When I walked out of this quiet bamboo forest with Hu Xiaoer, I was very glad that I had just made the decision. The bamboo forest road is small, but it is slender and quiet, if there is no one to talk to me, it must be extremely unbearable. Don't look at Hu Xiaoer as just an errand runner in the store, but he knows a lot from all over the world. are all good mouths, Meng Yunsheng is good at telling those ancient and modern legends that swallow mountains and rivers or linger and compassionate, and Hu Xiaoer picks out the mundane things in the market to talk about, and there are some strange and unpopular crooked reasoning and heresies that are also very interesting in his mouth.

Seeing that it was almost dark, I was worried about where to settle down while walking, and I saw an inn waiting in front of the people, which was not as magnificent as ten miles through the alleys. The word "Inn" was written on the broken wooden plaque at the door, and the yellow flag swayed in the afterglow of the setting sun, along with the large wine vat painted on it.

Hu Xiaoer looked at me and said tentatively, "It's better here than a broken temple." ”

I nodded, "Just have wine." ”

I walked in with Hu Xiaoer. On the first floor of the inn sat a lot of people eating and drinking, the old shopkeeper lay on the account desk and didn't know what he was writing, and when he saw someone coming in, he raised his head and smiled.

"Two, do you want to stay in the hotel?"

I said, "Stay in the hotel." ”

The old shopkeeper said unhurriedly: "We have a sky-shaped room, a herringbone room, a ground-shaped room, as well as the southeast, northwest, and northwest wings, and Datong Shop, I don't know which room the two of you want to live in?"

Hu Xiaoer asked, "Is there any difference?"

Take the word room as an example, Tianzi No. 1 has a good roof, two brocade beds in one room, flowers, birds, fish and insects, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and a table of delicious food, of course, the price is also ...... A little bit more. The herringbone room is mean, and then the bottom is the ground room. As for the main furnishings of this wing, the scenery from the window is also different, otherwise how can it be called southeast and northwest!"

Hu Xiaoer gave a thumbs up, "With such an arrangement, your owner is amazing!"

"It's easy to say, it's easy to say. The old shopkeeper curled up the two-petal mustache on his lips, leaned closer and asked, "The two are husband and wife, right?"

Hu Xiaoer also came up, "How can you see it?"

The old shopkeeper smiled quite proudly, and the two-petal mustache became even more curvy, "Of course you can see it with your eyes! I see that the two guest officers have the word fate written on their faces, they can't be wrong!"

I saw that his head was so close that his whole body was about to lie on the account table, and I winked at Hu Xiaoer and continued: "Since it is a husband and wife, I think it is best to have a Tianzi room." ”

Hu Xiaoer also blinked his eyes, "Why is this?"

"Don't you understand? Husband and wife, it's inevitable that you will have to stumble a little. In case there is a fight at the head of the bed and the end of the bed can't be closed, this is not exactly two beds! Sleep until dawn in separate beds, husband and wife are as good as ever, little brother, you can still avoid the pain of sleeping on the floor. ”

"That sounds like a reason. ”

"So, little brother, or the Tianzifang ......"

"Smack-" A string of money was heavily placed on the account desk, and I said, "I'm tired of the shopkeeper, just need two herringbone rooms." ”

The old shopkeeper was stunned, confiscated the money and went to see Hu Xiaoer's face first.

Hu Xiaoer said frankly: "Actually, we are brother and sister, and we came out to play in the mountains and rivers, and the fate you saw is probably like this." ”

The old shopkeeper said "oh" meaningfully, "I understand, I understand, good brother and sister, now they all say so, fun and fun." He looked very clear, "This person has fifteen pennies in a room." ”

Hu Xiaoer took out a string of money from his arms, frowned and muttered: "Honest people are also stingy, just like that." He counted it twice, and then reluctantly moved to the old shopkeeper.

The old shopkeeper lowered his head and flipped through the account book, turned a few pages, and then wrinkled his brows, and did not talk to us for a long time.

Hu Xiaoer whispered to me: "Won't there be only one room left, as the book says, we want to live in the same room as a lonely man and widow?"

"It can't be such a coincidence......" I remembered the men and women who entered the broken temple at night and burned the fire with dry wood in the story of Meng Yunsheng, and looked at Hu Xiaoer and became nervous.

Fortunately, the old shopkeeper finally raised his head and pointed to one of the pages of the account book, "Oh! The two of you are so lucky, there are only two herringbone rooms on the top floor of the whole inn, it is better to come early than to come by chance, I will let the two of you take them upstairs." ”

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, I heard a loud bang from upstairs. Immediately afterward, a person hurriedly ran down and shouted to this side, "Shopkeeper, the roof of a herringbone room upstairs has collapsed!"

"What room is it?"

"The third room of the herringbone is fortunate that there are no people living in it. ”

The old shopkeeper turned his head with a solemn face and smiled awkwardly at us, "This, this is not a common thing, that is, there is only one room left now......"

