Lanting prelude

Chapter 9
Xiao Junmo realized that he had underestimated the enemy as soon as he fought with these men in black in cloaks.

These people's skills are no weaker than Xuanjiawei, and they are all brave and fearless, and they all use extremely fierce killing moves when they come up.The scariest thing is the masked man at the head. The hidden weapon in his hand is invisible, and his shots are as fast as lightning, making it impossible to guard against.After Xiao Junmo killed four or five men in black with a dagger in his hand, he turned around and suddenly found that three of the five brothers beside him had fallen, so he stopped fighting and fought with the remaining two Xuanjia guards. Fight and retreat, and soon joined forces with the three Xuanjia guards behind.

At this moment, these three people were fighting endlessly with Chu Yingniang and the others and six or seven other men in black.Xiao Junmo glanced at him, and suddenly saw a familiar figure. He was shocked and blurted out, "Chu Lisang, is that you?"

Chu Lisang was ready to kill, and when he heard Xiao Junmo's voice, he became even more angry, immediately put aside his opponent, and went straight to kill him, but subconsciously shouted: "It's not me!"

Hearing this, Xiao Junmo couldn't help laughing, and while dodging her attack lightly, he shouted to the three Xuanjia guards: "Brothers, they are our own people, don't fight with them!"

The three of them were startled for a moment, but then they came to their senses and quickly turned around to attack the men in black.As a result, the pressure on Chu Yingniang and Luxiu dropped sharply, and they both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.Lvxiu was no match for anyone, relying on her petite stature and quick reflexes to dodge around, several dangers arose, and Chu Yingniang resolved them in time.Now that the situation eased, Chu Yingniang also tried her best to protect Luxiu, and together with the three Xuanjia guards, they dealt with the man in black.

When Chu Lisang heard Xiao Junmo say that they were "one of his own", he couldn't help feeling warm, but then he remembered the scenes of him deceiving himself, and the scene of Erya's pawnshop being buried in the sea of ​​fire, his heart suddenly became cold again, and the sword in his hand was even more aggressive. Suddenly, he shouted: "You are shameless, who is your own?!"

Xiao Junmo dodges from left to right, while laughing: "We are all people who risk our lives to protect your father, of course we are our own people!" Suddenly, a man in black jumped out of the diagonal stab, taking advantage of Chu Lisang's unpreparedness, he waved The knife attacked from the side, Xiao Junmo's eyes were quick and his hands were quick, he spun to avoid Chu Lisang's sword, and the dagger in his hand pierced into the heart of the man in black, and the man in black fell down with a muffled sound.

Chu Lisang froze for a moment, then gritted his teeth again, and continued to attack Xiao Junmo.

"Hey, I'm saving you, but you're killing me, you're so unreasonable!"

"There's no reason to talk to liars, hypocrites, robbers, and arsonists like you!"

Listening to this series of curse words, Xiao Junmo couldn't help but smile wryly: "I reluctantly accept 'liar' and 'hypocrite', but where do we start with 'robber' and 'arsonist'?"

"You sent people to raid my house and burned it all down, and you said you weren't a robber or an arsonist?!"

Xiao Junmo was startled, and immediately understood what was going on, and said while hiding: "Chu Lisang, you misunderstood, the person who killed you was Yang Bingjun, the governor of Luozhou, not me."

"Are you still quibbling?!" Chu Lisang slashed and stabbed, "Those people are all wearing black armor, and they keep saying that you sent them."

"That's what they framed!"

"You are hypocritical and shameless, why should I believe your words?"

"Here it comes again!" Xiao Junmo smiled wryly again, "I admit the 'hypocrisy', and give you back the 'shameless'!"

"If you want to return it, return the knife in your hand to me!" Chu Lisang sneered, "Take other people's things and use them so vigorously, you are not shameless!"

Only then did Xiao Junmo remember that the dagger belonged to her, and said with a smile, "You can return it if you want, but what about the time you stabbed me?"

"That's what you deserve!" Chu Lisang yelled, and stabbed him with another sword...

Seeing that the opponent was already at a disadvantage, Mr. Mingzang and Wei Laoliu had stood on the periphery and watched coldly.At this time, seeing Xiao Junmo fighting and arguing with a woman in black, he couldn't help but find it funny, and said to Wei Laoliu: "Look, it's good to be young, and every fight is like flirting."

"Sir, if you think it's noisy, this subordinate will tell them to shut up!" Wei Laoliu said and was about to go up.

"Stand." Mingzang said slowly, "It's rare to see a good show, isn't it fun? You are too rigid, it's really boring."

Wei Laoliu stopped resentfully.

Ming Zang turned his gaze to Chu Yingniang again, looked at it, suddenly showed doubts in his eyes, immediately took two steps forward, stared at Chu Yingniang's figure, his eyes became more and more suspicious, and said to Wei Laoliu: "Go, take off that woman's mask."

Wei Laoliu followed his gaze: "Yes."

"Be careful not to hurt her, I want to live."

"As ordered!"

Wei Laoliu agreed, and flew towards Chu Yingniang, with the horizontal knife out of its sheath in his hand, and let out a humming and long moan.At this moment, Chu Yingniang was fighting with two men in black and wanted to protect the green sleeves, so she could only draw with them. Seeing Wei Laoliu coming suddenly, she quickly swung her sword to block.The green sleeve lost its shade and fell into danger again, and couldn't help screaming repeatedly.

