Sword of Coming

In the twilight, there is a lonely thin boy in a secluded part of the town called Mud Bottle Alley. At this time, he is following the custom, holding a candle in one hand and a Peach Branch in the other, illuminating the beams, walls, wooden beds, etc., using Peach Branch beat and beat, trying to drive away snakes, scorpions, centipede, etc. The mutter incantations in his mouth were an old saying passed down from generations to generations in this small town: February 2, when candles shined on beams, peaches hit the wall, there was nowhere to hide snakes and insects in the world.

Young surnamed Chen, named Ping, his parents died young.The porcelain of the small town is extremely famous. Since the founding of the country, it has taken on the important task of "fire and sacrifice tombs". Officials of the Imperial Court are stationed here all year round to supervise the affairs of official kilns.The helpless young man became a porcelain potter very early. At first, he could only do some chores. He followed a bad-tempered half-way Master. After several years of hard work, he just figured out the doorway to burn porcelain. As a result, things changed suddenly, and the town suddenly lost the protection talisman made by the official kiln. The dozens of kilns around the town that looked like a crouching dragon were all shut down by the government overnight.

Chen Ping put down the newly folded Peach Branch, blew out the candles, walked out of the house, sat on the steps, looked up, and the starry sky was shining.

The teenager still clearly remembers that the Old Master, surnamed Yao, who only recognized himself as a half apprentice, was found sitting on a small bamboo chair in the early autumn of last year, facing the direction of the kiln head, and closed his eyes.

However, there are only a few people who waste time on an insoluble or insignificant problem like Old Man Yao.

The craftsmen in the small town who have only been able to burn porcelain for generations did not dare to presume to burn tribute official kilns, nor to sell Kuzang porcelain privately to 100 surnames, so they had to find another way out. Chen Ping, 14 years old, was also caught After sweeping out and returning to Mud Bottle Alley, he continued to guard this dilapidated old house. It was almost a bleak scene of a family apprentice. It was Chen Ping who wanted to be a wasterel and couldn't start.

After being a solitary soul, unbound ghost wandering around for a while, the boy really couldn’t find a living to earn money. With that little savings, the boy barely filled his stomach. A few days ago, I heard about Dragon Riding a few streets away. Alley, a surnamed Ruan, an old blacksmith from a foreign town, announced that he would accept 7 apprentices for ironing without paying any wages, but Chen Ping hurried to try one's luck, never thinking that the old man just glanced at him sideways. , He turned him away. At that time, Chen Ping was wondering, isn't it because of the strength of his arms, but his face?

You must know that Chen Ping looks weak, but his strength should not be underestimated. This is the physical foundation that the teenagers have exercised during the years of burning porcelain. Apart from this, Chen Ping followed the surnamed Yao old man and ran all over the town. The mountains and rivers here, I have tasted the taste of all around all kinds of soil. I work hard and I am willing to do any dirty work without any muddling.It’s a pity that Old Yao always dislikes Chen Ping. He dislikes that the teenager has no perception. It is eldest apprentice Liu Xianyang. It is far inferior to the eldest apprentice Liu Xianyang. It is no wonder that the old man is eccentric. The master leads in. The cultivation is personal. Billet, Liu Xianyang's skill in just six months is worth the level of Chen Ping's hard work for three years.

Although he may not be able to use this skill in his life, Chen Ping is still as usual, closing his eyes, imagining that he has bluestone slabs and wheels in front of him, and starts to practice drawing blanks. Practice makes perfect.

About every quarter of an hour, the teenager would rest for a while, shaking his wrists, and repeat the cycle until he was completely exhausted. Then Chen Ping got up and walked in the courtyard while slowly stretching his muscles and bones.No one has ever taught Chen Ping, these are the doorways he has figured out.

Between Heaven and Earth was originally 10000 silent. Chen Ping heard a harsh sarcasm and stopped. As expected, he saw the peers squatting on the wall, grinning, without concealing his expression of contempt.

This person is Chen Ping’s old neighbor, and it is said to be a former overseer’s illegitimate child. The adult was afraid of censorship and impeachment by the supervisor, and finally returned to the capital city alone to report his duties, and handed over the child to a successor official who had quite personal friendships. Help take care of it.Now the town’s unfathomable mystery loses the official kiln firing qualifications. The supervising adult responsible for supervising the kiln affairs for the Imperial Court is already Clay Bodhisattva Crossing The River powerless to defend himself. Where can I still care for the illegal child of my colleagues in the officialdom? After placing some money, I rushed to Capital to manage relations.

Unconsciously, the neighbor boy who has become an abandoned son, still has a good life. He takes his close maid to wander around the town all the time. He is idle all year round, and he has never worried about money.

The walls of the loess courtyards in Mud Bottle Alley’s households are very low. In fact, the neighboring teenagers can see the view of the courtyard here without having to stand on their toes. But every time they talk to Chen Ping, they prefer to squat on the wall.

