Chapter 21 Chapter Twenty
The eight extraordinary meridians are Ren, Du, Chong, Dai, Yinwei, Yangwei, Yinqiao and Yangqiao. They are different from the twelve orthodox meridians, and they do not connect to the internal organs. Dodge line.
Leng Xuan moved his "Yin Demon Finger" and followed the "Zhaohai Point" to enter the Yin Qiao Meridian. Le Zhiyang only felt a cold current penetrate into the meridian. At first it was calm, but halfway through, it suddenly became extremely cold Penetrating to the bone, the passage is like thousands of fine needles.What's even more sad is that the finger force squirmed, like a cold and thorny centipede, crawled into the perineum along the navicular bone, lingered for a while, then went up to the neck fossa, passed through the lute bone to the cheekbone, and then passed through The cheekbone enters the eye socket and slowly crawls around the eye socket.
It's just this feeling that is already driving people crazy.Le Zhiyang felt extremely uncomfortable, but his acupoints were restricted, so he couldn't yell, but because of the pain, his skin was distorted, his mouth was broken, and he looked very ferocious.
Leng Xuanmu was expressionless, after a while, he withdrew the finger force on the "Yin Qiao Meridian", and entered the Yang Qiao Meridian from "Shen Mai Point".Le Zhiyang only felt that the centipede crawled into his mouth from his neck, then into his eye sockets from his mouth, circled around in his mind, and then came out from his temple.
Le Zhiyang can't live, and it's hard to die, if he can speak out, he will beg for mercy immediately, and tell the whole story of "Miao Le Ling Fei Jing".Unexpectedly, the old eunuch hated him for ridiculing his own disability, and wanted to make him suffer, so he went to point one by one without haste, insisting on torturing the eight strange scriptures.After tapping the fifth vein, Le Zhiyang had already collapsed, his breath was in and out, and he stared at Leng Xuan, full of pleading.
Seeing his pained appearance, Leng Xuan was very pleased, he moved his fingers and clicked "Chongmai".At this moment, Le Zhiyang has no thoughts about life, but wants to die, but he can't do it, looking at Leng Xuan and pointing, he can only close his eyes and wait for the pain to come.
Just thinking about it, the cold current has penetrated into the meridians, just like in the past, halfway through the walk, it suddenly became extremely cold.Le Zhiyang trembled all over, and was about to cry out, when suddenly he felt a hot current rising from the perineum, penetrated into the lower abdomen, and met the extremely cold current.The hot and cold streams blend together, the cold stream is slow, while the hot stream is like a hibernating serpent. After being hit hard, it suddenly wakes up, becoming thicker and hotter, vigorous and powerful.
Leng Xuan's finger force was blocked, he felt very surprised, he urged his finger force immediately, trying to break away from the obstacle.Le Zhiyang suddenly felt that the cold current became stronger, and suddenly overwhelmed the hot current, the hot current did not want to be outdone, retreated a little, then counterattacked again, it was scorching hot, like a raging fire, the power of his fingers weakened when he interacted with it.
Le Zhiyang was not suffering from the pain of refining the soul, he took a breath, and his mind became clearer. After a little perception, he found that the hot current was exactly the Shaoyang Adverse Qi blocked between Chongmai and Rendu's two meridians , just because I didn't use my internal energy for a long time, I almost forgot about it.This adversity is extremely stubborn. Although Le Zhiyang didn't care about it these days, the adversity is constantly accumulating, like underground lava. When it accumulates to a certain extent, it will inevitably erupt and kill the host.
If it's other true qi, the "Yin Demon Finger" belongs to the qi of Taiyin.Taiyin and Shaoyang generate and restrain each other, and the two true qis meet in the Chongmai, like ice and coal in a furnace, they are bound to restrain each other. The "Yin Demon Finger" is a strong dragon crossing the river. Shaoyang's adversity was greatly frustrated at first, but it was rooted in Le Zhiyang's body, and the follow-up continued. Strong, evenly matched with the "Yin Devil Finger".
Leng Xuan was stubborn by nature. He assassinated Zhu Yuanzhang three times that year, knowing that he was going to die, but he never turned back.When meeting an opponent at this moment, without even thinking about it, he mobilized his true energy to forcefully suppress him.Once Shaoyang's Niqi suffered setbacks, he counterattacked even more. Le Zhiyang's "Lingqu True Qi" that he had practiced hard for two years was also stimulated, continuously turning into Shaoyang Niqi.
The two sides attack and defend back and forth, just like two big snakes, one ice and one fire, fighting each other.At the beginning, the battlefield is inseparable from the "Chongmai", but as the true power becomes stronger, it overflows the Chongmai and gradually flows into the Daimai, Yinweimai, Yangweimai, Yinqiaomai, and Yangqiaomai.After a stalemate for a long while, the six extraordinary scriptures were filled one after another, but Ren and Du's two veins were like a moat, and they couldn't separate their adversity, looking for a way out everywhere.
Leng Xuan became more and more frightened as he fought, and felt that there was something strange in Le Zhiyang's body. Looking at the kid again, his face was blue and red, his eyes were half closed, and his brows were tightly knit together, but it was far less twisted than before. .
Leng Xuan was puzzled, suddenly withdrew his fingers, and shouted sharply: "Boy, what the hell are you doing?" After saying this, remembering that Le Zhiyang couldn't speak, he slapped his dumb acupoint and asked, "Are you convinced?" Dissatisfied?"
As soon as the "Yin Demon Finger" was gone, Adversity Qi gained the upper hand.It was scorching hot, like molten iron juice.
This feeling is also uncomfortable, but compared to the suffering of "Taiyin Refining Soul", it is no less than the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss.Le Zhiyang's obedience disappeared, and his stubbornness reappeared. He said loudly: "So what if you don't accept?" Cheng Paddle Hole".Shaoyang's inverse qi stops at the Chong meridian, and there is no inverse qi entrenched in the Ren meridian, so the previous pain came back suddenly, even though Le Zhiyang was so determined, he couldn't help hissing.Leng Xuan sneered slightly, and said, "Boy, how does this taste?"
Le Zhiyang was about to admit defeat, when he suddenly felt the heat in the "Chongmai" boil.The air-conditioning in Ren Meridian was pulled by some kind, and slowly flowed downwards. The two strands of true energy were like two magnets, attracting each other and getting closer.Suddenly, Ren Du's two veins suddenly opened, and the hot and cold air rushed up and down, and in an instant, ice and fire merged.Le Zhiyang's pain disappeared, and he swallowed the words of begging for mercy.
Leng Xuan was complacent, and suddenly felt the emptiness under his fingers, and his true energy disappeared without a trace.There was a suction in Le Zhiyang's body, which continuously sucked away his finger strength.Leng Xuan was overwhelmed with surprise, and seeing the other party's face became peaceful, he suddenly became angry from embarrassment. Being sucked into it, it turns into Shaoyang Adverse Qi.
