Si Zhuo Green Plum Boiled Gu

(01)

without night

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"Is there no snow in the pass?"

"Yes, but not this kind of snow."

The wind took shape, turned into a solid body, mixed with large snow particles and swept over.A dozen or so people walked slowly in the wind and snow. Where it passed, the escorts covered their faces with sheepskin sleeves trimmed with silk, and the snow particles hit it like sand and gravel.Where it left, dead white.

It is undoubtedly dangerous to play darts in this weather.But this time the dart had to go.

"Why do you want to do this business?"

The person who asked the question was covered with silver hair, standing tall and straight in the wind and snow, with a majestic demeanor that did not belong to the people in the rivers and lakes. "This life on horseback doesn't belong to you."

The bodyguard who was asked tightened the reins of the horse with a piece of gold chain in his hand, thought for a long time before speaking,

"I was originally an escort."

The two walked and talked, and walked into the inn ahead.

After walking in the ice and snow outside the pass for two days and two nights, even the bodyguard team, who were used to hardships, felt that they could no longer hold on, but no one complained.Their eyes lit up when they saw a bleak banner in the whiteness from a distance, and they walked the rest of the way in one go, first leading the almost frozen horses into the stables, and then rushing into the small but warm room. indoor.

The simple post station provides a few old horses for the guests to exchange for riding.The fire was burning hot in the hearth, and the smell of potatoes wafted in the air.It was bitingly cold outside, but inside this inn was another world. After only staying for a while, they were sweating profusely. The group of people took off their sheepskin jackets to reveal the silk and satin underneath.

"Boss, take out any wine you have, and warm it up."

With a kind smile on his face, the postmaster walked around the scattered guests sitting in the middle of the room, and walked forward with a kind of total hospitality,

"We don't sell alcohol here."

"What do you sell if you don't sell wine?"

"We have hot soup here, we have baked potatoes, we have horses, but no wine."

The group was already hungry, and they didn't want to argue with him anymore, so they ordered some hot food.

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl came out from behind the partition, and set soup bowls in front of everyone sitting there. The bowl was filled with a bowl of red soup, and a pot of roasted rice was brought out. Delicious potatoes.After the silver-haired old man had taken a sip, everyone sitting there held up their soup bowls.The potatoes are soft and glutinous, and the red soup is rich and appetizing. The whole group is satisfied.

Seeing that they had eaten and drank everything, the postmaster called to the girl for some tea, and stood aside with his hands down.When the little girl came out again to pour sweet and sour tea for them, the silver-haired old man asked her to sit down with the postmaster.They chatted like friends.

It was late at night, under the sparse and dim starlight, the door of the inn opened.What came out was a group of people in the daytime.In order to maintain silence, the horses' mouths were temporarily tied with cloth strips.It was not only darkness, but also the severe cold that contained hostility.They didn't ride horses either, but stepped on the snow with one deep foot and one shallow foot.

When the station behind him was no longer visible, the silver-haired old man in the lead stopped, took out a parchment map from his arms, and took out a magnetic compass, and looked at it for a while before confirming the direction.A dozen horses and a dozen people moved in one direction in a slow but firm manner.

It was windy again, and wind meant snow.Everyone has no expression on their faces covered with icicles. Although they are wearing good leather sheepskin boots, their toes are already numb.What's even more frightening is that the invisible road under your feet is getting more and more difficult.

The silver-haired old man raised his head to see the faintly visible sunrise, and took out the parchment again.

Finally, he let out a long sigh and signaled everyone to stop.

No matter how dark the surrounding area is, it is time to see that the road is wrong.They have been going up, so their physical strength is exhausted too fast.Now that we have reached the high ground, the snow is deeper and the wind is more suffocating.

The old man snorted coldly and raised his hand, and the parchment was instantly blown away by the strong wind.

"Sima Chaoqun, what do you think we should do now?" He asked the person next to him.

The bodyguards looked at another layer of paleness that appeared on the old man's face that was pale with cold, and they couldn't help feeling a surge of despair. Even the horse began to neigh uncomfortably, and the ice slag from the horse's hooves trampled on the spot splashed everywhere.

