Volume 2: Wind and Rain Jiangnan

Chapter 1: Old Knowledge Goes to the South and East to the New Flow

Section 1: Encounter with the Black Pine Forest

Purse your lips

(Shelter from the rain in the mountains)

The rain curtain is fluttering, and the sky is full of ripples.

In a foreign land, wandering alone.

The wailing was deafening, and a bird fell into the forest.

How late?

Connected with the same disease, what year is tonight!

After the snow, the first sunny day, the wind is blowing, the weather is cold, the dripping water becomes ice, there are not many pedestrians on the road, more feet and less foot strength.

This place is called the black pine forest, the bare white fruit forest, a glimpse of the boundary, if you really look up and don't see the sky, the top of the head is the size of a palm of the sky can be seen. A country road was wide and smooth, winding through it, turning a small pond that was so dry that it was filled with thin ice. Not far from the small pond is a small dirt slope, and at the bottom of the slope there are two houses made of grass and trees, each with seven or eight rooms. A pole is erected at the door of the house, and a gray cloth flag is obliquely picked up at the head of the pole, and the word "wine" is written on it, which was originally a country hotel. In front of the store, several stone piles were molded in the wind, and several horses and a donkey were tied to the piles. The wine shop is full of aroma and steaming.

In the white, which was full of dazzling pain, there was still a trace of vitality in these few animals, and suddenly added a few brilliant colors in the winter, so that life would not be so monotonous and simple.

On the road ahead, a man staggered over, holding a black horse in his hand.

There were more than thirty people who came, wearing hats, gray cloaks, and a long sword in their left hand, and they were panting and sweating.

The person who came is called Tang Shengzhi, Sichuan Tangmen, the second oldest in the family, and the people in the rivers and lakes are called righteous drug guests. Tang Shengzhi was sent by his eldest brother Tang Shengyi to Yangzhou Longqiu Villa to celebrate his birthday.

Tang Shengzhi looked up at the hotel, his eyes were shining wonderfully, he was very happy, and the exhaustion all over his body seemed to disappear a lot at once, he patted his rumbling belly, turned his head and turned around to look at the mount that was also tired after walking for most of the day, and said with a smile: "Old man, have you seen the hotel in front of you? Tang Shengzhi led the horse and walked a few steps to the front of the store, tied the horse, and instructed the little second good student who came to attract the guests to take care of the horse and gave twenty Wen a reward, shook off the mud on the boots, straightened out the clothes, and moved the hands and feet that were numb from the cold, and then calmly lifted the door curtain and entered the store with a package.

The inside of the store is different from the outside, cold and warm like spring.

There are more than a dozen tables and more than a dozen drinkers sitting down, drinking tea and eating, noisy people, and business is booming; the two juniors are walking back and forth and singing, and the thin shopkeeper is writing and scratching in front of the desk, stretching his neck and shouting. The store is also thoughtful, and there is a two-carbon stove at the door, which is booming, for passers-by to come in to rest, eat, bake, and warm up.

Tang Shengzhi picked up an empty table next to the stove in front of the door and sat down, put the package on hand, took off the hat, put the sword at his feet, and warmed his body by the fire and dried the sweat on his body.

Tang Shengzhi was born with a square face and a handsome face, dressed in green clothes, black piping, embroidered with red silk thread and pine, simple and generous, but it can be seen that the materials are well-made and exquisite.

Xiao Er brought a cup of tea in the morning, stood still in front of him, and said with a smile: "This master, it's hard to travel on a snowy day, what do you want?"

Tang Shengzhi buried his head and took a sip of tea, he was very content, looked up at the side table, and said with a smile: "Let's get a pound of beef first, half a pound of white wine, and two bowls of noodle soup later." ”

Xiao Er sang and left.

Tang Shengzhi raised his head again and took a closer look at the drinkers in the store, and saw one or two old men from the countryside, and a dozen or so men from the rivers and lakes, and said in his heart: This kind of non-profiting businessman who is out of the devil is our people in the rivers and lakes, and I can't say that it will be the same as me, and he also went to Longqiu Village to pay homage to Old Man Qiu's birthday. This Yangzhou is a good place, known as the first place to play in the world, this time you have to have a good visit. Tang Shengzhi smiled and drank a few more sips of tea and coughed lightly. Tang Shengzhi's cough actually attracted several pairs of strange and cold eyes, and Tang Shengzhi smiled faintly.

Xiao Er served the wine and meat.

