hairpin boy

Lost vision, trapped in the boundless darkness, fear arises spontaneously.

Calm, be sure to stay calm.The feeling of cold and damp should be entering the interior of the mountain.The slope is not big, but all the way is obviously downward.

There were not many detours, and after walking for about a cup of tea, the escort stopped.Then there was the sound of the door opening, which should be wooden.

"go in."

There was a huge thrust from his back, and he fell through the door into another space, and there was the sound of the door closing behind him.

After his hands were free, the first thing he did was to take off the black cloth that blindfolded him. Unfortunately, his vision was still pitch black.He turned around and groped, a wooden door embedded in the hard rock wall.He raised his hand and straightened his arm and couldn't reach the top. Then he turned around and found that there was light, which was very faint but it was indeed light.He took a few steps forward tentatively, looked up, and saw that the cave was not completely closed, and there were some huge gaps on the high rock top, and the stars and the moon were hidden in the clouds, casting a little bit of cold light.He looked around again, but he couldn't see the end of the stone room as far as he could see.Exploring is a bit dangerous now, he retreated to the door and sat down leaning against the door panel.He thought, just wait until dawn, maybe he can escape from above.

I was arrested probably in the middle of the night, and I calculated that I would have to stay up until dawn for at least an hour, and it was impossible to sleep.He hugged his legs and recalled the recent events.

He was under 18 years old when he passed the provincial examination, so he was so energetic.I'm too happy, in order to go to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination, what a night trip!This is a good time, if it falls into the hands of the bandits and the entanglement of documents is gone, I am afraid that my life will also be taken.Haste makes waste, thinking of this, he almost cried.The next things in my mind are no longer under the control of my mind, from the desolate and desolate singing in my hometown, to the late nights of studying hard in the blue light and bright moon, to the imagined scene of seeing the holy face when I was engraved on the gold list in the Hall of Words and Harmony. .His short 18-year life has not contained too many experiences and ups and downs, and he must not be ruined here.

Thinking about it, the sky gradually brightened, and the sunlight filled the entire stone room inch by inch.He was still sitting by the door, when he suddenly felt something push against his lower back, which made him jump up cleverly.After a closer look, I found that there was a small door under the wooden door, and a tray was sent outside the door and it was closed again immediately.Breakfast hey, that's great, it seems they don't plan to kill themselves yet.He squatted down and saw two bowls of water and two steamed buns on the plate. He was stunned and suddenly saw a black figure appearing in the sunlight at his feet.He turned around, and there was a man standing behind him.As soon as he exclaimed, the man covered his mouth and dragged him into the depths of the cave.

"Don't be afraid, I was caught by them just like you. There are two people guarding the door all the time, don't shout or you may be in trouble." The voice was soft and powerful, and it rang in his ear, "I understand, just tap Head." He nodded vigorously, and the man let go.

He tried his best to calm his breath and turned to look at the person behind him, meeting the searching gaze of the other person.The two looked at each other in the morning light, only to see that the man was disheveled and his clothes couldn't see his original color, his face was slightly covered by disheveled hair, his facial features were tough and handsome, but he was very haggard.He thought he should be in this embarrassment now.

"What's your name for this brother?" He broke the silence by speaking first.

The man withdrew his eyes and hesitated for a moment, cupped his hands and replied, "My son, Song Erlang, came to the capital to visit relatives."

He also respectfully returned the salute: "Xiaosheng Lu Zhun is the candidate who went to Beijing to rush for the exam. It is really a fate that you and I meet here!"

Song Erlang looked at Lu Zhun, who was dressed in gray coarse cloth and tied with a scholar's scarf. After washing his face, he was a standard white-faced scholar.Ordinarily, a scholar like him should have been terrified when he came to this kind of place. No wonder he was admitted to Juren at a young age. It seems that he has two brushes.

The two chatted softly while drinking cold water and chewing steamed buns.

"Why are these bandits arresting us?" Just asking this question made Lu Zhun feel scared.

"I came in three days earlier than you, and eavesdropped on their conversation through the wooden door. This group of thieves has a total of more than [-] people, and they only attack people who walk by night. Human traffickers are sent to work as coolies outside the customs. I surveyed here and found some traces of people living here. It is not a problem to live in such a large place for dozens of people. It seems that the last batch has just been sent away."

