Chapter 3 Chapter 2 "Let the little boy go for a ladder"

Among the mysterious gangs, there are "Twelve Heavenly Officials", so when ordinary people mention it, they often call it "Tianguanmen". No one knows exactly how many gang members there are in the "Heavenly Officials". It is just a legend that the twelve heavenly officials are in charge of everything. The twelve heavenly officials are twelve people who are inseparable. Tianguanmen people can't help but feel miserable when they mention it. It is this gang that has a direct relationship with death. They kill people—for various reasons, even for no reason at all.

Moreover, the method of killing is so clever that he never misses it. Sometimes, in an inn, all the beasts can die overnight, leaving no one behind.It is speculated that their method of killing people is poisoning. Since the range of their activities is mostly in the southwestern provinces and Yunnan and Guizhou, it is also speculated that it is related to Gu.Bai Su and I were chatting, and I heard about it from Boss Bai. Such a terrifying gang, of course, should have nothing to do with the lovely Miao girl Lansi. So, when we thought of "Twelve Heavenly Officials", Bai Su and I immediately shook our heads again.

Not long after shaking my head, I naturally felt a chill. I thought, since the scope of activities of Tianguanmen is in the southwestern part of China, it may be related to the Miao people. Is it related to Lanjiadong? Miao people from Lanjiadong? What I felt at that time was not fear, but disgust and annoyance—because all the killing methods related to "Tianguanmen" were very eerie and mysterious. I further thought that the long-term maintenance of the system of twelve people as one body can only be achieved by family blood relations. If Lanjiadong and Tianguanmen become one, and two become one, then I really don’t know how to deal with it That's it!I looked worried, Bai Su naturally saw it, and she obviously thought of the same question, she said: "There has been no news of Tianguanmen's activities for a long time, it may have disappeared long ago, I don't know how many gangs in the world have disappeared. Even if they are, they will never be against Xiaobao, and naturally they will not be against us, so what are you worried about?"

I smiled wryly: "It's because I feel uncomfortable when I think of dealing with this kind of person." Bai Su glared at me: "Wait a while for them to come, don't act like this, and don't let people know that we have already guessed some of their identities, just join in the fun with Xiaobao." I snorted, and remembered a legend about "Tianguanmen": A group of merchants made goods and went to Miaojiang to trade. On the way, they met an old Miao woman and a Miao girl. The girl was pretty, so the merchant said a few frivolous words, but the Miao girl didn't answer. That night, a group of merchants all died in the inn.Only one old man was spared - the old man never said anything frivolous.

The surviving old man spread the word: the murderer was Tianguanmen. This kind of legends in the Jianghu are actually not very reliable. Many of them have been written into novels, and some legends were originally just novelists' words, and then they were turned upside down and turned into legends.I felt unspeakable uneasiness at this time, and even I couldn't explain the reason myself.It may be that the group of people who seem to have emerged from the depths of hell and can kill people at any time really give people a bad impression. Not long after, I heard Xiaobao's laughter at the door, Bai Su and I glanced at each other, walked to the door immediately, opened the door, and saw Xiaobao walking in front, turning his head to chat and laugh, the ten Two people, four in a row, followed behind him in three rows—as expected, twelve people came together.

The combination of the twelve of them is really weird and inexplicable, Wen Baoyu tried hard to make them understand what he said, and those twelve people also tried their best to pretend to understand, but they obviously couldn't understand at all. This situation makes people laugh, but I remembered Bai Su's warning, I didn't dare to offend those twelve people, so I held back my laughter. I thought, at least there is sincerity in trying to communicate between them, which is much better than being full of hostility. As soon as the door opened, I shouted "Bunu" loudly: "Welcome! Welcome! You are the most welcome guests this year."

My opening remarks are a welcome speech to welcome the most respected guests. The twelve Miao people, no matter how you look at them, give people a sense of spooky and terrifying faces-there is really no way to compare them with the lively and lovely Miao girls. Blues contacted.But at this time, when I spoke, they all laughed, and the smiles were very bright, expressing the joy in their hearts, and revealing that they all had the same set of neat and dark brown teeth without exception. Such dark brown teeth are naturally not natural, but must be the result of chewing some special food for a long time.

Although I said the opening remarks, I didn't move; I know several Hmong greetings, including rubbing each other's noses; The reason why I didn't take any action was firstly because I didn't want to be too intimate with these Miao people of unknown origin, and secondly, I didn't know which action to use. If I made a mistake, I was afraid that there would be an unpleasant scene immediately, so , I'd better stay the same and respond to all changes, first see what the other party does, and then react. To my surprise, those twelve people smiled and clasped their fists at me in salute.Although it was a bit unexpected, but it couldn't be easier, Bai Su and I quickly clasped our hands together as a salute, and invited them into the room.

