Denghuaxiao

Chapter 233 Old House
The cliff was bare, and Lu Tong stared at the dead wood in his hand in a daze.

All the redwood vines on the cliff have withered.

This plant is cold-resistant and can survive in extremely cold places. Its leaves are very poisonous. In the past, when she was on Luomei Peak, she had picked them for Yunniang in winter. It was a cold winter at that time.

In fact, before she went up the mountain, she was not sure, but she felt that there was a 60 to 70 chance of success. She did not expect that after only two years of absence, the vines that she thought would always be lush would wither. Nothing in the world lasts forever.

Pei Yunying took the withered broken wood from her hand and looked at it carefully with his eyes lowered.

Lu Chen came to his senses.

"The redwood vines have withered." She turned around. "We came here for nothing."

Pei Yunying caught the frustration in his tone.

He glanced at Lu Tong, curled his lips, and said nonchalantly: "It's not in vain. You won't know the result until you try."

Lu Tong heard the comfort in his words, but she still felt disappointed.

Cuicui is in imminent danger. The poison of Houbian is difficult to cure. If Chang Jin and Ji Xun use new medicine for Cuicui, it will be like drinking poison to quench thirst. The red wood vine in Pingzhou has been there for too long. If this continues, how can the epidemic in southern Jiangsu be solved?

Is there really no better way?

A gust of cold wind blew in his face and Lu Tong shivered.

The closer we got to the top of the mountain, the stronger the wind and snow became. Large flakes of snow were flying everywhere, and every step we took would sink our calves into the snow, making it very difficult.

This is heavier than the snow on Luomei Peak in the past.

Pei Yunying saw that she was pale from the cold, so he reached out to pull her cloak closer and asked, "What are you going to do now? Do you want to go back?"

Lu Tong raised his eyes and looked into the distance.

It was much colder on the mountain than at the foot of the mountain. The sun had not risen in southern Jiangsu for half a month. Thick gray clouds gathered over Luomei Peak, and it was getting late.

Lu Tong fell into deep thought.

In fact, with her speed and her familiarity with Luomei Peak, a day would be enough for the round trip. However, it had been years since heavy snow fell in southern Jiangsu, and the mountain road was much more difficult to travel than before. She stumbled along the way and spent a lot of time. If she walked back now, she was afraid that it would be dark before she got down the mountain.

Walking in the snowy mountains at night was too dangerous, and with her current health...

Lu Tong shook his head and looked higher: "Keep climbing."

Pei Yunying paused slightly, as if a little surprised, but soon nodded and agreed readily: "Okay."

This time it was Lu Tong's turn to be surprised. She asked, "Why didn't you ask me where I was going?"

"It doesn't matter." Pei Yunying smiled indifferently: "You are the medical officer, I am the guard, and it is my duty to protect you."

Lu Tong paused and couldn't help but look at him.

The man in front of her looked at her with a smile on his face and a serious tone, as if even if she asked him to take him to the mass grave, he would happily agree to go.

Is he giving up completely, or is he relying on her?
After a moment of silence, Lu Tong snatched the withered vine from Pei Yunying's hand and said, "Hurry up, otherwise you and I will have to walk at night before we reach the top of the mountain. It's very dangerous to walk at night on the mountain."

Pei Yunying raised his eyebrows, looked at her back, and said, "Then Doctor Lu, remember to lead the way and be careful."

Lu Tong: "...Hurry up and catch up."

The higher we went, the stronger the wind and snow became, almost blinding us. After walking for about half an hour, the sky got darker, with only a little gray light covering the top of the mountain. Then, a large area of ​​red plum blossoms gradually appeared in the wild snow.

The red plum blossoms are gorgeous, with dots of bright red. Not far below them, a thatched cottage stands alone.

The thatched hut is not big and is very dilapidated. It is almost covered by weeds in front and back, and only shows a dim shadow. Blown by the wind and snow all around, it looks like an illusion on the mountain at night, and it is impossible to tell whether it is real or fake.

