A knife in love

Chapter 1087

Hearing what the old man said, Li Qiufeng's heart trembled, and he said, "Master, the old man hasn't arrived yet?"

The old man stretched out his hand to pull Li Qiufeng into the door, and while closing the temple door, he said, "According to previous years, he should have arrived two days ago. But he hasn't shown up yet, so I'm quite worried. Yesterday we I went to the wharf and walked around. I heard that there was a heavy snowfall in Hubei, and the land traffic was cut off. Although the waterway was relatively smooth, the boatmen raised prices on the ground and asked for money indiscriminately, which caused trouble. The platoon gang that controls the Yangtze River waterway from Hubei to Sichuan There were disputes with several gangs such as the Wushan Gang and the Feiyu Gang. The two sides fought several big fights on the Yangtze River, and many people died. The government sent troops to suppress them. These gangs were rebellious and even joined hands to fight against the officers and soldiers. I heard that the governor of Huguang sent a navy to seal off the river to drive away the gang members, making the boats impassable. Perhaps because of this, he didn't arrive at Chongqing on time like in previous years."

While talking, the old man led Li Qiufeng into the yard.The temple is boxy and small in scale.Surrounded by walls that are as high as a person, a small altar hall is built in the deepest part of the courtyard in the east, with a side room on the left and right sides.Compared with the Town God's Temple in Xiuwu County, this small temple is so small that it is not worth mentioning.

The old man brought Li Qiufeng to the gate of the altar.I saw a statue of a god in the temple.This statue is life-like in size, wearing a high black crown and a blue double-breasted robe, with a fair face and a smile on his face.I saw his three long beards fluttering in front of his chest, holding a scroll in his left hand, and resting his right hand on his knee.Like a teacher in a private school in the country, he is not as majestic and energetic as the statues in ordinary temples.

The old man and Li Qiufeng walked into the altar.The hall is extremely narrow, except for the statues, only a few people can stand.Li Qiufeng picked up three incense sticks from the altar table, lit them with a candle, then respectfully held the incense sticks above his head, prayed silently for a moment, then inserted the incense sticks into the incense burner on the altar table, and bowed three more times. Only then did the old man leave the offering hall.At this time, the north wind rolled the dark clouds in the sky, like a huge boundless black cloth, covering the sky.The old man said to Li Qiufeng: "It looks like it's going to snow. I hope your master can arrive in two days, otherwise after the heavy snow, the road will be cut off, and it will be very difficult to enter Sichuan again."

The old man took Li Qiufeng to the right wing.A fire had already started under the stove in the outhouse, so the room was quite warm.Looking at the situation in the room, Li Qiufeng sighed and said: "My nephew has been here for five years, but this house has not changed much. It is really too much to think that Master and the old man go back and forth every year, but my nephew cannot guard him. Unfilial."

The old man laughed, and said in his mouth: "Every time your master comes here these few years, he always says that sending you to the capital is like entering a dragon's pond and a tiger's lair. If anything happens, it will be his fault. You two, master and apprentice, They are all only for the sake of others, and rarely take care of themselves. Sigh."

When the old man said this, he sighed and seemed a little sad.Li Qiufeng glanced around the room, and said to the old man: "I haven't seen you for five years, but Uncle Huang has become more and more healthy."

The old man smiled slightly and said: "Don't put gold on the old man's face. My old bones are dying, maybe one day I will kick my feet and go to see King Yama. What else is unclear?" Healthy."

When he said this, the smile on his face disappeared suddenly, he sighed, and said: "I have lived for more than 70 years, and I have long taken life and death lightly. However, I still haven't found a safe person who can take care of this city. The Magong Temple has been passed down to later generations. Therefore, I have to work hard to live, otherwise I will be sorry to the ancestors of the Huang family, and let alone Magong who is loyal to the country."

