Volume 1: The Jianghu is the main thing, who is the guest? Chapter 44: Heavenly Buddha's Devil-Subduing Palm
Jinling.
Late spring, light rain.
In the street, the man who brought the good news beat gongs and drums, braving the drizzle, then squeezed through the crowd of onlookers and passed by a group of eager scholars. With the gong in his hand blaring, he rushed into an inn called "Zhuangyuanlou", shouting out names at the top of his lungs and asking for tips.
"Ahaha, I got it, I got it, I'm the runner-up, I'm the runner-up!"
Everyone was watching the excitement, but they saw an old man in his fifties, after hearing that he had passed high school, first took two steps forward in the crowd with a blank look in his eyes, then the corner of his mouth twitched, he laughed foolishly, and then sat down on the ground and burst into tears, like a madman.
Everyone was startled by this sudden scene. At this moment, someone rushed out, rolled up his sleeves, raised his hand and grabbed the old scholar and gave him a few slaps in the face.
The runner-up was beaten so hard that he saw stars and complained bitterly.
Some were happy while others were sad. Walking two steps further, on the bank of Qinhuai River, I saw someone shouting, "Hey, everyone, come and have a look! There's a student trying to jump into the river. It's new."
It immediately caused a lot of chaos.
The boat was sailing on the river in the misty rain, and the riverside was full of pink peach blossoms and green willows. In the solitary boat drifting with the waves, the oarsman was curiously asking the person under the tent, "Young Master, you are also here to take the exam. I wonder if you passed it?"
"Haha," a light laugh came from under the black tent, "I failed to get the honors."
The wind and rain blew in, and suddenly I saw a pair of large sleeves waving. I looked closely and saw that the person under the tent was a young man who looked to be in his twenties. He was wearing a Confucian robe, a white shirt with long sleeves, and looked gentle, but his face was a little pale, he was thin and cold, he had thin lips and narrow eyebrows, his eyes were like knives, and there seemed to be a chill in his bones.
The young man sat casually, holding a pot of wine in his hand, as if he was taking a nap with his eyes closed, or as if he was listening to the brothel songs coming from the shore and the laughter of those gentle country girls.
"What a terrible murderous intent!" the young man murmured.
The oarsman was an old man in his sixties, wearing a straw raincoat and a straw hat, and walking barefoot. He was startled when he heard the murderous intent. He looked around and saw the sound of gongs on the shore, and the girls in the brothels and painted boats were looking forward to it. Then he asked in confusion, "Sir, why is there a murderous intent on such a beautiful day?"
The young man raised his eyes, and the corners of his eyes turned up like a fox's eyes: "How many people have studied hard for ten years, just for this day. Although there is no blood, the danger is no less than the swordplay in the martial arts world."
The old man still didn't understand.
The young man brushed off the raindrops on his body and smiled, "Martial artists seem to be fighting for martial arts secrets, money and beauties, but in the final analysis, they are just fighting for fame and fortune. These scholars are similar. The winner will pass the imperial examination and bring honor to the family, while the loser will fail. It's like a bet. Some people gamble their entire lives and lose everything, but in the end they are old and gray, and they don't have many years left to live."
The old man was speechless for a moment, but soon he smiled and said, "Sir, you are joking. No matter how hard it is to be a scholar, it is better than fighting in the martial arts world, where swords are drawn and blood is shed at any time."
The young man raised his eyebrows, took a sip of wine, glanced at the wind and rain outside, just smiled , and did not respond.
The old man seemed to remember something suddenly and looked towards the young man's side, where he saw a long strip of gray cloth wrapped in something that looked very much like a weapon. He immediately fell silent and said no more.
The boat drifted further with the waves and squeezed into a river bank full of pleasure boats and houseboats. The young man stood up, put down a few large coins, tucked the package under his armpit, and quickly walked into the rain.
Red Mansion.
This is just a name, just the name of a building ship, no different from the other places for men to have fun in Jinling City.
