Under the sky

Chapter 148 Fire in the Backyard

That was more than a month ago. Yang Yan and Wang Hong had just met Gulthas and left the priest's courtyard and had to make new plans for the future.

Wang Hong was worried about where to find the money to redeem her parents and younger brother, while Yang Yan marveled at the stone carvings on the road.He finally saw the stone statue of Sarhajin and asked Nebu Batu's location.According to Wang Hong's explanation, Sanlong Pass is located northeast of Nabu Batu, which is the territory of the Walter tribe.

Both of them were penniless. The Priest's Court gave Wang Hong a job, responsible for organizing books and official documents in the Court. The income was too meager to make ends meet, let alone rent a house.Wang Hong begged everywhere, and a kind-hearted priest lent her a small tent, which was set up in the tent area outside Nabu Batu.

Naibubadu is the largest city outside the customs. It is flat on the grassland, built along the river, and has water sources.Batu has no city walls. If you want to move into Batu, you only need to report to the Civil Governor's Office to live and build a house.In Nabu Batu's law, all land belonged to Yalion and all residents were Yalion's tenants.They must pay "land rent" to build houses, and taxes are levied according to the size of the land and the distance from the water source. As long as they pay the land rent, they can build their own houses.

The tent area is where poor people who cannot afford land rent or build houses live. It is located in the south of Batu. The poor will set up tents here. The tents are regarded as temporary residence and no rent is charged. This is Arien's favor.If they can earn money, residents of the tent area can also build houses, and usually new houses are built along the perimeter of Batu.If the land they are interested in already has tents, they can pay a small "land fee" to acquire the land, which is about half a year's land rent, and the original residents of the tents cannot refuse because they only live on the land temporarily. instead of renting land from Arion.

Because of the gathering of poor people, the tent area is also called a sheep dung pile.This is the place with the worst security and the messiest environment in Batu, and there is always a smell of sheep manure.Private prostitutes, gambling stalls, stolen goods, and bandits hiding, many lowly people live here. Because of the gathering of three religions and nine streams, this is also the place where Batu intelligence is gathered, and information about the other four major Batu can be obtained.

Wang Hong can only afford to live here.Yang Yan stayed in the tent every day. When Wang Hong came back from a busy day, he pestered Wang Hong to teach him knowledge outside the customs, and carefully memorized the names of people, places, and historical figures that had been blown away by him.Wang Hong asked him to memorize these words before on the mountain. Although he tried his best to memorize them, he was never as sleepless and forgetful as he is now.

The tent was small and the two of them lived in a cramped environment.Wang Hong seldom interacted with the neighbors, and Yang Yan did not go out. People nearby thought that they were newlywed wives raising useless husbands.

After half a month like this, Wang Hong saw that Yang Yan didn't even take a step out of the door except to relieve himself. She became impatient and asked, "What's the use of remembering this? Even if you want to learn, you can do it while working." If you go to school and hide in a tent all day long, will a pie in the sky fall on you?"

Yang Yan said: "Didn't you take me out of seclusion just because you want me to be the son of a god? I'm just learning."

Wang Hong said in surprise: "Are you serious?" and then said, "Stop daydreaming! If Gulthas refuses to recognize you, you are useless!"

Yang Yan smiled and said: "That's not necessarily the case." He gestured, lay on the ground, opened a corner of the tent, and peeked out secretly.Wang Hong saw that he was weird and asked, "What kind of trick are you playing?" Then she walked up to him.

Outside the tent, I saw many men and women setting up stalls to sell food, or drying clothes, cooking and doing odd jobs in front of their homes. People were coming and going, but nothing unusual was seen.Wang Hong asked: "What are you looking at?"

Yang Yan said: "Under the tent on the right, behind, is the man selling goat milk."

Wang Hong said: "I saw it, how is it?"

Yang Yan said: "Gulthas sent him to monitor me."

Wang Hong said: "How do you know?"

Yang Yan said: "He keeps looking at me and doesn't care about buying or selling."

Wang Hong scolded: "I'm giving you a daydream! Why is Gulthas spying on you?"

