Beyond the Divine States

Tree white moved a small bench to sit, finished two bowls of rice.

Although he was thin and weak, he had a good appetite. He only had strength but not body.

After dinner, Shu Bai, with his chopsticks, knocked on the edge of the bowl and sat absent-minded. His eyes looked at the compass. He remembered the scene of the boy in white taking money from there. His eyes were dim. He thought that if he left me alone, he would not be afraid that I would take all the money away and set fire to the house?

Or... He's staring at me somewhere I can't see.

Shubai looked around alertly. It seemed that there was a sharp knife trembling in his heart. His ears moved a little, his nose sniffed, and he wanted to find some clues. At the same time, his steps moved to the direction where the compass was placed. His fingers pressed the compass, twisted it left and right, and found that it was loose.

He turned a little in the opposite direction, and with a click, the sound of unlocking the button sounded.

With great effort, Shu Bai lifted the compass, explored the space below with his hand, and touched several cloth bags with tight holes in his palm. His hand hung on these heavy money bags, and the blade in his heart trembled so much that he reached down to grab the money bags and turned away.

"I don't dare to take it!" Shu Bai bit his teeth and showed his fierce light. He grabbed a bag and put it in the palm of his hand. He said, "I'll spend all of it later. Let's see if you're really kind or not!"

Shubai took the bag of money and walked out of the house. He looked back at the dead house with the light on his back. Even if he had one more look, it was so boring. Originally, he wanted to burn the house with a fire, but he thought that if he was dry today, he was still afraid of endangering his neighbors. If he burned a street, it would be a great sin.

Shubai took the bag of money to the door and began to think about how to spend it as quickly as possible.

I don't know if it's enough. I'd better go to the restaurant and order a table of delicacies. No, the two people went to the restaurant too. What if they ran into each other?

Then go to the song house to learn from the literati to listen to the music? I'm so ragged that I can't even get in

He thought angrily for a while, thinking that he had to buy a suit of clothes first.

Passing a steamed bun shop, steaming hot air from the steamer of a drawer of a drawer of large wafts out, like a fan eye white clouds.

Shu Bai stopped, wiped the tip of his nose, held the bag of money tightly in his palm, looked around and saw that no one paid attention to him, so he took out a few pieces from it and bought a cage of meat buns in luxury.

Steamed stuffed buns are hot. He tosses them around in the palms of his hands. In the cold wind, they dissipate the temperature rapidly.

Shubai stopped at the door of a finely decorated clothing store and hesitated for a long time until his steamed buns were cold and he didn't have the courage to step in.

He grabbed the steamed stuffed bun and bit it. He didn't know what he was thinking. Suddenly, he was dejected and walked towards an old street.

"Master." The tree white pushed open the wooden door, and the dark room was full of smoke.

The tree white called, lifted the curtain which was smoked black, and walked inside.

There was no light in the room. In an old-fashioned reclining chair, an old man was lying in haggard white. His old body was wrapped in coarse linen clothes, like a large piece of withered wood in autumn and winter.

"Back?" The old man opened his mouth slowly, and his pipe tapped on the bamboo armchair. Then he pointed to a corner and said, "when the time comes, we will send these white copper horn ornaments to old man Li's residence. It's the last business."

Tree white even busy way: "know."

What the old man did was forging copper ware, mostly making some ornaments, lamps and stoves, or some portraits made by melting copper. The old man's copper paintings are very famous, and most of them are pictures of immortals cutting demons and killing demons, or demons killing each other. The mythical breath seems to come out from the drawing board, lifelike.

Shubai asked, "master, shall we close the shop?"

The old man said, "turn it off. No one is coming anyway."

The tree answered.

The old man asked, "are you looking for the old Taoist again?"

Shubai was silent for a while, eh.

The old man sighed, "if you can't kill me and die, I'll raise you for so many years."

Tree white voice weak way: "is a disciple, sorry master."