Hearing the sound, Chu Lisang had no choice but to abandon Xiao Junmo and turn around to save Luxiu.Only then did Xiao Junmo get away, and saw that one of his subordinates was being besieged by three men in black, so he picked up a horizontal knife on the ground, with a long knife in his right hand and a short blade in his left, and killed the three men in black.

Wei Laoliu and Chu Yingniang exchanged hands, and the two sides fought back and forth, and they fought for more than ten rounds in a short time.Wei Laoliu wanted to uncover her mask, so although the horizontal knife in his hand was fierce, it was all false moves, and his right hand repeatedly grabbed Chu Yingniang's face.Chu Yingniang was aware of his intentions, so she firmly guarded the front door, so that he had no chance to take advantage of it.

When the two were fighting, Ming Zang kept staring at Chu Yingniang's figure and movements, and the look of surprise in his eyes became more and more intense, so he didn't wait any longer. With the strength of his feet, he flew up, and at the same time raised his left hand, and the hidden weapon flew out , hit Chu Yingniang's wrist.Chu Yingniang's sword fell to the ground with a clatter.Before she could react, Mingzang had landed in front of her, his right hand stretched out like an eagle's claw to grab her mask.

Chu Yingniang was startled suddenly, she dodged her body, and took a quick step to the left, narrowly avoiding his grasp.

Seeing that his mother was besieged by the two, Chu Lisang was very anxious, and immediately rushed over, aiming at Mingzang's right rib with a sword; Seeing that his daughter was in danger, he immediately pulled her aside and at the same time jumped forward to block; Mingzang recklessly took off the black cloth on Chu Yingniang's face...

The actions of the four people were made almost at the same instant, and they were also completed at the same instant.

Ming Zang got Chu Lisang's sword in his right rib.

Chu Lisang escaped Wei Lao Liu's stab.

However, Wei Laoliu's knife was deeply inserted into Chu Yingniang's chest, and the tip of the knife came out from the back.At the same time, her face was completely exposed to Mingzang.

In an instant, all four of them froze.

Mingzang's eyes were full of astonishment and disbelief, and two words came out of his mouth: "Liniang?!"

Chu Lisang's eyes were wide open, and he let out a scream like a roar. He raised the long sword in his hand, and slashed at Wei Laoliu's head.Wei Laoliu was in a hurry, and subconsciously drew out the horizontal knife to block, the two blades intersected, the flames splashed, and the two of them shook off a few steps at the same time.Chu Yingniang was pulled forward by the force of the horizontal knife and almost fell down.Mingzang reached out to help, but was hit by Chu Yingniang's slap on the chest, and the whole person flew backwards, and a mouthful of blood spurted out from his mouth.

Chu Yingniang smiled sadly, swayed, and immediately fell backwards.

Chu Lisang threw away the long sword, flew forward to hug Chu Yingniang, and shouted in a crying voice: "Mother!" Tears welled up in Luxiu's eyes, and hurried over.

All this happened so fast that everyone was stunned by this sudden scene.

Xiao Junmo also froze on the spot.

Wei Laoliu was furious, and shouted at his subordinates: "Kill them!" Then he ran towards Mingzang who was lying on the ground.

Those men in black came back to their senses and attacked Xuanjiawei again.Two men in black raised their horizontal knives and charged towards Chu Lisang and Luxiu.Xiao Junmo was shocked, jumped up, and stood in front of them. He swung the knife with his right hand in an arc, and chopped off all the knives in the hands of the two men in black. One of the men in black clutched his throat and the other his chest, and fell to the ground at the same time.

At this time, there were only three Xuanjia guards left, while there were sixteen or seventeen men in black, the power balance between the two sides was clear at a glance.The three Xuanjia guards took the initiative to retreat to Xiao Junmo's side, protecting Chu Lisang and the others, while the men in black forced them from four directions and surrounded them.

Wei Laoliu helped Mingzang up, pulled down his mask, and said sadly, "Sir, how are you doing?"

Ming Zang was clearly injured, and his breath was a little weak: "Tell brothers...to stop and withdraw."

Wei Lao Liu thought he heard it wrong: "What did you say?"

Mingzang raised his head and stared at him gloomyly: "I said, let the brothers retreat!"

Wei Laoliu was puzzled: "But...but they hurt you like this..."

Mr. Mingzang's gaze was like a knife, "nailing" Wei Laoliu's face.Terrified, Wei Laoliu turned his head and shouted at his subordinates: "Brothers, retreat!"

The men in black hesitated for a moment, then followed their words and withdrew.

Wei Laoliu carried Mingzang on his back, and led his men to withdraw towards the east of the pine forest.Before leaving, Mingzang, who was lying on Wei Laoliu's back, turned his head slowly, and glanced in Chu Yingniang's direction, with infinite regret and sadness in his eyes.

Chu Yingniang was lying in Chu Lisang's arms, her eyes were closed tightly, her face was pale, and blood was gurgling from the wound.Chu Lisang pressed his hands tightly to the wound on his mother's body, his face was covered with tears, and the green sleeve beside him was also sobbing, at a loss.Xiao Junmo said anxiously: "Chu Lisang, you have to send your mother to the post station quickly to stop her bleeding..."

Chu Lisang came back to his senses and reached out to hug his mother, but his hands were weak because of grief.Xiao Junmo couldn't help but picked up Chu Yingniang, and ran quickly to the station, with Chu Lisang and Lu Xiu following closely behind.

