A copper coin, round on the outside and square on the inside, turned over and settled, with the word Jiajing revealed between the copper and green. The one who threw the money was an accountant, wearing a tattered square scarf and an old cloth gown that was blue and white. Although the clothes were shabby, he was handsome, his eyes were like torches, he stared at the copper coin and muttered, with his head on the top of his head. The ancient pagoda tree is in full bloom, with dots of pagoda tree flowers, as fine and white as stars. A few idlers were gambling around, and an old man lost two bets in a row, turned around and said with a smile: "Mr. Ning, what's so interesting about this copper coin, it's better to lend it to the little old man to make up the money."

The accountant shook his head and said, "This is divination, not for fun." The old man said with a smile: "You deceived the surname Lu to be ignorant. You use needles and threads to mend coats. How can you use copper coins?" He reached out to get the money, but Mr. Naning pushed it away, and said coldly: "It's not me." You are ignorant, this divination is fortune-telling, not sewing." The old man said: "Fortune-telling? Then what's the point?" Mr. Nanning said: "It counts as a Qian Gua." The old man smiled and said, "Qian Gua? Well, if you touch this money character, you must be rich and powerful..." Other idlers heard this After talking, they all laughed: "Lu Dahai, are you crazy about losing, and you only think about money?"

Mr. Ning smiled and said: "That's not bad. Although it's not worth the money, it's God who does it. There is a saying in the hexagram: 'Dry, Yuan Henry Zhen', Yuan Henry Zhen, that is, the rich and the rich. Meaning. This hexagram, the change of line falls on the ninth day of the month: "Qianlong, don't use it", it is the potential of yang energy hidden, just like a divine sword in a sheath, and the flame is hidden. , to level the world." A group of idlers were dumbfounded when they heard this, Lu Haihai made up his mind, and said, "Who cares about the hexagram of copper coins, or the hexagram of ingots, this money is only real if you win it." He found two pennies from his bag and shouted, "Grandpa!" If you go all out, bet on the small."

The idle man in the dealer giggled, and was about to roll the dice, but Lu Dahai said, "Wait a minute." The dealer said, "Why, are you afraid?" Lu Dahai said angrily: "Fart, who is grandpa afraid of? When I raised my head, the sky would poke a hole, and when I stomped my feet, the ground would tremble three times. I think back then when I went to Liuqiu, Fusang, Goryeo, and Sumata When stabbing, your little one was still acting like a baby in the mother's womb?" The banker was robbed, his face was swollen and flushed, and he was about to have a fit, but he thought that although he had a bad temper, he gambled high, and never credited debts. "Lu Haihai, you are amazing. If you lose then, don't borrow money from my little boy."

When Lu Haihai heard it, he immediately regretted it, but when he uttered such a big word, it was like being overwhelmed by water, so he let out a helpless snort.Suddenly I heard Mr. Ning ask: "Has the old man ever gone to sea?" "I've been working for several years." Lu Dahai suddenly regained his spirits, "It's just that the Japanese riot broke out and the sea route was blocked, and I lost all my money. After returning to China with great difficulty, the imperial court imposed a strict sea ban and killed countless boatmen. The old boatman either defected to the Japanese pirates or became a pirate. The little old man has no capital, and because he doesn't want to be a thief, he has to be a poor fisherman. But as the saying goes, the turtle with a shrinking head has the longest life. My companions were either ransacked by the court and killed; or they were robbed by bandits and thrown into the sea to feed the fish; counting dozens of people, the only one who has survived to this day is me, the little old man."

Mr. Ning sighed: "The old man's words are deeply in line with the sage's way of 'doing nothing to protect oneself'. Competing for profit and fame is the reason for killing one's life, and the only way to live in peace and happiness is to avoid disaster." Lu Haihai said: "Mr. Ning, what you said is all the truth, and the little old man doesn't understand. But the gentleman can tell fortunes, so you might as well do the math. Will the little old man win or lose?" Mr. Naning sprinkled the copper coins in his hand six times in a row, and said, "This time is the hexagram of Kun? The change of the line is on the sixth line, and the line says: 'Shang Liu, the dragon fights in the wild, and its blood is black and yellow'." Seeing Lu Haihai, he couldn't help He then explained, "That is to say, once the yin qi is too strong, it will inevitably overwhelm the yang qi, and the yin and yang qi will inevitably fight a battle. However, since ancient times, the yang is the king, and the yin is the minister. Yin cannot overcome yang, and evil cannot Strictly speaking, the old man loses more than he wins in this shop, if Ning's hexagram is not bad, he should lose in the number of six or five."

Lu Dahai was surprised when he heard this, but all the idlers were already clamoring to place bets. The banker grabbed the bamboo tube and shook it for a while, and suddenly opened it. Everyone held their breath and saw that there was one six and two fives, which couldn't be bigger.Everyone was surprised, and Lu Dahai was even more dumbfounded. While collecting the money, the banker said with a smile: "Six five, six five, one six two five, Mr. Ning is so straight-forward, haha, Lu Dahai, do you still gamble?" Lu Dahai flipped through his bag, but it was empty. He turned his head and looked, and at some point, the accountant's green shirt was fluttering, and he was far away. .”

"Don't scold me first." The farmer laughed, "Mr. Ning is not to be messed with. Tell me, how big is the Yao family's family business? The family's gold and silver mountains can't be counted by several accountants, and no one has been exposed to rouge." But since I came to Mr. Ning, the abacus seems to have lived in the gods. In less than a month, all the other accountants have packed up and left. Now the Yao family’s silver like water flows through his ten fingers, without any Not too bad. Tell me, in this way, Yao Daguan still treats him as a treasure? If you dare to scold him, be careful that Yan Zhihu will tear your mouth if he hears it?"

All the idlers laughed.Lu Dahai was thinking about how to borrow money from everyone to make money.At this time, drums and music were playing in the distance, and when the idlers heard it, they started clamoring: "Yao's troupe is here, go and see, go and see." They rolled up the gambling equipment and dispersed. Lu Dahai was hopeless, picked up the fish basket, and walked away resentfully.The clouds in Er'er became thicker, and the southeast wind blew.He had been out at sea many times, and he was good at distinguishing the weather. He rushed to avoid under a plum tree, stood still, and the heavy windshield brushed it, stirring up faint smoke and dust on the ground.

When the rain was rushing, he suddenly saw a gray-clothed man staggering in with his sleeves hanging and carrying a package on his back. Lu Dahai called out heartily, "My friend, take two quick steps and come here to hide." The man had never heard of it, and he still took his time. He came to the plum tree, but he didn't hide. Lu Haihai felt strange, the gray-clothed man suddenly raised his head and revealed his face, only to be shocked that Lu Haihai took half a step back, only to see that the visitor's eyes were empty, his face was pale and swollen, like a floating corpse in the water, without even a trace of life.

