Under the sky

Chapter 234 Darkness

Kunlun 73 years spring April 29

The sky was gray and it was cloudy again.

Xie Yunjin sat on the edge of the cliff and looked up at the sky.He just turned thirteen today, and he is still a curious age.Master Jin strictly prohibited him from hanging his feet off the cliff or even getting close to the edge of the cliff.

This is a lonely cliff, about five feet long and wide. It is not small, but it is not big either. Especially the snow-capped mountains are covered with snow all year round. If he slips at the entrance of the cave, he may fall to the edge of the cliff, so Master Jin always wants him to be careful.The top of the solitary cliff is completely covered by a huge protruding mountain wall. On the right hand side facing the cave, there is another platform about one foot high and two feet away. On the left, there is a small platform about one foot down and two feet down. A platform and stairs wrap around the cliff.

Xie Yunjin likes to sit here. When there are no clouds, he will see the light shining down.Most of the time, what he saw was a vast expanse of white, whether it was clouds or snow that had not melted for many years. Of course, there were also black and gray, which were the mixture of gray and black on the mountain wall.The color of wood is very rare. He and Jin Fuzi will clean the bookcases together, which have the color of wood.Green is even rarer and belongs to the moss, weeds or bushes that stubbornly grow out of the rock walls and solid soil.Otherwise, the most common color is blue.

He had seen flowers. A few years ago, seeds that fell from nowhere were growing tenaciously on the rock wall, near the high platform on the right. Flowers bloomed in the first year, a very small flower with yellow petals and red stamens. He was full of flowers. I looked forward to the second year, but never saw the flowers bloom again.He was disappointed for several years, and finally understood that his tenacity and disregard for his own safety could not survive the harsh winter.

"Master Yun!" Master Jin's voice came from the cave. He came to the entrance of the cave with an oil lamp, "Stop looking and come in quickly. It's cold outside."

Xie Yunjin stood up and followed him into the cave.

Oil lamps were lit on the mountain wall. The passage was not bright, but it was enough to see things.After walking through the long and winding passage, leaving the cold wind and skylight outside the cave, Xie Yunjin returned to Guigu Hall.

The main hall is 140 feet wide and 130 feet deep. These are rough figures. There are many bookshelves in it.There are a total of 420 bookshelves in the temple. Each bookshelf is six feet wide, eight feet high and three feet deep, with a total of 22 six volumes.

Master Jin said that the most useful books in the world are collected here, so it was named Guigu Palace, which means Guiguzi’s profound knowledge and knowledge-but it may also be an apt description of this valley that is like a ghost.Many years later, Xie Gubaiyan used these two words to pretend to be the sect he was from.

"Master, don't get too close to the cliff. It's dangerous." Master Jin walked ahead holding an oil lamp.The oil lamps are not used on the walkway leading outside the cave. Compared with the main hall, the oil lamps on both sides of the passage are bright enough. And here, although there is an oil lamp every one foot on the mountain wall, the cave with a radius of more than a hundred feet is only The torches and oil lamps on the mountain wall are obviously not enough. Even if they are fully lit, the surrounding lights are more like the flickering ghost fires in circles of graveyards.

Xie Yunjin had never seen a will-o'-the-wisp, but after reading the description in the book, he thought it was similar.

There are many books here and the lighting control is strict. You can only enter the book gallery with an oil lamp when picking up books.The mountain wall at the southeast corner still has traces of blackening and newer bookshelves. Jin Fuzi said that it was the grandfather who was looking for books with an oil lamp and burned two rows of bookshelves, which almost caused a disaster and some rare books were lost as a result. It's a pity to lose.

In front of the Guigu Hall, a ditch one and a half feet wide was dug in the ground two feet away from the first row of bookcases, and the melted snow water from outside the cave was introduced across the entire cave. It is cool and sweet, and can be drunk, but its purpose is Fireproof.After this small ditch is an open space of more than ten feet in radius. This is the brightest place in the cave. There is a fire platform every five feet to illuminate the surrounding area. Next to the fire platform on the left is an eight-foot-long and four-foot-wide The top of the desk is mottled, and there is a small five-foot case next to the desk. That is where Xie Yunjin learned to write.

Right in front of the middle of the mountain wall are four secret books, "The Jue of Righteousness", "The Book of Mysterious Transformation", "The Sutra of Cleansing the Marrow", and "The Divine Skill of Yanghao".Jin Fuzi said that a long time ago, in the era of Jianghu, any book here was enough to make the entire martial arts world fight for it.

