ten steps one kill

The arena of the martial arts conference is square on all sides and is made of solid wooden boards. The steps are steep and uplifted several feet from the ground. Looking down, it looks like a Taiji hexagram. Four large flags are planted in the four-direction hexagram, which are full of wind and fluttering. .On the weapon rack under the flagpole, eighteen kinds of weapons are shining brightly.

Compared with pavilions, pavilions, verandas and green tiles, this arena is really simple and crude, but in the eyes of the Jianghu people, it is the supreme holy place, a stage worth betting their lives on.It seems that as long as you step on it, you can stand out from the crowd, the mediocre soul will be sublimated, get rid of the entanglement of the world, and reach a desperate situation in the struggle, emitting the most brilliant and pure light.

The more bleak the world is, the more people place their lifelong hopes in it.The blood dripping on the ring is no longer blood, but wine.The injuries suffered in the arena are not injuries, but rewards.

This is the rivers and lakes, a piece of muddy soil that was born in the world but transcends the world.

Yan Qianfan was standing on such an arena.

He was panting, sweating profusely, and his whole body seemed to be covered with a thick layer of grime, which blocked his eyes, ears, and throat.He stood on the stage with difficulty, only the gun in his hand was still sharp.

There were bursts of whispers from the audience—why did the second owner of Zhujianzhuang use spear skills?The Yan family has always been timid and fearful, when did such a bloody man come out?

These discussions all passed by Yan Qianfan's side, and poured into Yan Yuehua's ears word for word.

Yan Yuehua sat on the high seat.

Looking down from his position, the arena is a huge gossip array, which firmly traps his flesh and blood relatives.

His gaze was fixed on Yan Qianfan, from beginning to end, he never moved away for a moment.

Liu Hongfeng beside him said with emotion: "You really care about this younger brother, it seems that the two of you really have deep feelings for each other."

Yan Yuehua lowered her face, showing displeasure: "Mr. Feng is laughing at me?"

Liu Hongfeng bowed his hands and said, "How dare I."

Yan Yuehua was silent for a moment, then said: "Qian Fan and I were born of different mothers, and now our parents are no longer alive. Qian Fan left the family when he was ten years old, and for more than ten years since then, he has never stepped into the gate of the Yan family. I have never met him either. There has never been a deep relationship between me and him."

Liu Hongfeng raised his eyebrows and said, "If that's the case, why are you so concerned about him? You even ordered me to protect his safety even at the expense of selling favors to Sect Leader Duan."

Yan Yuehua said: "The Yan family has lived on Yingzhou Island for generations, and they don't like fighting openly and secretly in the martial arts. The family heads of all generations have regarded keeping the family safe as their own responsibility. Since Qian Fan is my younger brother, he is inseparable from me. It is my duty to take care of him." Duty, not concern."

Liu Hongfeng thought to himself, such thoughts are called concern.However, he wisely didn't say it.

He knows that people in the world are often involuntary, and sometimes they can't even talk lightly about their emotions.They often have to find ways to cover it up, deceiving others and themselves.Perhaps only in the arena of swords and shadows, in the contest of life and death, can one experience a trace of undisguised truth.

He stopped talking, and turned his attention to the ring, paying attention to Yan Qianfan's movements.

Yan Qianfan had defeated more than a dozen opponents one after another, and his spear whizzed, attracting everyone's attention, but he never said a word of humility, as if he didn't pay attention to his defeated opponents at all.

"Anyone else challenge?"

His contemptuous tone caused a lot of dissatisfaction in the audience, and there were endless discussions, but he ignored it, and he didn't even look at the crowd, but just cast it into the distance in vain, erratically, as if waiting for something.

After a long wait, the man finally jumped into his field of vision.

An Guangsha.

The head of the Xiling village jumped onto the ring, like a kindling jumping into a pile of dry wood. Yan Qianfan was immediately ignited, and his dull and tired expression immediately became vivid. He looked at the other side and called out: "An Brother."

The other party did not answer.