The man in gray paused every word, and said hoarsely: "Is Yao's Village still far away?" Lu Dahai thought to himself that this person not only had a strange appearance, but also had a hint of ghost in his throat, so he replied, "Go five miles to the west." Stumbled away. Lu Dahai stared blankly at the man's back, and suddenly realized that although this man was walking in the rain, his clothes, hair, shoes and socks were dry and scratched, and there were no wet marks. When he regained his composure, he suddenly saw his clothes fluctuating under the wrapping behind him. , like a dragon and a snake, whenever the rain drops, there is no trace in an instant.Lu Dahai was so startled that he was dumbfounded, and he didn't recover until the man in gray disappeared into the wind and rain. The rain was originally a shower, and it came and went quickly.After a while, the clouds opened and the sun rose.Lu Dahai shook off the rain, took two steps in a daze, and suddenly remembered something, turned around and went to the plum tree, climbed onto the trunk, shook down a dozen green and big plums, and stuffed them into the bag. After tidying up, I suddenly heard Ka's smile, as crisp as Ying's cry.Lu Haihai turned around in surprise, only to see a girl with blue eyes and peach cheeks, snow skin and green hair, she was a rare Western girl. Lu Haihai went out to sea toward the sun, and met a few barbarian girls, but this was the first time he had seen such a beautiful woman. Although the barbarian girl had a strange appearance, she was wearing a red dress that was fashionable in the south of the Yangtze River, and she was holding a Persian dog in her arms. The cat is full of snow, lazy and cute. "Old man." The woman spoke crisp and clear Mandarin, "Do you know Yaojiazhuang?" Lu Dahai was secretly amazed when he heard it, and replied: "Not far, five miles to the west." The barbarian girl smiled and said: "Thank you." As she spoke, she stroked the Persian cat's neck hair. The Persian cat turned its head to look at Lu Haihai, and there was a bit of prey in the blue eyes. Lu Dahai felt a chill in his heart, but he heard the barbarian girl giggling and saying, "Famarat, don't be naughty." As she spoke, she stretched out her hand and scratched the cat's neck. lower eyelids.The coldness in Lu Haihai's heart has only dissipated at this point, but he feels confused. The barbarian girl smiled again, and said, "Old man, let me remind you that you can't eat the plums on the side of the road." Lu Dahai wondered, "Why can't you eat them?" The barbarian girl smiled and walked westward without answering. Going, she walked slowly, but when she landed, she was ten feet away.Lu Hai was dazed with fear, and when he rubbed his eyes and looked again, the barbarian girl had disappeared. Lu Haihai broke out in a cold sweat suddenly: "Honey, is it true that Lu's life is not good, and he meets a female ghost in the daytime?" Thinking of this, he was very confused, and for some reason, he couldn't gather his energy. After walking like this for a while, passing through a small path, the warm and salty wind blows in bursts.Lu Haihai raised his eyes and saw that the misty waves were vast, the sea was endless, and the clouds were hanging from the sky, drinking water like a dragon. The howling continued, and someone laughed and said, "Is grandpa back?" In a blink of an eye, Lu Haihai saw the far shore of Changsha, with towering cliffs and a thatched hut on the cliff. In front of the hut, a young boy in civilian clothes was mending fishing nets. When he saw him, he put down his work and got up to greet him. Lu Dahai smiled and said: "Jian'er, hello." The boy was seventeen or eighteen years old, his complexion was slightly dark, his features were clear, and he frowned and said, "I'm fine. Grandpa is so polite, but something is not good." Lu Dahai Being stared at by him felt like a light on his back, feeling uncomfortable. The boy asked again: "Did you lose all the money from selling fish again?" "Where are you talking?" Lu Dahai blushed, "I exchanged money and went home. I was walking on the road and suddenly saw a plum seller, so I bought some for you to quench your thirst." He took out a plum from his bag, Stuffed in the boy's hand.The boy hesitated to take it and took a bite, but felt sore and miserable that he almost spit it out.It turned out that the plum tree grew on the side of the road, and countless passers-by passed by, but the fruit was as plentiful as before. Lu Dahai stared at the young man intently, saw his brows slightly wrinkled, and then relaxed, his heart just fell to the ground, only to hear the young man sigh: "Is this money all exchanged for plums?" Lu Dahai laughed loudly, stroked the back of the young man's head, and said, "My son is smart, so he can guess right away. How is it? Are the plums delicious?" The young man nodded and said: "The plums are big and sweet, they are really delicious, but the fruit can't fill your stomach, next time there are good glutinous rice cakes, can you buy me two?" Lu Dahai was stunned, and forced a smile: "That's right, look at my memory. When I got excited, I exchanged all the money for plums, but I forgot to buy rice." The boy remained silent and went to mend the net. Lu Dahai sat idle for a while, and suddenly heard thunder in his belly, looked at the bag full of plums, and felt his mouth full of saliva, thinking that his grandson said the plums were delicious, so he might as well eat two to satisfy his hunger.Immediately took