While Pei Yunying was still looking around, Lu Tong had already walked forward.

She stopped in front of the hut.

It seemed to be the same as in her memory, but it was completely different. She had spent seven long years here. Apart from the Lu family in Changwu County, this was the place where she had stayed the longest.

She thought she would never come back to this place again in her life, but she never expected to visit it again today.

"Is this where you used to live?" Pei Yunying's voice came to my ears.

There was only this small house nearby. When she came here just now, she had mentioned to Pei Yunying that he had lived here many years ago. This man had always been smart and could tell some things at a glance.

She did not hide it: "Yes."

Pei Yunying looked down at her, and the corner of his lips raised as he thought of something.

"So, you still invite me to your house?"

Lu Chen: "..."

She carried the medical kit on her back and walked forward without looking back, saying, "You can also live outside."

The two men walked to the thatched cottage and Pei Yunying pushed open the door.

Perhaps no one had set foot in this place for a long time, and dust flew up as soon as the door opened. Lu Tong turned his head and waved away the scattered dust, and asked Pei Yunying to take out a fire starter from his bag and light it, and there was some light in the room.

Pei Yunying raised his eyes and looked around.

This is a room that is not spacious enough, even a little small.

Against the wall, there was a narrow straw couch that could only accommodate one person.

There was a square table at the door, with a stove under it, and a locked wooden cabinet close to the door. Then there was nothing else, giving a desolate look to the house.

Lu Tong bent down, took out a key from under the straw couch, and opened the locked wooden cabinet.

In the wooden cabinet, the utensils were still neatly stacked as when she left. Luomei Peak was desolate and deserted, and no one had ever been to the thatched house. She took out an oil lamp from the wooden cabinet, added oil, lit it with a tinderbox, and placed the lit lamp on the square table. The quiet light dispelled some of the loneliness in the room.

Lu Tong turned around and saw Pei Yunying looking around with his arms crossed, so he asked, "What's there to see?"

This room had almost nothing in it except for a bed, and one could see the end of it at a glance. Why was he looking at it so carefully?

Pei Yunying glanced at her and said slowly: "It's my first time entering your boudoir, so I'm naturally curious."

Lu Chen: "..."

This person is simply sick.

He walked inside, glanced critically at the crude furnishings in the room, and asked, "Did you live in such a shabby place before?"

It was damp, dark, narrow and short here. Compared with the trial room in the Dianqian Division, it might have just one more bed, but it was not even as spacious as the trial room.

"Of course I dare not compare it with the Palace Marshal's Mansion."

"Didn't you say you lived with your master on the mountain?" He turned around again, his eyes scanning the corner, "Why is there only one bed?"

The room was small, and the bed was even smaller, looking like it could only accommodate one person.

Lu Tong pursed her lips: "She doesn't live here."

Yunniang doesn't live here.

The noise made by testing drugs would affect Yunniang's making of new drugs, so Yunniang lived in another thatched hut. In the next hut were Yunniang's medical books and medicine books. Before Yunniang died, she was asked to burn her body together with those medical books.

So the room was gone.

Hearing her words, Pei Yunying looked at her in surprise: "So, you live here alone?"

"It is."

Most of the time, Yunniang was not in the mountains, and many nights she was indeed living here alone.

Living a lonely, solitary and dull life.

Pei Yunying looked at her, his eyes flashing with some thought.

The first time he met Lu Tong was six years ago, when Lu Tong was only twelve years old.

Luomei Peak is desolate. Li Wenhu feels scared whenever he mentions this place. How can a twelve-year-old girl endure living here alone?

The inquiry in his eyes was too strong, Lu Tong turned around as if nothing had happened and took out the quilt from the cabinet. The quilt had not been exposed to the sun, and it was gloomy, but fortunately it was not damp, so it was fine to use it under my body for one night.

Lu Tong: "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, Marshal, tonight and sleep here for the time being."

