Embrace the blade

Going south along the ancient road, passing through the plains and barren mountains, the villages along the way gradually become denser in a few days, and you can see the towering city walls of Qiancheng through the flying dust.

This is a big city, and the Ganshui River that flows through it brings prosperous water transportation, sails and ants gather, and merchants gather. It stands to reason that it should be a prosperous and lively scene. However, the three of them arrived at sunset, and the shops in the city were busy closing their stalls and closing their doors. , The residents also closed their doors and windows one after another.They led their horses through the empty streets, stepping on the setting sun, and forcibly gave a somewhat desolate feeling.

"What is that?" Jiang Li asked suddenly.

Qi Zhaoxi turned around and saw a few yellow talismans written with cinnabar on the lintels and courtyard walls of every household, as dense as knives and daggers, as if they had strayed into a huge magic circle by mistake: "It seems to be exorcising ghosts and evil spirits." A talisman. Perhaps it is some unique custom of Qiancheng?"

Xue Le also shook his head, not knowing, and continued to lead the way.

Qin Zheng's mansion is not hard to find.He has a rich family business left by his ancestors, and he is a heroic and courageous person. He has donated porridge for disaster relief and repaired schools many times, and he is very prestigious in Qiancheng.The doorkeeper's servant went to report, but when he came back, Qin Zheng personally led someone to welcome him out. He was almost middle-aged, and he was full of the strong spirit unique to martial arts practitioners, with a hearty voice. After greeting Xue Le, his eyes fell. On Jiang Li's body: "This must be Jiang Li Jiang Shaoxia, right?"

Jiang Li frowned slightly: "You recognize me?"

Qin Zheng smiled and said: "Of course. Although Qin has lived here for a long time, he has never missed the news in the world. I have long heard that Jiang Shaoxia's performance in Dongting is unforgettable. When I saw it today, I really have a good temperament."

"Thank you." Jiang Li nodded.

Only then did Qin Zheng notice that there was another person beside him.Qi Zhaoxi had put on a human skin mask since he was on the road, his face was so mediocre that he could forget it, and his sword was wrapped in a coarse cloth, when he was silent, he looked like a boy leading horses for Xue Le and Jiang Li.

Qin Zheng hesitated: "This is...?"

Qi Zhaoxi cupped his fists at him: "I've seen Hero Qin before, Liu Qiubai, just an unknown junior. A few days ago, I encountered thieves on the road. Thanks to Master Xue and Shaoxia Jiang, they came to the rescue with great enthusiasm, and they were willing to take me along the way."

Qin Zheng glanced at him, didn't ask any more questions, and raised his hand to invite them to the mansion.

Qi Zhaoxi followed at the end of the line, and when he saw Jiang Li looking back at him, he took two steps forward and said slowly, "What's wrong, Jiang Shaoxia?"

Jiang Li choked on this address, but still asked, "Liu Qiubai?"

Qi Zhaoxi smiled and said in a low voice, "My mother's name is Liu."

The group of them turned around the screen wall, but went to another courtyard, walked through the corridor, finally stopped in front of the wing room, and knocked on the door.The woman who opened the door had a pretty face, but she was thin and tired and had lost some of her brilliance, and her eyes were also faintly black. She was shocked when she saw so many people at first.

Qin Zheng hurriedly said: "Don't panic, these people are here to visit the third brother."

"Mrs. Chen, after ten years of separation, do you still remember me?" Xue Le smiled, "We passed by this place on our way south, and we happened to hear that Chen Daxia was recuperating here, so we wanted to visit him. If there is any interruption, please Please forgive me."

"Xue Le, I remember you." Ye Xinghe turned sideways and looked into the room hesitantly. The people outside the door could roughly see the figure lying on the bed inside. There was no movement, as if he was fast asleep.She finally shook her head and said: "I appreciate your kindness, but I'm really sorry, Chang Feng is not in good health, so it is inconvenient for you to come in and visit him."

"It doesn't matter, I hope Chen Daxia recovers soon." Xue Le laughed.

Qin Zheng interjected at the right time: "I've already asked my servants to host a banquet in the main hall to welcome the three of you. Brother and sister, why don't you let the servant girl come in and keep watch? You've been working hard these days, so come and have dinner with us."

Ye Xinghe shook his head again: "If I don't stay by his side, I won't be at ease, and I'm afraid he won't be happy and won't see me."

