That night, we returned to the Zhenwu Temple to rest.
Zhang Daoxuan said that my soul was hurt tonight. Although he gave me the elixir he adopted to nourish me, I still needed time to recuperate. Otherwise, even if I removed the ghost makeup, there would still be some sequelae.
Not only that, he came to deliver me medicine at night, still the kind of red elixir, and told me to take it if my soul was unstable, but never eat it as candy. My current state is very special, and I will leave a source of trouble if I am not careful.
With his care for me, I basically recovered before falling asleep, at least I didn't feel anything unusual.
There was no conversation all night. At dawn the next day, I finally recovered my human body again. Early in the morning, I set off on the road home with Zhang Daoxuan and others.
My hometown is in a small county town in northwest Shanxi, at the foot of Guancen Mountain, only three or four hours' drive from Taiyuan. We arrived near noon.
The courtyard was still the same courtyard, a common farmhouse in the northern mountainous area, with a few old houses scattered around and a fence around it. From a distance, I could already see my father processing a large piece of pork in the yard. In the bright sunshine, his gray hair was shining with silver light.
All this was too familiar to me, but seeing it at this moment, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I have been struggling on the line between life and death for the past two days, and the pain is hard to describe. Seeing my relatives again, it feels like a lifetime ago.
"Dad!"
I jumped out of the car and ran quickly towards the man in the yard.
My dad finally raised his head. At first, he was a little hesitant on his face, but soon, a smile occupied his whole face. While wiping his hands on his apron, he hurried to meet me. Because he was in such a hurry, he didn't even have time to put down the knife in his hand.
So enthusiastic?
I thought I was seeing things. He smiled so kindly. Was he still my violent father who would push me to the ground and rub me like crazy when we disagreed?
However, after a person has suffered a great disaster, seeing their relatives again always feels more intimate. I didn't think too much and rushed to meet him.
Pah!
A greasy big hand covered my face without warning, not only smearing lard all over my face, but also pushed me hard and pushed me to the side.
My dad ignored me and walked quickly towards Zhang Daoxuan. His legs, which were originally inconvenient to move, were miraculously healed at this moment. He was almost trotting, looking like a lackey, with a big mouth wide open, smiling very brightly. His face, which was originally a little fat, was wrinkled like a big chrysanthemum blooming in the morning sun. He took Zhang Daoxuan's hand and started to ask about his well-being. The warmth made me shudder, let alone Zhang Daoxuan. The corners of his eyes kept twitching. It was not right to pull his hand away, and it was not right not to pull it away.
After holding it in for a long time, Zhang Daoxuan asked awkwardly, "Big brother, do we know each other?"
"No!"
My dad shook his head very straightforwardly, and patted Zhang Daoxuan's hand with his big oily hand. The sound was very crisp, and the hands of this Taoist priest were shiny in the sun. Then my dad changed the subject and smiled, "But now, don't we know each other? I think you are particularly compatible with me, brother. You are the kind of person who can be a good friend!"
After saying this, my dad suddenly turned his head and roared at me, "Er Gouzi, get over here!!"
I was already shocked by my dad's incomprehensible tricks, which was very different from his usual seriousness. Now I suddenly heard this nickname that I kept secret, and the hair on my body stood up, and I almost exploded on the spot. But after seeing my dad's eyes that looked like a cannibal, I was scared again and walked to my dad very sensibly.
"Kneel down!"
My father said to me expressionlessly: "First, kowtow three times to this Taoist priest!"
Originally, Zhang Daoxuan was also confused by my father, but at this moment, his eyes suddenly became deep, and he raised his hand to say something.
My father pressed down Zhang Daoxuan's hand with one hand, and the butcher knife in the other hand was placed on my neck at lightning speed, and said coldly: "Kneel down, kowtow!"
My legs trembled, and I really knelt down. There was no way, I was used to it, and I had a shadow since I was a child...
However, my father seemed to be worried that I would not kowtow. He pinched my neck, pressed my head and hit it to the ground. With a "bang", my head was buzzing and tears came out.
This is not kowtow, this is murder.
The moment I looked up, I saw Zhang Xinya looked at me and raised three fingers. I understood what she meant - feel sorry for me for three seconds.
Seeing my dad pressing my head and about to hit it on the ground, Zhang Daoxuan finally shook off my dad's hand and sighed: "Why are you doing this?"
My dad raised his head and smiled: "What? You don't like this kid?"
Zhang Daoxuan pursed his thin lips and said after a long time: "Although the blood in my bones has not been extinguished, but... I am too cowardly on weekdays."