Xiao Junmo said to his subordinates: "You guys go first, tell Liu Yicheng to prepare gold medicine, it is best to find a doctor, hurry up!"

The three Xuanjia guards got the order and ran towards the station at high speed.

At this time, the sky was already twilight, and the Gantang Station in the distance showed a vague outline in the faint morning light.

In the post station, there happened to be an old doctor surnamed Zhang who was passing by here on his way home to visit his relatives, with a medicine box with him.When Xiao Junmo returned to the post station sweating profusely with Chu Yingniang in his arms, Liu Yicheng hurriedly helped carry the person into a guest room. Doctor Zhang immediately took out the golden medicine and asked everyone to wait outside, saying so much It's no use crowding people inside.

Chu Lisang and Lu Xiu had no choice but to stand outside and wait.Xiao Junmo looked at Chu Lisang's anxious and tearful appearance, and couldn't bear it. He wanted to comfort her a few words, but he was afraid of making her even more sad, so he swallowed the words back, buried his head and paced back and forth in the courtyard.

After about half a stick of incense, Doctor Zhang came out with a heavy face.Chu Lisang, Luxiu, Xiao Junmo, and Liu Yicheng all surrounded him at once.Chu Lisang grabbed his hand: "Doctor, is my mother okay?"

Doctor Zhang sighed: "My lady, I dare not hide from you. Your mother was injured too deeply and her internal organs were ruptured. Although the old man temporarily bandaged the wound for her, the internal trauma cannot be repaired, and the bleeding in the body has basically stopped. I can't help... I'm sorry, this old man is really helpless!"

Chu Lisang was shocked, and stared blankly at Doctor Zhang for a while, then rushed into the guest room, and Lu Xiu also followed in crying.

On the bed, Chu Yingniang's face was bloodless, but when she opened her eyes, there was a sense of serenity and calm in her eyes.Chu Lisang knelt down in front of the couch, grabbed her mother's hand, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably.Lu Xiu also knelt aside, wiping away tears.

"Sang'er, don't cry..." Chu Yingniang caressed Chu Lisang's face and smiled slightly, "Everyone is mortal. Mother's only regret is that she didn't watch you get married..."

"Mom! You won't die, you can't die!" Chu Lisang finally began to cry loudly, "Now that Dad has been taken away, and you are going to abandon me again, I won't let you die!"

"Sang'er, I heard from my mother that my mother's time is running out, and I have to tell you something." Chu Yingniang said weakly.

Chu Lisang suddenly remembered the moment when his mother's mask was taken off. The masked man seemed to call her "Liniang". At that time, there was no time to think about it, but when he thought about it now, he felt something was wrong.

"Sang'er, listen, my mother used to be called Yingniang..."

"Is it Liniang?" Chu Lisang gradually stopped crying.

Chu Yingniang nodded: "Mother's name used to be Yu Liniang, but the name she uses now belongs to your grandmother..."

"Mom, why do you and dad have to hide their identities? What are you hiding?"

"We are avoiding hatred, ambition, and killing... Sonny, no matter who your mother was in the past or what you have experienced, don't pursue it anymore, and don't care about anything. You and Luxiu should run away and live in peace... ..."

"Mother, so many things have happened, how do you tell me to live in peace?" Chu Lisang choked up and said, "You have something to tell me, is this the only one?"

Chu Yingniang smiled wryly: "Mother doesn't want to tell you everything, but... Sonny, mother can only say one word to you now. Everything that happened to us is related to "Lanting Preface."

"What secret is hidden in "Lanting Preface", and why did it ruin our family?"

"Sang'er, do you still remember what mother told you? There are some secrets in this world that should never be touched..."

Chu Lisang smiled bitterly: "Okay, I won't ask this, then I will ask you, who is that masked man? What is his relationship with you?"

A complicated look appeared on Chu Yingniang's face: "He is... Mother's enemy."

Chu Lisang was surprised: "What did he do to you?"

"It's because of him that Mother took you to wander around in another country. Sonny, this is a grudge from the previous generation, and it has nothing to do with you. Don't ask any more questions."

"Since he is your enemy, why did he let us go today?" Chu Lisang looked at his mother.

Just now in the pine forest, although Chu Lisang was extremely anxious because of her mother's injury, she was not unaware of what happened at that time.Those men in black had already completely taken advantage. As long as the masked man gave an order, she, Xiao Junmo and others would be in danger, and they might be buried here.But the masked man suddenly stopped at this juncture, which is obviously very reasonable and understandable.

Chu Yingniang was startled, and paused for a moment before saying, "Maybe... maybe he still has a little conscience."

As Chu Lisang was thinking, a thought suddenly flashed in her mind, which even she herself found ridiculous.She didn't dare to say this idea, or even just let it stay in her mind, it was an insult and mockery to herself and her mother.However, what made Chu Lisang feel deeply painful for a long time afterwards was that from the moment this thought jumped into her mind, it was deeply engraved like a brand, and it could not be erased no matter what...

On this day, after Chu Yingniang finished speaking these words, she vomited a few more mouthfuls of blood, then closed her eyes and never woke up again.Chu Lisang lay on her mother's body and cried heartbreakingly for a long time, until finally she seemed to have cried all her tears dry, only then did she vaguely feel that someone picked her up and helped her into another room, She put her on the bed and gently covered her with the quilt.

Chu Lisang vaguely felt that this person had broad shoulders, a thick chest, and a pair of warm and strong hands.For a moment, she even wanted to rest her head on this man's chest, snuggle into his arms, and then close her eyes comfortably, not to think about anything, to forget all the pain and sorrow...

