Located on the banks of the Yellow River in central China, Elephant Province is an inland province with a large population, and although its economy is not too developed compared with the coastal provinces, it has convenient transportation and rich cultural heritage, and has always been among the best in the central and western provinces. Guanchuan, the provincial capital, is not only one of China's eight ancient capitals, but also at the crossroads of China's large transportation network, which shows its importance.

The climate of Guanchuan City has four distinct seasons, June, July and August are the hottest times of the year, of which July and August are rainy, and occasionally cool down, only the sun in June is the most poisonous.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, it is basically the hottest time of the day, the scorching sun scorching the city, and there are few pedestrians on the roads. But on the agricultural road, dozens of leaders and employees of the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau stood in a row at the door. There was no tall building at the door, and the sun above his head was shining directly on his body, as if he was standing in a steel-making furnace, and his clothes were already soaked with sweat, but everyone still looked solemn, and their eyes were staring at the end of the road, as if they were waiting for some important person.

More than ten minutes passed, and at the end of the team, a young man finally couldn't bear the loneliness, secretly stabbed his colleague next to him, and whispered, "Brother Liu, why haven't they come for so long?"

That Brother Liu raised his hand to wipe his sweat, turned his head and said, "Don't talk nonsense, don't you see the leaders standing in front?"

The young man didn't care, and then asked, "What are you afraid of? It's okay for us to stand outside in the sun on such a hot day, why don't we even say a word?"

"It's not a question of whether to say it or not, but to show respect. Do you know who we're waiting for? It's Ma Lao! That's the most authoritative archaeological expert in China at present, haven't you seen that our chief and deputy directors have personally gone to the airport to pick them up? If we wait for the director to pick up people and come back, we won't stand or sit or sit together, and we will talk to each other, won't it affect our emotions?"

The young people disagreed: "Qi, isn't he just an old expert? We don't have much in China now, but there are many experts, and any person who writes a few words in the tabloids or on the Internet dares to pretend to be an expert......

Brother Liu hurriedly interrupted him: "Shhhh ”

"How can it be so serious? Bragging and not making drafts, a bad old man who does research, has no money and no power, is not a billionaire who has come to invest, and is not a national leader who has come to inspect, is it necessary to be so nervous?"

"It's not that I'm scaring you, just what you just said, if the national leader comes, it won't affect you much if you are heard, but because Ma Lao is coming today, if you are heard, you will die. Do you know why?"

"Why?" asked the young man.

Aroused by the young man, Brother Liu seemed to have forgotten how he warned the young man just now, "Not only because Ma Lao is the only remaining authority in the domestic archaeological field, but also because Ma Lao went out of our provincial bureau." Elephant Province has always been the most important province in the study of Chinese historical relics, Ma Lao is a native of Elephant Province, when he was young, he worked in our bureau for decades, and he was a well-known expert in the country before he was transferred to the Northern Capital.

"Sizzle......" The young man gasped, only to feel a chill in his back, and it seemed that the day was not so hot.

"It's back, it's back. I don't know who shouted, Brother Liu and the young man looked up and looked forward together. At the end of the road, several cars from the Cultural Relics Bureau lined up in a row, and in a blink of an eye, they were in front of everyone.

Before the car could stop, the director got out of the car, trotted to the other side, and opened the door for Ma Lao.

Ma Lao is an old man in his seventies, short in stature, slightly fat, with silver hair, dressed very ordinarily, and looks like a typical old expert. The waiting leaders had already gathered in front of the car and greeted Ma Lao one by one.

"Hello Mr. Ma!"

"Old leader, you are still in such good health. ”

"Hello horse!"

......

Ma Lao smiled, finished greeting everyone one by one, and then said: "I'm really sorry, delaying everyone's work, let everyone wait here for me alone on such a hot day." Then he turned his head and criticized the director next to him and said, "Xiao Li, it's a hot day, how can you let everyone stand here and wait for me, let's go back first." ”

"It's all voluntary. When we heard that the teacher was coming back, we students were looking forward to it, so we naturally had to go to the door to greet us, which is also the traditional virtue of our Chinese nation of respecting teachers and valuing education. Director Li was unimpressed.

"You, what should I say? I think you followed me for eight or nine years, and you still don't know what kind of person I am? What are you polite to me? Okay, you can take everyone back first. Ma Lao scolded with a smile.

"Hmm, teacher, aren't you going in with us?" Director Li was a little strange.