Tang Shengzhi ate a piece of wine and meat, things in the countryside, it tasted delicious, Tang Shengzhi ran for a morning, and he did feel hungry, and he felt that this wine was fragrant and crispy, and it was very delicious and delicious.

was eating satisfactorily, when he suddenly heard a man next to him slap the table and scolded loudly: "It's a pity, it's a pity, Qiu Zhuang is chivalrous in the world, north and south of the river, on both sides of the Huai River, who doesn't know, who doesn't know, a pair of iron palms, open the monument and break the stone, and it can be regarded as the top master today, what is this poisonous hand that actually harmed the Qiu Zhuang family, is there still Wang Fa justice in this world?"

Another person hurriedly said: "Brother Li, Brother Li, be quiet, I can hear that Senior Qiu received this -----."

For a moment, it was as if the air had frozen, and time had stopped. Tang Shengzhi's outstretched chopsticks were holding a piece of beef, and they also stopped there, not moving. Tang Shengzhi pricked up his ears and looked at his outstretched right hand, which was tattooed with a scorpion on his right hand. This is a hand that decides life and death, full of fear. The Tang Sect uses poison, which is the best in the world, but he is the second leader of the Tang Sect, and he is quite confident in his skills. Before he came out, the eldest brother repeatedly explained too much, listened less and talked less, and caused less trouble. Tang Shengzhi didn't know whether he should withdraw his hand and eat this fast beef, so he couldn't help frowning and waiting.

"What, I'm not afraid. Ah, the book of life and death, you say the book of life and death!" the man exclaimed, as if he had seen a ghost, and there was no more sound. It is really confusing for a person to go from being excited to getting carried away to being frightened to being discouraged or experiencing it so quickly, that is, to yawn and fart and fart that the time is gone.

Tang Shengzhi was startled, and after a long spit, he swallowed the piece of beef in one bite, chewing it gently, and his face was full of satisfaction. The book of life and death, this is a taboo thing that is avoided like a ghost on the rivers and lakes today, smells of it and changes color, but it is also only a rumor, no one has really seen it, and perhaps those who have seen it have long since died. Of course, dead people don't know words. Tang Shengzhi glanced sideways at the long sword at his feet, took a slow sip of wine, and waited for the following.

The hotel was quiet, and Tang Shengzhi had already sensed the sound of the fire burning. Thinking about it, there are still more people who are afraid of death than people who love to join in the fun!

Tang Shengzhi was very satisfied with the wine and food in the store, coughed lightly, looked up and followed the reputation, and saw that there were six people on the table on the right drinking and eating. A thin man was turning around and looking around, and he was very proud to see that everyone was listening. But when he saw the tattoo on the back of Tang Shengzhi's hand, it was like biting something, and the smile on his face suddenly froze, and he hurriedly withdrew his eyes. Tang Shengzhi was very satisfied with that person's performance, which is where the prestige of the Tang Sect lies.

I saw a person next to him bowing his head and whispering: "Brother, there is a lot to talk about here, do you want to listen?"

With his back to Tang Shengzhi and a single knife on his shoulder, the man slapped the table and scolded: "What are you doing, Zhu Laosan, who is a dog, what are you buying! If you have something to say, if you have a fart, let it go, is it annoying?"

The thin man gave a count, his shriveled face trembled, he smiled, and said, "Big brother, don't you worry, let the little brother drink wine to moisten his throat first, is it okay?"

Tang Shengzhi withdrew his eyes and lowered his head to take a sip of wine, took another piece of beef and put it in his mouth, and listened attentively.

"On the day of the incident, I heard that the prefect reported it to Lord Shi Ying, who had been friends with the owner of Qiu Zhuang for many years. When the British people heard the report, they went to Chengde Villa to check on the spot, but they didn't have the slightest clue after three days of investigation. I heard that the scene was bloody, cruel and unbearable, there were more than 20 people in the villa, none of them lived, all died under the sword palm, and only two brands were found at the scene, one silver and one bronze. ”

"What's the brand?"

The silver medal is engraved with the word "Hu Xin", and the bronze medal is engraved with the word "Leopard Ding". ”

"Fart, how can there be a murderer in the world who still leaves an identity card as a clue? Isn't he afraid that other people's descendants or relatives and friends will go to seek revenge? They are not afraid that the government will go to investigate and deal with them? Lord Ying can't find out what they do, can't these seven doors be investigated? There are still cases in the world that Lord Lin Mushan can't solve? Besides, those who can kill Master Qiu Zhuang are not idle people, so how can they be so careless? Lao Tzu doesn't believe it!

