Chapter 9 Chapter nine
Both Hu Fei and Zhong Zhaowen knew that Miao Renfeng's poisoning this time was not serious. Just listening to the "broken heart grass" three words, you can know that it is an extremely powerful poison, and the eyes are the most delicate and soft organs in the human body. As time goes by, it will also be damaged, so it will be better if it is cured as soon as possible.Apart from letting the mounts drink water and eat grass, the two of them didn't dare to delay for a moment. They bought some steamed buns and snacks along the way, and ate them randomly on horseback to satisfy their hunger.
On such a sleepless journey, both Zhong and Hu are superb in martial arts. Although they have not slept for two days and two nights, they can support themselves. The horses under their crotches have been replaced by two on the way, but after more than two hours of urging, the new ones are replaced. His mount was staggering again, and if he ran any further, he would soon fall to his death.Zhong Zhaowen said: "Brother Hu, let's let the animals rest for a while." Hu Fei replied: "Yes!" He thought: "If I were riding Miss Yuan's white horse, I would have arrived at the bank of Dongting Lake by now." , couldn't help reaching into her bosom, touching the jade phoenix she left behind, the tentacles were warm, and the heart felt warm again.
The two dismounted and sat under a tree beside the road, letting the horses graze and rest.Zhong Zhaowen remained silent, dazed in a daze, Min frowned.Hu Fei knew that this trip was uncertain, so he asked, "Master Zhong, what kind of character is that poisonous hand medicine king?" Zhong Zhaowen didn't answer, as if he didn't hear him. What did you just say?"
Seeing that he was absent-minded, Hu Fei knew that he was thinking about Miao Renfeng's illness. He thought to himself that although this person was strange, it was hard for him to be very loyal. He couldn't help but blurt out: "Uncle Zhong, I offended you so much yesterday, I'm really ashamed. If I knew the three of you were so righteous, I would have the courage to dare not offend you. I respectfully thank you here." Stand up , Bow down as a salute.
Zhong Zhaowen stood up to return the salute, grinned openly, and said, "What is that? Hero Miao is a reputable hero. If my three brothers fail to save them in danger, are they still human? Brother, why don't you? I Although the brother and Miao Daxia don't have friendship, there is always a chance, but you have never met him before."
In fact, a few years ago, Hu Fei had met Miao Renfeng in the Merchant Fort, but Miao Renfeng turned a blind eye to the yellow and thin boy at that time.Earlier, eighteen years ago, Hu Fei was only one day old, and Miao Renfeng had seen him in a small inn in Cangzhou, Hebei. Miao Renfeng knew about this, but Hu Fei didn't.
How did Miao Renfeng know that the newborn baby eighteen years ago was the faceless young hero today.
Zhong Zhaowen asked again: "What did you ask me just now?" Hu Fei said: "I asked what kind of person is that poisonous hand medicine king?" Zhong Zhaowen shook his head and said, "I don't know." Hu Fei wondered: "You don't know?" Zhong Zhaowen Said: "I have quite a few friends in the Jianghu, but no one knows what kind of character the Poison Hand Medicine King is."
Hu Fei was very puzzled: "I only know that you must know the details of this person, otherwise you can ask that Zhang Yunfei to find out." Zhong Zhaowen guessed what he wanted, and said: "Even that Zhang Yunfei may not know it. Well, he must I won't know." Hu Fei said "ah" and stopped talking.
Zhong Zhaowen said: "Everyone only knows that this man lives in the White Horse Temple by the Dongting Lake." Hu Fei said: "The White Horse Temple? Does he live in the temple?" Zhong Zhaowen said: "No, the White Horse Temple is a town." Hu Fei said: "Could it be that he lives in seclusion and no one sees him, so no one has seen him?" Zhong Zhaowen shook his head again and said, "No, many people have seen him. Just because people have seen him, no one knows what kind of person he is. Is he fat or thin, is he handsome or ugly, is his surname Zhang or Li." The more Hu Fei listened, the more confused he became, thinking that since many people had seen him, even if they didn't know his name, how could they not know how fat, thin, handsome and ugly he was? ?
Zhong Zhaowen said: "Some people say that the poisonous hand medicine king is an elegant-looking scholar, tall and thin, like a scholar. Some people say that the poisonous hand medicine king is a short and fat man with a sloppy face, like a butcher who butchers a pig. Someone said , this medicine king is an old monk, almost a hundred years old." He paused, and said: "Some people say that this medicine king is actually a woman, a woman with a lame and snake-backed back." Hu Fei was puzzled, Want to laugh, but can't laugh.
Zhong Zhaowen continued: "Since this person is known as the king of medicine, how could he be a woman? But the person who said this was a well-known figure in the world, with high morals and high prestige, and he never talked nonsense, so people couldn't help but believe it. But those who said that he was a scholar, a butcher, They belong to the monks, and they are not the ones who make false statements, all of them are convincing. Do you think it is strange?"
When Hu Fei left Miao's house, he was full of confidence. He expected that as long as he found that person, he would at least invite him to treat the injury, and even if it was not good, he would be able to get an antidote. At this moment, hearing what Zhong Zhaowen said, his heart sank. Going on, no one can know what it is like, but who to turn to?After thinking about it, he said: "That's right! Since this man is a poisoner, he doesn't want people to recognize him. He must be good at disguising himself, changing between male and female, handsome and ugly, so that people can't recognize him." true colors."
Zhong Zhaowen said: "Friends in the rivers and lakes also said the same thing. I think he used poison to kill many people and made too many enemies. Therefore, he was evasive and no one could seek revenge from him. But the strange thing is that he lives by the Dongting Lake. The White Horse Temple is not a very remote place, so it is not too difficult to find it."
Hu Fei said: "Has this man killed many people with poison?" Zhong Zhaowen was in a daze, and said, "That's impossible to calculate. But most of the people who died under his hands had their own way of death, not because they did many evil things The Snitch and the Thieves are the local evil gentry who are rampant. I have never heard of a chivalrous person who died under his hands. But because of his reputation, some people died of poisoning. As long as the poison is violent and the death is strange, this account It is all blamed on him, but in fact, he may not be responsible for most of it. Sometimes two people, one south and one north, separated by thousands of miles, died of poisoning in Xiangshi, so the people in Yunnan said that the king of poisonous hand medicine came to Yunnan, and the people in Liaodong People say that the King of Medicine haunts Liaodong. With such a publicity, this person is even more strange. It has been a long time since anyone mentioned the word "King of Poisonous Hands and Medicine". It is unexpected that Miao Daxia's poisoning would be related to him. Alas, Since it's the medicine this person used, I'm afraid... I'm afraid..." At this point, he couldn't help shaking his head.
Hu Fei thought to himself that this matter was indeed extremely difficult, and he didn't know how to proceed.Zhong Zhaowen stood up and said, "Let's go! Little brother, you must remember one thing. When you arrive at Baima Temple, within thirty miles of Yaowangzhuang, you must not drink a sip of water or eat a sip. Things, no matter how hungry and thirsty you are, you can't let a thing into your mouth."
Seeing that he spoke solemnly, Hu Fei immediately agreed, and suddenly remembered that when he accompanied him to leave the Miao family, the expressions on Zhong Zhaoying and Zhong Zhaoneng's faces were not only worried, but also full of fear, wanting to come to the "poisonous hand" of the medicine king. It must be no small matter, so that people like Sanxiong of the Zhong family dared to challenge Miao Renfeng, the "invincible hand in the world", but when he heard the name of "King of Poisonous Hands and Medicine", he fought, his heart and soul were shocked.I don't know how powerful I am, I really take things in the world too easily.
He went over to lead the horse, and said: "We are just inviting him to treat a disease, or to ask for an antidote. We don't mean any harm to him. At most he won't, so that's all, why kill us?" Zhong Zhaowen said: " Little brother, you are still young, and you don’t know the people in the world are treacherous. Although you have no malice towards him, but he has never met you, how can he trust you? This is an example, Liu He really has no malice towards Hero Miao , but why blinded his eyes?" Hu Fei was silent.
Zhong Zhaowen said again: "What's more, this poisonous hand drug king's Chou family is all over the world, and many poisonous killings that have nothing to do with him are also counted on his account. How do you know that you are not a child of his Chou family? This person is suspicious by nature and acts viciously, otherwise' Why did you add the word 'poisonous hand' on top of 'King of Medicine'? Could it be that this thrilling nickname came easily?"
Hu Fei nodded and said: "Uncle Zhong said yes." Zhong Zhaowen said: "If you think highly of me and don't think I am inferior, then you will be called a brother. Don't be a master, call him so polite." Hu Fei said: "You are Senior hero, junior..." Zhong Zhaowen followed his lead and said loudly: "Bah, bah! Little brother, to tell you the truth, after my three brothers have fought against you, they all admire you very much. If you refuse to be I'm a friend, so forget it." He said with a resentful look.
Hu Fei had a straightforward temper, so he smiled and called: "Brother Zhong."
Zhong Zhaowen was very happy, got on his horse, and said, "As long as there is no trouble with the two animals, we can get to the White Horse Temple without getting dark. You have to remember my words, don't say you can't eat and drink, just touch your chopsticks, You also have to beware of the poison from the chopsticks, which will spread to your hands. Little brother, at such a young age, you are full of martial arts, if your whole body turns black and you become a zombie, I think it would be a pity!"
Hu Fei knew that what he said was not alarmist. Seeing that Miao Renfeng only tore a letter, he was blinded, and now he is leaving the lair of the poisonous hand drug king. Where can he not poison?He thought to himself that Zhong Zhaowen is a well-known figure in martial arts, he has experienced many storms, he is definitely not a fledgling ignorant person, he said so fiercely, it is obvious that this trip is extremely dangerous, it is indeed true.He knew it was dangerous, but he was obliged to accompany him to the White Horse Temple, which was even more rare than him rushing around without knowing the heights of the sky and the earth.
