lanterns illuminate rivers and mountains

When Yan Lanyu went back that night, the head of the sect was asking about trivial matters one after another. Matsushima Yuko and several senior disciples knelt down on the lower seats and answered respectfully with their heads down.

Yan Lanyu only glanced through the crack of the door, then quietly retreated to the corridor and waited, watching the moonlight reflected in the courtyard pond.

The snow has stopped, the air is mixed with cold freshness, the eaves and branches are covered with thick silver, and it looks like a glazed palace under the moonlight.

Yan Lanyu was hidden in the shadow of the stone pillars in the corridor, like a ghost that didn't exist.A cleaning servant hurried past him and didn't notice him at all. It wasn't until he walked around to pick up something that he caught a glimpse of a snow-white figure standing under the stone pillar, and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Ah..."

Yan Lanyu's hands were so fast that she could hardly see clearly, she pressed the servant's mouth in the blink of an eye, and her throat was instantly choked when she exclaimed.

Only then did the servant see clearly that it was the docile and silent little surname next to the head, and gasped in shock: "Why do you..."

Yan Lanyu immediately motioned him to keep quiet, but the headmaster heard it, and asked lazily through the paper door: "Who is outside?"

The servant turned pale with fright.

Yan Lanyu waved her hand lightly, signaling him to keep quiet and just leave.Then stepped on the snow and walked forward, knocked on the paper door: "I'm very sorry, it's me."

"—Oh, Lan Yu."

There was probably a few seconds of silence inside before listening to the headmaster's order: "Since it's Lan Yu, come in and talk."

Yan Lanyu opened the paper door, walked in with her head down, and saw the head of the business, Da Ma Jindao casually tilted on the coffee table, looked at him and said leisurely: "What do you mean?"

In an instant, he felt several eyes in the room falling on him.

"Sorry, I really can't ask anything."

The leader nodded: "I also expected it."

Matsushima Yuko took a half step forward on her knees: "Since the other party may be from the enemy country, and we have all the stolen goods, so what if they are locked up and tortured? If it is impossible, they will be killed and silenced. Anyway, outsiders can't tell What's coming..."

"Oh, this is not acceptable. Our Lan Yu's complexion has changed."

There seemed to be a teasing in the head's voice, and he didn't even turn his head.Yan Lanyu's face, who was sitting behind him, really changed.

When he heard Matsushima Yuko say that, he did have some thoughts in his heart, but he never expressed it.Even the brothers and sisters sitting across from each other in the same room may not be able to notice the change in his eyes for a moment.

But the leader who turned his back on him said so.

"I……"

"I'm joking," the headmaster interrupted casually.

Yan Lanyu bowed silently, and knelt down behind the man again.

"Those two people can't be killed, because no one got all the stolen goods when they were caught. I put the things they want in other places. If I attack them rashly, it may cause trouble in the future."

The head was silent for a while, then suddenly said: "Lan Yu."

"Yes."

"Those two people will be handed over to you first, don't let them go."

"Yes."

After the headmaster gave the order, he suddenly lost interest, he just listened to the disciple talking about some daily chores, and then waved: "Let's go."

Yan Lanyu was kneeling and sitting by the door, when she heard this, she gently pushed open the paper door.Several brothers bid farewell, and filed out from the door. Finally, Matsushima Yuko walked out and said softly, "Thank you."

The boy closed the paper door, his eyes could not be seen clearly under the soft hair.

"Hey, he's such a petty surname. Is it really okay for the head to entrust the matter to him?"

A junior looked back at the paper door with candlelight shining through it, with an undisguised teasing smile on his face.Before Matsushima Yuko could stop her, someone said casually: "Isn't it very good? You don't need to pay special attention to it like a submissive and silent little wife. Besides, it's not a big deal to take care of the prisoners. The master doesn't seem like that kind of person." A person who will be deceived by beauty."

"I know, just talking casually. But is that little surname very beautiful? How come I never found out..."

