dragon pen

The predecessor of the Wubei Army was actually just an ordinary army, and the people in it were just ordinary people, until the day they died in battle, everything became different from before.

Zhang San: "I know I'm dead. When the big knife in the hand of General Yunqi slashed across my face, I felt cold at that time. Something cold cut my face like cutting tofu, and then there was The liquid dripped, and I couldn’t see anything, so I fell down. Death doesn’t hurt, and anyone who has died knows that, but at the beginning, I couldn’t see anything, only the sound could be heard.”

Zhang San: "I heard someone calling my name, someone swearing, it was my enemy who cried when I died."

Zhang San: "At that time, I knew that I was really dead, and the dead probably had a place to go... But I was reluctant to leave. At the beginning, I wandered around the battlefield aimlessly - I died just like me Those brothers said: Let's go, Zhang San, let's go to reincarnate, and if we cast a good one in the next life, we don't have to die so unclearly... They left while talking, and I watched their leaving backs, but they didn't stop. I was willing to leave, I asked myself, what will my mother do after I die? What will my wife and children do? My father died early, without me my mother will be alone. I met my wife when I was in Wusai City , she is a very special existence. In fact, I still don’t know why she fell in love with me. Later, we got married and had a daughter. My daughter is only eight years old this year, and her name is Hongye. When I died, it was exactly one month away During the Mid-Autumn Festival, when she was only four and a half years old, and three days before her fifth birthday, I promised to give her a rattle with a bell."

The words paused, and the speaker seemed to be lost in thought... Sitting by the bonfire, the jumping flames reflected on the soldier's face, making the scar on his face that had taken his life look a bit hideous——Daylight Silence and memories were written on the silly face in the painting at this moment. He moved and asked the boy beside him: "Painter, I think my story is quite boring. Are you sure you want to write it down?"

"What? Hmm..." The young man who was squatting by the bonfire, holding a gilt pen in his hand and writing rapidly on an open scroll raised his head when he heard this, and smiled at Zhang San, "This pen It should be used to record things, not to draw pictures."

Zhang San said "hmm": "I've heard of people like you. It is said that there are some people with extraordinary talents who traveled all over the country, mountains and rivers, just to record some anecdotes, edit them into a book, and leave them to future generations. listen."

"I came here only because of some coincidence," Zhang Ziyao said, "but Wusai City is really special."

Zhang San nodded, paused for a while, and then continued to tell his story——

"Then the scene changed, as quickly as closing and opening my eyes, I saw my wife kneeling in front of a coffin, wearing white clothes; my daughter was also wearing the same white filial piety, kneeling in front of the brazier , my daughter asked my wife, mother, why is father lying in there, why do we have to burn things for him, mother, it was my birthday yesterday, and father was still asleep, and the rattle that was agreed was not given to me.”

"At that time, I was in a hurry. I shouted desperately that I was still alive. Look, I'm right here. Hongye, I haven't forgotten your rattle. I bought the rattle a long time ago, and I hid it in the cabinet, waiting for you. I gave it to you for your birthday, didn’t your mother take it out? ——But it’s useless,” Li San smiled, “They can’t hear you.”

Zhang San: "I was preoccupied with the rattle, and walked around my wife and daughter like a dog. At that time, I was "anxious", so anxious that I didn't even know that someone came in from outside the door—"

"I just remember looking up, and there were two people standing outside the door, one was dressed in white, tall and thin, with a tall hat on his head like an opera singer, his facial features were as delicate as a woman's, and his face was as pale as a ghost, uh , It is indeed a ghost," Zhang San said with a smile, "the other person is also tall, but his body is much stronger, his complexion is darker, he has thick eyebrows and big eyes, he looks very grand, and he also wears a tall hat on his head. But it's not so funny... When the two of them walked in the door, the one in white kept complaining about the one in black, saying that he had to listen to a dog's last words on the way, crazy, wasting time or something... The one in black I just listened to him with a dull face, without any reaction—then they came to me, and the white one put a huge chain on my head, and then said impatiently: Zhang San, congratulations You, you are dead and have no last words, because the time for your last words was taken away by a dog... now shut up and follow us."

Zhang Ziyao raised his face and looked at Zhang San in a daze.