out one, just stuffed it into the mouth, the old face crumpled into a ball, and hurriedly spit out the pulp. The boy heard the movement, looked back, and laughed uncontrollably.Lu Dahai only hated being homeless, so he was ashamed for a while, looking for something to say: "Jian'er, let's not talk about money for now, it will feel vulgar if I mention it. But when I came home today, I encountered two strange things Let me tell you." The boy said without looking up, "Is the orangutan grabbing the clothes this time, or is the yaksha forcing the bet?" Lu Dahai traveled to sea in his early years and saw many rare and strange things. Therefore, every time he lost all his money, he would inevitably use some anecdotes to excuse him. Human clothes, on the way home, encountered a group of orangutans robbed, not only the clothes and pants were lost, but also the money was lost; Dahai couldn't resist, so he had no choice but to fight with him generously. That Yasha is a demon and not a human, with great supernatural powers, and it is only natural that he lost all his money.In addition, there are groups of seagulls, pecking away all the rice noodles in exchange; dragons gather treasures, stealing people's money bags, and dragging them to caves for collection.All in all, it's hard for this old thing to talk nonsense and emerge endlessly. Therefore, after listening to this young man, Lu Dahai's face became slightly hot, fortunately his complexion was dark, covering his embarrassment, and he was about to say those two strange things, when his mind suddenly felt empty, what was going on, he couldn't think of anything, he thought hard for a long time, He slapped his forehead suddenly, and shouted: "Oops, grandpa is getting old, why can't he remember all the good things?" The young man was surprised and amused at the same time, but the grandfather was a rascal by nature, he had already seen the strangeness, he only smiled and didn't take it to heart. Lu Dahai was so hungry that he turned over the pot and searched the stove, but there was no grain of rice.Can't help but say: "Jian'er, is there nothing to eat?" The young man said: "Wait until you buy the rice and put it in the pot!" Lu Dahai choked and said, "Is there any fish?" The young man said, "Didn't you sell it?" "You don't have to vomit with me." Lu Dahai became angry with embarrassment, "Give me the net, and I will catch two fish to fill my belly." The boy said: "Didn't you see that the net was pierced by a fish, and you are mending it?" Lu Dahai had nothing to do, he took two steps angrily, clapped his hands suddenly, and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter. I heard from the people in the town Well, today is the birthday of Mr. Yao. Mr. Yao is throwing a birthday banquet, let’s go to congratulate him, maybe we can make a good meal.” Speaking of this, it seems that the delicacies of mountains and seas on the birthday banquet are all in front of us, and I can’t help but groan. Swallow. The young man shook his head and said: "The people of the Yao family are fierce and bad, they never look at people directly, it's no wonder he let you into the village." Lu Haihai said: "Today is different from the past, as long as the old man says a few words 'Shoubi Nanshan, blessings like the East China Sea', then make two bows, two kowtows, even if you can't sit at the table, you can get some leftovers, it's good .” "Isn't that a beggar?" The boy frowned, "I won't go." Lu Dahai said angrily: "What are you pretending to be noble? Are you the prince, or the son?" He stumbled and went alone. The young man ignored him and buried himself in weaving his net. He waited until the land and the sea were far away before he put down his fishing net and took out a necklace made of shells from his bosom. The shells on the chain were of different sizes. Polished carefully, the pearl shines in the sun, the young man looked at it for a while, took a white stone from his feet, dipped a slightly rough conch in water, and carefully ground it on the stone surface. Beads of sweat oozed out. Before the grinding was finished, someone suddenly heard the sound of flapping wings, and someone screamed: "Lu Jian, Lu Jian." The young man looked up, and saw a white parrot with plain feathers perched on a fishing pole. Flowing brilliance, the beak is like painted red, and the eyes are like topaz lacquer. In a turn, the water and light flow, and the spirituality is compelling. "Practice your sword, practice your sword." The white parrot yelled and flew out for more than ten feet. Seeing that the young man hadn't followed, it stopped on the top of a rock again, tilting its head and calling, "Lu Jian, Lu Jian." Lu Jian smiled and said, "Silly bird, don't rush me." He exposed the shell necklace to the sun, showing a hint of joy, then got up and went to the back of the house, groped under a rock for a while, and pulled out a wooden sword, which was three inches long. The ruler, with many flaws, is an old thing that has been worn for a long time. The white parrot flew ahead to lead the way, and Lu Jian hung his sword at his waist, and followed behind. After walking for several miles, he saw a dense forest in the distance, covered with smoke and boulders, and the forest was dense and dense. The closer Lu Jian got to the forest, the more flustered he felt, and his pace slowed down unconsciously.The white parrot was too slow, so it rested on a tree and urged, "Lu Jian, Lu Jian." As soon as the cry came out, a white shadow swayed in