Born with the bones

Xu Changsui only stayed for one night and left. The old man asked him to deliver the letter to his hometown, but only gave him half a month, saying that it must be delivered within half a month. He took a detour to see me without telling the old man. for two or three days.I still couldn't accompany me, the old man told me to go back to Baimen Mountain when I was leaving.Xu Changsui left in a hurry and only left me a word before leaving.

He said, "Master, I'm leaving. If you can't find me by then, you can wait for me at Baimen Mountain."

I said nonchalantly: "That can't be done, if you want to wait, you will wait for me."

He laughed, and walked into the wind and snow with the sword on his back.

The young man I watched grow up little by little, with a sword on his back, walked into the rivers and lakes.

I stayed in the temple for another day, and when I was leaving, Qingxu saw me off and said, "I'm afraid it will take another ten years to come back after you leave."

I laughed: "Write to me if you miss me."

Qingxu also laughed, I left the temple, walked to the bottom step, turned my head, and bowed deeply to the whole temple.

I saw Qingxu at the door standing there with his palms folded, seeming to nod at me.

I passed by Taibai Tower on my way back to Baimen Mountain, and suddenly I was hungry, but when I touched my pocket, it was as empty as my stomach.

The boss of Taibailou is very fierce, knowing that I am poor, he pays for his meal, and firmly refuses to allow me to pay on credit.But I am very greedy, and the cook in Taibailou really likes my appetite. I always feel uncomfortable if I don’t eat.

I stood at the door worrying, when a voice suddenly came from behind: "I don't know why this little brother is standing at the door blocking people's business?"

I just came to my senses and quickly apologized. When I looked up, I was extremely surprised, "Xu Ting?"

Xu Ting was a little surprised: "Little brother, who are you?"

"Ah..." I was a little embarrassed, "It's just... Many years ago, it was also Taibai Building. I hid in a big box and wanted to come in to steal food, but I was moved to your house..."

Xu Ting smiled, "It's true, I didn't expect it to be fate to meet you here."

I laughed: "It's just 12 years later, but I'm still cash-strapped..."

Xu Tingdao: "Since God sent me to meet you here twice, I'm afraid I will treat you to dinner twice. Let's go, this meal is for my brother."

I quickly agreed: "Okay, thank you, I will definitely treat you to a meal in the future! Oh no, two meals!"

I only found out this time that Xu Ting's court is the palace's court.Xu Ting is seven years older than me. He has passed his thirties, but he still looks like a young man, and his smile makes people feel like a spring breeze.

Judging from the appearance alone, Xu Chang and Xu Ting are somewhat similar. They are both like the sons of aristocratic families. They behave politely and never offend.It's just that Xu Changsui was more upright, as if a kind of rule bound him, while Xu Ting was more wanton, as if he was born to be like this.

Xu Ting and I had a very happy chat. Xu Ting is a wandering doctor who likes to wander around. When he has no money, he finds a medical clinic to show his hands, treat people, and earn some money for water and wine.He said he was going to Linzhou on his next trip, and he invited me to go with him, but I had to go back to find the old man first, Xu Ting sighed, "It's hard to meet an interesting companion, but it's a pity that I can't go with him."

I hurriedly said: "I went back to see the master, and I will go down the mountain to find my apprentice. When I find my apprentice, I will definitely take him to Linzhou to find you."

He asked: "I didn't expect you, A Sheng, to have an apprentice at such a young age?"

I told Xu Ting about the old man not accepting Xu Changsuui and insisting that I accept him. The more he listened, the more interesting he became, and said with a smile: "If there is a chance, I must meet your master and your apprentice."

I toasted him with a glass of wine, and the two of them exchanged a few more words of greeting. As it was getting late, he returned to his residence, and I also returned to the top of Baimen Mountain.

It was too late, I didn't dare to disturb the old man, so I went to bed first.

When I got up the next day, I went to the place where I usually practice martial arts to relax my muscles, but I saw an old man standing there on a cliff without saying a word.

I walked over and called, "Master."

"came back?"

"kindness."

