Embrace the blade

As dusk approached, Jiang Li had already groped out of bed, tidying up the bed as if he had never slept on it before.Qi Zhaoxi was not in the courtyard, and after a brief explanation to the servant of the sweeper, he went back to his hut in the west courtyard.

Instead of lying down to recuperate, he took out a book and sat at the table to read it.Before turning over two pages, a commotion suddenly approached, and Zhaoyue rushed into the room one step at a time, and couldn't help being stunned: "Jiang Li? I thought you weren't coming back here..."

"Zhaoyue! Listen to me..."

Jiang Li only saw Cheng Juxian's figure flashing, Zhaoyue turned around and slammed the door shut, leaning against it with his back, and said in a nasty voice, "What did you say? Didn't I tell you that my mother is dead? What else is there to say?"

The man's silhouette was stuck on the door, his back seemed to no longer be straight on the stage, and he whispered: "I know you blame me, but Dad really misses you mother and daughter all the time..."

"Never mind? Okay, then are you willing to come back from the Western Regions immediately?"

Cheng Juxian was speechless for a moment.

"What else do you have to say?" Zhaoyue said, "Who doesn't know how to say something nice? What's the use, I don't want to hear it!"

After a long while, the people outside the door said: "The rivers and lakes pay attention to kindness and morality, not to mention the entrustment of death, how can I live up to it? This is something that must be done."

Zhaoyue said coldly: "Since you have chosen, just be your 'Xia'. What do you care about your wife and daughter?"

Cheng Juxian slowly raised his hand, and put it on her head through the door, as if he wanted to touch Zhaoyue's shadow, and sighed: "Whether you believe it or not, I have been looking for you since I came back, but Fei No matter how hard you try, I can understand that you don't want to open the door or see me. Although I wasn't by your side in those days, I was looking forward to hearing you and me all the time..."

"It's weird." Zhaoyue laughed instead, "If every man I don't know ran up to me and said that, wouldn't it be possible for me to call each other Dad?"

The silence came abruptly.

Jiang Li saw the black silhouette gradually shrinking, going away, and finally disappearing.The setting sun poured water on Zhaoyue's head without hindrance, and she looked a little embarrassed in the warm light, staring at the empty roof without moving, as if flowers were blooming on it.

Jiang Li finally spoke: "You..."

"I'm fine!" she interrupted.

"Aren't you going to sit down?"

Zhaoyue just woke up with a start, nodded hastily, and sat down across the table with him.Jiang Li took the teapot and poured her a cup, Zhao Yue stared down at the reflection of the tea, made up his mind not to answer, but couldn't wait for the next sentence, looked up to find that Jiang Li and Gu Zi had opened the book again.

"Hey!"

Jiang Li raised his eyes to look at her.

But she didn't know what to say, so she said in a dazed way, "How is your injury?"

"No problem."

"Oh." Zhaoyue nodded and said again, "What book are you reading?"

Jiang Li closed the pages of the book and handed it to her. It was a travelogue that recorded the local conditions and customs of Dongting.

"What's so interesting about this, it can't compare to seeing it with my own eyes." Zhaoyue muttered, looking at the pile of books next to her, it was probably the same. There were no classics and essays, but all the travel notes from various places, covering a wide range.She suddenly thought of something and stared at Jiang Li: "Did you never go out?"

Jiang Li's face remained calm, but his hands froze, then he closed the book and put it aside, looking at Zhaoyue.

"Look at me..." Zhaoyue was a little uncomfortable.

"I think you have something to say."

Zhaoyue was silent for a moment, then lay down on the table as if her bones had been pulled out, and asked after a while, "Jiang Li, how is your father treating you?"

Jiang Li narrowed his eyes slightly, and nodded: "Father is kind and kind, and treats me very well. He taught me how to read and write, and he often told me how to behave in the world."

"That's great." Zhaoyue smiled softly, "You came to the famous sword competition with your master, so will he wait at home for you to make your name known?"

"I didn't find my father's body, but I guess he won't survive." Jiang Li said lightly.

Zhaoyue was taken aback for a moment, and hurriedly said: "I'm sorry, I didn't expect..."

Jiang Li said, "It's okay."

Silence was cast like a stone, and ripples spread.Zhaoyue took a sip of tea, struggled secretly for a long time, and then said in a muffled voice: "Do you know that others are surprised when they hear my name, but you are the only one who didn't react at all."

"your name?"

"Actually, it's not mine." Zhaoyue said, "Cheng Juxian's saber, have you seen it?"

With this reminder, Jiang Li did remember that Cheng Juxian had a long sword hanging from his waist during the rookie competition, and it looked like it was a famous soldier's sharp weapon.

"His sword is called Zhaoyue, which means that the moon shines in the cold."

Jiang Li was slightly taken aback, Zhaoyue smiled, she didn't know who she was mocking, she continued: "Hero Cheng is well-known all over the world, who in the rivers and lakes doesn't know that he stayed in the Western Regions for 15 years for his friend's dying entrustment. I am sixteen years old, and when I was just born, he left in a hurry after receiving news from others, and he didn't even have time to get his name. My mother missed him day and night, so she called me Zhaoyue."

