Kyushu · Endless Nagato

Chapter 107 The Journey (2)
"That's why you have been following me for 20 years," An Xingmian murmured, "It's really hard for you."

"I am also worried, but Mr. Feng is very annoyed with me and wants to drive me away," He Honglin said. "I stayed in Anfu for a few days, and I happened to meet my old friend who runs a tea shop in Ningnan City. I often buy some good Donglu tea from him. Only then did I know that he was your father’s confidant. He invited me to his house as a guest and told me the sad news: I have already suffered from a terminal illness, and I don't have much time to live. This time I went back to Jianyang, in fact, I wanted to secretly arrange my own funeral. I suddenly had an idea. After he died, I could pretend to be him. His identity will continue to stay in Ningnan City, and secondly, he can often go back to Wanzhou to visit you and make sure that Sa Xijialuo is fine."

Now, at least the ins and outs of Sa Xijialuo are all clear, An Xingmian thought.The doubts that had been circling in my heart in the past, especially how such a treasure of the Yu clan allowed me, a human being, to wear it for 20 years, finally got an explanation.And this secret is only known to a few people. When the news unfortunately spreads, many people will naturally start to covet it, but they don't know what evil consequences Saxigaro will bring.Obviously, for these people, the explanation is also invalid, so as long as Saxigaro wears it on his body for a day, he will not be able to get peace for a day.This seemingly warm and jade-like magic weapon has such a bloody and cruel history, so what about me?What kind of mysteries about this long-door monk who has always been a modest gentleman will be unknown?

However, even Feng Qiuke and He Honglin can't explain their life experience.From Feng Qiuke's description, it can be judged that his father actually knew something about his mutation, but he was unwilling to say it.And now that his father has passed away, who else in this world would know?
"What are you going to do next?" Feng Qiuke's question interrupted his thoughts.

"First of all, we need to see if you want to do your duty and arrest us," An Xingmian teased him. "We are both wanted criminals in the city-state."

"Nonsense, if I really wanted to catch you, you would never have the chance to get on Mr. Yuwen's boat." Feng Qiuke snorted coldly.

An Xingmian stuck out her tongue: "Well, I quite doubt that you even followed to the pirate island to pretend to be a pirate... We came to Ningnan this time to find out the details of Sa Xijialuo. It has been fulfilled. Next, we should go to find the whereabouts of Cangyin Zhiyue. You also hunted Xueji back then, do you have any clues to tell me?"

He was afraid that Feng Qiuke would say the catchphrase again, "Although I know it, I just can't say it." Fortunately, Feng Qiuke didn't intend to hide it: "It is possible to say it, but my knowledge is limited. The murder happened too suddenly at that time. , no one expected that when we went to chase Xue Ji, he had already fled Ningnan City. We inquired along the road and found that he did not escape alone. Not long after leaving Ningnan, a pregnant woman joined him, but after The two of them took two different paths. We didn't know the details of that woman, so we had to divide our forces to pursue them. After that, both paths of pursuit suffered disastrous defeats. The path I led to chase Xue Ji was inexplicably Lost after being chased, Xue Ji suddenly lost all traces and could never be found again. We suspect that he may have been swallowed by the quicksand in the desert. And the other pursuers... even they themselves disappeared, and they can no longer find him. He never came back, probably killed by that pregnant woman."

"That woman is my mother," Xue Huaiqing hesitated, but decided to speak out, "and those who chased her were indeed killed, killed by Cangyin Zhiyue."

She told everything she had heard in her childhood.After listening to Feng Qiuke, his expression was solemn: "That is to say, the Cangyin Moon is really in the hands of their husband and wife, and it is in the hands of their wife. Then we guessed wrong back then, and thought that the Cangyin Moon had always been there. In the hands of Xue Ji. When Xue Ji visited, what exactly did he discuss with the lord, and why the lord kept him in the palace for so long, no one knew. However, the lord went to the library to check the books in person, but was People saw the trace: the content he checked was related to Cangyin Moon. So people began to speculate that Xue Ji might have some information related to Cangyin Moon and wanted to make a deal with the lord, but what are the specific details? I'm afraid only the two of them know."

"According to this, could it be that the last two people failed to make a deal, so my father killed the lord in a fit of anger?" Xue Huaiqing asked cautiously.

"It's possible. After all, the two families are feuds, and no one can say for sure about the mentality of the person involved," Feng Qiuke said, "But even I couldn't find him back then. You two are sure that after 20 years, you can find him?"

"No matter what, we have to give it a try," An Xingmian said. "If we can't find the Cangyin Moon, we will never have peace. We really have no choice. What's more, Xu Mizi told us that Chenyue may have discovered New leads, maybe he can help me."

"So what if you find the Cangyin Moon?" Feng Qiuke said sharply, "Even if you find the Cangyin Moon and return it to the Chenyue Sect, Sa Xijialuo will still be on your body and cannot be removed. The reason for killing people may be There are many, but it only takes one to kill you."

