After lunch, Sikong Gu and Liu Sanbian walked towards the covered bridge in the backyard of Mingyue Tower, the purpose of which was to build several high-rise buildings in the depths of the huge courtyard. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Xiao Langjun Liu San changed very lively, and he was even more energetic after dinner, and he asked and answered Sikong Gu on the road:

"Sikong Gongzi is really from the rivers and lakes?"

"The people of the rivers and lakes who are like fakes. ”

"Then the broad-faced man in the lobby just now is also from the rivers and lakes, right?"

"Fang Cai Xiao Langjun saw everyone in the lobby, all of them were from the rivers and lakes. ”

"Sikong Gongzi and Lao Zhang are acquainted?"

"Uncle Zhang is an old acquaintance of his father, and he naturally knows it as a junior. ”

"Just now Sikong Gongzi mentioned 'Jiangning Mansion', is Sikong Gongzi from Jiangning?"

“......”

Sikong Gu, who was leading in front, was silent and immediately stopped. And after Liu San's transformation, the little scholar Ah Yue grabbed Liu Sanbian's cuffs and cuffs, but Liu Sanbian turned his head suspiciously to look at Ah Yue who couldn't reach his chest, and asked in Sikong Gu's slightly surprised gaze: "What's wrong, Ah Yue." ”

Ah Yue pursed his lips, it seemed that Xiao Langjun didn't know that he had asked a question that he shouldn't have asked.

Sikong Gu interrupted the communication between the master and servant at this time, stretched out his hand to a small building not far away, and said to Liu San: "Look, there is Accord ahead, can Liu Langjun be satisfied?"

Along the way, the green bamboo towers, the stream leaves by leaves, the flowers are clustered among them, there are birds and birds chirping lightly from time to time, and the creek under the corridor turns nine times one after another, which is very elegant. There are also several stone tables in the pavilion in the courtyard, and the clouds on the chessboard on one of the tables are scattered, which seems to be an endgame.

Xiao Langjun has come all the way, and he only feels that the wind here is clear and sweet. There was also a fine incense, and in the depths of the fragrance seemed to be the purple flowers hanging on the stone walls, and it seemed to be the cluster of flowers in the southwest of the pavilion. Seeing the quiet and elegant environment behind Mingyue Tower, Xiao Langjun couldn't help but have the idea of staying here for a long time, after all, he was not in a hurry to return to his hometown, and he happened to be in Yangzhou for a few days.

Hearing Sikong Gu's words, Liu Sanbian put Fang Cai's question behind him and never thought about it again. And looking at Sikong Gu's fingers, Liu Sanbian saw a three-story attic. There is a faint shadow of the maid's clothes in the building, the attic is not big as a whole, it is hidden in the tall branches and leaves from a distance, and the jade decoration can be vaguely seen on the terrace under the sun, and the whole has both a sense of beauty and a quiet state.

"Here I will lend the two to rest, the prosperity of Yangzhou City is difficult to see one day, the two of them are tired, today in my Mingyue Building to rest, tomorrow to visit this Yangzhou scenery?"

Liu Sanbian was not deeply involved in the world, and he opened his mouth to agree, but he pulled his long sleeves again for the little scholar Ah Yue, and then remembered what his father and his second uncle taught him on weekdays, especially the "etiquette" entrusted by his father when he returned from Tokyo, and said while saluting: "This is Brother Sikong's real estate, how dare you be rude to stay in ......"

So this unsophisticated Liu Langjun learned from the second uncle on weekdays and "shirked", but the desire in his eyes was not concealed at all, and there was a half-sincere look. Ah Yue stood aside, and the helpless look on his face was also blank and lonely.

Sikong Gu shook his head, laughed in his heart, and said: "Liu Langjun don't want to be humble, those of us who hate the most in the rivers and lakes are such people with different hearts." If Liu Langjun really doesn't want to live in my Mingyue Tower, and dislikes being inattentive as a host, I can't force me to stay......"

