Looking for plums under the moon

The little beggar's neck is very thin, only as thick as a normal person's arm, Ling Guyue doesn't even need to twist it hard, feeling that it can be easily broken by itself.

"If you pester me again, I won't be polite."

The little beggar was short of breath, and his feet were thumping in the air, "Woooo...uh..."

Seeing his complexion slowly turning from red to purple, Ling Guyue let go of his hand and let him fall to the ground, coughing non-stop.

"Let's go." Ling Guyue sat on the chair and tidied up her luggage by herself.

The little beggar was lying on the ground, and after a while he came back to his senses, pressed his throat, and climbed up extremely lonely.

"Wait..." Ling Guyue called him softly.

The little beggar looked up at him expectantly, but saw that he threw a bag of things with his back to him, and quickly reached out to catch it.

"This is sweet-scented osmanthus, for you." Ling Guyue said without turning her head.

The light in the little beggar's eyes slowly turned gray, and he staggered out the door with the bag of sweet-scented osmanthus.

After staying in the inn for one night, Ling Guyue went out refreshed, and as soon as she got downstairs, she saw a well-dressed young man sitting in the middle of the lobby.

The young man was very clean, except for his sallow complexion, sword eyebrows and high nose, he looked upright.

Ling Guyue said in surprise: "You..."

The young man tugged at his collar, scratched his neatly combed hair, and said embarrassingly: "I bought a suit with your money..." He glanced at the person on the stairs with a guilty conscience, and asked in a low voice, "May I?"

Ling Guyue smiled and said: "Of course, it's your money." She walked to another table and sat down, tapped on the table and said: "Shopkeeper, here is a bowl of porridge."

"Okay, wait a moment, sir!"

The white porridge came out quickly, and seeing him eating breakfast slowly, the boy couldn't help swallowing, took out the oil paper bag Ling Guyue gave him yesterday from his arms, opened it, picked up a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus, and ate it.

Seeing that he was eating deliciously, Ling Guyue asked, "Is it delicious?"

The boy nodded repeatedly, "It's delicious!"

Ling Guyue said: "If you like to eat this, you can go to the mountain to pick wild sweet-scented osmanthus and make it yourself. It is much more delicious than the ones sold outside."

The boy's eyes lit up, he turned his head and asked him, "Can you teach me how to do it?"

Ling Guyue smiled at him, "No."

The boy pursed his mouth, lowered his head and continued to eat silently.

After breakfast, Ling Guyue went to the backyard to bring back her horse, and asked the shopkeeper for the way to Shu.

The young man followed behind him step by step. Seeing him on the horse, he couldn't help shouting, "Can you take me with you today?"

Ling Guyue waved her hand, "Don't chase after me again."

The white horse neighed, and only a distant figure in red was left on the road in the town.

The horse galloped up the mountain, and the autumn along the road gradually deepened, with layers of red and emerald green, and the scenery was very beautiful.It's just that along the way, you will still come across a fork in the road.

Gu Yue sat on the horse and looked at the intersection, thinking: The shopkeeper clearly said that there is only one road leading to Sichuan, why is there a small road?How should this go?

Then I thought about it again, could it be that the shopkeeper made a mistake?He lives in the town all the year round, and it is not uncommon for him not to go far. Maybe he is not familiar with this road, just hearsay...

After thinking about it, Ling Guyue said firmly: "There must be a lot of people walking on the main road, and most of the small roads are stepped on by the nearby villagers for convenience..." Immediately, she confidently chose a flat road.

After another two hours of unhurried driving, the mountains along the way were desolate, the vegetation gradually thickened, and the ruts on the road disappeared, but there were more footprints of wild animals.

Just when he was puzzled, a farmer passed by a distant hill carrying a hoe, Ling Guyue got off his horse and shouted: "Old man, stop!"

The farmer took off his bamboo hat, looked left and right, and was stunned when he saw Ling Guyue. He walked over and said, "My lord, this place is deep in the mountains and old forests, what are you doing here?"

Ling Guyue led the horse and said: "This junior is going to Shu, and he got here before he knew it. May I ask where is the front? Is there a place to rest?"

The farmer asked suspiciously, "Since you are going to Sichuan, what are you doing here?"

Ling Guyue looked blank, "Isn't this road the only way to Shu?"