the woods, and a girl with a bun appeared, her skin was as fine as snow, her hair was like a crow, she was not yet young, her appearance was already extremely beautiful, she was dressed in white polished silk with bead embroidery and gold painting The thread skirt is tied with a white jade inlaid emerald-colored phoenix and dragon belt. The hairpin is like azure and dotted with green, and the ear is like flowing silver and inlaid with beads. It is a pair of embroidered shoes, which are also gold thread and silver thread, wrapped around five-color peonies, which is unspeakably luxurious. The white parrot fluttered its wings and landed on the girl's shoulder, beautiful birds and beautiful women, forming an interesting contrast. Unconsciously, Lu Jian blushed and said falteringly, "Xiaolan, hello." The corner of the girl's mouth was slightly raised, half-smiling and half-annoyed: "It's not good, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Don't you want to see me, go away Slowly, do you still want White Pearl to urge you?" Lu Jian said urgently: "What's the matter, I, I want to see you even in my dreams." Xiao Lan said with a smile: "Really?" "Really." Lu Jian said, looking down at his toes, not daring to meet the woman's eyes. "Fool." Xiao Lan glared at him, "Still coming in?" The two came to the open space in the forest, and saw a wooden sword leaning under a big locust tree. The style was similar to Lu Jian's wooden sword, except that there was an extra five-color sword tassel, and beside the sword was a big red gourd with shiny paint. Bright. Xiaolan picked up the gourd and asked, "Are you thirsty?" Lu Jian nodded and said, "A little bit." Xiaolan smiled, handed the gourd to him and said, "Here you are." Lu Jian took it, uncorked it, and showed surprise. Xiaolan smiled and said, "How is it, is it good?" Aroma, um, like peach, like pear..." "Fool." Xiao Lan clapped her hands and laughed, "This is peach paste mixed with honey water, so it's naturally sweet and sour." Lu Jian blushed, put down the gourd, and said, "Drinking water is drinking Water, still use so much bending?" Xiaolan spat and cursed: "You bumpkin, you only know how to drink water and eat plain rice." Lu Jianwei hesitated, and said, "Xiaolan, I... I..." He reached out to his arms, wanting to touch the necklace. Unexpectedly, Xiaolan changed her face, picked up the wooden sword with tassels, and said calmly: "Stop talking nonsense, I learned a few new moves today. Look carefully, don't turn your eyes away." Immediately put on a pose He swiped three times to the left, stabbed his sword to the right, and said, "This trick is called stealing." Lu Jian hadn't eaten for a long time and his strength was weak, but in order to please the girl, he used his strength to do it according to the law. Xiaolan said again, "Look at this move 'stabbing the sparrow'." After saying that, she jumped high, stabbed four swords in the air, and landed floatingly, saying: "This sword is well practiced. In one stroke, it can stab Sixteen swords." Lu Jian jumped up in the same way, and only once stabbed with the sword, he fell to the ground before the second sword was thrust out. He blushed with embarrassment and peeked out, but saw Xiaolan's red mouth pouted, and there was a mockery in her almond eyes , feel even more ashamed. But Xiaolan snorted softly and said, "Lu Jian, why are you always slow? Walking slowly makes the sword even slower. I told you before that this sword technique must be fast, so fast that you can cut it off. Only running water is good, like you, even a toothpick can't cut it!" Lu Jian scolded her for a while, only nodded in agreement, but Xiaolan said again: "You haven't made any progress these days. If you continue like this, how can you practice sword with me?" Lu Jian was impatient, and blurted out: "I Be careful." Xiaolan gave him a white look, and said coldly: "Forget it, I believe you again." After speaking, she performed four tricks, namely "Mushroom Big Tree", "Blowing the Wind and Raining", "White Horse Over the Mountain", "Horse Hair "Toba", one move is as fast as the other, Lu Jian endured the hunger, watched it intently, followed the example, and learned one by one. Luckily, these four moves are not very difficult, so I didn't lose face, Xiaolan saw him practicing, and said: "I will teach these six moves today, you can practice at home. The moves I taught you last time, how did you practice?" Lu Jian said, "It's all done." Xiao Lan smiled and said, "Very good, let's dismantle it." The two of them got into a stance and confronted each other with their swords. Xiaolan's sword was like the wind, and Lu Jian was forced to panic by her fast sword. After a while, she hit three swords in a row. Although the wooden sword was not fatal , but the sword still hurts.After a few moves, Xiaolan stabbed with the sword, Lu Jian swung the sword to strike, with a beeping sound, the two swords intersected, Lu Jian suddenly felt a sticky force on Xiaolan's sword, and suddenly the tiger's mouth was numb, and the wooden sword flew out of his hand . Xiaolan giggled and said, "How about it, are you convinced?" Lu Jian hurriedly said, "I'm convinced." Xiaolan smiled when she heard this, and Lu Jian saw her eyes flowing and her jade cheeks glowing, and she felt it in her heart. joy. "Lu Jian." Xiao Lan suddenly looked worried again, "Five days ago you were able to block me fifty moves, why can you only take thirty moves this time?" Lu Jian thought for a while and said, "Use your sword