Chapter 10 Ninth Butterfly Dance

【one】 The sixth day of February. Chang'an. Four carrier pigeons flew out from Luoyang, one lost its way in the gray cold dark sky, one's wings were frozen by the cold wind and snow, and fell to death in the Qiongshan on the border of Guanluo, but two still flew to Chang'an, I flew to Chang'an before dawn on the eighth day of February. "Cai Chong is dead," Zhuo Donglai told Sima Chaoqun very calmly, "Yang Jian died here, the other two died in our raid, and now there is not even a single one of Zhu Meng's Four King Kong left." gone." Sima was enjoying his charcoal-roasted beef, and this meal seemed to have become his source of energy for the day, and this was also the time when he was most energetic and clear-headed.

"When did Cai Chong die?" He asked Zhuo Donglai. "Yesterday morning," Zhuo Donglai replied, "I just received the news of his death an hour ago." One of his subordinates is an expert in training pigeons, and the people he sends to Luoyang to inquire about news usually bring one or two pigeons.At that time, there is absolutely no way of passing messages faster than this method. "I seem to have heard that Cai Chong has completely controlled the Hall of Lions, why did he die suddenly?" Sima said lightly, "It seems that a person like him shouldn't die so quickly."

"If a sword is stabbed in the heart, no matter what, everyone will die very quickly." "But it's not easy to pierce his heart with a sword," Sima asked, "Whose sword is that sword?" "It's Xiao Gao's," Zhuo Dong said, "Gao Jianfei." "It's him again!" Sima cut off a large piece of beef with his machete, "Has he arrived in Luoyang?" "Probably arrived the day before yesterday." Sima chewed slowly until the fresh aroma of the beef had completely melted into his senses before opening his mouth: "With Gao Jianfei's sword skills, Cai Chong is certainly not an opponent, but since Cai Chong has already controlled the Lion Hall, within fifty steps of him There should be good players protecting the inside."

"It is said that it was on a street at that time." Zhuo Dong said, "At that time, the street was not only full of children from the Lion Hall, but there were also a dozen killers who were bought by him at a high price. That street is more dangerous than a sheep walking into a pack of wolves." "But Xiao Gao has gone." "That's right, Xiao Gao went there alone." Zhuo Dong said, "Alone, with a sword in hand, just like an old woman carrying a vegetable basket to buy vegetables, and walked up that street." "and then?" "Then he stabbed Cai Chong's heart with that sword, pierced it from the front chest, and pierced it from the back."

"Why did Cai Chong let him get close? Why didn't he kill him first?" "I've thought about this too," Zhuo Dong said, "I think the most important reason is that Cai Chong not only wanted to use Xiao Gao to trap and kill Zhu Meng, but also didn't pay much attention to him. shot." "Then Cai Chong's death is not wronged at all," Sima said coldly, "Anyone who underestimates his opponent deserves to die." Cai Chong not only underestimated Xiao Gao's speed and martial arts, but also his personality and courage. Sima suddenly sighed again: "But Xiao Gao must have died too. He must have had the will to die when he went." Sima Chaoqun said, "Zhu Meng is really lucky to have him as a friend."

"There are really not many people like this now, and if one dies, one will be lost." Zhuo Dong said, "But there are not too many people now." "Xiao Gao is not dead yet?" "No." Zhuo Donglai said flatly: "Maybe he is living a much happier life than most people now?" Sima looked surprised: "Why?" "Because he didn't make friends," Zhuo Dong said, "Zhu Meng didn't let him go all out alone." "Did Zhu Meng go too?" Sima was even more surprised, "He watched Cai Chong take all his people away, but he hid himself like a wild dog. At that time, how could he be aggressive?" where to go?"

"At first, I also thought he was finished. We smashed his outer hard shell like a walnut under a hammer. The remaining walnut kernels can be bitten by even a toothless child." "Is his hard shell growing back now?" "Seems." "How did it grow?" Zhuo Donglai's eyes were full of thought, and after a long silence, he slowly said: "Some trees seem to be completely dead in winter, but in spring, after being nourished by spring, wind, rain, water, heating and sunshine, they suddenly become green again. With vitality, green shoots have been pulled out, and new leaves have grown."