Pei Yunying sighed, crossed his arms and looked at the small couch, and said, "But there is only one bed here."

Lu Tong walked up to him and threw the heavy blanket into his arms: "You sleep on the floor."

"is this okay?"

Pei Yunying looked at her with a smile: "After all, you and I are unmarried men and women, and if people tell others that we are alone in the same room, it will always cause misunderstandings."

Lu Tong turned around, looked at him with a fake smile and said, "If you really care about your reputation, you can sleep outside the door. Considering our past friendship, I will definitely collect your body tomorrow morning."

Pei Yunying stared at her face for a moment, then suppressed a smile and said, "You really get angry easily now."

"It's because the commander is too bored."

Lu Tong said coldly: "I want to make a fire. Can you please go outside and cut some plum branches for me?"

Pei Yunying nodded: "Okay, you are the master, you have the final say."

He turned and went out.

Only after watching his back disappear out the door did Lu Tong breathe a sigh of relief and sit down on the chair by the table.

Perhaps her old illness has been recurring more frequently recently and her physical strength is not as good as before. It was very difficult for her to climb to the top of the mountain today, and now she feels exhausted. If not for this, her pace would not be so slow today.

Lu Tong reached out, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked around.

After Yunniang died, she actually wanted to burn down the house as well, thinking that she would never come back in the future. However, with the burning fire in her hands, Lu Tong suddenly changed her mind at the last moment.

She kept the house.

She had lived here for too long. If the Lu residence in Changwu County witnessed one "Lu Min", then this thatched cottage in Luomei Peak witnessed another "Lu Tong". She could not deny the existence of "Lu Tong", as if a fire would burn the past seven years and destroy them all, leaving no trace.

Therefore, she locked all the used utensils in the cabinet and left with Yin Zheng. Perhaps someone would come here many years later, or perhaps the overgrown weeds would completely submerge the house, and everything in the past seven years would disappear on the top of Luomei Peak.

I didn't expect that many years later, I would revisit the place and meet an unexpected person.

"Squeak-"

The door was pushed open, and Pei Yunying walked in. He was holding a bunch of dry plum branches in his hands, and he had probably cut them off specifically because they had not been soaked by the wind and snow. Lu Tong bent down and pulled out the stove that had not been used for a long time under the table. Pei Yunying pulled her hand away and said, "Let me do it."

He stuffed the chopped plum branches into the stove and lit them with a fire stick.

Lu Tong was originally a little worried that the fire could not be lit, but Pei Yunying's movements were very skillful, as if he often worked outside. After a while, a "crackling" sound was heard.

The window was half open, and occasionally snowflakes floated into the house from outside. The dim light cast a layer of warmth on the small house in the wind and snow.

Lu Yan looked at him.

He was sitting in front of the stove, peeling the remaining plum branches in his hand so that they would be neat and easy to put into the stove.

The dim light cast a layer of light on the young man's handsome face, like a sheathed silver knife, without any sharpness, but only beauty and softness.

He didn't even raise his head, and was conscientious in his movements, as if he knew where she was looking, and asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Lu Tong was startled and looked away.

He smiled, but didn't stop moving: "Do you have anything to ask?"

Lu Tong was silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "After I left, are Yin Zheng and the others okay?"

It has been some time since she left Shengjing.

The correspondence along the way was not smooth, and now all the Su'nan post stations have been suspended. I wonder how Renxin Medical Clinic is doing now?

"Not bad." Pei Yunying replied.

Lu Tong lowered her eyes. This was the answer she wanted most.

The room was quiet. Pei Yunying paused while cutting the plum branches and suddenly said, "Lu Tong."

He said: "Although you sent me a letter of entrustment, aren't you worried that I will reject your request?"

Lu Tong's decision to go to southern Jiangsu came hastily.

But the last letter asking him to take care of Renxin Medical Clinic was written in exceptional detail.