Compared with the vulgar name Chen Ping, the neighbor’s teenager is much more elegant, called Song Jixin, and even the servant girl who depends on him for life has a literary name, Zhi Cui.

The girl was standing by the courtyard wall at this time, she had a pair of apricot eyes, timid and weak.

There was a voice over the courtyard gate, "Can you sell this servant girl?"

Song Jixin was stunned, followed the voice and turned his head to look. He was a brocade clothed youth with a smile, standing outside the courtyard with a completely strange face.

Next to brocade clothed youth stood a tall old man with a fair face and a kind face. He lightly squinted his eyes and looked at the two young girls adjacent to the courtyard.

The sight of the old man was swept away by Chen Ping without stagnation, but on Song Jixin and the servant girl, there was a lot of pause, and the smile gradually became stronger.

Song Jixin squinted and said: "Sell! Why not sell!"

The boy said with a slight smile: "Then you say a price."

The girl's eyes widened and her face was strange, like a young elk that lose one's head out of fear.

Song Jixin rolled the eyes, stretched out a finger and shook it, "Silver 10,000 taels!"

brocade clothed youth's complexion is as usual, nodded said: "Okay."

Song Jixin saw that the boy did not look like cracking a joke, and quickly changed his words: "It's gold 10000 2!"

brocade clothed youth raised the corners of his mouth and said, "It's teasing you."

Song Jixin complexion is gloomy.

The brocade clothed youth ignored Song Jixin, shifted his sight, and looked at Chen Ping, "Thanks to you today, I was able to buy that carp. After I bought it back, the more I look at it, the more happy I am, thinking that must talk to you in person Thanks, so let Grandpa Wu take me to see you overnight."

He threw out a heavy embroidered bag and tossed it to Chen Ping, smiling brightly and said: "This is a reward, you and I will be cleared."

Chen Ping just wanted to speak, the brocade clothed youth has already turned and left.

Chen Ping frowned.

During the day, I accidentally saw a middle age person walking on the street carrying a fish basket, and caught a golden carp with a short tail. It was jumping so hard in the bamboo basket. Chen Ping only glanced at it and felt It was very festive, so I asked if I could buy it for ten cents. The middle age person was originally just thinking about rewarding his own 5 dirty temple. Seeing that it is profitable, he just sits on the ground and starts the price. Lion's big mouth must have 30 cents. Only willing to sell.Chen Ping, who is shy in his pocket, has so much spare money, and is really reluctant to bear the golden-bright and dazzling carp, so he follows the middle age person, coax and pester, thinking about cutting the price to ten five liters, even 5 liters. It’s okay. Just when the middle age person showed signs of letting go, brocade clothed youth and the tall old man happened to pass by. They spent 20 cents to buy carp and fish baskets. Chen Ping could only watch them grow. Go, helpless.

Staring at the back of the grandfather and grandson moving further and further away, Song Jixin retracted his fiercely gaze, jumped off the wall, seemed to remember something, and said to Chen Ping, "Do you remember the 4 feet in the first month?"

Chen Ping nodded.

How can I not remember, it is just fresh in my memory.

According to the custom of this small town that has been inherited for hundreds of years, if snakes burrow into their house, it is a good sign, and the owner should never expel them. On the first day of the first lunar month, Song Jixin was sitting on the threshold and basking in the sun. Then there was a bauble, commonly known as a 100-legged snake, running under his eyelids into the house. Song Jixin grabbed it and threw it out into the yard. I never thought that the four-legged snake that had fallen into confusion became more and more courageous, and again and again, I was so angry that Song Jixin, who never believed in Ghost God, was thrown into the Chen Ping yard. I thought that Song Jixin was under my bed on the 4nd day and saw the four-legged snake curled up.

Song Jixin noticed that the girl pulled her sleeve.

The young man had a deep understanding with her, and subconsciously swallowed the words that had reached his mouth again.

What he wanted to say was that that ugly 4-legged snake had a bump on its forehead recently, like a horn on the top of its head.

Song Jixin said in another sentence, "Zhi Cui and I may be leaving here next month."

Chen Ping sighed, "Be careful on the road."

Song Jixin half true half false said: "I will definitely not be able to remove some objects. Don't steal things without restraint when there is no one in my house."

Chen Ping shook the head.

Song Jixin suddenly laughed heartily, clicked on Chen Ping with his finger, and frivolously said: "As timid as a mouse, it's no wonder that there are no good children in the poor family, not to mention that this life is poor and humble, and you may not escape in the next life."

Chen Ping remained silent.

Each returned to the house, Chen Ping closed the door and lay on the hard wooden bed. The poor boy closed his eyes and whispered in a low voice: "Sai Sui flat, Sui Sui safe, Sui Sui safe, Sui Sui safe..."