"This is terrible, let's find a way to escape!"

"Escape is easy to say, how to escape?"

"Hey, second brother," Lu Zhun put on his hand skillfully, "I think you are also a martial artist, you..."

"How do you know I practice martial arts?" Song Erlang interrupted him.

Lu Zhun was taken aback by his vigilant gaze, "You...you grabbed me twice just now. It was not easy. Besides, you stand like a pine tree, walk like a wind, and sit like a clock, so it's easy to see. A tattoo is not a soldier, whether it is an escort or a ranger, it is a person who practices martial arts."

"I see." Song Erlang's expression relaxed.

"I want to say, you can escape through the crack above." Lu Zhun pointed to the crack above his head.

"It's useless, not to mention that the rock wall is slippery and very difficult to climb. Those gaps look like they are occupied by tree roots and vines, and people can't get out. Those bandits are not stupid. They figured out that the only way to get out of this stone room is through the door." road."

"It seems that we have to go through the door." Lu Zhun stuffed the last bite of steamed buns into his mouth, "This is not enough, can I have more?"

Song Erlang also finished eating, "That's the problem. The food they give you is only enough to keep you from starving to death, so that you don't have the energy to think about running away. Unless you send someone in, the door won't open. I think the food that was sent out of the mountain On the way, the probability of successful escape is higher."

Lu Zhun murmured in a low voice, "By that time, I will miss the imperial examination." He raised his head and asked Song Erlang again, "Second brother, if you are full, how many bandits can you beat?"

"I don't want to talk big. If you have enough food, if you still have a weapon, it's no problem to fight ten." Song Erlang regained his energy.

"Ten! You are so powerful, how could you be arrested?"

"I was in a hurry and fell into a trap when it was dark. Besides, there were dozens of them at that time!" Song Erlang was a little embarrassed when asked.

"Okay, it's not important, I have a plan..." Lu Zhunfu said in Song Erlang's ear.

Song Erlang's face changed when he heard this, "This... can it work?"

"The opportunity was snatched by myself. Do you want to pin your hopes on those bandits?"

"Can I trust you?" Song Erlang asked seriously.

"It's up to me to ask you, is it obvious that I'm at great risk?"

"Then why do you believe me? We just met, you don't even know what I do, I may have been lying to you."

"Do I have any other options? It's better to give it a go than to sit and wait for death. You look more trustworthy than those bandits! Also," Lu Zhun leaned closer to Song Erlang and looked into his eyes, "I am the first As soon as I saw you, I thought you were a good person."

"Am I a good person?" Song Erlang murmured as if he was asking Lu Zhun and himself, "Maybe you won the bet this time, but in the future, don't trust others, let alone judge people by their appearance."

"So you agreed." Lu Zhun didn't care about the next words at all.He found a more comfortable position to lie down, and said, "Okay, from now on, except for eating, it's best not to move or talk, and maintain your strength."

Two days later, on a dark and stormy night, the plan began.

The thieves are all doing things at night, and that is when the defense in the cave is the weakest.

The flame in the oil lamp danced slightly, and the two guards dozed off with their knives in their arms.Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed in the stone room, awakening the two of them.

"Ah, don't, don't eat me, brother, brother, everyone is human, how can you do such a beastly thing? Oh, I know you are hungry, but I haven't showered for several days, It all stinks!"

Song Erlang stood by the door and looked at the ground while shouting and dancing. Lu Zhun couldn't help but be impressed by his superb acting skills, as if there was really a monster in the dark trying to drag him away.

The two gatekeepers looked at each other, and first tentatively opened the small door below to look in. There was only a more piercing scream in the darkness.The guard closed the small door in disgust, and the two let each other go in to check the situation.

"Brother told me that you can't open the door." Guard A said.

"If something happens to them, the eldest brother will have to sell us both," said guard B.

A plucked up the courage to open the wooden door and went in to check it out. When he completely entered the darkness behind the door, he disappeared along with the screams. No matter how the guard B called, there was no response at all.

Guard B felt cold all over, he held a knife in one hand and a torch in the other, kicked open the wooden door and walked in.The torch was suddenly extinguished when he was fully inside the stone chamber, and the wooden door slammed shut behind him.