It was so meticulous that every aspect was taken into consideration, so much so that it still makes me angry when I think about it now.

"Don't worry." Lu Tong said, "I believe that even if I don't ask you, you will take care of Renxin Medical Clinic if they are in trouble."

Pei Yunying was startled.

Lu Tong's voice continued: "After all, you were a guest of honor who attended the clinic's anniversary celebration, which means you are their close friend."

The "crackling" sound of the stove at my feet became clearer and clearer in the cold and lonely snowy night. A faint smoke emanated from the stove and was quickly blown away by the north wind outside the window.

Hearing this, the young man chuckled and looked at her and said, "Lu Tong, you have me in your hands, right?"

Lu Tong curled up his fingers and remained silent.

She had him in her hands.

It was very strange that when she first arrived in Shengjing, she was alert and cautious towards the person in front of her, and sometimes even wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. He was the person standing on the opposite side of the river from her, watching the fire from the other side of the river, and they would never interact with each other.

But once upon a time, she seemed to have understood him very well. She could rest assured to leave everything to him, and she was sure that he would keep his promise.

She went down the mountain from Luomei Peak to Shengjing, and then from Shengjing back to Luomei Peak. Along the way, she had repaid favors and made enemies. She handled everything neatly. Only the person in front of her was like the debt note on the wall of the dilapidated temple. She came and went in a mess, always leaving behind a bit of inexplicable resentment.

There is no way to clear both sides.

The fire in the stove burned vigorously, and the room gradually became warmer. Pei Yunying stood up, picked up a red clay kettle that Lu Tong had just taken out of the cabinet, washed it clean outside the door, and took some snow water to boil it.

Guests came on a cold night and tea was served instead of wine, the bamboo stove was boiling and the fire was just beginning to turn red. Lu Tong suddenly felt fortunate that he had kept everything in the house instead of burning it all.

He sat in front of the stove boiling water. There were two red clay teacups on the table. Affected by his indifference, Lu Tong asked, "What happened in the palace later?"

The people at Mengtai Posthouse only said two short sentences, but the imperial city had been turned upside down. Although the words were understated, Lu Tong knew that the scene that day must have been thrilling.

"Don't you know everything?" Pei Yunying opened the lid of the pot. White snow accumulated in the pot, but it dissipated immediately when the flame licked it.

When he first met Lu Tong, Lu Tong was also melting a jar of snow water. At that time, she said that it was called "Laxue".

Six years have passed in a flash.

Lu Tong looked at him: "Are all your people okay?"

Pei Yunying didn't say anything. When he lowered his head, his eyelashes drooped.

It was actually a very bloody night.

The counterattack after years of dormancy is always cruel and ruthless. Victory and defeat are common in the military, but for that position, there is only one chance.

The man who was once so arrogant and killed his father and brother would also lose his fighting spirit due to comfort and become useless. His panic and unwillingness made this final battle seem ridiculous, and the trapped beast died in his own prison.

Emperor Liang Ming held onto the dragon throne in the Golden Palace and looked at them with anger and disbelief: "You, you actually betrayed me!"

Prince Ning smiled, Yan Xu was indifferent, outside the palace there was the sound of swords and weapons, and he wiped the blood off his face, with a sinister madness in his eyes that he himself was not aware of.

"Your Majesty," he said calmly, "It's time to repay the sword you owed me at the royal banquet five years ago."

In this world, everyone has their own grudges.

Prince Ning bore the hatred for the murder of his father and brother, and he bore the hatred for the blood debt of his mother's maternal grandfather's family. Even Emperor Ming of Liang himself, at his last moment of death, believed that the act of killing his father and brother was nothing more than hatred caused by the previous emperor's unfairness.

Some do it for hatred, some do it for kindness, and some do it for love.

situation.

Inside the room, the warm light illuminated the handsome face of the young man. The silver embroidery on his black brocade clothes shone brightly under the light, but that little light made his figure look quiet and lonely.

Yan Xu died for love.