"That's just dislike!"
My dad smiled even more brightly: "It doesn't matter, I know that your Taoist sect accepts disciples based on fate, and I won't force you. You have your ideas and I have my own way. Anyway, you have entered this door today and you have to watch this show. You can refuse, or I can knock this brat to death in front of you, and then cut his neck with a knife..."
Accept a disciple! ?
At this time, I finally understood what my dad was going to do. It turned out that he wanted me to worship Zhang Daoxuan as my master!
"You are forcing me."
Zhang Daoxuan turned his face away gently: "Why is it so?"
"Of course it is, we are just a group of lonely ghosts, we have long lost our skills and become the lowest class, but we still have to open such a small shop, isn't it because we are unwilling to accept it?"
My father was still smiling, but tears were flashing in his eyes: "It's not easy to catch a person like you, you can't bear to see us die, how can we let you go? Come on, kid, kowtow!"
He laughed loudly, pinched my neck and banged me on the ground twice, and for a moment, my forehead was cracked and blood was all over my face.
"Alright!"
Zhang Daoxuan couldn't bear it anymore, so he raised his hand to help me. He looked at my dad and said in a hoarse voice: "You should know that I am a Taoist priest and can't teach ritual officials!"
"It doesn't matter!"
My dad shook his head and said: "At least, he can survive, right? As long as he is alive, there is a chance!"
"How can it be that easy? The implications are too great. I may not be able to protect him. This road is too dangerous!"
Zhang Daoxuan stood with his hands behind his back and sighed: "Time and fate, forget it, since I met him, maybe this is fate. Although this child is a little cowardly and dull, his blood is not dead, and he knows good and evil and is grateful. It suits my appetite. However, I can only do my best. Whether he lives or dies depends on his luck!"
My dad was overjoyed and slapped me on the back of my head and shouted: "Why don't you call me master?!"
I subconsciously glanced at Zhang Daoxuan. He was also looking down at me, with long hair hanging down. His face, unlike anything in the human world, shone brightly in the sun. He was really like a fallen immortal. Moreover, he was smiling at me, very gently.
My heart was warmed, and the word "Master" almost came out of my mouth.
Are you willing?
I asked myself the same question in my heart, and the answer was yes. After a few days of getting along, I had a feeling for Zhang Daoxuan that was almost like a child's admiration. I always felt an endless sense of security around him. It was really appropriate to worship such a person as a teacher. Moreover, I was fascinated by Zhang Daoxuan's carefree life. I was tired of the days of wasting my life guarding a small shabby shop.
However, I felt a little awkward after all. This way of worshipping a master... was really a bit alternative.
I think, in Zhang Daoxuan's heart, I was probably a cheap apprentice!
However, everyone was happy about this incident, especially my dad, who cried and laughed, and even wanted to take Zhang Daoxuan to drink, but was rejected by Zhang Daoxuan.
"We are here for something very important this time, which concerns Jingzhe's life!"
Zhang Daoxuan took my dad to sit down in the yard and briefly told me about my recent experience. Then, he winked at me, and I immediately took out the Tianshi Blade wrapped in coarse cloth from behind.
When my dad saw this thing, his emotions were completely out of control, even worse than when he saw Zhang Daoxuan. For a while, he lowered his head and burst into tears, and his crying sounded like the cry of a night owl.
After a long time, he finally calmed down a little, rubbed the Tianshi Blade in his hand, and his eyes were much gentler than when he looked at my mother. He whispered to Zhang Daoxuan: "Brother, do you still say that we have no chance? The ceremonial officer without the Tianguan Blade is a charlatan, but what about the ceremonial officer with the Tianshi Blade? Moreover, although the child is in danger, he has taken another crucial thing. You should know what these two things together mean! This is fate!"
Zhang Daoxuan's eyes flickered, without responding, and I don't know what he was thinking.
"Let's go, maybe we should talk about these things in another place."
My father stuffed the Tianshi Blade into my arms and took me to the wing room on the left side of the square.
For a moment, my face showed a strange color, because the left wing room is the restricted area of our family. My father said before that it was the place where we worshipped the ancestral tablets. However, even when I was an adult, he never took me in, firmly believing that I was not qualified.
Not only me, but my mother has never been there!
As for him, he would go there every now and then. When I was still living at home, I would often hear my father's low and suppressed sobbing coming from the left wing in the dead of night, like a wounded wolf...
At this time, he was finally going to take me to the ancestral temple?