Kyushu · Endless Nagato

Chapter 102 The Gate to Hell (2)
Soon, Ye Xun was brought to an abandoned field with no one there.Several soldiers hurriedly pushed him to kneel on the ground, and another soldier raised his waist knife high.

He was about to chop off Ye Xun's neck with all his strength, when he suddenly felt weak all over, and then his eyes went dark, and he fell to the ground with a plop, and several companions also suffered the same.Ye Xun, who was kneeling on the ground, also fainted.

"Your poison is really effective," An Xingmian said while stepping forward to untie Ye Xun, "but is it necessary to stun Mr. Ye together?"

"This man has a single mind, if he doesn't get dizzy, he might turn around and trouble Princess Huainan again," Xue Huaiqing said, "Let's take him away first."

Although Ye Xun was short in stature, he was an adult after all, so he couldn't carry it back to the inn in the city in such a big way.An Xingmian had no choice but to carry him around for a long distance, find a forest farm, lie that his companion was sick, and then pay some bribes to bring Ye Xun to the forest watchman's hut.

"Thank you, I read correctly, you are a good person." After waking up, Ye Xun said to Xue Huaiqing.He thought for a while, then turned to An Xingmian, "You are also a good person."

"Mr. Ye, why do you hate that Princess Huainan so much?" Xue Huaiqing asked, "When she dies, everything is over. Why bother to ruin her funeral?"

Ye Xun gritted his teeth and did not answer, but that expression of extreme anger flashed on his face again, making An Xingmian secretly worried whether he would jump up and rush to the sacrifice site again.But in the end, he just shook his head heavily: "I can't say anything. I'm going back."

After walking a few steps, he stopped again and said solemnly: "You are all good people. I will definitely repay you."

The two did not stop him, but followed him secretly, and they were relieved to see that he had indeed entered the city.Xue Huaiqing was a little emotional: "Sometimes, these seemingly simple-minded people are even more difficult to deal with because they never give up. If one day he smashes the tomb of Princess Huainan while others are not prepared, I will not Wouldn't be surprised either."

An Xingmian thought for a while and said, "I think there is something wrong with Ye Xun."

"What's the problem?" Xue Huaiqing was puzzled.

"I can't say, some kind of intuition," An Xingmian said, "If he really had such a hatred for Princess Huainan that he would risk his life to disturb her funeral, why didn't he find an opportunity to take revenge on the resurrected people? They're all dead."

"Maybe... there was no chance to get close at all before?" Xue Huaiqing guessed, "Then what are you going to do?"

"Maybe we can talk to him," An Xingmian said, "Yuren must keep their secrets secret, but Ye Xun regards both of us as good people."

"He's just a handyman. He can know more than Feng Yiming, right?" Xue Huaiqing said.

"But Feng Yiming may not tell everything he knows," An Xingmian said, "The cunning and insidiousness of this kid far surpasses most adults. He looks honest on the surface, but what is he thinking in his heart? We don't know. On the contrary, it's Ye Xun, he is a handyman in the palace, so it's hard to guarantee that he won't hear some news occasionally, even if it has nothing to do with Sa Xijialuo, it may have something to do with Cangyinzhiyue."

These words reminded Xue Huaiqing: "Yes, 20 years ago, when my parents came to the city-state, they should be counted as guests. Maybe they really dealt with Mr. Ye. I can learn something from him that is related to us. Matters related to parents are also good. Moreover, he lives in a remote corner of the palace with loose defenses, which is convenient for us to find him."

"What else do you know about this Ye Xun?" An Xingmian asked, "Do you know his background?"

"He has a weird personality, and he never talks about himself with others," Xue Huaiqing said, "I just overheard other handyman chatting that he was an abandoned baby who was abandoned near the palace after he was born. At that time, Wei Sangzhi, a well-known mourner of the Yu clan, adopted him, and later sent him to the palace."

"Mourner?" An Xingmian frowned, as if he had thought of something vaguely, but he couldn't be sure.

While talking, the two entered the city and walked towards the inn.When passing by a roadside food stall, the fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus cake wafted over, Xue Huaiqing couldn't help feeling a little greedy, An Xingmian smiled, and bought two packs for her.The stall owner was an old man, and his hands and feet were not very dexterous. When he was looking for change, he accidentally shook his hand, and a few coins fell to the ground.An Xingmian turned around and picked it up on the ground with sharp eyes and quick hands, and then pulled Xue Huaiqing away as if nothing had happened.

"Don't look back, pretend you don't know anything," An Xingmian said in a low voice, "Someone is following us. When I picked up the money just now, I caught a glimpse of a shadow. Although he dodged immediately, I still saw his face clearly." .”

"There are too many people looking for us, can you tell which group this belongs to?" Xue Huaiqing asked, "Huo Qintu City State? Mr. Yuwen? Or Tianqi?"

"Neither of them." An Xingmian's expression was very strange, "It's another old acquaintance of mine."

"What old acquaintance?" Xue Huaiqing was surprised.

