Chapter 18 track

With Yun Jisang's lightness skills and Jianghu experience, it is really easy to secretly smear Wang Biyan. He quietly followed her, without showing himself, and kept a distance of about thirty feet, only relying on his keen sense of hearing to judge her advancing route and direction.When walking, his feet were always within an inch of the ground. He started cleanly and landed silently, as if he was floating on the ground. After following Wang Biyan for about half a mile, she stopped after passing through a long corridor, as if to check if there was anyone around.Then, she quickly dodged and got into the woods beside the road.

The woods made it more difficult to track. In addition to the dead branches under his feet, the frightened birds would also give him away at any time.Yun Jisang had to slow down and lengthen the distance, so as not to alarm the other party.When he heard muffled conversations ahead, he stopped and eavesdropped quietly behind a tree. "Why did you come in person? Didn't I say, just leave me a letter at the old locust tree. It's an extraordinary time, so it's better not to meet each other." That was Luo Jiankong's anxious voice. :: "What are you afraid of, you have to do extraordinary things in extraordinary times! You are so timid, and you still want to be the master of the sect? What a joke!"

"What's the use of saying this, what does Yun Shaoxia say?" "As you guessed, he agreed to defend the door, but judging from his intentions, he doesn't want to participate too much." "In your opinion, has he guessed who the real murderer is?" "Look at the meaning behind what he said, not yet. You, what's the use of thinking about it all day long if you don't think about how to please that dead ghost? It doesn't matter who the murderer is? Do you still want to be this door?" Master?" "Of course I want to! Needless to say? But Master has already become wary of me, and he refuses to see me for the past two days. If there is any twists and turns at this time, I don't even have to think about being the head of the sect."

"You still expect him to hand over the position of sect master to you? Stop dreaming!" Wang Biyan said angrily, "You know, last night he called Fatty Hong, and the two of them talked secretly in the study for most of the night." "Really? What did they talk about?" Luo Jiankong asked eagerly. "How do I know that? But seeing how Fatty Hong came out, it must be something good." "No, it won't. How could Master pass on the position of sect master to him!" "Why not? Think about it, according to the sect's rules, the most promising Linghu is dead now. Among the remaining disciples, only you and Fatty Hong are the best at making puppets. The next sect master must be One of the two of you, it’s either you or him. If you don’t fight for yourself at this time, you’re still waiting for the rooster to lay eggs!”

"You don't understand, Fifth Junior Brother..." Luo Yankong hesitated to speak. "What happened to him? Tell me!" "There are some things, it's better that you don't know." Luo Jiankong sighed, "The death of Ah Huang and Linghu is definitely not as simple as you think." "Ang Kong, what else are you hiding from me?" "I have nothing to hide from you, I have already told you everything I should know!" "That is to say, there is something else I shouldn't know?" "It's for your own good that I don't tell you. You know, I haven't even dared to fall asleep these days, for fear that the next one will kill me..."

"Why don't we run away!" Wang Biyan suddenly said eagerly, "Get out of this ghostly place and go to a place where no one can find us! Just the two of us!" "Escape? I'm afraid it's too late..." Luo Jiankong's voice was full of pain and remorse, "It would be fine if we escaped a few days ago. But now there is such a bloody incident in the door, you say, if we escape, What would they think? If the court really wants to arrest us, although the world is big, where can we escape?" "Then what should we do? We just live next to each other?"

"The only solution now is to find out the real culprit as soon as possible, and put an end to the chaos in the gate. Then we will decide what to do." "You really don't know who the murderer is?" "To tell you the truth, I do have doubts in my heart, but there is no evidence. You have heard about the incident at the foot of the mountain, right? I have been secretly investigating this matter for more than a year. Who knows that he just With some clues, he was murdered by the other party, alas, it's all my fault for not thinking carefully..." "At this point, what's the use of talking about it, why don't you just give the bottom light to Yun Shaoxia and ask him what he thinks."

"Impossible! He is an outsider after all. It's fine if a few people died in the door. If the news of the mountain gets out, where in the world is there a place for us to stand in the puppet door?" Luo Jiankong waved his hand distractedly. . "This won't work, and that won't work. What do you plan to do?" "Just now, according to what Yun Shaoxia said, the reason why the second brother was killed was because he knew the identity of the murderer and wanted to get rid of that person, so he was murdered. The reason why he wanted to do this is very clear to me. Yes. It would be best if the murderer could be removed privately. If not, at least he cannot be allowed to tell the story of the mountain."

