Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 585: Not the same after all, Youth Travel ()

Many years later, facing Emperor Tianxing's life-for-life blow, Luo Chuan would think of that distant afternoon when he was blocked and robbed by a group of bandits.

At that time, he was only fifteen years old. Holding a letter of recommendation in one hand and a marriage certificate in the other, he drove an ox cart alone, carrying heavy luggage, and drove bumpily towards Chaoyang City, the capital of Zhao State.

In the Upper Realm, or the "Lingxiao Realm" as the locals call it, the weather is always unpredictable and unpredictable.

Yesterday the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.

However, in the afternoon, thick clouds crowded in from nowhere and hung over the capital. With the deafening command of Lei Gong, they turned into waterfalls and cascaded down, vowing to turn the world into a country.

Luochuan put on his bamboo hat and came to the side of the official road to take shelter from the rain. Although a rain shelter was set up on the bullock cart, the strong wind still swept over unbridled, carrying raindrops and hitting the wooden boxes and sacks, making a crackling sound.

The newly made silk clothes on his body were soaked by the rain and clung to his body in a slimy state, which made him feel chilly and couldn't help but sneeze several times.

But he didn't feel depressed about it.

In the world of Lingxiao, heavy rain often symbolizes the presence of dragons, implying rapid success and rapid growth.

Now Luochuan left his hometown and went to Chaoyang City, the capital of Zhao Kingdom, to seek a future alone. Seeing the rain, his eyes instantly became extraordinarily bright.

However, just when he was immersed in the fantasy of a better life in the future, the sound of rapid horse hooves suddenly sounded, bringing him back to reality from his thoughts.

Luochuan followed the sound and saw a group of bandits appearing on the road ahead like ghosts.

Wearing silver-white light armor, their black cloaks fluttered in the wind, they looked like underworld soldiers emerging from the depths of the dark night, carrying an arrogant and arrogant spirit.

The mounts of these bandits were tall and mighty, and the horses' hooves stepped on the muddy road without splashing a trace of dirty water.

In the hazy rain curtain, they silently formed a circle around Luochuan.

It was as if an invisible umbrella was propped above their heads, and the rain poured down and automatically flowed to both sides, leaving them dry and their clothes rustling in the wind.

"I built this mountain and planted this tree. If you want to live from now on, leave money to buy the road!"

The leader of the bandit waved his whip, rode his horse forward a few steps, and came to Luo Chuan.

This is a young man in his early twenties.

Her face is like a crown jade, her eyes are like bright stars; her silk-like shoes are covered with light fur.

The corners of his mouth are naturally upturned, and he has an uninhibited smile even when he is not smiling.

But the most eye-catching thing was not his handsome appearance or his luxurious robes.

But his long hair that spreads around his shoulders and flies in the wind——

It is not the ordinary black, but a brilliant silvery white, dazzling like flowing stars in the gray rain and fog.

His handsome appearance as a prince's son formed a sharp contrast with the cliché bandit lines he spoke.

Luochuan's father died young, and he grew up under the care of his mother. He never left his small mountain village. Where had he seen such a posture?

He was so frightened that his face turned pale, his whole body was stiff, and he did not dare to move at all.

Seeing this, the bandits swarmed up and rummaged through his luggage, trying to find a few valuable things from large and small sacks and boxes.

However, in the following period, every time the bandit opened a piece of luggage, his face would become more disappointed.

"Boss, he seems to be a pauper, and he is full of junk!"

"Hey, I thought I could get a windfall, but I didn't expect to be such an unlucky guy. It's really unlucky!"

"..."

Soon, all kinds of items were piled next to the bullock cart: rusty iron pots and basins, patched coarse cloth clothes, frayed straw sandals, pens with lint, and broken inkstones with edges like dogs gnawing on them. Like a bamboo mat...

The white-haired young man's eyes moved back and forth between the splendid Luo Chuan and this pile of rubbish, and an elusive smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Looking at your brand new clothes, your fair and clean appearance, and this pile of luggage that almost crushed the oxcart, I thought you were a kid from a rich family who accidentally left you alone.

"I didn't expect you were just showing off."

Hearing his words, Luo Chuan immediately stammered and begged for mercy: "My lord... Your Majesty, I... I... I'm just a pauper from Yuwei Village, I don't have much money on me, this... My mother borrowed money to buy these clothes. You... just let me go..."

As the saying goes, "When a son travels a thousand miles, his mother worries."

When Luochuan set out, his mother stuffed almost all the pots and pans, bed sheets, spring and summer clothes, etc. from home into his luggage, for fear that he would starve and freeze when he went out.

Luo Chuan felt that if conditions allowed, his mother would probably want to take her away with her, just so that she could boil water and cook for him every day in the capital and take care of his daily life.

