Lin Zhiwu and Lin Xiaoyang drove for most of the day, and it was not until late afternoon that they saw a small village from afar, and the back of the village was the dark blue sky mixed with patches of red glow, a quiet and peaceful scene.

For fear of disturbing the residents of the village and disturbing the peace and tranquility of this area, Lin Zhiwu and Lin Xiaoyang restrained the galloping horses a few hundred meters away from the village.

The horse's front hooves were raised and neighed, and when the horse's hooves hit the ground, the two of them turned over and dismounted, and led the horses on foot through the mountains and fields to the little village.

Xu happened to be at the time of dinner, and the women of all the families in the village were busy in the kitchen, and the smoke was rising from the chimneys on the roofs of each house.

Many men outside the village returned to the village with farm tools on their shoulders, while others sat at the entrance of the village in twos and threes and chatted.

Seeing Lin Zhiwu and Lin Xiaoyang approaching the village on foot with their horses, those people all smiled at them kindly.

Walking to the entrance of the village, Lin Zhiwu said to the old man with gray temples who was closest to him: "Old man, our brother went to Jiangnan to see relatives, and he traveled for a day, and now the hour is late, I wonder if I can borrow a night in your village?"

"Okay, there happens to be a small courtyard at the east end of the village, and the owner moved to the city some time ago, and the yard is empty. The furniture and bedding in the house have not been removed, but no one has been living in it, so you can go to the vacant room for one night if you wish. Without doubting Lin Zhiwu's words, the old man replied with a kind smile.

Nodding, Lin Zhiwu thanked him, asked for the specific location, and took Lin Xiaoyang into the village one after the other.

Behind Lin Zhiwu and Lin Xiaoyang, the old man who had just talked to Lin Zhiwu looked at the backs of Lin Zhiwu and Lin Xiaoyang, and a faint light flashed in his somewhat cloudy eyes.

Lin Zhiwu and Lin Xiaoyang came to the east of the village together, and sure enough, they saw a small courtyard-

The courtyard wall is made of loess, which is probably old, and there are some mottled cracks on it. The courtyard door is made of bamboo, and a copper lock with a thin rust hangs crookedly on the copper ring on the door, which is not locked.

Leading the horse to the gate of the bamboo courtyard, Lin Zhiwu raised his hand and carefully removed the rusty copper lock.

When you open the courtyard gate, you will be greeted by a flat and spacious courtyard with three semi-enclosed cabins.

Even standing at the gate of the courtyard, Lin Zhiwu and Lin Xiaoyang could see that the doors and windows of the three cabins were closed, and they didn't see anyone there, obviously an empty courtyard.

Leading the horse into the yard, Lin Zhiwu looked around habitually.

Except for the three small huts facing the courtyard gate, there was a well on the right side of the courtyard, a willow tree on the left, and the low hanging branches were covered with a little bit of tender green, but there was nothing left in the courtyard.

Leading the horse to the willow tree on the left, Lin Zhiwu tied the reins of the horse in his hand to the trunk of the tree with the thickness of his arm, and then entered the yard Lin Xiaoyang was the same.

Taking off the burden tied to the saddle, Lin Zhiwu took the lead and walked towards the three cabins.

After pushing open the doors of the wooden house one by one and carefully inspecting them one by one, Lin Zhiwu's final result was the same: all the utensils in the house were neatly arranged, clean and tidy, and there was nothing wrong with them.

Xu is because he has been accustomed to all kinds of conspiracies and treacherous methods by Zhu Zimo's side for many years, and Lin Zhiwu always faintly feels that there is something wrong with this courtyard!

However, no matter what Lin Zhiwu thought, his head hurt when he thought about it, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Anyway, as the so-called soldiers come to block, water comes to cover the earth, with the idea that one step is one step, Lin Zhiwu wisely gave up and no longer studied deeply.

chose the wooden house facing the courtyard gate as a resting place for tonight, and after Lin Zhiwu entered the house, he took out a fire fold and lit half of the candle on the table in the house.

put the burden in his hand on the table and opened it, but inside was the dry food that Zhu Zimo asked the people in the house to prepare for Lin Zhiwu and Lin Xiaoyang for the two days before leaving Zhu's mansion.

Lin Xiaoyang sat at the wooden table, looked at Lin Zhiwu who was standing at the table to unpack his burden, and asked with a curious look: "Deputy Steward Lin, why did you say that to that old man when you were at the entrance of the village just now?"

At this moment, the simple Lin Xiaoyang had a great question in his heart, that is-

It was good for him and Lin Zhiwu to go to Jiangnan, but they didn't go to see their relatives, but to attend the triennial martial arts conference of the Nine Kingdoms, and although they were both surnamed Lin, they were not brothers!

Picked up one of the two water bladders in the unwrapped bag and handed it to Lin Xiaoyang, and Lin Zhiwu picked up an oiled paper bag in the bag.

While opening the oil paper bag, Lin Zhiwu explained: "It's better to be careful when you go out." Never tell anyone one else about one's true intentions and purposes unless necessary, this is the simplest rule of survival. ”

After a day's journey, he was already thirsty, so he pulled out the wooden stopper at the mouth of the water bladder that Lin Zhiwu handed him, and Lin Xiaoyang poured a large mouthful of water before nodding solemnly: "I remember." ”

"Lin Gongzi, in life, there are still many things you have to learn! When Lin Zhiwu said this, he had the tone of an elder teaching a junior.

