Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Two
Su Xinghe and Xu Zhu entered the house hand in hand, passed through two wooden walls, saw the old man lying on the ground, stretched out his hand, he was already dead.He had already anticipated this matter, but still couldn't help feeling sad, knelt down and kowtowed, crying: "Master, master, you finally left your disciple!" Xu Zhu thought to himself: "This old man is indeed the master of Senior Su." Su Xinghe stopped his tears and stood up, helped his master's body, leaned on the board wall and sat upright, then supported Xu Zhu, let him also sit leaning against the wall, side by side with the old man's body. Xu Zhu muttered inwardly: "He asked me to sit side by side with the old man's corpse, what did he do? Could it be... Could it be... Do you want me to die with his master?" He couldn't help but feel a chill in his body, he wanted to stand up , but dare not. Su Xinghe's clothes were burnt all over his body, suddenly he knelt down towards Xu Zhu, kowtowed his head, and said: "Su Xinghe, the unworthy disciple of Xiaoyao Sect, pays homage to the new head of our sect." He just said: "This man is really crazy! This man is really crazy!" He quickly knelt down and kowtowed back, saying: "Old senior, if you do this great gift, you will kill this little monk." Su Xinghe said solemnly: "Brother, you are my master's closed disciple, but you are the head of our sect. Even though I am a senior brother, I still want to kowtow to you!" Xu Zhu said: "This... this..." Only then did he realize that Su Xinghe is not crazy, but if he is not, his situation is even more embarrassing, he only complains about the price of pearls. Su Xinghe said: "Junior Brother, you saved my life, and you fulfilled Master's wish. You deserve to be kowtowed by me. Master asked you to worship him as a teacher, and asked you to kowtow nine times. Have you kowtowed?" Xu Zhu said: "I kowtowed my head, but at that time I didn't know that I was an apprentice. I am a disciple of Shaolin School, I can't change into another school." Su Xinghe said: "Of course Master has thought of this move , the old man must have melted away your original kung fu, and passed on your own kung fu. Master has passed on his whole life kung fu to you, right?" Xu Zhu could only nod his head and said: "Yes." Su Xinghe said: "This The gemstone ring sent by the headman to mark is the master removed from his own hand and put it on your hand, isn't it?" Xu Zhu said: "Yes! But... But I really don't know what it is The master's mark." Su Xinghe sat cross-legged on the ground, and said: "Junior brother, your blessings are extremely profound. Ding Chunqiu and I wanted this gemstone ring for decades, but we still couldn't get it, but you were favored by the master within an hour. " Xu Zhu hurriedly took off the ring and handed it over, said: "Senior, just take it, this ring is useless for this little monk." Su Xinghe didn't answer, his face darkened, and said: "Junior Brother, you were entrusted by Master when he was dying, how can you shirk your responsibility? Master gave you the ring to get rid of Mie Ding Chunqiu, right?" Xu Zhu said: "That's right. But the little monk's skills are shallow, how can he take on this important task?" Su Xinghe sighed, put the gemstone ring back on Xu Zhu's finger, and said: "Junior brother, you don't know much about the whole story, so I will briefly explain it to you. This school is called the Xiaoyao School, and the rules have always been, the head of the school It doesn’t necessarily have to be the senior disciple, whoever has the strongest martial arts among the disciples will be the head of the sect.” Xu Zhu said: "Yes, yes, but the martial arts of the young monk are extremely poor." Su Xinghe ignored his interruption, and said: "There are three fellow disciples of our master, and the master ranks second, but his martial arts is stronger than our martial uncle, so he is the head of the sect. Later, the master accepted me and Ding Chunqiu As a disciple, the master set a rule, he learned a lot of miscellaneous things, whoever wants to be the head of the sect