The two stood on both sides of the ring, holding the same spear in their hands, and posing in the same posture.Every gesture is full of similarities that cannot be concealed, just like the reflection on the water.

The people in the audience opened their eyes wide.

Yan Qianfan stared at An Guangsha, and said: "My marksmanship is that of Xiling Village. I learned it step by step from the old master. I still remember his teachings in my heart."

An Guangsha remained silent.

The positions of the two seemed to be reversed. As the challenger, An Guangsha didn't pay attention to the challenger at all, as if the person standing opposite was not his old acquaintance, but a moving stone lying across the road. In the middle, you have to kick it away.

Yan Qianfan slowly raised the spear, still fixed his eyes on the opponent, and asked: "You and I are from the same school. Before you make a move, don't you even want to tell me a word?"

An Guangsha's face finally showed some changes, he frowned, and said: "I regret it, I shouldn't have asked my father to teach you marksmanship."

Yan Qianfan stayed where he was as if struck by lightning.

He still hasn't learned how to hide his thoughts. After being publicly humiliated by the other party, he doesn't even care to restore his dignity, but just writes his sadness and annoyance clearly on his face.

He lowered his head like a errant child, causing an uproar in the crowd.

On the high platform, Yan Yuehua held his breath, and tightly clenched his five fingers on his knees, as if suppressing his anger.

Taiji hexagrams, inside and outside the formation, the thoughts and sufferings, love and hatred of all living beings, turned into intertwined and entangled threads, entrenched under this isolated sky.

An Guangsha's gun moved, it was an offensive of "swinging willows in the wind".

Yan Qianfan also raised his arms to meet him, using the "black tiger lying on his body" to defuse the sharpness.

The two guns are facing each other, the two figures overlap each other, and the same martial arts fight, the scene is particularly exciting, every move is firmly biting each other, and every frown and eye is looking for the other's flaws.

The two fell into a hard fight, and as time went by, An Guangsha gradually showed his advantage. His kung fu was more familiar than Yan Qianfan's. , the slight gap gradually accumulated, forcing Yan Qianfan to retreat aggressively.

"When it comes to spear skills, the counterfeit ones are still not as good as the real ones. Let's see how arrogant he is."

"If this continues, he must lose. If he wants to break the game, he has to use his own skills."

"The Yan family's swordsmanship is not good enough, isn't it known to everyone in the world?"

"Shh, keep your voice down, and be careful not to be hated by others..."

These arguments still poured into Yan Yuehua's ears verbatim.

Liu Hongfeng turned her head to look at him, and saw that he was already sitting on pins and needles.

In the battle of masters, the victory or defeat is often settled in a breath, but in just a short moment, the situation suddenly changed drastically. In the blink of an eye, Yan Qianfan was forced to retreat to the edge of the ring.

Unwilling to admit defeat, the leader shouted loudly, picked up the spear, the tip of the spear trembled in the air, and stabbed straight forward.What this stab used was no longer the Xiling marksmanship, but the Yan family's swordsmanship.

Yan Yue stood up vigorously: "Yan Qianfan! Let's stop here!"

He saw the limit of that move, saw how vulnerable the Yan family's swordsmanship was to the Xiling spear technique, and saw the consequences of Yan Qianfan's desperate attempt to hit a stone with an egg.

However, Yan Qianfan didn't stop.

The moves sent out are like splashed water, once shot, it can never be taken back.

With a clang, sparks flew everywhere, and the spear in Yan Qianfan's hand was broken in two.

A warrior who has lost his weapon is like a bird whose wings have been cut off.The bird is still in the air, but it has lost its soaring wings and can only fall helplessly to the ground.

An Guangsha's gun was still in the high position, and a light shone from the bright tip of the gun, which was his astonished gaze.

The light flickered and disappeared in an instant, and the tip of the gun had already fallen firmly.

Blood spattered, Yan Qianfan squatted down covering his left eye.

The gun fell like lightning and thunder, releasing an incalculable power in an instant. The silver light split the stagnant air, and also split the dividing line between victory and defeat.