But it's useless now, or rather, it's not very useful.

"The most powerful martial arts in the world is called the 'Book of Power', the second best martial arts is called the 'Wealth Scripture', and the third strongest martial arts is called the 'Love Seduction Magic'. Power, wealth and women can defeat opponents better than any martial arts in the world. "

"Why are there no men?" Xie Yunjin asked this question when he was still young. "Only women seduce men, but no men seduce women?"

"Because most of the power and wealth are not in women." Jin Fuzi said, "So it is not easy to seduce women in exchange for power and wealth. Of course, it can occasionally be done, but not many. The reason why special cases are called special cases is because they It’s not the norm.”

"Arguing about exceptions as the norm will only show ignorance." Master Jin said, "The only things that are really useful are power and wealth, and human emotions are just weapons."

"So you don't need to learn martial arts, and it saves you the distraction."

Xie Yunjin believed this statement, and learning martial arts would distract him.When he was younger, he immersed himself in classic books. He was very smart and could understand and integrate every book after reading it once.He had nothing else to do, just read. When he encountered something he didn't understand, he would ask Master Jin. Master Jin was very knowledgeable. If even Master Jin couldn't answer the question, they would find the answer together.He didn't know how children outside played, and Jin Fuzi never taught him, but he could get fun from books.

And in the center of the entire cave, behind the four lost martial arts books, is the blood oath of Zhang Liuda Sect.Like the four books, it is often cleaned and always kept clean, but it is placed in the center, too far away from the torches on both sides - after all, you can't get too close to the candles, so it is always dim and cannot be seen clearly, except for the six directions. In addition to the particularly eye-catching cinnabar mark, you have to hold an oil lamp close to it to read the words carefully.

No one cares about the words on it, after all, it has been more than 100 years.

"Master, it's time for class." Jin Fuzi shouted.

"I want to study by myself today." Xie Yunjin took a book from the bookshelf he passed by, took an oil lamp from the mountain wall, and walked into the first passage on the left that read "Harmony with light and dust".The passage is seven to eight feet long, leading to an open flat land about seventeen feet in diameter. The roof of the cave is more than fifty feet high. There is a huge opening about ten feet wide in the northeast corner, like a sloping patio, where the light comes from. If the light shines into the cave, the cave will not be dark.There are coffee tables, desks, chairs, and wardrobes. The floor is paved with mud bricks to keep it flat, and there are four beds. Only one bed is piled with neatly folded quilts and pillows.

Xie Yunjin thought about where the patio leads to, it should be somewhere on the cliff. It is said that the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty fell from the cliff and fell into this patio before discovering this secret.

Legends are just legends after all. I don’t know whether they are true or not. Can anyone really fall from such a height without dying?What a blessing?
It is impossible to climb out of this cave. The cave is like an overturned bowl, and the height of the cave entrance is beyond the reach of ordinary people, but it provides enough light for people to live in what is barely a room.The disadvantage is that it is humid. Sometimes there is melted snow water coming in along the mountain wall. Sometimes it is a dripping sound, and sometimes it is like the sound of filling a teapot. It is quite disturbing. After listening to it for a long time, you will get used to it. Put a piece of cloth under your head and pretend it is nothing. If you feel annoyed, go to Guigu Hall to sleep. There is also a bed there. Xie Yunjin often uses these water drops to distinguish the weather outside and the four seasons.

A portrait of Xie Yunjin's ancestor hangs on the stone wall of "Heguang Tongchen". The largest painting among them is rough and bold. It can be seen that the man in the portrait is holding a book and hanging a sword, and his heroic posture is a portrait of the angry king.There was a missing corner of the inscription on the lower left side of the portrait, which was filled with paper, so it was not known who drew the picture. However, that was not an accident. It was torn off by the descendants on purpose. They did not want to see the name of the painter.

King Nu is a scholar, which may surprise many people. Most people think that King Nu should be a rough man. He mounts a horse to carry a sword, dismounts to eat meat, charges to kill the enemy, and is heroic. These may be correct, but King Nu is still a common man. In the end, he was actually more like a scholar.

But "He Guang Tong Chen" is not the sunniest place in this cave. The second cave from the left is called "Heaven Gives Me", which has the same patio as here, but is larger.There is a kitchen and a farmland, where millet and some simple vegetables are grown, and two pairs of chickens and a sheep are raised.In addition to the rare green here, there is also an even rarer red - the red on the cock's comb.