Soon, the strength has also become stronger." "Nonsense!" Xiaolan snorted, "It's not that I'm getting stronger because I'm getting faster, but because you're getting weaker because you're slower, you're lazy and slippery, and you haven't practiced your sword well, right?" Lu Jian hurriedly waved his hands and said, "No, I , I practice every day." "That means you haven't practiced enough." Xiao Lan said, "From today onwards, you have to practice twice as much." Lu Jian hesitated and said: "I want to fish and mend the net, but I can't let grandpa see..." Xiaolan said angrily, "Do you want to practice swords with me?" He bowed his head and said nothing. Suddenly there was a giggle, and someone said: "What a cunning girl, she's so young, she's so good at deceiving people." Xiaolan's face changed when she heard the words, she couldn't help shouting with her sword: "Who is it?" She looked around, but she couldn't see anyone, but she heard the soft voice, it was a woman. But the woman laughed again and said: "Silly boy, do you know why she suddenly became stronger after five days?" Lu Jian said: "She practiced harder than me, so naturally she became stronger." The woman sighed and said: "Silly boy, you are really stupid. Although she practiced harder than you, it is not the main reason. The main reason is that she has practiced the family's 'chalcedony skill' to the second level. If you are successful, you will naturally become stronger. She teaches you how to practice swords, but does not pass on your internal strength, silly boy, don’t you know: 'Practice boxing without practicing martial arts, and it will be nothing until old age'?" When she was speaking, Xiaolan was flying towards the sound with her sword in her hand, but the voice was moving from east to west, from south to north, and always erratic. Lu Jian, cover your ears and don't listen to her nonsense." "You're talking nonsense," the woman laughed. "You taught this fool how to use swordsmanship, but you just let him be a target for you to practice swordsmanship. Tell me, how many of the things you told him are true? "Lu Jian was confused, but saw Xiao Lan stumbled and said angrily: "You are talking nonsense, if you have the ability, don't be a coward." The woman sneered softly, and a red shadow flashed, and in front of the two of them there was a beautiful barbarian girl with a green girl, red face, and blue eyes, holding a Persian cat in her arms, her cheeks were dizzy, and her smile was not a smile. "Fan Pozi." Xiao Lan shouted, "Is it you talking?" The barbarian girl smiled and said, "Yes, what's the matter?" "Take my sword." Xiaolan raised her sword suddenly, and stabbed with her sword.The barbarian girl smiled and said, "Do you stab sparrows?" Just as she spoke, Xiaolan's tiger's mouth hurt sharply, and with a click, the wooden sword snapped into two pieces. Xiaolan swept back, and when she looked intently, she saw half of a wooden sword embedded in a big tree. She couldn't help being shocked, thinking that she stabbed that barbarian girl, how could she stab the tree trunk, she hurriedly turned around, but the barbarian was nowhere to be seen. The girl's shadow, only heard the laughter coming from afar: "Silly boy, you should pay attention, don't be betrayed by this girl, and count the money for her." Little Lanhua's face changed drastically, and she suddenly cried out: "You, do you know magic arts?" The barbarian girl giggled coquettishly, the laughter faded away, and disappeared. Xiaolan stomped her feet resentfully, stared at Lu Jian and said, "If you believe her, you still believe me." Lu Jian said without thinking, "Of course I believe you, and I don't know her." Seeing that he answered so frankly, Xiaolan was satisfied , Poorly smiled and said: "You are still honest." She thought for a while, and then asked, "I clearly stabbed that old lady, but why did I stab it on a tree? You are beside me, what can you see?" Lu Jian said: "You are obviously a thorn tree, so why did you stab someone?" Xiao Lan wondered, "You said that when I drew my sword, it was a thorn tree?" Lu Jian nodded. Xiaolan pondered for a while, but still couldn't figure it out, so she said: "That old woman really knows magic tricks." After speaking, she picked up a branch and said, "Let's unravel the trick again." Suddenly, Lu Jian's eyes were glazed, and he was absent-minded. , I felt very unhappy for a while. It turned out that Lu Jian was more hungry than a round of swords. He was just an adult and had a large appetite. At this time, his body seemed to be hollowed out, and he couldn't lift half of his strength. He didn't try until Xiaolan stabbed him twice with a branch. He raised the sword, but within three moves, Xiaolan knocked off the wooden sword and held it against his throat. Xiaolan turned angry, threw the branch, and shouted: "Lu Jian, are you impatient to practice sword with me? Okay, I'll find someone else." After saying that, his brows turned red, he turned around and left, Lu Jian panicked Said: "Xiaolan, I...I..." blurted out in a hurry, "I haven't eaten, I haven't, I have no energy." Xiaolan stopped suddenly, turned her head and stared at him for a while, then suddenly blinked her eyes and started giggling.Lu Jian was so ashamed that he was at a loss, and said angrily, "What's so funny?" Xiaolan gasped for breath, and then said, "Silly brother, don't be angry, since you're hungry, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Lu Jian said, "If I said I didn't eat and didn't compete