In addition, his mother was deeply worried that he would be looked down upon by others because of his shabby clothes, and would be hindered from entering school, so she borrowed money from a neighbor, bought a piece of fine silk, and made a beautiful new dress overnight.

The clothes were brightly colored, smooth and delicate to the touch, and felt as if liquid was flowing on the fingertips. It was completely different from the coarse shirts he had worn before.

When he first put on the new clothes, Luochuan felt fresh and refreshed, and his chin was lifted a little higher than usual.

The white-haired young man ignored Luo Chuan's plea for mercy.

After a while, a bandit's subordinate took out two old envelopes from Luochuan's luggage and handed them into the hands of the white-haired young man.

Seeing the two envelopes, Luo Chuan's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. He jumped up from the ground, stepped on the muddy ground, and rushed towards the white-haired young man.

He shouted as he ran, and his speech became fluent: "Your Majesty, you can take other things as you like. You can move them all, but don't take those two envelopes. They are my lifeblood. Without them, I will lose my life." It’s over…”

The white-haired young man narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Luo Chuan coldly.

Luochuan suddenly felt as if he was tightly bound by an invisible rope and could no longer take a step forward.

At this time, the white-haired young man stretched out his fingers and took out a yellowed page from the first envelope.

There was elegance and nobility in his movements.

Like a young king, he bent down in the imperial garden in the early morning and picked a rose stained with crystal dew.

And when the white-haired young man slowly unfolded the paper and lowered his eyes to read carefully, Luo Chuan felt that the other person was not browsing the words on the paper, but looking at his own past.

The time of silence is actually very short.

But in Luo Chuan's perception, it seemed that a long time had passed.

I don’t know how much time passed, but the white-haired young man finally spoke slowly: "I didn’t expect that you, a pauper from Yuwei Village, would be friends with Commander Xu of the Zhenbei Army. He was actually willing to write a letter of recommendation in his own hand to recommend you. To the three major academies in Chaoyang City!”

"My father was a soldier of the Zhenbei Army during his lifetime," Luo Chuan explained honestly. "He made great achievements in the battle of Qiyu City and eventually died of exhaustion. He died heroically to save his comrades.

"This letter of recommendation is Commander Xu's reward for my father's contribution."

The white-haired young man nodded, seeming to agree with Luo Chuan's statement. Then, he slowly opened another envelope and took out a piece of bright red paper.

This is a very festive color that stands out against the gray sky.

"Then please explain again why Zhen Shaofu, the Marquis of Guannei, would be willing to marry his daughter to a pauper like you?" After the white-haired young man read the contents on the paper several times, he looked at Luochuan with playful eyes again. The word "pauper" is deliberately emphasized very strongly.

"Zhen... Lord Zhen is the comrade my father saved with his life," Luo Chuan replied. "In order to repay my father's kindness, he came to my house in person that year and made a marriage contract with my mother. .

"Later, he repeatedly made military exploits, and his official career climbed all the way. He quickly rose to prominence and was granted the title of Marquis by the imperial court."

"I see," the white-haired young man said, "So you went to Chaoyang City this time to enter the three major academies to practice and get married to your fiancée Zhen Huishu?"

"Exactly."

Hearing his fiancée's name, Luo Chuan lowered his head, with a hint of boyish shyness on his face.

He has never met his fiancée.

But every time he saw the name "Zhen Huishu" in the marriage certificate, he would always picture an image of a woman with a beautiful face and a quiet temperament in his mind.

He once imagined her sitting in a small courtyard with fragrant vegetation, gently playing the piano, her delicate white fingers beating flexibly on the seven strings, flowing out a melodious and moving melody.

Suddenly, she raised her head and glanced at him from a distance. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, and her smile was warm, like the morning sun, bright but not dazzling.

He had also imagined that she was wearing a long goose-yellow dress, gently holding his arm, and walking together among the sea of ​​lanterns during the Lantern Festival.

The breath on the tip of her nose condensed into white mist in the cold air. The colorful lanterns reflected in her eyes were like a vast sea of ​​stars.

"Then do you think you can complete these two things successfully?" the white-haired young man asked again.

"I don't know," Luoyang replied, with a slightly unconfident expression, "Maybe... it should be possible! The Zhen family cares about their reputation and will not break the contract easily; since Commander Xu is willing to write a letter of recommendation to me, my bloodline talent should It won’t be so bad that you can’t pass the assessment…”

The white-haired young man looked at him, as if he suddenly thought of something. He was silent for a long time, and then let out a long sigh.

"Pack up your things and return them to him!" the white-haired young man ordered the bandits.

