Weird show

※one※

A lone boat is sailing on the sea, except for the boat, there are almost only the sea and the sky in the field of vision. The sun rises from the junction of the sky and the sea on one side, and sets on the junction of the sky and the sea on the other side, which is the change of day and night.

"Floating in the sky, the sea is far away, but the boat of death is light." The people on the boat were sometimes in a state of confusion, and they really felt like they were traveling through endless emptiness.

Going to Xixin Island, Xiao Jiu, Sun Chengxiu, Ji Shuliu, and Qin Songfeng are all on board, and there are also several disciples from the Heavenly Punishment Sect who are responsible for sea-land liaison to drive the boat.

It is cold in winter, and there is a lot of sea fog in early spring, so it is not possible to travel until April.At first, they boarded an inconspicuous fishing boat in a remote place on the coast. After two stops at unnamed islands in the sea to change boats, the boat became large enough and stable enough.

The disciples of the Heaven's Punishment Sect who were driving the boat never doubted Xiao Jiu's statement, thinking that she was shocked to hear that Shangguan San died, and the punishment and scripture judged that the real culprit was Shangguan Si.One day, while chatting with Xiao Jiu, the leader of the same sect sighed with emotion: "It's a shame for our sect. The blood of the old master also did such scandalous things, and he killed his own brother."

Xiao Jiu blinked his eyes: "You have said the word 'also' several times, isn't it common for other members of the same sect to kill each other?"

"Although it is not common, there have been several times. There are more gang fights among those 'after sinners'. Six years ago, they killed two aunts and a little girl by mistake. The little girl was under three years old. He Gu! Since then, we have hardly seen any women on the island."

"Why? They are afraid of accidental injury and dare not go out?"

"Not only dare not go out, but the person was killed in his own home, the disaster fell from the sky, it is useless not to go out." The man said, "Back then, the sisters on the island were very angry when they saw the little girl's body, and some of them cried. Later, Mrs. Jiang took the initiative to build a large courtyard for the aunts and daughters of sinners to live in with their children under the age of ten to avoid the chaos. The younger sisters guarded the outside. I thought it was just a stopgap measure, but who knew The chaos on the island is intensifying, and now they are reluctant to come out easily, even if people in the family want to visit their sisters, wives and children, it is very inconvenient."

Another disciple of the Heaven's Punishment Sect passed by, and interrupted after hearing the words: "Women's minds are really weird, our junior sisters of the Heaven's Punishment Sect would rather hang out with those old ladies and sinners' daughters, and build up the courtyard wall as if to guard against thieves. If you don't want to go out more, you might as well be more reasonable than the old lady... Uh, Ajiu, I'm not talking about you."

Xiao Jiu ignored it at the time, and then quietly said to Qin Songfeng and others: "Girls born on the island have always been relatively harmonious, and most of them don't talk about the differences of their origins, probably because they share the same hatred. The climate on the island is weird, and there are far fewer girls than boys. Therefore, in the eyes of many descendants of the Heaven's Punishment Sect, we female disciples are not like teachers and sisters, but more like——"the first prize."

Sun Chengxiu asked: "What is a lottery head?"

"It's the kind of thing you can earn by playing well."

Maybe good, but just "stuff".

Back then, the women in Jiefu Village were also lucky winners, and they didn't find it difficult to accept. At most, they secretly hoped that they could marry into the Heaven's Punishment Sect.The girls who grew up on the island don't think so.They all at least saw with their own eyes that the person of the generation of the Heavenly Punishment Sect who had the most high hopes for swordsmanship was Xiao Jiu, who was also a girl.

※two※

A few days later, in the morning, Xixin Island showed its shape in the rising sun. From the peak of the island to the pier on the beach, it gradually came into view of the people on board.

This island occupies a large area, with mountains and water, it is the most suitable place to live in this empty sea area.

Everyone landed on the island from the west side. From this side, the edge of Xixin Island is a flat land piled up with rocks, and there are stretches of towering hills in the middle. The situation behind.

The disciples of the Heavenly Punishment Sect who were driving the boat got off the boat first, Xiao Jiu pretended to pack up his things and stay on the boat, and while they couldn't hear them, he told the other three people: "There are not only bad guys on this island, but also a lot of lunatics. Don't be too surprised later. In addition to being careful of being plotted against, try not to laugh."

Sun Chengxiu heard Xiao Jiu's strange words, and asked, "What kind of lunatic is it, and what kind of ridiculous method?"

Xiao Jiu said: "It's hard to say, you'll know it when you see it."

"If you accidentally laugh out loud, will the consequences be serious?"

Xiao Jiu said leisurely: "It's a rare sight to see so many lunatics at once, and there's nothing you can do if you really laugh. It's just that the group of lunatics on the island are so absorbed in their madness. If you really laughed, you might be so angry that you vomited blood. A few died."

Sun Chengxiu said in surprise: "So serious? Then I will not laugh."

