Chapter 26 Chapter 25: A Sword Shocks the Quartet

extremely hot. It shouldn't have been this hot after it had just rained. Beads of sweat trickled down people's stiff necks and into their almost soaked clothes. The color-changing lizard crawled among the sand and stones, as if it also wanted to find a shady place. The grass that has just been wet by the rain has been dried again. Even the wind is hot. The wind blows from the grassland and blows on people like the devil's breath in hell. It's only cooler inside the house. On the three-foot-wide cabinet, there are piles of bright silks and satins, and sets of ready-made clothes.

Ye Kai sat in a bamboo chair next to him, stretched his legs, and watched Ding Linglin lazily choose her clothes. The two guys in the store, one older, waited beside him with his hands down and a smile on his face. Another young man took the opportunity to sneak to the door to watch the fun. They have been in this business for a long time, and they have learned that when women are choosing clothes, it is best for men not to participate in their opinions. Ding Linglin chose a light blue dress, compared it with her body, put it down again, sighed softly, and said: "Unexpectedly, there are quite a lot of stocks in this place."

Ye Kaidao: "Others only think there are too few goods, so don't you think there are too many goods?" Ding Linglin nodded, and said: "The more items there are, the more I can't make up my mind. If there are only a few items, I might have bought them all." Ye Kai also sighed and said, "This is the truth." The young man smiled apologetically, "It's just because Wanmatang's aunts and ladies often come to visit, so the shop has to stock more goods. I'm really sorry." Ding Linglin couldn't help laughing, and said: "You don't need to apologize for this, it's not your fault."

The older guy said: "But the customer is always right. If the girl thinks the store has too much stock, it is the store's fault." Ding Linglin smiled and said: "You really know how to do business, it seems that I can't buy it if I want to." The young man standing at the door suddenly let out a long sigh, and murmured: "Unexpected, really unexpected..." Ding Linglin frowned and said, "You didn't expect me to buy it?" The young man was startled, turned around and smiled apologetically, "How dare you make such a fuss!" Ding Linglin said: "What do you mean?"

The young man said: "The little one just never imagined that Miss Ma would really wipe someone's back." Ding Linglin said: "Miss Ma?" The man said, "It's the daughter of the third boss of Wanmatang." Ding Linglin asked, "Is that the one in the red dress?" The buddy said: "The three bosses only have such a daughter." Ding Linglin said: "Who is she wiping the back for?" The guy said, "That's...that uncle who takes a bath in the street." Ding Linglin rolled her eyes and turned to look at Ye Kai. Ye Kai squinted his eyes, as if dozing off.

Ding Linglin said: "Hey, did you hear that?" Ye Kai said: "Yes." Ding Linglin said: "Your good friend is wiping someone's back, don't you want to go out and have a look?" Ye Kai said: "Yes." Ding Linglin said, "Well, what do you mean?" Ye Kai yawned and said: "If a man is wiping a woman's back, you don't need to tell me. I've already gone out to see it. It's only natural for a woman to wipe a man's back. What's so interesting about it?" Ding Linglin stared at him, and finally couldn't help laughing again.

The young man suddenly sighed again, and said, "You know what Miss Ma means." Ding Linglin said: "Oh?" The guy sighed: "Miss Ma wronged herself so much because of the third boss." Ding Linglin said: "Oh?" The guy said: "Because the cripple is the enemy of the third boss, Miss Ma is afraid that the third boss is too old to be his opponent." Ding Linglin said: "So she didn't hesitate to wrong herself, just to ask Lu Xiaojia to kill the cripple for her." The guy nodded and sighed: "She is really a filial daughter."

Ding Linglin suddenly sneered, "Maybe she just likes to wipe men's backs." The guy was startled, and wanted to say something, but after being glared at by the older guy, he lowered his head. Suddenly there was a sound of horseshoes outside.The sound of hooves was chaotic, and there was obviously more than one person coming. Ding Linglin's eyes moved, and she said, "Go out and see who is here!" Although the guy was very dissatisfied with her, he still walked out with his head down. "It's the old master from Wanmatang." "How many are here?"