"You want to do it yourself?" "That's exactly what I intend! But this matter needs to be decided before we act. Before I do it, I have to find out the real murderer. The second child is really not easy, and he can guess the identity of the murderer. Strange, how did he know?" Luo Yankong pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "The second child has been reclusive these past few years, and no one can guess his thoughts. There are so many people in the door, and you Lan girl and the second child are the closest. Yan'er, you Let's try to set up Girl Lan's sex to see what else she knows."

"You know how to send people to me to do all the dangerous things, but you look like a normal person. If Lan Ya is the real murderer, will I be a meat bun beating a dog?" "Look at what you said, you are such a beautiful meat bun, even if there is a dog, it can't bear to let it go! "Bah! You can't bear to say anything, and you don't have a guilty conscience! If you hadn't coaxed me into a dizzy head with those sweet words, why would I have come to this ghostly place to suffer!" "My aunt, what do you say? You eat well and dress warmly here, and say what you say. You are the biggest in the door except Master. No one will open their eyes and dare to make you angry..." Facing Wang Biyan's complaints , Luo Jiankong can only pick some nice words to say.

"To put it nicely, don't you know the temper of that dead ghost? He has a sullen face all day long, like a dead child. In the past two years, his words have become less and less, but his thoughts have become more and more. Now every time I He had to look at his face when he said a word, for fear of offending him. As long as he was free, he would do nothing and stare blankly at the puppets of Qiansitang all day long. They are not very popular, they are similar to Huangquan Difu, even if they are a good person, they will go crazy if they stay for a long time..." Wang Yan chattered for a while, seeing that Luo Yankong was getting impatient, he changed the subject and said, " I'm not a person who likes to complain, but your master's temper is getting more and more weird now, and people are getting harder and harder to serve. Besides, it's easy for me to see Miss Lan, but you have to continue to investigate, and you can't hide away Shall I blow the air by myself?" "I have my own plan for this. It's fine, you go back quickly, you should be suspected by the master again when it's too late." "What are you afraid of? His real wife is still wandering around every day. What does it matter if I, a little concubine, go back later?" "It's strange to say that Master's wife has indeed gone down the mountain a lot recently. Didn't Master say anything?" "What are you talking about? It's too late for him to spoil him! That's me, with a smiling face all day long, and I still have to suffer from his uselessness!" "Okay, okay, don't play with your temper..." Luo Jiankong persuaded him a few words, and after making out with Wang Biyan for a while, he whispered, "Stop talking, I'm leaving first, be careful yourself! After finishing speaking, the sound of his footsteps gradually faded away. Things under the mountain?what is that?What does it have to do with the tragedy of the puppet gate?According to Luo Yankong, the reason why Zhang Huang was killed was because he found clues to the so-called "things under the mountain".It seems that the position of the head of the Puppet Sect was not the main cause of the two murders.So what is all this for?Is Mei Zhaoxue's frequent descents from the mountain related to this incident?Yun Jisang forced himself to suppress the doubts in his heart, and looked at Wang Biyan with a sigh. It wasn't until Luo Jiankong walked away that Wang Biyan gracefully walked out of the forest and walked towards Qiansitang. Yun Jisang followed her all the way to the outside of Qiansi Hall, watched her enter the gate, and hesitated again.Do you want to follow?This is an important place for the puppet gate, and it would be bad if it was discovered. Looking at the huge bronze sparrow, Yun Jisang took a deep breath, touched the ground with his toes, and flew up to the top of the hall. The glazed tiles on the roof of the hall were covered with a thin layer of water mist, making it extremely slippery to step on.Yun Jisang gently slid down the vertical ridge, leaned out half of his body from the eaves, and looked down.After confirming that there is no one there, he reached out to grab the beast and swayed leisurely, and the person was already on the beam. The beam frame of Qiansi Hall is a beam-lifting bucket type, dense on the outside and sparse on the inside.There were too many puppets hanging between the beams, he didn't dare to get his foot down, so he had to use his internal force to attach his back to the purple-red beam, and slowly walk between the