Li Qiufeng was moved when he saw the old man's sad face, and was about to speak, but he heard the old man continue: "I have been guarding the Magong Temple since I was 15 years old, and it has been more than [-] years. The world is changing, Even in this Chongqing government, I don’t know how many stories of joys and sorrows have been staged. During the period, I also thought, why should I guard such a small ancestral hall? God, but did not see the gods appearing to save the world. Until more than [-] years ago, the Yushui flooded half of the Chongqing mansion. Mr. Feng, who was an official at home, stepped forward and called the people to build dams. He brought his four sons and nine grandsons to stand by the water day and night, and eventually he vomited blood and died of exhaustion. His two sons and one grandson were also swept away by the flood in order to save the people, leaving no bones. When Mr. Feng was alive, he would often When I came to the Magong Temple, sometimes I just sat for a whole day. Sometimes I chatted with Master Feng, and he always said that people in the world may not have the ability of Magong, but they must have the heart of Magong. After Ma Gong followed General Fu Tong, he was caught in a heavy siege, but he was not afraid of danger. After breaking out of the siege, he arrived at the bank of the Yangtze River. He stood guard on the bank and asked his colleagues and soldiers to board the ship first, but he was shot to death by the soldiers of the Eastern Wu army. His body fell into the river and was never recovered. After he escaped from the military academy he sacrificed his life to save, he built an ancestral hall here to worship his heroic spirit. This world will be much better. After I heard it at the beginning, I didn't take it seriously. I didn't know the truth of his words until Mr. Feng passed away."

When the old man said this, he paused for a while, and then said: "Although few people have come to worship this Magong Temple for thousands of years, after all, there are still wise men like Mr. Feng who have not forgotten the righteousness between heaven and earth. Even if only One person is moved by Ma Gong's heroic spirit, and can give up his life for righteousness in a critical moment. This is the meaning of the existence of Ma Gong Temple in the world. Therefore, every time I think of Ma Gong and Master Feng over the years, I am full of admiration. Your master has the talents of the world, but He just lives in seclusion in the mountains, and travels around every year to worship the famous officials and generals who were loyal to the Han Dynasty. These people have long since passed away, and his travels seem to be useless. But think about it carefully, for thousands of years, everyone has known Guan Gong as loyal and brave , Unrivaled in the world, Zhang Gong is brave and invincible, Huang Gong is always strong, not to mention Zhuge Wuhou is loyal to his master, dedicated himself to death, and dies. How many people with lofty ideals, because they admire the loyalty of Zhuge Wuhou, Guan Gong and others, they are not afraid Hardships, helping those in need, dying in battle? If not for your master and his ancestors running around every year, I'm afraid no one will remember the stories of these heroes."

The more Li Qiufeng heard it, the more frightened he became, thinking to himself that Uncle Huang had a deep insight into the world and had already seen that I was world-weary.He didn't say these words casually, most of them were to strengthen my ambition and persuade me not to be discouraged.

Seeing that Li Qiufeng was silent, the old man smiled slightly and said, "I haven't seen you for five years, but I think your temperament has changed a lot. When you came here in the past, you were really high-spirited and impassioned. But today you come here again You can see it at a glance. You may have encountered many things in the capital during the past five years, but you must not be depressed because of this. Your master and I are getting old, and many things will happen in the future. , and it’s up to you to do it.”

Li Qiufeng smiled awkwardly, and said: "Uncle Huang, you have taught me a lesson. To be honest, my nephew has been in the Fusi of Jinyiwei South Town in the past five years. What I saw and heard in the capital is really frustrating. Most of the officials in the imperial court are cadavers, who do some nasty things every day. The world seems to be peaceful, but in fact it is full of dangers. The Tartars are about to move around in the north, and the Japanese pirates are getting more and more violent in the southeast. But these officials only think about themselves Happy, few people care about the life and death of the common people. If this torment continues, I am afraid that the future will be catastrophic."

At this moment, a few light knocks on the door were suddenly heard from outside the room.Li Qiufeng immediately stopped talking, with a happy expression on his face, he said to the old man: "Could it be that the old man, Master, has arrived?"

The old man also had a look of joy, and said: "If he arrives, that would be the best thing." After speaking, he hurriedly walked outside the house.Li Qiufeng followed closely behind him, walked a few steps, and arrived in front of the ancestral hall.He rushed in front of the old man, stretched out his hand to open the door, and said to the old man: "Let my nephew open the door."

(End of this chapter)