Painter

Chapter 198 47: Watching Chess
After the Taoist said good luck, he took out the merits and demerits as usual, and recorded the praise.Since last night, my mind has been in turmoil. Now that I put away the bronze mirror, my heart is much cleaner. Looking at the dense seal characters on the book, I remembered that the teacher who taught him to eat beans once warned him when he was practicing in Yinlouguan Although practitioners can act as guardians if they accept demons, they must be distracted and restrained. Otherwise, demons will cause karma, which will hinder their practice instead, which is not the right way.But just focusing on Yingniang alone, it doesn't take too much thought.

Li Chan watched the Taoist put away his merits and deeds, and ordered some dishes from the shop assistant.Although Shen Zhasi knew that this Taoist priest was different from ordinary people, but it was really weird to have to calculate the merits of a few good words, and said: "Brother Daoist likes to do good deeds to accumulate virtue."

Wang Changyue nodded.

Li Chan also said: "I have an acquaintance in the restaurant at the entrance of Cangmi Alley. I heard that Brother Dao went to inquire about me yesterday."

Wang Changyue looked at Li Chan in surprise. This scholar who came all the way from Lizhou had such good eyes and ears in Yujing City, "I heard that there are monsters eating books in Lantai, so I went to Lantai yesterday, but I heard I said that Li Lang was one step ahead of me, so I thought that Li Lang also likes to do meritorious deeds, so I couldn't help but inquire about it, and wanted to exchange some experience in subduing demons. If I offend, I will apologize here."

"So that's how it is." Li Chan dispelled the last trace of doubt, and smiled, "What an offense, if you want to prove your practice, I can't ask for it."

Wang Changyue asked, "Which supernatural power is Li Lang good at?"

After a little deliberation, Li Chan realized that what he is best at is the way of Danqing, but it is inconvenient to communicate with others. However, even though he knows some spells, they are all explored from the 24 gods based on the way. There are a lot of them, but they are a bit miscellaneous and not refined, so I asked: "What about you?" After a pause, he asked knowingly: "I heard Brother Dao's accent, it seems to be from the north."

Wang Changyue nodded, "Poverty is from Jiangning."

Li Chan snorted, "Jiang Ning...Could it be that Brother Dao was born in the Wang family of Jiang Ning?"

Wang Changyue hesitated for a moment, "Li Lang is really well-informed. It seems that he has traveled to many places. Yes, Pindao was born as an orphan. Fortunately, he was taken in by the Wang family."

Li Chan showed his original expression, and said with a smile: "Jiang Ning Wang's "Nine Essentials of Yu Shu" is famous, I wonder if I can see a thing or two today."

"This will disappoint Li Lang." Wang Changyue shook her head, "The "Nine Essentials of Yu Shu" is a secret that the Wang family does not pass on, and the poor fate is lacking. Back then, I relied on the ancestors of the Wang family to use "The Nine Essentials of Yu Shu" In order to save each other with the secret method in the book, we will not die young. Pindao is not a direct descendant of the Wang family, so he failed to learn this secret, but is good at swords. However, the "Opening and Closing Sword Classic" of Yinlouguan is also rare in the world, 20 Years ago at the Fuyu Mountain Dharma Conference, Qin Danjia, the uncle of the poor Taoist, used this sword technique to overwhelm Li Shaojun of Qingque Palace, and Li Shaojun, the son of Yunyi, cultivated Qingque Palace's "Hidden Scenery Recording Sword Sutra" to a very high level , the two fought with each other but there was no winner. Now that the poor Taoist has cultivated this sword technique, he has achieved some success."

Li Chan has traveled abroad and studied martial arts all over the world, so he has mastered the wild way.Later, when I was guarding the gate of Qingque Palace, I finally got to pass on the orthodox. I practiced a set of "Qingque Sword Art" to perfection, but I stopped at the worldly martial arts and didn't involve in supernatural powers. I even learned the 24 kinds of Taoism secretly. I have been in touch with "Zangjing Recording Xingjian Jing".Although he is able to control the sword now, it is also obtained from the body and spirit condensed by the green demon energy between the eyebrows. Naturally, it is not as good as the long-honored swordsmanship.

The wine cup in front of Wang Changyue was empty, Li Chan lifted the wine pot and stretched it over, Wang Changyue quickly picked up the wine glass, and the wine poured into the glass from the spout.