After saying that, Sikong Gu also pretended to call the servants beside him, making it look like he was going to send off guests, Ah Yue looked at it in his eyes, and only felt that it was too fake, how could anyone really want to send off guests, and just stared at the servants?

But Ah Yue still overestimated this simple little Langjun, he only heard Liu San's expression change in a hurry, and said: "Is this Xiaosheng, is Xiaosheng dissincere." ”

After saying that, Liu Sanbian bowed deeply to apologize, and at the same time shook his long sleeves to show his dissatisfaction with the little scholar Ah Yue who pulled his sleeve again, and Ah Yue felt an inexplicable grievance in his heart.

Sikong Gu picked up Xiao Langjun and made a sincere appearance: "Liu Langjun also hopes to remember: What people in my rivers and lakes hate the most are those duplicitous characters, if you can't be merry and happy, do what I want, what's the use of practicing this Lao Shizi martial arts? This red tape is not useful to people in the rivers and lakes." ”

Liu Sanbian nodded dumbly, as if he understood the meaning of Sikong Gu's words, but his delicate and fair face showed doubts again, and Ah Yuezhi on the side frowned and said nothing.

The four of them walked a hundred or so paces to the bottom of the attic. Liu Sanchang looked at this attic from a distance and felt that its design was very exquisite, but when he looked closely, he showed a trace of majestic taste, and he couldn't help but admire.

"Let's rest here, Uncle Zhang and I haven't seen each other for a long time, and we have some old things to talk about. "I also introduced the maid who appeared in front of the door at some point for Liu Sanbian, "This girl is called Xiaoshuang, if Liu Langjun has any difficulties, you can ask her carefully, if there is anything unsatisfactory in this residence, just let Xiaoshuang do it." ”

"How dare you, how dare you, thank you Brother Meng Yuan. ”

The smile on the corner of Sikong Gu's mouth before closing the door made the little scholar Ah Yue frown, and he could only sigh when he saw the master curiously looking left and right in the room.

"Nothing to be courteous, either a traitor or a thief, no matter how familiar this prince is with Lao Zhang, there is no need to deliberately put Xiao Langjun here, right? Fang Cai's pretentious appearance is just like the real thing! If it weren't for that smile announcing victory, I would almost believe it. Lao Zhang is not like this, although he is also mysterious, but he gets along much more like this lonely person on weekdays. It's a pity that Lang Jun is not deeply involved in the world, and he doesn't understand these things, but he doesn't notice the horror of these people in the rivers and lakes at all, seeing such a bloody scene, but under the guidance of that Sikong Lone, he forgot all about it, and only thought about the lanterns in Yangzhou, the stone bridge, these broken things. The second master is right, if you don't come out for a walk, Xiao Langjun may always be a stupid donkey Trojan horse. ”

The little scholar Ah Yue looked at Liu Sanbian gently holding the white jade plate to watch, and really felt that Xiao Langjun was more like a child, and the Shuang'er girl who introduced him on the side was really like a lady.

"That Sikong boy should have no malice towards us, and that pretentious appearance can only deceive nerds like Xiao Langjun, and he can't deceive Lao Zhang. However, Lao Zhang has been working in the Liu family for ten years, and I only learned today that he is a Jianghu person. What is the relationship between them......? Ah Yue really doesn't understand, what do you mean by 'pay attention to safety' that you specially emphasized to me? Ah Yue really doesn't understand, Lao Zhang is not here, who can I discuss with?"

Thinking of this, Ah Yue raised his head and was about to make a short sigh, but he was facing Shangliu Sanchang's enthusiastic gaze.

"Ah Yue, Ah Yue, let's go upstairs and have a look. ”

The little scholar Ah Yue frowned and looked at a stupid donkey's big grinning mouth, which was simply a happy look of "not knowing whether to live or die", and sighed silently.

"Let's go. ”

Hearing this slightly abrupt sentence, Zhang Wenwen was still silent, lowered his head slightly, and followed Sikong Gu to a townhouse at the other end of the backyard. Although the sun was hanging high at this time, Zhang Wenwen's heart was like a cold stone.

