Unparalleled Double Harmony

Chapter 172 The Ashes of Time

Most of the content of this chapter (including the chapter title ashes of time) is a spoof of the movie "Evil, West Poison". Any similarity is not a coincidence.

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In the 24th year of Hongde, autumn.

This year, the five yellows are approaching the Taisui, and there are droughts everywhere.

Wherever there is drought, there must be trouble.

When there is trouble, I have business.

My name is Di Bujuan, from Dengzhou Prefecture, Shandong Province. My profession is to help others solve their troubles.

…………

"It seems that you are in your early forties.

"In the past 40 years, there are always some things that you don't want to mention again, and some people that you don't want to see again.

"Some people have been sorry to you, maybe you thought about...killing him.

"But you don't dare, or you don't think it's worth it.

"Hey, actually, killing people...is easy.

"I have a friend who is very good at martial arts, but life is a bit difficult recently, as long as you give him a little silver, he will definitely help you kill that person.

"Heh... just think about it."

That day, as soon as I finished talking to the other party, dozens of officers and soldiers rushed out of the surrounding area, beat me up without saying a word, and then took me to the yamen.

In the prison they asked me if the "friend" I was talking about was myself...

I was 20 years old that year. Although I have been walking in the rivers and lakes under the banner of the Cao Gang for several years, it was the first time I came out to seek a living by myself, and my experience was indeed lacking...

But after being "fished" this time, I understand that the law and order in the capital is really good, and it doesn't matter whether there is a drought or not. It's better for me to go to a more remote place to do business.

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Hongde 25 years, spring.

After getting out of prison with some money, I left the capital, went to the desert, and started another life.

In the past, I was the younger brother of the young leader of the Cao Gang, and I was very majestic, walking on the rivers and lakes, even those old guys had to give me some face.

But now, I am just an unnamed shopkeeper of a small restaurant. Of course, I also do some "killer intermediary" business part-time.

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On the sixth day of the month, the startling sting.

A man came to drink with me, his name was Hu Wenzhi.

This man is from the east.

If you want to ask why, it is naturally because the desert is to the west.

That day, besides the wine, Hu Wenzhi also brought me a souvenir.

While drinking in the evening, he said to me:

"I met a man not long ago who gave me a jar of wine.

"She said she was drunk.

"After drinking it, it can make you forget anything you have done before.

"I wonder why there is such a wine.

"She said that the biggest trouble for people is that they have a good memory. If you can forget everything, every day in the future will be a new beginning. How happy are you?"

That night, I beat Hu Wenzhi violently and sent him to the county government.

After all, we've known each other for so many years, but he actually wants to use this kind of wine to slander me, heh...he's cheating, right?Then you can't blame the brothers for being unkind.

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For a few months every year, people don't seem to want to die.

Well, when I say "a few months," I really mean "twelve months."

In short, since the beginning of spring last year, I have not bought or sold.

I heard that a personal knife is very fast in this area recently, and I happened to have nothing to do, so I went to him to see if it was his knife speed or my palm speed.

"I shouldn't be here."

"You know now that it's too late."

"Can you just keep one hand?"

"No, if you want to stay, you have to stay with your life."

I thought I had won.

Who knows, after he finished saying this, he immediately yelled, "You don't need to talk about morals with this kind of scum, let's go together", and then dozens of his brothers who were ambushing around rushed out and used lime powder and mess. The stick struck me.

The rivers and lakes are dangerous, I am still too young, fortunately, this group of people are just ordinary rascals, if they are really characters in the rivers and lakes... I am afraid they will have been planted here.

Of course, they wouldn't really beat me to death. "Keep my life alive" was just a slap in the face of the rogue, but I was still beaten until I couldn't get off the ground for more than half a month.

Since then, I have understood that martial arts alone are useless in this arena, and the so-called "morality" is only something that the survivors can talk about or make up.

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Hongde 25 years, Xia.

A swordsman came to me, his name is Lin Dong.

Lin Dong's sword is very fast, but he is very sloppy, and he doesn't even like to wear shoes.

I know he can help me make a lot of money, but I've always disliked this guy because a fortune teller once told me that I "killed something and ended up doing it".

Lin Dong is ten years older than me, but most of the time he is as childish as a fool. Once the money is in his hands, he will spend it soon.

Of course, he is not stupid, but too principled.

If he doesn't want to do the business I introduced, he won't do it.

I told him that I was looking for killers here, not knights, so he smiled and continued to eat free food from me.

I wanted to drive him away, but his martial arts were much higher than mine.

When I came back to my senses, I found that this stinky and shameless man seemed to be planning to eat me to death, so one night, I took out the jar of wine that Hu Wenzhi had left behind, and told him the story of "drunk life, dream and death".

But he said he didn't want to drink.

Because there are many things that he doesn't want to forget.

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On the tenth day of the first lunar month, the beginning of autumn, sunny.

