different paths

Late at night, full moon.

The Liuqu Bieyuan where Shaolin and his party stayed was very quiet.

Suddenly, there was a soft "rustling" sound outside the other courtyard. It was the sound of soap boots rubbing against the snow.In a corner of the other courtyard, the carved wooden door was gently pushed open, and a figure flashed in.

On the Babu bed in the room, the bedding and pillows were arranged neatly, except for a sound sleeper.In the dark, any movement would be magnified countless times, but in this room, except for the breathing of the person who came, there was no sound at all.

"Little Senior Brother——"

The uninvited guests finally couldn't help lighting up the candles.He was dressed in a bright red brocade robe, covered with a snow-white mink fur. Under the dim light, he looked more and more carved, not like ordinary people.

Such a flamboyant dress was none other than Xue Zhanyi.

It's a pity that the person he called out didn't appreciate it, and he still sat cross-legged on an old wooden bench with his eyes slightly closed.If it weren't for the slight undulation of his thin clothes following the dantian, one would almost think that he had already melted away.

There is only one person in the world who can make Xue Zhanyi helpless, except for the Emperor and Lao Tzu

——Yue Chentan.

Xue Zhanyi was used to his indifference, so he pulled a stool and sat opposite him: "Little brother, I heard that master..." He bit his lip, reached out and took out a The crystal-clear jade bottle, "This is the best imperial medicine, I brought it to you, don't forget to use it."

The emerald bottle and the table knocked lightly, making a crisp sound.Yue Chentan slowly opened his eyes, the eyes were like ink, and the thick ink color seemed to swallow all his emotions: "You shouldn't come." His tone was tepid, but Xue Zhanyi seemed to be poured over. With a basin of ice water, all enthusiasm is extinguished overnight.

This is not the little senior brother he is familiar with.

Although the former junior brother was also lukewarm towards him, he could feel that the other party's blood was hot and his flesh was warm, and he was a living person.But now, his little senior brother blinked at him and talked to him, but he had to carefully listen to the other person's breathing to make sure that the other person was still alive.

In the past few days, what happened to his little senior brother?

He wanted to ask, but looking at Yue Chentan's cold and serious face, he couldn't ask.He remembered that when he got into trouble when he was young, the person in charge made him stand barefoot in the snow. The biting cold seemed to be relived again today.

Xue Zhanyi stood up and lit every candlestick in the house, hoping that this would make the cold house a little warmer.Yue Chentan watched his movements quietly, without saying a word, with a cold and distant expression.

"Little brother, I didn't sneak out alone this time." The jumping candle finally made Xue Zhanyi feel a little warmer, and he sat back on the stool again. Order the Imperial Secretary to thoroughly investigate this matter. Logically speaking, it is not our turn to take care of this matter, but I heard that you came with Xingzheng, so I will follow to see, maybe I can help you."

His tone was gentle and gentle, and he kept his posture very low.Looking at the whole world, how many people can make him put down his body like this and treat each other with all his heart?He stared at his little senior brother without blinking, hoping to find a trace of warmth from his face.

Unfortunately, he did not find it.

His little senior brother, with thin lips like a knife, only uttered two words: "No need."

no?

Don't need his concern, don't need his help, don't need his extravagance.He thought a lot about the other party, and was full of worries, but in the end he only changed "no need"?

Xue Zhanyi clenched his teeth, almost crying.

His little senior brother is obviously not like this!

Since, since—

Yes, since the time when the little brother went down the mountain, everything has become wrong!It's all the fault of that inexplicable companion, if it wasn't for him, the little brother would not have been severely punished by the master.If he hadn't been punished by the master, the little brother wouldn't have become what he is now.

It's all his fault, all his fault!

A strong hatred welled up in his heart, Xue Zhanyi clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turned white, he really wanted to beat that man to a bloody mess.He stared at a pair of phoenix eyes, the corners of which almost bleed with hatred, and no longer cared about restraint and gentleness, his unruly and willful nature once again gained the upper hand: "I don't care! Anyway, I'm here this time, and I must follow you. Okay. Right there, I will go to say hello tomorrow morning, Shaolin and the imperial court have always been in close contact, so it is reasonable for me to follow you."

After speaking, he stared at Yue Chentan, waiting for the other party's reaction.

But when he was at his most arrogance, the other party didn't respond.It was like a punch into the air, and it was very frustrating.Yue Chentan lowered his eyes, and his thick eyelashes cast a small shadow on his jade-like face. That shadow was like a bottomless pool of water, sucking away all his emotions, joys, anger, sorrows and joys. There was an expressionless face.

After a while, Yue Chentan finally said, "As you wish."

The lantern flower "broken" and fell off, just like Xue Zhanyi's hidden hope in his heart.He hoped that the little senior brother could show a little bit of emotion, whether it was approval or dissatisfaction, even if it was just a trace of boredom, but there was nothing.His little senior brother is like a Buddha standing above the hall, with relaxed eyebrows and lowered eyes, the world of mortals, joys and sorrows, have nothing to do with him.

At the same time, another Spring Breeze Inn in the city was brightly lit and crowded with people.The inn has closed, but the lobby is full of people.Every table was filled with chicken, duck and fish, and on the side of the table was an unsealed wine jar. Under the bright red wine cloth, it was sealed with the best spirits, Bawangzui.

The person sitting on the seat has a black fish pattern on the forehead, which is the same as Jia Wujue and Gu Yiming's forehead marks.The people in this room were the brothers brought by Li Tuntao, the vice leader of the Iron Shark Gang.Earlier today, Li Tuntao had received a letter written by Master Wuyou from Liufan Temple. The letter stated that he would send his disciples to the foot of Liufan Mountain and lead the heroes who arrived first to Liufan Temple.The mountains are tough, and taking advantage of the last day, the Iron Shark Gang and his party naturally have to seize the time to eat, drink, and have fun.

With food and drink, Jia Wujue and Gu Yiming naturally wouldn't miss it.The two of them sat in an inconspicuous corner, having a table with a few equally inconspicuous Iron Sharks.

Seeing Gu Yiming pick up the wine glass, one of the gang members was surprised and said: "Le Yushi, I never thought that you, a sick child, can still drink?"

"To be happy in life is to be happy." Gu Yiming coughed and put the wine into his mouth as before.

"I said Wu Yuyuan, you are so fat, you still have to eat a lot." The other couldn't help but uttered when he saw Jia Wuchai who was gnawing wildly with his elbow.

"You don't understand." Jia Wuyu wiped his lips, his cheeks were full of oil, "Although I am fat, I am hungry very fast. If I am hungry and panic, I have no strength at all, and it will cause trouble of!"

"Le Yu Shi" and "Wu Yu Yuan" are of course the pseudonyms of the two, taken from the surnames "Le Yu Shi Fu" and "Wu Yu Yuan Bu".There are nearly a hundred members of the Iron Shark Gang, and there are not many people who can tell each other their names. Most of them are just acquainted with each other. In addition, most of the gang are white men, so naturally they can't find out the strangeness of their names.Using fake faces and pseudonyms, the two successfully infiltrated the gang without arousing any suspicion.