In this situation, Leng and Le are confused, but they don't know why.You must know that between the heaven and the earth, the extremes of things must be reversed. There is a saying that "the winter solstice gives birth to a yang" and "the old yin gives birth to the young yang".Le Zhiyang cultivated, he practiced for yang, and practiced for yin, so he played back the "Zhou Tian Ling Fei Song", and a wave of old yin qi was born in the strange scriptures, and the old yin qi entered the "Chongmai", When yin is soft to the extreme, it turns into Shaoyang, and over time, it turns into Shaoyang's adverse qi.The Qi of Shaoyang is not strong enough to break through Ren and Du's two meridians, so it occupies the Chong meridian like a big lock, locking Le Zhiyang's internal energy firmly.
Leng Xuan's "Yin Devil Finger" belongs to the Qi of Taiyin, once it enters the Chongmai, it is immediately attracted by the "Shaoyang Adverse Qi".Old yin gives birth to Shaoyang, which suddenly turns into the energy of Shaoyang, not only can't hurt people, but it is very beneficial.
The strength of the old eunuch's inner strength is definitely not comparable to that of Le Zhiyang, and the finger strength of the "Yin Devil Finger" is far better than Le Zhiyang's self-trained old yin qi.Shaoyang's Ni Qi was nourished, and his momentum became stronger.Although there is no adverse energy in the Ren channel, the Chong and Ren channels are only separated by one acupoint, yin and yang attract each other, and Shaoyang's energy attracts the finger force of the Yin devil, and the upper and lower forces are exerted at the same time, unexpectedly breaking through the Ren and Du two channels in one fell swoop prohibition.
At this point, Leng Xuan couldn't get off the horse. The magic of "Taiyin Refining the Soul" lies in controlling the strength of the fingers, which can torture the opponent without injuring them.If he increased his finger strength, he could certainly defeat the Shaoyang Qi, but it would seriously hurt Le Zhiyang, and he would not be able to explain to Zhu Yuanzhang, but if he took away his finger strength, wouldn't it be cheaper for Le Zhiyang?This kid is cunning and stubborn, if he is not subdued in one go, the "Spirit Dao Stone Fish" will never be able to catch him.
He was conflicted in his heart, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and push his fingers to resist the suction of "Shaoyang Niqi".Ni Qi is like a fish in water, constantly swallowing finger power and turning it into his own.Le Zhi raised his body to be the front, he felt like blowing a rubber ball in his pulse, and gradually swelled up, but when he looked down, his body was in normal condition, the feeling of swelling seemed to be an illusion again.
The "Yin Demon Finger" consumes a lot of qi, even though Leng Xuan has deep internal energy, after a long time, he still feels the dantian is empty.The suction in Le Zhiyang's body was getting stronger and stronger, like spinning and reeling thread, continuously sucking away his finger power.Leng Xuan couldn't bear it anymore, let out a deep drink, and suddenly threw away his fingers.
"Shaoyang Adversity Qi" originally confronted "Yin Demon Finger", suddenly lost its opponent, and immediately turned into a torrent, rushing into Ren Du's second channel.
Le Zhiyang was shaken all over, the gate valve in his body suddenly opened, his true energy was like a lake full of water, broke through the embankment, passed through Ren Du's two veins, and injected countercurrent into the Twelve Zhengjing.In an instant, the energy of the whole body reversed, just like the tide of the Qiantang River, entering the river from the sea, galloping wildly, as fast as a galloping horse, with turbid waves surging to the sky.
Leng Xuan watched, but saw that Le Zhiyang's eyes were closed, his expression was painful, there seemed to be flames flowing under his skin, and a scorching air emanated from his body, which could be felt even a few feet away.The old eunuch felt something was wrong, so he stretched out his hand to feel his pulse, just as he held his wrist, he felt a potential under the skin, hot and strong, almost shaking his fingers away.Leng Xuan increased his strength a little bit, just now to subdue this undercurrent, after a little exploration, he couldn't help but be astonished.I thought: "True Qi goes against the pulse, only the 'Yin Yiyang Art' of Liang Xiao in the 'West Kunlun' can do it. Could it be that this kid has practiced this extraordinary skill? Turning Yin and Yang, turning the world upside down , no wonder it can compete with Taiyin Soul Refining." Thinking of this, he felt a little relieved, "Forget it, losing to the unrivaled magic of West Kunlun, Leng is not very embarrassing."
Just as he was thinking, Le Zhiyang suddenly opened his mouth and let out a sound of "ahhh", the breath from his mouth was scorching like fire, and blood oozed from his eyes, ears, mouth and nose.
Leng Xuan frowned, and checked his pulse again, but he felt that Le Zhiyang's true qi was rushing randomly, which seemed to be a sign of hyperactivity of yang and the disappearance of his pulse.It turns out that true qi goes retrograde without hindrance, and the shaoyang qi loses its restraint and gradually turns into the appearance of old yang.The so-called "excessive dragon has regrets", if there is no means to "transform old yang into less yin", if the yang is extremely hyperactive, the essence and blood will be scorched and die.
If Le Zhiyang died here, and Zhu Yuanzhang got up in a moment, Leng Xuan would be helpless, even though he was very unwilling, he must save others.It is also joyful to raise one's life, if it is someone else, facing such yang energy, there must be nothing to do. Leng Xuan's "Yin magic finger" is very yin and soft, it is the nemesis of old yang energy.
The situation was critical, Leng Xuan didn't dare to be negligent, he moved his fingers like the wind, and pointed towards the "Zhiyang acupoint" on Le Zhiyang's back heart.This is the clock of the Yang Qi in the whole body. Once it is hit, the old Yang Qi will be frustrated.Leng Xuan was only afraid of hurting people, so he gathered only 50% of his finger strength, but he hit the acupuncture point, he felt a heat on his fingertips, and a hot air gushed out from Le Zhiyang's body, following his fingertips to drill Entering the "Lung Meridian of Hand Taiyin", it almost disturbed his internal breath.
Leng Xuan was taken aback, and couldn't hold back his hands, when he suddenly saw Le Zhiyang open his eyes, filled with blood, and there was madness in his confused eyes, he jumped up suddenly, and slapped Leng Xuan with his palm.
Le Zhiyang's qi and blood flowed backwards, he couldn't restrain himself, his body and mind were extremely tense, reaching the point where Yiyu couldn't push it any further.The zhenqi in his body is so strong that it has already broken through the acupoints that Leng Xuan had set, so he jumped up and stretched out his palm, and a gust of zhenqi rushed to his right hand. Unexpectedly, as soon as it reached the elbow, the zhenqi shrank back suddenly, as fast as lightning. , full of vigor.Le Zhiyang didn't understand what happened, his true energy rushed back to his body, and his internal organs seemed to be turned upside down.It was as if he had gathered all his energy and slapped Leng Xuan with a palm, but for some reason, the palm didn't fall, and it all hit himself.
Seeing Le Zhiyang jumping up and throwing out his palm, Leng Xuan jumped away, secretly on guard.Unexpectedly, Le Zhiyang released his palm force, and suddenly felt like being hit by a heavy hammer, his head was thrown back, and his body flew out of the air, only heard a rattling sound, crushing the Eight Immortals table behind him.Leng Xuan was overwhelmed with astonishment, stepped forward to take a look, but saw the young man closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his face was blue, his breath was in and out, and he had already passed out.
