Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Between Life and Death

A stone wall with fishing nets drying on the wall. Xiaodie took Meng Xinghun's hand, which was already calloused from fishing nets. She pressed his hand to her warm smooth face. The sky is full of stars, the children are asleep in the house, it is the most peaceful and peaceful time of day, and it is their time. At this time every day, they will cuddle up to each other, listen to each other's breathing, each other's heartbeat; watch the stars rise and the waves go down. Then they tell themselves, "I lived and I'm living now." Because they both make each other's life worthwhile and meaningful.

The starlight tonight is no different from the eve, but what about people? Fluttershy rubbed her face gently with his rough hands. Meng Xinghun suddenly noticed that her face was getting wet. "Are you crying?" Xiaodie lowered her head, and after a long time, she said softly: "Today when I came out of the kitchen to get firewood, I saw you packing your clothes." Meng Xinghun's face was pale, and finally he nodded slowly, and said, "I'm packing my clothes." Xiaodie said: "You...you want to go?" Meng Xinghun's hands were cold, and he said, "I was planning to tell you tomorrow morning."

Xiao Die shyly said: "I have known for a long time that you are not used to this kind of life, you go, I don't blame you, but I...I..." Her tears dripped down onto Meng Xinghun's hands. Meng Xinghun said: "You think I'm going to leave you, you think I won't come back once I leave?" Xiaodie said: "I don't dare to think about it, I dare not think about anything." Meng Xinghun said: "Then I'll tell you, I will definitely come back, no matter who or what, nothing can stop me." Xiaodie threw herself into his arms and said with tears, "Then why did you leave?"

Meng Xinghun let out a long breath, looked at the dark ocean in the distance, and said, "I'm going to find someone." Xiao Die asked, "Who are you looking for?" Meng Xinghun didn't answer, and after a long time, he said calmly: "Do you remember that I mentioned someone in front of you two days ago?" Xiaodie's body suddenly stiffened. Meng Xinghun said: "I found that when this person was mentioned, not only did your appearance change immediately, but even your voice changed, and you kept having nightmares that night, as if someone strangled you in a dream. Throat."

He sighed, and said sadly: "It was only then that I realized that the person who bullied you, tortured you, and almost killed you for the rest of your life is Ritsu Kagawa!" Xiaodie trembled all over, and tremblingly said: "Who said it was him? Who told you?" Meng Xinghun said: "There is no need for others to tell me, in fact, I should have already thought that only he has the most chances to approach you; only he can make you completely unguarded against him; only he has the opportunity to bully you!" Xiaodie's body swayed, as if she could no longer support herself.

Meng Xinghun pulled the bamboo chair over to let her sit down, and couldn't help but said, "But I still can't figure it out, why didn't you tell the old man about this? You could have let the old man deal with him." Xiaodie sat there, still trembling and crying, and after a long time, she bit her lip and said, "Do you know the relationship between him and the old man?" Meng Xinghun said: "Know a little bit." Xiao Die said: "He knows almost all the old man's secrets, and almost all of the old man's actions in recent years have been secretly planned by him. The old man trusts him, just like I trust him."

Meng Xinghun gritted his teeth and said, "He is indeed a person who can be trusted by others." Xiaodie said: "At that time I was still young, I didn't understand anything, so I regarded him as my big brother." Her tears flowed down like a spring, seemingly completely uncontrollable. "He was also very good to me, until one day I realized that as long as people looked at me twice, they would often disappear for no reason. "I also found out that these people were all dead at his hands, so I asked him, why did he do this? "He said he did it all for me, he said those people didn't have any kindness for me.

"Although I was still skeptical, I believed it a little bit. He asked me to drink with him, and I drank with him, because I used to drink with him too. You know, the old man didn't forbid us to drink." "When I woke up, I found out... I found out..." At this point, she was sobbing again. Meng Xinghun clenched his fists tightly and said, "Why didn't you tell the old man then?" Xiaodie said: "Because he threatened me, if I report on him, he will not only kill me, but also betray the old man and tell the enemy all the old man's secrets."

