In the autumn rain, Niu Tianzhou walked in a secluded alley with heavy steps. The bluestone paved road under his feet was covered with rainwater.

The two rows of low dragon's claw locusts on both sides of the alley were as listless as two rows of old men standing in the autumn rain.

At this time, Niu Tianzhou was a little depressed.

Thinking about himself, since he was sent to North Korea, he wanted to change his past mistakes and do some good work. But after coming to Wang Jing, he found that things were not as simple as he imagined.

In the Yamen of the command of the North Korean Jinyi Guard, several commanders of the general banner and other subordinates headed by Fang Shan, did not take him, the governor of a thousand households, who was exiled because of the affairs of men and women.

Niu Tianzhou found that Fang Shank had actually controlled the entire command yamen, and no one listened to his orders at all.

He also tried to change this situation through his own efforts. Slowly, he realized that he was no match for Fang Shank at all.

Niu Tianzhou also wanted to reflect the matter upwards, no matter how he said it, Fang Shan's behavior was suspected of trespassing, and he should be held accountable.

But what do you say about it? With no evidence in your own hands, your own words alone will not only have no effect, but may also leave an impression of incompetence on your boss, which will affect your future promotion.

A person who can't even control his own subordinates, how can he talk about promotion?

In the end, Niu Tianzhou still dismissed the idea of reporting.

Later, he tried to use some tactics to try to weaken the square handle, but after a few rounds, he was almost defeated in the battle with the square handle.

From then on, he was like a defeated rooster, and began to become depressed, and he borrowed alcohol to kill his sorrows all day long. Regarding the affairs in the yamen, he simply didn't ask, and let the square handle toss.

The day before the Japanese occupied Wangjing, he rushed back from outside to command the yamen after drinking, but found that the yamen was already empty.

In desperation, he had to pretend to be a civilian, find an abandoned small house to live in, and slowly look for the Jinyi guard in the city.

But the brocade guards in the yamen seemed to have evaporated from the world, and there was no trace.

Niu Tianzhou felt that he had become a lonely goose, and he could only express his loneliness and helplessness with a sentimental wail.

With nothing to do all day, he began to frequently go in and out of brothels and wine shops, and used alcohol to relieve the endless boredom and depression in his heart.

Niu Tianzhou didn't know anything about Luo Shiyin's coming to Wang Jingcheng.

The rain stopped, and Niu Tianzhou didn't know how he got to the door of the extremely dilapidated courtyard where he lived. He took out the key and opened the courtyard door. At this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw two sneaky people in the alley not far behind him, who seemed to be looking this way.

"Hehe, follow Lao Tzu, then follow it. Lao Tzu will sleep beautifully first. Niu Tianzhou judged that it was the group of Japanese ninjas who followed him just now, so he closed the courtyard door and walked into the room.

The next day, Niu Tianzhou slept until midnight before getting up. He walked out into the street, had a quick breakfast at a food shop, and then walked to one of the city's larger medical clinics.

Receiving Niu Tianzhou is a clear-looking old man, this person is many years ago to avoid the civil war, from the Wa Kingdom to cross the sea to the Korean Wangjing a famous doctor, he is proficient in the Japanese pharmacology and medical skills, known as the "Dongying Holy Hand", in this Wang Jing City has a small reputation.

"Old man, have you ever heard of the poison of the seven-colored cherry blossoms?" Niu Tianzhou sat on the stool in front of the old man and asked.

Hearing Niu Tianzhou's question, the old man glanced up at Niu Tianzhou, tried to judge the origin of the other party, and then asked, "I don't know why the guest officer asked about this poison?" ”

"Oh, I can't hide it, I'm a member of an underground organization in this king's capital that secretly resists the rule of the Japanese people, and I was hit by the seven-colored cherry blossoms of the Japanese ninja last night, and I hope the old gentleman can come to the rescue. I will be thankful in the future. Niu Tianzhou said.

"Guest officer, it's not that the old man doesn't save him when he sees death, these seven-colored cherry blossoms scattered in the territory of the Wa Kingdom are the secret medicine of the Koga ninja, and its blending method has always been secret, and it is difficult for ordinary people to know its pharmacology and compatibility, let alone cure this poison." The old man looked at Niu Tianzhou and said helplessly.

"So what is the harm of this poison to the human body?" Niu Tianzhou asked.

"When the old man was in the Wa Kingdom, I saw a few people who came to me for treatment after being poisoned, but the old man was really powerless. Almost all of them began to have black and rotten limbs on the third day after poisoning, and then died of organ failure all over the body. The old man looked at Niu Tianzhou with compassion and said.

"Is there anyone else in this king's capital who can cure this poison?" Niu Tianzhou asked eagerly.

"Probably not. Unless the poisoner himself. The old man shook his head and said.

"Okay, then don't bother. Leave. Niu Tianzhou stood up and said goodbye.

"Then I won't send it, take care of the guest officer." The old man owed a debt in his seat.

Niu Tianzhou walked out of the door of the medical workshop and came out into the street.

