At the end of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 606 Rootless Tree, Sourceless Water

As it had just snowed, the ground was very slippery, but Qin Shubao walked steadily, as if roots had taken root under his feet, and walked step by step towards the gate of the Wagang village. He carried two large bundles of dry firewood on his shoulders. It is said that it weighs three or four hundred catties. From a distance, it looks like a pile of moving small firewood mountains.

The Wagang soldiers who were in charge of guarding the gate of the village were already very familiar with Qin Shubao, so they didn't say anything, they just opened the gate to let him pass, and Qin Shubao didn't say anything, just walked in.

Seeing Qin Shubao walk away, one of the gatekeepers couldn't help but said, "This guy's strength is really great."

Another soldier nodded in agreement: "No, it is said that Qin Shubao's weapons are two cooked copper maces, each of which weighs forty or fifty catties, and we may not be able to lift one with both hands. It seems that one mace can break the spine of a war horse."

No. 3 soldier curled his lips and said: "What's the use of that? No matter how powerful Qin Shubao is, he would not be loyal to Wei Gong. It's just a waste of rice to raise him."

"Hey, you can't say that. Qin Shubao collects hundreds of catties of firewood every day and sends them to the firehouse. It's considered work. He doesn't eat free rice."

"How much is the firewood worth? It's not enough for the old woman to pay for the doctor and soup."

Qin Shubao's hearing is good, he heard the arguments of several soldiers, he couldn't help frowning, he quickened his pace and came to the firehouse in the cottage, unloaded two bundles of dry firewood, then left without a sound, and returned to the back mountain in front of a thatched cottage.

This cottage was built by Qin Shubao himself. Although Li Mi provided a more comfortable house, he didn't want to owe Li Mi, so he built this cottage and moved his mother into it.

Right now is the twelfth lunar month of Daye’s 13 years, the weather is cold, the world just snowed is white, the sky is gloomy, the wind is like a knife, and it is cold to the heart and lungs.

Qin Shubao stood in front of the thatched cottage and listened for a while, but he didn't hear coughing, probably the old mother had already fallen asleep, so he didn't open the door to go in, so as not to wake up the old man.The opening and closing of the firewood door made too much noise, like a ghost screaming, and opening the door would also bring in cold wind, which would definitely wake up the old mother.

Qin Shubao stood at the door for half an hour, and also stared at the vast snow in a daze for half an hour. It has been more than a year for him to live such a boring day, day after day, but he doesn't feel difficult, because There is someone he wants to protect here, he is a filial son, his home is where his mother is, and being by his mother's side makes him feel at ease.

Of course, whenever he thinks of General Zhang, Qin Shubao will also feel guilty and blame himself. Since he learned of General Zhang's defeat, he has not eaten or drank for three days and three nights, and almost lost his life. He has lost a lot of weight. Qin's mother cried and persuaded him. He probably died of a hunger strike.

After that, Qin Shubao built this thatched cottage in the back mountain. Qin's mother also regretted writing a letter to call her son to Wagang, so she insisted on following her son to live in the thatched cottage.After Li Mi learned about it, he realized that Qin Shubao was unlikely to be his own anymore, and since then he ignored them, as if he had already forgotten the two of them.

Let's say that Qin Shubao was in a daze for half an hour, then there was a coughing sound from the hut, obviously Qin's mother woke up.Since the beginning of winter, Qin's mother's condition has suddenly worsened, and she sleeps more and more times every day, but each time it will not exceed half an hour, which is more accurate than the alarm clock.

Qin Shubao hurriedly opened the door and walked in. Qin's mother had already sat up, and when she heard the door knock, she asked, "Is Qiong'er back?"

"Mother, it's me!" Qin Shubao walked to the bed and said.

Qin's mother groped and patted the bed and said, "Qiong'er, sit here quickly, what time is it?"

Qin's mother's eyes were dim, and it was obvious that her eyesight was not very good. Qin Shubao sat by the bed and turned on the stove even more.

"Why is Qiong'er so cold? Hurry up and cover her." Qin's mother touched Qin Qiong's body, and found that it was cold, so she quickly took the quilt that was covering her body, and was about to put it on Qin Qiong.

Qin Qiong hurriedly put the quilt back on her mother, and said with a smile: "The child is not cold."

Qin's mother sighed and said: "My son should be an invincible general on the battlefield, but he is trapped here because of his mother. I should have known..."

Qin Qiong quickly interrupted: "It is the duty of a child to serve and honor your mother. When my mother is sick, Qiong'er naturally has to wait by the bed."

