Chapter 30
Before leaving, I tidied up the house and looked at the old tree in front of the yard. The roots were covered with traces of time. I gently touched the rough trunk, which was its shriveled skin.
I locked the door and, as usual, placed the key on the wall and held it down with a stone.
There is still a glimmer of hope in my heart.
I took a last look at the mottled door. Goodbye, the home I had lived in for fifteen years.
Before leaving, I went to my grandfather's house to say goodbye to him. Now his hair is all gray and his hearing is a little deaf, so he needs to speak loudly to hear clearly.
When he heard that I was leaving, he was very reluctant to let me go and repeatedly told me to be careful outside.
After leaving my grandfather's house, I had no more worries. I took firm steps and left the land where I was born and raised. As for where to go, I would just go wherever I wanted.
At first, I was excited, but within two days, I was starting to feel the strain. Everything cost money, and since my grandfather passed away, I'd barely scraped by. I didn't have much money. The kindhearted ones provided me with food and shelter, but I was mostly sleeping rough.
That day, the sky was gloomy and it looked like it was going to rain.
The autumn rain brings a chill. If I get caught in it, I'm bound to get sick. I need to find a home to stay in as soon as possible. But there's no one in this desolate mountain. As I'm searching, a temple appears in the distance. I quicken my pace and head straight for it.
As I approached, I realized it was a utterly dilapidated temple. The plaque had fallen to the ground, making it hard to read what was written. Of course, it might just be that I'm not well-educated and don't recognize the characters. Inside, a deity sat in the center, dilapidated and long since devoid of incense, making it impossible to tell who it was dedicated to. The entire temple was covered in dust and cluttered with cobwebs. The roof was tattered, holes in the walls, and a whining sound was heard in the wind.
But having a place to rest is better than being in the wild. I found a sheltered place, packed up, and decided to spend the night there. As I was packing, the rain began to fall. Fortunately, there was this temple, otherwise I would have been soaked to the skin.
I took out some dry food, listened quietly to the sound of rain outside, and filled my stomach.
But on this rainy day, I wasn't the only visitor to the temple. A gray rabbit hopped in, seeking shelter from the rain. And that wasn't the end of it. Two or three more birds landed in front, shaking off the rain. I broke off two pieces of dry food and threw them to them. The birds, startled, flew up, then, seeing that they were eating, landed again and scooped up the food. Meanwhile, the rabbit remained hunkered down in the corner, remarkably quiet.
I played with the bird for a while, but it was really boring. Especially on a rainy day like this, I couldn't go out, so I was most likely to feel sleepy. I dozed off and fell asleep.
When I woke up again, the rain was still falling. It was already dark. I opened my eyes and saw someone had entered the temple at some point. He sat there with his back to me, motionless. This frightened me. In the dead of night, in this dilapidated temple, someone suddenly appearing before my eyes would terrify anyone. I squinted, pretending to be asleep, but in reality, I was secretly calling on the power of the Feather Stone, trying to determine if he was a human or a ghost.
Over the years, I can say that I have mastered many functions of the feather stone, which I figured out slowly. Of course, compared with the functions recorded in the complete "Yin Fu Lu", they are definitely trivial, but this "Yin Fu Lu" is a fragment after all. It is amazing that I can figure out other functions based on this fragment, at least I think so.
As for the energy replenishment of Yuhao Stone, in addition to saving ghosts, more energy can be obtained by killing ghosts. In fact, it is not limited to ghosts, and any demons and monsters can be used.
Getting back to the point, I secretly attached the energy of the feather stone to my eyes, and when I took a closer look, I found that not only was there no evil aura on that person, but there was a faint divine light. However, this divine light was different from the one I had seen before in Baiyun Temple. It was very unnatural, but the divine light was undoubtedly real.
This makes me very confused. Generally speaking, divine light is extremely peaceful and natural. Even if it is disguised as evil, it cannot escape the detection of the feather stone.
While I was thinking, he moved.
I quickly protected my body. It seemed that he had noticed that I was awake.
"Why are you here alone, girl?" he asked, lighting an oil lamp. An oil lamp is an old-fashioned glass lamp similar to a lantern that can be carried by hand.
The light was not very bright, but it could clearly illuminate his appearance.
He had red lips, white teeth, delicate eyebrows and eyes. His hair was tied in an ancient bun. He wore a long robe. He looked very clean and had a charming smile.
To be honest, I was fascinated by him. I had never seen such a handsome man and I didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Why doesn't the girl say anything?" he asked puzzledly.
"I...you are so beautiful." I said this subconsciously. If it were daytime, you would definitely be able to see that my face was flushed at this moment.
When he heard me praising him, the smile on his face became even wider.
"Could you please come forward and have a chat?"
My mind was like a mess. I didn't hear what he said clearly, so I stood up and walked up to him.
The closer I am, the clearer my face is. His skin is more tender than mine, and his two phoenix eyes make me feel close to him at first sight.
I stood before him. The rain had stopped outside, and raindrops dripped from the eaves onto the ground, making a pitter-patter sound. The flame danced in the oil lamp, and our shadows flickered with it.
He asked me to sit down and gently picked off the grass clippings in my hair that were stuck to my hair from sleeping.
Boom, boom, boom.
My heart is about to burst out.
"Who are you?" My voice was as soft as a mosquito and I stared at him without blinking.
"I've been waiting for you here for a long time." He didn't answer me.
Wait for me? My heart was already pounding, and now it was beating even harder.
"What are you waiting for?"
"Would you like to hear a story from me?"
I nodded.
His voice is very nice and magnetic.
His face was sad, as if he was reminiscing.
He said he was originally from the capital, from a well-off family, considered a prominent young man in the area. They had plenty of money and food, but what they lacked was reputation. So his father urged him to study from a young age, hoping to pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to the family. He lived up to his reputation, showing a natural talent for reading from a young age. While other children were still learning to read, he could already memorize the entire Analects of Confucius. When the Master examined him, he offered refreshing insights.
The Master immediately recommended him to his own teacher. The Master's teacher, who had previously stopped accepting students, agreed to give him a try after the Master's strong recommendation. The Master had originally thought it was a formality, a way to avoid offending his student and allow him to enjoy his retirement. But this trial astonished the Master's teacher, who declared him a genius and immediately accepted him as his last disciple.
The master's teacher accepted him as his disciple, and the former master became "senior brother", and the old master became his teacher.
Coincidentally, the teacher had a granddaughter who was about the same age as him. She was as young and talented as a young lotus and extremely intelligent. The two of them often discussed the meaning of scriptures together.
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