When this person walked out of the room, the bright sunlight shone in from the outside, outlining his well-defined, hard-lined side face, and making his face seem to shine with a golden light.

How could a person's face glow?
Chu Lisang really wanted time to stand still at this moment...

After Xiao Junmo settled Chu Lisang, he asked Lu Xiu to accompany her, saying that he could tell Liu Yicheng if he needed anything.Then, he took out a few gold ingots from his luggage and gave them to Liu Yicheng, and told him some things.Then, he gathered the remaining six subordinates and asked carefully about what happened after he left the post last night.In the end, he patted the shoulders of these subordinates, and only asked one question: "Did none of these two men in black survive?"

These subordinates knew very well that in last night's plan, Xiao Junmo paid special attention to catching one or two survivors in order to obtain more information on these people.However, the fact is that two groups of men in black dropped more than 20 corpses in the courtyard, but none of them were left alive.

"General," one of his subordinates said apologetically, "we also want to catch someone alive according to your order, but these people's martial arts are not weak, and we are beyond our power. Also, these two groups of people are lunatics. We thought we could catch the one injured and fell to the ground, but we didn't expect that their last knife was all stabbed in the chest, so..."

Xiao Junmo completely understood.

These two groups of people are well-trained and disciplined soldiers!They were apparently exercising the same iron law - kill themselves rather than be arrested.

"Brothers, you have done your best, and I, Xiao Junmo, thank you!" Xiao Junmo said, "Although we didn't catch anyone alive, what you just said is enough to tell us something. Therefore, we don't count as nothing. "

When the six subordinates heard the words, they couldn't help showing expressions of relief.

The reason why they like to follow the young general, trust him involuntarily, and are willing to serve him to the death is not only because he is wise and brave, smart and capable, but also because he is always sympathetic to his subordinates.

Xiao Junmo was thinking about Luo Biao and Biancai who were one step ahead, and he didn't dare to delay in the station, so he ordered his subordinates to prepare to set off.Before going on the road, he went to the room to take another look at Chu Lisang, and then left silently.

Liu Yicheng sent Xiao Junmo out of the gate of the post station, then said goodbye to each other and waved goodbye.

In just a few hours of getting to know and get along with this young man, Liu Yicheng has already admired his wisdom, courage and benevolence.

Xiao Junmo gave him a few ingots of gold just now, and in addition to entrusting him to do some things about Chu Lisang, he also specifically told him to hire some villagers to take the corpses in the post station, as well as the corpses of the Xuanjiawei and the men in black in the pine forest. It's better to bury them alive, don't let them die in the wilderness.Liu Yicheng was moved and asked him specially: "Does the general bury the enemy's corpse together?" Xiao Junmo smiled and said: "Enemy is also a human being, they are also sons, husbands, and fathers, just like us, just for the sake of loyalty to each other. to fight over things."

Liu Yicheng was deeply impressed and felt that he really learned a lot from this young man.Watching Xiao Junmo and others flee away on the post road to the west until their figures disappeared, Liu Yicheng was still reluctant to leave for a long time.

Xiao Junmo never expected that until he left Gantang Station and rode onto the post road, the robbery would still not be over.

Six or seven miles to the west of the post station, there is a lush oak forest. The post road passes through the forest and winds westward.Last night, according to the plan drawn up by Xiao Junmo, Luo Biao took the first step with the four Xuanjia guards and led the eloquence, and rushed through the forest at high speed. He had no idea that there was a group of men in black who had been waiting here for a long time.

They are Li Anyan's subordinates, there are nearly 20 people in total.

For this mission, Li Anyan brought out a total of more than 30 people from Chang'an.He is cautious by nature and thoughtful, and he will not bet all his chips at once in every action.Therefore, yesterday he only brought half of his men to attack Gantang Station at night, and left the other half in this oak forest for preparation.

When Luo Biao rushed into the forest, the night was still dark, and Li Anyan's men successfully intercepted him with only a tripping rope.With the sad neighing of the mount under him, Luo Biao, Biancai and the horse flew out at the same time, and then fell heavily to the ground.The four Xuanjia guards behind were shocked and immediately reined in.

After all, Luo Biao is a well-trained person. When he landed, he curled up and bent his legs, put his hands on the ground, and then rolled forward a few times, taking off most of the force of the fall, so he was not injured.However, Biancai was not so lucky, when he landed with a cracking sound, his bone broke somewhere, and he immediately screamed in pain.

It was this cry of pain that immediately made the people in the forest realize that this person was definitely not Xuanjiawei.

"Friends, leave the people you brought behind, but you will not die." A gloomy voice came from the forest.

Luo Biao jumped up from the ground, opened his mouth and cursed at the forest.

The forest was quiet for a moment, and then many black figures rushed out from the dense forest on both sides of the post road.Luo Biao was a rough man with fine details, although he was swearing and swearing, he didn't stop on his feet. Before the opponent could kill him, he had already run to help the debater on the ground, turned around and jumped into the dense forest.

At the same time, the four Xuanjia guards immediately dispersed in four directions in order to distract the enemy's attention.Thus, a hide-and-seek-like robbery in the night unfolded in this oak forest...

About three quarters later, Li Anyan also withdrew from Gantang Station with five or six surviving men and rushed here.After observing for a while, he knew what was going on here, and immediately he and his men split into the woods on both sides of the post road and joined the robbery.

