The next day, before I woke up from the night, I heard a knock at the door, and the sound was rapid and continuous, as if there was something urgent.

Mo Wuya didn't wake up, and she was usually up at this time. Zhan Wuxian didn't want to disturb his wife, so he went to open the door alone, it turned out to be Xiong Qiji, he was also alone, standing outside the door alone, his face was worried and covered with dust, obviously he came in a hurry, and when he saw Zhan Wuxian come out, his face was soothed.

"Come to Mr. so early, please forgive me for being abrupt." The bear abandoned the road.

"Cai Gong has something to look for me?"

"Get out for a walk." Xiong Qiji looked at no one around.

Zhan Wuxian glanced at the door of the house, nodded at Xiong Qiji, and followed him out.

"I heard that Lingji sneaked into Caicheng last night with the intention of assassinating Mr., as soon as I learned about it, I hurried over, and I was relieved to see that Mr. was fine." Xiong Qi said: "I have ordered the Divine Flame soldiers to set up defenses around Mr.'s residence to ensure the safety of Mr.'s family. ”

"Thank you, Gong Cai." Zhan Wuxian said: "Lingji did come last night, but she didn't mean to assassinate me. ”

"With Mr.'s martial arts, Ling Ji doesn't dare to be presumptuous to Mr. But from what I know about Lingji, she doesn't do meaningless things. Lingji must have a plan to enter Caicheng at night. I don't know if the gentleman has fought with him, can he guess why Lingji came? ”

Xiong Qiji asked, Zhan Wuxian didn't know how to answer for a while, what Lingji said last night, Zhan Wuxian didn't know how to deal with it, so he replied: "Lingji's martial arts are very high, I fought with her last night, and she escaped, but I found that other people besides Lingji also infiltrated Cai Cheng, as if they were coming for Cai Gong." ”

"Those people are from Chu and have been subdued by me, so don't worry, sir." Xiong Qi said: "Lingji is not only good at martial arts, but also very favored by the King of Chu, even the prince is afraid of her three points when he strikes the enemy, and I am afraid that it will not work by force to subdue Lingji." Those Chu State assassins came to kill me last night, and I believe this is Ling Ji's attention. I have thought about it, for the sake of the people of Caicheng, as long as Lingji is willing to persuade Gongzi to withdraw from the enemy, I am willing to sacrifice my head. ”

Zhan Wuxian heard Xiong Qiji say such words, his heart couldn't help but be shocked, there was an indescribable taste, and his face became more and more ugly. Xiong Qiji secretly glanced at Zhan Wuxian, and said: "It's not a secret, there is not much grain and grass in the city now, and in more than a month, the people may not have anything to eat." Now that it's winter, it's like a day, even if Gongzi doesn't come to attack the city, Cai Cheng may not be able to keep it. Come to think of it, if it weren't for my greed and despised, Cai Cheng would not have such a big difficulty. If there is a glimmer of hope that the people of Caicheng can be saved, I am willing to do anything. ”

"Cai Gong rest assured, there will be a way to get through the current difficulties, and I will definitely help Cai Gong defeat Gongzi and defeat the enemy."

That being said, that's easier said than done. You and I have seen how powerful the Childe and the corpse beast pawn are, I really can't bear to see someone die for me again. Xiong Qiji's words were so sad that he shed tears.

Zhan Wuxian was silent.

"Mr. originally had nothing to do with this matter, let Mr. get involved, abandon the illness is really unwilling, this time to repel the son of the enemy, Mr.'s credit is the greatest, abandon the disease can no longer ask Mr. to do anything. I see that Mr. has worked very hard to defend the city in the past few days, so Mr. should rest more, I have entrusted all the military affairs of Caicheng to Mr. Fei. ”

"Cai Gong ......"

"Sir, I don't need to say it, I understand your intentions." Xiong Qiji interrupted Zhan Wuxi's words and said, "Abandonment of illness is the first to leave." Xiong Qiji turned around and walked seven or eight steps, stopped and said: "Before I came, I received a report from the scouts that there was an abnormal movement in the corpse beast pawn camp, and there will be action in the boy's strike against the enemy within three days, please be careful, sir." ”

Zhan Wuxian stood in place, watching Xiong Qiji's figure disappear into the morning mist, and then the faces of the people of Caicheng began to appear, and they walked towards him, helping the old and the young, in ragged clothes. Slowly there were more and more people, and they looked at Zhan Wuxian with begging eyes: "Sir, save us, save us......" Zhan Wuxian looked at this face, it was so familiar, he saw the old woman who often sent things to him, and the grandson who led her was so pitiful. Zhan Wuxian walked over and said to them, "I will definitely save everyone." He reached out to hug the child, but it was a cold mist to the touch. Zhan Wuxian knew that it was his hallucination, and he stood up, with mixed feelings in his heart, and there was an indescribable taste.

