Globe Trekker

Chapter 10
The cold rain fell for three days before it stopped. Occasionally, half of the sun appeared from the clouds, but it did not bring much warmth to the earth. Frost can be seen everywhere on the grass and trees and on the side of the mountain road.

The news of the death of the two officers and soldiers did not reach the Qizhen Temple in the deep mountains. During the period, Chengzong went down the mountain to Tianjia Village to visit the wounded. After returning, he did not mention this matter. He asked Wu Ming about the five-element and thirteen-style boxing techniques that Wu Ming practiced. If there is any difficulty, keep silent about other things, as if nothing happened.

An anxious Wu Ming couldn't help admiring Chengzong's skill in nourishing Qi. Since Chengzong didn't want to mention that matter, he didn't want to ask too much, but he could guess from Chengzong's words and attitude that no one doubted him. The beautiful woman who was rescued also fooled her.

In this era of rampant warfare and banditry, it is common for a few people to die, not to mention the remote village far away from Emperor Shan Gao. It is estimated that the rumors will subside after a while, and no one will remember this matter soon.

Thinking of this, Wu Ming's heart knot was untied, he ate two more bowls for dinner, and practiced martial arts hard at night under Cheng Zong's guidance, and humbly asked for advice on difficulties.

In fact, things were exactly the opposite of what Wu Ming had guessed. Shangrao City and Huanggu Town were already in turmoil, and the officer killed by Wu Ming was not an ordinary low-level officer, but a lieutenant colonel of the garrison division under Xiong Shihui, Chairman of Jiangxi Province. The deputy of the regiment, this person stayed in Shangrao to shoulder the heavy responsibility of recruiting a regiment of recruits. The company under his command is not an ordinary company, but consists of more than 150 instructors and non-commissioned officers. He is responsible for the recruitment and training of [-] recruits. The officer was promoted to one level and served as an officer of all levels in the recruit regiment.

On the night of receiving the news of the death of the regimental deputy, more than 150 military officers from Nanchang were extremely shocked and rushed to the accident site. Shangrao County Magistrate Wang Donghan, who received the emergency report almost at the same time, was shocked and ordered the garrison regiment commander Yang Zhisheng to gather troops to chase after him. , To assist the Dian army in apprehending the murderer.

That night, all the villages and towns around the dilapidated Earth Temple were harassed by officers and soldiers full of grief and indignation, and the torches were raging in chaos for more than ten miles around.In the morning of the next day, Yang Zhisheng, the head of the security team, received a tip, so all officers and soldiers gathered in the small town of Huanggu.

The mayor of the town, Chen Jiyao, was fearless in the face of the furious Nanchang military officers. He denied that his wife had seen any soldiers, but on the way home, he encountered robbers.

Where are the more than a hundred military officers from Nanchang willing to follow?But he didn't dare to talk about Chen Jiyao, who had a photo of the martyr and an inscription by Commander-in-Chief Jiang in the main hall of his house. In the end, he insisted on meeting the Chen family's daughter-in-law who was in distress to find out.

Chen Jiyao, the patriarch of the Chen family whose ancestors have been juren for three generations, was furious, angrily denouncing the Nanchang officers and soldiers for being arrogant, unreasonable and shameless, and then took out a condolence letter and a commendation order from the Political Department of the National Revolutionary Army Headquarters, and roared excitedly to the vicious officers: " My eldest son, Chen Bo'an, is a Whampoa officer and has died for the country. The second son, Chen Zhongkang, is now serving in the Nanchang Branch of the Central Party Committee. The Chen family is full of loyalty. How can we allow you to tarnish the reputation of my Chen family."

Fortunately, the county magistrate Wang Donghan arrived in time and explained that Chen's daughter-in-law is his own niece, she is extremely skilled in knowledge and reasoning, and she will never have anything to do with this matter.

In the end, the fearful Nanchang military officer who had nowhere to vent his anger slammed the town, and immediately reported to Nanchang when he returned to the city. Lu Diping, who was accused by the Nanjing Central Government of not doing enough to suppress the bandits, was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation of the case. .

