As night fell, Xiao Yan pushed open the door in frustration.

"Official, you're back. Have you used it for dinner, let's eat some fruit first!" The words were sweet and crisp, and a coquettish middle-aged lady came out of the inner hall with a smile and a groan, her hair was exposed to her sideburns, her skin was as white as new, and there was a faint coquettishness in her gestures, and her eyes were shining and sultry.

Behind him was a round-faced, chubby eight- or nine-year-old boy, and a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl with skin and eyes like a pool of clear water, elegant and vulgar, with a light spirit.

"Madam, how can you be in the mood to eat bananas now?" Xiao Yan looked at the bananas peeled by Mrs. Xiao, frowned, and a wave of anger rushed up from her ribs, shouting at the top of her throat, "It's bad enough today, don't bother me!"

"Hey, why do you lose your temper at us as soon as you get home?" Like a thunderbolt, Mrs. Xiao was stunned, opened her mouth, and couldn't speak for a long time, and after a while, she said trickly, "I know that I bullied our mother and son, and I didn't bother to pay attention to you......"

"You ......" Xiao Yan's eyes widened, and he pointed at Mrs. Xiao and stopped talking.

"Hmph, Ling'er, peel a banana for you to eat. Ignoring Xiao Yan, he turned to the girl, suddenly put on a look of enthusiasm, peeled off the banana peel, and handed it to Xiao Ling'er with a smile.

Lightly took the banana, a trace of surprise flashed on her face, and then she immediately returned to a cold expression, Xiao Ling'er obviously did not appreciate Mrs. Xiao's hospitality, and her eyes flashed with faint disdain.

"Good son, come, my mother will also peel one for you. Yo, open your mouth ......" Mrs. Xiao bent down, stuffed the banana into the fat boy's mouth, hugged him tightly, and smiled brightly, eager to give him all the good things in the world.

He just smiled stupidly, just eating, and his mouth kept chewing.

"Oh, look at you, when have you been?" ......Xiao Yan was distraught, roaring angrily, his voice rolling like heavy thunder, spreading far and wide, and then angrily slammed the door away.

"What kind of temperamental person, what kind of person is causing trouble outside, and as soon as he comes back, he will show the faces of our mother and son. After that, his mouth pursed, his eyebrows wrinkled, his cold eyes turned, as if a cold light shot out, snatched half of the banana in Xiao Ling'er's hand, his face changed instantly, his left hand was in his waist and his right hand pointed at Xiao Linger's beautiful face, and reprimanded loudly, "Eat, eat, you only know how to eat all day long......"

"I'm looking for my mother. Xiao Ling'er pursed her lips and said indifferently.

"Stinky girl, isn't your mother here?" Raising her eyebrows and widening eyes, Mrs. Xiao was furious.

"You're stepmother! I'm looking for my mother. Xiao Ling'er frowned, her white teeth clenched her thin lips, and her lips were printed with rows of brand-new tooth marks.

"Stinky girl, eat cheap goods inside and out, yell at me again, kick you out of the house, go to your stinky mother, hehe, if you have a kind, go there......" Mrs. Xiao shouted like crazy, like a terrible ghost.

Listening to Mrs. Xiao's attack and abuse, Xiao Ling'er's hands began to tremble, and she squinted at her sideways, and in her complicated eyes, disappointment and pain were constantly intertwined: The real anger is not to cry or lose your temper at her, but to be silent and endure the pain, what I do has nothing to do with you anymore.

......

"In the Xiao Mansion, I am the only pillar, if it falls, the whole family will be destroyed. So, don't fall down easily. ”

Walking down the street in great strides, Xiao Yan kept telling himself that if he wanted to succeed, no matter what kind of difficulties lay ahead, don't give up all his efforts because of a moment of soft-heartedness.

After passing through the noisy street market and walking into the tavern, he ordered a table of dishes, silently picked up the wine glass, drank it alone, went down a few glasses of sake, and muttered to himself: "The wind retreats, the clouds hurt themselves, the hatred of wine urges the intestines, a touch of dark wounds, and several degrees of madness." I think I'm Xiao Yan erudite and talented, and I didn't expect it to end up like this......"