"You have to ask him." Yang Yan sat down and pondered, "I've been thinking about it for a long time. I guess Gulthas still wants to use me, otherwise he wouldn't have sent someone to monitor me. He has so much power, wouldn't it be easy to kill me? "

Seeing that he was serious, Wang Hong looked at him again and said, "If what you said is true and Gulthas wants you, why do you say that you are not the son of God Sa? Even if it is false, he held you up with one hand. Good?"

"I have thought about this problem too." Yang Yan said, "According to your statement, Gulthas is a man of foresight and intelligence. He knew what use I was as soon as he saw me. Even if I was useless, he would keep it first. It's not a bad thing. If he didn't plan to keep me, he could kill me just because I came from the pass, but he refused and didn't kill me. Is he such a kind person? "

"'Sheep can't live'." Wang Hong said, "This was Gursasi's nickname when he was young. It is a kind of grass that looks very similar to ordinary grass, but it is shorter, has a broad surface, and has fine hairs. , the sheep will be poisoned to death if they eat it, so the sheep will not live. Gursasi had green hair and eyes when he was young, so he had this nickname."

It looks like a harmless weed, but it is highly poisonous.

"So I guess..." Yang Yan said, "He wants to tame me."

Wang Hong was stunned for a moment: "Tame?" Then she laughed and said, "Your surname is Sheep, do you really think of yourself as a sheep? You are not a beast, so you have to tame it?"

Yang Yan said seriously: "Yes, he wants to tame me."

He asked: "If he really makes me the son of Sa God, what good will it do to him? He is already the most powerful person outside the customs, and Arien doesn't dare to disobey him. What else does he need the son of Sa God? Are you dissatisfied that your father died early and you hired someone to raise him from outside?"

Wang Hong said: "Gulsas wanted to unify the five Batu, and also spread the teachings of Sa Shen to the pass. He worked hard for many years, and gradually achieved results. The other two Batu will just give up, Suma and Atu There is a huge gap between the teachings of the two Batu. If the son of Sa God calls for it, it will be easy to unite the five Batu, but it will be difficult for people to believe it."

"Yes. He spent so much effort cultivating me to be the son of God Sa. If I bite him back, wouldn't he lose more than he gains?" Yang Yan pondered, this was an idea he had never been involved in before.He has always been sincere in his dealings with people and is not good at calculations, but his thoughts and hatred for the powerful always lead him to think about the worst and most selfish desires.

Yang Yan said: "He wants me to suffer a little more and be tortured more. He will take me back to tame me if he thinks I can be used based on my character. I have to be his dog, a dog that can bite people and is docile for him." .”

That's Lin Chong, Yang Yan thought, the Lin Chong who forgot his family's deep hatred and worked hard for his enemy.

"So you pretend to have no ambition and just eat the soft rice?" Wang Hong said, "Let him think that you are a waste and easy to manipulate, so he came to you earlier? I didn't expect that you are stupid and sometimes have good ideas."

"That's really not true. I want him to relax his guard." Yang Yan thought of the day when Yalian's vehicle had to make way for the priest's vehicle and asked, "I just talked about Yalian, what kind of person is Tak Yalian?" people?"

Wang Hong said that she had been out of seclusion since childhood and was a slave before. Tucker's reputation was really unclear. She promised to inquire for Yang Yan, but a few days later she looked discouraged.

"I don't know." Wang Hong said, "He doesn't seem to have done anything. He is quite decent. He is neither close to the people nor violent. He stays in the palace drinking all day long. His only hobby is being a little lustful. In addition to his eight beloved concubines, he also Feed a large number of dancing girls."

"As for state affairs, most of them are handled by Chief Administrative Officer Gao Leqi. In the terms of the Nine Families, deputy head? According to Kongtong, that's Zhu Zhixia's position."

"Gao Leqi? Han?" Yang Yan asked.

"No, he is from the Sa tribe. His full name is Gao Leqiqiao. The surname is at the end, and his surname is Qiao."

"Qiao is also a Han surname." Yang Yan said with a smile.

