Chapter 4 Chapter Three

It was almost dawn, and the rain was still falling outside, hitting the fallen leaves under the eaves with a rustling sound. Fang Jie was standing in the corridor in draped clothes, and there was a kind of disproportionate confusion and pain in his young eyes. The blood flower that suddenly bloomed from the snow lotus on the woman's cheek was still flying in front of her eyes, and the red face sword disappeared in a flash, cutting off such a beautiful and peerless half of her face—brother, I did what I promised you, Miss Xie's face will never be the same Will belong to anyone in this world again... Are you really happy in the spirit of heaven?

From childhood to adulthood, until your death—when did you stop thinking about Miss Xie?How much do you love her... That's why you hate her so much, right?Originally, everything should be envied by everyone - what a perfect couple you are, the dragon and phoenix among people, shining the light on the whole rivers and lakes. If there is no Shen Xun, now, you should be living the days of kings in the martial arts, loving husband and wife and swimming in the sword rivers and lakes hand in hand, right? Unfortunately, everything has changed now. Of course, if it wasn’t for this Shen Xun, I might just be an ordinary boy now, and maybe no one would pay attention to such an unremarkable child in my life——

Born in a family of martial arts, like all his peers, he has learned swords since childhood.And when he was ten years old, the child who had learned sword for four years still couldn't surpass his elder brother's level when he was seven years old. The half-brother was so stunning and talented, his existence seemed to enshroud the young brother like a huge shadow, no matter how hard he struggled, he still couldn't get out of that shadow. "Tsk tsk, how can this be done? They are eleven years old, not even as good as when Liu Yuan was eight years old." "Forget it, he's not the eldest son anyway. The Fang family is already blessed with Liu Yuan, so we can't expect too much."

"Young son, you don't need to support the house, you just need to be obedient and please the old man." When he was ten years old, he had already heard such words a lot.Like everyone in the family, he looked up to that fabulous elder brother—the elder brother who won the hero sword at the age of nineteen and won the Fang family the highest honor in the Jianghu. Although they are both juniors, even their parents looked at the eldest son with admiration and fear. Nineteen-year-old Fang Liuyuan seemed to be like a dazzling red sun, making thousands of people look up, but they dared not look directly at it.Perhaps because he was proud of his youth and famous all over the world, his character has become so proud that he even speaks proudly to his elders, let alone his brother who is nine years younger than him.

The only person beside him who is not covered by his light is the girl in plain clothes who is one year younger than him.The elder sister named Xie Hongying wears a crimson shadowless long sword on her waist. She is bright and clear, and she is full of energy when she speaks. She is so bright and beautiful—it is the first time that the eldest brother brought this girl home to visit his parents. When he was ten years old, he was hiding behind the door and saw this woman that he would never forget for the rest of his life. "Liu Yuan, I'm thirsty." That day, the two of them seemed to have just returned from the outside, and when they entered the hall, they heard sister Xie say to the eldest brother in a coquettish manner.There was a doting tenderness in the proud eyes of the eldest brother, and he immediately said, "Sit down for a while, and I'll ask the servants to make sour plum soup for you."

The woman as bright as the moon sat alone in the lobby waiting boredly, while the ten-year-old child hid in his room and peeked at her, and finally brought a cup of tea and plucked up the courage to run out: "Thank you sister, Drink tea!" The 18-year-old girl raised her head in surprise. Seeing this luxuriously dressed child, she knew it was not a servant girl. She took the tea and asked with a smile, "Little brother, what's your name?" "My name is Fang Jie!" He raised his head and looked at Xie Hongying. The child's eyes were almost adoring. "Oh, it's Liu Yuan's younger brother... so cute." Xie Hongying laughed and reached out to touch the top of his head.The child's face turned red all of a sudden, and he shook his head unaccustomed to it, but he didn't have the nerve to shake off that hand.