His voice seemed far away: "Some friends have the same influence on people as spring, wind, rain, water, heating and sunshine," Zhuo Dong said. "To Zhu Meng, Gao Jianfei seems to be this kind of friend." Sima Chaoqun sighed softly: "He is indeed, no matter what kind of person he is." Zhuo Donglai was silent suddenly, a pair of wolf-like gray eyes suddenly revealed an expression that no one could understand or explain, and the sharpness in his eyes gradually dimmed. But Sima Chaoqun didn't seem to notice, and continued: "Cai Chong ambushes on that street, most of them are Zhu Meng's former subordinates. Seeing Zhu Meng suddenly regain his former glory, he will definitely be shocked by his aura. " said Sima, "what's more, Cai Chong died under Xiao Gao's sword."

So his conclusion is: "As long as Zhu Meng shows up, most of these people will not dare to make a move, because Zhu Meng still has a lot of energy." Zhuo Donglai remained silent. Sima said again: "Those people hired by Cai Chong at a high price will certainly not sell." "why?" "Because they are all valuable people," Sima said, "Cai Chong can buy them, so can Zhu Meng." His voice was full of disdain: "If a person has value, he is worthless, not even a penny." Zhuo Donglai closed his mouth again. "It's because Cai Chong forgot these two points that Zhu Meng and Xiao Gao can live until now." Sima let out a sigh, obviously satisfied with his deduction.

Zhuo Donglai didn't respond at all, and Sima couldn't help asking him, "Don't you even have any opinions?" Zhuo Donglai shook his head. Sima Chaoqun frowned: "After Zhu Meng rushed there, did something happen there?" "have no idea." "Don't know?" Sima Chaoqun almost cried out, "How could you not know?" After another long silence, Zhuo Donglai replied coldly: "Because these news are not brought by people, but by pigeons. Pigeons can't speak, so they can only bring letters." He said, "Doves are not eagles either. The distance from Luoyang to Chang'an is not too short, so if you want pigeons to carry letters, you can't bring too long letters."