"Impossible...... We all examined the corpse at the beginning, it can't be him......"

The two of them reached the end of this dreary journey without a word, in a simple small room. As soon as Zhang Wenwen entered the house, he knew that although this place seemed to be empty, he was actually afraid of an important place in a bright moon building.

In a luxurious courtyard, there is always a barren place, and the so-called barren is a place where there are no people. For luxury households, this kind of place is the safest and most dangerous. The most difficult thing to think of when a snitch enters a house is a rare treasure in a deserted place, but for an Assassin, especially an Assassin whose enemies know about their existence, this kind of place is the most dangerous.

Here are the guards against thieves, but not against murder and thieves.

Zhang Wenwen picked up the experience of the rivers and lakes that he wanted to forget, and looked at the structure of the house. The room was very simple, with only a table, a few stools, a simple screen, and at most doors and windows, and all the objects in the room together could not count more than ten.

"What does he want to do?"

took Sikong Gu to sit down, Zhang Wenwen only found that the table was not big, although Sikong Gu was sitting opposite him, it was only less than three feet away from him. At a distance of three feet, the sword qi brought out by the sword momentum can slash himself.

"I'm back. ”

Sikong Gu seemed to want to prove something, and this voice was in Zhang Wenwen's ears, making Zhang Wenwen feel that there was a faint melancholy in it. Zhang Wenwen sat on the wide stone bench very naturally, and also carefully looked at Sikong Gu, who was sitting opposite, this child's appearance seemed to be somewhat similar to him, but ......

"I ...... We always thought you were dead. ”

Zhang Wenwen didn't believe that he was a "Sikong Lone", the people of the Sikong family had already died cleanly, and the body of the ten-year-old child was what he saw with his own eyes. But he didn't want to expose this liar, because he didn't know what the "Sikong Gu" in front of him was having. If it is said that he is a character who comes to deceive himself in the rivers and lakes, not to mention that he has no martial arts, not to mention the appearance of this guy in the Mingyue Tower, it proves that he is indeed the owner of the Mingyue Tower. A person of this status came to deceive a little person who had already withdrawn from the rivers and lakes, Zhang Wenwen really couldn't think of any reason.

What's more, this old incident about Sikong's family has been entangled in his heart for many years, and it is unforgettable for a long time.

But he must be fake, Zhang Wenwen said to himself, as for why, Zhang Wenwen didn't know.

"The three heroes of the Qing Ming back then, are they all okay?"

Although Sikong Gu was expressionless, in Zhang Wenwen's ears, there was still a piercing melancholy in his words.

He is like an old acquaintance, doesn't he really see that I am pretending? Zhang Wenwen felt that this young man's experience in the rivers and lakes was too shallow, and the appearance he showed in the porch just now had already surprised him slightly, and now such a straightforward approach would only make people suspicious. Is it to deliberately bring up some old things in order to gain one's trust? But old things have indeed lingered in one's heart for many years, and it can even be said that they go deep into the bone marrow.

Zhang Wenwen suddenly felt very terrible, and he found himself out clearly, clearly, how could this be something that a young man could do? If there was no support from a force behind him, Zhang Wenwen would rather die than believe it.

"Brother Zhou is still alive, but it's just ......"

Zhang Wenwen smiled wryly, mentioning this topic made Zhang Wenwen feel heavy, although it had been ten years since that incident, how could he really face that bloody night that he never wanted to think about again?

Seeing Zhang Wenwen lowering his eyebrows, his eyes showed a trace of bitterness, and the breeze outside the window blew into the small window, which was the only sound in the room. And, of course, the sound of a man's thick breathing in the room.

I only heard Sikong Gu ask, "Just what?"

"Brother Zhou's one hand and one leg were abolished, and that person's sword that night was too fast......"

Zhang Wenwen's hands leaning on his legs trembled, I don't know if it was deliberate, or naturally let the throat show a shrinking and trembling appearance, after trying to clear his throat, Zhang Wenwen deliberately said in a calm voice: "Brother Liu was also seriously injured at that time, and he didn't survive......"