He turned pale in shock and turned around quickly. Before he understood what was going on, he had already been disarmed and knocked down.The person who grabbed him untied his belt, tied his hands behind his back, and then let him go. He struggled to sit up and the flames lit up again, so he could see the scene in front of him clearly.Two "prisoners" stood in front of him and looked at him fiercely. His companion lay motionless on the ground between them.

"How many people are there in the mountains now?" With the knife resting on his neck, he didn't answer, as he hadn't adapted to the change of identity.

"Don't say yes, okay." The man with the knife moved the knife, and the blade turned and plunged straight down into the back of the guard's head on the ground.Some sticky things splashed up, and the person holding the knife who asked the question still didn't change his face, and the people around him covered their faces to avoid this scene.

He finally realized what kind of trap this was, and now he could only kneel down and beg for mercy.

"Grandpa hero, please forgive me, grandpa hero, I'm only here to guard the door, I've never done anything bad with them!"

"I asked you how many people are left in the mountain?" The other party seemed impatient.

"It's just the two of us," he looked at the corpse of his companion on the ground, "it's just me now."

"Okay, lead the way out of the mountain."

"Hey, wait a minute, they still have my identity document, and if I don't have it, I won't be able to participate in the imperial examination." Another person said hastily.

"Go find what he wants." The knife-wielding man ordered coldly.

Song Erlang pointed his knife at guard B in front, and Lu Zhun followed closely behind him.In the past two days, for this plan, Lu Zhun gave up all the food to Song Erlang. He only drank a few sips of water, and now he barely supported himself and walked out.

Soon he got his own things as he wished.Song Erlang didn't seem very happy about getting his belongings back, and only urged him to leave quickly.

Just after walking out of the mountain cave, guard B pulled the mechanism of the mountain gate while they were not paying attention.

"No, he's reporting to his companion." Song Erlang said as he counterattacked and killed the guard B.

It's a pity that it was too late. A tongue of flame shot up into the sky, and a huge spark exploded in the night sky.

Song Erlang pulled the weak Lu Zhun and ran into the night.

After running for a long way, the two of them tripped over a stone and fell far away.Song Erlang got up and observed the surrounding environment by the moonlight. He helped Lu Zhun and pointed to a small road and said to him: "Go straight down this road to the west gate of Kaifeng City. Although you can't enter the city, there are guards there." The officers and soldiers are sure to be safe. After dawn, go to Quyuan Street in the south of the city to find a Xindong Restaurant, where you live, tell shopkeeper Hu my name and he will take care of you."

"Then what do you do?" Noisy voices and dots of fire came from afar.

"I'm familiar with the terrain here, don't worry I'll clean them up. Thanks to you this time, I'll thank you later." His eyes were firm and his tone was beyond doubt.

Just as Lu Zhun was about to leave, Song Erlang said to him, "I'll tell you one more thing. Today's emperor doesn't like people who are too young to be officials. He thinks they are not responsible enough. You'd better change your age at the bookstore."

In the hazy night, the ashen-faced Lu Zhun had radiance in his eyes, and said with a smile at the corner of his mouth: "Zhun Fang is aggressive, how can he deceive the king?"

It will be about an hour before dawn. A soldier in front of the Imperial Guard barracks outside Kaifeng yawned. Suddenly he felt that the grass and trees in front of him seemed to move. He immediately became alert and asked sharply, "Who is there?" ,come out!"

A tall man in tattered clothes stepped out of the darkness.Under the dim light of the fire, the face could not be seen clearly, and the visitor was still holding a blood-stained steel knife in his hand.

Is this Jie Dao Jie coming to the Imperial Guard Barracks?Xiaobing thought about it and asked, "Does anyone know where this is?"

"Tell you General Yang to come out and see me." His voice was full of majesty.

"Bold, who are you, how can our general casually..."

"What's going on?" General Yang, who was inspecting, heard the movement at the gate of the camp and came to check.

"The general said he wanted to see you, but..."

"In the middle of the night, who is it? Ah, you...you are..."

"Why don't you recognize me?" He lifted a few strands of hair covering his face with one hand and raised his chin high, "Your lord, Zhao Xianzhe."