Chang'an: Qinglian Sword Song

Chapter 39
Li Bai overestimated his physical strength.

After just running two streets, I lost my strength.He leaned against the wall exhaustedly, supporting himself not to fall to the ground.Stagger forward.

The wound on the back is no longer felt.

Just groggy and sleepy.

If I fall down, I'm afraid I won't be able to stand up again.

Still too slow.

He gritted his teeth and wanted to speed up, but his footsteps suddenly stopped at the intersection of the street.

In the distance, the fire in the street lamp faltered and suddenly went out.

The darkness seemed to spread.

In a trance, it seems to be able to see the strange outline of a deer head emerging from the darkness, but I can't see it clearly, it is just an illusion.

Maybe no one was there.

Perhaps, the monsters in the dark have already laid a trap.

Not in a hurry, nor in a hurry, just patiently waiting for Li Bai to move forward and throw himself into the trap.Or turn around and go back to Li Boqing's mansion behind him.

The door there is still open, waiting for Li Bai to turn around.

And ahead, there is a dead end.

"It's so quiet."

Li Bai looked up at the night sky above his head. The moonlight was obscured by layers of dark clouds, and it was dark. He sighed softly: "It's a pity that there is no moon, otherwise I can still write poems about the moon..."

There is no moon to sing, but at his fingertips, the poetic sword energy is revealed again, showing a straight edge from the decline.

That's it, step forward.

into the dark.

The darkness boiled in an instant, as if an invisible beast was roaring.

The wind whistled, sweeping from the left and right, like an invisible strongman holding a hammer, and suddenly smashed down.Immediately after, there was a deep cracking sound, and from Li Bai's hands, sword energy swayed, cutting the emptiness of darkness together with those illusions!
But then there were more shrill voices bursting out from the darkness.

As if the trigger of the crossbow was pulled, the sound of piercing through the air was one after another, and invisible arrows rushed towards the face like a torrential rain in the darkness,

The fading sword energy swept across, compared to the torrential rain in the darkness, it was just a flash of light.

But when the thin ends meet, it defines a territory that water cannot splash into. Instead, it is like stirring the undercurrent in the sea, guiding countless hidden weapons to fly to both sides, and then there are endless broken sounds.

This is a stroke of genius.

Antlers sneered in the darkness.

The demon lurks in the darkness, not restless, just looking down at the prey that has fallen into the trap with cold eyes, constantly consuming his energy.

Fighting with swords is just a method of outlaws. For assassins, as long as the target is dead, it doesn't matter what method they use.

"Where's your sword, Li Bai?"

The mocking voice echoed in the darkness: "I can't see the backbone of the past, I am so embarrassed, not only have I lost my helmet and armor, I have even lost my sword.

With such a desperate look, what face does he have to call himself a swordsman? "

"Who says you can't be a swordsman without a sword?"

Li Bai shook his head and smiled disdainfully: "Don't expect me to catch it without a fight, Antlers, my heart is not dead yet—it's not that easy to kill it!"

In the darkness, he still held his head up, stepping on his own blood, but the sword energy extending from his hand became even more blazing after being dyed with a ray of crimson.

The faint blue light tore apart the darkness and illuminated his pupils.

As long as there is light, no matter how small, darkness is nothing to fear.

Even though he was severely injured and exhausted, Li Bai could still see clearly.

He could hear the sound echoing in the distance, feel the vibration of the stone slab under his feet, he could also sense the attack brewing in the darkness, and finally smell the remaining breath in the wind...

Under the pressure of desperation, Li Bai once again ushered in diligence.

But this growth cannot make him happy.

Instead, from the bottom of my heart, I feel sad.

"Go back, Li Bai."

Antlers hoarsely warned: "Don't waste Wu Yougong's kindness, that is your only way of life."

"Why bother chattering, Antlers, aren't we enemies?" Li Bai stared at the darkness in front of him without looking back, "I don't care where my life is. But there are some doors, once you walk in, you will regret it for the rest of your life..."

He suddenly asked: "Am I right, Li Xiang?"

The surging darkness suddenly stagnated.

But at that moment, there was a distant cry of cranes bursting out from Li Bai's hands, and the rushing sword energy rushed in, tearing and swaying the darkness!
Like a star falling from the sky, it exploded with fiery flames.

A lamp is like a bean, it can burn a Fang!

With a flick of a finger, a long distance was crossed.

