beg for chivalry

The morning light is slightly dew, and the drizzle is continuous.White chrysanthemums are gently rippling in the moist breeze, dotted in emerald green.Wang Xiaoyuan hugged Zuo Sanniang's head and ran across the flowers, found an empty space, squatted down and picked up a piece of wood.He dug in the soft soil blankly and dug a shallow hole.

During the interval of excavation, fragments of light and shadow flashed before his eyes, and the past unfolded like a picture scroll.The house in Jiading is very large, with blue tiles and white walls, Sihetou compound, biotite forest stones, and green vines, it is quiet when no one is walking around.But if Jinwu and Zuo Sanniang were there, it would become lively and lively.He and Jinwu were chasing and playing in the courtyard together, while Zuo Sanniang was sitting by the porch, holding her face while smiling.Carmine-like crabapple petals spread all over the ground, and the sun like golden scales danced on the three of them.

In an instant, everything disappeared again.Only he knelt and sat in the drizzle alone.

Wang Xiaoyuan felt a throbbing pain in his heart. He put Zuo Sanniang's body into the pit, picked it up again in grief, and carefully wiped off the mud stains on her face.

"I'm sorry, Sanniang..." He lowered his head, his words became more and more slurred, "I will see you off in the end, not the young master, I'm sorry..."

The brown-backed sparrow cooed, and the ears were mixed, but it was very lonely and desolate.Wang Xiaoyuan stared around blankly, only to see a lush bamboo forest standing amidst the rain and mist, and the kind bamboos were thick.If he left from here, he might not be able to find his way back.

But he still had to look for Jinwu, and he couldn't bring her back to Jiading for burial for a while.He wanted to bury Zuo Sanniang in this nameless place, even the chance to come to worship in the next year would be buried by him.

Wang Xiaoyuan stared at the pit silently, and after a while, she shed tears in a daze.

After the burial was over, there was a small bump in the bamboo grove.Wang Xiaoyuan broke off a few white chrysanthemums and stuck them in the soil bag.The raindrops fell mercilessly, smashing the white fragrance petals to pieces.He bowed a few times, carried the stick and walked deep into the bamboo forest, stopping every step he took to look back.

In the smoky rain, Xiaotupo's shadow gradually faded.

The green bamboo forest is like a green barrier, and the wooden bridge is wet with scattered yellow leaves.Wang Xiaoyuan wandered blankly for a while, then decided to turn back.The left and right guardians of Houtianlou are still guarding the foot of Longwei Mountain, preventing the farm family who rescued him from returning home.He wants to defeat Dugu Xiaodao, and then find the right guardian to fight against.

But can he really beat Dugu Xiaodao now?Wang Xiaoyuan glanced at his bruised and scarred body.The only knife left in his hand was shattered just now in order to snatch Zuo Sanniang's head, and now he only has a rotten wooden stick in his hand.How can a swordsman without a sword in his hand be able to defeat the world-famous swordsman?

Looking at the stick, Wang Xiaoyuan suddenly remembered that his father used to juggle green bamboo sticks in front of him triumphantly when he was a child, calling: "Xiao Yuan, come and learn a few of your old man's stick skills!" But he The mind is dull, and the palms of the hands are broken, and they can't learn. They often beat themselves to bruise.

The sound of the rain gradually increased, and a quiet path appeared in the bamboo forest. The green bamboos were slightly slanted, and the end was deep and dark.Wang Xiaoyuan walked over, and the raindrops fell on one end.Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a figure among the slanting bamboos.

He was very vigilant, and immediately put the wooden stick in front of his body, thinking that it was the ghost of Dugu Xiaodao floating over.After blinking carefully, he realized that it was an old man with gray beard and hair, his shirt was open, his chest and belly were exposed, and his face was flushed with drunkenness.

The old man was holding a green bamboo stick in his hand, leaning on the bamboo stick and sleeping soundly.

Wang Xiaoyuan felt a little joy in his heart, he didn't expect to meet acquaintances here, and shouted: "Senior Bamboo Old Man!"

The bamboo old man was so drunk that he smashed his mouth in his dream.The old man went to Jiading Jinfu to have a dry meal, and then went to Qianjiazhuang with them to hang out.Wang Xiaoyuan walked with him for a while, knowing that he loves to drink alcohol and is not in good shape, he even hooked up with him to go whoring in Zuichun Garden.

