Sword of Coming

Lu Baixiang stood up, looked at the handsome young man with a red mole in front of him with a smile, and extended his hand to signal Cui Dongshan to take a seat, "It doesn't matter who learns chess and who teaches chess."

One of the strongest Go players in the history of Ouhua Blessed Land, he had an intuition that he might play a career masterpiece today.

Cui Dongshan sat down, with one foot on the stool, bent over, and resting his chin on his knees. Compared with Lu Baixiang, who was sitting upright, it was a world of difference.

Cui Dongshan stretched out his arm, lightly brushed his fingers on the edge of the chess box, and said lazily: "You haven't decided on the position yet, right?"

Lu Baixiang laughed dumbly. He never thought that he would be despised one day on the chessboard. However, Lu Baixiang was not upset by such a trivial matter. He nodded and smiled: "I'm here for the first time. It's true that there is no such thing." Fixed section.”

Cui Dongshan nodded and said: "In order to determine the rank, according to the secular rules, you can first play three games with a nine-dan chess player Dai Zhao, three two one, and the newcomer will be given three, two and one pieces respectively. Of course, the outcome will be determined. It does not affect the final decision, it is more of a support and a favor. Your luck, Lu Baixiang, is much stronger than your chess ability."

What really determines a newcomer's rank is, of course, the tie games with fourth- and fifth-level chess players.

Cui Dongshan suddenly raised his head, "Maybe you will think that in the next game between you and me, you have a chance to get the best game. I might as well tell you that this is your illusion. But you are definitely not convinced, so I will reverse the order, one, two, three , let me give you one piece first, so that you know your true balance, how about? As for whether it is a seat system or an empty start, it is up to you."

Lu Baixiang shook his head and said: "There is no need to give in. Even if I lose, I still know the gap between you and me."

Cui Dongshan stretched out his finger and nodded at Lu Baixiang, "I like your blind arrogance that you are not afraid of anything. Okay, I guess you won't agree if it's a handicap game. Then let's start with nothing. , but if you don’t guess, you, Lu Baixiang, will take the lead with black.”

Lu Baixiang asked with a smile: "How many eyes should be attached?"

Cui Dongshan suppressed his smile and became a little impatient, "We'll talk about it later."

Lu Baixiang was a little bit casual. The chess box in hand happened to contain black stones, so he took the lead in making moves.

Cui Dongshan allowed Lu Baixiang to play the world's most famous tip in the "Caiyun Pu". Black one, three and five occupy the corner, black seven guards the corner, and black nine tip is both indestructible and vaguely contained. With murderous intent, storm is coming.

Cui Dongshan remained unmoved and acted fairly, without even using any of the "not to suffer" coping methods in later generations.

Lu Baixiang fell into concentration like an old monk, immersed in the chess game and completely forgetting himself.

Cui Dongshan was a talker. He played chess carelessly and started to ramble on. It really seemed like he was teaching Lu Baixiang how to play chess. "Actually, the seat system is more fun. The now popular empty balance opening certainly has its own characteristics." The advantage will make the chessboard 'bigger', but if the chess skills are not enough, all the ingenious formulas of the sages will be used up in the prologue game. It seems to be a flowery place, but when it comes to the middle game, it will be unsightly mistakes. An old farmer digs out a manure pit, a mad dog bites people, and he catches loaches in a smelly ditch. It's so boring that it can make people watching chess doze off."

"When people today comment on the seat system of the ancients, they prefer to belittle the prologue and only admit that the battle in the middle of the game is very exciting. In fact, it is still not quite right."

"Lu Baixiang, your intuition about chess shapes is pretty good, but it's only pretty good. As for the theory of chess, it's like... the Xie Yi on Sui's right. You haven't even seen it, not to mention touching it."

The chess game has just entered the middle game, and Cui Dongshan, who is chattering, has already covered the chess box with his palms.

Lu Baixiang raised his head, "Mr. Cui, what are you doing?"

Cui Dongshan was stunned, "Don't you see that you have lost? It's a matter of thirty moves at most."

Cui Dongshan raised his hand, "Then continue."

Lu Baixiang frowned and continued to make moves.

It is undeniable that when Lu Baixiang plays chess, he has an outstanding style. Whether he reaches out to twist the pieces, leans over to make a move, or examines the chess game, he is all elegant.

