beg for chivalry

A farmer with a bamboo hat is dragging Wang Xiaoyuan.

Wang Xiaoyuan felt like a puddle of ooze and lost his strength.His back was knocked between the fine gravel and soft grass, and there was a tingle in the pain.He slightly raised his eyelids, which were as heavy as stones, and saw that the farmer's remaining hand was pale and bloodless, the bamboo hat was lowered, and his face was shrouded in shadow.

This man probably wanted to drag him to a secluded place and ended up with his life.

The drizzle fell on the forehead, forming cold raindrops.I don't know how long it was dragged on, Wang Xiaoyuan became a little more sober, and suddenly remembered the tragic scene in the mountain village at the foot of Longwei Mountain, and couldn't help but groaned weakly.

Zhuang Jiahan, who was covered in brown clothes, paused slightly, as if he sensed that Wang Xiaoyuan was waking up, and suddenly let go of the hand holding his ankle, and walked slowly to his side.Dazed, Wang Xiaoyuan struggled to get out the broken knife to defend himself, but found that the knife had already been left in place by him.

The one-armed peasant who looked like a ghost stood in front of him, with his hand reaching for the belt around his waist.When Wang Xiaoyuan caught a glimpse of the polished curved sickle hanging on the belt, his heart skipped a beat.

The peasant reached for the sheepskin water bag tied to his belt, untied it, and handed it to Wang Xiaoyuan's mouth, asking hoarsely:

"Are you awake? Do you want a drink?"

Wang Xiaoyuan was ignorant, he felt that this person had no intention of harming him, so he opened his mouth in confusion.The water smelled of sweet grass roots, and after a few sips it lifted my spirits slightly.

The one-armed farmer asked again, "Can I go?"

An irresistible sense of hunger came from the depths of his stomach, and he was exhausted as if falling apart, Wang Xiaoyuan shook his head.

"Then I will drag you away." The farmer said, reached out and grabbed his ankle, and continued to drag heavily.After all, this man is a one-armed man, even if Wang Xiaoyuan begged him to carry him on his back for a while, he didn't complain much.But he suddenly thought of the mountain village that was ruined in the raging fire, and couldn't help but struggle.

The peasant asked in surprise, "What's the matter?"

Wang Xiaoyuan struggled and pointed to the mountain village with thick smoke. He was also worried about the people trapped in the fire.Seeing him looking exhausted and gesticulating, the farmer couldn't help being stunned for a moment, and then laughed softly: "Are you worried about the safety of the villagers? Don't worry, my companion has already gone rescued."

This person's voice was deep and hoarse, and he looked dirty and disheveled. He made Wang Xiaoyuan suspicious before, but he didn't expect this person to have a group of kind-hearted helpers. At this moment, Wang Xiaoyuan felt as if he was in a fog.

"I saw you lying on the side of the road earlier, so I wanted to save one or the other." The farmer seemed a little shy, and said honestly, "There is a place for us to rest and shelter from the rain not far away, and I will take you there."

It seems that he is regarded as a villager who was robbed and stranded, Wang Xiaoyuan thought in this way in his sleepiness.But he saw that although the farmer's arm was broken and dirty, he seemed to be not bad, so he might believe it.

Thinking of this, tiredness covered his mind like water mist.While being dragged, Wang Xiaoyuan felt that his upper and lower eyelids were constantly fighting, and when he closed his eyes, he passed out.

……

Wang Xiaoyuan woke up in the hot flashes of the fire.

He collapsed in the grotto, with pieces of elm and willow and flint scattered here and there beside him.Long wedges were drilled into the rock wall, and hemp ropes for drying clothes were tied.His body was covered with sackcloth, and all his clothes had been stripped. The plain jacket, white trousers, leggings, and laces were all hung high, swaying in the wind, like mourning white banners.

The farmer was poking the fire, and his brown coat was still stained with raindrops.His figure is immersed in the ink-like shadow, like a ghost wandering in the mountains.

Everything is like a dream.Wang Xiaoyuan didn't speak, but cast his eyes on Shiding blankly.He came to Tianfu with the old man Zhu, and somehow slept with Jinwu once, which made his young master vomit blood.Then he brought the seriously ill Jinwu to Chengyi, and Jinwu was abducted by Houtianlou in a blink of an eye. He also had a face-to-face meeting with the current young landlord Yan Jiubian, and was able to escape under the care of Qian Xian'er.

