The ancestral hall of the Qiao family seemed to be covered with a black veil by the dim sky, although the oil lamp had been lit, but the high and deep ancestral hall was still dark, under the light, a teenager wiped the sweat beads on his forehead, picked up the leather whip and continued to whip Qiao Xiaojing, who had passed out, and the other teenager shouted in a high-pitched and loud voice: "Forty-eight, forty-nine......"

When the Qiao family in the audience heard the word "fifty", they all stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks to look at the stage, they all wanted to see what Qiao Xiaojing, who had been whipped fifty, had become. That Qiao Xiaojing fell to the ground, motionless, no different from a dead man, only to see countless blood marks on his back intertwined, but the blood oozed out, and the original shape had been blurred.

"She seems to be dead...... the executioner put his hand on the side of Qiao Xiaojing's nose, and did not feel the snort.

"Dead?" Qiao Baocai glanced at Qiao Xiaojing, who fell to the ground, very calmly, and said lightly, "It's just that she passed out, even if she really died, she was to blame, no wonder others." ”

"Dead?"

"The woman is dead?"

"Killed ......" Suddenly, the entire ancestral hall was buzzing again, and it seemed chaotic.

"For," Qiao Baocai coughed twice, and at the same time, "Dong Dong" slammed his cane twice on the ground, everyone's voices gradually subsided, and he said, "In order to strictly enforce the family rules, in order to prevent this kind of unethical thing from happening again, this person will be locked up in the ancestral hall tonight, if she dies, it is her life, if she can survive, let her reflect on herself in front of the spirit card of her ancestors." ”

The other old men on the stage also stood up, leaning on crutches, nodding their heads tremblingly, signaling their approval of Qiao Baocai's decision.

Qiao Baocai got off the stage on crutches, and the rest of the old people followed, and the crowd under the stage consciously divided into two parts, giving way in the middle, Qiao Baocai came to the middle of the crowd and said: "Give me honesty in the future, disperse, go back!"

Everyone looked at Qiao Baocai timidly, and did not dare to move, accompanied by a series of heavy sounds at the door of the ancestral hall, Qiao Baocai and other old men walked out of the ancestral hall, and everyone dispersed like melted snow.

"Such a rotten woman," said the red apricot and the two widows, who walked in front, and complained to the left and right before they left and right, "If you want me to say, you shouldn't enter the ancestral hall and dirty this place alive." Also, she did that kind of shameless thing, and only a few whips, which was too cheap for her. If in the past, this kind of woman would have to be burned alive if she didn't sink into the lake in a pig cage. ”

"Yes, yes, the patriarch is eccentric, I have never seen such a good treat to other women......" The two widows beside Hongxing didn't seem to be satisfied with Qiao Baocai's treatment, and they were quite resentful in their hearts, and they walked out of the ancestral hall with nagging.

Some people crowded out, but some people stopped, among them there were a few greedy men, their women tugged at their ears and hooves, and crooked their mouths and reprimanded: "What are you looking at, you haven't seen enough of that slut? You still want to spend the night with her here......?

"Lost your ancestors, I haven't seen enough of the family, and I'm embarrassed to run here? What's that? That's a rotten Huo, a that everyone can ride, you, you're not afraid of dirtying your eyes......"

Seeing this kind of funny scene, many clansmen may have forgotten the Qiao Xiaojing who was still lying on the cold ground, whose life and death were unknown, they laughed loudly, pointed at each other, and rushed out of the ancestral hall.

The two heavy doors of the ancestral hall closed with a heavy and mournful sound, and the sound outside became softer and quieter, and gradually disappeared into the vast night. The entire ancestral hall suddenly seemed empty, and it was dark everywhere, only the rows of ancestors directly above were still neatly placed there, with a gloomy and murderous appearance......

That Qiao Shuangxi successfully got out of the city with the help of the big man, he was worried that Qiao Xiaojing would be killed, so he didn't dare to relax at all, and trotted all the way through the wasteland, waded through the black ditch, crossed the mountains, and saw Qiaojia Village in the middle of the night.

At this time, Qiaojia Village is like a mausoleum of an old dignitary, vaguely located on a beach at the foot of the mountain, wrapped in the night, dead and silent, no light at all, no sound at all.

Qiao Shuangxi climbed along the path and rolled down the mountain, didn't go far, he heard the sound of rushing water, he knew that he had come to the river outside Qiaojia Village, this is where he played since he was a child, after marrying Xiaojing, they had often come to this river to play, the river has listened to a lot of their confidant words, witnessed their happy time, it can be said that this river and the mountain behind the village is the place he has been to the most in his childhood, not to mention that it is dark, even if he closes his eyes, he can find the past.

After crossing the river, Qiao Shuangxi did not go far, and entered the village.

As soon as he turned onto the avenue, Qiao Shuangxi suddenly saw a person standing in front of him, dark and dark, and instinctively asked, "Who?"

"Who are you?" The man's voice was immature, and it was clear that he was a child who had not grown up, but what puzzled Qiao Shuangxi was that this guy was not short, no matter how he looked like an adult, he couldn't figure out who it was for a while.