beams. Dark green, silver vermilion, orange, blue, bright purple, those simple and colorful lights and colors moved slowly on both sides of his body.The puppets are either beautiful or ugly, good or evil, demons or immortals, staring at him quietly. Each puppet is attached to the soul of the old master, silently interpreting the sadness of the ending. When he looked at them, he felt that he was slowly becoming a puppet. A living, thinking puppet. "Where did you go?" A deep and majestic voice echoed in the lobby. "Yo, I've only been out for a while, is it worth asking? My sister has been missing for a whole day. No one sees her face when someone dies in the door. Is it possible that she really thinks of herself as a woman?" Avalokitesvara of the West needs to be worshiped by others all day long? Besides, even if it is Avalokitesvara, Bian Fan should come to save all living beings in times of trouble in the world. What’s the matter with just disappearing like this? I see, you dote on her too much .Unfortunately, people don't take you seriously, all their thoughts are there..." "Stop talking!" Cao Zhong shouted suddenly, the sound of shock was endless. There was no sound below, obviously Wang Biyan was also frightened by Cao Zhong's reaction. "I know where she went. But what about you? Where did you go?" Cao Zhong slowed down his voice and asked softly. The more he was like this, the more scared Wang Biyan became, and his mouth became a little uncomfortable: "I... I didn't go anywhere, I just sent some snacks to Yun Shaoxia and the others. By the way, I'm still sitting there Just a moment, just a moment." "Is that true?" Cao Zhong's voice became softer. "Of course, if you don't believe me, you can ask!" Wang Biyan stroked her temples and said calmly. "I believe, of course I believe..." Cao Zhong's voice was as gentle as water, "You are my concubine, who should I believe if I don't believe you? It's been a hard day for you today, go down and rest..." "Master, I..." Wang Biyan seemed to want to say something, but there was a rush of footsteps outside. "Father! What do you want me to do?" Cao Bian yelled and rushed in. "Didn't you see that I was talking with your aunt? How rude is it for you to barge in like this! Didn't I say that the more important things are, the more calm you need to be. Why, you just ignored what I said? "Cao Zhong scolded, seeing Cao Bian's face was red and trembling, he said in a deep voice, "Like a headless chicken all day long, Shu Bu retreated aside!" Cao Bian's face was flushed, but he didn't dare Dispute, stepped aside. Cao Zhong then turned around and said softly to Wang Biyan: "Biyan, go, go to rest, sleep well, everything will be fine..." Seeing Cao Zhong's gentleness which was completely different from the past, Wang Biyan shivered, and didn't dare to say anything more. After a blessing, he retreated to the back hall. Cao Zhong watched Wang Biyan retreat, and stood still for a long time, before he opened his mouth and said, "Bian'er, are you not convinced when my father says this about you?" "My child dare not." "Don't you dare?" Cao Zhong laughed at himself. Seeing his strange attitude, Cao Bian didn't dare to say more, but just stood there honestly holding his breath. "I entered the puppet sect at the age of seventeen. I have been mediocre for thirteen years without any achievements worth boasting about, but in the end I was the one who became the master of the sect. Do you know what this is for?" "It's because my father is courteous, unpretentious, and diligent in doing things. That's why he moved the old master and made an exception to let you be the head." "That's right, I told you these things." Cao Zhong smiled lightly, "But Bianer, do you really believe these words?" Cao Bian remained silent. "No matter how beautiful a lie is, it's still a lie. It can't deceive people. Even if it can be deceived for a while, it can't be deceived forever. You can see through these absurd things that your father said, which shows that you have really grown up." Cao Zhong sighed lightly, then looked serious, and said coldly, "The reason why I can sit in this position, there is only two words, and that is--be patient." His voice suddenly increased, "Be patient!" What people can't bear and accept what others can't, can achieve extraordinary things that people can't! Others are better than you, so what's the matter? There is no need to be inferior! In ancient and modern times, heroes are only judged by success or failure. How can we judge people's strength? Gaozu has no special skills, but finally achieved hegemony because he could endure. He could endure Xiang Yu's bullying and oppression, he could endure the cynicism and ridicule of ordinary people, and he endured until the opportunity came. The overlord is trapped in Gaixia, forcing him to kill himself. I know that