Xiaoyan Town is located in the middle of the Xiling Empire, which is more northwest than the national capital Yisang. The town is small in scale, although it is located on a more important trade route, but behind it is located an important commercial town - Ranguan. The caravans that came to Xiaoyan Town were only temporarily resting, and who didn't want to take their goods to the cornucopia of the city walls not far away, instead of casually sprinkling them on this little-known little ruined town. Over time, the main business of Xiaoyan Town has become the main business of Xiaoyan Town, and in order to let merchants know the market information in time, a special profession has also been derived from the town: flying copying. His job is to rush to Ranguan on the last night of each month, and before the market opens the next morning, he will copy down the "Exchange Rates of Merchants and Goods of All Countries" that is only issued in big cities and bring them back to the town. Copying is voluntary labor, and is usually performed by the young men of the town in turn.

Before the fog cleared in the early morning, the sound of horses' hooves faintly came from the south entrance of the town. After a while, a man appeared on horseback. He came to the bulletin board in the center of the town, and without dismounting, he took out a neat stack of slightly damp paper from his bosom, and unfolded it to reveal a face full of ink. He shook it cautiously and let it dry for a while, before taking the paste from the man who was guarding him and brushing it on the reverse side. Then, with his legs tightly clamped around the horse's belly, his thin body naturally fell to the side, and after approaching the bulletin board, he held firmly, hanging in the air, like a praying mantis ready to hunt.

The man approached the bulletin board, pasted the paper on it, carefully wiped it seven or eight times, pressed every fold and corner flattened, and then wiped it again uneasily, and then straightened his body back, turned over and dismounted. During this period, although his body was suspended in the air, his hands did not tremble at all. At this time, the sky was not yet fully bright, and there were already scattered people around. However, their attention was on the "Exchange Rate of Merchants and Goods of the Nations", and few people noticed the man's somewhat unconventional waist strength.

Of course, there are always a few sharp-eyed ones.

The man removed a black box from his horse and carried it behind his back. I found a place with a wide view at the breakfast stall on the street and sat down and bought a bowl of tofu brain. A clear voice suddenly sounded on the side.

"Brother Yan Shu has a good waist, could it be that he is deeply hidden, how about two tricks to accompany him?"

The man known as "Yan Shu" looked up and saw that the speaker was sitting outside the breakfast stall on the side, looking about his early twenties, quite young, handsome, dressed as a ranger, and carrying a thin sword that reflected the cold air. Beside the young man, there was also a cute little girl drinking soy milk, and her big eyes looked between the two from time to time, and it seemed to be his sister. Two or three packages are placed on a bench next to them.

The man knew these two men. They weren't from the town, they had lived here for less than a month, and no one knew their names. Looks like they're leaving today.

The little brother laughed, he was used to being romantic when he was young. ”

Hearing the man's vague words, the young man raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "Haha! Haha!"

"Hahaha!" The man also echoed and laughed twice, and said coldly, "The wind rises on the West Mountain Cliff." (The road ahead of the rivers and lakes is dangerous, walk and be careful.) ）

"What?" the young man asked after a pause, puzzled.

"It's okay, I'm feeling a little cold, I don't know where the wind came from. Hearing this, the man smiled and touched his shoulder and said.

"Little brother, are you leaving?" As if he was afraid that the young man would continue to ask, the man hurriedly diverted the topic.

"Yes, we will see you in the future. Brother Yan Shu, are you sure you won't have a relationship with me? The young man did not notice the mystery in the man's words, and sighed with some pity.

"Don't dare, don't dare. The man waved his hand, "If you have the chance, next time, I will promise you next time." ”

"That's decided, and you can't deny it when we see each other next time. ”

"Don't worry, if you don't recognize it, I won't be surnamed Yan. The man replied with a smile.

After the man left, Ying Yanshu drank the last bite of tofu brain and said to himself: "Anyway, I don't have the surname Yan." ”

Ying Yanshu packed a fried dumpling, got up to leave, touched the messy short beard on his face, and chuckled: "This kid really can't chat, what does it mean that I don't know how old I am, I'm not old, okay? Is it so easy to break through the rivers and lakes? Is it true that everyone has such a genius?"

Having said that, when Ying Yanshu saw the young man just now, he couldn't help but think of himself six years ago, and he had to sigh his luck. If he hadn't met Narushi six years ago, he wouldn't have been brought into the world of mercenaries, let alone become the famous detective sword he is today. If that were the case, he and Wenwen still didn't know where to make a living in a small town on the border of the empire with low prices.

After Ying Yanshu came to Yanzhen, he took the initiative to provoke the work of flying copying, so his popularity was quite good. He deliberately slowed down, greeting acquaintances passing by on the way, and at the same time pricking up his ears and quietly listening to the conversation in the teahouse of the wine shop next to him. It was still not yet dawn, but there were already many early risers who were packing up their goods and preparing to leave. Loaded wagons were neatly parked on the side of the street, and the guys checked how strong the ropes were. There are also some shirtless big men, who are sitting in the wine shop and teahouse on the side, chatting. The weapons were strewn across the table, almost burying the bowl or teacup. As caravan guards, they were very popular along the way. Bandits, bandits, mercenaries, and monsters with a small but deadly chance of appearing make their nerves tense like a string that is about to be broken. At this moment, Ran Guan was already close at hand, and the men suddenly relaxed, gathered around, laughing and scolding and talking about the strange things along the way.