with swords, wouldn't it spoil your interest?" Xiaolan Said: "You can eat first, and then compete with swords." Lu Jian bit his lip, shook his head and said, "I have no food." Xiaolan looked at Lu Jian, her eyebrows slightly frowned, she was born into a wealthy family, and she never knew what it was like to be hungry, but seeing Lu Jian's pitiful expression, her heart softened, and she sighed, "Forget it, follow me." Lu Jian said "Where are you going?" Xiaolan summoned the white parrot and said, "Don't ask too many questions, just follow me." Lu Jian didn't dare to ask any more questions, followed her for a few miles, out of the dense forest, and saw the flying eaves and towering walls, he was not surprised and said: "Isn't this Yao's Village?" Xiao Lan said: "Stay here, don't go anywhere " Lu Jian agreed, Xiaolan walked a few steps, then turned around and said: "You must remember that you must never tell others about meeting me to practice swords, if you do, I will ignore you for the rest of my life." Lu Jian smiled and said, "You've said this a hundred times, I swear to God, don't you believe me?" Xiaolan smiled slightly, walked around a fence and disappeared.Lu Jian had nothing to do, so he sat down, thinking of Xiaolan's smile before leaving, his heart warmed, and suddenly remembered that he had known Xiaolan for two years, and remembered that it was the Mid-Autumn Festival of the year before last, when Lu Dahai drank too much wine and fell asleep early.Lu Jian was alone, bored, walking along the beach, and suddenly saw a figure swaying by the sea, when he looked closely, it was a young girl, dancing a sword against the wind under the full moon, with an incomparably graceful posture.Lu Jian was fascinated by it, and couldn't help picking up a dead branch, imitating her by jumping and stabbing. Such a dance, a learning, suddenly, the girl put away her sword and turned around, smiled sweetly, and pretended to be angry: "Stinky boy, if you peek at me practicing sword again, I will dig out your eyeballs." Lu Jian was originally just a childlike innocence, playing casually, but the beauty of that girl's smile was something he had never seen in his life.For a moment, the full moon paled, the stars dimmed, and the waves of the sea seemed to be silent.All Lu Jian could do was to stand there blankly, staring at the girl, unable to say a word for a long time. That night, Lu Jian knew that the girl's name was Xiaolan, and she liked to practice swords, but suffered from the fact that no one could dismantle her moves.When Lu Jian heard this, his head became hot, and he volunteered to practice swords with her.Since then, Xiaolan's swordsmanship has become better and better, and she always wins in sword competitions with Lu Jian.As time passed, it was not that Lu Jian had no chance of winning, but even if he found Xiaolan's weakness, he couldn't bear to put the wooden sword on him. If it is so many, it will be more than a month, or at least a few days, and the two will always meet once.In the beginning, Xiaolan always came to look for Lu Jian while Lu Dahai was away. Later, she raised a white parrot and named it "White Pearl";And Lu Jian also gradually understood that Xiaolan was different from him. She came from a wealthy family, and every time she appeared, she always appeared in splendid clothes and jewels.It's just that this girl has a very tight-lipped mouth and never reveals where her family is or who is in her family; if she doesn't say anything, it's inconvenient for Lu Jian to ask more. Thinking of this, Lu Jian stretched out his hand to touch the necklace in his bosom, feeling uneasy, and thought: "Xiaolan is used to seeing pearls and gemstones, this shell necklace is worthless, if she sees it, will she laugh at me? "Thinking of this, he secretly worried, almost forgot about hunger, until someone patted him on the shoulder before he woke up.Looking up, it was a little maid. Seeing him looking up, she put the red lacquer food box in her hand heavily, pouted and said: "No, here it is for you." Lu Jianqi asked, "Where's Xiaolan?" "Who is Xiaolan?" Seeing his shabby clothes and disgusted face, the little girl stepped back and said, "Aunt Zhu from the kitchen asked me to give it to you." Lu Jian was puzzled, and asked again: "Did Aunt Zhu ask Aunt Zhu to entrust you to give it to me?" "Xiaolan, Xiaolan?" the little maid spat, "What a mess, Aunt Zhu is Aunt Zhu, not Xiaolan. Also, this is the cemetery of Yaojiazhuang. People outside the village don't stay for long. Be careful that Rouge Tiger will take you away." As a grave robber, I will break your dog legs." Lu Jian turned his head and looked around, and saw many mounds and stone steles, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you from Yao's Village?" The little girl said, "So what?" Lu Jian's heart warmed , almost asked: "Is Xiaolan also from Yaojiazhuang?" But finally held back, watching the little girl run away in a hurry. Lu Jian opened the food box, and the aroma filled his nostrils.When you take a closer look, you can see that the chicken, duck, fish, meat and vegetables are all complete, the duck is coated with honey, and the eel is carved into petals. The method is exquisite, and I have never seen it in my life. I was about to move the chopsticks, but suddenly I thought of my grandfather. Before he got closer, he saw a group of idlers surrounding the gate of the villa, including Lu Dahai, but he was old and frail, and was blocked by the idlers. Lu Jian grabbed the