"It's too non-existent. I didn't feel it before, but I discovered it accidentally..."

The discussion gradually faded away, and under the candlelight in the Japanese room, the headmaster was playing with the jade paperweight, and suddenly said: "Lan Yu."

"Yes."

"How is the bone reduction technique going?"

"Forgive me for being stupid, I haven't fully grasped it yet. But the bones are already loose, and I will figure out the trick in a few days."

The headmaster stared at the warm and green paperweight, and suddenly smiled and said, "Are you stupid? I don't think so at all. You can start calling people half a year after you were born, you can speak fluently when you are two years old, and you can learn to speak without a teacher at the age of seven or eight." Chinese, writing Chinese characters, if you put it in ancient times, you could be regarded as a well-known child prodigy.”

"... Lan Yu dare not."

"We get along in private, don't be so polite."

The head of the sect suddenly raised his hand to lift the young man's chin, stared intently for a while, and smiled slightly: "Lan Yu, do you know?... Sometimes when I look into your eyes, it's like seeing a middle-aged man who has gone through many vicissitudes... ..."

Yan Lanyu was startled, and she grabbed the head's hand reflexively.

But the head of the sect instantly touched the back of his hand with his palm, and said with a smile: "Yo, I got angry. Just kidding!"

A few days later, the head of the sect went out, and originally wanted to take Yan Lanyu with him as usual, but the young man caught cold on that snowy night, and it was difficult for him to go out to see the wind, so the head of the sect had to forget about it.

"If you want tea, no tea, no water, no one to talk to, it's really inconvenient to go out this time." Before leaving, the head master sighed, with a dissatisfied expression on his face: "Xiao Lanyu, come early Get well... don't delay until I come back, it's not good, then I'm too pitiful."

The boy quickly got up from the couch, and was gently pushed down by the headmaster.

"Take this opportunity to have a good rest. I'll be back soon. During this period, the affairs of the secret sect will be handled by Aida. Remember to tell me what he usually does when he comes back."

Aida is the direct junior brother of the head of the sect, and he is usually responsible for internal affairs, so it makes sense to hand over the power to him temporarily.

Yan Lanyu lowered her head and said "yes".

On the second day after the head left, Yan Lanyu went to the prison of the punishment hall alone.

The wounds of Yu Jingzhong and his men were deteriorating, but at least they had food and water to drink, and their spirits were not much worse than the previous two days.

Because the head was gone, and no one could overstep the rules to take care of Yan Lanyu's affairs, he was much more free in his actions than when the head was here, and he even brought some wine over to keep them warm from the cold.

"If I die, this will be the last time I drink in my life." Although Yu Jingzhong said so, he still gave up most of the wine to his seriously injured companion, "——Hey, little brother, what you said that day... ..."

Yan Lanyu said coldly: "The head is not here for the past two days, if you want to leave, now is the time."

"Although you say so, I can't leave my companions alone. If you leave one, you will leave, and if you leave the two, you can just let us go..."

"If you were the only one who ran away, you could still pretend that you seriously injured me, took the key and ran out of the cell. But if you add your seriously injured and unconscious companion, how can I explain to others that I was injured and dragged along with you? Easily knocked down?"

Yu Jingzhong didn't mind sitting on the stained and very cold ground, touched his chin and thought for a while: "Well, but I have to take away my comrades in arms. This is the regulation of the National Security Bureau..."

"Master Sect Leader has already begun to suspect me." Yan Lanyu interrupted him, "——you have never seen that man make a move, you don't know that he is as shrewd and terrifying as a ghost!"

The cell was shrouded in a damp musty smell that lingered all year round, and the shadows were like heavy bricks and stones, oppressing one's breath.

Yu Jingzhong's eyes were full of temptations and considerations that were not easily noticed by others. After a long silence, he suddenly said: "Little brother, I saw you make a move that night, and the technique was very extraordinary. You were born in a secret sect?"

