Although "I don't change my name, I don't change my surname", Zhao Ji is not very willing to reveal his name - compared to the name of "Zhao Ji", "His Royal Highness Duanwang" is more majestic, but it is too solemn. He hated solemn things, complicated etiquette and rules, layers of hierarchy, like a shackle. But he can do it well quietly, and he knows that as long as he does it well, he can do whatever he wants.

The winter solstice is as big as a year. The winter solstice has the shortest days and the longest nights, and in order to survive the longest night of the year, people begin to kill time, from ordinary people's homes to the court to celebrate in every possible way, from the richest emperor to the destitute beggars, everyone puts on new clothes, arranges wine banquets, sacrifices to ancestors, congratulates each other, and waits for the time to come: every winter solstice, the court is gracious, allowing big gambling for three days, maybe it is a comeback or a plummet, no matter what the result is, this day is prosperous and lively, it is a gathering of carnivals.

In Bianjing City on the winter solstice, the streets are brightly lit. The Zhouqiao Night Market is a complete one, and it is its home stadium from daytime to the third watch. The carriages and horses are fully loaded, and the pedestrians are gorgeously dressed, and they come and go like clouds. After dinner, a bowl of hangover soup is in the stomach, and soon it is time for supper, and the snacks are waiting early: fried sheep, white sausage, crystal dates, plum ginger, winter moon rabbit, lychee paste...... The vendor pushed the cart, put a pot on the cart, boiled a large pot of fine wontons, and he shouted: "The New Year has passed, the soles of leather shoes are broken, and the big load of wontons, one bite at a time——"

When Zhao Ji passed by, the vendor greeted him warmly: "Master, it has just come out of the pot, do you want to taste it?"

When I came out so late, I deserved a late-night snack. Zhao Ji was in a good mood and asked casually: "Oh, what kinds of stuffing are there?"

"My wonton is the best leg meat, plus cabbage and water chestnut, to ensure that you bite into the juice and delicious, very beautiful!" The vendor said diligently, "Master, you must be a rich and noble family, there are dozens of kinds of fillings for wontons, our boss's surname is a wonton, and we will make one kind of stall, and we will study how to win over others every day!"

"Okay? Zhao Ji said, "If it's not delicious, I'll ask you later." ”

"You can rest assured, these wontons won't even break a single skin!"

Wang Liefeng and Zhao Ji rested on the side of the road. Wang Liefeng turned his head and saw Zhao Ji squatting on the ground, holding a bowl and eating vigorously, and there were a few additional pieces of ginger and spicy radish floating in the soup. Eat hard, he thought.

Wang Liefeng expressed his doubts: "His Royal Highness Duanwang, haven't you eaten enough at night?"

Zhao Ji didn't raise his head: "Although the things at the dinner are good, it's a pity that I have an upset stomach recently and don't want to eat too greasy." These are all things we ate for our birthday not long ago, and it would be a pity not to eat them in a different place. The ravioli that is only available on the winter solstice is also boring. In the palace, in order to seek curiosity, in order to separate from ordinary people's homes, they have to dye good wontons in various colors, put dozens of different fillings, and put them in gold and silver utensils, calling them 'Baiwei wontons', in fact, with your eyes closed, you know that it will be abalone bird's nest. That's why I've been thinking about the night market until now, and I've finally tasted something I've never tasted. A large part of the reason I was so irritable was that I was crazy with hunger. Therefore, people must be well fed...... As for girls, it's best not to eat fat!"

Wang Liefeng said with a smile: "No wonder His Royal Highness has been pampered for more than ten years, but he always looks anorexic. On the other hand, I have been fighting outside the gate before, and I have gnawed on the bark and weeds, but it is easier to feed. He looked down at an old scar on his palm, looked at the sky with thought, and stood up.

Zhao Ji brought the wontons to his mouth and smiled: "Wang Liefeng, you are a great hero who defends the country, but I am satisfied with being a waste, of course I can't compare them together." After all, the border is too dangerous, and your father has made great achievements, and with this kind of glory, it is not impossible to live a life of glory and wealth. However, you shouldn't be happy?—— but we haven't seen each other in 10 years, and I hope you'll stay longer this time. With this earnest, he scooped up the last wonton, threw it into his mouth, put the bowl in his hand, and stood up to dust the snow off his knees.

"Have you eaten enough, Your Highness?"

"My stomach is full, and my mouth doesn't want to stop. Zhao Ji looked at Wang Liefeng with a grin, "--But the night show seems to be going to start later, or you can help me bring back a pack of Li and fried chestnuts, I like it so much, it's hot, round, glutinous and sweet--you know, out of the Suzaku Gate, from the state bridge to the south, in front of Wangjialou, there are a lot of snacks and snacks, and the price is also cheap, each of them does not exceed fifteen yuan-you can also buy some to eat?"