"Do you still remember what I told you? When I first came to Ningnan City to try to save you, I found a place to live with the help of my father's old subordinate. That old subordinate was named Wang Ximo, who was from the Anlu Tea House opened by my family. Shopkeeper," An Xingmian said, "the stalker I saw just now is a member of the Yu clan under Wang Ximo."

two

The old shopkeeper Wang Ximo was sitting in his room, warming water with a stove in front of him, brewing a pot of tea, besides his own tea bowl, there were also two empty tea bowls, as if he was waiting for a visitor.

In the early morning, there were footsteps outside the door.Wang Ximo raised her head and said calmly, "Come in, the door is open."

The door opened, and An Xingmian and Xue Huaiqing walked in.Xue Huaiqing nodded politely, but An Xingmian, uncharacteristically, sat down with a cold face, and then stared at Wang Ximo with piercing eyes.

"No need to read," Wang Ximo smiled slightly, "I know that you are full of anger and doubts. Yes, there is no need to deny that I lied to you about many things, but I have to tell you that without me, You probably died when you were three years old, and it is impossible to come here today to settle accounts with me. So, can you calm down a little bit?"

An Xingmian was terrified, and Xue Huaiqing was also very surprised: "Three years old? What's going on?"

"If I remember correctly, you followed my father for more than 30 years, and when I was three years old, it was only 20 years ago," An Xingmian said, "Could it be that you had planned it 30 years ago?"

"No, my plan only lasted for 20 years, but the Wang Ximo you know is no longer the Wang Ximo your father knew." Wang Ximo replied.

This was a bit of a mouthful, An Xingmian thought for a while: "You mean——you're a fake? You replaced the real Wang Ximo 20 years ago?"

There was some sadness in Wang Ximo's eyes: "I dyed my hair, covered my pupils with chips made by the Luo ethnic group, disguised myself as him, spoke with his voice, lived his life, 20 years have passed , I have almost forgotten what I really look like."

Following his words, Xue Huaiqing suddenly felt a strange wave of mental power, and couldn't help but secretly become vigilant.Wang Ximo seems to have noticed her vigilance: "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you, I just want you to know my true identity."

As he spoke, he came to the center of the house and stood still.There was a slight crackling sound from his back gradually, and a blue arc flashed out, that arc gradually elongated and turned into pure white light, and those dazzling lights gathered together and slowly took shape—— —

wing!A pair of white wings emerged from Wang Ximo's back!

"You are a feather man!" An Xingmian suddenly stood up.

"That's right, I'm a feathered man," Wang Ximo's face was full of vicissitudes, "Before I became Wang Ximo, I was a hereditary nobleman of Huoqintu city-state, named He Honglin."

Although the room is not small, the feathered man's wings are very wide. This old feathered man whose real name is He Honglin seems to be of pure blood, and the condensed wings are even bigger, so he did not spread his wings, but quickly retracted the condensed wings. , sit down again.He still had that old, mediocre human face, which fully fits the identity of an old shopkeeper, but when the wings condensed, he did have a demeanor that was completely different from the past, using a very vulgar description In other words, it has a bit more natural noble temperament.

An Xingmian looked at him suspiciously, trying to recall everything in the past.Wang Ximo is an old subordinate of his father. He started business with his father more than 30 years ago. Later, he lived in Ningzhou, but he would go back to Donglu once or twice a year.Ever since I was able to remember things better when I was four or five years old, I remembered that Wang Ximo had always been close to me. Every time I went back to Donglu, I would bring myself many delicious and fun things, and then lead me to go shopping.An Xingmian's father has always been strict with him. In contrast, Wang Ximo is more like a loving father.People thought that this was because Wang Ximo lost his wife in his early years and had no children, so he transferred his love for the child to An Xingmian.

Besides, An Xingmian really couldn't say much about other aspects of this person. He didn't care much about his father's business, and he never visited Wang Ximo in Ningzhou.Wang Ximo is like a kind and generous elder that children like to see most during the New Year. He will be very affectionate when he sees him, but if he doesn't see him...it's just that.

"Who the hell are you? Why did you pretend to be Uncle Wang and lurk by my side all the time?" An Xingmian asked in a deep voice, with unconcealable anger still in her voice.

"The three-baked green buds from Lanshuo Peak in Yuezhou, one of your favorite teas," He Honglin pointed to the stove and tea set, "Do it yourself. There's a lot to talk about tonight, don't worry."

"There is no poison in it, you can rest assured." Xue Huaiqing said.

"He won't poison," An Xingmian said while pouring tea. "If he wants to kill me, there are countless opportunities in the past 20 years. That's why I don't understand what he wants to do—for Sa Is it Sigara?"

"It can be said to be yes, or it can be said to be no." He Honglin's next sentence shocked An Xue and both of them, "Because I gave you the piece of Saxigaro on your body."

"You gave it to me?" An Xingmian shook her hands, and the hot tea in the bowl spilled out on her hands.But he didn't seem to feel the pain, and stared straight at He Honglin: "You gave me Saxigaro? What's going on?"

