Looking for plums under the moon

The story of Pingchuan's death of two disciples in succession was spread like a miracle, which aroused people's associations.

However, regardless of whether their guess is right or wrong, the most important thing right now is to calm the matter down.

The Second Elder and the Third Elder disregarded the First Elder's objection, rushed up to Pingyi Peak, stood outside the gate and said loudly: "Master, everyone in Pingchuan is in danger now, no matter what the truth is, they need a result."

The two white-clothed disciples outside the door stood close to the door with their hair in high buns, their right hands pressed tightly to the hilt of their swords, with solemn expressions, as if blocking them.

In the room, Shen Luo was facing a blank piece of rice paper, rubbing a small Langhao brush in his hand, which was soaked in thick ink, but hung in the air, he refused to write for a long time, and turned a deaf ear to the voice outside the door.

The second elder's neatly braided beard was dangling in front of his clothes. Seeing that there was no movement inside, he said again: "Sect Leader, we confirmed that the note found in Ji Tong's room was indeed Ling Guyue's handwriting. If you don't believe me, you can go to Ji Tong's room to verify it yourself, in short, the death of the Ji brothers cannot escape his relationship!"

Before Shen Luo could speak, a white-clothed boy guarding the door raised his eyebrows and scolded: "Second Elder and Third Elder, in the courtroom yesterday, Brother Qingzhu has already testified for the uncle, and the handwriting can be imitated by others, so the evidence is really insufficient , It is too early to say that Master Uncle is the murderer."

The third elder raised his eyebrows and sneered: "You said the handwriting on the note was fake, so what Qingzhu said must be true? Everyone knows that Qingzhu has always respected Ling Guyue, regards him as a role model, and is always in front of everyone Praise him. Therefore, it is unknown that Qingzhu deliberately concealed the truth of that night for him."

The boy was choked by his words for a moment, pursed his lips, frowned and remained silent.

In the room, there was no sound of dripping ink, a drop of thick ink fell from the tip of the pen onto the snow-white paper, splashing out a small black flower, very much like the burnt red plum beside Sunset Lake in the past.

The person who wrote the pen seemed to be aware of it, and listened to the person outside the door who continued: "Now everyone in Pingchuan suspects that he is the murderer. If you don't respond, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public!"

Shen Luo put the pen on the pen holder, and said quietly: "Who said that everyone suspects that he is the murderer?"

The Second Elder was taken aback for a moment, and then retorted towards the closed door: "The two hundred disciples of Feiye Peak..."

The door was opened from the inside with a 'squeak' sound, and Shen Luo walked out slowly, standing in front of the door with his hands behind his back, with a look of contempt, "I never doubted him."

The second elder flicked his beard to the back of his neck impatiently, and rushed to the door, but was stopped by two boys, "Master, I know you care about the feelings of brothers and sisters in the same sect, but calming people's hearts is the most important thing now, whether Ling Guyue is It’s not the real murderer, it’s better to imprison him now!”

The three elders nodded in agreement.

Shen Luo's eyes were like a falcon, he didn't know whether he was staring at the two elders or looking into the distance, after a long time, he murmured: "That's fine... I have my own discretion in this matter."

At this moment, Ling Guyue was at the edge of Luoying Lake, leaning against a shady mountain back and directed the little boy, "Two trees on the left, plant another one two feet apart."

The boy's trouser legs were rolled up high, and he was standing in the water holding a bamboo basket full of lotus roots.The water in the pool was up to his knees, and besides some silt, there were also stones scattered at the bottom of the pool. He stretched out his feet to explore as he walked, for fear of stepping on something hard and hurting his feet.

"Master, if you plant it again, it will be gone. Do you want to save some for lotus root soup?"

Ling Guyue sighed: "Ignorance! We planted these this year, do you know how much we will harvest next year? Not to mention that one piece of lotus root can be turned into five pieces, and the lotus leaves that grow out can also be used to roast chicken, and your favorite golden pheasant in the mountains. It is a perfect match; lotus seeds are also a good thing, clear away heat and fire, eat it often, and your mouth will not grow boils."

The little boy showed yearning, "Wow, baby lotus root, I just planted [-], and we can harvest next year... There are so many, we can't finish eating them all!"

Ling Guyue glanced at him lazily, "Just do as I say."

"Master, please order!" The little boy stroked his sleeves and became full of energy.

"Plant a tree two feet ahead." Ling Guyue looked up in confusion, only a little bit of the sky could be seen through the thick bamboo shoots.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, accompanied by the sound of distant footsteps passing by his ears, Ling Guyue's eyebrows and eyes were stained with a trace of strangeness, and she hurriedly called: "Stop!"

The child's skill is not deep, and he didn't notice that someone was approaching, so he let out an "ah" in surprise, and stood in the water blankly.