"Such a useless younger brother, I would rather not have one." However, the person who came in said something coldly. Seeing his lover talking to his younger brother, Fang Liuyuan still had repulsion and dissatisfaction in his eyes, and walked away. Came over and poured the tea on the table out of the window, "Ying'er, I brought you sour plum soup." "How can you talk like that!" The girl was startled when she obviously felt the whole body of the child under her hand tremble, and raised her head to lightly scold her lover. "Originally——Xiao Jie's aptitude is too ordinary, not a material for sword practice at all." Fang Liuyuan came over and sat down, pulled his brother away from Xie Hongying's side, leaned out of the window, folded a magnolia branch and handed it to the child Come on, "Come on, show me the ninth style of Huifeng Wuliu that I taught you last month."

The originally clever child became extremely stiff and cautious when he came in front of his elder brother, and now he was holding a magnolia branch, he was at a loss for a while and couldn't speak, his little face was flushed red. "Ying'er, look, I'm right?" The eldest brother shook his head, looked at the girl beside him, and frowned, "Xiao Jie is too stupid, no matter how many times I teach him, I can't learn it—at his age. By then, I already knew the whole set of Huifengwu Liujian." "You can't use your scale to measure him...Everyone is like you, what is this martial arts like?" Seeing the child in front of him flushed and about to cry, Xie Hongying sighed lovingly and looked He glanced at his lover, but his tone was full of admiration and coquettishness.

For some reason, when hearing that sentence, the child who had been holding back tears suddenly burst into tears. "Oh, don't cry, don't cry! Liu Yuan, you really are!" Xie Hongying glared at the other party, took the magnolia branch from the child's hand, and pulled it to her side: "Xiao Jie, don't listen to your brother's nonsense, huh? You don't Stupid, you will be the best in the future! Here, here, stop crying, my sister will give you this—” Coaxing the child, the girl took off a pendant from her neck and put it in Fang Jie's hand. "Give it to him? This is the soul-fixing pearl!" Fang Liuyuan frowned, but because of his lover's face, it was difficult to take it back. "We worked so hard last time to get it from the Wannian Cold Spring in Bicheng Mountain. How can we give it to a little girl?" child?"

"He's your younger brother! Why are you so fussy about everyone?" The girl also became a little displeased, not hiding her dislike.My brother's face sank all of a sudden, as if the smell of gunpowder was pervading between the young couple again. Xiao Xie... Xiao Xie, sister. The sky was gradually getting brighter. Standing on the porch, although he was wearing a long coat, the boy's body suddenly shivered slightly in the morning chill.Slowly stretching out his fingers, he grasped the most precious spirit bead hanging under the jacket around his neck. "Young master, breakfast is ready." Someone suddenly reported in his ear, interrupting his rare thoughts at this moment, "Yesterday, the man and woman who the young master ordered to monitor have returned to Xiling, and my subordinates have sent People are watching nearby. Also, it is planned to attack the Huangshan Sword Sect today, and everyone is waiting for the young master's order to set off."