The farmer stroked his beard and said with a smile: "You can't go to Sichuan from here, you can only go to the mountains. It seems that you are going the wrong way."

Ling Guyue covered her lips and coughed, "Thank you, old man...can you show me the way for this junior?"

The farmer put down his hoe and pointed behind him, "Turn back and go straight for thirty miles, and turn west at the eleven big trees. There are many business travelers on that road, and most of them are going to Shu. You can discuss it with them. For a moment, just follow them when the time comes."

Ling Guyue thanked her, and was about to turn back on her way, when the farmer behind her said: "Just go straight, don't turn back if anyone calls you on the road!"

Before asking him why, the farmer had picked up his hoe again and left.

Ling Guyue had no choice but to rein in her horse and turn around with a sigh.

This back and forth really took a lot of effort.

It was almost noon, Ling Guyue looked up at the sky, the sun was shining brightly.

Just when I was feeling thirsty, I saw a thatched hut selling alcohol beside the path.In front of the hut hung a wine sign, and in the shed were a few tables and chairs, which seemed to be for passers-by to rest, so they wanted to get off their horses and buy a bowl of water from the store.

"Guest officer, sit down," the store wiped the table with a cloth towel, and asked with a smile, "Where did the guest officer come from?"

"It's from Jinling," Ling Guyue lifted her clothes and sat down, said calmly, "Give me a bowl of water."

The store said: "Clear water is free, but I have 30-year-old shochu here, as well as thirst-quenching sugar water. Would you like a bowl of it? The price is very fair."

Ling Guyue took out a few copper plates and put them on the table, said with a smile: "No need, just water."

The shopkeeper's face froze, and then put on a kind smile, "Later, sir, I'll bring water here." After saying that, he opened the curtain and went into the thatched cottage.

Ling Guyue sat under the shed, looked at this humble hut, and suddenly there was a small sound from inside, as if someone was shaking a paper bag, she couldn't help listening attentively, and her brows gradually frowned.

After a while, the storekeeper came out from the inside, carrying a long-mouthed hanging pot and a porcelain bowl filled with water, and said with a smile: "Here comes the water! Please, sir, if you don't have enough, add more."

Ling Guyue saw him handing the teacup in front of her courteously, glanced at the water in the cup, and asked, "Why do I feel that the water is a little yellow?"

The shopkeeper explained with a smile: "The guest officer doesn't know, but the spring water on this mountain is like this. Despite the yellowish color, it tastes sweet and delicious."

Ling Guyue nodded, just rubbing the rim of the bowl, unwilling to take a bite for a long time.

Seeing his hesitation, the shopkeeper said, "Guest officer, don't worry, the water is absolutely fine."

Ling Guyue smiled slightly, put down the bowl and said, "Is your restaurant business doing well?"

The shopkeeper didn't know why he asked this, and said with a smile: "It's okay, although the money is limited, food and clothing are not a problem."

Ling Guyue nodded and said: "Since food and clothing are not a problem, why do you still do such a thing of stealing money and killing your life?"

The face of the shopkeeper suddenly changed color, and he said with a dry smile: "Guest officer... where do you say that?"

Ling Guyue picked up the glass of yellowed water, "You should have drugged the water, right?" She stood up and looked at the linen curtain, and said, "There must be your accomplices behind the curtain?"

The shopkeeper frowned and said, "You...you are talking nonsense!"

Ling Guyue chuckled, and was about to lift the curtain when she stepped forward, but she heard the whistling wind from behind her, she saw his eyebrows drooping slightly, his eyes were as bright as snow, and his right hand shook back with a burst of internal force.

The shopkeeper who wanted to sneak attack fell to the ground, his right arm was trembling, and three feet away from him was a knife that was blown away, the tip of the knife was facing down, and it was more than four fingers deep into the ground.

"You... who are you?" The shopkeeper looked at the knife, not daring to believe it.

Ling Guyue glanced back at him, and said with a smile: "You are not worthy of knowing my name." After saying that, ignoring the astonished expression of the shopkeeper, she opened the curtain and walked in.

As soon as he stepped into the wine house, he saw that the room was extremely dark, and he could vaguely see a few water vats and a shelf of wine jars, but there was no one else.