Le Zhiyang was groggy, like a steamer, his whole body was unbearably hot, his chest seemed to be pressed by a huge stone.This feeling is as uncomfortable as death, but fortunately, a burst of true energy is poured into the body from time to time, like a cold spring, extinguishing the restless heat in the body.
After an unknown period of time, he gradually became conscious, but he heard someone talking in his ear.One voice was sharp and piercing, it was Leng Xuan; the other voice was vigorous and thick, it was Xi Yingzhen.
But I heard Leng Xuan said: "He has too much yang energy, and he can't help conflicts. The governor channel is the 'sea of yang energy', just like the commander of yang qi. Only when he is subdued, the rest of yang qi will submit."
"Otherwise!" Xi Yingzhen said, "His whole body's true qi is reversed, yin is turned into yang, yang is turned into yin, and other people's governor channel governs yang qi, but his yang qi flows into the conception channel. The conception channel is originally tied to yin qi. , now it has become the sect of yang qi, so you just tapped the points on his Governor Meridian, and the effect is very profitable, you might as well try the Ren Meridian."
Hearing this, Le Zhiyang wanted to open his eyes to see, but his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn't open them no matter what he said, he couldn't help thinking: "Why is Daoist Xi here... Where am I... What's wrong with me?" ?”
"No..." Leng Xuan said again: "The Ren meridian is the abyss of yin qi. If the Ren meridian is blocked, the yin qi must be weak. His yang qi is already hyperactive and difficult to control, so he must go crazy. His internal organs are injured. All of a sudden, it might kill him. Hmph, Xi Yingzhen, I can do as you said, if there are any problems, it has nothing to do with Leng..."
"Don't try to shirk responsibility!" Xi Yingzhen said in a stern voice, "Although he was suffering from the backflow of true qi before, he was blocked by the Chongmai. You and I are both experts, so we should understand that without extremely powerful external help, it is impossible to get through the two veins of Ren and Du overnight... Well, I don’t want to talk about it now, but if you don’t cure him, I have something to say about your majesty, "...Leng Xuanlue was silent, then suddenly snorted angrily, and said, "Forget it, I put my two fingers together, and walk the governor's meridian. Hmph, this kid's meridians are messed up, and it's not easy to find the acupoints." , I will do my best, if there are any mistakes or omissions, don’t chase after them like a veteran.”
"Eunuch Leng." A soft voice said, "Maybe your fingers are not strong enough..." Le Zhiyang's spirits lifted when he heard this: "She's here too..." She wanted to struggle, but her whole body was limp , unable to lift even a little finger.
"I've already used 60% of my finger strength, and raised it to 70%. I'm afraid he won't be able to bear it..." Leng Xuan was silent for a while, and then slowly said, "Princess, what you said makes sense, this kid The potential of the whole body is infinite, like a cloud of qi, every time I put out a finger, I have the potential to counteract my finger strength, 70% of the damage is 80% off, and only 40% of the real body enters. No matter, I use 70% of the finger force to touch his finger Ren Mai try..."
Speaking of this, Le Zhiyang suddenly felt a pain in his heart, followed by a cold current pouring into his body, and it burst out suddenly, the coldness pierced his bones, like falling into an ice cave, followed by the hot air all over his body gathered, and suddenly counterattacked.The hot and cold momentum was like a mad dragon entangled, Le Zhiyang's ears were rumbled, as if dozens of thunders had rang, and suddenly, his eyes went black, and he lost consciousness again.
After an unknown period of time, Le Zhiyang woke up again, but felt that the high fever subsided, and his body became much lighter. ——When I opened my eyes, I felt sore and swollen, the light came into my eyes, and my brain became dizzy for a while. "Are you awake?" Xi Yingzhen's voice came, Le Zhiyang stood up and found that he could move.He sat up, looked around, and saw the luxurious brocade tent, the soft silk quilt, the surrounding jewels and jade, and the fragrance of the treasured tripod, Xi Yingzhen was sitting on the side, looking closely, with a long beard in his hand, and a trace of concern in his eyes .
Le Zhiyang observed his body silently, but he felt that the true qi flowed like a stream, reaching everywhere, it was just going against the current, which made people very uncomfortable.Looking at it like this, it seems that there is nothing unusual, Le Zhiyang couldn't help but shouted: "Daoist Xi, am I all right?"
Xi Yingzhen nodded, and said slowly: "It is thanks to Leng Xuan that you are alive. The 'Yin Demon Finger' is a unique skill in the world. It can not only kill people, but also save them. Leng Xuan tried his best and spent three days and nights. Injury to the vitality, just temporarily resolved the calamity of your yang charging and cutting off your veins."
"For now?" Le Zhiyang was taken aback, "Will there be a relapse?"
"I can't explain it either." Xi Yingzhen held his long beard in his hand, with a worried expression on his face, "Your situation is strange, and I have never seen it before." Speaking of this, he paused, "You will be really angry." Try to force it out of the body, but remember, don't use too much force."
Le Zhiyang was baffled, thinking about luck at the moment, when his true energy reached his shoulders, he suddenly retracted with lightning, like a heavy punch, straight to his chest.Le Zhiyang's blood was churning, he almost passed out, he managed to recover enough, and asked blankly: "Xi Daochang, what's going on?"
Xi Yingzhen looked at him with a wry smile and said, "You have reversed your true qi and disrupted the meridians of your whole body. Now, although your internal qi is abundant, a few strange things have happened. After a pause, he said: "The first one, the acupoints Go with the breath, not fixed in one place..."
"That's great." Le Zhiyang was overjoyed, "If someone wants to touch my acupoints, why can't he do it?"
Xi Yingzhen nodded slightly, but there was no joy on his face: "The second thing is not very good. Your true energy can only stay in the body, once it is forced out, it will recoil back into the internal organs, and it will not hurt people, but it will be spontaneous. Injury. It’s like when you hit Leng Xuan’s palm, as much energy as you want to hit him, the amount of energy will come back to hurt you.
Le Zhiyang was stunned when he heard this, and after a while he said: "So, I can no longer use my internal strength?"
"Not necessarily." Xi Yingzhen said, "It's only in the body, so it doesn't matter. Besides, if you hit someone, your true energy will hurt you, and if someone beats you, your true energy will also hurt others. This is the third thing."
"Other people hit me, really angry?" Le Zhiyang was puzzled, scratching his head and said, "What does this mean?"
"The retrograde qi spreads all over the body, just like the innate stellar qi of our Taoist sect. If someone punches you, the true qi will counterattack accordingly. Leng Xuan increased the strength of the 'Yin Demon Finger' to 70% before he could suppress you The rebellious energy in your body. Now that your yin and yang are in harmony, your internal breath is more vigorous than when you were full of yang, and if you encounter external forces, your counterattack will be even more astonishing."
The more Le Zhiyang listened, the more confused he became: "Daoist Xi, speaking of it, am I strong or weak?"