Wang Hong said sullenly: "Don't joke with me! It's serious business! Gao Leqi is a capable political officer, and he is Tucker's most trusted person."

Yang Yan thought for a while and said: "So this Tucker is a useless leader? Just like... my master?" In this way, Gulthas is also like his master, and Tucker is also like his master, but like places are different.

"This is not surprising. Tucker's grandfather, Arion two generations ago, once wanted to assassinate Gulthas and was exiled in the name of blasphemy."

"Oh?" Yang Yan straightened up and became curious, "Be clear."

"Why are you asking Arien?" Wang Hong frowned, "You should find a way to please Gulthas."

"I don't want to be a dog." Yang Yan said, "As a dog, I can only bite people according to the orders of my master. These powerful people all look the same, and they will not help me take revenge."

"I want Tucker to help me." Yang Yan said firmly.

"You're fucking crazy, fuck!" Wang Hong screamed and stood up, "You're so fucking crazy! You can't even..."

Yang Yan hurriedly grabbed her and covered her mouth, lest she speak indiscriminately, and whispered: "Someone is watching us!"

Wang Hong stared at Yang Yan, her eyes full of anger.

"Can you help me?" Yang Yan asked, "Help me find a way."

Wang Hong took a deep breath, looked at Yang Yan, and nodded slowly.

■

There were six people monitoring Yang Yan, a helpless Huo Miaozi and a blind man from outside the customs. This formation was not rigorous, but it was cautious enough.They reported what they knew to the Wei Jijun, but Yang Yan was really a boring person. Not only was he boring, he also lived on soft food and relied on Wang Hong's little supply.

They knew that Wang Hong went to the pasture of Gursasi to meet her father Munduk. The two of them didn't know what to say, and Wang Hong was driven away by the guards not long after.

About half a month later, Wang Hong asked Yang Yan: "Why do you think Tucker will help you?"

"If Tucker's grandfather thought about rebelling against Gulthas, Tucker might also want to rebel. People with power usually hate people with more power, he just doesn't dare." Yang Yan said, "I want to give him the courage. "

"You are gambling with your life!" Wang Hong bit her lip and hesitated, "If Tucker is afraid of Gulthas, then he must hate the son of Gulthas even more."

The ruler of this grassland used to be Arien. Although the power of the Sars at that time was only equal to that of Arien, the two sides were wary of each other. Until Sarhajin raised the power of the Sars again, Sars Only then did the officials gain real power to rule.

For Arien, Salhajin was the source of the constraints imposed by the Priesthood.

Because they did not want to endure the rule of the Priest House, the five major Batu had experienced Yarian's counterattacks against the Sasi. Among them, the most violent revenge was of course Atulie Badu. They simply killed all the Arien bloodline and left it to the Priest House. Directly rule the tribe.

Tucker's grandfather Gulie was also one of them, and he planned to assassinate Gursasi.He grabbed his newborn youngest son's neck, strangled the baby until he was half dead, and begged Gulthas to enter the palace to pray for the poor child.Gulthas went. When he was praying for the baby, the dead guests in the palace rushed out. This was originally a foolproof plan, but the news had already leaked. Gulthas' sacrificial army rushed into the palace and captured Gulie. Banish him.

"Too many people are involved in this matter." This is Gulthas's comment.In fact, Gulie did not involve too many people, but in order to successfully kill Gursasi, he used too many soldiers to guard the palace. These soldiers leaked the changes on duty that day, which attracted the attention of Gursas.

"When you want to do a big thing, the more people who help you, the higher the possibility of success, but the higher the possibility of leaks. Even if they don't know what they are going to do, they may cause leaks. It is caused by ignorant people. The harm is no less than that of leakers.”

This is Gultha's conclusion.

"Tucker may kill you in the name of blasphemy." Wang Hong said.

"If you can't take revenge, there's no point in living." Yang Yan replied.

"You should wait for Gulthas. He wants to enter the border and pass on the light of the Sa god. He will help you."