The two let their mounts go for a distance, run for a distance, and arrived at Linzikou when they applied for the license, and went for another distance to Baima Temple Town.The streets in the town were narrow, and the two were afraid of colliding with pedestrians and causing trouble, so they led the horses and walked. Zhong Zhaowen's face was solemn and he kept his eyes fixed, but Hu Fei looked at the shops on both sides.When he was about to reach the end of the city, Hu Fei saw a medicine store with the name "Jishitang Old Store" picked out on the corner of the corner. With a thought, he took off the single knife in his waist, held it in his hand with the scabbard, and said: "Brother Zhong, give me your judge's pen too." Zhong Zhaowen was startled, thinking of Baima Temple Town, he should be careful everywhere, why did he use the blade instead?But thinking that there must be Yao Wang's eyes and ears in the town, it is inconvenient to ask, so he took out the judge's pen from his waist, handed it to him, and said in a low voice: "Be careful, don't cause trouble!" Hu Fei nodded, walked to the counter of the medicine shop, and said, "Excuse me! The two of us went to Yaowangzhuang to visit the owner. We respect our seniors, and it is inconvenient to carry weapons. We want to deposit them in the treasure house and come back to pick them up. We will give you another reward." " An old man sitting behind the counter listened, with a surprised expression on his face, and asked: "Are you going to Yaowangzhuang?" Hu Fei didn't wait for him to say anything, put the weapon on the counter, clasped his fists, and held him. The horses strode out of town. When the two arrived at a place where there was no one outside the town, Zhong Zhaowen raised his thumb and said, "Little brother, this move is really successful. Boss Zhong has convinced you, thanks to your thinking." Hu Fei smiled and said, "It's hard!" It’s called helplessness.” So he thought that the herbal medicine shop in this town must have something to do with the medicine king, and if he put his weapon in the shop, someone from the shop would rush to report the news, which would prove his intention Come without hostility.Although going to meet such a powerful character empty-handed is more dangerous than dangerous, but on balance, this risk is still a big one. They walked north along the main road, and were looking for someone to inquire about the way to Yaowangzhuang, when they suddenly saw a man hoeing the ground with medicine in his hand on a small hill in the west, as if he was picking medicine.Hu Fei saw that this man had a handsome appearance, tall and thin, and he was a scholar who looked like a teacher. He thought to himself: "Could he be the king of poisonous hands and medicine?" How did Yaowang Village survive? The two juniors want to meet the owner of the village, and ask each other for something." The man didn't even look at Hu Zhong and the two of them, and concentrated on digging the soil and grass by himself.Hu Fei asked several times, but the man ignored him all the time, as if he was deaf. Hu Fei didn't dare to ask again, Zhong Zhaowen gave him a wink, and the two headed north again.After walking for more than a mile without making a sound, Hu Fei whispered: "Brother Zhong, I'm afraid this person is the king of medicine, what do you think?" Zhong Zhaowen said: "I am also a little suspicious, but there is absolutely no way to break it. He If I don’t admit it, and we recognize him, it’s a violation of his taboo. The only thing we need to do is to find Yaowangzhuang first, and let’s recognize the place but not the person, then it will be fine.” While speaking, he turned several turns in a zigzag, and saw a large flower garden tens of feet away from the main road, and a village girl in a blue shirt was bending over to arrange the flowers and plants.Hu Fei saw three huts behind the flower garden. Looking far away, there were no people around. He stepped forward a few steps, bowed to the village girl, and asked, "Ma'am, which way to go to Shangyaowangzhuang?" The village girl raised her head and looked at Hu Fei. Her eyes were extremely bright, and her eyeballs were as black as lacquer.Hu Fei was stunned: "How come this country girl's eyes are so unusually bright?" Seeing that her appearance was ordinary except for a pair of eyes, her skin was withered and yellow, and her face was disheveled. Huang Xi is dry, with shaved shoulders, and a thin body. She is a poor girl from a poor village. She has lost nourishment since she was a child.Wearing a thorn hairpin cloth skirt, the clothes are very clean and tidy, and have been washed so that there is no dust or dirt.She looks like she is sixteen or seventeen years old, but her figure is like a young girl of fourteen or fifteen years old, but when she pulls weeds and flowers, her hands and feet are neat. Hu Fei asked again: "May I ask Shangyao Wangzhuang, whether it is to the northeast or northwest?" The village girl lowered her head and said coldly: "I don't know." Her voice was very clear. Seeing her being so rude, Zhong Zhaowen was about to get angry when his face sank, but then he remembered that this place is not far from Yaowangzhuang, and no one can offend anyone, so he snorted and said, "Brother, let's go, the Yaowangzhuang It is a very famous place of White Horse Temple, and it cannot be missed.” Hu Fei thought to himself that it was getting late, and if he went the wrong way and wandered around in this dangerous place in the dark, it would be very bad. Seeing that there was no one around to ask for directions, he asked the village girl, "Girl, your parents Are you at home? They will definitely know the way to Yaowangzhuang." The village girl ignored her and pulled the weeds on her own. Zhong Zhaowen galloped forward with his horse, the road was narrow, the horse's right and front hooves stepped on the road, but the left two hooves stepped into the flowerbed.Although Zhong Zhaowen had no malicious intentions, but he was rough and bold by nature, and he was annoyed that the village girl was rude, and he was in a hurry to hurry, so he ignored it.Hu Fei saw a row of flowers and plants near the road that were about to be trampled by the horse, so he hurriedly stepped forward, took the rein and moved to the right, and said, "Be careful that you trample the flowers and plants." On the right side of the road, return the left foot to the road. Zhong Zhaowen said: "Come on, don't delay here!" He lifted the rein and galloped forward.Hu Fei was lonely and lonely since he was a child. Seeing that the village girl was poor and weak, he was not annoyed at her refusal to guide, but felt compassionate. He thought that she must have sold these flowers and plants to make a living. The horse walked across the flower field, and then got on the horse. Seeing this, the village girl suddenly raised her head and asked, "Why are you going to Yaowang Village?" Hu Fei Lema replied, "A friend hurt his eyes with poison, so we came here to ask the Yaowang for some antidote." The village girl said: "Do you recognize the King of Medicine?" Hu Fei shook his head and said, "We only hear his name, and we have never seen his old man." The village girl slowly stood up straight, looked at Hu Fei a few times, and asked: "How do you know he is willing to give the antidote?" Hu Fei looked embarrassed, and replied: "It's hard to say this." Suddenly, his heart moved: "This girl lives here, or she knows the temperament of the medicine king." I want to ask the girl to show me the way." The word "guidance way" has a double meaning, it can be said to ask her to show me the way to Yaowangzhuang, or it can be said to ask for advice on the way to ask for medicine. The village girl looked him over from head to toe, without answering, pointing to a pair of buckets in the flower garden, said: "Go to the cesspool over there to fill half a bucket of manure, and fill the stream with clean water, help me Water this flower." These three sentences were beyond Hu Fei's expectation, thinking that I only asked you for directions, why did you tell me to water the flowers?And you are so rude, you actually treat me like a hired worker in your family?Although he was poor when he was young, he never did such rough things as picking manure and pouring manure.After the village girl said these few words, she bent down to pull the weeds again, without looking at him again.Hu Fei was stunned, and looked into the hut, but there was no one there. He thought to himself: "This girl is born thin, and it is really not easy to pick these two big buckets of dung. I am a strong man, so why not help her pick a load of dung ?” Tie the horse to the willow tree, pick up the dung bucket, and go to carry the dung. Zhong Zhaowen walked for a while, but Hu Fei didn't follow him. When he looked back, he saw him picking up a pair of dung buckets and walking towards the stream from a distance. He couldn't help being surprised, and shouted, "Hey, what are you doing?" I'll help this girl with some kung fu. Brother Zhong, please take a step first, and I'll be right over." Zhong Zhaowen shook his head, thinking that young people really don't care about the importance, and they are so nosy at this moment. The horse walked slowly. Hu Fei picked up a load of water, went back to the flower field, scooped it up with a wooden ladle, and then went to the flower.The village girl suddenly said: "No, the dung water is too thick, and the flowers will wither once it is poured in." Hu Fei was stunned, at a loss.The village girl said: "You pour it back into the cesspool, keep only half of it, and then add half a bucket of water, and that's it." Hu Fei felt a little impatient, but wanted to be a good person to the end, so he poured the manure and added water as he said, and came back to water it flower. The village girl said: "Be careful, the dung and water must not touch the petals and leaves." Hu Fei replied: "Yes!" Seeing that the flowers are dark blue in color and have a strange shape, each flower is like a small shoe, with a delicate fragrance Faintly, I don't know the name, and then I poured it carefully one by one, and sure enough, I didn't let the dung water touch the petals and leaves, and poured all the two buckets of dung water. Seeing that his kung fu was done properly, the village girl nodded and smiled, expressing her satisfaction, and said, "Very good, I'll pick another load." Hu Fei stood up straight, and said softly: "My friend is anxious to wait, and I'll wait for you from the medicine." When Wang Zhuang comes back, I will help you water the flowers again, okay?" The village girl said, "It's better for you to spare the flowers here. I see that you are a nice person, so I want you to pick the dung." Hearing her strange words, Hu Fei thought to herself that she had been delayed anyway, so she didn't fight for the time at this moment, so she sped up her hands and feet, and hurriedly picked up another load of dung and water, and circled all the blue flowers in the ground.Although I was in a hurry to hurry, I was still careful not to pour the dung water on the flowers and leaves.At this time, the setting sun had already set on the mountain col, and the golden light reflected on a large area of blue flowers, which was brilliant and very gorgeous.Hu Fei couldn't help but praised: "These flowers are really beautiful!" He poured two loads of dung, and he had a little affection for these blue flowers, and his tone of praise was quite sincere. The village girl nodded and was about to speak when Zhong Zhaowen rode back and shouted, "Brother, don't you want to leave now?" Hu Fei said, "Yes, here we come!" Contains the meaning of prayer. The village girl's face sank, and she said, "You watered the flowers for me, so you wanted me to show you the way, didn't you?" Hu Fei thought to himself, "I really hope you can show me the way, but it's purely for the sake of watering the flowers for you." I pity you for being thin and weak, and if I ask you again at this time, it turns into a deliberate favor." Suddenly remembering that day when Tie Jianzi and Xiao Zhurong were captured and handed over to Yuan Ziyi, she once said: "This is called Shien, this is the worst guy." He couldn't help but feel a little sweetness in his heart, he immediately smiled and said, "These flowers are so beautiful!" He walked to the willow tree and untied the horse. The village girl said: "Wait a minute." Hu Fei turned around, afraid that she would talk about something, and felt very impatient.The village girl pulled up two blue flowers, threw them at him, and said, "You said these flowers are beautiful, so I will give you two." Hu Fei reached out to catch them, and said, "Thank you!" He put it in his arms.The village girl said: "His surname is Zhong, what's your surname?" Hu Fei said: "My surname is Hu." The village girl nodded and said: "If you are going to Yaowangzhuang, it is better to go northeast." Zhong Zhaowen was heading northwest. After waiting for a long time for Hu Fei not to come, he became impatient, and looked back. Hearing what the village girl said, his troubles disappeared, and he whispered with a smile: "Little brother, I really have you. So as not to be a brother, you will go wrong." Hu Fei was suspicious: "If Yaowangzhuang is in the northeast, then it is straightforward to point out, why do you say 'it is better to go to the northeast'?" Reluctant to ask the village The woman asked again, and led the horse to the northeast. The two of them galloped for eight or nine miles, and there was a vast lake in front of them, and there was no way to go, only a small road leading to the west. Zhong Zhaowen scolded: "This girl is really hateful. It's okay if she refuses to show the way, but she makes us go the wrong way. We have to teach her a lesson when we go back." Hu Fei was also very surprised, thinking that he hadn't offended her, so why did he play tricks on himself? , Said: "Brother Zhong, this country girl must have something to do with Yaowangzhuang." Zhong Zhaowen said: "Well, do you see any puppet?" She doesn't look like a country girl who has never seen the world." Zhong Zhaowen was startled, and said, "Not bad! The two flowers she gave you should be quickly thrown away." Hu Fei took out the blue flowers from his bosom, saw that the flowers were light and beautiful, he couldn't bear to throw them away, and said: "Two little flowers, it's okay to think about it!" Still put them back in his bosom, and galloped westward.Zhong Zhaowen shouted from behind: "Hey, you'd better be careful." Hu Fei agreed vaguely and urged the horse to move forward.In the haze of dusk, gusts of returning crows passed overhead. Suddenly, I saw two people leaning over the lake on the right, as if they were drinking water.Hu Fei Lema wanted to ask for directions, but seeing that the two of them were still not moving, he knew something was wrong, so he jumped off his horse and shouted: "Excuse me!" The two of them still did not move.Zhong Zhaowen stretched out his hand to grab a man's shoulder, the man fell on his back, his eyes turned white, he died long ago, his face was covered with dark spots, his muscles twisted, it was terrifying, and the other man was also like this.Zhong Zhaowen said: "He was poisoned to death." Hu Fei nodded, seeing that the two deceased were wearing weapons, he said, "The opponent of the Poisonous Hand Medicine King?" Zhong Zhaowen also nodded.