Aside from those meat jokes, what the men talked about the most was the murderous purple mist in the Halberd Ridge Zero Stream some time ago. When Ying Yanshu walked out of the market, he had already heard no less than ten completely different versions, and there were even more differences in those scattered details. In one version, he even appears with a sword, which is so eloquent that the person concerned can only express his admiration for their imagination and eloquence.

The town is not big, Ying Yanshu quickly returned to his home, gently pushed open the courtyard door, and shouted, "Wenwen, I'm back!"

No one responded, and there was no one in the courtyard, Ying Yanshu stood in place and shouted helplessly again: "Ying Wenxuan! I'll bring you breakfast!"

Still no one responded.

Seeing this, Ying Yanshu looked around carefully, the corners of his mouth rose imperceptibly, and he walked straight to the door, and his voice was deliberately raised: "Are you still sleeping?"

Ying Yanshu bent down to push the door, and suddenly, a sword shadow stabbed into his head.

However, Ying Yanshu's bending over seems to be too large. The moment the door was pushed open, the black box slid from behind his shoulders to his chest. With a slight tap, the jade willow sword rolled out of the box and landed on his hand. Ying Yanshu seemed to have long eyes behind his back, his body moved to the side, and he turned over with a sword. The face of the sword slapped against the incoming sword shadow, and it was immediately knocked into the air. The sword tumbled and flew out, stuck in the ground not far away, and turned out to be a wooden sword. The attacker was a little girl who looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old. The sneak attack failed, but she didn't panic, but stood in place with her waist crossed, glaring at Ying Yanshu angrily.

"Haha, I'm thinking too much, little girl. Ying Yanshu sneered insolently and put the jade willow sword into the black box.

"Hmph, even if you reacted quickly, you still haven't noticed me!"

", aren't you just hiding a well? Ying Yanshu threw the fried dumplings to Ying Wenxuan, picked up the wooden sword himself, and walked into the house, "Wash your hands and eat." Don't hide in the well next time, if you miss and fall, don't expect me to catch you. ”

"Am I going to be that stupid?" replied to Ying Wenxuan, not to be outdone, and followed up in the room.

Ying Yanshu poured a basin of water, took out a knife from the cabinet, and carefully shaved his beard in front of the bronze mirror. Ying Wenxuan moved a chair and sat behind him, crossed Erlang's legs, held the paper-wrapped fried dumplings, grabbed them directly with his hands and sent them to his mouth, and asked while eating.

"Brother, where are you in the sky these days?"

"Do the task, where else can you go?" The blade was attached to his face, and Ying Yanshu became cautious when he spoke, "Also, Ying Wenxuan, I'm not here these days, are you floating? I'm your uncle, what brother." ”

"Pull it down, where are you like my uncle?" Ying Wenxuan rolled her eyes, "How can an uncle leave his niece at home alone for fifteen days and not come back." ”

"Who said that, it's only been fourteen days, and I came back last night. At that time, you were asleep, and I was just about to go to Ranguan to copy the "Exchange Rate of Merchants and Goods of All Nations", so I didn't call you. ”

"You're embarrassed to say! Look at you, how can you look like an uncle. ”

"Is there a look, I'm also your uncle. Ying Yanshu continued to clean his beard, and looked at Ying Wenxuan behind him through the bronze mirror, "Look at you again, put your feet down, don't you know how to use chopsticks?"

Ying Wenxuan rolled her eyes, stood up, walked behind Ying Yanshu, and the small figure disappeared from Ying Yanshu's sight.

"What are you doing behind me?"

Behind her, the sound of a little girl sniffing something. Then, Ying Wenxuan's little head slowly poked out from under Ying Yanshu's armpit, her eyes were resentful, and she asked suspiciously: "There is a woman's fragrance, tell me honestly, what are you doing?"

Hearing this, Ying Yanshu was suddenly stunned, and then said embarrassedly: "Blind, nonsense, what are you talking about? ”

"So, did you do anything by the way while you were on a mission? For example, go to Yisang to see that young lady. Ying Wenxuan deliberately lowered her voice and stretched her voice very long. After Ying Wenxuan grew up, there were some things that Ying Yanshu no longer hid from him.

"You little girl, do you have to take care of what your uncle does? ”

"Hmph!" Ying Wenxuan grimaced at Ying Yanshu, and was just about to leave, when she suddenly remembered something, she turned back with a smile on her face, hugged Ying Yanshu's left arm, and shook it vigorously.