"There seem to be forty or fifty." Ding Linglin pondered, and glanced at Ye Kai out of the corner of her eye, and said, "Do you think they are here to help, or to watch the fun?" Ye Kai yawned again and said, "It depends on whether they are stupid or smart." Ding Linglin said: "If they want to help, are they really idiots?" Ye Kai said, "You're an out-and-out idiot." He smiled, and said again: "Such a beautiful scene, only a fool would miss it." Ding Linglin also smiled, and said, "Are you wholeheartedly waiting to see whether it is Fu Hongxue's sword speed or Lu Xiaojia's sword speed?"

Ye Kai said: "Even if I have to wait for three days, I will wait." Ding Linglin said: "So you are not an idiot." Ye Kai said: "Absolutely not." At this time, various voices gradually came in from the street, including coughing and whispering, but most of them were sighs full of surprise and emotion. Seeing Miss Ma wiping someone's back, obviously many people were surprised and complained, but no one dared to come out to meddle in this matter.There are not many fools in this world after all. Suddenly, all sounds stopped, even the wind seemed to have stopped.

The two guys in the store seemed to suddenly feel an indescribable pressure, which was suffocating. Ding Linglin's eyes suddenly shone, and she murmured: "Here we come, finally here..." No one moved, no sound. Everyone has felt this irresistible pressure, which is overwhelming. "It's here! It's finally here..." What a hot sun, what a hot wind! The wind blows from the grassland, and this man also came from the grassland. The mud on the road has dried up. He slowly walked up the road, taking a step with his left leg first, and then slowly followed with his right leg. Everyone was looking at him and the sun was shining on his face. His face was pale and transparent, like the eternal snow and ice on a distant mountain. But his eyes seemed to be burning.His eyes were staring at Ma Fangling. Ma Fangling's hand stopped, and the bath towel in her hand was still dripping water. Her heart was bleeding. One drop, two drops...sorrow, anger, shame, hatred. "Why don't you go? Why do you still stay here?" "I can't go, because I want to watch him die, in front of me!" She was struggling and shouting in her heart, but there was no expression on her face. Fu Hongxue's eyes were fixed on Lu Xiaojia's face. Lu Xiaojia didn't even look at him, but instead waved to Ding Laosi and shopkeeper Hu. They just had to walk over. Lu Xiaojia said: "This is the person you want me to kill?" Ding Laosi hesitated, looked at shopkeeper Hu, and the two finally nodded at the same time. Lu Xiaojia said: "You really want me to kill him?" Ding Laosi said: "Of course." Lu Xiaojia suddenly smiled and said, "Okay, I will definitely kill him for you." He stretched out his hands and slowly picked up the sword on the wooden stand. Fu Hongxue immediately clenched the hand holding the knife. Lu Xiaojia still didn't look at him, but focused on the sword in his hand, and said slowly: "What I promised, I will definitely do." Ding Laosi smiled and said, "Of course." Lu Xiaojia said, "Don't worry?" Ding Laosi said: "Of course don't worry." Lu Xiaojia sighed lightly, and said, "Since you are relieved, you can die." Fourth Ding frowned and said, "What did you say?" Lu Xiaojia said: "I said you should die already." The sword in his hand swung out suddenly, slowly, not fast, and did not stab anyone. Ding Laosi watched the sword in his hand swing out, his face suddenly tightened, and his whole body tightened suddenly. Everyone looked at his face in amazement, and no one knew what was going on. Ding Laosi's people have fallen down.When he fell down, a blood arrow suddenly shot out from under his lower abdomen. Only then did everyone see that a sword had stabbed out of the barrel, and the tip of the sword was still dripping with blood. When Ding Laosi was looking at the sword in Lu Xiaojia's right hand, the sword in Lu Xiaojia's left hand had been thrust out of the barrel and pierced into his stomach. At this moment, shopkeeper Hu also fell down, and there was a stream of blood in his throat. The sword in Lu Xiaojia's right hand was also dripping with blood. When shopkeeper Hu saw the sword stabbing out from the barrel, the sword in Lu Xiaojia's right hand had suddenly changed direction, accelerated, and with just a flash of lightning, it had already pierced his throat! No one moved, and there was no sound.Everyone seems to have stopped breathing. The tip of the sword was still dripping blood. Seeing the blood dripping from the