Meng Xinghun said: "So you are afraid?" Xiaodie said: "I have to be afraid, because I know that if he betrays the old man, the consequences will be unimaginable, and his hidden weapons are poisonous and ruthless. The old man often said that he is already one of the best hidden weapons masters in the world. If you kill me, there are many opportunities to kill the old man." Meng Xinghun sighed: "Do you think that if you conceal this matter for him, he will treat the old man faithfully?" Xiaodie said: "Because he told me that he is sincere to me, as long as I treat him well, he will wholeheartedly do things for our Sun family!"

Meng Xinghun said: "You believed him?" Xiao Die said: "At that time, I really believed it, because I didn't see his true face at that time, and I thought he was a human being, but who knows that he is even worse than a beast." Her body began to tremble, and she said with tears: "The old man often said that he drank the most temperately. Only I know that he often gets drunk in the middle of the night, and when he is drunk, he will beat me and torture me for no reason. But then I realized it was too late, because... because I had his baby in my belly." Her voice was hoarse, and she spoke intermittently for a long time before finally finishing the sentence.

After she finished speaking, she fell on the chair and seemed to have completely collapsed. It seemed that Meng Xinghun would also collapse. Xiaodie suddenly jumped up again, grabbed his hand, and said: "Can you not go to him, don't we live well now? People like him, God will naturally punish him." Meng Xinghun said decisively: "No, I must go to him." Xiaodie hissed, "Why...why?" Meng Xinghun said: "Because if I don't look for him, we will live in his shadow for the rest of our lives, and we will always seem to be strangled by him." Xiaodie covered her face and cried, "But you..." Meng Xinghun interrupted her and said, "For us, I will go to him, and for the sake of the old man, I must go to him." Xiaodie said: "Why?" Meng Xinghun said: "Because you are the old man's daughter, and because the old man let me go once, I have to repay him!" Xiaodie lost her voice: "Do you think he will treat the old man..." Meng Xinghun said: "I remember the old man said something to me." Xiaodie said: "What did he say?" Meng Xinghun said: "He said that Lu Mantian alone would never dare to betray him. There must be someone behind the scenes." Xiao Die said: "Do you think the person who made the master betray the old man is Lu Xiangchuan?" Meng Xinghun said bitterly: "Since he did this to you, what else can't he do?" Xiao Die said: "But...but he has many opportunities to get close to the old man. With his hidden weapon skills, he often has the opportunity to plot against the old man. Why hasn't he done it?" Meng Xinghun pondered, and said: "Maybe he has been waiting for an opportunity and didn't dare to act rashly. Maybe he knows that the old man has many friends and is very loyal to the old man, and he is afraid that others will seek revenge on him!" He thought for a while, and then said: "The most important thing is that he betrayed the old man obviously for the old man's status and property, so he has been waiting for the old man to hand everything over to him before he can do it, so over the years, he has been exhausted. Various methods have made the old man trust him more and more." Xiaodie's tears suddenly stopped, and her sorrow and pain suddenly turned into fear. Meng Xinghun heaved a long sigh, and said, "I only hope that there is still time to go now." Xiaodie bit her lips tightly and sighed: "But you must be careful of his hidden weapons, his hidden weapons are really scary..." The hidden weapon has been shot into the old man's back. Few people can imagine the feeling of suddenly falling from the height of joy to death. Even the old man can't. But now he felt it—even if he felt it, he couldn't describe it. Suddenly slipping from a tall building, suddenly falling from light into a bottomless abyss of darkness... Even these feelings are not as terrifying as the old man is experiencing now. Because he had already seen Ritsu Kagawa standing in front of his bed. It was the person he trusted most; his friend, his son. Lu Xiangchuan had no expression on his face, looked at him coldly, and suddenly said: "I use the seven-star needle." The old man clenched his teeth, already feeling the coldness of his fingertips. Lu Xiangchuan said: "You often say that my Seven-Star Needle is the number one hidden weapon in the world, even the Tang family's poisonous sand and poisonous terrier are inferior, because those two hidden weapons can still be saved, but the Seven-Star Needle has no antidote." He smiled faintly, and continued slowly: "Now I just hope that what you said is not wrong." The old man suddenly laughed and said, "When did you miss a sentence when you heard me say it?" Ritsu Kagawa said: "You didn't, so now you have to die!" The old man said: "Then why don't you do it?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "Why should I be in a hurry? Are you dead now?" The old man said, "You want to watch me die slowly?