The morning breeze that passed through the door rippled on the dry grass, and the sunlight shone down pillars of light from the roof of the ruined temple, shining on the two of them.

"My name is Gu Sihai, you can call me Uncle Gu. ”

After the two had eaten and drunk, the man asked the little beggar, "Do you have a name?"

"Xu Zhaonan. ”

The little beggar said.

"Xu Zhaonan, a good name, I think I should have read books when I came to the house. ”

Gu Sihai chewed in his mouth, looked at Xu Zhaonan, and asked slowly, "How old are you this year, and are there still relatives at home?"

When the words came out, Gu Sihai was stunned, thinking that he was asking a nonsense, this world was decided, the war was in chaos, and if he could be reduced to a little beggar, where would there be any relatives in the family, and what adult would be willing to let his child look like this?

As expected, Xu Zhaonan shook his head and said, "I just turned ten years old this year, and there is no one at home. When I was born, there was only my mother in the family, and after that day, my mother took me and fled here with everyone, and I met robbers on the way, and my mother was gone......"

"Alas. ”

Looking at the thin little beggar in front of him, how could he look like a ten-year-old child, it was clearly a five or six-year-old child, Gu Sihai sighed.

Since that day, the world has been plunged into war, and rogue thieves from all over the country have also taken the opportunity to rise up. Orphans and widows were born in troubled times, and I don't know how this five-year-old boy left his mother and lived alone until now.

"That day" happened five years ago.

Five years ago, the world was divided into three. In the world's Kyushu, the Eastern Shengguo, the Western Chu State, and the Northern Zhou State each accounted for three. On that day, the only king with a different surname in the Dongsheng Kingdom, one of the five great masters in the world, Guan Baisheng, led a million iron horsemen out of the Dongsheng Kingdom, and allied with the millions of male soldiers of the Northern Zhou Dynasty in Yizhou to attack the Western Chu State.

At that time, the emperor's uncle of the Western Chu Kingdom, the sword god Bai Xifeng, was invited by Zhao Shu, a sword idiot who was also one of the five great grandmasters, to go to the Ten Thousand Sword Tombs in the Western Regions. Dongshengguo promised Ruoshui City, asked Zuo Yuan of the sword armor to let go, and went to the junction of Jingzhou and Yizhou - Yunmeng City, one person and one sword, to block hundreds of thousands of reinforcements from the Western Chu State in the place where they must pass.

In the end, the two countries effortlessly broke through the anti-Dongguan pass, and the border soldiers of the Western Chu State would be killed and wounded countless times, and then the armies of the two countries rushed into Yizhou, causing the gate of the Western Chu State to be opened.

After the war, the two countries washed the West Chu in blood in order to pacify the world, and for a time they killed the blood into a river.

Bai Xifeng, the uncle of the Western Chu Emperor who was far away in the Western Regions Ten Thousand Sword Tombs, heard about the shock, it was too late, and he was even more defeated when he competed with the sword mania, and he was already powerless.

Half a year later, Bai Xifeng, who had not recovered from his injuries, went to Ruoshui City angrily and invited Zuo Yuanfang to fight outside the city. After this battle, the world is unknown, only that the sword god was finally beheaded by Zuo Yuan outside the city, and the bones were buried on the bank of the Ruoshui River, and the sword "Immortal" was tied in the sword pavilion. At this point, the world shook, and everyone said that Zuo Yuanfang had ascended to the realm of immortals.

Since then, the five great masters in the world have gone to two of them, one ascending and one dying.

Thinking of this, Gu Sihai held the long sword tightly wrapped in linen, and asked in a somewhat low voice: "In this case, instead of you wandering alone in Fengyang City and living a precarious life, it is better to leave with me, although the life in the mountains is hard, it can be regarded as not worrying about food...... Would you like to?"

Xu Zhaonan was stunned, since he was born, he has spent nearly half a year in this Fengyang City, but he has never thought of leaving, and he doesn't know where to go after leaving. My master, unwilling to be that wandering ghost, bent on avenging the country, disregarded his wounded body and went to the thief to claim the debt of thousands of Chu people, but he was defeated by the thief, died at the hands of the thief, and the bones were buried outside the city by the thief, and even the sword with the master was robbed by the thief......"

After that, he held the sword in his hand and motioned to Xu Zhaonan: "Back then, after the thief fought with my master, he couldn't come out, and if the master's sword was hidden on the thief's side like the master's bones, I knew that I couldn't snatch it. But I heard rumors in the rivers and lakes before that the master was holding the sword by the thief and walking in the rivers and lakes. So I went down down the mountain and took it, and the wound on this body was the one that I was wounded by those men when I took the sword. ”

When Xu Zhaonan heard this, he got up in a panic and said, "Then, will those people still come to hunt you down?" ”

Gu Sihai shook his head and said calmly: "I can't walk...... However, those people also have the arrogance of those people, and they were snatched by me, and their skills were inferior to others, so I don't think they would be chased and killed so far. I meditate here for three days, and if they don't come, they won't come. If you're afraid of being implicated by me, I'll leave immediately. ”

Xu Zhaonan nodded as if he didn't understand, then shook his head again, and said to Gu Sihai: "I'm not afraid." Uncle Gu, then you can rest here first, I'll go outside to look for food in the mountains, it's almost winter. Later, when they are all hiding, they will not be found...... By the way, I promised Uncle Bun Shop this morning that I would catch a fish for him later......"

never mentioned whether he was willing to leave with Gu Sihai.

With that, Xu Zhaonan got up and walked outside the temple gate. Gu Sihai looked at the slender figure stretched by the sunlight in front of him, silent and speechless.

............

