Daming's Bizarre Story: Painted Skin

The foot sound answered "Yes" and then took the reins to drive the carriage again: "Second Senior Brother, do we want to warn Senior Senior Brother?"

"No need!"

----

The sky is black with ink, and the horseshoes tap the bluestone slabs to make a hollow "chug" sound, from far to near.

The handsome young man sat up straight involuntarily, Ye Sha quietly hid in the dark, and the sound of horseshoes stopped at the door of the inn.

The knuckles of the young man holding the wine cup were a little white, and the door was pushed open, making a hoarse "squeak", which was long and long, rough and empty.

"Xiaoer, do you have hot ginger soup?" A crisp voice sounded.

The young man passed around, but saw a young woman walking in with a skinny man.

Although the young woman was clothed with coarse hairpins, she had fair skin and clear eyes, which could hardly conceal her pretty complexion.

The man beside her was wearing a thick blue cotton-padded jacket, his face was haggard, although his features were fair, but now it is unbearable to see, compared with the pretty young woman beside her, it can be called a god and a ghost. Holding a slender green bamboo pole, he was dressed in white clothes, although his face was yellow and thin, he didn't look ragged.

The young man loosened his hand holding the wine cup, slightly disappointed.

As they came in, there was still a gust of cold wind. The young woman glanced at the burning charcoal brazier in the corner, then pointed to a place and whispered: "Let's sit there."

Her slender fingers pointed at the place where the young man was. It was the warmest place near the brazier but not in the air.

The man nodded, and was supported by the young woman to sit on the table next to the young man, then smiled and greeted the young man: "I'm nagging."

The young man said with a slight smile: "The people who come here are all guests, so why bother to talk about it."

Although there was a smile on the corner of his mouth, his expression was quite arrogant. The beautiful young woman couldn't help raising her thick black eyebrows. The man patted the back of her hand lightly, coughed a few times, and sure enough, he immediately diverted her attention. force.

She blurted out, "Brother Eleven, what's wrong with you?"

The man shook his head lightly, and said in a low voice: "Since we have made an appointment with Mr. Shen, how can we miss the appointment?"

The beautiful young woman said "oh" quickly, and the young man turned his head and smiled when he heard Mr. Shen's words: "The weather is not very good, my brother is not in good health, so it is not suitable for traveling."

The man said with a smile on his face: "It seems that guides like us can only earn some living money in this kind of weather."

The young man's face suddenly showed a clear expression: "Brother Tai's surname is Rong."

Although the man was thin and skinny, he looked quite elegant, he leaned slightly and said, "Young Master has good eyesight, my surname is Rong, and my name is Eleven. I don't know what to call this little brother?"

"The three peaks and nine mountains nearby are the most famous guides in Rongjiazhuang, Santun Village..." The young man smiled, "My name is Jiusi."

"It turned out to be Mr. Lu."

At this time Xiao Er came over, and Rong Shiyi and his wife ordered a plate of donkey meat and a pot of tea. Lu Jiusi held the wine glass in his hand: "The wine brewed by the boss in this shop is not bad. Brother, do you want to have a cup to warm up your body?"

Rong Shixi shook his head and said with a smile, "I'm such a mud-legged person, where can I drink alcohol when I go out, Brother Rong, please don't be polite, besides, I will see guests later."

Lu Jiusi didn't force it, and put down the wine glass in his hand: "It's such a cold winter, who wants to go through the mountains?"

Rong Shixi said with a smile: "Although the weather is cold, but in recent years, there are always some guests who are eager to go home."

----

The two were chatting, when the door of the inn was opened again, Lu Jiusi turned his head, and saw a handsome scholar, followed by a boy in gray, who shook his head as soon as he entered the room. Floating snow on her body, the young woman turned her head to look out of the window, unknowingly, it turned out that it started to snow outside.

Lu Jiusi withdrew his eyes in a little disappointment.

"Guys, if you don't chatter, maybe I can borrow your table to make a table?" The scholar rubbed his hands, "It's really cold wind blowing outside, it's too cold."