Zhan Wuxian returned to the house, Mo Wuya was still asleep, and the tear stain on his cheek was still faintly there.

"She's tired." Zhan Wuxian said in his heart: "I have been running around for the past few days, my wife is busy with her children alone, and she has to help the people in the city settle down, she is actually the hardest. When Li'er wakes up, I will definitely tell her about Lingji, and I will not hide anything from her. ”

Zhan Wuxian saw that because he got up, he lifted a corner of the blanket covering his wife, revealing his back, and he lost a lot of weight under his thin clothes. Zhan Wuxian was sad for a while, and went over to cover Mo Wuya.

At this time, the sound of military trumpets came from outside the city, from far to near, from slow to urgent. Zhan Wuxian subconsciously stood up and ran to the door, and when he went out, he looked back at the house and gently closed the door.

On the way, Zhan Wuxian saw a few people walking around the street, looking around, as if looking for something, from the clothes they didn't look like Caicheng people, and they had never seen them. Zhan Wuxian didn't pay too much attention to it, and went straight to the tower at the south gate of Caicheng, where the three armies were already on standby. From a distance, ten miles away, the dust was rolling and flying, wrapped in the morning mist, and the sword light flickered inside, blowing like the wind.

"It's a corpse beast pawn, everyone be careful, the archers are prepared, don't let them approach the city gate." Zhan Wuxian subconsciously ordered. I saw that the sergeant guarding the city was unmoved, and even the guards who had been trained by Zhan Wuxian only looked back at him, without any reaction, and their eyes were very strange. In the team, only the soldiers of the Yang clan, hearing Zhan Wuxian's order, bent their bows and arrows as usual, aiming at the corpse beast pawn.

Seeing all this, Zhan Wuxian was no longer the commander of the three armies, and he smiled bitterly in his heart, lamenting that the world was changing, like a storm, and it was impossible to speculate. The warmth and coldness of the world can only be known by experiencing it firsthand.

Then he heard Fei Wuji order: "Listen to my orders, the trebuchet is ready." "I saw that the three armies were on standby, neatly and uniformly, especially the city guards, operating trebuchets, division of labor and cooperation, very skilled. Zhan Wuxian looked so familiar and so distant, all this seemed to have nothing to do with him. In fact, the number of corpse beasts attacking the city this time is not large, and there is no need to use large equipment such as trebuchets.

Seeing the corpse beast pawn getting closer and closer to the city gate. "Put!" Several trebuchets were activated together, and several stones flew towards the corpse beast.

"Divine Flames." Fei Wuji ordered again, pointing his hand forward, several divine rockets came out of the hole like fire snakes, and when the black stones smashed like corpse beasts, the divine rockets just hit. "......Boom" several loud sounds, black stones exploded in the dust raised in the corpse beast pawn array, after the explosion, the dust around the corpse beast pawn vanished, and all the corpse beast pawns inside were exposed, but most of the dead and wounded.

"Soul Wood Pawn, Soul Warrior." Fei Wuji ordered again: "Up." "Dozens of soul wood pawns and soul warriors flew down like arrows from the string, like dozens of sharp knives and corpse beasts. The white-green light kept flickering in a cloud of black shadows, mixed with the wailing sound of the corpse beast pawn, and in a moment, there was not much left of the corpse beast pawn, and the occasional fish that slipped through the net were also shot by the divine arrows of the Yang clan.

"Senior brother, you look a little nervous." Fei Wuji said: "I have already been reported by the scouts, these are just small forces of Gongzi to defeat the enemy, so there is nothing to fear. I don't know what Childe thinks about the enemy, isn't sending this corpse beast pawn to death? ”

"There are senior brothers, and these corpse beasts are not a problem." Zhan Wuxian prevaricated, and he didn't know why he flattered Fei Wuji.

"I don't know if Gong Cai told his junior brother that I will take over the defense of Caicheng City."