corner of his clothes and yelled.Lu Dahai looked back at him and said angrily, "What are you doing?" Lu Jian said, "Have you not sat down yet?" "Is there any leftovers?" Lu Haihai said, "The banquet hasn't started yet, where are the leftovers?" Having said that, he blew on his beard, stared at Lu Jian and said, "You monkey, are you here to see my joke?" Lu Jian smiled and said, "How dare I, I'm taking you home for dinner." Lu Dahai looked suspicious, "Didn't you say there was no food?" Lu Jian raised the food box, Lu Dahai's eyes lit up, After taking a look, salivating, tore off a piece of duck meat and chewed it in his mouth. A few idle men who knew him turned around and saw it, shouted, and surrounded him.Lu Dahai hugged the food box in a hurry, and ran away. He was hooked by someone's foot, and fell to the ground, knocking over all the food boxes. Lu Dahai's nose was bruised and his face was swollen, but looking at the delicacies all over the place, the pain in his heart was worse than his face and nose, he couldn't help roaring: "The thief is a bird, tripping up your ancestors." In a daze, the fist stopped in mid-air, unable to send it out again. Lu Jian came up, and saw six Tsing Yi Zhuang Ding in front of him surrounded by a plump woman with heavy make-up. hostility. When Lu Dahai was glanced at by her, he suddenly softened, bent over and smiled and said, "Grandma housekeeper, hello." "You're scolding." The woman said with a smile, "Who is the thief, and who is the ancestor?" Lu Dahai hurriedly laughed and said: "The thief is naturally a villain. Needless to say, the ancestor is grandma." The woman said: "Am I that old?" Dazzling, I think I will meet someone's eldest daughter." The woman laughed and said, "You will turn around." Lu Jian knew that this woman was the manager of Yaojiazhuang. She was the first domineering person within a hundred miles. She was cunning and domineering. , No one actually remembers.Although Lu Jian knew how powerful this Rouge Tiger was, but seeing his grandfather's slavish face, he felt annoyed. He tugged at Lu Haihai and said in a low voice, "Grandpa, let's go." "Where are you going?" Yan Zhihu sneered slightly, and shouted, "Pick up that food box." Zhuang Ding beside him picked up the food box and handed it to her.Yan Zhihu looked at it, and said coldly: "Lu Dahai, you are getting more and more courageous. Last year, you hurt someone and went to jail, but you didn't know how to repent. Today is a good day, and you came to Tai Sui to break ground?" Lu Haihai was puzzled, scratched his head and said, "The villain doesn't understand what Grandma said?" Yan Zhihu took the food box, pointed to a small cinnabar character on the lid and said, "Do you know this character?" Lu Dahai apologized and said with a smile: "Grandma is taking a test for a small person? When it comes to recognizing characters, a small person can only recognize his own surname." , this character is neither like Lu nor Da, nor is it a Hai character, how can a villain recognize it?" Yan Zhihu smiled and said: "You old cunning but you can pretend to be dumb, no matter what, let me point you out, this is the word Yao, Yao from Yao's village. As for this food box, it is something from my village. I just don't know how you stole it." from?" Lu Dahai's face turned pale.Lu Jian also had a buzzing sound in his head, which grew several times out of thin air. He didn't know what to do, when he heard Lu Dahai laughingly said: "This food box was indeed stolen from Guizhuang by the old man, since grandma found out, If you want to beat, kill, or report to the officials, the little old man depends on how he handles it." Lu Jian was shocked and was about to speak when he was slapped on the head by Lu Haihai and staggered, only to hear him sternly shout: "Damn monkey, what are you doing dragging me, why don't you go home." Lu Jian was stunned, and suddenly Yan Zhihu snorted coldly and said, "Are you pretending to be a bachelor with me, you old man? Tie him up for me." Several Zhuang Ding agreed abruptly and rushed forward.Lu Jian's mind went blank. Seeing a few hands grabbing his grandfather, he became anxious and forgot where he was. He pulled out his wooden sword and performed a "big mushroom tree" move. He squatted down and lifted the sword upwards. Hearing a few miserable groans, those Zhuang Ding grinned and withdrew their hands one after another, but one of them was also brave, withdrew his left hand, and punched Lu Jian fiercely with his right. Lu Jian took half a step back, holding the sword with both hands, pressing the hilt with his right thumb, and turned the wooden sword slightly to the left.That Zhuang Ding punched, as if the fist had been sent to the tip of the sword, he couldn't help but screamed, he jumped back, when he looked down, blood flowed from the place where the sword was hit. The Zhuang Dings dispersed as if they had just woken up from a dream, and surrounded Lu Jian carefully, but they did not dare to rush forward.陆大海眼见一祸未平，一祸又生，不觉惊惶失措，连声道：“有话好说……”话音未落，便听胭脂虎喝道：“且慢。” 她分开众人，面上如罩寒霜，厉声道：“小子，这两招剑法，谁教你的？” 陆渐虽然得手，一颗心却是扑通乱跳，听这一问，无以回答。心想小兰千万叮嘱，不可说出与她相会之事，那么就算斧钺加身，自己也决不能泄漏一句。但他不善撒谎，支吾半晌，方道：“没人教我，我随手乱刺的。” 胭脂虎冷笑道：“这第一招是'芝兰玉树'，第二招则是'明珠弹雀'，都是'断水剑法'的招数，你欺我不认得吗？” “不对不对。”陆渐摆手道，“这第一招叫做'蘑菇大树'，第二招叫做'泥丸子打苍蝇'。什么断水剑法，我没听说过。” 胭脂虎怒极反笑：“好小子，不但偷学了剑招，还变着法儿侮辱我姚家的剑法。好啊，我今天便剖开你的肚子，瞧你有几个胆子。” 陆渐见她三角眼中精光转动，没由来只觉周身发冷，他不知这是对方杀气涌来所致，但因练剑已久，情急间双手把剑，剑尖微挑，斜指东南。 胭脂虎冷笑道：“这一招是'射斗牛'。” 陆渐摇头道：“这叫做'举棒打牛'。”胭脂虎又好气又好笑，骂道：“臭小子，你倒会消遣老娘，谁教你这么些混帐名儿。” 陆大海见事情越闹越大，若是任由陆渐使性弄气，只怕会惹出更大祸事。