A Sword of Frost

Chapter 19: There are four people left

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The ground centipede's legs softened, and he said in astonishment: "Aunt Yu... Aunt Yu, doesn't she live in Piao Piao Pavilion?"

Seeing that the Flying Luan sword was still on his shoulder, Yun Yifeng didn't speak, and the centipede froze, his mind turned around quickly, and he took the initiative to inform: "After I just finished cooking, I knocked on the door for a long time. There is no movement, there is no one in the bedroom, could it be Mu Chengxue who did it?" Otherwise, who else would be so bold and dare to commit murder under the nose of the master of Fengyumen? Apart from himself, there was only Jin Huan, who was in a trance, left in Shangxue Pavilion. The elder brother didn't say that he committed a murder, and he couldn't walk steadily.

"Go and call everyone to Piao Piao Pavilion." Ji Yanran came out of the room, and said in a deep voice, "One by one, explain clearly what you did last night."

The ground centipede quickly agreed and ran out in a hurry. Aunt Yu's body was temporarily parked in the courtyard, covered with a clean sheet. After Mu Chengxue came, she opened the inspection, and saw that her expression was distorted, and there was a circle of purple fingerprints on her neck, which was miserable and terrifying.

"How?" Kim Hwan asked.

Mu Chengxue replied: "No poisoning, no stab wounds, the neck has been completely broken, only a thin layer of skin is attached, it was strangled to death."

Another severed head died, but Liu Qianxian was already dead, and among the remaining people... the centipede squatted on the ground, stuffing charcoal fire into the stove, while peeking at it, panting without daring to make a sound, for fear of being implicated innocently.

There is more than one murderer.

This fact is more heart-breaking than the severe cold weather. Everyone sat in the hall separately, forming a delicate and fragile balance with each other. The howling wind and snow outside the door was in stark contrast to the dead silence inside. The room was like a sealed big urn that had taken out the air, which was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. gas. The ground centipede put down the tongs and tiptoedly wanted to retreat, but just as his hand touched the door curtain, the sound of clanging and drawing a sword came from his ears.

"Master! Lords!" He was so startled that his knees gave way, and he knelt down on the ground with a "plop", and cried in a fake way, "Please let me go, I really don't know anything!"

There was a "bang bang" sound from knocking his head, but no one paid him any attention for a long time. The centipede carefully silenced his voice, raised his head to take a sneak peek, and saw that the Meteor Sword in Mu Chengxue's hand was out of its sheath, pointing straight at Ji Yanran, while Yun Yifeng's flying phoenix was resting on his heart, leaving a golden sword in his hand. Huan, holding a saber in his hand, also had a murderous look on his face, and he didn't seem to believe anyone.

"Don't... don't kill each other. If you have something to say, say it well, say it well." The centipede didn't want to persuade them, and they didn't know these people well anyway, but later they were afraid that if they really killed each other, they would not be spared if they were in it. Then he got up and took the initiative to smooth things over, "There is no proof, besides, isn't there a person missing? What if it was Yue Zhihua who did it, quickly put away the weapon."

Ji Yanran asked: "Why are you guilty?"

Mu Chengxue snorted coldly, turned around and left the front hall.

Yun Yifeng's complexion was not good-looking, and when his eyes fell out of the window, he became even more angry. Jin Huan knew that he had always had a good relationship with Aunt Yu, so he persuaded him: "Master, please mourn."

Ji Yanran asked: "Brother Jin, who do you think did this?"

Jin Huan smiled wryly: "Regardless of whether Yue Zhihua is still on the mountain or not, besides the three living people here, there are only me and Mu Chengxue. Could it be possible that I can still be called myself?"

The centipede chimed in: "I also think this matter... shouldn't have anything to do with Brother Jin?"

"I never took half a step out of Guanyue Pavilion last night." Jin Huan raised his right hand, "I swear to God."

"Of course we believe Brother Jin." Yun Yifeng said, "Seeing that it's going to snow again, we'd better go back and rest earlier."

