By this time it was getting late, and the city gates had long been closed.

Yang Congyi was not in a hurry, he had already prepared, and when he entered the city in the afternoon, he brought his official clothes and hat with the car, in case he couldn't go out of the city too late to eat and drink, and now it was expected.

When he finished eating and checking out, he had a pain in his flesh, and a meal of wine cost him nearly sixteen yuan, and almost all the private money he brought with him was spent.

The three of them swayed out of the restaurant with the help of Xiao'er.

Yang Congyi found Miao Jiu, who was waiting on the side, and as soon as he gave an order, he helped Jiang Kai and Shen Jin into the carriage.

The wheels rolled, and Yang Congyi and the three of them were sent by a carriage to the inn where Shen Jin and Jiang Kai stayed.

He can't leave the city tonight, and Yang Congyi can only stay here.

Holding on to his drunkenness, he arranged for the other two, and after a little washing, he fell asleep.

The sky is full of stars, and there is no moon in sight.

In a house in the west of the city, there are two figures standing in the courtyard, looking at the courtyard gate, as if they are waiting for someone to return.

"Madam, it's the second watch now, and the master shouldn't be back tonight." The little girl standing next to her yawned and raised her hand to rub her eyes.

The other woman raised her eyes to look at the sky and replied, "You go back to your room and sleep first, and I'll wait a while." ”

The little girl said: "Lian'er is here with Madame, Madame doesn't sleep, and Lian'er doesn't sleep either." ”

Qingchen didn't pay attention to it, just stood in place, looking at her husband's return.

The night was dark, there was no moonlight, and it was a little hazy.

When he left in the afternoon, he said that if the city gate was closed too late, he would stay at the city inn, but at the same time he said that as long as he had time to leave the city, he would definitely return.

The gates should have been closed for a while, maybe he was out of the city, on his way home, maybe he was stopped in the city, he didn't have to wait, but what if he could come back?

If the husband can't come back, Qingchen can't sleep with peace of mind, not because he is worried about any accidents in the city or halfway, but because he is worried that he will make friends carelessly, and go to Fireworks Willow Lane with two scholars and deceased to have a drink, or go to look for flowers and ask Willow after eating.

Lin'an is not as good as Quanzhou, I heard that there are too many interesting places in Lin'an, as long as you have money, you can have everything.

Qingchen's heart is not big, the inexplicable Sister Tang last time, she hasn't asked her husband what the relationship between them is, when she thinks about it, her heart is like a thorn, and she is very uncomfortable.

The husband and two old friends are drinking in the city, who knows if he will be taken to an unclean place by them after drinking, and when he comes back tomorrow, he must ask carefully.

The more Qingchen thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became, and he was angry, so he turned around and walked towards the house.

"Madame, aren't you waiting?" Lian'er hurried to follow.

"Don't wait, sleep." The dust head is not returned.

Lian'er's steps were too small, a few steps behind, and the sky was dark, so she was a little scared, and after walking a few steps quickly, she couldn't help but look back.

As soon as she turned around, she saw a black shadow flashing in the distance, and she was frightened and suddenly exclaimed: "Ghost! He lunged forward and grabbed Madame's arm tightly.

Qingchen was startled, stopped, and hurriedly looked back, glanced back and forth in the courtyard a few times, and didn't find anything unusual, so he said: "What is the fuss called, how can there be anything you call!" ”

Lian'er didn't dare to look back, stretched out her hand and pointed back, and said in a low voice: "It's there, I just saw a black shadow there!" Madame, let's go back to the house, I'm afraid! ”

Qingchen looked in the direction of Lian'er's finger, and there was a dark corner of the courtyard wall, which was dark in the night, and nothing could be seen.

Staring at the shadow for a while, she was also a little scared.

My husband is not here tonight, and if something unclean really comes into the yard, how can she sleep? Whether there was anything there or not, she had to check it out, or she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"Fetch my sword!" Qingchen whispered in Lian'er's ear.

Lian'er was shocked when she heard this, and her hand that grabbed her lady's arm tightened.

However, after a short rest, he quickly let go of his hand, walked into the room quickly, took out the sword, and hurriedly handed it to his wife.

Qingchen took the sword in his hand, and became a lot more courageous, and gently pulled the sword out of the scabbard.

"Don't come here!"

After leaving a sentence, Qingchen held the sword in his hand, protected three feet in front of him, and walked towards the courtyard step by step, approaching the dark corner of the courtyard wall.

When I arrived in the courtyard, I still couldn't see clearly in the dark, Qingchen stopped, pointed at the long sword, and shouted: "Who's there!" ”

The courtyard was silent.

Qingchen was a little apprehensive in her heart, the unknown darkness was always frightening, even if she was equipped with martial arts, she was no exception.

Standing in the courtyard, three or four feet away from the dark corner, there was a stalemate for a while, but Qingchen still didn't dare to move forward.

The ghost that Lian'er screamed scared her, even if she had martial arts, she couldn't fight with the ghost!

"Ma'am, what's wrong?"

A woman's inquiry behind him, Qingchen's courage increased for no reason.

"It's okay, it looks like there's something dirty in the yard." Qingchen raised his sword in his right hand, staring at the dark corner without looking back.