"Get out!" His thoughts were interrupted, Fang Jie became inexplicably furious, and with a wave of his hand, he sent his subordinates flying. "Take it easy, take it easy—do you want to hurt me to death?" The gauze was removed little by little, Xie Hongying sucked in the air-conditioning hissingly, her lips moved slightly, and her fingers grabbed a deep mark on the rosewood armrest. "Okay. Now I'll give you the medicine." Half of the blood-stained face appeared in front of his eyes, Shen Xun sighed, opened the medicine bag, took out a dark green pill, mixed it with water and crushed it with his fingers, " Hold on, don't move." "Lv'e Dan?" Because of surprise, his facial expression became a little bit bigger, and then he frowned in pain, "So there is still one? Why did you keep it for three years and didn't use it?... Last time you were so seriously injured that you almost died Why didn't you take it out when you were there?" "Please, can you talk less?" Shen Xun also frowned slightly, shaking his head helplessly, and finally waited for her to shut up, turned over her wrist, stroked her left cheek gently with her fingers, and put the hand on her face. The medicine powder was spread evenly on it—it really was a supernatural medicine, and as soon as it touched the bloody skin, the blood flow slowed down significantly. Xie Hongying sat by the desk, closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and said nothing.In the silence, there was only a soft "cha", and the armrest of the rosewood chair was actually snapped off by her. "Hold on, it'll be fine." Looking at the calm and restrained face of the woman in front of him, Shen Xun had a gloomy look on his brows, and his hand was soft and quick, almost bringing his shocking fingering skills to the extreme, "In the next three months Come on, you'd better keep a straight face—or the wound will open again." "Shen Xun." Suddenly, Xie Hongying, who had her eyes closed, called softly. "Huh?" Shen Xun condensed his mind and responded with a diffuse voice.His fingers touched her bloody face and left, for fear of touching her wound. "I doubted you just now. It really shouldn't be." It was only now that Xie Hongying had the chance to apologize. Xie Hongying closed her eyes, her face remained motionless, but there was a deep sigh in her voice, "I just heard Liu Yuan's words. Bad news, I was so confused at that time, I almost believed Fang Jie's words." "No wonder you suspect——I shouldn't have kept the news of my death under wraps for so many years." Shen Xun didn't show any anger on his face, and said calmly, "If Fang Jie hadn't come to tell you the truth, I would have continued to hide it from you. Woolen cloth." "I know you're doing it for my own good." Xie Hongying opened her eyes, glanced at her friend who was in the same boat through thick and thin, and sighed, "But you didn't just hide this from me, did you? I always feel... Although you are so familiar, you have something very important in your heart." You're keeping it from me, aren't you?" The fingers resting on her cheek trembled slightly, but Shen Xun didn't speak. "Where do you come from? Who taught you your martial arts? How did Su Mei die? Why do you insist on not being the leader of the Jianghu League?" In one breath, Xie Hongying said all the questions in his heart for many years. Looking at his friend, Xie Hongying gently Sighing, "Forget it, if you don't tell me, I won't ask. What kind of person are you? I still don't know anything in the past ten years? I really shouldn't be obsessed with trusting others for a while..." After a pause, seeing the silence in the atmosphere, the woman wisely changed the topic: "However, that child, Xiao Jie, how did he become like this after ten years of absence? It's not like before." "Very powerful... Although I haven't seen him make a move, I can feel the sword and murderous aura on his body." Finally he spoke, and put the medicine on the woman's cheek, Shen Xun's eyes turned cold, "Catch him and throw it away." When I came to the box, I could feel that his internal power was very evil - I'm afraid it came from the Da Guangming Palace in the Western Regions. Xiao Xie, this kid has a lot of background." "How can people from the Fang family have anything to do with the Demon Palace?" Xie Hongying's complexion also changed, and then she felt the pain in the muscles on her face, and quickly restrained her expression, "After Liu Yuan lost to me ten years ago, the Fang family killed, Didn't it disappear from the rivers and lakes?" "Don't move around." Feeling the skin under his fingers suddenly tense, Shen Xun hastily reprimanded, "God knows——the last time I saw the two brothers of the Fang family was in the Snow Mountains of the Western Regions... I'm afraid they will be with you at that time. The Daguang Palace has something to do with it. All right, all right, Xiao Xie, don’t talk for now, wait until I finish bandaging you.” "En." Xie Hongying responded and