In July, Princess Taiping instructed a scholar to observe the stars and write that the emperor's throne and the star in front of her heart in the Tianshi Wall had changed, falsely claiming that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was about to usurp the throne. Li Dan didn't believe it, and directly passed it on to Li Longji, changing the Yuan to the congenital.

And far away in the land of Bashu, in July, it was the time when the lychees were ripe, so Dugu Hui took Zhang Nianxin, Dugu Feng and his little sister Dugu Xinya to play in a lychee garden outside their city.

In the middle of summer, the scorching heat is blowing in the face, and the lychee orchard outside the Chengdu Mountain is prosperous. Hejiang, big red hug, green skin, all kinds of lychees hang on the branches like red lanterns. Dugu Feng and Dugu Xinya followed behind the tenant farmer who was picking fruit at home, tore off the plump and rounded pockets and put them in the package, and then took the full harvest out of the shade and tasted it.

Dugu Xinya, who was only four or five years old, wiped the sweat droplets on her forehead, pouted, and said: "Huh~ I'm tired of picking so many of the biggest and reddest ones, I want to taste them." "Let's just peel off the red lychee shell. The round and crystal-like lychee pulp rolled out, but Dugu Xinya's little hand didn't catch it, and her bones fell to the ground and got dirty, stomping her feet angrily.

Dugu Feng on the side was amused by her delicate appearance, took out a handkerchief and picked up a lychee and handed it to her carefully, then peeled off the lychee and fed it to her, "Come, Sister Xinya, I'll teach you, so that it won't fall." ”

Dugu Xinya swallowed the jujube and swallowed the pulp, no matter whether it was sweet or bitter, what the taste was. Then, following Dugufeng's example, I peeled several lychees and stuffed them into my mouth, stuffing my mouth to the brim.

Dugu Feng covered his mouth and smiled: "Eat slowly, no one will rob you, look at you, your cheeks are stuffed like chipmunks." ”

When Dugu Xinya heard this, she stuffed her mouth faster with anger.

"Hey, hey, hey," Dugufeng hurriedly stopped her little hand: "Leave some for your brother and Miss Zhang." ”

On the other side, Dugu Hui took his own sword and bowed to Zhang Nianxin: "Recently, I have found four or five famous masters to study, dare to ask if I can ask Miss Zhang for advice again." ”

Zhang Nianxin couldn't help but talk helplessly, since she lied to Dugufeng's meaning that she was a heroine who traveled out of the mountains and rivers and lakes. The eldest young master was interested in himself, and it seemed that he had eaten enough of the meat dishes in Wanhualou and wanted to try her vegetarian. pestered her every day, lying that she wanted to learn some martial arts, but in fact, she rubbed her hands on herself when she was fine. Zhang Nianxin had no choice but to continue lying in front of him, this performance was half a year, and she was almost schizophrenic now. However, speaking of this Duguhui, she just didn't get angry, and it was bitter for him to stand with his sword in his hand for half an hour. Zhang Nianxin, a girl herself, swung a knife five thousand times a day, and her hands were worn out and she didn't say anything, you dare to be bitter when a big man raises a few knives, so Dugufeng unceremoniously counted him down. Recently, he didn't know where to go, so he found a few good people in the rivers and lakes and invited him to be a teacher in the house. The practice of martial arts in the Tang Dynasty is very strong, and it is not surprising that there are several good players in the land of Bashu, Dugufeng. However, looking at Duguhui's current appearance, Zhang Nianxin knew that the group of people were all liars who came to his house to eat: after practicing the sword for so long, there was not even a little calloon on his hands, his skin was thin and tender, and he was a fool?

But Duguhui didn't think much that he came to Zhang Nianxin to compete this time, but he had been planning for a long time, and several of his masters said that he was now a first-class master in the world, enough to deal with her, and then he would be able to take this woman who never looked at him more into his arms.

After glancing at him, Zhang Nianxin didn't bother to say anything, stretched his waist, and said indifferently: "What about those masters of yours?"