It's a pity that Cui Dongshan doesn't pay attention to these at all. Even the chess game, Cui Dongshan doesn't pay much attention to it. After the white stones take root on the chessboard, he waits boredly for Lu Baixiang. Maybe this is what he has been nagging. The reason for this is that waiting is too boring.

Cui Dongshan said casually: "In fact, there is no advantage or disadvantage between the chess game and the empty game. Nowadays, chess players are fighting for this and that. In the final analysis, their views on the chess game are not deep enough or broad enough. In fact, Caiyun is beyond ten games. , there should have been an eleventh game, but as for the chessboard, it’s not just nineteen vertical and horizontal lines, it’s too small.”

Lu Baixiang's heart tightened and he paused for a long time, silently staring at the chess game that was actually not complicated.

The opponent has no powerful killing move, no clever exchanges, no so-called sharp slash of the demon sword.

It was as if she just played half a game of chess with him, Lu Baixiang, and waited patiently for him to admit defeat.

Lu Baixiang felt heavy and placed the two chess pieces in the lower right corner of the chessboard.

To surrender.

Cui Dongshan yawned, "Right? I just said you don't have to think about anything personal or personal. Next, let me give you a son?"

Lu Baixiang said in a deep voice: "How about Mr. Cui giving me two sons?"

Cui Dongshan laughed and said: "Those who know the current affairs are heroes. Not bad, not bad. It's not in vain that I teach you this game of chess."

Lu Baixiang smiled bitterly and was speechless. After calming down, he began to clean up the chess game. Finally, he took a deep breath and started the second game.

Cui Dongshan still did not go all out, but asserted early, "I made no mistakes every step of the way, and I will naturally win."

After reaching the middle game, Lu Baixiang often needs to take long exams.

Cui Dongshan didn't urge him at all, he just looked around frequently, not knowing what to do.

After Lu Baixiang made a move, he took the initiative and asked for the first time: "Is it just that every step is correct?"

Cui Dongshan hummed, "That's it. But what I mean by "infallibility" is not something I'm talking about to ordinary 9th-dan national players. You don't understand. This is profound knowledge that's thousands of miles away from the earth. How do you teach it to someone who knows it well? A private school?"

After all, this game of chess was dragged to the final stage by Lu Baixiang, but he still surrendered.

Cui Dongshan suddenly changed, became interested, and asked with a smile: "In the third game, let's get some luck?"

Lu Baixiang asked: "What kind of lottery?"

Cui Dongshan smiled and said: "My husband told me that each of the four of you has a sentence. I already know the general content, but I also know that one of you must have lied. It may not be completely false, but it should be half truth and half false." , Logically speaking, you, Lu Baixiang, are the most suspect, because your words are the most nonsense, but these are not important. If I win the third game, you, Lu Baixiang, only need to tell me, who do you think is lying? The most likely possibility is, you can name anyone, as long as you tell me your name."

Lu Baixiang couldn't laugh or cry, "If this is the case, does it still make sense?"

Cui Dongshan said seriously: "Yes."

Lu Baixiang thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Two games are enough."

Cui Dongshan said with a disappointed face: "Your chess skills are not difficult to get a strong ninth-dan in Aquarius Continent. Although it is only equivalent to the ordinary ninth-dan in the Middle Earth Divine Continent, it is not bad. If you learn more chess, you will be better." When it comes to playing music, will you, Lu Baixiang, have a place in Yilin, the Divine Continent of Middle Earth, where there are so many masters from now on, so that none of your three sons will dare to do so?"

Lu Baixiang hesitated for a moment and asked curiously: "Can Mr. Cui's chess skills rank among the top ten in this vast world?"

Cui Dongshan rolled his eyes and said: "Go is just a small way, so what if you get into the top ten? There are monks from the Yin Yang family and the Shu family who are all in the upper five realms. They are all proficient in this art. Then, why don't they be beaten to the point of crying by the monks in the same realm? mother?"

Lu Baixiang's eyes were hot, "I dare to ask again, how big is the gap between Mr. Cui and the Lord of Baidi City?"

Cui Dongshan thought for a while and said, "It must be that there is a black man who will go first."

Lu Baixiang's mood gradually stabilized, and he asked with a smile: "If I win with the third son, what will Mr. Cui do?"

Cui Dongshan pointed to the "Caiyun Pu" and said, "I'll just eat it."

Lu Baixiang just thought it was a joke and couldn't help but ask, "What's the difference in chess skills between Mr. Cui and Cui Chan, the great master of the Great Li Kingdom?"

Cui Dongshan glanced at Lu Baixiang and said nothing.