On the morning of the fourth day, Lu Xiaochen, director of the Security Department of Jiangxi Province, led more than a hundred people to Shangrao City, blocked the entrances and exits of the county, and put enormous pressure on the county magistrate Wang Donghan and the garrison Yang Zhisheng. The situation in Shangrao County changed. Flying dogs, the heroes of various gangs almost disappeared under the wanton arrests.

However, the Taijin Mountain was peaceful. The life of the three Taoist priests and Wu Ming was the same as before, doing what they had to do.

In a blink of an eye, the Qinglong Festival on the second day of February is coming, and the Qizhen Temple is busy again. Chengzong, who is in charge of specific affairs, is running up and down without touching the ground. Only Wu Ming, a false Taoist priest, is the most leisurely, going to the Taoist temple every morning Help me, go back to my remote residence in the afternoon to read, practice calligraphy, and read medical books. In the dead of night, I stand on the open space in front of the wooden house and practice boxing. After taking a cold shower, I sit in front of the fireplace and take out two long and short guns. Wipe, then pick up the spear again, hang a stone weighing nearly ten catties to practice aiming, and live a full and happy life.

On the Qinglong Festival, the sky is beautiful and the sun is shining. Thousands of believers from the surrounding villages and towns flock to the mountain. On weekdays, the deserted Qizhen Temple hidden in the mountains is full of people like a busy city. The mere Qinglong Festival is much more lively than the previous Shangyuan Festival.

All this seemed to have nothing to do with Wu Ming. After getting up early in the morning to practice boxing, he tightened his leggings and carried a hatchet on his back basket, and drove the flock of sheep up the mountain alone through frost and dew.Right now is a good season for picking wild mushrooms, spring bamboo shoots and other mountain delicacies. For half a month, all the mountain treasures entertaining pilgrims and believers in Qizhen Temple were all donated by Wu Ming. Express your respect and gratitude.

The sun was in the west, and all the pilgrims and believers had gone down the mountain, and the villagers who came to help also left. Wu Ming, who had returned with a full load, carried a heavy backpack and carried a load of dry firewood into the backyard through the side door. Cheng Yuan, whose face was flushed, ran away immediately. come forward:
"Brother Ang, that beautiful sister came again today. She couldn't find you at the cabin, so she called me aside to ask. I said you went up the mountain and didn't know when you would come back. Brother Ang, that sister It was very sad when I went down the mountain, and I kept looking back in the direction of the cabin, and I could see that she wanted to see you very much."

Wu Ming suddenly felt a headache, strode into the kitchen and put down the basket: "I don't know that person at all, what did she say to you?"

"Nothing, she seems to have something to say to you."

"Crap! Bring me the dustpan. The shiitake mushrooms you picked today are all top-grade. You will light a charcoal fire later and roast them well. You will bring them back to the ancestral home of Longhu Mountain when you go down the mountain tomorrow."

Thinking of leaving tomorrow, Cheng Yuan put down the dustpan and stopped talking, his black and white eyes gradually turned red: "Brother Ang, I won't see you after returning to the ancestral court. I don't know when I will be able to go down the mountain to study. I know , you will leave here when we leave, if you leave, where can I find you after I leave my teacher?"

Wu Ming's nose was slightly sour, and he heard footsteps before he turned around.

Chengzong appeared at the door. He glanced at the little junior brother who was in a hurry to wipe away his tears, and said in a low voice after a moment of silence: "Brother Wu, I got a jar of good wine, a lot of dishes, and your favorite spicy hot pot, all of which are here with you." in the hut."

Wu Ming's heart was extremely heavy, he patted Cheng Yuan's head and nodded: "Okay!"

The fire flickered in front of the fireplace, and on the charcoal fire, the aroma of the copper pot boiling was overflowing.

Wu Ming and Chengzong drank six cups of spirits in a row and ate a lot of food, but they didn't say a few words, and they felt reluctant to part with each other.