tip of his sword, Lu Xiaojia sighed softly, and murmured: "People in my line of work will keep their hands in the bathtub even when they take a bath, you should understand by now." .” Ma Fangling suddenly hissed: "But I don't understand." Lu Xiaojia said: "You don't understand why I want to kill them?" Of course Ma Fangling didn't understand, and said, "They are not the ones you want to kill!" Lu Xiaojia suddenly smiled again, turned his head, and his eyes finally fell on Fu Hongxue. "Do you understand?" Of course Fu Hongxue didn't understand either, no one understood. Lu Xiaojia said: "Actually, they don't really want me to kill you. They just want to plot against you from the side when I fight you." Fu Hongxue still didn't quite understand. Lu Xiaojia said: "This idea is indeed very good, because no matter who fights with me, they will have no spare power to guard against other people's plots, especially the plots from the barrel." Fu Hongxue said, "In the barrel?" At this moment, a loud "bang" was heard suddenly.The sound actually came from the wooden barrel, and then, the wooden barrel was suddenly shaken away. The water splashed everywhere, and a silver light shone in the sun.Suddenly a figure jumped out of the barrel. This man is so fast.But Lu Xiaojia's sword was faster, the sword light flashed, and there was another scream. Another string of blood beads flashed under the sun, and a person fell to the ground. It turned out to be a golden-backed camel dragon! There was no sound, no breathing.The screams of misery have disappeared in the hot air blowing from the grassland. After an unknown amount of time, Ding Linglin let out a long breath and said, "What a fast sword!" Ye Kai nodded, and he also admitted. No one can but admit that——Bing Fantie's sword was in Lu Xiaojia's hands, and it seemed that it was no longer a sword. It seemed to have turned into a poisonous snake, a bolt of lightning, lightning struck from hell. Ding Linglin sighed: "Now even I admire him a little bit." Ye Kai said: "Oh?" Ding Linglin said: "Although he may not be a smart person, he may not be a good person, but he does know how to use a sword." The last drop of blood also dripped down. Only then did Lu Xiaojia lift his eyes from the tip of the sword, looked at Fu Hongxue, and said with a smile, "Do you understand now?" Fu Hongxue nodded. Of course he understood now, everyone understood. There is actually a section under the wooden barrel that is empty, and there is a person hiding in it. Once the water is filled into the barrel, no one can see how deep the barrel is. Of course Lu Xiaojia didn't stand up straight, so no one would have thought that there was a layer under the barrel. Therefore, if the golden-backed camel dragon sent out a hidden weapon from there, Fu Hongxue would never have dreamed of it. Lu Xiaojia said: "Now you should understand that I take a bath not because I want to be clean, but because someone paid me five thousand taels of silver." He smiled, and said again: "For five thousand taels of silver, maybe even Ye Kai is willing to take a bath." Ye Kai was smiling. Fu Hongxue's face was still ice-cold and pale. Under such a scorching sun, he didn't even have a drop of sweat on his face. Lu Xiaojia said leisurely: "Even I think this idea is good, but it's a pity they still miscalculated one thing." Fu Hongxue couldn't help asking, "What's the matter?" Lu Xiaojia said: "They misread me." Fu Hongxue said, "Oh?" Lu Xiaojia said: "I have killed people before, and I will kill people in the future. I also like money. For five thousand taels of silver, I am willing to take a bath anytime and anywhere." He smiled again, and continued lightly: "But I don't like being used by others, and I don't like being used as a tool." Fu Hongxue let out a long breath, and the ice and snow in his eyes seemed to have gradually started to melt. He suddenly felt that the person standing in front of him, dripping wet, was at least human. Lu Xiaojia said: "If I want to kill someone, I always do it myself." Fu Hongxue said: "This is a good habit." Lu Xiaojia said: "Actually, I still have a lot of good habits." Fu Hongxue said, "Oh?" Lu Xiaojia said: "I still have a good habit of never swallowing what I say." Fu Hongxue said, "Oh." Lu Xiaojia said: "Now I have received other people's money, and I have promised others to kill you." Fu Hongxue said, "I heard it." Lu Xiaojia said: "So I still want to kill you." Fu Hongxue said: "But I don't want to kill you." Lu Xiaojia said, "Why?" Fu Hongxue said, "Because I never liked killing people like