Lu Baixiang apologized: "I was rude."

Cui Dongshan stood up and asked: "How do you feel after losing two games?"

Lu Baixiang stood up and said sincerely: "I have benefited a lot. Even though I lost, I am honored."

Cui Dongshan shook his head and said disapprovingly: "How can you say the last four words?"

Looking at Cui Dongshan's back.

Lu Baixiang sat back and began to review the game alone.

Cui Dongshan walked in the corridor and murmured: "Wei Xian, it's a bit dangerous."

Then he laughed at himself, "What does this mean?"

He suddenly smiled and went to knock on the door on Sui's right, "Sister Sui, are you there? I've finished learning chess from Lu Baixiang. How about I learn swordsmanship from you?"

————

After Chen Pingan put the treasure box back into the bamboo box, he left the inn alone and casually visited the local customs.

Although it is a small county town, it has all the necessary facilities, such as the Wenwu Temple, the Town God's Temple, the county government school, and all kinds of shops.

The bumpy yellow mud road, the budding willow trees, the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs, and the brand new Spring Festival couplets door gods.

There are foreign traders hurriedly doing business without roots, and children running around, most of them wearing new clothes for the Chinese New Year, full of vitality.

As I walked, I unknowingly arrived outside the Martial Arts Temple, passing by a Temple of Wealth. Compared to the deserted Confucian Temple, it was more prosperous.

Chen Ping'an has traveled thousands of miles of mountains and rivers and discovered an interesting thing. The secular people seem to respect the great gods but not be close to them. They have no regard for the God of Fortune, the Earth Temple, and various Empress Temples, these small ancestral temples with low status. More intimate. For example, in the Qingluan Kingdom where there are many Taoist temples, the common people often pay homage to the main god in the central hall after offering incense and worshiping, and often stay for a short time. However, at the feet of some gods who are responsible for something, after kowtowing devoutly, they will mutter something, some Make a wish for what you pray for.

When Chen Ping'an walked into the Martial Arts Temple, there were only a handful of pilgrims.

The statue looks like a military general, a painted clay sculpture, holding a mace in his arms, with ferocious eyes, and is very majestic.

The temple blessing did not show up here. Chen Ping'an is now at the fifth level of martial arts, but his injury has not yet healed. There are advantages and disadvantages. There is a glimmer of hope to compete for the elusive word "the strongest". Of course, the premise is that Cao Ci, a genius from the Daduan Dynasty, has reached the sixth realm of martial arts. In the sixth level, the key is to find a hero's courage, which is somewhat similar to the golden elixir for a Qi practitioner. Generally speaking, there are two shortcuts. One is to enter the martial arts temple and try your luck to see if you can be favored and be gifted with martial arts luck.

The other way is to go to the ancient battlefield ruins and fight with the lingering ghosts of the battlefield, but it is quite dangerous. In the ancient battlefield ruins, there are few wandering heroic spirits alone. Those heroic generals whose intelligence has never been scattered have a large number of subordinates. The Yin soldiers and Yin generals who wait and see are extremely difficult to deal with. The fairy book purchased from Daixuan Mountain records that there is a huge ruins in the Middle Earth Divine Continent. The heroic spirit has a cultivation level equivalent to the twelfth realm of Qi Practitioner, plus It is equivalent to a military saint sitting on the battlefield. It is no different from a legendary ascendant. He has hundreds of thousands of Yin soldiers and Yin generals under his command. According to legend, all the great masters of Longhu Mountain need to go here to practice before succeeding to the throne. Even More tragic things happened than death.

Chen Ping'an has never had any hope in the gift from the martial arts temple. Today is just a walk here. More importantly, he yearns for those ancient battlefield sites that are famous in history, and relies on his own fists to achieve a real sixth realm.

Chen Pingan stood alone in the main hall of the martial arts temple. The martial arts temple in the county was too small and there was no place to invite incense. People brought their own incense. Chen Pingan felt that it was not suitable to put his hands together, so he simply cupped his hands and prayed to the martial artist as a martial artist. Wu Shengren saluted, then turned and left.

Outside the main hall, the spring scenery is bright.

Chen Pingan crossed the threshold.

Now that the Changsheng Bridge has been rebuilt and the first natal item has been successfully refined, Chen Ping'an has stepped into the threshold of being a Qi Practitioner.