Xie Yunjin's livelihood does not only rely on these millet and vegetables, so how much punishment will he have to suffer?The situation is precarious.The third passage reads "Be content with honor and disgrace". You can know the meaning of honor and disgrace by taking the warehouse and giving it to yourself. This is the warehouse and the residence of Master Jin. It is piled with bacon, pickles and all kinds of long-lasting food, as well as bundles of Rice, wheat, and even precious ingredients such as dried flower mushrooms, dried sole fish, and ham were enough for him and Jin Fuzi to survive for half a year.

It was his family's men who delivered the food.It is said that going up the mountain from the platform is the Kunlun Palace, where the traitors who took over the Nu King's world took turns giving orders. Ordinary people cannot go in and out from there, but it is not difficult for the Xie family. They have ways to go in and out, but long-term travel is ultimately inconvenient, so food is Sent from the mountains.

On the third and eighteenth day of every month, people delivering food will use the dug passage to reach somewhere below. There is a height difference of more than thirty feet from here. An iron ring is nailed on the platform at the entrance of the cave, and Master Jin will pass the rope through it. The iron rings are tied, the ropes and hanging baskets are thrown down, and the food, clothing and food sent from below are hoisted up.

Xie Yunjin once lay on the edge of the platform and looked down, only looking at a few small black spots.The snow on the mountain wall is slippery, making it difficult to climb up no matter how good your martial arts skills are.Master Jin would put down a letter along the bamboo basket, and the letter would be delivered to Xie Yunjin's father to confirm that he was safe.

The memories of my father are all in the fourth passage, the room named "The Enemy of Ten Thousand People".There was no light there, and there were long tables, formation diagrams and war games, as well as rings and stakes for practicing. It was said that this was also a place for practicing, but it was of no use to him.

Dad would light the oil lamp there and talk to him.

"You may be the last child living here." Dad said to him, "Our ancestors were hunted down in the past, so every child had to hide here until they reached adulthood before being allowed to leave. Later, even the enemies had forgotten We don’t have to hide our names here anymore.”

"But you are the child who brings misfortune." Dad looked at him, "You must stay here and hide for a long time. Don't worry, you will be able to leave here one day."

Dad rarely came to see him, only once every half a year, every two or three days, to inspect his homework, play war games and formations with him, and discuss the supplies and marching.For Xie Yunjin, this is his game. Perhaps because this is one of the few times he can get along with his father, he especially likes to deduce battle formations. Occasionally, he will let Jin Fuzi accompany him in the deduction. Jin Fuzi does not have a father. However, last year I lost more and won less.

My father didn't say much about the outside world, and he never mentioned my mother.

things outside...

Xie Yunjin raised his head and looked at the naturally formed patio, from which light poured into the hole.

He had never seen the sun, not even once.

The entrance of Guigu Temple faces the south very cleverly, and there is a large rock wall directly above it. There are rocks on the east and west sides. There is only half of the sky, like a large window sill facing south. No matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, Sunrise and sunset, the sun does not fall on the windowsill.

He sat on the edge of the cliff more than once, from dawn to dusk. He had read in books and knew that the movement of the sun was not the same every day. He flipped through the perpetual calendar, checked the astrolabe, and confirmed it many times, no matter what year or day it was. The sun will not appear before him.

If you want to see the sun, you have to leave here, either up the mountain, down the mountain, or over to the other side of the mountain. It doesn't have to be very far.

Not far, but difficult.

He might be able to jump to the platform on the left, where he might be able to catch a glimpse of the sun one day in late spring or early summer.The edge of the cliff is only about ten feet away from the platform, and it is below. There is a chance to jump over, but you may also fall to your death in the deep valley.Moreover, he couldn't jump back.

A few years ago, when he was only eight or nine years old, he asked Master Jin to take him up or down the mountain. Master Jin told him that it was very dangerous and that his responsibility did not include any risky behavior proposed by Xie Yunjin.

"The master will not allow you to leave here. It is the servant's duty to see you grow up safely."

Although he was rejected by Jin Fuzi, it was not difficult to solve. He was determined to take a look at the sun.

"Young master cannot learn martial arts." Master Jin said to him when he wanted to read the four books.The firelight was very dim, and Jin Fuzi's face could not be seen clearly, and his expression could not be distinguished.

"Why can't I learn martial arts?" Xie Yunjin asked.

"You can't learn it." Master Jin replied, "Not only the four magical arts, but also the martial arts on the bookshelf."

Xie Yunjin didn't believe it. He had seen his father's martial arts with his own eyes.Dad's kung fu is very good. It is said that he practices "Xuan Hua Bao Dian". He can easily jump over a platform two feet away without even raising his energy.