Ling Guyue covered her mouth and coughed, "Come up and rest for a while."

Xiao Tong thought it was Master who took pity on him, wiped off his sweat, and said with a silly smile, "I'm not tired!"

Ling Guyue sighed helplessly, "Come up quickly, someone is here, don't let others know that we have planted something here."

Holding half a bamboo basket of lotus root in his arms, the little boy waded into the water and walked to the shore, while asking doubtfully, "Why?"

"Think about it, we in Pingchuan never produce lotus roots, if someone else finds out..."

"Oh! It turns out that the master is afraid of being begged by others!" The little boy giggled and patted his chest, "Don't worry, master, I will keep this matter a secret!"

"What's the secret?" A cold voice came, dressed in black, came from the depths of the bamboo forest, first glanced at Ling Guyue, then set his eyes on the bamboo basket on the bank, as if using his eyes Ask what's going on.

Ling Guyue rushed: "There is a lot of dirt on the lotus root, I asked him to wash it."

Shen Luo looked like a smile but not a smile, "Do you still have to keep the lotus root clean?"

Ling Guyue's eyes flickered, "Washing the lotus root is a trivial matter, I'm afraid that people will know the origin of the lotus root, so it's hard to explain."

Shen Luo didn't know whether he believed it or not, and withdrew his probing gaze, "I came this time because of one thing."

As expected, Ling Guyue was not surprised, "The three elders asked you to come? I already know about Feiyefeng."

"Who told you?" Shen Luo frowned.

Ling Guyue turned around and took a few steps, "It's Senior Nephew Qingzhu, he came to play chess with me today, I learned a little bit during the chat."

"How did he say it?"

"Hundreds of disciples flocked to the foot of Tianxuan Peak, asking the three elders to track down the murderer..." Ling Guyue turned and looked at Shen Luo, "But I wonder, why didn't they just look for you?"

Shen Luo remained silent, and it took a while before he answered the question: "How about the green bamboo?"

Ling Guyue glanced at him puzzled, "Well, it's pretty good."

Shen Luo's tone changed slightly, "No wonder you asked him to ventilate."

Ling Guyue was startled, "What's the matter?"

"In Zhiguotang, what Qingzhu said was all lies." Shen Luo looked at him, saw a drop of cold sweat dripping from his forehead, and slowed down his tone a little, "Actually, he didn't come to you that night at all. You didn't play chess with anyone, but read the storybook all night."

Ling Guyue squinted at the little boy who was standing beside him, and saw that he lowered his head guiltily, his face flushed red, and he understood everything.Then he nodded and laughed at himself: "That's right, it seems that you know exactly what I'm doing. That day, Qingzhu did send a greeting card, and asked me to break the chain of messes together. It's only because I got a new book by the old man the day before yesterday." "The Thirteen Aristocratic Families of Jinling" is really addictive, and I can't bear to read it. So I rejected Qingzhu's invitation."

Shen Luo frowned and said: "The kind of miscellaneous books in the market are mostly about the love between men and women... It's better to read less."

Ling Guyue said: "The miscellaneous books in your mouth, the characters are all flesh and blood, with endless grievances and hatreds, in my opinion, it is also a good pastime. One day, I may go to the teahouse and wine shop at the foot of the mountain to listen to the storytelling People talk about his book."

Shen Luo pondered for a while and said: "Since you haven't left Shen Dongxie, to be honest, why did you bring Qingzhu?"

"Do you think everyone will believe me when I tell the truth? Simple methods are often the most effective. What? Are you going to tell the three elders about this?"

Shen Luo's Adam's apple tightened, "Of course not, it's just..." His eyes changed a few times, and finally he just squeezed the exquisite Tianji lock in his palm, "Just in case, you should not go out in the near future."

Ling Guyue took a deep look at him, "Is this a punishment for the murderer?"

"Just a stopgap measure."

Ling Guyue chuckled, "Then listen to the master." After saying that, he walked away, ignoring the little boy who was chasing after him in a panic with a bamboo basket in his arms.

"Brother..."

Ling Guyue heard a sigh behind her, turned her head to look at Shen Luo, and felt that the eyes were dark and cold, making one's hair stand on end.

Ling Guyue seemed to be stung by that gaze in her dream, and hurriedly opened her eyes.

I saw that I was in the ruined temple, I raised my eyes to look outside the door, the sky was already dark, and the clouds were churning, as if it was going to rain.

Ling Guyue shook the hem of her clothes and stood up, only to feel her neck sore.Looking back at the altar that he had just used as a pillow, almost all four legs were rotten, and the body of the table was crumbling.