The old man's speed of knocking on the cigarette pole became slower and said, "I don't blame you. It's a good thing to repay your kindness. If it weren't for your strength, I wouldn't have opened the door and let you in."

Shu Bai held his hands tightly and said, "I'll never go again. I'll follow my master and pass on your skills."

The old man laughed. In a creaking voice, his old body pulled up from the bamboo deck chair and went to the hut behind the backyard.

"Two days later on New Year's Eve, I will accompany my master to see the lamp." The old man suddenly said so.

The tree white heart suddenly rose up a kind of ominous premonition, he could not grasp the source of this premonition, hesitated for a while, then slowly said: "good..."

……

……

Ning long put his chopsticks on the table, drank a rare drink, and looked at the river passing through the city under the high-rise building. On both sides of the river, the porter wrapped in thick clothes came and went, and the woman who had washed her clothes banged on her clothes, but the back of her hand was very clean, and there was no purple frostbite.

Ning Xiaoling was looking at the menu again, thinking about what to eat next time, while stirring up the shriveled money bag, full of heartache.

"Elder martial brother, our family is limited. We can't spend so much money in the future." Ning Xiaoling holding the purse, recalled its previous round appearance: "this is our hard-earned money!"

Ning Changjiu asked with a smile, "is that going to drink flower wine?" Ning Xiaoling covered the money bag, hesitated: "money will not be enough."

Ning Changjiu laughed and said, "it's no pleasure to watch the dancing of the elder sisters in the song building. If you really go to see the dance and let Xiaoling down, it's not only a waste of money but also a waste of heart. It's better to have a memory."

When Ning Xiaoling heard this, she thought it was very reasonable. She put her money bag in her arms and carefully put it away. She said, "listen to elder martial brother!"

After dinner, Ning long went downstairs with her.

The cold wind of winter passes through the hall, but the busy and festive streets are full of people. Red lanterns have been hung high in many shops, and many of the horses with tall heads are also wrapped with ribbons, pacing forward.

"Elder martial brother, when you left earlier, did you cast any spell on the boy named Shubai?" Ning Xiaoling asked suddenly.

Ning Changchang was slightly surprised, and said with a smile, "younger martial sister, not only her realm has increased, but also her eyesight has increased a lot. She has lived up to the little snow fox you squeezed."

Ning Xiaoling asked curiously, "what spell did elder martial brother cast?"

Ning Changjiu said: "it's just a small skill. It's nothing."

Ning Xiaoling snorted coldly: "I'm playing the leading role again. Elder martial brother will lose all his hair sooner or later!"

Ning Changchang said: "accompany elder martial brother to walk in the city. It's only two months, but I always feel like I haven't come back for several years."

Ning Xiaoling gave a hum and stretched her body lazily.

In fact, along the way, many people have cast strange eyes on the two brothers and sisters. It's not because of any special reason, just because they are really thin.

It has snowed several times this month. No matter how bright the sun is in winter, there is no temperature. Of course, the residual snow between the cracks of the green tiles is difficult to melt. The ice under the eaves of the tiles reflects the sunlight, which is more like a curtain of dog teeth. It can be hung until the beginning of this spring.

In such a cold winter, most people in a prosperous city are dressed in fur of Fox and mink, while the common people are much poorer. The rich wear cotton or silk clothes, while the poor wear gowns made of Ge ma.

Ning Changchang and Ning Xiaoling are both monks at the moment. Their ability to resist the cold is of course different from that of ordinary people. Ning Changchang still wears a coat to protect himself from the cold, while Ning Xiaoling is just a cold Taoist skirt.

She didn't feel cold. She just looked at how many other people were wearing, and with different eyes, her psychology became colder.

"Elder martial brother, let's go and buy some thick clothes and pretend to wear them." Ning Xiaoling suggested.

Ning Changjiu suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed to the bridge: "don't panic, younger martial sister. Isn't there anything less dressed?"

Ning Xiaoling stood on tiptoe and looked at the position of his finger.