Although Jin Fuzi is his teacher, he is also his "servant" and cannot really stop him.

He knew the characteristics of these four books. "The Marrow Cleansing Sutra" is difficult to master quickly. As long as you break through the threshold, you will be a thousand miles away. The power comes from the heart. To master it, you only need a thought to master it. You can use it at will with almost no luck, but it is extremely difficult to get started.

"The Art of Righteousness" is easy to learn but difficult to master. There are huge bottlenecks in practicing it to the depths, but it is extremely powerful after it is successfully accomplished. It is just that since it is called awe-inspiring righteousness, its inner strength is pure and upright, and cannot tolerate a trace of impurities. Most top martial arts emphasize It has a combination of hardness and softness, and the martial arts that can be matched with it are limited, especially Qinggong. If you want to jump high and low, far and near, it may be OK, but if you want to have an airy and immortal posture, you will not be able to use this mental method.

As for the "Xuan Hua Bao Jing", it has different uses and different metaphysical powers. Although it is not as powerful as the Sea of ​​Righteousness Jue, nor as powerful as the Marrow Cleansing Sutra, it is a combination of strength and softness, and can be matched with almost all martial arts in the world. However, it is difficult to learn and master, and its power alone is not as good as the other three sets of mental techniques. It must be paired with top martial arts to show its strengths.

Finally, there is the "Yanghao Divine Skill". Cultivate the aura of awe-inspiring skills, learn slowly and master slowly. It depends on the talent of the practitioner. The longer you practice, the deeper the skill will be.Since it is a good way to cultivate, it must be cultivated slowly. It is difficult to compare with other mental methods in the first 20 years. In the middle 20 years, it gradually catches up. Although the skill has improved by leaps and bounds in the last 20 years, it will probably be too old and lacks energy by then. In addition to extending life, it is difficult to compete with it. Other masters compete for supremacy.

Perhaps it is more appropriate to call it "the magic power of health".

He knew that the top internal skills and mental methods were all indistinguishable, only the ingenious use and matching martial arts skills existed, so he picked up "The Art of Righteousness".He just wanted to jump over the natural barrier and take a look at the sun. The Marrow Cleansing Sutra relies entirely on innate fitness. It is difficult to get started with the Xuanhua Book and the Yanghao Divine Art. Moreover, the Righteousness Jue cannot tolerate impurities. After practicing the other three books, he will no longer be able to practice the Righteousness Jue. .

He took the book to the "enemy of ten thousand people" where he practiced martial arts, lit an oil lamp, and asked Master Jin to teach him the method of luck. He knew that Master Jin knew martial arts.

"Master, give up, you can't learn." Jin Fuzi looked at him, and he could hear a sigh in Jin Fuzi's tone.

"I want to learn." Xie Yunjin said, leaving no room for doubt.

"Sit on your back, place your left foot on top of your right foot, put your palms on your chest, with your four hearts facing the sky, the four centers being the palms and soles of your feet, raise your head, and breathe in..."

Jin Fuzi started teaching him the simplest introduction to internal skills. He was the most enlightened child. Although his understanding of reading was different from his understanding of internal skills, and even different from his understanding of martial arts, he still began to feel something after three days of studying. His buttocks were slightly warm, and something like a small bead appeared in his lower abdomen.He knew that this was the first step. After that, he would move this small round bead around the acupoints of the Qi Palace, exercise it repeatedly, and then send it to the Qi Sea for storage. This was called a Zhoutian.Different internal skills take different paths in the circulation of the heavens, and the methods of breathing and exhalation are also different. The only thing that is the same is that they all must pass through the acupoints of the Qi Palace.

Xie Yunjin found that he could no longer pass through the Quepen point after he sent that zhenqi to it. It was like a road blocked by rocks. No, it would be okay if the rocks were there. The rocks could be broken through or moved. This situation was more like Cut off, like a flat road suddenly breaking into an abyss, making it impossible to even build a bridge across it.

He was a little panicked, but not confused. He sent the tiny projectile back to the Qi Sea along its original path, preparing to store it for training tomorrow.However, when he followed the method taught by Jin Fuzi to return his inner energy to the sea of ​​​​qi, exhale and absorb it, the small projectile disappeared out of thin air and was never seen again.

He felt weird, it was different from what the books taught.Come back the next day, the Qi will be the same as yesterday. Once it reaches the Quepen point, it will be difficult to advance further, and it will disappear when it returns to the Qi sea.He worked hard for a month, but made no progress, and his Qi sea could not contain a trace of true energy...