"They said I can leave the school now, and they're all gone..."

At the moment of Duguhui, Zhang Nianxin's eyes suddenly became cold and sharp, and he pulled out the horizontal knife behind his back and rushed towards Duguhui. Duguhui was caught off guard and didn't know how to deal with it at all. Before she could even pull out her sword, Zhang Nianxin's knife was already on her neck. Since Dugufeng explained it to her, Zhang Nianxin didn't care about it anymore, and blatantly carried this horizontal knife all the time.

Zhang Nianxin put away the knife and mocked: "Those masters of yours taught you this in a month?"

Dugu Hui blushed, and then explained: "This, this doesn't count, you sneak attack, let's fight again." (I'll go, I'm going to block it, I'm served)

"Okay, just do as you say. ”

So the two walked away and saluted with their fists. Duguhui pulled out his sword and smiled: "Miss Zhang, you have to be careful this time." However, before he could finish speaking, Zhang Nianxin drew his knife and rushed to her, Dugu Hui was just about to use the tricks taught by his master to meet the enemy, Zhang Nianxin picked it with the back of the knife, and his sword flew out.

Dugu Hui withdrew his sword in embarrassment, angry, I was not convinced: "Come again." ”

This time, Zhang Nianxin hooked his legs, and Duguhui's center of gravity was unstable and fell backwards, if it wasn't for Zhang Nianxin's support, he almost fell to the back of his head.

Helping him up, Zhang Nianxin mocked: "You have studied for so long, and you have learned a bunch of fancy shelves?"

Duguhui's face was red like a lantern hanging in the New Year, and he said: "I am not as good as others in my skills, so I will say goodbye." Lao Wu, let's go to the city to see if those crooks have run away. With that, he led a group of little guys away in a huff.

"Alas, you see that he can't walk steadily, he must have spent half the night in Wanhualou last night. The person who said this was Dugu Feng, who couldn't see clearly on the side.

Zhang Nianxin took the knife back and said, "No wonder your uncle said that there is no successor, your eldest brother is afraid of being tired of learning a few tricks to defend himself, so he knows how to look for flowers and ask willows." Dugufeng and Zhang Nianxin stayed together for half a year, and they became familiar with each other a lot, so Dugufeng had no reservations about her and confided in some trivial matters at home.

Alas, Dugu Feng sighed, and he didn't know who would inherit the family business after his uncle stepped down from the official position. ”

At this time, Dugu Xinya, who had finished enjoying the lychee, came over and clapped her hands: "Wow, Sister Zhang, you are so good, you beat the eldest brother in three or two strokes, can you also teach me? ”

Zhang Nianxin patted her head and said, "If you want to learn, okay, first go find a branch and hold it above your head for half an hour, and then take a knife and slash it at the trunk three thousand times, once a day, for a month." That's the basics of getting started. ”

Dugu Xinya looked at her little hands, a chill, and said, "After practicing like this for half a month, won't your hands be wasted?"

Zhang Nianxin stretched out her hand in front of Dugu Xinya, she grabbed it and looked at it, she was stunned, only to see that it was full of yellow calluses. If it weren't for the fact that the palm itself was quite slender, Dugu Xinya would almost think that it was a man's hand. She swallowed a mouthful of water and said, "Sister, how long do you have calluses on your hands?"

Zhang Nian thought for a while, and said, "Seven or eight years, right? In order not to affect the sword, I have to repair it every year, and one year when I went to the window at home, I tried to pat the nail with my hand, and when the nail went in, my hand didn't hurt at all." ”

Dugu Xinya looked at her slender figure, and said with some distress: "Sister, aren't you ruining your body by doing this?"

Zhang Nianxin smiled bitterly: "Good-looking? I'm not from Hualou, can I eat?"

At this time, Dugu Feng came to the end: "Okay, okay, don't talk about it." Sister, what about the lychee I handed over to you for safekeeping? Nianxin must be thirsty too, so you hurry up and take it. She knew that for a person like her cousin, who had been soaked in a honey pot since childhood, she could not understand the hardships and hardships of the life of the lower classes.