your talent is not as good as those of your senior brothers. But this is nothing, talent and talent are important, but in my eyes f: a person's nature is what determines success or failure The essential." After Cao Bian heard this, light gradually appeared in his eyes. "Your temperament is impetuous, and you put everything on your face. It stands to reason that if you only have this one thing, you will never be able to sit in the position of sect master. Even if you do, it will not be long, and you might be in danger of your life. Seeing Cao Bian's expression gradually getting depressed, Cao Zhong suddenly changed the subject, but since he has a father, he naturally wants to make a plan for you. "Father means..." Cao Bian became excited again. "You also know that the court's decree will come soon. Once you become a father and become an official, you can no longer sit in the position of head of the sect. But if you are not in his position, you may not be able to seek his own government. As long as you can distinguish As the head of the sect, with the support of a father behind you, you are naturally secure in the position of the head of the sect. You and I, father and son, one is in the court and the other is in the wild, and we support each other, so there is no barrier to overcome .” "If the child becomes the head of the sect, he will definitely live up to his father's expectations!" Cao Bian fell to his knees abruptly as he said. "That's it. Get up, you are my son, can you treat you badly as a father?" Cao Zhong helped Cao Bian up, and patted the dust on his body, "Bie'er, you are not young Now, who is using you and who is treating you sincerely, you should be aware of it, don't let others say a few nice words, and then fool you to the point where you don't know where to go." "The child understands." "It's good to understand." Cao Zhong nodded, and suddenly asked, "By the way, what about the letter I gave you last time? There are a few places that are relatively obscure. I am free today for my father, so I just give you some pointers." "The notebook?" Cao Bian's expression changed, he hesitated, "The notebook...it...it..." "What's wrong with it? Tell me!" Cao Zhong said urgently. "It's okay, I... I just forgot it in the room." "Forgot it in the room?" Cao Zhong's eyes were full of doubts. Cao Bian hurriedly said: "Yes! I just forgot it in the room. Next time I come to say goodbye to my father, I must remember to take it with me." Cao Zhong was silent for a moment, and then said lightly: "In that case, let's talk about it next time." After speaking, he raised his head and looked up. Yun Jisang on the beam quickly retracted his head, held his breath and closed his eyes, not daring to move.Cao Zhong's eyes wandered among the puppets on the beam, his eyes were extremely complicated: "Look at these puppets, they are all masterpieces left by the ancestors of the past generations. Every part of them was made by the ancestors of our sect with painstaking efforts. They have condensed too much effort and sustenance. When you get along with them for a long time, you will find that they are also spiritual. Especially in the dead of night, when you look at them by candlelight, you will feel their breath and soul , so real, so vivid..." Cao Zhong murmured dreamily, "They are the essence of the Puppet Sect, Bian'er, if you become the master of this place one day, remember to treat them well..." "yes." "Okay, you can go back." Cao Zhong waved his hand and said with a tired face. "That kid will go back first." Cao Bian heaved a sigh of relief and left in a panic.Cao Zhong stood quietly in the center of the hall, motionless, like a statue.Yun Jisang held his breath and quietly looked down at his back.Suddenly, Cao Zhong's slightly hoarse chant sounded in the hall. "The sky can be measured, the earth can be measured, but the human heart cannot be guarded against. But seeing that Dan's sincerity is as red as blood, who knows that false words are so clever. Advise you to cover your nose and don't cover up, so that you and your wife can participate in business. Advise the king to stop the bee and the king, so that the king and his son will become wolves.Let the father and son become wolves... into wolves... into wolves..." After a long time, he let out a long sigh and stepped into the back hall. Yun Jisang thought for a while, jumped down, and followed in the direction Cao Bian left.In his mind, it is unlikely that Cao Zhong, who is sad, will go to find Wang Biyan. Since he cannot eavesdrop on the conversation between the two, it is better to see what the young master of the puppet sect is doing to make Cao Zhong behave like this. The Xiongxiong issued "make the father and son become jackals" exclamation. : He followed Cao Bian from a distance and headed southwest all the way. After passing through