has to compete in various skills, not only martial arts, but also piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. I'm sorry about the matter of Master, but unexpectedly Er suddenly plotted, knocked Master down a deep valley, and severely injured me." Xu Zhu had heard Xue Muhua talk about some of the reasons in the cellar of Xuejiazhuang, but he never expected that this matter would fall on him, he could only secretly complain in his heart, and said by the way: "Benefactor Ding didn't kill you at that time .” Su Xinghe said: "Don't think that he still has the kindness to save my life. First, he can't break through the five elements, eight trigrams, and Qimen Dunjia that I have set up for a while; second, I said to him: 'Ding Chunqiu' , you plotted against Master, and your martial arts are better than mine, but you can't touch the most profound kung fu of the Xiaoyao School. Do you want to read the scripture "Northern Underworld Divine Art"? "Lingbo Weibu" Do you want to learn Qinggong? What about "Six Yang Palms of Tianshan Mountain"? "They are all the best martial arts of our school. Even our master didn't learn a lot of kung fu because of his miscellaneous tasks. When Ding Chunqiu heard it, his whole body trembled with joy, and said: 'You hand over these martial arts secrets. If you come out, I will spare your life today." I said: "How can I have such a secret book? But I know where the master keeps the secret book. If you want to kill me, just do it." Ding Chunqiu said: "Of course the secret book is It's beside Xingxiu Sea, don't I know?' I said, "That's right, it's indeed beside Xingxiu Sea. If you have the ability, go find it yourself." He pondered for a while, knowing that there are hundreds of miles around Xingxiu Sea, and there are several small books. I don't know where the secret book is hidden, it's really hard to find, so he said: "Okay, I won't kill you. But from now on, you must pretend to be deaf and dumb, and you must not reveal the secrets of our sect." "Why didn't he kill me? He just wants to keep me alive so that he can extract a confession. Otherwise, after killing me, no one in the world will know where these secret books are. These martial arts secret books are not actually in Xingxiu Sea, they have always been scattered In the hands of the uncle, master, and uncle. Ding Chunqiu settled down by the Xingxiu Sea, turned over almost every stone, and naturally did not find the secret book of magic skills. Several times he came to trouble me, and he gave me civil organs, Qimen Dunjia and other alchemy techniques avoided it. This time he wanted to ask me again, but he saw no hope, and I broke the oath again, so he wanted to kill me to vent his anger." Xu Zhu said: "Fortunately, senior..." Su Xinghe said: "You are the head of our sect, why do you call me senior, you should call me Shige." Xu Zhu thought to himself: "This matter is extremely troublesome, I don't know how long it will be clear." Then he said: "Are you my senior brother, let's not say for now, even if you are really a senior brother, you are still a 'senior'." Su Xinghe nodded and said: "It makes sense. Fortunately, what am I?" Xu Zhu said : "Fortunately, senior endured so hard and recharged his energy, until the last moment, he launched a surprise attack, causing this XingXiu boss to go away in defeat." Su Xinghe waved his hands again and again, and said: "Junior brother, this is your fault. It was you who came to help me with the miraculous skills taught by the master and saved my life. How can you be humble and deny it? You and I are brothers from the same sect. The position of the head has been decided, and you saved my life, so I will not covet your position as the head anyway. You will never see outsiders again from now on." Xu Zhu was very surprised, said: "When did I help you? When it comes to saving lives, it's even more impossible to talk about." Su Xinghe thought for a while, and said: "Perhaps you didn't mean it, and I don't know. In short, your palm Put it on my vest, and pass on my sect's miraculous skills, so that I can turn defeat into victory." Xu Zhu said: "Oh, so that's the