Chapter 16 midnight song

"A good pot of Mingqian.—and a cup of almond tea." The clerk quickly wiped the table and put the towel on his shoulder: "Okay—a pot tomorrow, and a cup of almond tea—" Tongqing Building is the largest teahouse in Nancheng, a place where three religions and nine schools gather.It was a sunny day.The bamboo curtains cut off the bright sunlight, and the teahouse was already full of voices and crowds.The guest who drank almond tea was originally a handsome son, and his snow-white gown was spotless.He chose a secluded pavilion by himself, waited quietly, and listened attentively to the movement outside.

In less than a cup of tea, the door curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged businessman in a brocade mandarin jacket and a melon skin hat came in. He flicked his hem and sat opposite the young man. "Boss Xu—" The young man poured tea for the visitor with a pleasant smile. The surnamed Tang stared at the ups and downs of green leaves in the snow-white porcelain cup, and said for a while, "Wang Qian is the best killer in our hands." The young man's face turned pale, and he said in a deep voice: "I know that Qinglongtang is the most powerful killer organization in the capital and even in the north, and I also know that this time you sent the best killer Wang Qian. But he still missed. He paid a sky-high price, but he didn't receive any results, and he might have exposed himself. I should be the one who is more disappointed, right?"

"But Wang Qian died for no apparent reason!" The young man shook his head blankly. Boss Xu continued: "It's not that I, Xu Jian, are boasting. The business that we Qinglong will take over, I dare not say that it is exhaustive, but I will definitely not give up until I achieve my goal. Since I took over your business, a total of—— four times, right?" The young man nodded: "Back to the feathers and back." Boss Xu said: "Assassinating that person is probably the most difficult and dangerous task in the world. The first time you took out a jade snuff bottle worth 30,000 taels, we sent Li Zhuhua, a green knife lady, to ask for directions. Li Zhuhua Pretending to be a prostitute in the Jianghu, offering lanterns during the Lantern Festival, she was beheaded at the entrance of Dengshi. The second time you took out two night pearls worth 20,000 taels, we sent Sang Jiuting. His bodyguard captured him. Brother Sang didn't want to be tortured by him, so he poisoned himself to death. From then on, we suspected that there was a master by his side. The third time, you directly gave a box of gold bars, our "lore" Xia Ming He went out. That time, as you know, it was really well planned and every step of the way. Unexpectedly, he still fell into their trap, and Xia Ming died tragically under the sword of one of them. There are only three things to say. It’s all because the old thief’s bodyguards are too powerful, and they don’t look exactly like them. It seems that the old thief is always prepared. The brothers in the hall said, don’t be an internal thief. We Qinglongtang I closed the door and cleaned it quietly, but I didn't find anything wrong. I think the brothers in the hall are all loyal and loyal, and they would not do such a rebellious thing. It's just that I can't afford to lose it. But Mr. Su, you Unwilling to give up, Wang Qian, who is number one in the hall, must be invited out. He gave us a total of 100,000 silver. I said that we must be careful and careful. This time, Wang Qian is top-secret to the extreme. You and I still have one or two elders who know. All the steps of the assassination were planned by him, and he never mentioned it to any brothers in the hall. Even I don’t know that he did it last night. Of course, he will still inform you.”

The young man raised his eyebrows: "So you doubt me?" Boss Xu smiled and said: "I didn't say that." Then he said calmly, "There are some discussions in the hall. ——But Mr. Su, I know you. It's just that among them, your side, is it true? Is there something wrong with it?" The young man sighed: "I also thought that there might be a traitor. I'm going to walk around, Boss Xu—you should also pay attention. What I don't understand is why Wang Qian fled to Piaodeng Pavilion because he was seriously injured. Doesn't he know that it was the old thief's place?"

Boss Xu said disapprovingly: "He has a good friend there, and when he was desperate, he had to ask her to save his life. Our people have rules, but if we miss, we would rather expose our dead body on the street than go back and hurt our brothers." The young man frowned: "Is it really just for this?" Boss Xu shook his head, expressing that he couldn't explain clearly.After a while, he said again: "That female actress is kind and righteous. Knowing that she was charged with death, she hid Wang Qian on her bed. Before dawn, the Ministry of Criminal Justice locked Wang Qian away, and she stood up and followed. Yes. It is said that whores are ruthless and actors are ruthless. I don’t know that there are such women in the court of romance.”