Qin's mother pondered for a moment, and said: "Li Mi is a man with great ambition, knowledge and wisdom. Why doesn't my son want to be loyal to him? Don't tell me you still hate Li Mi because of General Zhang?"

Qin Qiong bowed her head and said: "I don't hate Li Mi, I only hate myself. General Zhang died in battle, and my child is the most responsible."

Qin's mother sighed and said, "Qioner shouldn't hate herself, she should hate her mother. After all, she wrote a letter for her mother and summoned you."

"Child dare not!"

"Qioner just didn't dare, it seems that she still has resentment towards her mother!"

Qin Qiong fell to his knees with a thump, kowtowed and said: "I have absolutely no resentment towards my mother, my boy is just guilty. Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot be both. Qin Qiong is sorry for General Zhang, and I am sorry for Brother Paoze who died in front of Dahai Temple. He should have died there with them." After speaking, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

Qin's mother groped around, and finally touched Qin Qiong's face full of tears, and said with pity: "A man doesn't flick his tears lightly, but it's not time to be sad. But it's hard for my son, no matter, since my son doesn't want to be loyal to Li Mi, My mother will not force you anymore, let's go back to Qi County."

Qin Qiong shook her head and said: "The weather is cold now, and my mother's health is not good. How can I bear the long-distance travel and travel? Let's make plans when the weather is warmer in spring next year and my mother's health improves."

Qin's mother nodded and said: "Okay, but as the saying goes, you don't get rewarded for nothing. Since my son refuses to be loyal to Li Mi, it's always not good to live here and receive favors from others for nothing."

Qin Qiong was silent for a moment, and then said: "Some time ago, Li Mi killed Zhai Rang and the whole family of Zhai Hong brothers."

Qin's mother was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and sighed after a long time: "Then Li Mi is really... a pity, it seems that my son was right not to be loyal to him."

Qin Qiong said: "Li Mi is dominant in the Central Plains, and he had a chance to win the world, but he was too hasty and ruthless. He killed Brother Zhai Hong, which seemed to stabilize his position, but in fact, it chilled the hearts of too many people. The team will not do well in the future. With it, there is no possibility of aspirations."

Qin's mother nodded regretfully: "It seems that my son can still see clearly."

"Boy now goes down the mountain to cut firewood every day, plus the horses he brought back then, in fact, he doesn't owe Li Mi any more. When the weather is warmer next spring, he will take mother back to Qi County and accompany you from now on. Live happily ever after." Qin Qiong said.

Qin's mother nodded again, and never mentioned the matter of allegiance to Li Mi. The two mother and son chatted for a while, and then Qin's mother yawned, looking drowsy.

A trace of worry appeared on Qin Qiong's face, and he said softly: "Mother will sleep for a while if she is sleepy, and my son will make dinner."

"Alright!" Mother Qin replied, lay back on the bed, and dozed off again after a while.

…………

Han Laoshi's right shoulder bones were broken, and they have been reattached and bandaged. Even so, he is not idle, or he is a person who can't be idle.Han Laoshi's left hand can still move, and he can still use the guillotine, and the father and son cooperated very tacitly, cutting the hay quickly and well, and then moved it to the stable to feed the horses.

It is said that Han Laoshi and his son used to work at the Yufeng Racecourse, but they were transferred back to the Duke's Mansion last year. The job was still to feed the horses, but it was easier than at the Yufeng Racecourse, and the living conditions and treatment conditions were more favorable.

When Gao Bufan came to the stable, Han Laoshi and his son were feeding the horses, Han Xiaoyun hurriedly saluted and said, "I have seen the Duke."

Gao Bufan nodded, and watched the father and son feed the horse with great interest. Han Laoshi still had the same carefree look, and said, "Xiaoyun, go and get two bags of bean feed."

Han Xiaoyun responded and drove away. Han Laoshi patted the dust on his clothes and asked, "Is there something wrong with Duke Qi?"

Gao Bufan smiled and said, "Should I call you Uncle Han now, or Senior?"

"Duke Qi should call me Han Laoshi. With your current status, I can't bear these two titles." Han Laoshi said honestly.

Gao Bufan nodded: "Okay, then the country's official will call you Han Laoshi, can we have a chat?"

"Does Qi Guogong want to ask, why did I teach you Kung Fu back then?"

Gao Bufan nodded again.

Han honestly said: "If you say that I just want to find a successor, I wonder if Qi Guogui will believe it?"

"I believe it, but I don't believe it completely."

"why?"

