beg for chivalry

The day is bleak, and the wind blows with clouds.The red leaves all over the mountain are gray, like blood polluted by dust.Raindrops fell from among the cascading forest leaves, hitting the heads and faces of several people walking in the forest.

The cold rain seeped in from the gap in the hat, Zuo Sanniang wiped her wet cheeks with a wrapping towel, but the towel had already absorbed the water, and the more she wiped, the wetter it became.She is cold and tired now, the rough fabric of her daily clothing makes her skin ache, and the soles of her feet hurt from running around in the grass and rocks with cloth monk shoes.She regretted that she came to this Panlong Mountain today, the mountain road was not only very uncomfortable, but the corpses scattered all over the place made her panic even more.

The red maple is layered on top of each other, different shades of red are spread in the eyes, the branches and leaves are sparse, and the rain is falling. She stands in the forest blankly, not knowing where to go.The sound of iron hooves plunging into the mud came from far behind, and the shouts of the sentinels of the monks echoed like ghosts among the shadows of the gloomy trees. It seemed that some hidden arrows would shoot at her at any moment to take her life.

A hoarse and dry voice came from beside him: "Don't... take me away again."

That voice came from Jin Shiba.At this time, he was lying on his back under the rain curtain, his face was as pale as snow, and his eyes were fixed on the sky.There was a miserable gash in his belly, the blood was red, the wound seemed to be bottomless, it was shocking.It turned out that when Rakshasa in black was fighting with the monk who broke the precepts, he ignored Sanniang's obstruction and risked his life to give Jin Wu a knife.

Sanniang was also frightened by his injury and her hands and feet were cold.The assassin who was standing beside her to protect her just now was lying dying among the dead leaves, which made her feel blank and at a loss for a while.

Jin Wu bit his hem tightly in his mouth, and moved forward step by step.The boy's hands were broken, so he could only rely on Sanniang's help to lead him away.Hearing what Jin Shiba said at this time, he cursed indistinctly: "...shut up."

The Houtianlou assassins had already dispersed in all directions, avoiding the pursuit of the Sentinels.Mu Shiyi wanted to take him away earlier, but Jin Wu had a very stubborn temper and refused to leave the seriously injured Jin Shiba behind.Sanniang got separated from the guards in the chaos, so she could only follow them.

Jin Wu told Sanniang to carry Jin Shiba's feet.The girl looked at the soles of the boots stained with mud and blood, hesitated for a moment at her white palm, and obediently lifted it.They walked in the deep forest with one foot deep and one foot shallow, behind them were the noisy voices that seemed to be approaching at any moment.

"Young master...you are seriously injured...why come to take care of me again?" Jin Shiba murmured, his thin voice seemed to be cut off at any time.

Jin Wu was so tired that he didn't even have the strength to stare at others. He squeezed out a few words intermittently: "I said... let you... shut up!"

They walked to the gate of Fushan Temple step by step, and all the monks went to the Stone Buddha Hall. At this time, there was no one on the dam platform.Jin Wu and San Niang put Jin Shiba down and leaned against the twisted welcoming pine, but they were at a loss for the terrible wound.

Jin Shiba yelled, as if talking nonsense: "Okay...it seems...something is missing."

"What's missing?" Sanniang knelt down and held his hand, she knew that they had no medicine to stop the bleeding, and they had pursuers behind them, so they couldn't save this man anymore.Thinking of this, she couldn't help feeling sad, and tears rolled down her face.

"Oh, there are fewer intestines." Jin Shiba was still in the mood to joke, but seeing his pale face and dim eyes glow strangely, "There is an opening in the stomach... it's all gone. "

Jin Wu was out of breath. He felt a bit cold standing in the wind and rain, but his heart was colder than his body.He swallowed hard, and said, "...I'll go pick it up for you."

At this time, both he and Zuo Sanniang had seen blood gushing out from Jin Shiba's horrific wound, and the blood pool seemed to be mixed with visceral fragments.No matter how you look at it, this kind of injury can't be saved.

"Don't..." Jin Shiba murmured. "I'm in great pain now...it will hurt even more when you leave...it's my fault, the old man's gold chain is really...horrible. I should have thrown the knife to the young master and then run away...but my legs are really moving mustn't..."

The more uncomfortable he was, the more he wanted to talk nonsense, and Sanniang felt even more uncomfortable after hearing this.Jin Shiba broke the bones of both legs to protect her, and took his life to deliver the knife.