In the eyes of everyone, everything that happens on the ring is magnified, slowed down, imprisoned in the Tai Chi gossip, and turns back and forth, close at hand but like electricity, like a drama with climaxes, in a mirror, water and moon staged.

Before An Guangsha could stand firmly, there was a burst of cheers from the audience, which was the voice of the people in Xiling Village.

In such a drama, everyone can only see the part they like the most. The people of Xiling Village saw the victory, the joy of exaltation, and how the hero who was wronged and humiliated for no reason came back to life and regained his glory. , in their eyes, An Guangsha's victory seemed to be written in black and white script, undoubted, and expected by all, while Yan Qianfan was just a foil, a step on the soles of the feet for climbing, a step for support The firewood that burst into flames and burned the body, his failure is already doomed.

The cheers were also mixed with cynicism:

"It deserves it, this is the end of being a traitor."

"Did you know? This person is wearing women's clothes early in the morning, messing around in front of the young master, like a crazy woman."

"Young master's attack is too light, and his arms and legs should be broken."

……

The sorrow and joy in the play are fake, but the bloodshed on the ring is real.

Yan Qianfan's hands were covered with blood, and bright red liquid was still gushing out from between his fingers. The wound he covered seemed to have turned into a pitch-black hollow, bottomless, filled with endless bad luck.

The gun in his hand fell to his feet, leaning against the edge of the ring, precariously.

His figure was also shaking, and he let out a hoarse voice between his trembling teeth: "I lost."

An Guangxia put away his gun, lowered his eyes, as if looking at him, or at the void in the distance, and didn't pay attention to him at all.

He propped up his feet, barely straightened his shoulders, then turned and walked down the ring.

When he stepped down the last step, his eyes suddenly went dark, and Yan Yuehua's face appeared in his blurred vision.

"Brother..." He raised his head slowly, "I'm not as skilled as others, and I've embarrassed the Yan family."

Yan Yuehua stared at him, his facial features tensed, and there seemed to be blue veins floating between his brows, like a firecracker on the verge of bursting, which made him shrink his shoulders involuntarily, and lowered his head again.

After a brief silence, he heard Yan Yuehua's deep voice: "Go and rest first."

Yan Qianfan buried his head even lower: "Brother, I'm sorry..."

Discussions from the audience kept pouring into my ears: "What kind of second owner can only hide behind the eldest brother, I think he is a wimp."

Yan Qianfan only felt that the soles of his feet were getting heavier and heavier.

"Go." Yan Yuehua repeated again.

Yan Qianfan stepped forward, rubbing his brother's shoulders, and stepped straight into the shadow under the ring.Several attendants immediately came to his eyes and wiped the blood for him in a hurry. Another took out the wound medicine and hurriedly sprinkled it on his face, but the method was unfamiliar, and more than half of it was spilled out.

"What a waste," said a voice from the side, "let me do it."

Yan Qianfan was gritting his teeth and enduring the pain when he heard a familiar voice and raised his head with difficulty, a red shadow floated in his vision blurred by blood and sweat.

"Brother Liu," he called hoarsely.

Liu Hongfeng stepped forward, supported Yan Qianfan's shoulders, and helped him to sit down slowly. He sat in the shadow under the ring, leaning against the cold beam.Then he urged: "Slowly close your eyes, hold back and don't move."

When the wound medicine is sprinkled on the wound, it hurts a hundred times more than burning fire.

"Oh," Yan Qianfan replied in a muffled voice, his fingers tightly clenched into fists, his lips whitened by his teeth, waiting in silence for the pain to gradually subside.

The cool particles gradually dissipated and gathered into a thin stream, preventing the pain from spreading further.

"Okay, the bleeding has stopped for now."

Liu Hongfeng let go of Yan Qianfan's shoulder, and then let out a long breath.

His palms were also drenched with sweat, and he turned his gaze to the side, sized the person beside him from head to toe, and finally whispered: "The price of your bitter plan is too high."

Yan Qianfan still lowered his head, with a wry smile on the corner of his mouth: "I didn't know that Big Brother An would hit me so cruelly..."