There are red lanterns hanging high on the corners of the building. Every night, it will sail away from the shore and pick up customers along the way. In addition to those prostitutes who make money by flirting, you can also recite poems and talk about elegance, or you can have dirty and vulgar things and do some shady business; the people who come and go include both high-ranking officials and the common people, both heroes and villains, as well as evil demons and outlaws. In short, if you have money, you can have everything.
Seeing the young man returning in the rain, looking somewhat disheveled, many girls who were leaning on the railings and waiting for him immediately showed disappointment.
In the eyes of these people, the young man looked very good, had good conversation, was somewhat talented, had written a few ditties, and had been around a lot in the past. Most of them hoped that he would pass the exam one day, perhaps giving them a chance to escape from these brothels.
But now that their wish has not been fulfilled, they have immediately decided to wait for the other scholars who have not returned yet.
The young man didn't care at all and walked very quickly to a room on the second floor.
It was dusk outside the window, with mist and rain all around. Many colorful lanterns were lit up one after another on both sides of the river, and the surface of the river changed color. Accompanied by the soft music in the rain and the piano playing by some so-called masters and famous prostitutes, a vivid Qinhuai night scene was immediately outlined.
The young man let out a long breath: "I failed the exam."
Who is the young man?
Who else could it be other than Li Muchan.
He was not so surprised by this result. Even though he could have easily become the top three in high school with the help of the "Qinglong Society", Li Muchan did not do so.
For him, the same thing, a matter, achieved by oneself, obtained personally, and given by others are two completely different things.
In Li Muchan's view, the result is just a goal to strive for. What is truly valuable is the challenge brought by the result itself, and the sense of accomplishment, pleasure, and .
It is like a person who wants to stand on a high place. He must first endure hardships and sweat. Although it is difficult, when he stands on the top and overlooks the mountains, he will find that all his efforts are worth it.
Today, more than three months have passed since we first gathered in Chang'an City.
Li Muchan did not dwell too much on the issue of failing the exam, but instead concentrated on opening the bag he had brought back.
There turned out to be a painting inside.
There are mountains and water in the painting. The mountains are steep and high, with cliffs thousands of feet high, towering into the clouds, shaped like a unique sword, fantastic and magnificent, and majestic; the water is green, winding around the mountains, isolated from the world, and its depth is unknown.
Between these high mountains and green waters, there is a low mountain, with its back against a cliff and facing the green water.
And on top of that low hill, deep in the forest, there is a magnificent villa vaguely visible.
There is a line of words in the corner of the painting.
"April 9th...Under the Cuiyun Peak, beside the Green Water Lake, the Third Young Master of the Divine Sword Villa, Xie Xiaofeng..." Just seeing these few words, Li Muchan's grip on the painting tightened, and the last two words made his expression change, because they were, "Capture alive!"
The Qinglong Society actually plans to attack the Divine Sword Villa?
Li Muchan frowned . The reason for doing so was not difficult to guess. It was simply that the Great Dragon Chief intended to use Xie Xiaofeng to contain the Divine Sword Villa, or even to control it.
What was even more bizarre was that as the scroll was opened, in just a dozen breaths, everything on the painting disappeared, leaving only a blank scroll.
Li Muchan's eyes were gleaming. In the past three months, he almost forgot that he was one of the seven dragon leaders of the "Green Dragon Society". All he did was study and practice martial arts. It was as if the big dragon leader had forgotten about him. If he didn't move, it would be fine. But when he did move, it was shocking. He actually set his sights on the "Excalibur Villa".
He was not panicked about this matter. Xie Xiaofeng had not yet grown up. No matter how powerful he was, how powerful could he be? The real opponent in this battle should be the foundation accumulated by "Excalibur Villa".
Moreover, it is impossible for him to act alone as the Dragon Leader. There must be other experts coming.
“It’s interesting.”
In the silent night, as the lights outside the window became more and more, two books had been placed in front of Li Muchan without him knowing when. The night wind blew in, and the two secret books trembled, and the pages turned. The portraits drawn on them had become vivid, as if they were about to jump out of the paper.
The handwriting shone with light and the portraits changed with the wind. Only in Li Muchan's dim eyes, all these things gradually converged into a few words -
【Heavenly Buddha's Palm to Subdue Demons】