Unexpectedly, Qian Xian'er planned to take his life, but after he escaped from the siege of the villain Goushan ghosts, he found that the outside had turned into a scorched earth hell.

Seeing him awake, the farmer stammered, "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? Or do you want some water?"

Wang Xiaoyuan murmured: "I'm really sorry... I need both."

He was lying like a stiff corpse, and he couldn't even lift his fingers as if they were stuck in lead nails.The farmer took a ladle of water from the stream and fed him.Wang Xiaoyuan suddenly remembered that he still had the little zongzi given by Qian Xian'er on his body, he took it out and reluctantly untied the tether, just about to open his mouth to stuff it in his mouth, but he smelled a datura faintly.

Qian Xian'er really plotted against him, and even drugged his food.Now Wang Xiaoyuan completely gave up.The farmer gave him some bran, which was rough and difficult to swallow, but he could barely eat it.

"Who... are you?" Wang Xiaoyuan murmured to the farmer, "Why did you save me?"

The branches were crackling in the fire, the farmer was silent for a moment, and said blushingly, "I am...a passer-by who wandered here."

Wang Xiaoyuan remembered what Qian Xian'er said.At that time, Qian Xian'er said that there were ghosts in the mountains who robbed people's money and killed people, and her tone was full of hatred.But the one who did the evil was clearly the mountain ghost in the Evil Man's Ditch, maybe Qian Xian'er was just confusing right and wrong.

So he asked with difficulty: "As a passer-by, why... have you fallen to this level?"

The farmer sighed and said: "This place is very dangerous. It is the junction of Erengou and Houtianlou. I was flanked by them from front to back. That's why I lost an arm. Now the nearby mountain villages have been looted by them. A lot of thugs pretending to be their names took advantage of the fire to loot. I and my companions have no choice but to hide here for the time being."

The linen robes of other people were still hanging on the tether. Wang Xiaoyuan looked at the broken porcelain bowls scattered in the grotto, and a pair of thin chopsticks cut from tree branches fell on the original place.

"Down the mountain and escape...won't it work?"

The farmer shuddered all over, and shook his head slightly, "Under the mountain... there are... evil ghosts waiting for heaven."

This man really looked terrified, the rattling of teeth even reached Wang Xiaoyuan's ears. "Moreover, it is different from ordinary evil spirits. There are guards guarding the Houtianlou...the left and right guardians. Although their swordsmanship and saber skills are not the best I have seen in my life, but...no one can match them!"

After saying this, the ghost-like figure curled up tightly, with only one pale arm embracing him.

Wang Xiaoyuan remained silent.He was thinking about something, when Yu Qiuxia was traveling with Jinwu before, he heard Jinwu say something about Houtianlou.Yan Jiubian was the original left protector of Houtianlou, but now he is the young landlord, so who is the left and right protector?

"Now the mansions and inns at the bottom of the mountain are all occupied by wicked people, and the outside is also in chaos." The farmer said tremblingly, "They are doing unreasonable things like stealing money and killing people, but they say we are the 'mountain ghosts'! My lord I didn’t do anything, I just took everyone here to hide and live, but I was charged with the crime of committing crimes!”

Outside the cave is still cloudy and rainy, with humid water vapor.The farmer suddenly covered his face with his hands, sifted like chaff, and finally squeezed out painful words from his throat:

"That's why I saw you just now... and I thought about saving you back. If you can do a good deed, it is a good deed. If you can save a life, it is a good deed. If you can't beat them away, you can only do this." Talk about small things to masturbate!"

The farmer in brown clothes buried his face in his palms, sobbing and sobbing.Regret and pain are like a net, intertwined and shrouded in his heart.I don't know how much bitterness this person has endured to live here, eat and sleep here, and live in fear of the rumors of the wicked ditch and Houtianlou all day long.

Wang Xiaoyuan weakly pulled the lower skirt of the coir raincoat, and said softly, "Thank you...for saving me."

This thank you seemed to calm the farmer's mood a little.

After a long time, the farmer wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and let out a long breath of foul breath from his chest.Ruo Li moved slightly, and he turned into a peaceful black shadow falling on the stone wall amidst the firelight.

The one-armed farmer hesitated for a long time, and said, "Actually, I saved you... There is another reason." Wang Xiaoyuan turned his face to look at him, only to see him laugh once or twice, and twitch his remaining left arm uneasily. Dress corner. "My lord... I have seen you once."

