Under the sky

Chapter 288

The afterglow of dusk illuminated the forest in a brilliant yellow color. The weeds on the path were no more than an inch long, and there were not too many gravels. The path was moderately soft and hard, making it very comfortable to walk on.The trees are tall and the forest is deep here, so there shouldn't be too many people passing by.

But even though it was unknown, I still saw someone.

The young man stood under the tree like a bamboo pole, with a rope loop in front of him. He was obviously standing on something like a stool to reach his ridiculous height.He hesitated for a long time in front of the rope loop, putting his head in and out of the rope loop over and over again. He was so focused that he didn't notice that Ming Wuxi was coming behind him.

He finally made up his mind, put the rope around his neck and kicked the stool over.His eyes rolled back and he stretched his hands toward the sky, as if he wanted to catch something.

Ming unknown looked up at his struggling appearance and gently placed the stool back at his feet.

The boy's surname is Guo, Guo Binian, and he is 19 years old this year.It took all his courage to decide to commit suicide.But committing suicide by drowning was not as easy as he thought. The stool was kicked over, and he couldn't breathe. His head was hot and swollen, and his whole body was convulsing. There was a loud "buzz-buzz-buzz" sound in his ears, which made him think I'm going deaf.He saw a bright light and felt like he was floating. His limbs gradually became numb. He stretched out his hands to grasp the rope, but his hands were not in control and he didn't know where to go.

Then he felt the soles of his feet solid, as if he had stepped on something, like a drowning man grabbing onto driftwood. He struggled to keep his feet solid, and his body fell backwards involuntarily.He didn't fall, but fell on someone unknown, and his vision went dark.

very noisy.Guo Binian only felt a buzzing sound echoing in the darkness, which kept him awake.He opened his eyes and saw a handsome face.

What a beautiful face, Guo Binian thought, and then he came back to his senses. He kept coughing and struggled to get up from the ground. He kept retching while touching his neck to confirm that he was still alive.

"Who are you? Why are you meddling in other people's business!" Guo Binian complained, his voice a little hoarse.He swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva and felt a little dizzy.

Seeing that he was fine, the man sat on the ground with his back to the sunset. The afterglow of the sunset shone from behind him, making Guo Binian feel dazzled.He suddenly realized that he thought a long time had passed, but the sun had not yet set. Looking up, he saw that the rope was still hanging on the branch, as if waving to him, and the stool was placed upright below.

"My name is Ming unknown." The man signed himself up and then asked, "What about you?"

"My surname is Guo, and my name is Guo Binian. Do you know how much courage I mustered up to commit suicide?" Guo Binian lowered his head, not wanting to lose his temper with the handsome young man in front of him again, "You shouldn't have saved me, I don't have the courage to die anymore. ”

"I didn't save you." Ming Wu pointed at the stool, "You saved yourself."

Guo Binian thought of the situation just now and felt his feet feel solid before he fell down. He couldn't help but look at the other party and said, "Can you save people? If you shouldn't put me down from the tree, how can you help me put a stool on it?"

Ming shook his head uncertainly: "I'm afraid of being suspected of being nosy, and I think if you just want to die, you won't stand back on the stool."

"Are you afraid of being nosy when saving people?" He just finished speaking, and pointed at him without knowing it: "You just said I was nosy."

Guo Binian couldn't help but feel dumb and smiled bitterly.

"What does it feel like to die?" Ming asked unknownly.

Guo Binian didn't expect that he would ask such a question. He was stunned for a moment and then said: "I...have I been hanging on the tree for a long time?"

"Only for a while, very short, and the coma is not long. If it takes a while longer, I may not be able to be saved." Ming said vaguely, "You haven't answered my question yet."

"I saw a white light. It was very painful. My whole body was stiff, but a little...comfortable? I felt like a long time had passed, and when I woke up I found that the sun had not set yet." Guo Binian couldn't answer this question. The feeling he just experienced was too indescribable.

"Why do you want to die?" Ming asked unknownly.

