The autumn rain arrived as scheduled, covering Yunmeng Mountain with a thin layer of mist. The weather is gloomy, and everything becomes lifeless. At this time, the people of the wild like to gather in the restaurant in twos and threes to eat some wine and food, and talk about the recent events in the next countries.

After the autumn harvest, they all have some money to spare, and they don't have to worry about spending money at home in the coming year. It's busy all year round, and it's rare that you don't have to work in the field on a rainy day, and a few side dishes can pass the time for half a day. It's so comfortable and leisurely, who doesn't prepare a few stories in advance as talking points to help them have fun? The shopkeepers in the restaurant like this kind of life just as much as the workmen, they don't have to run around to greet customers. They sit down for a long time, so they also wander among the diners, eavesdropping on interesting things or bizarre stories.

"Did you hear that? Tao Zhugong died, and died violently. ”

"Oh? How can it be? Fan Li's rich side is on the first side, how can he die violently when he is not confused? Is it difficult to accept the grace of beauty? ”

"Hahaha."

"Neither nor not!"

Just as several people were chatting enthusiastically, and all kinds of dirty ideas came one after another, they were suddenly interrupted by a teenager. Everyone couldn't help but cast curious glances, and saw a fourteen-year-old boy and a strong man under twenty sitting at the next table.

The young man was dressed in a blue linen robe, dressed as a scholar. The collar and shoulders are slightly faded, the face is fleshy, and it looks a little pleasing, and the strong men on the side are also wearing scholar's robes, and the appearance of tiger eyes is not terrible at all, but there is a kind of ridiculous feeling of a butcher pretending to be a literati.

The blue-robed young man grinned and squeezed through.

"Contemptible Zhai, Song people."

"The little brother is a Song person? Then you must know about Tao Zhugong? ”

After reporting to the door, he was not polite and sat in the crowd.

"Of course!"

"Tell me about it? How did Fan Li die? ”

The strong man who was abandoned by the teenager did not follow him. He looked unwilling, buried his head in the rice, and ate with relish.

"Fan Li and Xi Shi were stabbed to death and both sank to the bottom of the lake, and were later found by fishermen."

As soon as the words came out, everyone was stunned, and after a while, they began to discuss.

"Tao Zhugong is so rich, he must have offended some powerful person."

"I think there are gangsters who covet Fan Li's Wanguan family wealth, so they killed him."

"Hey! The poor beauty Xi Shi was also buried in the belly of the fish. ”

Just when people were talking about it, the young man named Zhai picked up a plate of braised pork from the table of diners and chewed it.

"Little brother, do you know who did it?"

Just eating.

"Hmm... Hmm..."

He even nodded while looking for water to drink.

"Don't choke."

Thinking that everyone wanted to know the following, someone enthusiastically handed over a bowl of water.

"Of course, it was Yue Jun Goujian's doing."

Such shocking inside information immediately attracted many people. Half of the crowd in the restaurant surrounded them, even the shopkeeper and the junior.

The blue-robed young man wiped his mouth as if he hadn't eaten enough, and continued to scan the rest of the food on the table. Obviously, there are no meat dishes. Disappointed, he grinned at the onlookers.

"Anything else?"

Immediately, someone brought a plate of hard dishes from the next table.

"Yes! Yes! This salted fish is good. Little brother, you go on. ”

"Everyone must know that there was a literary doctor who was split in the city by a car. Now General Fan Li's body is sunk in the lake. Gou Jian destroyed Wu and became the king, and he didn't want the past to be mentioned, so he killed people and killed people. ”

With just a few chopsticks, the steamed salted fish is only the head. Everyone savored the young man's words and felt that they were very reasonable. Now that the death of Tao Zhugong has been decided, the crowd has dispersed.

"Don't you want to know who killed Fan Li?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked. The first reaction of everyone was that this young man was joking and playing with everyone just now.

"What do you mean, little brother?"

"Being able to infiltrate the Song Land and assassinate the lord of a city is not something that ordinary people can do."

An uproar ensued. This young man even knows how the assassin premeditated and how he acted. Hearing a snort, the diner got up and circled the boy again.

"Oops! I'm so hungry! ”

The boy rubbed his belly. The crowd hurriedly looked around for meat.

"Go! Serve a roast chicken to the little brother, I please. ”

The shopkeeper spoke.

"Shopkeeper! Listen first, and tell me about it later. ”

A hand was placed on Xiao Er's shoulder.