Liu Hongfeng was stunned, and his gaze softened when he looked around: "An Guangsha's marksmanship is straightforward, and it may not be easy to show mercy."

"That's right," Yan Qianfan nodded, "Brother An has always been like this, his marksmanship is as upright as his own, even after walking around in the dungeon, he still hasn't changed at all."

Liu Hongfeng showed surprise: "He treats you so cruelly, don't you blame him?"

Yan Qianfan paused for a moment, then said: "He is not wrong, how can I blame him."

Liu Hongfeng asked again: "But he misunderstood you several times, are you not afraid of him?"

Yan Qianfan let out an inaudible sigh, and replied: "I am not wrong, how can I be afraid of him."

Liu Hongfeng was secretly surprised, and looked at Yan Qianfan's expression again, as if getting to know this person all over again.This person was defeated in embarrassment, not only injured, but also became the laughing stock of the whole world, but his mind was still as clear as before.

Yan Qianfan still hung his head, his brand new blue shirt was once again covered with dust, his hair was messily pasted on his forehead, and his expression was gloomy.

He is neither proud nor humble, he is just helpless and helpless.

That unusually clear and bright eye may no longer be able to see the light.

Thinking of this, Liu Hongfeng's heart softened, and even his usually unforgiving mouth became kind and comfortable: "Since An Guangsha is not wrong, and you are not wrong, you might as well avoid him and stop having sex with him." No matter what, it's good for both of you."

Yan Qianfan raised his head suddenly, as if he had heard something terrible, he looked at Liu Hongfeng in surprise: "How can this be done?"

"Why not?" Liu Hongfeng said, "Look at the two stars of Shangshang in the sky, weren't they brothers once."

Liu Hongfeng didn't continue talking, but his meaning was already clear.Who doesn't know the story of Shenshang, Shensu is in the west, Shangsu is in the east, separated from each other, and will never see each other again.The stars in the sky are like this, let alone ordinary people in the world.

Yan Qianfan just shook his head: "No, I'll go find him right now..."

"Wait." Liu Hongfeng stopped immediately, but it was too late, Yan Qianfan just propped himself up, and before he could stand still, he curled up again covering his wound.

The blood that was so easily stopped trickled out from between his fingers.

"It hurts...it hurts me to death." He grinned and twitched his shoulders.

Liu Hongfeng sighed, and said: "You are seriously injured, I will take you back to Zhujianzhuang right away, my little ghost has studied medicine, I will ask him to take a look at it for you, if the injury is not deep, maybe you will still be injured. There is room for redemption.”

"No need," Yan Qianfan smiled wryly, "It's just one eye, if it's gone, it's gone. At least there's one left, and I can still see it."

He stood up, moved his blood-stained palms, and slowly opened his eyes, looking through the strands of wet hair and the vision blurred by hot sweat.Looking towards the arena in front of him.

Even with only one lone eye left, he still stubbornly followed An Guangsha's figure.

An Guangsha stood alone in the middle of the ring.

His figure is not tall, because of the heavy pressure and hard work of the past few days, he is thinner and more haggard than before.But the gun in his hand was extremely tall and straight. The gleaming barrel of the gun pointed toward the sky, and the sunlight poured down the tip of the gun, forming a brilliant golden waterfall. put red flowers.His figure was also bathed in it, and the outline was coated with a layer of golden light, revealing a bit of holiness beyond the ordinary.

His gaze swept across the stage once again, and also in the direction of Yan Qianfan, but he didn't stay on the latter for a moment.

After scanning around, he asked again, "Anyone else challenge?"

No one answered.

The emptiness on the stage contrasted sharply with the crowdedness off the stage, highlighting his position even more.When he spoke, the crowded crowd also became extremely solemn, as if shocked by his majesty.

After a long wait, he finally put away the gun.

"The young master won!" Feng Guangsheng shouted excitedly from the audience.

All the people in Xiling village echoed with cheers.

The rest of the onlookers had their own thoughts, silently watching the carnival of a group of down-and-out families.

