The courtyard is deep, and the moonlight shines all over the patio.
Under the lonely lamp of a bean, Xie Jinglan closed a new book of eight-part selections, closed his sour eyes, and shouted, "Xiahoulin, pour some tea."
It was only after he said that he realized that Xia Houlin had already gone home. The wind in the courtyard was shrill, and there were a few barks in the distance. The scenery was still the same, but Xia Houlin's noise was missing. Even though there was only one person missing, he felt as if the entire yard was empty, and the entire Xie Mansion was no longer alive.
Xie Bingfeng completely ignores him now, Xiao's rash is just right, and he is still in the house to cultivate, and he has no time to toss him. He finally had a more relaxed life, and he still went to Dai Shengyan's house to study every day, and when he got home, he sat in the library until late at night. Aunt Lan was old and couldn't cook with him, and he was not used to being served by others, so he kept a lamp and a book by himself, and he didn't even know when the tea was cold.
He picked up the pen, intending to practice calligraphy. The pen falls on the paper, and unconsciously it becomes the word "潋". He remembered Xiahou's unsightly calligraphy. He wondered if that guy would still practice calligraphy when he went back to the mountain
Tired of sleep, he packed up his pen and ink, turned off the light and walked out. It was cold in the evening, and the dog barked a little closer. It barked a few times and stopped abruptly. Xie Jinglan was a little worried that the dogs outside would jump into the mansion, holding the lantern carefully and walking down the dark path.
There seemed to be a commotion in a courtyard suddenly like boiling water. Xie Jinglan raised his head and listened to the quarrel-like noise. Things outside Qiuwuyuan had nothing to do with him. Suddenly, a hand stretched out from behind to cover his mouth, the lantern fell to the ground with a "pop", and he was forcibly pulled into a dark room.
He resisted with all his strength, and the opponent took a few punches and said angrily: "Don't hit, don't hit! It's me!"
"Xiahou Lian!" Xie Jinglan stopped in surprise and looked at the figure in the darkness, "Why are you here!"
After finally getting used to the darkness in the room, he realized that Xia Houlin was wearing a white mask on his face and wearing black clothes, which outlined the thin muscles on his body. An ominous premonition floated in Xie Jinglan's heart.
Xia Houlin stripped his clothes like crazy and said, "Take off your clothes, take them off quickly."
"What are you doing! What are you doing!" Xie Jinglan stared at Xia Houlin in a stunned manner, "Please explain it to me!"
"It's running out of time!" Xiahou Rin saw that he didn't move, and started to strip his clothes. He was violently resisted, "Jia Lan wants to destroy your whole family, and it will be too late if you don't leave!"
A Jiao Lei seemed to fall on his head, Xie Jinglan grabbed Xia Houlin's collar and said incredulously, "What did you say!?"
As if to confirm Xia Houlin's words, there were hurried footsteps at the door, Xia Houlin covered Xie Jinglan's mouth, and the two squatted by the door in fear. Someone outside the door was crying helplessly and begging for mercy, the voice was very familiar, it seemed to be a servant in the yard. A piercing knife light flashed, and a shrill scream rang out, and the paper pasted on the door was instantly splashed with black blood droplets, like a bunch of slanting plum blossoms, Xie Jinglan's pupils shrank suddenly.
The assassin outside the door did not find the two in the room, and left with a knife. Xie Jinglan turned his head and asked Xia Houlin's shoulder, "Didn't you say that your goal is Xie Bingfeng? Why did you want to destroy the Xie family! Why!"
"I..." Xia Houlin's lips trembled, and after a while, he said, "Your father..."
"Wait, Aunt Lan is still in Qiuwuyuan, and I'm going to save Auntie!" Xie Jinglan stumbled up from the ground as if he was just waking up from a dream, and was about to open the door, and was hugged by Xia Houlin's waist.
"Don't go, it's too late! Qiuwuyuan is near the small gate, and the assassins came in from there! If it wasn't for the library building far away, I wouldn't be able to make it in front of them to save you!"