case. It was your master who saved your life, not me." Su Xinghe said : "I said it was Master who saved me with your hands, you have to admit it?" Xu Zhu had no choice but to nod his head and said: "Since you told me to admit this favor, I will admit it. " Su Xinghe said again: "Just now you were so powerful, you caught Ding Chunqiu by surprise, and then you scared him away. If it's a real fight, you and I are still no match for him. To kill Ding Chunqiu, the first thing is to do. The internal force must be stronger than him, and the second is to be good at using the excellent martial arts of the sect, such as 'Tianshan Liuyang Palm', 'Tianshan Zhemeishou', etc. The combination of martial arts and internal force can produce great power. I Because I have too much to do and do not concentrate on martial arts, my martial arts cultivation is not as good as Ding Chunqiu's. Otherwise, the master only needs to inject internal energy into me, and I will be able to deal with this traitor. Furthermore, I have a martial uncle, Her internal strength and martial arts are not low, somehow, she was bewitched by Ding Chunqiu, and joined forces with him to deal with my master. This uncle likes handsome and handsome boys, Ding Chunqiu was young and handsome back then, so he won my uncle's favor. Ding Chunqiu has some martial arts, such as 'Little Formless Kung Fu', which he learned from this uncle. If we attack Ding Chunqiu, and this uncle helps him with all his strength, it will be very difficult to get rid of him. In the past thirty years, Master and I tried every means, but we couldn't find someone to inherit Master's martial arts. Seeing that Master is getting old, it is even more difficult to find this successor. Not only must he be extremely enlightened, but he must also be a handsome and handsome young man..." Xu Zhu said: "Young monk looks ugly, definitely not qualified to be the successor of respecting the master. Senior, you go find a handsome and handsome young man, I will give him the magic skill of respecting the master, that's all." Su Xinghe was stunned, and said: "The magical skills of this school are connected with the heart, qi and blood. The gong exists in people, and the gong disappears and dies. Master passed away after passing on your magical skills. Didn't you see it?" Xu Zhu stomped his feet repeatedly, said: "What should I do? It made me miss the important matter of respecting my master and senior." Su Xinghe said: "Brother, this is the burden on your shoulders. Master set up this chess game to test the comprehension of others. This Zhenlong is really too difficult. I have been thinking hard for decades, but I still can't solve it." Open, as long as the younger brother can untie it, the four words 'enlightenment is extremely high', that is appropriate." Xu Zhu smiled wryly: "The same is inappropriate. This Zhenlong, I didn't solve it by myself at all." Then he told how his master uncle Xuannan transmitted the sound into the secret and secretly instructed him. Su Xinghe was skeptical, and said: "Look at Master Xuannan's expression, he has already been poisoned by Ding Chunqiu, his magical skills have long been dispelled, and it is not likely that he will be able to use the 'sound transmission into secret' kung fu again." He paused, and then He said: "But the Shaolin School is the orthodox school of martial arts in the world. It's unknown if Master Xuannan is trying to be mysterious. That's beyond what I, a frog in a well, can see. Junior brother, I'll send people to spread letters everywhere, and invite the world's top Go masters to come and explain this treasure." , anyone who likes chess, if they know that there is such a chess club, they will come here for anything. It's just that they are too old, and their appearance... this... this one is not very handsome, and he is not from the martial arts. I command There is no need to invite. Mr. Gusu Murong's face is like a crown of jade, and he is omnipotent in martial arts, so he was the best candidate, but he failed to untie it." Xu Zhu said: "Yes, Mr. Murong is a hundred times stronger than me. There is also Mr. Duan from