spring ice

There was the sound of splashing water intermittently outside, people walking, and horses and horses farther away.Feng Huanyuan opened his eyes.It was dusk.Maybe earlier, the color outside is still soft and brilliant, but it has no strength to fall to the ground through the window lattice.He got out of bed, stretched his limbs, adjusted his clothes, but found no water.Although there is a tea set on the table, it is almost cracked due to drying.Feng Huanyuan walked out the door, just in time to see a young man in short jacket passing by with a dustpan and bucket.He asked where Gao Ya was.

"In the Martial Arts Hall." He glanced at him and told the truth.Everyone here seems to know Gao Ya, neither too affectionate nor cold, just a casual acquaintance.I'm just a passer-by, Feng Huanyuan thought nonchalantly, yesterday I didn't think that I would be here today, and today I didn't think that I would be here tomorrow.

The Martial arts arena is just a small side hall, not complete in scale, with no more than [-] types of weapons, and some swords, guns and halberds are randomly piled up in the corners.The hall was even darker than before, and the autumn evening was crumbling, and every inch of time was worth every inch of gold.With her back turned to him, Gao Ya stood in front of the sword stand with her head bowed.The wooden sword has been used for a long time, and the deep grain of the wood has become black, and his tired eyes are faintly reflected on the smooth surface.

"A friend of mine said that practicing sword makes people calm and forgetful. You think it can kill people, and you may also worry about it, but that is not its concern. There are too few things that people can hold in their hands, and the sword is at least one of them. one."

He turned from the sword stand. "Choose the one that's handy."

The situation was so serious that Feng Huanyuan couldn't help but try to ease the atmosphere. "I know, you must be afraid that I will leave the sect and neglect my kung fu. However, I have experienced unprecedented tempering in the past few months, and I have new insights every day. Do you think I was like Xu Liang two days ago? Experts have fought against each other..."

"You said Xu Liang." It's okay if he didn't mention it, but mentioning it hits Gao Ya's heart. "He had a feud with you before, but after the fight, he praised you a lot. I can't help but want to learn from you, to see if I can discover your excellence."

When Feng Huanyuan heard this, it suddenly became the only way to restore the image in Gaoya's mind. Thinking of what he had done before, he felt that it would be better to follow others, so he had to walk up to the sword stand, and asked again just in case: "Would you pass Have you ever made friends this way?"

Elegant without thinking. "No."

"...I suddenly don't want to fight anymore."

Elegance is stubborn. "Maybe you can be the first."

This condition is quite attractive, Feng Huanyuan has no choice but to retreat. "Please enlighten me."

As soon as he grasped the sword, that kind of lazy joking gesture immediately withdrew, and a dignified expression appeared between his brows.However, this in itself may also be a cover-up.Gaoya considered this step habitually, and lost interest in further exploration.He just nodded curtly.

He didn't place too much imagination on Feng Huanyuan's sword, and his knowledge of Huashan's swordsmanship was also very vague.Feng Huanyuan was destined to disappoint him, so why did he initiate this contest?

The swords of the two didn't seem to be arguing, nor were they probing. The advance, retreat, reciprocation, and reciprocation were all vivid in my memory, but there was always a slight difference at the moment when the swords were about to touch.This is not like Huashan's swordsmanship, nor is it the swordsmanship taught by the martial arts school here.This is not any kind of existing swordsmanship in the world.

The tip of the sword points, pokes, stabs, and picks, and the blade cuts, splits, cuts, and cuts.It's not swordsmanship, it's just a sword.

A sword without ornament and without warning.When the two swords intersected, this strange contest ended abruptly.

The evening has passed completely, the first moon is still very bleak, and the wooden sword will not shine even when it is swung. The two can only barely perceive each other's outline, and the slightly disordered breath of each other around them. Finally, under the control of each other, they tend to smooth.

"You're a little handy."

It was Feng Huanyuan who spoke first.The identities of the observer and the observed seem to have been completely reversed.Gao Ya didn't deny it, but just let out a breath of relief.

"I haven't touched anyone in a long time."

"Is this okay?" Feng Huanyuan asked.

"Then what about you now?" Gao Ya said, a little desperate for face.He didn't wait for Feng Huanyuan to answer and said: "Although sometimes I think it might be like this for the rest of my life, thank you this time."

"Don't just talk about life in such a simple way." Feng Huanyuan said with reason and commonplace. "How? Have you discovered my excellence?"

Gao Ya glared at him, but unfortunately it was useless in the dark.He put the wooden sword back into the sword stand, and the two walked out of the arena, through the hallway soaked in moonlight.Gao Ya said: "Now you can explain what happened in the morning."

Feng Huanyuan immediately became speechless. "I was also forced by others..."

Gao Ya smiled through his nose and eyes. "They forced you to raid my house?"