"I can't hear your voice, haven't I seen you in this village, who are you?" Qiao Shuangxi paused.

"Brother Shuangxi," the man heard Qiao Shuangxi's voice, and said with a smile, "Who do I think it is? I heard that you went crazy and died outside, and I thought you were ...... without your letter for so long Why are you back?"

"Niwa," Qiao Shuangxi also heard the other party's voice, he didn't have the heart to reminisce here, and asked lightly, "I said, you don't sleep at home in the middle of the night, what are you wandering around in the village? ”

"Be quiet," the mud baby tugged at Qiao Shuangxi's sleeve, pulled him closer, and whispered, "Don't let others hear." I'm going to go to the ancestral hall to save people's lives, your father has issued a strict order today, no one can go to the ancestral hall at night, if you violate the rules, it will be terrible, maybe you will be like that woman, you will be whipped fifty times. ”

"Isn't it Xiaojing?"

"They didn't say it, but I think it is. ”

"In the ancestral hall?"

"Yes. ”

"You said she was beaten with fifty lashes?"

"The skin is open, the flesh is blurred, and the flesh is blurred......"

"Alright, alright, don't say it, hurry up, take me. Qiao Shuangxi was very anxious, and dragged the mud baby forward.

"Such a reckless past," Niwa shook off Qiao Shuangxi's hand and said with a little complaint, "In case someone finds out, then the two of us will be finished, you are the patriarch's own son, he will not poison you, but I can't protect it." ”

"So what do you say?"

"Follow me, don't make a sound, and stick to the wall. If you feel that something is wrong, just run separately and don't let anyone catch you. ”

Qiao Shuangxi had no other way but to do it according to the meaning of the mud baby, learning to bow the waist of the mud baby, and go to the Qiao family ancestral hall next to the wall.

In this way, Qiao Shuangxi and the mud baby sneaked to the door of the ancestral hall, they looked around, to make sure that there was no abnormal situation, and then looked inside through the crack in the door, under the yellowing light, the old ancestral hall was still dim, still empty, except for a few pillars the size of the arms, neatly placed tablets, there was only one person lying on the ground, and nothing else.

"Come in with me," as he spoke, Niwa pushed open a crack in the door of the ancestral hall, and he crept in.

Qiao Shuangxi didn't dare to hesitate, entered the ancestral hall and closed the door casually.

"Brother Shuangxi," the mud baby had already arrived at Qiao Xiaojing's side, and said eagerly, "It's bad, it's all over now, her body is already cold, and she doesn't know how long she has been dead." ”

"What?" Qiao Shuangxi staggered to Qiao Xiaojing's side, lightly touched her exposed arm, and sure enough, as the mud baby said, her hand was as cold as frozen ice, he was like an electric shock, suddenly retracted his hand, and the whole person sat on the ground as if he was paralyzed, his eyes were scattered, and his body was still trembling.

"Brother Shuangxi, what should I do now?" Niwa brought a lamp from the incense platform, and looked at Qiao Shuangxi with no mastery.

"Alas---" Qiao Shuangxi let out a long sigh, which was full of desolation, sadness, and despair. He pulled Qiao Xiaojing's clothes flat, although the clothes had been broken into rags, and then he turned Qiao Xiaojing's body over and let him lie flat, after which he slowly knelt down to Qiao Xiaojing's head, hugged Qiao Xiaojing's upper body in his arms, let her head clinging to his chest, gently rubbed Qiao Xiaojing's face, and couldn't help but shed tears, he wanted to cry, but he couldn't cry.

"Don't patronize the tears," the mud baby standing on the side scratched her ears and cheeks anxiously, urging, "Now is not the time to cry, you have to make up your mind, what should we do, in case someone comes, I may be the next to die here." ”

Qiao Shuangxi looked at the mud baby with his eyes blankly, and under the repeated urging of the mud baby, he stood up slowly, held Qiao Xiaojing, whose body was already stiff, with both hands, and walked towards the door of the ancestral hall step by step.

The heavy gate opened with a dull sound, and when Qiao Shuangxi was about to cross the threshold with Qiao Xiaojing in his hand, the door was suddenly full of people, all of whom were holding torches, among which the patriarch Qiao Baocai stood in the middle.

Qiao Shuangxi was stunned by the scene in front of him, and almost dropped Qiao Xiaojing to the ground, but he didn't expect it to be like this, she actually coughed, which made Qiao Shuangxi extremely surprised, he looked at Qiao Xiaojing's face, slowly squatted down, put his hand on the tip of her nose, he actually felt her snort, he turned his head to the mud baby and said excitedly: "Alive, angry, not dead!"

"You!" Qiao Baocai raised his crutches and pointed at his son Qiao Shuangxi, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Yes, that's me. She, she can't die. Qiao Shuangxi didn't show weakness at all, tilting his head and staring at Qiao Baocai.

"First, lock it up and put it in the cowshed in the village!" Qiao Baocai glared at Qiao Shuangxi and the mud baby.