Chapter 29 Luohuaxi·October 27th, noon

The day before, it had rained for the first time since the beginning of autumn, and it had been pattering all night, and it was still ticking under the porch near noon.Ordinarily, the rain was not violent, but it was continuous. In just one night, the water of Luohua Creek rose up, and the Dengbu Bridge a hundred feet away was submerged in the water. The tavern is built by the stream.Looking out from the spacious waterside pavilion, it is Nanmu Mountain embracing Luohuaxi.The wide official road meanders out of the mountain gorge, jumps over the stream by the stepping bridge, and passes by the door of the tavern.It's just that the suddenly rising stream flooded the stone bridge, making the official road look like it was cut off.

After being washed by the rain all night, the weeping willows by the stream suddenly became more energetic, and the sharp leaf tips forced out a watery emerald green.This green is so vivid, it dyes the waterside pavilions lively.However, Bai Lianyu, who was leaning on the railing, looked sluggish, with sleepiness on the brows and eyes.She rested her chin on the railing, staring blankly at the murky running water.After a while, he raised his hand to cover his mouth and yawned, muttering softly, "It's so boring, I'm so bored." Hearing this sentence, the two shop assistants who were sweating profusely almost fell down: Last night, there was heavy wind and rain, and the empty water pavilion hall was full of fallen leaves and flying flowers, and the ground was also wet with water everywhere, looking a mess.But early in the morning, the eldest young master rushed to Jinping Camp, and the eldest lady just sat by the railing in a daze. There were only two shopkeepers and a cook in the tavern. Seeing that two guests had already been seated in the main hall, and the floor table The chairs haven't been cleaned yet, how can I treat guests?

Uncle Wang, who was more courageous, didn't raise his head, and complained loudly: "Where is the leisure, there is endless work to do, and there is no one to help." Bai Lianyu chuckled lightly, turned her head and said, "Uncle Wang, I'm not in a hurry, what are you in a hurry for?" Although the Bai brothers and sisters are the proprietors of the tavern, they have never treated the waiter as a servant, and they talk and do things together. Uncle Wang is not afraid of her.He slammed the rag in his hand on the table, and said with a dark face: "You have to see customers when you open the door. Miss, if you say you don't open today, forget it. Now that there are customers coming in, even if there are not many, they are still customers. How can you be negligent?" ?”

Uncle Wang's words were serious, Bai Lianyu frowned upon hearing this, and pouted, "Then I said it's okay not to open today? Why? Who else will come when it's raining?" Uncle Wang was annoyed by her: "Miss, I don't know what's on your mind? Isn't it because the two guests paid for it? Don't bother you, right?" He shook his head and muttered in a low voice, "This What is it called, the owner of the shop looks down on the customers who give money." Zhan Suozi came over and gave him an elbow: "What nonsense, when did the young master and the young lady open the shop to ask for money?"

They were not talking loudly, but there were only a few people in the empty tavern.The guests sitting in the main hall were not happy to hear that, and said in a drawn out voice, "So there is no charge for drinking in this place!" Bai Lianyu was originally full of anger, but when she heard what they said, she cast a vicious look at them.After staring at the two for a while, she suddenly smiled like a little fox, stood up, and walked towards the two guests. Uncle Wang glared at Zhan Suozi, "You have a troublesome mouth, and the young master is not in the store. What do you think?"

Zhan Suo spread his hands, "What can I do? Missy has driven away not just one or two guests." This tavern has no name.To the south of Dengbu Bridge is Jinping Town, and there is Jiuli, and the nearest big city to the north is Qingshi, which is 120 miles away.Speaking of which, opening a tavern is somewhat embarrassing in this place where there is no village and no shop.But business travelers who have been on the official road all year round know this tavern by the Luohuaxi River. The Luohuachun in the tavern is soft and mild in the mouth, but has a long and mellow aftertaste. It can be regarded as a first-class Wanzhou famous wine.The most rare thing is that this is the wine produced by the hotel, just like the fresh water fish from Luohuaxi, it is only sold once a day, and it is absolutely unavailable elsewhere.However, the tavern is famous not because of the fish and wine, but because of the rules here: if you can tell a good story, you don't have to pay for the food and drinks.Of course, the Bai brothers and sisters who run the store have the final say on what a good story is.Even if you are a book-teller in Huai'an City, you might not be able to save a penny here, but you can tell a good story through strange traffickers and pawns, and sometimes you can save the expenses of the entire tavern patrons.This rule sounds strange, but it is actually interesting.There are two people who can eat free food every day, even if they can't eat, they can hear all kinds of weird stories here.Come and go, word of mouth, merchants who walk bluestone often stop here.More than a month ago, King Xie Jiye sent troops to the south and besieged Qingshi. The commercial route to the north was gradually cut off, but the business of the tavern did not show a slump.The Wanzhou Allied Forces built a large camp in Jinping, and there were frequent civilians fleeing south in the direction of Qingshi, and there were always people here to inquire about the war in the north.It's just that in recent days, the news of Qingshi's arrival suddenly disappeared. It must be that Xie's army attacked Qingshi very tightly. Even the scouts released by the Jinping camp also clashed with the Xie army's team going south several times. The atmosphere became more tense for a while. Only then did it cool down.

For three consecutive days, at noon the main hall of the tavern was not even half full, and most of them were "paying customers" from Jinping Town, with only a pair of ears on.Even if there are a few chewing saliva from the past, there is nothing new to chew.It rained heavily last night, the official road was muddy, and there seemed to be fewer people, no wonder Miss Bai felt bored. Speaking of which, the Bai family is also a prominent family in Wanzhou. The ancestor of the Bai family, Changqing, was originally surnamed Cong, and he was a wealthy man in Wanzhou during Emperor Wen's time.After the war, it was decided that hunger was everywhere, and the people had no means of living. Cong Changqing used all his wealth to buy land to resettle the refugees. He did not rent or pay, and benefited countless people. He can be regarded as a great contributor to the restoration of Wanzhou's vitality.Emperor Wen intended to let the world follow suit, so he gave the emperor the surname, the hereditary Duke of Xing'an.However, this duke of Xing'an is a title with no salary or conferment, and he doesn't have any real power. The court laughed and called him "the prince who donated to lose".The Bai family originally had a huge fortune, but many of the children and grandchildren were eccentric, and they would decline after coming and going.In the generation of Bai Zhengyu and Bai Lianyu, they actually put aside their family business and went to Jinping to sell such a non-profitable tavern.