Wang Liefeng hesitated: "Your Highness, I'm a little worried about your safety, on the way to the theater, no one is guarding me, I'm afraid of any accidents." ”

"Don't worry, I know the way. Moreover, no one will hit a waste idea. Zhao Ji said confidently.

It's hard to say whether it's waste or not, but being confident is often retribution.

When Zhao Ji walked through the crowd, someone passed by him, making him feel a thin white, snow-like shadow flashing in his afterglow. The man had a different atmosphere from the laughter and laughter around him, a creepy chill as the back of a knife scraped through his skin.

Zhao Ji muttered in his heart, thinking about what Wang Liefeng said to him just now, he suddenly turned around, but he didn't see the person. Zhao Ji lowered his head and straightened his collar, shrugged his shoulders with his arms crossed, and the warmth slowly returned. He misses Wang Liefeng a little.

In the end, warmth brings people. The snowy night gets colder and colder, and the white road is blank and boring and long. Zhao Ji walked a while, and when he reached the bridge, he saw a small boat in the middle of the river, and a fisherman was sitting on the bow of the boat fishing, and there was no oars beside him, so the boat stopped in the middle of the river.

The water surface is a little frozen, and the fisherman wears a huge hat and a thin layer of clothing, which is quite a meaning of "a lonely boat, fishing alone in the cold river and snow".

A gust of wind blew and lifted the fisherman's robe. Zhao Ji saw that his trousers were empty, and he actually lost his legs.

Snow, winter night, middle-aged man with no legs. Zhao Ji felt that this was a bit romantic, and because he was bored, he simply stepped forward to talk: "Uncle, are you also fishing here on the winter solstice?"

"Yes, my three sons haven't talked to me for a few years, and my wife died two days ago, so I can only fish here. ”

Faintly, ripples appeared on the surface of the water in front of the fisherman, as if a fish were spitting bubbles and gurgling underneath. Zhao Ji thought it was a good omen for a fish jumping over the dragon gate, and he was overjoyed in his heart, and chatted with the uncle: "I said uncle, there seem to be a lot of fish in this river, and they all spit bubbles on the water at night, isn't it a good omen?"

"There is such a thing as auspicious signs, only you nobles can believe in them. The fisherman retorted with a smile, "When the water is dirty, the fish will come up." What's more, in the past two years, there has been more fishing, and there are fewer and fewer fish, maybe when my grandson grows up, he won't even have any fish to eat. ”

Zhao Ji was dumbfounded: "Look at what you said." If you can't eat fish, you can still eat fried chestnuts. ”

Although it is an idea of "why not eat minced meat", Zhao Ji is thinking about frying chestnuts - the solidified fire balls in winter, throwing one into his mouth, tenaciously turning into a mess, down his throat, and warming his internal organs in winter.

He felt someone's gaze on him in the distance. He looked up vigilantly, and saw a white shadow flash past.

In just an instant, the chestnuts in his mind were knocked away, like small cannonballs, plopping and smashing into the deep water of fear.

This can reach the point of jaw-dropping, Zhao Ji retreated in his heart. He plucked up the courage to ask the fisherman, "Do you see?"

The fisherman didn't raise his head, but said slowly, "What do you see?"

"A white shadow. ”

The fisherman replied casually: "Oh, that's so normal, I don't know how many people are wronged in this river, and they also want to come and join in the fun during the winter solstice." ”

Zhao Ji hurriedly made a gesture: "Okay uncle, I still have something to do, and there will be a period in the future." ”

After crossing the bridge, he heard a strange noise in the water, which seemed to be the sound of a large fish being caught and breaking through the water.

He would have liked to see what kind of fish it was, but when he turned around, the bow of the boat was empty, and there was no one.

His first reaction was that the fisherman had committed suicide by throwing himself into the river, and that conversation just now could have been his life. However, at this moment of his astonishment, a sparkling whirlpool appeared on the surface of the water in the moonlight, and the whirlpool turned more and more rapidly, and a human head rose sharply from the center.

The head of the man slowly rose up, and up, and his arms climbed up along the edge of the boat, and climbed up half of his body, only half of his body. He shuddered, and sat back down in the bow of the boat. With a fishing rod in one hand and a huge hat in the other, he took off his hat and set it aside. Like a ghost, water dripping down his forehead and clothes.

His eyes were wild, and he had a scar on his face that stretched from the left side of his forehead to the right corner of his mouth, cutting his entire face in half.

"Don't go, the young man hasn't finished talking about this day. As soon as the fisherman spoke, his whole face twisted, and the scar stretched out, revealing a bright red inside, which was extremely terrifying, and he showed a strange, crazy smile—"You're funny, so I want to open your heart and see what good things are inside?"

