Relief

The bones of Xie Wen and Mrs. Yu Xilian were burned into a pile of inseparable ashes in the fire, and Hou Daizhao stirred them up and filled them into two jars, and buried them in the cemetery on the mountain behind Xie's Villa.The guardian of the tomb is Hou Daizhao's confidant, and the most important task is to wait for Xie Zhixu to throw himself into the trap.

"When this matter is over, the second uncle will accompany you to pay homage to your parents." Xu Hui said to him.

Xu Hui's trip was under the pretense of reporting work to visit his fourth brother. While talking, he had to go to the front hall of the castle master's office with Qin Zemu, and ordered Xu Tao and Wanyuan to send Xie Zhixu's beard and beard out of the villa. .

Xu Tao and Wanyuan had a good relationship in the second generation, and Xie Zhixu pretended to be Xu Tao's personal attendant, which did not arouse suspicion.

However, they bumped into a woman in the corridor. She had a beautiful face and a graceful figure. Both Xu Tao and Wanyue showed a familiar expression. Only Xie Zhixu was at a loss. He didn't know this woman, but fortunately he had a face to help cover it up.

The woman was wearing silk and jade ornaments, and looked arrogant and arrogant, as if her status was not low.

Wanyuan saluted: "Madam."

Xu Tao also said hello, "Mistress."

Xie Zhixu hurriedly saluted, thinking that this is the wife that Hou Daizhao married into the house.I couldn't help taking a few more glances, the woman was sitting on the railing in the corridor, reaching out to pick the pear blossoms in the courtyard, her skin was as white as snow, more crystal clear than the pear blossoms, she was a beauty.

There are still many maids and nurses guarding the corridors, persistently fanning the mosquitoes among the flowers, and spreading a spotless wool blanket on the floor, and the lady's white jade carving's ankles lightly land on the blanket.

The madam winked, raised her eyebrows, brought tea, water, sunshade, and wind, and moved quickly, just like serving the most favored princess.

Xu Tao's eyes signaled the three to leave as soon as possible.As soon as she took a step, the madam called Wanyuan, her voice was clear and delicate, she was the youngest lady who loved her.

"Madam, please tell me." Wanyuan stopped.

"Yesterday I went on a business trip with Qu to Suzhou and brought back a lot of red lantern cherries grown in eastern Zhejiang. It's a big sweet fruit. It's a pity that Dai Zhao doesn't like this kind of delicate fruit. You pick a time and come to me to take it back and taste it."

"Yes." Wanyuan agreed, and the three of them prepared to leave.

Xie Zhixu heard the nanny smiling to his wife: "The young master likes cherries the most."

With the exception of the villa gate, Xie Zhixu obviously felt that Xu Tao was relieved.

They walked a little deeper into the woods, saying goodbye where the doorman couldn't overhear.Wanyuan lives in the villa and cannot go down the mountain with them. It seems that she is more worried about the joy of reunion.

"I know I'm not qualified to say this, but Xiaojing, I think... If the owner and his wife are still alive, I probably hope that you can live a safe life and never have to risk your life."

Xie Zhixu felt that these words sounded so familiar, remembering that he also expressed the exact same meaning to his second brother Feng Zhichang not long ago.

Xu Tao said angrily: "You and your father have a good life, and the mistress rewarded you with cherries, of course you don't have to worry about us. Those blood debts are between Jing Hui and Hou Daizhao, and have nothing to do with you."

Xie Zhixu gave him a hand, and reproached him, "Why are you so ridiculous, kid?"

Xu Tao turned his face away.Wanyuan clutched her sleeves to cover her mouth and nose, and looked at Xie Zhixu with reluctance and distress.

The doorman led the carriage over, he didn't dare to get too close, but he was rather urging.

Xie Zhixu finally said to Wanyuan: "Don't worry about what my uncle and second uncle want to do, don't listen or ask, the farther away from us the better, pick yourself out clean and clean. Do you hear me?"

