The old man was probably a true old man. He was rather talkative. At this moment, he was still 'advising' him with 'kind words'. "Kid, the world's beauties are like bamboo shoots after the rain. Even if it's a source of soldiers, there's still an endless supply of them. However, there are two things that are difficult to replenish. One is the heavy cavalry on the battlefield. One is missing, and it's very difficult to quickly replenish them. The other is the jianghu experts. Every one of them needs talent, luck, and many years of training to become one. Especially you, Hsu Fengnian. You have to cherish your life. If you die … "
The snow gradually grew heavier.
Hsu Fengnian ignored the old man's nagging. He raised his hand.
A snow knife appeared in his hand.
However, the old man suddenly became sentimental. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the sky. "Beiliang, fighting a country with the power of one land. If you die …"
The old man muttered to himself, his expression bleak. "I don't care at all whether Beiliang has a King of Beiliang or not. However, how can I, Qi Lianhua, not care whether Hsu Fengnian dies or not? "
A hint of confusion appeared in Hsu Fengnian's eyes.
After being struck by Qi Lianhua's fists and palms, the Qi in his body actually showed signs of turning from bad to good after experiencing the initial violent tremors. It began to stabilize.
The old man's face was filled with anger. He glared and said, "Kid, only now do you understand my good intentions?"
Hsu Fengnian was confused, but he still gripped his snow knife. He asked in confusion, "What are you trying to do?"
The old man who had once said that he would return on a snowy night became even more angry. "Kid, aren't you a clever person? Why are you so stubborn?!"
Hsu Fengnian was also angry. He glared at him.
Looking at the stubborn young man, the old man seemed to remember some things from the past. The stubborn old man who had been unyielding in this world all his life softened a little. His tone was gentle, and he said somewhat helplessly, "I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to guess. Didn't I use the alias' Wu Jiang '?"
Hsu Fengnian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Didn't I already guess that you are Qi Lianhua and the Spring and Autumn Saber Armor?"
The furious old man suddenly stomped his foot heavily. The wind and snow above the entire mausoleum froze. "Didn't Xu Xiao tell you that his father-in-law's surname isn't Wu? Even if that bastard Xu Xiao didn't mention it, Su 'er didn't mention it to you either? Didn't I tell you that there was a swordsman surnamed Qi who fought in the Wu Family's Sword Tomb for a woman of the Wu Family and almost destroyed half of the Sword Mountain?! "
Hsu Fengnian turned around. His expression could not be seen clearly, and there was no change in his tone. "No."
"No?!" The old man was truly enraged. He pointed at Xu Xiao's tombstone and cursed, "You barbarian from Jinzhou! Back then, in order to marry my daughter, you said that you wouldn't kneel to the heavens or the earth, but now you're kneeling to your father-in-law! You're just a small military officer with a few hundred people under your command, yet you dare to threaten me. If I don't agree, you'll definitely lead an army to wipe out Da Chu! I should have killed you with a single palm at that time! "
When the old man fell silent, there was only the sobbing of the wind and snow in the courtyard.
The old man's eyes were kind, but his face was also full of guilt. He gazed at the back of the young man who was far, far more pleasing to the eye than Xu Xiao. He slowly said, "The first time I secretly saw you, it was when the Xu family's armored cavalry was on their way to Beiliang. It was also a snowy night like this, in a small temple. You were punished by your mother to study all night. You held a book in your hands and sat on the knees of the Buddha statue in the main hall. Under the light of the Buddha statue's everlasting lamp, you read until dawn. Beside you, there were four clay statues of heavenly kings. They either carried sabers or swords, or their faces were ferocious. The light of the lantern was dim. Outside the hall, the wind and snow were like female ghosts weeping and complaining. Even an adult would be afraid, but a child like you was not afraid. I watched you from the beam for the whole night. I really liked you from the bottom of my heart. You really are my grandson! "
The old man's heart surged with a heroic spirit that came from his grandson. "I don't recognize Xu Xiao as my son-in-law, but I like you as my grandson! Even if Su 'er didn't recognize me as her father, I still shamelessly came to Liangzhou. After Su' er died of illness, I changed my name and became a lowly servant. Who am I, Qi Lianhua? I can win and lose on the chessboard with Da Chu's Imperial Advisor Li Mi. I can drink wine with Tai Fu Sun Xiji and talk about the country. I can stand shoulder to shoulder with Ye Baikui on the battlefield. I can make Cao Changqing, who is waiting for the imperial decree, call me half a teacher! "
Hsu Fengnian, who had his back to the old man all this time, squatted down and looked at the two tombstones. He asked, "Why didn't you formally marry my grandmother back then? Instead, you let my grandmother and my mother depend on each other for survival in the eyes of the family. "
The old man was silent. His eyes were full of sorrow and regret.
Hsu Fengnian said softly, "The country is beautiful, the country is beautiful. The country is in front and the beauty is behind. Do you think the country is more important? Or do you think that a real man doesn't have to worry about not having a wife? You are the famous' Icing Man 'of Spring and Autumn. Do you think that women are just icing on the cake in your life? "
Hsu Fengnian asked again, "Why didn't you protect my mother during the White Clothes Case in the capital?"