Qin Zheng glanced at Xue Le and the others beside him, he hesitated to speak, but he didn't force it anymore: "Forget it. But don't worry so much that you hurt yourself, the third brother's situation... We will always have a solution."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for others to speak, he warmly embraced Xue Le's back and invited them into the main hall.The long table was full of dishes, and the smell of wine was strong. As soon as they sat down at their respective seats, a maid hurriedly came in through the door, saluted Qin Zheng, and said, "Master, madam has prepared meals as usual and is waiting for you in the room." , won't you go?"

Qin Zheng frowned, and said with a slight displeasure: "The honored guest is here, so I naturally want to accompany you. Didn't you tell people that you don't have to wait for me, why do you still want to do my job? You go back and tell Madam, I will be here tonight. Not over."

The maid took the order and left in a hurry, Qin Zheng quickly spread his smile and explained: "My wife is used to being self-willed, and I made you laugh."

Xue Le smiled and shook his head, but Qi Zhaoxi held the wine glass and suddenly said, "I heard that your wife is the biological sister of Ruan Xiao from the Tianmen Sect, Qin Daxia?"

"Exactly." Qin Zheng smiled wryly, "The second younger brother passed away suddenly, and the reason is still unknown. His parents mourned too much after receiving the news, and soon followed him, leaving only his younger sister Ruan Ning, alone and alone. It's very pitiful. I couldn't bear it in my heart, not to mention that as a big brother, he should take good care of his younger sister for his righteous brother, so he married her, so he settled down in Qiancheng, and no longer be that knight-errant."

Qi Zhaoxi raised his glass to him: "Hero Qin really values ​​love and righteousness, which is admirable!"

Qin Zheng drank a glass of wine with him, and sighed: "What's the use of emphasizing love and righteousness? After all, it can't resist good fortune and fooling people. I think I hit it off with Ruan Xiao and Changfeng at the Tianmen Sect's sword test meeting back then. Like each other, let’s just go down the mountain together and go for a walk, walk through mountains, rivers and rivers, as much fun as you want, half a year will pass in a blink of an eye.”

"The three of us teamed up to wipe out a nest of bandits who robbed the road, and then drank in the bandit camp. Ruan Xiao said that he had been out for a long time and it was time to go back to the sect. Chang Feng also said that his family had given After we got married, we will have to wait a few months for the agreed wedding day. It is time to go back to our hometown and make preparations, but I still want to wander around the rivers and lakes for a while. This is the time to say goodbye, but we are really reluctant, so the three of us On the spot, they made oaths and sworn oaths, to love each other with sincerity, to live and die together, and buried a jar of strong wine under the blossoming peach blossom tree, and agreed to come here again ten years later, to dig and drink together. Although I was not very young at that time, But he was proud of the spring breeze, and felt that there was no place in the world that he couldn't go to, and that there was nothing he couldn't do."

When Qin Zheng said this, his happy expression suddenly dimmed, and after a long silence, he said in a shy voice: "But who would have expected it, let alone ten years, but only half a month later, my second brother Ruan Xiao died in the inn, I don't know Who died at the hands of someone, I can't even avenge him! Even now, although I have snatched Chang Feng from the hands of Prajna Sect, I can only watch him lying on the bed, helpless.... Ten The New Year's Eve is approaching, but the jar of wine under the peach tree may never wait for the unsealed day."

What I said at the beginning of living together and dying together is just a beautiful and illusory wish after all.

Qi Zhaoxi remained silent, raised his hand to refill the glasses of wine for the two of them, saluted him and drank it all in one gulp.

Qin Zheng lowered his eyes to stare at the water ripples in the wine glass, then raised his eyes suddenly, and put on a smile: "Speaking of Jianghu, I think of a recent rumor. I wonder if the three of you have heard of it?"

"What rumor?"

Qin Zheng lowered his voice slightly: "Of course it's about the "Secret of Longevity"!"

Qi Zhaoxi paused, then glanced at Jiang Li who was beside him unintentionally. He had been eating in silence, and only frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Qi Zhaoxi put on a look of being greatly aroused, and hurriedly asked: "Is it true, the Great Xia Qin still has news about "The Secret of Longevity"?"

Qin Zheng was surprised, and asked back: "The whole world is about to spread, and you really don't know? It is said that the "Longevity Secret" can not only make people live forever, martial arts are world-class, and even if it is practiced properly, it can reverse yin and yang and bring the dead back to life! "

Qi Zhaoxi couldn't help laughing: "This is too mysterious."

Qin Zheng said: "No one has seen it with their own eyes. It may be false, but it may not be true."