He clicked his tongue twice, and found out the baggage that Lian Yi had prepared for him.The bright yellow furoshiki was wrinkled by the water, and the knots were loose.Most of the things wrapped in it can no longer be used. The mint cool dew in the porcelain bottle has been spilled, the balm is scattered, and the sweet-scented osmanthus cake is broken into slag.Picking up a dead branch from the ground and picking up the dregs, Ling Guyue was surprised, only to see dozens of gold leaves hidden inside, some broken silver, two hanging copper coins, a hosta and gold wire Many gold beads in a box.

"Nephew Lianyi is so generous..." Ling Guyue held her hair with a jade hairpin, and stared at the pile of gold leaves for a long time, "It seems that Pingchuan's treatment is really good, no wonder many people are crowded every year." The head wants to come in."

Put what you can use in your arms, and throw the rest on the ground.Just about to leave, Ling Guyue looked at the furoshiki under her feet, picked it up again after thinking about it, took off the streamer sword behind her, wrapped it with cloth layer by layer, until the brilliance of the sword was completely covered , before re-back.

Standing in front of the door, Ling Guyue looked up at the river in front of her. The river water looked gray and glaring against the background of the dark clouds, and the wind slapped the river bank with the waves, rolling up foam like snow.

Ling Guyue frowned, "It would be great if someone passed by, and you can ask him how to get to Jinling... But how can there be people coming and going in such a place?"

It seems that God heard his heart, and a group of people appeared in front of him.

These were seven or eight strong men in short jackets, and the two in the middle were carrying an inconspicuous green-curtained sedan chair, walking quickly along the river.

Ling Guyue hurriedly stepped forward and asked: "Brothers, where are you going?"

The few big men were startled by the sudden appearance of the man, they stopped and took a look at Ling Guyue, seeing that although his red clothes were stained with dust, but his face was very outstanding, they all showed amazing eyes, "I... Let's go to Jinling."

Ling Guyue thought in her heart: There is no place to find if you have broken through the iron shoes, and it will take no effort to get here, so she asked if she could go with her.

Several big men glanced at each other and shook their heads surprisingly unanimously, "I'm afraid this is inconvenient."

Ling Guyue wondered, "Why?"

"We are sending...my lady to Jinling. We have to travel a lot on the way, and we have to turn several waterways. In addition to your words..." The big man in the head showed a look of embarrassment.

Ling Guyue understood, and took out a gold leaf from her bosom and handed it over, "Don't dare to embarrass your brother, this is the money I prepared for you, is it enough to spend these few days?"

The big man's eyes flashed brightly, he winked at the people behind him, quickly took the golden leaf and said: "Enough, enough," and immediately stretched out his hand to invite: "Young master please."

Ling Guyue followed them contentedly, walking and talking all the way, but she didn't find it boring.

"I don't know what to call you son?" The big man in the head couldn't bear to be lonely, unlike other people who just hurried on the road in silence and deliberately chatted with Ling Guyue.

"My surname is Le, and my first name is Guling." Ling Guyue reversed her name casually.

"What is Mr. Le going to Jinling for?"

"Go find someone."

"Oh? I don't know who to look for? I know a few people in Jinling, so you might as well tell me and see if I have any impression."

"Uh..." Ling Guyue was at a loss for words for a while, and asked tentatively, "I wonder if you have heard of Prince Du of Jinling?"

"Prince Du? So the young master is looking for him..." The big man showed a strange expression.

"What?" Ling Guyue thought: "Prince Du is a character in "The Thirteen Families of Jinling". Could it be that there really is such a person?

"That man is a lunatic, surnamed Du, who lives in the mansion of the prince of the previous dynasty, but the emperor and lord of the previous dynasty have all been guillotined and their roots have been broken. What kind of prince is he? But the lunatic insists that he is. After a long time, People don't know what his real name is, so they simply call him Prince Du." The big man turned his head and asked, "Why is Mr. Le looking for that lunatic?"

Ling Guyue quickly shook her head, "It's nothing, I just heard that there is a Prince Du in Jinling, I'm just curious... What are you doing in Jinling again, brother?"

The big man's eyes flickered, "That is to say, I was entrusted by the master to go back to the countryside to pick up the lady..."

Ling Guyue guessed that this family must be a rich family, and wondered if it was a famous family in Jinling City, so she asked, "I don't know the master's surname?"

"The owner's surname is Lin."

Forest? There is also a swordsman surnamed Lin in "Jinling Thirteen Noble Families"... Ling Guyue asked again: "I wonder if the master of your mansion is from the martial arts?"

The big man thought for a while and said: "It used to be... but after the master passed away, he started doing business."

Ling Guyue secretly said: It seems that what was written in the book of the white-headed lamp guest is not completely fabricated. There are both Prince Du and Jian Ke Lin, and maybe that Qiu Chenggu who disguised himself as a man is really someone.I don't know the ending of the night party in the outskirts of Jinling, whether Prince Du and Qiu Chenggu reconciled... The white-headed lantern guest is also really weird. At the end, he only talked about how clear the moonlight was and how beautiful the plum shadow was, without mentioning a word The love between people is like a veil surrounded by fog, which makes people feel an inexplicable sadness in their hearts.

