Chapter 23 Chapter 22 The Longest Night

The twilight is all in one. The lights in the hall have been lit, and the palace gauze lanterns in the corridor have also been lit. The light came from a distance and shone on the face of the old man in green robe. His face was pale, and the muscles in the corners of his eyes were already beating slightly. But his hand was still as steady as a rock. Xiao Shishilang was almost discouraged and almost collapsed. His confidence has begun to waver, and his hands will also begin to waver. He could hardly hold on any longer, this duel only needed to continue for a moment—— But at this moment, there was only a "chi"!The old man in Zhu Yi suddenly shot out with a chess piece in his hand, with a sound of "Dang", the spout of the jug fell down and shattered as if cut by a knife.

The wine gushes out and pours into the glass. The wine glass was full, and the old man in green robe withdrew his hand, slowly sipped the wine in the glass, and never looked at Xiao Shishilang again. Xiao Shishilang slowly put down the jug, slowly walked out of the Octagonal Pavilion, walked up to the Quqiao, and raised his head suddenly. The night was dark and the courtyard was full of lights. Xiao Shishilang stood at the head of the bridge, staring at a gauze lantern in the distance, and did not move for a long time. He had never realized that the light was so soft and intimate. "It's not a bad thing to be alive after all."

Only those who have experienced the fear of death know the value of life. "The food is probably getting cold again..." Xiao Shishilang quietly rubbed his arms and strode back. Today was almost the longest day in his life, but it was not in vain. After all, he has gained something. Every muscle in his body was aching, but he was in good spirits, ready to eat, drink, and sleep. He still has many, many things to do tomorrow, and everything may determine his life. The door is open. Shen Bijun must have been anxiously waiting again. "I just hope she doesn't think I'm fooling around with those little girls."

Xiao Shishilang quietly pushed open the door, hoping to see Shen Bijun's smile like a spring flower. He could never imagine what he would see when he opened the door, what would happen? Otherwise, he might never open this door! There are five dishes on the table: crabmeat fish lips, eight-treasure chili sauce, stir-fried eel paste, bean sprouts and shrimp waist, a large plate of drunken turn and oil fried shrimp for wine, and a casserole lion head for soup. The person on duty in the kitchen today is a senior secretary in Suzhou. The dishes are also cold. A man sat at the table, waiting.

But this person was not Shen Bijun, but the master who hadn't shown up for four or five days. There were no lights in the house. The light from the palace lantern came in from the window lattice, causing a scattered and hazy light and shadow to flow in the room. Sitting quietly in the light and shadow, he seemed to have become very mysterious, mysterious and elusive. It hardly looked like a flesh and blood living person, but like a ghost. On the wall, there is a picture of Zhong Kui catching ghosts.His eyes were fixed on the painting for a moment, as if he had been fascinated by it. As soon as Xiao Shishilang walked in, his heart sank.He suddenly had an ominous premonition, like a wolf, who has already smelled the disaster, and the disaster has come, even if he wants to avoid it, it is too late.

The master didn't look back. Xiao Shishilang hesitated, and sat down opposite. He decided not to say anything, and waited for the master to speak first.Because he doesn't know what has changed in the matter at all, and he can't guess how others are going to deal with him. After an unknown amount of time, the master suddenly let out a long sigh, and said: "The old ghosts have not left, but new ghosts are born again. There are all kinds of people, and there are also all kinds of ghosts. There are never enough to catch." Yes, why bother Daoist Zhong?" Xiao Shishilang poured a glass of wine and drank it down.

The host also poured a glass of wine, raised the glass in his hand, finally turned his eyes slowly, stared at him, and after a long time, suddenly smiled and said: "You seem to be very tired." Xiao Shishilang also smiled and said, "It's okay." The master said leisurely: "To fight against them, no matter what method you use, it will be very difficult." Xiao Shishilang said: "It's okay." The owner's eyes flickered, and he said: "After this battle, you must already know who they are?" Xiao Shishilang smiled faintly and said, "Maybe I already knew who they were."

