beg for chivalry

"The little one is a snake charmer. It can be said that he was born to do this job. It is rumored that my mother came from the poison country in the west and brought a good snake charm..."

"Focus on it." Yu Jiachen's eyes widened, and the sword was out of its sheath.

His face was originally soft and gentle, even if his eyebrows were cold, he would not make people feel timid.Therefore, the person he was interrogating was not afraid of his face, but the sword in his hand.

At this time, kneeling opposite Yu Jiachen was a man with thick eyebrows, big eyes and skin like cooked wheat, dressed in a white robe, and nervously clutching the bamboo hat that had been pierced in half by a sword.Maybe it's because he has practiced some soft skills, or he has always deliberately imitated the figure of a woman when he was an actor, but his every move is full of affection, twisting into a ball like a snake.

"The little one was entrusted by the Qianjiazhuang, and would come here every year to play the role of 'Jade White Swordsman'. Well, when did it start? It started when I was young when I just broke my tendons and made a 'break'... "

The snake charmer just wanted to talk, but when he saw Yu Jiachen approaching the sword with his eyes wide open, he hurriedly said with a sneer. "Young man, please calm down. The petty ones just can't change their habit of talking, and they have to slap themselves twice to stop. You can tell whatever you ask, not only are they all the truth , even nonsense can be attached to a basket..."

It was the first time Yu Jiachen met such a talkative person.The Tianshanmen disciples were so busy practicing martial arts that they didn't even have time to say a word.The brother who talks to him the most is also the type who will say a few more words when he is happy, but will not say a word when he is bored.

So when the snake charmer opened his mouth, Yu Jiachen was so anxious that he didn't know which ear to listen to him.There are not many people in Japan who talk to him, and this snake charmer has guaranteed that "what he says is the truth", Yu Jiachen feels that this person is more worthy of admiration.

So the young Taoist blushed. "You are actually willing to tell the truth to me... You, you are so kind."

"Oh, it's the first time I've been said kindly by someone, let alone such a hero!" The snake charmer got excited when he heard it, and he was no longer afraid of the sword in Yu Jiachen's hand, so he grabbed it his hand.What followed was a series of compliments that made people blush and heartbeat. Before Yu Jiachen could finish listening to the words with a blushing face, Wang Xiaoyuan's voice came from behind.

"Master, are you sure this... this person is not your senior brother?" Wang Xiaoyuan's breath was a little uneven, and he spoke intermittently, his pale face was dripping with sweat.Yu Jiachen only said that he had worked hard to catch up with himself who was performing lightness kung fu, but he didn't expect that the young servant's headache hadn't healed yet.

"This person's accent is far from that of senior brother, so he is naturally not senior brother." Yu Jiachen insisted.

Wang Xiaoyuan smiled wryly. "Can the master of the sect recognize the senior brother just by listening to the voice?"

Yu Jiachen patted his chest. "Not [-]% sure, but [-]% sure."

It's strange to say that this young Taoist usually speaks very solemnly, but when he praises Haikou, he will show a slightly guilty look.This was the case at this time, although Yu Jiachen spoke confident words, his sword hand trembled violently, and his dark pupils couldn't help but glance sideways.

Wang Xiaoyuan seemed to be used to this look, pointing at the snake charmer and couldn't help laughing. "Let's just listen to what this elder brother has to say."

So under the questioning of the two, the snake charmer began to narrate the ins and outs of the matter.It turned out that he, the man with the animal face, and the musicians who played the flute, flute, and drum were all performers traveling together. Their ancestors came from Quicksand, Tianzhu and the West, and the magic trick was passed down to this generation.

And when they wandered here a few years ago, Qian Jiazhuang invited them to perform in the annual "Heroes Meeting", using the title of "Heroes" to deceive the eyes and ears of the villagers who don't know the world.

"Despicable." After listening, Yu Jiachen said angrily.

