The inside of the house was very empty, much stronger than the four walls of the house.

In front of the main entrance is a table of eight immortals, on which the ancestral tablets of the Qi family are enshrined. The two acacia wood chairs were placed on one side, well, Du Lengqiu was sitting on the right head.

On the west side by the window was an old loom, on which the cotton thread still hung and the smooth elm shuttle lay quietly on the dense silk thread.

On the east side is an earthen kang. A black kerosene lamp hangs above the clay kang. The bedrooms on either side are separated by blue curtains. Other than that, there is nothing else.

Qi San grew up in such a family, no wonder he had a faint inferiority complex and was very in awe of the imperial power. The idea of the official standard has been inherited for thousands of years, and by the Tang Dynasty, it has been deeply rooted in the bone marrow. The smaller the people, the more fearful they are. On the contrary, an unconcerned ranger like Zhao Tong looks down on power and only values righteousness. ”

It is no wonder that Qi San is obsessed with Feng Yingsleeves, and the pursuit of such a glamorous woman may be an affirmation or compensation for his past life. ”

Thinking of Qi San's various things, Du Lengqiu was a little sad. He was originally a person with a loose personality, and he believed in sweeping the snow in front of the door, regardless of the frost on the tiles. The first thing in my life was to make a bowl of noodles for Zhang Lingcui. After traveling through many worlds, I made more and more friends, and my personality slowly changed.

There is a saying that the country is easy to change, but the nature is difficult to change. Du Lengqiu asked himself, he changed so quickly, could his hidden character be like this.

"It's a joke. ”

Du Lengqiu, who was being tortured by his soul, suddenly heard a chaotic sound of footsteps.

An old man with gray hair pushed a wheelbarrow into the yard, and the girl pushed the cart beside him, followed by a pigtailed boy holding a windmill.

Hurriedly put down the car, the old man walked a few steps and rushed into the house, and asked with a happy face: "Sir, Mr. has brought news of San'er." After speaking, he looked at Du Lengqiu blankly, not knowing what to say.

Du Lengqiu stood up, slammed it to the ground, then straightened up, and said: "My surname is Du, my name is Du Lengqiu, and I am a good friend of Qi San." Uncle and sit in peace. ”

He pushed Qi Wuyun to the seat, and after a moment of silence, he gritted his teeth and took out a porcelain jar and put it on the table, and said in his heart: Long pain is better than short pain, there will always be a day when you will break it.

"Uncle, Qi San was killed by the Blood Demon at the Wuyi Mountain Spring and Autumn Sword Jie Competition, this is his ashes. ”

Qi Wuyun was stunned, as if he hadn't heard Du Lengqiu's words, and seemed to be stunned. But the girl cried out, and the boy dropped the windmill on the ground, a little panicked and didn't know what to do. He grabbed the girl's clothes and said timidly, "What's the matter, sister?"

The girl shook off his hand, rushed to Du Lengqiu, and asked in a sobbing voice, "Is what Mr. said true?"

Du Lengqiu took out a long sword from the gourd and placed it next to the urn, which was Qi San's relic. This was specially obtained by him from Zhao Tong.

Qi Wuyun trembled and stroked the long sword, his old tears were rampant, and he couldn't speak.

The girl slowly knelt on the ground, covering her face with her hands, and couldn't cry. The boy was only about ten years old, and he was infected by the atmosphere, and he also cried.

The clouds are bleak.

Du Lengqiu didn't speak, quietly waiting for them to vent their inner pain. The sunlight shining through the hall changed from oblique to direct, and their voices were already a little hoarse.

The girl controlled her emotions first, she patted the boy on the back, and soon coaxed him. Then he whispered to his father, and soon Qi Wuyun also put away his tears.

Qi Wuyun hugged the ashes altar and said miserably: "Poor San'er can't even enter the ancestral grave, so he can only be a lonely grave and a wild ghost." ”

The girl said: "Father, let's let the third brother go to the ground first." ”

"Let's let San'er stay with me for a few days. I haven't seen him in four years. Qi Wuyun carried the ash altar into the bedroom, and when he came out again after a while, he had already collected his mood.

"Mr. traveled thousands of miles to send San'er's ashes. My Qi family has no way to repay it, so I can only tie the grass and tie the ring, and I will repay your favor in the next life. ”

"Xiaoling, send Mr. out. ”

"Father?" the girl asked in disbelief. It's rude to treat guests like this. Don't say it's to a benefactor, even to an ordinary friend.

"Xiaoling. Qi Wuyun's voice intensified.

The girl Xiaoling seemed to remember something, her face was even whiter, and she looked a little shaky. She froze, gritted her teeth, and said, "Yes, father." ”

The girl hung her head, and the ends of her hair covered her face, leaving only a shadow. "Sir, please go out with Xiaoling. ”

Full of doubts, Du Lengqiu followed Xiaoling out of Qi's house.

"If you have a problem that you can't solve, be sure to come to me. ”

Xiao Ling said softly, "Okay, sir." ”

Leaving the Qi family, Du Lengqiu walked into Miyang City, only to feel leisurely, and the feeling of laziness came to his heart for a while. He was about to find an inn to stay in, when he suddenly saw a man in a blue robe with jujube trim coming in a hurry and knocking on the door of the Qi family.