the Duan family in Dali, he is also a handsome Mr. Jia." Su Xinghe said: "Oh, I don't need to mention this matter. I have heard that Duan Zhengchun, the Southern King of Dali Kingdom, is good at the magical skill of yang finger, and the most rare thing is that he is romantic and suave. He was fascinated and couldn't help it. He was a first-class talent. I sent several disciples to Dali to invite him, but he was not in Dali. son." Xu Zhu smiled slightly, said: "Mr. Duan's eyes are straight, he only fixes his eyes on Miss Wang." Su Xinghe shook his head and said: "Sigh, sigh! Duan Zhengchun is promiscuous, known as the number one wandering son in the martial arts world, and the son he gave birth to is nothing like him. Miss Wang completely ignored him, she was really mad!" Xu Zhu said: "Mr. Duan is deeply in love, he should be better than a vagabond, how can senior say 'sigh'?" Su Xinghe said: "He is smart and stupid, he has no means to deal with women, we can't use him. Xu Zhu said: "Yes!" He was secretly happy: "You want to find a beautiful young man to please women, that's fine, no matter what, you will never find me, an ugly monk like me." Su Xinghe asked: "Did Master tell you to find someone? Or gave you a map or something?" Xu Zhu was stunned, felt that something was wrong, he wanted to deny it, but he was taught by eminent monks in Shaolin Temple since he was young, not to tell lies, what's more, he had received the precepts of monks, "lying" is a great precept, he said earnestly: "This... this……" Su Xinghe said: "You are the head of the sect, if you ask me something, I have to answer it, otherwise you will kill me immediately. But if I ask you something, you can answer it as you like, or call me if you don't like it." Don't ask a lot of nonsense." When Su Xinghe said this, Xu Zhu couldn't hide it, he waved his hands repeatedly and said: "How can I be arrogant to you? Senior, your master handed this to me." He took out the scroll from his bosom, he saw Su Xinghe's body Shrinking back, with a respectful expression, he didn't dare to reach out to take it, so he opened it by himself. As soon as the scroll was unrolled, the two of them froze at the same time, and said "Hey" at the same time. It turned out that what was drawn in the scroll was neither geographical figures nor landscapes, but a beautiful girl in palace attire. Xu Zhu said: "So it's that Miss Wang outside." But this scroll is yellow and old, at least thirty or forty years old, and the blue and ink colors in the picture are also quite peeling off. It is obviously an old painting, and Wang Yuyan is much older than Wang Yuyan anyway. It is incredible that she could have been painted decades or even centuries ago.The brushstrokes in the picture are neat and neat, but lively and flowing. The people in the painting are lifelike and lively, just like Wang Yuyan is shrunk, flattened, and put into the painting. Xu Zhu was amazed, when he looked at Su Xinghe, he saw him stretching out his right hand finger, imitating the brush strokes stroke by stroke, he admired for a long time, then he suddenly woke up from a dream, and said: "Junior brother, please don't be offended, little one My brother's bad temper broke out, and as soon as I saw Master's wonderful painting brush, I wanted to learn it again. Alas, I can't eat too much, I want to learn everything, but in the end I can't achieve anything, and I failed so badly in Ding Chunqiu's hands." Said He hurriedly rolled up the scroll and handed it back to Xu Zhu, fearing that if he looked at it for a while, he would be fascinated by the brush and ink in the painting.He closed his eyes and calmed down, then shook his head vigorously, as if he wanted to expel the brush and ink that he had read just now from his mind. After a while, he opened his eyes and asked, "When Master gave you this scroll, what did you say?" Xu Zhu said: "He said that although my internal strength is higher than Ding Chunqiu's, my martial arts are not enough to punish this person, I must use this scroll to go to Wuliang Mountain in Dali, and find what he hid back then. There are a large number of martial