"I already know."

"Then what are you doing here, why don't you go find ...... quickly," a veteran suddenly said loudly to Zhan Wuxian.

"Bold!" Fei Wuji shouted angrily: "You dare to be so rude to Mr. Zhan, and you will be killed." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, the sword of the Divine Flame Soldier had been swung, and the old soldier's skull fell to the ground, his eyes still wide open. Zhan Wuxian looked at the head of the veteran, this seemed to be the first soldier he recruited, he did not die in the hands of the corpse beast pawn but died under the sword of his own people, how sad, and he didn't stop it. Looking at the other soldiers, they all glared angrily, not at Fei Wuji, but at themselves, as if the veteran had killed themselves. Zhan Wuxian was helpless and helpless, why, these soldiers were brought out by themselves. Suddenly, he thought of Reihime.

"I don't need me here." Zhan Wuxian sighed.

Confused, Zhan Wuxian didn't know how to get off the city wall, he walked on the streets of the city, the sky floated snowflakes, falling on Zhan Wuxian, he felt that every piece of snow was made of steel, every piece fell, like a fist hammer, pressing Zhan Wuxian's steps were difficult, and every step seemed to have a thousand catties. Look at the street in front of you, clean and lonely, and occasionally see one or two people, who are also far away from themselves, and their eyes are like soldiers in the city. Zhan Wuxian seemed to understand something but was very confused, and there was a kind of helplessness and powerlessness to solve. He continued to walk forward, and not far away he heard the sound of a woman's cry. When Zhan Wuxian heard this, he put down all his thoughts and ran towards the cry.

Turning an intersection, Zhan Wuxian saw several big men in neat clothes forcibly pulling a boy, who was only twelve or thirteen years old. Dragging on the ground, an old woman was crying with her arms on the big man's legs, her hair unkempt and her voice hoarse. The big man grabbed the boy with one hand, kicked the old woman away, and said in a vicious voice: "At the moment of the great enemy, every family must send people to serve in the military, and your family cannot be special." The old woman hurriedly crawled over, hugged the big man's leg again, and cried: "Please, uncle, I have such a son left, leave me a way to live." The big man was unmoved, and kicked the old woman away: "The old immortal, if you hinder Uncle Ben's work again, you will want your life, get out of here." As if she hadn't heard, the old woman got up and rushed again, and at the same time the big man's sword was drawn and stabbed at the old woman. Seeing that the old woman was about to die, she felt a flash in front of her, and with a bang, the sword in the hand of the big man was broken into two, and then he heard two more "pop" sounds, and there were two more handprints on the big man's face.

"Eh, who hit me!" The big man covered his cheeks and looked around: "Who is so bold!" I saw that there was another person beside the old woman, and he slowly helped the old woman up.

"Did you hit me just now?" Dahan asked.

The man did not speak.

"Good boy, it's you who don't speak. You dare to hit me, do you know who Uncle Ben is? ”

"Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are, if you know each other, quickly kneel down for Uncle Ben, and let me cut off your ears and serve them as snacks."

"Okay, before the ears are cut off, I want to know who you are, you have so much power in Caicheng, arrogant and domineering, no one dares to care."

"Listen, don't scare you. My master is the brother of today's Cai Gong, the son of the year, even today's Cai Gong has to listen to my master's ......"

Before he finished speaking, he heard the big man say "eh" again, covering his ears with both hands, and blood oozed from his fingers and flowed down. The big man knelt on the ground, his eyes wide as he saw his ears covered with dust and fall to the ground. The big man kept wailing: "That's my ears! "I tried to pick it up with my hands, but I couldn't reach out.

When the other big men saw it, they were all frightened, and they didn't know how it happened, and they stood there dumbfounded. The boy who was caught by them took the opportunity to run to his mother, and the mother and son hugged each other and cried.

At this time, a team of guards rushed over, followed by Xiong Qiji. When the big man saw that the savior was coming, he knelt down and crawled over and cried: "Cai Gong, make the decision for me, this person wants to kill me, if I don't hide quickly, it won't be my ears but my head." ”

Xiong Qiji didn't even look at him, and walked straight over: "Sir, what is this so-called?" ”

Zhan Wuxian picked up the old woman and asked, "Old man, why is this?" ”

The old woman stood up and looked at the two people in front of her, one dressed gorgeously and the other dressed plainly. The old woman opened her mouth to speak, but after a few attempts she swallowed the words again.