"I don't know either." Xi Yingzhen shook his head slowly, "You can't hurt people with your true energy, and it's not easy to use your true energy to hurt you when you meet an ordinary person. If you defend the strong and attack the weak, disasters and fortunes are hard to avoid. But there is one thing. Worst of all, for the qi refiners of previous generations, such as the "Yin Yiyang Art", reversing the true qi is only an expedient measure. Afterwards, it must be reversed and returned to normal. Your situation is different, the true qi can only go backwards, not smooth Yes, it is a big violation of the way of heaven. Even if there is no serious problem now, the viscera and meridians will definitely be damaged over time."
Le Zhiyang was in a daze when he heard it, and asked again after a while: "Daoist Xi, with my method, can you also reverse Qi and blood?"
"Difficult!" Xi Yingzhen shook his head, "You really came from the 'Spiritual Way Stone Fish', which is different from my 'Ningxia Divine Art'. He is already high, his qi and blood have declined, and he will die halfway through the torment." Hearing this, Le Zhiyang was very disappointed, he was willing to take a risk, all to cure Xi Yingzhen, but he failed to steal the chicken and lost the rice , It can't be cured, the old way doesn't say it, but it pushes himself into a weird situation.
If it were someone else, he would be worried to death when encountering this matter, but Le Zhiyang was optimistic by nature, he couldn't think about it, so he just let it go, thought about it, and said with a smile: "Daoist Xi, in fact, your illness is cured." As he spoke, he recounted the incident of encountering Xicheng Babu by chance.
Xi Yingzhen was very surprised, and said: "The Eight Divisions of Xicheng rarely leave Kunlun Mountain, and now they gather in the capital. Could it be that something major happened? They have a grudge with the Salt Gang. Zhu Yuanzhang must be happy to hear that.
Seeing his expression, Le Zhiyang couldn't help asking: "Master Xi, between Zhu Yuanzhang and Liang Siqin, who do you agree with more?"
"It's hard for the two of them to say right or wrong." Xi Yingzhen thought for a while, then sighed and said, "In this present age, Zhu Yuanzhang's method is more effective. But in a few hundred years, Liang Siqin's method will still be used.
"What's the difference between them?"
"It's a long story." Xi Yingzhen smiled wryly, "At first it was just arguing about the way of governing the country, but later it was just fighting for power and profit." He glanced at the young man and said lightly, "Le Zhiyang, the more you get away from these things The farther you live, the longer you live."
Le Zhiyang nodded silently, looked around, and asked: "Are we still in the palace?" Xi Yingzhen said: "That's right." Le Zhiyang asked again: "Have I been in a coma for three days?"
"It took three days for the treatment, and then I fell into a coma for six more days. All in all, we have stayed in the palace for nine days. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang doesn't drive me out of the palace, I will not be able to stay anymore." Le Zhiyang hesitated: " Zhu Yuanzhang also knows about me?"
"He has a lot of affairs in his day, so how can he have time to care about these small things?" Xi Yingzhen smiled slightly, "Besides, Leng Xuan was afraid of being betrayed, so he tried every means to cover it up for you, saying that you had a cold. Wei'er echoed it again, and Zhu Yuanzhang asked once, and also That's all."
Le Zhiyang's heart became hot, and he hurriedly waited: "Daoist Xi, has Zhu Wei also visited me?" Xi Yingzhen nodded and said, "When you were seriously ill, she came to see you every night. The situation has improved in the past two days. It's just that there are fewer visits..." He hesitated a little, and then said, "Every time she stays by the bedside, she will cry secretly." He shook his head repeatedly, as if disapproving.
Le Zhiyang stretched out his hand to touch the side of the pillow, but felt that the moistness and fragrance were still there, imagining the scene of a girl crying on the side of the pillow, his heart was filled with regret, and he was dazed for a moment.Seeing his expression, Xi Yingzhen said seriously, "Boy, don't think about it. She is a royal princess, and she has been betrothed to the Geng family. You shouldn't be obsessed with reason and law."
Le Zhiyang felt angry immediately when he heard this, and said loudly: "It's all bullshit for reason and law. In law, Zhu Yuanzhang has been a beggar, so why not become an emperor just like that?" If he can be the emperor, why can't I marry the princess? Yu Li, Zhu Wei doesn't like a boy surnamed Geng at all, so it makes sense to marry a man he doesn't love?"
He finished speaking in one breath, staring at his eyes, panting heavily.Xi Yingzhen stared at him, with worry in his eyes, and said for a while, "I promised to take you into the palace, and now the promise has been fulfilled, and you have seen Wei'er, so you should give up. Let's rest for another night, and leave the palace tomorrow." He thought that once he left the palace, the Forbidden City would be suspended, and maybe this relationship could be broken.
Even though Le Zhiyang didn't want to, there was no other way.As soon as Xi Yingzhen left, he made the best use of the situation. As the old Taoist said, qi and blood can only flow backwards, not forwards.Le Zhiyang tried to force out his internal strength again, but he suffered backlash repeatedly, his five viscera and meridians all ached, so he could only lie down depressed, thinking of Zhu Wei's engagement, his heart was pierced by a knife, and it was difficult to sleep.
—No words at night, the next day, Xi Yingzhen will play a resignation.Soon after, Eunuch Feng reported that Zhu Yuanzhang had taught his grandsons in the palace, and ordered Xi Yingzhen to go to the palace to say goodbye face to face. Knowing that he was weak, he gave him a sedan chair instead.
Xi Yingzhen entered the sedan chair, and Eunuch Feng secretly told Le Zhiyang that looking at the nobles and ministers, only an old Taoist priest could ride the sedan chair in the palace.Le Zhiyang didn't take it seriously, and thought: "When Zhu Yuanzhang became a monk in Huangjue Temple, he couldn't even sit in a sedan chair. In this world, the strong are respected. Once the power is in hand, he thinks he is superior to others. Whether it's the emperor or the princess, he has to do it. People who eat, drink, and scatter all suffer from birth, old age, sickness, and death. They are all flesh and blood, so how can they be better than ordinary people?" Because of Zhu Wei's incident, he became cynical at a young age. It's all hypocritical and disgusting.
Not long after arriving at the Tai Chi Hall, the emperor's grandsons stood around, the youngest was only ten years old, and the eldest was no more than twenty years old. They all held their breath and lowered their heads, listening to Zhu Yuanzhang and his grandson Zhu Yunqi talking about political affairs.
Mei Yin stood on the left, standing side by side with a middle-aged official.Leng Xuan was still behind Zhu Yuanzhang, bent and lifeless, just like before. .Because it was the gathering of the emperor and grandson, there were no female relatives in the hall, Le Zhiyang didn't see Zhu Wei, feeling very disappointed in his heart, he glanced away, and suddenly saw Zhu Gaoxu was also in the queue.This kid is used to being naughty, he stands in a daze, rubs his left foot against his right foot, looks around, and scratches his chest with his hands from time to time. Yi, staring viciously.
