Human dimension reduction

A young man in a simple long gown walked in from the alley with a medicine basket in his hand. The road made of rammed earth was uneven. Because it had been sunny for several days, a lot of dust would be stirred up every step he took. Dye the hem of people's clothes to a gray one.

He walked to the last house familiarly, raised his hand and was about to knock on the door, but suddenly stopped.

Keeping the posture of raising his hands, the young man's eyes fell on the front of the door. Under his feet, the messy and disorderly dust faithfully recorded countless messy footprints.

... There are only three of them living here, and there will not be such a large number of different footprints anyway.

The most frightening thing is that the directions of the footprints are all facing forward, and none of them are facing outward.

That said, a lot of people went in, and... none of them came out.

The young man slowly lowered his hand, and tightened his knuckles as he pinched the medicine basket, the knuckles turned pale, and the gentle breeze blew across the small courtyard at the right time, bringing an ominous smell.

Very light rust smell, mixed in the dry dust and floating powder aroma, faint like an illusion.

The best choice is to pretend that you don't know anything, turn your head and leave calmly. If there is an ambush in the yard, then the surrounding area must be surrounded, and it is wisest to find a way to get out immediately.

But standing here at the moment is "Xie Yinyu", a person who dared to use his life to seek the truth for the people of the world, who dared to go to the bitter cold place in Mobei alone, and suffered exile to pursue the truth. Will the person who is at the highest level and values ​​illusory things above everything else be afraid of death?

Would he be so afraid of death that he would just run for his life knowing that he would live or die in the courtyard with his servants who accompanied him?

Xie Zhuo stood at the door for a while, faded the modest smile that was used to pretend on his face, and pushed the door hard almost expressionlessly.

The courtyard door was unlocked, and it opened as soon as he touched it. There was a short and soft creak, and laughter like silver bells filled his ears.

Several hands stretched out from the side, scrambling to cling to his body, and dragged him into the courtyard with unbearable strength, as if he was afraid that he would turn around and run away if he noticed something was wrong. These girls didn't know what was happening behind the door. How long have you been waiting, your breathing is low and inaudible, just waiting for the opening of the courtyard door at this moment.

A handkerchief smelling of powder was quickly covered, trying to block the cries for help from the abductee in his throat, but the handkerchief hadn't touched the opponent's skin, and the man who was tightly restrained by the sisters suddenly turned slightly He turned his head and cast a cold and indifferent glance at the girl holding the handkerchief.

This sight made the laughing girl suddenly feel as if her throat was being choked, and an indescribable chill invaded her muscles and bones.

Obviously, the one who was caught was the other party, the one who fell into the pink skull formation was also the other party, and the one who was about to die here was also the other party. Their employers clearly stated that their target was a scholar, who came from a famous family and might be proficient in martial arts, but never Know how to fight with people.

Then why, she got great deterrence from this look?

The man in the long gown was pushed into the courtyard by the girls. The mottled blood on the ground had been covered up by them with stove ashes, and he could only feel a slight unevenness under his feet. Xie Zhuo stood there without any resistance or Shouting, he just patrolled them in silence, so calm that he didn't seem like a person who realized what he was about to face.

"Is Agou still alive?"

Unexpectedly, the first question he opened his mouth to ask was not even about their identities and origins, but about the whereabouts of that somewhat stupid domestic servant.

The bride in red makeup had already slipped the dagger into her palm, and looked at her in surprise when she heard the words: "It's really a deep love between a master and a servant. With a master like you who is still thinking about him when he is dying, he should go away happily. Don't worry, I'll send you down to see him."

"...killing innocent people indiscriminately and violating the laws of the country is beyond the law of heaven."

This sentence should have been sternly reprimanded, but Xie Zhuo's tone was too calm. He didn't even seem to be shaken by the news of Ah Gou's death. His whole body was like a stubborn iron statue, stubbornly repeating These are things that would be laughed at lightly when spoken out in this day and age.

The bride raised her eyebrows, and a bit of unspeakable hostility appeared on her pretty face: "Well said, the law of heaven and the country will be punished later, you go to hell first!"

The girls who surrounded Xie Zhuo clenched their blades tightly and were about to trample on them. Xie Zhuo stood in the same place without dodging or evading, and asked suddenly: "You have traveled thousands of miles and followed this far, so I am not curious about you Who are you going to hunt down? I'm not curious, why did your employer spend so much energy ordering you to hunt down an ordinary literati who was exiled to Mobei?"

The leading bride stabbed her with a dagger in her hand, and immediately came back to her senses: "Stop talking sweet words, we only use money to do things, and we are not interested in the intrigues of you aristocratic families at all."

Aristocratic family.

Xie Zhuo caught this word that she inadvertently let out, and this unexpected choice made his eyebrows twitch slightly.

Aristocratic family?How could he be from a family?

