ask willow

After breakfast the next morning, Liu Zhongyi followed Wen Yan out of the inn. The man helped him on the horse and walked for a long time before he suddenly remembered: "Isn't our horse asking about Jianmen?"

Wen Yan led the horse and walked beside him, and replied, "I bought it again."

Liu Zhongyi nodded: "But our money is still there."

Wen Yan smiled and said, "I pawned that Ye Mingzhu, it's fine if you want to take a carriage."

"The carriage is too troublesome." Liu Zhongyi frowned and rejected the idea.

The two walked out of the city gate for a while, and there were no people around. Wen Yan led the horse to stop, and said, "Zhong Yi, sit a little closer."

"Huh?" Liu Zhongyi was a little puzzled, but still moved his body according to his words, and then heard the wind blowing in his ears, a warm body fell behind him, and he wrapped his arms around him, grabbing the reins in front of him.

"..."

Wen Yan felt that his body was a little stiff. Although Liu Zhongyi had martial arts skills and did some things that were not too different from ordinary people after being blind, Wen Yan still felt uneasy about letting him ride a horse alone, not to mention that his injuries were not healed yet. .

Liu Zhongyi also knew what he was thinking, so she didn't object, and sat a little further forward, and said in a low voice, "Actually...the carriage is not bad, either."

Wen Yan couldn't help but smile when he heard this, and said, "Okay, I'll buy you one when we get back to Licheng."

"..." With the warm breath lingering in his ears, Liu Zhongyi tilted his head slightly awkwardly.

Wen Yan controlled the horse to run slowly, and said to the person sitting upright in front, "Zhong Yi, I just realized that you have grown a lot taller."

Liu Zhongyi listened to him with a sideways face, and nodded slightly, "I'm twenty."

Indeed, he didn't always stay in the thirteen or fourteen-year-old appearance in his memory. For some reason, Wen Yan suddenly had some emotions that his own children had grown up. This feeling is a bit inexplicable, and it really shouldn't be there, Wen Yan Unconsciously laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at?" Liu Zhongyi has become more and more sensitive to voice these days, even if the laughter was very soft, it still couldn't escape his ears.

"It's nothing." Wen Yan pursed his lips slightly, and when he saw his handsome and innocent face turned sideways, he suddenly felt a little teasing, "Zhong Yi, when we return to Licheng, you have to pretend to be a little .”

"what?"

"You said that you have to be real in acting. Now our identities, you are the young master of a rich family, and I am your follower."

Liu Zhongyi slightly raised his eyebrows: "I've never seen the young master ride the same horse with his servant."

It was rare for Wen Yan to see him joking like this, so he couldn't help but follow him and said, "Why don't you get off the horse and use light work?" He said as if to leave.

"You..." Liu Zhongyi subconsciously grabbed his hand holding the rein, only to realize that the man didn't intend to let go. He was deceived, so he quickly took his hand away.

In fact, no matter how indifferent he behaves and how well he conceals it, the feeling of darkness in the whole world will definitely make Liu Zhongyi feel insecure.If he didn't put the dishes in his bowl when he was eating, he wouldn't know where the dishes were, and if he was walking without someone leading him, he would bump into many people and he wouldn't be able to tell the direction.A very simple thing seems to suddenly become very difficult. It can be easily controlled without much effort, but now it can't even be done at all.

It didn't take a moment for Liu Zhongyi to grab him, but Wen Yan suddenly understood that he was as calm as him, but in fact there would be times of panic, and he just hid it habitually, giving people an illusion of indifference.

In fact, some details of the past two days have been shown very clearly, such as Liu Zhongyi getting closer to him than before. The root cause is actually because of that person's anxiety after losing his eyesight.

Wen Yan suddenly felt some pity, how strange, just because of that short moment of touching.

Liu Zhongyi said something again, but was overwhelmed by the wind, Wen Yan couldn't hear clearly for a while: "What did you say?"

"I said, did Yeli change your face for you? I have never seen... a follower who looks like you."

"What?"

"..."

"Huh?" Wen Yan saw that he had stopped talking, although he guessed the general meaning, he still couldn't help putting on a gentle and pressing posture.

