A thatched hut.

An oil lamp.

A broken sword.

A teenager.

The oil lamp is like a bean, faint and ready to be extinguished.

The broken sword is like lightning, and it is breathtaking......

Sitting behind the counter, Niu Ye's deep-set eyes looked motionless into the distance.

In fact, looking at the door of the tavern, not far away is a dirt mountain, dry and barren, with no scenery to speak of.

Behind the earth mountain, it is still the earth mountain.

Generally dry and generally barren.

But Niu Ye kept looking at it like this.

Or maybe his cloudy eyes can see through the dirt mountain.

The store was empty.

Second sister-in-law You hid in the back kitchen and didn't make a sound.

The shepherd sat at the wooden table, his hands clutching a black rag and motionless.

Niu Ye looked at it in a daze, like a mountain rock.

In front of him, a picture was slowly unfolding-

Under the dim oil lamp, the young man's calm eyes danced with fierce sparks.

He was so young, so handsome.

However, on the young and handsome face, there is a tiredness and old age that is very inconsistent with age.

A kind of old age sharpened by wind and sand.

An indescribable exhaustion.

Even the young eyes are deep-set.

The young man was dressed in coarse cloth, and although he was sitting, he could see the slenderness of his figure.

On the wooden table in front of him, quietly, a sword was placed.

A broken sword.

The boy didn't say anything.

The broken sword glowed faintly in the light.

There is no sword head, no sword grid, no scabbard, and no sword spike.

A thin piece of iron, with a handle wrapped around it with fine twine.

The blade is also not very sharp.

Crude and crude.

But it was unusually shiny.

Now it's broken, but the cold light is still unabated......

The boy sat quietly at the wooden table, motionless as a mountain.

Looking at the broken sword on the table, his brow couldn't help but furrow.

It can be seen that the young man cherishes the sword extraordinarily.

Suddenly, he grabbed a wine jar, smashed the mud with one palm, raised his head and drank most of it, gasped, stared at the sword on the table for a moment, picked up the wine jar with both hands, and gently poured it against the broken sword.

The oil lamp jumped, and the boy's eyes flashed silently with tears......

No one knows his name.

Including himself.

Of course he had parents, and of course his parents would call him by name.

But that was many years ago.

For many years, no one called him by his name anymore.

Even he himself has forgotten.

How can a person forget their name?

Maybe there was some unknown past in that name......

The crisp liquor flowed slowly over the sword's body.

The thatched hut has broken windows, and it can't stop the howling north wind.

The dim yellow oil lamp jumped, and red sparks danced on the sword.

The young man was silent, and his hand holding the wine jar was as steady as an iron pillar.

The wine continued to flow through the sword, and the sparks did not go out, but danced more violently.

There was a spark in the boy's eyes.

Dull and intense......

At that time, he was still young.

At that time, he had a father, a mother, and a grandfather.

He vaguely remembered that it was a snowy day.

Snow covered the heavens and the earth, and there was a vast expanse between the heavens and the earth.

The north wind was howling, dripping into ice, and he felt like he was about to freeze.

My grandfather, who was lying in the snow, was motionless, and under his frost-stained eyebrows, a pair of eyes stared straight ahead.

The beard that was also stained with frost shook and shook, and the beard had already become as white as snow.

Ahead, it was white, and his eyes were wide open, and he couldn't see anything.

My grandfather lay motionless in the snow.

"Look-" Suddenly, my grandfather lowered his voice and roared, already ready to shoot.

Looking at his grandfather's gaze, an old wolf, I don't know whether his coat turned white or covered with snow, in his young memory, the wolf was as white as his grandfather's hair, as white as his grandfather's eyebrows, as white as his grandfather's beard, and as white as snow......

The old wolf hunched his back and his waist was very thin, and he looked as if he hadn't eaten for many days.

The snow was very thick, and the old wolf walked very slowly with his head down.

Although he had his grandfather by his side, looking at the old wolf who was getting closer and closer, he felt that his heart was about to jump out.

My grandfather was still lying in the snow nest, covered with snow, thinking about a white stone.

Suddenly, the old wolf seemed to sense something, raised his head, and looked this way and again.

Grandpa, who had been lying on his stomach, suddenly stood up and shouted, and the wolf seemed to be taken aback, turned sideways, and stared at him and his grandfather with a pair of gloomy eyes......