When the young man heard this, his eyes sparkled, and he immediately lowered his head to drink his almond tea. Boss Xu pondered for a while, and tentatively said: "Wang Qian is dead, and the younger generation in the hall has no masters. However, if Qinglong Hall is determined to eradicate that person, it is still possible to make the final blow. Our third elder in the hall, Feng Lei Dian... Back then, he killed the great minister Li Naishi, and once made a name for himself in the world. Later, he retired, and he hasn't come out of the mountain for more than ten years." The young man said: "Boss Xu is saying that if the third elder of the Gui Gang comes out of the mountain, there is nothing he can do to get that person?"

"Although there are experts around that person, with the skills of the three elders, there is still a good chance of winning." Boss Xu said, "As long as you are willing to pay the price." "Who do you think I am? Bosihu who sells jewelry?" The young man smiled wearily, "You should have known that when I asked Wang Qian, I had already given up everything. Now I have no money. I can't afford to hire him again." I lost your people. I earn money with two hands, it’s not easy, Boss Xu.” Boss Xu smiled wryly and said, "Young Master Su, don't say that. You know, although our Qinglongtang is called a killer organization, it is not a gang in the underworld that only seeks profit. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.——It’s just that these days, treacherous ministers are in power, alas... In fact, we also want to help you, but you know, rules are rules. Besides, in order to kill that old thief, we can’t bear to kill these good hands one after another. "

The youth nodded. Boss Xu suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Young Master Su, our killers in Qinglongtang seem to have limited skills. Why don't you ask the three heroes of Fengchen for help?" "Three Heroes of Wind and Dust." Boss Xu said: "Twenty years ago, Cheng Zhu, the number one Heluo sword master in the Mangshan Sword Club, had two apprentices, Ma Shuiqing and Zhang Huabing, and his only daughter Cheng Lingbo. All three of them are extraordinary. The young swordsman, who fought for righteousness together, was famous all over the world for a while, and was compared to the three heroes of the wind and dust. Among them, the second Zhang Huabing's swordsmanship is the most amazing. To be honest, even if we take our Wang Qian against him, it is about Take forty or fifty moves. Don't you know them?"

The young man said nothing. "I remember that your family used to have a lot of friendship with the Three Heroes, you should know." Boss Xu said, "Seven years ago, the Three Heroes suddenly disappeared in the Jianghu. People only say that they are dead. But... recently One of our brothers saw a man in Nancheng, who looked like Zhang Huabing, the second child among the Three Heroes—you can try to find him. The Three Heroes of Fengchen are the most upright and generous, and their righteousness is as good as the sky. Such things as punishing rape and eradicating evil, I will definitely help you."

"I have approached him many times," the young man said lightly, "he refused." Boss Xu was dumbfounded.After a while Fang said: "Then—you wouldn't just let it go like this, would you? We have already lost these lives, and we Qinglongtang don't intend to give up." The young man looked blank. "If your hands are tight for a while, you can still add up slowly." Boss Xu tried hard to persuade, "I can also discuss it with a few elders when I go back. Actually..." The young man waved his hand and stopped him: "Let me think again."

