Jin, the border city of Shiyi.

There is a river in Shiyi, which is called Hutuo, and there is a mountain in the south of Hutuo, which is called Fenglong Mountain. Fenglong Mountain West leans on Taihang, east of Pinggu, the mountains stretch for several miles, magnificent.

Right now, it is the cold winter of the number nine, and the world is vast.

On a sunny and snowy day, the clouds are light and the sun is cold, the north wind cuts, and the mountains are covered with snow. In the deep forest, the pines and cypresses cover the sky. The cold sunlight filtered in through the branches and fell on the fluffy white, and the snow reflected it. In a spot of light, a pheasant pecks at a pile of dried grain. Where did the valley come from, the wild pheasant didn't think about it, and when it came to it, just eat it. Whether it is a trap or not, this question never appears in the minds of wild creatures.

Ziji sat on the thick branch of the big cypress tree with his legs swinged, and was sharpening a branch with a dagger. He cut the branch into the shape of a pointed crossbow arrow and snapped it into the crossbow arrow. Glancing condescendingly at the pheasant that was still eating, Ziji's eyes condensed slightly, and he aimed his spiky branch crossbow arrow at it.

The bolts are small, but they are fierce.

"Whew——!" The sharp arrow broke through the air and headed straight for the prey. The tip of the arrow entered the pheasant's left eye and exited its neck, nailing it to the snow.

Ziji jumped lightly and jumped down from the tree. When he landed, his knees were slightly bent, and his left hand gently supported the snow, steady, and his movements were not shaky, very neat. The pheasant was not dead at this time, and its wings were twitching and trembling, Ziji pinched the pheasant's neck with his hand, the two bones were misaligned, and the pheasant immediately fell down and stopped moving. Later, he used pheasants as bait to lure a wild fox. The wild fox is more alert than the pheasant, and hides in the bushes for a long time before appearing, but as long as it can't resist the temptation to enter the young man's hunting circle, it will definitely not be able to escape the arrow flying in the air, fast, accurate and ruthless, no matter how sensitive it is on weekdays, it can't escape.

Carrying the prey, Ziji went down the mountain. The first thing I did when I went down the mountain was to go to the market. The wild fox has a good fur color, and it has been exchanged for a lot of money, and it can be used to buy medicine. Now they live in a rented farmhouse, which is located in a remote location, far from the main city, which is convenient for Xianyu people to recuperate.

When I walked back, the car of Shiyi was driving out of the gate, and the people on the street hurriedly avoided both sides of the road. The shiny and vigorous black horse led the black wheeled chariot in a hurry, and the public servants who drove the chariot kept whipping the horse to the south in the direction of the city gate. Sitting in the middle of the chariot, Yi Shou pursed his lips and frowned, his expression was serious, and a team of soldiers in armor and spears behind the car ran to follow.

Ziji lowered his fox fur hood to cover half of his face, and as the crowd retreated to the side of the road, he stood in an inconspicuous position, frowning slightly.

Shiyi is a border city in the north of the Jin Kingdom, next to Xianyu. In recent years, there have been constant wars between the two countries, and the people here have suffered from military service. During the war, they carried swords as pawns, and after the war, they disarmed their armor and returned to the farmer's house. After a big defeat a while ago, they finally had to breathe a sigh of relief, and they could recuperate for several years, but the long-term tension in the heartstrings made them become delicate, but whenever there was a disturbance, they always wondered if it was a resumption of war.

As the chariots and horses drifted away, the people formed groups and talked to themselves.

Ziji stood under an eaves with a few bags of medicinal herbs, watching the team of chariots and horses gradually shrink in his sight, and he withdrew his gaze. He paid attention to the dress of the guard, the crown was neatly dressed, the jade was hanging and the sword was carried by the sword, the dress was solemn and proper, in line with the etiquette of the superior, presumably he was in a hurry to meet a person of higher status. Secretly thinking carefully, Shi Yi was afraid that there were important people coming. Shiyi is subordinate to Shangdi County, and Shangdi County is under the jurisdiction of Zhao's main sect, one of the six Qings, calculating the timing and intention, and after a little groaning, a name soon floated in Ziji's mind.

Ziji's black eyes turned cold, his knuckles couldn't help but clench fiercely, and he forcefully adjusted his hood downward, covering his eyes, and left the market quickly. He kept his eyebrows locked all the way, his thoughts were heavy, and before he knew it, he was back in front of the door of the rented compound.

The courtyard door is slightly open, and the smell of medicine and chopping wood floats out from the cracks of the wood door with the north wind, lingering on the tip of people's noses and ears, astringent and slightly bitter, and the sound of tuk tuk is loud. A moment of peace of mind. There were several snowdrifts piled up outside the fence wall, and several ice ridges hung under the top of the door beam, shining in the winter sun. Ziji stood outside the chai door, a very faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, and at the same time sighed lightly.

Pushing the door into the courtyard, the senior disciple was busy swinging an axe and chopping wood with his sleeves up, and when he heard someone enter the door, he turned his head to take a look, and saw that it was him, so he straightened up and smiled warmly: "Senior brother is back." Although Zigu looks cold, there are two shallow pear vortices when he laughs.