With a "whoosh", Grandpa's arrow had already flown out like lightning. Seeing that he was deceived, the old wolf's body shook and he was about to dodge - unfortunately, at such a close distance, the old wolf's reaction was a little slower, and the arrow shot by his grandfather was firmly inserted in the old wolf's back.

Grandpa shouted, jumped out, and caught another arrow in his hand.

The old wolf was hit by an arrow, stumbled under his feet, and did not fall, his eyes showed a fierce light, staring at his grandfather who rushed over, looking extremely hideous.

The sound of the bowstring flicking sounded, and another arrow rushed towards the old wolf, who stared at his grandfather without moving his eyes, and jumped slightly, and the sharp arrow grazed the old wolf's fur and slid past, and stuck in the snow, leaving only the feathers of the arrow tip trembling.

There was another "snap", and I saw the old wolf grinning and howling lowly, and on his back, a stream of red blood flowed down the shaft of the arrow, and the fierce light in his eyes burned into a ghost fire.

It turned out that the cunning old wolf dodged his grandfather's arrow, but stepped on the trap that his grandfather had placed earlier.

The huge beast clamp bit one of the old wolf's hind legs, looking at the grandfather who was bent and arrowed step by step, the old wolf roared in vain, and the blood on his back dripped down, staining the white snow on the ground.

He stood in the snow, shivering as he looked at the struggling old wolf.

Grandpa didn't look at him, and walked towards the old wolf step by step.

Seeing his grandfather approaching, the old wolf bared his teeth and pounced, and as soon as he jumped up, he was dragged back by the beast trap.

A thick iron chain was attached to the beast's clip.

At the end of the chain, a stake.

The stakes were driven deep into the ground under the snow.

My grandfather held a bow in his left hand and pulled the string in his right hand, and the whole person was as steady as Mount Tai, with only a beard as white as snow swaying in the wind.

The old wolf struggled and roared, and the look in his eyes darkened.

Grandpa looked at it for a long time, suddenly put down his bow, turned around and picked up a heavy wooden stick, and smashed it at the old wolf's head and face.

After a few sticks, the old wolf finally fell.

It was lying on its side on the snow, wisps of blood oozing from the corners of its eyes and mouth from time to time, and a blood-red tongue also flowed out of its mouth, its eyes looking at the cold sky, empty and desperate.

Only the shriveled belly is still bulging, proving that it has not died yet.

Grandpa raised his stick aloft again, ready to give him the final fatal blow.

He stood on the snow and subconsciously closed his eyes.

My heart was beating so badly, I was afraid to see that scene, but my eyes closed but I couldn't help but open a slit.

Grandpa's stick carried the sound of the wind and smashed it deadly.

The fierce stick wind even drowned out the howling north wind on the vast snowfield.

The old wolf will surely die!

No one expected that at the last moment, the old wolf suddenly jumped up like lightning...... It was as if a white lightning bolt was streaked across the snow, and before he could react, he saw his grandfather's raised stick stop in mid-air, and a stream of bright red blood spurted out of his grandfather's throat......

He was stunned, exclaimed, and was about to run over, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the snow, and he could not move.

What happened next made him even more unable to believe his eyes: after the old wolf had bitten through his grandfather's throat, he suddenly stood up, although he was scarred, but still full of energy. It looked at him very calmly, turned around suddenly, and bit its own hind leg that was caught by the beast, and tore it with all its might, and the severe pain made the old wolf tremble......

He stood in the snow and couldn't help but tremble.

Finally, the old wolf bit off his hind legs, and all three legs limped to their feet.

His heart was about to jump out of his voice, and suddenly he felt a heat in his lower body, and something warm flowed out.

When he was young, he was going to die in the belly of a wolf today? Moreover, he was still an old wolf with only three legs and was seriously wounded......

With a roar, like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, he turned around excitedly and found his father rushing up desperately.

When the old wolf saw someone coming, his eyes that had already burned into ghost fire gave him a vicious look, and he fled with great difficulty and at the same time.

............

Time had passed so long that his grandfather's appearance had blurred in his mind.

But he will never forget the old wolf.

That cunning and ferocious wolf.

A wolf who dares to bite off his hind legs......

I will never forget every action of the old wolf.

I'll never forget the old wolf's eyes that burned into ghostly fire.

The old wolf was like a nightmare, and from that moment on, it was carved into his bones......

Growing up with nightmares is also growth.

He grew up.

Somehow, he walked into the rivers and lakes, and he had a sword in his hand.

He became a swordsman.