you." Lu Xiaojia said, "What kind of person am I?" Fu Hongxue said, "He's a very funny person." Lu Xiaojia was surprised and said, "I'm funny?" Many people have called him many kinds of ugly words, but no one has ever called him funny! Fu Hongxue said lightly: "I always think that people who take a shower wearing pants are much more ridiculous than people who take off their pants and fart." Ye Kai couldn't help laughing, and Ding Linglin also laughed. A big man in only a pair of wet trousers looks really funny. At least it doesn't look like a murderer. Lu Xiaojia suddenly laughed too, and said with a smile: "Interesting and interesting, I never thought that you would be so interesting. I have always liked you the most." He suddenly lowered his face again, and said coldly: "It's a pity that I still want to kill you!" Fu Hongxue said, "Kill him now?" Lu Xiaojia said: "Kill it now!" Fu Hongxue said, "Just wearing these wet pants?" Lu Xiaojia said: "Even if you don't wear pants, I still want to kill you." Fu Hongxue said, "Very good." Lu Xiaojia said: "Very good?" Fu Hongxue said: "I also feel that it is a pity to miss this opportunity." Lu Xiaojia said, "What chance?" Fu Hongxue said: "Kill my chance." Lu Xiaojia said, "Now I have the chance to kill you?" Fu Hongxue said: "Because you know that I will never kill you now!" Lu Xiaojia moved, "What do you mean?" Fu Hongxue said lightly, "I'm just telling you that I will never swallow back what I say." Lu Xiaojia looked at him with a strange expression on his face. Fu Hongxue's face was completely expressionless. Lu Xiaojia suddenly smiled. On the wooden stand was a leather dungaree, buried under the clothes. He suddenly picked it up with the tip of his sword, and took out two banknotes from his purse. One is ten thousand taels, and the other is five thousand taels. Lu Xiaojia said: "Although the man was not killed, he has already taken a bath, so I will accept the five thousand taels, but I have to return the ten thousand taels to you." He threw the 10,000 taels of silver bills on Ding Laosi, and murmured, "I'm so sorry, everyone will break their promise once or twice, and you probably won't blame me." No one blamed him, and of course the dead would not speak. Lu Xiaojia had already picked up his purse with the point of his sword, and walked away without even looking at Fu Hongxue or Ma Fangling. Everyone just watched. But when he walked in front of Ye Kai, he stopped suddenly. Ye Kai was still smiling. Lu Xiaojia looked at him up and down, then smiled suddenly, and said, "Do you know why I kept the five thousand taels?" Ye Kai smiled and said, "I don't know." Lu Xiaojia sent the bank note over and said, "This is for you." Ye Kai said: "Give it to me? Why did you give it to me?" Lu Xiaojia said, "Because I want you to do something." Ye Kai said: "What's the matter?" Lu Xiaojia said: "Please take a bath, if you don't take a bath, even I will be stink to death by you." He didn't let Ye Kai speak again, he laughed and walked away. Ye Kai looked at the bank note in his hand, not knowing whether it was out of anger or amused. But Ding Linglin couldn't help laughing and said: "No matter what, you can get five thousand taels of silver for taking a bath, which is always worth it." Ye Kai kept his face straight on purpose, and said coldly: "You seem to admire him very much." Ding Linglin blinked and said, "But the person I admire most is not him." Ye Kai said: "What do you admire most is yourself?" Ding Linglin said: "It's not me, it's you." Ye Kai said: "You also admire me the most?" Ding Linglin nodded and said, "Because there are men in this world who are willing to spend five thousand taels of silver for you to take a bath." Ye Kai couldn't help laughing, but he didn't. Because at this moment, he heard someone burst into tears. It was Ma Fangling who was crying. She had been patient for a long time, and she had used all her strength to control herself. But she still couldn't help crying, crying loudly. She was not only sad, but angry. Because she felt that the person who was insulted and damaged was always her, and no one else. When she started crying, Fu Hongxue was walking over, walking beside her. But he didn't look at her, not even a glance, as if he was walking past the corpse of a golden-backed dragon. The horse masters of Wanmatang all stood under the eaves, some lowered their heads, and some looked at other places. They were also strong and fierce men, but now seeing their hall master's only daughter being humiliated in front of them, everyone actually pretended