Chapter 158 The third discussion with the Heavenly Master
“Brother?”
Qin Qiu looked over there in confusion, only to vaguely see two people hiding in the alley on the street, seemingly arguing.
"Shh." Zhao Duan had a strange expression, holding the candied haws in his hands, his eyes indicating that he was waiting, and walked alone.
An old servant who was about fifty years old stopped in front of a boy of sixteen or seventeen and said urgently: "Young Master, don't come forward!
Those are all official servants of the imperial office. There are many With my martial arts skills, the master has already fallen, and the thieves from the imperial office have also found this private house. Master, you managed to escape, how can you show up? "
The young man was wearing a cloth and a bamboo hat.
At this moment, his eyes were full of tears, like an angry little lion, trying to struggle forward. Hearing the words, he said: "Uncle Wen, but my mother is still inside. Now that my father is dying and my mother falls into the hands of the court's hawks, how can it be done?" Is there a way to survive? Although I am young, how can I see my biological mother being arrested and not risk my life to save her?"
The old servant still held him and persuaded him hard:
"My wife is not the master's wife, nor does she have any status. She will not be too implicated. She may be able to avoid the punishment of being banished, but you are different.
Young master, although you are an illegitimate child, you are still of my blood, and the government will not let you go.
Since the old slave has been favored by his master and stayed here to look after the family and nursery, he should take Qin Yuan to escape and leave a bloodline for the Zhou family. "
The young man sighed, tears falling uncontrollably, and he had the will to die: "Uncle Wen, I have made up my mind, I will not abandon my mother and run away alone. You can go alone."
The old servant was greatly touched, and suddenly gritted his teeth and made a difficult decision:
"Young Master, you have not yet mastered martial arts, and you are just waiting here to watch. I am favored by you, and I will sacrifice my life and forty years of martial arts today to rescue my wife!
If it succeeds, you and I will meet at the Nanting Temple in Dongcheng. If we fail, you should know that you are unable to defeat me and run away quickly. "
The young man was greatly shocked, his lips murmured, and finally he bowed his hands deeply:
"Uncle Wen is very righteous. If things don't work out, I will escape from the city and work hard. When I succeed, I will come back to take Zhao Duan's head to avenge today!
If I can't defeat him! , so he looked for an opportunity to kill the female members of his family, and he vowed not to be a human being unless he took revenge."
The old servant smiled happily.
He drew out the short knife from his waist and jumped away like a dead soldier leaping into the wall of a private house.
After the people left, the young man's expression turned cold, he wiped the tears from his face, his expression was sarcastic and resentful, he spat and cursed:
"Old dog is easy to deceive. Hmph, I didn't know you were making peace with that bitch? Do you want to be my cheap father? Bah, whatever, it would be better if all of you are dead."
Suddenly I heard a voice of praise:
"Wonderful! It's really wonderful. I don't think everyone in the Zhou family is like a dragon. Zhou Cheng is a bad person, and the illegitimate son he gave birth to is also vicious."
The young man was horrified.
Turning around, he saw on the eaves behind him a handsome young man who was holding a sword hilt with one hand and carrying a bright red candied haws in another hand.
"You are..." The young man's pupils narrowed suddenly and he reached out to touch the dagger under his robe.
Zhao Duan smiled and said: "You want to kill my whole family, but why don't you recognize me?"
Without waiting for a reply, Zhao Duan drew his sword out of its sheath, and a splash of bright red suddenly appeared on the gray wall at the entrance of the alley.
The young man's head fell to the ground, slowly turning red, and the surface was covered with a layer of frost condensed by the cold air.
It looks like a huge red hawthorn candied haws.
“Cut the weeds without eradicating the roots, but they will grow again when the spring breeze blows…”
Zhao Duan remained silent, shook the blood drops on the sword's edge, and slowly sheathed the sword.
I feel deeply that the "frost sword" I captured last time matches the new frost energy that I have mastered.
"ah--"
Qin Qiu, who heard the movement and came looking for it, was so frightened that he fell to his knees on the ground and exclaimed.