"Among the elderly, I just show no shirt, if you have anything to say, just say it, don't be afraid."

"That's right, I'm Cai Gongxiong's abandonment of illness, I'm here, don't be afraid, I'll call the shots for you."

The old woman saw the sincerity of the two people in front of her, so she eliminated the worries in her heart, so she said: "My wife is a flat-headed commoner, but I also know the two, and you are both good people. I also know that the two of you have worked hard for the people of Caicheng, and Cai is so good to the people when he is fair, what do you ask of us, we should be supported by power.

On the first day of the corpse beast's arrival, my husband went with him to the outside of the city to kill the enemy, but he did not return, and the body has not been found so far; My eldest son, in order to cover the retreat of the army, fought with the corpse beast pawns, and died in battle; My second son, a soldier defending the city, died in a battle when he was shot through the heart by an arrow from a corpse beast; My third son, in order to stop the corpse beast pawns who attacked the city, was also killed by the corpse beast pawns; There is also my fourth son, since he was a soldier guarding the city, there has been no news, his life and death are unknown, and now I am left with the youngest son, the fifth child, who is only twelve years old this year. The old woman pointed to the big men: "They are going to take my only little son to serve in the army, if he also leaves, how can I live alone." ”

"Who told you to arrest people for military service?" Xiong Qiqi asked the strong men.

"Yes...... It was the order of the second and third sons. The two of them said that the defenders of Caicheng are getting fewer and fewer, and the corpse beasts over there will come to attack the city soon, so they asked us to go to the city to arrest people, strengthen the city defenses, and replenish the soldiers. The two sons are also thinking about Cai Cheng. ”

"Bastard,. Who said that I have fewer defenders in Caicheng, you are shaking the hearts of our army, come, arrest these people for me. Hearing the order, several of Xiong Qiji's guards stepped forward and tied up a few big men.

"Cai Gong spares his life, Cai Gong spares his life, we won't dare next time." Several big men were so frightened that they shouted and screamed, and their legs were weak.

"And next time? Since you say that I have few defenders in Caicheng, then you should go and defend the city for the common people. Xiong Qiji said, "Come on, take it down." ”

"Gong Cai, for the sake of the face of the two sons, spare us, we don't dare......" The voice gradually faded away.

Xiong Qiji said to the old woman again: "Old man, you take the child home, I will always remember your contribution to Cai Cheng." Old man, don't worry, even if the defenders of Caicheng are all over, as long as my Xiong Qijian is still there, no one will dare to break up your mother and son. ”

The old woman held the child in her arms and stood still and did not move. Suddenly, the old woman said, "Now is the time to employ people, so take my little son with you." With that, two lines of tears flowed down the child's shoulders, soaking the dusty rags.

"It's absolutely not going to work." Zhan Wuxian said firmly.

Zhan Wuxian watched from the side, always touched, and said: "Old man, you just listen to Cai Gong." With my exhibition and no mercy, I will never let the corpse beasts attack the city. ”

The old woman looked at the two of them, said nothing, and took the child back. The moment she turned around, there was an imperceptible smile on her face.

Zhan Wuxian and Xiong Qiji stood in place, looking at the old woman and her twelve-year-old son in the distance, no one moved, only the clothes and belts on their bodies swayed in the wind, like two sculptures standing in the field, although they stood very close, but they had nothing to do with each other.

After a long time, Xiong Qi said, "Thank you, sir." ”

"Zhan Wuxian didn't do anything."

"As long as the gentleman is willing to do it."

“......”

"I've heard that the corpse beasts are attacking the city again."

"With senior brother here, Cai Gong can rest assured."

"Mr. Fei's ability is undoubted, but the fate of the people of Caicheng is still tied to Mr."

"Why did Cai Gong say that?"

Xiong Qiji smiled, did not answer, looked up at the sky, overcast, snowflakes floating on his face, and said to himself: "If you want to dispel this cloudy sky and see the sun shining again, the only way to wait for the breeze to blow, but I don't know if the breeze will hear it, and when it will come." Xiong Qiji turned to Zhan Wuxian and said, "Sir, do you know my mind?" ”

"Cai Gong might as well say it directly." Zhan Wuxian seems to have known the meaning of Xiong's abandonment of illness.

"I gave up my words, Mr. take care, and I quit." Xiong Qiji hurried away after speaking.