"I don't know what is behind Mr. Le? It's long and thin. Could it be a fire stick?" The big man's suspicious eyes fell on Ling Guyue's back.

Ling Guyue smiled and said: "Brother, you are joking, this is the yam I picked on the mountain, it is a specialty of Pingchuan, also called Tie Ruyi, it is very effective in curing coughs, I specially took it to Jinling to see if I can get a good price .”

The big man laughed, "Iron Ruyi, Gold Ruyi, and Jade Ruyi! If you want me to say, if you are sick, go to a doctor for treatment. I believe that there are no such folk remedies. Don't the doctors in the world eat nothing?"

Ling Guyue clasped her hands and said with a smile: "Brother, what you said is that Le is taught."

After talking again, the big man looked at the increasingly dark sky, "I'm afraid it will rain heavily in a while, I know there is a post house ahead, let's go there first and settle down today."

Ling Guyue also felt that the dark clouds were heavy, as if they were about to hit the ground, she nodded and said, "That's fine."

After walking quickly for half a mile, a thatched courtyard appeared in front of my eyes, and the banner at the door read "Pingchuan Station" in large characters.When the boss saw someone coming, he hurriedly beckoned everyone to come in and rest.

As soon as he entered the door, the bean-heavy rain outside slammed on the ground, splashing smoke and dust all over the place.

"Guest officers, the rain is so heavy that it won't stop for a while, and it's getting late. Why don't you just stay in the shop tonight."

The big man and Ling Guyue looked at each other, then nodded to the boss, "First serve two tables of wine and food, and then arrange a single room for us, a Datong shop."

The boss responded repeatedly, and went down to prepare meals.After a while, several plates of beef and two jars of shochu were placed on the table.

Ling Guyue sat down with everyone, looked around, and never saw Miss Lin coming out of the sedan chair, so she asked the big man: "Where is your lady? Aren't you coming out for dinner?"

The big man laughed and said: "It's not convenient for the girl to show her face in public, just ask the store to deliver some food to her room later."

Ling Guyue nodded, knowing that the big family pays attention to this, so she was not polite to them, and picked up chopsticks to eat.

After three glasses of shochu, the big man's eyes were a little confused, and he opened his mouth and said, "Brother Le, although the inn is broken, the wine in this shop is really good. It's not much worse than the 30-year-old Nuerhong in our shop." Come, come, come and taste, I'll fill you up!"

Ling Guyue hastily declined, "No need, I don't drink alcohol."

"Hey! What's the difference between a man who doesn't drink and the girl who sings a ditty in the flower building! Brother, let me remind you, we men should look like men, don't put on makeup all day, like a rabbit." The big man said Glanced him sideways.

Ling Guyue gave a wry smile, feeling a little wronged, after soaking in the river for a long time, what kind of fragrance powder can be left behind?

The big man couldn't help but pour him a bowl of wine, "It's done!"

Ling Guyue had no choice but to clink glasses with him, put it on her lips and took a sip, at first she swallowed it, her heart was burning like a fire, but later she felt a bit of indescribable joy, pushing the cups for another, she didn't realize that the bowl Drink most of the shochu.

The big man smiled and said, "That's right!"

When she was full of wine and food, Ling Guyue was already slightly tipsy, she blushed and said a lot of drunken things, sometimes she said that she was from a famous family, and sometimes she said that she was a martial arts hero.

Everyone just thought he was too drunk to talk nonsense, and dragged him to the Datong shop to rest together.

Ling Guyue saw that there was only one earthen kang that took up half of the room in the room, she didn't mind, she found a corner, hugged the Liuguang sword, lay down with her clothes together, and fell asleep after a while.

Sleeping in the middle of the night, the heat was unbearable, Ling Guyue opened her eyes in a daze, and was about to call the little boy to ask what was going on, when she turned around, there were several snoring men sleeping beside her, and then she remembered that she was sleeping on the screen. In Datong shop in Chuanyi.I had to face up and close my eyes, but the snoring was like thunder, and the wind and rain continued outside the window, the shadows of the trees were whirling, and I couldn't fall asleep.

Ling Guyue tossed and turned on the kang, for a long while, she seemed to hear faint crying.

The voice was like a baby crying endlessly, or like a fox ghost mourning, as thin as silk, intermittent, accompanied by the bleak sound of rain hitting the doors and windows, it was heart-pounding.

Ling Guyue didn't feel sleepy at all at the moment, a sense of curiosity welled up in her heart, she thought to herself: Could it be that there are ghosts in this wilderness?Relying on the third part of drinking, and not being afraid, he immediately put on his boots, pushed open the old wooden door, and went away looking for the faint crying sound at that time.