An Xingmian held her chin in distress: "That's right, this is a knot. After all, there are only a few people like you who are unwilling to sacrifice their lives. I believe that many nobles would rather take the lives of prisoners than kill Sa Xi. Jia Luo is in his own hands."

"So my advice to you is, don't worry about the others, run far away, and then hide," Feng Qiuke said, "Everyone is innocent, but pregnant is guilty."

"If I hide so far away that I can't even find you, then wouldn't you be negligent of your duty?" An Xingmian said.

"I'd rather be dereliction of duty than make the whole city-state run wild because of something external to me," Feng Qiuke said firmly. From the lord to the upper-class nobles who knew the secret, they have been trying their best to cover it up, and then secretly fought for it. For 100 years, Saxigaro did not defend the city-state or the Yuzu, but became a scourge."

He paused, and said with some hesitation: "Actually, in the past 20 years of guarding you, I may not have thought about completely destroying Saxigaro and eradicating the disaster forever, but in the end I didn't do it. Except me In addition to being uncertain whether Chenyue will make a comeback in the future, another very important reason is that in the past 20 years, Sa Xijialuo has finally had a positive effect: it allows an upright and talented young man to live And grow. I'm excited to see that."

An Xingmian's heart felt hot.In the past days, although Feng Qiuke taught him martial arts and protected him many times, he was always strict and indifferent to him.This is probably the first time that Feng Qiuke has shown a kind of paternal affection towards him.But he knew that if he pointed this out, it would probably embarrass the smelly and hard Fengqiuke, so he just joked lightly: "It's really not easy, so you can use your own head to think about problems. In the past, I always thought that your body was running around in Kyushu, but your head was always in the ancestral temple of the city-state."

Feng Qiuke snorted and ignored him.Xue Huaiqing suddenly said: "We can't hide. Cangyin Zhiyue must be found."

"Why?" Feng Qiuke frowned.

"I at least need to figure out who my parents are," Xue Huaiqing said, "otherwise I will have trouble living in peace for the rest of my life."

"For this, you would rather tie him up and go on an adventure with you?" Feng Qiuke frowned even more tightly.

"It's not tied, but willing," An Xingmian said. "What I want to do, she will also accompany me to complete it. If I have learned something in recent months, it is that I am afraid of everything. Looking forward and looking backward will bring bad luck, some things are destined not to be avoided, and you must muster the courage to face it, why not just recite the eight-character formula taught to me by a good friend of mine: 'Fuck the fuck, I did it'."

"Then it's up to you." Feng Qiuke waved his sleeves, turned and left with a straight face, and when he reached the door, he stopped again.

"20 years ago, we chased Xue Ji and came to the hinterland of the Southwest Gobi, and then encountered a fierce sandstorm. After the sandstorm, Xue Ji disappeared, and no one was alive or dead. The location of that place is roughly... "Feng Qiuke roughly explained the direction to the two, and then went out to leave.Xue Huaiqing looked at his back, and said to An Xingmian in a low voice, but still guaranteed to be heard by him: "He and Xu Mizi really are a natural couple. It’s good material for being a mother.”

Feng Qiuke outside the door coughed angrily.

two

After finishing the business, Feng Qiuke also left, and the remaining three sat in the room, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.For An Xingmian, the old man in front of him was originally an old family member and old friend whom he had known since childhood, but suddenly he became a stranger. This stranger deceived him for 20 years, but he also relied on him 20 years ago. It is really difficult to express the feeling in one or two sentences to save my life and survive until now.And no matter what, He Honglin had never done anything to hurt himself or his father, even though he concealed his identity, he was always good to him, so it was difficult for An Xingmian to feel hatred towards him.

"I heard that you suddenly fell ill a few days ago, what happened?" He Honglin asked suddenly.

An Xingmian was stunned for a moment: "Ah... Actually, I untied Sa Xijialuo. I originally wanted to escape with the help of Sa Xijialuo's explosive power, but I almost killed myself..."

He gave a general account of how he was imprisoned by Tianqi, and He Honglin nodded: "Sure enough. 20 years have passed, and your condition has not improved at all. You will still go crazy after leaving Sa Xijiao."

An Xingmian also nodded, and then found that she had nothing to say again.In fact, he had a belly full of emotions that he wanted to vent, but for some reason, he couldn't say anything.But Xue Huaiqing said abruptly: "Is the future of the Yu clan so important to you?"

He Honglin was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, your son is dead and cannot be brought back to life; you are not doing it for revenge, Saxigaro will never bother you for the rest of your life, and you can continue to live peacefully with the noble's monthly salary as before. "Xue Huaiqing said, "Why do you want to do this so persistently, let yourself bear the notoriety of an outcast, and have to hide under the skin of human beings to survive... Is it all worth it?"

"It doesn't matter whether it's worth it or not," He Honglin replied, "There are many things in this world. If you put them on a balance and weigh them, you will probably find that they are not worth it. But if you don't do it, you will regret it later. So it's best Still follow your heart.”