Feng Huanyuan smiled wryly and said: "They didn't try to be rough on me. The three masters of the Sheng family came from a Sheng family village not far from the foot of Huashan Mountain. I don't know where they learned a few tricks of three-legged cat kung fu, but they are quite capable of fooling people. They claim to be able to do anything as long as they are given money, including murder and arson, but they have been suffering from no business for a long time, and they stole those horses. My good senior brother wants to arrest me now, and it may be too complicated to get away. I had to turn to Brother Dao for help. The three of them knew about it somehow, so they ran to recommend themselves. Fortunately, my brother is not blind. These three were angry, but they said that they didn’t make steamed buns. They secretly searched for my whereabouts and threatened me if I didn’t make steamed buns. Hand over the Shimen sword you are carrying, and you will show it to me."

Gao Ya said: "Your senior brother only wants a sword, not people?"

Feng Huanyuan smiled and said: "They didn't do business with my senior brother. Besides, these three don't have that much appetite. I'm afraid they also know that if they are too greedy, they will get nothing."

Gao Ya said: "Yes. So you promised them?"

Feng Huanyuan said: "I am moved by their persistence. Besides, I have no relationship with this sword. It is said to belong to the master, and I am no longer a disciple of Huashan. If what I don't want can make them happy, why should I?" It's not fun. It's just... they came a little late, and I threw the sword before I met them."

A biting cold air suddenly came out of Gao Ya's body. "Buried under my tree?"

Feng Huanyuan can seize the gap and turn defense into offense: "Are you very concerned that you didn't hear anything?"

Gao Ya said with a straight face: "I slept so hard, I won't even know when the sky is falling."

"I'm joking." Feng Huanyuan accepted it as soon as he saw it. "You were already out by then."

"So you weren't in the room when I went, where were you?"

"Watch the moon by the pomegranate tree behind your house."

Gao Ya sneered and said, "You really know how to enjoy it."

"After you and the man from the Golden Whip Gate left, I was stunned for a while. I felt that the future was gloomy and lifeless. I really wanted to commit suicide by jumping into a well." Feng Huanyuan said very emotionally. "Although I managed to pull myself together later, the more I looked at the sword, the more I hated it. I thought that at least half of the credit was due to my end today, so I threw it into your well in a moment of anger..."

"In the well?! Do you still want me to drink water?!"

Feng Huanyuan was taken aback by Gao Ya's suddenly raised voice, and said dully, "No poison..."

Gao Ya took a deep breath, looked up at the moon to cleanse her mind: "Then why did you lie to the three masters of the Sheng family that they were buried under a tree?"

Feng Huanyuan said: "Because I'm a little worried that getting that sword won't make them happy."

The elegant eyes slowly turn from the moon and a few sparse stars to the complex and delicate treetops of the plane trees, and then to the incomplete eaves corners that are tilted up.Then without saying a word, he turned and left.The meaning of this back view is too strong, Feng Huanyuan couldn't keep up, so he could only ask from behind with his eyes tearing apart: "You want to go home?"

Gao Ya didn't even look back, the voice was several meters away in the blink of an eye: "I'm going to fish your sword out of the well and throw it into the river."

-

In the night, the three horsemen galloped all the way out of the city gate, and after only half a moment of galloping, they slowed down and walked along the river, and came to a small courtyard after a while.The yard didn't even have a door, and there were two door panels riddled with holes beside the horse-sealing stone in front of the door.

Immediately, the three men in black came down, looked at each other, and then quietly entered the yard.The yard was littered with freshly baked rags, as if they had been ransacked by a tornado.

The three people dispersed quickly, leaving no trace like three drops of ink melting into water.They circled around the front and back of the house, and met again by the well after a while.One person removed the well cover, lay down on the edge of the well, looked down, and reached down to touch it. The well wall was covered with slippery moss.Another person took out a flint from his arms and lit a torch. The torch was extremely delicate, and the flame was distorted by the wind, trying to illuminate the well, but of course he got a dazed darkness.The last person took out a roll of rope, tied one end around his waist, and gave the other end to his companion, and carefully descended into the well wearing claw gloves.There wasn't a word of conversation or a single gesture, but the actions were as if they had been discussed in advance, in an orderly manner. The tacit understanding was far better than that of the three heroes of the Sheng family who were suspected to be close relatives.

The stone wall was slippery, and the man had a hard time climbing it. Fortunately, it didn't take long for his feet to touch the cold well water.He took a deep breath and sank into the water without a sound.Although it is not late autumn at this time, the well water can be said to be freezing cold sooner or later, which shows that the courage and perseverance required to do this business are beyond ordinary people.He concentrated on diving, groping for the soft sand at the bottom of the well, and there was no movement in his ears except the disturbed noise from the deep water.

There was a slight tremor from the rope around his waist, which almost merged with the rippling of the water.

The man stopped moving, as if trying to determine if it was his illusion.The moment he touched it cautiously with his hand, the rope suddenly trembled greatly.

Gao Ya doesn't like riding horses, but he's not slow at all.Of course, this is not because he can run a horse, but because he knows that there is a shortcut from the city to here.

When he saw the broken gate and the mess in the courtyard, he retracted his raised foot.