"Got it! Just go. ”

The shopkeeper reluctantly ran to the back kitchen. The young man smiled and beckoned to the strong man on the side.

"Slippery! Come here. ”

The strong man got up and walked over. The crowd was stunned. The other party was more than eight feet tall, which was two heads taller than them. This stands out from the crowd, and the feeling of being a foil for chickens is really bad. Everyone hurriedly made way for the tower-like man.

The table they gathered around was originally only a simple three-course meal on the table, but now it was full of exquisite dishes, like a wine banquet.

"In the past, Sun Wu led the troops to attack Yue, and Gou Jian defeated the Wu army in front of the battle with hundreds of dead soldiers, and died of arrows in Lu. For a time, the name of the dead soldiers of the Yue Kingdom moved the world. Don't you know that Gou Jian is the king, and the plot against the Central Plains is to rely on the dead soldiers of Baiyue? ”

Since the state of Chu broke away from the Great Zhou and established itself as queen, it was defeated by the state of Wu. Wu inherited the title of king in a high-profile manner and became the overlord of the south. Later, the state of Wu was destroyed by Gou Jian, and the southern overlord naturally deserved his name. It's just that Gou Jian is scheming and has never claimed to be the king to the outside world. Instead, under the banner of respecting the king, he surrendered to the Zhou royal family and participated in the war in the Central Plains for many years. All kinds of racks and persuasions have gained a lot of reputation. Gou Jian doesn't admit that he is the king, but he can't control other people's mouths. Especially in the countries favored by him, the king of Yue is called closer than the king of Zhou.

"The dead soldiers of the Yue Kingdom are strictly trained and directly serve the Yue Jun. Compared with the big Zhou Huben, there are more than that. Before the death, the dead will take five stone powder, and they are fierce and brave, not afraid of life and death, and can fight against a hundred. ”

Everyone was fascinated as if they were listening to martial arts stories. Pin drop can be heard in the lobby of the restaurant.

"The name of the dead soldier organization in the Yue Kingdom is forbearance, which is taken from the meaning of Gou Jian's courage to restore the country."

At this moment, if Wang Xu heard about it, he would definitely think that the ninjas of a certain island country came from this.

"Oh! I see. The little brother is really erudite. I have also heard of the things that go to bed and taste the guts. ”

The boy burped.

"Hiccup... Fallacious! Gou Jian did not have a salary. ”

"Bothered little brother to solve puzzles?"

patted the big man beside him. The other party understands in seconds, and immediately accelerates the binge. Like the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves, one hand holds the plate, and the other hand picks up the rice.

"Lying on the salary and tasting courage is what Wu Zixu did in order to urge his husband not to forget his father's hatred."

It's new. Diners pricked up their ears to listen to the erudite young gentleman's explanation. It turns out that sleeping on the firewood is not sleeping on the firewood. It describes the appearance of being forced to talk all day long and not sleeping well. On that day, Wu Zixu killed his father in order not to let Wu Wangfucha forget that the Yue people had killed him. The chamberlain who was instructed to shout before the king crossed a threshold.

"Husband! Have you forgotten how your father died? ”

Then the husband had to answer immediately.

"The child will not forget."

So much so that when I go to the toilet at night, I am reminded like this. So, the husband decided not to go out, and stayed in the room all day long, studying hard, and working hard. Three years later, he led an army to attack Yue and had to avenge his father. It seems that Wu Zixu's teaching is quite successful. Perhaps this strict teacher's discipline was a bit excessive, causing the husband to be blind after his success. Eventually went down the path of self-destruction.

"Thank you for your hospitality! Despicable farewell! ”

And that's the end of the story. The boy walked out of the restaurant with the strong man. The rain outside had long since stopped, and the bluestone streets were wet. The two of them went in the direction of the valley.

"Slippery! I'm amazing, right? ”

The big man who was called Slippery by the teenager, his real name was Slippery Bird, and he was a farmer. Because of the staggering amount of food, he could not be fed by farming alone. So the family decided to let him follow this brilliant young man around. According to legend, this young man was a descendant of the Shang Dynasty royal family. The surname of Mo, the name is Zhai. The ancestor once served as the great Sima of the Song Kingdom, although the family was in the middle, but still solid.