Yan Lanyu remained silent.

"Have you ever been to school? What do you usually do? I think you are very close to that head..."

"I have my own difficulties," Yan Lanyu said in a low voice, "You'd better not get my idea."

Yu Jingzhong laughed and waved his hands and said no, and immediately stopped the topic.

"After you escape—if you can escape smoothly," Yan Lanyu said, "I can immediately give your companion a good time, and prevent him from falling into the hands of the head master, who can't bear the torture and spit out your secrets. My ability is limited. This is the only thing I can do for you, don't think about anything more."

After listening in silence, Yu Jingzhong raised his head and took a sip of his wine.

"The person in charge of the secret sect now is Uncle Aida. He has always regarded me as a thorn in the side because of some things. He is a very ruthless person. It is still unknown whether you can escape smoothly. Think for yourself first."

Yan Lanyu turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Yu Jingzhong.

"Little brother, you still don't understand what I mean."

"..."

"Never give up your comrades no matter what. This is my creed. Don't say that he is not dead yet, even if he is dead, the body must be brought back."

Yu Jingzhong stomped the empty wine bottle on the ground with a light ding.

"You are willing to help, I am very grateful. I have no choice to drag you into the water now. If I can really get out this time, I will definitely not leave my little brother alone. If you really get into trouble because of this incident , I will bring someone back to pick you up in the future."

Yan Lanyu opened her eyes slightly, as if a little surprised flashed across her eyes for an instant, and then her face sank like water.

"Okay," he said without any emotion, "I'm looking forward to it."

One night, a week after the headmaster left, sirens rang through the sky again.

When the two prisoners were interrogated, they suddenly violently killed the guards, seriously injured Yan Lanyu, took the key and rushed out of the cell.Because the head of the sect took away most of the shikigami scattered everywhere, the two encountered almost no obstacles along the way. A few servants couldn't stop them at all, and they quickly rushed out of the secret sect on a bloody road.

When Aida rushed to the cell with his disciples, he only saw the body of the guard lying in the cell. Yan Lanyu was lying in a pool of blood, her abdomen was nailed to the ground with a long knife, and she could only breathe out but not breathe in.

Several disciples were terrified, this is the nickname of the head of the sect!Before leaving, the sect leader personally ordered him to "recover well and recover soon"!As a result, he was almost stabbed to death!

Aida was also taken aback, and ordered sharply: "Hurry up and find a doctor! Get ready for rescue! You guys go catch the fugitive, hurry up!"

"The criminal...the criminal escaped! Can't catch up!"

With a loud bang, Aida drew his knife and knocked over the wooden table, angrily said: "Why so fast?! That man has been seriously injured, and he brought a comatose companion..."

Aida paused, and frowned.

"Yan Lanyu is proficient in spells, and has the master's sword 'Moon Spring' to defend herself. How could she be knocked down by a seriously injured prisoner so easily? Even if the prisoner is very skilled, he still has a sleeping companion. If Yan Lanyu uses his companion to threaten him, It should be easy to catch the prisoner..."

A looming and terrifying guess took shape in his mind instantly, and Aida's face sank.

"Master...Uncle Master," Matsushima Yuko stole his face and said cautiously, "What shall we do now...?"

Aida's lips moved, but he didn't say much. After a long while, he said in a haze: "Go and treat Yan Lanyu first. If he wakes up, send two people to watch him. We'll talk about it when the master comes back."

The knife pierced through the boy's abdomen, but it miraculously avoided all the vital organs and passed through the gaps in the internal organs, so there was no danger to his life.

The day Yan Lanyu woke up, the master came back.

He already knew the news of the escape of the two prisoners on the road, so he was not panicked, and said with a smile, "I knew." Aida repeatedly asked for confirmation: "—Did it go through?"

"Yes, Master Sect Leader. When we arrived, Yan Lanyu almost lost her heartbeat due to excessive blood loss..."

The sect leader was silent for a while, then said softly: "...that's really ruthless."