Bai Zhengyu has always liked to write some strange stories, although he is not orthodox, he is quite famous in the ten cities of Wanzhou.To be honest, he didn't intend to live by opening a tavern, he just wanted to find a place to save stories.Although Bai Lianyu is a girl, she has a bad temper no less than her brother.The customers were pleasing to the eye, and she was the one who waived the entire restaurant's food and drink bills.If it makes her unhappy, she dares to wipe her face and drive the guests out.However, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Although the Bai family is not considered extremely rich at the moment, subsidizing such a small tavern is still relaxed and happy. It is no wonder that Miss Bai always challenges the guests.

Seeing Bai Lianyu approaching, the two guests showed fearful expressions on their faces.Even if they haven't heard of Miss Bai's reputation, they can always see this aggressive look.Whether it's a person or a business, if you have some fame, it's easy to take yourself seriously.For example, the Zhaixing Building in Tianqi City claims to only serve the ranks of five guards and seven divisions and above, and a servant there is much more imposing than the owner of an ordinary inn.But they had never seen someone who spoke and acted like Bai Lianyu. Unexpectedly, Bai Lianyu walked to the table, looked at the tabletop, first reached out to refill some teacups for the two of them, and then said with a smile: "The two guests don't know how far away, we really don't need to pay for meals in this restaurant. But Well, there is another rule, do you two know it?"

The two only thought that Bai Lianyu was going to drive them out, and they were quite surprised to hear Wen Wenruan's words, and they couldn't catch them for a while.Seeing the guest's expression, Bai Lianyu couldn't help but burst out laughing, and the two guests were even more stunned, and stammered, "I... don't know, I want to invite the proprietress... ah no... miss tell me the story." To be honest, Bai Lianyu is not considered a beauty, she has a pale complexion and a pair of big eyes that are shining and quite airy.But the little girl was at the age of sixteen and seventeen, when her youth was pressing, and the pear dimple at the corner of her mouth could drown someone when she smiled.Bai Lianyu is not very old, but she followed her elder brother to show up in public, she has seen a lot of the world, she is smart in her actions and words, she said something soft and gave a smile, and the two guests were led away by her.

Bai Lianyu looked at the next two guests again, and smiled sweeter, "Our restaurant likes to listen to the stories told by the guests. If the stories are good, naturally we can't charge the guests for the drinks and meals. I think the two faces With wind and frost, they are people who often go out and walk, but they don’t know the rules here, so they naturally walk in the north. This is great. We haven’t had any guests from the north for a long time. There must be many fresh stories to tell Come and listen. If you can wait for a while, I will tell you to come up with a delicious fresh water fish, do you like it?" The faces of both of them are a little loose, you look at me, I look at you.After a while, the white-skinned one said, "Miss, I'm afraid I guessed wrong. We traveled by sea with Zhen, and this time we're just here to visit friends." Bai Lianyu blinked, "Hey, did I misread it? So you are traveling by sea! Then tell me about the situation at the beginning of the year and Zhenyu City? I only heard people say it, but no one can tell it right. carefully." The white-skinned one was a little embarrassed, "This...it's just a coincidence. We went to Quanming to make goods at the beginning of the year, but we didn't catch up with Yushi." Bai Lianyu was taken aback, "Go to Quanming at the beginning of the year? Didn't you say that Yunwang Gorge has red algae, so you can't get on a big boat? Are you a Huai boat or a weighing boat?" At this moment, the two of them were tongue-tied and really couldn't answer.Hei Zhuang was still the one who saw the opportunity quickly, "hehe" laughed for a while and said, "The girl has good eyesight, and I was just joking with you just now. We are really from the north, but I don't know how the girl can tell?" Bai Lianyu curled her lips and put away her smiling face: "It's late autumn now, and the rain this year has come early, and the south is hotter than Jinping, so why are you wearing thick clothes like you? That's Mohe Mountain facing north It's time for the snow to fall." The two guests looked at the quilted jacket on their bodies, and at Bai Lianyu's yellow satin blouse with indescribably weird expressions. "Forget it." Bai Lianyu waved her hands in disappointment, "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." She folded her arms and walked towards the water pavilion, "It's really boring to death. In this weather, I'm afraid those soldiers won't talk about it." coming." Hei Zhuang's eyes lit up when he heard this sentence, and he said, "It's not that we don't want to talk about offending the girl. This mouth is so stupid, so how can we speak well... The girl said that soldiers also come to eat this." Free food?" "That's not true!" Bai Lianyu suddenly became interested, "What is the burning of the jujube forest, what is the night attack on the side