But this is by no means a great blessing. There are few good things in the world that can have both ends. Especially when the two identities of a Qi practitioner and a pure martial artist are at odds with each other. Although there is not no one who practices both, but looking at several countries in the world, Only a few, including some sword cultivators in the Great Wall of Sword Qi, Taoist priests from the master's sword room, and several freaks that Cui Han once mentioned inadvertently, belong to this category. The reason why this move is regarded as stupid by the orthodox is that the further you go, the more likely it is that there will be almost fatal mistakes. It is not easy for a Qi practitioner to form a golden elixir, and it is even more difficult for Yuan Ying to break the bottleneck and destroy the inner demons. Buddha The invincible golden body of spiritual cultivation and the stainless glass body pursued by Taoism are actually tirelessly pursuing the word "flawless", and the practice of martial arts is even more focused on purity.

Once you choose to open up two paths at the same time, you are asking for trouble. It is easy to fail to rely on both ends, and ultimately your achievements will be limited.

Just when Chen Ping'an's right foot was about to cross the threshold, a ripple of spiritual energy appeared behind him, and a mellow voice sounded, "Master Immortal, please stay."

Chen Pingan turned around and walked back into the main hall. The painted statue of the god waved a layer of golden light, and then a middle-aged military general wearing golden armor walked out of the statue and landed in the main hall.

The local martial arts saint of Qingluan Kingdom clasped his fists and smiled: "Thanks to the help of the immortal master's student, our civil and martial temples escaped the disaster. I wonder if the immortal master can give us a chance to repay us? If the Immortal Master needs anything, just ask, and as long as our two temples are within our capabilities, we will never dare to shirk it."

Chen Ping'an said with a smile: "This action is the intention of my student alone and has nothing to do with me. Wu Shengren does not need to thank me. I just happened to be passing by this time, so I am causing trouble."

Wu Shengren said helplessly: "I would like to bother you more."

Chen Pingan was speechless.

Shinto incense is the most wonderful.

Chen Ping'an had nothing to do, so he simply picked a futon and sat down. Wu Shengren set up some blinding restrictions to prevent him from scaring mortals, so he also sat down.

Chen Ping'an asked about the origins and etiquette of the two temples, civil and military, and also asked about literary and bravery. This question was not out of the ordinary among the other questions.

The martial sage told everything he knew and answered every question.

Chen Ping'an got what he wanted and stood up to say thank you and say goodbye. Wu Shengren just walked to the entrance of the hall. After the young immortal master drifted away, the golden body returned to rest among the clay statues.

A young man dressed in white walked on the street, passing by lush green trees, passing by a yellow dog lying on the ground basking in the sun, passing by children laughing and mumbling to themselves.

"At your age, there are always things you can't do, or things you can't do well even if you try hard. What does it matter? It doesn't matter."

"But doing poorly and making mistakes are two different things. You are young, so you don't have to be afraid if you make mistakes, but this is not a reason not to correct your mistakes."

"If you have sensible parents, if you make a mistake, they will beat you and scold you. If you go to school, your husband and wife will slap your palms with a ruler or a board. The little treasure bottle has Mr. Qi, and the elder brother Li Xisheng. Cao Qinglang You have parents, and now you go to school. You don’t have either. It doesn’t matter, I’ll teach you.”

"But what's the best way to teach you? No one taught me when I was as old as you."

The foreigner young man passed by the Spring Festival couplets with mediocre calligraphy and the door god with poor paintings.

He was in no hurry to return to the inn.

Chen Ping'an suddenly remembered something, turned into a secluded alley, and took out a yellow paper talisman from the jade sign nearby. It was the one inhabited by the withered and beautiful ghosts of the Caiyi Kingdom. On the way to the Osmanthus Island on the way to the upside-down mountain On the way, Aunt Gui and Jindan Laojian Xiu Mazhi helped him make a contract with the female ghost. It's just that Chen Ping'an had suffered a lot from a female ghost in wedding clothes earlier, and he naturally disliked the evil spirits and the like. Since leaving Osmanthus Island, he has never given the female ghost a chance to show up.

At this moment, after she saw the light again, she felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, standing in the shadow, slim and graceful, but also gloomy.

She was wearing a gorgeous colorful dress with wide sleeves, and her hands were hidden in the sleeves, but Chen Ping'an knew that in addition to the beautiful face, the female ghost's neck was full of bones.

She cast a blessing, revealing two pieces of snow-white... bone wrists, and said softly: "This slave has met the master."

Chen Ping'an was a little embarrassed to speak, so he hesitated.