He has always had the habit of running away when he encounters something he hates, as if as long as he pretends not to see it, nothing will happen when he comes back.It's cool to deal with opponents while talking and laughing, but it can't stop the three masters of the Sheng family who have unlocked the acupoints from smashing his house to vent their anger.Then if he runs again now, God knows what will happen when he comes back?

So Gao Ya turned around after a while, and jumped down from the wall with a [-]-point painful experience, like a weird big bird.

His movements were concealed enough, and he was sure that the two men in black had their backs to him when he fell.But his blow still fell into the trap completely.The two people turned half sideways at the same time as if they had long eyes behind their backs, and the two intersecting saber lights could not attack him.

There is no room for hair, but there is still room for one person.Elegantly and wonderfully, she passed through the gap between the two, and a piece of sleeve fluttered to the ground.

At this very moment, cold sweat was seeping on his forehead.

Even if he is out of the era of elegance, he also instantly understands how unreasonable it is to deal with two or even three such killers at the same time.

Their excellence does not lie in the subtlety of their moves, or how well they advance and retreat.Their knives, the poison on their knives, their vigilance and ruthlessness like beasts, can make many masters far superior to them even have no chance to regret that they underestimated the enemy.

But this can only be an afterthought.Gao Ya swayed to the left, grabbed the rope in the man's hand, and lifted it, only to hear the sound of the water splashing.The man couldn't relax, he staggered, he was a step too late when he wanted to draw the saber again, Gao Ya withdrew his right foot and pushed into his arms, with one thrust, he broke the man's right elbow.Under the severe pain, the man reacted quickly. He put his left hand on the waist and wanted to lock Gao Ya, but Gao Ya gave him an elbow in the ribs without hesitation, and got out. You can step back and step on the low and narrow well curb with one foot.

He felt that he might fall headfirst into the well, which he fetched water to drink every day, and used it as the subject of some crooked poems when the weather was good.

His waist is almost bent back like a fully drawn bowstring, which may explain why it is difficult for him to walk upright.

The blade of the man in black almost slashed close to his face, then turned quickly and stabbed him down.This should have been a blow that would never fail.

But elegance suddenly disappeared.Instead, a silver light leaped from the bottom of the well.

He still wanted to see what it was, but he was hit hard on the back of the head, and fell forward involuntarily.At the same time, the silver light he saw just now penetrated into his heart.

Gao Ya didn't disappear, she just rolled to the left and fell by the well.The difficult hovering action just now almost killed his long-strained waist and half his life.Since he was not a person who cared much about his image, it didn't matter that he was lying down while Feng Huanyuan was standing, looking into the well with his head.After the heavy object fell into the water, there was a dead silence in the well, and the wounded man was already unconscious, and the only thing left was the elegant panting and the sudden active crowing around him.

Feng Huanyuan watched it for a long time, and finally reported to Gao Ya: "Both of them should be dead. Whether their knives or hidden weapons, they were all sealed with blood. The one who shot from the well was pressed down, and there was no movement for a long time. , unless there is a secret passage leading to the Undersea Dragon Palace at the bottom of your well."

Gao Ya looked at the sky and murmured: "Now I can't drink water at all."

Feng Huanyuan came up with an idea, which was very practical: "Take it out, and pour the antidote in just in case."

Gao Ya sat up, surprised that Feng Huanyuan could discuss this topic with him so seriously, but he didn't want to discuss it at all. "How are you doing?"

Feng Huanyuan smiled and said, "Of course one person is much easier to deal with than three."

Gao Ya opened and closed her eyes, as if she realized that it was unnecessary to ask about life and death.He glanced at the unconscious man on the ground, and sighed: "Your brother really has a good eye."

Feng Huanyuan said: "Of course he has many advantages, but what I admire the most is his vision."

The conversation stops at this point.They have nothing more to say, and no need to test; it seems that all the dust has been wiped off the shell, but no one can see the whole picture.Gao Ya also saw a long and narrow cloth bag on Feng Huanyuan's back, and thought it must be the legendary tiger tail; Feng Huanyuan finally got his tiger tail back, maybe he never really planned to throw it away from the beginning to the end, of course it was not in the tree. It's not in the well, but Gao Ya is not even interested in hearing it.In the final analysis, they have completed a basically satisfactory cooperation.Feng Huanyuan didn't make a sound, he was still waiting.Do I have to come up with it myself?Gao Ya thought angrily.They stalemate.

Or maybe it's just him who feels the stalemate.Feng Huanyuan took off the cloth bag and unwrapped it, inside was a dark sword.The blade was dark and not very sharp at first glance.Feng Huanyuan raised the sword cautiously, and carefully cut off the tendons of the injured man's arms and legs.His movements were so neat that the unlucky guy didn't even hum.

"Don't you have anything to tell me?" Gao Ya asked desperately.

Feng Huanyuan smiled at him almost sadly. "I have a lot to tell you all the time, I just don't know what to tell you."