horse, anyway, they are all talking about the battle in Qingshi, and their confrontation with Xie army spies, their stories At most, it’s almost a free meal!” He said a little frustrated, “It’s just that I don’t come out very much these days, and I probably won’t come on a road like today.” "That's not necessarily the case." The white-skinned one said, "With such heavy rain, the road will be washed away, and the scouts of the Wanzhou Army will have to come out even if they are looking for the road." "Ha!" Bai Lianyu clapped his hands together, "You're right, why didn't I think of that?" While talking, there was a sound of horseshoes on the official road to the south.The road was muddy, and the sound of horseshoes seemed a bit dull. There were about a dozen horses, almost the size of the Wanzhou army's scouting team.Bai Lianyu was happy now, pointing to the white-skinned guest and said: "With your kind words, as long as there is a story to listen to today, I will treat you to eat fresh water fish!" Eighteen Qingqi came into view amidst the sound of horseshoes, all red horses in brocade clothes, with small flags on their backs, with the word "fire" embroidered on them.This is the wild fire army from Tongping. There are many wild soldiers in Wanzhou, and there are more than a hundred branches at a rough count.Apart from the thousands of Jinwu guards sent by Tianqi, Wanzhou has no regular troops.Except for Huai'an, Qinyang and other big cities where there are private soldiers like Qingshi Xiaoqianxia, ​​most of the rest are hired by the chamber of commerce to be responsible for the defense and security.Among the wild soldiers, the large ones, such as the Fufeng Battalion, have thousands of troops, while the small ones have only a few dozen people.When it comes to combat power, good and bad are also mixed. Back then, Jiye's Yechen army was the first-class strong soldier in Wanzhou, which was borrowed from the power of Tianqi.After all, there has been no war in Wanzhou for a long time. Most of the wild soldiers are dealing with bandits and mobs. It is not easy to follow the password to open the bow and shoot the arrow. The chamber of commerce rejected King Xie Ji Ye's yearly donation, so he knew that Xie's army would surely send troops south after finishing off the princes of the real merchants.Xiao Qianxia organized a defensive battle against Qingshi on the other side, and Jiang Ziyan from Huai'an also encouraged the chambers of commerce in various cities to join forces to fight Xie, and set up a camp of the Wanzhou coalition army in Jinping Town, intending to support Qingshi.So far, the Wanzhou Army has 40,000 troops, but its composition is complex. Except for the Huaian Army, Qinyang Army and other cores, they are all wild soldiers of different sizes.It is for this reason that the camp has been set up in Jinping Town for a month, and the Wanzhou Army is only a false name, not a usable soldier.Because of the fierce fighting in Qingshi, Jinping's place is still peaceful. However, regardless of the strength of the troops, the names of these wild soldiers are loud and mighty.For example, the Fire Army, which sounds like wildfire rushing.In fact, there are only three hundred people, and they don't even have any armor. They use all kinds of weapons, sabers, bows and arrows are common, chain hammers and wolf teeth are not uncommon, and there are also spears and halberds. nice.It is rare that the Agni Army came from Tongping. They raced horses on the plain and were rare pure cavalry among the field soldiers. And because they were mostly inquiring about news when they were in Tongping, they were used as scouts by the Wanzhou Army. The scouts of the Fire Army led the horses in front of the tavern, and the military academy headed by them poked their heads inside and asked loudly, "Miss Bai, can you open today?" Before the two shop assistants greeted him, Bai Lianyu poked his head out from the stove and agreed: "Open the store, why not open the store when you are all here?" After thinking about it, he felt strange, and then asked, " Brother Han, how did you know that I was in the store?" The military academy surnamed Han jumped off his horse, walked into the store, and said, "Why don't I know? Young Master Bai just arrived at Daying today and was dragged by Boss Jiang to be a secretary! Those bosses can't fight, and they don't want to fight." , only noisy all day long, Boss Jiang said please write something to scare them, Young Master Bai." The Boss Jiang he was talking about was Jiang Ziyan.Jiang Ziyan is very mysterious. Everyone knew Huai'an Jiang Ziyan before, but they didn't even know whether it was a man or a woman.It was this time that Jinping established the coalition army camp and Jiang Ziyan showed up in public, and everyone knew that she was a young woman of just the right age, and she was also an extremely beautiful woman.However, Jiang Ziyan is sophisticated and has great prestige in the army. She can be regarded as the commander-in-chief behind the Wanzhou Army, and the wild soldiers who are licking blood with their swords all respectfully call her "Boss Jiang". While talking, Han Military Academy sat down in the water pavilion carelessly, waved to the two shop assistants and said, "Don't do it, we're already wet, how can you dislike these tables and stools?" "Boss Jiang is really good." Bai Lianyu came out with a large pot of warm