Zhang San scratched his head in embarrassment: "Is it? I also felt baffled at the time. Who are these two? I couldn't cooperate, so I started to struggle, and I said no, my wife and daughter are still here, I can't go with you, what should they do if I leave? The white clothes said, how do I know what to do, you are so capable Don't die if you have the ability!"

Zhang Ziyao: "..."

Zhang San: "The attitude is extremely bad."

Zhang Ziyao: "Is it a ghost?"

Zhang San: "The one in white is called Xie Bi'an; the one in black is called Fan Wujiu."

Zhang Ziyao: "Oh, that's the name, it's a ghost."

Zhang San: "White clothes have a bad attitude-remember to write this down, write it down... the one in black doesn't like to talk, but the one in white is actually afraid of him, and the one in black looks at him, and he doesn't dare to speak gone."

——White envoy Xie Bi'an, irritable, looks at near but far.

Zhang Ziyao wrote this line of words on the scroll on his knee, then looked up and looked around guiltily, and asked, "And then? The ghosts are here, why are you alive again?"

"The black clothes saw that I had an unfulfilled wish, so I could talk to my wife before leaving. The white clothes looked unhappy, but didn't say anything. I thought about it for a long time, and what I wanted to say three days and three days I couldn't finish talking at night, and finally came to my wife, and I told her that Hongye's rattle is in the closet, you can bring it to her." Zhang San paused when he said this, and then seemed to be trying to recall the scene at that time, "She heard it."

Zhang Ziyao: "Yeah, what then?"

Zhang San: "I just found out that my wife is a Mirror Witch."

Zhang Ziyao: "What?"

Zhang San: "I used to see that my wife is different from ordinary people, and there are always mysterious people around her. Later I found out that she is the Mirror Witch. She has a mirror that can pull people back from the way of the underworld—— As long as that person has some resentment in his heart and refuses to leave, as long as that person still has relatives who miss him in this world, as long as the mirror witch knows that this person's soul is still there-not to mention it is a ghost, even the Lord of the Underworld. You can't stop her from bringing people back."

Zhang Ziyao: "So you came back?"

"Yes. The one in white clothes was very angry. He said it was all the fault of the one in black clothes who asked me to talk to my wife, otherwise she would not know that I was still there." Zhang San said, "Looking at their appearance, they must have known about my wife a long time ago. Who are they, no wonder they said nothing to me when they came up and didn’t have a last word... Well, in the end, the one in black saved my life.”

Zhang Ziyao: "After you come back, you will become an army without sorrow."

"Yes, this is the frontline army, and there are people like me everywhere... We rely on the thoughts of our loved ones or lovers to bring them back to life, and then maintain our humanity to survive—only the strongest and deepest thoughts can make the infinite The sad army survives..."

Zhang San told Zhang Ziyao that starting from the day of resurrection after death, the Wubei Army must contact relatives or lovers every six months. Only when this person appears in the other party's mind in detail can that kind of feeling be able to make them exist. The standard to go down——

Occasionally they get a vacation to go home in person, and more often they rely on a letter from home, because when writing a letter, the person who wrote the letter will always unconsciously miss the person's appearance, voice and His matter - so the Wubei Army is not immortal, immortal, immortal, they will also die, and when the person who misses them most in this world stops thinking about them, they will also turn into a handful Yellow sand and dust.

In most cases, this kind of thing will only happen when that person dies, because in this life, it can only be very strong emotions that can cause the appearance of the Wubei Army.

Just like Li Si.

His wife died, and no one in the world missed him, so he turned into a handful of yellow sand and was blown away in the wind.

"However, people are unwilling after death, it is nothing more than being nostalgic for another person or their wish has not been fulfilled," Zhang San said. "If there is no such person, then what's the point of wanting to bring the dead back to life?"

"But you can't see them here as the No Sad Army."

"The imperial court promised that no matter what, after 20 years of military service, if the Wubei Army has not yet died, they can retire and return to their hometowns, return to their loved ones, accompany them until they grow old, and finally perish together. "Zhang San said, "So they are very envious of me. My wife and children are all by my side, so I don't have to wait 20 years... And compared to everyone's fear of trouble, I can see them at any time-it's just a family book. Just to join in the fun, see what my mother said to me, um, it’s just that I’m just homesick, I’m homesick after being away from home for a long time, not for survival.”

Zhang Ziyao thought for a while: "It's quite romantic."