After drinking two small cups of wine, Xiao Chengyuan blushed and shook a little, put down the bowl before tears welled up, climbed onto Wu Ming's bed with a few steps, pulled the quilt over his head and wept silently.

Although they have only been together for more than half a year, Chengyuan has gained unprecedented happiness from Wu Ming, and has a lot of knowledge and knowledge beyond his imagination, especially Wu Ming, who is as silent as his brother but everywhere. Love and encouragement are even more precious when parting is imminent, making it hard for Xiao Chengyuan to give up.

Wu Ming glanced at the trembling quilt, sighed softly, and poured wine for Chengzong again: "We will meet again in the future, we are still young, and the future will last forever."

Chengzong didn't pick up his wine glass, looking at Wu Ming who pretended to be relaxed: "Brother, promise me something."

"Tell me, as long as I can do it, I promise." Wu Ming replied sincerely.

"You don't want to leave here within half a year. After half a year, you can go wherever you want. If you really want to leave, please leave as soon as possible. Don't take revenge, and don't stay in Shangrao. The farther you go, the better. " Chengzong said in a low voice.

Wu Ming was silent, and stared into Chengzong's expectant eyes for a long time: "Are you worried that my martial arts are not good enough? Or is there some other reason?"

Chengzong shook his head: "That's not it. My eldest brother is very talented and intelligent. He not only has firm perseverance, but also can draw inferences from one instance and find a new way. Whether he is studying literature or martial arts, his rapid progress is amazing. Given time, he will surely succeed. Even From blue to blue to become famous. My little brother is not worried about this, but..."

"Come on, what's the point of hesitating between you and me?" Wu Ming pretended to be relaxed and smiled.

Chengzong sighed: "Brother, don't think I don't know that you often flip through the back mountain and practice marksmanship hard in the dense forest. In the past month or so, you have sneaked down the mountain on the east side of the mountain twice. One, you quietly went to Wujia Village to repair your mother’s tomb, once on the eighth day of the eighth day, you went to the market in Huanggu Town alone, right?”

Chengzong looked at Wu Ming who was full of astonishment, and continued very sadly: "Brother, I know that you can't let go of the hatred in your heart, and that the first thing you will do once you go down the mountain is to avenge your mother, but this revenge, You must not report, not now, nor in the future."

The smile on Wu Ming's face froze slowly, he picked up the wine glass and drank it down, and put the empty glass on the table lightly: "Actually, I don't have any hatred in my heart. The reason why I quietly repaired my mother's tomb Taking a look at the place where I grew up is a kind of... How should I put it? A kind of sustenance, not to mention any hatred. As for my going to the market in Huanggu Town, I just want to see it, there is no other meaning."

Chengzong didn't believe Wu Ming's words at all. He picked up the wine glass and slowly drank the spicy spirits. He put down the glass and hesitated for a long time: "Brother, there is something I just found out this afternoon. Before I leave, I have to tell you the truth: Everyone in Guzhen and Wujia Village knows that you don’t have a father. Your mother suffered a lot for this. She didn't reveal a single word until she died. But a few people know that before your mother conceived you, she worked as a maid in the home of a layman Chen Jiyao in Huanggu Town for more than half a month, and then..."

Speaking of this, Chengzong looked at Wu Ming, who was full of astonishment, and told the truth: "When I heard my uncle say it, I was very shocked and sad. I didn't dare to tell you the specific details. Ask, Uncle Master just asked me to tell you that Layman Chen Jiyao is your biological father. I saw a photo of Layman Chen’s eldest son, Chen Bo’an, who died at the foot of Wuchang City in the main hall of Layman Chen Jiyao’s house. You two look exactly alike, like It was printed from a mold. Also, the woman you rescued is named Wang Yuehan, she was born in the Wang family of Yingtan rich family, she is the niece of the county magistrate Wang Donghan, she married into the Chen family in the early autumn of last year, she is the wife of Chen Zhongkang, the second son of Chen Jiyao layman."

Wu Ming was so shocked that he couldn't speak, he stared at the wine glass in front of him and fell into a sluggish state...

(End of this chapter)