"It's beautiful." Liu Zhongyi turned around and said very calmly.

Wen Yan slightly hooked the corners of his lips, "Yeli gave me a mask and a beard."

"Oh?" Liu Zhongyi seemed very curious, turned around and raised his hand to touch his face, it was indeed the touch of a human skin mask, with a beard around his lips.

"Don't pull it off." Wen Yan reminded him.

Liu Zhongyi let go of the beard, turned back, and said, "Yeli's disguise technique is very powerful, and I also learned from him."

Wen Yan nodded: "It is indeed very subtle, but how to remove it?"

"I can't tell you this." Liu Zhongyi answered seriously.

Wen Yan smiled, "Well, let's not talk about it."

After they returned to Licheng, they didn't go directly to ask about Jianmen, but found an inn to stay. After all, Liu Zhongyi wanted to avoid the ghost tower's eyeliner now, if he went there so blatantly, it would be easy to expose his identity.

After Wen Yan placed him in the inn, he first went to Jianmen to inquire quietly. After learning that Yuan Qingfeng came, he brought back the news that Yi Zhaoyong and Luo Nan had died together, helped to reorganize the affairs of the door, and presided over the Let the eldest disciple in the sect take over the position of sect master.After arranging these things, he would often stay alone in the cemetery in the back mountain without being disturbed by anyone.

After inquiring about the good news, Wen Yan took Liu Zhongyi directly to the back mountain.

There are few people coming to the back mountain, and they are usually ordinary people who chop firewood and collect herbs, so no disciples are arranged to guard it.

Because he came here once, Wen Yan was quite familiar with it, and not long after he took Liu Zhongyi with him, he found the place where Yi Tianxing's body was cremated and buried last time.

That place was the burial place that Yi Tianxing had entrusted long ago before his death. Generally, the place where the disciples of Wenjianmen are buried is not here, so there is only a lonely tomb in the forest.

From a distance, I saw a person sitting in front of the grave with a jug of wine beside him. That person was alone, pouring a glass for himself, and pouring another glass in front of the grave, as if drinking with someone.

"I think how comfortable the three of us were when we traveled around, but now it's only been 20 years, and I'm the only one alive," Yuan Qingfeng murmured while holding the wine glass, "Brother, it's good for you, leave me alone and reunite with my third brother." ..."

He filled the two wine glasses in front of him one by one, and was about to say something more, when he heard the slight sound of clothes brushing against the grass and trees in the forest, he stopped his movements and said in a deep voice, "Who is it?"

"Senior Yuan."

Wen Yan did not dodge, and walked over with Liu Zhongyi, clasped his fists in a salute, and said, "Sorry for the trouble."

Liu Zhongyi couldn't see anyone, so he also saluted in the direction of the voice to show respect.

Yuan Qingfeng heard his voice, nodded and said: "So it's Nephew Wen Xian, I expected you to come, but why are you dressed like this?"

Wen Yan said: "My friend was followed by someone, so he changed his appearance to deceive others, senior don't have to worry." After a slight pause, he asked after deliberation: "I don't know if Senior Yuan found any clues when he asked the sword gate?"

Yuan Qingfeng nodded slightly, "I have indeed found it. The sign in the elder brother's room is very familiar to me. After thinking about it carefully, I recalled seeing it in Yunchuan."

"Is it adjacent to Shaozhou?"

"That's right. Back then, the three of us traveled all over the world, from Leluyuan in the north, Baimo in the west, and Yuhai in the south. Yunchuan is also a place we have been to. It is very remote, and many customs and cultures are similar to Zhongzhou is different, but it has a special charm." Yuan Qingfeng couldn't help showing a look of reminiscence, and after a while, he came back to his senses and said: "The climate over there is hot and humid, although the scenery is beautiful, but there are many poisonous insects and miasma, and some people are good at raising Gu , quite dangerous."

Wen Yan frowned slightly, and understood his guess: "Senior Yuan suspects that the Gu poison this time came from Yunchuan?"