"Who asked you... to give me the knife." Jin Wu banged his head on the tree trunk, gritted his teeth and cursed reluctantly.He was not wearing a mask at this time, and there were some ripples on his usually indifferent and indifferent face. Sanniang vaguely felt that it was a mixture of anger and sadness, but he couldn't easily explain it in words.

Jin Shiba said: "Look now...you don't want to leave me alone...how could I turn around and leave, young master." , "I want to persuade you to leave now, and you will definitely stay here...then just talk to me, it won't take too long..."

Sanniang was startled and went to see him.

The empty black eyes were contrasted by Jin Shiba's pale complexion, making them even more profound.But there seemed to be a flash of light in it, and his mind suddenly became clear again.

Jin Shiba looked at the black-clothed Rakshasa, and stretched out his hand to touch the ground beside him with difficulty: "Sit down, young master, I have something... I want to tell you. I can't control my mouth... Except at this time No one can control you except Lord Yan..."

Rakshasa in black stood silently.In the end, he bit his lower lip hard, and sat down a little while leaning on the pine tree.He was bruised all over his body, and he almost fell asleep as soon as he sat down.

Jin Shiba laughed softly: "...Do you think who will die first between us? Let's make a bet."

He was mortally wounded, and there was no life-saving herb at hand.Jin Wu took the highly poisonous blood and bitterness, and suffered a lot from the battle with the broken monk.

Jin Wu said, "What's the benefit of winning the bet?"

Jin Shiba smiled and said: "...the person who died last will collect the body for the first one."

"What does that have to do with winning or losing?" Jin Wu rolled his eyes and said, as if he didn't want to take another look at the wound on his body. "It's just a matter of death sooner or later."

After not hearing the sound for a long time, Jin Wu turned around quickly, only to see Jin Shiba smiling at him.The raindrops fell on his bluish cheeks, on his hair that had become sticky due to blood and muddy water, and in his slack eyes, there were rippling glints of rain or tears.

"What are you betting on?" He asked Jin Wu.

Rakshasa in black lowered his eyebrows and said in a terrifyingly calm voice, "I bet... both of us will die."

The wind and rain are desolate, and the red maples all over the mountain are like blood.The misty white mist spread in the forest, swallowing all directions in a desolate chaos.The temples with red walls and black tiles, the towering towers, and the winding corridors suddenly disappeared in the rain and fog.The three of them sat under the green pine, and the cold rain overflowed from the dark clouds, pouring down on them in puffs.

Jin Shiba shook his head weakly.

He said: "I bet—you won't die. You will live, sir."

These words exploded in Jin Wu's heart like a thunderbolt, and his eyes moved suddenly.At that moment, he suddenly felt as if the wind stopped and the rain rested between the sky and the earth, the sound of crows was dimmed, and a bone-chilling cold hit his heart.

The black-clothed Rakshasa was silent for a moment, and said, "Why did you say that?" He turned sideways and stared at Jin Shiba, his voice already a little hurried. "Why can you be so sure about things and words that I couldn't have expected?"

The dying assassin coughed a few times, still wearing that weak smile that was quite harsh to Jin Wu. "...Because you are different."

"What's the difference? What's the difference between the same dogs who lost their homes?"

"You may not remember, but I do remember..." Jin Shiba said, "Young Master, I remember who I am... I also remember when I first met you in Houtianlou." He said dryly Laughter, recalled. "We are all homeless wild dogs... We can do any trivial work... But you were so stubborn at that time, like a delicate young master from a rich family... Even the landlord on the left dared to contradict you, and refused to bow your head no matter what you said , I’m afraid even a few cows can’t hold you back... At that time, I was thinking, how could someone as arrogant and stubborn as you come to be an assassin! The life of an assassin in Houtianlou is worthless...I can’t help myself if I die..."

After saying such a long series of words, he coughed a few more times.This time the blood flowed from his mouth, so deep that the color could hardly be distinguished.

Jin Wu glared at him, but his tone was not so cold. "Say a few words less."

"Cough... If you don't talk now, when will you wait?" Jin Shiba was delirious, talking nonsense, "Tell me about me... I'm dull, not as clever as you, young master... The landlord doesn't bother to pour me medicine, so I still remember some things..."

he said. "Do you know where the Houtianlou Assassins came from...the landlord found them. I am six years older than you...Ten years ago, I followed my parents in the outskirts of Yanqing Prefecture when there was a famine...Who Isn't it easy to eat with food, and to eat with rice? The day my father planned to sell me... a woman came suddenly, stared at my face for a long time... said she would buy me, and then exchanged a few bowls of rice soup for me. me."