arts classics, and then learn martial arts. But I probably won’t be able to learn it by myself, so I have to ask another woman for advice. He said that the painting on the scroll is the place where he enjoyed a lot of happiness in the past, so it should be famous mountains and rivers or a quiet place , why did it become the portrait of Miss Wang? Could it be that he took the wrong scroll?" Su Xinghe said: "Master's actions are unpredictable, you will naturally understand when the time comes. Sigh, can you still be so young and beautiful now? Is there really a 'Changchun Kungfu of Immortality' in the world? In short, you must obey your master's orders and try your best. Go learn kung fu well and get rid of Ding Chunqiu." Xu Zhu muttered: "This... this... the young monk is a disciple of Shaolin, he must go back to the temple to report his orders. After arriving in the temple, he will practice meditation, worship the Buddha and chant sutras, and he will never come out again." Su Xinghe was shocked, jumped up, burst into tears, knelt down in front of Xu Zhu, kowtowed like garlic, and said: "Sect Master, if you don't obey Master's last instruction, isn't his death in vain?" Xu Zhu also knelt down, bowed to him, and said: "The little monk entered the Buddhist sect, refrained from anger and killing, previously promised the revered master to get rid of Ding Chunqiu, thinking about it now is always inappropriate. The Shaolin sect's rules are very strict, no matter what the little monk Why don't you dare to change into another faction and do anything wrong." No matter whether Su Xinghe cried and begged, used metaphors to enlighten him, or even threatened and coerced him, Xu Zhu would never agree. There was nothing Su Xinghe could do, sad and desperate, he said to the master's body: "Master, the head of the sect refuses to obey your last order, and the disciple is powerless, determined to go with you." On the lower foot, he swooped down from mid-air and knocked the Tianling Gai onto the stone floor. Xu Zhu screamed: "I can't do it!" and hugged him.At this moment, not only his inner strength is strong, but also his hands and feet are more agile than before, after hugging him, Su Xinghe can't move immediately. Su Xinghe said: "Why don't you allow me to commit suicide?" Xu Zhu said: "Being a monk is based on compassion, so I naturally can't bear to see you die." Su Xinghe said: "You let me go, I definitely don't want to live anymore." Xu Zhu said "I won't let you go!" Su Xinghe said: "Don't tell me you will never let me go forever?" Xu Zhu thought this is not bad, so he turned his body upside down, put his head up and his feet down, and said: "Okay, I will let you go, but you are not allowed to commit suicide." Su Xinghe had an idea, and said: "You won't allow me to commit suicide? That's right, I should obey the order of the master. Miaoji, master, you finally agreed to be the master of this sect!" Xu Zhu shook his head and said: "I didn't agree. Where did I agree?" Su Xinghe laughed, and said: "Master, it's useless for you to go back on your word. You have issued orders to me, and I have obeyed your orders. I will never dare to commit suicide again. I, Mr. Congbian, Su Xinghe Who is it? Apart from obeying the words of the head of the sect, who dares to issue orders to me? You might as well ask Master Xuannan of the Shaolin sect, even the Abbot Xuanci of the Shaolin Temple would not dare to order me How am I." The deaf-mute old man is well-known in Jianghu, Xu Zhu had heard his uncle Master XuanNan said on the way, Su Xinghe said that no one dared to give orders to him, it was not in vain.Xu Zhu said: "I'm not daring to tell you what to do, just to advise you to cherish your life, that's also a good intention." Su Xinghe said: "I dare not come here to ask you whether you have good intentions or malicious intentions. If you tell me to die, I will die immediately; if you tell me to live, I dare not stop living. This order of life and death is the best in the world. The great authority. If you are not my head, how can you kill me and make me live?" Xu Zhu couldn't argue, he said: "Since that's