Guo Binian said: "Living is too painful. Everyone is destined to be born with good or bad family background, who their parents are, and their status. I think if I reincarnate into another family, maybe my life will not be so painful."

Ming Wuxiang pondered for a moment and said: "The clothes you wear are made of very good material. You have also learned martial arts and practiced very good internal skills and mental techniques. You started practicing them at a young age. That's why you woke up so quickly. You must be a member of a noble family."

Guo Binian was stunned: "I didn't say I was poor, nor did I say my family background was not good."

"Not one person in a hundred can afford to wear your clothes." Ming shook his head unknownly, "It will be better than now. You will commit suicide many times."

Guo Binian whispered: "It's not that difficult." He suddenly realized that the sky was getting dark, and he quickly stood up and said, "I'm going home."

He stood up too hastily, his steps were frivolous, and it was dark again. He stumbled and almost fell. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard an ominous voice: "Do you really want to die?"

Guo Binian turned around and saw an unknown figure blurred in the darkness.He nodded, then shook his head: "I'm afraid of pain, I... it was so difficult, alas... you really shouldn't have saved me."

"If you have any troubles, come see me here tomorrow." Ming said vaguely, "Maybe I can help you."

Guo Binian watched as the unknown figure disappeared in the dark night.

Guo Binian lived in Jiayang Town near the woods. As Ming unknown had expected, he was a child of an aristocratic family, and his father was the head of the Iron Eagle Sect. Although he was legally controlled by Puguang Temple, Puguang Temple was located in Bieshan Town, seventy miles away. , Jiayang Town or Tieyingmen has the final say.

Although it is a remote town, Jiayang Town has a population of several thousand, has fertile farmland, is close to water sources, and has a prosperous life. Guo Binian has not been short of money since he was a child.Although other religions are not excluded in Shaolin, Buddhism is still respected. Most people believe in Buddhism. The people of Jiayang Town are conservative and simple.

It was already dark when Guo Binian returned home. When Guo's father saw his son coming back, he asked, "Where have you gone? You haven't come back for dinner. Your two brothers are waiting for you to eat."

Guo Binian said: "There is nothing important in the sect. I am bored after my official duties, so I will go for a walk in the mountain forest."

Guo's father said: "Has everything about the sect been taken care of?"

Guo Binian said: "It's all done. The grain account for this year's autumn harvest has been cleared and is waiting to be presented to Puguang Temple. It is [-]% more than last year. The Chi Road in the east of the town is somewhat broken and needs to be repaired next year. I will pay it back from the treasury. I can allocate a few hundred taels. I will give Mr. Lin the files on a few lawsuits and report them to me tomorrow."

Father Guo said: "What about the case at Li's residence?"

Guo Binian said: "Breaking into and robbing a house is an act of banditry and should be severely punished. I plan to execute the prisoner."

Father Guo nodded: "Why don't you practice kung fu when you have time?"

Guo Binian was speechless.

Father Guo said: "You are the future leader of the Iron Eagle Sect, and you cannot relax for a moment. Although the sect is small, the top and bottom members are busy with things, and their efforts must not be left behind. I said before that you would join the Puguang Temple and become the sect of Abbot Yuan. Lay monk, I will work under Puguang Temple from now on. If you have a good chance to enter the temple, Iron Eagle Gate will flourish. Otherwise, it is better to stay in Puguang Temple and become the abbot. It is always inconvenient for you to be tonsured before you get married, for fear of disrespecting the Buddha. Now the abbot has resigned. According to the decree, lay disciples can also enter the church, which is a good thing, and you will be exempted from the sin of shaving your head. I will help you find a marriage next year and get married as soon as possible. Dad will take you to Puguang Temple to become the disciple of Abbot Yuan. "

Guo Binian nodded: "Everything is up to dad's arrangement."

Father Guo stood up and patted his son on the shoulder: "You have a long way to go and have many things to do, but you are the eldest son of Guo. Men should behave like men, and the eldest son should have the responsibilities of the eldest son. You will carry the Iron Eagle Sect in the future. Although the sect is small, , and don’t let others look down upon you.”

