Lu Mingfei, the Martial Saint of the Dragon Clan

Fortunately, there is such a stubborn corner of Laojing Alley, which clings to the past and refuses to let go, like an old man basking in the sun with the dog lying in the corner, happy, contented, and happy. Live slowly.

The road here is uneven. After walking a few steps, you will see a stone slab broken into several pieces, and occasionally a few pieces have their corners raised.

"Let me tell you, it's a lot of fun walking this way on a rainy day."

Lu Mingfei introduced enthusiastically.

"It's like playing minesweeper. You never know if the next stone slab you step on will splash water all over you. Children especially like it because they can play with water openly. You will definitely feel uncomfortable if you step on puddles for no reason. After being spanked by dad, the stone road will be different. If you stepped into the water, it was the road's fault. Maybe dad will still care about you."

"Do you come often?"

Mai Shutoku asked.

"No."

Lu Mingfei looked at an unnamed white flower sticking out of its head in the corner. The place was filled with hard rocks. How did this delicate flower sprout?

"I'm here for the first time today."

There was a look of recollection on his face.

"A few years ago, I heard a classmate in my class talk about Laojing Alley. He said that the old houses here are very old. When I walk there in the early morning when the mist has not dispersed, there are old people who get up early and come out to open the door. They have to open the door piece by piece. Take off the wooden boards and open four pairs of carved mahogany doors one by one."

Lu Mingfei is both recalling and narrating.

"At 6:30 in the morning, he was walking along the road of Laojing Alley with his father holding his hand. He saw someone squatting at the door, eating porridge and eating pickles. They pickled them at home in spring. He heard that eating too many pickles can cause cancer. It’s easy to die or something.”

"But how delicious it is."

"It's cheap and easy to eat. A barrel of homemade pickled food can last for a year. Even if it causes cancer, it's probably fine as long as you eat less."

"Huh!"

Lu Mingfei smiled.

"Come, look."

He pointed to a stone tablet in front of a house.

It is said to be a stone tablet, but it is actually only the size of a book. It stands squarely in the corner of the door with the words "Mount Tai is here" written in red ink.

Jiude Mai also followed Lu Mingfei and squatted down.

"First time we meet."

said the kunoichi.

"There are all statues of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Japan. Is this something similar?"

"Oh, that turns out to be Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

Lu Mingfei suddenly realized.

"It's the small stone temple as high as a Taoist's ankle that often appears in anime, right? I saw it in Spirited Away, and I thought it was the God of Earth."

Lu Mingfei sighed again.

"I didn't expect Ksitigarbha to be so big in your place. Although the temple is a bit small, it's really amazing that he can be seen everywhere. After all, didn't the Buddha say he wanted to save the world, so what if he built a magnificent temple to save the world? If you can get in, it’s better to make your home on the roadside. Even beggars and woodcutter can pay homage, who is nobler than the other.”

Lu Mingfei explained to Jiude Mai again.

"Taishan is here. It refers to Taishan Fujun, the oldest god of the underworld in Chinese mythology. Legend has it that he judges ghosts on Mount Tai. The good ghosts are sent to death, and the bad ghosts are sent to his white tiger pet. Eat it in one bite.”

"The elderly here have stone tablets inscribed with Mount Tai here, just like the pictures of Zhong Kui catching ghosts posted on their doors in some places in China. They are used to ward off evil spirits and protect the family's safety when entering and leaving the house."

"Although it may not be useful."

Lu Mingfei burst out laughing when he said this.

"But what fun."

He sighed softly again.

"The gold and silver are gone, the tall buildings are deserted, the generals have white heads, the beauties have withered bones, the princes have lost their hegemony, time is like running water, and the world has gone through a lot of changes. What this land can leave us is history and culture."

Jiudoku Mai remained quiet and didn't speak. She even breathed so softly that it was almost inaudible. At this moment, she felt some kind of huge and majestic emotion in Lu Mingfei. Was it sadness? But she could only use the word sadness to describe it. A little too frivolous.

Lu Mingfei seemed to have some kind of heavy and unforgettable past. Sometimes Jiude Mai felt in a daze that this was just an old man, or some big shot who had washed his hands in a golden basin and retired to the mountains. Look at him smiling and going out to buy a bun every day and still following him. The boss chats for a few words, and even buys something to feed when he sees a stray dog. But occasionally, the look he shows inadvertently reminds you of what a thrilling and soul-stirring past this person must have. If you get curious and ask him, he will smile. The interruption was confused, and nothing happened.

You see, this guy is only eighteen years old.

Mai Shutoku recalled Lu Mingfei's murderous aura so powerful that it made people breathless when they were in the villa.

She felt that she couldn't understand this boy more and more. Lu Mingfei seemed to be shrouded in a thick layer of fog. From a distance, you saw the outline and thought you understood it. But the closer you got, the more obvious the boy's figure became. The more blurry it becomes, the more he knows about his past, and he refuses to tell anyone else about it. This is his incomparable treasure that cannot be exchanged for a thousand pieces of money.

"gone."

Lu Mingfei stood up and called to Jiude Mai.

"Oh, here it comes."

It is now ten o'clock in the morning. They came to Laojing Lane mainly to find a house for Lu Mingfei. The two have already agreed that as long as Lu Mingfei likes Jiude Mai, he will help negotiate. Lu Mingfei will pay for the rent. Just kidding, Mr. Children's Palace The coach is rich.

That's true, but they had been in Laojing Alley for half an hour. Lu Mingfei didn't ask anyone or call the rental advertisement on the wall. He just squatted under a big cypress tree and watched two old men playing chess. .

It was not a chess scam on the street, Mai Shutoku could tell at a glance. It was just an ordinary old man hanging out to relieve his boredom. In addition to her and Lu Mingfei, there were three or two old men standing next to them. From the content of their chat, she knew that they were acquaintances. .

Lu Mingfei watched the chess game with great interest. Mai Shutoku wanted to say, "Don't you still have to find a house? Why do you have so much free time?" Finally, considering the gap in combat power between the two, he chose to give up.

Just watching the old man play two games, someone said something to Lu Mingfei.

"Young man, you are interesting. You are very patient. I see you are also a chess lover. Why don't you play a game?"

"okay."

Lu Mingfei readily agreed.

So Shutoku Mai watched Lu Mingfei sit down in a familiar manner, and even clasped fists with several old men with playful smiles and said "show off your embarrassment." The old men smiled happily and returned the favor in a decent manner.

No matter how weird this scene looks, it would look much more comfortable if Lu Mingfei were dressed in a Tang suit, with cloth shoes with a thousand-layer sole on his feet, and preferably with a white beard.

But now, young master, you are only eighteen. Where did you get this look of a retired veteran cadre?

After killing two games, it was already noon. Middle school students riding bicycles whizzed past, and the tires made a clanging sound on the bluestone. The boys laughed and chatted, and one of them shouted that the mountains would collapse and the earth would split apart! It seems to be a new game move.

"It's great to be young."

Lu Mingfei, squatting on the side of the road holding a bowl of wontons, sighed with emotion.

Jiutoku Mai hesitated to speak, "Master, can you look in the mirror before you say this? With such a tender face, the young man riding a bicycle just now might even call you brother."

"Is there a house you're interested in?"

Mai Shutoku reminded him.

Finally, she couldn't hold it back anymore. The main time was almost up. Lu Minfei had to go to the Children's Palace in the afternoon. The house was not decided yet, so it would have to be postponed until tomorrow.

"This is what I'm looking for."

Lu Mingfei said.

"I've been shopping around and haven't found anything I like. Let's take another look."