not to see it. Ma Fangling rushed over suddenly, pointed at Fu Hongxue, and hissed, "Do you know who he is? He is the enemy of your hall master, the murderer who killed your brothers. He intends to destroy Wanmatang. Watch from the side." Still no one spoke, and no one looked at her. Everyone's eyes were on a middle-aged man with a face full of wind and frost. They called this man Boss Jiao, because he was the oldest among the horsemen. He has spent almost all of his life in Wanma Hall, and he has spent the most precious years of his life on horseback in Wanma Hall. Now his legs are bent, his back is bent a little, and his eyes, which were originally sharp, have been soaked red with bad wine. Whenever he touched the calluses on his thighs while sleeping on the cold and hard wooden bed, he would also think of going elsewhere. But he has no other place to go, because his roots have also been born in Wanmatang. The first time Ma Fangling rode on a horse, she was carried by him. Now she is also staring at him, and said loudly: "Boss Jiao, only you and my father have lived the longest, why don't you speak?" Boss Jiao's eyes seemed to be filled with grief and indignation, but he managed to control it. After a long time, he let out a long sigh and said slowly, "I have nothing to say." Ma Fangling said, "Why?" Boss Jiao clenched his fists, gritted his teeth and said, "Because I'm no longer from Wanmatang." Ma Fangling suddenly said: "Who said that?" Jiao Lao said: "The third boss said." Ma Fangling was stunned. Jiao Lao said: "He gave each of us a horse and three hundred taels of silver, and told us to go." He clenched his fists and clenched his teeth even tighter, and said in a harsh voice: "We have sacrificed our lives for Wanmatang, but the third boss said that we should go, so we have to go." Ma Fangling looked at him and stepped back step by step. She also has nothing to say. Ye Kai had been listening attentively, and when he heard this, he suddenly lost his voice: "Not good." Ding Linglin said: "What's wrong?" Ye Kai shook his head, but before he could speak, he suddenly saw a puff of thick smoke rising into the sky. That's where the white silk flag of Wanmatang was originally raised! Smoke, fire. When Ye Kai and the others arrived there, Wanmatang had turned into a sea of ​​flames. The sky is dry and things are dry, and once the general trend breaks out, it will be out of control. What's more, oil is added to the fire - the most flammable black oil unique to the grassland. There were at least twenty or thirty places where the fire broke out at the same time. The horses neighed in the fire, trampled each other, trying to find a way out in the merciless fire. Some were lucky enough to rush over and scatter in all directions, but most of them were already trapped to death. The stench of scorched meat was already coming out of the raging fire. "Wanmatang has been destroyed, completely destroyed." "The people who ruined this place are also the ones who built this place." Ye Kai seemed to be able to see Ma Kongqun standing in the raging fire, sneering at him and saying: "This place is mine, no one can take it away from me!" Now he has fulfilled his promise, and now Wanmatang belongs to him forever. Although the fire was fierce, Ye Kai's palm was dripping with cold sweat. No one will understand his current mood, and no one will know what he is thinking. Ding Linglin suddenly sighed, and said: "Since you can't get it, why not simply destroy it, what this person did is not completely wrong." Her pale face was already reddened by the flames.Suddenly he lost his voice and said: "Strange, why is there a child there?" The fire burned the sky red, and it looked like a piece of transparent amber. The blood-red sun hangs motionless in the amber. I don't know when the wind will blow again. Where there is fire, there is always wind. In the distance, a piece of long grass that has not been ignited is constantly heaving and falling in the wind, and the yellow sand rolls in from a distance and disappears in the raging fire. The horse in the fire was neighing in grief, hearing it, it made people want to vomit. Under the blood-red sun, among the undulating long grass, there was indeed a child standing there obsessively. He looked at the raging fire that burned his home to the ground. His tears seemed to have been dried, and he seemed to be completely numb. "Little Tiger." This child is Ma Kongqun's youngest son. Ye Kai couldn't help rushing over, saying, "You...why are you still here?" Little Huzi didn't look up at him, but said