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "This opportunity is rare, I don't want to miss it!" The old man's breath gradually became short, and he said, "What did I do wrong to you?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "No." The old man said, "Then why do you hate me so much?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "I don't hate you, I just want you to die. Aren't many people who have never treated you badly died at your hands?" He smiled again, and said: "I learned these things from you, and you taught them very well, because I never forgot what you said, but you forgot yourself." The old man said, "What did I forget?" Li Xiangchuan said: "You often tell me that women can never be trusted, why did you forget this time?" The old man lowered his head. Fengfeng was still under him, her apple-like cheeks were already blue with fear. Murderous intent appeared in the old man's eyes, and he said, "I also said a word, only a dead woman is a woman who can be trusted." Lu Xiangchuan said: "Now the seven-star needle's medicine has not fully dissipated, I know you still have the power to kill her, but you'd better not do it." The old man said: "Why?" Ritsu Kagawa's smile was cruel and evil, and he said lightly, "Because she may have your son in her belly now." The old man fell to the sky as if he had been hit hard. Lu Xiangchuan said: "You'd better lie down like this, so that the medicine can take effect more slowly." He suddenly continued: "It's better to live one more moment, because you never know when a miracle will appear. This is what you said, isn't it?" The old man said: "I said so." Lu Xiangchuan said: "It's a pity that you were wrong again this time, there will never be a miracle this time." The old man said: "Never?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "Never, because no one knows you are here at all, and no one is likely to save you, and you obviously can't save yourself." The old man suddenly smiled again, and said: "Don't forget that I said a word, there is no 'absolute' thing in the world." Lu Xiangchuan said: "This time is an exception." The old man said: "Oh?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "Even if you can escape this time, there is no antidote for the Seven Star Needle, let alone you have no way to escape." The old man said: "Absolutely nothing can be done?" Ritsu Kagawa said: "Absolutely." The old man was silent for a while, then said: "Then you might as well tell me a few things now!" Lu Xiangchuan said: "Just ask." The old man said: "Have you already colluded with King Wanpeng? The dispute between me and him is basically arranged by you in advance?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "You can also say that." The old man said: "What good will this do for you?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "Because only a strong enemy like Wanpeng King can make you flustered. When you find that your friends are falling down one by one, you have to rely on me and tell me the secret slowly. Only after I fully know your secret can I take your place." The old man said: "Aren't you afraid that King Wanpeng will take away my property from you again?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "You don't need to worry about this, of course I already have a way to deal with him." He smiled, and then said: "Maybe you will be able to see him underground soon. At that time, you may become friends instead!" The old man sighed, and said: "That time I asked you to go to Dafang Inn to kill Han Tang, of course you already knew that Han Tang was dead." Lu Xiangchuan smiled and said: "How could I not know, without me, how would Tu Dapeng and the others know that Han Tang is your best friend, how could they find Han Tang?" The old man said: "In this way, of course Feng Hao has already been bought by you?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "His price is not too high!" The old man said, "Where's your wife?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "She is just a lamb for me. I deliberately asked her to raise pigeons, and I intentionally asked Feng Hao to show you the pigeons, and I intentionally made you doubt her." The old man said: "Then you want Feng Hao to kill her to silence her." Lu Xiangchuan said: "I have already calculated that you will ask Feng Hao to do this. Don't you trust him all the time?" The old man was silent for a while, and said, "Sun Jian's death was of course arranged by you!" Lu Xiangchuan said lightly: "You shouldn't ask this question at all." The old man gritted his teeth and said, "Where's Lu Mantian?" Lu Xiangchuan said: "He didn't have to die, but it's a pity he underestimated Meng Xinghun too much." He smiled again, and continued: "Never underestimate your opponent. You also said this sentence. He forgot, so he had to die!" The old man suddenly smiled and said, "You seem to have forgotten a word I said." Lu Xiangchuan said: "Oh?" The old man said: "I said that there is no 'absolute' thing in the world, but you must say that there is absolutely no way for me to escape." Lu Xiangchuan's expression changed, and