"I'm going to wait for someone too. ”

"What kind of person is it? Do you need the teacher to wait here in person? Otherwise, let's go back first, and I'll send a few people to wait here." On such a hot day, your body will be overwhelmed when you are old. In Director Li's mind, there is no one in Guanchuan City who is worthy of waiting for his teacher to stand in the sun in person. As a respected expert and scholar, Ma Lao is so old that even if the provincial and municipal leaders come, they dare not let Ma Lao wait outside.

"No, no, no. Hehe, this person is not famous, and you don't know if you say it. Ma Lao said with a smile.

I don't know? Who could it be that the teacher is waiting here in person? Director Li was puzzled and couldn't help asking, "Could it be an old friend of the teacher?"

"I'm not qualified to be someone's friend. Let me tell you the truth, what I'm waiting for is actually a Taoist priest, this Taoist is surnamed Wu, who has always cultivated in Wangwu Mountain and rarely goes out. In fact, I also made an appointment with Daochang Wu this time. ”

"Old Taoist, I haven't heard that you know anyone in this area before. Teacher, haven't you seen you for a few years, and now you are obsessed with alchemy and cultivation? Hehe, these are all superstitions, didn't the country just crack down on liars in this area some time ago?" Director Li joked with Ma Lao.

"Don't talk nonsense, Daochang Wu is not such a person. Do you know why I just said that I am not qualified to be Daoist Wu's friend?"

"Why?"

"It's because Daochang Wu is my elder. ”

"What? is it the elder of Ma Lao?" Before Director Li could speak, Brother Liu, who was listening to the leader's conversation, exclaimed first, and his loud voice startled everyone around him. Director Li glared at him and asked Ma Lao: "Teacher, you are almost eighty years old this year, right? If Daochang Wu were your elder, he would be over ninety years old by now, right? I don't think I had heard of you having such an elder before." ”

"Not to mention being over ninety years old, you may not believe it, Wu Daochang is older than my father who has long passed away. My father and Wu Daochang met when they were in the Republic of China. Eighty years ago, when the Central Plains was still a warlord fight, my father was captured and killed, and once he was seriously injured in a battle and was dying. It may be that the official saw that he couldn't cure well, so he left my father in the wild, but fortunately he was rescued by Wu Daochang, who was passing by, and his injuries were cured. After my father recovered from his injuries, he settled down near Wangwu Mountain, married a wife, and had children, which is why I was born. Because he was grateful for Wu Daochang's life-saving grace, he often went to the small Taoist temple where Wu Daochang lived to help, and he became friends with Wu Daochang after coming and going. I don't know exactly how old Daochang Wu is, but I remember my father said that when he first met Daochang Wu, Daochang Wu was older than him. If my father is still alive, he will be exactly 100 years old this year, and according to this calculation, Wu Daochang's age should be at least 110 years old. ”

"One hundred and ten years old?" this time it was not only Brother Liu who exclaimed, there were at least five or six people's voices. Director Li was also surprised: "Teacher, I admit that you say that we have a 110-year-old man in China, but you said that you made an appointment with him to come here together, so I don't believe it." An old man over a hundred years old, who is not lying in bed, and who dares to go out?"

"Although Wu Daochang is more than 100 years old, he is in his fifties just from his appearance. Wu Daochang is proficient in traditional Chinese martial arts, and I heard that the reason why the chief instructor of China's special forces has his current achievements is because he received Wu Daochang's guidance when he was a child. Moreover, Wu Daochang has learned Taoist health preservation techniques, so his body is much better than that of ordinary people. ”

The more Ma Lao said, the more mysterious it became, and although Director Li still listened to it on the surface, he didn't think so in his heart: "Teacher, do we still have such people in China? ”

"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not now, but there are some things I have to say in front, and Daoist Wu will come in a while, don't you still have this expression. Daochang Wu is my elder, although he has a more casual personality, but as juniors, we must fulfill the etiquette and not neglect it......"

"Don't squeeze, don't squeeze ......" is still Brother Liu's voice. It may be that Ma Lao's speech is too attractive, and the group of people from the Cultural Relics Bureau unconsciously formed a small circle. Then Brother Liu was listening to it energetically, and he felt that someone was squeezing forward from behind, so he didn't look back, and said, "What are you squeezing? Don't you see that there are leaders in front of me?"

"Hehe, my old man likes to watch the excitement, so many crowded together on a hot day, there must be excitement to watch. Come, let's let's let me take a look at it too. ”

Who is so blind? Director Li frowned and looked behind Brother Liu. Behind Brother Liu is an old man in his fifties, medium height, thin figure, with a goatee, a wide Taoist robe worn on his body as if he was on a piece of wood, with a bun on his head and a whisk on his back. But because his head was stuck between Brother Liu and another person, he squeezed his eyebrows and eyes while squeezing in, showing a little funny.