Ling Guyue thought: Could it be that his accomplice heard the noise and ran away?

I just wanted to ask the shopkeeper, but when I went out to check, the old man had disappeared with the knife.

Ling Guyue shook her head, and went back to the house to find some clean water to drink, but just as she lifted the lid of the water tank, she saw a person squatting in the water tank.

A comatose teenager.

Ling Guyue looked at him with a frown, and almost wanted to put the lid on and walk away.

But in the end, he reluctantly fished him up and dragged him to the open space at the door to dry.

Ling Guyue scooped up a ladle of water from the gourd ladle in the other water tank, and splashed it on the young man's face. Seeing him faintly waking up, she said angrily, "What are you following here again?"

The boy didn't know what happened, so he quickly sat up and looked around, "I... where am I?"

Ling Guyue said: "You were drugged and fainted just now, and you were almost turned into a human meat bun."

The boy turned pale in shock, and took out a rusty dagger from his waist, "Where's the bad guy? Where are they?"

Ling Guyue patted his head heavily, "Don't worry, I beat him away!"

The young man breathed a sigh of relief and said sincerely, "You are amazing!"

Ling Guyue turned her face away and said: "The journey is dangerous, you should go back earlier."

The boy lowered his head and grabbed the hem of his clothes, reluctantly said: "Where are you going?"

Ling Guyue said: "Go back wherever you came from."

"I've been wandering for the past few years, and I don't know where I came from..."

Ling Guyue glanced at him, "In this world, don't you know anyone?"

The young man said: "My master once told me that I have another senior brother, but I have never met him."

"You still have a master?"

"Master has passed away..." The young man put the dagger back into his waist, raised his head and asked, "Where are you going?"

Ling Guyue walked towards the horse, "I want to go home."

The boy said sadly: "I don't have a home..."

"Then go back to Jinling."

The boy shook his head, "I was driven away, and I can no longer go to that street."

"Then you can stay on another street."

Seeing that he was unmoved, the boy begged, "Let me follow you, okay? I promise not to cause trouble for you. I can wash clothes, cook, make beds, feed horses... anything you want me to do!"

Ling Guyue paused, a little moved, and said, "You really want to follow me?"

The boy thought for a while, then nodded quickly, "As long as I can be by your side, I can do anything!"

Ling Guyue smiled and said: "I told you earlier, I just need a horse-leader."

The boy's eyes widened, "You agree?"

Ling Guyue nodded, "If you are diligent, it's not bad, I can still afford a little kid."

The boy puffed up his cheeks and muttered, "I'm not a child anymore..."

Ling Guyue smiled and said: "What is it if you are not a child at the age of thirteen or fourteen?"

The boy opened his eyes wide and said, "I'm already 17 years old!"

Ling Guyue looked at him in surprise, "Stand up."

The boy patted the dust off his butt, and stood obediently in front of him.

Ling Guyue stretched out her hand and gestured on top of his head, and then put it under her chest, doubting, "Are you 17 years old?"

The boy said: "I grow up relatively late."

Ling Guyue thought of the humiliation she felt when she was short at the beginning, she shook her head and said: "It must be because you don't eat well on weekdays, if you don't pay attention, you will definitely not grow taller."

The boy patted his chest, then clenched his fist, and said with a smile, "The most important thing for a man is this!"

Ling Guyue knocked him on the head, and reprimanded: "Have you ever seen a celebrity who is less than five feet tall?"

The young man rubbed his head, laughed a few times, and stopped arguing. After a while, he lowered his head and said, "I used to be able to eat a meal for a long time..."

Ling Guyue patted him on the shoulder lightly and asked, "What's your name?"

The young man raised his head, his eyes sparkled, he showed his white teeth and smiled, "My name is Xiao Chou!"

"Xiao Chou? What's that name?" Ling Guyue clicked her tongue twice, "Let me tell you first, you have to help me lead and feed my horse, and it's common for us people in the Jianghu to sleep in the wild. , you also need to know how to light a fire and cook..."

"Okay!" Xiao Chou nodded excitedly, "I used to do these things a lot!"

Seeing the unconcealable joy on his face, Ling Guyue was slightly moved, and said to him, "My name is Ling Guyue."

Xiao Chou said, "Can I call you Senior Brother?"

