tick knife

When the last shred of chill in Shuozhou faded, Jiangling was in the depth of spring.The flowers and birds are charming, the tree frames and walls cannot frame the overflowing green.Tan Taize walked all the way, he was still a little hot, his forehead was slightly sweaty, but it was because he was wearing a lot.The door is even more intertwined with branches and vines, which is impermeable to the wind and rain, and the green tents are dotted with roses. Outside the door stands a stone covered with moss and phoenixes, and the words "Fifth Residence" are written in flying and phoenix dances.

Tantaize pushed open the half-closed door and walked in, looking around first.The flower garden under the fence has not been taken care of for a few days, and it is a bit messy. There is a set of broken chess pieces on the stone table. Two luxuriant orange trees are planted on the south side. A hammock is tied between the trunks. One arm hangs down, dangling from side to side in boredom.

Tan Taize put down the cattail bag in his hand, went to the well and washed his hands slowly.The well water was very cold. He squinted his eyes and wiped the water off his hands before asking, "Do you want to eat loquat?"

"Oh, Tantai, you are too polite." The man on the hammock said weakly. "I won't eat, you can do what you want. Xiao Yao is not here, so there is nothing to entertain you. To tell you the truth, I just woke up not long ago, and I haven't thought about anything to eat yet."

The host was so negligent, Tantai Ze was not annoyed, he just said: "Do you want me to cook the tea myself?" He really took a pot from the kitchen to scoop water.The fifth person said: "Don't worry, I'll see where the tea is first." Jumped off the hammock, rummaged through the box inside and out, and finally found the tea box, the two moved to the stone table, boiled water and fried tea.Tan Taize asked: "Where's Xiao Yao?"

The fifth person had a shaggy beard and a haggard look. Hearing this, he gave him a sad look. "It's too big to stay. I've been yelling lately that I'm suffocated, and I want to go out, go out and wander, I can't stop him, so I just let him go find the lacquer carving."

Tan Taize wanted to laugh, but held back. "You really don't worry."

The fifth person fanned the fire with cattail fan. "Why don't you worry about it? Tether him for the rest of his life? His eyes are higher than the roof, and he can't even make friends. Isn't a newborn calf afraid of tigers? Think about us back then, and we didn't know the heights of the sky and the earth. If you suffer a little, you will have a long memory."

Tan Taize said lightly: "Some memory, it's not good to grow. Some lessons, I can't afford it once."

He caressed a stone chess piece, and the shadows of the flowing branches cast on his drooping sleeves, motionless as if being trapped.The fifth person lost his mind for a while, and said with a smile: "You said Qi Diao, that's true. To be honest, Qi Diao's survival is due to his fate, and it is also because of your wonderful hand rejuvenation."

Tan Taize sighed softly. "When you carried him back, I thought he must die. Who knew that he could move as usual with the help of iron claws, his sword skills are better than before, and his temperament has changed a lot. It's just that whether this change is worth it still needs to be weighed."

The fifth person said: "A lacquer carving is a lacquer carving. No matter whether he has one hand or two hands, he is still a lacquer carving."

He used a wooden ladle to skim off the froth on the tea soup, Tan Taize looked at it, and suddenly said: "Since you brought Xiao Yao back to Jiangling, it seems that you haven't seen each other again."

The fifth person said: "No, raising a child is easy? Before Xiao Yao was five years old, I never left this town."

Tan Taize said: "But he doesn't come to see you either."

The fifth person waved his hand very coolly: "Isn't that what Qidiao looks like? If Qidiao came to see me with a bag of loquats all the way someday, I would think I was dreaming."

Tantai Ze snorted. "You heroes are really gentlemen's friends, timeless, but I'm just a layman, I always think that old friends should get together every three years or five years, otherwise, no matter how deep the relationship is, it will fade."

The fifth person reached out to cover his hand, and said with a smile: "Yes, so you are still good. The lacquer carving is really good, rotten wood can't be carved, and it's like a stone. It won't be hot even if you cover it!" Feeling the cold under the palm of the hand, he frowned and said: "You Where did you go again?"

Tantai Ze said: "I went to Nanyang for a while, visited a few friends, took a tour around the place, and stayed for a few more days by the way."

He wanted to withdraw his hand, but the fifth person held on, with a very earnest tone. "Tantai, I didn't say that you are not in good health, so you should rest at home more and don't run around. Like me, I eat all day long and have nothing to do."

Tan Taize coughed twice. "It is precisely because I don't know when I will let go, so I should cherish the present, travel a lot, and increase my knowledge, so that this life will not be wasted."

The fifth person frowned and said: "Tantai, don't talk nonsense." He divided the boiled tea soup into the celadon cup, stretched out his hand and gently hooked it in the air, a piece of rose petals slowly fell into the cup, green and bright red, very special glaring. "I must find a way to cure you."

Tan Taize shook his head. "Forget it. I've been suffering from this chronic illness for so many years. I don't have to worry about my life for a while. Why don't I just procrastinate like this. Maybe I can procrastinate until I am seventy or eighty?"

The fifth person said: "Seventy and eighty, no one is looking after it, and it's very tasteless."