After another hour, it was already dawn, and Xiao Junmo finally came here.

A pitch-black steed was lying beside the post road, dying of serious injuries.Xiao Junmo dismounted and squatted in front of it, gently stroking its mane.The horse looked at him blankly and flicked its tail slightly.

Its neck had apparently been broken, so now it couldn't move anywhere except its tail.

Xiao Junmo's eyes were slightly red, he helped the horse close his eyes, and then slowly stood up.

The six subordinates saw Xiao Junmo raise his right hand, put his index finger and middle finger together, and pointed to both sides of the post road.Everyone understood, and immediately dispersed in all directions, and began to search the forest.

Xiao Junmo glanced around, and instinctively rode his horse towards the southwest.After walking for a while, he saw the bodies of two Xuanjia guards and five men in black.Xiao Junmo dismounted and mourned for a moment to the two sacrificed subordinates, then continued to walk deep into the dense forest.After walking for more than half a mile, there was the sound of rushing spring water from the mountain stream not far away, which seemed to be mixed with the sound of someone talking.

Xiao Junmo immediately dismounted, tied the mount to a tree, then put his index finger on his lips, and gave the horse a soft "shh".The horse seemed to understand what he meant, blinked his eyes, but remained motionless.

On the edge of a pile of rocks beside the mountain stream, there were four or five men in black clothes standing. One of the men in black clothes was facing the mountain stream and stood with his back to the woods. What to report.Xiao Junmo quietly touched it, hid behind a tree, and finally got some comforting news from the few words of those men in black: Biancai still hasn't been found.

The leading man in black was silent for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and coughed a few times.

Xiao Junmo frowned slightly, and was about to poke his head out to see the man clearly, when he suddenly felt a cold and tingling pain on his neck, and turned his head slightly to see that two men in black were pointing at him with a knife each.Xiao Junmo shook his head and smiled, immediately raised his hands, stood up very actively, and strode towards the chaotic rocks.The two men in black froze for a moment, followed him quickly, and at the same time pulled the saber from his waist in some haste.

Suddenly seeing Xiao Junmo walking over under the escort of two subordinates, Li Anyan was greatly surprised.He was worried about Xiao Junmo's safety last night, but he never found him. Seeing that he is safe and sound, and looking calm, he is finally relieved.

Xiao Junmo walked up to Li Anyan and stood still, with his hands still raised, but he said with a smile: "You spent most of the night last night, so many people died, and you were busy here early this morning, but you still haven't found it. Debate. If you want me to say, your ability is far behind our Xuanjiawei!"

Li Anyan remained silent.A man in black next to him couldn't help it: "Xiao Junmo, you have been arrested by us now, don't be so arrogant!"

When Xiao Junmo heard this, he simply put his hand down and stared at the man in black: "So, you know me?"

The man in black knew he had been fooled by Xiao Junmo, and felt embarrassed, so he kept silent.

Xiao Junmo turned his gaze to Li Anyan: "My friend, although you have covered your face tightly, it's a pity that your standing posture and momentum still betray you! If I guessed correctly, you are also a person serving in the court, Right?"

Hearing this, Li Anyan couldn't help coughing again. He didn't know if he really couldn't hold it back, or he was trying to cover up the embarrassment of having his identity revealed.

Xiao Junmo smiled: "Since we are ministers of the same court, why bother to fight each other? I have a suggestion, you might as well show your true colors, let's sit down and talk, and talk about why you want to rob the eloquent talent, if you can convince me Now, maybe I will hand him over to you?"

"Xiao Junmo, don't forget, you are still in our hands, what qualifications do you have to negotiate terms with us?" the man in black said again.

"Hey, let me tell you, your boss didn't say anything, isn't it good for you to always act like this?" Xiao Junmo bickered with this person, but his eyes were always on Li Anyan.

Li Anyan suddenly chuckled twice, and whispered something in the ear of the man in black.The man in black immediately said to Xiao Junmo: "Young man, our husband said that even if you guessed right just now, there are more than tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers in the court, how can you guess who he is, don't waste your thoughts."

"That's right, for a person like you who hides his head and shrinks his tail, and dare not even speak, chatting with you is really boring! If this is the case, then I will not accompany you and leave." Xiao Junmo said lightly, then turned and left .

The two men in black behind him were taken aback, and hurried to stop him.Xiao Junmo made a sudden move, and with only a few accurate and ruthless grasping skills, he knocked them both down. Then he picked up his saber, retracted it into its sheath with a slap, clapped his hands, and said to Li Anyan and the others: "Are you still fighting?"

The four or five men in black immediately became furious and drew their knives at the same time and were about to step forward, but Li Anyan stopped him in a low voice.

"Stop entangled with him, tell the brothers, get out!" Li Anyan ordered in a low voice.Although the men in black were not reconciled, they could only obey orders, and hurriedly protected Li Anyan and left quickly.The two people on the ground also got up in a hurry, and stumbled after them.

"Let's go slowly, I won't see you off!" Xiao Junmo yelled at their backs.

Just when Li Anyan and others disappeared deep in the dense forest, Xiao Junmo suddenly heard one or two indistinct groans coming from the mountain stream.He immediately took the knife in his hand, followed the sound and ran to the side of the mountain stream, bypassed a pile of rocks, came to a big rock, and then used the knife to poke a clump of weeds at the bottom of the rock, and found a small hole inside that could actually Hiding, while Luo Biao and Biancai are hiding in it.