The master said: "But you still dare to fight them?" Xiao Shishilang said, "Yes." The host looked up and smiled, and said: "Okay, if you have the courage, you should toast." Xiao Shishilang said: "Please." The master drank the wine in the glass, suddenly his face darkened, and said: "Besides that, what else do you know?" Xiao Shishilang said: "I don't know much, and I don't know too little." The master said coldly: "I hope you don't know too much. If a person knows too much, he will often lead to death. It's better not to know at all."

Xiao Shishilang slowly turned the empty wine glass on his fingertips, and suddenly said, "What about her?" The host said: "Who?" Xiao Shishilang said: "My wife." The master smiled again, very strangely, and said slowly: "Are you asking about that Miss Shen?" Xiao Shishilang stared at the spinning wine glass, his pupils seemed to shrink suddenly, and the eyeballs became indescribably hollow. After a long time, he nodded slowly. The master's eyes were fixed on him, and he asked word by word: "Is she really your wife?" Xiao Shishilang didn't answer.

The master then asked again: "Do you know what happened to her? Do you know why she is so weak?" Xiao Shishilang took a long breath and said, "What happened to her?" The master said indifferently: "She would have had a child in a few months, but now she doesn't have one." "Dang", the spinning wine glass flew out from the fingertips, hit the wall, and shattered. Xiao Shishilang's eyes were still fixed on the empty finger - the finger was still standing upright, looking so clumsy, so helpless, and so ridiculous. The master smiled and said leisurely: "If you don't even know this kind of thing, how can you be her husband? How can you be her husband!"