When signing the contract, Chen Ping'an learned that the female ghost's real name was Shi Rou.

While Chen Pingan was paying attention to whether anyone was passing by nearby, he was thinking about something to say.

She smiled and said: "Does the master need the slave to do something not so clean? The master does not need to hesitate, this is the slave's duty."

Chen Ping'an sighed, shook his head and said: "I'm not asking you to do those shady things. You are a woman, and I want to ask you some things that you are good at."

The withered female ghost narrowed her eyes, "Oh? I dare to ask Master, but is it a matter of men and women?"

She laughed, stretched out a skeletal arm from her big sleeve, covered her mouth and smiled sweetly, but her eyes were cold, "I never thought that the master had such eccentricities, but it is a blessing for this slave."

Chen Ping'an didn't care about the sarcasm in her words, and said helplessly: "I want to ask you, during your lifetime, have you ever been married to a husband and raised children? Do you know some methods of setting rules for children and younger generations in the family?"

She was confused. It was obvious that Chen Pingan's idea surprised her. Her soul was trapped in that scroll in her early years, and the old immortal master was used to doing evil things for the tiger. She was disgusted by it. It was better than watching her sisters helplessly. Their souls were scattered, and the souls of some poor sisters were even burned by the old man using the extremely sinister "wax sitting method" in the immortal family's magic. The souls were used as wicks to melt away bit by bit. It was extremely miserable. Except for her, Who dares to disobey?

As a result, she now has a new owner. How come she has changed so much?

She breathed a sigh of relief, shook her head and said, "This slave was never married before, let alone knew what the master said."

Chen Ping'an nodded, and without saying a word, he took her back the talisman and put something close to her.

In the underworld of the Talisman Cage, the female ghost's figure was swaying, with a look of astonishment on her face. Is this the end?

She was a little resentful. If she had known this, shouldn't she have fooled him? How long had it been since she had seen the scenery outside?

Even if she felt the pain of being blown by strong winds like cutting flesh, and vibrating by spring thunder like scraping bones, she was willing to do so.

Chen Ping'an walked out of the alley, and finally sat on the steps outside a door with a closed door, hugging his knees, and was lost in thought.

I walked past a family of three in simple clothes. The children were innocent and carefree. The woman had red eyes and seemed a little aggrieved. The man smiled apologetically and said nice things, holding a long strip wrapped in oil paper in his hand. Meat. But the more attentive the man was, the angrier the woman became. Finally, she simply took her son's hand and left quickly, leaving the man alone.

The man was hunched over and a little tired. This time he accompanied his wife back to her parents' home. Several sons-in-law gathered together, including those who worked as errands in the Yamen, some who worked as teachers in private schools in wealthy families, and of course, a farmer like him, the father-in-law. After giving the gift in return, the other two sons-in-law got pig legs, but he could only get a strip of meat. Naturally, he felt angry, but his wife complained about him. As a man, why should he have to quarrel in front of his children? After all, is it not that I have no future? The man sighed, and suddenly found a young man with an unfamiliar face squatting at the door not far away. The man straightened up subconsciously, smiled at Chen Pingan, and then trotted towards his wife and children who were walking further and further away.

Chen Pingan looked at this scene. Although he couldn't understand the language, he was originally from a poor place like Mubo Alley. He was familiar with the bumps and bruises at the bottom of the city and knew the trivial things that slowly wear away people's hearts. Therefore, Chen Pingan could roughly guess what would happen when he waited. The older the child is, I'm afraid he will know the hardships of his parents. He may study harder in school, he may smile less, and he may feel that the upright father in his heart is actually a bit useless. He will be disgusted with his mother, but he may also help his father carry the meat on the way home today, and then his parents will reconcile and feel that life can go on. .

It's possible.

————

Pei Qian was copying books in his room.

After she finished copying the book, she stood quietly at the door, listening to what was going on outside.

I just waited for a long time but didn't hear the footsteps.

She squatted with her back against the door, looking at her toes.

In the early days, when she was not used to walking on mountain roads, the soles of her feet were covered with blood blisters, and she did not dare to prick them with a thorn.

Someone squatted next to her and helped her to prick the holes one by one, and then applied some mashed herbs to relieve the pain.

While Pei Qian was in a daze, a familiar voice sounded outside the door and asked, "Have you copied the books today?"

Pei Qian immediately jumped up and shouted: "The copy is finished!"

The footsteps gradually faded away, and then there was the soft sound of the door closing next door.