A small boat in front of the river.

"It's... My lord, where are you going?"

Xiaoyun has just landed in the cabin. An old fisherman who was rowing put down the boat and hurriedly walked over and asked cautiously.

Xiao Yun's gaze turned to the inside of the warehouse, the space inside was not very large, barely able to accommodate five or six people. There was a couple in the warehouse, the woman was holding a little girl about six years old, and the family was wearing ordinary linen clothes and straw sandals on their feet, apparently from the peasant families in this area. At this time, the three of them huddled together tightly, looking at Xiaoyun with some fear and vigilance, obviously frightened by Xiaoyun's boarding move just now.

Xiaoyun retracted his gaze, turned to the old fisherman and asked, "Old man, where does this river go down?"

The old fisherman hurriedly replied: "Back to my lord, I will go to the ferry after fifty miles of river, and there are some small farms near the ferry, and then you need to take the dry road to Nanshan Temple, Linpanyang Lake and other places." ”

"Nanshan Temple..."Xiaoyun muttered for a while, then took out a piece of broken silver, handed it to the old fisherman, and said with a smile: "Old man, you can take this bit of broken silver first, and it will be regarded as the cost of my boat." ”

The old fisherman shook his head violently, and said with some panic: "No, no, no... This is not to be done. My lord, this is to torture the old farmer, it is my honor that you can come to take the boat, how dare I accept your silver!"

Xiaoyun was slightly stunned, but seemed to understand something, and immediately smiled: "Don't be afraid, old man, I am not a river thief, nor am I a heinous person who bullies men and women in the martial arts, do you think I look like a bad person?"

The old fisherman looked left and right for a long time before shaking his head. Xiaoyun couldn't cry or laugh a little, put the broken silver on the old fisherman's rough palm for many years, and said with a light smile: "Old man, don't worry. I'm here to keep your boat safe!"

The old fisherman looked at the silver with white flowers in his hand, and his thin face was a little red from excitement. They usually make a living by fishing, and there are occasional visitors on the river. If you encounter river thieves and bandits, you have to pay tribute, so as not to be beaten.

"Thanks... Thank you, sir...", the old fisherman bowed and thanked him.

"You're welcome, old man!" Xiao Yun nodded with a smile, turned around and sat down casually in the cabin. It seems that seeing Xiaoyun's approachable and gentle attitude towards the old fisherman, the couple in the cabin are not as vigilant as before to Xiaoyun, and let go a little.

The little girl curled up in the woman's arms, with a pair of big round eyes poking her head out, looked at the clouds curiously. Xiaoyun smiled at her kindly, and couldn't help but feel a little worried in her heart, ordinary people and those who pursue fame and fortune forcibly envy each other, maybe destiny can't help it, always give you something, and lose something.

Now what he has to do is to help the city lord of Lan Yan find the enemy, for this matter, Xiaoyun has no clue at all, the sea of people is vast to find a crippled old man, how easy it is to say, not to mention that he still has a feather sword on his body, and he must always be vigilant.

The second thing is to investigate the case of the murder of the door back then, there are many doubts in this matter, and the only clue is to start from what my father did before his death.

"If you first look for clues about the tragedy of the Jinling Chu family and the Hengzhou Xiao family, you may be able to find the enemy of the Lord of Lancheng on a trial basis. The martial arts masters of the same generation before their father's death should be able to get more information from them. ”

Xiaoyun thought about it carefully, and made a plan in his heart. The boat slowly crossed the river, and although it was morning, it was not close to the fifty rivers. During this time, I was tired and a little tired, and Xiaoyun sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, enjoying this short period of tranquility.

Nanshan Temple.

This Nanshan area is famous since ancient times, there is a holy place for the accumulation of sages living in seclusion, and there is a famous poet Xie Lingyun in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, who recites the scriptures and worships the Buddha here. Su Shi, a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, once wrote when he passed by Nanshan District: "The people of Nanshan on the waterfront do not cross, and the east wind blows the old peach blossoms." So far, it is rumored that there is a spring water in Nanshan, gushing out from the crack in the rock, clear and sweet, it does not dry up all the year round, it is a great victory in Nanshan. In ancient times, it was called "Yelaoquan".

Climb to the top of the South Mountain, the mountains and lakes ripple at a glance, look at the banks of Panyang Lake in the distance, the lotus flowers in the lake are planted, at this time the victory is red, look at it like a sea of flowers, the scenery is moving, the crowd standing on the shore is reluctant to leave.

In the afternoon, Xiaoyun left the ferry port and arrived at Nanshan Temple. Although it still belongs to the Nanshan District, it is far away from the "Hanging Mountain" of Lan Yan City. Xiao Yun was not in a hurry to go around to find out the enemies of the Lan Yan City Lord, that would only attract more masters who were looking for trouble for him.

Now what he is looking for is the old friends of the Chu family who made friends with the enemy forces and his father during his lifetime, and the four evil elders of the Western Regions do not have the strength to deal with them now, and they cannot be found.