"I don't want to be a dog." Yang Yan lay down.The ground is uneven and cannot be made flat.They were too poor to buy any furniture, except for clothes, and they couldn't even put the curtains in their cubicles.

But when Wang Hong changed her clothes, Yang Yan obediently turned her head away every time.He had no interest in watching it at all. Wang Hong had teased him and suspected that he liked men.

"No wonder Brother Ming and Brother Jingfeng keep shouting all day long."

Yang Yan didn't explain to her either. "I never told you how my family became slaves." Wang Hong said, "My ancestors are Han Chinese and believe in Mingjiao. More than 100 years ago, Sarhajin crusaded against heretics, and the Mingjiao main altar was attacked. After the defeat, all the Ming Cultists became slaves. Gursasi found the topographic map of Kunlun Palace preserved by the descendants of the Ming Cult before he planned to assassinate the Nine Families to establish their power."

"In addition to being redeemed, slaves can only become civilians after joining the slave barracks and becoming Sa warriors. However, the Ming followers swore a poisonous oath that their descendants would never fight for the Sa religion for generations to come, so none of the Ming followers became soldiers. This is how my family became soldiers for ten years. Generations of slaves.”

Yang Yan didn't know why Wang Hong told him this. The two had been together for a long time and rarely heard her talk about family affairs, so she listened.

"I..." Wang Hong bit her lip and didn't speak for a while.Yang Yan felt that she was particularly weird today and asked, "Do you have any idea?"

Wang Hong nodded.

Yang Yan was overjoyed and said, "What can we do?"

"At the end of this month, Tucker will go to the hunting ground to hunt."

"Hunting refugees?" Yang Yan asked.

"It's a normal hunt." Wang Hong said, "I'll find a way to lure him to you."

■

Shen Congfu didn't understand. His eldest brother rebelled and passed the throne to Yu'er. It would be unbelievable to say that there was nothing wrong with this.

He felt a little uneasy in his heart, and heard some news about Ba County from others, saying that the city was closed to capture Ye Bang, and the city was opened later.

Seeing her husband's hesitation, Tang Jingcai leaned into her husband's arms and asked in a tired voice, "I see you holding your face, are you worried?"

Shen Congfu hugged his wife and said with a smile, "It's okay."

Tang Jingcai curled his lips and said unhappily: "If a man doesn't say something, he just plans to go out and tell other women."

"You're talking nonsense again. You've been jealous for no reason all day long." Shen Congfu scolded his wife with a straight face.

Tang Jingcai pushed her husband away: "Do you really think that I am a jade porcelain baby, and I still have to hold it to prevent it from falling?" She changed a chair and sat down, crossed her arms across her chest, crossed her feet and said, "If you have the ability, you can hide it for the rest of your life. , I don’t listen.”

Shen Congfu muttered: "I'm afraid you won't feel comfortable hearing this, so I'd better not ask more questions about some things."

When Tang Jing saw that her husband was serious, he stopped joking and asked seriously: "Is it uncle's letter?"

Seeing his wife guessing, Shen Congfu pondered for a long time. After all, he couldn't hide the change of ownership in Qingcheng from his wife. He would also announce the decree soon, so he might as well say it directly. So he got up and went to the desk, took out a letter from the drawer and handed it to Tang Jingcai said: "The head gave way, the eldest brother rebelled and was removed from the position of Commander-in-Chief of Wei Shu. Finally, Yu'er was lenient and did not pursue any further investigation."

Tang Jingcai was shocked: "You still want to hide such a big thing from me?"

Shen Congfu said: "I don't want you to worry."

Tang Jingcai lowered his head, his eyes were red, and said: "They say husband and wife are like birds in the same forest. If something happens to you, can I survive alone? Do you think we have only been married for a year, so we are not very affectionate?"

Seeing his wife weeping, Shen Congfu hurriedly said: "What nonsense are you talking about, life and death? The boss is sick, and Yu'er is passed to the throne. The eldest brother has always disliked Yu'er. Maybe there was a dispute, but Yu'er was not punished severely. This is not It’s a good thing, but it has nothing to do with us.”