Guo Binian responded yes, and Father Guo continued: "One more thing, the Tieyingmen sword technique emphasizes the strength of the sword and the weight of the sword. Why is it a Tang sword that you commissioned the craftsman to make? Those pearl and jade tassels on it are even more inappropriate."

Guo Binian said respectfully: "My child thought that some decorations on the scabbard would help show his identity."

Father Guo said: "It's flashy, just like those fake scholars in Qingcheng and those naughty bitches in Emei, Hengshan. Dad helped you retreat this morning and made another nine-ring sword for you, so you can use it easily."

But that knife is beautiful, Guo Binian thought to himself, and responded: "My son heard from Master Lin this morning, just follow dad's instructions."

"What a good son!" Father Guo laughed, "Go and eat, your two brothers are waiting for you."

Guo Binian has two brothers, one is two years younger than him and the other is four years younger than him.He arrived at the dining hall and asked, "Why don't you eat first? You don't have to wait for me."

The second brother stood up, lowered his hands and said, "Father said that we are not allowed to eat first until the eldest brother comes back."

Guo Binian was silent for a while and said, "Let's eat together."

■

Back in the bedroom, Guo Binian did not light the oil lamp immediately, but sat on the edge of the bed in a daze.He narrowly escaped death today, and when he thought about it he was still frightened, and he was upset that he had not died, but he did not dare to die again.

After the second watch, there were fewer and fewer patrolling guards in the sect. He got up and picked up the oil lamp, but without lighting it, he walked along the corridor to the backyard in the dark.He arranged the patrolling of guards. He knew that now was the safest time, so he was especially tiptoeing when passing his father's bedroom.There was a side room in the backyard, and the door was closed. He gently opened the door and turned around to close it.The room was dark, but he was familiar with it and could walk up to the attic with his eyes closed.There were no windows in the attic, so when he arrived, he lit an oil lamp to illuminate the room that was neatly filled with his mother's belongings.

The height of the attic was barely enough for him to stand up straight. He hung the oil lamp on the wall in the east corner, opened a large wooden box below, and selected a silk skirt inside.He took off his clothes, put on a skirt, untied his hair, put it into a lily bun, put on a jade hairpin, and took out a dressing box from the wooden box, which contained various rouges and gouache.

He held a bronze mirror in his left hand, drew on his eyebrows with a black pen in his right hand, put on rouge, applied lipstick, and put flower flowers on it. He looked left and right in the mirror and breathed a sigh of relief.

The depression in his chest was finally released, and he felt that he was very beautiful now.Unfortunately, the bronze mirror was very small and could not see the whole body, but only the face. He stood up, tried his best to illuminate the whole body, and moved the lotus steps lightly to imitate the ladylike posture of everyone.

Guo Binian likes beautiful things, which started when he was very young.

After my mother gave birth to him, she always wanted a daughter. She gave birth to two more sons before giving birth to a sister for him. She loved her more than her life.However, the sister died before she was one year old. My mother was very sad and even got mad because of it. Her father arranged for her to stay in this room to recuperate. He was only seven years old at that time.

When I was eight years old, my father celebrated his birthday and invited an opera troupe to sing.This was his first time listening to an opera, and the song was "Dingjun Mountain".He thought the opera robes were colorful and beautiful. As a young and naughty boy, he went into the theater room where the troupe changed clothes, rummaged through the cabinets, scribbled on his face with a paintbrush, and picked out the most beautiful dress to wear.

The costume was so big and heavy that his hands and feet were all wrapped up in it. When he heard someone walking into the wing, he was in a hurry and couldn't take off his clothes. He tried to climb out of the window but tripped over his dress. He fell down by the window and cried loudly, attracting onlookers.