Luo Biao lay at the entrance of the cave, actually fell asleep, and was snoring slightly.

Xiao Junmo couldn't help laughing, and patted his face: "Hey, it's dawn, wake up."

Luo Biao opened his sleepy eyes, saw Xiao Junmo, and smiled: "I'm awake, how can I sleep in such a ghostly place?"

"You didn't sleep, that's why Kebian was arrested." Xiao Junmo teased him.

Luo Biao was taken aback, and hurriedly turned his head, seeing that Biancai was still lying in the cave, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Xiao Junmo squatted down, and only then could he see the Biancai inside, and his relaxed mood instantly became heavy again——Biancai was curled up in pain, his eyes were closed, his face was pale, he was almost unconscious, and he didn't even have the strength to moan. Almost gone.

When Chu Lisang woke up, the afterglow of the setting sun was shining warmly on her face through the window lattice.

It took her a while to remember where she was and what she had been through.

At this moment, Chu Lisang hopes that everything that happened these days, including the death of his mother, is just a nightmare. After waking up from the dream, the family will still live happily in that home in Yique County.However, she knew that all this was not a dream, but a terrible and cold reality.In just a few days, she experienced everything that was unimaginable in the previous 20 years, as if she had fallen into a dark bottomless abyss.

Tears welled up from the corners of his eyes silently, wetting the pillow drop by drop.

I don't know how long it took, Chu Lisang wiped away the last tear from the corner of his eyes, and then told himself: You are now a person with a broken family and nowhere to rely on, and you can only walk alone in the future.Father needs you to rescue, and mother needs you to avenge, so you must be strong!And the secret of the so-called "Lanting Preface", which is the chief culprit of all this, you also have to face it.Mother said that there are some secrets in the world that cannot be touched, but now, you not only have to touch this secret, but also uncover it!
Chu Lisang sat up from the bed, and Lu Xiu wanted to help her, but she suddenly grabbed Lu Xiu's hand and said, "Lu Xiu, from now on, we can only take care of ourselves, right?"

Lu Xiu was startled, and nodded quickly.

"So, from now on, let's not cry, not shed a single tear, okay?"

Lu Xiu didn't know why, but she nodded obediently.

There was an ox cart parked in the courtyard, and on it was a valuable nanmu coffin, in which Chu Yingniang's body was already lying.Next to the ox cart was a horse-drawn carriage, which was exactly the one that Biancai was riding in.There was a coachman in each of the ox cart and the horse cart, both hired by Liu Yicheng.

This is what Xiao Junmo entrusted Liu Yicheng to do before leaving.

Liu Yicheng walked up to Chu Lisang, said something like "sorry and resignation", and then handed her a package, saying that Xiao Junmo asked him to hand it over.

Chu Lisang opened it and saw that there was an ingot of gold and more than a dozen copper coins inside.

"General Xiao gave me three ingots of gold." Liu Yicheng said, "After finishing other things, the rest are here."

Chu Lisang sneered, and handed the package back: "I don't want that person's money."

Liu Yicheng was stunned, it was no answer, and it was no answer if he didn't.

Chu Lisang stuffed the package into his arms and walked towards the carriage.Lu Xiu quickly caught up, tugged at her sleeves, and said in a low voice: "Lady, we are penniless now, whoever has the money, don't want it for nothing!"

Chu Lisang stopped, thought for a while, walked back to Liu Yicheng, and took the package: "Then I will accept it, thank you Liu Yicheng!"

"The money belongs to General Xiao." Liu Yicheng hurriedly said, "You don't have to thank me, you can thank him if you want."

Chu Lisang smiled faintly: "Yes, you are right. Don't worry, I will definitely go to Chang'an and thank him in person." She emphasized the words "thank him", but Liu Yicheng obviously didn't notice it.

As the dusk deepened, a horse-drawn cart and an ox cart walked slowly away on the post road to the east.

As usual, Liu Yicheng stood at the gate of the post station, watching Chu Lisang, who was carrying the coffin back to the funeral, go away, just like he watched Xiao Junmo in the early morning.

It happened to be one day and one night since Xiao Junmo and his party checked into the inn at dusk yesterday, and now all the relevant people have left.Liu Yicheng felt as if he had experienced a nightmare that was both real and illusory.

After the sun had completely set, darkness completely enveloped the entire inn.

Gantang Station was as quiet as usual, as if nothing had happened.

There are abundant water sources around Chang'an City, and it has always been known as "eight waters around Chang'an".In order to meet the needs of domestic water and water transportation in the capital, Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, diverted water into the city in the early years of Kaihuang, and successively built Longshou Canal, Yong'an Canal and Qingming Canal.Among them, Yong'an Canal flows through eight squares from south to north, among which is Yankang Square where Wei Wangfu is located.

The clear canal water gurgles through the palace of Wei Wang, adding some beautiful scenery to it.The pavilions, terraces, waterside pavilions, lotus ponds and lotus ponds in the mansion, the rippling water waves, and the haze are all benefited from the cultivation and nourishment of Yong'an Canal.

There is also a secret place in Wei Wang's mansion, which is also given by the water of Yong'an Canal, that is - the underground prison.Under the rockery stacked with Taihu Lake stones in the back garden of the Wangfu, Li Tai built a secret room, and then introduced water from the Yong'an Canal to create an underground dungeon unknown to the outside world.

