The sun sets in the west, dusk is closer, and the shadows of everything are getting longer and longer.
A strong young man pulled the reins and shouted to urge the skinny donkey pulling the cart. The pale boy was half lying on the donkey cart.
The surrounding wilderness is extremely quiet, except for the old crow perched on the top of a dead tree that makes a hoarse call or two from time to time.
"snort."
The boy made a soft sound, and the sturdy young man stopped and said, "Zhaozi, are you awake?"
The boy said "hmm", slowly sat up, put his hand on his forehead and said, "I have a headache."
The young man sighed and said, "Lie down a little longer, and we'll find a place to sleep in front. You can just have a bowl of hot soup and rest."
Tang Zhao felt like needles pricking his mind, and said, "It's probably useless to drink soup. Where is this?"
There are still trees all around, and the continuous bushes have no end at a glance. During the day, the autumn leaves seem to be full of vitality when facing the sunshine, but at dusk they become desolate. The cold wind whistled through the mountain forest, and the fallen leaves flew in the wind, burying the paths walked by the predecessors.
The young man, Sui Feng, Tang Zhao's companion, said: "We are still in the mountains. The road we came from is gone, and the single-plank bridge fell down somehow. The righteous man also doesn't know where he is. He can't cross the river. He just I can go into the mountains now.”
Tang Zhao reacted and said: "We have never walked through the mountain road here, will we get lost?"
There was silence.
Tang Zhao only felt that his headache was getting worse. He held his head and said, "It's really a mess."
The fingers slowly loosened, revealing the longevity lock.
The cracks in the white jade on the lock are still there, which is shocking.
Tang Zhao took two more glances and felt as if there was a wall in front of him, waiting for him to hit it hard and break his head and bleed.
Sui Feng sighed: "You are already lucky today. After you passed out, the old man in Xue's house refused to let you go. He even almost refuted that adult's face. I don't think something is right, so I will take you with me quickly. Gone. Fortunately, they didn't come after me."
Tang Zhao said: "Oh, Master Xue... Master Xue... exactly..."
Sui Feng waved his whip to drive the donkey and said, "Don't think about it. It's over. We don't have to see him again. Don't worry about it."
Tang Zhao said: "Brother Feng... When I was coming, Uncle Sui agreed, but you always disagreed. Did you know about Xue Xia's style before?"
Sui Feng said: "I have never met Mr. Xue, nor Mr. Daxia. But I have met Mr. Juren, Mr. Landlord, and Mr. Shopkeeper. I think all the gentlemen in the world are the same."
Tang Zhao said: "Yes, the world is as dark as crows. There are so many masters in the world."
Sui Feng muttered: "You are a child of a good family. You have been studying in the past. How do you know this? From now on you will run around with us. This kind of thing is really ordinary. Don't be angry. If you can't even swallow your anger, Will you still be angry to death in the future?"
Tang Zhao said: "I'm not angry."
Sui Feng sighed silently, drove the car forward, and said, "I hope this road is right. What will happen if we can't get out of the county boundary before tomorrow?"
Tang Zhao said: "What county boundary...oh."
He remembered that at the gate of Xue Mansion, the old man told them to get out of Heyang County.
But...it was just a mention, right?
Sui Feng said: "We have to hurry up, what if someone comes after us?"
"How is that possible?" Tang Zhao shook his head, "Even if they are extremely vicious, they won't be bored..."
The strong young man couldn't help but shake his head and said: "You don't know, you can't gamble on this kind of thing. That's what the great master said. They are allowed not to take us seriously, and we are not allowed not to take their words seriously. This is what we The first thing you should remember when traveling in the world is that your life is at stake."
He was usually taciturn, but now he had a lot to say, especially since Tang Zhao didn't know the principles of many Jianghu people. If he couldn't teach him well, it would be really difficult for him to move forward in the future.
Tang Zhao followed his words and said: "You cannot overestimate the character of a noble person."
Sui Feng said: "That's right. But can the character of those poor people be overestimated? Cars, boats, shops, feet and teeth, even if they are innocent, they should be killed. This is also an old saying. It is not false that unruly people come out of poor mountains and rivers. Not to mention We are low-level colleagues. In short, don’t trust anyone except yourself, and don’t care about anyone.”