It turned out that he had chosen a fancy dress, his face was colorful, and his makeup was all gone.Everyone burst into laughter when they saw him in costume, even his father laughed. Only his mother rushed forward, hugged him and cried bitterly, shouting: "Nanny, you are back! Nanny!"

Dad pulled Mom away and sent someone to take her back to the wing.From that day on, my mother often called him, put makeup on him, put on newly bought clothes for him, which were all the girl's clothes, and let him walk in front of her.

Until he was nine years old, his father accidentally came to the wing and saw him wearing women's clothes and a bun. He gave his mother a few hard slaps and took him away, telling him never to see his mother alone again.The next year, my mother passed away in depression, and her belongings were stored in the attic, including clothes, jewelry and a makeup box.

He worked hard to become the son his father wanted, learned literature and martial arts, learned to take charge of the sect's affairs, and took care of his younger brother like a man.He worked hard every day, but his father always felt that it was not enough, which made him feel depressed.One day, he came to the wing where his mother was recovering from illness, climbed up to the attic by accident, and opened his mother's belongings.

Guo Binian didn't think he was a girl, he just thought those clothes were pretty.

He really thought it looked good.The rouge and black pen make the eyebrows picturesque, the skin red and the teeth white. The underskirt, shawl, wide sleeves, flowers and hairpins are much more beautiful than men's clothes.He likes beautiful things, that's all. He is not a womanizer, and he doesn't want to be a husband. He thinks the Tang sword with tassels and jade and coral is very beautiful, but his father thinks that the nine-ring sword can surpass the others.

So this place became Guo Binian's secret. Whenever he was tired, he would come to the attic, put on his mother's clothes, and look at himself in the mirror.Occasionally, he would go out, and when he was going to Puguang Temple in Bieshan Town for official business, he would secretly bring back some rouge and hide it in the attic.He wanted to know if he looked beautiful in such clothes, but there was only a hand mirror in the attic, which couldn't reflect his whole body.

When his father said that he wanted him to become a monk in Puguang Temple, he was really frightened.How ugly would it be to shave your head?He deliberately talked about Buddhist scriptures with his father, talking leisurely and fascinatingly. His father was afraid that he would fake a monk and become a real monk, so he said he would make plans after marrying his wife.Fortunately, the rules have changed now, and he really hopes to get married soon and have multiple wives.He wanted to put powder on his daughter-in-law's eyebrows, buy her new clothes, and dress her up beautifully.

It's a pity that I don't look good enough. I have a big nose and a wide mouth, and I look too much like my father. If I dress up like that today, I will surely amaze many people.

Is it clear?I seem to have seen this name somewhere...

■

"You are a wanted criminal. I saw your name in the arrest documents!"

The next day, Guo Binian came to the woods again to see Ming Wei.

"Are you going to arrest me?" Ming unknown was sitting in the tree, the sun penetrated the shadow of the tree, and the wind blew the branches and leaves, swaying.

"If I want to arrest you, you won't come alone." Guo Binian sat on the ground, not knowing why he came.Is it because Mingwu is a fugitive?He didn't want to catch the unknown.As for the reason, it was a pity to throw such a beautiful person into prison. Besides, this person saved his own life.

Could it be because he said it could help him?
Guo Binian didn't know how Mingwu could help him. He couldn't even explain his own hobbies.It's not that he is ashamed, he doesn't think there is anything to be ashamed of, but except for the Songshan area, most of the people under Shaolin's jurisdiction are conservative, and even the husband is not welcome. The people in Jiayang Town are even more simple, and their hobbies are too shocking and leaked. If he goes out, Puguang Temple will not accept a disciple like him. The most important thing is that his father will definitely go crazy.

"Then why are you here?" Ming unknown jumped down from the tree.

Guo Binian hesitated for a long time and was speechless.Ming and Wu walked up to him, and the two of them were silent. Ming and Wu suddenly asked, "You have a crush on a girl, and your family objects to it?"

Guo Binian was stunned and said hurriedly: "No. My family is very strict and I don't dare to commit sexual intercourse with women."

"You haven't touched a girl today?" he asked again, not sure.