Zhao Ji wondered if he had met a madman, but he had to admit that as a famous family, the probability of being assassinated was obviously much higher than the former. So, he might be assassinated by a madman.

"I'm sorry, I'm eighteen years old, and although I'm good for nothing, I don't do anything bad, and I want to mix things up for a few more years. If I'm in the way of someone, my apology is, there's no need to fight and kill, really. Zhao Ji said as calmly and sincerely as possible, "Also, I am very rich, how much money did the person who killed me hire you, I will give you double." ”

The fisherman laughed and shrugged his shoulders and looked at him, "I like you more than money." ”

His smile was cold and cruel, like a wolf, ready to pounce on its helpless prey at any time. Suddenly, the killer raised the rod into the air, the line buzzed in a circle, and the hook was a sharp barb, which was drawn in when it touched the flesh, and it came out with a blur of flesh.

How could a madman ask for money? Zhao Ji felt that something was wrong, and he turned around and wanted to run, when he heard the buzzing sound of the sword breaking through the air, he rolled on the spot in horror - it was Wang Liefeng who taught him, and his unexpected reaction could at least block a surprise attack, and he couldn't be unpleasant.

Sure enough, the shrill chirp rolled over his head and landed in the snow only half an inch from the tip of his nose; he scrambled to get up and run away, but he lamented in his heart that he was afraid that he would not be able to escape the second time, as long as he threw this thing to the side, he would definitely die - Zhao Ji thought to himself, if it was a summer evening, it would be cool to slash the knife on the neck, but would it be too cool in winter, would it be cold from the top of his head to his ankles?

In the midst of panic, fear and despair, Zhao Ji remembered Wang Liefeng's second sentence: use everything you can use at hand. What can be used? What can stop him from ?——, clothes--Zhao Ji tore off his robe, and instead pounced on the fishing line, and before the killer could react, he grabbed - wrapped - the blade at the end of the fishing line, and knotted it with the fastest speed in his life.

There is no kung fu to grab the white blade empty-handed, but you can overcome the rigid with softness. It's really crooked. The fisherman didn't expect Zhao Ji to have such an operation, and he was really stunned for a moment, "Good fellow," he said, "You are such an interesting guy!"

Zhao Ji didn't intend to ignore him - in fact, he seized this rare opportunity to escape, and ran away with a rolling belt, he had no legs, he didn't have legs, that's good, escape from this range, he would be safe-

As he thought so, there was a muffled thud from his skull. The reason why it was muffled was because he had just lost consciousness and fell down the moment he was smashed. His clothes were hooked. He's being dragged back. The barbs pierced through the clothes, rubbed the flesh, stinged, and the blood flowed out, seeping into the snow, and drilling down—

"You wear such a heavy iron hat every day, won't your neck be sore?" Zhao Ji said weakly.

Suddenly, he saw the white shadow just now, and it flashed again. This time is different from the previous two times, it is no longer a fantasy that suddenly disappears, but a vague outline - is it Bai impermanence, he should have died today, so he followed all the way to collect his life, or is this blur just because he was stunned, it is real?

The moment he was dragged into the water, Zhao Ji was awake, he had never been so awake all winter, because the lake was cold and stinging, and it was so cold that people almost made themselves explode, which made his eyes widen and see the bottom of the boat—in the dark, he didn't mean to see what was there, but just a faint beam of moonlight could also let him see— Tied to the bottom of the boat were people, corpses, mutilated people, some missing arms, some half of their internal organs floating in the water, one after another, I don't know how many, densely, like grasshoppers, with an extremely long and thick wire through the body, from the bottom of the boat to the unfathomable depth!

He never got off the boat, he didn't need to get off the boat at all, he had been here for so many years-

When he was hungry, he went down and nibbled on the meat!

The scene was so terrifying that Zhao Ji once thought he was dreaming, but the cold water and suffocation told him that these were all real, and he had to face them. He desperately swam up to get a breath of air for himself, but when he closed his eyes and rushed out of the water, he took a big breath, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the fisherman, sitting in the bow of the boat, looking straight at him.

The fisherman's eyes widened with excitement, his whole face twisted, and the scar suddenly burst open like a bright red mouth, and the corners of his mouth rose and raised, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

He was smiling, Zhao Ji had only seen such a ghostly smile in a nightmare!

The moment he jumped down, Zhao Ji felt a burst of despair. He was pulled by the shoulders, his head was pushed back into the water, and he repeated it a dozen times, and in the midst of great fear and pain, his throat, trachea, and stomach were filled with water, and he saw the white shadow, which was watching him from the shore—and then he was dragged to the bottom.