Chapter 2 The first man without a knife

He has no saber. As soon as he walked in, he saw Fu Hongxue! There were already many people here, all kinds of people, but people like him shouldn't have come here. Because he doesn't deserve it. This is a very strange place. It's late autumn now, but the place is still as warm as spring. It was late at night, but the place was still as bright as day. There is wine here, but it is not a restaurant. There is gambling, but it is not a casino. There are women who can do anything with you at any time, but they are not brothels. This place has no name at all, but it is the most famous place within a few hundred miles.

There are eighteen tables in the hall. No matter which table you choose to sit down, you can enjoy the best food and drink-only food and wine, if you want to enjoy anything else, you have to open the door. There are eighteen doors on all sides of the hall. No matter which door you push to walk in, you will never regret it, nor will you be disappointed. At the back of the hall, there is a tall staircase. No one knew what was upstairs, and no one had ever been there. Because you don't have to go upstairs at all. Whatever it is you're looking for, it's all downstairs. At the entrance of the stairs, there was a relatively small square table, and a middle-aged man in very gorgeous clothes and well-groomed was sitting there.

He always seems to be sitting there alone, playing dominoes alone. He was rarely seen doing anything else, and rarely seen standing up. The chair he sat in was wide and comfortable. Next to the chair, there are two mahogany canes. He never noticed other people coming and going, and rarely even raised his head to take a look. No matter what other people do, it seems that it has nothing to do with him. In fact, he is the owner of this place. A very strange place, usually with a very strange owner. Fu Hongxue held a knife in his hand. A strangely shaped knife with a black scabbard and a black handle.

He is eating, eating a mouthful of rice, with a mouthful of vegetables, eating very slowly. Because he can only eat with one hand. He holds the knife in his left hand, and no matter what he is doing, he never lets go of the knife. A pitch-black knife, pitch-black clothes, and pitch-black eyes. Shiny black. So even though he was sitting far away from the gate, when Ye Kai walked in, he still saw him at a glance.I also saw the knife in his hand. Ye Kai never carried a knife. Autumn is deep, and night is deep. There is only one lamp hanging from this gate on the long street. The door is very narrow, the dim light shines on the dry land in front of the door, and the autumn wind blows up the sky full of yellow sand.

A remnant chrysanthemum rolled in the wind and sand, neither where it came from nor where it was going to be blown. Isn't everyone in the world just like this broken chrysanthemum, who can predict their own destiny? So why should people sigh sadly for its fate? If the chrysanthemum knew it, it would not complain, because it has already had its own glory days, and has been praised and cherished by people. That's enough. One end of the long street is a boundless wasteland; the other end of the long street is also a boundless wasteland. This lamp seems to be the only bright pearl in this wasteland.

The sky is connected with the yellow sand, and the yellow sand is connected with the sky. People are already in the sky. Ye Kai seemed to come from the sky. He walked slowly along the long street from the darkness to a place with lights. He sat down in the middle of the street and raised his feet. The boots on the feet are made of tanned leather, usually only the shepherds in the desert wear this kind of boots. This kind of boots, like the shepherds on the desert, can withstand the wind and frost and endure the toil. But now, the sole of the boot has been worn into a big hole, and the sole of his foot is also bleeding.

He looked at his feet and shook his head as if dissatisfied—not with the boots, but with his feet. "How can the feet of a person like me be broken like other people's feet?" He grabbed a handful of yellow sand and poured it through the hole in his boot. "Since you are so useless, I will tell you to suffer more and suffer more." He stood up, letting the sand rub the wounds on the soles of his feet. Then he just laughed. His smile is like a ray of sunshine suddenly appearing in the sky full of yellow sand. The lamp swayed in the wind. A gust of wind blew over, and the remnant chrysanthemum was swept up.

As soon as he stretched out his hand, he grabbed it. The petals of the chrysanthemum have fallen, only the last few petals, the most tenacious, are still lingering on the withered peduncle. He patted a set of clothes on his body that should have been sent to the trash can, and carefully inserted the broken chrysanthemum into a hole in the skirt. Judging by his expression, he looked like a well-groomed dandy who finally put the most beautiful red flower on his valuable purple robe. Then he is completely satisfied with everything about himself. He laughed again. The narrow gate is closed.