Yan Yuehua finally stepped onto the stage,

As the owner of Zhujianzhuang and one of the organizers of the martial arts conference, he should congratulate An Guangsha. However, his steps were a bit slow, and the dark crane cloak covered his shoulders and chest. With his beating heart, his face seemed to be wearing an exquisite mask, which completely covered his emotions, anger, sorrow, and joy.

"Congratulations, An Shaoxia, you are a well-deserved winner today." He said in a flat tone.

The eyes of the two met.

That moment was short, but in the eyes of a third person, it became extremely slow and long.

Yan Qianfan was watching them.

Standing in an inconspicuous corner below the ring, this man was shrouded in a deep shadow, but he poked his head out desperately, greedily taking the figures of An Guangsha and Yan Yuehua into his eyes.

Liu Hongfeng heard him holding his breath.

The picture reflected in his eyes is not a play. Everyone has expectations and attachments to the stories in life.He was no exception, he watched closely the two people who were closely related to him, with an urgent expression, as if he was expecting something - a word, even a few words, was enough to make him jump with joy.

However, not everyone gets what they want.

No matter how eager he is, he is just a foil in other people's dramas, full of scars, doing his best, sacrificing everything, there are still too many things that are out of reach, and too many wishes that are difficult to realize.

An Guangsha kept silent, just stood indifferently, no joy could be seen on his solemn face, let alone concern or guilt.

Yan Yuehua also looked away.

Yan Qianfan's shoulders slumped, and his only eye was closed in sweat.He turned around, slipped into the shadows again, and slid down against the pillar, propped his forehead with one hand, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Liu Hongfeng was still watching the situation on stage.

He saw Song Yungui and Duan Qichang also came up to the stage, representing Dongfengtang and Tianjimen, and paying tribute to An Guangsha.

"An Shaoxia's marksmanship really lives up to its reputation."

They complimented him like this, but their expressions were very indifferent. No one called An Guangsha as the Young Master of Xiling Village anymore, because Xiling Village had already been destroyed, and the title of Young Master naturally ceased to exist.

A deep chasm has opened between them, which cannot be filled by an easy victory.

"If you have no other advice, I will take my leave."

After An Guangxia finished speaking, he picked up the gun, put the long barrel behind his back, and walked slowly towards the stage.Passing through the crowd without looking sideways, he went straight to his companions, as if compared with the compliments from the world, the sporadic applause and cheers were his destination.

Liu Hongfeng watched as his back was submerged in the crowd.

Three days, three competitions, three winners were settled.However, the storm brewing on this isolated island is still dormant under the calm blue sky.

It is impatient.

While the people in Xiling Village were celebrating their victory, Zhujian Village was shrouded in a solemn haze.

The solemnity was due to the injury of the second villa owner.

What is gloomy is the complexion of the big village owner.

Yan Yuehua's temperament has always been introverted and gentle, even if his subordinates make mistakes, he seldom gets angry. Everyone in Zhujianzhuang is familiar with his temper and loves him very much.It's a pity that his gentle disposition is like a stream of water, since Yan Qianfan returned home, it has been cut off at the middle and replaced by a torrent pouring from time to time.

The fact that Yan Qianfan was injured undoubtedly made things worse.

Liu Qian was brought into Zhujianzhuang by Liu Hongfeng to treat Yan Qianfan's injury.The room was hot and dry, because a brazier was lit. Liu Qian put a long and narrow knife on the brazier, and repeatedly ironed it.

This is a bone-scraping knife specially used to treat trauma. Under the smudge of the charcoal fire, the tip of the blade is quickly burned red.

Everyone in the room focused their eyes on Liu Qian, but Liu Qian turned a blind eye and focused on the flames until the red-hot area spread into a thin strip along the blade. He immediately lifted the knife and waved his hand to signal .

Liu Hongfeng at the side understood, took out a brand new square scarf from the hot water, wrung it slightly, and handed it over.

Although Liu Qian was still young, he was engrossed and meticulous in practicing medicine. Even Liu Hongfeng couldn't intervene and could only help him from the sidelines.