Tang Jingcai wiped away his tears and asked, "You never thought about it. Why did Mr. Ya rebel?"

"My eldest brother has a competitive temperament, but also a bit irritable... I don't know yet."

"Didn't he go to Crane City to meet your sister? He didn't even come back from the convoy, so he flew back to Qingcheng with his wings. How could he make such a big fuss in such a short time?"

This statement worries Shen Congfu. When he met with his eldest brother last month, he didn't complain. How could he say the opposite?He always knew that his eldest brother had a bad temper, but for things like rebellion, even if he didn't care about himself, he still had to take care of his sister-in-law and Xiaoxiao.The letter stated that he was eager to return to Ba County without notification, but how could there be no news from the checkpoint guards in Tongren and Hezhou all the way to Ba County?What emergency happened again that made him eager to return to Qingcheng?

"How about I write a letter and ask Sister Feng." Shen Congfu said thoughtfully, "Maybe I can go back to Qingcheng and have a look."

"Don't go back." Tang Jingcai grabbed her husband's hand.Shen Congfu was surprised at his wife's panic and smiled: "What are you afraid of? With Yu'er's temper, are you afraid that he will eat me?"

"Tongren is an important place. Kunlun has discussed such a big thing. You... you can't leave." Tang Jingcai said, "Let the fifth brother go back and ask, and you will save yourself the trouble."

Shen Congfu patted the back of his wife's hand and said, "I will listen to you." There was an inexplicable shadow in his heart.

■

The torches stretched into two fire dragons in Shunru Alley, illuminating the streets.There were also many guards standing on the eaves, each holding a torch, looking around and on guard.

It was already You hour, and Shen Yuqing was waiting outside the tent.He came for a while but didn't call anyone.Xie Gubai has been in coma for five days. Shen Yuqing will come to visit him every day after business, but Zhu Menshang does not allow anyone to enter the tent, and rarely discloses the extent of his injury.

The door curtain opened and Zhu Menshang came out and asked, "Where is the little sister?"

"I'll let my little sister go and have a rest." Shen Yuqing said, "Brother, are you feeling better?"

"Come in." Zhu Menshang said, "Keep your voice down, he's not awake yet."

Shen Yuqing felt happy, it seemed that her elder brother's injury had improved.As he entered the tent, a strong smell of medicine filled his nose.

Zhu Menshang led him to the hospital bed.Xie Gubai's front was open, and the wound had been sutured, leaving only slight redness and swelling. The area around the affected area was cleaned, but two thin bamboo tubes were inserted obliquely into the chest and lower abdomen, and a dozen needles were still inserted between the chest and waist. There are cupping pots and more than ten clean thin bamboo tubes placed on the low table next to it.

"Fortunately, the life-saving pill I gave you is still useful. I used a cupping cup and my mouth to help him suck out the fluid these past few days, and he is feeling better today." Zhu Menshang said, "I know you are worried, so I let you take a look first. "

Up to now, Zhu Menshang still didn't let go that he could be saved. Shen Yuqing understood in her heart and asked, "My little sister and I still have the one."

"It's not needed now, and it's best not to use it." Zhu Menshang replied, "He woke up today and couldn't speak. I used medicine to make him sleep. What do you want to ask?"

Shen Yuqing shook his head.

"I still have something to discuss with you." Zhu Menshang said, "His injuries have improved a little now and he can move. I don't think it's an option to treat him on the street in public. Who knows what trouble will happen? My little sister and I It’s tiring for Miss Xia to take turns guarding her day and night, so I want to change places.”

"Send the eldest brother to Qingcheng." Shen Yuqing said, "There are only two alleys away from here. It's not far. The guards are tight, so it's better to take care of him nearby." He saw that Xie Gubai's face was bloodless and his clothes were dirty. , asked, "Can you help me change my clothes?"

Zhu Menshang said: "I will go to the house to pick out some clothes, boil them in boiling water and dry them, and give me some instructions. You help him take off the clothes, and I will come back later to help him change. Remember, don't use the clothes that have been taken off, cut them off." If you open it, it will alarm him less."