"Have you seen me?" Wang Xiaoyuan was taken aback. He searched in his head, but couldn't remember ever seeing this person.This one-armed brown-clothed farmer is really weird, although his voice is hoarse, he can tell that he is still young, if he sees it once, he should not forget it.

The farmer hesitated and said: "Yes, I met Qianjiazhuang once, and I was taken care of by you at that time..."

Wang Xiaoyuan understood.Longwei Mountain was not too far from Qian's Village. At that time, he pretended to be a jade white swordsman and confronted the fake black-clothed Rakshasa in public.This farmer was probably a farmer at that time, but he didn't want to escape from there and then wander into the mountain where the treacherous mountain ghost was entrenched.

The flame seedlings jumped anxiously in the cold wind, and the chill in the grotto continued.Wang Xiaoyuan put on a sackcloth and roasted for a while, then tore off the clothes that were not completely dry from the hemp rope and put them on.He asked, "Where are the left and right protectors of Houtianlou?"

The drizzle was still falling, and looking out from the cave, one could only see a white belly looming in the sky.The dense emerald green in the forest seems to be knocked down by the rain, and it falls dimly in the mud puddles, glowing with faint green light in the faint morning light.The farmer looked at the rain curtain for a while, hesitated and said:

"I advise you to... don't run into those two people."

Wang Xiaoyuan smiled and said: "It's okay, I can fight."

He rested for a night, and his sleepiness eased a little, and he ate some bran, and he barely regained his energy.

But the farmer suddenly shook his head, and the bottom of the extremely low bamboo hat seemed to burst out with scorching eyes. "The two of them are not only skilled in kung fu, but also extremely sinister in their intentions. According to my humble opinion, they are the most vicious villains in Houtianlou! You can't fight, I can see it!"

When he said this, the farmer trembled all over, as if he was about to burst out with anger.

Yu Si slanted in, Wang Xiaoyuan touched the wet tip of his nose, and said with a smile: "I can't fight now, but if there is a knife, then I can't be sure."

The peasant did not answer his words.He bowed his head in silence for a moment, the raindrops slid down the Ruo Li, shattering in front of his eyes like broken string beads.After a long time, he slowly stood up and walked deep into the cave while holding onto the rock wall.

About a quarter of an hour later, his dark shadow emerged from the end of the rock wall again.The farmer held a rusty goose-wing knife tightly in his hand, and solemnly placed it in Wang Xiaoyuan's hand.The blade was heavy, and the dignified gaze of the farmer seemed to make it a little bit heavier.

"You and I don't know how to use knives. This is... picked up from the pile of dead people. I'm not very good at it. Brother Wang has been wronged."

Wang Xiaoyuan drew the knife out of its sheath, the muddy blade only reflected his dim eyes, but he still said: "It's a good knife."

"There is a weeping willow forest near the water at the foot of the mountain, it's better not to go there."

"Why?"

The flames were red and bright, like bright red surging blood, reflecting layers upon layers of stalagmites that looked like bloodthirsty fangs.The farmer said with a trembling voice: "Go there...you will regret it."

……

The rain fell all over the sky, scratching his face itchyly.The deep forest is dyed with different shades of emerald color, and the curvy or straight branches are like ghost shadows.

Holding the knife in his arms, Wang Xiaoyuan walked in the rain, his heart pounding like five or six drumsticks.He had never been so uneasy, and the farmer's words cast a dark cloud in his heart.

How about finding the two Houtianlou protectors?Drive them away, let the farmer and his companions go down the mountain and go back to their own family to live a good life?But he still didn't know the whereabouts of the Golden Crow.It stands to reason that the more he procrastinates on other matters, the more danger his young master will die.

He can save everyone in this world, except Jinwu.He can also help everyone in the world, but no one comes to help him.

Wang Xiaoyuan shook his head desperately to get rid of this thought.What he has to do now is to drive away the mountain ghosts and Houtianlou guards around the mountain, and let the farmer who saved him and the rest go down the mountain safely.

After finishing this matter, he went all over the world to find Jinwu.He seems to have been running around to find the trace of the Golden Crow when he was the Jade White Swordsman, and everything is just the same as before.

The soil under his feet became more and more moist, and Wang Xiaoyuan suddenly stopped.He looked down, and saw that the ground under his feet had been dyed deep black, and it was sticky but hard when he stepped on it, which was unpleasant.A few more steps forward, a stench that can make people's nose crooked came suddenly, and the hoarse croaking of the old raven lingered around.

