Back in the dilapidated town, the clear ringing of the soul-calling bell reached my ears.
Chu Qing lowered his head and stopped looking around. He was very nervous inside, fearing that others would see it and that the Soul-Calling Bell was a lie.
Xue Kui glanced sideways slightly, but it was just a sideways glance at Chu Qing, without any disturbance in his heart.
Back in the courtyard, sitting on a wooden bench, Chu Qing stared at Xue Kui and said, "Tell me, why you take credit."
"Promotion."
A bit of anger appeared in Chu Qing's eyes: "Xue Kui, I'm warning you. I will only give you one chance to explain."
"Promotion."
"Do you really want to die?"
"In no mood."
"Then why don't you defend yourself?"
"There is no excuse." Xue Kui was like a criminal who had accepted his fate and pleaded guilty. He just lowered his head and repeated: "There is no excuse."
Chu Qing took a deep breath and calmed down his mood: "Okay, let me tell you, the general of the border army asked you to take credit, right? Only if you are promoted can you be qualified to negotiate with the enemies and other aristocratic families. Negotiate with big shots, and only after you have been promoted can you be qualified to fight for the benefits that the border troops deserve."
This is the only reason Chu Qing can think of, and the only explanation he thinks is reasonable.
Xue Kui raised his head and raised the corners of his mouth slightly for a moment, as if he wanted to smile, but then suppressed it.
Chu Qing frowned: "Am I wrong?"
"No, the frontier army cursed the generals when they mentioned them, hated them, and took their credit."
Chu Qing suddenly stood up and grabbed Xue Kui's collar: "I'm going to ask you for the last fucking time why you are greedy for credit and take credit for yourself!"
His patience has reached its limit.
No, it should be said that Chu Qing was in urgent need of an explanation as if his heart were scratched by a hundred claws.
"The last general is the side house of the Xue family, a concubine."
"I know, go on!"
"Not taken seriously, he joined the border army at a young age and wanted to make a career."
Chu Qing let go of his hand and sat back on the stool: "Say it in one breath!"
"I didn't know at that time that once I joined the frontier army, I couldn't escape. I couldn't kill or fight for my future."
Xue Kui turned around, took out the teapot from the hanging stove, and put it on the fire.
"Comrade, he died in battle. The head of the Liang bandit on horseback fell in front of the last general. At that time, the last general was a pawn, a cavalry pawn."
As if narrating someone else's affairs, Xue Kui calmly added a few logs to the fire.
"No one saw it, so the general became greedy, so he hung the Liang Thief's head under the horse's belly, coveting the credit of his comrades."
After flicking the fire, Xue Kui looked at Fu San: "Brother, there is no tea in Jinge Town."
Fu San entered the house and went to get some tea.
"Other members of the Xue family looked down on the general, saying that he was Qiu Ba, the killer. The general was angry because he knew that he was a concubine in a side house. Many years later, he met a girl and married him. He had two children, one The boy is a girl, the boy is the flesh and blood of a brother who died in battle, and the girl belongs to the general, a family of three. At that time, the general was a small flag."
After Fu San handed the tea to Xue Kui, the latter continued: "Tongcheng, you have to live in Tongcheng. Jinge Town is not a place where a baby should live. My mother-in-law and the others went to Tongcheng, but they couldn't afford to live, because the final general was Bastard, Qiu Ba, kills talents."
Xue Kui poured the tea leaves into the teapot, heated the water, and made tea for Chu Qing. Xue Kui smiled.
"The last general has many evil intentions and bad intentions. When he saw his colleagues in misery, he thought why he should be miserable too, so he picked up the head of the cold thief and exchanged it for the head of the cold thief, using money and food. In exchange for military honors.”
Xue Kui's smile spread all over his face: "Both babies have gained weight and are no longer sallow and thin. At that time, the general thought, no matter what, I have to be greedy, greedy for military merit, greedy to the sixth rank, only to reach the sixth rank, salary, It is the salary that is given by Hope City to the generals of the sixth rank. They have to pay enough and dare not miss it. With the salary, the general's mother-in-law can wear warm clothes and the baby can have enough food."
After the tea was brewed, Xue Kui stopped smiling.
"This is the explanation you want. A lowly general is a villain and a thief greedy for merit. That's how it is."
Chu Qing looked at the tea cup in his hand and remained silent for a long time.
The reason, this is the reason, a reason that is not difficult to guess. The reason for being greedy for merit is because of being too narrow-minded and petty, because he is a villain.
Not because of enduring humiliation, not because of collusion with other generals, and not because of any reason that ordinary people can't understand. It's just that, a villain, a villain.
This mean-spirited villain has seen too many soul-calling bells, too many robes who died on the battlefield unable to marry their wives, and too many orphans and widowed mothers without anyone to take care of them. He doesn’t want to live like this, because he I have a wife and children.
Therefore, he has to be promoted to at least the sixth rank before he can receive a sufficient salary. He can use this salary to support his wife, children, and children, and that's it.
"Take off your armor."
Chu Qing raised his head and spoke in a commanding tone.
Xue Kui didn't ask why, he took off his armor and revealed his inner clothes.
"Take off your clothes."
Xue Kui took off his inner clothes.
"Take off your pants, too."
Many people came out to inspect the horses and the imperial guards. Xue Kui's face remained as normal and he took off his trousers.
Chu Qing's eyes twitched inadvertently: "A few words."
"forgotten."
"number."
"Wei." Xue Kui lowered his head and looked at the finger-long scar on his abdomen: "One."
He looked at the scars on his thighs and knees.
"two."
Looking at his right foot with the little finger missing, Xue Kui raised his head: "Does it count?"
Chu Qing gritted his teeth: "Forget it."
"three."
Turning his head, Xue Kui's posture was a bit funny, reaching out and touching his back.
He had indeed forgotten how many scars he had on his body. At first, he only felt pain, from the rain and the wind, to several sore places and scars. Later, his whole body hurt, too many to count. Too lazy to count.
Changxian walked over, holding back the tears in his eyes: "Three, four, five, six, seven...seven...seven!"
Everyone was silent, eight scars, one right foot with missing toes.
Chu Qing stood up, bent down, picked up Xue Kui's armor and clothes, and carefully shook off the yellow sand on them.
The yellow sand seems to never be shaken off, just like Xue Kui's scars that are so deep that they can never be healed. It's even more like the dry and cold border that destroys Xue Kui's body all the time.
The wound is healed.
It hurts when the wind is visible.
These scars are the reason why Xue Kui can openly say that he is a villain.
Chu Qing put on Xue Kui's clothes, trousers, and armor.
Xue Kui just stood quietly, like a puppet played by everyone, a numb puppet.
"I won't kill you anymore."
"Thank you, sir."
Chu Qing patted Xue Kui on the shoulder: "I wish every frontier soldier could be like you, a villain, a villain."
Just because of these words, Xue Kui finally couldn't bear it anymore and burst into tears. He suddenly knelt on the ground, holding his face with his hands, and cried bitterly.
But Xue Kui didn't know why he was crying. Maybe he had endured it for too long, or maybe only crying could let him know that he was still alive.
Chu Qing just patted Xue Kui's shoulder gently and kept patting.
Cries, bells, wind and sand.
Commander, prince, villain.
This is the border gate, the border gate tears.
