Konoha Aogen

Chapter 48: Dark Candle

Gui Mo made great achievements, but was not able to be released from prison as early as he hoped. He was still released from prison after living for a hundred days. The next day, Zhou Lian was also invited out. The shackles on his hands and feet were removed, the steel needles all over his body were removed, and the plain white prison uniform was replaced by a light peach-colored thin shirt. There is still a pure white glove on his left hand, but the weasel fur has been replaced by fox fur.

The ulcer caused by "Ember Hand" has long since healed. Qi practitioners who suffer some flesh injuries will not leave any scars, but Zhou Lian's left hand is really "hardened" and the injury is too deep and too thorough. I'm afraid that the "pale and mottled skin" and the "slightly twisted hand bones" can no longer remember their "original" appearance.

When a new member is brought into the family, should there be any ceremony? Ye Xuan felt a little worried. When the afterimages and ghost moths came, there was nothing and no one noticed anything strange. Hanxing was snatched from death row. Looking back, she has never officially expressed her position to this day, admitting that she is from the "Konoha family", but of course she is. As for Lone Goose, it originated from a naked transaction.

Ye Xuan always felt that Zhou Lian was a little different. At least half of her was "lured" here, so she needed a ritual more than those four people.

But what kind of ceremony should be done? The "Konoha Clan" is not a gang, and it is inappropriate to make alliances based on blood; it is not a sect, and it is inappropriate to kowtow and serve tea. On the third day after Zhou Lian left the prison cell, Ye Xuan finally came up with a less embarrassing idea. In the final analysis, Zhou Lian just wanted to have a family, so she would do... things that the family would do together.

The water pool in the Night Palace's "Martial Arts Arena" has begun to melt. Seven people were sitting or standing, huddled next to the bluestone beside the pool. It was the same bluestone where Ye Xuan sat on after he fished Yun Luo out of the bottom of the pool.

Between the water pool and the bluestone, there was a "fine iron grill" with a charcoal fire. Ye Xuan held a pair of thick and long wooden chopsticks and flipped the beef spine lying on the "copper mesh" with little skill. Ying stood aside, holding a "bamboo fan" to fan the charcoal fire from time to time, and when the flames started to rise, he used a "shower" to pour some fine water on it.

Zhou Lian sat on the edge of the bluestone, slowly chewing the greasy meat slices. After swallowing, another piece was fed into her mouth. After Gui Mo recovered from her injury, she stayed in the "prison cell" all day and was bored. She scratched her ears and cheeks all day long, and was annoyed by the ringing of the silver bell on her body, so she began to feed Zhou Lian herself. Unexpectedly, she became addicted to this feeding, and now stuffing food into other people's mouths has become another important hobby for her besides "tattoos" and "torture". Among the people in the field, apart from Ye Xuan and Afterimage who were working, Zhou Lian was the only one willing to let her feed them.

"Okay, don't feed me. I don't even ask if the person is full. Do you know that this is abuse?" Afterimage stood aside and couldn't stand it anymore. She didn't want to do this "smoky" thing. The only way to earn a living is to be fed away by ghost moths.

"Can't she tell herself when she's full? Are you talking too much?" Ghost Moth replied without showing any signs of weakness.

Han Xing still had a frosty look on his face. Guyan watched the two arguing, with a smile on her face that even she didn't notice.

Zhou Lian glanced at Gui Mo with some embarrassment, but said nothing angrily. She is indeed a little full, but she has developed a habit in the past few months. As soon as food is brought to her mouth, her mouth will open unconsciously. She decided to take a few more slices, not wanting to embarrass Ghost Moth when she was arguing with someone.

Ye Xuan put the last roasted beef spine on a plate and sat next to Mu Qing'er, who was "hugging his knees and looking at the pond in a daze." After leisurely eating each piece, I drank a large bowl of bamboo tea. After having enough wine and food, my mind could not help but feel a little sleepy. Along with this laziness, I leisurely said to Zhou Lian: "From today on, you are the 'Mingzhu' of the Konoha family."

…………

"There will be a big thank you during the Plowing Festival in the coming year." Mu Qing'er made a promise that he shouted in public in the valley, and now it's time to think about how to fulfill it. This matter was not a daily city matter, but a matter of diplomacy. He could not leave it to his senior sister, so Ye Xuan could only deal with the headache himself.

Along the way home, he recalled who had "helped" him and who had "let him go". He flipped through his notes at the time and recalled them one by one.

"How much money should I give? Should I pay attention to those two guys who clearly delivered supplies on the road and later followed Hu Kang to Ninggang to block me? Those people I want to please no matter what, For example, Qiu Shimai, would you like to take this opportunity to express your gratitude?

Also, how should we treat the new leader of the Hang Gang, Liu Chengyin? Are they going to stay away from each other forever, or are they trying to find a way to get back together again? At present, the 'Hang Gang' is in chaos: 'Xiong Qingsi' was seriously injured and died on the way back to Peicheng; 'Yu Mei'er' was dismissed and retired and ignored the gang; 'Meng Huangping' set up his own business; 'Jiang Tongyan' and' Yu Man joined forces within the gang to fight Liu Chengyin, and it is said that they have become a force of fire and water. Should I sit back and watch, or should I make a bet? Alas... so many things. Forget it, let’s solve the immediate problem first. "

…………

Zhou Lian became a "Mingzhu" and lived in the "Night Palace"

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It has been more than a month since he was in the "Night Palace Prison".