wine, "It's impossible to ask my brother to write serious things, but he can do this kind of thing." Military Academy Han nodded vigorously, "Young Master Bai's pen is amazing! We old men like to read the monsters and monsters he wrote, and those in the chamber of commerce naturally..." Bai Lianyu lowered her head and smiled, thinking: "This is not right." She wanted to think about it, but she didn't say anything, and handed over a pot of wine. Hanjun Academy was not too polite, took it over and sniffed it, a little disappointed, and said to Bai Lianyu with a shy face: "Miss Bai, this wine... this wine..." "What is this wine? Do you want to drink Luohuachun? All right!" Bai Lianyu propped up the table behind him and sat on it, "If you want to drink well and eat well, don't forget our rules here! Only good stories are there." She opened her eyes and looked at the scouts, like a kitten that has seen a mouse. Hanjun Academy shook his head, poured a glass of wine and drank it himself, and said in a low voice, "Haven't I already said everything that can be said?" Bai Lianyu put his hands on his hips and said fiercely: "Then you have already eaten!" A scout from the Blazing Army next to him said with a bitter face: "Miss Bai, we just came out of the camp and we haven't even crossed the stepping bridge. How can there be any new stories to tell?" "Ha!" Bai Lianyu jumped off the table and snatched the jug, "That's right! Then we can drink when we come back!" The words came out of his mouth, but suddenly he came back to his senses.In the past, the scouts would go north early in the morning to investigate, and then come back after a circle. If there was nothing to do, they would stay in the tavern for a while.But today the scouts were only dispatched at noon, and they went straight to the tavern again, which seemed strange. While she was thinking about it, the other side of Han Military Academy complained: "Where did you come back from? We don't have any military affairs today, Miss Bai, you still want to drive us away." Bai Lianyu froze for a moment.The coalition forces are mixed with dragons and snakes, and the upper level is very clear, so the constraints are also very strict.Especially a few days ago, a scout from the Raging Fire Army encountered several Xie army scouts in Yangwan Village, 70 miles north of Luohuaxi.Originally, the scouts of the fire army had to go north until they met the Xie army near Qingshi, but this time the scouts of the Xie army went south for dozens of miles, which was really unexpected.In Yang Wan's first battle, although the Raging Fire Army relied on their numbers to eat up their opponents, they also lost more than half of them.After this incident, the camp of the coalition army was at war, and ordinary soldiers could not even enter Jinping Town.Although these firemen were scouts, they could not leave the camp to Luohuaxi nine miles away without a military order under the current circumstances. Han Military Academy explained to her: "Ever since Yang Wan had an accident a few days ago, the atmosphere has been very tense, and there have been no scouts for a few days. Today, General Xiang said that Qingshi's changes cannot be closed, and he wants us to come out to find out the news." Hearing this, Bai Lianyu laughed and said, "Could it be that you came to our store to inquire about the news?" She suddenly remembered, "There are really two guests from the north for you to inquire about." She pointed at the previous two Only then did I realize that the two of them had already left at some point, and the two cups of tea on the table were still steaming. "What guest from the north?" Han Military Academy looked strange. Now that the person left, although Bai Lianyu felt strange in his heart, he didn't take it seriously, he said nothing, and continued to ask Han Military Academy: "Then where are you going to find out?" Hanjun Academy spread his hands: "Where can we go? Boss Tong told us that Xiejun's reconnaissance cavalry is very good, so don't tell us to go out far, just make a show and walk around." The Boss Tong he was talking about was the chief of the Tongping Chamber of Commerce.Although the fire army is a wild soldier, it is supported by the Tongping Chamber of Commerce. The Wanzhou army has 40,000 horses. So far, the fire army that has been damaged has been performing scout missions. Boss Tong is very heartbroken. No wonder he wants to open a small fire for the Han army school .The Wanzhou Army has clear generals in name, but these soldiers are piled up by merchants with money, so in fact it is these "shadow generals" in the camp who really have power. Bai Lianyu was disheartened when he heard that, he put the jug on the table, and said bitterly: "Brother Han, I am a hero in the Fire Army, and even if I go to the Qingshi battlefield, I will be a well-known boy from Wanzhou. I know that even Yang Wan can't go now..." This sentence was so sharp that the faces of the scouts turned red. That Hanjun Academy had a very good temper, so he didn't get angry with her, but said lightly: "Miss Bai, I'm not a hero, and I'm doing the business of wild soldiers with my head up for three gold bahts. Are those brothers who killed Yang Wan heroes? They lost their lives without even seeing the enemy army. Do you think they died willingly? To be honest, what we thought of as wild soldiers was nothing more than a peaceful life..." See