stopped talking, but his brows were still full of worry. Putting the last trace of medicine on his bloody face, Shen Xun put down his hands, wiped his blood-stained fingers with a silk scarf, picked up the bandage, but turned his head to look at Xie Hongying's face, there was something in the man's eyes too. A strange light flashed. "What are you looking at? Scary, right? Don't wrap it up soon." Seeing the look in his friend's eyes, Xie Hongying smiled faintly, "Don't worry, I'm not a girl of seventeen or eighteen, I'm old and pale , and don't really care about this face." Shen Xun forced a smile, and said: "Wait until the applied medicine dries up a little before wrapping it up." While speaking, a gust of wind blew by, and Xie Hongying frowned suddenly - a flying insect flew towards him, and after only a turn, it was covered with flesh and blood.Such a small collision had already caused pain to the marrow of her bones. "Don't move, I'll do it." Seeing the woman's hand subconsciously touching her face, Shen Xun quickly pressed her hand, "You can't touch it, I'll help you get rid of it." Leaning close to Xie Hongying's cheek, Shen Xun blew lightly, blowing away the stuck bug. "Oh, I'm so sorry, did you disturb the two of you?" Before the warm breath dissipated from his cheeks, suddenly, he heard a cold voice outside Xiaozhu's door. Xie Hongying was startled, and opened her eyes to look, but Shen Xun didn't turn her head back, and smiled wryly: "Is that girl again?" The sky was already bright, but the drizzle was still falling, covering the lake in rain.Beside the Xiling Bridge, at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, outside the gate of this remote Xiaozhu, there were unexpectedly people visiting early in the morning. The purple-clothed girl, who was only in her twenties, had already arrived at the door at some point, and she folded her arms and squinted at the intimate pair of people in the room, with a mocking look on her young and beautiful face. "Miss Yan, are you here again?" Xie Hongying nodded slightly to the girl outside the door, "Come in and sit down." "No need - thank you, senior~~ I'm here this time just like last time, I want to challenge you to a sword competition!" Yan Ling'er raised her eyebrows, deliberately emphasizing the word "senior", with a hint of sarcasm He said proudly, "I went back and practiced for another year this time, so it's time for the beauty sword to change hands! Come out and compare!" "Miss Xie can't compete swords with you today." Picking up the gauze from the table, Shen Xun didn't even look at the purple-clothed girl outside the door. It’s you?—Ling’er, please stop making trouble. Go back first, and you’ll have to fight the sword some other time——Didn’t you see that he was injured?” Seeing Shen Xun who was concentrating on wrapping the woman in front of her, the girl in purple stomped her feet, with anger in her eyes: "Injured? Is it a big deal to be injured? Whether men and women can kiss each other—you, you are all alone all night, what counts What? Immoral!" "What are we? It's not our turn to explain to you." Shen Xun's eyes sank suddenly, his tone was cold and stern, but he still bandaged Xie Hongying without looking back, gently dried the wet ointment, and spoke to him. Xie Hongying, who wanted to speak, said softly: "Don't talk, be careful that the wound is broken again—don't pay attention to this little girl." "Little girl? Who is the little girl!" Apparently spoiled by the old alliance leader and the Jianghu people, Yan Ling'er spoke unceremoniously, "I'm already eighteen! —Of course, if I compare with Xie 'Senior' Get up, it's a little smaller." Shen Xun frowned, already impatient.Xie Hongying shook her head at him, gently pushed Shen Xun's shoulders away, and nodded to the girl outside the door: "That's right, the waves behind the Yangtze River drive the waves ahead, Miss Yan is the talent in the martial arts today." At first sight of the terrifying face of the woman behind Shen Xun, Yan Ling'er was startled, after all, she was young, so she couldn't help but blurted out "Yeah", with a look of surprise and joy: "Why did your face become like this? !" "It's just been tricked by someone with poison." Seeing the undisguised expression of the visitor, Xie Hongying said without any anger, "It's just a face, if it's not destroyed, it will grow old sooner or later. " As she said that, she had slowly stood up from the table, holding the beauty sword in her hand: "Miss Yan, you have come to compete with me every year for the past three years. Although you have not succeeded, you have made great progress—I hope this time You can make it." "Xiao Xie." Looking at his friend who had just bandaged the wound, Shen Xun grabbed Xie Hongying's shoulder and stopped him.Slightly frowning, he said to the young challenger outside the door, "She is going to rest today, I will fight for her—— Ling'er, everyone in the world knows that Miss Xie and I are on