Xiao Jiu sized her up, but didn't speak, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

Suspicion appeared in Sun Chengxiu's eyes: "...you just joked, right?"

Xiao Jiu finally showed a smile, Sun Chengxiu confirmed it was correct, and punched her smoothly.

One of these two often can't understand jokes, and the other likes to add some teasing and ridicule when talking about business. It's rare that they always like to get together even so.Seeing this scene, Qin Songfeng and Ji Shuliu couldn't help laughing.

After disembarking from the boat, everyone crossed the flat ground and followed a zigzag path. When they reached a high place, a lake surrounded by mountains suddenly opened up in front of them.

Xiao Jiu said: "This is called Xixin Lake."

There is fresh water in the lake, and the water surface is as calm as a mirror, reflecting the scenery on the lakeside; the sound of waves beating the shore in the distance has a soothing rhythm, which makes everything here extraordinarily peaceful.

A few Heavenly Punishment disciples kept Xiao Jiu and the others behind and went to inform them.Xiao Jiu stopped at the same spot, and everyone naturally stopped with her to carefully observe the terrain here.

The shape of Xixin Lake is like a gourd, with the bottom in the southwest and the head in the northeast. There is a gentle and wide lakeshore in the northwest and southeast directions. Higher, built a majestic courtyard with red walls.

The gate of the black-walled courtyard faces the lake, and it is tightly closed. At first glance, outsiders are not welcome to enter. It is the place where women live together on the island. It is said that it is now called "iron barrel"; Open it, revealing a screen wall with paintings, which is the place where the affairs of the island and the Heaven's Punishment Sect are handled, called Xixintang.

There are many gentle and low hills to the east of the lake, and many single-storey dwellings are faintly exposed among the hills, some are at the foot of the mountain, some are halfway up the mountain, the shape is the same as that of ordinary dwellings on land, and you can even see the surrounding area of ​​the dwellings. vegetable bed.

However, further east, the mountain suddenly became steep and steep, with sharp peaks pointing straight up to the sky.The mountains are all black and bare stones, dark green weeds grow in the cracks of individual stones, some smooth stones are covered with wet moss, but more stones are exposed, and the strange colors are inexplicable. Those below the mountain felt that it was about to overwhelm.

These black mountain peaks set off the entire island with a somewhat gloomy color.

In addition, the scenery on the island is really good. There are pools of water in some nearby depressions, and there is a smell of moist soil in the air, which shows that there may have been a rain on the island last night; but now the sky is clear. Now, behind the faint clouds above the head, the sun shines brightly, making the vegetation on the island very bright.

A long bell rang in the Xixin Hall on the northwest bank.Accompanied by the bell, five people came out from four different places.

A well-dressed young man came out of the east bank residence, well dressed but not extravagant, his eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Xiao Jiu's, but his expression was gentle and amiable, unlike Xiao Jiu's always cold face.This is naturally the fifth son of Shangguan Pan, the "five princes" Shangguan Wu in the eyes of the sinners in Haifengzhai.

A middle-aged scribe who was over forty years old came out of the Xixin Hall, wearing a patched cloth, with a light brown complexion, good facial features, and a sharp corner of the eyelids facing the peak of the eyebrows, making his eyes very sharp. Although the steps are fast, the posture is very calm.Xiao Jiu said in a low voice, this is Peng Guru, the "Prime Minister" in the eyes of the sinners in Haifengzhai, who is in charge of the Heaven's Punishment Sect.

A white-haired old man passed by the steep mountains in the distance. He was dressed in plain clothes, with a burly figure and a straight back. As he approached, his face turned blue, as if the skin was not covered by muscles, but a human face made of iron shape.This is Song Gang, the "General" in the eyes of the criminals in Haifengzhai, who is in charge of punishment from the Heaven's Punishment Sect.

Finally, a gap was opened in the closed door of the "Iron Barrel", and a tall, elderly woman walked out, followed by a short but strong girl with a sword, who seemed to be a female guard.The tall, slender woman had black hair mixed with white hair that was difficult to ignore. The loose robe couldn't hide her thin body, her face was small, her eyes were big, and her eyes were particularly eye-catching.She is the biological mother of the dead Shangguan San and the living Shangguan Wu, the "Queen Mother Jiang" Jiang Wei in the eyes of the sinners in Haifengzhai.

The bells in the distance echoed on the surrounding mountain walls, and the echoes of the original sound overlapped and roared endlessly, as if the surrounding mountains could hold the bells in the middle.As the bell rang, the expressions of the five people all looked very solemn.

Xiao Jiu cupped his fists and said, "Uncle Song, Uncle Peng, Aunt Jiang, Fifth Brother, Junior Sister."

Song Gang and Peng Guru clasped their fists in return at the same time, calling them "Ajiu", Shangguan Wu affectionately called "Nine Sisters" while returning the salute, Jiang Wei just nodded as a signal, and the little girl beside her called "Senior Sister" in a low voice.