The screams in the distance became more and more clearly audible, and the window paper showed the shadowy running figures. Xie Jinglan pushed Xia Houlin fiercely and said, "No, I'm going to save her! Xia Houlin, you bastard! Let go of me!" Xia Houlin still hugged him, Xie Jinglan grabbed Xia Houlin Xia Houlin was beaten and fell to the ground on his back, his face suddenly turned blue.
Xie Jinglan turned his head and ran away, Xia Houlin caught up from behind, pulled him by the collar and pressed him against the wall, roaring: "Xie Jinglan! Calm down for me! You can only die if you go, can you hear me!" "
"Let go of me! Xia Houlin, are you leaving your aunt alone!"
Xia Houlin looked at him with red eyes and said, "Do you fucking think I want my aunt to die! I can only save you! Only you!" His hand almost embedded in Xie Jinglan's shoulder, "Do you know that? I know how many assassins came today! Twenty in total! The gate and the back door are guarded by assassins, and no one can escape. Qiu Wuyuan is the closest to the back door, and Aunt Lan is dead!"
Xie Jinglan's mind was blank, everything seemed to be a dream, he was still reading in the candle night, obviously still carrying the lantern to go back to sleep, why did Xia Houlin suddenly appear? Why did the assassin suddenly appear
Is he still dreaming? Xie Jinglan raised his head ignorantly and reached out to open the window. Maybe everything was a dream. Xia Houlin took his hand, took a deep breath, and said solemnly: "Young master, listen. You put on my clothes, put on my mask, go out from here, don't look back, don't be afraid, go. Go out through the small door. Don't pay attention to anyone asking you, just go out, do you hear me?"
Xia Houlin's palm was terrifyingly hot, like holding a flame, Xie Jinglan felt his trembling, raised his eyes to look at him, and saw that he was already sweating profusely, and he didn't know whether it was tears or sweat on his eyelashes. Xia Houlin asked again: "Did you hear me!"
Xie Jinglan shook his head vigorously and said, "I'm going to find the teacher, go to the Governor's Mansion, and ask them to send troops here!"
"It's useless!" Xia Houlin said, "If you go to Mr. Dai, you will only get him into trouble! As for the army, you can't hire him at all!"
"why!"
"Because it's Weide who is going to kill you, and the Sili Supervisor will print Weide!" Xia Houlin stared at Xie Jinglan's eyes and said, "Ying Tianfu Governor is his adopted son, if you go to ask for help, you will only be killed. Silence!"
Xie Jinglan squirmed his lips, his mind was in a mess, he covered his face and said, "What else can I do, what can I do!" Grabbing her hair in pain, she listened to the wailing, cries for help, and screams intertwined outside.
There was a fire somewhere, and the house was lit up by the distant flames. Someone took the road and ran wildly, shouting: "Help! There are assassins!" Usually fell to the ground, revealing the assassin behind him holding a knife in both hands. All the assassins were dressed in black, with silver masks flowing with melting moonlight, and they carried long knives stained with blood, like sneaking owls.
"Hurry up and change into my clothes!" Xiahou Rin handed him a tattered short knife, took out a purse from his pocket, and said, "This knife is for your self-defense, and there is a pair of earrings in the purse, which can be used as some silver. Hold it for now. Remember, the farther you go after you go out, the better, and don't tell others that your name is Xie Jinglan."
"Where can I go?" Xie Jinglan looked at Xia Houlin, her dark eyes darkened, "Tell me, where can I go?" He threw himself on Xia Houlin, pinched his neck and roared: "Xiahou Lin, did you have the idea of destroying the whole family of Xie since you entered Xie's mansion! You guys have already planned it, right! What are you doing in Xie's mansion? Why is your mother coming to pick you up, what thief? You are all liars!"
Xia Houlin pushed Xie Jinglan to the ground and said, "Yes! I lied to you! I'm not a thief! But it was none other than Xie Bingfeng who killed the Xie family! It was Xie Bingfeng himself! The memorial, Weide was so angry that he wanted all of you to die!"