equal footing in swordsmanship, if you beat me, you will also win!" the same." "Brother Shen! You...why are you helping her like this?!" Yan Ling'er was so wronged that she almost cried, stomped her foot, and pointed at Xie Hongying, "What's so good about her! She's old and ugly, isn't she just a sword?" How about the method? I know you are the number one swordsman in the world, so I practice every day, and sooner or later I will get the beauty sword! ——At that time, I will be worthy of you." "The child is talking." Shen Xun sighed helplessly and shook his head, "What does it have to do with Hongyanjian?" As if he didn't want to entangle any more, the man in white stood up and walked out the door: "Ling'er, come out if you want to compete—you are too ignorant...Miss Xie has always let you, and only tolerated you making troubles several times, otherwise you Where can I live?" Looking at Shen Xun bitterly, Yan Ling'er finally couldn't help crying, turned her head and ran out. "Shen Xun, she's just a little girl." After staying up all night and going through such a toss just now, Xie Hongying's voice became tired, "You speak too seriously." After closing the door of Xiling Xiaozhu, the white-clothed man looking back had some anger in his usually calm eyes: "Ignorance has its limit - blindly messing around, if it wasn't for the face of the old leader Yan, I'm afraid I wouldn't have done it." Such patience." "Hehe, when I was eighteen, I'm afraid I was ignorant enough..." Obviously, the scene just now evoked some memories in my heart, Xie Hongying smiled slightly, "I was also very savage back then It's unreasonable... Otherwise, I wouldn't have fought with you over a box of plum blossom cakes." "Heh." What happened ten years ago has always been a taboo topic between the two of them, but now hearing her mentioning the first meeting, Shen Xun couldn't help smiling—— That year, the 20-year-old boy stepped into the rivers and lakes for the first time, and met the most famous heroine in the rivers and lakes.It's just because he bought the last piece of her favorite plum cake, and that savage girl with a beauty sword insisted on forcing him to let him out. They even wanted to draw their swords to compete. In the end, the two sides were tied.Surprised to meet such an opponent, Shen Xun took out the plum blossom crisps from his bosom, and planned to give half of them to Xie Hongying, but found that after a fierce fight, they had already been crushed to pieces. "Xinfeng wine fights for ten thousand years, how many years is the ranger in Xianyang. "When you meet, you will drink for the emperor, and you will hang down the side of the willow when you are tied to a horse and a tall building." The bright poems in the early years suddenly echoed in my ears, and there was a flash of pride in Shen Xun's already silent eyes. Gone forever. "Ah... Now that I think about it, you should have bought that box of plum blossom cakes for Su Mei that day, right?" Xie Hongying smiled wearily as he watched the rain that drifted and dispersed on the lonely mountain, and covered his face with the veil, " It's a pity that her fortune is poor, so she left early." "Her injury has been dragging on for three years. I asked all the famous doctors, but they all said there was no cure - but I just didn't believe it." Shen Xun packed up the medicines on the table, smiled lightly, "I always thought that if you search all over the world, there is always a cure. Dan Yibao can cure her—in the end, it still can’t save her, but this habit of traveling around cannot be changed.” "I want to thank her—otherwise, where would the Lvyedan ​​come from?" Gently touching the tightly bandaged left cheek, Xie Hongying's voice became even more languid, and sighed, "It's been ten years...we're all old. .Now the martial arts world is dominated by their young people—look at Fang Jie and Yan Linger." "Okay, okay, I'm really old, and I've learned to chatter." Apparently, this remark brought back old memories, but Shen Xun just smiled lightly, patted his friend's shoulder, "It's troublesome!" It's been a night, and the remaining poison on your face will probably be forced out with the celestial art - hurry up and adjust your breath and nourish your qi, I'll protect you here." "Thank you for your hard work." Without too much politeness, Xie Hongying stood up while supporting the table, and walked into the inner room by herself. It was already bright outside, but the autumn rain was still falling, and scattered yellow leaves flew under the window of the pavilion with the breeze.Shen Xun sat under the window, watched and listened quietly to the sound of rain dripping from the eaves, and there was a distant light in his eyes. Ten years... ten years have passed so quickly. During the period when Su Mei just died, he indulged his sorrow and sinking, thinking that he would follow him soon—however, ten years passed in a flash, and now he is over 30 years old, and he is still