The person being questioned thought for a moment, his eyes fixed on the restless horse.The horses are all black horses, but they have been specially trained for this dart walk, and they will never make a sound when they should not make a sound.Suddenly, those piercing black eyes dimmed, and then brightened again for a moment.He suddenly flew to the horse at the front of the team.

Along the side road are dead branches in winter, covered with fluffy snow. I don't know how long it has been piled up, and the pile is already higher than a person.The unremarkable snow on this road suddenly collapsed, and the snow split in all directions.It was empty under the snow, and a person flashed out from inside.The man was wearing a black felt hat and a white lamb gown, he must have been waiting here for a long time.The ice cooling didn't affect his shots at all.

His target was the bodyguard in white clothes, but he didn't use a knife, as if he was just trying to stop him.The bodyguards who were standing moved one after another to surround the two of them.

After a few tricks, the man didn't continue.

"It must have made you wait for a long time." It was the silver-haired old man who spoke.

The man fluttered down, and within a circle, he swept all the snow slag that was still splashing into his sleeve, and slapped it to the ground again.Now, the line of sight was clear, and everyone saw him.

"It's rare that there are so many guests in this lonely and remote place, and it's even more rare to meet a few friends, but why do friends leave so quickly?" The smiling face was the owner of the inn.

"I bought a fake map from your 'friend' for 100 taels." The silver-haired old man looked cloudy.

"100 taels is nothing to the Wushen Escort Bureau." The owner of the post station still smiled and looked up at the arrogant old man, "To the Governor of Water Transport, 100 taels is nothing more than worth a penny." carry."

The silver-haired old man snorted again as an answer.

"It seems that you are not the boss of this inn."

"Yes. I've been waiting here for a long time, so I'm naturally reluctant to let you leave so quickly."

Suddenly the bodyguard at the head of the team screamed, and the restless horse beside him suddenly fell to the ground.He whipped the horse's neck.At the same time, all the horses suddenly became frenzied, bumping away from everything beside them and galloping regardless. Looking at the billowing snow and dust, the silver-haired governor suddenly turned blue.

The sunrise finally showed a little trace, illuminating the road ahead.

Ahead, there is no road at all.Who would have thought that a cliff would suddenly appear on this directionless highland.

If the boss of the inn hadn't jumped out just now, would they have stepped on the air and fell down in the darkness before sunrise?

Even if they were still standing here, those horses went straight to the cliff without any intention of stopping.The governor looked at the horses that were stepping into death, and panic finally appeared on his face, as if he was the one who was about to die.He yelled out the name of the person next to him.

Sima Chaoqun had already taken a quick step to chase the out-of-control horse, and the owner of the inn who was staying aside also made another move to stop it.A pair of cold and soft hands, with slender fingers and well-trimmed nails.These hands, which did not match his appearance at all, were entangled with the escort's cuffs as if they had grown roots.

The two had already fought to the edge of the cliff, Sima Chaoqun didn't want to do this anymore, he passed the boss's shoulders, and several horses had jumped out of the cliff.

The boss of the inn still smiled, and as he looked at Sima Chaoqun's uncertain face, his smile grew stronger.

White world, white clothes, white knife light.Sima Chaoqun suddenly drew out his knife and went to cut off the boss's hand.

The bodyguard outside the Great Wall actually used an ivory knife.The blade was narrow and transparent, with only a layer of dark gold lacquer on the outside of the handle.

After being able to let go, the bodyguard still has the same goal.The group of brown-red horses at the head of the previous team had already stepped forward, and their inertia was so great that it was impossible for one person to stop them.The bodyguard held the rein with one hand and hooked it around, and wrapped the horse's neck with the gold chain attached to the rein.Even so, the horse was desperately trying to charge forward, and the escort was dragged by him and seemed about to fall.

At this moment, a stone came over and hit Crazy Horse's hind hoof.It was the owner of the inn who made the move.

The horse paused for a moment, and the escort seized the opportunity to cut its neck.