When the antlers in the shadow suddenly raised their heads, they found that that solemn face was already very close!
Immediately afterwards, sword energy swayed!
cut!
The cyan phantom flashed away.

In the dead silence, the deer head staggered back a step, on the face, the hideous skeleton deer head split from the middle and fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of pipa strings breaking was heard endlessly.

The dark clouds in the sky seemed to be split by this sword, and a gap was opened in horror, and the icy moonlight fell.

Li Bai was illuminated.

And the empty eyes of the boy in front of him.

The pair of eyes without any expression were dotted by the moonlight, as if they had also become agile.However, I don't know whether what emerged at that moment was stunned or confused.

The only thing that hasn't changed is the coldness and gloom on that face.

"It really is you, Li Xiang."

Li Bai was silent for a long time, then laughed at himself: "I should have thought of it a long time ago, how can there be such a coincidence in the world.

Yunjianlou, Jiuxiao Pavilion, Lu Daoxuan's workshop, and that car... Every time the antlers appear, you seem to be by my side, right, Li Xiang? "

No one doubts that Lu Daoxuan, a highly respected and respected mechanism engineer, is Wu Yougong, and no one doubts that a blind young luthier is the most terrifying assassin in Chang'an.

People who think this way must have something wrong with their brains, right?
How could a young man who had suffered so much, but still had such an innocent smile, be the same person as a murderous assassin and a cruel and ruthless demon?
"Why is it you, Li Xiang?" Li Bai asked disappointedly.

Li Xiang didn't seem to hear it, turned a deaf ear, but turned to his former friend suspiciously, his tone was still so soft and full of courtesy:
"Where did I show my flaws, Mr. Li Bai?"

"Because you smell like orchids." Li Bai replied hoarsely.

This is what he ignored on the roof of Xi's car in the strong wind.

That wisp of thin fragrance.

It is clearly an orchid cultivated by myself.

Once the moment of reaction is over, there is no longer any ambiguity and fuzziness, and everything comes to light.

Besides Li Xiang, who else could be Antlers?

But before that, Li Bai was praying, except for Li Xiang, it doesn't matter who is the antler...

There are already too many incredible things, and too many unbelievable things.

Suddenly overnight, it seems that the whole world has changed beyond recognition.

Everything in the past has been plunged into gloom.

The old man he deeply admires is the culprit behind everything, and the friend he wants to protect from the bottom of his heart has also become an enemy facing swords.

"Why are you lying, Li Xiang?"

Li Bai whispered softly: "From the beginning, you have been lying, right?"

From beginning to end, there has never been such a truth.

He hides in the illusion called Lixiang, just like antlers hide in the darkness, never facing the world with his true face.

"Isn't this normal, Mr. Li Bai?"

Li Xiang replied as a matter of course, as if describing something natural and righteous, "I'm afraid even the gods and Buddhas would envy the life that can live without lying?"

No one can always tell the truth.

No one can face reality forever.The world is always so cruel, if there are no more lies, how can we continue to live?
Everyone is the same.

The real outlier, on the contrary, is Li Bai.

Spotless, eternal pure white, so bright in this turbid world, it hurts every pair of looking up eyes, even if you can't see anything, you can still feel that brilliance.

Make people feel ashamed.

Why would a man like you come among us?

So dazzling.

"Why do you do this for Lu Daoxuan?"

Li Bai asked hoarsely: "Is hatred so important? It's worth giving up your life to be a killer who never sees the light of day!"

"I never hated anything, Mr. Li Bai."

Li Xiang shook his head and responded calmly: "I was not born when the Great Crash happened, and I don't have as good memories as Brother Xun Qing and the others. So, from the beginning, I didn't care."

He said, "I just wish it never existed, that's all—"

Li Bai was stunned, and then he saw Li Xiang raise his hand.

The phantom of the antler demon emerged from behind the boy.

Then, he finally saw the real weapon of antlers, the killing method that took countless lives...

Just waving his hand, it was as if invisible strings were played, disturbing the sound of the wind and creating an invisible monster, but the real murderous intent was hidden in the wind.

It's voice!
Be given a real voice!

In the silence, thunderbolts struck, countless fine sound waves stirred in the air, and when they overlapped each other, they interweaved into faint sharp blades!

After losing the camouflage of darkness, this murderous intent no longer conceals it, making it even more ferocious.

At the moment when the clank of the iron pipa broke out, the sharp blades had already surrounded Li Bai from all directions, with a total of sixteen lines, sealing everything in front, back, left, and right, and closing them instantly.