There was no emotion in Zhuo Donglai's voice: "This matter must be explained clearly in a very long letter, so they had to divide this letter into four sections and distribute them to four pigeons." "How many pigeons did you get?" "Two," Zhuo Dong said, "two pigeons, two letters." "Which two paragraphs?" "First and last paragraphs." "Of course what you said just now was the first paragraph," Sima Chaoqun asked, "What about the last paragraph?" "The last paragraph is already the ending, I only wrote a few lines," Zhuo Dong said, "I can read it to you." Sure enough, he immediately read it out word for word: "A total of 23 people were killed in this battle, 19 people were seriously injured, and 11 people were slightly injured. After being bloodbathed, only Zhu Meng and Gao Jianfei survived." Zhuo Donglai finished reading for a long time before Sima sighed. "There are more dead than seriously injured, and more seriously injured than lightly injured. One can imagine the tragedy of this battle." "Yes." Zhuo Donglai said flatly, "It can be seen that no one made a move at that time." "At that time, the street was like a big bag of gunpowder that hadn't been ignited. As long as someone dared to make a move, that person would become a trigger for the gunpowder and had already been ignited," Sima said, "so as long as someone dared to make a move , that big bag of gunpowder will explode immediately, blowing Zhu Meng and Xiao Gao to pieces." "Yes." Zhuo Dong said, "The situation at that time was indeed like this." "But Zhu Meng and Xiao Gao are still alive." "Yes." Zhuo Dong said, "The two of them are indeed not dead yet." "With the strength of the two of them, how can they beat those people?" "They're not two, they're three." "Who is the other one?" "It's spikes." "spikes?" "A spike is not a spike," said Zhuo Dong. "A spike is a person's name." "How is his martial arts?" "not so good." "But you seem to respect him." "Yes," Zhuo Donglai admitted immediately, "I have always respected useful people." "Is he useful?" "Very useful, perhaps more useful than all the other disciples under Zhu Meng's sect combined." "Is it because he can die for Zhu Meng at any time?" "Death is not difficult, and he will not die for Zhu Meng at any time," Zhuo Dong said, "As long as Zhu Meng is alive, he will definitely find a way to live, because he has to take care of Zhu Meng, and he has great respect for Zhu Meng. Like an old dog to his master." Zhuo Donglai continued coldly: "If he wants to fight for Zhu Meng at any time, this kind of person is not worthy of attention." Sima Chaoqun suddenly laughed, "I understand what you mean," he said, "I understand very well." Zhuo Donglai looked at him coldly, a look of anger more terrifying than the blade suddenly appeared in his cold eyes, he turned around suddenly, and strode out. 【two】 The sky was dark, and the sound of snowflakes falling came from the window, a sound that can only be heard when people are very lonely. Sima's laughter stopped long ago, not only was there no smile in his eyes, but an indescribable sadness appeared in his eyes. He heard the sound of snowflakes falling, but he did not hear his wife's footsteps. Because when Wu Wan walked in, he had already started drinking. Wu Wan came over quietly and sat down beside him. She never dissuaded him from drinking, because she was a wise woman and a good wife, and she knew there were some things no one could dissuade. It's just that today is a little different from usual, she actually started drinking today, and drank very quickly. It wasn't until she was about to drink the third cup that Sima turned his head to look at her. "It still seems to be morning." "seems like it." "You seem to have started drinking." "It seems to be." Wu Wan replied softly. She is a gentle wife, very, very gentle. She has always been submissive to her husband. Even when she was most uncomfortable and angry, she spoke softly and never lost her temper. But Sima Chaoqun said: "You only start drinking early in the morning when you are angry." He asked his wife, "Why are you angry today?" Wu Wan didn't answer, nor did she speak. She was pouring wine in silence, pouring out a full glass for her husband and herself. "I know why you are angry, you are here for Zhuo Dong," Sima said, "You can't understand the way he talks to me?" Wu Wan was silent and acquiesced. "But you should also know that he is not like this usually. Today he is angry," Sima said, "because I have been praising Xiao Gao in front of him today." A mocking smile suddenly appeared in his eyes again: "He has always disliked me praising others as good friends in front of him." Wu Wan actually spoke. "Could it be that he's jealous?" Her voice suddenly rose a little, and it was also full of sarcasm. "I'm not even jealous, so why should he be jealous?" Wu Wan has always been gentle, very gentle, but now she has had five glasses of wine. What she drank was the wine that Sima usually drank the most, and what Sima usually drank was strong wine, the strongest wine. A woman who seldom drank alcohol would be forgiven no matter what she said after suddenly drinking five glasses of spirits. A man who seldom drank alcohol suddenly drank five glasses of spirits, and his words were equally forgivable. So Sima laughed. "You're already jealous, you've always been jealous of Zhuo Donglai, as if I would treat him as a woman." "I know you won't treat him as a woman, and he didn't treat you as a woman." Wu Wan took another drink, "He has always regarded you as his son, without him, you would not be where you are today .” Her voice was hoarse, and she asked her husband hoarsely: "Why can't you do something yourself to let him know that you can live without him? Why can't you prove it to him?" Sima didn't answer, He didn't speak either. Like his wife, he was pouring wine silently, pouring a glass for himself and his wife. But Wu Wan didn't drink this cup again.She had fallen into his arms, weeping bitterly. Sima didn't cry, not even a tear in his eyes. He seemed to have run out of tears. 