The two got on the horse and walked again, the sky was getting dark, and they felt that the future was very dangerous.After another journey, we saw that the vegetation on the roadside was sparse, and the vegetation became less and less as we walked, until the ground was completely bare, and there was no grass, not a single big tree or small tree.Suspicious in Hu Fei's heart, he reined in his horse and said, "Brother Zhong, look, this place is so weird." Zhong Zhaowen also saw something was wrong, and said, "Even if someone shovels it out, it will leave traces of grass roots, I think..." He pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Yao Wang Zhuang Ding is near the left, I think he has poisoned the soil so much that there is not even a single grass." Hu Fei nodded, terrified in his heart, tore a few strips of cloth from the burden, bound the horse that Zhong Zhaowen was riding on, and then tied the horse's mouth to his own.Zhong Zhaowen knew that he was afraid that when he walked forward, he would encounter poisonous vegetation, and the animals would inevitably be killed if they chewed it, so he nodded, secretly praising him for his careful thoughtfulness. After a short walk, I saw a house in the distance.When he got closer, he saw that the appearance of the house was very strange, it looked like a large tomb, without doors and windows, it was dark and very eerie.They both thought: "Look at the appearance of this house, it must be Yaowangzhuang." Several feet away from the house, there is a row of short trees growing around the house. The leaves are like chestnut leaves, but the color is like maple leaves in autumn, bright red. Like blood, in the twilight, it makes people shudder. Zhong Zhaowen wandered around the rivers and lakes all his life, did he not see any dangerous things?His own three brothers dressed up as vicious bereaved masters, which was intimidating to see, but seeing such a scene at this time, his heart couldn't help jumping wildly, and he whispered: "What should I do?" Hu Fei said: "Let's ask each other with courtesy and adapt to the situation." The horse moved forward, walked a few feet away from the bushes, got off the horse and took the rope, and said loudly: "Then Bei Zhong Zhaowen and Liaodong Hu Fei, the junior, are here to pay their respects to Senior Yao Wang Each word of these three sentences is sent from Dantian, although it is not very loud, but the sound is heard, the people in the room must be able to hear clearly. After a while, there was no movement in the house.Hu Fei said it again, and there was still no response in the round house, as if no one lived there.Hu Fei said loudly again: "The hero of the golden-faced Buddha Miao was poisoned and injured. The poison used was stolen from the senior by a traitor. Please be merciful to the senior and give me the antidote." But no matter what he said, there was no one in the round house. sound. After a long time, it became darker.Hu Fei asked in a low voice: "Brother Zhong, what should we do?" Zhong Zhaowen said: "It's impossible to see that Hero Miao is blind, so let's return empty-handed." Crush." At this moment, both of them had the intention of using force to use force, thinking that although the Poison Hand Medicine King is good at using poison, his martial arts may not be very good, and if he uses it for profit, he will use both soft and hard methods, so he must get the antidote.The two put down their horses and walked towards the bushes.Seeing that the branches and leaves of the bushes were so dense that they couldn't pass through, Zhong Zhaowen jumped up and flew over the bushes. He was in the air, and suddenly he smelled a strong fragrance, his eyes went dark, he became dizzy, and fell into the bushes.Hu Fei was shocked, and jumped forward. When he crossed the top of the bush, he felt the strange fragrance was pungent, and he wanted to vomit, and his chest was disgusted.As soon as he landed on the ground, he hurriedly helped Zhong Zhaowen up, checked that he was still breathing through his nose, but his eyes were closed tightly, but his fingers and face were already cold. Hu Fei groaned secretly: "Hero Miao's antidote has not yet been obtained, but Brother Zhong has been poisoned again. It seems that I have also been infected with the poisonous gas, but I haven't had an attack yet." "Senior Medicine King, this junior came to pay respects to the manor empty-handed, there is no malice in it, if you don't see me again, this junior will be forced to be rude." He looked at the walls of the round house, and saw that the whole body from the roof to the foot of the wall was black, obviously not made of earth and wood.He didn't dare to stretch out his hand to push it, but he cleaned everything around so cleanly that he couldn't find even a tiny piece of brick. He took out an ingot of silver from his pocket, tapped it three times on the wall, and it really made a metallic sound. . He put the silver ingot back into his bosom, lowered his head, and smelled a faint fragrance, which lifted his spirits, his mind was groggy at first, but when he smelled the fragrance, he immediately became clear.He bent down slightly, and the fragrance became stronger, only then did he realize that the fragrance came from the blue flower given by the village girl.Hu Fei's heart moved: "It seems that this fragrance has the power of detoxification, she really has good intentions." He quickened his pace and ran around the Okana house for a week, but he couldn't find any doors or windows, and he didn't even find any small holes or crevices. He wondered if there was really no one in the house?Otherwise, there is no ventilation, how can it not be suffocated?He didn't have a weapon in his hand, so he couldn't do anything to this round house made of iron.After contemplating for a moment, he took out the blue flower from his bosom and placed it under Zhong Zhaowen's nose. Not long after, he sneezed and woke up slowly. Hu Fei was overjoyed, and said to himself: "Since the girl has a detoxification method, why not go back and ask her for advice." Put a branch of blue flowers on Zhong Zhaowen's lapel, took one in his hand, and helped Zhong Zhaowen jump over the short tree.He fell to the ground with both feet, and suddenly he heard someone in the round room exclaim loudly "Huh".The voice came through the iron wall, quite depressing, but the meaning could still be heard to be both startled and angry. Hu Fei turned around and shouted: "Senior Yao Wang, can I meet you?" He asked twice in succession, and there was even more silence in the round room.Suddenly there were two bangs, and the heavy object fell to the ground.Hu Fei turned his head and saw the two horses fell down at the same time. He jumped over and saw that the eyes of the two horses were closed, black foam was spitting out of the mouth, and they had died of poisoning, but there was no wound on their bodies. At this point, the two dared not stay longer in this dangerous place, discussed in low voice, decided to go back to ask the village girl for advice, and immediately rushed back from the same way. After Zhong Zhaowen was poisoned, his feet were exhausted, so he walked and rested, and did not return to the village girl's hut until the second watch.In the dark night, the fragrance of blue flowers in the flower garden was fragrant, and Zhong and Hu felt relieved when they smelled it.
Light suddenly came out of the window of the hut, and with a bang, the firewood door opened, and the village girl opened the door and said, "Please come in! There is no hospitality in the country, and the guests are neglected with simple tea and light food." Hu Fei clasped his fists and said after hearing her good words "I'm sorry for bothering you in the middle of the night." The village girl smiled slightly and walked over to the door to let them in. Hu Fei stepped into the thatched hut, and saw that the wooden tables and wooden benches in the house were no different from ordinary farmhouses.Such a clean appearance, like the surroundings of the round house, makes people feel uneasy. The village girl said: "Master Zhong and Master Hu, please sit down." As she spoke, she went to the kitchen and took out two sets of bowls and chopsticks, followed by three dishes, one soup, and two large bowls of steaming white rice.The three bowls of dishes are fried tofu, fried bean sprouts with fresh bamboo shoots, boiled cabbage with straw mushrooms, and the soup is pickled vegetable watercress soup.Although it is a vegetarian dish, it is also fragrant. The two of them raced for most of the day, and they were already hungry.Hu Fei smiled and said: "Thank you!" Picking up the rice bowl, he picked up the chopsticks and ate.Zhong Zhaowen thought: "She has already prepared this meal, she obviously expected that we will return after we go. I would rather starve to death than eat this meal." Seeing the village girl turn around and go back to the kitchen, she asked Hu Fei With a wink, he said in a low voice: "Brother, I told you that you must not eat or drink within thirty miles of Yaowangzhuang. How did you forget?" But Hu Fei thought: "If this girl has evil intentions towards me, she will never send me flowers. Although it is necessary to be defensive, if you don't eat this meal, you will definitely offend her." He was about to answer , the village girl took out a wooden plate from under the kitchen, and on the plate was a small wooden barrel filled with rice.Hu Fei stood up and said, "Thank you for your kindness, girl. We want to visit your father's hall." The village girl said, "My parents have passed away, so I am the only one here." Hu Fei said "ah", sat down and raised his hand Eat with chopsticks.The three bowls of dishes were already delicious, but Hu Fei was full of praise to please her. Zhong Zhaowen thought to himself: "If you don't listen to my advice, then there's nothing you can do, the two of you can't get along with others." He said to the village girl, "I just fainted for a long time, my stomach felt very uncomfortable, and I didn't want to eat. The village girl poured a cup of tea and said: "Then please use a cup of clear tea." Zhong Zhaowen saw that the tea was green, clear and lovely. Do not drink. The village girl didn't care. Seeing Hu Fei devouring bowl after bowl, she couldn't help but show joy in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes.Hu Fei saw it, thinking that I ate it anyway, if I eat less, I will be poisoned, and if I eat more, I will be poisoned, so I simply let go of my stomach, ate four big bowls of white rice, and ate all three dishes and one soup.The village girl came to clean up. Hu Fei rushed to put the bowls and chopsticks on the plate, carried them under the kitchen, scooped water in the water tank, washed the bowls and chopsticks, wiped them dry and put them in the cupboard. The village girl washed the wok and swept the floor, and the two of them cleaned it up together.Hu Fei