Boss Xu sighed: "Come to me when you think it over. Contact me the old way." He drank the herbal tea in the cup in one gulp, got up and left in a hurry. The young man didn't send him off, he went out of his own mind.After a long time, he slowly drank the almond tea and walked out of Tongqing Building with his hands behind his back.It was still early, and at this moment he was a little dazed, dangling on the street, but didn't know where to go.Someone on the street was selling a blue bird with a leg tied with a red string and some bird food in front of it.The bluebird hopped on one leg to reach the tiny pinch of bird food.Helpless, the red rope has collapsed into a thread, and it is still out of reach, only a little bit away.The young man saw that the blue bird was exhausted, and the bird seller kept showing off, as if it was the greatest joy in the world. I don't know which secluded alley I went to, but suddenly I saw a plaque of "Rejuvenation Hall".The front is small, and the inside is dark, with the brass handles of the rows of drawers gleaming faintly.The young man walked in involuntarily.There is no business in the store.The buddy cut the herbs silently.In the corner of the door was a sitting doctor with a beard and Raza, squinting his eyes and taking a nap.The young man leaned over: "Excuse me, sir, what should I do if I have a problem with blood dizziness?" The doctor half-opened his eyes, looked at the guest, and said with a smile: "Bloodsickness. Bloodsickness is not a big deal. People don't see life and death, it's a blessing. Is it a good thing to be entangled in bloody disasters all your life? Are you right? Isn't that right, girl?" It is a jade tassel.She was shocked when she heard the words, and was about to ask again, but the doctor closed his eyes and fell asleep again, and stopped talking to her. She looked blankly at the clerk in the shop.I don't know when a guest came, sitting in a wheelchair, with a black, thin and rugged back.The clerk put the wrapped bundle of medicines on his lap, and remained silent. Yu Liusu stared blankly.The man walked towards the door with the wheelchair in hand, and suddenly looked back at her. There was a horizontal knife wound on that black and thin face that almost lost its human shape. Under the knife wound, a pair of small and bright eyes emitted a sharp and hostile light like a beast.Yu Liusu was startled again, and raised her foot to chase after her.The man pushed up the wheelchair suddenly and disappeared outside the door. Yu Liusu rubbed her eyes, only seeing the entrance of the alley, a patch of white sunshine. The night is so cold, the sky is full of cold clouds, and there is no moonlight.The greedy wild dogs in the far alleys are fighting and tearing the dead bodies in the daytime, barking wildly, splashing away the dead silence and desolation of the night.After a while, the sound of the dog barking was far away, and the sound of the zither floated faintly, with uncertain brightness.Like a sinking stone in stagnant water, a ray of spiritual light appeared faintly, struggling to penetrate the thick and chaotic blackness, and uttered that endless sigh. "...The general's reputation has been ruined after a hundred battles. To Heliang and back thousands of miles, the old man is dead. Yishui is bleak and the west is cold, and the seats are full of clothes like snow. A strong man, the sad song has not yet been heard. Birds know how to hate, but they don't cry , clear tears and long crying blood. Whoever shares with me, drunk bright moon." It is clearly an aria of the light, the wind and the moon, but this situation is like a mountain ghost crying sadly.The luthier's cold fingers tightened the strings, making a breathtaking wind noise. Not far away, a sigh came from the ground.A swarthy shadow squirmed. "It's you?" Yu Liusu was surprised.Even though she was calm and careful, she couldn't hide the look of shock on her face. The man swayed over, shook the purse in his hand, and several copper plates jingled as they collided. "Win money again? That's amazing." Yu Liusu couldn't help but sarcastically. "Isn't winning money the best thing in the world, what's so ridiculous?" The man turned his pale and gloomy face and sneered. Yu Liusu was speechless. "It's you, Master Yu, who can actually play the piano here. Why, is there no meeting on such a beautiful day?" "The Piaodeng Pavilion has long been sealed." "hehe." Yu Liusu couldn't help but said: "The night before Tan Xiaohui left, she only listened to half of the "Golden Hazel Song". She was in trouble, so I quietly came to see her off, and it would not be in vain for her and my sister." The man put away the sarcasm on his face, and said quietly: "It's moonless and starless again, on September 29th night. I chose the same execution day as seven years ago. Is it a coincidence or intentional? You have to be careful, Was it discovered by that person?" Yu Liusu nodded seriously.In fact, she herself had already thought of this point, but it was different for him to remind her of this.Both of them were speechless for a moment, and it was he who thought of the tragic scene seven years ago. Since then, their lives have completely changed, and no one is willing to mention it again.Yu Liusu lowered her head.The pain in her heart is not inferior to his, but she