Xie Jinglan stared at Xia Houlin with bloodshot eyes. Suddenly, it seemed that someone was slowly approaching the door, and the two were suddenly startled.
An assassin pushed open the door with a knife and walked in slowly, gloomily patrolling the dark hut. Xia Houlin and Xie Jinglan hid behind the dustpan and wooden barrel, revealing two pairs of frightened eyes. The assassin walked between the shelves, picking up sundries with his knife. He approached slowly as if he was strolling in the courtyard. As long as he turned the last shelf, he would come to the two of them.
Xia Houlin glanced at Xie Jinglan, put on his mask, and suddenly climbed out. The assassin turned around abruptly when he heard the sound.
"It's me." Xia Houlin said.
"Stinky boy, what are you doing here?" the assassin said sullenly, with a malicious look on his face.
"Is it okay for me to pee?" Xia Houlin pretended to be dressed.
"Hmph." The assassin laughed disdainfully, "I'm afraid I'm scared out of my head, so I don't dare to come out."
Xia Houlin turned his head away and looked ashamed and angry that he had been exposed.
"Courageous bastard, hide it well, don't be frightened and lose your mother's face." The assassin patted Xia Houlin's face with a scabbard, and walked out the door with a big smile.
The assassin walked away, and Xie Jinglan climbed out from behind.
Xia Houlin lowered his head and ripped off his clothes, and said in a low voice, "Quickly change your clothes."
"Didn't you say that your mother is one of the best, and your status is so high that no one else dares to provoke you?" Xie Jinglan looked at Xia Houlin and said, "Why did that person treat you like this?"
Xia Houlin scratched his head, he seemed to be bragging about Xie Jinglan like this before. He didn't feel embarrassed when the cowhide was exposed, he just stuffed his clothes into Xie Jinglan's arms and urged, "Don't worry about it so much, young master, change your clothes quickly."
"What about you, what will happen to you?" Xie Jinglan asked stubbornly, "You let me go, what will happen to you?"
"Don't worry about it!" Xia Houli scratched his hair irritably, grabbed Xie Jinglan, and stripped his clothes, "You will definitely die if you stay here, I won't die, it's that simple! Quickly give it to Lao Tzu. Put on your clothes, don't look back, don't tremble, don't talk! Don't let others find out that you are Xie Jinglan!"
Xie Jinglan looked at him silently for a while, then lowered his head and changed his clothes by himself.
"Master, the world outside is not peaceful, you... take care of yourself." Xia Houlin pressed Xie Jinglan's shoulder and said, "Remember, don't look back, don't talk." Then he opened the door and pushed Xie Jinglan away. Going out, he didn't even give him a chance to go back and quickly closed the door.
The night was dark, and there was a cold corpse lying under the stairs, staring at Xie Jinglan with big empty eyes, as if there was still unresolved hatred. The shadows of the trees were deep, and it seemed that there were unknown dangers hidden in every shadow. Xie Jinglan touched the scabbard around his waist, and the coldness stimulated his nerves.
Yousen's road is endless. To get to the small gate, he has to pass through a garden and two yards. He tried his best to walk the deserted path, trying his best to ignore the screams and wailing that became clearer and clearer in his ears, his legs seemed to be filled with lead, and he tried his best to take every step. I finally got to the garden, the corridor twists and turns, like a never-ending maze, the lantern is extinguished by someone, and all the mountains, forests, trees and rocks can be seen everywhere as far as the eye can see.
There was a dry well outside the first shot. An assassin fell from a tree and glanced at the well. There was a scream of horror from the well. The assassin raised his right hand. sound. Xie Jinglan trembled imperceptibly, cheered up, and continued to walk forward without looking sideways.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the assassin turned his head to stare at him, his fingertips spinning with a silvery blade like water. He forced himself not to look at the assassin and walked steadily step by step.
As he stepped through a doorway, he suddenly heard a familiar shout.