Ji Shuliu stood sideways and looked at these people representing the four forces on the island.Jiang Wei and the girl behind her should have nothing to do with the murder case, but the other three have extraordinary skills and are capable of severely injuring Pan Ziyun.In fact, Ji Shuliu didn't want the real culprit to be among them, because Peng Guru once spoke up for the innocent woman, and if Song Gang had any troubles, it would hurt Mrs. Song's heart, and Shangguan Wu looked like Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu skipped the steps of exchanging greetings, and said directly: "The third brother was really killed by the fourth brother?"

Peng Guru lowered his eyes to the ground, and said sadly: "Ajiu, I'm sorry, I am incompetent as a bookkeeper, I failed to eliminate a catastrophe in time, and I didn't take good care of your older brothers, allowing your fourth brother to commit a crime. This is bestiality."

He sighed a long time, and Jiang Wei said in this sigh: "There are still doubts, and there is no conviction." She spoke flat and calm, hardly like an elderly woman who just sent a white-haired man to a black-haired man.

Song Gang glanced at Jiang Wei, and said forcefully, "Mrs. Jiang, you are just out of your senses due to excessive grief. The evidence of Shangguan's wanton murder of siblings is convincing. You must never speak of the benevolence of a woman to him."

"I understand the evidence, but your evidence is not conclusive enough." Jiang Wei didn't even look at him, only looked at Xiao Jiu, "Ajiu, come here, I'll explain to you."

Shangguan Wu, who was standing a little further back, suddenly walked up to Jiang Wei, held her arm, and said softly: "Mother, we all understand that you watched the fourth brother grow up, even if he was not your own, you still have compassion for him But what Song Zhangxing said..."

"There is no compassion anymore." Jiang Wei said, "But he has the desire to kill, so it doesn't mean that people will die at his hands."

Shangguan Wu sighed helplessly: "Jiumei, I am of a lower seniority here, and I shouldn't disturb the speech of the elders, but I can't help but say one more thing—in fact, I think Uncle Song, Uncle Peng and mother's proposition There are some truths, but they are not all right. They have been arguing for several months, and if they get together like this, they will only get into arguments and interrupt each other. It is better to let the elders separate and talk one by one. Jiumei is rare Come back once, why don't you let Jiu Mei decide who to talk to first and who to talk to later, what do you guys think?"

Shangguan Wu's appearance is similar to Xiao Jiu's, but his way of speaking is a hundred times gentler than her, which makes Ji Shuliu who is familiar with Xiao Jiu feel very fresh.Under his persuasion, the three elders stopped arguing and looked at Xiao Jiu in unison.

Xiao Jiu said: "Aunt Jiang, let me finish talking with the elders of this sect first, and then go to the third brother's grave with you to talk."

Jiang Wei nodded slowly, pointed to the "iron barrel" in the distance, and said calmly, "I'll wait for you over there."

She gently moved away Shangguan Wu's hand supporting her, and was about to turn around, Shangguan Wu said: "Mother stay here. Jiumei has not yet introduced the distinguished guests she brought."

"Sorry, I forgot." Xiao Jiu said without apology. She reported the names and identities of the three people behind her, and then asked, "After the fourth brother was captured by you, did a junior brother who was close to him escape and you didn't chase him?" superior?."

Peng Guru's gaze finally left the ground and returned to Xiao Jiu's face: "Indeed. At that time we were short of manpower, and we couldn't bear to bury five bodies on the spot, so we took them with us. We were afraid that people would bump into them and cause trouble, so we didn't pay attention. Searching, hastily went to sea. Could it be that he met you? When you left the island, he was still young, and he knew each other?"

"I don't recognize him, and when I saw him, he was already dead." Xiao Jiu said, "As soon as he escaped, he took a child you found when you searched for witnesses, and wanted to threaten you to release him, but he didn't see you He came forward and almost killed the child under the agitation, but fortunately these few people passed by and shot, only to save a life. The first thing I learned about this was when I heard the report of these few people, and I became suspicious."

As soon as this remark came out, Peng Guru repeatedly called "lucky", and solemnly thanked Qin Songfeng and others for preventing this scum from the Heaven's Punishment Sect from killing innocent people indiscriminately. Even Song Gang added, "I was also at fault for this matter."

This reason can barely explain why Qin Songfeng and others came uninvited, or it can reduce the vigilance of the real enemy.

The identities of the three uninvited guests have been clarified, Xiao Jiu looked at Peng Guru and said: "Uncle Peng, you are the best eloquent and can speak clearly, please speak first. Do you want to change the place?"

Peng Guru suggested: "If you talk about it on the island, you may have endless disputes about where and who owns the territory. Why don't you talk about it on the boat when you came here."

Xiao Jiu said, "Okay."

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Note: Qian Qi's "Sending the Monk Back to Japan".