"Senior brother!" Zizhang was originally bored sitting at the foot of the steps in front of the house, holding his cheeks and staring at the medicine jar for his uncle, but when he saw Ziji, his eyes lit up instantly, he jumped up from the ground, ran over, and stretched out his hand to Ziji with a smile: "Eat." ”

Ziji slapped Zizhang's palm mercilessly: "Breath." ”

Zizhang was in pain and bared his teeth, but he still smiled and said confidently: "You don't let me go out, except for stuttering, I have nothing to worry about." ”

Ziji raised his eyebrows slightly, knocked on Zizhang's head again, and threw Zizhang a lotus leaf bag, which was bulging and hot. Zizhang took it very happily and couldn't wait to open it immediately.

Ziji asked him, "What about Uncle Shi?" ”

Zizhang tore the lotus leaf bag and tilted his head in the direction of the inner room: "Ledu is there." "Ledu, it's the name of that Xianyu person.

The room sits north facing south, and the sunlight pours into the room through the reed-woven curtains, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor above the desk. Bathing in the light, Ledu sat on the edge of the bed in a wide green linen shirt, his head bowed and his back collapsed, his hair scattered, and his eyes half-closed were silent. Uncle Xiao Shennong Xue Xian stood in front of Le Du, one hand behind his back, and the other hand lightly on Le Du's shoulder, and the two seemed to have just ended a conversation. Xue Xian stood in the dark, and Le Du sat in a position with light, the light golden sunlight hitting the side of his face, making his outline clearer. His facial features are different from the plainness of the Central Plains, which is more profound and erect, which is very good-looking, but at this time, what is presented in front of people is a kind of thin and decaying decadence.

Ledu's body has collapsed, and it has collapsed completely. He was originally tall and muscular, but in just half a month, he was so thin that he was almost out of shape, and his originally strong arms were now like a dead firewood. On his left wrist he wore a colored rope strung with agate stones, which was his most precious and precious thing, and no one was allowed to touch it except himself. The rope looked like a fresh thing, with intricate knots and bright colors, and Ledu had mentioned it to him, and it was made up to him by his favorite girl. At this time, Ledu's right hand was attached to his left wrist, and his thumb rubbed the agate stone on the colored rope lightly and preciously, as if he was caressing the hair of his beloved girl.

Xue Xian saw Ziji enter the house, sighed lightly, and withdrew his hand. Ziji glanced at Le Du, who was speechless, and felt that he was even more depressed today than before. The inquiring glanced at Uncle Shi, who closed his eyes and shook his head at him, signaling not to ask more.

Ziji also had a number in his heart, bowed his head slightly, and walked out of the house with Xue Xian.

When he arrived in the courtyard, Xue Xian sighed at the sun and asked Ziji, "Can you buy the medicine you bought?" ”

Ziji handed over the packets of medicinal herbs he was carrying in his hand and said, "I've bought them all." Uncle Shi, but Brother Ledu wants to leave? Ziji's departure is naturally not to return to Xianyu, but to go deep into the Jin Kingdom to do a dangerous thing.

Xue Xian took the medicinal herbs and said, "It's not a day or two that he has this idea, with his current body, he is just fearless to death." He opened the kudzu cloth used for the package, took out the medicinal herbs and looked at them, and praised them: "Well, it is worthy of the medicine conceived and raised by Mingchuan Osawa, and the color is good." ”

Ziji looked at the room with closed doors and windows, and said, "I think, he may not be afraid of going to death, what he is afraid of is dying without having time to do anything." ”

Xue Xian raised his head, raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ziji, and said with a light smile: "You can see it clearly." ”

Ziji smiled lightly and lightly: "Then uncle, what should I do?" Just let him go? His eyes looked at the sky along the eaves, as if he was asking a little absent-mindedly.

Xue Xian said: "The legs are long on his body, and his life is also his own, and he will go." ”

Ziji licked his chapped lips slightly: "If that's the case, what's the point of saving him in the first place?" He seems to be talking about Ledu, but in fact there are words hidden in his words.

Xue Xian knew Ziji's heart knot, and he also knew that what he was asking at the moment was actually himself, and he couldn't break it if he didn't break it, otherwise the young man's heart would be bloody again, so Xue Xian only answered the question on his face, and said: "He is still alive now, he can think and think, isn't this the meaning?" We met him and saved him by fate. His life was ours and we controlled him before he was saved. But now that he has been healed, his life is his own, let him go, otherwise, living with regrets will not be fun in this life. ”

Ziji still looked at the sky and did not speak again.

The sky was blue, blue, cold, transparent and scarcity.

In the early afternoon, a number of officials in the town rode horses around the streets, loudly announcing matters in the market and the places where the people lived.

"Tomorrow morning, the county guard will arrive in our town to inspect, and the idle people will wait for Humo to hang out on the street. If you collide, you will be responsible! ”

The farmhouse that Xue Xian rented was in a remote location, and by the time this sentence arrived, the sun had already set half. At that time, Xue Xian was holding a book and reading under the window, when he heard the sound, he stood up, his eyebrows furrowed tightly. "How could it be so coincidental." Xue Xian thought of Ziji's side, and secretly said in his heart. He put down his book and immediately went to the backyard, and as soon as he reached the door, he heard a noise. The sound was muffled, as if it were the sound of a bucket tipping over.