Zhou Ruchen, Liu Feng, and Zhang Wenwen are known as the three heroes of Qingying, and it is difficult to distinguish between high and low martial arts, since Zhou and Liu are disabled and dead, then the reason why Zhang Wenwen is alive and well, it is not difficult to guess Sikong Gu, who has investigated all this. Zhang Wenwen knew that he was telling the truth now, and there was nothing wrong with that, although he remembered the events of that night, the feeling of fear and horror had long since dissipated.

Is it a betrayal and an escape, a kneel begging for mercy, or a betrayal? His guilt has been buried by time along with those emotions. Yes, it must have been buried a long time ago.

When he met the person "Sikong Gu", it stands to reason that there should be no fear in his eyes? Or should he not help but overflow the thick guilt from his eyes? Or is it remorse? Zhang Wenwen still chose to hang his head most naturally, making it difficult for Sikong Gu to observe his expression, frowning his eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth pulling down.

"After that night, the legend on the rivers and lakes is that you are also dead, and when I saw Uncle Zhang today, I realized that I am not the only one who remembers the old things of the past. ”

There was a trace of sadness on Sikong Gu's face, his brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes were covered with a layer of mist, the muscles of his face relaxed slightly, and then the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.

As if deliberately showing such a smiling appearance, Sikong Gu said slowly: "Presumably Brother Zhou is also in the Liu family, right?

A bright light flashed in Zhang Wenwen's eyes, and he turned his head slightly, and said in his heart: "Does he know the Liu family? How much information does he have about the events of that year? How much effort did he put into deceiving me?"

Sikong Gu said with a smile: "Uncle Zhou has really been taken care of by Uncle Zhang. ”

Zhang Wenwen raised his head but saw Sikong Gu slightly bowed, he was now staring at the man in front of him, Zhang Wenwen could only see joy and relaxation in those eyes. At this moment, Zhang Wenwen's mind began to loosen for some reason, was this young man acting naturally and unpretentiously? Or was it himself...... What about a guilty conscience?

"You really are...... Lonely Sikong?"

Zhang Wenwen began to wonder if he was too cautious and careful. The young man in front of him didn't seem to be a disguise, and from the time he entered the door to the present, he didn't have the slightest pretense in front of Xiao Langjun, he seemed to be ...... It's about being honest with yourself.

He didn't deceive himself? Did he really deceive himself? I ...... now. What are you afraid of?

Zhang Wenwen's eyebrows began to flutter, but he didn't realize it.

"Sure enough, Uncle Zhang has been watching out for me? yes, I'm a person who should have died......

looked at Sikong Gu without the slightest surprise, but with a look of sudden realization. Zhang Wenwen's judgment based on his experience in the rivers and lakes is that he is very likely to be true. The only son of Sikong who should have died, is still alive.

A liar, after learning that he is suspected, will he be so relieved? Will he relax instead? Zhang Wenwen has never seen this kind of person, nor does he believe that there will be such a liar in the world, Sikong Gu's expression is completely a look of "I finally understand why the man in front of me is so cautious".

"Back then, you ...... How did they survive? When we came back, there were clearly forty-two corpses, and there were ...... in there. Obviously ......"

After hearing this, Sikong Gu laughed, and then asked, "Uncle Zhang, do you remember the little beggar outside the door of my backyard?"

"You mean?" Although Zhang Wenwen was confused, his years of experience in the rivers and lakes still made him instantly think of the plan of stealing beams and changing pillars.

"Uncle Zhang should remember that I loved to play with that little beggar, and that night I was playing with him in the backyard, and I was playing games with him, and I hid and he came looking for me. ”

Sikong said that at this point, a pair of starry eyes glowed with silver light, and he paused before continuing: "...... By the time I realized what had happened, the little beggar was already dead in the courtyard, but fortunately I was hiding in the haystack of the stable, and the thieves did not find me. Later, when I understood things, I realized that they probably took the little beggar for me, and there were only forty-two people in my empty mansion, and they had already killed forty-two, so how could they go to find the forty-three?"