Xiao Shishilang finally moved his eyes away from his fingertips, stared at him, and said, "Where is she?" The master refused to answer this question, but said slowly, "Did you notice something? The most beautiful woman, the most comfortable house, and all the best things here belong to me." He stared at Xiao Shishilang, and said again: "Do you know why?" Xiao Shishilang said, "Why?" The master said: "It's only because I am the strongest!" He smiled again, and continued: "I told you a long time ago that there is neither morality nor etiquette here. Whoever is the most powerful and whoever is the strongest will get the best." Xiao Shishilang said: "You mean——" The master said: "Since you have come here, you have to obey the rules here. Miss Shen is neither your wife nor belongs to anyone, so whoever is the strongest will get her!" He held the empty wine glass in his hand, and slowly said: "So now she belongs to me, because I am stronger than anyone else, and I am also stronger than you!" His hands were slender and weak, even more delicate than a woman's hands. But after saying this, he spread his hand again, and the wine glass turned into a pile of powder. A pile of powder finer than salt! Xiao Shishilang suddenly stood up, and then sat down slowly. But the master didn't even look at him, and said leisurely: "This is your advantage, you can see clearly than most young people, know that I am indeed better than you, and you can endure more than most young people, so You can live until now." He smiled, and continued: "It's not easy to find an opponent like you, so I don't want you to die too quickly. As long as you are smart enough, you may be able to live for a long time." Xiao Shishilang suddenly let out a long sigh and said, "My problem is that I'm too smart. People who are too smart don't live long." The host said: "That's not necessarily the case. Haven't I already lived a long time? If you are really smart, you should talk less and drink more. Then, even if you suffer, I will treat you as well." compensated." Xiao Shishilang said: "Compensation?" The master smiled and said: "Su Yan——although she is not as beautiful as Miss Shen, she has many advantages that Miss Shen can't compare to. Besides, isn't she the one you picked? You lose one, and you get back One, there is no disadvantage. As long as you are like others and open to everything, you can still live happily here for the rest of your life, perhaps much more happily than living outside." Xiao Shishilang said: "What if I don't want to stay here?" The master lowered his face and said: "You have to be willing if you don't want to, because you have no choice at all, you can't escape at all!" Xiao Shishilang suddenly smiled and said, "Perhaps, I have found the key to breaking this magic!" The master's face changed, but he immediately smiled and said, "What you can't find, no one can find!" Xiao Shishilang said: "If I find her, will you let me take her away?" The master said: "How long do you want to look for?" Xiao Shishilang said: "It won't be long, it's now!" The master said, "What if you can't find it?" Xiao Shishilang said decisively: "I will stay here until I die, and I will be your slave for the rest of my life!" The master's smile suddenly became very gentle again, and he said softly: "The stakes are not small, you'd better think about it again." Xiao Shishilang said: "The bigger the bet, the more exciting it will be. Otherwise, it's better not to gamble. It depends on whether you dare to bet with me." The master smiled and said, "No matter how big the bet is, I can take it and lose it. Don't you feel relieved?" Xiao Shishilang said: "It's a deal?" The master said: "Words come out like the wind!" Xiao Shishilang said: "Good!" The word "good" came out, and he suddenly slammed into the wall. With a "boom", gray stones flew up, and he had smashed a hole the size of a tabletop into the nine-inch thick wall! Xiao Shishilang's men have crashed into the next room! The room is large, but has no windows.There is almost nothing in the room, only a big table with a doll’s house on it, pavilions in the garden, small bridges and flowing water, an old man in a green robe is washing his feet by the stream... Xiao Shishilang gasped, and finally a smile appeared on his face, and said with a smile: "This is the key to unlocking your magic, isn't it?" The master's face was pale and he didn't speak. Xiao Shishilang said: "You deliberately copied the place where you lived, built such a doll house, deliberately let us see it first, and then brought us here, so that we can't help but have an illusion that we are It has also been shrunk by magic and turned into a doll..." He went on to say: "Although this plan is absurd, it is really wonderful, because no one would have thought that there would be a crazy person like you in the world who would actually do such absurd things." The master also laughed loudly, and said with a smile: "Indeed, no one can think of it. I have used this method to tease countless people. In the end, those people either went crazy or cut their own necks." Xiao Shishilang said: "So you think this method is not only useful, but also very interesting?" The master laughed and said: "Of course it's very interesting. If you have seen the expressions of those people when they suddenly realized that they have been 'shrunk', and saw them drinking desperately, trying to find various ways to anesthetize themselves until they went crazy, You also feel like there's never going to be anything more interesting in the world." He laughed loudly and continued: "In order to survive, those people don't talk about morality and etiquette anymore, and they don't even want their reputation and status. In the end, they even sell their wives for a bottle of wine!" Xiao Shishilang said: "Do you think that all the people in the world are like them?" The master laughed and said, "If you have seen those people, you will understand that people are actually not as smart as you think. Sometimes they are even cheaper than dogs and stupider than pigs." Xiao Shishilang said coldly: "But don't forget, you are also a human being!" The master sternly said, "Who says I am a human being? Since I can control the