"Well," Yuan Qingfeng continued: "That time we entered Yunchuan with a caravan, and you know that although the caravans who go there often never return, because they can make huge profits, there must be a lot of money under the heavy money. Yongfu, there are many people who think that the money they can earn from one visit will be enough to spend half their lives. The goods that the caravan brought over are some silk and exquisite gold, silver and jade articles, which are very valuable in Yunchuan. We are traveling with the caravan In the end, we encountered robbers blocking the way. At first, it was only a few thieves, but they were quickly dealt with, and we didn't care." Yuan Qingfeng frowned, as if trying to recall the scene of that day, "It turned out that at night Some people led many people to seek revenge, judging by their clothes, it seems that they are not as simple as robbers, but more like a sect."

"Sect?"

"Perhaps it is not appropriate to describe it as a sect," Yuan Qingfeng thought for a while, and said: "That night was a fierce battle. Although we killed their leader together, the third brother was also seriously injured and almost died. The guards hired by the army were almost all killed. The clothes of the group were all decorated with snakes, and the cloak of their leader had the emblem embroidered with gold thread."

Wen Yan was slightly startled, "The one in Senior Yi's room?"

"That's right, although it's been a long time, I still remember that night vividly. When I think about it for a while, I can still smell the smell of blood. The logo embroidered with gold thread on the capes of those people's leaders is very special during the fight." I remembered it in a blink of an eye." Yuan Qingfeng explained: "After that, I drew the sign and asked the local people, but they didn't want to say more about it to outsiders."

"Besides that, are there any other clues?"

Yuan Qingfeng nodded: "After we left Yunchuan, we went to Shaozhou. There was a sect there called Biling, who always pursued the practice of hiding their names. Although they were not well-known in the Jianghu, their martial arts were very strong. The sect leaders are all hidden masters. When we went to pay a visit to the Biling faction, we heard about the sign from there."

Yuan Qingfeng paused, thought for a while, and then slowly said: "We learned from the Biling Sect that it is the symbol of Yunchuan Mingsha Sect. Martial arts are also very powerful. This sect has a lot of influence in the Yunshao area, but it has always been in harmony with Zhongzhou Wulin. It is just that some people regard it as a crooked sect because of its advocacy of voodoo and poisonous arts. We talk to the head of the Biling sect After that night, he told us that the symbol of the Mingsha Sect is a snake, and the symbol of snakes is only embroidered on the clothes of those with a very high status in the sect.”

Wen Yan pondered and said: "In this way, the seniors may have feuded with the Mingsha Sect because of what happened that night?"

"Well," Yuan Qingfeng frowned, and said in a low voice: "Besides, according to our description, Biling's head suspects that the person that night was probably the leader of the Mingsha Sect."

Wen Yan was startled, and couldn't help but think of the jade pendant that was only half left - if the symbol of the snakes is so important to the Mingsha Sect, then the identity of the person who left the jade pendant must not be simple, and it is very likely that he is also in a high position of.

He slightly turned his head to look at Liu Zhongyi, but saw that his eyes were slightly lowered, his face was expressionless, and he seemed unmoved.

Yuan Qingfeng said: "That man's martial arts were indeed tyrannical. Although we worked together to kill him, the casualties on our side were even more severe. Those businessmen were so frightened that they chose to leave Yunchuan the next day."

Wen Yan nodded: "Does Senior Yuan suspect that this incident has something to do with Mingsha Sect?"

"It's not just this time," Yuan Qingfeng said, "I suspect that the death of my third brother 18 years ago was also caused by the Mingsha Sect." He reached out and picked up a jade pendant placed on the tombstone, gently caress.

The whole body of the jade pendant was pure white, it looked like a high-quality suet jade, probably someone had held it in his hand and stroked it all year round, and it looked extraordinarily smooth and soft.What is carved on the jade pendant is a simple cloud pattern, with a sense of elegance in its delicacy.

After a while, Yuan Qingfeng said: "Third brother is lazy, never enmity with others, and seldom kills him. Those who killed him must have deep resentment, but they couldn't be found out no matter how hard they searched back then, and Luo Nan happened to be It appeared in that place, and I have to suspect that the same force is behind the two."

Wen Yan frowned slightly, and said, "If that's the case, wouldn't Mingsha Sect's next target be Senior Yuan?"