"Oh, this hero. You just said that you were kind, but why did you say 'despicable and shameless' in a blink of an eye? Therefore, ordinary people are bound to be capricious, sometimes saying good things, sometimes saying bad things, you say Isn't it?"

The snake charmer shook his head, and continued to speak in a slippery tone, "The little ones acted in an illusion, which is giving; the owner of the Qianjiazhuang remunerates the young ones, which is a return. Isn't this a fair thing? The money is not obtained by stealing, it is obtained as a reward for acting in a phantom show, and there is no reason why you call it 'despicable' in this small thought."

The snake charmer could not stop talking, Yu Jiachen hastily interrupted him. "But you lied to your fathers and neighbors! Which one of the people who came to this 'Heroes Meeting' didn't come here with a heart for help? Could it be that you can easily send these people away as long as you put on an illusion?"

The snake charmer giggled. "The little one sells skills, they want peace of mind, how can it be called 'dismissed'? To be honest, the little one has also inquired about the murderer here before. Although the murderer is cruel, he doesn't often live here. It was a few months ago that he committed the crime once, and he probably slipped away elsewhere."

"However, the villagers are still in panic all day long, worrying that the murderer is still lingering here, so I played a good show of 'The Jade White Swordsman Comes' to reassure them. Isn't this a righteous act?"

Hearing the words of the snake charmer, Yu Jiachen clenched his fists, gritted his teeth but was speechless.

Although this slick tone sounded quite reasonable, Yu Jiachen felt an indescribable sullenness in his heart.Because the murderer is not here, can he defraud money in the name of "reassuring the villagers"?After all, the murderer just hasn't committed a crime recently, so how can he be sure that he is not here?All kinds of questions piled up in his mind, making his thoughts extremely chaotic.

At this time, Wang Xiaoyuan stepped forward and asked. "Why does this elder brother pretend to be 'Jade White Swordsman'?"

"Well, although there are many famous knights in the world, the only one who is famous but whose face no one has ever seen is Yubai Swordsman." The snake charmer sighed, "I don't know this little brother. Although Yubai Swordsman is a young one, in previous years we had to ask a woman to play it. This year, unfortunately, we can't find such a woman, so we can only ask the young one to pretend for a while."

The snake charmer bowed to them, he is a person who has practiced soft kung fu, his body bones are extremely flexible, no wonder he was chosen to play the gentle "Yubai Swordsman".The snake charmer made gestures and said with a smile.

"The two heroes should have seen it tonight. The younger one tied a rope around his waist, and first wrapped himself in a black cloth on the highest stake, and loosened the black cloth when the timing was right—swipe—" Yubai Swordsman came out, didn't it seem to appear out of nowhere from a distance? This is a small and proud stunt!"

In this way, it can indeed explain why the figure of the "Yubai Swordsman" appeared from the sky at that time. Everyone in the village was carefully watching the "head-taking technique" performed by the man with the animal mask, and was bewitched by the fragrance. How could they pay attention? Has someone already set up a high stake?In the end, this is not some ghostly apparition, but an illusion staged by an entertainer.

Yu Jiachen was still obsessed with the fact that Qianjiazhuang was in collusion with these actors, and thinking about their fraudulent use of the name of senior brother, he became more and more indignant, so he asked sharply. "Why do you want to assist Qianjiazhuang and Liangzhuang in this deceptive trick?"

The snake charmer rubbed his hands together and smiled. "Look at what you said! The little one said just now that we perform illusions for money. Without money, we can't live in this world. This is a truth that everyone knows. But...here...the little one is willing to be with you. Hero, tell the truth."

He was still wearing the clothes of Yubai swordsman, but his face was covered with a slick smile, which made Yu Jiachen quite uncomfortable.The snake charmer winked, covered his mouth with his hands in a fan shape, leaned closer to Wang and Yu and whispered.

"...One of the two villa owners who held this 'Heroes' Meeting' is that Tong Kong Fang...actually, he is a member of the villain."