Next to the big arch bridge across the river, under a big willow tree with withered leaves, a young girl was wearing thin clothes, long sleeves and dancing barefoot on the cold floor. An old man was sitting beside her, with a piece of black cloth in his eyes and a musical instrument in his hand. Her voice was drowned by the crowd. Although it was hard to hear, it was always with a hint of desolation.

Ning Xiaoling pulled his sleeve and said, "elder martial brother, have a look."

Ning long was dragged by her and pushed towards the bridge.

Approaching new year's Eve is a good day. Many rich families also like to ask for some money at this time to earn some happiness. Even for those beggars on the roadside, they are willing to give more coppers.

But there is no money in the basin in front of the father and daughter. Maybe it's because the singing and dancing is too cold and the clothes are too plain. The erhu is playing like a funeral, which destroys the bustle of the city. The bridge is the most bustling place in the city. It's good to leave them a place to perform.

The dancing girl looks very young, about the same age as Ning Xiaoling, but she is very thin. When she dances, her dress doesn't fit very well, so she looks a little bloated. The girl's ankles are like skin and bones. It's not beautiful, but it makes people feel sorry.

What she sings seems to be the dialect of the city. Ning long can probably understand a few sentences. The lyrics seem to be something like "the trees and yellow birds go, the snow is long, the remains of the monument are piled up, the ferry boats go away, the reed flowers become snow for a few years, the pearls and yellow jade are old, and the sighs and sighs are no way... No way."

The tone is euphemistic and sad. I can tell that I've practiced music before. But the lyrics are euphemistic and really unpleasant. No one wants to listen to them on this holiday.

Ning Xiaoling couldn't understand what she was singing. She just thought about the lonely days after her parents and brother died. She couldn't help but empathize. She took out her purse, grabbed it and splashed it into the basin.

The old man who plays erhu is indifferent.

The girl who was dancing stopped and bowed to Ning Xiaoling. Her thin face was slightly low, and she looked at her with cold fog like eyes, full of gratitude.

Ning Xiaoling was shocked by her crying eyes, and then she lined up some copper coins. The girl's soft body was a blessing, and she kept thanking her. She seemed to be ready to fall to the ground at any time.

After Ning Xiaoling finished his good deeds, he straightened up his waist and waved his hand in a very rich way, saying, "you're welcome. I'll just jump you."

Ning long stood aside to watch the meeting.

I can see that the little girl has a foundation, and her posture should have been practiced all the year round. It's a pity that the old man who plays the piano doesn't seem to know the amorous feelings. The good young girl dances such dejected songs and dances, sighs and says nothing, but no one wants to give money.

Across the noisy street, two rows of low eaves came into view.

After walking through the bustling block, under the small old house, Ning Xiaoling said with emotion: "there are still many miserable people in this world."

Ning Changchang said: "yes, so people who practice Taoism should take on more important tasks."

Ning Xiaoling nodded and said: "in fact, I know that even if I just gave her so much money, I will be harshly punished. Maybe I still can't eat a full meal..."

Ning Changchang says that many of these street entertainers are forced out by coercion and inducement. After they close the stall, no matter how much they earn, the little girl can only drink a bowl of porridge that can't satisfy her.

If in the past, Ning Xiaoling may be angry to find out all the people behind the scenes and bring them to justice, but now she is just a big wrongdoer with more money.

Ning Changjiu said: "this is also the reason why many immortals do not want to come to the mortal world. This is the reason why those villages and towns in the city are much more miserable because they are attacked by wild animals. After a demon attack, it is likely that they will become immortals. After all, people who practice Taoism are mortal. If they see more of these things, they will inevitably have a fetter with the human world. How can they become immortals?"

Ning Xiaoling sighed: "the practitioners don't plough or do anything. They are supported by the world, but they have to avoid the world as much as possible. Isn't this in vain?"

