stand back, let me come

Chapter 1267: One Battle to Decide the Southwest (IV) [Seeking a Monthly Ticket]

On the way up the mountain, Cui Zhi secretly observed the scholar beside him.

The age of a scholar of Wenxin cannot be roughly judged from his appearance. At first glance, a young scholar in his twenties may actually be in his seventies or eighties. The scholar next to him is the same. He has a handsome and dignified appearance, a calm and peaceful temperament, and none of the crazy appearance of the evil followers of the Eternal Life Church. His eyes are like the ripples of the river in the dark night.

Such a demeanor cannot be cultivated unless one is born in a noble family or has been in a high position for many years. Cui Zhi couldn't help but feel a little curious: "Mr. Cui Mouguan has a dragon-like appearance and a phoenix-like appearance, but he actually believes in the evil teachings of the Eternal Life Sect that bewitch people's hearts?"

The sun, moon, mountains and rivers are not static.

How dare a mere mortal dream of immortality?

Such a graceful figure was used as a pawn by the Eternal Life Cult. It was a pity that such a brilliant talent was wasted. When Cui Zhi closed his eyes, he was surprised to find that there was nothing beside him and he could not sense the other person's breath at all. He guessed that the other person was either a master of internal martial arts or a genius who was good at restraining his breath. With such a skill, he might not be able to detect him even if he quietly approached him, so he was worth being on guard.

The scribe did not answer immediately.

He looked at the winding mountain road that stretched upwards, and for some reason, he felt a wave of palpitations, as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, and the owner of that hand was looking down at him and admiring his loss of composure. The scholar closed his eyes and calmed down to suppress the strangeness in his heart.

The scribe said, “I don’t believe it.”

Cui Zhi didn't seem to expect this answer.

"If you don't believe it, why did you gather around the mountain?"

The scribe admitted bluntly: "It is to survive, of course."

"To survive? They chose to gather people to rebel? The Eternal Life Cult incited the common people and shook the foundation of the country. Their crimes are too numerous to list. And they are just a bunch of useless rabble. I am afraid that they will end up with nothing and lose their lives." Cui Zhi was furious. The plague in Tianqing County could only be blamed on the incompetence of the local government, but the fact that the turmoil was so serious and indirectly killed my mother-in-law was inseparable from the increasingly fierce rebellion of the Eternal Life Cult.

"A true man is born between heaven and earth, and should have the ambition to overturn the world and reshape the human world." The scholar talked to Cui Zhi to distract himself from his increasingly panic. "Look, Mr. Cui is also a rare talent, born in a noble family. When will he bow down and see the human world?"

This is a mockery of Cui Zhi's ignorance of the sufferings of the world.

Cui Zhi snorted in his heart.

The scholar asked again: "Has Cui Lang ever raised rabbits?"

Cui Zhi didn't know why he brought this up, but he continued to answer along the line, "No, but my wife and daughter bought two at the night market. We were unlucky, so we bought a male and a female. We kept them in the yard for a few months and they gave birth to several more litters."

This is also a warm and interesting story.

In order to prevent the rabbits from continuing to grow, Cui Zhi ordered people to process the rabbits and serve them on the table, leaving only two male rabbits to continue to be raised, so that his little daughter would not have to explain to him one day. I remember Cui Hui even joked at that time: "The Cui family is so big and powerful, do you still need a few bites of rabbit meat? It will be the Flower Festival soon, take them out to the night market to sell, those girls like these snowballs the most. 】

Not only did I not lose money, I even made a small profit.

Cui Zhi said helplessly: [I don’t lack rabbit meat, but I also don’t lack the money from selling rabbits. Wouldn’t it be a joke if I sell them? ]

[As long as you don't carve the three words Cui Zhishan on your face, even if the buyer recognizes your face, he won't dare to associate you with the head of the Cui family.] Cui Hui picked up one of the surviving rabbits and rubbed its snow-white fur against his cheek.

Thinking of this, he finally felt less bitter.

Cui Zhi's mind was full of past events. The scholar beside him did not notice and continued to talk to himself: "In order to survive, rabbits have amazing pain tolerance and endurance. Aren't all living beings in the world rabbits? If there is no way out and no way to endure, who would be willing to leave the fields that their ancestors have relied on for survival and become a traitor?"

When fear and pain exceed the limit, the rabbit will scream.

The same is true for people.

Once the pain imposed by the outside world exceeds the critical point, it is often either to drive oneself to death or to drive others to death, without exception. If it does not come to this point, it is just that it can still be endured. How can those who are in office and do nothing have the face to question these people why they do not continue to endure? Because the other party is too inhuman, so they flip the table.

It's that simple.

Cui Zhi asked: "Do you think it's the officials who are forcing the people to rebel?"

"If the heaven is unjust, then change the heaven; if the king is unjust, then change the king."

Cui Zhi didn't expect that there were still one or two good people among the mob, but he was curious: "Does the master know what you said, sir?"

Those in power prefer stability and docility.

Lord, king, minister, father, father, son.