A woman came to Lin Dong.

"That woman has been waiting for you outside for several days."

"Is there any way to drive her away without leaving? Do you want me to take my wife to the rivers and lakes?"

"Heh... Who says it can't be done? It depends on human effort. I used to..."

"Have you ever traveled across mountains and seas, and also through mountains of people?"

"no……"

"Isn't that enough? You're only in your early twenties, what's the 'once'? Let's eat and eat."

"Oh……"

I don't know if Lin Dong is simply being rude, or if he has seen through my mind.

What he didn't let me say was what was in my heart.

I used to be the same as Lin Dong. I was devoted to fighting the world, thinking I could leave my own woman behind, but I didn't realize until I got home that she had become my sister-in-law.

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On the fifteenth day, it will be sunny and windy, and the local officials will come down to determine the good and evil in the world.

Today Lin Dong made another loss-making deal.

He went to kill a local bully in order to stand out for a little girl from a poor family.

That bully's martial arts is not bad, and there are many accomplices around him, but Lin Dong went to the door single-handedly, and it turned out...

"Is it worth losing a finger for a bowl of noodles?"

"It's not worth it, but I ate two bowls of rice noodles, and I only brought money for one bowl of noodles with me. There's nothing I can do about it. I don't like to owe others."

"Do you want to be ashamed?"

"The child said that her parents were killed by that bully, so she sold fans there alone, and I can't eat free food from her."

"I'm not taking advantage of someone's danger by hacking you to death now, right?"

"Oh... I should be fine, but my sword is not as fast as before; I used to be fast because I was direct, I did what I thought was right, and I never thought about the price, but I have been messing with you, let me Gradually lost myself... I don't want to be like you, because I know that Di Bujuan will never take risks for a bowl of fans, this is the difference between me and you."

That day I was very angry by this freeloader, but fortunately, within a few days, he finally decided to leave my place.

"Where are you going?"

"You always tell me to eat free food, then I will join the gang of beggars, and I will be the overlord of beggars in the future."

"what is that?"

"Still a beggar."

"Well... what about her?"

"Take her with you. Like you said, it's up to you. Who said you're not allowed to take your wife to the rivers and lakes, right?"

I finally understand why that woman likes Lin Dong, because I will always have food with such a thick-skinned person.

As I watched them go, I was jealous, I had this opportunity once, I don't know why...but I passed it up.

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After Lin Dong left, it kept raining.

Every time it rains, I will think of a person who once liked me very much.

I don't know if it's a coincidence or other reasons, but every time I want to leave her for a long trip, it will rain, and she said it's because she is unhappy.

Later, she married my brother.

On the night she got married, I went to her and asked her to come with me.

But in the end, I left Caobang alone.

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In the early years of Yongtai, the new emperor ascended the throne and amnesty the world.

Hu Wenzhi should have been released as well, but he will never come to my place again, nor will he see me again in the future.

Many years later, I heard by chance that he had already sailed eastward, and since then there has been no news.

This year in Jingzhe, when I was sorting out my things, I found a hand letter.

At the beginning, because I misunderstood Hu Wenzhi, I couldn't find this letter after I put it away. I didn't expect it to appear again now.

This letter was written to me by my sister-in-law Nguyen Thi. She told me that not long ago she found out that she was pregnant and hoped that I would know about it.

A fortune teller once said to me: "The sun in the husband and wife palace turns into a taboo, and the marriage is real but nameless", unexpectedly it is true.

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I sat outside the door for two days and two nights, watching the sky change constantly.

Then I understood Lin Dong - it's really bad to be hungry, and it doesn't help you think.

That night, I drank that altar and was drunk.

I never thought that the woman I have loved for more than 20 years would actually use laxatives on me.

It was also the first time I knew that the laxatives added to the wine were still effective after more than a year.

If I had figured out then that she was really stupid and would have been more than happy to torture me for the rest of my life, I probably wouldn't have gone back.

But after all, I was young and confused...

Not long after, I left this desert and returned to Caobang.

On the day I left, it was written in the almanac: The stage horse moves, forcing the water into the morning, and wind and thunder from the east.

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Hongde 24 years, winter, Dengzhou.

Hu Wenzhi: "I always thought you two would be together, why didn't you marry him?"

Ruan Shi: "He never said he liked me."

Hu Wenzhi: "Some things don't have to be said."

Ruan Shi: "I only want him to say a word, but he refuses to say it. He is too confident, thinking that I will definitely marry him, but who knows that I married his brother.

"On the day I got married, he asked me to go with him...I...I didn't agree.

"Why do you have to fight for it when you lose it? Since this is the case, I won't let him get it."

Hu Wenzhi: "Do you think you will win this way?"

Ruan Shi: "I don't know if I won, but he will definitely lose."

Before Hu Wenzhi left that day, Mrs. Ruan gave Hu Wenzhi a jar of wine and a letter.

(End of this chapter)