The sun is shining brightly on the land, and the streets are bustling with people rushing to make a living. Street vendors are fiercely haggling for the slightest profit and the words of their customers. Carefree children play their own games in groups of three or five. A group of elderly people are sitting in a sunny corner, leisurely enjoying the warm light of late autumn.

"People are actually quite happy in the world. People live in harmony with each other, live a dull life, and enjoy the many pleasures brought by ordinary life. But all this will become an unattainable luxury for me with the arrival of that deadline, and I will end my life in a very undignified and even shameful way.

"After his death, he is very likely to be accused of dereliction of duty or even treason by the imperial court. In addition to grief, what they leave behind to their families is that they may be punished by being beheaded all over the house because of themselves. Niu Tianzhou looked at the peaceful scene in front of him, and his heart was full of nostalgia for life and guilt for his family.

Niu Tianzhou sighed deeply, and then walked aimlessly down the street.

Behind him, there were still two Japanese ninjas disguised as civilians following him.

Niu Tianzhou had already discovered them, but he felt that there was no value in these Japanese people following him, so let them follow.

"Hey, why don't you walk with long eyes?" Niu Tianzhou was walking carelessly, but accidentally collided head-on with a young man, who yelled at him angrily.

Niu Tianzhou was in an upset mood at this time, and he just wanted to have a seizure, but he immediately recognized that the young man in front of him was Yan Bahe, the leader of the small banner in the Yamen of the Jinyi Guard in North Korea.

"Yan ......" Niu Tianzhou just wanted to speak, but Yan Bahe pretended to be grabbing with him and whispered in his ear: "There is a tail behind him." The commander has arrived in Wangjing and ordered you to go and meet him. ”

After Niu Tianzhou heard this, he was stunned at first, and he couldn't imagine that the commander had come all the way to this North Korea!

Niu Tianzhou didn't have time to think about the purpose of the commander's trip, he hurriedly pretended to fight back against Yan Bahe, and shouted: "You still want to do it, is Lao Tzu afraid that you won't succeed!" ”

Niu Tianzhou leaned forward, pretended to wriggle with Yan Bahe, and then whispered to Yan Bahe's ear: "I was poisoned by the Japanese ninjas, please remove me from my position." Please tell the commander that Niu will never do anything that insults the country and the Ming Jinyi Guard. ”

Saying such a thing was almost a decision made by Niu Tianzhou in an instant, and his motive for doing so was actually very simple, that is, he didn't want his family to be implicated because of him, and he didn't want to die like this.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Then compare and compare."

Niu Tianzhou and Yan Bahe pretended to scream.

"Oh, forget it, both of you bear with it, why bother hurting the peace for this little thing!" Just when Niu Tianzhou and Yan Bahe pretended to start scuffling, a person came over from the side and forcibly pulled the two apart.

Niu Tianzhou immediately recognized the person as a brocade guard in the yamen, but he couldn't call his name for a while.

"If it weren't for this benevolent brother, I wouldn't be done with you!" Niu Tianzhou, who was pulled away, pretended to be angry.

"Be careful when you walk in the future, don't let you see you again!" Yan Bahe also pretended not to give up.

"Alright, brother, go with my brother." The brocade-clothed guard who pretended to persuade him pulled up the swallow and walked into the distance.

Of course, the above three people spoke the Korean language throughout the whole process of fighting and persuading, and they have been in North Korea for many years, so there is no language barrier.

After walking a distance, Yan Bahe said to the brocade guard, "Keep an eye on Lord Niu and the two tails behind him, and don't expose yourself." I have to hurry up and report to Lord Fang. ”

"Okay." The brocade-clothed guard answered the promise and chased in the direction where Niu Tianzhou was going.

In a Jinyi Guard liaison station in the city, after hearing Yan Bahe's report, Fang Shan suddenly felt that the situation was urgent, and he rushed to the Baicao Hall where Luo Shiyin was located as quickly as possible, and reported to Luo Shiyin that Niu Tianzhou was poisoned by the Japanese ninjas.

For the sake of safety, for the whereabouts of Luo Shiyin and the others, Fang Handle did not let any other Jinyi guards know, and even the Jinyi guards in the Baicao Hall did not know the true identity of Luo Shiyin and the others.

After listening to Fang Shan's report, Luo Shiyin felt the seriousness of the situation, and he immediately ordered Fang Shan: closely monitor Niu Tianzhou's every move, and if necessary, kill him categorically!

Two days later, Niu Tianzhou, who had returned to his residence after lunch on the street, was about to fall into bed and sleep well, he had just taken off his coat, and suddenly found that the color of the skin on his two hands had changed, and the parts below the wrist had turned dark brown, and this change was slowly extending up his arms, and bursts of tingling pain were transmitted upward from between his fingers.

It seems that the poison of the Japanese people is starting to attack!

Niu Tianzhou has been in a depressed and helpless state of mind for the past two days, he has reflected on the various reasons that have led to his current situation, and finally came to a conclusion: he is completely to blame, and his current miserable fate is, fundamentally speaking, due to one word - color.

The so-called color word is a knife on the head, and he was hit by this gentle poisonous knife, which not only caused him to take his life, but also possibly left people laughing and ruined.