I don't think any master would like his subordinates, who are full of the idea of ​​"If the heaven is unjust, change the heaven; if the king is unjust, change the king." Who can guarantee that he will always be "righteous"? Once he is "unrighteous", he will be replaced. Who would be happy?

The scholar said, "That's what the master thinks."

The civil and military officials of Kangguo were all good at writing self-reviews, and the most active one was the emperor who liked to "examine himself three times a day". Even if there were no natural disasters throughout the year, he would issue a "self-criticism edict" during the New Year to reflect on why he did not achieve various strange indicators this year, such as per capita clothing, per capita food, per capita housing... He once suspected that the reason why talents did not come was because he was too competitive.

A person can watch it as an inspirational and exciting event.

A group of people rolling like crazy is the hell of corporate slaves.

Cui Zhi: “…Really?”

Oh, he doesn't believe it.

Not only did he not believe it, but he also said something sarcastic: "Duke Zhou was afraid of rumors, and Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne. If he had died at the beginning, who would know the truth about his life? The truly perfect people are indeed the new talents, who can say any sweet words."

When you don't succeed, what you say sounds better than what you sing.

Once they succeed, their true colors begin to show.

The scholar thought about his master and calculated that his master had been in the industry for half a lifetime and should not be considered a "rising star". However, there was no need to explain these words to a stranger. His silence sounded like a kind of unspeakable guilt to Cui Zhi.

After a while, the scholar could be heard panting again.

Cui Zhi looked sideways and saw that the scholar's handsome face was pale, almost bloodless, and his dull lips showed clear lip lines, which made him look a bit weak. He frowned slightly, thinking that the scholar had a hidden illness.

I was thinking whether I should avoid him to avoid being framed, but I still had to pretend to be sincere: "Sir, are you feeling unwell?"

God have mercy on me, I did nothing.

Does this person want to frame me?

The scholar rubbed his chest, frowning as he could not move.

His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were filled with mist without him noticing: "I don't know why, but I feel uncomfortable as soon as I get here."

As the pain intensified, the knife fan in his hand lost its strength and fell to the ground.

Cui Zhi took a half step back and looked around but found nothing. He said, "I have been honest all my life and would never do anything like that. Your illness has nothing to do with me."

The scribe twitched the corner of his mouth.

He cleared himself of the matter quite quickly. "Mr. Cui is honest and upright, I can trust him." He took several deep breaths, bent down to pick up the knife fan that had slipped out of his hand, and took advantage of the angle where Cui Zhi couldn't see to hold back the tears that were almost out of control, pretending to be nothing, "Excuse me, why did your father-in-law die?"

Since he was offering incense and paying respects, he naturally had to understand the basic situation. Otherwise, when he entered the mourning hall and greeted the deceased's younger generation, he might accidentally say something wrong and offend the host family. Cui Zhi also understood these human relationships and did not think that the scholar's inquiry was presumptuous: "He was killed by a bad person."

Just five words made the scholar shut up.

He was worried that if he continued to ask, he would be told that the bad guy was a member of the Immortal Cult. That would be embarrassing. Wouldn't he be kicked out of the mourning hall by the angry family members? He sighed vaguely: "There are thousands of disasters and hundreds of disasters. People are in great sorrow. The person has passed away. Cui Lang, please accept my condolences."

It would have been better if he didn't say it, as saying it would bring back Cui Zhi's sadness.

Cui Zhi was a typical child of an aristocratic family. He had been taken care of by three or four wet nurses since he was born. In his memory, his mother was always cold to him. Her mind and eyes were full of her husband, family, household affairs, and Cui Zhi's academic talent. She rarely paid attention to Cui Zhi as a whole person. The mother and son wanted to get close to each other, but there was always an invisible barrier between them.

When he grew up, he was more respectful than close to his mother.

His mother never talked to him, let alone gave him any guidance.

But my mother-in-law is different.

He felt the warmth between a mother and son in her, without so many cold and distant rules, and without so many frowning interests, just a mother and a son. Her advice may not solve the actual problem, but it can allow Cui Zhi to find a way to take a breath and not collapse.

Cui Zhi came back to his senses, his eyes already wet.

She sighed and wiped away the tears: "I lost my composure, sir. I'm sorry to make you laugh."

Anyway, the other party didn't know his true identity, so it wouldn't be so embarrassing to cry in front of him. Cui Zhi could already see Qingshui Temple at the end of his sight, and led the scholar into the side hall where the body was placed. The scholar washed his hands with the mountain spring water at the door, and took three incense sticks from Cui Zhi. The mourning hall was simple, with a small coffin standing alone in the middle, and no one was there to watch over the body and cry...

Cui Zhi guessed who he was looking for when he saw his gaze, and explained, "My mother-in-law was the abbess of this nunnery before she died. She took in many homeless women and children and abandoned baby girls. After the disaster, she also accepted sick refugees, most of whom were arranged to stay in the more spacious backyard. The nunnery is running out of rice and grain, so my wife should have gone to comfort them..."

