Chapter 1 Lanruo

"Afraid?" Yu Xuanji had a confused look on his face.

Xu Xian put half of the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in his hand back on the plate and said, "I'm afraid that a hundred years from now, eating this sweet-scented osmanthus cake will no longer feel the same as it does now. I'm afraid that the road to immortality will be long and that when I see you again, I won't be as moved as I am now. God is ruthless, but

How to erase this situation, I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”

Yu Xuanji was suddenly startled. She suddenly remembered chasing butterflies barefoot in the fields when she was a child. Those times she thought were long gone, those past she thought she had left behind. But now they appeared more clearly in her heart, making her

There was a moment of panic. But she quickly calmed down and looked at Xu Xian in front of her. Xu Xian's eyes were filled with a strange determination.

Is it confusion? But the look in his eyes seemed to have seen through life and death.

Is it obsession? What’s wrong with a person insisting on being a human being and living a human life?

Yes, a hundred years from now, there may be no traces of me left in the world, but I have lived, laughed, loved, hated, but I have no regrets.

What you think is obsession is my persistence, and what you think is not understanding is the result of my understanding through life and death. Living this life well is not the promise I made to myself at the beginning? How can it be because of this?

It's just a fairy way, but why give it up so easily?

There are no years in the mountains, and decades of practice are like one day. So after a thousand years, have you missed it, or have I missed it?

The sun was warm and Xu Xian's eyes were clear. Unbeknownst to him, the Tao Te Ching on his body was shining brightly. It was a gift he wanted to give to Yu Xuanji, but he had long forgotten it at this time.

Yu Xuanji fell into deep contemplation. The ascetic's pride towards mortals was originally extremely hidden and profound. But at this moment, she suddenly saw another path, a mortal path.

Xu Xian suddenly smiled and said: "But of course, if you don't mind, senior sister, I would like to come and sit here often!"

"kindness?"

"The sweet-scented osmanthus cake you make is really delicious, and if you are always with a beauty like you, you can probably live longer without practicing!"

Yu Xuanji smiled. This junior brother still said some frivolous words involuntarily, but his eyes were always so clear. It was as if he was saying to a flower: I love your beauty. It is natural and natural.

The tea on the table is still warm, but the people at the table have left.

Yu Xuanji looked at the curls of green smoke rising from the cup and suddenly smiled.

However, don’t think that I will give up like this! Your behavior makes me want to lead you to practice more and see what kind of path you can cultivate. Such a temperament should not be allowed to circulate in reincarnation!

Sun'er hid aside, watching in shock as the master exuded a terrifying aura. She quietly retreated, trying to escape from the master's sight.

"Shan'er, come out." Yu Xuanji said without looking back.

Zhu'er rubbed the hem of her clothes and walked out cautiously, and said pitifully: "Master?"

"What is the crime for eavesdropping on the conversation between master and uncle without authorization?" Yu Xuanji's voice was unwavering.

"Shan'er, go fetch water, hoe the ground, do the laundry, and cook, okay?"

Taoist priest Yu who abused minors and used child labor severely rejected Sun'er's suggestion, saying: "These are the things you can cook on your own as a teacher. You go and recite the "Ten Strategies for Asking the Sky" that I taught you yesterday. I will do it tonight.

examine."

"But, but, I just learned this yesterday!"

"Go quickly!" Yu Xuanji said seriously.

Sun'er responded with a grimace, and screamed in her heart: "Uncle Master, come quickly!"

Xu Xian cautiously asked the dark-faced scholar wearing a college green shirt in front of him: "Are you Ning Caichen?"

The black-faced scholar said boldly: "Brother Xu, this is Ning Caichen. Your luggage is ready! We will take a boat first and then walk. It will take about two days to reach Jinhua."

"Then please take care of me, Brother Ning!"

"It's easy to say, Jinhua is my hometown, and I will invite Brother Xu to my home to try Zhuo Jing's craftsmanship." Ning Caichen was not as polite as an ordinary scholar.

Xu Xian asked in surprise: "You, you are already married?" Although his dark face should not be that of Ning Caichen, after all, Ning Caichen is a pretty boy no matter what the subject is. But Xu Xian was relieved to know that he was married.