Ning Changjiu said: "but if there is no practitioner who abandons the moon to kill the devil every year, the world will be even worse. This is the duty of the practitioner's creed, and it is also the greatest contribution that the practitioner has made to the world."

Ning Xiaoling asked softly, "but in my hometown, mountain ghosts often attack the city..."

Ning Changchang said: "because it can't be finished. Even the biggest practitioner can't kill even the weakest Mountain Ghost. "

Unconvinced, Ning Xiaoling asked, "the practitioners in the purple court are flying swords and turning into rainbow. Those mountain ghosts are very powerful in our eyes, but under their swords, they are not worth mentioning at all."

Ning Changjiu shook his head and said: "but they are not cabbage. They don't grow in the ground and don't move. The world is too big and there are too many places to hide. It's like when you close the door of a house and start killing mosquitoes in a house, you think you've killed them completely, but when you wake up, you may find that you've got a bloated piece on your forearm."

Ning Xiaoling Oh a, subconsciously scratched his arm, some dejected.

Further down, all the way, the old red paint peeling wooden door with deep water stains like color, the couplets posted are also very old, the words on them are almost illegible, only a few children holding chairs, hanging a brand-new red lantern high in front of the door.

Red lanterns are hanging high and low along the street. If the long street is a branch, then they are bright red gags.

"There's still some festivity." Ning Xiaoling said with emotion.

Ning Changchang said: "we grow up through hardships. It's good to have compassion after wealth, but it's not good to hurt spring and autumn like this all the time."

Ning Xiaoling murmured: "but it's winter now."

Ning Changjiu said: "yes, two days later is the new year. Even in the small border towns, it will be very busy. If some rich places are full of gold and pink lights, it will be more beautiful. When people are in them, they often forget that they are in winter."

Ning Xiaoling raised her head and asked, "elder martial brother, you mean that if you are used to practicing in the world, you won't care about the injustice in the world?"

Ning Changjiu said with a smile: "speak casually, younger martial sister, don't think too much."

Ning Xiaoling said, "elder martial brother, that must be what he meant."

Ning Changchang sighed: "in fact, it is not incomprehensible for many practitioners to evade the world, because they have been living in seclusion for a long time, and have not experienced the sophistication of the world. Every day they practice, they are competing with the illusory road. Their years are empty and long, but their mind is childish. If they really travel in the world, it is likely to cause a lot of tragedies. It is also a good thing that they do not come to the world."

Ning Xiaoling nodded her head thoughtfully and said, "so the cultivation of the big sect is very hard. It's very strict for us to marry our elder sister."

Ning Changjiu's hands are covered with sleeves. He seems to have a slight comment on this. He retorts: "when you marry a master, you know how to beat people on the board. What do you really know about cultivating your mind?" Ning Xiaoling hummed coldly: "I have the ability to speak these bad words in front of my master." Ning Changchang said, "I'm not stupid." What has the final say, "no, I can't walk anymore." Ning Xiaoling covered her purse and said, "OK, but I have to go back another way."“ Why? "“ I'm afraid that if I cross the bridge again, I'll lose all the money left. "“ But it's like a bridge in this city. "“ Ah......... When returning home, it was almost dusk. The setting sun in the West filled the street with gentle light, and even the cold wind faded away in the light. Ning Xiaoling stood at the door and looked far away. He had a rare peace in his heart, just like touching the wooden door with his fingers when returning home from a long journey. If there are so many good days, even if you don't go back to the mountain gate to practice. However, this calm was soon broken“ Elder martial brother! Why is there a bag of money missing! I said that boy can't be trusted! Elder martial brother, what are you doing? Good people are rewarded, but bad people are not! " Ning Xiaoling opened the dark grid under the compass and squatted down. Looking at the vacant piece inside, she was distressed that the boy who stole money was not in front of her. Naturally, she could only transfer her hatred to her elder martial brother. Ning long walked to her side, followed her eyes and said in a soft voice: "is it gone..." (PS: it was put on the shelf yesterday