Yuan Qingfeng couldn't help sneering: "I want to wait for them to come to me."

Wen Yan lowered his eyes slightly, and noticed that there was another similar jade pendant on the tombstone. The material of that jade pendant was very similar to the one in Yuan Qingfeng's hand, and even the shape and craftsmanship seemed to match, so it should be from the same person. .But the jade pendant placed on the tombstone is engraved with a flying eagle, and the knife craftsmanship is so exquisite that even the feathers are distinct.

Yuan Qingfeng also picked up the jade pendant, held them together in his hands, and said slowly: "If possible, I will definitely avenge my elder brother and third younger brother."

Wen Yan said: "If the enemy is dark, we will be clear, senior should be careful."

Yuan Qingfeng closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, "These two jade pendants were carved by me. One was originally intended to be given to the third younger brother. We agreed to meet each other, but waited for the news of his death. The other was given to the eldest brother, but now I have returned it. In my hands. Yuan has no wife and no children in his life, only these two brothers, and now they are no longer alive, and I don't have much nostalgia."

Wen Yan stopped persuading him, looking at the man in front of him who was over half a hundred years old, he suddenly felt that the years were rushing by, turning into a void in an instant, and it was beyond human power to force him to stay, trapped in it, maybe when he looked back suddenly, everyone around him was gone .

Thinking of it this way, I couldn't help but feel some emotions in my heart.

Turning his head to look at Liu Zhongyi, he saw that his delicate and handsome face was indifferent and slightly cool, his eyes could not reveal any expression, his whole person looked cold and dissociated.

"someone is coming."

Liu Zhongyi suddenly tilted his head slightly, and opened his mouth to remind.

Wen Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he just remembered that he couldn't see, so naturally he didn't know that he was looking at him.With Yuan Qingfeng's consent, the two backed away and found a big tree to hide.

The location is not far away, and the two can hear the voice of the conversation over there by restraining their breath.

The person who came seemed to be a disciple of the Hidden Mountain Sect, and his words seemed to be somewhat anxious.

"Master Chen, Junior Brother Chen went shopping in the street just now, and heard some people from all walks of life discussing that someone plotted against our faction the day before yesterday. It seems that there are casualties in the faction."

"Oh? Is there any news from the pie?"

"Never."

"..."

"The head—"

"We'll be back tonight, you let them pack it up first."

"Yes."

Wen Yan and Liu Zhongyi returned to the tomb when the footsteps were far away. Yuan Qingfeng murmured, "I'm going back to the Yinshan School tonight."

Wen Yan said: "Senior suspects that the person who plotted against the Yinshan Sect is also a member of the Mingsha Sect?"

Yuan Qingfeng nodded: "That's right. After all, it's not long before. It's too coincidental. If I'm not wrong, the Mingsha Sect's target is me. It's just that I don't know many people during this trip, so they probably missed it."

Wen Yan frowned slightly, before he could speak, he only heard Liu Zhongyi say: "Senior, I'm afraid this time's matter is not simple."

Yuan Qingfeng said indifferently: "Since they want to take revenge, then just come and do it, the cycle of cause and effect will eventually come to an end, regardless of success or failure, life or death, just want to be clear in your heart."

Liu Zhongyi hesitated to speak, but finally restrained his expression and said nothing more.

Yuan Qingfeng leaned over and dumped all the wine in the pot in front of the grave, and said flatly, "I'm going ahead."

"Senior take care."

The three of them hugged their fists and said goodbye, Wen Yan looked at Yuan Qingfeng's leaving back, and couldn't help sighing softly, until the man had disappeared, then he said: "Zhong Yi, should we also go to the Yinshan School?"

Liu Zhongyi was silent for a while, before saying: "I always feel that there seems to be something missing, but I can't think of it."

Seeing his thoughtful expression, Wen Yan said: "It's getting late, let's go back to the inn first. No matter where we go next, we must find a chance to get the luggage back from the Sword Asking Gate. I only carry a small amount of emergency medicine with me."

"Ah."

When the two returned to the inn, it was already dinner time. There were quite a few diners on the first floor, and it was a bustling scene.