Zhang San smiled, shook his head and said: "It's not romantic, you know, even the strongest feelings are sometimes distorted by people's desires - when people are always unavoidable, you will worry about it." I am not at home all year round, will my wife hook up with other men; I will also worry about whether a scholar with a handsome face will be moved by the city. After guessing for a long time, it gradually turns into a kind of resentment, and you can't help but feel confused: Why do I have to live so hard? Am I still a human being like this? "

"..."

"People's greed is infinite," Zhang San curled his lips, "When you were a ghost, you must always think that it would be nice if you could let me breathe another breath of fresh air——after this wish is fulfilled, you will find that , your wish has become not so simple, you still want to be a human being, a person who can live well without relying on anyone."

"But that's impossible."

Zhang San was silent for a long time, then he turned his head and glanced at Zhang Ziyao, then suddenly lowered his voice and said, "It can be done, as long as you--"

"?"

Before the rose disappears or withers?What's the meaning?

Zhang Ziyao's heart beat a little faster, and he thought of the rose tattoo on Yuan's neck for no reason. However, before Zhang San's words fell, behind him, a cold female voice suddenly sounded——

"what are you saying?"

The two people in the conversation were taken aback for a moment, and both turned their heads away——

Then I saw a young woman with an expressionless face standing behind them. The woman was about 30 or [-] years old. Although she was dressed plainly, she was different from ordinary peasant women at a glance. At this moment, she Holding a little girl by the hand, the little girl was holding a rattle in her hand, and she was looking at Zhang Ziyao and Zhang San eagerly at the moment.

The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became a little strange.

Let’s not talk about how an ordinary woman appeared in the barracks, but the reactions of the other Wubei soldiers around were also very strange—they all turned their heads to look at this woman, as if they all knew her—but after a while, They turned back to their own business.

It seemed that he was deliberately avoiding and ignoring her existence.

"Zhang San, what are you talking to this person?" The woman asked again coldly.

Zhang San stood up: "Ah, why are you here? Don't be so sensitive, this little brother Zhang came from the capital with the prince, and I just asked me about the Wubei Army, so I told him—"

"He asked you about the Wubei Army and you told him?" The woman rolled her eyes in a circle, as if trying to suppress her anger at this moment, "Is this kind of thing interesting to talk about?! How can you be so talkative as a man, Zhang San, it’s not enough for you to harm me, now you want to harm Hongye?! She is your daughter!!!!"

Zhang Ziyao was stunned by the woman's sudden anger. After a while, he realized that the woman in front of him was none other than Zhang San's wife and daughter—because he had said that he had a daughter named Hong Ye.

But this woman said that Zhang San wanted to harm her?

Zhang Ziyao was extremely puzzled.

At this time, amidst the woman's anger, the little girl shrank as if she wanted to break free from her hand, but it was probably because the woman held it too tightly, and she couldn't break free, and she didn't know whether it was the pain or the hand. The father and mother were so frightened by the quarrel that they burst into tears——

The crying made many people who turned their heads away look back, and Zhang San finally became nervous at this time. A trace of unnatural fear flashed in his eyes amid the woman's glaring eyes, and he stood up. , pulled Hongye into her arms and gently patted her on the shoulder as if to comfort her: "No, Xiaodie, listen to me, this painter is from the capital, and has nothing to do with us, he will leave in a few days ——and he is still a living person, I thought he would never..."

"It has nothing to do with us?" The woman let out a sharp laugh, pointing with her finger, the sharp fingertips almost touched Zhang Ziyao's nose, "Say it again? Who is he—"

"An ordinary painter from the capital drew us a picture of the capital after the earthquake..."

"He is not, Zhang San, you idiot!! He is not an ordinary painter from the capital, he is the son of the Yuan family, and the Yuan family relied on him to climb out of the mirror, understand?! ——Zhang San, what crime did I, Yuan Die, do to rescue you from the underworld?!"

The woman almost became hysterical, with madness written in her eyes——

"It wasn't enough for you to harm me! Now you want to harm your daughter?!"

As she spoke, she pulled the little girl into her arms fiercely. The little girl cried again out of fear, but she didn't seem to hear anything, and just stared at the moment with those gloomy eyes. Zhang San stood there dumbfounded, with a terrified expression——

Finally, she fell silent.

Holding Hongye tightly, she said to the man with a numb and indifferent expression: "Zhang San, you know there are some things you should not say or do. I forgive you once, but I won't forgive you the second time..."