Holding a hot scarf in his left hand and a bright red knife in his right, Liu Qian walked towards Yan Qianfan.

Yan Qianfan was lying on the bed, his hands and feet were held down by several people together, unable to move, like a fish being pressed on a chopping board to be slaughtered.

Liu Qianju looked at him condescendingly, and finally said: "Your injury didn't touch the eyeball, but the wound is too long, and some parts have festered. You must cut out the pus immediately to save your eyes."

The fish on the chopping board opened its mouth wide, showing surprise: "Can I keep my eyes? This is good news."

Liu Qian paused for a moment, then said: "The bad news is that I don't have any anesthetic on me, and it's too late to go down the mountain to find it now, so you can only endure the pain."

Yan Qianfan was startled at first, then pursed his lips and said, "I see, you can do it."

"Close your eyes and bite this." Liu Qian put the scalded towel into his mouth, then picked up the knife and probed towards the wound.

In the silence, it seemed as if the sound of a knife cutting through flesh and bone could be heard.Liu Qian's movements were slow and meticulous, but the blood still dripped from the wound and stained between his fingers.

The charcoal fire was still burning in the room, and a layer of sweat soon appeared on Yan Qianfan's forehead. He tried not to moan, but his teeth were gnashing loudly.

"……All right."

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Qian finally withdrew from his side, and finally let go of the pressure on his hands and feet.Yan Qianfan only felt weak all over his body, as exhausted as if he had collapsed, unable to exert any strength in his hands and feet, so he could only allow others to wipe off the blood, apply the wound medicine, and wrap his injured eyes with bandages.

Liu Qian let out a long breath, sat cross-legged on the floor, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

The heavy haze was finally released, and the slightly hot air stagnant in the charcoal fire began to flow again.

Yan Yuehua was the first to leave, he walked quickly to the bed, instinctively stretched out his hand to touch Yan Qianfan's eyes, but his fingers stopped halfway, and slowly retracted.He turned to ask, "How?"

Yan Qianfan propped himself up, slowly opened his good eyes, and was startled by the face that suddenly jumped into his eyes.

Seeing it, Liu Qian immediately jumped up from the ground, stopped Yan Yuehua's questioning, and told the patient in the bed: "Your eyes are saved, but it will take some time to recover from the trauma. You must not be injured again before, otherwise even the gods will not be able to save you."

"I will be obedient." Yan Qianfan had regained his composure and nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, little genius doctor."

Liu Qian's face darkened. Although he loved others' compliments, he hated hearing the word "small" in front of his name, so he immediately suppressed his smile, rubbed his chin and said, "I'll give it to you again." Prescribe some medicines for relaxing tendons and activating blood circulation, the more bitter the medicine, the more effective it will be."

"No, don't bother." Yan Qianfan heard the dissatisfaction in his words, and waved his hands in fright.

At this time, Yan Yuehua turned to Liu Qian, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you two Mrs. Liu for your great help, Yan is very grateful."

Yan Yuehua's attitude was modest and courteous, quite different from Yan Qianfan's. Seeing it, Liu Qian felt a surge of goodwill in his heart, and then he bowed and said, "You don't have to be polite, the owner. It's this guy's responsibility in the first place. Protect yourself." He raised his finger and poked Liu Hongfeng's nose unceremoniously.

Liu Hongfeng glared at him in the dark, then turned to Yan Yuehua, bowed her head obediently and said, "Xiao Qian was right in criticizing, it was my negligence."

Yan Yuehua bowed his hand: "No, it's his own responsibility. I'll have a good talk with him right now. If you two are tired, you might as well go and rest first. I prepared tea and simple meals in the outer hall."

"No, I'm not tired—" Liu Qiangang wanted to say, but Liu Hongfeng covered his mouth and pulled him aside, and gestured for him to keep quiet.

Yan Yuehua had already turned to the side, looking at her younger brother, her face turned from sunny to cloudy: "Do you know what's wrong?"

Yan Qianfan also followed Liu Hongfeng's example, obediently lowered his head, and said, "I lost the competition and shamed the Yan family."