"People in the ditch of the wicked?" Yu Jiachen repeated with blinking eyes, and immediately showed a look of deep thought.The head of his Tianshan Gate practiced swords in the snow-capped mountains all day long, and had been isolated from the world for several years. He had no idea what martial arts sects existed in the world today.

Wang Xiaoyuan recalled it all at once.The copper hole Fang was tall and thin, with a square face in Chinese characters and protruding hips. The whole person looked square and upright, and he spoke in a high-pitched voice like singing, and he always liked to echo the silver ingot.At that time, the young servant didn't think much about it, he just felt that this person's temperament was quite similar to that of the old man Zhu for some reason, but he didn't expect that he was also a villain.

"It's no wonder that the two people's auras are incompatible... A fat man named Yin Yuanbao and a thin man named Tong Kongfang, these three people are really strange." Yu Jiachen pondered, and turned serious. "Of course, I have expected this a long time ago."

Yu Jiachen is probably the only person in the world who expresses his opinion so bluntly and without shame.

"That's right, that's right!" Seeing that his words were heard by the two people on the opposite side, the snake charmer twisted his body happily. "Originally, there was only one owner of the Qianjiazhuang, the silver ingot. The copper hole Fang came later. I heard that he had a quarrel with the elders because of the affairs of the beggar gang, so he had to come to this distant relative's house. Little Yunyou Sifang, I naturally know some bad people and friends, and I heard these rumors from them."

"Then, what does it have to do with the copper holes in the Evil Man's Ditch where you play illusions to deceive the neighbors?" Yu Jiachen narrowed his long and narrow phoenix eyes and said in a detached tone.

cried the snake charmer. "It's a big deal!" He danced for a while in the jade-white swordsman's robe, humming a little tune from the Western Regions in his mouth, wandering around the two of them for a few times, and then suddenly came to their ears Said in a low voice.

"Let's think about it, you two heroes. We're just little gangsters roaming around and performing illusions. If we get into trouble with the wicked because of this, then we won't know how to spend the rest of our lives in the arena. Tong Kong Fang's face is the face of the wicked, even if he doesn't take over the affairs of the sect, everyone in the wicked will have to look at him!"

"So," the young servant scratched his head and asked, "helping this 'League of Heroes' to cheat is what you did to please the villain?"

The snake charmer couldn't help hissing like a snake when he heard it. "This hero is right! But the word 'to please' is not used correctly. The small one can be regarded as a businessman. This matter is good for us, so just do it. Who cares about the 'Yubai Swordsman' or "Dugu Xiaodao", as long as there is money and profit, anyone who is young can play it!"

Having said that, the truth is already revealed.

Qianjiazhuang colluded with this group of Jianghu actors, and every year it used the name of "Heroes' Association" to attract the people from the neighborhood.This act of taking advantage of the opportunity to amass money is not so rampant, even if the common people want to see the rumored knight and ask for their help, Qian Jiazhuang will always prevaricate it with various reasons.

It's just that this year's situation is different—since a few months ago, a murderer wandered here, took the heads of the villagers in the middle of the night, and killed the corpses, causing panic in the surrounding area.The people naturally want to end this dark life, so they pin their hopes on the "Heroes' Meeting" where heroes from all walks of life gather. Even if they take out the little money left at home, they have to see the "Jade White Swordsman".

"It turned out...to use the name of a senior brother for the sake of profit...!"

After hearing the snake charmer's words, the young Taoist priest's eyes were red with anger, and the hand holding the sword couldn't help shaking with grief and anger, as if he would be unable to restrain himself from stabbing in the next moment.he quivered.

"How can there be such an injustice in the world! Senior brother... The title of Yubai Swordsman was never used to deceive the people. What kind of knight is Senior Brother--no one in the whole world knows? With his name... oh...!"

At the end, Yu Jiachen choked up a little.The bitterness of searching for someone for the past two years and the loss of being lost again rushed into his heart together, and there was a glimmer of water in his eyes, but he still held back his tears after all.