"Brother Xiao, why are you drinking here alone?Is there something wrong?" Li Yuan, who looked tired, came from outside the door and sat next to Xiao Yan.

"Brother Li, come, let's have a drink together!" Looking at Li Yuan, who had a thin face, Xiao Yan smiled, and actually met a friend he hadn't seen for a long time, swept away the depressed expression just now, and asked with great interest, "No matter what method I use, I will succeed, do you think I will succeed?"

"Ouch, Brother Xiao, as long as you make up your mind, you will succeed. Have you forgotten? When our brothers were on an errand in the border guards before, our small detachment was surrounded by enemy troops, and in the end, Brother Xiao led everyone to escape, you have done such a difficult thing, what else can't you do?" Li Yuan drank it all and said with a hearty smile.

"Yes! Be brave and don't hold back! Brother, it's rare to have such fun today, and I will write a poem for my brother as a souvenir. Xiao Yan held Li Yuan's shoulder, drunk, shook his head and groaned, "Xingliang is shining, and Hui Xi is very happy." Jasper serves a golden cup, and green wine helps the color. ”

"Good poem, I also hope that our brothers can have endless joy in the future, green wine helps the color, come, cheers!"

......

The sky gradually brightened, and the rooster in the distance stood on the haystack, stretched his neck, and used all his strength to raise his head to the sky and crow, the sound was loud, powerful, and so long.

Looking at the vast sea not far away, the majestic sea water shimmers with psychedelic broken gold in the early morning sun, and the waves are not alarmed, and the sea is a fog in the distance, faintly shrouded in the sea, condensed into a blank.

"Li Heng, you are almost sixteen years old this year, and you are about to have a coming-of-age ceremony, you are the eldest son, and you will have to bear the burden of the family in the future. Li Yuan rushed to the dock with his eldest son Li Heng, talking and walking.

"Yes, father. Li Heng said solemnly.

"What is the most important thing about the eldest son? The courage to protect the family without hesitation, and the courage to have enough courage, is qualified to be the head of the family. A person cannot decide the beginning of his life, and the most important thing is to have the courage to go to the last step of life. You have to remember what Daddy said. Li Yuan's tone was stern.

"Remember, child. Li Heng suddenly stopped, bowed in fear, and said respectfully.

When they arrived at the dock, the two mysterious employers seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and behind them were ten truckloads of goods, and more than a dozen strong men carried the heavy goods onto the cargo ship, and after a while, they were neatly stacked, just enough to fill a boat.

"Boatman, you open the way ahead, and we follow behind. Follow the established route, don't be sloppy!" The two mysterious employers quickly jumped onto the boat with a dozen strong men.

"Yes......" Suddenly, his heart beat faster, his lips trembled slightly, and Li Yuan hurriedly bent down, only to hide the tension on his face.

Raise the white sails, chop the waves, and sail according to the predetermined route in the waves of thousands of miles.

Looking at the endless sea, the waves rushed to the shore one after another, making a "whoosh...... ...... the beautiful voice, Li Heng's mind seemed to have become broader, refreshed, and relaxed.

Walking into the sea, suddenly a white mist drifted in. With a "boom", a fishing boat that appeared out of nowhere quickly crashed into the small boat behind.

Another fishing boat quickly appeared in front of Li Yuan, with a black-clad masked man standing at the bow of the boat, waving to follow him.

Li Yuan saw that the response of the county order was coming, and the tense heartstrings finally relaxed, let out a long breath, followed the fishing boat, and about a stick of incense, turned into a secluded shore and stopped.

"Ahh

"Don't you go out, hide in the cabin, I'll go out and see what's going on?" Li Yuan carefully instructed Li Heng, a trace of horror flashed on his face, but after all, he had been in the army for many years and had seen the world, so he quickly calmed down, picked up a wooden stick casually, and walked out of the cabin cautiously.