At this moment, Li Tai and Du Chuke were standing in this water prison, looking at a person imprisoned in the pool with a smile.This person was bound by an iron chain to an iron post, his neck was locked by an iron ring, and an iron chain was locked on each of his left and right hands. The other ends of the iron chains were firmly fixed on the stone wall of the water prison.

This person is Xiao Henian.

His eyes were closed, his face was pale, his hair was disheveled, and he was still wearing Sima's official uniform. Most of his body was submerged in the water, leaving only his head and chest above the water.

Li Tai looked at him steadfastly, with a smile on the corner of his mouth all the time, before he said after a while: "Nian of the Crane, tell me with your conscience, how has this king treated you these years?"

"In all fairness, it's not bad." Xiao Henian replied calmly.

"In this case, why do you still betray the king?"

"I did not betray Your Highness."

"Are you still trying to argue?! A few days ago, who leaked the news to Wei Zheng and the crown prince that the king is about to enter the Wude Hall, isn't it you?"

"it's me."

"Three days ago, who sneaked into this king's study late at night and stole the secret performance of Xuanjiawei's capture of Biancai?"

"also me."

"Since it's all you, do you still dare to say that you are not a betrayal?"

"I did this, in the final analysis, to maintain the peace of my Tang Dynasty."

Li Tai and Du Chuke looked at each other and smiled: "Haha, what a high-sounding reason!"

"Whether His Highness believes it or not, this is Xiao's sincere words." Xiao Henian also smiled frankly.

"That's good, I just want to hear your truth today." Li Tai said, "You answer me first, what is your relationship with Wei Zheng?"

"Both teachers and friends, like-minded."

Li Tai couldn't help laughing again: "Whatever you say sounds so nice to you! He Nian, in fact, you don't have to play such nonsense with me. Your so-called 'will' means hugging the prince with Wei Zheng Your thigh? Isn’t your so-called ‘Tao’ just hope that after the crown prince ascends the throne, you will be rewarded with high salaries? I can afford these things, so why do you bother to cheat and betray me?”

"You are wrong, Your Highness, although Xiao is not talented, he never covets unreasonable fame and wealth, let alone seek wealth by flattery!"

"Then what are you greedy for? One has to dream of something in one's lifetime, right?"

"Xiao's only thought is the word 'benevolence and righteousness'."

When Du Chuke heard this, he couldn't help but sneered and interjected: "Nian of the Crane, since you like benevolence and righteousness so much, why did you bother to be an official? The officialdom is a vanity fair. Since you hang out in it like ordinary people like me, don't you still want to be rich after all? "

"Xiao became an official in order to secure the country and benefit the people. As for wealth and honor, if there is righteousness, you should take it; if it is unjust and rich and noble, it is like floating clouds to me."

Li Tai chuckled: "Even Confucius moved out! According to you, it is unrighteous to follow the king, but it is righteous to serve the prince?"

"The crown prince is the eldest son, the heir apparent, and the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty! As a minister, to protect him is righteousness; to harm him is injustice!"

"Based on the prince's character and his actions, is he worthy of being the emperor?!" Li Tai was a little angry.

"What is the character of the prince, whether he is worthy of being an emperor or not, is up to the emperor to judge, and no minister dares to comment." Xiao Henian remained calm, "But as long as he is still in the East Palace for a day, he will be the prince of the Tang Dynasty for a day."

"Forget it, I won't talk to you about this!" Li Tai flicked his sleeves and stared at him, "I'll ask you now, why did you steal information about Biancai? Was it ordered by Wei Zheng? Behind Biancai and "Lanting Preface" What's the secret? What do you and Wei Zheng want to do?"

"Your Highness, as I said just now, I did this to maintain the peace of the country."

"According to what you mean, does it mean that once the "Lanting Preface" is found and the secret is revealed, the country will not be peaceful?"

Xiao Henian closed his eyes and didn't speak, but there was already a hint of acquiescence.

Li Tai's eyes moved, and he and Du Chuke looked at each other, both seemed a little excited. "Nian of the Crane," Du Chuke smiled, and slowed down his tone, "As long as you tell the secret of "Orchid Pavilion", His Highness will not make things difficult for you. After all, you have worked in the family for several years, and His Highness will miss this affectionate."

"Shan Shi, you and Your Highness don't need to bother." Xiao Henian still closed his eyes, "Even if the Holy One is here today, I won't say anything."

"Would you rather die than keep this secret?" Du Chuke emphasized his tone.

Xiao Henian opened his eyes, and suddenly smiled: "Everyone is mortal, why should we be afraid of death?"

"Xiao Henian," Li Tai's gaze became cold, "You may not be afraid of death, but have you thought about your son? He is still so young, in his prime, with a bright future, you have the heart to let him Are you implicated?"

"Your Highness!" Xiao Henian became nervous, "This matter has nothing to do with him, you must not implicate innocent people!"

"No relationship?" Li Tai sneered, "As long as I tell my father that it was Xiao Junmo who leaked the news of the capture of Biancai to you, do you think he has anything to do with it?"

Xiao Henian was startled and couldn't speak immediately.

"Nian of the Crane, those who know the current affairs are heroes." Du Chuke said, "As long as you say what you need to say, His Highness will surely keep you father and son safe. You don't want to be rich, but your son will? Does it make everyone unhappy?"

Xiao Henian lowered his head, and said after a while: "Give me a little time, let me think about it."

Li Tai and Du Chuke looked at each other and smiled.