Ning Caichen laughed and said: "I am no more talented than Brother Xu. I can study in Jintian Academy at a young age. Brother, I am already twenty years old, so I am naturally married." He saw that Xu Xian was young and tender, and

He had been cautious since they met, thinking that it was Xu Xian's first time traveling far away, so he had a caring heart.

Xu Xian finally couldn't help but ask, "What's your sister-in-law's surname? Is it Nie?" He also knew that this question was a bit rude in ancient times, but at this time, in order to calm down the worries in his heart, he didn't care so much.

Ning Caichen frowned, but did not get angry. Instead, he said, "Zhuo Jing's surname is Wang."

Xu Xian finally took a deep breath and felt relieved, "Please forgive me for being rude, but I have a hometown where I married in Jinhua. I couldn't help but ask this question. By the way, my eldest brother didn't take any concubines!" Xu Xian finally thought suddenly.

, at that time, a wife and a concubine were two different things.

Ning Caichen was relieved. After hearing Xu Xian's last words, he said seriously: "I have no color in my life, how can I take a concubine?"

Xu Xian put down his last worry, but for some reason he felt that this sentence sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before! But he had no time to think about it, so he left Pan Yu who came to see him off and followed Ning Caichen on the road.

The people from the north rode horses and the people from the south took boats. Xu Xian and the two went all the way down the Jinhua River. Along the way, Xu Xian felt that Ning Caichen was generous and generous, although because he was a few years older, he sometimes liked to act like a big brother.

But he took care of Xu Xianduo along the way and was a person worth befriending.

"Two officials, it's not that the old man is unfaithful, it's just that the boat is in such a broken condition that there is really no way to leave without repairing it." The boatman apologized and moored the boat by the river. It turned out that he accidentally hit a man today.

The driftwood on the river and the old boat had long since decayed. There was a hole in it immediately, but it was impossible to move forward. If it were to be repaired, it would probably take two or three days.

When the two got off the boat, they saw that there was indeed a big hole in the bow of the boat. It was indeed impossible. But they were not tricky people. They paid the remaining fare and planned to walk to Jinhua. Xu Xian also wanted to keep the remaining money.

After a long journey, Ning Caichen waved his hand and said: "Forget it, let him repair the ship."

The boatman immediately thanked him profusely. If he met a mean guest, he would probably not give away the remaining money. It would be the best result if he could just keep the rest of the travel expenses. But he didn't expect to meet such a generous guest.

.

Xu Xian could only shake his head and smile bitterly. After spending the past two days together, he already knew that Ning Caichen's family was not well off, but he was a little too generous with money.

Then we had to use our feet instead of the boat, and our feet instead of the horse. Fortunately, neither of them were the kind of people who were helpless, and the boat was small and bumpy. At this time, we abandoned the boat, stepped onto the flat ground, and walked out for a while.

A little sweat makes me feel more comfortable.

It was late autumn at this time, and the autumn scenery was continuous and colorful. Passing by a maple forest, I saw that the mountains were red like mountain fires, which was even more gorgeous. Xu Xian, who had been trapped in the city for a long time, saw such a scenery, and felt that his mind was broadened and his dusty heart was reduced.

.It is really desirable for practitioners to live in the mountains for a long time and watch the changes in the four seasons.

But if it were like this year after year, I'm afraid it wouldn't be interesting anymore. Moreover, at that time, I was devoted to the Tao, and there was no sun and moon in the cave, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have the same feelings as now. Only with the "human" mind at this moment can I see these scenery.

Isn't it?

There is a saying: A crane stands on the snow. A fool sees a crane, a wise man sees snow, and a Zen man sees white. However, Xu Xian feels that seeing cranes is human nature, and seeing snow is also interesting. But when it comes to seeing white, he has already lost sight of it.

Lost the crane, lost the snow.

No one can get everything, and choice must mean losing. Even immortals and Buddhas are no exception in this regard! The fool who sees the crane just wants to grasp the vividness of the moment. With this thought, you, the wise Zen master, sigh again.

No matter what, so what if you laugh.

I walked for two hours, from afternoon to dusk. Although I took in the scenery and didn't feel too tired, it was getting late and it was time to rest.

Ning Caichen said to Xu Xiian: "There is a ruined temple in front of here. Let's go somewhere to rest for a night and set off again tomorrow!"

"Okay, let's go and take a rest."

While chatting, the two of them had another conversation, and sure enough, there was a dilapidated temple.