With a cold expression on Bai Lianyu's face, he sighed and stopped talking immediately.Bai Lianyu is a girl's family, and over and over again, she loves to hear stories about how the road led the machine to burn the Zaolin warehouse, and He Nanping crossed the gate and closed the gate to the west.She is a girl from a rich family, and she has never even seen a fight. She thought that a bloody battlefield is such a beautiful and romantic thing. How could she know that the blood is all from people, so there is no romance at all.She guards a small tavern that doesn't care about income, but she doesn't understand how many people in Jinping's camp are just for a bite of food and a piece of clothing, and how many people in Qingshi besieged city are just for survival. This group of Agni Army troops went out of camp just to pass the time, they didn't need to take any risks to investigate the enemy's situation, they were very interested, they only thought about the wine and fish in the tavern and the chattering of the idlers.He never thought that he would hit a snag with Bai Lianyu, seeing that there was no one else in the tavern, the wine didn't taste very good in his mouth. Hearing what Hanjun Academy said, Bai Lianyu didn't answer, and walked back to the side of the fence to look at the color of the water.The scouts felt more and more bored, so after discussing it, they got on their horses and walked along Luohuaxi.He didn't even climb the stepping bridge, but he followed Boss Tong's instructions and "walked around for a while". The scouts had just left when the two northern guests appeared out of nowhere.Now that he knows that they are all mouthless gourds, Bai Lianyu has no intention of wasting words with them.This time, the tavern was quiet again, just like in the morning, but Bai Lianyu's mood was very different.She looked bored and just wanted to find someone to vent her anger on.Seeing her unfriendly expression, the two shop assistants dared to provoke her, and they didn't even clean up the tables, stools and floors around her. Bai Lianyu counted the hibiscus petals under the water pavilion, one after another.The stream ran down from Nanmu Mountain and turned a small bend here.Just below the water pavilion is the creek bay that was blown out. The water is much calmer, but the water level is only seen rising.The water pavilion was originally a stilt building, but now it seems to be built close to the water.The water candle, which is as tall as a person, only sticks out halfway in the water.Those hibiscus flowers that drifted in turned around and gradually stayed in the bay, colliding with water candles.A round mouth suddenly protrudes from the layers of petals. This is the famous white carp with falling flowers. "The water in Luohuaxi is clear, and the peach blossoms and catkins are light." "The water in Luohuaxi is turbid, and the hibiscus water candle is blue." True to its name, there are colorful flowers floating in Luohuaxi all year round.The water in autumn is huge, and the stream whizzes down with rolling silt, dotted on the surface of the water are large clusters of hibiscus flowers and sword leaves.There are sword leaves and water candles all over the water pavilion, and hibiscus bushes under the willow trees.The hibiscus flower is the size of a fist and is pink-blue in color. If it does not weather the wind and rain, it will fall in love with the branches until it withers.But a rain washed them into the stream, feeding the most plump white carp in the year. If the rain comes late, those hibiscus flowers withered on the branches will gradually turn a dull yellow and black color, which can no longer remind people of the splendor at that time.Bai Lianyu is very sorry for such a hibiscus flower. In her young heart, even if the pink-blue brilliance is short-lived, it is much better than withering. "If I were Hibiscus, I would be willing to be brought into the Xijiang River by the stream." She thought wildly, "It's like a soldier dying in battle, that's the proper destination." No one can tell where Bai Lianyu's war pride comes from, and most people think it is Bai Zhengyu's bad indoctrination.Bai Zhengyu himself can't deny this, but what makes him depressed is that the manuscripts he showed to his sister are much more than these heroic stories, but they are all filtered by Bai Lianyu.She actually understood what Hanjun Academy meant, but she disagreed.As the daughter of a rich family, she also eats three meals a day, and she will also suffer from birth, old age, sickness and death.If she just wants to eat well and dress lazily, she can stay at home and live the life of a young lady.But what's the point of repeating it day after day? If you live peacefully every day, it doesn't matter whether you are safe or not.Like Bai Zhengyu, Bai Lianyu's body is also filled with restless blood.The difference is that she doesn't have so many weird hobbies, but simply yearns for those brilliance to the extreme—sometimes she also feels that she was born a daughter by mistake. For Bai Lianyu, the fatal thing is to have to repeat the ordinary life in such longing.Because the longing already exists, the ordinary looks even paler.Of course, the Han Military Academy also has its own vision, maybe a piece of land and a house, a pot of small wine and two stir-fried vegetables at dinner time, which is much more comfortable than gesturing with the