His words are extremely perfunctory, anyone can hear it. Jin Huan originally wanted to say something, but Yun Yifeng had already left the front hall, sent the centipede to remove a bunch of unused door panels and came back, intending to make a thin coffin for Aunt Yu himself.

Jin Huan said to Ji Yanran again: "Brother Ji doesn't believe me either?"

"I don't believe anyone." Ji Yanran was quite blunt, "So brother Jin, please come back. At this time, everyone only wants to protect themselves, and no one can care about anyone else."

Jin Huan's throat rolled twice, but finally he didn't speak again.

Aunt Yu was buried in the courtyard of Piao Piao Pavilion, in the northwest corner, with a small snow bag bulging.

The ground centipede added the last shovel of soil restlessly, thinking of the kindness of the aunt on weekdays, he felt a little panic and sadness in his heart.

In the past, it could be said that it was seeking revenge in the rivers and lakes, and the innocent would not be harmed, but now even Aunt Yu is dead.

Aunt Yu, like herself, is a dispensable little person.

The life of a small person is worse than that of an ant. For the person behind the scenes, it is nothing more than a knife, a sword and a bottle of poison.

The situation was treacherous, at this moment, he didn't even believe Ji Yanran and Yun Yifeng anymore, and with weak steps, he went back to his residence and sat there for a whole night.

Yun Yifeng also sat for a whole night, from the dark night when he couldn't see his fingers, until he sat in the east and turned his belly white.

The smoke was once again curling up in the kitchen, but it was no longer Aunt Yu. After a while, Ji Yanran came out with a bowl of porridge and rice: "Let's eat something first."

Yun Yifeng regained consciousness, and said hoarsely: "Thank you."

"It'll be fine." Ji Yanran stood behind him, slowly rubbing his temples. Yun Yifeng leaned over, eyes half closed, before he could relax his tense and dull nerves, footsteps came from outside again.

This is the ground centipede.

His eyes were darkened and his chest was heaving violently. Without saying a word, he knelt on the ground and knocked his head three times before entering the door. Ten altars of gold ingots are still buried under the west courtyard of Dong's old house in Cangluan Mountain, Baixian County, so it should be considered as a reward for Fengyumen!"

After finishing speaking, before Yun Yifeng could open his mouth to ask, he took out a white porcelain bottle from his bosom, and drank it down in one gulp with lightning speed.

Ji Yanran said: "Hello!"

The ground centipede closed its eyes, opened its hands, and lay sprawled in the snow.

I'm out of breath.

Ji Yanran: "..."

Ji Yanran couldn't believe it: "Is he crazy?"

Yun Yifeng took out the letter from the ground centipede, glanced at it, and handed it to the person beside him.

On the top is a twisted dog crawling character, first complaining that he is innocent, and then saying that he does not want to be assassinated inexplicably, and he knows the rules after being in the world for a long time, and it is never a bad thing. Only those who know the dead are the most honest, so they are willing to take the initiative to drink fake death. Ask Yun Yifeng to seal him in the ice, and find a safe yard to put him there. After a few days, the effect of the medicine wears off, people will wake up, and there is a way to get out of the ice. I hope that the snow-capped mountain has returned to peace by then, and I just want to go down the mountain safely.

Ji Yanran said: "Perhaps I was afraid that you would not agree, so I drank the medicine first. Speaking of which, are people in Jianghu doing business like this?"

"Fengyumen has always valued reputation, and it has to do things after receiving the money." Yun Yifeng looked at the "corpse" of the ground centipede, and said, "My lord, I'm sorry."

Ji Yanran: "..."

It turns out that this matter belongs to me again

Yun Yifeng was still having a headache, and made a random promise: "The gold in the Dong family's courtyard will be shared with you in half."

The ground centipede was lying in front of him with all four limbs spread wide, not to mention anything else, just looking at it was disturbing. Ji Yanran had no choice but to ask, "Do you want to seal his whole body in ice?"

Yun Yifeng said: "Yes." After finishing speaking, he urged, "Seal it tighter." Otherwise, I'm afraid that the fake death will turn into real death tonight, and this old thief will have to stand beside the bed with his eyes full to collect debts.