"No!" Guo Binian said, "There are differences between men and women, how can we be frivolous? I am not a libertine."

"Then why do you smell like powder? It's just mixed with the scent of incense."

Guo Binian was shocked. He raised his hand to smell it, wiped his face vigorously, and put his hand to his nose. He didn't smell anything.He was always careful and used incense to diffuse his clothes after leaving the attic to avoid being discovered by his father.

"I have a good nose, and most people can't smell it." Ming said vaguely, "But when ordinary people hear this, they should smell their sleeves, shoulders, and chest first, but you smell your fingertips and touch your face first."

"I touched the girl's face and was kissed on the cheek by the girl, so..." This denial was in vain, and he just said that he was not a libertine.

"You're here because you have something to say." Ming said vaguely, "I'm a fugitive, and no one will believe what I say. If you have any troubles, just tell me. Even if I can't help, you don't have to panic."

Guo Binian's face turned red and his heart beat rapidly. He really wanted to talk to someone, very much.He hesitated and looked at Ming Wuxiang, and couldn't help but think: "Such a beautiful person, he shouldn't be a bad person, right?" So he asked: "Why did you want to assassinate Jiangxi Chief Pilot?"

"Don't you think he deserves to die?" Ming asked uncertainly.

Guo Binian said: "That is the territory under the jurisdiction of the Beggar Clan. If he is guilty, he should be dealt with by the Beggar Clan."

Ming said vaguely: "I have a friend who said, do what is acceptable to your conscience."

When Guo Binian heard what he said, he felt that this person was even more trustworthy, so he said: "You will help me keep the secret and never leak it, right?"

Ming unknown nodded.

"I...I like girls' clothes." Guo Binian finally said it and waved his hand quickly, "Don't think too much, I'm not your husband, I like girls and want to dress them up beautifully! I'm not that kind of man! I ...I just feel beautiful, I like beautiful things!”

He couldn't help but look at the unknown face, and saw that he was neither surprised nor mocking. He calmed down a little and told the whole story. It started with a sister who told him when he was a child, and how he hid in the house where his mother's relics were hidden. When I change my clothes in the attic, I can’t even see my full appearance after getting dressed up.

A secret is very heavy, but if someone shares it, the weight is reduced by half. After speaking out what was in his heart, Guo Binian felt magnanimous in his chest and expressed his depression, but he became uneasy and asked: "Do you think I am... Dirty? A grown man..."

Ming shook his head uncertainly: "There were many people in the ancients who liked to wear women's clothing. He Yan was beautiful and graceful, and liked to wear women's clothes. Emperor Ming liked women's decorations. Even among Buddhists, there was Master Boon who played the pipa in women's clothes. Although it is rare, Not unprecedented.”

"But my father won't like it. He will be angry to death if he sees it." Guo Binian said, "I am the heir to the head of the Iron Eagle Sect. I can't do such a shocking thing, and if it spreads to Puguang Temple, I can't become a disciple of Puguang Temple. If it doesn’t happen, the future is over.”

"Just hide and wear it secretly." Ming said vaguely, "There's no need to commit suicide."

"I... I want people to see me." Guo Binian lowered his head, "I want to wear beautiful clothes and have people praise me for my beauty. I am not like you. You are good-looking and many people will praise you. I want to dress up, I... …I want to go out openly and not be sneaky, but…”

Ming said vaguely: "But you were afraid of being criticized and ridiculed for wearing women's clothing, humiliating your father, and embarrassing the Iron Eagle Gate. You were in pain. Is this why you committed suicide?"

Guo Binian nodded silently.

"Birth, old age, illness and death, resentment and separation, love and separation, you can't ask for pain." Ming Xiang thought for a while and said, "Maybe I can help you."

Guo Binian was stunned: "How can I help?"

"You want others to see, don't you?" Mingming pointed at himself, "I should be considered a human being, right?"

Guo Binian opened his eyes wide and was overjoyed.

(End of this chapter)