"I also know a little bit about the swordsmanship of Qingque Palace. Hearing what Brother Dao said, I really want to see the swordsmanship of Yinlouguan."

Li Chan put down the jug, Wang Changyue took a sip of the almost overflowing wine, looked around, and said, "It's better to hit the sun than to choose the day, it's inconvenient to do anything in this restaurant..." As she said, pinch her fingers together Peel off a thin piece from one end of the bamboo chopsticks, "Use this."

"Alright." Li Chan did the same, peeling off the bamboo.

Wang Changyue flicked his fingers, and the bamboo pieces whirled around his fingers, making a faint but sharp sound of breaking through the air. He said: "The Opening and Closing Sword Sutra has only two styles, but it controls yin and yang. Li Lang is optimistic."

As soon as the words fell, the bamboo piece stopped abruptly, hovering three inches in front of the sword finger.With another movement of the sword finger, the bamboo piece also moved, opening and closing, rising and falling, advancing and retreating.

In the foot shop, some diners looked from afar, only to see the Taoist priest at the table pointing at each other, but could not see the thin bamboo slices at all.Li Chan stared at the flying bamboo pieces, with imperceptible blue and blue colors in his eyes. From the sword gesture, he could see the charm of the ebb and flow of the tide, the sun and the moon.

The bamboo piece flew faster and faster, and finally turned into a wisp of green smoke.When Li Chan smelled the smell of burning bamboo, Wang Changyue withdrew his sword finger, "How does Li Lang feel?"

Li Chan nodded, pondered for a while, and said: "Yang is floating and yin is sinking, yang is born and yin is dead, yang is strong and yin is weak..."

Wang Changyue's eyes lit up, "This is exactly what opening and closing swords mean, Li Lang has good eyesight!"

Li Chan smiled, swordsmanship is not his forte, but his eyesight is natural, "Brother Dao's swordsmanship is exquisite, I am far inferior to it, I also dare to practice one-style swordsmanship."

The bamboo slices jumped up, then turned sharply down, flew on the mat for a moment, and then fell down.

Wang Changyue looked carefully, concentrated for a long time, and hesitated: "Li Lang's swordsmanship... is natural, unsophisticated, as fast as a shooting star, and it seems that it touched the pindao a little, and I feel that time is passing, and the years are late..."

Li Chan raised his eyebrows, this Taoist priest didn't have blue eyes, but he could see the details of this sword clearly.The green between the eyebrows was originally a supernatural iron from the sky, and she also integrated into the Ordnance Administration Department for a lifetime.He praised: "Brother Dao is really accomplished in the way of swordsmanship."

"Gao Jue can't be called high." Wang Changyue shook her head.

Li Chan thought to himself, Wang Changyue's sentence "naturally made, unpolished", meant that the sword was a bit rough, and asked: "Since Brother Dao understands my sword, what advice do you have?"

Wang Changyue pondered for a while, and said: "I dare not give advice. Li Lang's sword looks like a fragment, and it should not belong to the Taoism of Qingque Palace... However, the implication is very natural, which is very good. A Taoist can To move the air mechanism of heaven and earth, if you just use the energy mechanism as a bowstring and flick the flying sword, it is just a simple killing technique, not the way of swordsmanship. In this way, flying sword and flying stone are no different. Not only can there be many mysterious changes in fighting skills, but in this way, sword practice is also a way to understand the world, which can help practice, so it can be called the way of swordsmanship. Li Lang has already got the way, and he only needs to polish it a little. Can go to the next level.”

If Li Chan realized something, after a while, the shop assistants served the dishes one after another, but they didn't realize that the guests at this table had already demonstrated some sword skills.After the waiter finished serving the food, Li Chan bowed to Wang Changyue: "Thank you for your advice."

"What Li Lang is good at is probably not swordsmanship." Wang Changyue picked up the chopsticks, "I heard that Li Lang is very good at painting, and Xie Ningzhi in the Bishuixuan praised your paintings as being made by immortals. I wonder if there will be a chance to see them in the future. experience."

"Of course." Li Chan smiled, watching Wang Changyue pick out the wild leeks, garlic, and onions on the plate with chopsticks, very carefully, and said: "Among the Taoist priests I have met, the Taoist brother is the most particular about eating."

"The five meats can harm the five elements, and also damage the merits." Wang Changyue said seriously, "People who practice form, of course, should pay attention."