The sound of sword energy assimilating into sharp blades stirred each other, and the sound of strings snapping continued to be heard.

Li Xiang waved his hand, once again there was a melody of killing intent.

Since the merciless fight, he has been pressing harder and harder.

Step forward!

"When I was young, Lu Gong told me: My surname is not Li, but Geshu. My name should be Geshu Lixiang... This is the name my mother gave me."

Li Xiang said, "Geshu in Geshuquan is far away from his hometown."

The sound blade slashed, tore the wall, and countless rubble flew out.

Li Bai staggered back.

It's hard to hide the shock in my heart.

Ge Shu left his hometown, he is the posthumous son of Ge Shuquan, the owner of Anle Fang!
"Your breathing is disordered, Mr. Li Bai."

Li Xiang waved his hands indifferently, "Don't be distracted!"

The sword qi shattered the sound blade, but the broken sound suddenly collapsed and exploded, stabbing Li Bai's palm, leaving deep scars visible on the bone.

Then, Baidao threw a spear invisible and fell from the sky.

rainstorm!

The bluestone bricks on the ground crumbled one after another, countless broken stones flew out, and the dust filled the air, like a flood, swallowing the gradually weakening sword energy.

"My mother, a poor woman, fell in love with a man who didn't love her.

For that man, she did not hesitate to break up her marriage contract, betray her family, abandon everything, and chose the so-called love. The ridiculous thing is that love did not choose her.

From the beginning to the end, that man never had her place in his heart, he only loved his own place.But my mother was devastated because of this, and spent her whole life in vain, and never forgot it until she died. "

Li Xiang said, "My mother died of starvation."

Right after the Great Crash...

A woman who does not touch the spring water with her ten fingers is homeless and wanders in Chang'an City with a child who is waiting to be fed.Her relatives were unwilling to accept this promiscuous woman and regarded her as a shame.

He is the child of a slut.

Born blind.

When Lu Daoxuan found her from the burrow between the cracks, she was already dying

At that time, the wandering mechanism master who had nothing left left all his food, hoping that the old people would cherish it and meet again in the future.

Hope everything gets better.

However, it does not.

She could have survived, but she left all the food to her child, hugged him, sang softly in the child's ear, and shared the last body temperature. In this way, they survived the coldest day together. winter.

When spring came, the last thing Li Xiang felt was her smile.

She is dead.

"They said that she was a vixen. She killed her husband and blinded her son. This must be the retribution for her crimes...

It's not her retribution, it's mine. "

Li Xiang's expression was ferocious: "It would be great if Anlefang never existed!"

If mother hadn't fallen in love with that man...

It would be fine if I hadn't been born.

Otherwise, she would not have died!
boom!
The sound blade advanced, leaving a straight gully on the long street, so stern, with the resentment engraved in the bone marrow, continuing to the end of the darkness.

Li Bai's feet plowed two deep marks from the ground.

The sword energy lying across his chest hesitated.

There are cracks all over, almost collapsing at the touch of a finger.

But what made him even more uneasy was the dizziness before his eyes and the gradual numbness of his limbs.

Out of breath.

"poison?"

Is there any poisonous powder hidden in the invisible sound blade?
Vision gradually blurred.

Li Xiang's figure was also covered by several double images, so he couldn't see clearly anymore.

"Why are you still struggling, Mr. Li Bai——"

The blind boy stepped forward and pulled out a slender dagger with his backhand, the emblem of antlers emerged from the blade: "Don't worry, it won't hurt.

It only takes a moment to be free. "

The dagger fell.

Li Bai waved his hand, and the sword energy disappeared in a flash.

Broken Blade flew up and fell from the sky.

Li Xiang was stunned for a moment.

Are you still sane?

"No."

Right in front of him, Li Bai raised his face and slowly shook his head in a trance.

So firm.

"You can't kill me, Li Xiang." He said, "Because you are my friend."

Li Xiang laughed and shook his head: "Through the matter, you still..."

From the stupor and pain, Li Bai murmured softly: "If you kill me, who can save you?"

Li Xiang's smile froze on his face.

Not begging for mercy, or having unrealistic expectations.

But even in the torment of poison and blood loss, when he was betrayed by his friends and was in a desperate situation, he still thought about... how to save his friends from the quagmire!

Li Xiang fell into a sluggish state.