he said, "What can you do?" The old man smiled and said, "I only want you to believe one thing, and that is that what I said is absolutely true!" His smile suddenly became terrifying again. Lu Xiangchuan's pupils suddenly narrowed, and he said coldly, "Maybe I should kill you now!" The old man smiled and said, "It's too late now!" His person suddenly fell off the bed and disappeared suddenly. Fengfeng also fell down and disappeared. "Dao, snatch, snatch" a series of urgent sounds, and a dozen cold lights hit the bed. But there was no one on the bed. "Never teach others everything you know, because after he has learned everything, he may use it to fight back against you, so you should at least leave the last trick." "This trick will often save your life when it is most necessary!" Of course, this is what the old man said, but Ritsu Kagawa did not forget it. He kept in mind every word the old man said, because he knew that every word of these words was a lesson learned from countless painful experiences. It's a pity that he still didn't know what the old man's last move was. He is not only calm and prudent in doing things, but also considerate. He had made this plan many years ago, and he did not act until he felt absolutely sure. During this time, he had reconsidered the plan countless times. I have thought about it carefully. He was sure that the old man had no chance of escaping under the circumstances. Before that, of course, he had also been to the old man's bedroom, and checked everything in the room in detail, especially this bed. "Kill the old man on the bed". This was originally the most important part of his plan, because he knew that only when the old man was unarmed would he have a chance of success.Until two days ago, he also checked the bed thoroughly. People who grew up outside the Guan are used to sleeping on hard kangs, and the old man is no exception, so this is a very hard wooden bed, and it is also a very ordinary wooden bed. There is absolutely no organ on the bed. It wasn't that he wasn't wary that the old man would run away from the bed. Until the old man was hit by the hidden weapon, he still didn't relax, and had been paying close attention to the old man's actions. The old man didn't move at all! There was no mechanism on the bed, and the old man didn't make any movements. How could he escape? Ritsu Kagawa couldn't figure it out. He was not only frightened, but angry; and his whole body trembled with anger. What he was angry with was not others, but himself. He hated himself for letting this happen, for being so stupid and negligent. The thin quilt on the bed was also gone, and the wooden boards were thick and strong, just like the door of this room. Ritsu Kagawa has also carefully studied this kind of wood, and has secretly found a lot of wood for this kind of door panel to make the same door as this house. He secretly practiced it many times until he was sure that he could break through the door in one fell swoop. It's time to stop. Even at this moment, this bed is still a very ordinary bed. He still couldn't find any agency. But the old man had clearly escaped. Ritsu Kagawa clenched his fists tightly and shot suddenly. "Bang!" The wooden board on the bed, like the door, was shattered by his punch. He finally discovered the secret passage under the bed. He was about to jump almost immediately. But although he was nervous and frightened, he still didn't lose his mind. He was still very cautious before taking action, and he would never take action until he had observed the situation clearly. He has neglected once, and must not do it again. The tunnel is pitch black, and you can't see your fingers. Ritsu Kagawa couldn't see anything, but heard a very strange sound. It's the sound of running water. Under the old man's bedroom, there is a secret river. Ritsukagawa moved past the lights, only to see that the river was narrow and curved, but he couldn't tell how deep the water was, and he didn't know where it led. There are solid stone walls on both sides. On the left stone wall, there is a huge iron ring with a thick iron chain hanging on it. Moss grows on the stone wall, and the iron ring is also rusty. The river has been dug. There were neither boats nor people on the river. But Lu Xiangchuan already knew that there must be a boat below here, and there must be people on the boat. Not only are there people, but there are people all year round, all the time. This man is always on guard, waiting for news from the old man. Of course there was a very special and secret way of communicating between them. Maybe the old man will never have news, and maybe this secret road and this person will never be needed.But he has to be prepared, just in case. "Everyone must prepare a final retreat for themselves. You may never get to that step, but you must be prepared first." "Because you never know when you will get to that step, that kind of situation is like a cramp, it will come at any moment, so you have no chance to guard against it." Ritsu Kagawa couldn't help thinking of what the old man said.He clenched his teeth, his gums were already bleeding.