and if you can't deceive, you can ask for it. I always can't get along with your master, and I dare to sneer and speak ill of her in front of her. ”

The old man commented sincerely: "It's really a little ash on the pearl, a piece of mud in the clear pond." I couldn't find it with a lantern. ”

"You say my master?!" Song Zhiti felt that he was simply misleading the crowd, and pulled the sleeves of the person in front of him and said, "Master, he deliberately scolded you by talking nonsense!" ”

Song Huiya listened with relish, and laughed: "Was I so hateful before? Then why did my master take me as an apprentice? ”

"I don't know." The old man recalled the past, and there was also a kind of trance that was difficult to withdraw from it, as if he was smelling a jar of strong choking wine, and every word in his mouth needed to be considered again, "When she mentions you, she will only say one sentence, saying that you are very hardworking." She is not happy when others say bad things about you. You are indeed a rare talent, and you are extremely diligent in sword training. The third and fifth watches are all practicing martial arts, and they never slack off. One or two years is worth one or two years. At that time, some people said that if they did not leave the mountain, they would raise a disaster. I don't want to do it now, it's a prophecy. ”

Song Huiya shook the apprentice's shoulder, looked at her for a moment, and nodded: "No wonder I felt that the first time I saw this girl, I felt that her face was good, not good, my master started from me, and the roots were going to be crooked." ”

The old man said leisurely: "You don't have a teacher." When you left Buliu Mountain, you set fire to the library and led your two juniors to run around. The mountain was later taken by someone else, and a new gate and attic were built, still bearing the name of the mountain. The graves of your master and uncle are still on the mountain, and the other party has not demolished them for you. Now they worship your ancestral hall, but they have nothing to do with you anymore. ”

It's just a few words, Song Huiya constructed his imagination in his mind, and turned out many vivid shadows from behind those words, and said with mixed feelings: "I see." I don't have a teacher......"

Song Zhiti felt that this old man was very bad, and deliberately picked on her master's sadness as soon as they met, and he had to scold a few words openly and secretly to amuse other people's wounds. Euphemistically urged Song Huiya to leave: "Master, where are we staying tonight?" ”

Song Huiya didn't want to leave again, so he pointed to the old man and said, "Call grandpa." ”

Song Zhi was cowardly and kind, put on a flawless smile, and exclaimed: "Uncle, you will be my grandfather in the future!" I'll give you a pension for the end. Anyway, I'm sending one and two too. I'm crying so well! ”

The old man's expression was slightly distorted when he listened. It can be seen that she smiled sincerely, and it is not good to suspect that she is cursing herself for her early death. Turned his head and asked Song Huiya: "How did you hold back and not kill her." ”

Song Huiya said with a smile: "In recent years, self-cultivation has been cultivated. My temper is much better. Look at my apprentice, I think the eyebrows are clear, playful and cute. ”

Song Zhi timidly stepped forward, grinned enthusiastically, revealing his missing front teeth, and swayed straight in front of the old man, even more flashing than the knife in his hand, and said, "Grandpa, we will be a family from now on." Yours will be mine. I want to eat that chicken in my backyard right now! ”

The old man felt that he had been folded by her three words "family" for at least three years, and the wrinkles on his face were stacked, and he said to the devil: "Playful and cute? ”

The wind leaking from this child's front teeth is afraid that it is the evil that Song Huiya hit today.

Song Huiya stretched his waist and said in a good mood: "Grandpa likes you so much, he will definitely keep you staying and see which room you sleep in tonight." The two of you are here to get closer and closer. ”