PFC Chapter 671: Old Friends in the Same Boat
Chapter 671: Old Friends in the Same Boat
In this way, several days passed. Si Nian was always coming and going. People watched from afar but did not dare to approach. She always pretended to be passing by unintentionally. However, there were few people in and outside Panzhou City. Nine out of ten houses were empty. Only the elderly, the weak and the sick were still there. Si Nian was tall and beautiful. Even in a dense crowd, she could be recognized at a glance. No matter how she pretended to be casual, she would always be discovered after a long time.
One day, when the sun was at its hottest, Si Nian came again and saw the man in white sitting on the bow of the boat. He finally caught a fish, and then threw the belly of the fish into boiling water, and sprinkled many rare spices on it.
Si Nian suddenly felt dazed. When she was in Panlong Sect, Li Changxiao often took her to the Qulong River to catch some fish and make soup. When she first started practicing, she felt that the world was so fresh and vast. It seemed that no matter what she did, she would be very happy.
Li Changxiao sighed softly, holding a wooden spoon, slowly stirred the fish soup to mix the spices, and said with a smile without turning his head: "Miss Si Nian, why don't you have a chat." Si Nian was stunned, thinking: "He invited me, even if we are just ordinary friends, I should have a chat, otherwise it would be too rude."
Then he walked slowly to the side of the boat. Li Changxiao has carved many wood carvings in recent days, in all shapes and sizes. All of them are placed in the cabin. Seeing Si Nian approaching, he also felt quite emotional, but he still smiled and poured a bowl of fish soup and handed it to Si Nian.
Si Nian took the fish soup and sat opposite him, holding the wooden bowl in both hands. She didn't know where to look for a moment. She glanced at the river, the boat, and the fish soup, but every glance always passed by Li Changxiao inadvertently.
She saw more than 10 or 20 woodcarvings in the boat, some of which she had even seen before, and they seemed to be some famous strong men. They were also very active in the Reform Era. So she asked curiously, "When did you learn woodcarving?" As soon as she asked, her pretty face turned red, and she thought to herself, "Si Nian, Si Nian, you can't even find a decent topic. What's the point of learning the art of woodcarving?"
The monk was clever and skillful, so carving and polishing wood carvings was not difficult for him. Therefore, her question was like asking "When did you learn to talk and walk?"
Li Changxiao saw through it at a glance and explained with a smile: "For cultivators like me, it is indeed easy to carve a decent statue. But I am a mortal with mortal hands and a mortal mind, so I really need to ask mortals for advice and spend energy to learn the art of wood carving."
He added: "I have never learned wood carving, but I have learned porcelain carving. After learning it deeply, it doesn't make much difference whether it is wood or porcelain. How are you doing recently?"
Si Nian took a sip of the fish soup, and the fish in the river gathered around the boat, as if they were watching the fun. Si Nian felt relieved when he heard Li Changxiao's answer. He seemed to have never changed. He would always answer and explain his words well. A wave of sadness surged in his heart: "I left quietly at that time. He was not talented, and I don't know how much he suffered. I have never seen it. We made a vow, but I was the first to break it. I liked him, but I didn't think at that time that there were so many geniuses in the world, and there might be better people waiting for me ahead."
“But now it seems that I am not even half as good as him.” Thinking of this, she turned her head away, tears already welling up in her eyes. Fortunately, she secretly used the magic of incense and fire to stop her tears, and did not want to be seen by Li Changxiao.
"Not bad." Si Nian asked, "How about you?" Li Chang smiled and said, "Not bad either."
Panzhou City was plagued by frequent battles, and blood flowed like a river. The fish in the Java River should have carried a fishy smell. However, the people of Lingtian were influenced by culture since childhood and respected the river. In addition, the leaders of the war were Li Tianyu and Li Tianxia, two princes and princesses, one close to the mother of the river and the other valued the boatman. Both were related to the river, so the battle was far away from the Java River. Even if the corpses piled up like a mountain after the war, they were not thrown directly into the river for convenience.
As a result, the area near the Java River can barely be considered a piece of pure land. The foul and stinking smell outside disappears here. After the two of them briefly exchanged words, there was no more topic to talk about.
Li Changxiao calmed down again and used a knife to carve a wooden statue. The wooden statue was about the size of a palm and lifelike. Si Nianqi asked, "Extreme Fire Heavenly Venerable?" She saw the wooden statue in Li Changxiao's hand, holding an Extreme Fire Whip, with sharp horns on the forehead, and obvious features. He was a powerful figure in the four northern regions.
Si Nian asked, "Why did you carve him? Do you have any connection with him?" Li Changxiao shook his head and said, "No connection." It took him an hour to finish carving the wood sculpture, and then he placed it in the cabin.
There is a saying in the spiritual world that "the form carries the meaning". The meaning is that when certain sculptures are too similar to real people, they will naturally carry a part of the real person's meaning, and the incense and golden statues are the best proof. It is also applicable to mortals. There is no need to carve out the exact form, even if you just sketch the appearance and details of others in your mind, the person you think of will have a faint sense, or sneeze, eyelids suddenly jump, and heart suddenly tremble.
Si Nian felt strange. Li Changxiao's carving was so detailed that it would definitely be noticed by the person being carved. What was his purpose? She opened her mouth to speak, but after thinking about it, she decided not to ask further.
She sat until the evening, said goodbye to Li Changxiao, and left on her own. She walked back with a brisk pace, looking quite happy.
The next day, she came again, and just like the day before, we drank some fish soup and chatted about trivial matters. After the first time, the second time was obviously much more natural, and she gradually spoke more freely, as if she had returned to the past in a trance.
On the third day, Si Nian came again. She no longer pretended to be passing by, but came to find Li Changxiao on purpose. Seeing Li Changxiao carving wood sculptures, she asked Li Changxiao for advice, wanting him to teach her the art of wood carving. Li Changxiao would not refuse, so he let her learn while watching. Si Nian was very smart and had light hands, so she quickly got the hang of it. However, she carved small animals such as fish and rabbits, while Li Changxiao carved famous and unknown people from all sides.
Li Changxiao saw that Mu Laozu was late, although he was not in a hurry, but he couldn't help feeling bored waiting alone, so it was a good thing that Si Nian came to accompany him. He had no other thoughts about Si Nian, and now he just treated her as an ordinary friend. Although Si Nian had some kind of expectation, what he did was just that of an ordinary friend.