He held his head high, puffed up his chest, strode over, and pushed open the door. So he saw Fu Hongxue. Fu Hongxue and his knife! Knife in hand. Pale hand, black knife! From his knife, Ye Kai saw his hands, and from his hands, he saw his face. Pale face, dark eyes. Ye Kai smiled again, as if he was satisfied with everything he saw. He strode over, walked across to Fu Hongxue, and sat down. Fu Hongxue's chopsticks didn't stop, and he ate very slowly, but he didn't stop to look at him. Ye Kai looked at him, suddenly smiled and said, "You never drink alcohol?" Fu Hongxue neither looked up nor stopped.

He slowly finished the last two mouthfuls of rice in the bowl before putting down his chopsticks and looking at Ye Kai. Ye Kai's smile is like sunshine. Fu Hongxue didn't even have a smile on his pale face, and after a long time, he said word for word, "I don't drink." Ye Kai laughed and said, "If you don't want to drink, how about buying me two cups?" Fu Hongxue said, "You want me to buy you a drink? Why?" He spoke slowly, as if every word was thought through, because he was absolutely responsible for everything that came out of his mouth.

So he never wants to say a word wrong. Ye Kai said: "Why? Because I think you are very pleasing to the eye." He sighed, and said again: "Except for you, there is almost no one who is pleasing to the eye in this place." Fu Hongxue lowered his eyes, looking at his hands. He always had that look when he didn't want to speak. Ye Kai said: "Are you willing?" Fu Hongxue still looked at his hands. Ye Kai said: "This is your best chance, wouldn't it be a pity if you miss it?" Fu Hongxue finally shook his head, and said slowly, "It's not a pity." Ye Kai laughed loudly and said, "You are really interesting. To be honest, even if other people kneel down and beg me, I wouldn't drink a drop of wine from him." His voice seemed to treat others as deaf, and it was difficult for others not to listen. As long as you hear his words, it's hard not to get angry. Several people in the room had already stood up, and the fastest one was a boy in a purple shirt with a sword. His waist was thin and his shoulders were broad, and his sword was set with sparkling gems, and the tassel was purple, matching the color of his clothes. He was holding a glass of wine in his hand, and when he turned around, he was already in front of Ye Kai. With a glass full of wine in his hand, not even a drop was spilled. It seems that this person is not only very particular about his clothes, he must also be very particular about his kung fu. It's a pity that Ye Kai didn't see it, and neither did Fu Hongxue. The boy in purple shirt deliberately put on a very chic smile because he knew that everyone was watching him. He patted Ye Kai's shoulder lightly and said, "Can I buy you a glass of wine?" Ye Kai said: "Not good." The purple shirt boy said: "What do you want before you are willing to drink? Kneel down and beg you, okay?" Ye Kai said: "Okay." The purple shirt boy laughed, and the others laughed too. Ye Kai was also laughing, and said with a smile: "It's just that even if you kneel down, I still won't drink." The purple shirt boy said: "Do you know who I am?" Ye Kai said: "I don't know, I don't even know whether you are a person or not." The purple-shirted boy's smile froze, and he had already grasped the hilt of his sword. With a "choke", the sword has been unsheathed. But he still held only a sword hilt in his hand. The sword remained in its sheath. As soon as he pulled out his sword, Ye Kai suddenly stretched out his hand and flicked it, and the fine steel long sword broke. It was broken an inch below the hilt; so that although the hilt was pulled out, the blade slipped back into the scabbard. The purple shirt boy looked at the hilt in his hand, his face was as pale as paper. No one in the room laughed anymore, not only couldn't laugh, they almost stopped breathing. Only one voice remains. The sound of pushing dominoes. It seemed that he was the only one who didn't see what happened just now. Although Fu Hongxue saw it, his face was still expressionless. Ye Kai looked at him, smiled and said: "Look, I didn't lie to you, it's very difficult for others to buy me a drink." Fu Hongxue nodded slowly, and said, "You didn't lie to me." Ye Kai said: "Do you want to invite me?" Fu Hongxue shook his head slowly, and said, "I don't invite you." He stood up, turned around, and seemed unwilling to discuss the matter any more. But he turned his head and glanced at the purple-shirted boy, and said slowly: "You should use the money you bought for clothes to buy a good sword; but it's better not to wear a sword from now on, but to use a sword as a decoration. It's