"Old Qi, old Qi. ”

Du Lengqiu quietly stopped and listened. Soon, Qi Wuyun's sad voice sounded, "It turned out to be Lord Liu, come in and have a cup of tea." ”

"Lao Qi, I'm not targeting you either. This is the rule of the Heavenly Alliance. San'er died and did not become an immortal, and his protection of you will end. He seemed to be silent for a moment, and continued: "The news of the death of your third child came three days ago, and I have been holding back and not letting anyone harass you. But rules are rules, and tomorrow at noon the army will set off, and this is already the last group of today. When do you think you're going to pay the blood tax?"

It seemed that he had been prepared, Qi Wuyun immediately replied: "I won't embarrass Lord Liu, I'll deal with the trivial matters at home and report to the camp outside the city early tomorrow morning." ”

"Good. After a pause, Lord Liu seemed to advise and said, "Old Qi, you don't have to be outside now, don't think about taking your children to escape the famine." If you go to the surrendered city, Xiaoling and Xiaozhi will help take care of it, and we will never let the two children be wronged. ”

"Lord Liu, rest assured, every family has to pay the blood tax. My old Qi family will never let people gossip behind their backs. ”

"Good. ”

After Lord Liu left, Du Lengqiu stayed still for a long time before sighing leisurely. From Shicai's conversation, Du Lengqiu could determine that the reason why the Qi family was in a hurry to let him leave was because he didn't want to let him see this scene.

To add insult to injury, stabbing the already bleeding wound again, this regulation of the Imperial Heavenly Alliance can be called harsh and ruthless to the extreme. But who can resist?

The autumn sun at noon is blazing, but the heart is as cold as ice. In troubled times, life is like an ant, who is spared?

Night is slowly falling.

As if to make up for the heat of the day, the autumn night is exceptionally cool, and at midnight, it is slightly chilly. And as the stars slowly dimmed, the pace of the early morning slowly became faster and faster.

At three o'clock in the morning, except for the watchmen, the whole city was still sleeping, but the door of the Qi family opened in a hoarse voice. The girl Xiaoling walked out holding Qi San's sword. She closed the door and took a few steps back. With the help of the faint starlight, he took a few deep glances at his gate, turned his head and walked towards the west of the city.

Before she could take a few steps, Xiao Ling suddenly heard a familiar voice say, "Hehe, I caught a wild Mulan." She turned around in a panic, and sure enough, she saw Du Lengqiu standing in the night with a bamboo cane.

"Sir. ”

"May I ask Miss Mulan, which martial arts gym did you graduate from?"

Qi Ling was silent.

"Oh, it turned out to be the Loom Martial Arts Hall. Then may I ask again, what advanced martial arts have you learned?"

Qi Ling was a little embarrassed.

"Well, it turns out that I have learned the magic of weaving, and I can weave ten zhang of cloth in a day. Congratulations, you'll probably survive three days on the battlefield in the north. ”

Qi Ling said in a low voice: "Sir......" The voice was full of pleading.

Du Lengqiu was silent.

"The gates are about to open, so let's go to the west gates of the city, sir. ”

"Sir. Seeing that Du Lengqiu didn't move, Qi Ling was anxious to kneel on the ground and beg for permission. But Qi Wuyun's education to them since childhood prevented her from doing so.

"I can go to the north for you. Xiaoling, neither you nor your father have to go. I'm your brother's friend, and it's my duty to do that. ”

Qi Ling shook her head like a rattle, "That's not good, sir, that's not fair." "She's not very old, but she looks very determined, and she is obviously not someone to give up easily.

"You can give reasons on the way, but if you can't convince me at the gates, you'll have to come back. Saying that, Du Lengqiu took the lead.

Along the way, Qi Ling was silent. Only the sound of footsteps echoed in the dark streets, and in the distance, the sound of several slaps could be heard.

Qi Ling said, "Sir, the door is about to open." ”

"Oh. ”

"Sir, the blood tax is the greatest fairness, and any family must hand over a person of appropriate age. Whether you are a poor family or a rich man, you cannot escape or find someone to replace you. ”

"Yes, you can't find someone to replace you. Whether it's voluntary or not. My father said that this was for our own good, and that once we could be replaced, the rich men would have many ways to make us volunteer. ”

"I have to go, and there's a chance I have to go. My father or younger brother went, and I was dead. ”

Du Lengqiu was silent.

He looked up at the stars in the sky, yes, all the poor ask for is this insignificant justice, but even this most humble request will not satisfy them.

Fairness is a ridiculous word by nature.

The rich are thousands of miles away, and the poor have no place to bury. The rich sing every night, and the poor freeze to death in the ravines. This is only a superficial injustice, and the deeper injustice cannot be explained in a few words.

It is precisely because of this ridiculous word that there is chivalry.

Du Lengqiu used to be the most envious of chivalry. Shang Qi kills the unjust, and takes people's heads from horses. Yesterday he killed the enemy outside the Qinling Mountains, and now he is on the waterfront of Luo. Changge is drunk, just for fairness. Now, will Du Lengqiu destroy it?

"Open the door. ”

A few gatekeepers slowly stirred the ropes, and the west gate of Miyang City slowly opened, and the people, cars, and vendors lined up at the city gate. The whole city suddenly came alive.

Qi Ling straightened her thin body and gave Du Lengqiu a deep look.

"Mr. Gaoyi, Xiaoling has gone. ”