Ji Yanran looked around, but there was a ready-made rockery pond that could be used. Gathering a burst of true energy in his right hand, he pressed it intently on the thick ice surface, and with a slight movement, cracks in the spider web spread out from under his palm, and the rippling pool water immediately surged up, with blue waves and white foam floating out. Yun Yifeng stood aside, a little surprised - such profound internal strength, even in the Central Plains martial arts with countless masters, it is estimated that it can be ranked in the top five.

The feigned dead centipede was doused with water layer by layer, and it froze into a lump of hard ice in the cold weather.

"Okay." Ji Yanran had just washed her hands when she turned around and saw Jin Huan walking in.

The ice in the courtyard was semi-transparent, and inside there was a huge face that was refracted and deformed. Even in broad daylight, it was as terrifying as a horror story.

Jin Huan's heart roared, and he immediately pulled out his long knife and looked at the two people in the courtyard vigilantly.

"Brother Jin, don't misunderstand." Yun Yifeng appeared in time, holding a thin piece of paper in his hand, "You will know after reading this letter."

Jin Huan was still in doubt: "What is this?"

"The ground centipede took the medicine by himself." Yun Yifeng handed him the letter, "It's just because I don't want to get involved in the disputes between Jianghu and Jianghu."

After reading the letter, Jin Huan was in a complicated mood: "This..."

"Brother Ji and I just planned to move him to the backyard of Piao Piao Pavilion." Yun Yifeng said, "Brother Jin, do you want to help?"

Jin Hwan: "..."

He silently rolled up his sleeves, and took the lump of ice, together with the "dead man" inside, to the deserted backyard.

In the Snow Appreciation Pavilion, there were only the last four people left.

Mu Chengxue still sat on the roof all day long, covering most of her face with a snow veil, her eyes were calm, as if everything that happened in the Snow Pavilion had nothing to do with him.

Relatively speaking, Jin Huan was much more nervous and at a loss. After "burying" the ground centipede, he got a new batch of spider silk and silver bells, surrounded the Guanyue Pavilion tightly, and locked himself in the bedroom all day, like a frightened bird, and any wind and grass would knock him out. His face was pale with fright, his spirit collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even his eye sockets turned black, walking on the road like a crumbling soul and ghost.

Yun Yifeng added a few drops of honey to the warm tea, which was left for him by Aunt Yu, and it had the scent of sweet-scented osmanthus left in autumn.

Ji Yanran came in from the outside, her shoulders were covered with tiny ice crystals, and when she opened the door curtain, a swirling cold wind also took the opportunity to rush in. The sky was foggy, and it looked like another blizzard was coming.

"The food is almost finished." Yun Yifeng put down the silver teaspoon and looked up at him, "The people in Shangxue Pavilion are already dead, so the mastermind behind the scenes should appear?"

"Maybe, otherwise, if you spend so much time planning such a big game, you can't just starve to death on the mountain." Ji Yanran tested the temperature of his forehead, "I've been bored in the room all morning, if you're upset, why not Go out and get some air?"

Yun Yifeng put on the cloak, and suddenly asked: "Has the lord practiced Gu?"

Ji Yanran was puzzled: "Why did you mention this all of a sudden?"

"You need to practice Gu in summer, when the poisonous insects are most energetic." Yun Yifeng slowly explained to him as he walked. Put hundreds of carefully selected poisonous insects into the urn, and let them kill each other until the last one left is the legendary Gu King.

Ji Yanran heard the meaning behind his words: "You mean that the person behind the scenes wants to train me to become a 'Gu King'? But the guests in the Snow Appreciation Pavilion, except for Mu Chengxue, can be called 'chosen', The rest are at most small ants, and if there are ten or hundreds more, they will all die in vain, so what's the point?"

"Even if it's just a little ant, it still has the ability to make Misty Peak blood flow into a river." Yun Yifeng sighed softly, walked for a while and then asked: "What is the relationship between the prince and the emperor?"

Ji Yanran said without hesitation, "Okay."

Yun Yifeng glanced at him and said, "Oh."

"What does 'oh' mean?" Ji Yanran smiled: "How do people pass it on?"

