That year, that cicada, that sword

Chapter 242 Drowning in the rivers and lakes

Zhang An is Zhang Xueyao's niece. She is now over middle age. In the past few decades, her life has not always been as peaceful as it is today, and there have been ups and downs and ups and downs.

When Zhang An was not a Taoist nun, he also walked around the rivers and lakes with a sword in his hand.

Which woman doesn't have a spring, Zhang An naturally wouldn't be alone when he walked the rivers and lakes.

That person was also from the Sword Sect, and he and Zhang An were childhood playmates, and they came together naturally after they grew up.

In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you travel around the world, wandering the rivers and lakes, or what the Confucianists call studying abroad, what the Taoists say is wandering, and what the Buddhists say is begging for alms. In the final analysis, they all have the same meaning. Go out for a walk and broaden your horizons. , The structure of the heart is arrogant.

It's just that the rivers and lakes are very large and deep, creating countless prosperity and prosperity, and also burying the bones and dreams of countless young people.

The rivers and lakes of people are different.

Some people walk across the rivers and lakes like a reed crossing the river, stepping on the waves of the entire rivers and lakes, attracting everyone's attention.

Some people walk in the rivers and lakes like a dog pawing and swimming. Although it is ugly, it will not drown at any rate.

There are also people who have just entered the rivers and lakes, and have drowned in the rivers and lakes before they have used their own reed crossing or dog planing.

When Xu Beiyou first entered the rivers and lakes, he was almost drowned by the strong wind and waves between the imperial court and the Daoist sect. Fortunately, he met Gongsun Zhongmou, and then he floated up from the bottom of the water like a life-saving straw, but not everyone With Xu Beiyou's good luck, some people were blown away by strong winds and waves, leaving no bones left.

For this point, Zhang An still feels deeply, because the most important man in her first half of her life is like this.

The image of a young man gradually emerged in Zhang An's mind. He could be called extraordinary in martial arts, with excellent aptitude. He touched the threshold of the ghost realm at a young age, and he even hoped to step into the realm of the human fairy at the age of 40. , the mighty Chi Cing is nothing more than that.

This is a genuine young talent, even accepted as a disciple by Zhang Xueyao, if you analyze it in detail, he is Li Qinglian's decent senior brother.

If he follows the normal trajectory, he will probably climb up step by step like Xu Beiyou. If he has some chances, he may not be able to fight for the position of the first disciple of the Sword Sect, and even become a giant in a few years later.

It's a pity that there are not so many ifs in the world and in the rivers and lakes.

If a tree is beautiful in the forest, it will be destroyed by the wind, and if it is superior to others, it must be condemned. This is an old principle that has been nagged countless times.

This young talent was too brilliant, and he was too conceited and didn't know how to restrain himself, so he was killed by several forces when he first entered the rivers and lakes.

Zhang An was a witness to that incident. She watched helplessly as her lover was cornered little by little, like a dying animal. Finally, the two of them were surrounded by a group of horse thieves on a Gobi desert in the northwest.

Now that I think about it, what kind of horse thief is there? How can there be a horse thief in the world who is not for property, regardless of death or injury, and is designed to kill?How could there be a horse thief who killed a man but let her a weak woman alone?

They are nothing more than horse thieves disguised by elite cavalry.

Some disciples of the sect are very good-natured, and they are taught by famous masters. The school competition is a real desperate effort, no one will tell you to be upright, you have to do everything you can, no matter whether you are a sect or an authentic one, killing others so that you can survive is the right way.

The man named Zhao Ping was besieged and killed by a group of cavalry who were no more than the third and fourth ranks because he didn't understand this truth.

Zhang An saw with his own eyes that Zhao Ping was chained to the limbs and neck by the so-called horse thieves, and then the five horses each pulled a chain and galloped in opposite directions.

Five horses dismembered.

She was just an ordinary woman. When she saw that scene, she cried heart-rendingly, and that scene became an unforgettable nightmare in her life, and it still hurts to the bone marrow when she thinks about it.

Seeing Zhang An's pale face, Xu Beiyou took the initiative to change the topic and said, "The current treasurer of Duobao Pavilion is Guo Hanxuan. I wonder if Senior Sister Zhang is familiar with this person?"