After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, all the remnants of the old kingdom were moved to the Song Dynasty. The people here are basically the children of the nobility left over from the Yin Shang period. In the early years, the monarchs of the Zhou Dynasty were afraid that the people here would have the heart to restore their homeland, so they would ask for it if they had nothing to do. Later, the Zhou royal family divided this place to their uncles and brothers, and only then did they settle down.

The Song State was also strong, more than two hundred years ago, the Duke of Song Zhuang became famous in the Central Plains, fighting all the invincible opponents of the princes, even the emperor of the Great Zhou had to be afraid of a few points. However, the current situation is embarrassing, basically similar to the defense of the country.

A young man named Mo Zhai has a wide range of knowledge. Not only is he good at the skills of a craftsman, but he also makes a good sword. He was also recommended to serve as a contempt. Unexpectedly, the boy was obsessed with traveling around, so he refused.

Not long ago, he just went to Lu Country to learn carpentry skills from Lu Ban, who became famous at a young age. Unexpectedly, the other party had a new invention, took out a saw, and did a carpenter's work a hundred times more delicate than him. Mo Zhai, who failed miserably, originally planned to redouble his efforts to get rid of his shame after returning home. After not wanting to return to China, he heard that Fan Li was assassinated and thrown into the lake.

As a patriotic and angry youth, he immediately set off for Taoyi to track down the murderer. After the truth was revealed, I happened to see kapok cloth in Taoyi. A self-proclaimed master carpenter, he saw the gap in the loom at a glance. After being puzzled, he decided to trace the source of the cotton cloth, so he chased it to Yunmeng Mountain in the country.

"That's nature. Juzi is well-informed. I also have meat to eat with you. ”

Bird Slippery picked his teeth with a piece of hay and asked questions with a smile.

"You know how to eat. We're going to do big things in the future. Pioneer the mountain and establish a faction, write books and speak. Carry forward the Mo family. ”

was unintentionally said by the big man. The act of cheating on eating and drinking just now made Mo Zhai a little embarrassed at the moment.

"The moment is a lesson. The slippery will follow you in the future. Hey. ”

The two walked down the main street into the valley. They inquired about the situation in the field, and some villagers said that there were two large wooden wheels in the valley that could rotate day and night. The boy was very curious and prepared to go and have a look.

"Why are you following me? Not to mention having meat to eat. Otherwise, I'll beat you. ”

The fowl tugged at his thick fingers, counting, counting.

"You can learn carpentry and swordsmanship by following the moment..."

frowned. Start meditating.

"Hmm... You can also listen to stories. ”

Mo Zhai's face was ugly.

"And also... Meet a lot of people. ”

Looking at the strong man's constipated appearance, Mo Zhai really couldn't listen to it.

"Enough! That's enough! ”

The young man learned from the group of assassins in the Yue Kingdom, and also organized an organization, calling it the Mo family. Ever since he saw the iron saw invented by the public loss class, he thought it was necessary for him to invent something as well, no less than a human being. Therefore, the two rulers are put together vertically, which is called a rectangular ruler. Since it was common for carpenters to draw and calculate, the boy felt that such a right-angled ruler would save him a lot of trouble. In order to commemorate his great invention and erudition, he asked the bird to call him a moment. However, there are only two of them in the Mo family now.

"Wow! What a great wooden wheel. ”

The two finally came to the vicinity of the water wheel.

"Hmmm! It's huge! ”

was shocked by the scene in front of him, and couldn't close his mouth.

Mo Zhai looked at it for a while, but still didn't understand what the purpose of this waterwheel was turning? Could it be that it is a landmark in the wild, just for viewing?

So, the two sneakily approached the house connected to the waterwheel, ready to take a closer look. Unexpectedly, a horse-drawn carriage was parked outside the premises. Five men are loading and unloading cargo. I saw two thieves from a distance, and immediately shouted.

"What for? What to watch? ”

Mo Zhai's figure flashed, and he raised his head, pretending that it was not him who those people were scolding.

"We'd like to go in and have a look."

I don't want to be honest and slippery, so I sell my teammates decisively.

"What do you see? Get out! ”

The people who move the goods like that are extremely impatient.

"Why do you talk like that?"

Instead of retreating, he took two steps forward.

"Owner! Someone's making trouble! ”

Of course, everyone was afraid of a man like him, and one of them shouted into the house. A moment later, two men ran out, armed with bronze daggers. The two men not far away glared viciously.