Le Zhiyang thought of the scene where he was teased by Shan and Ze, and secretly laughed in his heart.At this time, the visit was over, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered to grant a seat, and Zhu Yunqi also stepped forward and said: "The old god is well. He has been busy with government affairs these days, and he couldn't see him. I feel really uneasy. Fortunately, we can meet today, and we can talk about our admiration. "
Xi Yingzhen got up to return the salute, and said with a smile: "The crown prince of the Taisun Kingdom should put state affairs first, and his poverty is no more than a rotten tree outside the square, so he dare not bother his grandson to worry about it."
Before Zhu Yunwen could answer, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said coldly: "Niubi, don't be polite to him, hum, he's not doing well in this state affairs."
When Zhu Yunwen heard this, his face turned pale and he looked embarrassed. He suddenly heard someone respectfully say: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty the Great Sun is just involved in government affairs, and he is not yet proficient, so there are inevitably some mistakes. None of them can reach it. Although the grandson cannot come, he yearns for it, so he works day and night and dare not slack off. He only hopes that hard work can make up for his weakness, and he can get His Majesty's approval."
The one who spoke was the official next to Mei Yin. He was about forty years old, with clear brows and eyes, refined and elegant, and his bearing was quite impressive.After hearing what he said, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression softened a little, and he nodded and said, "Huang Zicheng, you are a student in the East Palace. You are not very good at other things, but your flattering skills are so-so."
The official was very thick-skinned, and when he heard this, he looked calm and said respectfully: "I am telling the truth, I dare not say a single word." Zhu Yunfen glanced at him with gratitude in his eyes.
Zhu Yuanzhang's face sank like water, and he picked up another memorial, and said coldly: "Muchun, Yunnan, made a memorial. The local chieftain of Luchuan, Daoganmeng, rebelled, expelled my envoys, and killed my officials. What reply did you give?" Zhu Yun Tomb hesitated for a moment, and said, "Show him your power with soldiers, and send someone to appease him, so as to comfort his heart."
"Send someone to comfort him, to comfort his heart?" Zhu Yuanzhang threw the memorial on the table, "Is this your approval?"
Zhu Yun's grave trembled and didn't know how to answer. Seeing that the situation was not good, Huang Zicheng hurriedly said: "Your Majesty clearly judged that there are many rebellions in the barbarian land of Yunnan, and it is not easy to calm them down. Since ancient times, there is no one who calmed the south more than Zhuge Kongming. The siege was the bottom line, and Meng Huo was captured seven times, which won the hearts of the barbarians. In the four territories of the Son of Heaven, southern Yunnan is subject to desolation. Those who obey the desolation should moralize it, show it with prestige, and proclaim it with virtue. Surrendered in battle. Taisun Shangfa sages, familiar with the ancient meaning, I think there is nothing wrong with it."
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him, and said with a sneer, "Huang Zicheng, you came up with this idea, right? The sages of the law are familiar with ancient meanings. Hmph, I don't know how to change things.
Huang Zicheng's expression changed drastically, and he didn't dare to raise his head.Zhu Yuanzhang raised his face and glanced at the grandchildren in the palace: "In my opinion, this swordsman Meng is not Meng Huo. Zhuge Liang's method won't work. What do you think should be done?"
Everyone was afraid of offending the grandson, so they hesitated to answer. Zhu Gaoxu was feeling bored, and when he heard this, he shouted loudly: "What should we do? Naturally, we should send a large army to kill his mother."
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw him, his face was ugly, and he said: "You kid, you know how to fight and kill? Then let me ask you, why did you kill him?" Zhu Gaoxu was stunned, scratching his head and said: "What, Of course, this knife is responsible for the beating Meng owes his mother."
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed out loud.Seeing him laughing, Zhu Gaoxu thought he got the answer right, his eyebrows were beaming immediately, and he also smiled foolishly.Beside him was a chubby man in his early twenties, his face flushed, and he stretched out his hand to ruthlessly yank his sleeve. Zhu Gaoxu was so impatient, he shook off his hand and glared at him.
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed a few times, then slapped the table suddenly, and shouted sharply: "You owe his mother a beating? Huh, I think I'm letting your mother fart!" Zhu Gaoxu opened his mouth and stammered, "Grandpa, I, I made a mistake. Yet?"
"It's outrageously wrong." Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him, "You boy, you have three poles for reason and three poles for unreasonable things. Huh, war, sometimes rushing out, can't be unreasonable. Governing a big country is like cooking a small one." Fresh, it’s absolutely impossible to be unreasonable. In the place where the barbarians live in Yunnan, one hair can affect the whole body. If it’s time to fight, it’s time to fight, and if it’s time to caress, it’s not a rule. If you want to fight, there must be a reason." He paused, then glanced at the group of grandchildren, "Which of you can tell the reason?"
The emperors and grandchildren faced each other, the fat young man beside Zhu Gaoxu hesitated to speak, muttered twice, and finally lowered his head.Seeing that no one answered, Zhu Yuanzhang's face gradually became ugly, his eyes turned, and suddenly he saw Le Zhiyang standing behind Xi Yingzhen, with a smile on his face, and immediately became even more angry, and said sharply: "Dao Ling, what are you laughing at?"
Le Zhiyang saw these emperors and grandchildren turned into a group of stupid geese, and felt contemptuous in his heart, so he laughed. He didn't want to be seen by Zhu Yuanzhang. gone."
Zhu Yuanzhang was also suspicious that Le Zhiyang was laughing at Zhusun, and his heart was full of murderous intentions, but after hearing what he said, his anger subsided a little, and he nodded and said, "What is cursing? I have scolded even worse things. But you laughed in court and despised him." I bow, I can't just let it go like this. Huh, okay, just tell me why you want to fight and not caress. If you can answer it, you can answer it. If you can't answer it, I will beat you with a stick." With a wave of hands, the two The eunuch walked up to the hall with his staff in hand.
Le Zhiyang had heard for a long time that the old emperor was moody, but he didn't expect that even a smile would be a crime. Guessing his thoughts, he probably hated his grandchildren's incompetence, but he couldn't be punished one by one, so he found an outsider to vent his anger.
Look at the court stick, it is thick and heavy. According to folklore, many famous generals and ministers were killed under this stick.Although Le Zhiyang was not afraid, he did not want to be wronged, so he put his heart on the line and said with a smile: "The Xiaodao is ignorant, trying to figure out your Majesty's deep meaning. There is indeed a difference between Meng Huo and Daogan Meng. Man, the leader of the barbarians in the south, has always been convinced by the barbarians. Zhuge Liang subdued all the barbarians when he conquered one Menghuo. Until Meng Huo surrendered. If Meng Huo was killed, the group would have no leader, and many Li Huo, Wang Huo, Zhao Huo, and Zhang Huo would surely emerge. Central Plains..."
Speaking of this, Xi Yingzhen coughed, and suddenly said: "Forget it, stop here..." Le Zhiyang was about to stop, but Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows, waved his hand and said: "No, let him continue." Xi Yingzhen frowned slightly, his face A look of sadness flashed across his face.