But the elder brother was not polite to him, after a brief silence, he asked: "Why don't you use the Yan family's swordsmanship?"

Yan Qianfan couldn't help being startled, raised his head and replied: "I left home too early, the Yan family's kung fu is not good enough, besides..." He hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to say, "Besides, the Yan family's swordsmanship is no match West Ridge Gun."

After all, he avoided his eyes, not daring to look directly into his brother's eyes.

But when his eyes touched the table beside the bed, he saw his brother's face again in the clean bronze mirror.

That side face was more dignified than he remembered, and his appearance had changed a lot, almost like a stranger.They are clearly related by blood, but they are separated, and they have never confided in each other. He has no idea what he will look like in the eyes of the other party.

Yan Yuehua didn't get angry as he expected, but just said indifferently: "Assuming you answered honestly, Xiling Village's martial arts are indeed better than Yan's, and the people there are more fond of your temper, but don't forget, you always It's from the Yan family."

"I know."

"Since you know, why do you still hide it from me and go to see An Guangsha dressed like a clown? Do you think our Yan family is not ashamed enough?"

Yan Qianfan was shocked, he only remembered the mistake of losing the martial arts competition, but forgot about sneaking out. Now that he was mercilessly criticized by his elder brother, he could only bury his head and admit it, preparing for the coming storm.

Unexpectedly, Yan Yuehua did not continue to scold him, but turned to his attendant, and said coldly: "Lanzhi, come here."

Lanzhi was squatting by the sink, just washed the bloody stains, when she heard the summons, she shivered immediately, before she had time to dry her fingers, she got up tremblingly, and walked quickly to Yan Yuehua.

The slender fingertips were hanging by the side, dripping water constantly.

"Did the Second Master wear your clothes when he went out?"

"Yes, it's mine..."

"I arranged for you to take care of his daily life, but you let him go out in your tattered clothes?!"

Yan Yuehua spoke sternly, his voice was like thunder, and he burst out full of energy, shaking the beam above his head slightly, and the lingering sound trembled out of anger, lingering around the beam, and it also shook Lanzhi trembling.

"It's because I didn't think carefully, it's because I neglected the second villa owner, it's all my fault..." Lanzhi said incoherently, with her head buried in her chest, her eyes secretly raised, and she glanced at Yan Yuehua's face, only to see the old man in the past. The mild-tempered and gentle owner seemed to be a different person. He frowned tightly, his eyes were as sharp as knives, and his sharp eyes pierced directly into her eyes.

She was so frightened that her legs gave way and she knelt down on the ground.

Yan Yuehua was unmoved at all, and said coldly: "Lanzhi, you have ruined the Yan family's face and caused the second owner to be humiliated. According to the ancestor's precept, I should expel you from the house and never use you again."

"No, owner, please don't drive me away. Outside...it's very dangerous outside now. Others say...that Yingzhou Island is full of murderous devils. I...I don't want to die yet..."

She stayed in the Yan family's house since she was a child, inherited her mother's mantle as a servant, and took care of the owner.Although he has no worries about food and clothing, he has never been out of the island and never knows what it looks like outside.

Yan Qianfan couldn't sit still anymore, he stepped forward, helped the girl up, comforted her shoulders, and said softly: "Lanzhi, it's okay, don't be afraid."

Yan Yuehua said with a straight face: "I act according to the family rules, what are you singing about?"

Yan Qianfan raised his head and said: "Brother, borrowing Lanzhi's clothes is my own will, I have to force her, you told her to obey my orders, she did not violate my orders, it shows that she kept her word, kept her promise, and obeyed my orders." The rules of the ancestors will not drive such a good talent out of the house."

Yan Yuehua narrowed her eyes: "It seems that you have made up your mind to protect her?"

"Yes," Yan Qianfan replied without hesitation, "Brother, I have been inferior to you since I was a child. You have worked hard for the Yan family for many years, but I can only drag the ancestors back. If you want to punish, you can punish me." It's fine to be alone, if you want to beat or scold, I will never complain."