Tang Zhao listened silently and suddenly laughed and said: "My family also told me: 'Only say a few words to others when you meet them, and don't give everything your heart.' But if you say that one person doesn't believe it, no one cares about it, just worry about yourself, can you really do it?" Uncle Sui, just give it up, Brother Feng, you are so warm-hearted. Can you do the same?"
Sui Feng said: "I may not be able to do it now, but will I still not be able to do it in the future? If I can't do it, how can I take everyone to eat?"
Tang Zhao said: "Eating...ah, there is smoke from the kitchen in front!"
Sui Feng followed his gaze and saw a plume of smoke rising in the afterglow.
He rejoiced at first, then hesitantly said: "There is only one smoke in the deep mountains, so I'm afraid it's not a village. Let's go have a look, but don't get out of the car. If I don't call you, don't move around."
After walking for a while, we gradually got closer to the smoke, and the night fell quietly.
In the dim woods, lights can already be seen.
"It's a village."
Sui Feng guessed wrong, it was a village.
In the night, seven or eight thatched huts lay quietly in the mountain col. Their outlines in the darkness were strangely shaped, like a pile of collapsed building blocks.
Only the innermost one had a light on.
Tang Zhao swallowed and spit.
"Still...are you still going in?"
Sui Feng remained silent, pulling the donkey and walking toward the light.
As people walked inside, black shadows approached them.
What you see is desolate, the ground is covered with rubble and dust, and occasionally there are horizontal logs and thatch piled on the ground. It is already decayed and will turn into dust before your eyes.
It is more like a ruin than a village.
Tang Zhao curled up in the car, holding his knees with his hands, feeling cold all over his body.
Gradually, the silence was broken.
The sound of human voices reached my ears softly.
The sound was shaking slightly, and there seemed to be a strange noise hidden in the vague light in the distance.
Getting closer, the lights were already lighting up. Tang Zhao squinted and saw the only complete tile-roofed house at the end of the village.
In the ajar door, noisy voices could be heard.
It was a voice that belonged to only one person, and there were many people.
"us……"
Squeak——
The door opened.
The lights were bright and Tang Zhao's eyes narrowed.
A puff of smoke mixed with the smell of alcohol and turbidity hit his face.
The crowd became louder, shouting and drinking, and it was lively, as if they were in a tavern in the city.
Is there a tavern in a deserted village in the mountains?
No one came out, and the door seemed to have been blown open by the wind.
If it was really a tavern, there would be no need for anyone to come out. The door would be open to welcome guests.
Sui Feng grabbed Tang Zhao, and the two of them poked their heads in the door.
Dozens of eyes flashed, focusing on the two people's faces.
Tang Zhao had lived for more than ten years and had never been stared at by so many people. He would never have imagined that there could be so many people in a small village house.
There were more than thirty people in the room, crowded into all four corners.
Seven or eight big men were sitting around the stove, with open chests and bold expressions. Most of them were holding wine bowls. It looked like a group of thieves gathered here. At this time, they were all staring at the two people at the door, with eyes like wolves and tigers. .
All around, there were about twenty thin figures, huddled away from the fire and leaning closer together.
They were a group of children, the oldest was ten years old and the youngest was six or seven years old. They were all thin and dry, with ragged clothes and sparse or even bald hair. Their eyes made Tang Zhao more uncomfortable than those of the big men. They were hollow and numb eyes, like frosted beads. There is an extra chain tied to these thin bodies, mostly at the ankles. Dozens of chains are intertwined around the pillars, like a pig-iron-colored horned dragon.
"Ah--"
"Hahaha……"
I don't know who started it, and laughed, and the big men burst into laughter.
Amidst the laughter, Tang Zhao felt uncomfortable and embarrassed at first, almost trying to find a crack in the ground to crawl in.
But they laughed harder and harder, more and more wildly, and their laughter turned into malice, coming from all directions, like thousands of swords piercing their bodies.
Instead, Tang Zhao gradually became angry, and the anger overcame his timidity. He opened his eyes wide, straightened his back, and faced off against the opponent.
A fat man sitting among the crowd raised his hand slightly.
The laughter stopped.
The fat man was the only fat man among the crowd, and he was also dressed in the best clothes. He was covered in silk and satin, his hands were covered with jewels, and his face was shiny, like a smooth glass egg.
The fat man looked at Tang Zhao carefully, and his little eyes gradually opened.
"This child -" he pointed at Tang Zhao, "sell it?"