【three】 In this magnificent building, in the vast and beautiful garden, there is a secluded corner with a very narrow door, and occasionally one or two melodious piano sounds can be heard from behind the door.But no one knows what is outside the door, and no one has seen the person who played the piano. Because this is the restricted area marked by Zhuo Donglai, if someone dares to step into the restricted area, his left foot will be cut off if he steps in with his left foot first, and his right foot will be cut off if he steps in with his right foot first. This is a very simple law, simple and effective. Whether it's from Sima's residence or Zhuo Donglai's hut to come here, it's a long way to go. Zhuo Donglai held an oil-paper umbrella and walked through the garden in the snow.When he walked on the snow-covered path, even though he didn't use lightness kung fu, he only left some shallow footprints on the snow. The narrow door in the corner is always closed. Zhuo Donglai knocked lightly on the door, first knocking three times and then once, and after waiting for a long time, the narrow door finally opened. The one who opened the door was an extremely beautiful woman, wearing a snow-white silver fox cloak, and her face was just like her cloak. Zhuo Donglai lowered his voice and asked respectfully, "Has the old gentleman gotten up?" "Wake up early," said the woman. "Old people always get up very early." She said quietly, "Maybe he knows that there are not many days to come, so he cherishes every day." Behind the door is a quiet courtyard, filled with refreshing plum fragrance in the cold wind.There is a small hexagonal pavilion under an old pine tree with a simple shape. An old man is sitting in the pavilion, watching the snowflakes falling one by one outside, as if he has been fascinated. No one knows his age and name, even he himself has forgotten. His body was thin and short, and he looked like an eight or nine-year-old child from a distance.His head looked like a dried nut, and his face was etched with the marks of weather and countless painful experiences. Although the ruthless years have completely shrunk his body, his eyes still flash with a light full of old man's wisdom and childlike naughtiness. At such times his eyes looked like sunlit oceans. Zhuo Donglai stood respectfully outside the small pavilion, saluted respectfully and said hello: "The old man's complexion looks much better than when I came last time, as if he suddenly looked twenty years younger." The old man didn't seem to see him at all, and he wasn't going to pay attention to him, but he suddenly turned his head and winked at him. "Do you think I really seem to be twenty years younger?" "of course it's true." "Then you are blind, stupid and stupid." Although the old man was cursing, his voice was cheerful. "Can't you see that I am forty years younger?" Zhuo Donglai smiled. A snow-white woman was already standing beside the old man. The old man took her hand and held it with both hands. "It's due to her," the old man narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Only a young and beautiful girl like her can make an old man look young." "It's also my credit." Zhuo Dong said, "I sent her here." "But I don't appreciate you at all," the old man blinked again, with a mischievous and cunning gleam in his eyes, "I know you're flattering me again, and trying to dig out what's in my brain " Zhuo Donglai did not deny it, the old man asked him: "What do you want to dig this time?" "It's a person." "Who?" "Xiao Leixue." The smile on the old man's face suddenly disappeared, and even a pair of bright eyes turned dead gray. "Xiao Leixue, Xiao Leixue," the old man kept saying the name, "Is he still alive? Not dead yet?" "not yet." The old man sighed a long time: "Now I know what kind of person you are." He pointed at Zhuo Donglai's nose with a withered finger and said, "You are a super big bastard, stupid and stupid, so You're going to mess with him." Zhuo Donglai was not angry. No matter how the old man treats him, he doesn't seem to be angry, because only the old man can tell him something that he really wants to know but doesn't know. "I don't want to mess with him," Zhuo Dong said, "I just want to know two things about him." "Which two pieces?" "His martial arts, his weapons." The old man seemed to get nervous suddenly. An old man of his age shouldn't be so nervous. "Have you seen his weapon?" He asked Zhuo Donglai. "I don't." "Of course you haven't seen it," the old man relaxed again, "only ghosts who died in hell have seen it." "No one has seen his weapon?" "Absolutely not," said the old man, "as if he could never see the trail of tears." "Tears?" Zhuo Donglai asked, "Whose tears?" "Master Xiao's tears." "Who is Master Xiao?" "Master Xiao is Xiao Leixue's father." Zhuo Donglai always thought he was a very sensible person, but now he was completely confused. He didn't understand what the old man said: "Why can't he see his father's tears." "Because when he sees the tears, he will die under the tears." Zhuo Donglai didn't understand: "Tear stains