The first polite sentence after entering the room should naturally be "Please sit down", but Bai Su and I glanced at each other, but neither said this sentence.There are a total of twelve of them, if they sit separately, they can all have a place to sit, but if they insist on being crowded together, it will be a bit difficult, so we are a little at a loss as to what to do. Unexpectedly, Wen Baoyu was already there and learned the simple "Bunu", so he said first: "Please sit down. Please sit down." The twelve people were not polite, and the four of them sat down on the sofa together. Even if it's a bit crowded, it looks weird, but they think it's good to sit like this, so it's natural for them to let them.

I said a few more words of politeness, and said that my "Bunu" was not good and I hadn't said it for a long time, and they also said some polite words, and then my "Bunu" still aroused Out of their curiosity, among the twelve people, a little old man seemed to be the oldest, so he asked me: "Mr. Wei's Bunu, where did you learn it?" This question could have been perfunctory in a very ordinary way, but in order to make these twelve people (no matter what their real identities are), I dare not underestimate me, so my answer is: "A few years ago, I was in Miaojiang. After living for a while, living in a Miao village, being entertained by the chief of Jingban, and his sons and daughters, Brother Meng and Bazhu, became good friends, and later wept bitterly at Bashu's funeral."

I tried to keep my tone as flat as possible, and I didn't mention that the Miao people in the Beijing version are the famous "Gu Miao"——among all the Miao people, the most respectable one. Guess Wang Longtou once introduced the Miao people in Lanjiadong, who are very knowledgeable about Gu art, so I expect they will know what is going on when they hear the names of Jingban, Mengge and Bazhu.And since I have dealt with them, it naturally means that I have an extraordinary identity. Sure enough, when I said the name Beijing Edition.Without exception, the twelve people showed surprised and inexplicable expressions. When they heard the names of Brother Meng and Bashu, the twelve people suddenly stood up, and the expressions they showed were simply pious! After I finished speaking, the little old man said: "We haven't seen the old chief of Jingban, but we have met Chief Mengge. As for Bazhu, I heard that she is the most beautiful woman in Miaojiang, but she died early." After I left Miaojiang, I never went there again.It is conceivable that after Jingban died, Brother Meng would naturally succeed as chief, and they went after me. When I was talking with them, Bai Su translated the content of our conversation to Wen Baoyu in a low voice. Wen Baoyu actually protested: "No, the number one beauty in Miaojiang should be Lansi." I smiled and translated his words. The twelve-in-one combination seemed to use the little old man as the spokesperson. He thought about it very seriously: "It used to be Bazhu, but now it is Lansi." When he said this, the twelve people all had expressions on their faces, obviously they were also very proud of having a clansman like Lansi. Now that I have indicated my special status and the topic has brought up Lansi again, there is no need for any polite remarks. After I invite them to sit down again, I will cut to the chase: "Lansi said in the letter that everyone has one thing to ask. Little Treasure did it, I wonder what it is?" The little old man was very surprised: "We have already said it, and he has agreed, why doesn't he know?" I immediately looked at Wen Baoyu, Wen Baoyu pointed to his mouth and ears, showing a helpless expression, I immediately knew what was going on, so I smiled and asked the little old man: "He only knows you Asked him to do something, and guessed that you were asking him, he thought, it must be done anyway, so he nodded in agreement. In fact, he didn't understand 'Bunu' at all, so he didn't know what you wanted What does he do." When I explained these words to them, I laughed while talking, very relaxed, because the matter is very gimmicky and can be regarded as a joke.But when I was about to finish speaking, I felt that something was wrong! Because I said all the way, the expressions of those twelve people became dignified all the way. Not only did the twelve of them act in the same way, but their expressions were also the same. This is naturally the result of their inseparability for many years. (At this time, I naturally thought of "Twelve Heavenly Officials".) When I finished speaking, their expressions were extremely dignified. The little old man was rubbing his hands—maybe because the skin on his palms was very rough, and when he was rubbing his hands, he made a "rustling" sound. Bai Su and I looked at each other, and Bai Su also became nervous, only Wen Baoyu, as if he didn't know that this matter might have a very serious change, still looked at the twelve people with a smile. The twelve people exchanged glances quickly, and then the little old man opened his mouth: "This... this is very embarrassing, we only think that he has agreed. What has been promised is... you cannot go back on your word." ..." I took a breath and glared at Wen Baoyu again. Bai Su had already passed on the little old man's words to him, but he still had an expression of indifference: "Of course, since I agreed, I will definitely do it." I hurriedly said: "Wait a minute, how do you know what they want you to do?" Wen Baoyu spread his hands: "It doesn't