ten steps one kill

One month later, outside Zizhou City.

On the towering city wall, the crimson flag rolled in the wind, and the wind galloped across the earth, rolling the dry autumn leaves flying all over the sky.

There was no one on the official road outside the city, the fields were trampled by iron hooves, and the mud was splashed everywhere. The days of fighting caused the farmers to flee, and the once prosperous villages became dilapidated. The trees in the forest are also crumbling.

The grass and trees are barren and the lives are in ruins. This is the true face of war.No matter how high-sounding the excuse, it is difficult to conceal the cruelty of the war.There were too many dead and wounded soldiers in the past few days, and there were not enough coffins in the city. The remains of the dead were wrapped in bamboo and buried hastily under the city walls.Bloodstains could be seen faintly on the city wall of Zizhou.The bricks and tiles were originally dead objects, but after being stained with the blood of the deceased, they actually showed a bit of grief.

Duan Changya stood alone on this mournful land for a full hour, the sun was setting and the twilight was falling, the city guard climbed up the tower and came to his side.

When this general was young, he had been a teacher of Tianji Sect, and Duan Qichang, the head of the sect, taught martial arts in person.Although he is in a high position and commanding a heavy army, but in front of Duan Changya, his attitude is still respectful.

"Thanks to your help this time, when I received the letter from my mentor, I almost fell into a trap. I gave up Zizhou City and withdrew my troops to Guang'an. Thanks to your timely arrival and stabilization of the army's morale, we were able to achieve today's victory." The victory will defeat the Waipu army."

Facing the praise, Duan Changya's expression remained calm as usual: "You don't need to thank me, I just want to make up for my crimes."

The chief general was startled, and said: "I don't know what crimes you have committed. I only know that your achievements are overwhelming and everyone is convinced. Now the military camp is holding a celebration banquet, and the soldiers are all looking forward to your appearance."

Duan Changya shook his head and said, "No need, I don't like places with many people."

The other party said again: "It doesn't matter if you don't show up, you can stay in the future. I heard that my teacher passed away unfortunately, and I am deeply saddened. Although the Tianji Gate no longer exists, I will never forget my teacher's kindness. If If you intend to stay, I will try to find a high-ranking official position for you."

Duan Changya still shook his head: "No, I'm leaving today, so I won't bother the general."

"Why the haste?"

"I'm going to meet an old friend."

Duan Changya's attitude is resolute, every word and every word seems to have a great weight, others know that they can't keep him, so they can only let him go with regret.

He came on a lone horse, and he left as well.

However, China, where the horseshoe has trod, has changed drastically.

The Battle of Zizhou was only the beginning of the war.A month ago, chaos broke out everywhere in the frontier.The Nangong family of Pingnan Wang had been motivated to rebel since their ancestors. After decades of careful preparations, they finally mobilized troops, colluded with foreign relatives and alien races, and invaded the territory of the Central Plains.Within a month, from the mountains of southern Xinjiang to the embankments of the East China Sea, one after another was involved in the iron-shoe war.

Duan Changya traveled all the way to Lin'an, and he encountered people fleeing in the opposite direction.

A well-meaning person stopped in his tracks and warned him: "Nowadays, there are constant naval battles in the south of the Yangtze River, and the rebel offensive is in full swing. Seeing that several piers have been lost one after another, if you want to spare your life, it is better not to go."

Duan Changya repaid the kindness of passers-by, but he still went against the flow of people and headed east.

He has always kept his word, and since he made a promise, he must keep it.

In order to find the burial place of the deceased in the Bloody Dress Case, he wandered around the city, tried his best to inquire, and finally found Hibiscus Garden on the outskirts of the city under the guidance of kind people.

Hibiscus Garden is located on an inconspicuous hillside. It had no name at first. Because of a strange murder case ten years ago, there were rumors that evil spirits were entrenched, so few people approached it. The deceased were all prostitutes in Huajie and Liuxiang. Relatives and friends, as time goes by, the tombs are almost covered by weeds, desolate and desolate, indeed revealing a gloomy atmosphere, which is even more daunting.

However, a month ago, it was rumored that there were hibiscus flowers blooming in the mountains, and the fragrance was overflowing. In this season of chaos and chaos, there are rare and strange things. The residents named it Hibiscus Garden.

There is no courtyard wall or gate in Hibiscus Garden. There is only a simple thatched house standing halfway up the mountain, and the corner of the eaves can be vaguely glimpsed from a distance.

The mountain road was winding and winding, and he couldn't control the horse, so Duan Changya could only tie his mount to a tree stump at the foot of the mountain.He had fed the horses with fodder, and just as he turned around, he saw a familiar figure approaching from afar, waving to him.

The person who came was wearing a crane cloak to keep out the cold, and standing in the autumn wind was Yan Yuehua.

Duan Changya couldn't help showing surprise, and said strangely: "Why is Master Yan here?"

Yan Yuehua replied: "Don't worry, I'm not here to trouble you, I just happened to bring Qian Fan to seek medical treatment."

"Seek medical attention?"