the case, what I said just now is considered wrong, I just cancel it." Su Xinghe said: "If you cancel the order 'Don't allow me to commit suicide', then you will tell me to commit suicide. Follow the order, I will commit suicide immediately." His method of committing suicide is very strange, he jumped up again, his head and feet on the ground Swoop down to the stone slab. Xu Zhu hurriedly hugged him tightly again, and said: "No way! I didn't tell you to commit suicide!" Su Xinghe said: "Yes, you don't allow me to commit suicide. Please follow the orders of the master." Xu Zhu general He put his body back, scratched his bald head, and was speechless. Su Xinghe is known as "Mr. Congbian", this nickname is not for nothing, he is eloquent, although he has been silent for thirty years, now he uses his lips and tongue again, he is still eloquent.Xu Zhu is young and simple in nature, he never argues with his brothers in the temple, how can he be Su Xinghe's opponent?Xu Zhu felt in his heart that "repealing the order not to allow him to commit suicide" is not the same as "telling him to commit suicide", and "not telling him to commit suicide" is not the same as "not allowing him to commit suicide".It's just that Su Xinghe is eloquent, preempting every sentence, Xu Zhu has never learned the "Yin Ming" debate technique in Buddhism, so he has no way to argue, he stayed for a while, then sighed: "Senior, I can't argue with you. But If you want me to change into your sect, it will be difficult to obey after all." Su Xinghe said: "When we came in, what did Master Xuannan tell you? Do you have to obey what Master Xuannan said?" Xu Zhu was stunned, and said: "Master uncle called me... called me... called me You are the Lord." Su Xinghe was very proud, and said: "Yes, Master Xuannan told you to listen to my words. My words are: You should obey our master's last order and be the head of our sect. You don’t have to pay attention to the words of the high-ranking monks. So, if you obey Master Xuannan, you are the head of the Xiaoyao Sect; if you don’t obey Master Xuannan, you are also the head of the Xiaoyao Sect. Because only you did it Only the head of Xiaoyao Sect can ignore Master Xuannan's words, otherwise, why don't you listen to Master Uncle's orders?" This argument, Xu Zhu heard every sentence makes sense, but he was speechless for a while . Su Xinghe said again: "Junior Brother, Master Xuannan and several other monks of Shaolin School have all been poisoned by Ding Chunqiu. If you don't rescue them, your lives will be in danger. In today's world, only you can save them. As for To save or not to save is entirely up to you.” Xu Zhu said: "It is true that my senior uncle was murdered by Ding ChunQiu, several other senior uncles were also injured, but... but my skills are low, how can I save them?" Su Xinghe smiled slightly, and said: "Junior brother, our sect is not only good at martial arts, medicine, divination, astrology, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, all kinds of learning. You have a nephew Xue Muhua, who only knows a little bit about medicine , people in the world are actually called "Master Xue" and got a nickname "Yan Wangdi". Wouldn't it make people's mouths crooked? Master Xuannan is Ding Chunqiu's "Huagong Dafa", and the square-faced master is for The man in the iron mask was wounded with the 'Ice Silkworm Palm', the tall and thin master was kicked three inches below the left side by Ding Chunqiu, hurting the meridians..." Su Xinghe eloquently told everyone's injuries and reasons.Xu Zhu was greatly amazed, said: "Senior, I saw you were concentrating on the chess game, you didn't look at them more, and you didn't go to treat the injured, how could you know so clearly?" Su Xinghe said: "Injuries due to fighting in martial arts competitions are obvious at a glance, and there is nothing easy to see. Only natural weakness, wind evil, typhoid and damp heat are difficult to diagnose. Junior brother, you have been a master for more than seventy years. Divine skills, using them to heal wounds and diseases, can be said to be beneficial. Master Xuannan’s meridians