……

Outside the Qing microcosm, Li Chan sent a mirror, which contributed to a relationship, and demonstrated the way of swordsmanship with the Taoist priest. After noon, he was relaxed and walked back to Guangzhaifang leisurely on the snow.

The expected crisis did not come, and life returned to calm again.However, things are not all happy.

Because after Mrs. Deng of Jinchengfang lost the relics of her deceased daughter, a few days later, the name "Tu Zhaoying" was added to the rewards in front of the government office and in the mansion.Tu Shanxi's mirror-grinding business, seeing that it has just gained momentum, will fail. Not only the monsters in the house are sighing again and again, but the girl in the boudoir of Yujing City is looking at the white-capped street with a curtain, and she has never seen it again. The handsome gentleman who was wearing a cloth cover was extremely melancholy.

In many legends, there are more stories about the thief who grinds the mirror, and the Taoist priests come and go in the small room in the northeast of the Taoist temple. No one knows that every morning, the bronze mirror in front of the window will appear the girl Face, accompanied by the shadowless Taoist priest, counting the yellow and black beans one by one.

The meeting between Li Chan and the Wuying Taoist priest was just a false alarm, but there was a vigilance in his heart. The previous incidents in Xinyuan and Bishuixuan were all caused by seeking ink. Now that he has drawn a human body for Mr. Bi, there is no need to show off .

So, as the days passed, a sealed post was sent to the home, and Li Chan declined all of them, including dignitaries who chose a son-in-law, and literati who formed associations.

He practiced at home, and only went to the Jianggui General's Mansion to drink wine once, and exchanged martial arts with Chen Zhonggong. Before the wine was over, he rode a donkey to Qingweiguan, picked a juniper leaf, and tried swordsmanship with Kunyangzi again.

In addition, I went to Lantai to borrow books, and occasionally shared a room with Bai Weizhi and Li Kunxi. One day, when Bai Weizhi faced the blue light, he had a whim and wanted to form a book club, called Yijuan Club , the rule in the society is that everyone must carry a volume to read every day.

Li Chan is good at reading ghosts. According to his temperament, he would pick up strange books to read, but because of Mr. Bi's suggestion, when looking for books in Lantai, he would also pay attention to the ancient Lingshu Chengyin Shengxie I found some articles and books, some of which were about the policies of the previous dynasty, some were about Taoism and mystery, some were about water, mountains and rivers, and some were about magic. They were very mixed, which shows that this person has a wide range of research.

The days passed day by day, after the winter solstice, and after Xiaohan.

In Yujing City, talents from all walks of life gather together, and the wind is surging. In this wave, if you don't stand out at all times, you will be replaced by others.

Li Chan was afraid of attracting Xiyishan's attention, so she was happy to see it.Cui Jiaoshu from Luming Academy was so anxious that he went to the door twice more, trying to persuade him to find someone to extend his reputation, but he could only watch Qingling Li Dan's short-lived reputation in Bishuixuan, which lasted for more than half a month. , also gradually fell silent.

The common people in Beijing gave various titles to the handsome men, and ranked them. These rankings are directly linked to the odds of the gambling house, and there is no adulteration. As the beginning of spring approaches, the changes become more frequent.At the same time, Emperor Jia, who had already passed Longwuguan, was getting closer and closer to Yujing.

……

"The living people eat the five grains and offer incense. Immortals lie on the clouds and look down on the community, eating the spirit of the country and living forever..."

On this day, Li Chan came back from Lantai, walked south along the imperial city, and walked up the Yunqiao, thinking about an article "Theory of Longevity" that he had read in Lantai in the afternoon.

The seller of residence newspapers by the bridge yelled that the emperor had arrived in Huizhou, and walked past him.

……

Across a thick city wall, in Sitianjian, several subordinate officials are doing divination.

A celestial officer stretched out the celestial map drawn last night, and said firmly: "According to the Xuanye method, Ziwei star will enter the imperial palace in nineteen days, and the saint will enter Beijing two days after the beginning of spring!"

An escort officer next to him smiled, "The calculation is wrong, could it be that the astrological position is not measured accurately? I use the Taiyi magic number, but I calculate that the sage will enter Beijing the day before the beginning of spring."

Si Chen said in a deep voice: "If the astrology measurement is wrong, you might as well take your measurement to see if it is correct. It is likely that your Taiyi God's calculation is wrong."