"Because Xiaoyun can't practice martial arts, and if you don't want to lose the skills you have worked so hard to create, you have to find someone to pass them on. But if you fancy me, it shouldn't be just for passing on the skills, right?"

Han Laoshi nodded and said, "That's right!"

"Then what is the other purpose? You said last time that you want to use me to accomplish one thing. Is it true that you want to use me to destroy the Buddha to avenge you?"

Han Laoshi shook his head and said, "That's not the case!"

"what is that?"

"You can't do it now."

"You might as well talk and listen first."

Han Laoshi pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "Presumably senior brother has already told Qi Guogong what happened to our family."

Gao Bufan nodded.

"Actually, I don't hate Buddhism, I only hate those who persecuted our family. I combined the Buddhist and Taoist techniques to practice, not only to restore martial arts, but also to prove that Buddhism and Taoism can co-existing harmoniously."

Gao Bufan's heart moved, and he blurted out: "Could it be that you want to resolve the centuries-old struggle between Buddhism and Taoism?"

Han Laoshi nodded and said: "This is the common idea of ​​my mother Xiaoyun, but only by ourselves, even if the martial arts are the best in the world, it is impossible to realize this vision, and you Gao Changqing may have this ability in the future."

Gao Bufan frowned and said, "Don't worry about the future, but back then I was just an unknown boy from the mountains, how did you take a fancy to me?"

Han Laoshi stared at Gao Bufan strangely. The latter felt a little numb from the stare. It felt like being stared at by Angato's dead fish eyes in the Star Observatory that night. have been seen through.

Han Laoshi withdrew his gaze and said calmly: "The first time I saw Duke Qi, I felt that Duke Qi is a special person, or in other words, Duke Qi has been a special person since he was born into this world."

Gao Bufan's heart trembled slightly, could it be that Han Laoshi saw that he was a time traveler?He said calmly, "What do you mean?"

Han Laoshi grabbed a handful of fodder and threw it into the manger, and said indifferently: "Very people do extraordinary things. Looking at Qi Guogong's achievements now, I didn't miscalculate back then. Qi Guogong's face is very weird. Wood, water without a source, makes people unpredictable, but it is also expensive and has infinite possibilities.”

"You can still read faces?" Gao Bufan asked in surprise, but he was inexplicably relieved. It seems that the other party didn't know that he was a time traveler. , Isn’t it just a tree without roots and water without a source?Can this really be seen from the face?It is too mysterious.

Han Laoshi showed a hint of arrogance and said: "If you talk about astrology, Li Chunfeng may not be above me, and if you talk about astrology, I may not be below Yuan Tiangang!"

Gao Bufan was silent for a moment, gave a thumbs up, and said two words: "Niubi!"

Han Laoshi said calmly: "Qi Guogong's way of speaking and thinking is always different. Sometimes I even feel that maybe Qi Guogong doesn't belong to this world."

Gao Bufan was slightly shocked, nodded his head, pretending to be mysterious and said: "That's right, I jumped out of a crack in the rock."

Han Laoshi was silent for a moment, and spit out four words from his mouth: "Your mother is better than you!"

Gao Bufan almost fell over!
At this moment, Han Xiaoyun came over carrying two sacks of bean curd. It seemed that this kid had a lot of strength, and his body was getting stronger and stronger.

Han Laoshi said with a bit of regret: "Xiaoyun has missed the best age for practicing internal martial arts, but under my training, his skills are not weak, and there is no problem being a scout."

Gao Bufan nodded and said, "If you are willing, I will arrange it."

"I'm definitely not willing to part with it, but I don't want to raise him to waste. At this age, I should let him go out."

"In that case, let him go to General Li Jing to hone his skills."

Han Laoshi nodded gratefully. Gao Bufan left the stable and returned to the front office. Just as he sat down to work, Changsun Wuji, Du Ruhui and others came hand in hand, with joy on their faces.

Gao Bufan asked with a smile: "But what's the happy event?"

Changsun Wuji smiled and said: "It is indeed a happy event. I just received the news that Li Mi killed Zhai Rang's family. Today's Wagang is Li Mi's Wagang alone."

Gao Bufan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said: "Li Mi made a bad move, what a pity!"

Du Ruhui said with a smile: "But this is a good thing for us. Previously, my subordinates were worried that they would not be Li Mi's opponent. Unexpectedly, Li Mi made such a cold move. From then on, people in Wagang will be divided and attack Li Mi. It's the right time, God is helping me in the Qi Kingdom!"

(End of this chapter)