neck at the edge of a knife.But Bai Lianyu despises such longings, what is such longings?If you have reached it, you will know that there is no trace of excitement in this tranquility and abundance.Of course, she thought with relief, Hanjun Academy doesn't understand this, it's just because he has never achieved such affluence! There are several mouths opening and closing in the bay, and the piled hibiscus flowers attract many white carp.There was nothing left and right, Lao Zhang and Uncle Wang were also lying on the railing and watching.The white carp has a vigilant temperament and is usually not easy to see.That is to say, Bai Zhengyu's fishing skills are superb, and he can always catch three or two white carp in one shot. All the clear water fish in the tavern are counting on him.But he has never been willing to catch more, saying that it is enough to eat.Today's flood attracted so many white carps, the shop assistants felt it was strange, and kept urging Bai Lianyu to get Bai Zhengyu's fishing tackle. "I'd be too sorry for them if I didn't catch two of them." "Stupid." Bai Lianyu said, "There are so many hibiscus flowers, how can you lure them with bait?" "That's right." The two shop assistants were immediately discouraged, "Then what should we do?" "Look at me." Bai Lianyu knew that the two shop assistants were trying to make her happy, but she couldn't help but regain her spirits and jumped up to get the harpoon from the back kitchen.If you can't be soft, you can be hard. For such a simple truth, Miss Bai feels that it is necessary to let her buddy know. Holding the sharp harpoon in his hand, Bai Lianyu felt very at ease, as if a white carp pierced by the fork point appeared before his eyes, and drops of blood fell into Luohuaxi.Just as he was about to walk back to the water pavilion, he suddenly heard a sudden sound of horseshoes coming from the direction of the official road. The fire army scouts just now walked along Luohuaxi to Nanmu Mountain, and they will not come back from the north.However, due to the battle in Qingshi, the number of people coming from the north became less and less, especially those who rode horses to take the official road.The sound of hooves was flustered, showing that they had run to exhaustion.With the mount thus driven, what urgent business does the knight have to do? With a jump in his heart, the corners of Bai Lianyu's mouth twitched up, and his eyes opened wider, full of anticipation and excitement, only missing the big words "I'm afraid the world will not be chaotic" written on his forehead. She walked quickly back to the water pavilion, and the two shop assistants pointed to the opposite mountain road and greeted loudly: "Miss, look!" They had a rather strange smile on their faces. This small thought was also seen through by the waiter, Bai Lianyu's face couldn't help but heat up, and he said angrily: "What are you barking, I'm not deaf." Having said that, he still cast his gaze over there.Only when she saw the war horse running across the mountain bend, she and her fellows let out a low voice: "Oh!" The war horse looked strange.The figure is very tall, and it is obvious at a glance that it is a good breed of Hokuriku, but it is covered with a faint blue horse armor, and the color of the fur cannot be seen clearly.The knight on horseback was also dressed in steel blue armor, even his face was wrapped in it.One person and one horse stood at the head of the Dengbu bridge, like monsters made of steel, even from such a distance, it makes people panic.There are 40,000 horses in Jinping's camp, and I have never seen a knight with half the momentum of this knight, let alone such a strange costume. But the knight was also surprised that Luohuaxi reined in his horse and put on such an airy posture, but he didn't move forward.The war horse also seemed anxious, went around in a circle, screaming "咴咴", but always looked at the rushing water and hesitated to go down. Uncle Wang looked at it and muttered: "Come here! Come here! What are you doing here and there?" Bai Lianyu clapped his hands: "That's right. Didn't that person know that there is a bridge in the water!" The boarding bridge is different from other bridges.When Luohuaxi flooded, it was fierce, and several arch bridges in the past were washed away one after another. When this Dengbu bridge was built, a famous craftsman in Yunzhong was invited to come.The master craftsman's method is simple: the stone bridge is a multi-hole flat bridge, which is thick and the water outlet is not high, and the location is a very wide section of the Luohuaxi River.In this way, when the water is heavy, the stream will pass over the bridge, and more than half of the momentum will be relieved.Judging by the water situation today, the water on the bridge is at most knee-high, and it is possible to ride a horse.It's just that the stream is turbid and turbulent, and you can't tell its depth. If you don't know the weirdness of this bridge, of course you dare not go into the water. After thinking about this, Bai Lianyu said: "I'll take him across the bridge." She jumped up and ran outside, forgetting to put down the harpoon, so scared that the two store clerks hurriedly pulled her: "Daddy!" Miss, what are you doing? Stop being weird." Bai Lianyu gave a "bah" and said, "What's so weird? I just went to tell him there is a bridge in the water, don't you feel relieved?" The