Every time he drew his sword in his hand, the appearance of the old wolf appeared in front of him again.

It's so calm.

The demonic composure is more terrifying than its ferocity.

With his thin and wounded body, he silently endured the fatal blow of the stick, and only at the last moment, he suddenly threw out a fatal blow with all his strength...... That blow, I'm afraid no opponent can dodge.

That blow was simply an invitation to King Zhang Yan to invite him to the banquet.

He grew up, he went into the rivers and lakes, and he became a swordsman.

Everything is accompanied by those ghostly eyes.

His upbringing was accompanied by nightmares.

Although the nightmare frightens him, who can deny that the nightmare is also inspiring?

In order to be able to defeat the enemy in a duel, but also to survive in the cruel battle of the rivers and lakes, almost every swordsman has cultivated a unique skill, some are fast, some are light, and some are fast and light......

He has walked the rivers and lakes for many years, and although he inevitably has scars on his body, at least, he is still alive.

is good and alive walking on the rivers and lakes, naturally, he also has his tricks.

His sword was fast, but it wasn't fast! His sword, though rudimentary, was by no means light.

His trick is composure.

Needless to say, it was all taught by the old wolf.

That nightmare had penetrated into his bone marrow so deeply! so deep that after so much time, he still remembered every detail clearly, although he was still an ignorant child at that time.

This kind of professor that goes straight to the soul is something that no master swordsman or any master master on the rivers and lakes has ever known, no one will, let alone understand.

It was bought with my grandfather's blood and my grandfather's life.

That's not a low price.

All peerless swordsmanship is practiced.

Only he was different, his swordsmanship had penetrated deeply into his blood and his soul since he could remember.

............

In the silent hut, the young man hugged the wine jar, drank a few sips by himself, poured a little more on the broken sword, poured a little, and drank a few more sips.

The only difference is that when he drinks it himself, he directly lifts his neck and pours it down, and when he pours the sword, he holds the wine jar firmly with both hands and pours it down slowly, the movement is so light and soft, as if he is afraid of waking up a sleeping soul......

Niu Ye sat quietly behind the counter, motionless and looking ahead, the whole person seemed to be out of his body, only those deep-set eyes, jumping with strange light, sometimes excited, sometimes sad.

Suddenly, he felt a flicker in front of him, and the hut, the boy, and the broken sword disappeared in an instant, and he shook his head vigorously, only to find that the young man who often came to drink walked in steadily.

He was, as usual, dressed in coarse cloth with a sword stuck in his belt.

Without saying a word, the boy walked straight to the wooden table in the corner of the wall, and sat down silently, still facing the earthen wall, and only his emaciated back could be seen.

"Shepherd!" said Master Niu, owing a debt, and shouted to the shepherd who was sitting at the table in a daze.

Although I haven't spoken, I often come to Niu Ye's tavern to drink, and I can be regarded as a regular customer. Moreover, every time he came, he asked for the same thing: three jars of wine, a plate of peanuts, and always the peanuts in front of him did not move, but several jars of wine were poured down with their heads raised as if they were filled with water.

Although the shepherd is stupid, he also knows the tastes of this drinker, so what to serve and how to serve does not need to be dictated by the cow master.

But it was said that the shepherd was sitting at the wooden table in a daze, holding a rag in his hand, and when he heard the cry of the cow master, he stood up and looked this way, and his two little eyes were full of suspicion.

"Shepherd, wine!" the cow master shouted again when he saw that the shepherd did not move.

"......" the shepherd stood, muttering in his mouth, but still not moving.

"What's wrong?" Looking at that look, Niu Ye raised his voice and asked again.

"Old-old-old shopkeeper, this-this, for whom?" the shepherd asked, leaning on the table, vaguely with a puzzled face.

"What's ......" Niu Ye pointed to the wooden table in the corner, and as soon as he spoke, he suddenly stopped speaking, and his two deep-set eyes were also full of puzzlement.

The wooden table in the corner of the wall was empty, and there was nothing.

"Strange, what about this young man?" Niu Ye stood up silently and said thoughtfully.

"What young man ......," the shepherd muttered in confusion.

"Hey, it's a dream......" Niu Ye ignored the shepherd's question, rubbed his eyes, and said to himself.

"Dream ......" shepherd was even more puzzled, obviously looking at the old shopkeeper sitting behind the counter, not asleep.

"Hey, dreaming in broad daylight, it seems that I am really old...... "Niu Ye sighed, and his eyes looked ahead again......