a pine forest and a vegetable garden, until he came to a green brick house, Cao Bian stopped, looked around, and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Hong Kuoji's lazy voice came from inside. "Fifth Senior Brother, it's me. The door opened, and Hong Kuoji greeted him with a smile: "It's the sixth junior brother, come here, please..." "I have something else to do, so I won't go in. Fifth senior brother, my father just asked about the handbook, saying that he wanted to explain it to me. Otherwise, you can return it to me first, and I will take it after I deal with my father." Here it is." Cao Bian hastily stated his purpose. The smile on Hong Kuoji's face disappeared immediately: "Take it back? What are you talking about in your sleep? You agreed to lend it to me for three days, and now you come to ask for it after only half a day. Could it be that you have gone back on your word?" "No, no, it's really my father who wants to tell me about the manuscript. I... I can't hide from him, can I?" .” "How can it be done? Father knows, he must scold me to death!" "What's the point of scolding? There won't be any loss of meat. After three days have passed, I'll return the letter to you, and you can tell Master if you found it." "No, no, absolutely no." Cao Bian kept shaking his head. Yun Jisang naturally understood Cao Bian's thoughts. Cao Zhong just said that he wanted to pass on the position of sect master to him. How to give up? Hong Kuoji persuaded him a few more words, but Cao Bian just refused and insisted on taking the letter back.Seeing this, Hong Kuoji's face gradually turned ugly: "Sixth Junior Brother, let me tell you. Within three days, this letter will not be returned to you no matter what. If you are afraid that the master will be held accountable, I advise you to make up your mind." "You... how could you do this?" Cao Bian blushed and trembled with excitement. "Why can't I do this?" The smile on Hong Kuoji's face has turned ferocious, "Do you think I don't know what your father and son are thinking? Has the master explained to you? The position of sect master, you Do you think you are settled? Stop dreaming, the master will not give up the puppet sect. The reason why he chose you as the master of the sect is not because you are his son, but because of all the disciples, you are the one The worst qualifications. Once you become the master of the sect, you will not be able to convince the crowd at all, so you can only rely on him. In this way, even if the master goes to the government, he can still secretly control the affairs of the sect. As for you, you are just a Just a puppet, a poor, manipulative puppet." "You nonsense! Father, he wouldn't treat me like that." "I'm talking nonsense?" Hong Kuowei sneered, "Fortunately, you are still his own son. You can't even tell what kind of person he is. You are so stupid. Also, your father has never seen you like this in his eyes." Son? Since childhood, how has he ever taught you anything? Other fathers are eager for their sons to become talents, how about him? But he indulges and pampers you blindly. I am really surprised. Could it be that you are not his own? " "You fart!" Cao Bian was furious, and punched Hong Kuoji with his fist. Without blinking his eyelids, Hong Kuoji grabbed his fist, stroked it, and folded his hand: "Am I wrong? Think about it for yourself, except for the puppets hanging in Qiansitang, Has he ever cared about other people? Has he ever cared about your basic necessities? Your stepmother runs down the mountain every now and then, has he ever asked? That woman Wang Biyan hangs out with the big brother all day long, has he ever cared? Ever? In his eyes, there are only puppets! He indulges our infighting because he can easily manipulate us. In his heart, we are also puppets that can be manipulated at will! All of them!" "I'm not a puppet...not!" Cao Bian yelled frantically. "Of course you are. You are not only Cao Zhong's puppet, but also my puppet. That's why I used you to get that handbook. Only a puppet like you who has no opinion will obediently follow other people's orders." , isn't it?" "I'm not! I'm just... just..." Cao Bian's voice became smaller and smaller, and his body trembled more and more. "Just for this?" Hong Kuoji smiled and took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, shaking it in front of his eyes.Cao Bian suddenly stretched out his hand to grab it, but Hong Kuoji nimbly withdrew his hand back. "Give me...give it to me..." Cao Bian roared hoarsely, twisting his body, desperately reaching for the porcelain vase, acting like a trapped animal. "I said, you are just my puppet. As long as you are obedient and obedient, I will naturally give you this treasure that can make you ecstatic. Say, are you my obedient puppet?" "I...I..." Cao Bian hesitated, but there was a look