Le Zhiyang had no choice but to bite the bullet, and then said: "Xiao Dao doesn't know who Dao Ganmeng is, but hearing His Majesty call him 'Luchuan Tuji Daoganmeng', he must be a hero of one side, not a wild man in Yunnan. In Yunnan, There are bound to be many chiefs like him, who do not belong to each other' and refuse to be kings. Dao Ganmeng expelled envoys and killed officials and people. If he was only appeased and not punished, other chiefs would compete to follow suit and incite each other. It can’t be dealt with. Therefore, it is necessary to punish the leader, kill the chicken and scare the monkey, so that later generations dare not take chances. This is called killing one person to level the other side. It is different from Zhuge Kongming’s method, but the result is the same.”
After he finished speaking in one breath, there was silence in the Tai Chi Hall, and dozens of pairs of eyes stared at him, each with surprise and jealousy.Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the memorial, twitching his beard and saying nothing. After a long while, he nodded and said, "If you kill one person, you will level the other side. Let's use this as a reply." There was a line written on it, and he turned it aside, without talking about court matters, he picked up the second memorial, glanced at it twice and said: "This is a memorial from the prefect of Ninghai. In recent days, the Japanese have repeatedly violated the border. Allow Grave, how did you approve it?"
Zhu Yunfen bowed and said: "Sun'er's method is to set up fortresses and sentries. Originally, there was a fort for sixty miles, and a post for thirty miles. The net was too sparse, and the Japanese pirates took advantage of it. When the officers and soldiers arrived, the Japanese had already arrived. The looting was successful, and they escaped by boat. Therefore, it was changed to a sentry for fifteen miles, and a fort for thirty miles.
"Increasing the fortress is the way to go." Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly, "But in this way, the fortress defenders will have to double, and the cost of repairing the fortress and raising soldiers is very high. Where does the money come from?"
Zhu Yunfen was taken aback, thought for a while, and said, "You can increase taxes on the wealthy households along the coast." Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said, "Increasing taxes will lead to public grievances, and people's grievances will become thieves. You are called the front door to drive out bandits and the back door." Entering a thief, eliminating one harm, adding another harm, may not be very clever."
Zhu Yun's face was red, and he said, "How about collecting taxes from the inland counties?" Zhu Yuanzhang said, "The coastal areas and the inland areas are all common people. What's the difference? The inland counties have not been poisoned by the Japanese, and they pay taxes for no reason, and their resentment is even heavier. "He thought for a while, then turned to Le Zhiyang, "Boy, what do you think?"