Tan Taize said: "Then what should I do? You divide Xiao Yao into half of me?"

The fifth person said enthusiastically: "It's not like I said, you pick an apprentice as soon as possible—"

Halfway through his speech, the courtyard door opened with a creak, and a child stuck his head in and shouted, "Uncle Wu, someone asked me to bring you something."

The fifth person said: "Yuanbao? Come here." The child ran up to him, handed the fifth person a small cloth bag, and asked, "When will brother Yao come back? Last time he taught me peerless martial arts, and I ended up with Sanlang No domestic dog can beat it."

The fifth person said casually: "He, God knows, you'd better not count on it." He picked out a loquat and stuffed it for the child, who curled his lips and ran out in a hurry.The fifth person unwrapped the cloth bag, it was a small wooden box, and said with a smile: "There is still a letter here." Put it aside, and opened the lid first.

Tan Taize at the side put down the teacup.The face of the fifth person suddenly changed.

He quickly tore open the envelope, only glanced at the content on the letterhead, and his figure suddenly disappeared from the table.Tan Taize only had time to glance at the inside of the box, it seemed to be a piece of green jade stained with stains, and in the blink of an eye the fifth person appeared again, holding the neck of the child just now in his hand.As soon as he let go, Yuan Bao sat down on the ground, and the fifth person said sharply, "Who gave you this thing?"

Not to mention Yuan Bao, Tan Taize had never seen him with this attitude a few times before, Yuan Bao was so frightened that he trembled and said, "No... I don't know, he is also an uncle!"

The fifth person said: "What does it look like? How old is it? How do you dress? How does it smell?"

Yuan Bao cried out in fright: "I don't remember! I don't even remember!"

Tan Taize helped the child up, coaxed him a few words, and gave him a loquat, telling him to go home first.The fifth person sat slumped, holding the letter in one hand, staring at the piece of jade.Tantai Ze took the letter paper from his hand without making a sound, and when he opened it, he saw only one line of writing on it: "Second watch, Baicao Pavilion, Yi Li Yi Swaying

Tan Taize put down the letter paper and asked: "What is that?"

The fifth person held up the green jade, and Tantai Ze saw clearly that it was in the shape of a fish, half of the fish's head was missing, as if it had been torn apart abruptly, and the dark red that had penetrated into the texture could not be thought of except blood stains.The fifth person said in a low voice: "Xiao Yao is still in the swaddle, and she has been hanging around her neck."

Tan Taize said: "Yao Honglian's relic?"

The fifth person didn't answer, but just kept repeating: "Wu Liyi swayed, Wai Liyi swayed...what does he want to do?"

Tan Taize said: "Perhaps I want you to exchange Xiaoyao's life with lychee. Do you have any?"

The fifth person tugged at his hair and answered irrelevant questions: "Why at this time?"

He jumped to his feet. "I'm going to Baicao Pavilion."

Tantai Ze said: "This is a trap."

The fifth person smiled wryly, "Do I have any other choice?"

Tantai Ze said: "I will go with you."

The fifth person looked a little complicated. "Tantai..."

Tan Taize interrupted him. "Don't worry, although I am powerless compared to you, I still have the ability to protect myself, you know this very well. Besides, if you care about it, you will be chaotic, and there is a way to take care of it. Or do you want to try my new lemon juice?" Blood needle?"

When he said this, the fifth person stopped being polite to him, and only said: "Tantai, thank you."

He put the half piece of green jade and the letter into his arms, and suddenly overturned the teacup, the celadon cup fell to pieces, and the lukewarm tea spilled all over the floor.Tan Taize suddenly put his hand on his shoulder, and said slowly: "Twenty years ago, we entered Shuozhou City together, and we went out together. What kind of battle did we never see? Now that we are a few years older and have scruples, don't you want to Disrupt yourself first?"

The fifth person took a deep breath and said with a smile: "Yes, as long as we are with you, no matter what kind of place we are, we can go back and go in!"

Both of them tacitly understood that since their weaknesses were in the hands of each other, they had prepared for the worst; both the fifth person and Tantai Ze had put in great confidence and made great preparations to go through fire or water.

At first glance, Baicao Pavilion is neither soup nor fire, but a lonely wild pavilion among the smoky vines by the river.

The new moon is invisible, the river is as black as ink, and under the faint and scattered starlight, the lonely figure in the pavilion does not seem to pose any threat.

Isn't this a trap?Could it be that the other party's purpose was as pure as what was written in the letter, and not the fifth person's life?

He has nothing more precious than his own life.Apart from his own life, the fifth person couldn't think of any bargaining chips that could be used in exchange.

The fifth person and Tantai Ze exchanged glances, and slowly walked towards the fallen stone steps.The pavilion is very small, and the three people standing in it are already full, and there is absolutely no room for a boy to hide.

The people in the pavilion suddenly said: "Please step down, those who have nothing to do with it." These words were addressed to Tantai Ze.

Tan Taize tentatively said: "I'm just a doctor without martial arts." He raised his hand slowly, as if to prove that he really doesn't have the strength to wield a sword.