He has been in exile for several months, and his escape from Mobei was also an unexpected incident. No one knew about it except Zhao Wuque and a few people under his command. It should not be picked at this strange time.

From the beginning to the end, he never doubted that this was Zhao Wuque's handwriting, and the sergeants of the Dingzhou Army would not have used such weird tricks to kill people.

But if the killers hired by the aristocratic family are engaged in this kind of shady business with the powerful family, then they should be clear about the internal relationship network of the aristocratic family, after all, they also want to avoid messing with the family they shouldn't mess with.

Thinking of this, seeing the blade approaching his face, Xie Zhuo spoke quickly: "My name is Xie Zhuo, and my name is Yinyu."

The blade suddenly stopped within a few inches of Xie Zhuo's pupil.

The bride hesitated and repeated: "...Xie Yinyu...?"

This name is like the sun and the moon hanging in the sky, shining on Jinghua Imperial Capital in the past few years, no matter how ignorant she is, it is impossible for her not to have heard of this person, not to mention that she is still in the family business.

Xie Yinyu...was rejected by the aristocratic family because of trying to uncover the truth of the six-year war, and because he wanted to regain the glory and wealth of the past, he took risks and falsely accused the Minister of the Ministry of War, and was exiled by the emperor to Mobei. .

This is a rumor that all the people in the capital know.

But why did he appear here?How could it become the target of being bought?

The killers looked at each other for a while, and Bo Shifendai's bride made up her mind again: "Even if you are Xie Zhuo, you are now an exiled prisoner. You are supposed to be punished and you will not be allowed to return to Beijing. If you appear here, you are already absconding." He deserves to die here—”

Indeed, if Xie Zhuo dies here, even the Xie family can only swallow this bitter fruit, because as a prisoner, he cannot leave Mobei Dingzhou. Can he trace his death again for his revenge?

Thinking about it this way, killing him turned out to be a matter of no consequence.

"You can kill me, Xie Zhuo's life is not worth anything, but there is one thing... I want to negotiate a deal with the girl."

"Deal? What deal?"

"I still have important things to do right now, so I need to save this life. Miss, can you allow me to live a little longer? After I finish what I should do, this life will be taken by the girl herself as interest... …These eyes, girl, please accept them.”

Before she could understand the meaning of Xie Zhuo's words, the young man held her wrist and turned his face towards the sharp blade meekly.

The touch of the blade cutting through the flesh is very familiar, and the temperature of the blood splashing on the back of the hand is always reviewed, but at this moment, a creepy astonishment and fear surged in everyone's heart.

The man blinded his eyes calmly and neatly, as if he had never hesitated at all. The dark red blood gurgled down his eye sockets, and the severe pain made him gasp for breath. He knelt down on the ground and clasped his hands tightly , and soon the small piece of land in front of him was soaked in blood to dark red.

Cold sweat drenched the hair on his temples, the sweat on his forehead was crumbling, his flexible back bent into a bow, and the smell of blood gradually diffused, shocking the killers on the spot.

They have seen many people who do many unreasonable things for their lives, but such a resolute and ruthless person... is still unheard of and unseen.

"You...with your injuries, you will probably die before you reach the capital."

The bride said with a little bewilderment.

Xie Zhuo heard these words in the throbbing tinnitus, and raised his face to show her a pale smile: "That means my own life is in danger, but please don't worry, girl, I haven't finished my work. , I can survive."

"Without these eyes, I can't draw the girl's appearance, and I can't order people to hunt you down. So, can you rest assured?"

The few people were so shocked by his series of actions that they couldn't recover. The person standing at the end asked hesitantly, "You...you don't want to take revenge when we killed your servant?"

As soon as this question came up, everyone's minds trembled. It was precisely, how could a person with such perseverance let them go so easily, and even said that he would leave them to take his life in the future?" It can be seen that this must be a delaying tactic!

Xie Zhuo calmly wiped off the blood on his face, which affected the wound, his thin lips were completely drained of blood, and his face was pale and blue: "Birth, old age, sickness and death are normal things in life. Ah Gou ran away with me all the way, and there is also a way to die. Get ready, even if I'm a gangster, I should find the person holding the knife behind you."

"Break off a weapon without self, where is revenge."

"What's more, even if I hate you, I will not abuse lynching."

Xie Zhuo fumbled and began to tear the fabric on the sleeves, but because of the severe pain in his eyes, he shook his hands several times and couldn't apply force, so he could only breathe hard.

I don't know how long it took, a sharp knife stretched out, cut through the soft cloth of his clothes, folded it into a long scarf, and gently stuffed it into Xie Zhuo's hand.

"Your lord is very handsome, virtuous, and respected by the concubine. I am going to Jinghua. I hope that the lord will go forward and be magnanimous, and I will leave it to my concubine to take what I deserve."

The soft and sweet scent of powder brushed past him, and his soft and silent footsteps disappeared into the courtyard. With a creak, the wooden courtyard door was closed intimately.