The woman paused and said coldly, "You'd better go die."

After saying that, the woman led Hongye away.

Zhang Ziyao looked at the back of them leaving, and muttered, "Is this woman crazy for no reason?" He was about to comfort Zhang San, but when he turned his head, he found Zhang San was staring at him blankly.

Zhang Ziyao was looked at cautiously and panicked.

"You lied to me." Zhang San stared at Zhang Ziyao without emotion and said, "You are that woman's son."

"Wait, how did I lie to you? It's true that Yuanshi is my mother, but you didn't ask," Zhang Ziyao took a step back, "And take a step back, the things you told me have nothing to do with who I am what relationship--"

"I almost told you about that."

"What's the matter?" Zhang Ziyao was at a loss.

Zhang San stared at him for a while, and after a while, he suddenly sighed, as if his soul had been sucked out of him suddenly, and he sat down in front of the bonfire: "I'm done."

"what?"

"You know, right? About the widely circulated story in the city of Wusai, in the end, the princess's loyal cavalry killed the princess."

"I know."

Zhang San turned his head and stared at Zhang Ziyao, and said slowly, "Do you know why they killed the princess?"

"……do not know."

Zhang San smiled wryly, stretched out his hand and patted his chest, as if he said to himself: "It's because of the human heart, the greed that can never be satisfied." After finishing speaking, his head drooped.

Afterwards, no matter how much Zhang Ziyao asked, he refused to say another... word—the scene just now seemed like an episode, and now the surroundings suddenly became quiet again, only the slight sound of wind blowing across the yellow sofa could be heard.And the crackling of dry logs in the campfire.

Regarding "why the cavalry killed the princess", Zhang Ziyao did not get a standard answer in the end.

……

The next morning, as soon as Zhang Ziyao opened his eyes, Fu Yao twisted his waist and came to him, and told Zhang Ziyao with a smile: "Hey, you know Zhang San, right?"

"I know, I just spoke yesterday." Zhang Ziyao picked up a coat and put it on.

"he died."

Zhang Ziyao had just woken up, and his mind was still not sober. After hearing this, he paused when he put on his clothes, with one hand still half in his sleeve, he raised his head and subconsciously asked, "What did you say?"

"This morning, when my mother was watching the beautiful scenery of the man practicing masculinity, he was also in the team, and then suddenly there was a 'poof'," Fuyao made a gesture of a goddess scattering flowers, "it turned into a pile of yellow sand."

"..."

"I heard it was because he made his wife angry yesterday."

"..."

"So, you men, don't make your wife unhappy." Fuyao raised his hand, tapped the tip of the black-haired boy's nose, and snickered, "Maybe he's going to die?"

"I'm good Longyang."

"Similarly, men are also stingy." Fu Yao laughed, "Look at the dragon in the scroll hanging outside, have you ever seen someone more stingy than him?"

"It's true that I haven't seen it before."

Zhang Ziyao got up while perfunctory, dressed like a walking dead, walked to the washbasin to wash his face-it was not until the water choked into his nose that he almost suffocated himself that he realized that he wanted to take his face out of the washbasin. The dazed young man in the mirror, Zhang Ziyao realized that his brain was empty when he heard the news of Zhang San's death. Now, he had to start thinking about a question: Did he kill Zhang San?

Zhang Ziyao's face was gloomy, he didn't want to talk anymore, his mind was full of what Zhang San told him yesterday——

However, those things are vague, like a mess, and they can't be sorted out at all.

At this time, Zhang Ziyao came to Hua'er again after washing himself, woke up Su Lian who was in a drowsy sleep, grabbed the child with bandaged hands and grabbed him to the washbasin, and cleaned it with the one he had left specially before. The water threw a veil, and then wiped his face, Su Lian hid back reluctantly, Zhang Ziyao muttered: "Don't move, how can the wound heal if you don't wash it clean?"

"I don't have any injuries on my face."

Zhang Ziyao pretended not to hear, but said to him while wiping his face: "Let me tell you, there is a little girl who is about your age outside. I saw it yesterday. Do you have the nerve to be sloppy in front of your peers?"

"I'm one hundred and seven years old this year. Where can I find a 'little girl' who is about my age?" Su Lian said expressionlessly, as if she was afraid that Zhang Ziyao would accidentally rub the veil and touch her hand when he made such a move. He still took the veil over his face, "Why are there children here?"