Xu Tao glanced at him.

The two got into the car, and Wanyuan followed for a few steps.

The mountain wind lifted the curtains of the car, and Wanyuan's skirt slid through the window frame, and slid across the black and dull boulder. The silver armor and spear guarded the villa, like an unfallen god of war.

Xie Zhixu finally withdrew his eyes from the armor that was fading away, and silently said in his heart: Brother, you didn’t even figure out that people don’t like cherries at all. end.It's really a loss.

We are all at a loss.

For two full days after returning from the villa, Xu Hui didn't dare to let Xie Zhixu go out, for fear that Hou Daizhao would notice anything strange and come after him.

Xie Zhixu actually didn't know Xu Hui's plan, and Xu Hui didn't seem to have any intention of confessing. The two stayed under the same roof for two days with their own ghosts, and finally Xu Tao couldn't help it.

He was used to being in the outfield, and he couldn't bear this kind of confinement.

"Today is the day of the assembly in Baoqing Temple. Are you kidding me? You won't be allowed to go to the assembly? Old man, please be sober! If Hou Daizhao found out something, he would have done it long ago. How can we survive to this day?"

"Is your skin itchy? It's not big or small." Xu Hui first glanced at his son, then thought again, "Baoqing Temple rally?..."

Xie Zhixu pricked up his ears.

Baoqing Temple is a landmark in the prosperous area of ​​Jiangling. It is open five times a month, providing a place for people to trade goods.Birds, cats, dogs, and rare animals are traded in front of the temple gate, while toys and miscellaneous items for daily use are sold at the second and third gates, such as puhe mats, saddle bridles, bows and swords, pearl emerald heads, etc.

Every trading day, Baoqing Temple is very lively, Xie Zhixu and Xu Tao used to love to join in this kind of excitement.

Xu Hui said to himself: "Baoqing Temple is quite close to the Wei Guard Bureau..."

"Yeah, what's the matter?" Xu Tao and Xie Zhixu looked at each other in doubt.

"Not really," Xu Hui said, "Go, I'll go with you."

It's really... I've never heard of people who go shopping with friends of the same age and bring their elders with them.Xu Tao looked very unhappy.

The business on the main street of Fodian Temple was more prosperous than before, Xie Zhixu was squeezed into the crowd, his face was deformed, and he managed to stand on the steps in front of the temple to catch his breath.Xu Tao was still drifting in the crowd, and was dragged out by Xu Hui by the back of his neck.

Xu Hui was very disgusted: "You and Jing Hui grew up together, when will you be able to be as promising as others."

Xu Tao shouted: "Did I beat him in the martial arts competition the day before yesterday! Just say so!"

Xie Zhixu walked in front of the father and son, pretending not to hear.

There are fewer tourists in the temple, and the conversation is also soft-spoken, which is much quieter.Baoqing Temple was the mausoleum of the emperor of Nanping Kingdom about 200 years ago. All the mausoleum guards were scattered during the war, and new monks were stationed in the Buddhist hall.

The Xiansheng Gate behind the Buddha Hall sells some antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and there are fewer customers. Once you step into the Xiansheng Gate, you step on the Shinto Mausoleum. At the end is the tallest building in Jiangling——Daguan Pagoda. It is rumored that after the death of the emperor, he was dissected and ascended to heaven, the last relic left in the world.

The Buddha Pagoda is only for admiration and is not allowed to enter. Visitors stop at the Buddha Hall.

In the corridors on both sides of the main hall, there are inscriptions by famous masters of this dynasty. On the left wall is a picture of a blazing light Buddha descending nine luminous ghosts and a hundred operas, and on the right wall is a picture of a Buddha descending a devil and his mother uncovering a bowl.

Xie Zhixu walked along the corridor and found his handwriting crookedly carved on the pillar back then - Xie Dalang came here for a visit.

