Brocade tears

In the 20th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, on February [-]th, at the beginning of You.

At dusk, the north wind whipped up snow all over the sky, and the vast land was white.

Two figures with horses pierced through the snow curtain and appeared on the mountain road in the west of Mentougou, the northwest suburb of the capital.They wore bamboo hats, coir raincoats, and suede boots on the muddy mountain road, with one deep foot and one shallow foot struggling to move forward.The sky is covered with snow, and the mountain road ahead has been frozen, the twilight is heavy, and the visible range has been reduced to the minimum.The leader stopped, glanced at the mountains on the left hand side, and shouted to the companion behind him:

"Thirteen! We can't go any further. Let's wait until the snow stops tomorrow! Let's go up the mountain first and spend the night in the temple tonight." This was a man with a rough voice, speaking Mandarin with a capital accent.

The person called "Thirteen" behind him didn't answer, but just raised his right fist and tapped his left shoulder, which was regarded as an answer.When the person in charge got his affirmative answer, he led the horse up the mountain first, followed by "Thirteen".

The name of the mountain they climbed was Miaofeng Mountain, and there was a Huiji Temple on the mountain, commonly known as the "Niangniang Temple" among the people. It is said that it was built in the Liao and Jin Dynasties, and was later destroyed by war. It was refurbished during the years.The temple is dedicated to Bixia Yuanjun, who should be a Taoist view of the universe, but Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are not separated, and all gods from all walks of life are worshiped with incense.The two of them led the horse to the outside of the Shanmen Hall, and the gate was closed tightly. "Thirteen" led the horse and went to tie the horse to the stone pile next to the Shanmen Hall.The leading man went to knock on the door:

"Is anyone there? Let's cross the road, the snow is too heavy to walk, so stay overnight!"

At the beginning, no one answered the door, and it took a long time to knock on the door before finally hearing the sound of the bolt being pulled open.At that time, "Thirteen" had tied up his horse and came to the man's side. The two stood side by side, and the snow all over their bodies shook outside the threshold.

The door opened a crack, and an old Taoist priest with hair in a bun and a gray and thin beard poked his head out, looking at the two people standing at the door with his dim old eyes.The leading man was more than six feet tall, burly and majestic, with beards all over his face, thick eyebrows and glaring eyes, like a king kong.The man beside him was a head shorter than the giant man, not as tall as the giant man, and quite thin.But he is also a good man who is tall and straight like a green pine.But what is frightening is that this man is wearing a terrible iron mask, which extends from the ears to the lower jaw, covering only the lower half of his face, on which the ghost mouth and fangs of Asura in Buddhist legends are carved, quite for appalling.And the upper half of his face was hidden under the bamboo hat, so he couldn't see clearly in the night.

At this time, because the gate of the temple was opened, a fierce cold wind came from behind the two of them, and immediately lifted the coir raincoats on their shoulders. Tailored military uniforms, with dark cloud patterns, leather wristbands with sleeves inlaid with iron pieces, and leather belts with sabers on the waist.In addition to the standard dagger, the giant man also had a pair of iron maces hanging from his waist, while the man with the Asura face had a long bundle of equipment that the old man couldn't understand, like weapons, wrapped in black cloth. Look, it's hard to see.In addition, both of them had waist tags hanging around their waists, but the words on them could not be read clearly.But judging from this posture, he should be a bureaucratic military man.

"Master Daoist, we are passing by here, the snow is too heavy, we will stay overnight, it's convenient, let's donate some money when we leave." The leader of the giant man said it politely, not forcing people.

The old Taoist trembled between his legs, and he didn't dare to say much, he just opened the door obediently and invited them in.The two entered across the threshold, the old Taoist bolted the door again, and led the two of them through the temples in the twilight to the dimly lit main hall not far away.He didn't light up a lantern either, and walked in the dark. Because of the heavy snowstorm, lighting up a lantern was useless.

When he came to the main hall, he led the two of them into the hall, and then he explained in a vague voice:

"The small view is cold, and the rest of the palaces have been in disrepair for a long time, leaking wind and rain. Only this main hall, the Inspiration Palace, is solid and clean. If you feel wronged, the two military masters will spend the night in this Inspiration Palace."