There was a commotion in the hall, and the emperor's grandsons couldn't help whispering to each other, asking each other about Le Zhiyang's origin.Le Zhiyang deliberately challenged these royal families, and immediately replied loudly: "In my opinion, instead of building more fortresses, it is better to build more ships.
"Zhu Yuanzhang twisted his beard and said with a smile," what's the point? "
"Fortresses are dead, but ships are alive. Live is better than dead. This is one of them; second, the cost is far cheaper than building forts and raising soldiers; When the officers and soldiers in the fortress arrive, if there are no ships, they can only look at the enemy and sigh. It is better to build ships with ships, build large-scale warships, install ballistas, and train the officers and soldiers in the fortress into a navy.截断倭人归路，而后水陆并进，前后夹击。倭寇一旦漏网，也可穷追猛打，使其殒命海上，不能返回老巢。久而久之，倭人必定不敢来犯。”
朱元璋微微一笑，说道：“这法子有点儿意思，较之前策，算是中策，至于上策么，朕还要仔细想想。”他言下之意，朱允坟的法子竟是下策。皇太孙面皮涨紫，瞪了乐之扬一眼，眼里满是怒气。
席应真见势不妙，又咳一声，说道“陛下，贫道该告辞了。”
“慢来。”朱元璋又拿起一份奏章，“这件事更为棘手，元人进犯大同，允坟批复，谷、燕二王两路进兵，谷王正面应敌，燕王断其后路，小道士，你又以为如何？”
乐之扬随口答道：“小道不懂兵法，却知兵凶战危，莫如不战而胜。”朱元璋双目精光暴涨，沉声道：“怎么个不战而胜？”
乐之扬笑道：“给他唱一出空城计。”朱元璋奇道:“怎么个唱法？”
“燕王、谷王大可合兵一处、耀武扬威，同时对外宣称，陛下将要巡视北方。元人先见兵威，再听谣言，一定吓得屁滚尿流、落荒而逃……”乐之扬话没说完，黄子澄厉声喝道：“大胆，这是什么地方？你又是什么身份？敢在陛下面前大放厥词、污浊圣听。”
乐之扬一时忘形，听了这话，也不由面红心跳，朱元璋却摆了摆手，淡淡说道：“不就是屎尿屁么？有什么大不了的。就算是当了皇帝，照样也要拉屎放屁。道灵，朕问你，为何你赞同攻打刀干孟，却不赞同征讨元人？”
乐之扬讪讪道：“小道只是感觉，元人比刀干孟厉害。”这话颇出朱元璋意料，愣了一下，哈哈笑道：“厉害就不打了吗？真是孩子话！只不过，'兵凶战危'这四个字确是至理名言，所谓'大勇若怯'，为将之人，当有怯弱之时。老是猛冲猛打，总会马失前蹄。”说到这儿，他注目朱高煦，厉声道，“高煦，你听到了吗？”
朱高煦正在胡思乱想，应声一惊，忙道“听到了，听到了。”朱元璋脸一沉：“听到什么？”
“这个，那个……”朱高煦头上冒出汗来，一边的微胖青年凑近他耳边小声咕哝，朱高煦面露喜色，忙说，
“啊，对了，为将之人，当有切肉之时。爷爷你放心，孙儿刀法精熟，一刀下去，别说是肉，连骨头也一切下来呢！”
—时间，殿上众人的模样好有一看，既想放声大笑，又怕遭到斥责，―个个鼓腮瞪眼，憋得万分辛苦。
朱元璋却不动声色，说道：“高炽啊，你可真是个好哥哥,当着寡人帮弟弟作弊。”
微胖青年正是朱高煦的兄长，燕王朱棣的世子朱高炽，闻言面红耳赤，低头作礼：“高炽大胆悖逆，还请陛下责罚。”
朱元璋看他时许，忽而点头说道：“你们两兄弟，还真是老四的儿子。高煦得了老四之勇，但失之无赖，高炽得了老四之智，但稍嫌文弱。两个人合在一起，倒是跟老四一个模子。所以说，你们兄弟二人，须得相亲相爱、取长补短，老四倘若不在，你们要为寡人看守北方边境。”
两兄弟听了这话，齐声应道：“孙儿一定不负重托。”朱元璋一挥手，又转向乐之扬：“道灵，你读书么？”乐之扬道：“粗略读过几本。”
“粗略也好。”朱元璋笑了笑，“你是道士，不是书生，读书得其大意就好，不用牵制于文义。这样么，我命你为东宫伴读，从今曰起，三日一次，入东宫陪太孙读书。”
这话十分突兀，众人无不吃惊。席应真忍不住说：“陛下……”朱元璋—摆手：“朕意已决，不必多说了。允坟……”
朱允坟、还没回过味儿来，应声道：“陛下有何吩咐？”朱元璋指了指席应真：“你也看到我和牛鼻子的交情。自从濠州一会，历经万死，至今不改。小道士见事通脱，正可弥补你的不足，你若能尽其所长，他就是你的席应真了。”
朱允坟还没说话，黄子澄首先按捺不住：“陛下，他只是一个道士，怎能做储君的伴读……”
“道士又如何？”朱元璋冷冷说道，“朕也当过和尚，不照样做了皇帝？和尚能当皇帝，道士怎么就不能陪伴太孙？”
黄子澄张口结舌，无言以对。朱元璋正眼也不瞧他，又向席应真说道：“宫中禁卫森严，不如宫外自在。你出宫休养几天也好。下个月是朕的生日,十七儿提了个奇特法子，办一个'乐道大会'为朕庆生，届时诸王进京，天下乐师也要齐聚京城。故而你也不走啦，留在京城，凑一凑热闹。”
席应真点头称是。朱元璋劳碌半日,不胜困倦，便命众人退下，自己摆驾回宫。
冯太监早已安排轿子，候在殿前，乐之扬扶着老道上轿，正要入内，梅殷赶来，握住他手笑道：“道灵仙长，恭喜恭喜。”乐之扬回礼道：“不敢当，叫梅驸马见笑了。”
“何出此言？”梅殷笑道，“今日东宫伴读，明日就是帝王师友，出将入相，大有其份。”
乐之扬忙说：“驸马笑话了，小道出家之人，说什么出将入相。”梅殷欲言又止，握了握他手,压低噪音说：“过几曰，我请你来驸马府—叙，说完告辞去了。
乐之扬上了轿子，但见席应真闭合双眼，仿佛入睡。轿子行了一程，不久到了阳明观。乐之扬心中有鬼，抉席应真进入云房，便要退出,忽听老道开口说道：“先别走，把门关上。”
乐之扬只好关门，席应真张眼说道：“小子，早知如此，我就不该让你入宫。而今你越陷越深，不但抛不下与微儿的孽缘，更加陷入了皇权之争。方今天下，是非最多的地方无过于东宫，最难侍侯无过于太子。”
“我有什么法子？”乐之扬苦着脸说，“若不回答，就要挨一顿棍子。”
“换了是我，宁可挨一顿棍子。”席应真白他一眼，“总比进了东宫掉脑袋强。”
乐之扬说：“我看这个太孙不像是凶恶之人。”
“太孙倒没什么，朱元璋的官儿可不好当。这些年多少人抄家灭族，李善长、胡惟庸、蓝玉三大案，大小官吏死了奶。我谨守道家冲退之道，一不插足权位之争，二不交通贵戚勋臣，方能苟延残命，存活至今。你这孩子，聪明有余，谨慎不足，落到这是非场中，可又如何是好？”
乐之扬心想：席道长平时还算洒脱，怎么一遇上朱元璋，立刻变得畏畏缩缩，一点儿也不爽快。当下笑嘻嘻说道：“朱元璋不是慧眼识人吗？他让我做太孙的伴读，可见他很有眼光。”
席应真看着他，白眉连连挑动，冷笑说：“别当我不知道你的鬼心眼儿，你以为进了东宫，就有机会见到宝辉，对不对？”
乐之扬叫他揭穿心思，面皮微微发热。只听席应真又说.“朱元璋的眼光，足以看出你的聪明，但凭这点儿小聪明，你还做不了东宫的伴读。太孙信任儒生、柔弱不武，打仗用兵非其所长。