I saw the corpses of shipwrights and sailors lying across the deck, and the blood that flowed red the sea.

A black-clad masked man brandished a steel knife at the bow of the ship, as if he was painting with blood, and with a flash of cold light, he slashed down a sailor, and at that moment, the sailor's eyes were wide with fear, and he never closed them.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, the black-clothed masked man stood with his hands behind his back, looking up quietly as the rising sun slowly rose from the east.

"You...... Who are you?" Holding the wooden stick tightly, Li Yuan's eyes widened angrily, and the green tendons in the corners of his forehead bulged with the whirring breath.

"The person who wants your life ......" The black-clothed masked man exuded a murderous aura, holding Sen Ran's steel knife, slowly turned around, and caught a glimpse of Li Yuan for a moment, his heart was shocked, and he stood in a daze, and muttered, "What...... How are you?"

"...... you" Li Yuan looked at the black-clothed masked man in front of him in surprise.

I saw the black-clothed masked man slowly taking off his mask, under the sunlight, his round face, wide thick eyebrows, flashing a pair of shrewd and deep eyes......

"Xiao Yan, is that you?" Li Yuan said with a sudden change of color.

"Li Yuan, how could it be you?" Xiao Yan's face also changed, his body trembled slightly, and he slowly put down the steel knife.

"That's right, I transported the smuggled silver to this place according to the plan of Xiao County's order, didn't he send it to answer it?"

"Hurry up, or it will be too late, and he will take this private money for himself......"

"What? There is such a thing!" Hearing this, Li Yuan's heart was shocked, like a thunderbolt from the sky, "No, I have to drive the boat away, I can't fall into the hands of these evil people, bring the private money to the yamen of the state capital, and report it to the imperial court." ”

"Are you still not leaving, are you going to die here?" Suddenly, Xiao Yan lifted the steel knife and pointed at Li Yuan, his hands trembled violently, and a flash of fear flashed in his eyes, "Don't look back, dive and escape, quickly!"

"What?" Looking at Xiao Yan's anxious and soul-shattering eyes, Li Yuan hesitated for a moment, and was about to run to the cabin, "poof", a sharp arrow pierced his chest, and the heart-rending pain made Li Yuan kneel on the deck on both knees, unable to move, and the blood sprayed along the sharp arrow, instantly dyed the placket red.

The blood-colored jade beads with broken threads slipped down the wound, and "clicked" and dripped to the ground, turning into a gorgeous blood-red flower.

One drop, two drops...... The blood was warm, but the heart was getting colder, the last of the blood on the lips had faded, and it was so dark that nothing could be seen in front of him, and the chill flowed, lingering with the breath of death.

"Boom", Li Yuan rolled his eyes and fell in a pool of blood......

Everything happened too fast, Xiao Yan stood to the side in a daze, looking blankly at Xiao Luan who was smiling and holding his bow on the shore.

Li Heng, who was hiding in the cabin, saw that his father had not returned for a long time, opened the curtain of the boat, and happened to see him lying motionless in a pool of blood, grief-stricken, tears rushed wildly, and when he was about to pounce, he stumbled under his feet and fell to the ground with a "bang".

"Who's in there?" Xiao Luan on the shore said angrily when he heard the sound, "There are still people in the cabin ......"

His face was hideous, his eyes were bloodshot, and he loudly scolded the guards on the left and right: "Why are you stunned? Why don't you catch it quickly?"

"Yes!" I saw a figure take the lead in leaping onto the ship, slender and tall, with sharp and indifferent black eyes, like an eagle in the night, cold and ruthless but imposing, rushing towards the cabin.

Li Hengqiang endured his grief and indignation, finally glanced at his father, who was dead in anger, gritted his teeth, and jumped into the river with a plop.

"Whoosh...... Countless sharp arrows broke through the air behind him, a sharp arrow grazed his left arm, cutting a bloody hole, a stinging pain came, Li Heng panicked, and struggled to dive deep......