The wind and rain were falling, and the long lanterns hanging under the eaves swayed, leaving a constantly changing shadow on the ground.

In the hall of the inn, the swordsman Zhang Ingot sat on the bench with a bowl of rice wine, brewed his wording slightly, and talked about his rivers and lakes:

“…… I am a native of Guanzhong, I studied in the martial arts hall for a few years when I was a child, and my skills are not bad, I have a reputation in the town at the age of seventeen or eighteen, and I also got a small errand in the yamen, how can I be a soldier after ten or eight years......

…… The family is quite wealthy, with dozens of acres of land, although the son of the partial house cannot inherit the family business, but the little money from the government is not as much as the monthly money given by the family, and he can't stand it......

…… At that time, I often listened to books, it was the business of those heroes, what 'wishing the sword saint, old Situ', the storyteller talked every day, from the age of eight to the age of eighteen, it was boring to work in the yamen for a few days, so he left a letter at home and ran away......"

Speaking of this, the swordsman Zhang Ingot turned around and pointed to the big archway in the rain curtain with chopsticks:

"At that time, the court was not strictly controlled, and there were many people in the rivers and lakes, and if you wanted to pass the 'ghost gate', you had to have some ability, and you had to find someone to fight on the spot, and the past ...... won the battle."

Xu Buling took a sip of noodles and nodded: "There is still this statement?" ”

"yes."

The swordsman Zhang Ingot chuckled and continued:

"I was born in Guanzhong, I was a big child, and I didn't eat badly since I was a child, standing in the crowd that is called 'standing out from the crowd', looking for and looking for no one to fight alone, and then a girl's family came to me, saying to come to me to learn and help me......

…… At the time, I thought that the girl was kind enough to help and go through the motions, so I agreed to it......"

Nightingale blinked wide-eyed: "And then you're beaten down?" ”

The swordsman Zhang Ingot nodded: "But isn't it, I lost someone before I got out of the rivers and lakes, and I was young and unconvinced, and after grabbing someone and beating him, I ran to chase the girl......"

Nightingale listened very seriously: "And then? ”

"And then ......"

The swordsman Zhang Ingot took a sip of the wine bowl and chuckled:

"Then I met the girl, called Wang Ying, who was an apprentice of a small sect, and came out to run the rivers and lakes by himself, and saw that I had some martial arts, so he bowed with me and went north and south, went to Wudang Mountain, Dongting Lake, and visited Situ's house once, but unfortunately I didn't see Situ's predecessors, otherwise I would still like to apprentice...... In the first two years, I was really comfortable, and I almost forgot my surname......"

Xu Buling shook his head and smiled: "Isn't it good to have like-minded girls to accompany you and explore the rivers and lakes together?" ”

"It's nice to be at ease like that all the time......"

Zhang Ingot was dark and slightly lonely, shook his head and sighed lightly: "But as the saying goes, 'a hero can't die for a penny', people in the rivers and lakes also have to eat and dress, I bring a lot of plates, and she also has some, the two of them don't worry about food and clothing and running around, and they will see the bottom after two years." They are all Jianghu people, and they can't go home to ask for money without money, so she and I want to earn money and continue to wander......

…… As a result, on the rivers and lakes, it is easy to spend silver, and earning silver is fatal. Betting a dart to travel hundreds of miles, earn a few taels of silver, and have to fight with your life if something happens, you can't take it, let alone being a guard or something, not to mention that you don't want it at all. All that's left is stealing......

…… I have read some books since I was a child, and I have been a fast catcher, so I don't want to dare to do that kind of thing, but Wang Ying can't endure hardship, so she says that she won't kill people, and she will help others fight and collect some rent......

…… I was a man, and I thought that I couldn't let women suffer, and after thinking about it for a few days, I agreed, and went to the gambling house to be a thug for others, collect debts, and pick people off......"

Xu Buling frowned and thought for a moment: "It's nothing, and it doesn't hurt the sky." ”

Zhang Deng shook his head seriously, and said seriously: "Stealing needles when you are young, stealing needles when you are big, and some things can't be opened." The gambling house is a place that harms people, gamblers lose clean and have no money, and they can only chase debts to other people's homes, and they can only chase back and divide half with the gambling house......

…… It's quick to get money, but this thing is more addictive than gambling, I did it for two days and felt that something was wrong, and if I continued, I would go the wrong way sooner or later, so I would quit......

…… But Wang Ying is different, she grew up in the rivers and lakes, she took it for granted, and asked me, 'What do we eat and wear if we don't do it'......"

"It's really not easy to be hungry and still talk about morality."