Dugu Xinya stuck out her tongue and said a little embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, the lychees are so delicious, I have eaten them all." ”

Dugu Feng shouted: "Ah, how can you do this." ”

Dugu Xinya pouted and said, "I'm sorry, Sister Feng, I'll go pick a few more." Then he ran into the woods.

Zhang Nianxin: "Ahem, although I also like to eat lychees, I'm actually not so stingy." ”

Dugu Feng: "Alas, of course I know that you are not that kind of person, but it is Aunt Fang who has a headache for me." Although lychee is delicious, it is easy to catch fire if you eat too much. When she came, she told me not to let Xinya eat more, and now she eats so much by herself. I went back and quarreled with her again. ”

At the mention of Fang Xiuwen, Zhang Nianxin's eyes became cold: "It's been half a year, has the matter of the snow goose been settled?"

Dugu Feng shook his head and said helplessly: "The bones have been found to ashes, and I can't talk about it if I want to redress her grievances." ”

"What about Xue Qing?"

Speaking of Xueqing, Dugufeng said with a little sadness: "There will be no news after returning to Luoyang, this girl has a hard life." The five years of exile of the whole family to Bashu were spent by a few of us. Now that she finally got through, her sister died in a daze. Alas, I blame me for this, and I should have begged my parents to take her away together. As she spoke, two lines of tears came from the corners of her eyes.

Zhang Nianxin didn't bring a handkerchief, brushed her sleeves to wipe away her tears, and comforted: "Don't blame yourself too much, you should blame Fang Xiuwen, a vicious woman." ”

"Oh, that's right," Dugu Feng put down Zhang Nianxin's hand and asked, "Xue Qing said the night before she left: I just hate that I can't have martial arts like you." I've always had a question about this, what level of martial arts are you. ”

Zhang Nianxin raised his head, thought about it for a while, and said: "I have just left home not long ago, and I am not very confident in the martial arts taught by my father. But after saving you, I almost understood, it should be above the second rate. ”

When Dugu Feng heard this, his sadness dissipated, and he laughed: "How did you kill two thieves, and you were forced to run away by a leader, and you are a first-class master." ”

Zhang Nianxin smiled slightly, and said: "The group of salt sellers is called the Wuzhu Gang, a total of about 100 people. I had already killed twelve of them before I met you, and when you went to save Uncle Wang, I followed you and secretly solved seven or eight sentry guards for you. Otherwise, your clumsy steps can get to Fu Bo? Why, didn't you find out?" she said, and glanced at Dugu Feng contemptuously.

Dugu Feng was stunned for a moment, his eyes full of shock.

Zhang Nianxin continued: "When saving Fubo, the leader was called Su Peng, the leader of the Wuzhu Gang, and he was forced by me to lose his skills before he appeared. Although I was cut when I confronted him, I cut the tendons of his hand, and if he couldn't be cured for a year, he would never be able to lift a knife again. Why, after killing twenty or thirty people and cutting down a gang leader, aren't you considered a second-rate master?"

Dugu Feng heard her show off the murder as an ordinary thing, and she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart, and said with a little disgust: "When you kill someone, don't you feel disgusted? When I first saw Fu Bo die in front of me covered in snow, I was almost scared to vomit. ”

Zhang Nianxin said coldly: "Hmph, a group of gangsters who do a lot of evil and oppress the people, what psychological burden can I have when I kill them?"

"Then you, why before?"

Zhang Nianxin put away the coldness just now, played with a few strands of green silk of Dugu Feng, and said playfully, "Because-I'm afraid of scaring the delicate Miss Dugu you." When you see Faber dead, you're so scared that you can't walk. If I had said that I had killed people all the way after you, you wouldn't have fainted on the spot. ”

When Dugu Feng heard her say this, his heart suddenly felt as warm as bathing in the spring breeze of March, and his face turned red. Some dissatisfied, he said, "Then why are you saying it again now?"

"Because, in fact, I'm going to say goodbye to you today. ”