After speaking, he went to his own residence in Piandian, packed the only roll of bedding and carried it on his shoulders, and brought out the charcoal basin, and sent them all to the two of them.At that time, the two of them were already taking off their hats and coir raincoats, and the weapons around them were clearly visible at a glance, and the weapons gleamed coldly.Although the burly man looked overbearing and domineering, the old Taoist felt that he was simple and honest inside, and he could still get along with him.The man in front of Asura made him very terrified, although he didn't dare to look more, but his eyes always fell on him unconsciously.He took off his coir raincoat and put it on the ground, took off the mysterious weapon hanging on his waist, leaned against the corner wall of the hall, and then took off his bamboo hat, revealing his whole appearance.The old man was startled, he didn't expect that the upper half of the Asura ghost face was so handsome.He wears a net scarf with his hair tied up, his skin is as white as fat and jade, his black eyebrows are slanted, and his long eyes are as bright as stars, which is really picturesque.Such a comparison between the two, under the strong contrast, reveals an indescribable sense of mystery.

The giant man saw how the old man was staring at his companion with trepidation, so he smiled and explained:

"Don't be afraid, Daoist. My brother was naughty when he was a child. He lit firecrackers behind the donkey's buttocks and let the donkey kick his chin. Since then, he has suffered from an inertial dislocation of the temporomandibular dislocation. This mask has to be used to protect him." Just keep your chin down. In addition, he is too delicate, walking outside is easy to be looked down upon, and wearing a mask is also to bluff people. He is inconvenient to talk, but he is not a bad person."

The old man nodded suddenly, feeling a little more at ease.He forgot to take another look at the man in Asura's face, and saw that although his brows were cold, but his eyes were still soft, he finally felt relieved.He pushed the bedding and brazier towards the two of them again, saying:

"If the military master doesn't dislike it, then use it. It's freezing cold, so lie on the ground to cool off."

"The bedding is all given to us, where do you sleep?" the giant man asked.

"The old man just meditates on the kang, it's okay."

The giant laughed and said:

"The Taoist priest is also getting old. We are strong and strong. It's fine to stay overnight. It's not good if you catch the cold. You take back the bedding and rest early. Don't worry about us."

The old Taoist saw that the giant man became more and more friendly, so he also smiled and said: "That's not as good as this. If the two military masters don't dislike it, the old Taoist will warm up and chat with you here."

Perhaps the giant man was worried about the tiredness of the journey, and the brothers were too quiet to talk to, and no one communicated with him. Seeing that the old man was willing to chat with him to relieve his boredom, he readily agreed.

The giant man looked at the Bixia Yuanjun statue enshrined on the high platform not far away, and asked:

"Why does the Taoist priest guard this temple alone? The Niangniang Temple was considered a famous place for the capital in the early years, but now it is so unpopular?" He is a member of the army, and his words are straightforward.

The old Taoist was poked at the sore spot, and lamented: "Ah... within a hundred miles of the capital, the most incense-filled places are Baiyun Temple, Dongyue Temple, Lu Zu Palace and other mountain gates. Field villages or passers-by can go up the mountain to worship and offer some incense. It can be regarded as living in poverty, but when Taoism flourished during the Jiajing Dynasty, monks in Guannei went down the mountain and entered the city one after another, and they never returned. Until now, our mother The temple seems to have been forgotten, and I am the only old Taoist with a diseased foot, and I can't walk very far, so I guard Bixia Yuanjun for the rest of my life."

Seeing his desolate words, the giant man couldn't help but sighed, and comforted him:

"Don't worry, Taoist priest, it doesn't matter if the incense is not strong. This mountain is quiet and suitable for secluded cultivation. No one disturbs you, and you can stay in peace. If I have free time, I will often go up the mountain to help in the future."

"Master Jun, you are such a kind person." The old man was very moved, his eyes inadvertently fell on the waist badge on the giant man's waist when he spoke, and he could vaguely see the word "Beizhen Fusi", and he couldn't help being surprised.The giant man saw his expression, unhurriedly took off his waist card and put it in his arms.The silent Asura-faced man at the side saw him doing this, so he did the same.The old man was a little embarrassed for a while, but the giant man didn't care, and said with a smile:

"This waist card shouldn't be worn out of the city, but the two of my brothers are walking outside, and there must be some name to scare Xiaoxiao. Don't blame the Taoist leader."

The old Taoist heard what he meant, they were afraid that there would be young people in this temple, and the badges were hung for deterrence, and now seeing him here as an old Taoist, it would be useless, so they put it away.