Eleven horses, twelve men.Ten horses had already been buried under the cliff, and the remaining one was lying on the ground, with bright red blood splashing, and the thick layer of snow was also soaked.

The silver-haired governor had already caught up. He glanced at the dead horse in the snow, and his frozen face eased.Just as he was about to step forward, the owner of the inn jumped in front of him.

"what are you doing?"

"I've been waiting for so many days, of course I came to collect things." The mask-like smiling face finally changed, and the owner of the inn showed a satisfied smile from the heart. A package came out and a knife was taken out of it.A butcher's knife, rough but sharpened.A perfect knife for dismembering livestock.

"The map is here to get us here."

"It took me a whole month to walk this road in person every day in the snow, so that I could accurately determine the walking speed and the time of sunrise. So your 100 taels is not a loss." The boss's butcher knife has already been cut His face was stained with blood, and his tone was very happy.

The smell of blood was even more abrupt in this cold. When a gust of wind blew past, the faces of the bodyguards standing there began to distort. The ugliest one was the silver-haired governor, who finally cleared his mind.

"Why is it so troublesome?"

The boss started to rummage through the horse's belly, he shook his head, "Trouble is better than mistakes."

"There is no poison in the soup, there is no poison in the tea, but you put poison in the horse feed, and the amount is just right to make them go crazy when they walk to the edge of the cliff." The escort in white looked at the mess on the ground, "I don't believe it. , someone will do this.”

"Mr. Sima Chaoqun is very smart. Fortunately, I was waiting here. Otherwise, if you succeeded in blocking it before, you will not succeed later."

The governor was already turning blue, covering his mouth and nose and standing with his back turned, at this moment he wanted to ask, "What can't be done?"

"He means that if the horses don't fall off the cliff, he can't be sure which one the thing is on." Sima Chaoqun answered the question.

"Of course it's more than that." The boss had already got up, soaked the cloth wrapped in the butcher's knife in the snow, and wiped the apricot-sized box that he took out from the horse's belly.

"If you didn't risk your life to stop that horse, how can I be sure this thing is real."

The governor couldn't help turning around, "Just for a 'confirmation', do you need to do this?"

"Facing the enemy, there are no mistakes that can be remedied." He looked at the box in the palm of his hand, and the bloody smell of the cleaned jade box was still there. However, the smile on the corner of his mouth is conceited and arrogant.

Seeing him like this, the bodyguard in white looked thoughtful, as if his thoughts were no longer in the present moment.

The inn owner was ready to turn around and leave.

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It has been more than 50 years since Wushen Bodyguard Bureau was established. It originally originated in the Shanhaiguan area. With its unique geographical location, it specializes in escorting rare treasures transported to the mainland by foreign businessmen.Now, in addition to the earliest one, four more branches have been opened, two in the north and two in the south, located in Luoyang, Chang'an, Xiajiang, and Wuzhong.Like all other businesses, once the capability capital reaches a certain level, the merchant can turn to select customers.Wushen Escort would not accept business below a certain value for a long time.Especially the biggest main account, only ten bodyguards.It is these ten people who are only willing to travel no more than three times a year, but it is enough for everyone in Wushen Bodyguard Bureau to live a prosperous life.What's more, if they want to make a bid, they need not only financial resources, but also internal recommendations.

What kind of guests are there to allow these dozen bodyguards to come to this kind of place where the birds are extinct and the mountains are covered with snow.

"Wait," the governor said, "won't you open it now? Are you afraid that what's inside won't be worth your while after you open it?"

The inn owner looked at the box in his hand obsessively, "All treasures are the most precious at the moment before they are seen."

"Or, the person who paid you only asked you to take the box back, but you can't open it without authorization?"

The boss's face became rosy, and he stood out against the paleness. He seemed to be annoyed by the question, and asked with his eyes wide open, "Do you think anyone can pay me?"

“Nobody can impress you with money because you are already rich enough.”

The Governor spoke word by word, staring at the boss's hands, "Ten years ago there was a businessman from a foreign land. No one knew why he came to the Central Plains. Most of his business was official business. Those gold and silver wares, citrine and sapphire inlaid handicrafts are all handicrafts that are not found in the Central Plains, and he became a frequent visitor to the nobles of the palace and gained many privileges."

