Tang He spread out his hand, with his five fingers aligned.
A group of people were holding knives, but no one dared to come forward. There were five people who rushed forward first, but they all stopped a few feet in front of him, like several sculptures. They all stared wide-eyed, full of fear, as if the evil ghost Shura was right in front of them.
If that's the case, it would be easier to do.
The leader cursed a few times and told them not to be stupid. Raising a group of wine and rice bags could not deal with two intruders, one of whom was unarmed. But everyone cherishes their lives, and no one is stupid, especially the man in red behind him. His gentle eyes are incompatible with the murderous aura, and he is by no means an economical lamp.
Lord Xueyue stretched out a finger and shook it from side to side.
"This young master is in a bad mood. I suggest you... stay out of the way."
"You'd better make sure the person you're looking for is here." Tang He looked at him sideways, "I don't want to waste time on a bunch of bandits."
Probably because the provocation was really unpleasant, a fool with a bad temper but no sense of it rushed forward. Tang He suddenly withdrew his index finger, and with just a slight hook, the frozen "sculpture" next to the man suddenly burst out with hot red blood, splashing onto the face of the man holding the knife, like a bucket of red paint. .
He also froze, but there was no invisible hidden weapon on him.
Only then did the rest of the gangsters discover that there was an imperceptible glimmer of light between each of the intruder's fingertips and the necks of the five and remaining four people, as if there were several invisible threads tied to them. It was clear that something had been injected into the blood vessel. Once it was touched, the skin on the neck would be torn off along with the artery.
No one dared to step forward anymore.
"You ransacked a village last night..." he went on, the slight trembling of his fingers was terrifying. "You killed people, robbed money, and kidnapped several girls."
No one dared to speak. In front of this calm narration, no matter how hard the blade is, it will droop.
"So you took over the mission from the imperial court..."
"No, I'm looking for someone." Tang He interrupted the person bluntly, "There is a girl, nine years old, with loose hair. She should be the youngest one you took away."
Several people looked at each other, but no one responded to him.
He moved his middle finger, and another bright red blood band spurted out. After the brief scream, there was bloody silence.
The leader became angry, his face twitched, he pulled out his knife, raised it and gave the death order. Can't a bunch of desperadoes deal with a rogue who shows up uninvited? So a few bold ones raised their weapons again and took trembling steps. A familiar scene was played out again. After a slight sting, the bandits remained motionless as if their acupoints had been tapped. After all, if there was a slight movement, there would be more than two people lying on the ground.
"Where is she?"
"Brother, you are not being honest." A middle-aged man with only one eye said.
"Don't call anyone a brother."
Tang He raised his other hand slightly, and the five people were led forward like puppets. With every step closer, the trembling became more obvious.
He added: "I don't have much patience, but I have a lot of time."
Someone with a shrill voice trembled, laughed, and pointed in the direction outside the door.
"There is a woodshed next door..."
"oh."
Tang He responded, suddenly clenched his hands and crossed them, folding his arms on his chest.
Blood sprayed on the ground, and a long red carpet stretched out towards the door, leading to the pale sky.
On the other side, it was raining continuously.
Tang Huailan bared his teeth. His medicined back was exposed to the air and was as cold as a piece of ice. She lay on the couch with her arms stretched out to check the crossbow. There was a rusty piece of iron inside, which made it useless and the arrow's range was greatly reduced.
"Stop repairing it, go find them and get a new one."
Tang Qinglan wiped the blood stains on her lower back with gauze and lit the candle on the table. Although it was daytime, it was raining outside and the house was dark. He felt that the clothes he had just taken back were still damp, and he couldn't put them on directly after wrapping the wound.
"I'm used to it." Huailan said.
"It's too expensive for you to use weapons."
Qinglan threw a knife to her, she raised her hand to catch it, and used the tip of the knife to scrape off the wood chips rubbed out of the crossbow. She fiddled with it, but did not continue Qinglan's words.
"I'm going to get out of here one day."
"The Tang family's family rules are a bit strict."
Qinglan smiled bitterly, her back still hurting from the thorns. Even if the mission fails, the rules can't hurt people's muscles and bones, and they won't be able to pick up the knife. These skin wounds are so scary and painful that they serve as a good warning.
"House rules?"
Huailan raised the crossbow, closed one left eye, and aimed at a fly staying on the wall in front of him. I don’t know where the bugs came from in this damn weather. Maybe it’s because the smell of blood in this area is too strong. It's a little warmer here, not too cold compared to places where it snows, and there are many living things moving around.
"Aren't we outsiders?"