But they parted ways before going to Tianfu, and from then on he didn't know where the old man went, and he was busy looking for Jinwu.Although Longwei Mountain is not far from Tianfu and Chengyi, Wang Xiaoyuan still doesn't know why Old Man Zhu appeared here.

"Wake up, old man Zhu!" Wang Xiaoyuan ran over and shook the drunk old man.

The old bamboo man scratched his belly, murmured, and murmured, "One more...another bowl!"

Wang Xiaoyuan had no choice but to stick to his ear and shouted: "Wake up!"

Only then did the old man tremble from his sleep, blinked a few times with half-opened drunken eyes, and then recognized Wang Xiaoyuan in front of him.He held the green bamboo stick with trembling hands, stood up straight, patted his head again, and said after he regained consciousness, "Oh, I think there are mosquitoes and flies buzzing in my ears. You are... Little doll."

The pungent smell of alcohol rushed towards his face, Wang Xiaoyuan shook his head and avoided it, wondering: "Why is the old man here?"

The bamboo old man grabbed the wine gourd from his waist and poured it, but not a drop of wine came out.He touched his head and said with a smile. "The old man heard that the peaks of Longwei Mountain are beautiful and steep, so he wanted to come and have a look. Hey, I don't want to get old, I get lost in walking, and I can't tell east, west, north, south, so I just stop here for a while." He laughed heartily for a while. "Why did you come here, baby? Are you also here to accompany the old man on this mountain path?"

Wang Xiaoyuan was a little ashamed about Qian Xian'er's abducting him here, and only said vaguely, "I... I was also on the way to find the young master... I happened to pass by."

"Hey, you mean that short-tempered little boy of the Jin family?" The old bamboo man read a passage, but saw Wang Xiaoyuan's eyes were red, as if he had cried a lot, so he lowered his voice and asked, "What's the matter, Did something sad happen to you?"

Wang Xiaoyuan seemed to have a lump in his throat, he stretched out his hand to wipe his eyes for a while, and said with a sob.

"Third Niang, she... died."

When every word jumps on the tip of the tongue, it brings a feeling of heaviness.After Wang Xiaoyuan said these words, he buried his head deeply.

The old bamboo man also paled suddenly, his lips moved for a while, and then a sigh came out of his mouth. "Fortune and misfortune are impermanent, everyone has his own destiny..."

The wind and rain were rustling, and the water and dew were continuous. The two faced each other silently.Zuo Sanniang seemed to be by their side yesterday, saying some witty words, but in a blink of an eye they were separated, and she was buried under the Nine Springs.

Wang Xiaoyuan suddenly felt cold all over his body, and his dizziness became more and more heavy.It was as if he had fallen into a whirlpool, his internal organs swirled like a sea, and he almost vomited bile.I don't know when it started, the glorious scene of the past has gone away from him, and there is no one around him.

A big rough palm suddenly covered his head, stroking it gently.The old bamboo man patted his head, sighed and dragged him to the shade of the bamboo to avoid the growing raindrops.Wang Xiaoyuan sat down on the rock while being held down by him in a daze, the two of them huddled in the bamboo shadow, watching the sky and the earth being sewn together by the rain needles.

The old bamboo man looked at Wang Xiaoyuan's pale face, his eyes were worried, his lips trembled slightly, but he didn't know how to speak.

After a long time, he said: "Zuo Sanniang...she is a good girl."

Wang Xiaoyuan nodded absently.

"She said that she only wanted to take care of that kid in the Jin family, but she still treated us well. Although the work was not easy, it became more and more efficient." The old bamboo man said, "Looking at her, the old man will remember own granddaughter."

This is a good statement, Wang Xiaoyuan thought silently.He has also been taken care of by Sanniang for a long time, and she brought him meals, soups and medicines. Sometimes when he fell down and scratched his skin, she would mutter about applying the medicine to himself.

"I want to take her back to Jiading for burial... This is not her home." After a long time, Wang Xiaoyuan grabbed the hem of his clothes and said. "But I don't know where her home is. The young master may know, but I can't find the young master either..." As he spoke, his tears fell.

The bamboo old man sighed: "It might be good to be buried here. No one will come, it will be quiet and won't disturb the little girl." He said again, "Where are you going? Wang Xiaowa?"