Jin Wu's eyes showed a murderous look: "That person is not right."

"That's right, it's the master from the left... She said that my eyes resembled her lover, so she asked me to go. When I got to the temple... I realized that she had searched for a group of people who looked like her lover..." Jin Shiba said slowly , "Some are refugees, some are children taken from people's homes who don't know where... In short, there are many... Houtianlou assassins are all these people..."

He suddenly grabbed the corner of Jin Wu's clothes, and said word by word: "I...my name is..." Suddenly, his eyes widened and he became dazed. "...don't remember. I don't remember."

Sanniang held his hand dumbly, and said, "You are... from Yanqing Prefecture."

Jin Shiba: "Oh, that's right. I'm from Yanqing Prefecture...but what's my name? I can't remember...This life is only the price of a few bowls of rice soup. Today I can die in the hands of Jianghu Tenth. This life is not in vain.”

"...no prospect." Jin Wu scolded him, but there was an imperceptible trill in his voice.

"Yes, young master, you are the most promising," Jin Shiba used the little energy left to talk to him. "...Even if you have to die, you have to die at the hands of the number one under heaven, that's the way to be decent."

The two of them looked at each other silently.Jin Shiba blinked, and his spirit suddenly lifted up strangely, and he said in an incredible tone: "Ah, it's dawn...is it? It's dawn. If it's light, it'll be fine..."

Zuo Sanniang looked at the sky, and there was a corner of dark clouds among the dark red leaves, which couldn't let out even a ray of skylight.

Jin Wu's eyes were calm, and he whispered: "It's not yet dawn. The sky has never been dawn."

He could only hear the sound of rainwater slowly sliding down from the edge of the leaves, smashing into the ground and disappearing for an instant.Amidst the sound of the pattering rain, a series of strange and intermittent musical sounds suddenly floated from Jin Shiba's purple lips—he was humming something softly.

"Have you heard...a funeral song?" Jin Shiba said, "...sing a funeral song for me, young master."

The black-clothed Rakshasa remembered that he had hidden in the treetops and watched other people's funeral procession. Someone smashed the dead's bowls and jars behind the coffin. in the wind.Later, the [-]-person group sat in front of the grave, the singer beat the drums, danced with his hands and feet, and sang.

Jin Wudao: "I only remember "Xielu", and I don't remember the rest."

Jin Shiba smiled sadly and said, "Cough...how can I bother to memorize these things? Our place...the funeral words are all freshly compiled, and the boss is very rough...there is no such thing as spring and snow. When I was young, I was so envious...I felt dead If there is a time...others help compose a funeral poem, and there will be no regrets in this life..."

The black-clothed Raksha knelt and moved to his side, saying: "Then I will make it up for you."

San Niang was slightly surprised.Jin Wu was cold and indifferent, his body seemed to be covered with a layer of indelible frost and snow, but at this moment he looked at Jin Shiba with shaken and sad eyes, as if a glacier that hadn't flowed suddenly cracked.

"I've already thought about it," Jin Shiba's eyes were brightly lit, but his voice gradually weakened. "Listen..."

The assassin began to hum the tune softly. This tune was similar to the vulgar tune sung by the elder sister of the brothel, smooth and soft like silk brocade. Reckless and long.The words are in the vernacular at first glance, but they are as kind as if they came from the mouth of a mother humming for a baby.

He sang: "A mortal womb, in a blink of an eye a pile of bones..."

The song seems to be flowing with gurgling water.In an instant, Jin Wu's whole body shook, and a kind of unreasonable sadness suddenly welled up in his heart.The slanting wind and cold rain fell on his spine, almost crushing him.

Jin Shiba continued to sing. "... born with hunger, poverty and disease, and death without glory and wealth..."

The sound of the wind, the sound of the rain, and the noisy voices of people suddenly disappeared, and his weak and subtle singing seemed to echo on the huge dam platform.There was no sound in the world, only the green pines and red leaves swaying slightly above their heads, casting a cold shadow over them.

Rakshasa in black suddenly couldn't breathe.The boundary between life and death is no longer very clear at this moment, and no one knows whether this place is the mortal world or the underworld.It is said to be the world of mortals, but it is sadder than the world of mortals; it is said to be the underworld, but it is peaceful and serene.