"You two military lords, you are so old-fashioned, how dare you ask if you are really the legendary Beisi Tiqi?"

The giant man laughed loudly when he heard the words, and replied: "Is my Beisi really so mysterious that it has become a legend?"

The old Taoist was stupid, he hesitated and didn't dare to speak.Beisi is more than mysterious, he is a terrifying existence, speaking of it can stop a child from crying at night.But how could he say such things in front of Bei Si's two Tiqi.But this is something that everyone knows well, the giant man laughed, and then changed the topic, and talked about everyday things in the countryside, and the atmosphere returned to harmony.

During the conversation between the giant man and the old Taoist priest, the Asura-faced man called "Thirteen" just sat quietly aside, his brows were cold, and he half embraced and half embraced the long strip weapon wrapped in black cloth. In the bosom, with his left leg straight in front of him, his right leg crossed down, Maitreya sat on the futon, closing his eyes and resting his mind like this.The faint light of the fire in the charcoal basin shone on his side face, and there was an extra layer of soft light between the dark and the light, making him even more handsome.

The old Taoist once again inadvertently glanced at "Thirteen", stared blankly at his face, and couldn't help sighing:

"Master Jun, your brother was born really well."

The giant man turned his head and glanced at "Thirteen" sitting next to him, and sighed: "Yes, it's a pity...it's a pity..."

It seemed that his sigh was not only aimed at "Thirteen"'s appearance, but also contained a deeper level of helplessness and compassion, but the old man had no way of knowing.

After chatting for a while, the old man was exhausted, wrapped himself in his bedding and slept beside the charcoal basin. The giant man wrapped an extra blanket around "Thirteen", while he folded his arms around his chest, leaned against the corner, and fell asleep with his clothes on.

The night was deep, the north wind howled outside the hall, and the charcoal fire inside the hall was crackling. Everything seemed to be quiet, waiting for the east to turn white and the sky to light up.Suddenly, there seemed to be a knock on the door in the distance, and it seemed that someone could vaguely hear someone calling the door. "Thirteen" has keen six senses, never sleeps to death, and always maintains three-point vigilance.With a movement of the pinna, he opened his eyes.He listened to it for a while, and the knock on the door continued, piercing through the howling north wind. Although it was weak, it was definitely not a mistake. "Thirteen" patted the giant man beside him, and the giant man woke up instantly and looked at Thirteen.Thirteen pointed in the direction of the mountain gate, and made a slap on the door.The giant man came to his senses, got up quickly, and shook the old Taoist priest awake:

"Daoist, Daoist! Someone knocked on the door, you go and open the door!"

The old Taoist struggled to open his eyes, dazed for a while, then slowly got up, muttering "why so many people go up the mountain on this snowy night", opened the gate of the temple, and walked to the mountain gate.The "Thirteen" and the giant man who stayed in the hall prepared their weapons at hand, raised their spirits, and entered a state of alert.

Not long after, the old Taoist led a woman into the main hall.The woman was about five feet tall by visual estimation, and she was wearing a large ginger-yellow cloak with unshaken snow on her head and shoulders. The pleated skirt was already half wet, and she entered the hall trembling.She wore a pair of embroidered shoes with deep blue soles, which were also soaked, leaving a string of water footprints on the dry floor tiles in the hall.Look at her feet, they are quite ordinary, unlike girls from rich and noble families who bound their feet with silk to make them slender in order to look good.

It's just that even if she is not a woman from a wealthy family, how could she appear on Miaofeng Mountain in the outskirts of the capital in the second half of the snowy night?Really extraordinary.

The woman wrapped her whole body tightly, and wrapped her face several times with an ocher linen scarf, only revealing a pair of eyes.Those eyes were beautiful and enchanting in the faint light of the charcoal fire, which made the old Taoist and the giant stupefied for a while.The pupils of the woman's eyes are very light, like orange-yellow transparent amber.There seems to be a layer of water in the partial eyes, looking bright and charming, and there is an illusion of being attracted by her after staring for a long time, making people afraid to look at her for a long time.

The woman came in without saying a word, and squatted down beside the charcoal fire, stretching out a pair of slender hands that were red from the cold, absorbing warmth.And her eyes scanned the hall, finally fell on "Thirteen", and fell into a daze.