"My purpose was originally to use you to save Sa Xijiao, but Sa Xijiao saved your life in turn, so I can actually be regarded as your savior," He Honglin said, "This matter It's too long to talk about it, and it's full of threads. I think I'd better start from the beginning, from the death of my son. It's this one thing that makes me, a nobleman who used to enjoy peace, Began to notice the existence of Saxigalo."

Twenty-seven years ago, He Honglin was a middle-aged man in the prime of life, living in Ningnan City.He is a hereditary third-class nobleman, equivalent to an earl among human titles, with a generous salary and no worries about food and clothing.However, He Honglin is upright and upright. When he was young, he had a lofty ideal of serving the country, but he kept running into the wall in the face of reality. He finally saw through the filth and darkness of the officialdom, abandoned his political ambitions early, and only focused on elegant things. , especially prefer Donglu's poetry, calligraphy, painting and music.He didn't take any position in the court, but just discussed the rhythm of poetry with his close friends every day, and his life was relaxed and comfortable.

The only thing that gives him a headache is his son Heliang.This kid is mischievous, not doing his job properly, and likes to hang out with many aristocratic children who are also not doing their job properly. He runs rampant in Ningnan City and bullies the common people.He Honglin's wife died early, leaving only this only son, which made him unable to bear to discipline him severely, and he always turned a blind eye to it, which finally led to a big mistake.

In the autumn of that year, during a provocation, this group of noble children provoked a seemingly inconspicuous civilian youth. Unexpectedly, although this young man was of low status, he had good martial arts skills. The noble boy gave him a severe beating.The leading son of the aristocrat, who was the second son of the fifth prince at that time, was very annoyed by this, and urged Heliang to set fire to the house of the commoner youth one night.Heliang was simple-minded and didn't think too much about the consequences. He just wanted to show his merits in front of the boss as much as possible, so he accepted the task without hesitation.

However, he got into a catastrophe.On the night of the fire, the weather changed suddenly, and the sudden strong wind greatly expanded the fire, so the fire spread rapidly and burned down an entire street of civilian houses.Not only was this day not the day of take-off, but it was also the time when the lunar force was the weakest in a month. Ordinary civilians with impure blood could not take off with wings. As a result, more than 30 people were burned to death, most of them women and children.

This was a major case, causing a sensation in Ningnan City, the people complained, and everyone demanded that the murderer be severely punished.Due to the great influence, even the lord who was in poor health had to personally deal with the matter. Facing his furious father, the fifth prince was unable to keep his second son. Never leave the border for life.

Others also received heavy punishments. As for Heliang who set fire to himself, as the direct perpetrator of the tragedy, he was sentenced to be hanged three days later, and his family members were not allowed to collect the body. The body was thrown directly into the wilderness to be eaten by wild dogs.For the Yu Clan, who have always attached great importance to the body after death, this kind of practice of ruining the body after death is undoubtedly one of the most severe punishments, and only in this way can a little bit of public anger be calmed down.

He Honglin felt like being struck by five thunders.His son only had three days to live, but he found himself completely helpless, because he had not been in the officialdom for many years, and he rarely dealt with other nobles, and he didn't even know who to turn to for help.Finally, he finally remembered that a few years ago, a first-class nobleman wanted to buy a famous painting "Sunset Autumn Water" by Pang Chengyan, a great painter of the Eastern Continent, in his collection, but he flatly refused, and the other party was very angry at the time.But now, for the sake of my son, let alone a painting, I'm afraid he would be willing to trade his wealth and life.

"You brought this painting to beg me, so it can be seen that you are sincere," said the great nobleman, not caring about the quarrel a few years ago, "but to be honest, the case of your son, let alone only three days, Even if given three months to operate, it is absolutely impossible to save his life. This incident is not just as simple as the death of dozens of people, but also involves the thousand-year-long confrontation between the nobles and the commoners. It is to use your son's life to appease the anger of civilians. He is already a political bargaining chip, and no one can save him."

Of course, He Honglin understood this truth, but after hearing the great nobleman say it with his own ears, he completely gave up.The nobleman patted him on the shoulder and said in a sympathetic tone: "However, it's a little bit miserable to die without a whole body. Since you gave me this precious painting and fulfilled my wish for many years, I also Do me a favor. Within three days, I will help you find out where the body is dumped. Then you can steal your son's body back, at least keep the whole body, and have a coffin buried in the mausoleum. But be careful, don't be seen by the soldiers throwing the corpse, it will cause trouble for me."

He Honglin was very unwilling, but he also knew that this was the only thing he could do for his son.He spent three days in a daze like a walking corpse, and the nobleman really kept his promise and told him the place where the corpse was dumped.He didn't have the courage to witness how his son was publicly executed, so he came to the corpse dumping place ahead of time, hid in a big tree, and waited sadly.Waiting with him was a group of hungry and red-eyed wild dogs nearby.

(End of this chapter)