is more willing to keep it in her heart and brew it slowly.At this time, she just needs to sit quietly beside the old man, in the boundless night, to experience the sadness and tenderness of a momentary reunion, and it is already a thousand mountain road to look back.So what is lingering in his heart at this moment? "The green leaf listens to the pelicans, and it's even more nasty. The partridge's voice is still, and the cuckoo's voice is sharp. When it returns to spring, there is nowhere to find it. The bitterness and hatred are all gone. The world is farewell before it arrives. Immediately close the pipa to the black, the longer door, the emerald green The chariot resigns from the golden gate. Look at the swallows and swallows, and send them back to the concubine. The general's reputation has been ruined after a hundred battles. To Heliang and back thousands of miles, the old man will never die. The Yishui is rustling and the west wind is cold. Birds that sing know how to hate them, but they don’t know how to sing, and they cry with blood. Whoever shares me will be drunk with the bright moon.” The soul of the person who taught her to read Jiaxuan's "Golden Hazel Song" since she was a child has not rested in peace under the Nine Springs.Yu Liusu was even a little envious of him, and let go of him, leaving behind him a name that will last forever. A tree of wintersweet flowers in the atrium is full of blooming trees, under the snow and frost, it can't hide the haggard look.He looked at the flowers with his hands behind his back, and the old gray cloth robe flowed slightly with the cold wind.Protruding from the porch are two clever girl horns, she hugged the banjo, which was cleaned, and was three steps away from him.Not daring to approach, not daring to leave, just waiting quietly like this.After a long time, he seemed to hear a whimper-like sigh from his bony chest.For some reason, she also let out a long sigh.When he heard it, he turned around, smiled and beckoned her to go over. Unknowingly, there was an extra branch of fragrant wintersweet in his hand, which was stuck on the black and bright horns. Yu Liusu knew that her envy was groundless.As far as she could remember, his thick eyebrows had never dispelled the gloom, and his thin shoulders had never lifted a heavy burden.If there is, it is just holding the young her on the lap, teaching her to read and listen to the piano, those moments of family happiness.She is not his biological daughter.In this simple courtyard at the corner of the imperial city, apart from three or two servants and an old plum, he and she are the only ones who depend on each other for life.He is a humble person, even his wife and relatives dare not stay by his side.But he always said that the sky is vast, and it's not that he has no comrades. "Emperor Taizu has long taught that eunuchs are not allowed to participate in politics. However, the eunuch surnamed Cheng now occupies an important position, deceives the sage, bullies Qingyan, and fish and meat people. Every year, half of the silver in the treasury quietly goes to Beiji Pavilion Hutong. I If there is evidence of guilt, he will overthrow this giant beetle sooner or later. At present, the power of the government is controlled by him, and all officials dare not speak out, and there are not a few people who have fallen under his door and become eagle dogs. However, I don’t believe in justice and peace of mind, and there is no blue sky. That day! Somebody has to stand up to this challenge and speak out for the sufferings of the common people. You say it’s fine to hit a stone with an egg, or block a car with a mantis’ arm. If I don't do such a thing, who will do it? How can those sage books be read for nothing? They say to be wise and protect yourself, and go with the flow. I, Su Jingmei, can't do it. You don't have to be burdened by me, just go if you want to." It was the kitchen maid who picked her up from the door without a mark.That year was a year of natural and man-made disasters, and the people were in dire straits, perhaps it was left behind by a foreigner fleeing famine.He said "poor people", and asked the baby girl to follow his surname and learn to study and play the piano.So many years passed.But as she gradually grew up, from a little girl on the shoulders to a slim daughter, he became more haggard and lonely every year, with frost on his temples.Not even her increasingly perfect banjo could comfort him.On the other hand, she couldn't escape herself, and the dark clouds of the world also quietly covered her original young and agile life.Gradually she understood the matter, and the struggle between him and that treacherous minister intensified.This humble alley dwelling is in turmoil of the political vortex, and it is in dire straits.She was worried, afraid, and hesitant to talk for a while.Just looking at him, still standing in the atrium, Lao Mei is steadfast.Later, she was also fearless.As long as you see his white hair and shaved shoulders, everything will be answered. "...The general's reputation has been ruined after a hundred battles. To Heliang and back thousands of miles, the old man will die forever." "Witch Hazel" is also her response.He sighed loudly, crying for a long song, and gave her a look of approval-as expected of his daughter and