Rong Shiyi and his wife hurriedly got up to give way, but Lu Jiusi just made a gesture of invitation. The scholar took a look around, then took the little boy to sit opposite Lu Jiusi and said with a smile: "Stay closer to the fire."

Xiao Er stepped forward: "What does this Young Master want to eat?"

The scholar said: "What delicious food does your shop have?"

"Our shop's donkey meat is famous far and wide, and this jujube wine is also a must." Xiaoer said quite complacently.

The scholar said: "Just bring some stewed vegetables like dried tofu. I don't like donkey meat, so four steamed buns." He glanced at the boy and changed his words, "Three is enough."

"Then this jujube wine..." Xiaoer asked again.

The scholar waved his hands again and again: "The poems and books in my stomach are full of energy, so it's better not to touch the contents of this cup."

He was actually a sour scholar, Xiaoer took the few big money that the scholar gave out, and walked away with a hint of contempt at the corner of his mouth.

"Xiao Ke's surname is Zhao, and his first name is Lu Li. I don't know how to address you." The scholar asked politely.

Rong eleven replied: "My surname is Rong. I am a guide in the mountains. This is Mr. Lu."

"Oh..." Zhao Luli was very interested and asked, "I don't know what business Brother Lu is doing?"

It happened that Xiao Er came up with stewed vegetables, and when he heard him ask, he interrupted: "Young Master Lu, that is the owner of Jiuwei Peak at the head of our town!"

Zhao Luli was shocked: "It's the owner of Lu Zhuang! It's really a pleasure to meet you."

Lu Jiusi only smiled slightly, then turned his head and glanced at the closed door.

Zhao Luli smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I have a certain relationship with Master Lu."

"Fate?" Lu Jiusi turned his head around, a little puzzled, then Zhao Luli pointed to him and then to himself: "The owner of Lu's surname is Lu, Xiao Ke's name is Lu, and he eats at the same table again. Isn't it fate?"

As he said that, he started laughing out loud. This joke was a bit cold, but Zhao Luli didn't seem to like it, and said, "Do you know why I don't eat hearty meat?" He didn't need Lu Jiusi and Rong Shi After making a guess, he said mysteriously: "Do you know how this stove of meat came about? It is said that Emperor Yongle was in the old residence of King Yan, when he pulled his army north to the side of the Qing Emperor, he encountered Baoding Mansion on the way, the food and grass were cut off, he was cold and hungry, so he had to kill him. It hurts a horse to eat, but who knows that the horse meat tastes good when sandwiched with sesame seed cakes, so I created this dish, but after all, eating horses is not a long-term solution, so I replaced it with a donkey. So this donkey is actually a horse. For the dead ghost, the meaning of burning the meat in the furnace is to replace the dead ghost with fire, how can you eat it?!"

The jokes he made were both cold and forbidden, which made people feel embarrassed, let alone Rong Shishi and his wife, even Lu Jiusi was embarrassed by him.

Zhao Luli himself didn't know it, and tried his best to strike up a conversation with Lu Jiusi. At this time, there was another "squeak" outside the door, and a few people came in. The big fat man who led it seemed that he didn't expect that there were still many guests in the inn in such a cold night. , smiled boldly: "I didn't expect that the inn is quite lively tonight."

"Brother, there is a brazier here, why don't you come over and sit nearby." Zhao Luli immediately said enthusiastically.

The big fat man took off his bamboo hat and said with a smile: "Thank you very much."

They obviously did not come on foot, but just now there was no sound of galloping horses' hooves. If the horses' hooves were not wrapped in soft cloth, they must have been traveling slowly with their luggage.

Such a snowy night... Lu Jiusi glanced at the fat man lightly.

As soon as the big fat man finished speaking, the door squeaked again, and a young man with indistinguishable beauty came in. When he came in, he put his hands on his hips and said unceremoniously: "Give up a seat at the brazier, sir, we want to sit on it." .”

"Officer?" Xiao Er looked at the young man who was more beautiful than a girl and said hesitantly, "You are..."

The young man flashed his waist badge, and said with an air of authenticity: "Jin Yiwei is on business, don't ask questions."