wandering in this world. Xiaomei, Xiaomei... The love that was engraved in my heart when I was young has never been indifferent because of the long time. However, looking back now, I no longer have the heart-wrenching feeling of the first time, but only left with bottomless confusion and powerlessness. The young man listens to Yuge upstairs, and the red candle dims the tent.The middle-aged man listens to the rain in the boat, the river is wide and the clouds are low, and the broken wild goose is called the west wind. ——Teenagers are always sad when they are in love.Perhaps, he who likes to recall the past is also starting to grow old? It seemed that the residual poison was quite heavy. Two days and one night passed, and Xie Hongying, who entered the room to recuperate and recuperate, never came out. Shen Xun has been guarding the door, casually took some fruit and cakes to satisfy his hunger, and waited slowly without impatience—for ten years, he has been wandering around the world, eating and sleeping in the sword rivers and lakes, not letting himself have a moment of free time .It is really rare to live indoors like this quietly. In the past ten years, it was also the first time that I had such free time to sort out all the grievances and hatreds that I couldn't even imagine in the past. On the third day, the sky was already clear.Sitting alone in a small building in Xiling, the wind blowing over the lake, suddenly there was a faint flute sound in the wind.Shen Xun's expression froze suddenly, he jumped out of the window, and looked up at the sky - there was indeed a pigeon flying by in the blue sky, it seemed that there were bamboo pipes tied to its feet, and it made a flute sound in the flying wind, resounding in all directions. "Jianghu Order?" Recognizing that it was an emergency warning method in the Jianghu League, he suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart, whistled, raised his hand, summoned the messenger to stop in his hand, and untied the tie on Feige's leg. bamboo tubes. After a hasty glance, Shen Xun's expression changed involuntarily. "Xiao Xie, how are you?" Through the window, he knocked and asked the woman in the room who was retreating and adjusting her breath, seeming a little anxious, "There is something urgent, I'm going to the Dingjiange." "What's the matter?" Xie Hongying asked in the room, his voice still a little out of breath. "Two days ago, the Huangshan Sword Sect was wiped out." Shen Xun crumpled the note in his hand into pieces, and said quickly, "It can be confirmed that it was done by the Great Light Palace of the Western Regions—Old Leader Yan issued an order requiring all sects to mobilize elites Manpower, gather Jianghu League chief rudder Dingjiange." "The Huangshan Sword Sect was exterminated?" Through the window, Xie Hongying's voice was still full of surprise, "Is it the reappearance of the Demon Palace?" "That's right. Twenty years ago, it was the head of the Huangshan Sword Sect, He Qingyang, who defeated the Lord of the Demon Palace, Tianzun, and made him escape beyond the Great Wall with hatred. When he came back twenty years later, he was the first to deal with the Huangshan Sword Sect. ...It’s just that it’s too ruthless to destroy the family with one strike.” Shen Xun and Xie Hongying had never experienced that catastrophe because of their age, but when the older generation talked about it, they were thrilling, “If You're all right, I'll go to the Tripod Sword Pavilion first." "Wait." Before he could turn around, the window suddenly opened, Xie Hongying sat on the couch against the wall, and pushed the window open with a volley of palm, "I'll go with you." "Your injury is not healed, so don't go." Seeing Xie Hongying's still pale face, he refused lightly, "Xiao Xie, you have retired for many years without asking about the world, why do you need to enter the rivers and lakes again? The power of the rivers and lakes will definitely be able to deal with it, and you will not be alone to join in the fun." "I'm ready." Xie Hongying grabbed the Hongyan sword lying across her lap, and stood up, but her footsteps were still a bit flimsy, Shen Xun had no choice but to raise her hand to support her and jumped out of the window.With a flicker in his eyes, Xie Hongying sighed slightly, and asked in a low voice: "Don't you think that the incident in the Demon Palace this time must have something to do with Xiao Jie's appearance?" Shen Xun's hands trembled, but he didn't speak: he had already guessed this level when he saw the letter passed by Fei Ge. "You know, but you don't tell me, do you?" Xie Hongying looked up at his friend and shook his head, "You know that he is going to deal with you, and you know that he has a hero sword, but you still go empty-handed? You don't let me follow for fear of hurting me ——Shen Xun, when will you change your temper..." Shen Xun sighed, but just said: "The wound on your face is not healed, can you talk less?"