really dangerous." He speaks very slowly and sincerely, which is good words of gold and stone. But in the ears of this purple-shirted boy, the feeling was not very pleasant. He looked at Fu Hongxue, his pale face turned blue. Fu Hongxue was walking out slowly. Walking was slower than talking, and it was very strange. After he took a step with his left foot, his right leg slowly followed from the ground. "So he was crippled." Ye Kai seemed surprised and regretful. Other than that, he obviously didn't mean anything else. The purple-shirted boy clenched his fists, angry and disappointed - he originally hoped that Ye Kai would grab Fu Hongxue back. Although Ye Kai's martial arts were terrifying, the cripple was not. The purple-shirted boy winked, and two of the people who were at the same table with him slowly stood up, obviously wanting to chase him out. At this moment, a very strange voice suddenly sounded in the room: "You don't want others to buy you a drink, do you want to buy others a drink?" The voice was low and soft, but everyone could hear it clearly. The person who spoke seemed to be right next to his ear, but he couldn't see it. Finally, someone finally noticed that the well-dressed and well-groomed middle-aged man had turned his head and was looking at Ye Kai with a smile. Ye Kai also laughed, and said: "It's one thing for others to invite me, but it's another thing for me to invite others." The middle-aged man smiled and said, "That's right, that's completely different." Ye Kai said: "So I invite everyone in this room." He spoke with an expression as if he had regarded himself as the boss of this place. The purple-shirted boy gritted his teeth, and suddenly turned his head and walked out. Ye Kai said slowly: "It's just that when I invite people to drink, it's okay for anyone not to drink, and not to be drunk." The purple-shirted boy's chest heaved, he suddenly turned his head and said, "Do you know that people ask for money to buy wine?" Ye Kai laughed and said, "Silver? Do you think I look like someone with silver?" The purple-shirted boy smiled and said, "You really don't look like one." Ye Kai said leisurely: "Fortunately, you don't have to use silver to buy wine, you can also use beans." The purple-shirted boy was startled, and said, "Douzi? What kind of bean?" Ye Kai said: "It's this kind of bean." Suddenly there was a sack in his hand, and with a shake of his hand, the beans in the sack slipped out, as if by magic. What he sprinkled out were golden beans. The purple-shirted boy stared at the golden beans rolling all over the ground. He was stunned for a long time before he raised his head and said with a forced smile, "There's only one thing I don't understand." Ye Kai said: "I must understand what you don't understand." The Zishan boy said: "You don't want others to invite you to drink, why invite others? What's the difference?" Ye Kai blinked, walked up to him, and said quietly: "If a dog wants to invite you to eat shit, will you eat it?" The purple-shirted boy changed his color and said, "Of course I won't eat it." Ye Kai said with a smile: "I don't eat it either, but I often feed the dog." When Fu Hongxue walked out, there were two more lights outside the door. Two men in white stood upright in the middle of the street with lanterns in their hands. Fu Hongxue closed the door and walked down the stone steps slowly. When he came over, he realized that there was a third person behind the two people carrying the lanterns. The lantern swayed in the wind, but the three stood there like stone statues, motionless. The light shone on them, and their hair and clothes were covered with yellow sand. Looking at it in the middle of the night, it was even more mysterious and terrifying. Fu Hongxue didn't look at them at all. When he walked, his eyes always seemed to be looking into the distance. Is it because there is someone in the distance waiting for him who is unforgettable and haunting in his dreams? But why are his eyes so cold, even if there is emotion, it is definitely not warmth, but pain, hatred, and sorrow! He walked slowly through the middle of the street, and the man standing behind the lantern like a stone statue suddenly came up to him and said, "Your Excellency, please stay." Fu Hongxue stopped. When someone tells him to stop, he stops, without asking who the person is or why. This man's attitude was very polite, but when he bent down, his eyes were fixed on the knife in his hand, and the clothes on his body suddenly tightened, obviously his whole body was full of vigilance. Fu Hongxue didn't move, neither did the knife in his hand, and even his eyes were still staring into the distance. It was dark