朱元璋时日无多，求全责备，当众教训太孙，未免有失偏激。他的见识胜过太孙，那是理所当然的，而你卖弄聪明，对策压倒太孙，大大折损了太孙的皇威，其他皇孙见了，一定心生轻视。朱元璋连提三条奏章，本想你对答失策，借故严惩，好为太孙立威，但你运气太好，前后均无大错。事不过三，朱元璋再如纠缠，未免无趣，索性把你送到东宫，一旦成为太孙的臣属，你
的聪明就成了太孙的聪明。哼，黄子澄迂腐书生，哪儿又明白这样的道理？ "
乐之扬听出一身冷汗，老皇帝谈笑之间，竟有这么多心机，自己只顾胡说八道，压根儿不知道已在鬼门关走了一遭，想到这儿，迟疑道：“我得罪了太孙，进了东宫，他会不会找我的麻烦？”
“太孙有容人之量，纵然留难，也不要命。”席应真顿了顿，“怕只怕朱元璋有了成见，借故向你发难，那才是天大的麻烦。”
乐之扬听得心惊，可转念一想，事已至此，想也无用，他有张良计，我有过墙梯，朱元璋纵有恶意，自己也不会坐以待毙。
想到这儿，乐之扬面露笑意。席应真见他全无忧惧之色，心知他少年轻狂，听不进自己的规谏，只好摇头说道：“这些事先不说，你真气逆行，大大不妙，想来想去，或许只有'转阴易阳术'才能化解。你和'地母'秋涛有交情，不妨透过她求见梁思禽。”说着又取出一串白玉数珠，“这数珠是当年梁思禽所赠，你见到他时，如有不顺，可以数珠相示。此人性子古怪，但甚重情义,睹物思人，应当不会见死不救。”
乐之扬收下数珠，辞别席应真，回到房里，取出真刚剑、空碧笛,又到后山吹起《周天灵飞曲》。入宫之前，他将飞雪留在蒋山，多日来，白隼遨游山中，搏兔猎狐，养得油光水、神采逼人,听到笛声召唤，穿林而出，歇在主人肩上，欢喜不尽，须臾不肯离开。
乐之扬又到秦淮河边，找了一间成衣铺子，脱去道装，换上―身青绸水纹织锦袍，踏一双黑缎白底履云靴，背负越王断玉真刚剑，头戴北斗抱月乌纱帽，腰缠一条墨绿纹蟒嵌玉带，左挂乐韶凤留下的白玉玦，右插朱微所赠的裴翠笛，穿戴完毕,对镜照影,当真风摇玉树、云掩冰轮，翩翩佳公子，逍遥世上仙。
当下携鹰入城，他华服古剑，鹰隼雄奇，走在长街之上，格外惹人注目。不多时来到玄武湖边，问明“千秋阁”的所在。走了数百步，遥见一座酒楼，上下两层，掩映湖光，看上去很是通透轩敞。
正要入阁，忽听远处传来咿咿呀呀的胡琴声，哀怨悱恻，断人肝肠。乐之扬是知音之人，但觉琴声精妙，曲调陌生，不觉为之留步。谁知听了几声，忽然想起了许多往事,回想自幼无父无母，饱尝人间冷暖，好容易年纪稍长，义父又横遭横祸。但因无家可归，只好流落江湖，现如今，心爱的女子又要嫁给他人，自己身为七尺男儿，却只能袖手旁观、无所作为。
他越想越是难过，心酸眼热、悲不可抑，忍不住回头望去，但见长街之上，洒然走来一个老人，灰布袍，四方巾，形容枯槁，貌不惊人。他左手挽琴，右手持弓，两眼朝天，旁若无人，茫茫人海之中，就如一只孤舟逆流而上。
但因胡琴太悲，老者所过之处，无论商贾士人，还是贩夫走卒，均像是死了爹妈一样，神色凄惨，愁眉不展，甚至有人抽抽噎噎地哭了起来。
乐之扬听得入神，不由心想：“义父常说，音乐之妙，哀感顽艳，但我生平所见，唯有这个老者当得起'哀感顽艳'这四个字。”
老者走到千秋阁前，停下步子，面对湖水，若有所思，手中弓弦来回，琴声越发凄切。乐之扬一边听着，竟然忘了自身的来意。
突然间，两个伙计从阁中冲了出来，其中一人指着老者大骂：“兀那老狗，滚一边儿去，拉这样的哭丧调子，还让不让人做生意？”一边叫骂，一边捋起袖子想要动粗。
乐之扬眼看老者文弱，只怕受这了俗人的欺辱，当下拦住伙计，厉声道：“你骂谁？这位老先生是我请来的客人。”
伙计见他人俊衣美，慌忙躬身赔笑：“公子见谅，老头儿琴声太苦，惹得阁上的主顾不高兴。”
这时老者一曲拉完，停了下来，望着湖水呆呆出神。乐之扬趁势上前，笑道：“老先生拉得好胡琴，不知可否赏脸，上楼喝一杯薄酒？”
老者扫乐之扬一眼，点头说：“却之不恭。”乐之扬见他气度狷介、不同俗流，原本怕他回绝，一听这话，喜不自胜。
上了千秋阁，两人临湖迎风、倚窗而坐。伙计上来招呼：“二位客官，有何吩咐？”乐之扬笑道：“敢问一句，贵楼的掌柜姓什么？”
伙计一愣，答道：“姓方。”乐之扬又问：“可在阁里么？”伙计连声说：“在，在！”乐之扬伸手入袖，取出秋涛所赠的白泥猫儿，轻轻放在桌上。
伙计看见泥猫，脸色登时一变，转身蹬蹬蹬下楼。不过片刻，—个中年男子快步上楼，便服小帽，满脸是笑，看见泥猫，含笑说道：“鄙人方少杰，乃是此间掌柜，但不知这只泥猫公子从何得来？”
“一位老太太送的。”乐之扬笑了笑，“她说若要找她，可凭此物来见方掌柜。”
“好说，好说。”方掌柜笑道，“那人眼下不在，我这就派人去请。二位不妨先用酒菜，稍等一会儿。”
“有劳了。”乐之扬笑嘻嘻说道，“什么拿手好菜、陈年佳酿，尽管将上来吧！”方掌柜含笑去了，不久伙计将来肥鸡卤鹅，另有几样时鲜佳肴，一壶陈年女儿红。
乐之扬含笑举杯，向灰衣老者敬酒。老者酒到杯干，也不推辞，他衣衫破旧，形容枯朽，可是举手投足，自有一番气度，俨然孤高遗世，偌大酒楼只他一人。
乐之扬看那胡琴，忽而笑道：“老先生，敢问大名？”老者淡然道：“老朽落羽生，凋落之落，羽毛之羽。”
乐之扬心中纳闷：这名字当是化名。落羽，落羽，不就是脱毛的意思么？有道是'脱毛的凤凰不如鸡，看这老者的气度，莫非以前也是一位贵人，而今穷愁潦倒，只能拉琴为生？想到这儿，微微感慨，又问道：“落老先生，你的胡琴拉得极妙，但这一支曲子，区区从未听过，但不知出自哪一本曲谱？”
“貽笑大方。”落羽生一脸淡漠，“曲子并无出处，老朽无聊之余，自个儿胡编的。”
乐之扬惊讶道：“可有名号么?”
“有一个。”落羽生漫不经意地说，“叫做《终成灰土之曲》”
“终成灰土之曲？”乐之扬一呆，“曲子很好，名字却丧气得很”
“千秋功业，终成灰土。”落羽生抉起胡琴，扯动弓弦，长声吟唱起来，“倾城倾国恨有余，几多红泪泣姑苏。倚风凝睇雪肌肤。吴主山河空落日，越王宫殿半平芜。藕花菱蔓满重湖。”
老者的嗓音苍凉沙哑，唱腔更是哀婉绝伦，乐之扬一边听着，仿佛看见倾国美人变成一杯黄土，琼楼玉宇化为了残垣冷湖，沧海桑田，过眼云烟，一挥一送，全在老者弓弦之间。
落羽生唱罢，楼中一阵寂然，乐之扬心有所感，忍不住横起玉笛，吹起一支《终成灰土之曲》。
这曲子他只听了一次，但过耳不忘，吹得一丝不差，尽管悲苦不及胡琴，柔和婉转却犹有过之。落羽生听了，目透讶色，忽也拉起胡琴，慨然与应和。
笛声清婉，胡琴喑哑，缠缠绵绵，绕梁飘飞。待到一曲奏完，乐之扬忽觉面颊冰凉，伸手一抹，全是泪水。他放下笛子，微感羞赧，说道：“老先生，晚生失态了。“落羽生瞥他一眼，点头说：“你小小年纪，竟有许多解不开的心事。情深不寿，愁多难久。”
他一语道破乐之扬的心病，乐之扬不觉气闷，随口反驳“老先生又何尝没有心事？哀恸山河，杞人忧天。”
“好一个杞人忧天。”落羽生注视杯中酒水，木然呆了片刻，忽地举杯道，“来，凭这四字断语，老朽敬你一杯。”
乐之扬大笑，―一饮而尽，拈起一块鸡肉，反手丢给飞雪。白隼一口呑下，蹙眉昂首，顾盼生威。落羽生看着白隼，若有所思，忽道：“奇怪了，女真天隼，还在孑遗留在人间么？”
“女真天隼？”乐之扬怪道，“你说的是海东青？”
落羽生漫不经意地说：“这只海东青不是凡鸟，体魄之壮，气势之雄，仿佛当年大金国的镇国之隼。金人因此鸟立国，金亡之时，女真天隼也随之灭绝了。”
乐之扬一直很好奇“飞雪”的来历，忙问：“敢问详细。”
“自古海东青分为五品，第一品玉爪，第二品火羽，第三品青眼，第四品芦花，第五品十三黄。但有一种海东青，不入这五品之中，那就是女真天隼。若说海东青是'万鹰之神'，天隼就是'神中之王'，女真人传说，天隼起源北海（按，今之贝加尔湖），乃是异种白雕与一品玉爪杂交所生，体格比海东青为大，神速猛锐却远远过之，能击大雕，可毙虎豹，级横林莽，所向无敌。
“天隼出现以后，女真人秘而不宣，百余年间少有人知。但没有不透风的墙，后来辽国天祚帝听到消息，派出使臣向女真