"What for? Get out of the way. Otherwise, don't blame me for inviting the two of you to sit in the prison of Nozaifu. ”

The bird slippery disagreed, full of confidence, and said with a hint of ruffianism:

"Why?"

The corners of Mo Zhai's mouth twitched.

"You idiot! Why are you saying it so loudly? you! Didn't see them with a sword? ”

Two of the seven men in the distance held swords, and five of them immediately took out their mallets from the house. This is an oil mill, and when the oil is pressed, the oil cake is beaten with a huge mallet. And the terrifying shape of the mallet is estimated to be able to smash the head in just one stroke.

Seeing this, Mo Zhai dodged backwards, pulling at the sleeves of the bird's slippery coat and preparing to escape.

"Afraid? We also have swords. ”

As he spoke, the strong man took out a short blade from his baggage. He pulled the short sword out of its scabbard in front of everyone, and a cold light appeared. Obviously, the men who confronted them had lived in the wild for so long, and had never seen anyone who dared to be so provocative. The man who was called the owner of the shop drank.

"Arrest them! It must be a detailed work sent by another country. ”

At this moment, Mo Zhai held the bird slippery and retreated. It's like a skinny foal pulling a cart. He scolded angrily.

"Have you forgotten what we're here for? A sucker... Run! ”

The next scene stunned the seven people who were ready to step forward to fight. I saw the strong man flash, his arm around the waist of the blue-robed young man, and disappeared from everyone's field of vision in a moment. All they saw was that two legs and one head were shaking in the air, up and down, like a flat pole they were carrying, and the frequency of shaking was surprisingly consistent. And the boy who was used as a flat shoulder made a ula ula, like a vomiting sound.

The humid air after the rain is not very cool. The window of a small building in the valley was pushed open. There was a disgusting smell in the room, and the bitterness of the herbs mixed with the sweetness of blood gave it an eerie aura.

"Ahem... Cough! ”

The pale-faced man coughed lightly twice. He waved his hand in front of his nose, as if to dispel the foul smell. His movements were slightly stiff, and the hem of his sleeves drooped when he waved his hand, faintly revealing the bandages on his wrists.

"Hey! I'm not Tang Seng. ”

He looked at his injured wrist, a pale shade of red, and he sighed.

After a long time, the man licked his chapped lips and closed the window again. He turned and walked to the bedside, looked at his wife, who had a bloody face, and let out a long sigh.

Yesterday he drank a lot of liquor and returned home slightly drunk. When I saw my wife fainting on the ground, I immediately woke up in fright and broke out in a cold sweat.

The wife came quickly and was strong, and it was really unbelievable that she vomited blood and fainted for no reason. Although Wang Xu has read a few medical books and learned how to diagnose diseases with his wife for a period of time, he naturally will not believe in the treatment method of jumping and reciting mantras. Since Bian Que has not yet been born, there is no hope of hearing about it, and the current doctors only rely on experience to treat people. It can be said that the more people have died, the more exquisite medical skills have been.

Wang Xu didn't want to risk Ah Ji's life, so he fried some calm herbs for Ah Ji to take. He guessed that there was only one reason why the girl could vomit blood.

"You must have gone crazy in practice, right?"

Isn't it all like this in martial arts novels? The girl alone was able to kill five robbers, and in his opinion she was a master. The method of tuna that taught him to learn is obviously the legendary internal strength. Wang Xu is glad that he didn't practice diligently, otherwise he would have gone mad, how can this be good? Thinking of the last time when he was allergic to the sumac tree, he began to harm himself again, and drank a bowl of blood for Ah Ji. Presumably killing a chicken, but it can release so much blood?

At this moment, due to excessive blood loss, his face was as white as paper. Coupled with the fact that he didn't sleep all night, the whole person was in a trance. He took off his shoes and socks, lay down beside Aji, and brushed the hair on the girl's forehead, and the imprint seemed to be much lighter.

Looking at Aji's quiet sleeping appearance, I felt the even and long breath. He could finally settle down and rest for a while. Wang Xu reached out a hand and gently held the girl's small hand. The exhaustion of the body seemed to well-up from the chest and spread to every corner of the body.

I don't know how long I slept, but I could feel the warmth of my palms in my dreams. I was held tightly all the time, and the back of my hand was rubbed back and forth against something delicate and silky. And then it was cold, like cold that invaded the bone marrow.

When he opened his eyes, time didn't seem to change. It's still dim light, humid air. It's just that the wife on the bed is gone.