in the distance. After a long time, the white-clothed man's expression relaxed a little, and he smiled and asked, "I'm sorry to ask you for advice, but I wonder if your Excellency just came here today?" Fu Hongxue said, "Yes." Although his answer was only one word, he still thought about it for a long time before saying it. The man in white asked, "Where do you come from?" Fu Hongxue lowered his eyes, looking at the knife in his hand. The man in white waited for a long time before forcing a smile and said, "Are you going to leave soon?" Fu Hongxue said, "Maybe." The man in white said: "Maybe you won't leave?" Fu Hongxue said, "Maybe." The man in white said: "If you don't leave for the time being, the third boss would like to ask you to drive over there tomorrow night." Fu Hongxue said, "Third Boss?" The man in white smiled and said, "The one I'm talking about is of course the third boss of 'Wanmatang'." This time he actually smiled. In his opinion, it was really ridiculous that someone didn't even know who the third boss was. But in Fu Hongxue's eyes, it seemed that there was nothing ridiculous in the world. The man in white didn't seem to be able to laugh anymore, he coughed twice, and said, "Third Boss has ordered me to please Your Excellency, otherwise..." Fu Hongxue said, "Otherwise what?" The man in white forced a smile and said, "Otherwise, I won't be able to explain it when I go back, so I just have to stand here and not leave." Fu Hongxue said, "Just standing here?" The man in white said, "Yes." Fu Hongxue: "How long will you stand?" The man in white said: "Stand until Your Excellency agrees." Fu Hongxue said, "Very good..." When the man in white was waiting for him to speak, he turned around and left. He took a step with his left foot first, and then his right leg slowly followed from the ground. His right leg appeared to be completely stiff and numb. The man in white's face changed, and his clothes became taut again, but until Fu Hongxue's body was submerged in the darkness, he still stood there without moving. A gust of wind and sand rolled in his face, and he didn't even blink his eyes. The lantern bearer couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Just let him go like this?" The man in white closed his mouth tightly and did not speak, but a trace of blood slowly oozed from the corner of his mouth, and was blown dry by the wind in an instant. Fu Hongxue didn't look back. As long as he starts to go forward, he never looks back. The wind was stronger, and a row of wooden houses in the dark alley seemed to have been shaken by the wind. He walked past the row of wooden houses and stopped at the door of the last one. As soon as he stopped, the door opened. There were no voices or lights inside the door, and it was darker than outside the door. Fu Hongxue didn't say anything, just walked in, turned around, closed the door, and bolted it. He seemed completely used to the darkness. Suddenly a hand reached out in the darkness and took his hand. This is a warm, smooth, soft hand. Fu Hongxue just stood there, letting this hand hold his - the hand that didn't hold the knife. Then a voice sounded from the darkness, whispering in a whisper: "I have been waiting for a long time." It was a soft, sweet, youthful voice. It was a girl's voice. Fu Hongxue nodded slowly, and after a long time, he slowly said: "You have indeed been waiting for a long time." The girl asked, "When did you come?" Fu Hongxue: "Today, at dusk." The girl said: "You didn't come here directly?" Fu Hongxue said, "I haven't." The girl said, "Why don't you come directly?" Fu Hongxue said, "I'm here now." The girl said softly: "Yes, you have come now, as long as you can come, no matter how long I wait, it will be worth it." How long has she been waiting? Who is she?Why wait here? No one knows, no one else in the world knows except themselves. Fu Hongxue said, "Have you prepared everything?" The girl said: "Everything is ready, no matter what you want, just say it." Fu Hongxue didn't say anything. The girl's voice was softer, and she said, "I know what you want, I know..." Her hands groped in the darkness, and found Fu Hongxue's button. Her hands are light and gentle... Fu Hongxue was suddenly completely naked. There was no wind in the room, but his skin shrank and trembled as if in the wind. The girl's voice was like a dream, and she said softly: "You have always been a child, now, I want you to become a real man, because there are some things that only a real man can do..." Her lips were warm and moist, kissing Fu Hongxue's chest lightly. Her hands are exploring... Fu Hongxue fell down on the bed, but he didn't let go of the knife. This knife seems to have