"Don't you know? In the hibiscus garden, there lives a young, promising and chivalrous genius doctor. The few hibiscus flowers on the mountainside were also planted by him himself."

Duan Changya showed a look of comprehension, nodded, and asked again: "Is there any sign of Qian Fan waking up?"

Yan Yuehua's complexion darkened, and he sighed lowly, saying: "Not yet, he was injured too badly, and it is a blessing to be able to recover his life. It is not easy to restore his former vitality. But after the care of the little genius doctor, His pulse is indeed more stable than before, and it will take some time to continue to recover."

Duan Changya asked: "How long will it take?"

Yan Yuehua turned her eyes to the mountains in the distance, and said calmly: "No one can tell. Maybe it's a day, maybe it's ten years, I can wait."

The mountains are calm and distant, floating in a thin layer of mist, as if entangled by the inexhaustible joys and sorrows of the world, they are still as before, unwavering.

Duan Changya straightened his expression and said, "I believe he will wake up one day."

Yan Yuehua showed a faint smile, and the fine lines on his cheeks were torn away by the smile, making him look much younger and gentler than before.He stared at Duan Changya, and said: "Dare to ask why you came here?"

Duan Changya said: "I'm here to visit an old friend."

"Is it Young Master Feng?"

Hearing this name, Duan Changya couldn't help trembling, as if hooks were attached to those syllables, which accurately aroused his heart and soul, making him completely powerless to fight back.

But even though his soul was hanging in the air, he still didn't show the pain on his face, he just blinked and said: "Yes, before parting, I promised him that I would pluck a flower and send it to his grave. "

"I see," Yan Yuehua nodded first, but quickly shook his head again and said, "Then you may be disappointed."

Duan Changya walked on the mountain road.

The path under his feet twists and turns, as if it has no end, and the eaves on the mountainside seem to have grown legs, and they keep running away from him.It is obvious that thousands of miles have been traveled from Zizhou to Lin'an, but this last part of the journey cannot be completed.

Human senses can lie, Duan Changya has often realized this recently.He fought bloody battles in Zizhou for almost a whole month, but when he closed his eyes, he still remembered only seven days on Yingzhou Island.

The seven days and nights seemed to have crossed the long river of time, engraved in his mind, and could not be erased for a lifetime.

Fortunately, the scenery in the mountains is pleasant, the vegetation along the way has been pruned, and the growth is more vigorous, and the flower buds on the branches bloom one after another, decorating the once barren mountains and wilds into a paradise.

Just a few flowers can bring about such miraculous changes. It would be great if people also have such vigorous vitality.

Duan Changya held a bunch of hibiscus branches in his hand, and the protruding part of the branches pierced his palm, leaving dry pain.

The pain suppressed in his heart also surfaced together.

He finally understood why his footsteps were getting heavier and heavier. He was afraid of really reaching his destination, afraid of seeing that cold tombstone behind the quiet roof tiles.But before his eyes, there was the scene he dreaded—in the dark corner where the sun can't shine, the wet soil smelled of rust, and the suffocating weight piled up on his chest, and countless small objects emerged from the darkness. The insects and ants ate his marrow bone bite by bite.

A tomb that he has never met before, but part of him has been buried in it.

He wished he could turn around and run away, as long as he didn't look at him, maybe he could forget everything and erase the painful memory from his heart.He has only known the owner of the tomb for seven days, and he is just a stranger at both ends of the suspension bridge. Now that he has passed the turbulent water and set foot on the flat ground, the accidental fate can no longer hinder his footsteps.

But Duan Changya did not leave.

He will never escape, and he will never break his promise.

There was only one time in his life that he had the idea of ​​cowardly suicide, but it was wiped away by that person himself.From now on, whether it is a day or ten years, he will never betray his heart again.

He finally saw the stele.

The appearance of the stele was almost exactly the same as he had imagined, except for a figure standing there.

With an incredulous look on his face, he called out, "... Hong Feng?"

The figure slowly turned to him, with a smile on his lips, and said: "I am the ghost of Liu Hongfeng, and I came to the world to inspect you."

"Investigate me?"

"Let's see if you've come to see me as promised. If you don't come, I'll chase you and kill you."

He was speechless, just staring blankly at the ghost's cheek. His appearance was still familiar to him, with light brows, drooping eye corners with a bit of playfulness, well-shaped thin lips, and a long neck.The shoulders under the neck seem to be thinner than a month ago, as if they might be blown away by the wind at any time.

Duan Changya walked forward slowly, raised a hand, and touched the ghost's cheek with his fingertips.

The ghost didn't hide, it just stood there and let him touch it.His five fingers moved slowly, and he murmured: "Ghosts don't have such a soft face," he said as his fingertips reached near his lips, and gently twitched, "Nor such a poisonous mouth."

A series of hurried footsteps interrupted him.

The firewood door was opened, and Liu Qian hurried out holding a basket, complaining as she walked, "You just got rid of your fever, why are you running around, and want to get sick again, don't you?"

Duan Changya met Liu Qian's gaze, his gaze was a little cramped, he slowly raised his arm, and greeted him with a stiff movement.