The mean name "Mingzhu" was come up by Yiying. Firstly, he was ridiculing her for being obsessed with her dead father, and secondly, she was ridiculing her "burning hands" for burning others and hurting herself. What's even more sinister is that the word "Mingzhu" vaguely contrasts with "Ghost Moth", and at the same time hints at the hatred between the two. Unexpectedly, after hearing this name, it would be imprinted in everyone's heart like a demon, especially Zhou Lian herself.

Afterimage, Ghost Moth, Hanxing, and Lone Goose were all named by themselves. Zhou Lian was also a well-educated woman. She was asked to think of a name, but she couldn't think of one. I even opened the "Collection of Thousand Poems" and read it over and over again, and I just felt that I was "Mingzhu".

During her last days in prison, Zhou Lian already knew that it was Ye Xuan's intention to let her join, and that she was simply tricked by a ghost moth. However, after she left the prison, she unexpectedly kept her promise and actually became Gui Mo's maid.

Ye Xuan forced her to choose one of several "vacant courtyards". She chose, but refused to move in, stubbornly living in the servant's room in the "Moth Courtyard". At first, Ye Xuan was worried that Gui Mo was bullying her again by some means, but later he figured out that the person closest to her in the world now was Gui Mo.

Ye Xuan walked into the "Moth Courtyard". Zhou Lian was not wearing the clothes of a maid, but she was really doing the work of a maid. She was holding a big broom as tall as a person and cleaning up the dust in the courtyard.

"Young Master." Seeing Ye Xuan here, Zhou Lian stopped her movements.

She has adapted to calling him the young master instead of Mr. Ye. It is also known that in the "Night Palace", no matter whether you see Ye Xuan or Mu Qing'er, you do not need to salute formally, you only need to stand up and call out. She also knew that as long as Mu Qing'er was not around, Gui Mo and Yi Xuan would not get up when they saw Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan, on the other hand, was still not used to the charming woman in front of him, who had officially become one of his own. Even more unable to adapt to her current name: "Are you really sure that you are called 'Ming Zhu'? Then should I call you 'Xiao Ming' or 'Xiao Zhu'?" Ye Xuan asked with a chuckle.

Zhou Lian smiled shyly and said with a smile: "It's all right. 'Xiao Zhu' is better." Whenever Zhou Lian spoke, Ye Xuan always felt a feeling of excitement in his heart.

"Okay, then Xiaozhu." Until now, he had been calling her Zhou Lian: "Where's Xiaomo?"

"Sister Mo is going to get a tattoo." Ming Zhu responded. Gui Mo originally wanted to take her to see him, but he really didn't know how to introduce this person to his master.

"Well, since she's not around, I'll have a few words with you alone." Ye Xuan's tone became more serious.

Zhou Lian was a little nervous, and Nuonuo said: "Yes." She was still a little confused about her identity at this time, and she didn't know whether she should, or whether she was qualified, to invite Ye Xuan into the "main room".

"The sun is pleasant, let's talk outside." Ye Xuan saw why she was at a loss and smiled to himself: "You deserve it, you have a house to live in." Then he turned to the main topic.

"That day, you said that you had killed too many sinners and were afraid that someone would dig up your parents' graves. You asked me to hide your name and origin from the outside world, but I didn't agree. Now that you are one of your own, this matter is of course up to you. However, The fact that you blocked the road and assassinated me alone has already caused a stir in the city, and even the 'storyteller' in the tea shop has started telling the story. I don't think your identity can be hidden.

The ‘Night Palace’ is not a pure land, and it is hard to tell if the wind comes from here. If you are really worried, I can hire some mercenaries from the 'Mowen Tower' to guard it. But you need to think clearly, this approach can easily be self-defeating. At first, my little moth and I hated you, but after we found out who you were, we never thought of digging your parents' graves. It was only when you begged me that I realized that this could threaten you. "

She had been vaguely worried about this, and seeing Ye Xuan still thinking about her, she couldn't help but feel grateful. Now, as Ye Xuan expected, she always thinks of the good of the "Konoha Family" in everything: "Young Master, thank you very much. Please think about it."

"Xiao Mo is a person who has a hard time keeping secrets. If one day you tell her what you want to hide, I hope you understand that it is not revenge on you! She just cannot keep secrets by nature, just like those two When a beast comes close to you, you can't help but smile. These days, she must have told you a lot of things that I don't want others to know." In fact, this is what Ye Xuan really wants to say. Zhou Lian has accepted and enjoyed her status as "Mingzhu", but she still has two hidden dangers, and this is one of them.

"Yes, I know." Zhou Lian had no choice but to admit that Ye Xuan was right. After all, she had lost count... She had asked Gui Moth so many times in prison, "Can you tell me this too?" "

Ye Xuan continued to warn: "Some characteristics of people are unchangeable. We can only learn to get along with them in the face of this fact. For example, you can not tell her where your father's tomb is; for example, , you can not remind her repeatedly what you care about, but hope that she will forget about it.