"It's true, how dare the little brother deceive the eldest brother in the slightest! The younger brother is the own son who listens to what my junior brother said, he is the personal guard of Lord Thorn Division, and is known as Duan Peng, who is known as the "Soul Breaking Golden Hook Sword". Seeing that the people did not believe it, especially those who called him the eldest brother, the thin man hurriedly stood up and pleaded in a loud voice.

The crowd was unknown, silent, and looked at each other.

Seeing that a person on the left table got up, he said in a loud voice: "Han Ye is not bad at all, I also heard someone in the prefect's mansion talk like this, saying that the book of life and death seems to be involved with the ten halls of Yama, this time the matter is very important, the imperial court has also sent people to investigate, and even the seven doors are under the control of Lord Lin Mushan has also come to Yangzhou." ”

The hotel was suddenly boiling, and everyone was excited, vying to talk.

The thin man surnamed Han was proud when he heard this, and he shook his face again and again, so he cried and said: "Thank you for this brother's evidence, thank you! If there is no brother here today, I, Han Biao, would not have been wronged in vain, or I would not be able to wash it away if I jumped into the Yellow River, otherwise, how will I Han Biao stand in the rivers and lakes in the future, and I will believe in my words, thank you very much." ”

Everyone was still whispering, a few believed, a few hesitated. Tang Shengzhi drank and ate leisurely.

"The court, the court, the court is a fart! The court can do a ball! The court must be able to do things, how can all the beautiful rivers and mountains left by the ancestors be given to women, the Jurchen golden dogs, eight, eight, eighty percent are the work of the turtle sons of the imperial court! Are the turtle sons doing less bad, bad, bad things?" A man scolded loudly and angrily with a slur of speech.

The sound seemed to come from underground.

When everyone heard that someone was scolding the court, they were all shocked, and they hurriedly looked for it, and saw that there was a sloppy man about forty years old lying by the stove at the door, with a disheveled hair, a dirty gray cloth shirt, especially a scar on his face, slanted from his eyebrow to the right mouth, very ugly.

The ugly man was lying on the ground with his head resting on the door frame, concentrating on his right leg stretched out on the stove to bake, holding a black wine bottle in his hand and drinking it with his head up, and a machete with a broken mouth on his stomach, which he didn't know where he got it, and the rag shoe he took off was also discarded.

I saw him take a few sips to himself, and then he got up and picked up the broken shoes and put them between his toes and roasted them on the stove, babbling and humming in his mouth, ignoring everyone and being very happy.

Everyone saw that this person was ugly, vicious, wilted, and rude, and they all turned around to drink and eat silently, and waited with their ears pricked up to see the excitement, lest they provoke this man.

Tang Shengzhi is otherwise, but he admires that man in his heart, at present, the Song family lives in the south of the Yangtze River and steals peace, is mediocre and extravagant, and knows how to pay compensation and pay tribute to the land, but he wantonly kills loyalty and righteousness, loots people's wealth, and does not care about the life and death of the people in the world. There are very few people in this world who are sober. Although the land of Sichuan and Shaanxi is far away from the south of the Yangtze River, it is also full of war, and the inaction of the Song family is obvious to all. I think that the man also suffered a lot of hardships from the imperial court to be so indignant.

Tang Shengzhi saw that the wine and meat were almost gone, slapped the table, and shouted: "Xiao Er, come two bowls of noodles, half a catty of beef, and a catty of wine." ”

Xiao Er responded, and soon sent noodles and wine and meat.

Tang Shengzhi took the noodles, pushed the wine and meat, and pointed at the ugly man with chopsticks.

Xiao Er understood, turned around and brought wine and meat to the ugly man.

The ugly man was stunned, Xiao Er put down the wine and meat and pointed at Tang Shengzhi with a smile.

The ugly man rolled his eyes and looked at it, but did not thank him, took the wine and meat, and ate the wine and meat.

Tang Shengzhi also understands that there are some men with the surname in love on the rivers and lakes, who are plain and informal, and their surnames are straightforward and refreshing, but they can sacrifice their lives to take righteousness in times of crisis, and they are righteous and courageous, so it is not strange to see a lot, and they have never been unhappy, and they eat noodles by themselves.

Maybe it was the appearance of the ugly man, or maybe it was the tattoo on the back of Tang Shengzhi's hand that had already spread all over the big and small corners of the hotel at this moment, and the air in the hotel was full of a kind of depression and fear. Naturally, no one dared to talk about it, and it was suddenly much colder. Even Xiao Er shrank behind the counter and disappeared.