softly, "I'm waiting for you." Ye Kai said: "Wait for me? Why are you waiting for me here?" Little Huzi said: "My father told me to wait for you here, he knew you would definitely come." Ye Kai couldn't help asking: "Where are his people?" Little Huzi said: "Gone...already gone..." Until then, the little child showed a sad expression on his face, as if he was about to cry.But he actually held back. Ye Kai couldn't help holding the child's hand, and said, "When did he leave?" Little Huzi said: "It's been a long time since I left." Ye Kai said: "He left alone?" The little tiger shook his head. Ye Kai said: "Who else will follow him?" Little Huzi said: "Third Aunt." Ye Kai lost his voice: "Sanniang Shen?" Little Huzi nodded, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he said in a squeaky voice: "He took Third Aunt away, but he refused to take me away, he...he..." Before the sentence was finished, the child finally couldn't help but burst into tears. The cry was full of grief, bitterness, anger, and also a kind of unknowable fear. He was still a child after all. Ye Kai looked at him, and couldn't help but feel very sad, Ding Linglin couldn't help but quietly wiped her tears. The child suddenly threw himself into Ye Kai's arms and cried bitterly: "My father asked me to wait for you here. He said that you promised him that you would take good care of me, and my sister...isn't it? Isn't it?" How could Ye Kai say no? Ding Linglin pulled the child over and said softly, "I promise he will take good care of you, otherwise I won't even agree." The child looked up at her, then lowered his head, and said, "Where's my sister? Will you take good care of her too?" Ding Linglin had no choice but to smile wryly. Only then did Ye Kai realize that Ma Fangling had gone somewhere. And what about Fu Hongxue? The sun has gone down. Although the fire on the grassland is still burning, it has finally weakened. The west wind is hissing furiously, and the dusk is approaching. The once-prominent Guandong Wanmatang is now a relic, and when the fire goes out, at most there will be only a few mounds of barren graves, a piece of scorched earth. Ma Kongqun, who single-handedly established this foundation, now has no idea where to go. Who caused all this? Hate!Sometimes even love is stronger than hate! Fu Hongxue's heart was filled with hatred.He hated himself, too—maybe he hated himself the most. There was no one on the long street, at least he couldn't see a living person. Everyone has rushed to the scene of the fire.This fire not only destroyed Wanmatang, but also undoubtedly destroyed this small town. Many people can see that this small town will soon be as stiff and shriveled as the bodies of the golden-backed camel dragon and the others. The dirt in the streets was equally stiff and dry. Fu Hongxue walked the long street alone, he took a step with his left leg first, and then slowly followed with his right leg.Although he walked slowly, he never stopped. "Maybe I should find a horse." Just as he was thinking this way, he saw a person quietly coming out of the side alley. A slender and slender woman carrying a large bundle in her hands. Cui Nong. Fu Hongxue felt a sharp pain in his heart suddenly, because he was already determined to forget her. Ever since he knew that she had been "working" for Xiao Bieli all these years, he had made up his mind to forget her. But she is the only woman in his life. Cui Nong seemed to be waiting for him here, now she walked over slowly with her head down, and said softly, "You want to go?" Fu Hongxue nodded. Cui Nong said, "To find Ma Kongqun?" Fu Hongxue nodded again, of course he must find Ma Kongqun. Cui Nong said: "Are you going to leave me here alone?" Fu Hongxue's heart throbbed again.He had made up his mind not to look at her again, but in the end he couldn't help but glance at her. This glance is enough. The blood-red sun was shining on her face, her face was pale, beautiful and haggard. Her eyes were full of helpless affection, as if she was saying to him: "If you don't take me away, I dare not ask you again, but I still want you to know that I will always be yours." The sweet desire in the darkness, the fire-like embrace, the soft and sweet lips and chest—all rushed into Fu Hongxue's heart at this very instant. His palms began to sweat. The sun was still shining on his head, a fiery sun. Cui Nong's head hangs lower, and his thick black hair falls down like flowing water. Fu Hongxue couldn't help but slowly stretched out his hand and held her hair. Her hair was as black as his knife.