After Zhu Menshang left, Shen Yuqing sat on the edge of the bed and waited.There have been urgent reports at the border in the past few days, but Huashan has not made any moves. Sure enough, it is waiting for some news.We are still waiting for news about other things, and the calm before the rainstorm is particularly unsettling.

He lowered his head and saw that Xie Gubai's clothes were dirty and sticky, and saw a pot of boiling water nearby. He poured the boiling water into a copper plate, wetted it with a hand towel, and cut Xie Gubai's clothes from the hem with small scissors.He was careful not to disturb the injured patient, so he first cut off the right sleeve, wiped the dirt on his arm with a wet hand towel, then went around to the left side, cut the same from the placket, and cut off the cuffs.There was a lot of blood stuck here, which solidified into lumps and stuck to the skin. The scissors could not be used to cut it open. Shen Yuqing dipped a hand towel in water to dissolve the blood stains, and it took a lot of effort to cut it open.

After taking off his sleeve, the blood stain was still smeared on his left arm. Shen Yuqing was about to wipe it off when he saw a mark that looked like a brand.

What's this?Shen Yuqing was suspicious and wiped away the blood with a handkerchief. The branding pattern on the bottom gradually became clear, like a chain of flames intertwined into a circle, with fire emanating from the periphery of the circle.

fire……

Could this be... the mark of the Sacred Cult?

Why does the elder brother have such a mark on his body? Is it related to the Sacred religion?Shen Yuqing's heart skipped a beat when Zhu Menshang came back, so he quickly covered his sleeves.

Zhu Menshang walked in with clothes and asked, "Are you ready?"

Shen Yuqing said: "Not yet. Doctor Zhu, go and inform the younger sister, and I will help the elder brother change his clothes."

"How come it's the other way around?" Zhu Menshang asked, "You should be the one to inform my little sister that it's not a big deal for me to change my clothes. Besides, do you know how to change?"

"It's not difficult." Shen Yuqing said with a smile, "Doctor Zhu has been exhausted these past few days. Let's take a breather. I don't trust leaving it to others, and it's not convenient for my little sister and Miss Xia."

Zhu Menshang just ignored him and walked forward. Shen Yuqing stood up quickly and said, "I'll do it!"

Seeing that he was anxious, Zhu Menshang became even more confused and said, "He has a bamboo tube stuck in his body. How can we help him get dressed without removing it?"

Shen Yuqing knew that she had lost her composure and said, "I'm afraid that Dr. Zhu will take me for being superficial again and you will all call me hypocritical."

Zhu Menshang smiled and said: "Who said you have a high status and love dignity."

Shen Yuqing covered it up, but Zhu Menshang did not become suspicious and got out of the way.Zhu Menshang walked up to Xie Gubai and pulled up two thin bamboo tubes.

Shen Yuqing asked: "Doctor Zhu, your treatment method is extremely rare."

"This is Sha's medical method." Zhu Menshang replied, "Although the wound is sutured after a serious injury, there may still be fluid and blood in the body. The wound needs to be ventilated with a bamboo tube and the fluid is sucked out with a cupping pot or mouth, so that the wound can heal easily."

"Doctor Sa?" Shen Yuqing was stunned.More than a hundred years ago, the Sa religion had contacts with Guan Nei, and the medical skills passed down from the Sa religion were called Sa medicine, which was quite different from the Guan Nei medical skills, but there were very few people who were good at it.After the Barbarian King invaded the territory, the Central Plains cut off all contact with the Sa people. Most of the books and documents related to the Sa people were burned. Most of the people who believed in the Sa religion were massacred. As a result, there were fewer people who were good at Sa medicine. Even if there were some who were good at this, for Don't dare to use it to avoid disaster.

"Doctor Zhu is really knowledgeable." Shen Yuqing praised.

"I accidentally found a medical book from the Sa tribe." Zhu Menshang said, "That's another story."

Shen Yuqing looked at Xie Gubai on the sickbed and remained silent.

(End of this chapter)