life, death and fate of human beings, I am a god!" Xiao Shishilang sighed, and said, "Only a madman would regard himself as a god." The gentle smile appeared on the master's face again, and he said softly: "Don't be complacent, you are still under my control, and I can still control your life and death." Xiao Shishilang said: "I haven't forgotten what you promised me either." The master said, "Maybe I forgot it myself?" Xiao Shishilang smiled and said, "I believe in you. Since you regard yourself as a god, you will never break your promise to others. Otherwise, wouldn't you be as humble as others?" The master stared at him, and murmured: "You are really smart, I have always underestimated you!" Xiao Shishilang said: "What about her? You should let her go now!" The host said: "I still have to ask you a few words." Xiao Shishilang said: "I was waiting for you to ask." The master said: "How did you see through this secret?" Xiao Shishilang said with a smile: "If we have really entered the world of dolls, how can we see sunshine again? But here, there is sunshine." The master sighed, and said: "I realized that I had neglected this point, but the minds of people here are already confused, and no one will notice this negligence, even I have gradually forgotten it." Xiao Shishilang said: "Most people think they can see far away, but don't pay attention to what is right in front of them. Of course you also understand this weakness of the human heart, that's why you put me here, you To think that I would never have guessed that the key to the secret was right next door to my own dwelling." The master said: "How did you think of it?" Xiao Shishilang said: "I just vaguely feel that there must be two hidden secret rooms in this place, and I'm not sure where they are. It was just a chance." He smiled, and continued, "My luck is pretty good." The master was silent for a while, then said calmly: "No matter how good a person's luck is, it will turn bad one day." The long night is over. The master is still sitting in that room, and there is still no light in the room. In the darkness, a small and hazy figure slowly appeared.Slowly walked behind him, gently patted his back, and said softly: "You seem a little tired." The voice is soft and sweet, with an indescribable attraction. The master neither spoke nor looked back. The window paper gradually turned white, and the dawn illuminated the figure. She is not tall, but her curves are so soft and well-proportioned. She has a round face, big and bright eyes, and she has a smile when she is not smiling. Her smile is not only sweet, but also innocent. No matter who sees her smile, they will forget all their melancholy and troubles. Young master! How could the young master be here? After a long time, the master sighed and said: "You are right, Xiao Shishilang is indeed not an ordinary person, I shouldn't underestimate him." The little prince said: "So you shouldn't let him go!" The master said: "I want people to know that what I say is the golden rule!" The little prince said: "But...the tiger returns to the mountain..." The master interrupted her and said with a smile: "Although they are gone now, they will come back within ten days." The little prince said: "Come back? You said they will come back?" The host said: "I will definitely come back!" The young master smiled and said, "Do you think there is something wrong with Xiao Shishilang?" The master said: "Although Xiao Shishilang may not be sure, Shen Bijun must come back." The little prince said: "Are you sure?" The master said: "When did you see me do something that I was not sure about?" The little prince said: "Why did she come back?" The master said: "Because I have left her heart here." The little boy blinked and giggled. The master said: "You don't believe it?" The young master smiled and said, "I just can't figure out what method you are using?" The master said: "If a man wants to keep a woman's heart, there are only two ways." The little prince asked, "Which two kinds?" The master said: "The first way is to make her love you. This is of course the best way, but it is more difficult." The little prince said: "What about the second type?" The master said: "The second way is to make her hate you. If a woman really hates you, she will think about you all the time, never forget you, and never shake you off." He smiled, and continued: "This method is much easier." The little prince rolled his eyes and said: "But if a woman has never really loved you, she will never hate you." The master smiled and said, "You are wrong. There may be only one kind of love, but there are many kinds of hate." The little prince said: "Oh?" The master said: "If someone kills your closest person, do you hate him?" The little boy was speechless. The master said: "I have tried to let her know that I destroyed Shenjiazhuang, and I also killed her grandmother!" The little prince said: "But, this kind of hatred..." The master said: "This kind of hatred is also hatred. The deeper she hates me, the more she will try every means to come back to me, because only by my side can she have a chance to kill me and have a chance to take revenge!" The young master was silent for a while, then said: "If that's the case, why did she leave?" The master said: "Because she doesn't want to involve Xiao Shishilang, she knows that if she doesn't leave, Xiao Shishilang won't leave either." The young master's eyes flickered, and he said: "So, you also know that she loves Xiao Shishilang?" The master said: "If a woman falls in love with a man, she is not blind and can see it." The little boy bit his lip and said, "Are you sure you can get her?" The master smiled and said, "As long as she's by my side, I'm sure." The little prince said: "But since you know that she loves someone else, what's the point of getting her?" The master laughed and said: "As long as I can get her, there will be a way to make her forget all other men." The little boy's hand beating his back suddenly stopped, and his head was lowered. The master turned around, took her hand, smiled very special, and said, "No one else knows about this method, but you should know about it." The little boy let out a "squeak" and fell into his arms...