didn't mention the matter of talent just now, seeing that there was only half a tank of water left in the water tank, he took the bucket, picked two loads from the creek outside the door, and filled the water tank to the full. After picking the water and returning to the hall, I saw Zhong Zhaowen had fallen asleep on the table.The village girl said: "The country people have no place to entertain guests. You wronged Mr. Hu, so just sleep on the bench all night!" Hu Fei said, "You're welcome, girl!" Seeing her walk into the inner room, she gently closed the door , but didn't hear the sound of the bolt falling, thinking that this girl lived here alone, she dared to let two men stay in the house, she was quite courageous, she stretched out her hand and lightly pushed Zhong Zhaowen's shoulder, and said in a low voice: "Brother Zhong, Sleep more comfortably on the bench!" Unexpectedly, with such a light push, Zhong Zhaowen fell to the ground with a bang. Hu Fei was shocked, and quickly hugged him to help him up, and touched his face, his hands were on fire, and he had a high fever.Hu Fei asked in surprise: "Brother Zhong, what's the matter with you?" When he raised the oil lamp to look closer, he saw that his face was flushed, as if he was drunk, and there were bursts of extremely strong alcohol smell from his mouth and nose.Hu Fei was amazed: "He didn't even dare to take a sip of tea, why did he get drunk all of a sudden?" Then he said in a daze: "I'm not drunk, I'm not drunk! Come, come, drink three more Bowl!" followed by "The leader of the Five Classics!" "Four Seasons Get Rich!" Hu Fei knew that he must have got the hands and feet of the village girl, he refused to eat or drink tea, but the village girl used some wonderful method, which made him feel like he was drunk, full of surprises, I don't know if he went to ask the village girl for treatment, Let him go with the flow, wake up slowly, and think again: "This is poisoning, not really drunk, and it may not be able to wake up on its own." Just at this time, I suddenly heard ferocious howling of wild beasts from a distance. It was quite thrilling to hear in the middle of the night, and the sound seemed to be howling wolves, but the banks of Dongting Lake were mostly plains, even if there were one or two wild wolves, it would not be like this. Generally in groups. As the howling sound approached, Hu Fei stood up and listened attentively. He could hear one or two goats bleating amidst the wolves' howling.She didn't take it seriously at the moment, and was about to check on Zhong Zhaowen's situation again, when the door opened with a bang, and the village girl came out with a candlestick in her hand, with a little panic on her face, she said, "This is howling a wolf." Hu Fei nodded, and said, "Girl..." Pointing to Zhong Zhaowen. Only the sound of horseshoes, sheep bleating, and wolves howling could be heard, and they came straight to the thatched hut.Hu Fei's face changed color, thinking that if the enemy attacked in a big way, the hut would not be rushed, not to mention that Brother Zhong was poisoned and his personnel were unknown, and the village girl was next to the elbow and armpit. ?Before I finished thinking about it, I heard a fast horse galloping towards me. Hu Fei was unarmed, bent down to pick up Zhong Zhaowen, rushed into the kitchen, wanted to find a kitchen knife, but couldn't find it in the dark, only heard the village girl shout loudly: "Is it from the Meng family? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"胡斐听她口气严厉，不似作伪，看来她与来袭之人并非一路，心中稍慰，抢出后院，在地上抓起一把石子，纵身上了一株柳树，将钟兆文搁在两个大桠枝之间，凝目望去。 星光下只见一个灰衣汉子骑在马上，冲到茅屋之前，马后尘土飞扬，跟着十几头饿狼，叫声大作。瞧这情势，似乎那人途中遇到饿狼袭击，纵马奔逃，定神再看，见马后拖着白白的一团东西，是只活羊。胡斐心想，这多半是个猎人，以羊为饵，设计诱捕狼群。却见那人纵马驰入花圃，直奔到东首，圈转马头，又向西驰来，一群饿狼在后追叫，这么一来一去，登时将花圃践踏得不成模样。这汉子的坐骑甚为骏良，他骑术又精，来回冲了几次，饿狼始终咬不到活羊。 胡斐一转念间，已然省悟：“啊，这家伙是来踩坏蓝花！我如何能袖手不理？”双足一点，跃到了茅屋顶上，忽听那人“哎哟”一声叫，纵马向北疾驰而去，那活羊却留在花圃之中。群狼扑上去抢咬撕夺，更将花圃蹂躏得狼藉不堪。 胡斐心道：“此人用心好不歹毒！”两块石子飞出，噗噗两声，打在两头恶狼脑门正中，登时脑浆进裂，尸横就地。他跟着又打出两块石子，这一次石子较小，准头也略偏了些，一中狼腹，一中狼肩，饶是如此，两头恶狼也已痛得嗷嗷大叫。群狼连吃苦头，知屋顶有人，仰起了头望着胡斐，张牙舞爪，声势汹汹。胡斐见了群狼这副凶恶神情，心中大是发毛，自己赤手空拳，实不易和这十几头恶狼的锐牙利爪相抗，瞧准了一头最大的雄狼，一块石片斜削而下，正中咽喉。那狼在地下一个打滚，吃痛不过，转身便逃，另有一头大狼咬了白羊，跟着逃走。 片刻之间，叫声越去越远，花圃中的蓝花却已遭践踏得七零八落。 胡斐跃下屋来，蹿上柳树去将钟兆文抱下，进屋放在长凳上，连称：“可惜，可惜！”心想那村女辛勤锄花拔草，将这片蓝花培植得大是可观，现下顷刻之间尽归毁败，一定恼怒异常。哪知村女一句不提蓝花被毁，只笑吟吟地道：“多谢胡爷援手了。”胡斐道：“说来惭愧！都怪我见机不早，出手太迟，倘若早将那恶汉在花圃外打下马来，这片花卉还能保全。唉，真可惜！” 那村女微微一笑，道：“蓝花就算不给恶狼踏坏，过几天也会自行萎谢。只不过迟早之间，也没什么。”胡斐一怔，心想：“这姑娘吐属不凡，言语之间似含玄机。”说道：“在府上吵扰，却还没请教姑娘尊姓。”那村女微一沉吟，道：“我姓程，但在旁人跟前，你别提我姓氏。”这话甚是亲切，似乎已将胡斐当作了自己人。胡斐很高兴，问道：“那我叫你什么？” 那村女道：“你这人很好，我便索性连名字也都跟你说了。我叫程灵素，'灵枢'的'灵'，'素问'的'素'。”胡斐不知“灵枢”和“素问”乃中国两大医经，只觉这两个字很雅致，不像农村女子的名字，这时已知她决不是寻常乡下姑娘，也不以为异，笑道：“那我便叫你灵姑娘，别人听来，只当我叫你是姓林的姑娘呢。”程灵素嫣然一笑，道：“你总有法儿讨我欢喜。”胡斐心中微动，觉她相貌虽不甚美，但这么一言一笑，自有一股妩媚风致。 他正想询问钟兆文酒醉之事，程灵素道：“你的钟大哥喝醉了酒，不碍事，到天明便醒了。现下我要去瞧几个人，你同不同我去？”胡斐觉得这个小姑娘行事处处十分奇怪，这半夜三更去探访别人，必有深意，便道：“我自然去。” 程灵素道：“你陪我去，咱们可得约法三章。第一，你今晚不许跟人说话……”胡斐道：“好，我扮哑子便是。”程灵素笑道：“那倒不用，跟我说话当然可以。第二，不能跟人动武，放暗器点穴，一概禁止。第三，不能离开我三步之外。” 胡斐点头答应，心想：“原来她带我去见毒手药王。她叫我不能离开她身边三步，自是怕我中毒受害了。”不由得精神一振，道：“咱们这便去么？”程灵素道：“得带些东西。”走进自己房内，过了约一盏茶时分，挑了两只竹箩出来，箩上用盖盖着，不知里面放着些什么，看她模样，挑得颇为吃力。 胡斐道：“我来挑！”接过扁担，一放上肩头，几有一百二三十斤。两只竹箩轻重悬殊，一只甚重，一只却颇轻，挑来很不方便。他把较轻的竹萝放得离肩头远些，扁担两头便可大致平衡。只见钟兆文兀自伏在桌上呼呼大睡，经过他身旁便闻到一股浓烈酒气。 两人出了茅舍，程灵素将门带上，在前引路。胡斐道：“灵姑娘，我问你一件事，成不成？”程灵素道：“成啊，就怕我答不上。”胡斐道：“你如答不出，天下就没第二个人答得出了。钟大哥滴水没人口，怎地会醉成这样？”程灵素轻轻一笑，道：“就因他滴水不肯入口，才吃了亏。”胡斐道：“这个我就不懂了。钟大哥是老江湖，鄂北鬼见愁钟氏三雄，在武林中也算颇有名声。我却是个见识浅陋之人，哪知道他处处小心，反而……”说到这里，住口不说了。 程灵素道：“你说好了！他处处小心，反而着了我道儿，是不是？处处小心提防便有用了吗？只有像你这般，才会太平无事。”胡斐道：“我怎么啊？”程灵素笑道：“叫你挑粪便挑粪，叫你吃饭便吃饭。这般听话，人家怎会忍心害你？”胡斐笑道：“原来做人要听话才好。可是你整人的法儿也太巧妙了些，我还是摸不着头脑。” 程灵素道：“好，我教你个乖。厅上有一盆小小白花，你瞧见了么？”胡斐当时没留意，这时一加回想，果然记得窗口一张小几上放着一盆小朵儿白花。程灵素道：“这盆花叫做醍醐香，花香醉人，极是厉害，闻得稍久，便跟饮了烈酒一般无异。我在汤里、茶里都放了解药。谁叫他不喝啊？” 胡斐这才恍然，不禁对这位姑娘大为敬畏，暗想自来只听说有人在饮食之中下毒，哪知她下毒的方法却高明得多，对方不吃不喝反而会中毒。程灵素道：“待会回去我便给他解药，不用担心。”胡斐心中一动：“这位姑娘既擅用药物，说不定能治苗大侠的伤目，那便不须去求什么毒手药王了。”问道：“灵姑娘，你知道解治断肠草毒性的法子吗？”程灵素道：“难说。” 胡斐听她说了这两个字，便没下文，不便就提求医之事，见她脚步轻盈，在前不疾不徐地走着，虽不是施展轻功，但没过多少时光已走了六七里路，瞧方向是走向正东，不是去药王庄的道路，忽又想到一事，说道，“我还想问一件事，刚才我和钟大哥去药王庄，你说还是向东北方去的好，故意叫我们绕道多走了二十几里路。这其中的用意，我一直没能明白。” 程灵素道：“你真正想问我的，还不是这件事。我猜你是想问：'药王庄明明是在西北，咱们怎么向东走？'”胡斐笑道：“你既猜到了，那我一并请问便是。”程灵素道：“咱们所以不朝药王庄走，因为并不是去药王庄。”这一下，胡斐又是始料所不及，“啊”了一声。 程灵素又道：“白天我要你浇花，一来是试试你，二来是要你耽搁些时光，后来再叫你绕道多走二十几里，也是为了要你多耗时刻，这样便能在天黑之后再到药王庄外。只因药王庄外所种的血矮栗，一到天黑，毒性便小，我给你的蓝花才克得它住。” 胡斐听了钦服无已，万想不到用毒使药，竟有这许多学问，这个貌不惊人的小姑娘用心惲至，更非常人所及，当下说到在洞庭湖见到的两名死者。程灵素听说两名死者脸上满是黑点，肌肉扭曲，哼了一声，道：“这种鬼蝙蝠的毒无药可治。他们什么也不顾了。”胡斐心想：“'鬼蝙蝠'是什么毒，反正她说了我也不懂。一意听她吩咐行事便了，做人听话便不吃亏。多说多问，徒然显得自己一无是处。”便不再询问，跟在她身后一路向东。
又走了五六里路，进了一座黑黝黝的树林。程灵素低声道：“到了。他们还没来，咱们在这林子中等候，你把这只竹箩放在那株树下。”说着向一株大树一指。胡斐依言提了那只分量甚重的竹箩过去放好。程灵素走到离大树八九丈处的一丛长草旁，道：“这只竹箩给我提过来。”随即拨开长草，钻进了草丛。 胡斐也不问谁还没来，等候什么，记着不离开她三步的约言，便提了另一只竹箩，也钻进草丛，挨在她身旁。仰头向天，见月轮西斜，已过夜半。树林中虫声此起彼伏，偶然也听到一二声枭鸣。程灵素吹熄灯笼，递给他一粒药丸，低声道：“含在口里，别吞下！”胡斐看也不看便放入嘴中，但觉味道极苦。 两人静静坐着，过了小半个时辰，胡斐只觉这一日一晚的经历大是诡异，当真是生平从所未遇之奇。突然之间，想到了袁紫衣：“不知她这时身在何处？如果这时在我身畔的，不是这个瘦瘦小小的姑娘而是袁姑娘，不知她要跟我说什么？”一想到她，便伸手入怀去摸玉凤。 忽然程灵素伸手拉了他衣角，向前一指。胡斐顺着她手指瞧去，只见远处一盖灯笼，正渐渐移近。本来灯笼的火光必是暗红色，这盖灯笼发出的却是碧油油的绿光。灯笼来得甚快，不多时已到身前十余丈外，灯下瞧得明白，提灯的是个驼背女子，走起路来左高右低，看来右脚是披的。她身后紧随着一个汉子，身材魁梧，腰间插着明晃晃的一把尖刀。 胡斐想起钟兆文的说话，身子微微一颤，寻思：“钟大哥说，有人说毒手药王是个屠夫模样的大汉，又有人说药王是个又驼又跛的女子。那么这两人之中，必有一个是药王。”斜眼向程灵素看去，树影下见不到她脸色，但见她一对清澈晶莹的大眼，目不转睛地望着两人，神情显甚紧张。胡斐登时起了侠义之心：“这毒手药王如要不利于她，我便拼着性命不要，也要护她周全。” 那一男一女渐渐走近。只见那女子容貌文秀，虽身有残疾，仍可说得上是个美女，那大汉却满脸横肉，形相凶狠，两人都是四十来岁年纪。胡斐一身武功，便遇到巨寇大贼环攻，也无所畏惧，但这时心却评评乱跳，知道对付这种人，武功再强也未必管用，自己登时便如面临大敌，而身无半分武功一般。 那两人走到胡斐身前七八丈处，忽然折而向左，又走了十余丈，这才站定身子。那大汉朗声叫道：“慕容师兄，我夫妇依约前来，便请露面相见吧！” 他站立之处距胡斐并不甚远，突然开口说话，声音又大，把胡斐吓了一跳。那大汉喊了两遍，没人答话，胡斐心道：“这两人原来是一对夫妻。这里除了咱们四人，再没旁人，哪里还有什么慕容师兄？” 那驼背女子细声细气地道：“慕容师兄既不肯现身，我夫妇迫得无礼了。” 胡斐暗暗好笑：“这叫做一报还一报。适才我到药王庄来拜访，说什么你们也不理睬，这时候别人也给一个软钉子你们碰碰。”见那女子从怀中取出一束干草，伸到灯笼中去点燃了，立时发出一股浓烟，过不多时，林中便白雾弥漫，烟雾之中微有植香气息，倒也并不难闻。 胡斐听她说“迫得无礼”四字，知道这股烟雾定然厉害，但自己却也不感到有何不适，想必是口中含了药丸之功，转头向程灵素望了一眼。这时她也正回眸瞧他，目光中充满了关注之意。胡斐心中感激，微微点了点头。 烟雾越来越浓，突然大树下的竹箩中有人大声打了个喷嚏。 胡斐大吃一惊：“怎地竹箩中有人？我挑了半天竟毫不知情。那么我跟程姑娘的说话，都让他听去了？”自忖对毒物医药之道虽一窍不通，但练了这许多年武功，决不能挑着一个人走这许多路而茫然不觉，除非这是个死人，那又做别论。他既会打喷嚏，当然不是死人。只听竹萝中那人又连打几个喷嚏，箩盖掀开，跃了出来。但见他长袍儒巾，正是日间所见在小山上采药的那教书先生。 这时他衣衫凌乱，头巾歪斜，神情狼狈，已没半点日间所见的儒雅镇定神态，一见到那男女二人，便怒声喝道：“好啊，姜师弟、薛师妹，你们下手越来越阴毒了。” 那夫妇俩见他这般模样，也似颇出意料之外。那大汉冷笑道：“还说我们下手阴毒？你这般躲在竹箩之中，谁又料得到了？慕容师兄……”他话未说完，那书生嗅了几下，神色大变，急从怀中摸出一样物事，放入口中。 那驼背女子将散发浓烟的草药一足踏灭，放回怀中，说道：“大师哥，来不及啦，来不及啦！”那书生脸如土色，颓然坐倒在地，过了半晌，说道：“好，算我栽了。” 那大汉从怀中摸出一个青色瓷瓶，举在手里，道：“解药便在这里。你师侄中了你的毒手，得拿解药来换啊。”那书生道：“胡说八道！你们是说小铁哥么？我几年没见他了，下什么毒手？”那驼背女子道：“你约我们到这里，便只要说这句话么？”转头向那大汉道：“铁山，咱们走吧。”说着掉头便走。那大汉尚有犹豫，道：“小铁……”那女子道：“他恨咱们入骨，宁可自己送了性命，也决不肯饶过小铁。这些年来，难道你还想不通？”那大汉不愿就此便走，说道：“大师哥，咱们多年以前的旧怨，到这时何必再放在心上？小弟奉劝一句，还是交换解药，把这个结同时解开了吧！”这几句一得甚是诚恳。 那书生问道：“薛师妹，小铁中了什么毒？”那女子冷笑一声，并不回答。那大汉道：“大师哥，到这地步，也不用假惺惺了。小弟恭贺你种成了七心海棠……”那书生大声道：“谁种成了七心海棠？难道小铁中的是七心海棠之毒？我没有啊，我没有啊！”他说这几句话时神情惶急，语音也已发颤。 两夫妇对望了一眼，那女子道：“好，慕容师兄，废话少说。你约我们到这里来相会，有什么吩咐？”那书生搔头道：“我没约啊，是你们把我搬到这里来，怎么反说是我相约？”说到这里，又气又愧，突然飞起一腿，将竹箩踢出了六七丈。 那女子冷冷地道：“难道这封信也不是你写的？师兄的字迹，我生平瞧得也不算少了。”说着从怀中取出一张纸笺，左手一扬，纸笺便向那书生飞了过去。那书生伸手欲接，突然缩手，跟着挥掌拍出，掌风将那纸笑在空中一挡，左手中指轻弹，发出一枚暗器。这暗器是一枚长约三寸的透骨钉，射向纸笺，啪的一声，将纸笺钉在树上。 胡斐暗自心惊：“跟这些人打交道，对方说一句话，喷一口气，都要提防他下毒。这书生不敢用手去接纸笺，自是怕笺上有毒了。”只见驼背女子提高灯笼，火光照耀纸笺，白纸上两行大字，胡斐虽在远处，也看得清楚，见纸上写着道：姜薛两位：三更后请赴黑虎林，有事相商，知名不具。 那两行字笔致枯瘦，却颇挺拔，字如其人，和那书生的身形隐隐然有相类之处。 那书生“咦”的一声，似乎甚是诧异。 那大汉问道：“大师哥，有什么不对了？”那书生冷冷地道：“这信不是我写的。”此言一出，夫妇两人对望了一眼。那驼背女子冷笑一声，显是不信他的说话。那书生道：“信上的笔迹，倒真和我的书法甚是相像，这可奇了。”他伸左手摸了摸颏下胡须，勃然怒道：“你们把我装在竹箩之中，抬到这里，到底干什么来啦？”那女子道：“小铁中了七心海棠之毒，你到底给治呢，还是不给治？”那书生道：“你拿得稳么？当真是七心……七心海棠么？”说到“七心海棠”四字时声音微颤，语音中流露了强烈的恐惧之意。 胡斐听到这里，心中渐渐明白，定是另有一个高手从中拨弄，以致这三人说来说去，言语总是不能接榫。那么这高手是谁呢？ 他不自禁地转头向身旁程灵素望了一眼，但见她一双朗若明星的大眼在暗影下炯炯发光。难道这个面黄肌瘦的小姑娘竟有这般能耐？这可太也令人难以相信！ 他正自凝思，猛听得一声大喝，声音呜呜，极是怪异，忙回过头来，只见那书生和那对夫妇已欺近在一起，各自蹲着身子，双手向前平推，六攀相接，口中齐声“呜呜”而呼。书生喝声峻厉，大汉喝声粗猛，那驼背女子的喝声却高而尖锐。三人的喝声都是一般漫长，连续不断。突然之间，喝声齐止，那书生纵身后跃，寒光闪动，发出一枚透骨钉，将灯笼打灭，跟着那大汉大叫一声：“啊哟！”显是中了书生的暗算，身上受伤。 这时弦月已经落山，林中更无光亮，只觉四下里处处都是危机，胡斐顺手拉着程灵素的手向后一扯，自己挡在她身前。这一挡他未经思索，只觉凶险迫近，非尽力保护这弱女子不可，至于凭他之力是否保护得了，却决未想到。 那大汉叫了这一下之后，立即寂然无声，树林中虽共有五人，竟没半点声息。 胡斐又听到了草间的虫声，听到远处猫头鹰的咕咕而鸣。忽然之间，一只软软的小手伸了过来，握住了他粗大的手掌。胡斐身子一颤，随即知道这是程灵素的手，只觉柔嫩纤细，倒像十三四岁女童的手掌一般。 在一片寂静之中，眼前忽地升起两股袅袅的烟雾，一白一灰，两股烟像两条活蛇一般，自两旁向中央游去，互相撞击。同时嗤嗤嗤轻响不绝，胡斐在黑暗中睁大了眼睛，隐约见到左右各有一点火星。一点火星之后是那个书生，另一点火星之后是那驼背女子。两人都蹲着身子，鼓气将烟雾向对方吹去，自是点燃了草药，发出毒烟，要令对方中毒。 两人吹了好一会儿，林中烟雾弥漫，越来越浓。突然之间，那书生“咦”的一声，抬头瞧着先前钉在大树上的那张纸笺。胡斐见那纸笺微微摇晃，上面发出闪闪光芒，竟是写着发光的几行字。那夫妇二人也大为惊奇，转头瞧去，只见那几行字写道：字谕慕容景岳、姜铁山、薛鹊三徒知悉：尔等互相残害，余甚厌恼，宜即尽释前愆，继