"Gotcha!" Hu Xiaoer took back his string of money on the account desk, looking like he was in a good mood, "There is one room left in the two rooms, but it saves money." ”

The old shopkeeper looked at me with a smile on his face, and slowly spit out the words, "It's not difficult for two brothers and sisters to live in one room, right......?"

I sighed faintly.

At this time, Hu Xiaoer and I sat in the No. 4 room with big eyes. The so-called mediocre herringbone room is a bed, a long table and two chairs. There was a pot of wine on the long table, and the old shopkeeper didn't want to give it to us in vain. Hu Xiaoer slapped the table and got up, the candlelight flickered, and he coughed dryly: "Sleep, I have to hurry tomorrow morning." ”

I asked, "How do you sleep in a bed?"

He squinted at me, "What am I robbing with a girl? Of course you sleep on the bed, I sleep on the table." ”

I didn't expect him to be quite considerate, but I was a little upset, "Actually, I don't mind that much." ”

"Then you sleep on the table and I sleep on the bed?" he answered quickly.

"Anyway, I'm your savior. I glared at him, and all the uneasiness in my heart was wiped away, "Who called a woman during the day." ”

"Gotta get it, heroine. He smiled.

"Let's make an appointment first," I held the sword in my arms and said to Hu Xiaoer solemnly, "Tonight, you are only allowed to sleep on your own domain, and you are not allowed to move or jump down." Otherwise, don't blame my sword for having no eyes. ”

"I'm just an honest man, how can you be the same as that robber!" Hu Xiaoer shouted and raised his hands, half disgusted, "I'm still afraid that you will do something to me, and when the time comes, if I don't obey you in the middle of the night, do you want a sword-" He said and made a throat sealing motion, showing a mouthful of white teeth, looking quite funny.

"Nonsense!" I turned my back and laughed secretly, the tension in my heart washed away.

Speaking of which, this was my first night away from the lodge.

In the middle of the night, I lay in bed, and I couldn't sleep when I opened my eyes and looked at the dark ceiling. The table was silent, and there was no sound. I turned around and lay on my side and whispered to the vague figure, "Hu Xiaoer, are you asleep?"

After a while, there was a rustling sound of clothes rubbing on the table, and then Hu Xiaoer began to speak, "I was woken up by you when I fell asleep." "What's the matter, woman?" he asked.

"I can't sleep and want to talk to someone. ”

"What's wrong with this? Do women like to wake people up and chat when they can't sleep?"

I seemed to be able to see him fussing in the dark, and I said to him: "When I was a child, I slept in the same room with my senior brother, and we whispered when I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night. ”

"Luckily, we're not really brothers and sisters, so I'm fine. I can't sleep, so I like to think quietly by myself. I vaguely saw him roll over and face me, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Hey, didn't you say you didn't have this problem?"

"I'll talk to you, I can't sleep anyway. Why don't you - just talk about you. ”

"Me?" I froze.

"Yes," he said, "let's start with why you chose to go to Moshang Mountain Villa to learn art." ”

"I didn't choose it, and I didn't have to choose it. I paused and said, "I've lived in Moshang Mountain Villa since I was a child. For as long as I can remember, I have known that my master is Mo Shangsang, and my senior brother is called Merry Valley. I was a child picked up by the master, without a father or mother, and the master named me Qiye, and later the master brought back the little brother and named him Jiuye. Master only has three of us apprentices, me, Master, Senior Brother, Senior Brother, Senior Brother, and Xiao Tong, and the five of us live in the huge mountain villa, and we have always been the five of us. ”

I don't know if Hu Xiaoer is listening, anyway, just his words, I want to say it, so let's talk about it.

"It's also strange to say, among the three apprentices, the senior brother has the highest talent, and he can inherit his old mantle by practicing the master's light skills. The little junior brother loves medicine and does not practice martial arts, and he has a lot of experience in medical skills at a young age, and he will definitely have something to do in the future. And my qualifications are mediocre, my learning is mediocre, and my work is mediocre, but Master and his old man treat me very well. When my brother and I got into trouble in Jinling City, Master would definitely punish him, but first patiently taught me, and then bought sugar gourds to comfort me. Master treated me like a loving father, and my brother and junior brother took me as an example and loved me very much. Although I don't have extraordinary skills, I am very proud to have these three people protect me like this. As I spoke, I remembered the scene of living in the mountain villa in my mind, and my eyes gradually moistened.

"Actually, people have strengths, maybe you just haven't noticed it. Like what...... The three of them are so spoiled by you, you haven't grown into a rude and willful appearance, which is also your outstanding ability. ”

I don't think he's trying to amuse me, but it makes sense. I said, "The master also said that the girl's family is delicate, that I am more perceptive and exquisite-hearted than ordinary girls, and that I want my senior brother and brother to treat me well." Isn't that a great skill?"