can also kill people?" The old man looked into the distance, his eyes seemed to be full of sadness and fear, as if a person suddenly saw something that he could not understand or control. I don't know how long it took before he slowly stretched out his shriveled hands and gently plucked a piano in front of him. With a sound of "Zheng Cong", the strings of the qin rang. The old man suddenly said: "Die Wu, please dance for me." The silver fox cloak slipped from her shoulders, and the woman in silver was still in silver. Silver short coat, silver long skirt. The long skirt fluttered like running water, and the butterfly danced lightly. The long skirt was rolled up like flying snow, revealing a pair of slender, strong, beautiful and elastic legs. No one can describe how she dances, and no one can describe these legs of hers. Even Di Qinglin, the hereditary first-class Hou who knows how to appreciate women the most, can only say: "I can't believe that such a pair of legs can grow on a person." The melodious sound of the piano suddenly became gloomy and desolate, and the dancing posture of the dancers also became like the last fallen leaf dancing in the autumn wind in the late autumn, so sad and heartbreakingly beautiful. Tears suddenly appeared in the old man's eyes. With a sound of "Zheng", the strings of the piano broke, the sound of the piano stopped, and the dancer's long skirt fell like a cloud. The dancer also curled up on the ground, like a dying swan slowly sinking in the blue sky and blue sea. Then there was a peaceful and harmonious silence.So quiet, so beautiful. A drop of teardrops flowed down from the old man's eyes like pearls, leaving a clear tear stain on his old and skinny face. One drop, two drops... "That's how tears are." The old man murmured, "That's how tears are!" "What does it look like?" "Unique and perfect," said the old man. "There is absolutely no sword that is more powerful than this sword that still exists in the world!" "Sword?" Zhuo Donglai asked, "Is the tear mark a sword?" "It's a sword," said the old man, "a perfect sword, just like Die Wu's dance." "Why is this sword called Tears?" "Because of the tears on the sword," said the old man, "when the sword comes out of the furnace, if there are tears on the sword, it will leave tears that will never be erased." "Whose tear stains?" "It belongs to Master Xiao," said the old man, "Master Xiao is the only one in the world." "When the sword is first released, gods and ghosts are jealous of it. I also understand that," Zhuo Donglai said, "but I don't understand why Master Xiao himself shed tears for it?" "Because he is not only good at forging swords, but also has the skill of making swords that no one can match." The old man's voice was full of sadness. "As soon as the sword was out of the oven, he saw an irreversible ominous omen from the sword." "What omen?" The old man sighed: "You yourself said just now that when a sword is born, gods and ghosts are taboo. Once this sword comes out of the oven, it carries the curse of gods and ghosts and the hostility of heaven and earth. Take one of the closest people around Master Xiao as a sacrificial offering." "Master Xiao's closest person is Xiao Leixue?" "That's right," the old man said sadly, "When this sword was released, Master Xiao already saw that his only son was going to die by this sword." "Why didn't he destroy the sword?" "He couldn't bear it, and he didn't dare." "This sword is his own brainchild, of course he couldn't bear to destroy it," Zhuo Donglai could understand this, "but I don't understand why he didn't dare to destroy it." "Heaven's will is impermanent, and its power is unpredictable. There are many arrangements in the dark that cannot be resisted by manpower." The old man's eyes showed that indescribable fear again, "If Master Xiao destroys this sword, maybe it will be destroyed. A worse disaster has befallen his only son." Zhuo Donglai's eyes were shining brightly: "How did Master Xiao dispose of this sword later?" "Master Xiao has three disciples. The eldest disciple has learned his swordsmanship and traveled all over the world to use his best weapons." "I've also heard that there is an old man sharpening a knife in the rivers and lakes. He is fierce with swords, and his efficacy is like a god." Zhuo Dong said, "Master Xiao's eldest disciple must be him." The old man nodded: "Master Xiao's second disciple, Shao Kongzi, acquired his sword-making skills, and later became a generation of sword masters." "Shao Kongzi?" Zhuo Donglai was shocked, "Is that Master Shao who forged the farewell hook?" "it's him." The old man said: "Both of them are unborn geniuses, but Master Xiao passed on his most proud stabbing technique to the third disciple, and also passed on the tears to him." "Why pass it on to him?" "Because this person is not only broad-minded and benevolent, but also very indifferent in nature. He has no desire for fame and fortune at all, and he never kills." "He has mastered Master Xiao's swordsmanship, of course no one can take away the tears from his hands," Zhuo Dong said, "Such a benevolent elder will certainly not hurt his only son." "And when he was thirty years old, he had already hidden in the deep mountains. He swore that he would never step into the world of mortals again in his lifetime, and that he would be buried in the deep mountains with his tears after death." "Which mountain is it?" "I don't know," said the old man. "No one knows." Zhuo Donglai sighed: "Because of this reason, there is only one less master of swordsmanship and one less