The two let their mounts go for a distance, run for a distance, and arrived at Linzikou when they applied for the license, and went for another distance to Baima Temple Town.The streets in the town were narrow, and the two were afraid of colliding with pedestrians and causing trouble, so they led the horses and walked. Zhong Zhaowen's face was solemn and he kept his eyes fixed, but Hu Fei looked at the shops on both sides.When he was about to reach the end of the city, Hu Fei saw a medicine store with the name "Jishitang Old Store" picked out on the corner of the corner. With a thought, he took off the single knife in his waist, held it in his hand with the scabbard, and said: "Brother Zhong, give me your judge's pen too." Zhong Zhaowen was startled, thinking of Baima Temple Town, he should be careful everywhere, why did he use the blade instead?But thinking that there must be Yao Wang's eyes and ears in the town, it is inconvenient to ask, so he took out the judge's pen from his waist, handed it to him, and said in a low voice: "Be careful, don't cause trouble!" Hu Fei nodded, walked to the counter of the medicine shop, and said, "Excuse me! The two of us went to Yaowangzhuang to visit the owner. We respect our seniors, and it is inconvenient to carry weapons. We want to deposit them in the treasure house and come back to pick them up. We will give you another reward." " An old man sitting behind the counter listened, with a surprised expression on his face, and asked: "Are you going to Yaowangzhuang?" Hu Fei didn't wait for him to say anything, put the weapon on the counter, clasped his fists, and held him. The horses strode out of town. When the two arrived at a place where there was no one outside the town, Zhong Zhaowen raised his thumb and said, "Little brother, this move is really successful. Boss Zhong has convinced you, thanks to your thinking." Hu Fei smiled and said, "It's hard!" It’s called helplessness.” So he thought that the herbal medicine shop in this town must have something to do with the medicine king, and if he put his weapon in the shop, someone from the shop would rush to report the news, which would prove his intention Come without hostility.Although going to meet such a powerful character empty-handed is more dangerous than dangerous, but on balance, this risk is still a big one. They walked north along the main road, and were looking for someone to inquire about the way to Yaowangzhuang, when they suddenly saw a man hoeing the ground with medicine in his hand on a small hill in the west, as if he was picking medicine.Hu Fei saw that this man had a handsome appearance, tall and thin, and he was a scholar who looked like a teacher. He thought to himself: "Could he be the king of poisonous hands and medicine?" How did Yaowang Village survive? The two juniors want to meet the owner of the village, and ask each other for something." The man didn't even look at Hu Zhong and the two of them, and concentrated on digging the soil and grass by himself.Hu Fei asked several times, but the man ignored him all the time, as if he was deaf. Hu Fei didn't dare to ask again, Zhong Zhaowen gave him a wink, and the two headed north again.After walking for more than a mile without making a sound, Hu Fei whispered: "Brother Zhong, I'm afraid this person is the king of medicine, what do you think?" Zhong Zhaowen said: "I am also a little suspicious, but there is absolutely no way to break it. He If I don’t admit it, and we recognize him, it’s a violation of his taboo. The only thing we need to do is to find Yaowangzhuang first, and let’s recognize the place but not the person, then it will be fine.” While speaking, he turned several turns in a zigzag, and saw a large flower garden tens of feet away from the main road, and a village girl in a blue shirt was bending over to arrange the flowers and plants.Hu Fei saw three huts behind the flower garden. Looking far away, there were no people around. He stepped forward a few steps, bowed to the village girl, and asked, "Ma'am, which way to go to Shangyaowangzhuang?" The village girl raised her head and looked at Hu Fei. Her eyes were extremely bright, and her eyeballs were as black as lacquer.Hu Fei was stunned: "How come this country girl's eyes are so unusually bright?" Seeing that her appearance was ordinary except for a pair of eyes, her skin was withered and yellow, and her face was disheveled. Huang Xi is dry, with shaved shoulders, and a thin body. She is a poor girl from a poor village. She has lost nourishment since she was a child.Wearing a thorn hairpin cloth skirt, the clothes are very clean and tidy, and have been washed so that there is no dust or dirt.She looks like she is sixteen or seventeen years old, but her figure is like a young girl of fourteen or fifteen years old, but when she pulls weeds and flowers, her hands and feet are neat. Hu Fei asked again: "May I ask Shangyao Wangzhuang, whether it is to the northeast or northwest?" The village girl lowered her head and said coldly: "I don't know." Her voice was very clear. Seeing her being so rude, Zhong Zhaowen was about to get angry when his face sank, but then he remembered that this place is not far from Yaowangzhuang, and no one can offend anyone, so he snorted and said, "Brother, let's go, the Yaowangzhuang It is a very famous place of White Horse Temple, and it cannot be missed.” Hu Fei thought to himself that it was getting late, and if he went the wrong way and wandered around in this dangerous place in the dark, it would be very bad. Seeing that there was no one around to ask for directions, he asked the village girl, "Girl, your parents Are you at home? They will definitely know the way to Yaowangzhuang." The village girl ignored her and pulled the weeds on her own. Zhong Zhaowen galloped forward with his horse, the road was narrow, the horse's right and front hooves stepped on the road, but the left two hooves stepped into the flowerbed.Although Zhong Zhaowen had no malicious intentions, but he was rough and bold by nature, and he was annoyed that the village girl was rude, and he was in a hurry to hurry, so he ignored it.Hu Fei saw a row of flowers and plants near the road that were about to be trampled by the horse, so he hurriedly stepped forward, took the rein and moved to the right, and said, "Be careful that you trample the flowers and plants." On the right side of the road, return the left foot to the road. Zhong Zhaowen said: "Come on, don't delay here!" He lifted the rein and galloped forward.Hu Fei was lonely and lonely since he was a child. Seeing that the village girl was poor and weak, he was not annoyed at her refusal to guide, but felt compassionate. He thought that she must have sold these flowers and plants to make a living. The horse walked across the flower field, and then got on the horse. Seeing this, the village girl suddenly raised her head and asked, "Why are you going to Yaowang Village?" Hu Fei Lema replied, "A friend hurt his eyes with poison, so we came here to ask the Yaowang for some antidote." The village girl said: "Do you recognize the King of Medicine?" Hu Fei shook his head and said, "We only hear his name, and we have never seen his old man." The village girl slowly stood up straight, looked at Hu Fei a few times, and asked: "How do you know he is willing to give the antidote?" Hu Fei looked embarrassed, and replied: "It's hard to say this." Suddenly, his heart moved: "This girl lives here, or she knows the temperament of the medicine king." I want to ask the girl to show me the way." The word "guidance way" has a double meaning, it can be said to ask her to show me the way to Yaowangzhuang, or it can be said to ask for advice on the way to ask for medicine. The village girl looked him over from head to toe, without answering, pointing to a pair of buckets in the flower garden, said: "Go to the cesspool over there to fill half a bucket of manure, and fill the stream with clean water, help me Water this flower." These three sentences were beyond Hu Fei's expectation, thinking that I only asked you for directions, why did you tell me to water the flowers?And you are so rude, you actually treat me like a hired worker in your family?Although he was poor when he was young, he never did such rough things as picking manure and pouring manure.After the village girl said these few words, she bent down to pull the weeds again, without looking at him again.Hu Fei was stunned, and looked into the hut, but there was no one there. He thought to himself: "This girl is born thin, and it is really not easy to pick these two big buckets of dung. I am a strong man, so why not help her pick a load of dung ?” Tie the horse to the willow tree, pick up the dung bucket, and go to carry the dung. Zhong Zhaowen walked for a while, but Hu Fei didn't follow him. When he looked back, he saw him picking up a pair of dung buckets and walking towards the stream from a distance. He couldn't help being surprised, and shouted, "Hey, what are you doing?" I'll help this girl with some kung fu. Brother Zhong, please take a step first, and I'll be right over." Zhong Zhaowen shook his head, thinking that young people really don't care about the importance, and they are so nosy at this moment. The horse walked slowly. Hu Fei picked up a load of water, went back to the flower field, scooped it up with a wooden ladle, and then went to the flower.The village girl suddenly said: "No, the dung water is too thick, and the flowers will wither once it is poured in." Hu Fei was stunned, at a loss.The village girl said: "You pour it back into the cesspool, keep only half of it, and then add half a bucket of water, and that's it." Hu Fei felt a little impatient, but wanted to be a good person to the end, so he poured the manure and added water as he said, and came back to water it flower. The village girl said: "Be careful, the dung and water must not touch the petals and leaves." Hu Fei replied: "Yes!" Seeing that the flowers are dark blue in color and have a strange shape, each flower is like a small shoe, with a delicate fragrance Faintly, I don't know the name, and then I poured it carefully one by one, and sure enough, I didn't let the dung water touch the petals and leaves, and poured all the two buckets of dung water. Seeing that his kung fu was done properly, the village girl nodded and smiled, expressing her satisfaction, and said, "Very good, I'll pick another load." Hu Fei stood up straight, and said softly: "My friend is anxious to wait, and I'll wait for you from the medicine." When Wang Zhuang comes back, I will help you water the flowers again, okay?" The village girl said, "It's better for you to spare the flowers here. I see that you are a nice person, so I want you to pick the dung." Hearing her strange words, Hu Fei thought to herself that she had been delayed anyway, so she didn't fight for the time at this moment, so she sped up her hands and feet, and hurriedly picked up another load of dung and water, and circled all the blue flowers in the ground.Although I was in a hurry to hurry, I was still careful not to pour the dung water on the flowers and leaves.At this time, the setting sun had already set on the mountain col, and the golden light reflected on a large area of blue flowers, which was brilliant and very gorgeous.Hu Fei couldn't help but praised: "These flowers are really beautiful!" He poured two loads of dung, and he had a little affection for these blue flowers, and his tone of praise was quite sincere. The village girl nodded and was about to speak when Zhong Zhaowen rode back and shouted, "Brother, don't you want to leave now?" Hu Fei said, "Yes, here we come!" Contains the meaning of prayer. The village girl's face sank, and she said, "You watered the flowers for me, so you wanted me to show you the way, didn't you?" Hu Fei thought to himself, "I really hope you can show me the