"Follow your heart..." An Xingmian sighed softly, "More than one person has said this to me, maybe I lack your tolerance."

"It's getting late, you guys should hurry back and rest, there is only one bed in my tea house for me to rest temporarily," He Honglin changed the subject, "Come back at noon, I will prepare for you to go to the Southwest Gobi necessary items, so that you can start immediately. The road is difficult and dangerous, so you must be more careful."

An Xingmian didn't know what to say, so it took a long time before he said hesitantly, "Mr. He..."

"Go ahead and call me Uncle Wang, I'm used to it." He Honglin said flatly.

"Well, actually I'm used to it, and it's awkward to change my words," An Xingmian said, "Uncle Wang, I actually think there's no need to be in a hurry for a day or two. Let's leave the day after tomorrow. We can spend together tomorrow." New Year's Eve." "New Year's Eve?" He Honglin was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly, "Yes, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and the day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I actually forgot. The days go by so fast."

"In the past years, you went back to Donglu to accompany us to celebrate the New Year and gave me lucky money." An Xingmian said with a smile on his face, "This time, let's count it as me spending the New Year with you in your hometown."

The New Year of the Yu Clan naturally also celebrates, but it is not as extravagant and lively as the people of the Eastern Land.What's more, An Xingmian and Xue Huaiqing didn't dare to show their faces outside, so they could only hide in He Honglin's house.For many years, in order to avoid revealing his identity, He Honglin, who wore the "Wang Ximo" skin, neither married nor hired anyone, and took care of everything in the family by himself.

On New Year's Eve, the three of them sat together in He Honglin's bedroom. He Honglin cooked a few home-cooked dishes with Donglu flavor, warmed the wine, and it was a simple New Year's Eve dinner.An Xingmian and Xue Huaiqing looked at the simple to almost crude furnishings in the room, and thought about the aristocratic life that He Honglin once had but was willing to give up, feeling a little sad in their hearts.During the dinner, the two of them never mentioned anything related to Sa Xijialuo. An Xingmian kept talking about the interesting things about her childhood with He Honglin. He read Uncle Wang.

"One year before the New Year, Uncle Wang brought back gifts for my father and me, but before he had time to unpack and distribute, he was asked by my father to discuss urgent business matters. I couldn't wait, so I secretly opened his package. I found a bottle of Yuren's fruit wine inside." An Xingmian said.

"You must have drunk secretly, didn't you?" Xue Huaiqing guessed.

"Wrong, I was actually pretty bad when I was young," An Xingmian smirked, "I didn't drink it myself, but I tricked a cousin who came to drink it. The fruit wine tasted sweet, and he drank half a bottle in one go. That night Stripped off in the yard and played drunkenly, not to mention how lively it was."

Xue Huaiqing couldn't breathe with a smile: "I always thought you were quite a gentleman, so there were times when you were so wicked."

She drank a glass of wine with a smile: "No matter what, this is the second year in a row that I have had such a happy New Year, thank you both." An Xingmian couldn't help but think of last year's New Year, he and Xue Huaiqing were also in the After running around and working hard, I finally spent the new year in a poor mountain village, and I still have countless heavy thoughts in my heart.He thought this new year was miserable, but Xue Huaiqing told him that she hadn't enjoyed such a New Year's Eve with people talking and laughing for a long time, and for her, this kind of new year was really good.

In fact, what people want is nothing more than some small happiness, some simple happiness, that's all, An Xingmian thought.Compared with these little happiness, Cangyinzhiyue, Saxigalo, the rule of the city-state, and the battle between Tianqi and Chenyue all look so ridiculous and ugly.

"The soup should be ready. I'll go to the kitchen to have a look," He Honglin said. "This place is no match for Donglu's hometown. You and your father love to drink those abalone and bird's nest soups that you and your father love to drink. You can't get the ingredients. It's just plain. I also entrusted Chef Lang to get those spare ribs soup."

"The lotus root ribs soup is very good, let me serve it for you." An Xingmian said.

"No need, you two have a good talk." He Honglin waved his hands and walked out.

An Xingmian smiled, and turned to look at Xue Huaiqing, Xue Huaiqing was also looking at him, with a full smile on her face, which looked extraordinarily charming.His heart moved and he was about to say something, but Xue Huaiqing suddenly stood up: "There is movement in the yard!"

Knowing that Xue Huaiqing had sensitive ears, An Xingmian hurriedly stepped to the door and opened it.In the snowflakes all over the sky outside the door, he looked around, but saw nothing.

"Strange, I heard something," Xue Huaiqing frowned and said, "Could it be a wild cat?"

"It's hard to say, Yuren generally don't eat meat, even if there are wild cats, they must be greedy for meat," An Xingmian said, "Maybe they are attracted by our pile of food."

The two returned to the room, and not long after, He Honglin came back with a steaming casserole.He put the casserole on the table and served soup for the two of them.

(End of this chapter)