There was silence at the long table, and within a moment he chuckled, "It doesn't count. Your master really loves you. But how could he let you go down the mountain alone?"

"This is the rule of Moshang Villa, all disciples who have reached the age of eighteen must go out of Jinling City alone. Although I was protected by a few of them in the palm of my hand, but the rivers and lakes are far-reaching, I also want to go and see it, otherwise how can I be worthy of the word "woman!"

"Yes, I didn't think you were quite ambitious. He seemed to turn over again, and said to me in a different tone, "Then dare to ask the woman, what are the rivers and lakes in your eyes?"

"What is it?" I thought as he said, "perhaps...... Not yet ...... In the past, the place where I walked was only the size of Jinling City, and the most I went to was ten miles through the alleys, and the rivers and lakes I heard were also the rivers and lakes in Mengyunsheng's mouth. Meng Yunsheng said that the black and white forces on the rivers and lakes are distinct, the white road is chivalrous, and the underworld is evil, and they don't like each other. Outside the rivers and lakes are the government and the opposition, and those who have lived in temples for a long time do not look down on the people in the grassland. The so-called leader of the Jianghu Alliance is nothing more than a reckless man in the eyes of a high-ranking and powerful person. But through the alleys for ten miles, there is no distinction between black and white, there is no killing, civilians can drink at the same table with high-ranking officials, and everything is peaceful and singing. This is great, but it's not really a thing. Going out of the alley is another set of rules, but this is the real Jianghu. Now I'm also caught up in it, whether it's black or white, I have a ruler in my heart to measure. ”

I've never said this to anyone before, but now I feel very happy when I say it in one go. I exhaled, but found that the person on the table hadn't promised me for a long time, and was about to post a post, when I heard Hu Xiaoer slowly speak: "But do you know that the so-called distinction between the underworld and the white way on the rivers and lakes is just something on the surface, and there may be a gray area in the middle that cannot be seen clearly and incomprehensibly." Maybe they're doing the dirtiest deals, they're doing the most shady things. You are in the light, they are in the dark, they will always ignore the rules of the real rivers and lakes, disregard human life, and be proud of evil, how do you use the ruler in your heart to measure?" he put his words softly, "You have the appearance of the rivers and lakes in your heart, but perhaps, the real rivers and lakes are not what you think." ”

I savored his unfathomable words, thought about it for a long time, and really came up with some truth, "Hu Xiaoer," I said: "How can you, a shopkeeper who runs through the alleys every day, know the real rivers and lakes?"

"Huh?" Hu Xiaoer was stunned for a moment, and after coming back to his senses, he shouted unwillingly, "Then how can you, a little girl who has just come down the mountain, say those words just now?"

"It's all said, I'm exquisite, I think a lot, and I realize it myself!" I argued.

"As I said, it was your master who tricked you, and this is not extraordinary. A little girl is a little girl!"

"I'm not a little girl, I'm eighteen years old, and I can be your savior. ”

"Cut, that's a little girl too!"

After these few sentences, Hu Xiaoer has become the appearance of the market Xiaoer who had to be poor with me in everything before.

The so-called truth always becomes clearer and clearer the more it is debated, and I do not deny the truth of what he said.

I said, "Hu Xiaoer, after talking so much about me, let's talk about you." ”

"I don't have much to talk about. He then replied, "Just a down-and-out little beggar, fortunately the owner took him in and became the second runner in the inn." If there is anything outstanding, the owner said that I learned to make wine very quickly, and all the worm wine in the alley was brewed by me. ”

"Besides," I kindly added to him, "you have a good mouth. ”

Hu Xiaoer laughed, "That's that." ”

Xu was tired after talking too much, and the figure on the table stopped making a sound after laughing. I was left alone in the dark night staring at the dark ceiling in a daze, and after a long time, I whispered to the man, "Tell me about your host." ”

"Huh?" I don't know if Hu Xiaoer is completely awake, so I heard him sigh.

"It is said that the owner of the ten miles through the alleys has come and gone without a trace, and it is extremely mysterious, and few people know the true face of his Lushan. Now that you've seen what he really looks like, what kind of person is he, your host?"

"What kind of people?" he murmured, turning over and sneering, "they are all people of the world, just like you and me, eyes are eyes, noses are noses, mouths are mouths, what is mysterious." The next time you come to the alley for a drink, you will find the most ordinary and inconspicuous person in the crowd, maybe it will be my host......"

His voice faded into silence, followed by bursts of snoring. I still have a lot of questions in my heart, but Hu Xiaoer's words remind me of the blank note that inexplicably appeared in the lantern when the black catcher came to ask for the news of the luminous cup. If the mysterious proprietor really hid in the crowd in the lobby at that time and took advantage of the chaos to stuff the note to the shopkeeper, then everything would have been explained.

Is it just that he is such a ghost, can he believe all the words he says? Or maybe it was just his dream.

In the midst of the snoring, I fell asleep as I was blind.