The person in the pavilion said: "I treat you with sincerity, and I hope you will treat me with sincerity."

Tan Taize smiled and said: "It is rare sincerity to threaten the fifth with the life of a close relative."

The fifth made a stop gesture. "Okay, Tantai, don't move there." Then he walked up the stone steps.

The moment he entered the pavilion, his furious senses were sharpened to the extreme.No matter what is hidden in the pavilion, it is impossible to escape his eyes, ears, nose and body.

When he was young, he used his sword to cross the rivers and lakes.But today he did not carry a sword.

Picking leaves and flying flowers are superfluous.He himself is an unsheathed sword!

However, there was no trace of murderous intent in the pavilion.The person waiting was a young man, perhaps not as old as Yao Ye.

His face was extremely pale, and his red eyes trembled like two dying flames.Even a person who has no medical skills can tell that he is terminally ill.It seemed that the fifth person's sudden pity made him sick, and the young man quickly asked, "Have you brought what I want?"

The fifth person said: "I want to ensure Yao Ye's safety first."

The boy said: "I don't know if something like this can reassure you."

He took out a cloth bag from his sleeve, and carefully opened it. Inside, a severed finger that had lost its color seemed to be still shaking.

The young man looked at the fifth person who was almost as pale as himself, and said with satisfaction: "Your Excellency, please don't worry. If our transaction goes well, Mr. Yao will return to your side immediately, and maybe there is still time to invite your doctor." A friend connected his fingers for him."

The fifth person didn't answer, but casually reached out and patted the boy on the shoulder.

His movements are normal, even with a hint of intimacy.After he withdrew his hand, the boy realized that he should have taken a step back, and there was a trace of astonishment in his eyes.

It's not that he doesn't want to retreat.From the moment the fifth person came in, he was 12 vigilant against this slovenly man.But this 12-degree vigilance can't stop the fifth person from patting him on the shoulder at will.

He suddenly understood the reason why he came alone.

For such a man, what is the difference between one person and ten or twenty people?

The fifth person said: "What's your name?"

The young man seemed to feel that it was pointless to resist, so he simply replied: "Li Ran."

The fifth person said: "Okay, Li Ran, I have something to tell you. This is not Xiao Yao's finger. There is a scar on the inside of Xiao Yao's left ring finger, which was cut by a sword blade when he was a child."

The boy's lips trembled, but he didn't speak; his flame-like eyes burned more intensely like a flash of light, and the eyeballs rolled wildly.

The fifth spoke every word very slowly. "Xiao Yao is not in your hands at all. You are just a pawn being used by others. I don't know what your difficulties are, or you are also being forced by others. Tell me the name of the person behind you, and I will help you solve it."

The boy neither admitted nor denied, with a sinister smile in his eyes.

His lips moved, making an indistinct sound, and his teeth began to chatter.

The fifth person stretched out his arm, pinched his jaw, and pulled him forward.The boy's mouth was forced to open wide, and a mouthful of bright red liquid spewed out from behind two rows of thin and sharp white teeth.The distance between the two was too close, the fifth person instinctively tilted his head, and a few drops still splashed on his face.

The figure of the fifth person jumped out quickly, and his back collided with the rotten pillars of the pavilion. The whole Baicao pavilion was crumbling, and dusty thatch fell from the top.He closed his eyes tightly, only to hear Tantai Ze shouting "Fifth!" Almost at the same time, something "clicked".After an unbearably long moment, there was the sound of the body crashing to the ground.

The hidden weapon that Tan Taize sent out out of desperation was unnecessary; the boy was already dead.

There was no cure for him, and there was still a deadly poison hidden behind his teeth that could seal his throat with blood.

He didn't come to trade, nor did he come to kill.He simply came to ask for death.

The fifth man gasped against the pavilion pillar and felt hands supporting him.Tan Taize's worried voice was next to his ear: "Fifth?"

The fifth person breathed a little bit, and made a smile that was not very qualified. "I'm fine."

"your eyes?"

The fifth person said: "It's okay, it's just a little hot."

Tan Taize said: "Let me see."

His fingers carefully caressed the eyelids of the fifth person, bringing a cool feeling like water, which quenched the burning pain in the eyes.

Tan Taize's body temperature has never been high, and his nails would often freeze into a bloodless bluish white in winter.When he was in Shuozhou City, he often wore three layers inside and three layers outside.

"If I stay here, I must freeze to death." He said so when bidding farewell to Qi Diaoming.

The fifth person murmured: "I won't be invisible from now on, will I?"

Tan Taize said: "No, you respond quickly, and the amount of poisonous blood you get is limited. Although the toxicity is severe, it is not uncommon. I can prepare an antidote."

He gently pressed the eyelids of the fifth person with his fingertips; the cool feeling was suddenly mixed with a slight sting like a mosquito bite.Then the tingling gradually faded away, leaving only complete numbness.

Both vision and touch are lost.The fifth person was in the unprecedented darkness. It didn't feel like he had lost anything, but it seemed that he had never had such a thing as eyes.

Tan Taize's sigh seemed to come from far away. "Now you really can't see.