Yun Yifeng folded his hands, raised his eyebrows, and imitated: "Okay."

Ji Yanran raised the corner of her mouth, and stroked a little snow on his shoulders.

"That's good."

At this time, the mountains were covered with dark clouds, and the sky and the earth were dark. The faint wind whistle came from the depths of the peaks, like a devil's cry, sending chills down the spine.

The two chatted in low voices all the way, walked aimlessly along the path, passed by various Nuan Pavilions along the way, but saw that the copper lock hanging on the door of Baimei Pavilion had been frozen into lumps of ice, and half of the red rope was rustling in the wind. The steps in front of the Meteor Pavilion were also covered with thick frost. Recalling the excitement and drinking and chatting on the first day when I came here, it was only a short period of ten days, but it was already in a trance like a lifetime.

A ray of light flashed across his eyes, and with a "poof", it was a pure white ferret triumphantly stepping on the snow from the eaves.

Yun Yifeng stopped.

Ji Yanran understands the market very well: "Want it again?"

Yun Yifeng was upright and confident, and replied: "My lord owes me."

Ji Yanran smiled and shook her head: "I finally caught it last time, but you insisted on putting it back in the snow, okay, wait for me."

Anyway, this is not Mobei, not Wangcheng, and has no acquaintances, so whether His Highness King Xiao wants to catch ferrets or bears, he will not embarrass Daliang.

He chased so fast and lightly, almost without a trace. The little mink was taking a leisurely walk, but suddenly a black shadow came chasing after it, like a beast, it was about to be lifted up, it simply dived into the snowdrift, only half of its buttocks were exposed. Outside, with a twitch of his hind legs, he concentrated on pretending to be dead.

Ji Yanran was amused by this silly little appearance, knelt down and stroked the satin-like white hair with the back of her fingers, just about to hug it gently into her arms, when suddenly there was a muffled thunder from the sky, and "rumbling" rolled down from the black clouds On the ground, there was no warning, and the explosion made people's hearts stagnate.

What was more frightening than the thunder was the silver bell ringing in the ear at the same time.

Just like the last time the centipede broke in, the brain hadn't reacted yet, the sharp and rapid bells were connected together, jingle, jingle, like an airtight thunderstorm, covering the head, It was hard to breathe.

And hidden in the heavy bells, there was a terrified scream that almost tore the throat.

"ah!"

It was Kim Hwan's voice.

Stern as a black crow weeping blood.

Ji Yanran rushed over, but Yun Yifeng was faster than him, and stepped into the gate first. The Guanyue Pavilion was in a mess, under the plum tree in the courtyard, there was a person curled up, his face buried in the snow, covered in blood.

"Brother Jin!" Yun Yifeng turned him over carefully, reached out to test his nose, and breathed in the thin spider silk.

"Take him back to the house first." Ji Yanran said, "If you save him, maybe you will know who the murderer is."

The room is very warm, the brazier is burning brightly, the tea sets on the table are neatly arranged, there is half a cup of warm tea left in the cup, it can be seen that Jin Huan was drinking tea and reading alone before the incident, the murderer should be in ambush in the courtyard , When he went out, he suddenly launched an ambush.

Ji Yanran cut open the bloody clothes, and after examination, she found that there was only one wound - a black bloody hole was opened on the left chest, which was obviously a fatal move. Ordinarily, this Jin Huan is also lucky, if other people are seriously injured like this, even if they have nine lives, it will be difficult to survive, but it is really not easy for him to survive with a sliver of vitality.

Yun Yifeng took out a pill from the sachet on his waist and fed it into Jin Huan's mouth.

Ji Yanran was puzzled: "What is it?"

"The life-saving medicine of Fengyumen." Yun Yifeng said, "After taking it, it can stop bleeding and hang your life."

"Is there such a good thing?" Ji Yanran's mind was active, it sounded useful in war, so he asked, "Sell it?"

"Sell, but you have to go down the mountain before selling." Yun Yifeng found the medicine box and ordered, "Help him."