In the past few days, because Liu Zhongyi's eyesight has been inconvenient, both of them asked Xiao Er to bring the food to the guest room, but Wen Yan was about to go upstairs, but Liu Zhongyi gently pulled his cuff, he turned his head, and saw the man slightly Frowning, tilting his head as if listening intently.

Standing in front of the counter like this for a while, the waiter recognized them as guests staying at the inn, and greeted them, asking attentively if they wanted to eat downstairs first or send some food up directly.

Wen Yan understood Liu Zhongyi's meaning, and replied: "Let's eat downstairs," he glanced at the lobby, and pointed to an inconspicuous place, "Let's just go there."

Liu Zhongyi couldn't see what he was referring to, so he just responded lightly according to their current disguised identities, "Okay."

Xiao Er led them to sit down, and said, "What would you like to eat, sir? Our steamed crucian carp with water shield is famous all over the place, do you want to try it?"

Wen Yan glanced at Liu Zhongyi, seeing that his attention was obviously still drawn to other places, so he asked, "Anything else?"

Crucian carp has spines, he thought Liu Zhongyi couldn't see it, so it might be inconvenient to eat.

The waiter in the shop reported several dishes with good reputation, Wen Yan nodded, selected a few, and told him to remember to serve rice.

The waiter in the store said with a smile on his face: "Our crystal shrimp dumplings and sweet potato balls are also very good. Do you want a small order?"

Wen Yan just wanted to say no, but Liu Zhongyi suddenly said: "I want a piece of sweet potato balls."

The shop clerk went away, Wen Yan looked at the person next to him, saw that he was still serious, and began to listen attentively again, suddenly felt a little funny, bent the corners of his lips and did not hide his smile, anyway, Liu Zhongyi couldn't see either, as long as he didn't laugh out loud.

Not long after, the waiter in the shop brought up two dishes, one of which was sweet potato balls.The round meatballs were fried golden on the outside, apparently coated with a thin layer of flour.

Wen Yan handed the chopsticks to Liu Zhongyi's hand, and then put another ball in his bowl.

The crispy aroma with a bit of sweet taste pervaded, Liu Zhongyi regained his senses a little, picked up the ball and took a bite.

The freshly fried meatballs are a bit hot. The skin made of sweet potato and flour is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The ground taro inside is mixed with melted sugar juice. It overflows slightly when you bite it lightly, and the slightly sweet aroma becomes more intense. .

After Liu Zhongyi finished eating one, he seemed quite satisfied with the taste. He licked the sugar juice stained on his lips, turned his head slightly, and looked in Wen Yan's direction.

Wen Yan understood another ball and put it in his bowl, not forgetting to tell him: "Don't be too hungry later."

Liu Zhongyi didn't answer, and didn't know if he listened, but continued to pick up the meatballs in the bowl and started to eat.

Wen Yan smiled helplessly, and suddenly felt that he was coaxing a child, obviously he was right to worry, the other party was stubborn and unmoved, the difference was that the person in front of him didn't cry or make trouble, and he didn't have that Qualified to manage him.

The shop waiter brought rice and a few other dishes, Wen Yan took Liu Zhongyi's bowl, filled the bowl of rice, added several more dishes, and then put it back in front of him.

Liu Zhongyi started to eat absent-mindedly, and Wen Yan added some dishes to him from time to time, but he didn't seem to notice.

Not long after eating like this, a large table of guests left the table and went upstairs not far away, and Liu Zhongyi's tense mood relaxed a little.

Wen Yan also guessed that Liu Zhongyi should have been listening attentively to those people's conversation just now, so he didn't make a sound immediately, and only after all those people went upstairs, he whispered: "What's the matter?"

Liu Zhongyi paused while holding the chopsticks, and said, "I want to eat sweet potato balls."

This is really going to be coaxed.

Wen Yan was a little dumbfounded and put one in his bowl.

Liu Zhongyi couldn't see his expression either, so he picked up the balls and ate them calmly, before saying, "Those people seem to be taught by Mingsha."

Wen Yan was taken aback, "How can you see that?"