Xiao Er hurriedly lowered his head, and the big fat man said "haha" twice, and looked up and down at the young man: "Since it is the official of Jinyiwei, let's sit in another place." He said and took someone to occupy the other side. After he left, Rong Shiyi and his wife didn't dare to sit in that seat, so they also moved back.

"Foot sound." A person came in from the door and said, the voice seemed familiar to Lu Jiusi's ears, but it was so strange.

Lu Jiusi's fingertips clenched the wine glass... finally came.

"Lord Lu, Master Lu!" Someone called out to him twice, and then Lu Jiusi came to his senses, only to see Zhao Luli pointing to the cup in his hand and saying, "If the wine is too bad, don't force it!" Be careful not to damage your stomach!"

As soon as he said this, he lost his voice and said: "Amu, you, why did you eat two steamed buns?! It's shameless to take it for yourself without asking, and it's unrighteous to take the staple food as a slave! What's more, you little When you are young, you will be greedy for more than you can chew, so when you grow up, don't you want to become a shameless and unrighteous eater."

While Zhao Luli was chattering, the fat man pointed at the donkey that had just been brought in front of him and said, "Send it to that young master!"

"Why is this so embarrassing?" Zhao Luli said repeatedly with a startled expression on his face, the fat man waved his hands and smiled, "We are all guests from afar, and it is fate that we can eat together in the same inn in a snowy day."

Xiao Er turned around and brought the pot of donkey fire to Zhao Luli's table, Zhao Luli cupped his hands and said, "Then Xiao Ke is disrespectful!"

As he spoke, he picked up the baked pancakes and ate the juicy donkey meat. At this moment, he had forgotten that the idea of ​​burning the donkey was to replace the dead ghost.

Lu Jiusi saw that the big fat man was talking heroically, but his eyes were shining brightly. He couldn't help but cast a sneer at Zhao Luli, who was eating with gusto, and then turned his gaze to the outsider.

An equally handsome young man came in, with a gentle expression: "Xiaoer, I have a patient, can you arrange a secluded guest room to settle in?"

Xiaoer's face showed embarrassment: "Patient? The doctor in our town went to the town's husband's house next door to celebrate the New Year. If the condition is serious, there is nothing we can do."

The young man said: "It's not very serious, just a little cold, I've already taken the medicine, just take a little rest."

Lu Jiusi stared at the young man without blinking. He thought he had changed a lot in the past ten years. The young man with red lips and white teeth had grown into a heroic man, but the young man in front of him had almost changed drastically.

Those eyes full of curiosity that squatted in front of the cage back then have grown into a pair of dark pupils that are ancient and calm.

Xiaoer said: "There is one in the corner, but it faces north, so it's not warm."

"It's okay." The young man nodded.

Not long after, a wounded man in a cloak was supported by Footsteps. The wounded gaited steadily, and all his movements were supported by Footsteps. He was obviously seriously ill. Xiaoer remembered that the young man said he was a patient with a cold. Can't help but take a few steps back.

The people on the first floor looked up at them as they helped the wounded upstairs, Zhao Luli shook his head and said, "The doors and windows cannot be opened. If cold symptoms spread in the cold winter months, it will be fatal."

What he said was so depressing that even the fat man couldn't help but put down the bamboo chopsticks in his hand.

----

Lu Jiusi put down the wine glass in his hand and smiled at the fat man, his eyes sparkled brightly: "I don't know what the bodyguard masters are called, where they came from, and where are they going?"

The big fat man laughed, and didn't hold back: "Peak Master really has a good eye. My surname is Wen, and my name is Yinong. I don't have any important bodyguards, but I am entrusted by guests to escort a few jars of wine to Beijing. I met this place on the way. I just remembered an old friend."

Unexpectedly, the name of this big fat man is very elegant, Lu Jiusi raised his hand and poured a glass of wine: "Oh, it's a world of ice and snow, I'm afraid it's not easy to find someone."

The big fat man glanced upstairs and smiled: "No, I just happened to be planning to inquire with the peak master."