In Lin Zhiwu's heart, Lin Xiaoyang is just like his younger brother Lin Zhisheng, teaching Lin Xiaoyang these things, which is what he should do.

However, many things that happened after that made Lin Zhiwu feel that his words today were really in vain!

Lin Zhiwu said, picked up one of the already cold steamed buns in the oiled paper bag and handed it to Lin Xiaoyang.

Putting down the oily paper bag wrapped in steamed buns, picking up another water bladder, pulling out the wooden stopper, Lin Zhiwufu took another cold steamed bun and ate it with Lin Xiaoyang.

Cold water with cold steamed buns, this taste is really uncomfortable, but there is nothing to be done.

"Is anyone there?" suddenly heard the voice of an old woman outside the closed courtyard gate.

His right hand almost instantly put down the half-eaten steamed bun, and then reflexively stroked the soft sword on his waist, Lin Zhiwu squinted his eyes and asked loudly, "Who?"

Regarding Lin Zhiwu's frightened bird-like behavior, Lin Xiaoyang didn't see it, and still sat quietly eating his cold steamed buns and drinking cold water.

This may be the difference between a person who has survived death in the world and a fledgling calf.

"I am the daughter-in-law of the head of this village, and the old man of my family just came home and told me that he met two young people who had come to the village to spend the night at the entrance of the village, and he asked you to stay in this empty courtyard at the east end of the village. My old man said, there is no stuttering in this yard, it just so happens that my family has cooked noodles, my old man is thinking about letting me send a bowl of noodles to one of you, this spring day, after eating hot noodles at night is always comfortable. The old woman said one by one.

Glancing at Lin Xiaoyang, who was sitting firmly on Mount Tai, Lin Zhiwu put down his right hand on his waist, and replied loudly as he walked out of the house: "Wait a minute! I'll open the door!"

Out of the house, through the empty courtyard, Lin Zhiwu walked to the courtyard gate.

Opening the courtyard gate, Lin Zhiwu saw an old woman wearing a coarse cloth short coat and frosted temples standing outside the courtyard gate. The old woman holds a bamboo basket with a lid in both hands.

Seeing the courtyard door open, a handsome young man stood in the courtyard gate and looked at her, the old woman hurriedly opened the lid on the bamboo basket with one hand, revealing two large bowls of steaming green vegetable noodles in the bamboo basket.

The old woman looked at Lin Zhiwu with a kind smile and said, "The people in this country don't have much money, and there is not a piece of meat in this noodle, only a few green vegetables grown in their own fields, please don't dislike it." ”

Although it was already dark, because today was the night of the fifteenth full moon, the moon on the horizon was very round and bright.

Through the bright moonlight, Lin Zhiwu could clearly see that there were only two bowls of green vegetable noodles and two pairs of bamboo chopsticks in the bamboo basket that the old woman was carrying, and there were no other superfluous things.

Stretching out his hand to take the bamboo basket in the old woman's hand, Lin Zhiwu replied with a smile: "It's really troublesome for you, and let you send food to our two brothers! We also have dry food ourselves, so you really don't have to be so polite, but since you have sent it, then I won't refuse, and I will accept it with a cheeky face, just enough to eat hot noodles to warm up." ”

After listening to Lin Zhiwu's words, the old woman nodded with a smile and said, "That's it! On this spring day, no matter how good the dry food is, it is cold, how good it is to be able to eat hot food! Then you eat, I will come over tomorrow morning to get the basket and chopsticks!"

With that, the old woman closed the lid of the basket and turned to the west and left.

Looking at the figure of the old woman leaving, Lin Zhiwu closed the courtyard door and returned to the wooden house facing the courtyard gate with a bamboo basket.

Lin Zhiwu didn't know that after he closed the courtyard door, the old woman who was supposed to leave suddenly stopped.

Looking back at the closed courtyard door, the old woman smiled at the corner of her mouth with an unknown meaning.

Back in the wooden house, closed the door, Lin Zhiwu walked to the wooden table, put the bamboo basket in his hand on the table, and put the lid on the table together.

Seeing two bowls of green vegetable noodles in the bamboo basket, Lin Xiaoyang dropped the steamed buns that he had eaten a few bites and reached out to serve noodles in the bamboo basket.

However, before Lin Xiaoyang's hand touched the bamboo basket, Lin Zhiwu stretched out his hand to stop him.

Lin Zhiwu said awe-inspiringly: "Slow!"

"What's wrong?" Maintaining the posture of serving noodles, Lin Xiaoyang looked at Lin Zhiwu who stopped him in confusion.

Lin Zhiwu did not answer Lin Xiaoyang, but pulled out the wooden hairpin that he had been inserting in his hair.

I saw Lin Zhiwu twist the tail of the wooden hairpin from side to side, and then pulled the tail of the hairpin off the hairpin, and then poured out a slender silver needle from the hairpin body and pinched it in his hand.

Looking at Lin Zhiwu's flowing movements, Lin Xiaoyang was surprised - that wooden hairpin was actually hollow!

"Let me see if there's any poison in this side first. Lin Zhiwu said as he inserted the silver needle in his hand into one of the bowls containing green vegetable noodles.

After waiting for about a few seconds, Lin Zhiwu picked up the silver needle and looked at it, and after making sure that the silver needle had not turned black, he inserted the silver needle into another bowl, and waited for a few seconds to pick it up again to see that the silver needle still had not turned black......