Although it was early morning at this time, the light wind blowing in the mountains was dirty and muddy.The sky was dim and pale, and the weeping willow forest was like a black silhouette.

Wang Xiaoyuan ignored the farmer's advice and walked over.The stench became more and more intense, and every time he took a step, his stomach would be overwhelmed.The red and black soft grass flicked slightly on the side of the shoe, leaving dark marks.In the forest stands a giant willow, which seems to be heavy and firm, and the sound of rustling rain can be heard from there.

He stood in front of the giant willow and looked up, but his face was splashed with blood.

Dozens of heads hung from the tree, and the jet-black and disheveled hair was scattered like a cauliflower.Only then did Wang Xiaoyuan realize that the head became so small after death, it was blue, blood red, dry and wrinkled, flies and insects flew around the sunken eye sockets, and tiny white worms wriggled.

And under the tree are piles of corpses, densely packed, dazzling people who look at it.If there is only one corpse lying in front of the eyes, it will definitely make people turn pale with shock; but if hundreds or thousands of corpses are piled up within sight, it will only make people numb.

At this moment, Wang Xiaoyuan only felt numb.

His mind went blank, he raised his leg over the corpse, but stepped on another man's stumped arm.He had heard many rumors about the refugees. These people might have been killed by Evil Mangou, Houtianlou, or some criminals pretending to be Houtianlou, and then cruelly abandoned here.

Clothes from the dead were piled in the blood.Wang Xiaoyuan walked over in a strange way, and used the scabbard to rummage through. There were worn-out burden cloths, crumpled family letters, and lamps hanging on the travel book.He suddenly felt something light up in the middle, and when he looked carefully, he saw a small, crystal-clear object rolling out.

It was a glazed flower stained with blood, and it was the one he gave to Jinwu back then.

Wang Xiaoyuan bent down to pick it up and wiped it off on his clothes.The petals were engraved with his clumsy reptile-like words, and it was indeed the one he sent.But he clearly remembered that this thing was lost by the Golden Crow, but for some reason it fell into the pile of dead people.

An ominous feeling came over him violently, and his heart was pounding suddenly, almost jumping out of his throat.Turn it over again with the scabbard, but turn over a crumpled ball of paper, smoothed it out slightly, it is a painting of a golden flower hairpin, the handwriting is blurred by blood stains.

In an instant, Wang Xiaoyuan trembled all over his body as if he had been struck by thunder and electricity, and the girl's silver bell-like laughter echoed in his ears for a long time.

He suddenly recalled the past, Zuo Sanniang sat under the eaves and held her face in a daze, muttering: "Oh, if only he could give me a golden flower hairpin." Wang Xiaoyuan chuckled and said, "Xiao Yuan, quickly ask your stingy master to give me one."

He scratched his head, "Young master gave me a lot of monthly money, just go talk to him." But Zuo Sanniang shook her head angrily, "He won't buy it for me, at most he will throw the money in your face Come on, ask you to help me buy it. I want that lazy bone to give me one in person, even if it is a painting!"

Her fair face and eyes as smooth as lacquer grapes disappeared in an instant.Wang Xiaoyuan recognized the handwriting on the crumpled drawing paper, which was drawn by Jinwu to Zuo Sanniang.

But there are only endless mountains of corpses in front of him. How can there be Zuo Sanniang in this bloody mud?

Wang Xiaoyuan ran around in panic, trying to identify traces of Zuo Sanniang from the corpses.But the corpses he saw were either missing arms or legs, or they were rotten and pus, and the flesh lost its human shape, so he couldn't find Zuo Sanniang.

"She won't be here...she must have escaped, but left her things here..." Wang Xiaoyuan murmured in despair, his teeth chattering.Zuo Sanniang might have turned into plasma here, and turned into something he couldn't recognize.The eye disease he was suffering from broke out just at this time, and the world was hazy.

Turning around a weeping willow, he caught a glimpse of bright white at the corner of his eyes, and when he looked up, he was overjoyed.He recognized Sanniang's face, her face was as white as a melon seed, her eyelashes were drooping, her hair was partly loose, but she was still in the original peach-heart bun.

Wang Xiaoyuan became happy, and shouted: "San Niang, San Niang!" But before he could shout a few times, he stopped short.

He walked over slowly, his hazy eyes finally saw the scenery in front of him clearly.

The slanting wind and drizzle, the willows are Yiyi.Among the gently waving willow branches, Zuo Sanniang's head is hanging there.