were poisoned, it is indeed not easy to restore his lost skills, but it is only a matter of effort for him to recover from injuries and save his life.” What will happen now? Taught him the method of pushing acupuncture points for luck and dispelling cold poison; he also gave him detailed instructions on what kind of method should be used to treat Xuannan and what kind of method should be used to treat storm and evil. Xu Zhu firmly memorized the technique taught by Su Xinghe, but he only knew it but didn't know why. Su Xinghe saw that he was correct in the audition, smiled and praised: "The master has a very good memory, he can learn it as soon as he learns it." Xu Zhu saw that his smile was quite secretive, he seemed to have some malicious intentions, he couldn't help being suspicious, and asked: "Why are you laughing?" Su Xinghe immediately became solemn, bowed respectfully, and said: "Brother don't dare to laugh, if you don't If you are disrespectful, please forgive me." Xu Zhu was eager to heal everyone's injuries, so he stopped asking, and said: "Let's go outside and have a look!" Su Xinghe said: "Yes!" Followed Xu Zhu After that, go outside the house.
I saw a group of injured people sitting cross-legged on the ground, closing their eyes and resting their minds.Murong Fu used his internal energy subtly to relieve the pain of Bao BuTong and Feng BoE.Wang Yuyan was bandaging Gongye's wound.Xue Muhua was sweating profusely, running back and forth, when he saw someone in danger, he rushed to treat him, but when this person became calm for a while, someone on the other side yelled again.他见苏星河出来,心下大慰,奔过来道:“师父,你老人家快给想想法子。” 虚竹走到玄难身前,见他闭眼运功,便垂手侍立,不敢开口。玄难缓缓睁开眼来,轻叹一声,说道:“你师伯祖无能,惨遭丁春秋毒手,折了本派威名,当真惭愧之极。你回去向方丈禀报,便说我……说我和你玄痛师叔祖,都无颜回寺了。” 虚竹往昔见到这位师伯祖,总是见他道貌庄严,不怒自威,对之不敢逼视,此刻却见他神色黯然,一副英雄末路的凄凉之态,他如此说,更有自寻了断之意,忙道:“师伯祖,你老人家不必难过。咱们习武之人,须无嗔怒心,无争竞心,无胜败心,无得失心……”顺口而出,竟将师父平日告诫他的话,转而向师伯祖说了起来,待得省觉不对,急忙住口,但已说了好几句。 玄难微微一笑,叹道:“话是不错,但你师伯祖内力既失,禅定之力也没有了。” 虚竹道:“是,是。徒孙不知轻重,胡说八道。”正想出手替他治伤,蓦地里想起苏星河诡秘的笑容,心中一惊:“他教我伸掌拍击师伯祖的天灵盖要穴,怎知他不是故意害人?万一我一掌拍下,竟将功力已失的师伯祖打死了,那便如何是好?” 玄难道:“你向方丈禀报,本寺来日大难,务当加意戒备。一路上小心在意,你天性淳厚,持戒与禅定两道,那是不必担心的,今后要多在'慧'字上下功夫,四卷《楞伽经》该当用心研读。唉,只可惜你师伯祖不能好好指点你了。” 虚竹道:“是,是。”听他对自己甚为关怀,心下感激,又道:“师伯祖,本寺既有大难,更须你老人家保重身子,回寺协助方丈,共御大敌。”玄难脸现苦笑,说道:“我……我中了丁春秋的'化功大法',已成废人,哪里还能协助方丈,共御大敌?”虚竹道:“师伯祖,聪辩先生教了弟子一套疗伤之法,弟子不自量力,想给慧方师伯试试,请师伯祖许可。” 玄难微感诧异,心想聋哑老人是薛神医的师父,所传的医疗之法定然有些道理,不知何以他自己不出手,也不叫薛慕华施治,便道:“聪辩先生所授,自是十分高明的了。”说着向苏星河望了一眼,对虚竹道:“那你就照试吧。” 虚竹走到慧方身前,躬身道:“师伯,弟子奉师伯祖法谕,给师伯疗伤,得罪莫怪。”慧方微笑点头。虚竹依着苏星河所教方法,在慧方左胁下小心摸准了部位,右手反掌击出,打在他左胁之下。 慧方“哼”的一声,身子摇晃,只觉胁下似乎穿了一孔,全身鲜血精气,源源不绝地从这孔中流出,霎时之间,全身只觉空荡荡的,似乎皆无所依,但游坦之寒冰毒掌所引起的麻痒酸痛,顷刻间便已消除。虚竹这疗伤之法,并不是以内力助他驱除寒毒,而是以修积七十余年的“北冥真气”在他胁下一击,开了一道宣泄寒毒的口子。便如有人为毒蛇所咬,便割破伤口,挤出毒液一般。只是这门“气刀割体”之法,部位错了固然不行,倘若真气内力不足,一击之力不能直透经脉,则毒气非但宣泄不出,反而更逼进脏腑,病人立即毙命。 虚竹一掌击出,心中惊疑不定,见慧方的身子由摇晃而稳定,脸上闭目蹙眉的痛楚神色渐渐变为舒畅轻松,其实只片刻间之事,在他却如过了好几个时辰一般。 又过片刻,慧方舒了口气,微笑道:“好师侄,这一掌的力道可不小啊。” 虚竹大喜,说道:“不敢。”回头向玄难道:“师伯祖,其余几位师伯叔,弟子也去施治一下,好不好?” 玄难这时也满脸喜容,但摇头道:“不!你先治别家前辈,再治自己人。” 虚竹心中一凛,忙道:“是!”寻思:“先人后己,才是我佛大慈大悲、救度众生的本怀。”见包不同身子剧战,牙齿互击,格格作响,当即走到他身前,说道:“包三先生,聪辩先生教了小僧一个治疗寒毒的法门,小僧今日初学,难以精熟,这就给包三先生施治。失敬之处,还请原谅。”说着摸摸包不同胸口。 包不同笑道:“你干什么?”虚竹提起右掌,砰的一声,打在他胸口。包不同大怒,骂道:“臭和……”这“尚”字还没出口,突觉纠缠着他多日不去的寒毒,竟迅速异常地从胸口受击处涌了出去,这个“尚”字便咽在肚里,再也不骂出去了。 虚竹给诸人泄去游坦之的冰蚕寒毒,再去治疗中了丁春秋毒手之人。那些人有的是给“化功大法”在经脉中注入毒质,虚竹在其天灵盖“百会穴”或心口“灵台穴”击以一掌,固本培元,让其自解经脉中所染毒质;有的是为内力所伤,虚竹以手指刺穴,化去星宿派的内力。总算他记心甚好,于苏星河所授的诸般不同医疗法门,居然记得清清楚楚,依人而施,只一顿饭时分,便将各人身上所感的痛楚尽数解除。受治之人固心下感激,旁观者也对聋哑老人的神术佩服已极,但想他是薛神医的师父,倒也不以为奇。 最后虚竹走到玄难身前,躬身道:“师伯祖,弟子斗胆,要在师伯祖'百会穴'上拍击一掌。” 玄难微笑道:“你得聪辩先生青眼,居然学会了如此巧妙的疗伤本事,福缘着实不小,你尽管在我'百会穴'上拍击便是。” 虚竹躬身道:“如此弟子放肆了!”当他在少林寺之时,每次见到玄难,都只远远望见,偶尔玄难聚集众僧,讲解少林派武功心法,虚竹也是随众侍立,从未和他对答说话,这次要他出掌拍击玄难的天灵盖,虽说是为了疗伤,毕竟心下惴惴,又见他笑得颇为奇特,不知是何用意,定了定神,又说一句:“弟子冒犯,请师伯祖恕罪!”深深打躬,这才走上一步,提掌对准玄难的“百会穴”,不轻不重,不徐不疾,挥掌拍落。 虚竹手掌刚碰到玄难的脑门,玄难脸上忽现古怪笑容,跟着“啊”的一声长呼,突然身子瘫软,扭动了几下,俯伏在地,一动也不动了。 旁观众人齐声惊呼,虚竹更吓得心中怦怦乱跳,急忙抢上前去,扶起玄难。慧方等诸僧也一齐赶到。看玄难时,只见他脸现笑容,但呼吸已停,竟已毙命。虚竹惊叫:“师伯祖,师伯祖!你怎么了?” 忽听得苏星河叫道:“是谁?站住!”从东南角上疾蹿而至,说道:“有人在后暗算,这人身法好快,竟没能看清楚是谁?”抓起玄难手脉,皱眉道:“玄难大师功力已失,在旁人暗算下,全无抵御之力,竟尔圆寂了。”突然间微微一笑,神色古怪。 虚竹脑中混乱一片,只哭叫:“师伯祖,师伯祖,你……你怎么会……”蓦地想起苏星河在木屋中诡秘的笑容,怒道:“聪辩先生,你从实说来,到底我师伯祖如何会死?这不是你有意陷害么?” 苏星河双膝跪地,说道:“启禀掌门人,苏星河决不敢陷掌门人于不义。玄难大师突然圆寂,确是有人暗中加害。”虚竹道:“你在那木屋中古里古怪的好笑,那是什么缘故?”苏星河惊道:“我笑了么?我笑了么?掌门人,你可得千万小心,有人……”一句话没说完,突然住口,脸上又现出诡秘之极的笑容。 薛慕华大叫:“师父!”忙从怀中取出一瓶解毒药丸,急速拔开瓶塞,倒了三粒药丸在手,塞入苏星河口中。但苏星河早已气绝,解毒药丸停在他口里,再难咽下。薛慕华放声大哭,说道:“师父给丁春秋下毒害死了,丁春秋这恶贼……”说到这里,已泣不成声。 康广陵扑向苏星河身上,薛慕华忙抓住他后心,奋力拉开,哭道:“师父身上有毒。”范百龄、苟读、吴领军、冯阿三、李傀儡、石清风等八名弟子一齐围在苏星河身旁,无不又悲又怒。
