(twenty two)
The father-in-law, who had been derelict for many years, took office again. Although the horse he was riding was not a tall horse, but an old and almost lame donkey. The boy beside him who was leading the horse was also as old as him. When he walked back to the crowd, his authority to enforce the law was still there.
If the people of Hongye Town want to reestablish law and order, drive out ignorance and barbarism, and prevent the poor from being bullied, they must let the parent judge who has been idle for many years return to his seat.
Therefore, no matter how much parents and officials do not want to offend Taiping Dao, they cannot escape the public opinion that has lost its shackles.
On the day of trial, several village warriors walked in front with sticks to clear the way and escorted the old man riding a donkey behind him to the place of execution.
Many young people, or those who have lived in Hongye Town for a short time, may have never heard of the parents in this town, let alone the name of the old man in front of them.
However, they all noticed that their parents were too old to be human, with a slender face that only comes from living in seclusion for many years, an extremely thin body, and a set of official uniforms that had long been moldy in a damp corner, forming this almost decaying figure. people. But when facing hundreds of people pouring into the streets, he seemed unable to suppress the emotions he had accumulated for many years and was infected by the surging enthusiasm.
With tears in his eyes, he pushed away the help of the boy beside him and walked to the gallows alone, straightening his back and holding a piece of paper in his hand that had drafted a complaint in advance. Word by word, he clearly described the crimes committed on Taiping Road. crimes made public.
Behind every crime was the blood shed by generations of people, so that every time Lei Heng's parents asked him, "Do you admit your guilt?", they almost always yelled out in a hoarse voice and angrily.
Lei Heng, who hung on the gallows all day and night, did not want to answer a word at first, but after being greeted with a stick, he quickly told everyone one by one. At the same time, he kept telling others which wealthy businessman in the town was secretly funding the incident and who was behind it. The sharecroppers secretly sold other people's children.
Every time Kaiyangzi Lei Heng tried to excuse himself, he was met with more laughter and curses. He had never experienced such humiliation in his life. But after a while, he finally lost his temper and tilted his chin, feeling proud of himself. He laughed angrily at the crowd around him, and then scolded: "You guys are lowly people. What I, Kaiyang Zi Lei Heng, regret the most right now is that I couldn't refine all of you into elixirs. Hahaha, don't think I can now." If you stand on top of me and do whatever you want, we will be in peace from now on!"
After these words, everyone under the gallows was silent for an instant. After a while, I vaguely heard someone discussing in detail, "What should we do if the next Taipingdao branch leader comes?"
Only then did Lei Heng realize that his desperate struggle had worked. Just as he was about to smile as if he was about to win, he suddenly saw a familiar swordsman among the crowd in front of him. He also showed a similar smile, and then turned and left.
"Why, isn't he afraid of Taiping Road?" Lei Heng was just thinking. Someone threw a locust stone and blinded one of his eyes.
A voice came from the silent crowd: "What are we afraid of what he will do? Morality and justice are on our side. As long as we are united like today, why should we be afraid of a mob like Taipingdao!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another angry voice also sounded. The third, the fourth, the fifth, and more and more. Everyone gradually reached a consensus in the panic and shouted in unison: "Hang him, hang him, hang him!"
Su Qing, who was hiding in the crowd, did not forget to mobilize the people around him to throw stones at the gallows to relieve his anger. When the momentum was as strong as before, he quietly left in the footsteps of the swordsman just now.
Hiding merit and fame in such a deep way is exactly what they wanted.
who are they? They are wandering on the fringes of civilized society, sometimes upholding morality and sometimes committing suicide; they are not saints and gentlemen, and because of this, they cannot even stand legitimately in front of everyone; they come and go without a trace, disappear without a trace, and have no plan for their own future. , but have to do things for others.
Now, they are on their way home again.
The luggage and horses were all ready. Bai Feng and Murong Yan led the horses slowly to the entrance of Hongye Valley, still waiting for news about the thief Su Qing. Tao Wuyong, who was beside him, borrowed an open carriage for pulling goods from an old friend. He lay bored in the empty space behind the carriage and said to the young man who was driving in front of him: "Boy, you have to follow me." To practice medicine, you must first accept one thing.”
"Mr. Tao, please give me your orders!" This young man is handsome and upright, and he seems to be a good material.
"You can't forget your roots! After you finish your studies, you can't just leave the people in your hometown and run away to live happily outside the valley!"
"Follow Mr. Tao's teachings!"
"Okay, what's your name?"
"My name is He Zhong, Mr. Tao, I have just said it three or four times, my name is He Zhong!"
Tao Wuyong was drowsy and recalled lazily: "Really...I can't remember, old man. I'll call you Zhong'er from now on..."
The four of them moved forward at an extremely slow speed, but could not wait for any news from Su Qing. So, Bai Feng and Murong Yan decided to stay for a while by the lake where they had rested when they arrived.
However, just a few days later, the weather became even cooler. Murong Yan was wearing a large gray-white cloak given by the people of Hongye Town. She took another one from the horse, handed it to Bai Feng, and said: "Look at the few days in this valley, it seems like several months have passed in a daze." . This gray-white cloak was given by the people of Hongye Town. Originally they were going to give some money, silver and jewelry, but I only need two pieces of clothing to keep out the cold."
"I'm not cold, please pass the clothes to Mr. Tao." Bai Feng replied, walked to the distant lake alone to draw water, then climbed up to look into the distance to check the situation in Hongye Town.
Seeing that Bai Feng was still uneasy, Murong Yan raised her head and shouted while guarding the horse: "Brother Feng, are you worried about Mr. Su?"
"He said he wanted to see Kai Yangzi die violently with his own eyes, so he asked me to take you out of the town first." Bai Feng replied: "Why is this guy so lazy? Let's light a fire in the camp and rest for now! "
After hearing this, Murong Yan immediately called to the boy guarding the carriage: "Master He, I wonder if you can help me light a fire?"
"Holy Lady, just give me your orders, the little man He Zhong will definitely work hard without complaining!" He Zhong spoke as crisply as he did. As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately planned to go into the bushes alone to collect firewood.
Seeing that he respected her so much, Murong Yan felt a little ashamed, because she knew that she had not done anything for Hongye Town, "I...I am not a saint. Mr. He, just think of me as your senior sister. After all, I once practiced medicine with Mr. Tao."
"But, Lady Saint! Everyone has seen that the wound on your forehead disappeared in an instant like a magic spell! And the words of Taoist Lei Heng... How can a villain reach such a high level!"
"How should I put it... The title of Saintess is really unbearable." Faced with the ironclad facts, Murong Yan couldn't get rid of the title of Saintess for a while, so she had to threaten and force her to say: "I don't know what to do. How to explain it? Anyway, if you call me Lady Saint again, I will ask Mr. Tao to drive you away!"
"Okay then, senior sister, junior brother, I will go collect firewood first..."
He Zhong went into the woods in great confusion, looking very aggrieved. Perhaps he thought he had accidentally provoked the Holy Lady, and was secretly blaming himself.
All in all, not long after the boy went out, the sounds of chasing and fighting could be heard in the bushes. Among them, He Zhong's voice was the most obvious, like a loud bell, piercing the tranquility: "Lord Saint, run away!"