After that, Zhang Wenwen saw that Sikong Gu's eyes were already red.

"Uncle Zhang can't believe me, and I also understand that Master hasn't let me go down the mountain for the past ten years, because he is afraid that I will be too anxious and my foundation will be unstable, and he will think of revenge and make an irreparable mistake like a senior brother. ”

Looking at Sikong Gu's appearance, Zhang Wenwen could already think of how Sikong Gu had come over the years, a ten-year-old child was burdened with a sea of blood and hatred, and he had to work hard for revenge. However, this kid doesn't even know who the opponent is. Zhang Wenwen had a lot of questions to ask, but he knew that Sikong Gu also had a lot to say to himself now.

"That piece of white jade crouching tiger has always been the personal belongings of Young Master Sikong, and I don't think I found this piece of jade tiger from those scorched corpses at the beginning. My suspicions now seem to be all wrong......"

Zhang Wenwen fell into deep self-blame, and at this time, he remembered Sikong Wuyi's kindness to his three brothers back then, as well as the oath he made to his three brothers. Pursed his lips and got up and walked to Sikong Gu's side, knelt down under Sikong Gu's slightly surprised gaze, and said while kowtowing:

"Young Master Sikong, it's my old Zhang who is wrong, my old Zhang is suspicious, and I ...... back then Back then, it was my old Zhang who was incompetent, it was our brothers who were useless, we failed to protect the master, we were sorry for the Sikong family, we were sorry for you......"

Zhang Wenwen, a big man with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, howled and cried at this time, and smashed his head to the ground. Sikong Gu shook his head with tears in his eyes, and before Zhang Wenwen kowtowed his first head, he supported Zhang Wenwen's shoulder, and it was not until Zhang Wenwen wiped his tears that he helped Zhang Wenwen, who had broken his head with gravel, up.

After all, it's rude to let a junior see an elder's embarrassed appearance.

After all, it is also immoral for an elder to take the initiative to suspect a junior who he can't live with.

Zhang Wenwen wanted to know how Sikong Gu spent all these years at this time, and why he became the owner of this Yangzhou Mingyue Building, and he wanted to ask many questions in this simple room.

But at this time, Zhang Wenwen suddenly found that although he was not confused, his courage became smaller and smaller. If it was ten years ago, when the 42 members of the Sikong family were slaughtered, Zhang Wenwen still wanted to kill the enemy and avenge Sikong Wuyan. And now he seems to be thirty years old, and he no longer has a trace of the charm of the masters of the rivers and lakes in the past, and even listening to the younger generation reiterate an incident ten years ago, he has also spilled all the strength to live in the world over the years.

Tired, tired, Zhang Wenwen knew very well that his sideburns had gradually grown white silk, and if he wanted revenge, what could he do? Master Sikong was a character who could compete with the elite disciples of the major sects such as Kunlun and Shaolin in the martial arts, but there were seventy or eighty sword marks on the scorched corpse. This enemy, who was far from being his opponent back then, is even less of his opponent today.

When he exterminated the Taihu horse bandits, he was one against three, had he ever been so afraid? When he rushed back to Sikong's house and found the scene of chaos, had he ever been afraid? The shaking sword shadows on the night when the three of them were attacked, the screams of terror, the helplessness he dreamed of at midnight, and the look in his eyes that made him feel desperate when he learned on the couch that he would never be able to stand up, did he ever want to forget?

I haven't forgotten, I just don't want to mention it.

But Zhang Wenwen knew that he was afraid now. Although he was happy from the bottom of his heart to see that the only seedling of the Sikong family was really alive, but when he thought of the road he was going to take in the future, his old heart still gave birth to inexplicable fear after all.

Zhang Wenwen stood up, pursed his lips, wiped away the tears, and heard Sikong Gu say to himself:

"That night is over, Uncle Zhang, let's sit down and talk slowly. ”

The smile of the junior in front of him was very bitter, as bitter as he smiled at Brother Zhou at the beginning, right?

