Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 72 The Former Wang and Xie Families (Thanks to Alliance Leader Yun Guang Qin Lu Ji!)
As the sun sets, the rustling of the trees dyes the clouds with their verdant hues.

A few frog croaks echoed from the mountain gully.

The Crow Taoist would occasionally turn his head to look at the temple gate, drawing Zhou Yi's attention as well.

But we never saw Uncle Xie.

In the blink of an eye, the sun sets and the moon rises, and twilight descends.

"Is something going to happen?"

"will not."

The Crow Taoist shook his head:
“The forces in Nanyang County are deeply entrenched, hence the open and covert struggles. They look down on the fields and villages, so there are hardly any bad guys. Occasionally, bandits wandering over from Champion City are buried in the mountains as fertilizer.”

"correct,"

He turned his gaze over: "After I hand over Wuzhuang Temple to you, I hope you will also safeguard the peace of this area."

"These farmers are simple and honest, and they often send vegetables, fish and rice to the temple, which can be considered as a token of their love and support."

Zhou Yixin said with delight, "Of course, I can be quite ruthless when dealing with thieves."

The Crow Taoist managed to force out a few unpleasant laughs in his hoarse voice.

Half an incense stick later, candles were lit one by one inside the temple.

The mountain wind howled, and the crow-walking man went to the warehouse to fetch a windproof cover to block the wind.

When he returned from the warehouse, he found Zhou Yi standing up and staring at the door.

Under the moonlight, a figure carrying a hoe slowly walked by, stepping on the shattered silver.

I rise at dawn to tend the overgrown fields, and return home with my hoe under the moon.

The verses of Mr. Wu Liu are embodied in this moment.

As the lights drew closer, the newcomer's features became increasingly clear.

He was an old man with a full head of silver hair and bronze skin. He held a hoe on his right shoulder with his right hand and carried a willow branch strung with fresh fish in his left.

"Master Crow"

The old man was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly noticed Zhou Yi, and a smile appeared at the corner of his eye: "Oh, we have a distinguished guest today."

He put down two breams and took most of the wild vegetables hanging from the end of the hoe.

"You two talk, I'll go first."

“Wait a minute,” said the Taoist priest, who knew him very well and skillfully served both fish and wild vegetables. “This distinguished guest came specifically to find you, but I intercepted him halfway.”

Zhou Yi asked gently, "Is it Uncle Xie?"

The old man nodded, leaning on his hoe; his deeply lined face was etched with wrinkles.

"This old man is Xie Jiyou, young Taoist priest. Did my son ask you to come?"

Zhou Yi hesitated for a moment, then said, "I guess so."

Old Xie sighed deeply, took the rough pottery teacup handed to him by the Taoist priest, and his cloudy eyes already understood.

"What did my son say before he left?"

Zhou Yi said solemnly, "Actually, I have never met your son before. I am just fulfilling an agreement to deliver a letter to Wolonggang."

As he spoke, he took the letter out of the oiled paper and presented it with both hands.

Zhou Yi tried to comfort him, but the Taoist priest pulled him aside by his sleeve, moved a bamboo chair for the old man to sit on, and then brought the lamp closer.

The flickering lamplight cast shadows on the old man's profile.

Old Xie carefully peeled off the sealing wax, the rustling of the paper mingling with the low chirping of night insects.

Zhou Yi and the Taoist priest drank several cups of tea, while Old Master Xie read the letter countless times.

The creases on the letter paper grew deeper.

Suddenly, he closed his eyes.

A mountain breeze swept through the hall. Suddenly, he got up, removed the wind shield, and placed the letter on the fire. The letter ignited as soon as it touched the flame.

Zhou Yi's eyebrows twitched slightly. He caught a glimpse of the Crow Taoist lowering his eyes and stroking his beard, but ultimately remained silent and did not try to dissuade him.

This book, worth a fortune, vanished in an instant.

The remaining ashes no longer held the weight of a fortune.

Old Xie clenched the ashes in his calloused hands, and they crumbled into powder. A mountain breeze blew, and the powder scattered in his palm, transforming into what Daoist Ya called "emptiness" in the Pure and Wondrous Scripture.

"Excellent!" Daoist Crow clapped his hands. "Old Xie, you're already over seventy, why add more burdens to your life?"

"Moreover, this is the path your son chose himself. He sought benevolence and attained it. Although his life was short, his spirit was long. Since he has no regrets, if you harbor regrets, it will only become your own regret."

Old Xie nodded. "Thank you."

"If it weren't for the Taoist priest's guidance these past two years, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to get through this."

The Crow Taoist laughed: "You gifted me 'The Thirteen Lines of the Goddess of the Luo River,' so what's a little thing like doing this for you?"