心一急，猛然扑向陆渐。陆渐一心提防胭脂虎与众庄丁，万没防着祖父，忽觉虎口一震，已被陆大海攥住木剑，他急忙回夺，奈何虽擅剑术，气力却是不济，只一下，便被拽了个踉跄。 众庄丁见状，一拥而上。陆渐不能用剑，便与常人无异，只一合便被按住。陆大海也被两个庄丁摁在地上，大叫道：“管家奶奶，小孩子不懂事，要打要杀，冲我老汉来……”直到被一个庄丁狠狠抽了几个嘴巴，始才清净。 胭脂虎冷笑道：“寿筵在即，诸事繁忙，先将这两个泥腿子押到庄内关押，待我禀明庄主，再来拷问。”说罢扭腰摆臀，扬长去了。 众庄丁闻令，便用腰带将陆氏祖孙捆了，推入庄内。庄丁们多少吃了陆渐的亏，心有怒气，纷纷饱以老拳，揍得陆渐浑身青肿，嘴角淌血。 二人被带到一座房前，众庄丁将之掀入，关上铁门。陆大海凑到门前，大叫冤枉。陆渐又饿又疼，说道：“爷爷，不要叫了，这也算不得冤枉。” “不冤枉么？”陆大海怒道，“难不成你真的偷了食盒，还会什么断腿断手的剑法？” 陆渐低头不语，心道：“倘若这剑法真是姚家庄的剑法，小兰又是从哪里学来的？难不成她是姚家庄的人，但她若是姚家的人，又为何将剑法教给我呢？”想到这里，他连连摇头，心道：“不对，姚家没一个好人，小兰怎会是姚家庄的人？再说，她传我的剑招名称又和胭脂虎说的完全不同，决不是什么断水剑法。”一时间，陆渐心乱如麻，浑然理不清头绪。 陆大海见他神色愁苦，忍不住问道：“孩子，莫非你有什么事瞒着我？”陆渐抬头欲言，但想到小兰嘱咐，又把话咽了下去。陆大海问那食盒的来历，陆渐也不肯说，陆大海知道这孙儿自小倔强，他若不肯说，任是如何打骂，也难让他吐出一个字来，问了两次，只得作罢。 不多时，忽听有女子在外说道：“总管奶奶说了，把这两个泥腿子押到书斋去，老爷要亲自拷问。” 负责看守的庄丁嘻嘻笑道：“六儿姑娘，就这么走啦？也不陪我多说几句儿。”那丫环啐了一口：“别来动手动脚的，当心管家奶奶瞧见了，剁了你的狗爪子。”那庄丁笑道：“如此说，索性我求求管家奶奶，把你赏给我暖被窝好了。”那丫环冷笑道：“做你娘的清秋大梦，你敢打这种混帐主意，我跟你白刀子进去，红刀子出来。” 两人调情打诨，闹了一阵，待那丫环去后，庄丁才提出二人。经过几道院门，未至书斋，早有小丫环迎出来，说道：“老爷说，将老的放了，小的交给我带进书房去。” 陆大海急道：“干么先放我？他不走，我也不走。”说罢蹲在地上，那庄丁大怒，脚踹手拖，连声呵斥。 却听那丫环又道：“老爷还说，前庄人多，出入不便，从庄后侧门出去就好。”那庄丁一心在这丫环前逞威，大声应了，连打带骂，拖着陆大海前往庄后不提。 陆渐见祖父被释，心怀大宽：“如此正好，今日的事全都怪我，不可连累了爷爷。” 那小丫环道：“臭小子，你放老实些，若想逃走，瞧我怎么收拾你。”陆渐冷笑道：“大不了一死罢了。”昂首迈步，却听那丫环在身后骂道：“你死到临头，还充什么好汉？” 到了书斋前，那丫环推门喝道：“进去。” 陆渐踉跄入门，只听砰的一声，那门又从后关上。他定一定神，但见一缕天光，自头顶天窗射入，照在书桌边一人脸上，那人手捻鬓发，美目含笑，这笑容陆渐再也熟悉不过，顿时惊喜交迸，脱口叫道：“小兰，是你？” “傻哥哥。”小兰叹道：“若不是我，你就死啦。”说罢给他解开束缚。 陆渐恍兮忽兮，如在梦里，喃喃道：“小兰，你教我剑法、给我食盒的事，就算他们打死我，我也不会说的。” 小兰流露出一丝感激之色，叹道：“陆渐，你陪我练剑，又替我保守秘密，我……我着实很承你的情。” “这算什么。”陆渐笑道。“你吩咐的事，我死也要做到的。” 小兰望着他，秀目中倏尔聚起蒙蒙水光，忽地别过头去，陆渐见她香肩微颤，似在哭泣，不由慌了神：“怎么啦，我做错事了么？你，你别哭，都是我不对。” 小兰伸袖抹泪，道：“你有什么不对，不对的是我，你可知道我为什么难过？”陆渐摇头。小兰叹道：“只因你对我太好，我，我却对你不尽不实。”她见陆渐神色茫然，便道，“我本姓姚，姚家庄主姚江寒便是我爹，小兰这个名字，是我编来骗你的。” 陆渐听得这话，心头微乱，但瞬间又平静下来，心中许多疑窦豁然贯通，不觉笑笑。小兰怪道：“我骗了你，你也不生气吗？”陆渐摇头道：“无论你是谁，在我心里，你都是教我练剑的小兰。即便你骗了我，我也不怪你。” 小兰心中悲喜交集，好容易忍住泪水，说道：“陆渐，你待我的心意，我都明白。如今我有一个大对头，须得你帮我对付，原本我还想再等一些日子和她了断，如今却来不及了。” 陆渐听得满头雾水，小兰转身从书案下抽出一口明晃晃的宝剑，说道：“以往我们用的是木剑，今天却要用真剑。”陆渐接过，但觉入手极沉，不知怎的，心中一阵不安。 小兰说道：“你人小剑重，须得双手把持，待会儿若有人来，你便藏在书架后，万莫作声，待我喝一声'刺'，你便以'射斗牛'起手，用'长空击鹰'刺她后背。” 陆渐吃了一惊，摆手道：“怎么使得，这是真剑，会刺死人的。”小兰嗔道：“你不是说了吗？我吩咐的事，你死也要做到的？怎么才一会儿，就变卦了……”说到这儿，眼圈儿一红，看着又要落泪。 陆渐见状，心头如被针刺，无奈道：“你别哭，我听你的便是。”小兰这才破涕为笑。陆渐又道：“只是，姚，姚……小姐……”小兰白他一眼，嗔道：“不许叫我小姐。我单名一个晴字，你以后便叫我阿晴好了。” 陆渐心想：“这个名字比小兰可好听多了。”又说道：“阿晴，你说的招数，我还没学过呢。” “我一急，却忘了。”姚晴微微笑道，“这两招便是'举棒打牛'和'刺麻雀'。” 陆渐道：“原来不止你的名字是假的，剑招的名字也是假的。”姚晴羞怒交集，狠狠瞪他一眼。陆渐见她生气，不敢再说，想了想，忽地嗫嚅道：“阿晴，我，我有件东西，想要给你。” 姚晴两眼瞧着房门，漫不经意地道：“什么东西？”陆渐自怀里取出那条贝壳项链，吃力地道：“送、送给你的呢！” 姚晴接过，微感愕然，定定瞧了那项链半晌，忽地抬头，强笑道：“这，这是你自己做的么？”陆渐点头道：“是啊，可惜不值钱，你不嫌弃，就放在那里瞧瞧，戴与不戴，都没关系的。” 姚晴望着项链，神色如痴如醉，轻轻地道：“谁说不值钱，我见过的首饰里面，数这个最贵重的。”陆渐笑道：“你说笑，这个一文钱也不值的。”姚晴叹道：“是呀，它不值钱，它所值的，是一颗真心，与真心相比，钱又算什么呢？”说到这里，她眼中泪光滚出，顺着娇嫩双颊滑落下来。 陆渐听着这一番话，只觉双颊滚烫，浑身发热，一颗心扑扑乱跳，恨不得将眼前的流泪的少女搂在怀里，但见她华服丽裳，又觉胆怯，踌躇间，忽听脚步声响，姚晴将贝壳项链揣入怀中，急将陆渐推到书架后，顺手塞给他一枚绿豆软糕。 陆渐接到点心，好不感激，暗想小兰，不，阿晴竟还记着自己久未进食，可见心里始终挂念自己。想到这里，只觉那绿豆糕入口，滋味奇佳，竟是绝世无双的美味。 那脚步停在门外，忽有人道：“庄主在么？”陆渐听得大吃一惊，敢情正是那胭脂虎的声音，却听姚晴略一沉默，说道：“爹爹不在，你有事么？” 胭脂虎咦了一声，嘻嘻笑道：“庄主自然不在了，他今日在前厅会客，从未离开。只不过，假传庄主之令、取走囚犯的人竟是小姐，真叫人意想不到。” 姚晴道：“什么囚犯，我可不知？” “小姐消遣婢子么？”嘎吱一声，胭脂虎推门而入，“要不我找来周六儿那丫头，咱们对对质。” 姚晴微一默然，忽道：“不必了，是我假传爹的号令，但那两个人我已放了。”胭脂虎哦了一声，笑道：“放了便放了吧，谁叫他们是小姐的朋友的呢？” 姚晴道：“我一个深闺小姐，哪会有这种朋友？我只是瞧他们可怜罢了。” “先不说这个。”胭脂虎笑了笑，“婢子方才将那陆家祖孙关押之后，便去查证了一件事，小姐可知道是什么事吗？” 姚晴道：“大总管的事，我怎么知道？” 胭脂虎嘻嘻一笑：“婢子去厨房问了一下那只朱漆食盒的来历，送食盒给那穷小子的是小金钏，食盒里的菜却是朱大娘做的。于是婢子便将朱大娘拿下，才抽两鞭子，那老货便已屎尿齐流，供出是玉瓶那丫头吩咐的。我想啊，玉瓶是小姐的贴身丫环，若要盘问，也得先跟小姐知会一声，小姐若不在书斋，我还打算去闺中拜访呢。” “就算我送他食盒，难道犯了王法？”姚晴冷笑一声，“何况这庄子怎么说也姓姚，可不姓陈，姓姚的好歹是主子，姓陈的再跋扈，也只是个奴才，主子送人饭吃，又管奴才什么事？” 胭脂虎本姓陈，她虽自称婢子，其实地位超然，即便是庄主姚江寒，也从不以奴婢视之，听了这话，三角眼精光迸出，笑容却丝毫不改：“敢情这么多年，婢子竟不知道小姐生了这样一张利嘴。可惜了，你只是个千金闺女，若是个公子哥儿，凭你这才思，还不写八股，当状元去？” 姚晴冷冷道：“是呀，只因我是千金闺女，不但写不得八股，当不了状元，就算是祖传的断水剑法，我也不能学。” 胭脂虎咯咯一笑，说道：“如此说，'断水剑法'真是小姐传给那穷小子的啰。只不过，恕婢子糊涂，小姐的剑法，又是从哪儿学的呢？” 姚晴道：“爹爹每天练剑，我便不能瞧么？” 胭脂虎道：“这么一说，婢子却想起来了，老爷练武的时候，你常给他端茶奉水，我还当你是乖巧孝顺呢，敢情另有他图。只不过，婢子还有一事不明，每次你送茶水的时候，婢子都瞧在眼里，时间又短，你哪里来得及学呢？” 姚晴淡然道：“我今天瞧一招，明天瞧一招，日子一长，慢慢的就多了。” 胭脂虎目不转睛望着姚晴，倏尔笑道：“婢子让庄主不教你武功，原也是为你好。你一个女孩儿家，使刀弄枪太不雅观，将来嫁到夫家，多惹是非。只不过，你若真的要学，只需向你爹爹苦苦央求，他心肠一向很软，必会答应于你，你又何苦处心积虑，费这许多手脚呢？” 姚晴忽地抬头，与她四目相对，一字一句道：“我若真的向爹央求，只怕活不到今天。” 胭脂虎眼中闪过一道厉芒，忽又笑道：“难不成会有人如此胆大，敢来陷害小姐？”姚晴啐了一口：“你心里明白，何必问我？” 胭脂虎默然半晌，叹了口气，寻一张太师椅坐下，幽幽地道：“原本婢子当小姐是个伶俐乖巧的孩子，是以吃穿用度，予取予求，从不曾薄待过你。只盼小姐将来风风光光嫁个好人家，我也对得起你死去的娘了。唉，如今看来，小姐不仅不算乖巧伶俐，反而乖戾多疑，叫婢子好伤心呢。”说罢攒了袖子，在眼角擦拭。 姚晴却蓦地杏眼瞪圆，厉声道：“姓陈的，你还有脸提我娘？” “原来如此。”胭脂虎轻轻一笑，抬起头来，睨着姚晴，半晌方道，“我只是奇怪了，那件事万分隐秘，除了我别无人知，你又是怎么知道的？” “我那时年纪虽小，却也问过大夫。”姚晴恨声道，“我娘原本只是伤风，吃两付药发发汗便好了，怎么会一病就是一年，虽然服药无数，可直到去世也没好转过。这件事，从头到尾，都很蹊跷。” 胭脂虎叹道：“那是你娘体质嬴弱，那大夫又误用了狼虎之药，是故大伤元气，以至于积重难返，临去的时候，精血耗竭，枯瘦如柴呢。” 姚晴冷冷道：“当时大夫也是这么说，我却偏偏不信。那时候，你是娘的贴身丫环，汤药都是你一手煎制，我不敢找你索要汤药，便将你给娘煎药后的药渣偷了出来，从新煎过。你还记得，我那时养了一只白色的西洋犬么？” “怎么不记得？”胭脂虎笑道，“你叫它猧儿，不知为何，没活几天便死了。死的时候，瘦得只剩一把骨头……”说到这儿，她忽地打住，轻轻咦了一声，目有惊色。 “你想得不错。”姚晴忽地纵声娇笑，笑声中透出苦涩之意，“猧儿它，它的死征跟我娘一模一样。那只因为，我天天给它喂那用药渣煎过的水。结果……”说到这里，嗓子哽咽，无法再说。 胭脂虎耷拉眼皮，沉默片刻，莞尔道：“这事却是婢子大意了，早知道，那些药渣要么丢在海里，要么就该埋在地下的。” 姚晴一双秀目喷出火来，切齿道：“这么多年，你到底认了。” 胭脂虎笑了笑，从容道：“说起来，那药也没什么古怪，婢子只是将其中的两味药加重了些分量。自古这用药便如治国，有的药是君，有的药却是臣，若是君强臣弱，自然国泰民安，但若是君弱臣强，大权旁落，那可要天下大乱了。那两味药本是药中的臣子，分量一旦加重，便将一副好端端的良方，变成了伤人元气的狠药。只不过，这药力虽狠，却也算不上毒药，天下间除了寥寥几个医国圣手，那是谁也瞧不出这其中的玄机的。” 姚晴听得浑身颤抖，心道：“她这话明里说用药，暗地里不是说她和娘么？她是娘的婢子，却处处逞能；娘虽是主子，却时时受她摆布，最后竟然遇害枉死，可说是臣强君弱，大权旁落。”她越想越恨，大声道：“胭脂虎，你是我娘陪嫁过来的丫环，我娘待你有如姊妹，你，你为何要狠心害她？难不成良心都被狗吃了？” 胭脂虎摇头叹道：“你是千金小姐，又是天生丽质，许多事你一生一世也不会明白。说到聪明能干，我胜过你娘十倍，说到武功，我也强她十倍。可她生来就是千金小姐，我却只能做陪嫁丫环；她能得到你爹的欢心，做姚家庄的女主人，而我无论怎样费尽心力，也顶多做一个总管，换了是你，你能甘心么？不过奇怪，你既然知道我害了你娘，为何不向你爹说明呢？” 姚晴身子不住发抖，语气却忽地冷静下来：“我爹剑法虽高，人却糊涂，他把你视为心腹，言听计从；我一个小女孩儿，说的话他会信么？再说，这庄里一大半人都是你的耳目心腹，只怕我才露出恨意，便已遭了你的毒手。” 胭脂虎微一默然，忽而叹道：“小姐当真聪明了得。只可惜，你若像你娘一样蠢笨，也就不会死了。”姚晴不觉倒退半步，厉声道：“好呀，你这么说，是要杀我了。” “婢子岂敢？”胭脂虎微微一笑，“杀你的另有其人呢！” 以姚晴兰心蕙质，闻言也是一愣，忽见胭脂虎身形微晃，陡然纵起。姚晴早有防备，娇喝一声，袖间银光吐出，却是二尺长一口软剑。胭脂虎咯咯一笑，身形扭动，姚晴一剑刺空，便见胭脂虎身形翩折，掠到书架之后。 “陆渐当心。”姚晴失声惊呼，忽听陆渐惨叫一声，已被胭脂