sharp weapon in the Jianghu. Is this the luck of the Jianghu people? Or is it misfortune?" "But Xiao Leixue finally survived." "Yes." Zhuo Donglai said leisurely, "No matter what, Xiao Leixue finally did not die under the tears, at least he is still alive now." Although his voice was also full of sadness, his eyes glowed with excitement, as if a disciple had seen a naked girl standing beside his bed. When he raised his head again to look at the old man in the kiosk, the old man seemed to have fallen asleep. The snow was falling, the small door was ajar, Zhuo Donglai had already walked out, and Die Wu was about to close the door. As long as the door is closed, this place seems to be completely cut off from the outside world. She only hoped that no one would ever knock on the door, and let her and the old man fend for themselves here, because she had no hope or nostalgia for the outside world at all. Because her heart was dead, and all that was left was a numb body and a pair of legs. Her legs were like elephant tusks, musk scent, and antelope horns. They were the most precious and cherished part of her life, and the root of all her misfortunes. ——If she didn't have such a pair of legs, what kind of person would she become?Will you live a happier life? Die Wu lowered her head and stood behind the small door, hoping that Zhuo Donglai would go out quickly. Zhuo Donglai had already turned around, looked at her with a very strange look, and stared at her for a long time. "How are you doing these days?" "very good." There was no emotion in Die Wu's voice, almost colder than Zhuo Donglai's. "As long as you want, you can stay here forever," Zhuo Dong said, "I can guarantee that no one will disturb you." "Thank you." "But I can also send you to other places," Zhuo Donglai said lightly, "As long as I want, I can send you to other places at any time. I know that some people must really hope that I can do this." .” Die Wu suddenly felt like a frightened antelope shrank back, retreated to the corner behind the door, and shrank into a ball. Zhuo Donglai smiled. "But of course I won't do that," he smiled cruelly, "I just want you to know that you should treat me better because you owe me something." Die Wu raised her head and stared at him. "How do you want me to treat you?" Die Wu asked him suddenly, "Do you want me to accompany you to bed?" She still looks like a lady, but speaks like a whore. "You should have heard that my kung fu is unmatched by anyone. As long as a man has slept with me once, he will never forget me for the rest of his life." Die Wu said, "When my legs move, What it's like to be a man, I'm afraid you can't even imagine it in your dreams." She has already started to laugh, and her laughter is getting more and more crazy: "But I know you won't want me, because you don't like me, you only like one person, and you live all your life for him..." She didn't finish the sentence. Zhuo Donglai suddenly pinched her hand, and slapped her face hard with his backhand. Five blood-red finger marks were immediately left on her pale and beautiful face, but the fear in her eyes disappeared instead, and turned into contempt and ridicule. Zhuo Donglai twisted her hand vigorously, onto her back, causing her to shed tears in pain, and then said word by word: "You are wrong," his eyes seemed to be full of passion because of other people's pain , "Now I want to let you know how wrong you are." 【Four】 late at night. There was no light in the house, only the flame flickering in the furnace.Die Wu was curled up naked on the soft couch covered with sables. In the flickering firelight, her legs were even more beautiful, so beautiful that one would rather go to hell for her.Her tears stopped flowing. Compared with the insult and pain she had just suffered, the suffering she had suffered before was like a child's play. She simply couldn't imagine that such a perverted beast existed among human beings. The door leading to the outer room was ajar, Zhuo Donglai had already gone out, Die Wu heard a young man's voice talking outside. His voice was very low, and Die Wu vaguely heard that he was telling Zhuo Donglai that Sima Chaoqun had suddenly fallen ill, and it was very serious. He had already invited several famous doctors to see him, and they all said that he was ill due to overwork and had to rest I can only recover, so I can't see guests for the time being. Zhuo Donglai was silent and asked the young man after a long time. "Can't see guests? Or can't see anyone?" "It seems like no one can see." "Can't even see me?" "Probably so." "That's why Madam specifically asked you to tell me not to bother him?" "Madam just said, Mr. Zhuo, please put everything on hold for a while, and wait for the boss to recover from his illness." "Have you seen the doctor invited by Madam?" "I have seen all three of them," the young man said the names of these three doctors, all of whom were undoubtedly famous doctors in Chang'an. "What did they say," Zhuo Donglai asked again, "They all said that the boss is seriously ill this time, and if it continues, it will be very dangerous?" Zhuo Donglai was silent for a long time, before he sighed: "He really shouldn't be sick these few days, it's just a coincidence that he is sick." "why?" This young man was obviously Zhuo Donglai's confidant, so he dared to ask him this question. Die Wu's muscles in the inner room suddenly tensed up, because she heard Zhuo Donglai say to the young man word by word in his particularly cruel and slow way: "Because Zhu Meng will definitely come in these two days." .”