Just as Zhang Ziyao was about to answer, at this time, Fuyao entangled him like a boneless person, and said in a very casual tone: "Speaking of little girl, I met your mother this morning and saw her having sex with a young mother and daughter. The quarrel seems to be because your mother said a few words to the little girl, the child's mother rushed up like crazy and pulled them away, saying something in her mouth so that your mother should know how to be grateful and think about being a human being Parents and the like, it’s really inexplicable—"

"My mother? And Hongye?"

"Hongye? That little girl? Yes, if I hadn't been there at the time, I really don't know if that crazy woman would have done something crazier... Oh, by the way, speaking of this, there is one more thing to tell you— —Your fairy grandma found out that last time we argued about the tattoo on your mother's neck..."

Zhang Ziyao stopped wiping Su Lian's face, then turned his head sensitively and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It seems that we all misunderstood it?" Fuyao said, "I took a closer look today when I was tugging with the mother and daughter. The rose turned out to be in full bloom, layer upon layer in full bloom, very beautiful... I Want one too!"

But at this moment, Zhang Ziyao couldn't listen to what Fuyao was saying at all, his mind was full of what Zhang San told him——

[When you were a ghost, you must always be thinking that it would be nice to let me breathe another breath of fresh air——after this wish is fulfilled, you will find that your wish is not so simple, and you still want to be a human being. A person who can live well without relying on anyone...]

[As long as you are before the rose disappears or withers——]

The same tattoo, when Zhang Ziyao looked at it, it was clearly a flower bone; when Fuyao looked at it again, he said that it was obviously a half-bloomed flower; but now, when Fuyao looked at it again, he said that everyone had misread it, but it was actually a flower. A flower in full bloom—

If everyone is not mistaken?

If so, the tattoo itself will change?

Thinking of this, Zhang Ziyao's heart beat almost out of his chest, he turned around abruptly, the movement was too big and he overturned the basin and made a loud "bang"!

Not far away from him, Su Lian, who was taking advantage of his daze and trying to take advantage of the opportunity to escape, thought something happened, and immediately turned around and said, "I didn't want to sneak away"; The dazed dragon also opened his red eyes, and at a glance he saw the back of the young man running out of the tent in a hurry. He hiccupped wonderingly, then looked at the child standing under the painting and said angrily, "Did you do it early in the morning?" What about you guys, are you crazy people?"

"I don't know." Su Lian frowned, then turned to ask Fu Yao, "What did you say to him?"

Fuyao pointed to the tip of his nose, also with an innocent face: "Aren't you listening to what the servant said, my lord, who knows where it touched his nerves—"

"How long are you two planning to discuss here?" Zhu Jiuyin said with a gloomy face, "Why don't you follow up and take a look?"

Fuyao said "Oh" and turned around to chase after him, but before he could go far, he heard Zhu Jiuyin yelling from behind: "Where are you going? Huaer! Huaer!"

Fuyao turned around with a dazed expression on his face, took the scroll off the wall at the same time Su Lian jumped into it, hugged it casually when he was tired, twisted his waist and rushed towards the direction where Zhang Ziyao left——

The snake demon twisted its waist and chased after it, but at first she could still see Zhang Ziyao's back, but after chasing, she couldn't see anything.

Zhu Jiuyin in the picture scroll was so angry that he fell down: "Hurry up, hurry up - oops, people are all lost, I can climb faster than you!"

"My lord, why don't you come down and climb up?" Fuyao said softly holding the scroll, "This is the fastest, slave girl."

As he spoke, he twisted his waist and walked around the barracks tent.

Su Lian: "You can't walk in a straight line?"

"Master Fei really knows how to joke," Fuyao said, "Which snake have you seen that can walk in a straight line?"

Su Lian: "..."

"Normally snakes don't have two heads, so why don't you chop off one if you're so disciplined?" Zhu Jiuyin said angrily.

Fuyao: "Oh, it's really violent, it really is Mr. Zhu Jiuyin - that's because Fuyao is afraid of pain."

After searching with a pot, Fuyao bypassed the tent of the fourth barracks, and at this time, Zhang Ziyao had run away without a trace.

Su Lian: "I lost it."

Fuyao: "No, there are footprints on the ground, that's all the deserts are good for."

Zhu Jiuyin: "..."

Where did he find such a large group of trash?