"Aji! Aji! ”

Wang Xu called softly a few times, but when his wife did not answer, he hurriedly got up and went downstairs. He was very worried about Aji's body. When I went downstairs, the door was open, and through the bright gap, I saw the girl sitting in the small courtyard and washing vegetables carefully. Aji carefully picked and combed the scattered hair on his forehead with the back of his hand.

This scene touched him a little, and he couldn't help but stop. Looking at it quietly, admiring the different beauty of the woman. Feel the warmth of home and the silent love of his wife.

Once upon a time, Wang Xu wished he could have such a home. In the previous life, an unexpected death separated his wife Xia Yunnuo from him in two time and space that could never meet, and the life he once dreamed of was only one step away, but in the end it was shattered. And in this life, he walked with his maid by mistake, and the girl's appearance actually resembled his wife, as if God had helped him realize his dream in this troubled world. However, he had no time to stop and cherish this hard-won life.

He gently pushed the door open and walked next to the woman. After leaning down and squatting, he silently picked up a water scoop, slowly poured down the water, and rinsed the vegetable leaves in his wife's hands.

"Body... Is it better? ”

The woman's hands froze. Nodding slightly.

"Hmm."

"It's okay, rest more. I'll prepare the meals for the rest of the week. Madame must not work any longer. ”

Aji's gaze rested on the boy's wrist. She was stunned, her eyes revealing a hint of complexity.

"The concubine has caused trouble for the adults."

Wang Xu was a little dazed. On weekdays, his wife always calls him a lover.

"How so? We're husband and wife. When you are better, we will set off immediately, first to the Song Kingdom, and then to the Yue Kingdom in winter. Winters in the south are no colder than in the north. Spending the winter there will love it. ”

As she spoke, the girl slowly lowered her head. A tear fell into the basin of water, stirring up small ripples.

"What's wrong? Don't like it? Then we will go to the country of Qi, where there is the sea. Basking in the sun is the most comfortable. ”

She sniffed.

"The concubine doesn't want to leave."

"Why?"

Bite one's tongue. After a long time, he smiled shallowly at Wang Xu.

"Yunmeng has something that the concubine can't let go. So please stay and don't go. ”

"We're not talking about it. When this is over, will we go together? What's not to worry about? ”

Aji bit his lower lip. Muttered:

"The garden at home is unattended. There are still sick people in the middle of the contempt who need to be treated, and the concubines cannot leave. ”

"Madame, need not worry. Uncle Li lives next door and can take care of it. If Madame really can't rest assured that the sick person will be treated, I will order someone to go to Chaoge and spend a lot of money to find an old man who is proficient in the art of Qihuang. It not only treats the people but also teaches and teaches medicine in the school. Best of both worlds. ”

"The best of both worlds? The best of both worlds..."

The girl whispered, and lowered her head.

Wang Xu didn't want to use idioms indiscriminately, there were too few words in the Great Zhou. At this time, literate people are not good at using condensed idioms. Accustomed to storytelling. It's a bit of a struggle to communicate.

It's like the idiom "the praying mantis catches the cicada and the yellow finch comes behind". The other party will tell you a little story first. Take this opportunity to hang a bookbag and show off your knowledge. When the chatter looked confused, the other party was proud and then clarified that this was a metaphor used by the son of Wu Wangfu to persuade his father to beware of the surrendered Yue Kingdom. If you are impatient, you will definitely rise up and beat each other.

The current literati are very fond of borrowing things to metaphor people and things to metaphor people, and then tracing back to the source and explaining the source. It is as rigorous as Western academic research. Even if it is common sense, as long as it is mentioned, it must be corroborated. But at this moment, Ah Ji didn't think so.

"Your Excellency... I would like to be a concubine... Remain? ”

The girl got up and bowed respectfully to Wang Xu. It's as if the relationship between the two has returned to the way it used to be. The title of the young monarch became an adult, and the slave became a concubine, nothing more.

Ah Ji's words and firm demeanor at this moment suddenly reminded Wang Xu of Ji Lan. The complicated expression was fleeting, but they were all carefully watched by the girl.

The small courtyard is quiet, and the occasional birdsong can be heard. Both of them seem to have a lot of things on their minds. The smoke of the cooking stove rises in the afternoon of Yunmeng Mountain, as if shrouding the Qingming mountain village in chaos.