Shizun once said that his father once used the strength of the Xuan Realm to defeat the three great monks of Kongyuan Temple during his lifetime, and these three monks were also close friends of his father. Kongyuan Temple is the first temple of Shaolin Zen Buddhism, and after the three eminent monks lost to their fathers in martial arts competitions, they were sent to various temples to meditate. And this Nanshan Temple, there is a high monk.

At this time, it is the period when visitors are scarce, and in the courtyard of Nanshan Temple, there are few people who come to deliver incense, and the huge temple is relatively empty and quiet. Xiaoyun looked at the gate for a long time, slowly climbed the stone steps of the main hall, and walked in.

As soon as he entered the temple door, a deep Buddha voice came: "Amitabha, is the donor here to deliver incense?"

Xiaoyun stopped and looked in the direction of the coming sound, only to see a middle-aged monk about forty years old walking on the right. Approaching, Xiaoyun said: "I'm here to visit Abbot Juehui, and the trouble master will introduce you!"

The middle-aged monk glanced at Xiaoyun up and down and asked, "Dare to ask the donor if he knows the abbot of my temple?"

Xiaoyun said: "I have a father's best friend who is the best friend of Abbot Juehui!"

The middle-aged monk said: "I see, what is the name of the donor?"

"Under the surname Xiao, a single name is a cloud word. Master Lao told me!" Xiaoyun clasped his fists and saluted.

"It turned out to be Lord Xiao, please come with the poor monk. The middle-aged monk bowed slightly, turned around and walked towards the stone path on the left side of the main hall.

"Thank you!" Xiaoyun replied and followed.

The middle-aged monk led the way in front, bypassing the three major halls and entering the backyard of Nanshan Temple. The backyard of this temple is designed to be quite ancient but elegant, with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere with a solemn atmosphere, which makes people feel greatly reduced.

Stepping into the wooden ladder corridor, the middle-aged monk walked into the door of the meditation room and stopped, turned around and said, "Donor, please wait a moment!" After a word of advice, he turned around and opened the door and walked in.

In a moment, the door opened again.

The middle-aged monk stood at the door, clasped his palms together and said, "Donor, please come in!"

Xiaoyun thanked him. As soon as I entered the meditation room, a faint smell of Qingxin tea came to my nose, filling the whole room, making people feel refreshed. I saw an old monk with white eyebrows sitting next to the tea table, who was drinking tea, and saw Xiaoyun come in. The old monk stood on his chest with one hand, and said with a slight respect: "Presumably this is Lord Xiao Shi!"

Xiaoyun hugged his fists and saluted, and said, "It's Xiaoyun below, please forgive me for disturbing the abbot Qingxiu." ”

Abbot Juehui said: "Lord Xiaoyun is polite, please take a seat!"

Xiaoyun sat down on the opposite side of the tea table, the whole room was simply furnished, in addition to a chessboard in the corner, there were also some calligraphy and landscape paintings, which were all made by celebrities. Xiaoyun didn't expect this abbot to be so elegant.

Sitting down, Abbot Juehui poured a spoonful of tea on the Xiaoyun cup, and said: "The donor has come from afar, only this tea, and the donor Haihan is still expected to be entertained inconsiderately." ”

Xiaoyun said: "The abbot's words are serious. I have the honor to sit with the abbot and taste this Nanshan Shengcha, which is like a rain sprinkling light dust, and the jade is floating fragrant foam in the wind. ”

Abbot Juehui said with a smile: "How dare you, the donor's such a Confucian and chivalrous spirit can be described as the pride of the martial arts heroes." Please use tea!"

"Abbot, please. ”

Xiaoyun raised his glass and saluted, took a small sip, and a fragrant and elegant tea flavor swirled in the mouth and was extremely round, the taste was pure, the taste of the years, not as rough and strong as the new tea, but instead it was a softness, and the entrance was very comfortable.

After tasting the tea, Abbot Juehui smiled and said, "Forgive the old man for being clumsy, Lord Xiao has never been to Nanshan Temple before, right?"

Xiaoyun put down the teacup and said respectfully, "This is the first time I have visited Nanshan Temple. I used to hear a close friend of my father's mention that he admired Abbot Jueran!"

Abbot Juehui said: "The donor has won the prize." The old man tasted it, and dared to ask the donor who this father was?"

"The head of the Jinling family, Chu Tianxiong. ”

Abbot Juehui was shocked, and said: "It turns out that Chu Daxia is a close friend of the donor's father, and Chu Daxia is a close friend of Lao Gao, so they are not outsiders to each other." ”

Xiaoyun said: "In the past, I often heard Chu Daxia say that he often came to Kongyuan Temple to have a long conversation with the abbot at night, and he benefited a lot from writing and painting. ”

Abbot Juehui laughed loudly: "That's Chu Daxia's reputation." The donor said that the poor monks have a lot of friends, but Chu Daxia is the first person I admire. Chu Daxia can be described as a strange person in the world, with a wise mind and a great strategy, and the knowledge he has learned is as vast as the sea. The poor monk is beyond his reach!"