matter what you do, what Lansi wants me to do, I will naturally do it." I also passed on the conversation I had with Wen Baoyu to the twelve people, because I found that their expressions were very nervous, so I knew it was best to let them be clear and not hide a word from them. The twelve people felt relieved after listening to the conversation between Xiaobao and me. It is clear that they were really worried that Wen Baoyu would backtrack after agreeing.It can also be seen from this that what they want Wen Baoyu to do must be very important. At this time, I couldn't help becoming nervous, because I was talking to these twelve people while observing them carefully. Although I didn't gain much, I made a very strange discovery-the twelve of them were not even breathing. All consistent. Naturally, it is not an easy task to do this. They all need to have at least a fairly high level of attainment in traditional Chinese martial arts, and it is a martial art that starts with internal strength.Then, these twelve people can also be called geniuses and supernatural beings, and what they want Wen Baoyu to do will definitely not be simple. This kid Wen Baoyu will do anything for the sake of Miao girl Lansi. I don't doubt his sincerity.But if things go against him, or if there's danger, I'll be there too. So, very carefully, I asked, "Excuse me, what do you want him to do?" The little old man looked very nervous just now, afraid that Wen Baoyu would not accept his promise, but at this moment, he squinted his eyes and smiled, and said very relaxedly: "It's nothing, we just want the little boy to play a game." Ladder." In fact, he made it very clear, and I heard it very clearly, what they want Xiaobao to do is "build a ladder".But I couldn't help but suddenly yelled: "What?" The reason I yelled was not because I couldn't understand what they said, but because I didn't understand why they made such a request. That request was not only excessive, but also perverse, so to speak. Naturally, Wen Baoyu didn't know the seriousness of the matter.But in fact, let alone the little old man said this sentence in "Bunu", even if it was said in Chinese, Wen Baoyu would not understand it. Although the little old man's own attitude was leisurely, he seemed to have expected my violent reaction, and he was not surprised at all. In response to my "what", he repeated again: "I want you, little boy!" Go for a set of ladders." Wen Baoyu had been looking at everyone with a smile all the time, but at this moment, he also saw that something was wrong. It was quite a long time afterwards that Wen Baoyu talked about the situation to Hu Hua and Liang Chenmei. Wen Baoyu said: "Wesley yelled, but I didn't take it seriously, because he was used to exaggeration, but at that time, I noticed that Mrs. Wei's expression It was extremely dignified, and I realized that the matter must be very serious." Indeed, at that time, Bai Su's expression also became extremely dignified in an instant. After being stunned for a while, Wen Baoyu was asking repeatedly: "What? What did they say? What do they want me to do?" Bai Su didn't pass it on to him right away, and he was even more anxious. At that time, my thoughts were very disordered, and Wen Baoyu's voice sounded particularly harsh, which made people impatient.So I yelled at him: "Can you keep quiet for a while?" Wen Baoyu would not be so easy to obey, probably because I was too stern at this time, so he actually fell silent after I yelled. It was also quite a long time after the incident that Wen Baoyu talked about the situation at that time to Hu Shuo and Liang Chenmei: "I have known Wesley for so long, and I have never seen him so nervous. I can't make a sound." At that time, I was indeed very nervous, and Bai Su was the same, not only nervous, but also very angry, because they actually proposed that Wen Baoyu should "play a ladder". The so-called "ladder to heaven" is the "cut" (slang) of some gangs, and it is also called "passage son". It is a very ancient, barbaric and terrifying ritual.Participants are required to pass a series of unreasonable and very dangerous severe tests-the methods of those tests are different for each gang, but most of them are completely out of touch with the behavior of civilized society. Generally speaking, those who need to pass this "ladder to heaven" ceremony must first challenge this gang, and are willing to sacrifice their own lives under extremely cruel and painful circumstances, so as to lower the opponent's reputation. If there is no deep hatred and deep hatred, there will never be any behavior of "winding the ladder". Furthermore, if someone has a request for this gang and needs this gang to make great efforts for him, they will also express their sincerity in pleading through the "ladder to heaven".If he really passed the ladder, the gang will definitely help him. There are also some members of the gang, in order to compete for the position of the leader of the gang, and because of the rules of the gang, the members of the gang cannot fight each other. This extremely severe test, and boarded the throne. A very rare situation is that someone in the gang wants to show his courage and ability and volunteers to ask for a ladder. Once he can pass, his status in the gang will naturally be greatly improved. Although the true identities of these twelve people have not been clarified yet, when the little old man said the words "Pan Tian Lai", Bai Su and I were sure that they must belong to some kind of gang. And all