two shop assistants said in unison: "Don't worry!" While arguing, the knight suddenly waved his hand and slapped the horse's butt hard. The horse neighed and jumped forward into the water. At this moment, the three of them stopped, looked at each other for a while, and finally Bai Lianyu said: "You are so courageous!" As he said, he held two pink fists, and his face was full of admiration.The clerk was speechless, but nodded vigorously. Knowing that there is a stepping bridge in the water, crossing the stream is not as dangerous as it seems.Although the stream is turbid, the Dengbu bridge is straight and wide, so if you walk straight, you will be safe.For people who don't know the stepping bridge, the situation is completely different.Usually, the water of Luohuaxi River is as clear as blue, and there are countless fish and aquatic plants, so it is not difficult to wade in vain.But the Luohuaxi River after the rain is like another river. The huge eddies flow at a high speed, making one's heart tremble, and one can't see the depth of the river, so how dare to enter the water casually?Especially the knight and his horse armor, if they were all iron armor, would weigh at least one hundred and twenty or thirty catties.If you go into the water with this weight on your back, it will sink like a stone.It was rare that the knight dared to rush into Luohuaxi, and what was even more rare was that the war horse obeyed the master's order and dared to rush into the water. It was a real death for both horses and men. I really don't know what kind of urgency lies behind such courage. When the knight got into the water, he knew that there was a bridge in the stream, and the horse's belly had not yet touched the water.But the water was so strong that I couldn't walk fast, so I had to move forward step by step, and deviated from the center line as I walked.Bai Lianyu and the two shop assistants ran out of the tavern a long time ago and stood guard on the side of the Dengbu bridge, shouting anxiously: "Go straight! Go straight!" The knight looked up at them, nodded, and drove his horse Walk back to the center line.Bai Lianyu happily said to Lao Zhang: "Look! I helped him, I'm very good, aren't I?" Kankan walked to the middle of the bridge, when the knight suddenly heard Bai Lianyu on the bank exclaiming three times, looking up, it turned out that a piece of driftwood as thick as a person's waist was washed down by the water.The water is fast and the horse is slow, so there is no way to avoid it, and they are about to hit each other.Unexpectedly, the knight raised his hand, took off the spear on the side of the saddle, shouted with all his strength, the black driftwood was picked up by him, and fell straight behind him. This accident happened, but it was resolved so neatly, Bai Lianyu just wanted to cheer loudly, but the slaps just came together, and his mouth turned into an exclamation.It turned out that the strength of the knight had increased, and the weight was all on the horse.The horse was exhausted from running, and it was a bit difficult to cross the river, but suddenly it was under such pressure, it couldn't stand upright and knelt down in the water, and the knight also fell down.The water was so strong that no one could stand up.Bai Lianyu has heard people say that if a heavy cavalry on the Northland grassland falls off the horse, it will die, because they can't get up all at once, and they can only be slaughtered by their opponents.The armor of the heavy cavalry has to be worn by someone, because it is too heavy.Now people and horses are falling into the turbulent current, this knee-deep Luohua Creek can drown people.She wanted to jump into the water without even thinking about it, but the two shop assistants were already on guard and grabbed them: "Miss, don't act recklessly, such a light body is blown away by a gust of wind, how can you get into the water! There are three long and two short Isn't the young master going to peel our skin?" Bai Lianyu said angrily: "If you don't let me go, then you should go save people!" Lao Zhang looked at the ferocious running water, swallowed and said, "Miss, don't make trouble, I'll go." He took Bai Lianyu's harpoon and walked up the bridge.As soon as he stepped into the stream, he shivered. It turned out that the stream was icy cold, and he wondered how the knights and horses who fell in the water could bear it.After taking the first step, he couldn't back up easily, and continued to move forward tremblingly with a harpoon under his feet.Bai Lianyu was sweating all over his head - at Lao Zhang's speed, when he got to the knight's side, he was afraid that everyone would drown. When he was in a hurry, he saw the knight standing up holding his spear.Bai Lianyu pressed his hand to his mouth, his heart was beating so hard that he couldn't even cry out.The knight tossed his gun, squatted down and desperately lifted the horse's head out of the water.The war horse also struggled hard, and the armor on its body made a muffled sound.The water is too fast and the horse is too heavy. It is very lucky for the knight to stand up by himself. At this time, there is no way to support the horse. If the stalemate continues, if one accidentally falls down again, I am afraid that both of them will die.老张一边走，一边也在大喊：“别管马啦！别管马啦！”骑士只是不听，自管自用力托着马头，不肯叫它被水呛到。老张好容易走到他们两个身边，却不知道如何下手，那么重的马，多了他一个也一样拖不动。正为难的时候，听见骑士说：“把背上的皮带解开。”