Liu Qian also froze in place, staring at Duan Changya's face, and said after a long time: "You... why did you come here, you know how much this guy wants to see you, since he woke up, he has been standing here every day looking through the autumn water... ..."

These words finally brought Duan Changya back to reality, he said with a dreamlike expression: "You and Liu Hongfeng...how did he..."

"Of course I cured it." Liu Qian patted his chest and said, "This guy insisted on being a hero and gave the only antidote to Brother An. The medicine was kept and handed over to me in its entirety. So I cut open the medicine and tried to make a similar prescription, which temporarily saved the lives of the two of them. gone."

Seeing that Liu Qian was speaking incoherently, Liu Hongfeng added from the side: "Thanks to An Guangsha's chivalrous heart, the two of us were able to save our lives at the same time. Not only that, but a dozen other surviving death row prisoners were also rescued because of this."

"Then this tombstone..."

"It was I who erected the Unnamed Tomb, in honor of the innocent dead on Yingzhou Island."

Duan Changya looked at the nameless stele and remained silent for a long time.Until Liu Hongfeng raised five fingers and waved in front of his eyes: "You saw me come back from the dead, didn't you feel a little moved?"

Before the words fell, those restless hands were tightly held.

Duan Changya pulled Liu Hongfeng's wrist with involuntary force, and at the same time opened his arms, embracing the latter in his arms.

People who are not good at words can only use actions to express the turbulent waves in their hearts.

Liu Qian coughed a few times at the side: "I still have to take care of Brother Yan who is sleepy, so I'll go first." Turning around, she said to herself, "Hey, I wish I could pass out too, so I don't get caught It hurts the eyes."

After the sound of footsteps faded away, the surroundings returned to silence, so quiet that one could hear the beating of the heart in his chest.

The chests of the two were tightly pressed against each other, and the beating sound merged into one, Duan Changya did not intend to relax at all.Until Liu Hongfeng struggled in his arms: "You have to tell me to take a breath, or you will strangle the little life I managed to save."

Duan Changya finally let go of his strength, but still grabbed the opponent's shoulders with both hands, and called out in a hoarse voice: "Hongfeng."

Liu Hongfeng blinked and met the other party's gaze.

Duan Changya's eyes were covered with a layer of dense mist, his black eyes were like a clear deep pool, thousands of thoughts, all kinds of heartbeats were stored in the bottomless pool, waiting for another person to notice.

Once we see each other, Sansheng is lucky.

"I'm still a patient, please be merciful."

Although Liu Hongfeng said so, he took the initiative to grab the back of the other's neck and put his lips on it.

The two kissed in the embrace of the fragrance of hibiscus flowers, and the kiss was lingering and delicate. They finally didn't have to worry about it, and they finally had a lot of time to squander.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Hongfeng panted heavily, lowered her gaze, and looked at Duan Changya's palm: "Look, it's a waste."

Just now the two hugged too tightly, accidentally broke the flower branch in Duan Changya's hand into two pieces, and the petals also fell from the branch.

The fluttering petals sprinkled on the stele, as if the two had finally redeemed their sins.The gloomy and cold tombs are therefore tinged with warmth.

Duan Changya looked at Liu Hongfeng again, and said in a serious tone: "Next time I will compensate you."

Liu Hongfeng just wanted to laugh: "When is the next time?"

Duan Changya thought for a moment, and replied: "Anytime is fine. From now on, I will always be with you."

"Are you sure?" Liu Hongfeng raised her eyebrows and asked, "You have defended Zizhou City and made great achievements. Now the officers, soldiers and common people everywhere are praising your deeds. Someone must have invited you to take this opportunity to be promoted. Be famous."

Duan Changya said: "For the sake of power and fame, people in high positions not only bully their relatives, but also destroy the lives of the common people. I will not be with them."

Liu Hongfeng asked again: "Then you plan to live in seclusion here, stay away from the world of mortals, and don't care about world affairs?"

Duan Changya frowned and said, "I don't want to run away from the world..."

Liu Hongfeng tilted his head, fixed his eyes, and said, "You are really difficult to serve, what exactly do you want?"

Duan Changya said: "Even if we stop Song Yungui's plot, King Pingnan still has countless allies. If the war goes on for a day, there are countless people waiting to be rescued."

Liu Hongfeng was silent for a long time, and finally said again: "You have chosen a long road."

But Duan Changya said without hesitation: "If I had you by my side, it wouldn't be so long."

Liu Hongfeng smiled slightly, and cast his gaze into the distance.

At the end of the rolling hills, there are more invisible difficulties and obstacles hidden. The world is so vast, and it is difficult for ordinary people to experience the sufferings of the world and travel all over the rivers and lakes throughout their lives.

But his heart is very calm, whether it is atonement or a hero, the reason is not important at all.Once he was reborn from the ashes, no amount of difficulties in front of him could make him lose and fail.

The peaceful and prosperous age is not yet in sight, but the sword that pierced the sky has been engraved in his heart for a long time.

(End of the article)