Old Xie didn't respond to him, but turned to look at Zhou Yi:

"Young Taoist priest, did I burn this letter correctly?"

“Yes,” Zhou Yi watched the ashes fly away, “this burning will let your son know that you have read this letter, and he can put his mind at ease.” Old Master Xie asked, “May I ask what your name is?”

"You may call me Yi Daoren."

The old man then covered the candle with the wind shield, and the flame became stable.

He gazed at the faint black smoke rising from the candle flame and said softly, "Have you ever heard of the Xie family of Chenjun?"

The Taoist priest, Ya, stood by, purely enjoying the spectacle.

Zhou Yi's expression turned slightly stern: "The Wang and Xie families of yesteryear."

"Yes, the Wang and Xie families of yesteryear are quite right. Looking back at the frontier now, it truly evokes the atmosphere of yesteryear."

Xie Jiyou said, "My ancestors were retainers of the Xie family, following Grand Tutor Xie."

Grand Tutor Xie is none other than Xie An, the elegant and talented prime minister of Jiangnan.

The old man continued:

"Later, he fought alongside General Xie Xuan against the Former Qin. After Xie Xuan passed away, my ancestor and Song Beifeng, the leader of the Xie family's generals, followed Liu Yu and fought against Sun En to save Xie Daoyun."

Zhou Yi was increasingly shocked as he listened.

Song Beifeng is the ancestor of Song Que in Tian Dao, and also the ancestor of the current Lingnan Song Clan.

Xie Jiyou continued:

“My ancestors followed Xie Xuan in their early years. This commander of the Northern Army was the best swordsman in the South back then, so my ancestors naturally learned swordsmanship as well.”

"According to the letters he left behind, after his battle with the Celestial Master Sun En and experiencing the Celestial Master's martial arts skills, he said that his heart for martial arts was shattered."

"From then on, we left behind the powerful families and came to this quiet place in Nanyang, where we have remained until my generation."

"My son, knowing the history of our ancestors, longed for the Battle of Fei River and admired military formations for a long time, and finally came."

The lingering sound turned into a mournful mountain wind.

The Crow Taoist remained calm, clearly having heard of it before.

Zhou Yi, this special listener, was experiencing a truly turbulent emotional journey.

The Legend of Xie Xuan, Sun En, and the Borderlands.
I'm a Taoist priest too!
A strange feeling welled up inside me.

The Crow Taoist suddenly broke the silence: "Thank you, old man. Tomorrow I will bid farewell to Wolonggang to seek my master's ancestral land and pursue a breakthrough in martial arts. I'm afraid I will not return to this place."

Old Xie swayed slightly: "You..."

His reaction to his son's letter didn't seem this strong.

"quack!"

The Crow Taoist chuckled strangely: "It seems you're reluctant to part with me, old man. Tomorrow is our farewell banquet, so quickly bring out the fine wine you've been hiding for so long."

He then gestured to Zhou Yi:
"You don't need to worry. This Fellow Daoist Yi will be the abbot of Wuzhuang Temple in the future. You'll never lack someone to talk to on Wolong Mountain."

Zhou Yi's thoughts raced.

This old Taoist priest, Crow, is indeed more than just someone who entrusted the Wuzhuang Temple to.

However, the thought of having such a place to stay...

These little thoughts are perfectly reasonable.

"Alas, Master Ya, you're in too much of a hurry!"

"That's just how I do things."

"Fine," Old Xie said helplessly, "keep the bream in the tank for now, and we'll prepare the dishes for the feast tomorrow."

He turned to look at Zhou Yi, his face sincere:
"Master Yi, thank you for your long journey to deliver my son's letter. I have no more worries in my heart. I can live a peaceful life from now on and enjoy my remaining years."

"There are still some ancestral items in the house, which I will give back as a token of my gratitude."

Zhou Yi waved his hand: "No need, no need."

“I came as agreed, not out of greed for the old man’s reward.”

Upon hearing this, the Crow Taoist immediately interjected:

"Go on, what use are those things to Old Xie? They're even less useful if you take them to the ground."

"If I keep you in suspense and say I want to congratulate you, and you don't go with him, it would seem like I'm the one who congratulated you wrongly."

Zhou Yi was embarrassed; Old Crow was too blunt.

Old Xie, however, was already used to it:
"Master Yi, please come with me."

After saying that, he shouldered his hoe and led the way.

The Crow Taoist nudged the hesitant Zhou Yi, who glanced back at him and followed the old man.

At this moment, the Crow Taoist stood at the doorway, leaning against the mottled doorpost.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Old Xie's retreating figure.

A look of peace lingered in his eyes
……

(End of this chapter)