gangs in Jianghu attach great importance to the reputation of their own gangs, so they set the process of climbing the ladder very harshly, to the point where almost no one can pass. Although Wen Baoyu is different, he is an out-and-out civilized person. Not only does he not know the barbarism of the gang, but also, the visitor is from Miaojiang, which makes him a bit more closed. Who knows what will be weird? The pattern is here. But Wen Baoyu was confused, so he agreed, and he affirmed it just now, saying that he would never back down!The matter can be said to be extremely serious, if it is not handled properly, Wen Baoyu's life will be lost. I tried my best to calm myself down, instead of denying everything on Wen Baoyu's behalf, I asked, "Why does he want to build a ladder for your gang?" For Bai Su and I, it was obvious that we immediately understood what the "Pan Tian Lai" was all about. The twelve of them were not surprised, so at this time, I was straightforward and called them "Gui Gang", but they didn't either. special response.Still the little old man answered. What's disgusting is that the beaming expression on the little old man's expression is very different from the nervousness between Bai Su and me. As soon as the little old man explained the reason, Bai Su and I were stunned. What the little old man said was: "Lansi is our daughter. If Xiaowazi wants to marry her, of course he has to show his hand. Isn't it right to make a move for the ladder?" The reasons put forward by the little old man are simply irrefutable. Wen Baoyu wanted to marry Lansi, and Lansi was their daughter. Naturally, Wen Baoyu couldn't take someone else's daughter for nothing—even in a civilized society, there were rules of "betrothal gifts".Then their request is very reasonable, as to whether Wen Baoyu has the ability to pass that kind of test, that is another matter. I took a deep breath and couldn't make a sound for a while.At this time, Bai Su said to Wen Baoyu who was extremely anxious: "They said that Lansi is their daughter. If you want to marry her, you have to pass a series of their specific tests. They call it 'Ladder to Heaven'." Wen Baoyu really didn't know the heights of the sky and the earth, and after hearing it, he was elated: "Okay, I am happy to take the test." Wen Baoyu's attitude was very obvious, which made the twelve people very happy, and they all stretched out their thumbs up hands to express their appreciation, and Wen Baoyu was naturally more airy and self-satisfied.If he hadn't seen me and Bai Su look bad, maybe he would still be dancing. I quickly thought about it, knowing that if I asked someone about the content of the ladder, it would be tantamount to inquiring about the biggest secret in the gang, and it would be a big taboo.But if you don't know, you must never let Wen Baoyu take risks, because he may not be able to pass even one test. At this moment, Bai Su was not in a hurry, and suddenly changed the question, and asked leisurely: "How can Miss Lansi be the daughter of twelve of you?" When those twelve people heard Bai Su's question, they all laughed, very happily and sweetly, just like ordinary parents who heard someone mention their daughter, very normal. The little old man said: "The twelve of us act in the same way, and the twelve are as one, so Lansi is our daughter." Bai Su still smiled, and made a gesture: "I didn't mean that when I asked, who are her real parents?" I began to understand what Bai Su meant - if Lansi's real parents could be invited, then as long as her parents were willing to let Lansi marry Wen Baoyu unconditionally, Xiaobao would not have to go to heaven. Although in fact, the marriage between Wen Baoyu and Lansi had many difficulties. For example, Wen Baoyu would never pass his mother's test.But it is always better to have one less level than one more level of difficulty. I really admire Bai Su for coming up with such a roundabout method, but Bai Su and I were both very disappointed; because the little old man's answer turned out to be: "I don't know, we don't know who her real parents are. It's been more than ten years. When we found her before, she was placed in a wooden basin and flowed down from the upper reaches of a river not long after she was born." When the little old man said this, a woman with a narrow face spoke for the first time, and her voice was extremely unpleasant: "The tattoo on her leg was already there at that time, maybe it was born with it." Naturally, tattoos are not "inborn", but I didn't argue with her about this, I just said: "Since she has tattoos, she should be able to trace her origin upstream." The little old man shook his head: "There are thousands of mountains in the upper reaches, and there are thousands of Miaodongs that the river passes through. Mr. Wei, you have never been to Miaojiang, and you know the situation there. How do you track it down? So, Lansi is our daughter." There was a very shrewd look in the eyes of this little old man, it was very likely that he had already understood what Bai Su's intention was when Bai Su asked a question. Bai Su calmly passed on our conversation to Wen Baoyu, and Wen Baoyu interjected: "Yes, she told me that her identity is mysterious, because no one knows which tribe would send the newly born Baby girl tattooed." The little old man said again: "We love her very much, and we know that she must have a background, so we sent her to learn to lower the head. Although we have quite a lot of research on Gu art, such a lovely girl──"