Zhang An calmed down, his face improved slightly, and he replied: "He and Chi Bing are two extremes. Chi Bing is arrogant and domineering by relying on his own cultivation base. This person's cultivation base is low, but he is scheming. Over the years, he has dedicated himself to the operation of Duobao Pavilion, has a deep foundation in Jiangdu City, and has a close relationship with Jiang Bin, the governor of Jiangnan's Dark Guard Mansion, so he is a person who should not be underestimated."

"It is indeed not an ordinary role to be able to host such a treasure sale." Xu Beiyou nodded and said, "It is a long way to go if you want to take down this treasurer Guo."

At this moment, two carriages stopped outside the main entrance, and two middle-aged men of similar age got out of the carriage together, and Guo Hanxuan, the treasurer of Duobao Pavilion, came out to greet them in person.

Guo Hanxuan looks about his age this year, with a slightly affluent figure and a smile all over his face, but there is no suspicion of flattery in this smile. interesting characters.

In fact, strictly speaking, he is not a disciple of the Sword Sect in the true sense, because he has no interest in the way of swordsmanship. He knows that his talent is limited, and there is no hope of reaching the fairyland in this life, so he simply doesn't waste time on it. Taoism is regarded as a means of health preservation to prolong life, and the rest of the time is devoted to running Duobao Pavilion. Guo Hanxuan has contributed a lot to Duobao Pavilion's current situation.

In terms of Guo Hanxuan's status today, there are not too many people who can make him greet him in person, and there are very few who can make him so respectful, except for the three Lafayettes who are pressing on top of their heads, there will not be more than five fingers .

But today, two people came all at once, which made Guo Hanxuan somewhat unexpected.

The visitors were Xie Suqing, the Patriarch of the Xie Family, and Ye Daoqi, the Patriarch of the Ye Family.

When these two stood together, even a huge Jiangnan scholar would bow his head.

After a little modesty, the two patriarchs walked side by side into this continuous building known as "Green Mountains, Green Waters and Homecoming".

After entering the main entrance, there is a deep tree shade, and there is a zigzag path running through it, and the main hall is where the winding path leads to seclusion.

This main hall is slightly different from the main hall of ordinary mansions. It has been completely connected with the surrounding side halls, and it looks particularly spacious. A platform is built in the deepest part of the main hall, and a screen is set on the platform. Put a tray, and this finale treasure "Du Xia Tie" is placed on a tray covered with brocade.

There are more than ten tables on both sides of the stage, on which are placed the rest of the place, mostly elegant objects such as jade, calligraphy and painting, antique porcelain, etc. Although they are not as precious as "Du Xia Tie", they are also very unusual.

Guo Hanxuan accompanied Xie Suqing and Ye Daoqi into the main hall, feeling a little surprised in his heart.In his view, Xie Suqing and Ye Daoqi would not come in person even if they really wanted to get "Duxiatie" in their pocket, but they still came in person, probably because they were drunk The intention is not to drink, and the young master who has been in the limelight recently, who has listened to someone's instigation, actually rushed here early in the name of knowledge, which made the ups and downs in Vanity Fair Guo Hanxuan, who had lived for decades, smelled something unusual.

Over the years, relying on this extraordinarily keen "sense of smell", Guo Hanxuan escaped the strong winds and waves time and time again, and instead of being drowned in the rivers and lakes, he gained his status today.

At this time, there were already many Jiangnan celebrities who had arrived early in the main hall. After seeing Xie Suqing and Ye Daoqi, they no longer had the demeanor of celebrities with their eyes above the top, and they all retreated and saluted.

The distinction between high and low among the gentry is no less than that of the temple.

Even many monks who do not belong to the gentry are afraid of the Yuan Ting and Yue Zhi between the two.

The characters who can come here to participate in the Treasure Sale may not all come from the gentry with an orderly inheritance, but they must all have a lot of money, must have seen a lot of worlds, and there are many monks in the realm of immortality, but even Tang Yuerong, who was sitting in the Duobao Pavilion today, also showed up to greet the two of them, which shows the detached status of the two patriarchs.

(End of this chapter)