side by side

Guijiu Alley is a strange place.

The seclusion was a little too much, and at dusk, it was still a desolate scene.No one can see the comings and goings of each family, and there is not even a smoke from the kitchen fire.

Accompanying Liang Jiqing out to light the lanterns, Liang Jixuan murmured in his heart.

Before nightfall, Liang Jiqing came out early, and he lit the red lanterns one by one with a match, first to the right and then to the left, and he lit slowly.Clusters of red dots burst slowly in the night, the thicker the red, the deeper the night, those thick reds swallow up the few scattered colors of the sky.When he reached the last lamp in the row on the left, Liang Jiqing stopped. He shook the match in his hand, and the firewood head went out, leaving a black shadow, and a wisp of thin white smoke was drawn out.God, it's completely dark.

"Brother, I'm afraid Du Ruobai won't come today?" Liang Jixuan was suspicious, "It's a waste of money, there's no need for it."

"In our place, the alleys are deep, the roads are narrow and the lights are hidden, so leaving some light for the passers-by in the neighborhood can be regarded as helping others and yourself." Liang Jiqing smiled, "Besides, how long will the big white cat you brought Didn’t come back. I left the light on for him so that he wouldn’t be able to find his way or his home.”

"Brother, can you light this one too?" Liang Jixuan hesitated for a long time before opening his mouth. He looked at the only remaining red lantern that was extinguished, and felt uncomfortable. Weirdly uncomfortable."

"...Wouldn't it be better to light less candles and save some gas money?" Liang Jiqing touched the lantern with a smile, "Actually, it's not. I'm afraid this place is near the wind, this lantern, every day The first time I lit the fire, it went out by itself in a short while, and then I simply didn’t light him.”

Liang Jixuan's eyes moved to the lowermost lantern on the right, the lantern was still on, and the candle flame remained motionless in the night wind, he couldn't help but thump in his heart.On the day he first came, the left one and the right one were always off.The lantern on the right... has never been extinguished since Du Ruobai left.

The sky turned dark, they stood in a thick red, and the night wind blew up, Liang Jixuan couldn't help shivering, he hissed and looked at the alley, it was so dark that he couldn't see if there were any street lights.

He vaguely seemed to hear the mournful meowing of a cat again.

The first thing I saw was white, and he hit the black background, abrupt and eye-catching.The white cat seemed to emerge from the ground, and seemed to be born out of thin air. It stood there suddenly without being prepared by anyone.He ran from the entrance of the alley to the door, but in an instant, his four claws spread out, his belly was pressed against the ground, his white tail was raised high, and his mouth was tightly closed, but Liang Jixuan clearly heard a whine.

Only then did he realize that beside the white cat, there was a big pure black cat nesting there. His whole body was jet black, and his fur should be shiny, but with the red lantern, there was no light at all. His blackness was completely hidden in the boundless night, and the mournful cry came from his mouth. His back was raised high, sharply showing his own existence.

"Brother!" Liang Jixuan's heart tightened, he quickly grabbed Liang Jiqing and pulled him into the door, "Go, let's go in quickly!"

However, Liang Jiqing didn't follow his will. He stood on the spot, his shoulders stiffened, and he pointed to the other side of the alley with his free hand, "Wait, look over there, is it Xiao Hei?" He hesitated, with some hesitation.

Liang Jixuan took a closer look and was horrified. The big white cat that jumped out suddenly, who else could it be if it wasn't Xiao Hei who accompanied him all the way. "Go!" Liang Jixuan panicked, he waved his hands at Xiao Hei at the other end of the alley, "Run! Don't let them touch you."

Unfortunately, Xiao Hei is a cat who can't hear or speak.

He was covered with snow-white long hair, and he jumped out from the other side of the alley.The two cats guarding the door stood up one after another when they heard the noise. They turned around and faced Xiao Hei who was coming from the other side of the alley, fluffing themselves.With their backs on their backs, Liang Jixuan couldn't see their faces clearly, and could only hear the demonstrative growl suppressed in his throat.

Xiao Hei was still standing on the spot, although he couldn't say a word, he didn't show any weakness. His long hair exploded, and his hair was twice as big as before.

He took another step forward.The two cats roared together, they were still standing in place, wandering back and forth uneasily, Liang Jixuan looked strange, always felt that they seemed to be sticking to an invisible thread.For some reason, Xiao Hei also persisted. Without hesitation, he moved his paws forward step by step.The two cats, one black and one white, roared, their slender tails were raised high, and they slammed on the ground, splashing dust all over the ground.

Liang Jixuan became anxious, he took a few steps forward, trying to help Xiao Hei, but was grabbed by Liang Jiqing who was beside him.The two cats seemed to have eyes behind them, they turned around suddenly, twisted their faces and stared at Liang Jixuan, their hoarse growls were full of hatred.

Liang Jixuan was startled, and took a few steps back.

Xiao Hei didn't dare to go forward, and Liang Jixuan, who was trapped at the door, Liang Jiqing didn't dare to enter. They formed a strange short-term balance with the two cats, one black and one white.And the first to break this balance was Xiao Hei at the other end.He raised one paw high, took a step forward, and entered the territory of the two cats.Two big cats, one black and one white, let out a shrill howl. They were shocked and rushed forward.The sharp claws hidden in the meat pad bounced away with a 'shua' sound, and the sharp teeth came together. The three big cats rolled into a ball, and the dust was everywhere. The little black and the white cat had white hair all over their bodies, which was especially obvious. , they were covered with a layer of fly ash.

"Wow!" The white cat was the first to hang up the color, and the velvet red blood burst out from between the white fur, and fell to the ground with a tick, converging into spots.Little Heimao's mouth was left with red stains, and blood beads fell down along his long beard.The bloody smell of that idea dissipated, and the atmosphere in that group became more and more dry.The round pupils of the black cat narrowed slightly, and the pupils formed a vertical line. He grinned suddenly, bared his fangs, and leaped forward. His sharp claws wrapped around the white fur, strangling Xiao Hei's body. neck.

Xiao Hei was speechless, he swung his body violently, the white hair rubbed against the ground, bursting out clumps of white ash, Yin Hong rolled down along the patch of white, he struggled to jump towards the door.Seeing this, the other white cat also got up, and he followed the former and jumped up.Xiao Hei's already delayed steps became more and more difficult. He staggered and almost fell to the ground.

Before Liang Jixuan left, Liang Jiqing reacted first.He stepped out of the door in two or three steps, but he staggered and almost fell to his knees. He staggered forward a few steps, pulling the tail down, but they screamed but refused to let go of their claws.Xiao Hei lay on the ground, panting violently, with dark red blood gurgling down, he was almost out of breath.

Liang Jiqing gritted his teeth, wrapped the two in his arms, and walked straight to the door.The two cats screamed more terribly, bit their mouths harder, and danced their sharp claws in all directions, drawing bloodstains on Liang Jiqing's body.

"Don't move! Open the door!" Liang Jiqing gritted his teeth and shouted at Liang Jixuan, strangling his desire to run here.

Liang Jixuan's mind was blank, he subconsciously opened the door.

Liang Jiqing fell into the gate together with the three cats in his arms.

"Awwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, then disappeared, disappeared without a trace.They disappeared completely, and scattered in the air with their flesh and blood.

Liang Jixuan felt a chill go down his spine, and he couldn't help taking a few steps back.

He suddenly heard a faint 'cha' sound, Liang Jixuan stiffened his neck and raised his head.

Among the ten lanterns, the last one that went out suddenly lit up.

tbc.

The author has something to say:

ah... lie down

I always feel that I am writing a commentary on the animal world