"What's dirty?" The woman was startled when she spoke, and then shouted: "Don't be afraid, Madam, Erniang is here to help you!" ”

As the woman spoke, she took the stick and ran to the courtyard, rushing to Qingchen.

This woman is, the cook Bai Erniang.

As soon as Qingchen saw Bai Erniang coming to her side with a wooden stick in her hand, she was even more courageous, raised the sword in her hand, and shouted towards the shadows: "Don't hide, it's a person or a ghost, come out and see!" We're not afraid of you! ”

In the shadows, there was not a single movement, let alone anything to be seen.

It's come to this point, it's better not to find out if there's something in the shadows, they won't dare to sleep tonight.

After hesitating for a moment, Qingchen took the sword to the shadows, and walked step by step, the long sword in his hand protected the front body, and Bai Erniang followed with a wooden stick.

Step by step, getting closer and closer, four feet..... Sanzhang ..... Two zhang ......

Suddenly, Qingchen seemed to see a vague black shadow in the dark, and his heart was shocked, and he immediately raised his left hand and smashed the scabbard in his hand towards the black shadow.

The scabbard flew into the shadows in an instant, and at the same time, a bump was heard, and then the scabbard flew out of the shadows and landed in the courtyard.

Almost at the same time, I saw a black shadow in the corner, jumping up along the corner of the wall, kicking the courtyard wall with both feet, and one arm instantly hit the wall.

Qingchen's eyes were sharp, and when he saw the strange person appearing, he could not leave easily, and he counted a few points under his feet, rushed to the wall in a few steps, jumped up, and with a wave of his long sword, he slashed towards the opponent's calf.

The black shadow was about to climb over the courtyard wall, suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind him, hurriedly looked back, and saw that the opponent's long sword had been slashed, and it was too late to block with his free hand.

Qingchen slashed the air with a sword, and in mid-air, he kicked on the courtyard wall, and jumped back into the courtyard with his strength.

returned to Bai Erniang's side in the blink of an eye, as if she had never made a move.

Bai Erniang looked at the lady with the sword in her hand beside her, she couldn't believe her eyes, she couldn't believe that the scene just now came from the hand of the lady, and she couldn't even believe that the lady had really made a move, but seeing it with her own eyes, she couldn't help but believe it, she could only sigh secretly, Mrs. is really a master!

Qingchen raised the tip of the sword to within a foot in front of him, and when he looked closely, there was a trace of blood on the tip of the sword.

Bai Erniang, who was very close to Qingchen, also saw a hint of red on the tip of the sword, and hurriedly asked, "Madam, do you want to chase that thief?" ”

"It's too dark, don't chase it."

Qingchen took a few steps forward, leaned over to pick up the scabbard that had fallen to the ground, and turned around and walked towards the courtyard.

"Ma'am, is that a ghost?" Lian'er saw her lady coming back from a dark corner from a distance, and hurriedly shouted.

"If there is a ghost, he is a thief." Qingchen came back quickly, and at the same time, he looked back at the courtyard wall from time to time.

"Madame, have you driven the thief away?" Lian'er looked at the sword in her wife's hand, and then at the corner where the black shadow had existed.

Qingchen didn't go back to the room, turned around and stood under the house, looking at the surrounding courtyard walls, looking into the darkness in the courtyard.

"Ma'am, the thief won't come back, will he? If you are injured, you should have run early. Although Bai Erniang said this, the wooden stick in her hand did not relax at all.

"I don't know. I don't know when and where the thief sneaked in, look at his outfit, it's not an ordinary thief, it's better to be careful. Tonight the husband is not here, this happened, you all don't go back to sleep, just keep vigil here. Qingchen stared at the gate of the courtyard, not daring to relax in the slightest.

"Lian'er, go and move three chairs out, we'll sit here tonight."

"Yes, ma'am." Lian'er answered and hurried into the house.

After a while, she put a chair behind her wife, and was about to enter the house again, when Bai Erniang said, "I'll move it." ”

Qingchen didn't speak, and immediately sat down on a chair under the eaves, with a scabbard in his left hand and a long sword in his right hand.

Bai Erniang quickly moved out two chairs and placed them under the eaves.

"Sit down and do whatever you want to do."

"Yes, ma'am."

Qingchen commanded, Lian'er sat down on the chair close to Madame first, and after Bai Erniang saw Lian'er sit down, she slowly sat down on the chair next to her.

The three of them sat in a row, with their backs to the house, facing the courtyard, looking at the courtyard wall and the starry sky.

The courtyard was quiet, and after being silent for a long time, I heard Bai Erniang say: "Madam was so powerful just now, she scared the thief away with a sword." ”

Lian'er replied proudly: "Of course, my wife has been practicing martial arts since she was a child, and she has been practicing for more than ten years, and she has killed bandits with her own hands!" ”

"Madame, that's amazing! If Erniang also knows martial arts, she won't be afraid of being bullied. Bai Erniang replied.

Lian'er said: "It's not easy to practice martial arts, my wife has taught me for a long time, but I haven't learned it, it's too difficult." ”

"Don't talk, the thief is not seriously injured, and it is estimated that he has not gone far."

Qingchen whispered, and the two immediately shut up and stopped talking.

The night was late and quieter.