Ya Su chuckled: "The last time Si Tianjian's ginkgo leaves were counted, who was right? Although my Taiyi Golden Mirror method is far inferior to Yuan Jianzheng, it is not as good as your half-baked Xuanye method."

Si Chen was stunned, his face flushed, "Taiyi Golden Mirror? You know what a shitty Taiyi Golden Mirror!"

The two officials were red-faced, and the persuasion by others was of no avail. They gradually developed from scolding to calculating life expectancy, and only had to tell the other party's death date.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door: "Guanqi, Guanqi is out!"

Immediately afterwards, someone hurried past the door.

The two officials, Si Chen and Su Su, who had been arguing a lot, stopped at the same time.

"Look for the chess watcher to count!"

A group of officials went straight to the west of Sitianjian.

To the west of Sitianjian, in the room beside the Guanxing Pavilion, a dumb boy is sitting on a yellow futon. He is short in stature and looks a little demented.His face was pale, and he looked like he was just recovering from a serious illness.

He was holding a bowl of medicinal soup. After drinking it, he handed the bowl to the governor. He stood up and walked to the window.

The governor said softly: "You have just recovered from a serious illness, don't bother yourself..."

Before he finished speaking, the mute boy picked up the pen and wrote the words "January [-]" on the paper.Just then, there was a noise outside.

"Is this... the day when the saint returns?" the governor asked.

The mute boy nodded, and the governor repeatedly urged him to rest, and turned to leave.

As soon as he left the house, he bumped into Si Chen, Yasu and others head-on. They were walking and talking non-stop. One argued that it must be before the beginning of spring, and the other affirmed that it must be after the beginning of spring.

The governor coughed, but the two of them turned a deaf ear to it, and finally got a little annoyed, and shouted, "What are you arguing about!"

Si Chen was taken aback, then quickly stopped talking, and said in embarrassment: "Governor Liu..."

"The emperor will return to Beijing on January [-]." The governor said with a sullen face.

"This..." Oshisu said cautiously, "Is it calculated by watching chess?"

When the governor was questioned by his subordinates, he couldn't help but turn dark, but nodded.

"I won!" Si Chen was overjoyed, glanced at Osu, and said with a sneer, "I'm closer."

Yasu opened his mouth, but he was convinced of the result calculated by the dumb boy, he just snorted, and changed the subject: "The injury of watching chess..."

Glancing at the room behind him, he said: "The Dayan Sword shook a few days ago, and he calculated the cause and effect, which hurt his mind, and he has not fully recuperated until now." He frowned again, and glanced at the two of them, "Don't bother me. Let him be clean, so he can recuperate."

All the officials lowered their voices, looked at the room with concern, stepped lightly, and left one after another.These officials of the Sitianjian are obsessed with astronomy and magic. This attitude is not only because the mute boy in the room is Yuan Jianzheng's closed disciple, but also because the young man is already convincing in astronomy even though he is not very old. .

The spring examination of Qianyuan Academy is approaching, and the young man will also enter the palace this time, but although there is not much time left for the spring examination, and there are all kinds of talented people outside, no one feels the need to worry about the wine offered by Qianyuan Academy Whether the disciples can enter the academy.

……

In the room, Li Guanqi was facing the window, his mood was not as dull as his expression, he looked at the Guanxing Pavilion, thinking of the Dayan sword hanging on the wall, he still had lingering fears.I have recuperated in this house for many days, and I don’t know the years, as if just a blink of an eye, the spring outside the window has become white snow.

But time flies faster, which is also beneficial. It is just a flash, and Master is driving westward, and there are less than 20 days left before he will be back.

Facing the snow, he took a deep breath and exhaled a mouthful of stale air. After staying in this room for a long time, no matter who he was, he would want to go out to get some fresh air.But where is the best place to go in this bitterly cold weather?
A thread of inspiration floated up in his heart, and it was fleeting, like foam on the water, making it too late for people to see the reflection on it clearly.

Li Guanqi subconsciously bent his middle finger, hesitated for a moment, and then let go. The master once said that in many cases, the more clear the calculation, the better it is to follow the clue.He then grabbed the windbreaker in the closet, put it on his shoulders, and went out the door.

The young man who had just recovered from a serious illness was a little sloppy in his steps. When he lifted his feet, he couldn't help shaking his body. Seeing someone nearby, he held back his strength and tried to stabilize his steps before stepping out of the threshold.

(End of this chapter)