Zhao Duan was upset for a while and stuffed the candied haws into his mouth:
"Don't make any noise."
"Well..."
At this time, several people jumped out from the courtyard wall, and the leader was Zhang Han, an old acquaintance.
Zhang Han, the king of facial paralysis and facial curls, glanced at the corpse in the alley and frowned:
"Dead?"
"He wanted to escape, but he didn't," Zhao Duan explained and said curiously:
"Where was the one you went in just now?"
After being promoted to a high-level mortal body, his hearing power became stronger and stronger, and he never heard the sound of fighting.
Zhang Han said indifferently: "After entering the hospital, the servant of the Zhou family took the initiative to abandon his sword and surrender. He said that he had captured Zhou Cheng's illegitimate son outside the hospital, and he was willing to use this person to pay for his crime."
Zhao Duan was stunned.
Zhang Han frowned and ordered his men to drag the body away.
He took out two heavy treasure hairpins inlaid with pearls from his arms and handed them to him:
"I wanted to give them to you when I returned to the Yamen. Everyone has a share in the unwritten rules of the Yamen's confiscation of homes. Don't worry, none of them have been registered. I heard from Haitang that your two female relatives don’t have any good jewelry.”
Zhao Duan was startled for a moment and smiled happily.
He lives in harmony with the light, kills people and accepts bribes, so it is not unjust for people outside to scold him.
On the way back, reach the intersection.
Zhao Duan suddenly stopped and looked at the corner of the street in another direction.
I saw another pair of master and servant, also quietly watching Zhou's house being ransacked.
Xue Xuan, who was full of bookishness and slightly thin-skinned, was reminded by Uncle Fu next to him. He turned his head and looked over, bit his lip, and suddenly made a bow from a distance in a serious manner.
"Brother, do you know that little lady? Do you want me to invite her over?"
Qin Qiu held the candied haws in his mouth and made a fierce gesture.
Zhao Duan glared at him, nodded to Xue Xuan, and turned to leave.
Also watching the Zhou family being raided, the two pairs of masters and servants had completely different attitudes toward him, both in heaven and on earth.
…
…
"Did something happen to Dalang?"
Beside the carriage.
After shopping around the jewelry store, the mother and daughter returned empty-handed when they saw him returning. Eugene Hua was keenly aware of the strange look on his stepson's expression.
"Nothing, just... met a few colleagues." Zhao Duan smiled.
"That's good," Eugene Hua breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled broadly:
"After shopping around, it's time to go back."
Zhao, who is as young as a flower, elegant and refined, looks forward to the jewelry store with reluctant eyes.
But he didn't say anything, and said "yes" in a sensible manner.
"You guys go back first, I'll take a walk outside."
Zhao Duan said, reaching into his arms and giving them two warm and valuable hairpins, and said calmly: "It's a gift from a colleague. Let's wear it for you."
With that said, he walked straight into the crowd.
Only Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan were left stunned in place.
Mother and daughter, holding pearls, gold and jade hairpins in their hands, were stunned.
The collection of the corrupt official Zhou Cheng.
Just by looking at it, you can tell that it is more precious than all the jewelry in the shop just now put together.
…
…
Zhao Duan walked through the city holding the black and red sword scabbard.
Because of the Qiao Qiao Festival, many young women on the street stopped when they saw his appearance, and some even had red cheeks.
The empress came to court, and the atmosphere was open.
Zhao Duan walked out of the crowd and walked to a small stone bridge in a secluded place. There were already more than a dozen women's silk in his arms.
He sighed softly and threw the silk under the bridge.
Then I discovered that this stone bridge was the one where Zhu Kui committed suicide.
With a self-deprecating smile, Zhao Duan held on to the railing and suddenly said: "Come out, I've followed you all the way, you're so sneaky, how can you be considered a real person?"
Huh... there is a breeze blowing, and the willows on the shore are fluttering.
Silently, a figure appeared next to Zhao Duan.
He was a tall old priest, wearing an ordinary cloth shirt, with white eyebrows and white beard, narrow eyes and a rosy face.
"Old Wang?" Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and his tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed, and he said speechlessly:
"Why is it you?"
Zhang Yan, a real person from the Tianshi Mansion who is known as "Lao Wang", is one of the four "celestial beings" today and is regarded as a god-like figure by the common people and said with a smile:
"Why can't you be an old man?"
Zhao Duan sighed:
"I thought that an enemy came to the door, and I always had a lingering sense of spying."
"Oh? Have you been promoted to high level? Ha, your perception is a bit stronger." Zhang Yanyi pretended to be surprised.
With his cultivation level, if he had deliberately hidden it, it would certainly not have been detected by Zhao Duan, so he had just deliberately revealed it.
"That's natural. His Majesty personally helped me get promoted."
Zhao Duan sneered:
"Give me another two years and I might be better than you. Hey, go sit over there and talk."
Better than me... Zhang Yan smiled and said nothing: "Okay."
…
…
At the tea stall.
"White tea for you two."
The tea seller was carrying a large iron kettle with a long spout, shouted, turned around and left.
Zhao Duan and Zhang Yanyi met for the third time.
Compared to the previous two times, there was less caution and vigilance.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Zhao Duan praised the effectiveness of the "Edict Talisman" and asked if Jin Jian had brought it with him last time.
Zhang Yan nodded with a smile and asked a few questions about his recent situation.
"...That's probably it." Zhao Duan picked up the tea bowl, took a sip, and said with a smile:
"Don't talk about me, Lao Wang, you came here today, you must have met by chance, right?"
Zhang Yan smiled and said:
"Last time, my little friend talked about the unkindness of the way of heaven, and also made a high-level argument about 'Tao follows nature'. It was quite insightful. After I went back, I kept thinking about it, but I couldn't add or delete even half a word. I was deeply impressed. I came here again today to ask for advice."
Zhao Duan smiled and rubbed his fingers:
"It's easy to say, but the price tag..."
Zhang Yanyi couldn’t laugh or cry:
"I just copied a few words from you, why are you so philistine?"
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Old Wang, what you said is wrong. Since you are cultivating the way of heaven, have you forgotten that I told you at the beginning that the way of heaven has more than enough to make up for its shortcomings. You have more than enough, but I am very lacking."
The old Heavenly Master was speechless, shook his head and cursed with a smile: "How can the way of heaven be explained in this way? Monk's discussion of the way is an elegant thing, but when it comes to you, it is like a merchant's transaction."
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Don't think that being a merchant means being humble. This is a university question."
The old Heavenly Master smiled and said: "Okay, I won't argue with you. I have been editing books for my disciples these days, and I am worried about some words. If you can give me some inspiration, you will be indispensable."
Okay...Zhao Duan reluctantly said unhappily:
"What do you want to ask?"
If this attitude were known to the world, it would definitely make countless people beat their chests and stamp their feet.
Being able to sit face to face with Zhang Tianshi and discuss Taoism is an opportunity that many powerful people only dream of.
Even the empress rarely receives such treatment.
But instead of cherishing fear, Zhao Duan looked like a miser who was worried about being prostituted for nothing.
The old Heavenly Master was not annoyed and said with a smile: "It's not a new problem. It's just that although the young disciples below know how to practice, they still don't have the key to it.
As you explained the word "Tao" last time, although old people can understand it, most young disciples can't tell the difference between spiritual practice and Taoism.
I think that cultivating Taoism means worshiping the gods of "Heaven", and cultivating oneself means using oneself as a vessel to contain the power of heaven and earth. What do you think of this explanation? "
"Can't you tell the difference between Dao and utensils?"
Zhao Duan thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered a sentence in "The Book of Changes" that was somewhat suitable. He pondered for a while and read slowly:
"What is metaphysical is called the Tao, and what is metaphysical is called the weapon."
"Just as one yin and one yang are the Tao, this is my humble opinion."
Thanks to Ting Ting Feng Yu for the 1,500-point reward!
(End of this chapter)