of longing in his eyes. "Say it quickly, and I'll give you the medicine." Hong Kuoji tempted, "Say it, think about the feeling of wanting to die, even if it's a puppet? Immortal? Tell me, tell me quickly..." "I...I am..." Cao Bian said with difficulty. "What is it?" "It's your puppet..." After Cao Bian finished speaking, he stretched out his hand desperately and grabbed the porcelain bottle.Hong Kuoji let go of his hand, and Cao Bian fell to the ground, but still firmly grasped the porcelain bottle in his hand. Looking at Cao Bian who was limp on the ground, there was a hint of disdain in his eyes.Immediately, a smile appeared on his fat face again: "That's right, our brothers and sisters have such a good relationship, what can we not discuss?" He stretched out his hand to help Cao Bian up, and patted the dust off his body , "Look at you, you are all going to be the master of the sect, why are you so careless? But don't worry, brother, I will take care of you, the position of master of the sect, you can sit as firmly as Mount Tai." Cao Bian tried to pull out the cork tremblingly, but his hands shook so much that he couldn't pull it out several times. Seeing that Xiangzi was trembling, irritable, his pupils were small, and his face was pale, it was clearly caused by eating too much poppy.Yun Jisang secretly blamed himself for his carelessness.As early as his childhood, Gong Shenheng had carefully studied the medicinal properties of opium poppy, extracted quite high-purity opium, and asserted that this substance was extremely addictive.And the symptoms after addiction, also roughly explained for him Cao Bian managed to open the porcelain bottle, poured out a little powder, stuffed it into his nostrils, inhaled suddenly, his body trembled, and then he gradually relaxed, with a comfortable and joyful expression on his face. It seems that Cao Bian has not been taking this substance for a day or two, and the poisoning is already deep.Hong Kuoji was usually smiling, but unexpectedly he was so deep in his scheming, no wonder Linghu Tiangong carved his doll into the appearance of Maitreya Buddha.Yun Jisang pondered in his heart "Go back and have a good talk with Master. At worst, you can pretend to be sick and hide for a few days. After three days, I will return the letter to you." Seeing Cao Bian's bewildered expression, he suddenly said, "Yes, Junior Brother is now Be a god. Well, go to the brother's room and have a good sleep, and you will be happy and forget your worries, and all your troubles will disappear." Hong Kuoji patted Cao Bian on the shoulder with a smile, and helped him into the room. Looking at the closed door, Yun Jisang shook his head, turned and left. After spying on the traces of Wang Biyan, Luo Jiankong, Cao Zhong, Cao Bian, and Hong Kuoji successively, what he gained the most was sorting out the originally intricate relationship among them. It's really like a net, a complicated and weird net.Everyone in the puppet gate is like a knot in this net. They are connected to each other, entangled with each other, and twisted with each other. Everyone affects others, and at the same time is affected by others.Whether it's Zhang Huang or Linghu Tiangong, they are all victims of this net of death.I don't know whose head will be covered by this blood-stained net next time? Yun Jisang was strolling in the corridor, and the vermilion pillars lined up on both sides, like silent guardians.The pillars are connected by elegant plum and bamboo patterns alternately, and the light green and pink colors look extraordinarily fresh in the sun. The sparrows here are also plum and bamboo patterns, which are the same as the window lattices in Mei Zhaoxue's room.It seems that Cao Zhong is indeed Zu Dang's favorite wife.Just now both Wang Biyan and Hong Kuoji mentioned that Cao Zhong ignored Mei Zhaoxue and often went down the mountain. I don't know how her going down the mountain is related to what Luo Jiankong said about going down the mountain?It seems that I have to go down the mountain to explore once. He raised his head and looked towards the sky.In the sky, the vast evening clouds are rushing and rolling, like fish and dragons dancing. Ah, it's windy again.Yun Jisang thought melancholy.I don't know when, he started begging for the wind The wind is invisible, it always blows and stirs everything.Under its provocation, calm becomes restless, steady becomes shaky, and order becomes chaotic.It is erratic and tyrannical, and is used to sweeping everything that hinders its pace with its strength.Its anger makes all the flowers break down, makes waves in Pinghu Lake, uproots the young, and breaks the bones of the old. Yes, he hated the wind, the wind blowing at Dimian made it difficult for him to breathe and reminded him of his own fragility. He turned around, shielding his back from the wind.