康广陵跟随苏星河日久,深悉本门规矩,初时见师父向虚竹跪倒,口称“掌门人”,已猜中了八九成,再凝神向他手指审视,果见戴着一枚宝石指环,便道:“众位师弟,随我参见本派新任掌门师叔。”说着在虚竹面前跪倒,磕下头去。范百龄等一怔,均即省悟,便也跟着磕头。 虚竹心乱如麻,说道:“丁……丁春秋那个奸贼施主,害死我师伯祖,又害死了你们的师父。” 康广陵道:“报仇诛奸,全凭掌门师叔主持大计。” 虚竹是个从未见过世面的小和尚,说到武功见识,名位声望,眼前这些人个个远在他之上,心中只想:“非为师伯祖复仇不可,非为聪辩先生复仇不可,非为屋中的老人复仇不可!”大声叫了出来:“非杀丁春秋……丁春秋这恶人……这恶贼施主不可。” 康广陵又磕下头去,说道:“掌门师叔答允诛奸,为我等师父报仇,众师侄深感掌门师叔的大恩大德。”范百龄、薛慕华等也一起磕头。虚竹忙跪下还礼,道:“不敢,不敢,众位请起。”康广陵道:“师叔,小侄有事禀告,此处人多不便,请到屋中,由小侄面陈。”虚竹道:“好!”站起身来。众人也都站起。 虚竹跟着康广陵,正要走入木屋中,范百龄道:“且慢!师父在这屋内中了丁老贼的毒手,掌门师叔和大师兄还是别再进去的好,这老贼诡计多端,防不胜防。”康广陵点头道:“此言甚是!掌门师叔万金之体,不能再冒此险。”薛慕华道:“两位便在此处说话好了。咱们四边察看,以防老贼再使诡计。”说着首先走开,其余冯阿三、吴领军等也都走到十余丈外。 慕容复、邓百川等见他们自己本派的弟子都远远避开,也都走向一旁。鸠摩智、段延庆等虽见事情古怪,但事不干己,径自分别离去。 康广陵道:“师叔……”虚竹道:“我不是你师叔,也不是你们的什么掌门人,我是少林寺的和尚,跟你们'逍遥派'全不相干。”康广陵道:“师叔,你怎能不认?'逍遥派'的名字,若非本门中人,外人是决计听不到的。倘若旁人有意或无意地听了去,本门的规矩是立杀无赦。”虚竹打了个寒噤,心道:“这规矩太也邪门。如此一来,倘若我不答应投入他们的门派,他们便要杀我了?” 康广陵又道:“师叔适才为大伙儿治伤的手法,正是本派嫡传内功。师叔如何投入本派,何时得到太师父心传,小侄不敢多问。或许因为师叔破解了太师父的珍珑棋局,我师父依据太师父遗命,代师收徒,代传掌门人职位,亦未可知。总而言之,本派'逍遥神仙环'是戴在师叔手指上,家师临死之时向你磕头,又称你为'掌门人',师叔不必再行推托。推来推去,托来托去,也是没用的。” 虚竹向左右瞧了几眼,见慧方等人正自抬了玄难的尸身走向一旁,又见苏星河的尸身仍直挺挺地跪在地下,脸露诡秘笑容,心中一酸,说道:“这些事情,一时也说不清楚,现下我师伯祖死了,真不知如何是好。老前辈……” 康广陵急忙跪下,说道:“师叔千万不可如此称呼,太也折杀小侄了!”虚竹皱眉道:“好,你快请起。”康广陵这才站起。虚竹道:“老前辈……”他这三字一出口,康广陵又噗的一声跪倒。 虚竹道:“我忘了,不能如此叫你。快请起来。”取出那老人给他的卷轴,展了开来,说道:“你师父叫我凭此卷轴,去设法学习武功,用来诛却丁施主。” 康广陵看了看画中的宫装美女,摇头道:“小侄不明其中道理,师叔还是妥为收藏,别给外人瞧见了。我师父生前既如此说,务请师叔看在我师父份上,依言而行。小侄要禀告师叔的是,家师所中之毒,叫做'三笑逍遥散'。此毒中于无形,中毒之初,脸上现出古怪笑容,中毒者自己却不知道,笑到第三笑,便即气绝身亡。” 虚竹低头道:“说也惭愧,尊师中毒之初,脸上现出古怪笑容,我以小人之心,妄加猜度,还道尊师不怀善意,倘若当时便即坦诚问他,尊师立加救治,便不致到这步田地了。” 康广陵摇头道:“这'三笑逍遥散'一着于身,便难解救。丁老贼所以能横行无忌,这'三笑逍遥散'也是原因之一。人家都知道'化功大法'的名头,只因为中了'化功大法',功力只是暂失,尚能留下一条性命来广为传播,一旦经脉解毒,内力又可运使。但是中了这'三笑逍遥散',却便一瞑不视了。” 虚竹点头道:“这当真歹毒!当时我便站在尊师身旁,没丝毫察觉丁春秋如何下毒,我武功平庸,见识浅薄,这也罢了,可是丁春秋怎么没向我下手,饶过了我一条小命?” 康广陵道:“想来他嫌你本事低微,不屑下毒。掌门师叔,我瞧你年纪轻轻,能有多大本领?治伤疗毒之法虽好,那也是我师父教你的,可算不了什么,丁老怪不会将你瞧在眼里的。”他说到此处,忽然想到,这么说未免不大客气,忙又说道:“掌门师叔,我这么说老实话,或许你会见怪,但就算你要见怪,我还是觉得你武功恐怕不大高明。” 虚竹道:“你说得一点不错,我武功低微之极,丁老贼……罪过罪过,小僧口出恶言,犯了'恶口戒',不似佛门弟子……那丁春秋丁施主确是不屑杀我。” 虚竹心地诚朴,康广陵不通世务,都没想到,丁春秋潜入木屋,听到苏星河正在传授治伤疗毒的法门,岂有对虚竹不加暗算之理?哪有什么见他武功低微、不屑杀害?那“三笑逍遥散”是以内力送毒,弹在对方身上,丁春秋在木屋之中,分别以内力将“三笑逍遥散”弹向苏星河与虚竹,后来又以此加害玄难。苏星河恶战之余,筋疲力竭,玄难内力尽失,两人先后中毒。虚竹却甫得七十余载神功,丁春秋的内力尚未及身,已即反激出来,剧毒尽数加在苏星河身上,虚竹却半点也没染着。丁春秋与人正面对战时不敢擅使“三笑逍遥散”,便因生恐对方内力了得、将剧毒反弹出来之故。 康广陵道:“师叔,这就是你的不是了。逍遥派乃道中之圣,独来独往,那是何等逍遥自在?你是本派掌门,普天下没一个能管得你。你趁早脱了袈裟,留起头发,娶他十七八个姑娘做老婆。还管他什么佛门不佛门?什么恶口戒、善口戒?” 他说一句,虚竹念一句“阿弥陀佛”,待他说完,虚竹道:“在我面前,再也休出这等亵渎我佛的言语。你有话要跟我说,到底要说什么?” 康广陵道:“啊哟,你瞧我真是老糊涂了,说了半天,还没说到正题。掌门师叔,将来你年纪大了,可千万别学上我这毛病才好。糟糕,糟糕,又岔了开去,还是没说到正题,当真该死。掌门师叔,我要求你一件大事,请你恩准。” 虚竹道:“什么事要我准许,那可不敢当了。” 康广陵道:“唉!本门中的大事,若不求掌门人准许,却又求谁去?我们师兄弟八人,当年为师父逐出门墙,那也不是我们犯了什么过失,而是师父怕丁老贼对我们加害,又不忍将我们八人刺聋耳朵、割断舌头,这才出此下策。师父今日是收回成命了,又令我们重入师门,只是没禀明掌门人,没行过大礼,还算不得是本门正式弟子,因此要掌门人金言许诺。否则我们八人到死还是无门无派的孤魂野鬼,在武林中抬不起头来,这滋味可不好受!” 虚竹心想:“这个'逍遥派'掌门人,我是万万不做的,但若不答允他,这老儿不知要纠缠到几时,只有先答允了再说。”便道:“尊师既已准许你们重列门墙,你们自然是回了师门了,还担心什么?” 康广陵大喜,回头大叫:“师弟、师妹,掌门师叔允许咱们重回师门了!” “函谷八友”中其余七人一听,尽皆大喜,当下老二棋迷范百龄、老三书呆子苟读、老四丹青名手吴领军、老五阎王敌薛慕华、老六巧匠冯阿三、老七莳花少妇石清风、老八爱唱戏的李傀儡,一齐过来向掌门师叔叩谢,想起师父不能亲见八人重归师门,又痛哭起来。 虚竹极是尴尬,眼见每一件事情,都是叫自己这个“掌门师叔”的名位深陷一步,敲钉转脚,越来越不易摆脱。自己是名门正宗的少林弟子,却去当什么邪门外道的掌门人,那不是荒唐之极么?眼见范百龄等都喜极而涕,自己若对“掌门人”的名位提出异议,又不免大煞风景,无可奈何之下,只有摇头苦笑。一转头间,只见慕容复、段誉、王语嫣、慧字六僧,以及玄难的遗体都已不见,这岭上松林之中,就只剩下他逍遥派的九人,惊道:“咦!他们都到哪里去了?” 吴领军道:“慕容公子和少林派众高僧见咱们谈论不休,都已各自去了!”
虚竹叫道:“哎唷!”发足追了下去,他要追上慧方等人,同回少林,禀告方丈和自己受业师父;同时内心深处,也颇有“溜之大吉”之意,要摆脱逍遥派群弟子的纠缠。 他疾行了半个时辰,越奔越快,始终没见到慧字六僧。他已得逍遥老人七十余年神功,奔行之速,疾逾骏马,刚一下岭便已过了慧字六僧的头。他只道慧字六僧在前,拚命追赶,殊不知仓促之际,在山坳转角处没见到六僧,几个起落便已远远将他们抛在后面。 虚竹直追到傍晚,仍不见六位师伯叔的踪迹,好生奇怪,猜想是走岔了道,重行回头奔行二十余里,向途人打听,谁都没见到六个和尚。这般来回疾行,居然丝毫不觉疲累,眼看天黑,肚里饿起来了,走到一处镇甸的饭店中,坐下来要了两碗素面。 素面一时未能煮起,虚竹不住向着店外大道东张西望,忽听得身旁一个清朗的声音说道:“和尚,你在等什么人么?”虚竹转过头来,见西首靠窗的座头上坐着个青衫少年,秀眉星目,皮色白净,相貌甚美,约莫十七八岁年纪,正自笑吟吟地望着他。 虚竹道:“正是!请问小相公,你可见到六个和尚么?”那少年道:“没见到六个和尚,一个和尚倒看见的。”虚竹道:“嗯,一个和尚,请问相公在何处见到。”那少年道:“便在这家饭店中见到。” 虚竹心想:“一个和尚,那便不是慧方师伯他们一干人了。但既是僧人,说不定也能打听到一些消息。”问道:“请问相公,那和尚是何等模样?多大年纪?往何方而去?” 那少年微笑道:“这个和尚高额大耳,阔口厚唇,鼻孔朝天,约莫二十三四岁年纪,他是在这饭店之中等吃两碗素面,尚未动身。” 虚竹哈哈一笑,说道:“小相公原来说的是我。”那少年道:“相公便是相公,为什么要加个'小'字?我只叫你和尚,可不叫你做小和尚。”这少年说来声音娇嫩,清脆动听。虚竹道:“是,该当称相公才是。” 说话之间,店伴端上两碗素面。虚竹道: