Martial Cultivator

The replacement of the old with the new is the unchanging principle of heaven and earth.

Nothing stays the same. A dynasty rises and falls, and comes again and again. Naturally, some people grow old and some are still young.

No one is young all the time, but there are always people who are young.

When the ancestor of the Xie family said goodbye to the Chen Dynasty for the last time, he laughed at himself and said, "I haven't felt this way before, but when I read the resignation of the prime minister a while ago, I really felt sad."

Nowadays, the entire city of God, and even the entire Liang Dynasty, has actually highly praised the memorial that the prime minister submitted to resign from office. The government and the public have named it Taihu Resignation Letter.

There is also a saying that those who do not shed tears after reading Taihu's resignation letter should not be friends with him.

Taihu is the name of the Prime Minister.

After walking out of the Xie family's ancestral house, Weng Quan quickly came up to him and asked, "Sir, where are you going? Are you going back to the Bamboo House or to the second uncle's residence?"

It's only been half an hour, and I think the people who came over there haven't left yet.

Chen Chao shook his head, got on the carriage, and said softly, "Go to Zaifu's mansion."

…

…

It's early autumn, and it's not yet the time when the leaves turn yellow and fall, but an old tree in Zaifu's residence has become old and old. When the autumn wind blows, the few leaves this year begin to fall. .

There are not many servants in Zaifu's mansion. Now there is only an old servant with a hunched body and sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground.

Mr. Zaifu, who was lying on the corridor, struggled to open his somewhat cloudy eyes and spoke softly, "The locust tree was planted by my father on the day I was born. It can be said that he is the same age as me. It is said that there are usually The tree is a hundred years old, but now it seems that it is going to die with me.”

Mr. Zaifu was covered with a thick quilt, the fabric of which was a bit white. Next to him, he set up a small yellow clay stove with an old copper kettle on it, which had long been uneven.

Full of traces of time.

Next to the stove, a young man in black robes sat upright, glanced at Master Zaifu's white hair, and said softly, "Master Zaifu finally stopped worrying about important affairs of the country. It is the age when he can live a good life, don't do it." Think this way.”

"Lord Guardian, when I talk about this, I feel extremely ashamed. In fact, I had the intention of returning to seclusion a few years ago. At that time, Your Majesty was still there, and the world was relatively peaceful. Without me, I would be missing. But now To put it bluntly, I really have never thought about going into seclusion. The young master is suspicious, so it is really not the time to retreat. But I can’t support my broken body anymore, so I can only feel sorry for Daliang and these people. ”

Tears welled up in Mr. Zaifu's cloudy eyes. The old man, who started his official career early and spent almost his whole life in officialdom, sighed.

Throughout his life of serving the country and the people, Mr. Zaifu has actually wanted to stay away from officialdom more than once, return home, and study. However, every time he wanted to retreat, he was unable to do so due to various reasons.

Just like when the Emperor of Liang raised troops to attack the capital city and took the throne, countless colleagues were unwilling to serve the two masters and chose to resign. However, Master Zaifu thought that the world was changing and the people were uncertain. If the government was in chaos, In the end, it was the people who suffered, so he decided to stay in the court and do something for the people. In fact, his intention was good, but he was still misunderstood by many people. Many of his friends at the time had no contact with him since then.

Later, he worked for many years. When he wanted to retire again, it happened that the Emperor went to the country and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in charge of the country. He left such a big Liang Dynasty. It was really difficult for him to make a decision if he wanted to retire.

Chen Chao said warmly, "Master Zaifu has already done a lot and cannot do any better. This is enough."

Mr. Zaifu said softly, "But I still feel uneasy."

Chen Chao thought for a while and said, "This time when the junior returns to Beijing, His Highness will consult with the junior about the new candidate for Prime Minister, but no decision has been made yet. Does the Prime Minister have a candidate in mind?"

Master Zaifu shook his head, "Having been an official all my life, I understand many things. A minister cannot embarrass the king, nor can he embarrass his successor. If I really recommend someone, if he goes out to do something, whatever happens The question is, for His Highness, should I be accommodating for the sake of my kindness? And for the government and the public, should I not speak out for the sake of my face? So no matter what, I shouldn’t speak.”

Chen Chao thought about it, and was about to say that His Highness the Crown Prince should not be treated like an ordinary king, but after thinking about it, he gave up. Everything in this world may change, but the two words "rules" are written in black and white on a piece of paper. .

"The juniors have already chosen someone. Master Zhang from the academy should be able to take on the big job."

Since the Prime Minister is so transparent, he won't hide it.

Lord Zaifu nodded and said nothing.

As expected, Master Zhang was the best successor in Master Zaifu's mind.

Lord Zaifu thought for a moment, then tremblingly took out an envelope from under the quilt and handed it to Chen Chao. Chen Chao glanced at Lord Zaifu's skinny arm that had almost no flesh and blood before taking the envelope.

"Master Zhang's talents are of great use, but he is not young anymore. He can still be used by the country for ten years at most. After ten years, the position of prime minister and assistant will still be vacant. Sir, there are some things that need to be prepared for a rainy day. There are some things on the paper There are more than ten people who have the possibility of being prime ministers and assistants. I also ask the guardian envoy to advise His Highness and train these people more. Maybe one of them will be able to replace Master Zhang in ten years. Even if the rest cannot become prime ministers, The assistants are destined to be capable ministers. With them here, the people of Daliang should be able to live a good life for decades. "

Master Zaifu said with emotion, "We scholars, there are not many things we can do. This is something that needs to be done and must be done well. As for other things, we have to trouble the guards to pay more attention to it." "

Chen Chao nodded.

Master Zaifu looked at Chen Chao, was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked, "If one day, the demon clan is completely destroyed, and the people in the north no longer have to worry about the disaster of the demon clan, will the lives of the people be better?"

Half of the imperial court's taxes from the world were sent to the north. For many civil servants, this was something they were unwilling to accept but had to accept.

Affection.

If there had not been that long-term war, then the imperial court's taxes could be reduced a lot, the national treasury would be full, and the lives of the people in the world would become easier and easier.

Chen Chaoping said, "If one day there is no need to fight anymore in the north, the lives of the people will naturally be much easier. I will try my best to make that day come as early as possible and try to save the people from suffering for a few years."

Master Zaifu said softly, "Even if there is no other way, please protect the northern border with all your strength and prevent the demon clan from going south. The people's life will be a little harder, but at least they can survive. If the demon clan rears its ugly head in the future... "

Mr. Zaifu didn't say any more, as if he couldn't bear it and couldn't speak.

Chen Chao just said calmly, "That's what we warriors have to do. The scholars, including Mr. Zaifu, are good at cleaning up the broken mountains and rivers, how to build another Tongtian Tower, and we must ensure that there is space for the Tongtian Tower built by the scholars. Buildable.”

Lord Zaifu listened to this and finally just asked a question.

Same as someone asked before.

Can you hold it?

Even if you can't hold on, you have to hold on. You must hold on.

This is Chen Chao's answer.

…

…

Finally, Chen Chao said goodbye to the old Prime Minister and walked out of the Prime Minister's mansion.

Standing on the steps, Chen Chao thought about many things.

First of all, going to the Zaifu Mansion this time to visit this leader of civil servants who worked hard and dedicated half his life to Daliang was something that Chen Chao had already made up his mind about. However, when he made up his mind about it at that time, he still wanted to ask the old man for help. The one thing Zaifu did was for the sake of His Highness the Crown Prince and Wu Xinyue.

But in the end, I gave up after thinking about it. The old Zaifu had worked hard all his life, and now that his time was running out, it was really difficult to let the old Zaifu do anything more.

I can't bear it.

In fact, why did General Xiao Hezheng finally disband his troops and return home? Didn't Emperor Liang know that the Northern Territory needed this general? In fact, I knew it, but in the end I still nodded and agreed to it, for the same reason.

After working hard for the country all his life, his final wish is to die in his hometown. If this "little thing" cannot satisfy people, it would be really chilling.

It can't be done.

However, when the ancestor of the Xie family mentioned Zaifu's resignation letter at the end, it actually had another meaning, which was to remind the Chen Dynasty that it is you young people who are in charge of Daliang today, but don't forget that these old people once did things for Daliang. Don’t let these old people feel cold about their contributions.

It is difficult for people to get together, but separation can happen in the blink of an eye.

Chen Chao rubbed his head and walked down the steps. Weng Quan approached and asked, "Sir, do you want to go to Zuowei Yamen?"

Chen Chao glanced at him and asked, "Why?"

Weng Quan chuckled, "Many newcomers have come to Zuowei Yamen. They all heard that it was the place where you made your fortune. They are looking forward to when you can visit your old place again and open their eyes. After all, your charm is all in They say it from word to mouth, and now all the military attachés in the imperial court admire you very much!"

Chen Chao raised his eyebrows, squinted his eyes and said with a smile, "Is it really just like this?"

Weng Quan scratched his head in embarrassment, "Xiaguan... occasionally mentions your Excellency, saying that you must be a nostalgic person. As long as you return to Beijing, you will definitely go and visit."

Chen Chao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but then he remembered something and asked with a straight face, "How many rumors did you spread about me outside during the days when I was not in Shendu?"

Weng Quan scratched his head, feeling a little guilty. He didn't have the confidence to speak, "I don't think I have any..."

Chen Chao sneered, "Sure enough, your second uncle and I are not the same family as each other."

Weng Quan opened his mouth and retorted, "Second Uncle Xiaguan is known for his integrity. Sir, I don't want to talk nonsense."

Chen Chao snorted coldly, ignored this guy, and got on the carriage.

Weng Quan quickly sat up, pulled up the reins, turned around and asked, "Sir, where are we going?"

"Zuowei Yamen."

Chen Chao's voice came from the carriage.

Weng Quan was overjoyed and said with a grin, "As a low-ranking official, I know that you are generous and nostalgic!"

Chen Chao, who was in the carriage, listened to the word "nostalgia" and looked at the carriage that had been with him for who knows how long. He was speechless for a long time.

I don’t want to miss this old thing!

…

…

After autumn, rumors began to spread in the city of God among the aristocratic families and the court, saying that His Highness the Crown Prince had taken a fancy to a female monk from outside the country and wanted to make her the Crown Princess.

This news has just come out, and everyone, whether it is the public or the academy, is a little shocked. Such things have indeed happened in the past dynasties, but they were all done by monks outside the country in order to control the imperial power, and Most of those emperors who made female monks from outside the country their queens were just puppets throughout their lives. After the founding of the Liang Dynasty, this matter never happened again for more than two hundred years. Now, although it is obvious that it is not the same thing, it always It will make these people feel a little incredible.

But soon afterwards, at the academy, the acting dean of the academy gave a lecture. Later, the acting dean made it clear that it was a good thing to laugh at. Some scholars asked where the best place was. That person was already a saint. The acting dean said, one moment and another, it was forced to be like this at first, but now it is Daliang who wants to do this, of course it is good.

With the acting dean taking the lead, the resistance to this matter among the scholars was no longer high. Later, I heard that the ancestor of the Xie family, who had not been seen for a long time, had also sent out invitations to the heads of major aristocratic families. After a while, Xie also mentioned this matter. The attitude of Xie's ancestor was exactly the same as that of the Zhou sage.

These two are here

People with high status in the Liang Dynasty expressed their attitude. In fact, the opposition voices suddenly became much smaller, but some courtiers still insisted on this matter.

But the most surprising thing was that some courtiers later paid a visit to the Prime Minister who had resigned but still had great influence in the court. The latter actually gave the same attitude as the first two.

In this way, there is actually no resistance to the matter.

As for the military attachés, they were happy to see this kind of thing come to fruition. The only dissatisfaction of this group of military attachés was that this foreigner woman should not be the crown prince, but it would be better if she was a concubine.

But even if there was anything bad to say, no one would say anything bad. After all, although the guardian envoy still did not attend the court meeting, everyone knew that he had returned to the divine capital.

Different from the complicated emotions of the civilian officials, no one on the military attaché side would question the guardian envoy who had already achieved so many feats.

If we look at the prestige of the Chen Dynasty separately, he has the lowest prestige among the civil servants in the court, followed by the common people. The ones who respect him the most are the military officers.

After this incident, during a court meeting, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appointed Master Zhang, who was now teaching in the academy, as the new Prime Minister. The courtiers knew of Master Zhang’s knowledge and reputation, so there was no resistance. It was just that the decree was conveyed to the academy. He was declined by Master Zhang, and the same happened the second time.

The third time His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally went to the academy to invite Master Zhang to come out. Master Zhang was deeply moved and decided to come out and serve as the Prime Minister of the Liang Dynasty.

Under these two things, the other thing seemed a bit minor. A black-clothed monk entered the Ministry of Household Affairs and became a Yuanwailang. His official position was not high, so not many people paid attention to it. However, I heard that this black-clothed monk Before becoming an official, he once entered the palace and had a half-day conversation with His Highness the Crown Prince.

As for Chen Chao, apart from the necessary things these days, he did two things in his free time, teaching boxing during the day and practicing at night.

Yu Qingfeng originally looked forward to the master taking the initiative to teach boxing. He was also the one who cared most about martial arts practice. But when Chen Chao started to teach boxing wholeheartedly, Yu Qingfeng really complained.

My master's method of teaching boxing can be said to be simple and direct. In the first few days, he taught his own boxing skills. After they practiced for a few days, they started the so-called "feeding boxing". , but that is not the least bit merciless. His master will never show any mercy except killing people.

On the first day, Yu Qingfeng was full of confidence, thinking that even if he couldn't defeat his master in the same situation, how could he still withstand hundreds of punches, right?

But the result was completely different from what he expected. The first time he was punched, he could only withstand three punches before being knocked away by one. Just when he wanted to give up, his master refused to stop. That day , Yu Qingfeng received a full fifty punches from his master, leaving him covered in bruises and breaking several bones. Finally, he ended the boxing session with difficulty in the dissatisfied eyes of his master.

After that boxing session, Yu Qingfeng stayed away from the ground for three days and relied on He Liang to feed him all his meals.

But after he recovered, he began to punch for the second time. This time Yu Qingfeng persisted in six punches, but was still punched away. The scene after that was the same as the first punch.

But this time, I don’t have my good junior brother He Liang to feed me, because my master treats everyone equally, and my junior brother also received a good punch. However, He Liang was not as good as him, and under his master’s suppressive punches , only lasted two punches.

In the next two months, Yu Qingfeng and He Liang lived in a cycle of being beaten to recover from their injuries, and then continued to be beaten after their injuries healed.

During this period, the little girl Jiang Xiaoan came here and saw the tragic situation of these two people. She was extremely lucky that she did not learn boxing at that time, but instead practiced swordsmanship.

But hardship is hard work. Although Yu Qingfeng felt uncomfortable, he could still accept it. The most unacceptable thing was that the Yu Da Sword Immortal came here from time to time and spoke different words every day. The first time was about why you, Uncle Yu, can't even talk at this moment. No strength left?

Later, I came back and said why you, Uncle Yu, have not made any progress at all. Why can't you beat your master while you are fighting in the same situation?

Anyway, every time he comes, this world-renowned Great Sword Immortal speaks differently, but every time he speaks, it is as if he is drawing a sword and piercing Qingfeng's heart.

On the other hand, He Liang was much more silent. Every time his master threw him into the medicinal soup to weaken his body, he would ask his master if he would hold back again today.

Compared with her two senior brothers, Ning Qingnian, who was a closed disciple, was actually much better. Apart from using medicinal soup to strengthen her body, she was actually learning more about Chen Chao's sword skills.

You must know that the Chen Dynasty's sword skills were born out of the three strongest warriors at that time. They can be said to be the masters in the world today. People who use swords in the world recognize that the master of the Sword Sect is unparalleled. When it comes to using swords, it is this Lord Guardian who is proud of him. Heroes.

Dominate.

Yu Qingfeng also mentioned later that it would be okay to learn swordsmanship by himself in the future, but Chen Chao ignored it and just said that he would learn swordsmanship after practicing boxing.

However, although Yu Xiyi sneered at Qingfeng every time he came here, he still envied these two little guys from the bottom of his heart. When chatting with He Liang later, he rarely said a few sincere words.

Your master's current achievements are all achieved through fighting in life and death. If you are not careful, you will drink hatred on the spot. You will also suffer, but at least your life is not in danger, and you have such a most amazing martial artist in the world. Boxing, is this what ordinary people can imagine?

So you silly boy, don’t be ignorant of the blessings in your life. If you can grit your teeth and persevere, grit your teeth and persevere. Your martial arts realm is the great way to the sky that your own master has forcibly smashed for you.

If I were a martial artist, I would wish to have Chen Chao beat me up every day.

But even though he said that, in fact, with Yu Xiyi's temperament, he probably wouldn't be willing to be beaten like a sandbag every day.

It's just that my back doesn't hurt when I stand and talk.

Yu Qingfeng asked angrily why Yu Xiyi was not stricter on his close disciple Jiang Xiaoan and took him every day

Thousands of swords were stabbed on it.

As a result, Yu Xiyi kicked him down and said with a sneer, do you think we sword cultivators are you weak-legged warriors? You need to endure this every day, it depends on your understanding, do you understand? !

Besides, that's my own disciple, can he compare with stepmothers like you?

As a result, when Yu Xiyi finished saying this, Chen Chao came over expressionlessly, wanting to shake hands with Yu Xiyi.

Maybe his apprentice Jiang Xiaoan was there that day. Yu Xiyi slapped the table, stood up and said, let's fight. Who is afraid of whom?

There was really a battle between a great swordsman and a peerless martial artist that day, but no one knew the final outcome.

All I know is that after that day, Yu Xiyi didn't show up at Zhulou for half a month.

The days pass by, watching autumn pass, and winter comes as promised.

The New Year's Eve is not far away.

A heavy snowfall makes the city of God turn white.

It was a rare day without feeding. The exhausted Yu Qingfeng hid in the house to sleep, and Chen Chao set up a stove in the yard to bake.

He Liang, who was covered in bruises, and Ning Qingnian, who was quiet, sat next to their master.

Chen Chao put a few pieces of charcoal into the stove, then turned it over, squeezed it with his hands, picked up one and threw it to He Liang. He picked up the other one, peeled it carefully, and handed it to Ning Qingnian beside him.

After Ning Qingnian took a bite, her eyes turned into crescent moons when she smiled.

He Liang peeled it off with great effort and handed it to his master. Chen Chao did not refuse, but after taking it, he said softly, "Many times, you have to slow down to see the skills."

While talking, Chen Chao handed another one to He Liang. The latter nodded, and then said with some distress, "Master, are my qualifications really average?"

Chen Chao glanced at He Liang and said calmly, "Who are you competing with? Comparing with your master? In that day, martial artists all say that they are stupid in front of their master."

There was nothing wrong with what he said. He Liang also said, "Then I definitely can't compare with Master, just compare with Senior Brother Yu. Am I far behind?"

"Is it very far? I don't think so. Yu Qingfeng is worse than you in terms of qualifications, but not as good as you in terms of character. The gap is still big now, but there is no rush in the journey of cultivation. If one day, you two become the same Realm, your senior brother probably won’t win against you.”

In fact, Chen Chao also thought about whether to force these two little guys to fight in the same realm once, but in the end he gave up after thinking about it. After doing this kind of thing, it would be okay if He Liang lost, but for Qingfeng. He said that if he loses, his Taoist heart will be damaged a lot.

"Whether it is a martial artist or a monk in this world, they are just like the stars in the sky. Can you count them clearly? If you can't count them, there is actually no need to compare who is bigger or who shines brighter. If there is no battle between life and death, then Just do your own thing and don’t care what others do?”

"Yu Qingfeng aims to be the strongest in the world. Xiaohe, you are not, and you don't have to be."

Chen Chao bit it and felt a lot. Once upon a time, he was still a boy. In the blink of an eye, he was no longer a boy, he was already the master of several children.

He Liang nodded, looked at Chen Chao's expression, and asked, "Master, do you miss your wife? I heard from Sister Liu Ye that my wife's favorite thing is the one baked by the master."

Chen Chao smiled and did not hide it, "Think about it, why don't you think about it, but you can only think about it. She has her own things to do, and Master also has his own things to do, and they can't escape. ”

He Liang sighed and said, "Master and Mistress cannot stay together. They must both feel a little disappointed, right?"

Chen Chao smiled and said, "I can't say I'm disappointed. I might be a little disappointed, but there's nothing I can do about it. She's so brilliant, and she's so... amazing as a teacher."

Jiang Xiaoan would often sneer at his master's boasting, but He Liang sincerely felt that this was the case every time.

Ning Qingnian ate, and many times, when her master and senior brother were talking, she would just watch quietly.

After eating one piece, he threw the skin into the stove. Chen Chao smiled and said, "Why don't you stop feeding me until the New Year?"

After hearing this, Ning Qingnian looked up at his senior brother, wondering how his senior brother would respond.

As a result, He Liang shook his head honestly and said, "Master's fist is hard-earned, I have to cherish it."

Chen Chao laughed loudly. His apprentice was too honest.

Although he had made up his mind that no matter what He Liang said, the punches would not change, but he felt comfortable hearing such words.

Xiao He is still Xiao He, nothing has changed.

He Liang thought for a while and suddenly said, "Does the master need to spend some time practicing? If so, then I will not delay the master."

Chen Chao clicked his tongue and said, "Xiao He, do you want to use this reason to avoid being punched?"

He Liang chuckled and didn't say yes or no.

You see, I have become smarter, right?

Chen Chao stretched out his hand and rubbed the boy's head and said, "After the Chinese New Year, I'm going to go out as a teacher."

Hearing this, He Liang felt a little disappointed, but he just asked, "Where is master going this time?"

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

He Liang had no choice but not to ask.

Chen Chao suddenly said, "Didn't you want to travel around the world before? Are you going out with Master this time?"

He Liang suddenly became energetic and nodded repeatedly.

Chen Chao turned around, rubbed Ning Qingnian's head, and said with a smile, "It won't be long."

After saying this, Chen Chao stood up, clapped his hands, and shouted into the bamboo building, "Yu Qingfeng, come out and feed your fists!"

Yu Qingfeng was sleeping soundly in the bamboo house when he suddenly heard this sound. He was so frightened that he immediately sat up and shouted mournfully, "Master, didn't you say you have a day off today?!"