Ling Guyue frowned and said, "Why?"

Xiao Chou lowered his head and said, "I don't have any relatives, only a senior brother whom I have never met. I have always wanted to find him. I think it would be great if you were him..."

Thinking of Shen Luo's gloomy expression, Ling Guyue looked at Xiao Chou's expectant face, and said, "It's up to you, anyway, there won't be any more of you."

The two went on the road together, Xiao Chou was leading the horse, Ling Guyue sat on the horse and said: "Just now an old man said that when you walk to the eleven trees, you will reach the right intersection. Look where there are eleven trees nearby. A big tree?"

Xiao Chou turned his head and looked, "There are trees along this road, how can you tell them apart..."

Ling Guyue shook her head and said, "It's so stupid. Since it's called a big tree, it must be different. What's more, the trees in front of you are not as thick as your waist, so they can't be called big trees."

Xiao Chou nodded and walked forward at a faster pace. In less than a quarter of an hour, he saw dozens of towering ancient locust trees at the intersection in front of him.

"arrive!"

Ling Guyue nodded, "Are you tired? Do you want to take a break?"

Xiao Chou shook his head and said, "Not tired!" Then he pointed to the front in doubt and said, "Why are there so many people on this road?"

Ling Guyue looked in the direction he pointed, and thoughtfully said: "It's a bit strange, and they are not ordinary people."

"Brother, how did you see it?"

Ling Guyue said: "Look at most of them are dressed in strong clothes and carry all kinds of weapons on their bodies. It seems that they are all people from the Jianghu."

Xiao Chou was puzzled and said: "So many people from Jianghu are on this road...they are all going to Sichuan? What are they doing there?"

Ling Guyue pondered and said: "Probably related to this martial arts conference...but there are still a few months before the martial arts conference, so why go so early?"

Xiao Chou's eyes lit up, and he said, "How about I go and find out?"

Ling Guyue smiled and said: "Very good, Xiao Chou, I will reward you with chicken legs tonight."

Xiao Chou excitedly walked to the main road, staring at the flow of people heading west.Suddenly, he saw two people about his age, a man and a woman, walking slowly.Although the two are young, they are also dressed as knights. The long swords around their waists are not vulgar at first glance, so they approached and said: "You two, stop and ask you, why are these people going west?"

The young man was polite, cupped his hands and said: "Little brother, we are all here for the martial arts conference in Pingnan."

"Isn't the martial arts conference just a few months away?"

The young man replied: "Go ahead and compete with the seniors, maybe you can improve your martial arts."

Who would have thought that as soon as he finished speaking, the girl next to him gave a chuckle, and said to expose him: "What is martial arts? We are going to take a seat in advance, otherwise it will be crowded, except for some big sects who have exclusive inns to rest. FITs have nowhere to go!"

The boy glanced at the girl and sighed helplessly.

Xiao Chou looked at the two of them and asked, "Where are you from?"

The young man smiled lightly and said, "Small sect, it's not worth mentioning."

But the girl said proudly: "Nongyue Villa, have you ever heard of it?"

Xiao Chou shook his head blankly.

The boy patted the girl's hand lightly, and said slightly reproachfully, "Junior Sister!"

The girl said nonchalantly: "He doesn't know anyway, so don't worry!"

The young man nodded apologetically at Xiao Chou, "Little brother, we still have something to do, why don't we let it go."

Xiao Chou waved his hand and said, "There will be a period later."

Ling Guyue rode behind them unhurriedly and heard their conversation clearly.

Seeing them walking away, Xiao Chou turned around and returned to Ling Guyue, "Brother, it seems that they are all going to participate in the martial arts conference."

Ling Guyue said: "That's easy, we just need to follow these people on the road."

Xiao Chou scratched his head and asked, "Senior brother, what is that Longyue Villa?"

Ling Guyue said: "Nongyue Mountain Villa is a very mysterious sect. No one knows its exact location. The people in the legend are all peerless masters, but they always keep a low profile and refuse to show it to others easily."

Xiao Chou said: "Those two children also have special skills?"

Ling Guyue said: "They, regardless of their young age, their skills are higher than everyone on this road."

Xiao Chou let out an 'ah', and looked at the long-disappeared figure in the distance, not daring to say anything: "I just stopped such a powerful person just now..."