Surprised, confused, and then, what emerged from his chest was not moved.

But unspeakable anger!
Do you really know where you are and what you are doing?What's going on in your head?Are we really living in the same world!
The sound blade slashed, and in an instant, defeated the last sword energy.

Li Bai staggered back and fell to the ground, trying to support himself, but he had no more strength.

"Too naive, Mr. Li Bai."

Li Xiang asked indifferently, "Could it be that you expect me to be merciful because you expect to say some pretty sleepy talk?"

"Then let the horse come over, Li Xiang, kill me, stop talking!"

Li Bai sighed tiredly, "Stop talking about your experiences and past, and don't shed any more tears... just do what you should do."

Li Xiang was stunned for a moment, subconsciously raised his hand, and then remembered that those eyes that had never seen the light had not shed tears for a long time.

Only the wet marks of dew are fading.

It's like hallucination.

But seeing his appearance, Li Bai laughed softly, full of relief.

"You're regretting it, aren't you? Because you know what you did was wrong."

He gasped with difficulty: "Listen to me, Li Xiang, you can still turn back, those hatreds are not yours, they are things imposed on you by Lu Daoxuan.

You can start over, you should have your own life... that is your mother, left to you, the most precious treasure in this world. "

"Enough!" Li Xiang roared.

boom!
The blind boy waved his hand, and the sharp sound blade swept across, from bottom to top, obliquely cutting the ground and the wall into two sections.It is only a shallow line away from Li Bai's face.

"If bloody antlers can turn into a good person, what is the need for justice in this world, Mr. Li Bai! Aren't you a man of heaven? Where is your chivalry! What are the principles and chivalry you are proud of!"

He asked hoarsely, "I have killed more people than Ji Xian, and even more people than the Qingshan Society, so am I not a heinous sinner!

I have long been your enemy, I am here to kill you, why do you always have such unrealistic expectations of me! "

"Take out your sword energy and kill me!"

Li Xiang said coldly, "Otherwise, you will be the one to die!"

Pale voices converged again from his hands, one after another, overlapping, turning into a sharp edge not inferior to a magic weapon, aiming at his face.

"It's all a lie..."

Li Bai forced a smile, "Li Xiang, you can kill me anytime. But you don't want me to die, right?"

Otherwise, he would have killed himself long ago.

How many days and nights, when he was defenseless, how many times when Li Bai was drunk, and how many times when he was walking on the street holding his clothes.

It was obviously only a short summer, but in retrospect, it was such a long and long time.

They are under the same roof, in the same laughter.

It's like family.

be with each other.

"You're lying."

Li Bai raised his eyes, stared at the blade in front of him, and told him: "I hate liars the most..."

But among so many liars, you are the only one who will shed tears for others.

You are not antlers, nor should you be Lu Daoxuan's murder tool.

"Give up, Li Xiang."

He said, "Everything is still possible to recover, including your life. No matter what the outcome is, Xun Qing and I will face it together with you."

Accompanied by his words, a shrill siren sounded in the distance.

The armored Xi chariot from Dali Temple was rapidly approaching.

Countless people blocked both sides of the street, hidden flower boats broke through the clouds, and huge searchlights sprinkled from the dark night sky.

Brighten everything up.

"Bingzi and Yinzi block the left and right, and the rest follow me, hurry up, hurry up!" On the roof of Xi's car, Yuan Fang, a demon-seeded boy, jumped off and urged loudly.

Di Renjie stepped out of the Xi chariot, raised his hand, and raised the countless crossbows.

Aligned here.

"Put down your resistance, Antler!" He warned in a solemn voice: "Provide Wu Yougong's information, and I will apply for His Majesty's amnesty for you. Don't hold back any longer!"

In the dead silence, Li Xiang looked around stiffly.

"You actually...notified Dali Temple?"

"You and Xun Qing taught me to learn to trust others." Li Bai replied, "Before I left the workshop, I left a note for Di Renjie. As long as he sees it, he will come after him."

He said, "When I was writing something, I didn't avoid you, it's just that you didn't ask."

"Is that so?"

Li Xiang laughed and mocked himself, unexpectedly, he lost in this pair of eyes.

In the darkness, he stumbled and wrestled, but he couldn't see anything clearly.

In the end, I found that I no longer knew where I was.

I also forgot who I am.

That's why I'm afraid, that's why I cry when I see the light.

"Surrender, Li Xiang." Li Bai said, "I have won."