"Boss, if we went out in the heavy rain this time, wouldn't it be a wasted trip and we didn't catch anything?" The bandits seemed a little dissatisfied with his order.

"Tiankui, Lucun, you guys have been in this mountain for a long time. Do you really think you are the kind of low-level bandits who are hungry for food?" The white-haired young man narrowed his eyes and looked at them.

His voice was not harsh.

But when his name was called, the bandit couldn't help but tremble and shook his head.

Obviously, the white-haired young man has accumulated great authority among the bandits, and no one dares to disobey him.

"You have to remember that we went up to the mountains to be bandits, and what we did was to rob the rich, give to the poor, and do justice for heaven." He paused and continued, "We are different from those scumbags who burn, kill, loot, and commit all kinds of evil. the same!"

After hearing this, all the bandits nodded in agreement.

After hearing these words, what Luo Chuan was thinking was: These bandits all use the stars in the sky as their nicknames. They are a bit more cultured than ordinary bandits!

At this time, Luochuan had regained his ability to move.

The white-haired young man got off his horse, walked up to him, and handed the marriage certificate, recommendation letter and a cloth bag that appeared out of nowhere into his hands.

"Sorry, we did something wrong this time," the white-haired young man restrained his previous arrogance and said sincerely, "These few taels of silver should be regarded as an apology to you!"

"No, no need! I can't accept this!" Luo Chuan was startled by his actions and backed away, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

In this world, Luochuan had only heard of bandits stealing money from passers-by, but never heard of bandits giving money to passers-by.

He clearly remembered that when he left home, his mother gave him countless instructions: "Don't take other people's money casually, don't owe other people's favors casually, there are no unreasonable benefits in the world, and everything you owe must be paid back." ”

As if he was amused by Luo Chuan's horrified reaction, the corners of the white-haired young man's mouth raised slightly.

"You poor young master from Yuwei Village," he said in a slightly teasing tone, "do you really think that your trip to Chaoyang City will be as smooth sailing as you imagined? Apart from your talent, do you really think that your trip to Chaoyang City will be as smooth as you imagined? Have you ever thought that other factors may prevent you from entering the academy and marrying a wife? "

"Other factors?" Luo Chuan was a little confused about this.

"For example, have you ever thought that in addition to assessments, the academies in the capital will also set some other invisible thresholds for you?" The white-haired young man said, "For another example, have you ever thought about why Zhen Shaofu has been He can rise up the ranks and become a prominent figure in the capital, but he ignores you, a pauper-to-be, and is not even willing to support you with a single coin? "

Luo Chuan frowned.

The words of the white-haired young man were too complicated for him at the age of fifteen. It was hard for him to understand for a moment.

"You don't need to think too much about my words now. When you experience more things, you will naturally understand them," the white-haired young man said over and over again while forcing the bag containing broken silver into Luo Chuan's hand. “You’d better keep this money first!

"I bet, when you get to the capital, this money will definitely come in handy."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Then bring them back here and pay me compensation."

"But my mother said, I can't just accept other people's things -"

"——I order you to accept it!" The white-haired young man suddenly raised his voice and shouted sternly, "Otherwise, I will tear up your marriage letter and recommendation letter."

Luochuan shuddered and grabbed the bag, not daring to refuse again.

"Then...thank you so much, Your Majesty," he stammered with a trembling voice, "May I ask Your Majesty your name and where you live...so that I can come to you in the future to return these silver coins..."

"Our camp is on the Dragon's Back Mountain next to it," the white-haired young man smiled slightly, "As for the name... I have forgotten the common name, just call me 'Ziwei'."

"Zi Wei..."

Luochuan muttered this word silently in his heart, feeling that the white-haired young man in front of him was really arrogant and lawless.

Ziweixing is the lord of the sky and the leader of all stars, and is often regarded as a symbol of the emperor.

The white-haired young man takes "Zi Wei" as his Taoist nickname, does he claim to be an emperor in the world?

However, the white-haired young man didn't care what Luo Chuan was thinking.

Before Luo Chuan came to his senses, the white-haired young man jumped onto the horse lightly, his long hair like flying silver. Then he gave an order and led the bandits back to the camp.

As the sound of horse hooves faded away, Luo Chuan only had time to see their backs disappearing deep into the rain curtain. The back figure became increasingly blurry under the wash of rain, and finally completely blended into the gray sky, and no trace could be found anymore.

After about a quarter of an hour, the rain stopped.

The dark clouds dispersed in all directions, and the world gradually became brighter. The meandering thin clouds clung to the frozen blue sky, the hillsides were covered with greenery, and the air was fresh and moist.

It seemed that the rain came with the bandits and left with them.

Every time he came and went, the world was cleansed.

(End of this chapter)