"What are you doing? Wait! Wait a minute! Be careful, I'm shaving. ”

"Uncle, my good uncle, you promise me something. ”

"No, I can't. ”

"If I say anything, you just say no. ”

"No matter what you want to say, I'll leave it here first, it's impossible to take you on a mission. ”

"No!" Ying Wenxuan almost jumped up, "If you say no, don't bring it!"

"I said that if I don't bring it, I won't bring it! Do you think it's fun to be a mercenary, do you know how many times your uncle and I have almost not come back? Besides, being a mercenary is to kill people, can you do it?"

"Didn't you say that you only seek money and don't kill people? You weren't a few years older than I am when you were a charmer?

"I'm a genius, okay? What do you compare to me? Just your two moments, how can I explain to my father and eldest brother if something goes wrong?"

"What's wrong with me? The last time you said you were my age, your swordsmanship wasn't as good as mine?"

"I've heard that others are so praised, so I said it casually, you really believe it. ”

"Bad guy!" Ying Wenxuan's face turned red with anger, and she pushed hard behind Ying Yanshu. Knowing what was going to happen next, she immediately ran out of the house.

"Ying Wenxuan!" Ying Yanshu cried out angrily, covering the wound on his chin that was cut by a knife. Seeing that the murderer had already run away, he shook his head helplessly, thought for a while, sniffed his clothes, and said to himself: "It still smells after so long, it shouldn't be ······"

Ying Yanshu returned to his bedroom, with a small plaster on his chin, and began to translate the latest task list of Reverse Current. He had just returned from a mission, and he was not short of money, but he still habitually looked at what was interesting. Ying Yanshu looked at the task list, and at the same time thought in his heart, maybe he should really take this little girl to go outside. Although his father and eldest brother would never agree to him doing this if they were alive, Ying Yanshu is a different kind of person. He can't take care of Wenwen for the rest of her life, she will grow up and will have her own life. He decided to teach Wenwen Yuliu swordsmanship back then, which meant that he would respect Wenwen's right to choose his own life. Although this world is a little more dangerous, it is still interesting if you are careful.

Just as he was thinking, his gaze casually swept over the task list, and he was suddenly attracted by a task.

······

"Take Haoyuan City Zhang Sheng's youngest son Zhang but the heart lock on his neck, it has nothing to do with life or death. 1,200 gold coins, Nanhu County drainage. ”

······

Ying Yanshu remembered the ridiculous and interesting incident three years ago, grinned, and immediately looked at other tasks. But it didn't take long for his gaze to unconsciously sweep back again, and after carefully looking at it several times, his eyes fell on the "one thousand two hundred gold coins", and he smiled disdainfully, put down the task list, and stood up. However, he circled around the chair twice and eventually sat down.

The words "life and death have nothing to do with it" lingered in his mind.

It seemed that a three-year-old boy was standing in front of him. Then, a sharp blade that appeared out of thin air suddenly severed his young neck, and blood splattered everywhere. Blood flowed on the ground, spreading far away, somehow into a mansion. The firelight illuminates the night, reflecting the figure of a demon beast. It spread its massive blood-dripping wings, engulfing almost the entire mansion under its wings.

What do you want to do with all this? What does this have to do with you?

Doesn't it matter? This kid delivered the baby by himself, and he can be counted as half a godfather no matter what he says, although this kid's own father will definitely not recognize it.

Anyway, this is also the task he has handled with the probing sword. With his probing sword, how can he mess with death?

······

Ying Wenxuan, who was angry and weak-hearted, was still practicing swords outside the house, and the door was suddenly opened. Ying Yanshu walked out with a black box on his back and came to Ying Wenxuan.

"What are you going to apologize for? I don't accept it. Ying Wenxuan didn't look at him, still dancing with a wooden sword.

"Dead girl, shouldn't you apologize to me?" Ying Yanshu replied angrily, "I have something for you." ”

"Huh?" Ying Wenxuan stopped, and only then did she realize that Ying Yanshu's pupils had turned golden.

Ying Yanshu handed Ying Wenxuan a booklet, pointed to his eyes and said: "Shuo Sword Book, our Ying family's secret technique, the master can see the instantaneous changes, break the demon with a blade, and complement the Yuliu swordsmanship." When Ying's family was not destroyed, I practiced it, and I have also improved in actual combat over the years. After that incident, the original of the Sparkling Sword Book was also destroyed, and this one was rewritten by me to be left to you. When you learn, I'll take you to the task. ”

"Really!" Ying Wenxuan took the booklet in surprise, couldn't wait to turn the first page, and exclaimed, "Good!

"Amazing, isn't it?"

"What an ugly word!"

“······ Die!" Ying Yanshu was stunned for a moment, and then scolded, "Ya, it's a waste of Lao Tzu's feelings." ”

"Is this a meridian diagram?" Ying Wenxuan continued to flip, "Hey, even the painting is so ugly." Is it reliable?"

"Love to practice, not to practice. Ying Yanshu turned around and walked outside the courtyard, "You clean up these days, and when I come back, we will move." ”

"Eh, where are you going?"

"Go steal a worthless gadget······ By the way, save someone. ”