Of course, more importantly, if you decide to get close

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One person can only accept all aspects of her. Ye Xuan paused and said in a deeper and more serious tone: "The dead do not live in the tombs, but in the hearts of those who miss them." Xiaozhu, can you promise me that you will never hurt one family member for another family member? "

Zhou Lian slowly raised her head, looked into Ye Xuan's eyes, and said firmly: "I have hurt Sister Mo once, and I am determined not to hurt her twice."

Ye Xuan smiled gratefully at Zhou Lian: "Well, it's easy to talk about it, so there's no need to tell Xiao Mo."

"Understood. Young Master, let me get you a cup of tea." Seeing Ye Xuan standing still talking, Zhou Lian felt something was wrong.

"Well, okay." Ye Xuan was not thirsty, he was just enjoying Zhou Lian's thoughtfulness. Looking at her graceful back, I thought to myself: "There are some wonderful things, it's better to see them from a distance."

Ghost Moth has never been in the habit of sipping tea carefully, and the tea cups in her room are mostly wooden cups for thirsty drinking. This was exactly what Ye Xuan wanted. Holding the wooden cup in his right hand, he walked to the courtyard and leaned under a gray-amber "water stone" that was more than two people tall. Zhou Lian also followed. Ye Xuan originally planned to sell off all the treasures that Gui Mo had collected over the years, but the "water against stones" was too heavy, so he had to give up and keep it for her.

Finding a comfortable position, Ye Xuan finally started to touch on the topic that made him a little nervous: "That day I said I didn't kill your father. You felt that your life was in my hands, and I had no reason to lie to you, so I believed it. You This letter resulted in the 'Konoha Family' adding a strong man who can use the 'Ember Hand'. So when I said I didn't kill your father, was it true or false?"

Zhou Lian suddenly raised her head, met Ye Xuan's eyes for a moment, and then avoided them again. Her body began to tremble with anger and fear, and she squeezed out deep-seated resentment from her teeth: "You accepted me, why are you telling me these things?" After so many years, she finally had a place to go, and she finally had a job. Warmth finally had some reasons other than revenge to support her in living a good life. To her, this was a very precious, precious thing. But this beauty is about to be broken again.

"It's not poisonous to explain it completely. This truth is obvious. Instead of waiting for you to figure it out on your own, or to be provoked by people with ulterior motives in the future, why not let me break it for you now." Ye Xuan said in a deep voice.

Zhou Lian's eyes were filled with red threads, and there seemed to be more pity than murder in her eyes: "Then please tell me again, does your father's death have anything to do with you?"

Ye Xuan stared into Zhou Lian's eyes without hesitation: "Of course it has nothing to do with me. If I really killed him, how could I dare to keep you by my side?"

Zhou Lian let out a long breath, like an old woman who had just removed her pole, feeling relieved.

"You believe it again."

"Ugh!" Zhou Lian couldn't bear it any longer, and her "left hand wrapped in snow-white" and "right hand as pure as jade" fiercely pushed towards Ye Xuan who was leaning against "water rushing against stone" at the same time. With a push, his body took two steps back.

"What on earth are you going to do!" She roared at the cruel man in black in front of her: "Is this your revenge!"

Zhou Lian's response was even more violent and rude. Ye Xuan's arms surged, and his fingers clasped her shoulders tightly, so tightly that she felt that her shoulder blades were almost crushed: "I want you to recognize the reality and make your own choice! You have killed so many people, and you will never know how many people you have killed." Right or wrong, maybe the real murderer has been secretly looking at you and smiling sinisterly, or maybe the real murderer is already dead before your crazy revenge begins. We will always live in the fog, always live in the shadows, and can never be found Come to the truth, this is the truth of the matter!"

Ye Xuan looked at Zhou Lian with "bloody red eyes full of tears", and the fingers on her shoulders slowly relaxed a little, and his tone softened slightly: "You must understand one thing, that is, 'I can never prove to you, "Your father's death has nothing to do with me." If you want to believe me, you can only deceive yourself as you did just now. Looking at you now, you must have realized how fragile such self-deception is.

Xiaozhu, I am not telling you this to torture you. Even if I don't say anything, you will be suspicious yourself before long. Once you have this thought, this inner demon will haunt you for the rest of your life, until you die.

Not only that, I also want to tell you that if one day I, like 'Zhou Chong', die inexplicably, you will be the first to be suspected. Are you willing to become a member of the 'Konoha Family' with the suspicion between us that can never be eradicated? I want you to recognize reality and make your own choices. "

Ye Xuan let go of his hands and Zhou Lian squatted down. Like a deflated fish bubble, like a bullied child, hugging his knees and saying nothing. Ye Xuan walked around to Zhou Lian's side, knelt down on one knee and wrapped her in his arms, his lips pressed tightly against her left ear, and whispered: "Tonight, the palace door will not be closed. If you are still here tomorrow morning, Here, there is no more 'Zhou Lian' in the world. With that cursed name, live a good life under the sun. Your revenge is over."

(End of this chapter)