Zhang Deng looked at the brazier and nodded: "Yes, since then, I still work in the gambling house, and I persuaded myself that I didn't kill people and set fires, and I had to live." Later, it was the Iron Eagle Deer Hunting, the government investigated strictly, there was less trouble, and the gambling house didn't raise so many thugs......

…… It is easy to go from thrift to luxury, and it is difficult to go from luxury to thrift. Wandering in the rivers and lakes every day for food and clothing, Wang Ying couldn't stand it, so she tried every means to get silver, bet on black darts, and blackmail the rich young master...... It's all about spitting back then, and it's been floating like this for ten years, if I hadn't stopped it, I would have killed people and set fire to them......

…… At the beginning of the year, I had enough of this ghost life, I didn't want to run away, and I wanted to take Wang Ying back to my hometown...... Wang Ying is used to the life of the people in the rivers and lakes, and I heard the gossip from somewhere, saying that some people in the rivers and lakes are going to rebel, and the people in the rivers and lakes are ready to rise up, let me go too......

…… The rebellion is a matter of his mother killing the whole family, I definitely can't go, but I can't persuade Wang Ying, the two of them quarrel all the way, and they met a group of down-and-out people in Laolongshan, who were injured by the iron eagle deer hunting ten years ago, and didn't dare to hide in Laolongshan......

…… Wang Ying felt that the court was too strict and would die sooner or later, so she wanted to take me to stay in Laolongshan and wait for the opportunity, and when the incident started, she could pull a group of brothers to fight the world, if I didn't go, Wang Ying wouldn't leave, let me go back alone......

…… It's been more than ten years together, and I don't feel at ease, so I wait in the stockade. The people in the village saw that I had some martial arts, and called each other brothers, and they became familiar with each other after a long time......

…… A few days ago, a caravan passed by, and they went to rob the caravan as soon as they went together, extorted a lot of money, and injured a few people......

…… The caravan should have come from outside, and it didn't report to the official when it thought about breaking the fortune and eliminating the disaster, and no one came to check afterwards. The whole village felt that they had found a way to make money, and as long as they didn't kill people and the government, they were ready to go out and rob the road......"

Zhang Deng sighed: "I can't stop it, I can't persuade it, and I can't control it." If the rivers and lakes continue to mix, sooner or later the family will be ruined, think about it or not break through, maybe I, the person, am not naturally suitable for the rivers and lakes. ”

After listening quietly, Xu Buling was silent for a moment, shook his head and said:

"You are called a Jianghu person, it's a pity to retreat like this."

Zhang Deng said something in his heart, his expression softened a lot, and he chuckled:

"What's the matter, I haven't changed, the rivers and lakes have changed, and it's not interesting."

"What about your wife? Why didn't you take her back by force? ”

Zhang Deng shook his head: "The country is easy to change, but the nature is difficult to change, I can't persuade it for ten years...... It's also my fault, it's too much for her, if you don't agree the first time, if you don't start that head, there will be no follow-up...... Speaking of which, I really want to take her back to her hometown to show her parents, she used to be a good girl. ”

Xu Buling thought about it carefully: "Just like this, she will soon die on the mountain, there is no regret medicine in the world." ”

Zhang Ding was silent, picked up the wine bowl and took a sip, finished eating the noodles in two bites, threw a few copper coins on the table, and then went down the hat and coat from the wall, and walked into the rain curtain.

The nightingale finished drinking the noodle soup and wiped his mouth: "He must go back to find the woman, but it is estimated that he still can't be persuaded to do it, and he can't be restrained when he ties it back, and the son shouldn't persuade him." ”

Xu Buling sighed softly: "More than ten years of husband and wife, where can it be so easy to let go, he has to blame himself for the rest of his life after he leaves like this." They have not killed anyone in the rivers and lakes for more than ten years, and some of them have been rescued and helped. ”

Nightingale blinked: "How can I help?" ”

"Women are disobedient, most of them are used to it, just beat it."

Xu Buling stood up and walked to the stables of the inn: "Fetch my guy, and tell the guards, tomorrow the boat will go first, and we will ride over by land, and we will meet at the mouth of the Danjiang River when the time comes." ”

"Okay son."

Nightingale nodded, and trotted upstairs to inform the accompanying doormen.

After a while, the master and servant rode two thousand-mile horses and left Fenglingdu Town in the pouring rain.

The lobby of the inn was quiet again, and the shopkeeper sat on the threshold again and fell asleep, waiting for the wanderer who returned late.

And on the beam of the lobby, the little sparrow that made a shelter from the rain suddenly woke up and flew into a person's sleeve with a chirp......