way, but it's purely for the sake of watering the flowers for you." I pity you for being thin and weak, and if I ask you again at this time, it turns into a deliberate favor." Suddenly remembering that day when Tie Jianzi and Xiao Zhurong were captured and handed over to Yuan Ziyi, she once said: "This is called Shien, this is the worst guy." He couldn't help but feel a little sweetness in his heart, he immediately smiled and said, "These flowers are so beautiful!" He walked to the willow tree and untied the horse. The village girl said: "Wait a minute." Hu Fei turned around, afraid that she would talk about something, and felt very impatient.The village girl pulled up two blue flowers, threw them at him, and said, "You said these flowers are beautiful, so I will give you two." Hu Fei reached out to catch them, and said, "Thank you!" He put it in his arms.The village girl said: "His surname is Zhong, what's your surname?" Hu Fei said: "My surname is Hu." The village girl nodded and said: "If you are going to Yaowangzhuang, it is better to go northeast." Zhong Zhaowen was heading northwest. After waiting for a long time for Hu Fei not to come, he became impatient, and looked back. Hearing what the village girl said, his troubles disappeared, and he whispered with a smile: "Little brother, I really have you. So as not to be a brother, you will go wrong." Hu Fei was suspicious: "If Yaowangzhuang is in the northeast, then it is straightforward to point out, why do you say 'it is better to go to the northeast'?" Reluctant to ask the village The woman asked again, and led the horse to the northeast. The two of them galloped for eight or nine miles, and there was a vast lake in front of them, and there was no way to go, only a small road leading to the west. Zhong Zhaowen scolded: "This girl is really hateful. It's okay if she refuses to show the way, but she makes us go the wrong way. We have to teach her a lesson when we go back." Hu Fei was also very surprised, thinking that he hadn't offended her, so why did he play tricks on himself? , Said: "Brother Zhong, this country girl must have something to do with Yaowangzhuang." Zhong Zhaowen said: "Well, do you see any puppet?" She doesn't look like a country girl who has never seen the world." Zhong Zhaowen was startled, and said, "Not bad! The two flowers she gave you should be quickly thrown away." Hu Fei took out the blue flowers from his bosom, saw that the flowers were light and beautiful, he couldn't bear to throw them away, and said: "Two little flowers, it's okay to think about it!" Still put them back in his bosom, and galloped westward.Zhong Zhaowen shouted from behind: "Hey, you'd better be careful." Hu Fei agreed vaguely and urged the horse to move forward.In the haze of dusk, gusts of returning crows passed overhead. Suddenly, I saw two people leaning over the lake on the right, as if they were drinking water.Hu Fei Lema wanted to ask for directions, but seeing that the two of them were still not moving, he knew something was wrong, so he jumped off his horse and shouted: "Excuse me!" The two of them still did not move.Zhong Zhaowen stretched out his hand to grab a man's shoulder, the man fell on his back, his eyes turned white, he died long ago, his face was covered with dark spots, his muscles twisted, it was terrifying, and the other man was also like this.Zhong Zhaowen said: "He was poisoned to death." Hu Fei nodded, seeing that the two deceased were wearing weapons, he said, "The opponent of the Poisonous Hand Medicine King?" Zhong Zhaowen also nodded.
The two got on the horse and walked again, the sky was getting dark, and they felt that the future was very dangerous.After another journey, we saw that the vegetation on the roadside was sparse, and the vegetation became less and less as we walked, until the ground was completely bare, and there was no grass, not a single big tree or small tree.Suspicious in Hu Fei's heart, he reined in his horse and said, "Brother Zhong, look, this place is so weird." Zhong Zhaowen also saw something was wrong, and said, "Even if someone shovels it out, it will leave traces of grass roots, I think..." He pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Yao Wang Zhuang Ding is near the left, I think he has poisoned the soil so much that there is not even a single grass." Hu Fei nodded, terrified in his heart, tore a few strips of cloth from the burden, bound the horse that Zhong Zhaowen was riding on, and then tied the horse's mouth to his own.Zhong Zhaowen knew that he was afraid that when he walked forward, he would encounter poisonous vegetation, and the animals would inevitably be killed if they chewed it, so he nodded, secretly praising him for his careful thoughtfulness. After a short walk, I saw a house in the distance.When he got closer, he saw that the appearance of the house was very strange, it looked like a large tomb, without doors and windows, it was dark and very eerie.They both thought: "Look at the appearance of this house, it must be Yaowangzhuang." Several feet away from the house, there is a row of short trees growing around the house. The leaves are like chestnut leaves, but the color is like maple leaves in autumn, bright red. Like blood, in the twilight, it makes people shudder. Zhong Zhaowen wandered around the rivers and lakes all his life, did he not see any dangerous things?His own three brothers dressed up as vicious bereaved masters, which was intimidating to see, but seeing such a scene at this time, his heart couldn't help jumping wildly, and he whispered: "What should I do?" Hu Fei said: "Let's ask each other with courtesy and adapt to the situation." The horse moved forward, walked a few feet away from the bushes, got off the horse and took the rope, and said loudly: "Then Bei Zhong Zhaowen and Liaodong Hu Fei, the junior, are here to pay their respects to Senior Yao Wang Each word of these three sentences is sent from Dantian, although it is not very loud, but the sound is heard, the people in the room must be able to hear clearly. After a while, there was no movement in the house.Hu Fei said it again, and there was still no response in the round house, as if no one lived there.Hu Fei said loudly again: "The hero of the golden-faced Buddha Miao was poisoned and injured. The poison used was stolen from the senior by a traitor. Please be merciful to the senior and give me the antidote." But no matter what he said, there was no one in the round house. sound. After a long time, it became darker.Hu Fei asked in a low voice: "Brother Zhong, what should we do?" Zhong Zhaowen said: "It's impossible to see that Hero Miao is blind, so let's return empty-handed." Crush." At this moment, both of them had the intention of using force to use force, thinking that although the Poison Hand Medicine King is good at using poison, his martial arts may not be very good, and if he uses it for profit, he will use both soft and hard methods, so he must get the antidote.The two put down their horses and walked towards the bushes.Seeing that the branches and leaves of the bushes were so dense that they couldn't pass through, Zhong Zhaowen jumped up and flew over the bushes. He was in the air, and suddenly he smelled a strong fragrance, his eyes went dark, he became dizzy, and fell into the bushes.Hu Fei was shocked, and jumped forward. When he crossed the top of the bush, he felt the strange fragrance was pungent, and he wanted to vomit, and his chest was disgusted.As soon as he landed on the ground, he hurriedly helped Zhong Zhaowen up, checked that he was still breathing through his nose, but his eyes were closed tightly, but his fingers and face were already cold. Hu Fei groaned secretly: "Hero Miao's antidote has not yet been obtained, but Brother Zhong has been poisoned again. It seems that I have also been infected with the poisonous gas, but I haven't had an attack yet." "Senior Medicine King, this junior came to pay respects to the manor empty-handed, there is no malice in it, if you don't see me again, this junior will be forced to be rude." He looked at the walls of the round house, and saw that the whole body from the roof to the foot of the wall was black, obviously not made of earth and wood.He didn't dare to stretch out his hand to push it, but he cleaned everything around so cleanly that he couldn't find even a tiny piece of brick. He took out an ingot of silver from his pocket, tapped it three times on the wall, and it really made a metallic sound. . He put the silver ingot back into his bosom, lowered his head, and smelled a faint fragrance, which lifted his spirits, his mind was groggy at first, but when he smelled the fragrance, he immediately became clear.He bent down slightly, and the fragrance became stronger, only then did he realize that the fragrance came from the blue flower given by the village girl.Hu Fei's heart moved: "It seems that this fragrance has the power of detoxification, she really has good intentions." He quickened his pace and ran around the Okana house for a week, but he couldn't find any doors or windows, and he didn't even find any small holes or crevices. He wondered if there was really no one in the house?Otherwise, there is no ventilation, how can it not be suffocated?He didn't have a weapon in his hand, so he couldn't do anything to this round house made of iron.After contemplating for a moment, he took out the blue flower from his bosom and placed it under Zhong Zhaowen's nose. Not long after, he sneezed and woke up slowly. Hu Fei was overjoyed, and said to himself: "Since the girl has a detoxification method, why not go back and ask her for advice." Put a branch of blue flowers on Zhong Zhaowen's lapel, took one in his hand, and helped Zhong Zhaowen jump over the short tree.He fell to the ground with both feet, and suddenly he heard someone in the round room exclaim loudly "Huh".The voice came through the iron wall, quite depressing, but the meaning could still be heard to be both startled and angry. Hu Fei turned around and shouted: "Senior Yao Wang, can I meet you?" He asked twice in succession, and there was even more silence in the round room.Suddenly there were two bangs, and the heavy object fell to the ground.Hu Fei turned his head and saw the two horses fell down at the same time. He jumped over and saw that the eyes of the two horses were closed, black foam was spitting out of the mouth, and they had died of poisoning, but there was no wound on their bodies. At this point, the two dared not stay longer in this dangerous place, discussed in low voice, decided to go back to ask the village girl for advice, and immediately rushed back from the same way. After Zhong Zhaowen was poisoned, his feet were exhausted, so he walked and rested, and did not return to the village girl's hut until the second watch.In the dark night, the fragrance of blue flowers in the flower garden was fragrant, and Zhong and Hu felt relieved when they smelled it.