Xu Xian asked curiously: "Has Brother Ning been here before?"

"No, I heard about it when I was a kid, but I heard that later a new official road was built in the west. This temple is far away from the city, these monks are not engaged in production, there are no pilgrims, and there is no source of food, so it is dilapidated."

Xu Xian said "yes" and walked towards the temple. The road they came on was covered with grass and luxuriant grass. It must have been abandoned for a long time! Think about it, there were probably times when there was a lot of traffic in the past! Changes are ups and downs, but they are common things in the world. It's just that

It's ridiculous that those people who are outsiders claim to be refined from the secular world, but they are actually people from this worldly world.

The tower in the middle hall of the temple is magnificent, and you can vaguely see the prosperity of the past. However, the courtyard is full of grass and grass, and it has long lost its former glory.

A statue of the Tathagata sitting high in the main hall has been mottled and disfigured, the gold paint has faded away, and it turns out to be nothing more than a clay-based stone sculpture.

The plaque on the temple door had long been chopped up by nearby villagers to make firewood. It doesn’t matter whether you are “upright and upright” or “to save all sentient beings.” But if there is still a plaque, Xu Xian may know the name of this temple - Lanruo Temple.

The two sighed a few times, walked around the main hall, and went to the monk's dormitory. As expected, they saw two monk dormitories in the east and west, but the doors were half-covered. They saw a small dormitory in the south, with the door as new. The two suspected that there was another monk's dormitory here.

The monks did not dare to break in and just took a walk to wait for the monks to return.

I also saw that in the east of the hall, there were bamboo arches, a huge pond under the steps, and the fragrance of wild lotus roots lingering, making it look even more desolate.

At dusk, a man returned and opened the door of the small house in the south. The two of them hurried forward to salute and express their intention.

The scholar was very generous: "I also live here, but there is no distinction between host and guest here. I live alone and lonely. I am very lucky to meet you two. Pack your bags later and come to my room for a drink. Can you?"

"

Xu Xian said happily: "It's just what I wanted." There was no need to clean it up. The two of them just borrowed the Gaodai bed and made some supports to clean it up at will.

It was a night when the moon was bright and clear, and the light was as clear as water. The three of them knelt down in the hall corridor, and each showed his surname. The scholar said to himself that the surname was Yan, and the courtesy name was Chixia.

Xu Xian was shocked and said: "What, your name is Yan Chixia?"

Xu Xian felt that his head was very messed up. He had watched "A Chinese Ghost Story" countless times. It should be about the Ming Dynasty, but Pu Songling was from the Qing Dynasty. Of course, he heard these stories and they were passed down by word of mouth, but he also Don't know exactly when and where it happened.

But Xu Xian deeply understood at this moment that it was probably right here.

Yan Chixia asked curiously: "Has this young master heard of my name?"

Xu Xian reluctantly responded: "It feels vaguely familiar, but I've definitely never heard of it. Forget it, let's drink."

Ning Caichen and Yan Chixia were both informal people and didn't care. The three of them sat on the floor, drinking, talking and laughing, and they were very happy.

Xu Xian, who was a little distracted, glanced at Ning Caichen and thought to himself: Brother, you are the protagonist tonight! He has already figured out that this is the plot of the book rather than the movie, so there should be no need to fight that night A boss like the Black Mountain Old Demon, Ning Caichen, who finally escaped the disaster with the help of Yan Chixia, took Nie Xiaoqian away quite easily. It was a normal happy ending, but it was nice, wasn't it?

But it was God's will or it was purely accidental. As long as I was a spectator, I was passing by. It would be a lie to say that I have no interest in that Xiaoqian, but I already have Bai Suzhen, so why bother to destroy other people's happiness? Woolen cloth?

Xu Xian let go of his thoughts, and the three of them talked and laughed. They were all upright people, and their words were particularly in tune with their taste. Ning Caichen suspected that Yan Chixia was a candidate. At that time, the Jinhua County Child Student Examination was taking place, and students in the villages and towns were all I went to take the exam. But I heard that his accent was not from Zhejiang, so I couldn't help but ask.

"Where is Brother Yan from?"

"I'm from Qin." In modern times, it's the Shaanxi-Gansu area. Anyone who has heard the people there will understand that their words are born with a simple and sincere flavor, which is exactly in line with Yan Chixia's demeanor.
Chapter completed!