Jin Shiba was singing, but suddenly blinked hard and said. "Young master, are you crying? Tears are falling on my face."

"No." Jin Wu replied bluntly.Raindrops slid down between his cheeks and black hair, and dripped on Jin Shiba's wet, young face. "...it's rain."

"Is the rain warm?" Jin Shiba smiled.

Jin Wu didn't answer, but pursed his lips and turned his eyes slightly to the side, the so-called trying to conceal his appearance was his appearance.

Jin Shiba said: "It's your turn...it's your turn to sing."

The Raksha ghost silently looked at the assassin who fell on the ground, his eyes fixed on the blood red spreading under Jin Shiba's body, his lips trembled, and he was about to say something.He wondered blankly—what lyrics would he sing for Jin Shiba?He had never heard such a weird request before, but he had seen hundreds of people who died in front of him like Jin Shiba.

"Young master... Could it be that you are singing a song... can you get out of tune?" Jin Shiba said weakly.

Jin Wu hesitated for a while, then sang the tune in a low voice, the lyrics were really in his mind.His voice was just when the young man was clear, but he sang a desolate tune: "...the soul is broken from the world of mortals, and the tomb is covered with snow."

Is there really a tomb?Probably not.Ordinary people can still rest in the ground and have a four-foot green grave, but they have no place to bury them. They can only use the sky as a cover, the earth as a base, frost and snow as white silk, and mountains as side panels.

Jin Shiba was already speechless, but his eyes were smiling, and there seemed to be a faint light shining through the two dark eyes like ink clouds, which was the hazy sunlight between the clouds.

Rakshasa in black looked at that weak smiling face, but his heart ached.He thought, maybe it was because the monk who broke the precepts stabbed him with the knife wound was still there, which made his heart hurt so much.

So he continued to sing, "...the unresolved relationship between the three generations..."

At this time Zuo Sanniang screamed, it turned out that Jin Shiba's hand suddenly dropped from hers, landed on the muddy ground, and did not move anymore.

Jin Wu took a deep look at him, and said the last sentence: "...has been turned into ashes."

The three of them sat silently in the cold rain, two alive and one dead.The living are speechless, and the dead are speechless.

Then a sudden, almost maddening fear descended, Sanniang's teeth chattered, and Jin Wu stared at the corpse of Jin Shiba who fell on the ground and was still talking and laughing with them just now.

Live one moment, die the next moment.Life is hard and death is really easy in the world, and all human beings have to struggle and toss between the two.

Jin Wu glanced at the sky.

The wind and rain are dark, there is no light from the sky, it is day but it is as dark as night.Jin Shiba saw the light before he died, but he had never seen it before.In his eyes, the world has always been dark, just like the black clothes on his body.

With warm water falling in his eyes, he thought he was crying, but Sanniang said in shock, "You...you are bleeding!"

Jin Wu reached out to touch it, and it really was blood.What he shed was not tears, but blood.Bright red droplets dripped down from the eyes, mouth, and nose, ticking non-stop.He remembered that he had taken blood and bitter fruit before, and an hour had come, the poison had broken out, and he should have lost his life.

He wiped his face, and the more he wiped, the more blood flowed, and the whole face was wiped in a mess.In the end, Jin Wu simply ignored it, and fell down beside Jin Shiba's corpse, staring at the sky in a daze.The strength was lost little by little, and in the end he didn't even have the strength to raise his hand.

The young man felt that his eyes were dim, and his body was still very cold, but his mind was clear and dazed.He finally thought: Jin Shiba had someone to help sing the funeral song, but he didn't even have this opportunity.So I tried my best to recite the song silently in my heart:

"A mortal womb, in a blink of an eye, piles of bones... There will be hunger, poverty and disease in life, and no glory and wealth in death."

Surrounded by cold rain and mist, he stared at Sensen Hongfeng, finally couldn't hold back the pain in his chest, and let out a mournful roar from his throat.The seven emotions and six desires, the five flavors are mixed, and all the complicated emotions come to my heart.At this time, he would rather be a heartless and heartless person, and throw all the hatred in the world to the sky.

But he is not.

So Jin Wu just stared blankly at the zenith that seemed to never clear up, and said in a weak voice.

"The soul is broken from the world of mortals, and the tomb is covered with snow."

"...unresolved ties to the third life... already turned into ashes from the Nine Springs."

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The title is adapted from Ouyang Xiu's "Voice of Heartfelt Love": "Thinking about the past, cherishing the fragrance. It is easy to become hurt."