his disciple.One day, in the quiet courtyard, several bright figures suddenly appeared, and she was terribly shocked.My father said that they were upright righteous men in the rivers and lakes.One of them was born in white clothes.She asked her father in a low voice: "Is that so? Yishui is rustling and the west wind is cold, and the house is full of clothes like snow." Her father smiled. She sat behind the wintersweet flowers and played her "Witch Hazel".There was silence in the seat for a while, and everyone was slandered by the lonely voice of the desert and the iron bones.When the wintersweet blossoms fell, her heart moved, intentionally or unintentionally, her fingers touched another string, making a wrong piano sound.The man looked back and met her inquiring eyes.She panicked, lowered her head and ran away, not knowing what she was afraid of. Don't think about it, don't think about it.It was a light and transparent dream when I was a teenager. The strong wind blew away the crimson, and when I looked back at the Prime Minister, it was devastated. That night her father came to her room, holding a quaint lyre, which he said was a gift from the Three Heroes before he left. "Going away?" The dumb piano is a treasure that has been collected by Fenghuang Island in the East China Sea for three hundred years.The sword is given to the strong man, and the red powder is given to the beautiful woman.This piano is reserved for Miss Su to play her "Golden Hazel Song". "I'm still worried. I thought—I wanted to entrust them to take care of you, but..." Su Jingmei hesitated to speak, and suddenly said, "This piano was repaired by Cheng Zhucheng, the master of the Three Heroes. It is said that not only the sound is high-pitched and sharp , and there is a self-defense mechanism hidden in the piano box... It is unknown whether it will be able to protect my son's life in the future when there are great changes." She gently stroked the texture of the surface of the piano, as if she hadn't heard those words, and said for a while: "Father was joking. Even if a catastrophe is imminent, the child doesn't need outsiders to take care of it..." Father sighed again and turned his back.The plum blossoms outside the window are like snow. Yu Liusu's eyes dimmed.She didn't dare to look at those eyes and back.The coquettish night swallowed up the lightness of memories.The father's eyes were imaginary, covered with bloodshot eyes, the eyes were about to burst, and the gray robe was torn to pieces, revealing dense black and purple whip wounds. Dad finally had an accident.He wasn't even assassinated, but brought to this crossroads justifiably.The autumn is bleak and the clouds are dull.She ran out secretly after fighting to the death, but she hid in the crowd watching the execution, not wanting him to see her.He was leaning against the cage in a collapsed state, his skin and flesh festered under the heavy iron chains, exposing his bones.Only a pair of wide-eyed eyes remained, declaring their anger unrelentingly. She covers her eyes. At that moment, screams erupted from the crowd, and then quickly retreated like a tide.It seemed that thousands of troops descended from the sky, and someone shouted like thunder: "Su Yushi is innocent!" It is full of brilliance, and it splits the imperial city, which is as hazy as night and as silent as iron, into two halves.Falling from the sky, three rocs with vigorous wings landed near the prison car.The sword cut the iron like mud, the wind swept the fallen leaves, and split the father's imprisonment one by one. Yu Liusu couldn't believe it, she had read such a story in the legend.Who is who?The strings in her heart were stretched to the extreme. When the man in white who rushed to the front passed her side, she saw his eyes at a glance, recognized him, suddenly realized, and trembled excitedly.There is also that young man who is as steady as a rock, and that girl who is as light as a purple swallow.A few teams of officers and soldiers were lightly swept down by them.That effort is almost beyond what people imagined.Father saved, saved? The crowd fled in all directions amidst the sudden change, and she heard some voices whispering earnestly: "The Three Heroes, the Three Heroes have made a move—" I saw the man in white jumping up into the air.She only felt a snow-like sword light covering the entire sky, that kind of brightness will never be forgotten in her life. The cage was reduced to thousands of crumbs.Father fell down numbly. All of a sudden, the three of them stopped their hands, their eyes were full of disbelief and anger. "Who killed Su Yushi——who is it!" Father - Su Jingmei is dead? Yu Liusu was startled. The situation changed in an instant.It turned out that the treacherous minister had such a trick.Yu Liusu felt dizzy.They are so ruthless, so ruthless.Secretly tortured his father to death, and dragged him to the entrance of the vegetable market to execute the corpse, so as to hide the eyes and ears. "Don't let the thieves go--" The troops of the brigade rushed over like a torrent, and blood flowed into a river for a while.Yu Liusu was still in shock, and then it looked that only the man in white was left, the sword in his right hand had fallen, and blood was dripping from his sleeve.She saw the blood and was dizzy, but she wanted to