Seeing him so sad, even the snake charmer couldn't help restraining himself a little, and sighed. "Ah, ah, I understand that heroes feel uncomfortable, but this is not because they are willing to deceive people. In life, who doesn't want to be innocent and sincere? But if you don't lie, you can't earn a few bucks. If you don't have money, you can't live, so you have to be greedy for money and profit, and you have to cheat."

The snake charmer glanced at the flickering Qianjiazhuang, with a sad look on his face.

"Actually, not only the villagers who gathered in Qian's Village, but also the small actors who set up tricks, are also looking forward to a hero to save people from the fire and water day and night. But there are heroes here. What's the use? If the murderer is captured, everything will be peaceful? Even if the murderer is captured, the blood-sucking person is still at ease. Then the murderer can kill, but the hungry, poor and cold can't kill people?"

What he said meant that even if the murderer was stopped, no one would be killed because of it, but the misfortune of the villagers would still follow.Qianjiazhuang's practice of extorting money will continue year after year, and there are still many villagers who have been squeezed dry and died of hunger and cold.Although the actor gang is also the one who set up the scam, they are also the one who is exploited.

"Even so..." Yu Jiachen persisted, his voice trembling.

But at the end of the day, what else can I say? The "Heroes' Meeting" is just a cover, and the brother who has been searching for two years is still missing, everything is like holding water in a basket.Is it necessary to persuade this group of actors to stop cheating with great principles?But doing so would be like cutting off their way of life.Let the people here ignore it?That would be contrary to one's own benevolence.

Wang Xiaoyuan also showed a worried look, and asked softly. "Master, what's the next step?"

What should I do?

These words sounded light and fluttering in Yu Jiachen's ears, but his heart seemed to be weighed down by a thousand catties of iron instantly.What should I do next?He glanced at the mountains and fields, it was so dark that he couldn't see the way forward, and he looked at the sky again, it was so dark that it seemed to be collapsing.

"My lord... will set off to return to the Tianshan Gate tonight." After saying this, Yu Jiachen seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and his shoulders sagged and fell.

Before the young servant could speak, he turned around with lowered eyebrows and clasped his fists heavily. "I have caused a lot of trouble for Brother Wang, and I apologize here."

The words were abrupt, but Wang Xiaoyuan saw his bright red eyes and tight, trembling thin lips at a glance, presumably the Taoist priest was trying his best to suppress the anger and sorrow in his heart. The words "Back to Tianshan Gate" were disheartened, but extremely unwilling.

After wandering abroad for two years, which day will Yu Jiachen not be a hanging shadow, listening to the depression and wind and rain alone?Which night is not a cold pillow, a long night of bitter silence?Even though he missed his senior brother in every possible way, he has been in such a difficult situation for two full years, and tonight is the time to let go.

"Most of the elders' disciples were slaughtered, and the sect is like a candle in the wind. I, the incompetent sect master, should go back and take care of his affairs." Yu Jiachen tried to laugh.Although there was a smile on the corner of his mouth, there was endless misery in his eyes. "I told Brother Wang before that if I can't find my brother tonight, I will go back to Tianshan Gate. This has come true."

"As for the matter of the Qianjiazhuang—I will discuss with the owner face to face, and return the money I have collected to the villagers. If the two of them refuse, even if I have offended the wicked... I must find a way to get the money back. Get it back."

Looking at Yu Jiachen rubbing his chin in distress and lost in thought, the snake charmer and the young servant beside him stared wide-eyed in shock.

The snake charmer panicked. "Hero... Is this true? The small ones are of course irrelevant, and you will even be happy because you don't have to listen to them from now on... But what about the hero himself? Once you intervene, the villain will not hurt the hero. In order to sit idly by, and even come to seek revenge."

Offending the villains is not something to laugh at.Tong Kongfang, one of the owners of the villa, is a well-known figure in the villain's ditch. This group of actors has always been intimidated by the forces they rely on to cooperate with them in the "Heroes Meeting" with phantom plays.