Huailan continued to mock and put down the crossbow. The fly probably didn't know that he had escaped death just now. Qinglan glanced at her and opened her mouth, trying to say something. But he still closed his mouth and turned to look at the still black spot on the white wall. It's like a mole on the face of a fair-skinned and beautiful woman. It's not ugly, but it's not the finishing touch either.
Looks redundant.
Qinglan pulled out the barrier knife, her eyebrows were reflected on the blade, and a cold light reflected on her face.
"Huailan, I think..." He inserted the knife back, "I don't think they will let you go no matter how much money is spent."
"I know, you said it. They can always squeeze infinite value out of living people."
Qinglan knew that Huailan did not put all his hopes on a meaningless number. That money should be used to silence someone, not really given to the Tang family. In fact, they have no direct connection with the Tang Sect, but are just two collateral disciples of Tang Wansheng, one of the hall masters.
In other words, two lackeys. The rest of the Tang family couldn't control them, not even Zuo Jinmen could do anything to them.
"Hey, what do you think the old man takes us for?"
Huailan suddenly smiled, and Qinglan didn't know what she was implying. After thinking for a moment, he replied:
"The grace of nurturing is still there."
"No. Even if you beat a dog, it depends on the owner."
As she said that, she suddenly turned over and sat up, the wound on her back still hurting. But her face was expressionless, as if she hadn't been hurt. She paused, her eyes twitching slightly.
"Think about it -" she continued, "think about that barrier sword. Don't forget how we got it. What happened after we got it? I didn't see the respect that was due, no. They even doubted it. The rules themselves—the rules of doubting that shit.”
"It should have been yours." Qinglan handed the knife to her, "You shouldn't have let me have it."
"My weapons cost too much."
She took the knife and said calmly.
This is a beautiful knife, with finer workmanship than Tang He's. After all, it was made much later, and the craftsmanship has also been slightly improved. However, the pattern of the scabbard is still the same, it is a symbol of honor. Only the best disciples of the same period can get it. They were drawn into different groups. First they cooperated to play against each other, and then they fought against their own teammates without showing any mercy. Maybe he was lucky, that group of disciples were all three-legged cats. In the final arena, there were only two of them standing.
The disciples in the audience have basically dispersed. No one cares about them.
Despite this, the judges still frowned and did not allow any negligence. They knew that these two were partners, and they were not allowed to show any mercy, not even a word to each other. Qinglan knew that she wanted the knife and wanted to prove something, but she still gave in to her at every turn. But who would have thought that Huailan would not actively challenge, and the two of them fought in a showy and weak manner. Several hall leaders and judges looked at Tang Huansheng with sullen expressions.
He knew them well and naturally knew what they were planning.
"Are you going to fight until dark?"
Huailan glanced at him sideways and responded: "He used some force against me, and I used some force against him. I thought everyone understood the truth that the sword has no eyes in a ruthless killing field, but now it seems that he does not I understand, it’s not worth my efforts.”
"Do you think Qinglan looks down on you?"
"Who looks down on whom?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Qinglan suddenly swung her chain and knocked off her weapon. He suddenly became serious, and there was a hint of disbelief in Huailan's eyes. Her partner suddenly pressed forward step by step, and it was naturally difficult for her to resist with her bare hands.
There are still ways. The concealed weapon on his cuffs was enough to blind him, but of course he knew what he was thinking and there was no need. He could even predict the direction of his own hidden weapon, and he could also resist it in the same way. The battle between them is meaningless. Everyone can clearly predict the next step, everyone can see the other party's moves and routines, and everyone can guess what the other party is thinking.
It seems like it is indeed a waste of time. But Huailan admitted that she didn't know him well enough and didn't know why he suddenly acted like this after being lethargic for most of the game. The two were naturally evenly matched, so when she lost her weapon, she knew she had lost.
But no matter what, she was able to touch the knife in the end.
Afterwards, the two of them were naturally scolded severely by Tang Huansheng and even received a slap in the face. After returning, Tang Qinglan handed her the knife with a smile, but she didn't even look at it.
"It's not like we're calling openly."
"Isn't it bright enough and upright enough?" He asked, "Those direct disciples are nothing more than that."
"Because they are just trying to live, but we are trying to survive."
Qinglan was speechless.
To this day, he can still recall that in the same hazy sky, Huailan's cold brows revealed a similar sadness to his lips.
The sorrow of life, the sorrow of death.
She was no longer satisfied with living, but that didn't mean she was seeking death. She wants a kind of autonomy, a kind of control over her own life and death, instead of being bound, suppressed, and bullied by other rules that are above it.
Qinglan was more open-minded. Being able to survive was a blessing from God. The current life is not what he wants, but since he doesn't know the life he really wants, he has no more ideas. Huailan is different. Although she doesn't know what she wants, she knows that "this" is definitely not what she wants.
So, he tried to give her everything she wanted.