Wang Xiaoyuan said, "I don't know... where else can I go?" His blank eyes fell on the bamboo old man's green bamboo stick, and he murmured, "I remembered. I have been very sorry for the young master. , I want to find him, even if it takes my whole life."

He muttered to himself, but he didn't notice that the old man's expression froze suddenly.

"Do you remember? Remember everything?" the old man asked cautiously.

For a moment, there seemed to be a biting chill in the wind.Wang Xiaoyuan turned his head to look at him in astonishment, only to see the old man Zhu's eyes were holed with paint, like two deep caves, with a dark sea surging inside, feeling of uneasiness surged into his heart.

Yes, he remembered everything.

He thought about the Golden Crow, and the fact that he was seeking flaws from jade, during which there was his past of learning knives at the Tianshan Gate, the time spent happily in the Golden Mansion, and the years growing up in the Evil Man's Ditch.

It was strange because I remembered everything.Suspicion is like a vine, slowly climbing up the atrium and occupying one side.

Wang Xiaoyuan swallowed nervously, his eyes fell on the green bamboo stick in the old man's hand, hesitantly asked:

"You... who are you?"

He remembered the kind-hearted elder who was strong in stature but acted like a child; he remembered the stiff-headed elder with a stooped back and thin legs; Elder Bamboo.Every elder in Erengou holds a green bamboo stick in his hand, and he remembers every elder's name and face.

But Wang Xiaoyuan didn't remember Old Man Zhu.Obviously this old man also held a green bamboo stick in his hand, and he also claimed that he came out of the villain's ditch, but he searched his stomach and thought desperately, but he still couldn't remember seeing this old man before!

"I...have never seen you in Evilrengou before. Everyone in Evilrengou is my relatives and friends, and I know everyone." Wang Xiaoyuan opened his eyes wide and murmured, "You are not from Evilrengou. Man, who are you?"

In retrospect, it was all too coincidental.This old man carried the sugar man's burden, wandering and shouting in the streets of Jiading all day long, as if he was spying on the situation of the Jin Mansion.When we met for the first time, I even used the excuse of the sugar seller to test how much I still remembered. The sudden visit on the snowy night when Wu Litian came, now it is even more unexpected when I think about it.

The bamboo old man was silent, but his face was cold and resolute, showing cold and hard lines in the dim sky, as dark as a stubborn stone.

"When you were in Qianjiazhuang, you greeted Dugu Xiaodao." Wang Xiaoyuan's heart gradually cooled down, and he said, "He called you 'Bamboo Weng', you two know each other well."

"That's right, the old man and him were old acquaintances." The old bamboo man laughed in a low voice.At some point, black clouds covered their heads, the wind was blowing, and the chill surrounded their bodies.If you look closely, his smile is quite similar to Dugu Xiaodao, but more like a ghost holding its teeth and breathing.

Wang Xiaoyuan stared at the green bamboo stick in the old man's hand, he felt as if he had seen this thing somewhere, not in Evil Ditch, but in another distant past.

The terrified words of the farmer echoed in his ears. At that time, he had repeated in a trembling voice: This Longwei Mountain is surrounded by evil spirits from Evil Ditch and Houtianlou, and it is impossible for people to escape.

The sound of the wind is long and distant, as if it is accompanied by flying snowflakes.Wang Xiaoyuan shuddered suddenly, and suddenly realized that he had seen this long stick on the cliff of Tianshan Mountain!It's just that at that time the stick was not glowing with emerald green light, but was stained with the blood of the disciples of Tianshan Sect, piercing through the disciples' bodies.

The dark ghost seemed to be looking at him from the other side of the snow curtain, its face was covered with black gauze, and it was holding a long fine iron stick with a sharpened tip and mottled with blood.

In an instant, Wang Xiaoyuan was enlightened.Everything is intertwined into a net, forming a terrifying picture scroll.

Why did it appear in Longwei Mountain, which was surrounded by mountain ghosts and Houtianlou assassins.

Why don't you ask the reason for Zuo Sanniang's death.

Why the whereabouts of him and Jinwu were leaked, and every move seemed to be in the eyes of Hou Tianlou.

These questions now have answers.

Wang Xiaoyuan raised his head and met the old man Zhu's dark eyes, and said every word.

"——The Right Protector of Houtianlou, is that you?"