老张登时会意，扑在马身上手忙脚乱了一阵子，听见“哗啦”一身脆响，马铠和鞍具一起滑落下来。老张抓住马缰绳，和骑士一起发力呐喊了一声，那马用力一挣，竟站了起来，原来是匹好俊的白马。 不过就是一盏茶的功夫，过桥的骑士却让白怜羽的心几起几落，几乎忘记跳动。这时候她哪里还叫得出声来，只是一个劲地拍巴掌，眼里水汪汪都是泪。王伯看着两人一马慢慢往桥边移动，也是唏嘘感叹：“了不得啊！” 走到桥头，那骑士再也支撑不住，颓然坐倒在泥泞之中，一句话也说不出来。白马在他身边呜咽不止，用脸去蹭他的头盔。 白怜羽冲到他面前，对一面发着抖一面满脸神气的王伯说：“还愣着，把他的盔甲给卸了啊！要冻死人啊！”钢甲里是皮甲，都蓄满了水，就算没把人压死，也要把人冻死，真不知道这骑士刚才是怎么撑过来的。王伯这才醒悟，慌慌张张就要和詹锁子一起帮骑士卸甲。骑士却突然自己揭开了面具。 三个人的动作一时都停滞了。面具里面是一张苍白英俊的脸，英俊到有些秀气，若不是瘦削的脸庞线条硬朗，看上去简直像个淮安城里的公子哥。看见骑士刚才使的蛮力，人人心里都当他是个粗壮汉子，哪里想到会是这么俊秀的一个青年。 白怜羽满腔的激情忽然变做了涓涓细流，弯弯绕绕在胸中温暖流淌，一肚子话这时却连一句也吐不出来了。她伸手捏了捏耳垂，不知道为什么那里比脸颊还要烫。 还是骑士开口打破了沉默，他大口喘息了一阵子，挡住王伯的手，轻轻摇头：“军务在身，不敢卸甲。” “哦……”两个店伙一起茫然地点头。 “军务……”白怜羽滴溜溜地转着眼珠子。这骑士一身重甲，连白马都是防护良好。按照酒馆里那些人所说，东陆就没有多少重骑。燮王姬野的七百铁浮屠就号称天下无敌了，可是那些铁浮屠据说都是用铁链串起来冲锋的。另外就是鹰旗军中有一支强兵，叫什么游击的，路牵机强袭枣林仓就是仗着游击精锐。不过鹰旗军以往行踪飘忽，除了青石人，知道他们底细的不多，传来传去都是谣言。这名骑士……白怜羽的目光落在他左胸的鹰徽上。鹰旗军和燮王天驱军都自称天驱正统，同样使用鹰徽，只是旗色形制不同，光看这鹰徽还真不知道这骑士的来路。身为宛州人，白怜羽爱憎分明，要是王伯费了老大力气救出来的是一名铁浮屠，白怜羽当然心中别扭。她心思转得快，伸手把那支鱼叉又拿在手里。 骑士咳了几声，稍稍闭目养神，开口又问：“这是哪里？” 王伯口快：“落花溪啊！” 白怜羽咬着嘴唇，把鱼叉捏得紧紧的。 骑士显然知道落花溪的名字，面上掠过一丝喜色，接着又问：“那锦屏大营可是不远了？” 王伯答道：“不远不远，就是九里多地啦！” 骑士双臂在地上一撑，用力站了起来：“那便好！”看他的意思，竟然这就要去锦屏大营。 白怜羽急了，双手一拦：“这怎么去？” 骑士愣了一下，明白过来：“还没有谢过几位援手，不过军务紧急，容我回头再来答谢。” 话一出口，白怜羽就知道自己莽撞了，若这真是燮军的铁浮屠，自己怎么可能拦得住？当下转了声气，结结巴巴地说：“不是答谢，不是……”眼光一转，看见马臀上居然有一支削去箭羽的箭杆，登时有了说法，“你的马已经带了伤，刚才又脱力了，现在连个鞍子也没有，要怎么跑。” 骑士原想说光背马也得跑，可是看看白马的四肢都在微微发抖，喘息声沉重急促，不由也是一阵心痛。白马的牙口已经老了，一夜跑下来已经不易，何况还带了伤。白马是界明城的坐骑，在军中地位毕竟不同，跑的时候他尽可以毫不顾惜地驱策，可是现在停下来就再不忍心骑上去，一时也没有计较。 白怜羽见他心思活了，连忙趁热打铁：“现在就是跑死了这匹马也未必到得了锦屏。你又有什么了不起的军务，连歇息一口气都不可以？”一心只想套出他的话来。 骑士拧着眉头，像是自言自语：“什么了不起的军务……十万百姓的性命啊……” 十万百姓，那正是青石的居民。听到这一句话，白怜羽的表情马上就活了，握紧了拳头问：“你难道是鹰旗军的么？” 骑士意外地瞥了她一眼，像是没想到这样一个姑娘也知道鹰旗军。 这一下两个店伙也激动起来。鹰旗军先是强袭枣林，烧了燮军的粮草，接着协防青石，阻了姬野十六万大军一个月，在宛州民间已经被传成了神话一样的人物。王伯没想到自己居然救了一名鹰旗军，脸上几乎放出光来，忙不迭地说：“英雄还请到小店歇息片刻，我们店里虽然没有马，健骡还是有两头的，我们可以套车送你，是吧，大小姐？”说到最后才想起需要请示白怜羽。白怜羽满心兴奋，哪里会拒绝，用力点了点头。 骑士苦笑一下正要拒绝，听见后半句话就不再犹豫了，眼看白马是载不动最后这九里路的，要早点赶到大营，看来真需要这酒馆里的骡车。 看见骑士答应，王伯笑出了声来，大声说：“英雄请！” 鹰旗军在青石出了大事，这声“英雄”听起来显得尤其刺耳，骑士皱眉说：“不要叫我英雄，我叫索隐。” “好好好，”王伯连声答应，“索英雄请！” 索隐张了张嘴，想想还是摇了摇头，不再争辩了。 他抓住马缰绳，轻声对白马说：“好了，不叫你再跑了。”语气亲密温柔，听得白怜羽竟然有一丝妒忌。过了落花溪，白马疲态顿现，走得一瘸一拐。索隐满心怜惜，正想搂住马脖子抚慰一番，忽然觉得天旋地转，只听铠甲碰得叮当作响，眼前便黑了下去。 脱力的岂止是白马，索隐本来是右路游击，穿不惯这重甲，一夜狂奔下来，都是靠一口气撑着。现在心思安定下来，这口气就吊不住了，何况还是一身灌了水的重甲，他身子歪一歪，人就倒了下去。 “索英雄！”两个店伙大惊失色，连声呼叫。倒是白怜羽冷静了下来：“没事的，就是累坏了，你们去把车赶出来。”索隐连盔带甲只怕有两百多斤的分量，他们三个抬是抬不动的。詹锁子答应了一声，牵了那白马就要往酒馆里去。白马却是连声哀嘶不肯离开。白怜羽知道白马恋主，也不强求，挥手让两个伙计先去赶车，自己在这里陪伴白马和索隐。 鹅黄的缎子短衫和白色的南丝长裙都沾满了泥水，白大小姐平日里最爱干净，这时候却全然不顾。她跪在泥水里面用帕子轻轻擦这鹰旗军人的脸。手指隔着帕子滑过他英挺的轮廓。 “索隐么？”白怜羽默默念他的名字，他是做什么的？where is he from?他有什么样的紧急军务？虽然是昏迷中，白怜羽也能从他的眉宇之间看到森森的杀气，盔甲上的斑斑血迹更是腥味刺鼻。这些都是她以前从来没有看到过的，冰冷的感觉让她心里发毛。 白怜羽心里有种奇怪的感觉，故事里那种横戈沙场的好汉就躺在眼前泥水里面，曾经那么遥远，现在却这么近，好像世界的两极接到了一起。可是她不是很确定这是不是她一直憧憬的东西。热切的心情底下，她似乎能听见一丝压抑的警告在滚动。“邯军校……”她忽然很无稽地想起了那名烈火军说的话，面上的表情一时凝固了。 索隐觉得脸上热乎乎的，猛地睁开眼就想跳起来，可是身上沉重，哪里跳得动。铠甲叮叮当当乱响了好一阵子，才抬起头来，就看见眼前一张红彤彤的脸蛋，鼻尖细细的几滴汗珠，正是白怜羽，手里还拿着一块热气腾腾的巾子。 把索隐弄上车就花了老大功夫，因为他先前一句话，店伙们又不敢帮他除去铠甲，连腰刀弓壶箭囊也都留在身上。好容易拖回酒馆，往厅里一放，两个店伙就只有大口喘气的份儿了。别说他们，白怜羽只是帮索隐坐起身来，也出了满头的汗。 索隐晃了晃头明白过来，脸色“刷”地白了，伸手抓住白怜羽的胳膊问：“多久了？” 白怜羽知道他着急，勉强笑了笑：“可没多久，才到店里你就醒了呢！”说到这里就笑不动了，索隐手势太重，抓得她忍不住咬牙切齿。 索隐这才醒悟，慌忙松开手，满脸都是惴惴，看得白怜羽又是“扑哧”一下笑出声来。索隐颇为尴尬，只好略过这个话题，迟疑地说：“那……骡车备好了没有？” 白怜羽点了点头又摇摇头：“骡车是好了，只是你现在这样子，也不知道走得了几步。不如稍稍歇息一下，喝一口温酒。磨刀还不耽误砍柴的功夫呢！” 索隐只觉得四肢酸软，知道白怜羽说的是实情，也不推辞：“也好。”他吸足一口气，摇摇晃晃地站起来找个凳子坐下，“酒不必了，倒是渴得厉害，麻烦姑娘给倒碗凉水来。”酒馆的凳子都是杂木打的，竟然没有被他坐烂。 白怜羽有些犹豫：“才在落花溪里湿透了……” 索隐摸摸心口：“这里热着呢！” 白怜羽知道他心中焦虑，满腔都是热气，点点头，去厨房里端了一海碗的清水出来放在桌上。索隐刚要去端，白怜羽极快地伸伸手，在清水上撒了一把糠粉。 王伯的脸色一下又拉了下来，这糠粉是白征羽钓鱼用的饵料，都不是给人吃的，白怜羽这样戏弄“索英雄”，未免太过任性。 索隐也愣了一下，随即恍然，冲着白怜羽微微一笑：“多谢姑娘细心。” 从几个人见到索隐，他就一直是忧心忡忡的样子。这一下笑容温和，眉宇间的杀伐之气都如冰雪般消逝了，人人都觉得亲切。不过索隐这么一说，王伯就算是一头雾水，也知道白怜羽不是淘气了，教训的话也就说不出口，只好在旁边插嘴：“索英雄，你那白马伤得不轻，过会儿咱们去锦屏大营顺便请个骡马郎中回来。” 索隐小口喝了几口清水，心下也颇为难。若是能求到救兵，白马恐怕也跑不动归程。然而这都还是小事，现在也没办法，一切只有指望锦屏大营了。 几个人这头说着话，先前那两位北方客人中黑面皮的那位走了过来。他堆了一副笑脸，拱手说：“这位索英雄难道就是赫赫有名的鹰旗军人么？我们两个虽然只是做小生意的，也一向倾慕鹰旗军力抗大燮的威风啊！” 这话说得很有点官腔，索隐不是言辞利落的人，一时不知道如何回话，只好欠了欠身子回礼。 那黑面皮的继续说：“咱们兄弟两个可不是故意偷听，方才这两位大哥说话声音不小，不巧让我们听见了，索英雄可是要去锦屏大营？” 索隐愣了一愣，点点头，心下微微觉得有些不妥。这一趟锦屏求援是急中之急，鹰旗军为此出动三百左路游击佯攻袭营，界明城更是把坐骑都借给了自己，算得上重大军机。现在这个小酒馆里倒是人人都知道他的去向，感觉不太对劲。 黑面皮见机极快，看到索隐神色犹豫，连忙澄清：“索英雄不要误会，我们无非是感念鹰旗军英勇，想尽点绵薄之力。”不待索隐询问，他接着说，“我们都是小人物，当然没有什么本事，不过正好都是爱马的人，两匹坐骑虽然没有索英雄的白马神骏，总也比骡子跑得快些。索英雄若是愿意，我们送你去锦屏大营可好？” 索隐眼睛一亮，也不喝水了，急切地说：“果然？那要麻烦两位了。” 黑面皮哈哈一笑：“哪里哪里，不足挂齿。” 王伯听见没有机会送索隐去锦屏，颇觉得失望。不过他也明白军机紧急，能早点到锦屏总是好的，慌忙说：“索英雄稍等，我给你包两个馒头。” 索隐心头一热，想要推辞也晚了，王伯已经一溜烟跑去厨房。索隐只能对白怜羽说：“还要把白马托付给姑娘和这位大哥了。” 白怜羽不知道想到什么，心中有些疙瘩，没有回答，詹锁子这头接上：“索英雄放心，咱们把它当一等的贵客供着。” 说话间，那白面皮的客人不知道从哪里牵了两匹马出来，身材高大毛色油亮，果然是难得的好马。索隐原来还担心这客人的马扛不住自己的一身重甲，看见这两匹马顿时放心。 黑面皮知道他心思，赶紧说：“我们这两匹马脚力强健，尽可以驮得动索英雄。你一匹，我们两个一匹，赶去锦屏大营最多是一盏茶的功夫。” 索隐点头道：“果然是好马。”对两位客人躬了躬身，“如此多谢了。”又冲白怜羽几个拱手说，“大恩不言谢。外面道路泥泞，几位还是留步吧！” 索隐说出这话，白怜羽面子嫩，就不好再跟出去，只得狠狠咬了咬嘴唇说：“那索大哥多保重。”不知不觉已经把索英雄的称呼换成了索大哥，又不知道为什么心中颇有怨怼，也不目送他们离开，扭头往厅里走。 索隐一身重甲，上马也是个麻烦事。那马毕竟不像白马受过训练，会伏下身来载主人。两个客人倒是热心得很，半跪在那里硬是把索隐托上马背。索隐满面惭愧地说：“实在是劳动二位了。” 白面皮的客人掸一掸袖子，道：“能把天下闻名的索英雄托上马，哪里是劳动，实在是小可的福气。” 索隐笑了起来：“倒不知索某有那么大的名气。” 白面皮的客人笑道：“索英雄不必自谦，冰牙箭……”三个字一出口就知道不对，硬是把后面的“逐幻弓”咽了回去。 白怜羽才走回两步，正好王伯捧了一个大包裹奔出来，急匆匆地问她：“怎么说走就走了，不是说包两个馒头的吗？” 白怜羽没好气地说：“你包两个馒头也要那么久，还怨别人。” 王伯委屈道：“你先前让阿久煮的清水鱼好了，我就顺便包一下嘛！” “清水鱼？”白怜羽重复了一下，那是那两位客人说今天斥候会出来她才叫厨子阿久准备的。这一瞬间，心里头一亮，忽然知道刚才心里的疙瘩是什么。这两位客人承认是北边来的，她只当他们是翻山越岭走的小路，若是骑了这样两匹好马，当然要走官道。燮军早封了南下的官道，索隐显然也是浴血杀出重围的，那这两位客人怎么就走得下来？ 想到这一层，白怜羽的心中一凉，心里空白一片，想也不想，拿起那支搁在桌边的鱼叉就往外飞奔。王伯被她唬得一跳，险些把包裹都掉在地上，忍不住大声抱怨：“大小姐啊！” 白面皮知道自己说错了话，黑面皮早拿眼睛瞪他，手也缩进了袖子了。倒是索隐似乎没有听出什么异常，反而一副被挠到了痒处的模样，脸上微微带着笑意，只是不好意思自夸。白面皮总算松了一口气，含含糊糊哼了几声就想蒙混过关。 两个人正往自己那匹马跟前走，忽然门口冲出一个白怜羽来，拎着一支鱼叉指着他们两个气喘吁吁地说：“你们……你们……”急切间竟然说不出“你们”什么。 白面皮与黑面皮对视一眼，知道行踪败露，一步抢到马边，从鞍边抽出两柄短弩来。正要转身，就听见索隐冷冷地说：“既然知道冰牙箭、逐幻弓，难道不知道别跟拿了弓箭的索神箭作对么？”