"Okay, think about it here." Li Taidao, "Call out anytime when you think about it, and I'll let you go right away." As he spoke, Du Chuke and Du Chuke turned and walked outside. Halfway through, they suddenly stopped and turned back. He said: "By the way, there are many rats in this water prison, and they are often so hungry that their eyes turn green. If you accidentally bite you, you have to call someone quickly, otherwise it will be too unjust to be bitten to death by rats!"

After Li Tai finished speaking, he exchanged glances with Du Chuke again, both of them secretly laughed, and then walked up the steps to the side, and someone immediately opened an iron door.

After a while, the iron door slammed shut, and the entire prison fell silent.

Xiao Henian still hung his head, dazed in a daze.

There was a small ventilation hole above the stone wall of the water prison, and a beam of sunlight slanted in, bringing some light to this dark and damp place.Xiao Henian looked at the water surface in front of him expressionlessly, staring at his own reflection.I don't know how long it took, the sky outside seemed to be dark, the ray of light faded little by little, and the water prison became dim, but Xiao Henian still stared at the dark water surface motionlessly.

Gradually, the water surface seemed to light up in Xiao Henian's eyes, and then a picture slowly emerged on the water.

There is a three or four-year-old boy in the picture, with a chubby little face that is endearing.When Xiao Henian was young, he handed a pinwheel to the boy.The boy took it and blew it as he ran, giggling happily.Xiao Henian watched from the side, and also laughed.A moment later, another slender figure of a young man appeared on the screen.The man's clothes are luxurious and elegant, but his face cannot be seen clearly.He walked slowly to the boy, squatted down, and stroked the boy's cheek.The boy hid a bit in fear, but did not run away.

The man took out something from his pocket and waved it in front of the boy's eyes.

It was a jade pendant, and words seemed to be engraved on it.The man seemed to say something to the boy, and then hung the jade pendant on his chest.The boy picked up the jade pendant and looked at it, then at the man, and laughed happily. The sun shone brightly on his little face...

Xiao Henian smiled happily, but suddenly, the picture on the water was blurred, and then the light slowly faded, the picture gradually disappeared, and the water surface returned to pitch black.

Xiao Henian's face was full of sadness.

At this moment, circles of ripples appeared in a corner of the pool, and a huge mouse raised its head and face above the water, its beard was shaking sensitively, and its limbs were paddling quickly in the water.

The direction it was heading was facing Xiao Henian.

Soon, one mouse after another emerged from every corner of the pool.They swam towards Xiao Henian from all directions.In the darkness, Xiao Henian suddenly uttered a terrified cry, kicked his feet vigorously in the water, twisted his body desperately, making the iron chains tied to him jingle.

Around him, there were more and more rats, almost swarming towards him in groups...

Outside the water prison, two guards stood by the iron gate, listening carefully to the movement below.

"It must have been bitten by a mouse, do you want to go down and save him?" Guard A said.

Guard B listened for a while, and said: "Your Highness said, unless he calls someone, leave him alone."

The movement from under the water prison became louder and louder, with the sound of pulling iron chains, splashing water, rat chirping, chirping, and Xiao Henian's painful screams and curses.

"If this goes on like this, it won't kill people, right?"

"Why are you worrying so much? How can a living person be bitten to death by a mouse? If you can't bear it, he screams. Wait until he screams."

In the pool, mice had already covered Xiao Henian's shoulders, head and face, chirping and chirping.

Xiao Henian's twisting range gradually became smaller, and then he exhausted his last strength and shook his head violently, throwing five or six mice down, but more mice climbed up again immediately.

He was quiet for a moment, then opened his mouth suddenly, bit the base of his tongue, and with another force, a stream of blood came out of his mouth.

Xiao Henian's head hooked down, and then he remained motionless.

The iron gate suddenly opened, and two guards ran down the steps in a panic...

Xiao Henian was lying by the pool, his face was bloody and bloody, his official uniform was torn to pieces by rat bites, and one of his shoes fell off.A foreman squatted beside him to check.Li Tai and Du Chuke stood aside, frowning.The two guards stood behind them, bowing their heads, looking tense.

After a while, Zuo Zuo stood up.

"How is it?" Li Tai asked eagerly.

Wu Zuo shook his head.

Li Tai was furious immediately, and as soon as he turned around, he slapped Guard A across the face, then kicked Guard B into the pool with a sharp kick. "Worthless! Let a big living person be bitten to death by rats right under your nose?!"

"Your Highness, forgive me!" Guard A hurriedly knelt down, "I also wanted to come down to rescue the little one, but...but I remembered your order..."

"Are you dead people?" Li Tai's voice was stern, "You won't adapt to the situation?!"

"Your Highness, please calm down." Wu Zuo said, "According to the preliminary investigation of the humble official, Xiao Sima did not die from the bite of a mouse."

"what is that?"

"Bite your tongue."

"Bite your tongue?" Li Tai frowned.

Du Chuke was thinking about something, and said suspiciously: "I heard that it is impossible to die immediately by biting your tongue. The so-called suicide by biting your tongue is just spreading rumors."

"Du Changshi is right." Wu Zuo said again, "Usually, biting the tongue does not cause immediate death, but in many cases, the severe pain will shrink the base of the tongue or cause choking of blood, which will block the trachea and cause suffocation The cause of Xiao Sima's death is precisely this."

Li Tai and Du Chuke were stunned.

"Your Highness, the matter has come to this, we can only deal with the corpse quickly." Du Chuke whispered.

Li Tai sighed: "Take it out of the city and find a remote place to bury it."

(End of this chapter)