Xiaoyun said: "The abbot is modest. It is said that my father had fought with the abbot, and if there was something unclear, please give advice. ”

Abbot Juehui smiled and said slowly: "This matter is a long story. When I was in Kongyuan Temple, I competed side by side with my fellow brothers Jueran, Jueming and Chu Daxia, competed with friends, and endowed poetry, calligraphy and chess skills. On calligraphy, painting and chess, Chu Daxia has a unique insight, and in terms of martial arts, even if the three of us join forces, we have not been able to achieve a chance of winning one and a half moves. Therefore, that battle also made Chu Daxia famous in the martial arts. ”

Xiao Yun bowed slightly, and said respectfully: "The three abbots have immeasurable chests, and they can become close friends after losing to Chu Daxia, Xiao Yun admires." ”

Hearing Abbot Hui say this, Xiaoyun was slightly shocked in his heart. The three of them lost without any suspense, how strong his father's skills were back then, Xiaoyun can probably guess now. The strength of the three senior monks of Kongyuan Temple is all cultivated in the Xuan Realm, and the father is at least close to the cultivation of the late stage of the Xuan Realm. This kind of strength is among the few in the martial arts.

In this way, when the Chu family was destroyed, it was not so easy for the four evil elders to kill their father together. What's more, at that time, the earth demon had already appeared on the road of Zhongming Mountain, and the three of Tiangang, Xuan Ming and Youhou alone could not use the "Four Elephants Barbaric Decision".

Because of this, Xiao Yun was extremely puzzled, if his father was not dead, why didn't he come to Zhong Mingshan to find him and his mother? The only possibility was that in addition to the four evil elders, there were other masters involved, and his father had already suffered an accident that night.

This matter seems ordinary, but when you think about it carefully, Abbot Juehui has such a high opinion of his father, with his father's cultivation and intelligence, how could he be defeated so quickly! But where the answer to the question appears, Xiaoyun still can't figure it out.

Abbot Juehui sighed and continued: "Although the three of my senior brothers lost to Chu Daxia in the competition, it did not affect the friendship between us in the slightest. Pity... God is jealous of talents, if Lao Wei is not mistaken, ten years ago, the Chu family in Jinling was wiped out, and Chu Daxia also died in the sky. ”

Xiaoyun nodded and said, "Yes, listening to what my father said, Chu Daxia was no longer alive ten years ago. And let me say bluntly, the abbot is Chu Daxia's best friend, if he is in trouble, how can the abbot not know the reason?"

Abbot Juehui frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice: "Hearing what Lord Xiao said, Lao Wei also felt that this matter was strange. ”

Xiaoyun said: "There are many grievances in the martial arts, and it is not impossible for strange things to happen, does the abbot know this? When was the last time Chu Daxia came to you?"

"Some grievances of Chu Daxia, the old man heard him say that in addition to having some knots with the Xiao family in Hengzhou, he also fought with the four evil elders who provoked the martial arts in the Central Plains. Therefore, the tragedy of destroying the door ten years ago caused a sensation in the entire martial arts, and it was the revenge of the four evil elders in the Western Regions, and the four evil elders also disappeared without a trace from that time, and the Xiao family in Hengzhou was also destroyed, which is really strange..."

Abbot Juehui thought for a moment and continued: "As for the last time Chu Daxia came to find Lao Gao, I remember it very clearly, and Senior Brother Jueming was also present at that time. It was ten years ago, the day before the Double Ninth Festival, every Double Ninth Festival, Chu Daxia would bring some calligraphy and paintings to meet friends. But... That day, he didn't bring any calligraphy and paintings, but a long turn, which was stored in the junior brother of Jueming. ”

The day before the Double Ninth Festival, this was before the Chu family was wiped out, and my father was still there at that time. The turn that the abbot said attracted Xiaoyun's attention.

Xiaoyun stared at him and asked, "I don't know what is in the turn that Chu Daxia deposited?"

Abbot Juehui said: "I don't know, the old man didn't care much about that turn at that time. Besides, it was something stored by Chu Daxia, we just kept it for him temporarily, how could we dare to open it without his permission. ”

"Now Chu Daxia is gone. Where is that turn still stored in the abbot of Jueming?" Xiaoyun hurriedly asked.

Abbot Juehui said: "Senior Brother Jueming has been cultivating in Kongyuan Temple all the time, and he has never left, so things should still be there." ”

Xiaoyun paused for a moment, stood up, clasped his fists and saluted: "Thank you abbot for informing me, if you can find the cause of my father's death with the help of the abbot's guidance, the abbot's merit is immeasurable." Xiaoyun pretended to be disturbed, and said goodbye!"

Abbot Juehui then stood up and said, "Amitabha, Kongyuan Temple is still a lot away from here, and the donor is running around, and it's not too late to go after fasting." ”

"The abbot is gracious, and Xiaoyun understands it. Things are unpredictable in martial arts, and it is better to find the answer sooner than a day later. Don't dare to delay more, abbot, please stay!" As soon as he finished speaking, Xiaoyun's figure had already arrived outside the door.

In the meditation room, Abbot Juehui looked at Xiaoyun's back and walked for a long time. couldn't help muttering to himself: "This Xiao Shi Master has such profound internal skills, I don't know where the master taught the disciple." Alas... Senior Brother Jueming is a martial idiot again, I hope his luck will not be too bad. ”