become a part of his body, a part of his life. He can never get rid of it! Dawn shone through the tall, small windows. The man is sleeping, the knife is in hand. There are only two rooms in total, the one at the back is the kitchen. The smell of rice wafted from the kitchen. A white-haired old woman is carefully shoveling two poached eggs out of the pot with a spatula and putting them on a plate. Her body was bent and her skin was shriveled. Her hands had become rough and ugly from the labor of work. The outside room is very comfortable and clean, and the bedding on the bed has just been changed. Fu Hongxue was still sleeping deeply. But when the old woman came out of the kitchen gently, his eyes were already opened. There is no sleep in the eyes. There were only the two of them in the two rooms. What about the gentle and affectionate girl last night?Has she also disappeared with the night? Could it be that she is the elf of the night? Fu Hongxue watched the old woman walk out with no expression on her face, she didn't say anything, she didn't ask anything. Why didn't he ask? Could it be that he has regarded what happened last night as a dream? The eggs were freshly fried, along with fresh tofu, green bamboo shoots and peanuts poached in salted water. The old woman put the tray on the table and said with a smile: "It's five cents for the breakfast, and four and seven cents for the rent. It's ten taels of silver for a month. It's cheap in this place." There are too many wrinkles on her face, so when she smiles, she is no different from when she is not smiling. Fu Hongxue put an ingot of silver on the table, and said, "I will stay for three months, this ingot is fifty taels of silver." The old woman said: "The extra twenty taels..." Fu Hongxue said, "Buy me a coffin after I die." The old woman laughed and said, "What if you don't die?" Fu Hongxue said, "I'll save it and buy a coffin for you." Going out of this back alley is the long street. The wind has stopped. The sun shone on the street, and the yellow sand shone golden. There were already people on the street, and the first thing Fu Hongxue saw was the man in white. He was still standing in the same place last night, even his posture hadn't changed. The snow-white clothes were covered with sand, and his hair was dyed yellow, but his face was pale, so pale that there was no trace of blood. He is suffering. There were curious eyes secretly looking at him everywhere, and this kind of eyes were even more scorching and unbearable than the scorching sun in autumn. Patience is a kind of pain, but sometimes it is also an art. He knows the art well. People who understand this art usually get what they hope for. Fu Hongxue was walking towards him, but his eyes were still staring into the distance. Suddenly, yellow sand rose up in the distance. With the sound of drum-like hooves, seven fast horses connected end to end, and rushed into the long street like arrows. The knight on the horse was excellent in riding skills. When he galloped in front of him, he suddenly got up from the saddle, pulled the downwind flag obliquely, and drew the knife with his backhand. He hung on the saddle and saluted him with the knife. This is the most respectful etiquette among knights. From their etiquette, it can be seen that the status of the man in white is not low. He didn't have to put up with it, but he would rather. No matter who wronged himself so much, he must have a purpose. What is his purpose? The light of the knife flashed across his expressionless face, and the seven fast horses rushed to the end of the long street in an instant. Suddenly, the last horse neighed and stood up, and the horse was near the reins. The horse turned around and rushed back like an arrow. The man was already standing on the saddle, holding a black iron spear wrapped in white silk high in his hand. The horse rushed over, the spear flew out of his hand, and plunged straight into the ground beside the man in white. The white silk on the gun immediately spread out against the wind, and it turned out to be a large triangular flag. There are five bright red characters on the flag: "Kandong Wanmatang". The big flag fluttered in the wind, which happened to block the dazzling sunlight for the man in white. Looking at the horse again, it has turned its head, caught up with his companion, and left in a hurry. One person and one horse came and went in a sudden, leaving only the yellow sand and a big flag in the street. The sun is shining on the banner! Dozens of pairs of eyes on the street have stared straight, forgetting to applaud. Suddenly I heard a person laughing loudly and said: "Kandong Wanmatang! What a Guandong Wanmatang!"