"I'm really sorry, the disciples were too incompetent to bring those two prisoners back!"

"No, I don't mean them."

...Didn't you mean the prisoners?

So who is this talking about?

Aida thought inexplicably, but it was difficult to see the answer from the mask-like calm face of the master.

"There is one more thing... I want to wait for the master to come back before making a decision."

"Ok?"

"It's like this. Before you left, you told Yan Lanyu to take care of the two prisoners, but now the prisoners have escaped. Yan Lanyu committed a crime of dereliction of duty and should be punished according to the school rules! It's just that he is seriously injured now. If you don't come back, We can't treat him arbitrarily..."

"Forget it," the headmaster said flatly, "he's already been injured badly enough."

"But!" Aida stepped forward on his knees and said excitedly, "Those two prisoners escaped strangely! How could they cleverly avoid the shikigami in the secret sect, and how could they run so far before we found out? There must be someone Help them secretly! Besides, Yan Lanyu is clearly..."

"What do you want to do, Aida? You know very well that I won't torture him with my own hands."

The headmaster smiled slightly, his face remained unchanged, and even his voice was very gentle: "——At the beginning, he chose to serve me instead of you, did it really stimulate you so much, and you still can't forget it until today?"

"..." Aida suddenly closed his mouth, his face turned blue and red, which was extremely ugly.

At this time, there were still a few disciples guarding outside the room. Although separated by the paper door, the voices of the two talking could still be faintly heard. For a moment, everyone's expressions were a little weird.

"I... If the head master can't do it, I am willing to do it for the head!" Aida suddenly got up, slapped the coffee table heavily, and shouted: "Leaving aside other things for now, everyone in the secret sect must abide by the law." House rules, this is what you said yourself at the beginning! You can't set a precedent for Yan Lanyu not to obey the house rules just because of his negligence!"

The head of the sect took a sip of tea and said coldly: "Since this is the case, you don't have to ask me what I mean. Go discuss it with Master Xingtang and follow the sect's rules."

Aida bowed deeply, and said sharply: "—Yes!"

Many years later, Matsushima Yuko thought that Yan Lanyu had always been weak and was a waste who could not learn anything. In fact, it was just that she didn't understand the dusty past.

Not long after the prisoner escaped that winter, Yan Lanyu let the prisoner go because of her negligence of duty, and was imposed by Uncle Aida as a house rule, tied to a stone chair and broke two tendons in her hands.

At that time, Yan Lanyu's abdomen had not healed from the knife wound, and her body was very weak. The wounds on her hands never healed, and sometimes she trembled slightly due to nerve injuries.The head took him back and soaked him in potions for several months. Although the surface healed, the inner damage remained.

"One day you have to pay me back..." Yan Lanyu stared at Aida during the execution, her usually silent and docile face was filled with astonishing hostility: "—one day I will let you die without a whole body Pay back this account, you remember it for me...you remember it for me!"

There were only the two of them in the cell, and Aida didn't take this to heart at all, and just smiled contemptuously: "Recognize the reality! Is it possible for you to do it?"

The boy felt the cold blade pressing on his wrist, and he trembled and closed his eyes.

Can it be done?

If it was a man like Yu Jingzhong, if he could become someone like him... then it should be possible.

At the moment when the severe pain came, he suddenly thought of Yu Jingzhong's serious face when he was about to leave. The man's face was obviously bloodstained and embarrassed, but his eyes were surprisingly firm and reliable.

"Little brother, now that you have helped me, I have nothing to repay you. I will come to Japan two years later. If you want, I will take you back to the National Security Bureau. Is that okay?"

What about returning to the National Security Bureau, becoming an agent like Yu Jingzhong?

...Impossible...

In the deepest night of that winter, Colonel Yan Lanyu, the first agent of the National Security Bureau 15 years later, "Thousand-faced Fox", slowly sank into the abyss of consciousness amid the severe pain that he will never forget in his life.