Li Xiang didn't answer.

Just be silent.

But that silence made Li Bai gradually uneasy.

Until finally, he raised his head, his empty pupils reflecting the moonlight in the sky.

As if to be able to see that gentle glow, so focused.

"Before I came, Mr. Lu told me that this is the last time for me to strike. He said that after success, the world will become a beautiful place and there will be no need for assassins anymore.

Everyone can live happily, including myself..."

Li Xiang sighed regretfully, "But I don't understand, if I don't make antlers, what else can I do?"

He gripped his weapon tightly and took a step forward.

Towards Li Bai.

"Mr. Li Bai, I am an antler, an assassin with nothing but killing people." He said, "I promised Wu Yougong that I will take your head back."

"Stop it, Antlers!"

In the distance, Di Renjie was roaring, furious: "Put down the knife, put down!"

Li Xiang didn't respond, but just moved forward.

"Li Xiang, don't go any further!"

Li Bai was sluggish, trying hard to prop up his body.

Not afraid of death.

Instead, he already understood what Li Xiang wanted to do.That's why it's so scary!

"Stop it, Li Xiang."

He whispered tremblingly, "Didn't we make an appointment, to realize your dreams, you don't need to kill people, you don't need to hate, your life is a better thing.

You can become the best luthier in Chang'an, and everyone will come to listen to your performance. You don't have to be an antler, but stand in the sun like Li Xiang.

Xun Qing and I, everyone will cheer for you below. "

In spring, when the flowers are in full bloom, there is constant laughter among the pavilions with flowing water.

The boy's empty pupils moved slightly, as if he could see that bright light...

Everyone gathered under the sun and raised their glasses to celebrate.Smile and nod when you meet, and cherish each other when you say goodbye.Carrying the warmth of the sun, walking in the dark will not be lonely.

When I wake up, there will be no tears.

In a trance, it seems to be fascinated by that gorgeous future.

"Mr. Li Bai, it feels good to have a dream."

The boy smiled lonely, raised the knife in his hand, and pointed it at his friend, "I'm sorry, I've never had such a dream..."

Stab off!

"Don't shoot arrows!!!"

Li Bai growled and spread his hands, trying to throw him down.

But he could only hear the howling sound in the wind one after another, like a torrential rain, the rain fell from the sky and landed on his face with warmth.

Red, like blood.

The blade disappeared without a trace.

The blind boy fell to the ground with a relieved smile on his face, so peaceful.

"Li Township? Li Township!"

Li Bai got up staggeringly, and stretched out his hand, trying to help him up, but blood stained from the boy's body, staining his hands red.

"Mr. Li Bai, it's so nice to live in a world where you can only live by lying." The young man murmured in a daze, choked up: "However, a life where you can only lie is so tiring...

Lies and pain are too heavy.

Such a life is too long.

Already overwhelmed.

"I already... don't want to make antlers anymore..."

"I know I know."

Li Bai nodded vigorously, wanting to say something, but his eyes were blurred, "Hold on, Li Xiang, I will definitely save you."

Li Xiang laughed with difficulty and vomited blood.

He said, "Thank you."

Just like that, those empty eyes reflected the moonlight, and there was no sound.

No matter how much Li Bai called, he never returned.

he died.

During the long period of sluggishness, Li Bai watched that face gradually lose color.

Yuan Fang helped him up from the ground, and a doctor came forward to treat him, injected him with antidote, put him on a stretcher, protected him closely, and sent him into Xi's car.

Di Renjie sat beside him for a long time, but he didn't speak.

Di Renjie said, "I'm sorry, I have no choice."

"I know." Li Bai replied hoarsely.

"We didn't find Xun Qing, he may have encountered an accident." Di Renjie said: "Wu Yougong is not there, and Lu Daoxuan is also missing.

Also, Li Boxing is dead. "

He paused and said softly, "It was your sword that killed him."

In Di Renjie's prediction, Li Bai might fly into a rage, and he was already prepared.

But from beginning to end, Li Bai did not respond.

Just silent.

"You should understand how serious this matter is. With Li Boqing's status, a person suspected of murdering him..."

"I know."

After hesitating for a long time, Li Bai calmly nodded and looked at him, "I'm just a little tired..."

"Let me sleep for a while." He closed his eyes tiredly, and said softly, "It will be fine in a while."

Even if only for a moment.

Please let me take a break for a while.

(End of this chapter)