Without waiting for an answer, Hsu Fengnian said in a hoarse voice, trembling, "So I didn't know I had a grandfather. I just thought he died a long time ago. Whether his surname was Wu or Qi, whether he was a hero or a nobody, it didn't matter at all. "
After a long time, the old man sighed and was speechless.
Hsu Fengnian sat cross-legged in front of the tombstone. He bent down and reached out to brush away the snow in front of the tombstone.
Qi Lianhua walked to the tombstone and lowered his head to look at Xu Xiao's tombstone. He said indifferently, "When I heard the news and rushed to Tai 'an City, it was already too late."
The old man said self-deprecatingly, "It doesn't matter if you don't recognize me as your grandfather or if you think that Qi Lianhua is cold-blooded. I think that no matter how much you dislike the man your daughter chose, a married daughter is like water that has been poured out. Moreover, at that time, three sabers and armors couldn't kill the Liyang Emperor, Zhao Dun. Since that's the case, as for the Yuan Benxi, Xu Xiao, Han Shengxuan and Liu Hao Shi, as long as Xu Xiao is alive, it's him who has the courage to do it. If Xu Xiao can't do it, there are still my daughter Wu Su's children. "
The old man turned to look at Hsu Fengnian, who was constantly sweeping the snow with his hands. He said softly, "The Taoist saints said that life and death are like sleep. When you sleep, you can get up and live. When you sleep, you can't get up and die. Therefore, there is a great terror in this world. When people are alive, they cry instead of laughing. In the Buddhist scriptures, there is also a great terror of life and death. "
The old man also squatted down and said freely, "Maybe you're right. Xu Xiao is much stronger than the Spring and Autumn Saber Armor or Da Chu. It's just that I don't want to and don't dare to admit it."
The old man looked at Xu Xiao's tombstone and said with a smile, "In the end, I couldn't even drink a cup of wine from you."
Hsu Fengnian said softly, "It's too late."
Hsu Fengnian's eyes reddened. "In the past, I couldn't understand why there was a pair of shoes in the box under Xu Xiao's bed that didn't fit anyone in the Xu family."
The old man was stunned.
Then the old man laughed loudly. He clenched his fists and rested them on his legs. "Spring and Autumn is a dream of spring and autumn. People live for a lifetime, but life and death are two things. When you come, you cry, but when you leave, you smile. "
Then the old man stretched out his hand and held a cup. A crystal clear cup of snow appeared between his five fingers. Snow fell from the cup. He said loudly, "Father-in-law toasts to my son-in-law!"
A cup of snow for wine.
A cup of wine without wine.
"Little Nian, this old man wants to make a trip back to Guangling. I've left my hometown for too long. Don't send me off. "
After toasting, the old man turned around and patted away the snow on one of his grandson's shoulders. He took out a yellowed book from his bosom and gently placed it beside Hsu Fengnian.
With one last sentence, the old man stood up and shook his sleeves. He began to stride towards the entrance of the mausoleum. As soon as he left, his figure flashed and disappeared.
Hsu Fengnian, who was a step too slow, was completely unable to stop him.
Outside Liangzhou City, the old man walked further and further away. His speed was so fast that even Beiliang's A-ranked horses could not match him. A cold blade gradually formed from snow appeared in the old man's hand.
Everyone knew that Da Chu practiced calligraphy all his life. His favorite characters were "Su", "Nian", and "Chun".
His daughter, Wu Su, was gone, but his grandson, Hsu Fengnian, was still alive, and he was very promising! He had nothing to worry about in this life. It was time to get rid of the nickname of Qi Banbu. There was no harm in making the name of Qi Tianhua a reality. "Little Nian, take it as your grandfather's last selfish act. Let the world know that after your father died, you still have an elder in this world. With me, Qi Lianhua, there is no one who can disgust Beiliang without paying the price. The great pillar of the country, Gu Jiantang, can't. The new emperor of the Zhao family can't either!
"Little Nian, you just need to guard the northwest gate of the central plains."
Hsu Fengnian's figure flew quickly and stood alone at the top of the city wall. However, all he could see was a vast expanse of whiteness.
After standing for an entire night, at daybreak, Hsu Fengnian remembered the old man's last sentence and muttered to himself, "Can I really do it?"
— —
In the spring of the second year of Xiangfu, a terrifying piece of news was sent back to the capital from the borders of Liao and Liao.
Gu Jiantang had lost. Moreover, he had lost to a person who used a blade.
More importantly, the martial arts grandmaster who had appeared out of nowhere did not mention his name. He only mentioned an unimaginable identity.
At dusk, in the suburbs of Tai 'an City, two men who were about one generation apart in age sat opposite each other in a pavilion.
The younger one was the young phoenix of the Song family, Song Keli, who had recently "made a comeback" in the capital.
Song Keli had not yet taken up a post in the capital, but Jin Lanting, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, had invited Song Keli to his family banquets several times. Many old people in the capital, especially the nobles of the imperial clan, had also expressed their goodwill.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