He died to save Xiao Zhufeng, and he did it on purpose.

With the new emperor on the throne, the past relationship between the Palace Front Office and the Privy Council is bound to be used as a topic of gossip. Even if the new emperor does not mention it, the rumors in the court will not stop, which will make it difficult for him and Xiao Zhufeng in the Palace Front Office.

Yan Xu blocked a sword for Xiao Zhufeng.

"Teacher!" He turned around and stood in front of Yan Xu to protect him, his eyes sore.

The man who had never had a good face towards them lay in Xiao Zhufeng's arms. The scar at the corner of his eye seemed to soften in the end. He stretched out his hand and flicked the two of them on the head with trembling hands, just like the dissatisfaction he showed after every training session when he was a child.

"Don't look like that, it's so ugly. Turn away." He cursed, but his tone was very light, no longer as vigorous as before.

"Let me rest for a while, don't bother me."

"Teacher!" Xiao Zhufeng's bloody hands trembled, "I'll go find a doctor, hold on!"

Yan Xu looked into the distance.

"An old friend...came into my...dream...and saw my...appearance...and remembered..."

He lay in Xiao Zhufeng's arms, lowered his head with a smile, and gradually became silent.

Pei Yunying was in a trance for a moment.

Yan Xu never married, had no children, and only accepted two disciples. He and the Pei family had severed their relationship since those days, and Yan Xu looked more like his father.

The pain of losing my father is unbearable.

Because of this pain, he didn't feel much about the demise of the Pei family, like an outsider watching from the sidelines.

Maybe he is just such a cold bastard.

"Pei Yunying?" Lu Tong suddenly spoke.

She rarely saw Pei Yunying with this expression. It was an expression completely different from the Pei Yunying she was familiar with, as if if she didn't wake him up, he would become a different person.

Pei Yunying came back to his senses.

The snow water in the jar was boiling until it was slightly foamy. He used a plum branch to skim off some of the scum and said, "Qi Qing is dead."

Lu Chen was slightly startled.

"I told you," he said, "I would kill him for you."

There was a strong cold wind outside the door, and the sound of branches breaking in the wind was like the sound of a knife cutting into flesh.

When the Qi family was raided, he specifically asked the new emperor for advice on how to deal with Qi Qing.

The trial room of the Palace Front Department had never held a person like the Grand Tutor. He sat on the chair and watched the old man, who was always high and mighty, shed his former arrogance and became an ordinary person.

Without power and official position, the Grand Tutor is just an ordinary person.

"I heard that the Grand Master's favorite dish is called 'Golden Minced Meat and Jade Minced Meat'."

He wiped the silver knife in his hand carelessly, "Choose a fresh and plump sea bass, remove the bones, peel the skin, wipe dry, and slice it into thin slices."

"What do you want to do?" Qi Qing spoke in a hoarse voice, and the Buddhist beads on his wrist fell to the ground.

"In fact, killing a person is the same as killing a fish. Just hold it down, cut it with a knife, and it's done."

He leaned over, picked up a black Buddhist bead on the ground, looked at it for a moment in his hand, and smiled slightly.

"Master, please taste it."

That day, the screams from the trial room in front of the palace lasted all night long. When he went out the next day, he looked at the lonely sycamore tree in the courtyard for a long time.

The Lu family perished because of the Qi family. Lu Tong went to Beijing to seek revenge because of the Qi family, and he will forever live in regret and pain.

Now, the previous grudge is over.

So far, the dust has settled.

The lights in the house were dim, and outside the window there was a gusty snowstorm. The young man was sitting there, with the warm color reflected on his long eyelashes, like the shadow of a butterfly that suddenly appeared in the snowy night.

He put the boiling kettle aside and said, "I asked so many questions, what about you?"

Lu Tong was startled: "Me what?"

Pei Yunying put down the kettle, looked at her and smiled faintly.

He said, "Lu Tong, didn't you miss me during these days in Southern Jiangsu?"