He decided to practice the "Xuan Hua Bao Dian" instead, but when the true energy moved to the central acupoint, it was also blocked and difficult to move, the sea of ​​​​qi was still empty, and the "Marrow Cleansing Sutra" and "Yang Hao Sheng Gong" remained the same.

"Master, your body cannot practice internal strength." Jin Fuzi said.

He didn't know why, but he decided to practice outer martial arts instead. Even if he didn't have internal martial arts, it was not difficult to cross a high platform about ten feet away with the help of outer martial arts, and he could even jump back.

"Stop practicing, young master. Martial arts are useless. You should focus on studying." Master Jin persuaded him earnestly and even took away all the martial arts secret books on the bookshelf.But this still couldn't stop Xie Yunjin. Where could there be a place to hide something in this cave?Jin Fuzi is not someone who can really control him.

He found that after practicing for half a year, he could only jump one foot at most. As for the high jump, he couldn't even jump four feet.He tried to swing the weapon, but he could lift it with his hands and move it with his feet, but he could never move it quickly and powerfully. It was as if something was missing, and he could never raise his strength any higher.

Half a year later, he threw his sword to the ground.He realized that he had no talent for martial arts, not even a little bit.

"Martial arts is the knowledge of the inferior people." Jin Fuzi explained broadly, "The enemy of ten thousand people is the knowledge of the superior people. If one day, you are surrounded by hundreds of people to protect you, then naturally someone will do it for you. There is no need. Take your own risks.”

Jin Fuzi realized that he had spilled the beans and was about to change the subject when Xie Yunjin turned his attention.

"I am surrounded by hundreds of people to protect me, will I have one?" Xie Yunjin asked.He knew very little about his family. He only knew that he was a descendant of King Nu and had to hide here for some reasons. The rest was unknown.

Master Jin covered it up: "Perhaps one day, if the young master has enough knowledge, there will be hundreds of people guarding him one day."

"You seem to have known for a long time that I can't practice Kung Fu?" Xie Yunjin asked, "Why? Dad won't let me leave, but Guigu Palace has many martial arts secret books. I can leave here as long as I master a few of them. Why? Are you so sure that I won’t be able to practice?”

Jin Fuzi closed his eyes, and Xie Yunjin saw that he was hesitating.Master Jin rarely hesitated in front of him. He was a loyal servant, he had no secrets, and he would decisively refuse to answer anything he couldn't tell.

That was a secret that was difficult for Mr. Jin to reveal.

Xie Yunjin's heartbeat suddenly increased, and he suddenly felt scared.No matter how smart he is, he is only a 13-year-old child, and he even vaguely felt that he hoped that Jin Fuzi would stop answering.

"When young master was young, I used seven silver needles to break your Qi Fu acupoints and Qi sea, and injured your hand tendons and hamstrings. Although it does not affect your daily activities, you will be unable to practice martial arts."

"What did you say?" Xie Yunjin felt as if he was struck by lightning, "Did dad destroy my Qihai, hurt my hands and hamstrings, and prevent me from learning martial arts for the rest of my life?"

Why does dad treat me like this?
He was a smart kid, and in a flash of thought, he understood one more thing - why was Master Jin willing to tell him this long-hidden secret?
"Dad won't come to see me again?" Xie Yunjin asked.Ever since he started practicing martial arts, his father has never been here again. It has been almost a year.

Master Jin nodded: "I told the master about your martial arts training, and the master... understood. He didn't know how to explain it to you."

"I think the master will come after he figures out how to tell you. You are his son after all, and he will come to see you."

Xie Yunjin was still sitting on the edge of the cliff in front of the cave entrance.His name is Xie Yunjin, whose nickname is Wuxiu. As his name suggests, he has floating clouds as his lapel and a cave as his companion. He is destined to be unable to leave this cave.

The December wind and snow were howling, snowflakes were hitting his face, and the wind was so strong that he felt as if he was going to be blown away by the wind.If we take advantage of the wind and jump down, can we reach the platform below?

Master Jin came to the entrance of the cave with an oil lamp and once again told him to come in early to avoid the wind and snow.

"I used to ask my father when I could leave. He always said to wait for the right time. Mr. Jin, when will that time be? How many more years will I have to live here?"

Master Jin hesitated: "As long as you wait..."

"When the eldest young master gets married and gives birth to a child, the master will let Master Yun go."

(End of this chapter)