When the first rays of sunlight in the early morning shone into the broken temple, the warm sun woke up the sleeping Gu Sihai, opened his eyes, propped himself up and moved his arms, and muttered to himself, it seems that they will not chase after them, although the injury has not healed, it is not a big problem to hurry.

Xu is Gu Sihai made a little more movement, or the vigilance that he has practiced by being alone all year round, Xu Zhaonan woke up, looked at Gu Sihai and said, "Uncle Gu, are you leaving?"

"Well, I went out this time to find the master's relics, and now the Excalibur has arrived. In addition, it took a lot of time to recuperate, and it was time to go back. After Gu Sihai finished speaking, he looked at Xu Zhaonan, and sent out an invitation again, saying: "Do you want to go with me, although it can't guarantee you prosperity and wealth in this life, but it can also send you a creation, which can be regarded as repaying you for saving your life." ”

Hearing this, Xu Zhaonan lowered his head, and after being silent for a long time, he raised his head and shook his head at Gu Sihai, and said in a firm tone: "I can survive alone, I have been living alone for five years, and when I am older and stronger, I can go and help the Li family work, and I will be able to support myself......! I saved you, not so that you can repay me, my mother said, you can't repay you with kindness as a man......"

The last sentence is really what I think.

"Huh. ”

Looking at the somewhat stubborn little beggar in front of him, Gu Sihai understood why Xu Zhaonan rejected him three days ago, and said to him with a smile: "Then did your mother tell you that it is better to be respectful than to obey?"

Xu Zhaonan was stunned, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, as if he was recalling his mother's teachings, but for a child who had just turned ten years old, the events of five years ago were too old, and not everything could be remembered clearly.

"Hahaha, I didn't say you were blackmailing you. ”

Gu Sihai laughed heartily, reached out and patted Xu Zhaonan's thin shoulder, and said to him who was confused: "I, like you, are all from Western Chu, and they are just ghosts in this world. I see that you have a good temperament, and I plan to take you back to meet the young master of my family, if the young master agrees, I can keep you and teach you to read and write, or to practice literature and martial arts. Anyway, you're going to work for that Li family, so why don't you go to my house to do work. At least, you're not alone in this world!"

Hearing this, Xu Zhaonan pursed his lips and clenched the small fist hanging by his side hard, not knowing what he was thinking in his head.

Gu Sihai didn't say anything anymore, just looked at Xu Zhaonan quietly, waiting for his answer, and at the same time secretly made up his mind in his heart, "It's a good seedling, some courage, it's just too kind-hearted, in this world, it's not a good thing to be too kind-hearted." It's a pity to leave him alone in Fengyang City, if he doesn't want to go with me, I'll tie him up and go back to Yaoshan!"

After a long time, maybe it was Gu Sihai who said that after going back with him, he could "read and write, practice literature and practice martial arts", or the sentence "At least, in this world, you are not alone!" moved Xu Zhaonan, or both.

Xu Zhaonan met Gu Sihai's expectant gaze, nodded heavily at Gu Sihai, and then raised his face again, and asked, "Uncle Gu, I'm going back with you, do you have meat buns to eat?"

"Hahaha!"

After Gu Sihai got a satisfactory answer, the sword wound on his body seemed to have improved a little, and he laughed three times. Stretched out his hand and rubbed Xu Zhaonan's unkempt hair, pinched his little face again, and said heroically: "Yes!

The breeze penetrated the dilapidated temple, stirring Xu Zhaonan's hair that was rubbed by Gu Sihai, revealing a young and resolute face.

"I don't think you have much to worry about here, it's better to leave with me at this moment, Fengyang City is thousands of miles away from Yaoshan, we are old, weak, sick and disabled, it is better to hurry as soon as possible." ”

Gu Sihai looked at the ruined temple on all sides, thinking that this little beggar didn't have any belongings to bring, and along the way, he also fell easily. grabbed the long sword beside him, and was about to pull Xu Zhaonan back.

Xu Zhaonan struggled with the little hand held by Gu Sihai, looked up at him, and said, "Uncle Gu, you just said that Yaoshan and Fengyang City are thousands of miles apart, and I don't know if I can come back here in the future, before leaving, I want to go and say goodbye to Uncle and Aunt Baozipu......"

"Selling steamed buns...... Freshly mined meat buns......"

In Fengyang City, it is as lively as it is on weekdays, and the streets are bustling with pedestrians. In front of the bun shop, the guests who came to buy the buns still lined up in a long line, and the uncle and aunt of the bun shop were very busy.

"Uncle, auntie, I'm leaving. ”

The uncle of the bun shop, hearing the sound in his ears, habitually reached into the cage drawer, picked out the two largest meat buns, and was about to wrap them in oiled paper. After a pause, he came back to his senses, looked at the dirty little beggar beside him as usual, and asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go to a far away place with Uncle Gu, and Uncle Gu said that he can teach me to read and write. I'm gone, and I don't know when I'll be back. Uncle, aunt, thank you all these years. ”

After saying that, Xu Zhaonan bowed his hand to the uncle and aunt of the bun shop, and bent down to salute.

"This ......"

For a while, the uncle of the bun shop seemed a little at a loss.

After the lady of the steamed bun shop sent away the guests who bought the steamed buns in front of the stall, she turned around, took the steamed buns in the uncle's hand, and took seven or eight large meat buns from the cage drawer, and after carefully wrapping them, she stuffed them into Xu Zhaonan's arms without saying anything.

"Take it and eat it on the way. ”

"Auntie...... I ......"

"Take it and eat it on the way!"

"Hey, thank you, auntie. And uncle, I'll miss you. ”

Xu Zhaonan turned around and walked towards Gu Sihai, who was already waiting for Gu Sihai to stand with his sword on his back at the entrance of the street, the meat buns in his arms were tightly wrapped in oiled paper, facing the rising sun, scorching and shining.

............