I have been incognito all these years, telling myself that this is a retreat from the rivers and lakes, although in fact I am still doing something for Lord Liu that has something to do with the people of the rivers and lakes, but I really think that I can finally get rid of the relationship with the rivers and lakes, and the stories of the old people are like the smoke and clouds of the past. And now he happened to meet the son of the old master here, could it be that in the dark, there is really a will of heaven?

Looking at the junior with pity in his eyes, Zhang Wenwen knew that he was still out of shape after all, the little bean sprout had actually grown into such a handsome son, Zhang Wenwen's eyes turned from the white jade sleeping tiger to Sikong Gu's face, this face was very similar to the smile of the head of the family twenty years ago, this was a long-lost feeling of reliability.

He's been suffering a lot over the years, isn't it? Also, the huge Sikong family is too heavy for a ten-year-old child.

What Sikong Gu said to himself again, Zhang Wenwen couldn't hear it anymore, and his mind was confused.

Zhang Wenwen didn't say a word, and his trance-like appearance was caught in Sikong Gu's eyes, and Sikong Guzai said a few more words, which made Xiao Mu fall silent.

"Senior Zhang, let's rest early, early tomorrow morning, we will go to see an old man - my senior brother Yang Shuo, there are some things, let's talk slowly after we meet my senior brother. ”

Sikong Gu didn't know if he understood, but he nodded when he saw him. Sikong Gu knew in his heart that this man with a story had fallen into his own story at this time.

Seeing Zhang Wenwen follow him out of the stone room, Sikong Gu said secretly in his heart: "Why? Why didn't you forget it? Did you not forget the sword of that person that night?"

Sikong Gu wanted to send Zhang Wenwen back in person, but Zhang Wenwen asked to be separated from Sikong Gu for the time being, so Sikong Gu took out a short whistle, and after it sounded, the servant arrived immediately. After ordering everything, Sikong Gu said goodbye to Zhang Wenwen for the time being. Watching this middle-aged man in his forties take slow steps, Sikong Gu thought of the old man again.

The old man often walks slowly like this, obviously only in his fifties, and his internal strength is extremely deep, and he walks much slower than Zhang Wenwen. Perhaps, for many people, old age may not refer to age, right?

Is this what a Jianghu person looks like under the impact of reality on lies? Is it true that what everyone is most afraid of facing is these unbearable pasts? But these people finally choose to face their own truth...... Yes, my own truth. ”

If you want to say what a person who is far away from the rivers and lakes and changes his face to escape the past is most afraid of it, it must be the moment he meets the old man, right?

At the moment when Nangong Jun left Mingyue Tower, Sikong Gu had caught a glimpse of Zhang Wenwen's eyes, it was a kind of despair, indescribable despair, because it was only for a moment, so Sikong Gu couldn't be sure whether this kind of look existed or not.

"I am the head of the Jiangning Sikong family, and I will go to the Cao Gang tomorrow to worship the Gang, at that time, let us talk about the matter of Li Shao's gang leader in detail. ”

That's what he said to Nangong Jun at the beginning, and it was only after Nangong Jun heard the words "Li Shaogang Master" that the whole thing changed. Nangong Jun was able to detect one of the "Three Heroes of the Green Underworld" associated with the Sikong family, and it was no wonder that after all, Nangong Jun still had a relationship with Zhang Wenwen. Come to think of it, they were also present when they met.

Just when Zhang Wenwen turned his head, Sikong Gu once again captured the look in those tired eyes, which were the same despair as at that time.

Is he so terrible? No, the person Zhang Wenwen is afraid to face is himself.

"What I'm afraid to face, is it also the identity of the Sikong family?"

Sikong Gu gently stroked the sword on his waist that preserved countless memories, and finally shook his head.

"Young master. ”

A hoarse voice came from behind, and Sikong Gu felt a burst of cool air climb up the back of his neck from his waist in this early spring warming season.

They had been waiting for a long time, and Sikong Gu squinted his left eye with a gentle but meaningful smile.