Speaking of this, Xue Le had no choice but to answer honestly: "But we have never heard of the rumor."

Qin Zheng turned his eyes and landed on Jiang Li impartially: "...Hasn't even Jiang Shaoxia heard of it?"

"..." Jiang Li finally raised his eyes and met his eyes, the emotions in them were boiling like boiling water, as if he was expecting something.

"No." Jiang Li said flatly, lowered his eyes and continued to bite the piece of vegetable.

Qi Zhaoxi picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and stuffed it into his bowl. He laughed and smoothed things over with Qin Zheng: "Hero Qin, you are really asking the wrong person when you ask him. You don't know about Jiang Shaoxia's temperament. Talk to him ten sentences, he may not listen to five sentences, at most he will answer me one sentence, not to mention this kind of mysterious and mysterious rumors in the world?"

Jiang Li glanced at him, then looked into his own bowl, but he still didn't speak.

But for some reason, Qin Zheng didn't respond for a moment, and seeing that the atmosphere was about to slip into the abyss of embarrassment, the previous maid rushed into the main hall again in a hurry, with a troubled face on her face: "Master, you should go there, Madam has been sitting here for a while." At the table, if you don’t want to eat or go to rest, no matter how much the servants try to persuade you!”

Qin Zheng just came back to his senses, sighed helplessly, and said to them: "I'm really sorry, I have to excuse you first. I have already ordered the three rooms to be tidied up tonight, and the servants will take care of them." Take you there, take it easy." He stood up and quickly followed the maidservant out of the main hall.

After a long distance, Qin Zheng saw the straight back of the woman at the table in the room. He stepped into the door, and while waving his hand to order the maidservants to retreat, he sat opposite the round table and held up his chopsticks: " Well, I'm here. Let me see what Madam has done today..."

"Don't eat." Ruan Ning said suddenly, with no expression on her face.

Qin Zheng glanced at her, shook his head helplessly, and wanted to pick up vegetables with his chopsticks.

Ruan Ning suddenly stood up without any warning, took the dish directly, and poured it all into the bucket beside the table with a 'wow'.

"You...!" Qin Zheng suppressed his temper and put down his chopsticks, "What are you doing?"

"It's been too cold for a long time. Swallowing it will only make your stomach uncomfortable." Ruan Ning didn't look at him, and then poured out one dish after another. In the bucket, it became a pool of pulpy ooze.

Qin Zheng stood up abruptly: "Ruan Ning!"

The woman turned to look at him, her eyes were clear and indifferent.

"You are really getting more and more unreasonable. I have already sent someone to tell you that I have a guest to host a banquet tonight, but you insist on me coming. Now that I am here, why are you so unknown now? "

Ruan Ning curled the corners of her mouth, trying to smile or not: "You and I only have one meal of friendship, and we only see this side every day. Wouldn't it be even more boring if we didn't make a scene?"

"What exactly do you want?" Qin Zheng suppressed his anger.

Ruan Ning closed her eyes uninterestedly, and turned around: "It's okay, I'm bored. You can go."

Qin Zheng only felt a headache from being so angry, stared at her back for a while, and seeing that she had indeed nothing to say, he threw down his sleeves and wanted to go out.But at this time, the other side suddenly said: "You wait."

Qin Zheng couldn't bear it anymore and turned around: "What's the matter?"

Ruan Ning looked at him thoughtfully: "Are you still thinking about Chen Changfeng?"

"Yes."

"In any case, I still want to remind you that Chen Changfeng can no longer stay here, you must get rid of him as soon as possible."

"Ruan Ning!" Qin Zheng yelled, "He is not only my third brother, but also your brother Ruan Xiao's sworn brother! After the news of your brother's death spread, he left his wife the next day after getting married, regardless of everything. After rushing over, your parents passed away, how many things he helped you with, do you remember?"

Ruan Ning's expression finally fluctuated a little: "I remember. But one thing is another thing, he is like this, sooner or later he will cause trouble."

Qin Zheng shook his head in disbelief: "What is your heart made of that can be so ruthless?"

Ruan Ning's eyes changed, and she met his gaze, and said in a cold voice without any scruples: "Yes, I am indifferent, so what? Did you just recognize who I am, Ruan Ning, today?"

Qin Zheng finally couldn't bear it anymore, slammed the door hard, and strode away.

The woman was still standing there, watching his back coldly as it gradually moved away, gradually became smaller and blurred, and finally melted into the dark night.