The bandage covered with medicinal powder touched the wound, and Jin Huan gasped in a coma, and his body also trembled, as if he was about to wake up.

Ji Yanran's eyelids trembled when he saw it: "Master Yunmen's violent bandaging technique—"

"What do you know, this is the only way to stop the bleeding." Yun Yifeng swung his hands together and tied the last knot, "That's it."

"When will you wake up?" Ji Yanran asked.

Yun Yifeng washed his hands clean: "It's hard to say, half an hour if it's fast, or a day and a night if it's slow."

Ji Yanran nodded, and pressed her palm on Jin Huan's chest, slowly channeling a wave of internal force. Originally, he wanted to protect his true energy, but he also vaguely felt that the trend of his tendons and veins was not quite right. After trying it carefully, he understood, and said to Yun Yifeng: "No wonder he can live with a sharp blade piercing his heart. His heart is naturally To the right, this knife did not hurt the root, the reason why he fell unconscious was because of excessive bleeding, and secondly, he was afraid of being overly frightened."

"Oh?" Yun Yifeng listened strangely, and tried the heartbeat of the other party, and heaved a sigh of relief, "It's true, it's a fortune teller."

Ji Yanran took a look outside the door, and said indifferently: "Is it time for Mu Chengxue to come?"

Yun Yifeng naturally understood what he meant. After all, there were only four people left in the Xueshang Pavilion, and a fool should know who the murderer is by snapping his fingers. However, he sat back at the table, thought for a moment but fell into hesitation, and said: "If Mu Chengxue really did it, it would be too blatant, or it is said that his kung fu is really superb, far better than you and me, that's why he dared to do this Unscrupulous?"

Ji Yanran reminded: "Whether Mu Chengxue's kung fu is high or low, shouldn't I ask you?"

"Number one killer, the kung fu is naturally not low." Yun Yifeng thought, "If the ranking of Jianghu was a year ago, I could barely fight him on a tie."

Ji Yanran laughed when he heard the words: "The killer's life hangs on the tip of the knife. Who doesn't study hard and practice hard on weekdays? Like the master of Yunmen who lies on a soft sedan chair every day and is carried away, let alone a year, maybe three years." Months will be left far behind by him."

Yun Yifeng glanced at him, but did not answer.

After a while, he said again: "There is still Yue Zhihua."

The territory of the Yue family, the conspiracy of the Yue family, according to this situation, it seems reasonable that the adopted son of the Yue family should also have other tasks. possible.

Just thinking about it like this made her feel even more creepy.

After a while, Jin Huan on the bed groaned a few times, and finally opened his eyes tremblingly. It's just that although he was awake, he still looked at the top of the bed blankly, and he didn't turn his eyes for a long time, let alone open his mouth to identify the murderer.

Ji Yanran could only wave her hands in front of him: "Brother Jin?"

Although the sound of this sentence was not loud, the effect was comparable to hitting a gong. Jin Huan was so frightened that he trembled all over. He stretched his arms and moved his bandaged body back. It looks like a ghost.

Unprepared, Yun Yifeng was startled by his howling, and almost knocked over the teacup on the table.

"Brother Jin, Brother Jin!" Ji Yanran pressed his shoulders with both hands, "Calm down first!"

Jin Huan was out of breath, his eyes were blood red, and he stared at him blankly for a long time, his slack pupils finally refocused, but he didn't wake up, he just shrank himself to the corner of the wall, his eyes trembling Be vigilant and stare at the two people in the room.

Yun Yifeng probed: "Brother Jin, do you still know who I am?"

Jin Huan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his throat rolled, and he didn't speak for a long time.

Yun Yifeng suddenly worried: "Could it be that you were scared to death? How can you confess the murderer?"

"As long as life is still alive, there will be a day when you will wake up." Ji Yanran looked outside the door, "But you and I can wait, but others may not have the patience."

As soon as the words fell, the wooden door of the small courtyard was pushed open with a "squeak".

As if sensing the approaching danger, Jin Huan shrank his pupils and wanted to hide unconsciously.

Yun Yifeng patted him on the shoulder as a comfort.

The person who came was Mu Chengxue.