"When I first came in, I heard a person ask 'is the news out', and someone replied 'it has been out'. I thought it was strange, so I kept paying attention to what they were saying, and they were also very careful, and then they kept saying Useless-sounding words until at the end it seemed that someone else had come back from outside the inn and said 'gone' and the voice at the beginning said 'as planned'."

Those people suppressed their voices when they spoke. If Liu Zhongyi hadn't been particularly sensitive to voices these days, it would probably be difficult to find out.

Wen Yan picked up another ball and put it into Liu Zhongyi's bowl as if rewarding him. After thinking for a while, he understood what he meant.

What those people said was normal in normal times, but it just happened to match what they just heard from Yuan Qingfeng.If you make a little contact, you will inevitably guess that the so-called "news" by those people refers to the assassination of the Yinshan Sect, and then the "already gone" probably refers to Yuan Qingfeng and other Yinshan Sect disciples.As for "as planned"—

"Do you suspect that they are diverting the tiger away from the mountain?"

"Well," Liu Zhongyi nodded: "I finally figured out what made me feel wrong. Senior Yuan didn't receive any news from the Yinshan School, but the disciples of the Yinshan School got gossip from other places. As far as this sect is concerned, if something goes wrong, they will definitely contact the head of the sect as soon as possible. If the head does not receive any news, unless the entire sect suffered heavy casualties and almost no survivors. However, the news received at that time was not such a time thing."

"It's really wrong to think about it this way," Wen Yan pondered: "Then, the Mingsha Sect should not have taken action against the Yinshan Sect, but only released false news, and their purpose...is still to ask the Sword Sect."

As far as Yuan Qingfeng said that when Yun Zhengyao was destroyed and there was nothing left after the fire, this is indeed the style of the Mingsha Sect.

Liu Zhongyi whispered: "It's a pity they only said 'according to the plan', we don't know when they will do it."

Wen Yan frowned slightly: "Since they are so concerned about whether Senior Yuan has left, it is very likely that they will do it right away. It is impossible during the day... Maybe it will be tonight."

"Then we should inform the people of Wenjianmen right now, and they must not be caught off guard." Liu Zhongyi unconsciously squeezed the chopsticks in his hands, "It's just that Wenjianmen has suffered such a calamity, and their vitality has been seriously injured, so the chances of winning are not great."

Wen Yan thought for a while, and said, "If we can bring back the members of the Yinshan Sect, it will be much easier to deal with the Mingsha Sect."

"Go ahead," Liu Zhongyi nodded, "You go after the people from the Yinshan School, and I'll ask Jianmen—"

"No, it's too dangerous for you to ask about Jianmen," Wen Yan interrupted him: "If we don't make it back..."

"You go now," Liu Zhongyi said decisively: "I can't see it, and I can't chase them at all. You can only do this."

"If someone from the Mingsha Sect makes a move, I'm worried..."

"If I don't even have the ability to protect myself now, even if I don't go to the Mingsha Sect, I will die at any time." Liu Zhongyi said coldly: "You go immediately, I have written down the way to ask the sword gate, you can Go by yourself."

Wen Yan frowned and shook his head: "I'll go with you to ask about Jianmen."

"Vendor Wen thinks too much of himself, do you think you can defeat ten against one?" Liu Zhongyi's eyes drooped slightly, but his words were merciless, "Or do you think that the lives of those people in Wenjianmen are not in your eyes ?”

Wen Yan looked at him quietly, was silent for a moment, and said in a low voice: "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"I don't need you to worry." Liu Zhongyi tilted his head slightly, as if aware of the sight and felt a little uncomfortable, his voice became even colder.

Wen Yan couldn't resist him, so he had to take out a wooden token from his sleeve and put it in his hand, and said: "They will definitely not recognize you when they arrive at the Sword Asking Gate. This is the token of Baicaozhuang, you take it with you. If Mingsha Sect makes a move Now, don't be brave."

Liu Zhongyi held the sign and said calmly, "Don't worry, I don't want to die yet."

Wen Yan took a deep look at him, his face was still cold and expressionless, he couldn't say anything, he could only squeeze his palm holding the token, got up and left the inn.