After finishing speaking, he met his elder brother's gaze directly.

Yan Yuehua also stared at him, frowning into a ball.

They don't look like brothers, but like enemies who are wary of each other and suspicious of each other.

"Ahem," Liu Hongfeng pretended to speak, and interjected from the sidelines, "Master Yan, Qian Fan was seriously injured and needs to rest. I think you should be lenient. Write down any mistakes, and you won't be punished next time." Late."

Yan Yuehua closed his eyes, let out a long sigh, and said, "Okay, I won't punish you, nor will I punish Lanzhi, but you have to promise me one condition. From now on, you are not allowed to step out of Zhujianzhuang, unless I need you. Otherwise, you will not show up until the martial arts conference is over."

"Big brother..."

"Yan Qianfan, don't you value love and righteousness? Do you dare to be as trustworthy as Lanzhi and keep your promises? Do you dare to promise me?"

Yan Qianfan lowered his head, as if enduring great pain. After a long time, he finally said, "I promise you."

Yan Yuehua nodded, and then turned to the shivering girl beside him: "Lanzhi, you don't have to wait on him anymore today, you have been troubled a lot these days, and you have worked hard too, go back to your room to rest first."

"Zhuang... Zhuang Master, I'm not tired, I can still work." Lanzhi still had a look of fear.

"It's okay, I won't drive you away, you can go at ease." Yan Yuehua's tone became flat as usual.

Lanzhi nodded slightly, with a suspicious look on her face, she glanced at Yan Qianfan again, saw the latter nodding to her, and finally turned and left.

Yan Qianfan watched Lanzhi go away, then showed surprise, and asked, "Brother, don't you find someone to guard me?"

Yan Yuehua said: "The Yan family's sword is not as good as Xiling's spear, and I am not as young as you. If you really betray me and abandon me, how can I stop you with my ability?"

Yan Qianfan stood there dumbfounded.

Yan Yuehua let out a soft sigh, and said: "You like Jianghu morality, so I will treat you with Jianghu morality, and I won't force you anymore. It's just..." He paused for a moment, as if he was choked by his own words, "If you choose If you leave, you will never come back, and from now on, I, Yan Yuehua, will never have you as my younger brother."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for the other party to answer, he turned to the side and said, "Young Master Feng, Xiao Qian, you have worked hard, follow me to the outer hall for tea."

Yan Qianfan was speechless, but opened his only remaining eyes wide, watching his brother's back disappear by the door.

Lanzhi left first, Yan Yuehua took Liu Hongfeng and Liu Qian away, and the rest of the servants were also dismissed, leaving him alone in the room.

No one saw the sadness in his eyes.

Xiling Snow Mountain, surrounded by perilous peaks, shrouded in clouds and smoke, is cold all year round. This desolate and desolate scenery has never changed for thousands of years.

This is also the frontier of the country. The official road ends after leaving the mountain. After that, there is only the wilderness. To the west is the Tibetan plateau, and to the south is the Erhai Lake of Dali. Even the officers and soldiers of the Pingnan Prince's Mansion were unwilling to station here, and tried their best to shirk their responsibilities, and they couldn't see them all year round. Only Xiling Village stood at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, and more than a hundred people in the village worked together to fight against the bandits. Keep one side peaceful.

Ten years ago, Yan Qianfan set foot on this land for the first time.

It was when he was only in his early ten years old, and his knowledge of the world was limited to his mother's pillow talk and the scribbled script at the bottom of the box.He imagined himself as the hero of the story, and imagined his journey as a majestic expedition to dispel the fear of being far from home.

But his journey was not as smooth as in the story. The temperature dropped sharply along the way, and he caught wind and cold early. Born on the seashore, it is completely difficult to get used to the dry and cold in the snow.There are often strong winds blowing in the mountains, like the tip of a knife cutting the face. Even on a sunny day, the snowflakes on the ground will be swept up into the air, dancing wildly, and burrowing into his skirt, cuffs, and back collar like bugs, stinging him. Bitten all over