After that, I didn't talk for a long time. I wanted to find an excuse to escape, but for some reason, I suddenly wanted to ask something, "Master...you and the abbot have known each other for a long time?"

He said, "Well, a long time."

I asked, "Then why...don't you go down the mountain to see him for the last time? The abbot...before he died...he still read your name..."

I thought of the unanswered Lianshan, and the cold body of the abbot after his death.

The old man said: "Because I told him that if he died in front of me, I would put his body in the deep mountains and old forests, leave him unattended, let him rot bit by bit, and expose it to the hills for vultures to peck at." .”

I was a little unbelievable, I always thought that the old man and the old monk were close friends, but now I saw that they were life and death enemies.

The old man didn't speak, and I didn't dare to ask any more questions. I went to practice sword alone, until I fell asleep in the evening, and the old man was still there.He kept looking at the north without moving.

Before going to bed, I suddenly realized that the direction to the north seemed to be a temple.

It's just that I was too sleepy, so I fell asleep in a daze.

In my dream, I dreamed that after a long time, I became an old monk, chanting scriptures in the monastery every day, and Xu Changsui also became a handsome old man, living on the top of a mountain covered with snow all the year round, and the two of them looked at each other year after year , but never saw each other again.

When I woke up I couldn't remember what I dreamed.

I didn't want to delay any longer, so I invited the old man down the mountain.I wanted to ask the old man where Xu Changsui had gone, but the old man pretended he didn't hear me and ignored me.I had no choice but to find a way by myself.When I was leaving, I went to say goodbye to the old man, but the old man only answered at the door, threw me a purse, and let me go.

I opened the purse and was almost blinded by the amount of money inside.While scolding the old man in his heart for being so rich, he deducted a lot on weekdays.Then I suddenly wondered if the old man had only so much left, should I save some for him.

But no matter what I said, the old man ignored me. I touched my nose, turned around and went down the mountain.

But when I reached the mountain pass, I suddenly felt a palpitation in my heart, and I ran up the mountain again, and directly knocked open the door of the old man's room.

The old man lay quietly in the room without making a sound.There was only one letter on the table, which was written by He Shengqi.

I opened the letter and read it carefully:

My disciple He Sheng:

If when you read this letter, I have not yet rotted, then cremate me and scatter me together with Liu Sanquan’s ashes; burn together to ashes.

May you be well every year, never go back to Changbai Mountain, never see Xu Changsui again.

Signed is, Lianshan.

Holding the letter, I suddenly burst into tears, as if I wanted to cry all the tears I had in the past 24 years.When I was a child, I was beaten up by the man who wanted me to die every day, but I never cried; when I was still young, when I was mercilessly kicked out of the temple by the old monk to Baimen Mountain, I never cried; when I went back to the temple, When I saw the old monk turned into a pile of ashes, I endured it and didn't cry...but now...the old monk is gone, the old man is gone, Xu Changsui doesn't know where he is, the three people who have the deepest roots in my life I was uprooted and thrown to a place where I couldn't find it. The sudden sense of loneliness and helplessness surrounded me layer upon layer.

I curled up into a ball, crying like the mentally handicapped son of Aunt Li's family when I robbed the sweet-scented osmanthus cake.

That kind of desperately wanting, but getting nothing.

I don't know how long I cried, but finally I stood up, pushed the old man's body into an open space, and lit a fire.

Later, I took the ashes of the old man down the mountain. At that time, it was only five days before the old monk was cremated.By coincidence, without telling anyone, I sneaked into the place where the old monk's ashes were stored, and poured the old man's ashes into the old monk's jar.

Regardless of whether you two were close friends or enemies in life and death, I hope you can become what you want to be in the next life.

After doing all this, I left, and I remembered the last sentence in the old monk's letter: I wish you well every year, and don't go back to Baimen Mountain again, and don't see Xu Changsui again.

I don't know if I will go back to Baimen Mountain again, but I know, I will definitely go to see Xu Changsui again.

The sky is vast, the mountains are far away and the road is far away. I don't know where Xu Changsui is, but I know that I want to see him, and he will definitely want to see me too.