"Even so, I still want to do my best to help the people here." Yu Jiachen said solemnly.

It must have been a difficult decision to make.For Yu Jiachen, who was alone and lonely, to be able to say this at this time must have made a great determination.Dismantling the face of this "Heroes Association" means offending Tong Kongfang, and now the Tianshan Gate, which is like a candle in the wind, is naturally unreliable, which means that Yu Jiachen may have to face a large group of villains alone. power.

Suddenly, Yu Jiachen turned around and asked the young servant solemnly. "Brother Wang, won't you speak out to dissuade me?"

"Why discourage?"

The young Taoist priest's cheeks were flushed. "Because if the senior brother was present, he would definitely blame me for being inexperienced and foolish."

Wang Xiaoyuan looked at him in a dusty suit, obviously he had suffered a lot, even so his eyes were still clear and firm, his stubbornness remained undiminished, so he knew that he couldn't be persuaded, so he scratched his head and said with a shy smile. "Your senior brother is your senior brother, but I really admire the old way of the sect master."

"That means you agree?" Yu Jiachen asked carefully.

"Even if you don't agree... With the stubbornness of the sect master, no one can turn it back." The young servant replied with a smirk.

Yu Jiachen said. "With Brother Wang's words, I can let go of ten hearts."

Taking a closer look, he really showed a slightly relieved look, and the eyebrows that were tense like arrow strings were also gently lowered at this time.But soon a trace of uneasiness climbed up his eyebrows again, Yu Jiachen put his head on his hands and pondered for a while, finally took a deep breath and said loudly.

"Yes, yes, Brother Wang, can you come over with me?"

Before Wang Xiaoyuan could say anything, he blushed and took the young servant's wrist, and said in a coy manner. "How impolite, but please come here quickly, I have something to say to Brother Wang."

The young Taoist took Wang Xiaoyuan's hand and trotted towards the back door of Qianjiazhuang.The two walked across the bluestone bridge with the gurgling water, passed through the lush willows, and finally stopped at the square gate.The snake charmer looked at the two of them with a smile on his face, and followed slowly behind without bothering them.

From the square gate, you can see the noisy scene in the village.The crowd is still surging in front of the copper hole holding the nanmu box and the silver ingots yelling hard, the man with the animal mask and the performer holding the flute and drum are still dancing and playing, the music is mixed with the roaring voices, No one noticed the two heads sticking out from behind the square door.

The quiet lights in the courtyard made Yu Jiachen's eyes shine brightly, he hesitated for a while, and then said. "...A long time ago, senior brother invited me to watch a phantom show like this."

"Yubai Swordsman?" Wang Xiaoyuan asked him with a blink of an eye.

"Yes. At that time, I was young and ignorant, and I always had a half-knowledge of what my senior brother said. Until tonight... I finally understood it vaguely. To be honest, my heart is quite dull. With a mind that penetrates the world, it is inferior to senior brother in everything, and dare not refute senior brother's words."

Yu Jiachen said frankly.For some reason, Wang Xiaoyuan felt a faint desolation in his eyes.

"However, there is only one statement that I cannot agree with."

"What is it?"

"Senior brother and I said, 'The bitterness and desolation of the world, injustice and injustice are also what people fear'." Yu Jiachen frowned and shook his head. "But I am not afraid."

The young servant said blankly. "Aren't you afraid?"

This is something that has existed all over the world in every dynasty. How can one person eliminate all the injustices in the world?But Wang Xiaoyuan couldn't say these words, because the expression on Yu Jiachen's face opposite him made him unable to say these words.

"Exactly, I have been thinking hard for three years, but I still can't hold back my sincerity. On this point, even my senior brother can't ask me to give in. I am not afraid of injustice. If the world is biased, correcting it is... ..."

Yu Jiachen said solemnly.

"—If there is no 'hero' to save the common people, let me be that 'hero'."