"Since that day, my mother has been waiting for him to come back. The west-facing windows of the house should always be open, and it is best to see the outside at a glance. Later, she asked me to put all the furnishings in the house facing west, and wipe them frequently. , Said that he can see him when he misses home, and when he comes back, he will know that we are waiting for him, and he will leave faster."

Zhaoyue's voice gradually lowered: "After that, my mother became ill and was not in a good mood. She leaned on the bedside every day and only stared out of the west window. When I am old, she will also ask Master to teach me when she sells her jewelry. I learn swordsmanship, because how can Cheng Juxian's child not understand swordsmanship?"

"Sometimes she would come to see me practicing swordsmanship, and I heard her secretly sigh, saying why she was not born a boy, her daughter only has these eyes like her father's. Later, my mother's illness became more and more serious, and Cheng Juxian still didn't give birth. News, she was afraid that she would not be able to wait, so I asked Master to think of a way, and asked someone to bring a letter over, so that he could come back to see my mother for the last time. The letter was sent out, but the days were no different, I wiped Setting up and practicing swords, my mother looked to the west."

Zhaoyue stopped suddenly, as if she couldn't continue speaking.Jiang Li looked at her quietly and didn't disturb her, but he could see that he was listening seriously, without any perfunctory.Zhaoyue smiled forcedly at him, and then said: "I remember that day when spring just started, my mother suddenly called me to the bedside and asked me to hug her."

"That was the first and only time I hugged her. It turned out that my mother felt this way, fragrant and soft, but not warm. She touched my eyes with cold hands and said why you haven't come back, Yandu It's time to return, why haven't you come back?"

"I sat on the bed and hugged my mother, and accompanied her to look at the window on the west side, then the moon set, and the sky slowly dawned, and the wind blew all night, blowing the unmelted snow on the window sill all over the place, and blowing my mother too My whole body is cold, no matter how tightly I hold her, I won’t be warm.”

Jiang Li couldn't help but want to speak, but was stopped.

"Listen to me first." Zhaoyue thought back, "At that time, I was so flustered that my mother left, what should I do? Cheng Juxian was my father, but I didn't even know whether he was round or flat. , I don’t know whether it’s a human or a ghost. The world is so big, where is my home? Thinking about it, I couldn’t help crying. I didn’t dare to cry by my mother’s bed, so I sat on the threshold. Later My mind went blank, and I didn't know what to cry for until Master came over, wiped away my tears, and helped me bury my mother."

The last ray of sunlight faded from the setting sun, and the sky and the earth suddenly darkened.Jiang Li got up and lit the lamp, Zhaoyue picked up the cups and gulped dryly, as if drinking not tea, but spirits.

"Happy!" She wiped her mouth, her sleeves quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Jiang Li refilled her tea again, and said, "You kept looking at the stage in the martial arts arena, you really don't want to see him?"

"I'm not looking at him, I want to see what that profiteer Wei Min looks like!"

Jiang Li shook his head: "When we first met, the three-storey building you mentioned crossing the bridge to the south, I saw it when I came back from Master, it was Cheng Juxian's residence."

Zhaoyue was stunned, paused, and still said stubbornly: "I haven't even seen his face, mother said my eyes resemble his, so I just want to take a look, can't I?"

"It's rare for you to meet, besides, everyone can tell that he cares about you." Jiang Li whispered, "Zhaoyue, what are you afraid of?"

"I..." Her voice choked up, she hurriedly turned her face away, took a deep breath, and calmed down when she spoke again, "Actually, I want to understand. Cheng Juxian is a hero, what can be more than his kindness?" Enmity? Yes, right now he seems to care about it, but if there is another choice, will he choose me? My mother always has him in her heart, even if she dies, she is willing to die, but what am I? "

"I've never met him before, what if Cheng Juxian finds out that I'm different from what he thinks, what if... what if he doesn't like me?"

Jiang Li was a little surprised, and said, "No way."

But she didn't know what was wrong with those words, so Zhaoyue burst out laughing, and looked at him: "You don't understand what I'm thinking, and you still want to comfort me." She stood up, "Don't say it, don't say it Well, I'm going back to my room. See you tomorrow!"

Then she walked out, opened the door, and Zhaoyue turned around suddenly: "Jiang Li." She unconsciously poked at the door frame with her fingers, and asked tentatively, "Do you think we...are friends?"

Jiang Li thought for a while, then asked: Otherwise? "

Zhaoyue smiled, nodded heavily, turned and left.

Night fell behind her.

The galaxy is gradually brightening, and the sound of insects is faint.Qi Zhaoxi was sitting leaning on the eaves, holding a wine jug, and was about to take advantage of the dim moonlight to drink, when he suddenly heard a burst of chaotic footsteps.

He glanced casually, and saw a few young people hurried past outside the courtyard wall, holding something in their hands, but no one lit a lantern, and in the dim light, only Wei Ke, the leader, could be vaguely seen.

Qi Zhaoxi withdrew her gaze in a dispirited manner.

The Famous Sword Conference is just around the corner, the No Doubt Sword has been confirmed, although the night is quiet, I'm afraid few people can really sleep peacefully.Where is there such a simple thing as the winner taking the sword?Tomorrow is bound to be a bloodbath waiting.

Qi Zhaoxi tilted her head and thought for a while, then drank the ground with wine.