After a pause, the Governor shifted his gaze to the boss's face again, "His privilege does not only come from his craftsmanship. What is more dazzling than the jewels and jades he brings is his appearance. Beauty is at all times It is fatal, and it is the same for a man. One day, he went to Dai Wangfu to display a batch of goods, and he got acquainted with the little prince, and the two hit it off right away. He was stayed by the prince for a short period of time, and the stay lasted for three months. "

The Governor sighed, and continued, "I was lucky enough to be in the mansion that year, and I saw that shipment and that person."

"Three months later, what happened?" It was Sima Chaoqun who asked.

"Nothing happened, I just left." While speaking, the boss covered his face with his sleeves, and when he put down his hands, his appearance changed.This is a face that people see and never forget.His complexion is whiter than snow, his hair is also light-colored, and there are a pair of blue eyes on his sculptural silhouette.In the sunrise, those eyes are sometimes in the sunlight, sometimes hidden in the darkness, and the green is now and then a little bit of silver gray.

"Three months later, the businessman left a letter in the palace, and then left. No one has seen him since. After he left, the prince burned down the Zhelan Pavilion where he lived."

The person standing like ice and snow chuckled lightly.

The governor went on to say, "The businessman has since disappeared, and no one has seen him and his jewelry again. There is a rumor that, in fact, he has stayed in the palace and never went anywhere. The prince is obsessed with his beauty and can no longer let it go." He left, so he was imprisoned in the mansion forever."

The crisp laughter was like the icicles that formed in the cold winter months melted by the sun and fell to the ground with a soft sound.

"Zhelan Pavilion, with blue eyes, my name also happens to be "Lan". I'm the same as the rumored foreign businessman. Don't you think it's a coincidence?"

Everyone stared blankly at the ice and snow, as if they were integrated with the surrounding white, and they did not belong to the secular people.The boss gently opened the box.The inside of the box is lined with black suede, and on it is a dark blue luminous cup with sinuous dark red lines.

"I never knew this glow-in-the-dark mug could be this color."

"Since it's a cup, it should be a pair. I guess you're going to find another one next."

"Yes, so now we can do it, because I must take this luminous cup today."

It wasn't until he started that everyone knew how terrifying his hand was. When it touched the opponent's skin, it was soft, as soft and smooth as satin. When it clasped the wrist and slowly moved up, the tactile sensation suddenly changed. It is more painful than the ice and snow pouring on his body outside the fortress. In this dull pain, he has already crushed the opponent's bones.

In the silent open space, there was only the sound of rustling snow falling, but now there was the sound of bones breaking.What is the use of bodyguards with broken hands, so they were kindly thrown off the cliff.

The kind-hearted man who threw them down had already wiped his hands with the accumulated snow, and everything returned to its original state. The bloody horse corpses and stumps were also buried in the new falling snow, and the world was brand new and clean again.

There were three people standing in the brand-new snow, one with silver threads like snow, one with skin as white as transparent, and one with eyes as cold as frost.

"I know where the other one is, because I was the one who arranged this trip to the Wushen Bodyguard Agency." The governor said.

"If you fight with me, you may not necessarily lose."

"No need, I was going to tell you where the other one is."

The boss had light golden eyebrows on his high eyebrows, and he raised his eyebrows to express his surprise, "So, it's not that I've been here waiting for you for a month, it's you who are actually waiting for me." His pale hand pointed again. Sima Chaoqun, "What about him?"

"Without him, we wouldn't be able to get another one when we got to Chang'an. The secrets inside the Wushen Bodyguard Bureau are only known to them."

Hearing this, the boss looked at Sima Chaoqun with dimmed eyes, and the other party looked back at him, as if there were flames burning in his eyes.

"You can't take this luminous cup away."

"why?"

"Because this battle is not over yet, I must be the one who wins in the end." Sima Chaoqun's voice was not loud, but he showed determination, and he took out the ivory knife again.