run after it.At this time, in the ranks of officers and soldiers, a long gun was secretly handed over from behind, coldly.She felt a fishy smell welling up in her throat, and she called his name sharply.Suddenly, that purple swallow-like girl pounced on her.She saw the spear trembling on the girl's chest, and a blood-colored flower bloomed.The swallow fell down and was drowned in the crowd. He turned around suddenly, and his messy palms cut a bloody path for himself.She heard him calling the girl's name hoarsely, and the girl was dragged away by the officers and soldiers.And the other young man, at the other end of the intersection, was surrounded by a group of officers and soldiers, and the encirclement became tighter and tighter.Yu Liusu struggled, not knowing what to do, she wanted to see them, and the back of that white robe.But the crowd rushed over frantically, separated, and dispersed. She couldn't see him, and while calling, she was pushed further and further away by the crowd... In the end it was all over.The ending has not been changed. Drowsy, she was dragged back to that dirty place called Duocui Tower by several people, she was beaten up, locked in a dark room underground, and struggled with injuries for a month, no one paid attention to this half-dead girl.In the years that followed, every time she recalled the period before the gate of hell closed, she would laugh at herself thinking that this serious illness really saved her life.Otherwise, she must have preferred to kill herself at that time, rather than be humiliated as a prostitute.In fact, when Su Yushi was sentenced to death, she was sold together with that dilapidated courtyard.When Ren Yazi led her away, she only had time to hug the dumb piano.She is as stubborn as her father, no amount of torture or temptation can make her submit.The madam was so angry that she was afraid that she would lose money if she died, so she sold her out after calling out her teeth.In this way, I went to several companies, and my body was full of scars.She didn't care how many beatings she received, it was nothing compared to what her father suffered.The reason why she didn't die immediately was because she wanted to see her father off for the last time, and then she would rather die than die.Even if no one knows her original surname Su in the future, from the bottom of her heart, she doesn't want the dignified name of Censor Su Jingmei to be stained with shame because of her sinking.That's what she decided in the first place. The dark room in Duocui Building was like a nightmare.She was in a coma all day long, dreaming constantly.Dreaming of the years of youth and ignorance, the peaceful life in the past, the soul has gradually dissipated from the body.But every time she felt that she was about to be freed, the dream suddenly changed and became hideous.All she could see was the pale, bleeding face with bony bones.She yelled desperately, but no one answered.Suddenly, a snow-white sword light poured from the top of her head, splitting her dream, so she was alive again, living in the iron-like reality. Woke up with a splitting headache.Wipe the tears off his face with weak fingers. Can't die.The world is still tied to her sorrow and anger.She can't die, and she won't die. Knowing that from now on, this life will be entangled in nightmares, and there is no time to wake up.However, she decided to live on. "Yishui is rustling and the west wind is cold, and the seats are full of clothes like snow." She wants revenge, and she wants more than just revenge! When the sword light all over the sky brightened in the sky above her head, she understood the decision of her life. "The other day, I saw your elder brother Ma Shuiqing was in a wheelchair." Yu Liusu said suddenly. "En." Zhang Huabing nodded. Yuliusu said leisurely: "I remember that he was the most injured back then. After everyone dispersed, I thought he and Cheng Lingbo, the heroine Cheng Lingbo, were both dead. It turned out that he was still alive." "Did you tell him anything?" Zhang Huabing asked. "No. Why would he care about me?" Yu Liusu said. "Junior sister Lingbo is still alive." Zhang Huabing said. Yu Liusu was slightly taken aback, and glanced quietly.Zhang Huabing's face remained motionless, with a silvery gleam at the corners of his eyes.Yu Liusu said: "Lingbo, how is she now?" Zhang Huabing remained silent. Yu Liusu waited for a while, then said again: "I guess, you live with them now, right?" Zhang Huabing nodded. Yu Liusu said word by word: "Then, from now on, I will never trouble you again. ——You can rest assured." Zhang Huabing looked at Yu Liusu, but still didn't say anything. Yu Liusu lowered her head, and gently stroked the dumb piano, knowing that he had quietly walked away. And his rambling singing gradually faded away. "This life is quite self-promising. Looking at the world, there are only a few ancient chrysanthemums and dangerous orchids. They are also scattered and suffering. Every time I think about a drink, the moonlight and beauty are all plain. Whoever talks together in the middle of the night has the truth of the previous life and the present. Pain. Reckless years, shocking wind and rain..." The singing voice is hoarse, scattered and almost out of tune.Yu Liusu could tell that this was Ban Que's "Golden Hazel Song".