Light suddenly came out of the window of the hut, and with a bang, the firewood door opened, and the village girl opened the door and said, "Please come in! There is no hospitality in the country, and the guests are neglected with simple tea and light food." Hu Fei clasped his fists and said after hearing her good words "I'm sorry for bothering you in the middle of the night." The village girl smiled slightly and walked over to the door to let them in. Hu Fei stepped into the thatched hut, and saw that the wooden tables and wooden benches in the house were no different from ordinary farmhouses.Such a clean appearance, like the surroundings of the round house, makes people feel uneasy. The village girl said: "Master Zhong and Master Hu, please sit down." As she spoke, she went to the kitchen and took out two sets of bowls and chopsticks, followed by three dishes, one soup, and two large bowls of steaming white rice.The three bowls of dishes are fried tofu, fried bean sprouts with fresh bamboo shoots, boiled cabbage with straw mushrooms, and the soup is pickled vegetable watercress soup.Although it is a vegetarian dish, it is also fragrant. The two of them raced for most of the day, and they were already hungry.Hu Fei smiled and said: "Thank you!" Picking up the rice bowl, he picked up the chopsticks and ate.Zhong Zhaowen thought: "She has already prepared this meal, she obviously expected that we will return after we go. I would rather starve to death than eat this meal." Seeing the village girl turn around and go back to the kitchen, she asked Hu Fei With a wink, he said in a low voice: "Brother, I told you that you must not eat or drink within thirty miles of Yaowangzhuang. How did you forget?" But Hu Fei thought: "If this girl has evil intentions towards me, she will never send me flowers. Although it is necessary to be defensive, if you don't eat this meal, you will definitely offend her." He was about to answer , the village girl took out a wooden plate from under the kitchen, and on the plate was a small wooden barrel filled with rice.Hu Fei stood up and said, "Thank you for your kindness, girl. We want to visit your father's hall." The village girl said, "My parents have passed away, so I am the only one here." Hu Fei said "ah", sat down and raised his hand Eat with chopsticks.The three bowls of dishes were already delicious, but Hu Fei was full of praise to please her. Zhong Zhaowen thought to himself: "If you don't listen to my advice, then there's nothing you can do, the two of you can't get along with others." He said to the village girl, "I just fainted for a long time, my stomach felt very uncomfortable, and I didn't want to eat. The village girl poured a cup of tea and said: "Then please use a cup of clear tea." Zhong Zhaowen saw that the tea was green, clear and lovely. Do not drink. The village girl didn't care. Seeing Hu Fei devouring bowl after bowl, she couldn't help but show joy in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes.Hu Fei saw it, thinking that I ate it anyway, if I eat less, I will be poisoned, and if I eat more, I will be poisoned, so I simply let go of my stomach, ate four big bowls of white rice, and ate all three dishes and one soup.The village girl came to clean up. Hu Fei rushed to put the bowls and chopsticks on the plate, carried them under the kitchen, scooped water in the water tank, washed the bowls and chopsticks, wiped them dry and put them in the cupboard. The village girl washed the wok and swept the floor, and the two of them cleaned it up together.Hu Fei didn't mention the matter of talent just now, seeing that there was only half a tank of water left in the water tank, he took the bucket, picked two loads from the creek outside the door, and filled the water tank to the full. After picking the water and returning to the hall, I saw Zhong Zhaowen had fallen asleep on the table.The village girl said: "The country people have no place to entertain guests. You wronged Mr. Hu, so just sleep on the bench all night!" Hu Fei said, "You're welcome, girl!" Seeing her walk into the inner room, she gently closed the door , but didn't hear the sound of the bolt falling, thinking that this girl lived here alone, she dared to let two men stay in the house, she was quite courageous, she stretched out her hand and lightly pushed Zhong Zhaowen's shoulder, and said in a low voice: "Brother Zhong, Sleep more comfortably on the bench!" Unexpectedly, with such a light push, Zhong Zhaowen fell to the ground with a bang. Hu Fei was shocked, and quickly hugged him to help him up, and touched his face, his hands were on fire, and he had a high fever.Hu Fei asked in surprise: "Brother Zhong, what's the matter with you?" When he raised the oil lamp to look closer, he saw that his face was flushed, as if he was drunk, and there were bursts of extremely strong alcohol smell from his mouth and nose.Hu Fei was amazed: "He didn't even dare to take a sip of tea, why did he get drunk all of a sudden?" Then he said in a daze: "I'm not drunk, I'm not drunk! Come, come, drink three more Bowl!" followed by "The leader of the Five Classics!" "Four Seasons Get Rich!" Hu Fei knew that he must have got the hands and feet of the village girl, he refused to eat or drink tea, but the village girl used some wonderful method, which made him feel like he was drunk, full of surprises, I don't know if he went to ask the village girl for treatment, Let him go with the flow, wake up slowly, and think again: "This is poisoning, not really drunk, and it may not be able to wake up on its own." Just at this time, I suddenly heard ferocious howling of wild beasts from a distance. It was quite thrilling to hear in the middle of the night, and the sound seemed to be howling wolves, but the banks of Dongting Lake were mostly plains, even if there were one or two wild wolves, it would not be like this. Generally in groups. As the howling sound approached, Hu Fei stood up and listened attentively. He could hear one or two goats bleating amidst the wolves' howling.She didn't take it seriously at the moment, and was about to check on Zhong Zhaowen's situation again, when the door opened with a bang, and the village girl came out with a candlestick in her hand, with a little panic on her face, she said, "This is howling a wolf." Hu Fei nodded, and said, "Girl..." Pointing to Zhong Zhaowen. Only the sound of horseshoes, sheep bleating, and wolves howling could be heard, and they came straight to the thatched hut.Hu Fei's face changed color, thinking that if the enemy attacked in a big way, the hut would not be rushed, not to mention that Brother Zhong was poisoned and his personnel were unknown, and the village girl was next to the elbow and armpit. ?Before I finished thinking about it, I heard a fast horse galloping towards me. Hu Fei was unarmed, bent down to pick up Zhong Zhaowen, rushed into the kitchen, wanted to find a kitchen knife, but couldn't find it in the dark, only heard the village girl shout loudly: "Is it from the Meng family? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"胡斐听她口气严厉，不似作伪，看来她与来袭之人并非一路，心中稍慰，抢出后院，在地上抓起一把石子，纵身上了一株柳树，将钟兆文搁在两个大桠枝之间，凝目望去。 星光下只见一个灰衣汉子骑在马上，冲到茅屋之前，马后尘土飞扬，跟着十几头饿狼，叫声大作。瞧这情势，似乎那人途中遇到饿狼袭击，纵马奔逃，定神再看，见马后拖着白白的一团东西，是只活羊。胡斐心想，这多半是个猎人，以羊为饵，设计诱捕狼群。却见那人纵马驰入花圃，直奔到东首，圈转马头，又向西驰来，一群饿狼在后追叫，这么一来一去，登时将花圃践踏得不成模样。这汉子的坐骑甚为骏良，他骑术又精，来回冲了几次，饿狼始终咬不到活羊。 胡斐一转念间，已然省悟：“啊，这家伙是来踩坏蓝花！我如何能袖手不理？”双足一点，跃到了茅屋顶上，忽听那人“哎哟”一声叫，纵马向北疾驰而去，那活羊却留在花圃之中。群狼扑上去抢咬撕夺，更将花圃蹂躏得狼藉不堪。 胡斐心道：“此人用心好不歹毒！”两块石子飞出，噗噗两声，打在两头恶狼脑门正中，登时脑浆进裂，尸横就地。他跟着又打出两块石子，这一次石子较小，准头也略偏了些，一中狼腹，一中狼肩，饶是如此，两头恶狼也已痛得嗷嗷大叫。群狼连吃苦头，知屋顶有人，仰起了头望着胡斐，张牙舞爪，声势汹汹。胡斐见了群狼这副凶恶神情，心中大是发毛，自己赤手空拳，实不易和这十几头恶狼的锐牙利爪相抗，瞧准了一头最大的雄狼，一块石片斜削而下，正中咽喉。那狼在地下一个打滚，吃痛不过，转身便逃，另有一头大狼咬了白羊，跟着逃走。 片刻之间，叫声越去越远，花圃中的蓝花却已遭践踏得七零八落。 胡斐跃下屋来，蹿上柳树去将钟兆文抱下，进屋放在长凳上，连称：“可惜，可惜！”心想那村女辛勤锄花拔草，将这片蓝花培植得大是可观，现下顷刻之间尽归毁败，一定恼怒异常。哪知村女一句不提蓝花被毁，只笑吟吟地道：“多谢胡爷援手了。”胡斐道：“说来惭愧！都怪我见机不早，出手太迟，倘若早将那恶汉在花圃外打下马来，这片花卉还能保全。唉，真可惜！” 那村女微微一笑，道：“蓝花就算不给恶狼踏坏，过几天也会自行萎谢。只不过迟早之间，也没什么。”胡斐一怔，心想：“这姑娘吐属不凡，言语之间似含玄机。”说道：“在府上吵扰，却还没请教姑娘尊姓。”那村女微一沉吟，道：“我姓程，但在旁人跟前，你别提我姓氏。”这话甚是亲切，似乎已将胡斐当作了自己人。胡斐很高兴，问道：“那我叫你什么？” 那村女道：“你这人很好，我便索性连名字也都跟你说了。我叫程灵素，'灵枢'的'灵'，'素问'的'素'。”胡斐不知“灵枢”和“素问”乃中国两大医经，只觉这两个字很雅致，不像农村女子的名字，这时已知她决不是寻常乡下姑娘，也不以为异，笑道：“那我便叫你灵姑娘，别人听来，只当我叫你是姓林的姑娘呢。”程灵素嫣然一笑，道：“你总有法儿讨我欢喜。”胡斐心中微动，觉她相貌虽不甚美，但这么一言一笑，自有一股妩媚风致。 他正想询问钟兆文酒醉之事，程灵素道：“你的钟大哥喝醉了酒，不碍事，到天明便醒了。现下我要去瞧几个人，你同不同我去？”胡斐觉得这个小姑娘行事处处十分奇怪，这半夜三更去探访别人，必有深意，便道：“我自然去。” 程灵素道：“你陪我去，咱们可得约法三章。第一，你今晚不许跟人说话……”胡斐道：“好，我扮哑子便是。”程灵素笑道：“那倒不用，跟我说话当然可以。第二，不能跟人动武，放暗器点穴，一概禁止。第三，不能离开我三步之外。” 胡斐点头答应，心想：“原来她带我去见毒手药王。她叫我不能离开她身边三步，自是怕我中毒受害了。”不由得精神一振，道：“咱们这便去么？”程灵素道：“得带些东西。”走进自己房内，过了约一盏茶时分，挑了两只竹箩出来，箩上用盖盖着，不知里面放着些什么，看她模样，挑得颇为吃力。 胡斐道：“我来挑！”接过扁担，一放上肩头，几有一百二三十斤。两只竹箩轻重悬殊，一只甚重，一只却颇轻，挑来很不方便。他把较轻的竹萝放得离肩头远些，扁担两头便可大致平衡。只见钟兆文兀自伏在桌上呼呼大睡，经过他身旁便闻到一股浓烈酒气。 两人出了茅舍，程灵素将门带上，在前引路。胡斐道：“灵姑娘，我问你一件事，成不成？”程灵素道：“成啊，就怕我答不上。”胡斐道：“你如答不出，天下就没第二个人答得出了。钟大哥滴水没人口，怎地会醉成这样？”程灵素轻轻一笑，道：“就因他滴水不肯入口，才吃了亏。”胡斐道：“这个我就不懂了。钟大哥是老江湖，鄂北鬼见愁钟氏三雄，在武林中也算颇有名声。我却是个见识浅陋之人，哪知道他处处小心，反而……”说到这里，住口不说了。 程灵素道：“你说好了！他处处小心，反而着了我道儿，是不是？处处小心提防便有用了吗？只有像你这般，才会太平无事。”胡斐道：“我怎么啊？”程灵素笑道：“叫你挑粪便挑粪，叫你吃饭便吃饭。这般听话，人家怎会忍心害你？”胡斐笑道：“原来做人要听话才好。可是你整人的法儿也太巧妙了些，我还是摸不着头脑。” 程灵素道：“好，我教你个乖。厅上有一盆小小白花，你瞧见了么？”胡斐当时没留意，这时一加回想，果然记得窗口一张小几上放着一盆小朵儿白花。程灵素道：“这盆花叫做醍醐香，花香醉人，极是厉害，闻得稍久，便跟饮了烈酒一般无异。我在汤里、茶里都放了解药。谁叫他不喝啊？” 胡斐这才恍然，不禁对这位姑娘大为敬畏，暗想自来只听说有人在饮食之中下毒，哪知她下毒的方法却高明得多，对方不吃不喝反而会中毒。程灵素道：“待会回去我便给他解药，不用担心。”胡斐心中一动：“这位姑娘既擅用药物，说不定能治苗大侠的伤目，那便不须去求什么毒手药王了。”问道：“灵姑娘，你知道解治断肠草毒性的法子吗？”程灵素道：“难说。” 胡斐听她说了这两个字，便没下文，不便就提求医之事，见她脚步轻盈，在前不疾不徐地走着，虽不是施展轻功，但没过多少时光已走了六七里路，瞧方向是走向正东，不是去药王庄的道路，忽又想到一事，说道，“我还想问一件事，刚才我和钟大哥去药王庄，你说还是向东北方去的好，故意叫我们绕道多走了二十几里路。这其中的用意，我一直没能明白。” 程灵素道：“你真正想问我的，还不是这件事。我猜你是想问：'药王庄明明是在西北，咱们怎么向东走？'”胡斐笑道：“你既猜到了，那我一并请问便是。”程灵素道：“咱们所以不朝药王庄走，因为并不是去药王庄。”这一下，胡斐又是始料所不及，“啊”了一声。 程灵素又道：“白天我要你浇花，一来是试试你，二来是要你耽搁些时光，后来再叫你绕道多走二十几里，也是为了要你多耗时刻，这样便能在天黑之后再到药王庄外。只因药王庄外所种的血矮栗，一到天黑，毒性便小，我给你的蓝花才克得它住。” 胡斐听了钦服无已，万想不到用毒使药，竟有这许多学问，这个貌不惊人的小姑娘用心惲至，更非常人所及，当下说到在洞庭湖见到的两名死者。程灵素听说两名死者脸上满是黑点，肌肉扭曲，哼了一声，道：“这种鬼蝙蝠的毒无药可治。他们什么也不顾了。”胡斐心想：“'鬼蝙蝠'是什么毒，反正她说了我也不懂。一意听她吩咐行事便了，做人听话便不吃亏。多说多问，徒然显得自己一无是处。”便不再询问，跟在她身后一路向东。
又走了五六里路，进了一座黑黝黝的树林。程灵素低声道：“到了。他们还没来，咱们在这林子中等候，你把这只竹箩放在那株树下。”说着向一株大树一指。胡斐依言提了那只分量甚重的竹箩过去放好。程灵素走到离大树八九丈处的一丛长草旁，道：“这只竹箩给我提过来。”随即拨开长草，钻进了草丛。 胡斐也不问谁还没来，等候什么，记着不离开她三步的约言，便提了另一只竹箩，也钻进草丛，挨在她身旁。仰头向天，见月轮西斜，已过夜半。树林中虫声此起彼伏，偶然也听到一二声枭鸣。程灵素吹熄灯笼，递给他一粒药丸，低声道：“含在口里，别吞下！”胡斐看也不看便放入嘴中，但觉味道极苦。 两人静静坐着，过了小半个时辰，胡斐只觉这一日一晚的经历大是诡异，当真是生平从所未遇之奇。突然之间，想到了袁紫衣：“不知她这时身在何处？如果这时在我身畔的，不是这个瘦瘦小小的姑娘而是袁姑娘，不知她要跟我说什么？”一想到她，便伸手入怀去摸玉凤。 忽然程灵素伸手拉了他衣角，向前一指。胡斐顺着她手指瞧去，只见远处一盖灯笼，正渐渐移近。本来灯笼的火光必是暗红色，这盖灯笼发出的却是碧油油的绿光。灯笼来得甚快，不多时已到身前十余丈外，灯下瞧得明白，提灯的是个驼背女子，走起路来左高右低，看来右脚是披的。她身后紧随着一个汉子，身材魁梧，腰间插着明晃晃的一把尖刀。 胡斐想起钟兆文的说话，身子微微一颤，寻思：“钟大哥说，有人说毒手药王是个屠夫模样的大汉，又有人说药王是个又驼又跛的女子。那么这两人之中，必有一个是药王。”斜眼向程灵素看去，树影下见不到她脸色，但见她一对清澈晶莹的大眼，目不转睛地望着两人，神情显甚紧张。胡斐登时起了侠义之心：“这毒手药王如要不利于她，我便拼着性命不要，也要护她周全。” 那一男一女渐渐走近。只见那女子容貌文秀，虽身有残疾，仍可说得上是个美女，那大汉却满脸横肉，形相凶狠，两人都是四十来岁年纪。胡斐一身武功，便遇到巨寇大贼环攻，也无所畏惧，但这时心却评评乱跳，知道对付这种人，武功再强也未必管用，自己登时便如面临大敌，而身无半分武功一般。 那两人走到胡斐身前七八丈处，忽然折而向左，又走了十余丈，这才站定身子。那大汉朗声叫道：“慕容师兄，我夫妇依约前来，便请露面相见吧！” 他站立之处距胡斐并不甚远，突然开口说话，声音又大，把胡斐吓了一跳。那大汉喊了两遍，没人答话，胡斐心道：“这两人原来是一对夫妻。这里除了咱们四人，再没旁人，哪里还有什么慕容师兄？” 那驼背女子细声细气地道：“慕容师兄既不肯现身，我夫妇迫得无礼了。” 胡斐暗暗好笑：“这叫做一报还一报。适才我到药王庄来拜访，说什么你们也不理睬，这时候别人也给一个软钉子你们碰碰。”见那女子从怀中取出一束干草，伸到灯笼中去点燃了，立时发出一股浓烟，过不多时，林中便白雾弥漫，烟雾之中微有植香气息，倒也并不难闻。 胡斐听她说“迫得无礼”四字，知道这股烟雾定然厉害，但自己却也不感到有何不适，想必是口中含了药丸之功，转头向程灵素望了一眼。这时她也正回眸瞧他，目光中充满了关注之意。胡斐心中感激，微微点了点头。 烟雾越来越浓，突然大树下的竹箩中有人大声打了个喷嚏。 胡斐大吃一惊：“怎地竹箩中有人？我挑了半天竟毫不知情。那么我跟程姑娘的说话，都让他听去了？”自忖对毒物医药之道虽一窍不通，但练了这许多年武功，决不能挑着一个人走这许多路而茫然不觉，除非这是个死人，那又做别论。他既会打喷嚏，当然不是死人。只听竹萝中那人又连打几个喷嚏，箩盖掀开，跃了出来。但见他长袍儒巾，正是日间所见在小山上采药的那教书先生。 这时他衣衫凌乱，头巾歪斜，神情狼狈，已没半点日间所见的儒雅镇定神态，一见到那男女二人，便怒声喝道：“好啊，姜师弟、薛师妹，你们下手越来越阴毒了。” 那夫妇俩见他这般模样，也似颇出意料之外。那大汉冷笑道：“还说我们下手阴毒？你这般躲在竹箩之中，谁又料得到了？慕容师兄……”他话未说完，那书生嗅了几下，神色大变，急从怀中摸出一样物事，放入口中。 那驼背女子将散发浓烟的草药一足踏灭，放回怀中，说道：“大师哥，来不及啦，来不及啦！”那书生脸如土色，颓然坐倒在地，过了半晌，说道：“好，算我栽了。” 那大汉从怀中摸出一个青色瓷瓶，举在手里，道：“解药便在这里。你师侄中了你的毒手，得拿解药来换啊。”那书生道：“胡说八道！你们是说小铁哥么？我几年没见他了，下什么毒手？”那驼背女子道：“你约我们到这里，便只要说这句话么？”转头向那大汉道：“铁山，咱们走吧。”说着掉头便走。那大汉尚有犹豫，道：“小铁……”那女子道：“他恨咱们入骨，宁可自己送了性命，也决不肯饶过小铁。这些年来，难道你还想不通？”那大汉不愿就此便走，说道：“大师哥，咱们多年以前的旧怨，到这时何必再放在心上？小弟奉劝一句，还是交换解药，把这个结同时解开了吧！”这几句一得甚是诚恳。 那书生问道：“薛师妹，小铁中了什么毒？”那女子冷笑一声，并不回答。那大汉道：“大师哥，到这地步，也不用假惺惺了。小弟恭贺你种成了七心海棠……”那书生大声道：“谁种成了七心海棠？难道小铁中的是七心海棠之毒？我没有啊，我没有啊！”他说这几句话时神情惶急，语音也已发颤。 两夫妇对望了一眼，那女子道：“好，慕容师兄，废话少说。你约我们到这里来相会，有什么吩咐？”那书生搔头道：“我没约啊，是你们把我搬到这里来，怎么反说是我相约？”说到这里，又气又愧，突然飞起一腿，将竹箩踢出了六七丈。 那女子冷冷地道：“难道这封信也不是你写的？师兄的字迹，我生平瞧得也不算少了。”说着从怀中取出一张纸笺，左手一扬，纸笺便向那书生飞了过去。那书生伸手欲接，突然缩手，跟着挥掌拍出，掌风将那纸笑在空中一挡，左手中指轻弹，发出一枚暗器。这暗器是一枚长约三寸的透骨钉，射向纸笺，啪的一声，将纸笺钉在树上。 胡斐暗自心惊：“跟这些人打交道，对方说一句话，喷一口气，都要提防他下毒。这书生不敢用手去接纸笺，自是怕笺上有毒了。”只见驼背女子提高灯笼，火光照耀纸笺，白纸上两行大字，胡斐虽在远处，也看得清楚，见纸上写着道：姜薛两位：三更后请赴黑虎林，有事相商，知名不具。 那两行字笔致枯瘦，却颇挺拔，字如其人，和那书生的身形隐隐然有相类之处。 那书生“咦”的一声，似乎甚是诧异。 那大汉问道：“大师哥，有什么不对了？”那书生冷冷地道：“这信不是我写的。”此言一出，夫妇两人对望了一眼。那驼背女子冷笑一声，显是不信他的说话。那书生道：“信上的笔迹，倒真和我的书法甚是相像，这可奇了。”他伸左手摸了摸颏下胡须，勃然怒道：“你们把我装在竹箩之中，抬到这里，到底干什么来啦？”那女子道：“小铁中了七心海棠之毒，你到底给治呢，还是不给治？”那书生道：“你拿得稳么？当真是七心……七心海棠么？”说到“七心海棠”四字时声音微颤，语音中流露了强烈的恐惧之意。 胡斐听到这里，心中渐渐明白，定是另有一个高手从中拨弄，以致这三人说来说去，言语总是不能接榫。那么这高手是谁呢？ 他不自禁地转头向身旁程灵素望了一眼，但见她一双朗若明星的大眼在暗影下炯炯发光。难道这个面黄肌瘦的小姑娘竟有这般能耐？这可太也令人难以相信！ 他正自凝思，猛听得一声大喝，声音呜呜，极是怪异，忙回过头来，只见那书生和那对夫妇已欺近在一起，各自蹲着身子，双手向前平推，六攀相接，口中齐声“呜呜”而呼。书生喝声峻厉，大汉喝声粗猛，那驼背女子的喝声却高而尖锐。三人的喝声都是一般漫长，连续不断。突然之间，喝声齐止，那书生纵身后跃，寒光闪动，发出一枚透骨钉，将灯笼打灭，跟着那大汉大叫一声：“啊哟！”显是中了书生的暗算，身上受伤。 这时弦月已经落山，林中更无光亮，只觉四下里处处都是危机，胡斐顺手拉着程灵素的手向后一扯，自己挡在她身前。这一挡他未经思索，只觉凶险迫近，非尽力保护这弱女子不可，至于凭他之力是否保护得了，却决未想到。 那大汉叫了这一下之后，立即寂然无声，树林中虽共有五人，竟没半点声息。 胡斐又听到了草间的虫声，听到远处猫头鹰的咕咕而鸣。忽然之间，一只软软的小手伸了过来，握住了他粗大的手掌。胡斐身子一颤，随即知道这是程灵素的手，只觉柔嫩纤细，倒像十三四岁女童的手掌一般。 在一片寂静之中，眼前忽地升起两股袅袅的烟雾，一白一灰，两股烟像两条活蛇一般，自两旁向中央游去，互相撞击。同时嗤嗤嗤轻响不绝，胡斐在黑暗中睁大了眼睛，隐约见到左右各有一点火星。一点火星之后是那个书生，另一点火星之后是那驼背女子。两人都蹲着身子，鼓气将烟雾向对方吹去，自是点燃了草药，发出毒烟，要令对方中毒。 两人吹了好一会儿，林中烟雾弥漫，越来越浓。突然之间，那书生“咦”的一声，抬头瞧着先前钉在大树上的那张纸笺。胡斐见那纸笺微微摇晃，上面发出闪闪光芒，竟是写着发光的几行字。那夫妇二人也大为惊奇，转头瞧去，只见那几行字写道：字谕慕容景岳、姜铁山、薛鹊三徒知悉：尔等互相残害，余甚厌恼，宜即尽释前愆，继