His face burned, and he wondered why he was still here, didn't he paint the pillars during the renovation?

No wonder he is thin-skinned, such a row of lettering with ugly words and embarrassing content is squeezed between the inscriptions of famous masters, which is really a dark history.

Xie Zhixu looked left and right in the corridor, no one was there, and scratched the handwriting with his fingernails.

Suddenly there was a scream from the direction of the Holy Gate.

"It's dead!!"

Immediately afterwards, footsteps came from all directions, converging towards the back door of the Buddha Hall.Xie Zhixu was startled and confused, and ran over.

I saw that everyone was blocking in front of the Xiansheng gate, facing the Shinto direction and stretching their necks.

Xie Zhixu found Xu Hui and his son in the crowd.

"What happened!"

The two of them just came here, so they didn't know anything about it.

Someone in the crowd yelled: "Someone jumped off the Grand View Tower and fell to his death!!"

"Please give way, give way, benefactor, please don't block in front of the Shinto." Several monks who came tried to separate the crowd.

Everyone shouted: "Monk! He's dead!" They were still pushing and shoving.

"It is forbidden to enter the mausoleum." The monk stopped in front of Xiansheng's gate.

While pushing, Xie Zhixu passed through many heads and saw on the flat ground where the Shinto and the Grand View Tower intersected, a pool of bright red eye-catching color, and a lump of indistinguishable shapes spread out in the blood.

Someone jumped off the pagoda?

But the mausoleum is forbidden to enter, is it the monk who guards the mausoleum?

The crowd suddenly quietened down strangely. Not only did they stop pushing each other, but they all took a step back.Xie Zhixu was pushed forward, and clearly saw the unknown object under the pagoda twitched, slowly raised, and turned into a dark shadow. Looking at the shape, it turned out to be a giant toad.

croak——

The toad jumped three feet high, and jumped towards the Xiansheng gate.

Damn!The crowd scattered in fright, and even the monk was startled and fled from the door.

croak——

After the toad danced the divine way, he gradually approached the Xiansheng Gate, his body was dripping with blood, and his shadow gradually became clear—it turned out to be a person pretending to be a toad? !

This is simply more terrifying than a giant toad.

Someone shouted: "Is this a human or a bug?!"

The Toad Man jumped to the door, stopped moving, and fell to the ground with two croaks.

The monk tremblingly leaned forward: "The benefactor? - Hurry up, go and call the doctor -"

The people who watched the excitement nearby said: "What kind of doctor is he, his head is broken, and he will definitely not survive—hey! I saw him fall from the tower with my own eyes!"

Xie Zhixu got close, and saw the man lying in a pool of blood, his face was torn apart, and his brains flowed out.But how could he skip Shinto like a toad?It's extremely weird.

He felt someone standing behind him, and when he looked back, it was Xu Hui.

Xu Hui's face was gloomy, he stared at the man who fell to death, and said in a heavy tone, "I know him."

Thank you for your surprise.

"The head of the Wei Bodyguard Bureau, Gao Fengliang."

At this moment, the corpse started to twitch again, its limbs spread out and it rushed forward like a reptile, causing the crowd to scream in fright.

"Monster! It's a monster!"

The limbs of the corpse drew a few arcs of blood on the ground with nowhere to focus, and it was completely dead.

However, no one dared to step forward.

Wheels--

There was another sound, the wooden wheel rolled over the bluestone slab.

Xie Zhixu opened his eyes wide and turned around——

The man in white calmly pushed the wheelchair to the side of the corpse. On the wheelchair, the handsome gentleman in bamboo green clothes took out a bottle of medicinal jade from his sleeve, tapped his slender finger, a drop of dark green liquid dripped from the mouth of the medicinal jade bottle, and fell into it. A black speck melted into the pool of blood.

——It’s not a monster, it’s poison.

Among the vast crowd, only Xie Zhixu heard the man's voice, which came from the bottom of his heart, as indifferent as the man's face.