The scholars were even more impressed when they heard this.

Somehow, when he was in this cold mourning hall, the palpitations that frequently occurred on the way up the mountain disappeared without a trace, as if they had never happened. The scholar looked at the simple coffin and shed tears unconsciously, even forgetting to light incense. Cui Zhi was confused by what he saw, and those who didn't know would think that the scholar's mother-in-law was lying in the coffin.

Even if it's just a show, there's no need to work so hard.

Cui Zhi was about to speak out a reminder when the scholar suddenly asked a question.

"Why is there no memorial tablet in Lingyue's memorial hall?" There were only a few offerings on the altar, so why wasn't there the most crucial memorial tablet?

Cui Zhi said: "This is my mother-in-law's advice."

Unexpectedly, the scribe reacted very strongly: "Why?"

Cui Zhi also asked Cui Hui if he needed him to set up a memorial tablet for his mother-in-law, but Cui Hui said that this was his deceased mother's last wish: "Probably... she wants to be an unknown person in front of the King of Hell. My mother-in-law made some mistakes in her early years and did some things that are unforgivable in her life. She has tried her best to make up for it over the years, but she still feels depressed. She feels guilty, so she wants to do this to atone for her sins. As a junior, I naturally cannot disobey the wishes of my elders." Although these crimes were nothing in the eyes of the head of the Cui family, he was forced to become a bandit to make a living.

The world is like this, how can we blame those who want to survive?

But in his heart he was suspicious of the scholar beside him.

The other party's reaction was so strange.

Why is he shedding tears at his mother-in-law's funeral hall?

"This incense won't light."

Cui Zhi took a look and said, "Maybe it got wet due to improper storage."

In short, send these people down the mountain as soon as possible.

The scholar used his literary energy to dry the three incense sticks and lit them successfully.

At this time, footsteps were heard outside the mourning hall. Cui Zhi recognized Cui Hui as soon as he heard it, and turned around and asked, "Where is Ke Wu?"

When he turned around, he naturally didn't notice the scholar's suddenly stiff back.

Cui Hui said: "Something happened in the back hall."

She looked at the scholar's back and felt vaguely familiar with him, so she looked at Cui Zhi and asked him. Cui Zhi gave her a calming response, saying that he was just here to pay his respects. After learning of this purpose, the coldness on Cui Hui's face faded a lot.

At this time, the couple realized that the scholar had always been facing away from the side hall door, facing Cui Hui and facing the coffin. Cui Hui couldn't see it from his angle, but Cui Zhi could clearly see from his position that the scholar was distracted. The hot incense ash fell from the top and hit the scholar's wrist, leaving a red mark. The whole person seemed to have lost his soul, like a puppet standing in a daze, looking too weird.

Cui Zhi raised his hand and placed it on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The cultist in front of him was behaving in a disorderly manner. He didn't look like a good person at all. If he suddenly attacked in front of his mother-in-law's funeral hall... Thinking of this possibility, Cui Zhi's eyes were already filled with terrifying murderous intent. He pushed open the sword guard with his thumb and pulled out a piece of the bright sword.

The atmosphere was so stagnant that it was hard to breathe.

Cui Hui's heartbeat suddenly began to pound wildly, and she was vaguely showing signs of losing control. She stepped forward, wanting to take a closer look at the man, but before she could reach him, Cui Zhi forcefully held her hand down.

"K-five?"

"Kewu..."

"How can you be Ke Wu?"

  A hoarse, ghostly voice came out of the scholar's throat, from vague to clear, from doubtful to crazy, he kept murmuring Cui Hui's name. Cui Zhi was naturally unhappy, but he was more puzzled about the identity of this person, why could he make Ke Wu lose his composure?

Suddenly, an absurd idea popped up in my mind.

Could it be that he is...

Before Cui Zhi could say what he was thinking, the scholar suddenly turned around, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes, and his facial muscles twitched from time to time due to his emotions. From the details, it can be seen that the master's emotions were suppressed to the extreme.

He pointed at the coffin and asked sharply, "Who is here?"

Cui Hui said coldly, "What do you think?"

Cui Zhi had never seen Cui Hui like this.

Even when the couple quarreled the most fiercely, Cui Hui never showed such a cold attitude towards him. Could this scholar in front of him really be that person? Unspeakable emotions rolled in Cui Zhi's chest, strangling his reason, and he could only barely hold on.

In other words, one must not lose his demeanor and manners.

Before Cui Zhi could open his mouth to test the other party's identity, the scholar in front of him, whose tears had broken, suddenly vomited blood.

He staggered backwards, but didn't fall down until he was supported by the altar. Cui Zhi stepped forward to support him, and put his finger on his pulse. After a little exploration, he found that his meridians were disordered. The other party said, "Nobody in front of the King of Hell's Palace... Nobody... Nobody?"

"Are you an unknown person?"

"What am I!"

  (ˇдˇ)

Remind me not to forget to start fund activities at the end of the month_(:з」∠)_