"Master! Third Young Master! Where are you!"
He raised his eyes suddenly, and Aunt Lan stumbled up the steps, covered in blood. He wanted to run over, when Aunt Lan saw his mask and black clothes, she screamed in shock, turned her head and ran to the other side, he stretched out his hand and wanted to stop Aunt Lan, at this moment, an arrow carrying The breaking wind whistled past his ears.
At that moment, his mind seemed to be stuck by something, his thoughts and movements were running very slowly, and he watched the arrow pass by his eyes, and the patterns on the arrow flowed with brilliance.
The arrow entered Aunt Lan's back very slowly, and a red circle like ripples spread across her back. Aunt Lan screamed, fell to the ground, and never got up again.
"Is this side cleaned up?"
"It's over, go to Lao Duan and take a look."
The assassin dashed past and bumped him on the shoulder. Xie Jinglan froze in place like an unconscious puppet. Aunt Lan's body was dripping with dark blood, smeared in circles like ink blots on rice paper. Out of the corner of the window, the assassin with a silver blade in his fingertips appeared again. He stood under the shadow of a tree and looked at Xie Jinglan silently.
"Xiahou Rin," he said, his voice flowing like a clear spring, "what are you doing?"
Fear grew in his heart like frost, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Do not look back. Don't tremble. Do not be afraid.
Xie Jinglan clenched her fists and walked past Aunt Lan's body with heavy steps. The strong smell of blood rushed to his face, making him want to vomit. He gritted his teeth and walked in front of Aunt Lan's body. Tears welled up under the mask, dripping down his chin the moment he turned the corner.
arrive. arrive. He saw the door. Xie Jinglan resisted the urge to run wildly, walked forward step by step, and pushed open the hidden door. An assassin was hopscotch in the alley with his long knife leaning against the wall.
He saw Xie Jinglan and stopped. With those eyes like a piece of ice, Xie Jinglan turned around stiffly and walked towards the other side of the alley.
One step, one step, one step. It's about to reach the corner, and it's about to leave the assassin's field of vision.
"Hey, where are you going?" the assassin suddenly asked behind him.
Xie Jinglan froze.
"The clapper didn't sound, you can't go according to the rules."
"… "
"Hey, are you dumb?"
How should he answer? No, can't speak, the voice will reveal his identity. Xie Jinglan frantically thought about what to do and what to do, but there was nothing he could do.
"Let him go back, the first time he came out, he must have been terrified." Another voice suddenly appeared, Xie Jinglan turned around, and saw the assassin with the silver blade in his hand.
In the moonlight, his eyes were as warm as water.
"Hey, coward." The hopscotch assassin snorted.
Xie Jinglan supported the wall, turned the corner, took a few steps, and then ran wildly. The Xie residence was getting farther and farther away from him, but the nightmare of blood and fire was like a shadow. Aunt Lan's blood-stained corpse seemed to be right in front of him. When he opened his eyes and closed his eyes, it was Aunt Lan's ruined body.
Mingming had cried and shouted to save Aunt Lan before, but she was terrified when she faced the assassin. He is a coward, he is a coward! A stone tripped over his foot, and he fell hard to the ground, bruising his head, face and hands. He was lying on the ground, pounding the ground hard until his fists were dripping with blood, and the dirty ground was covered with bloodstains.
His hands were sore from the beating, he got up and sat against the wall. The streets are empty, and the lanterns hanging under the eaves are like phosphorous fires floating in the air.
He suddenly realized that he was homeless and had nowhere to go. He has never left the Xie Mansion, a small Jinling City is the whole world to him. Where should he go now? Who should you turn to? Mr. Dai? No, he is too close, and finding him will bring disaster to him. What relatives does he have? No, he has no mother family to rely on, let alone if he has any distant relatives. He was like a fledgling bird that had lost its home, and Zhang Huang was at a loss in the frost and wind.
By the way, Weide, that bastard, was the one who instructed Qiye Jialan to destroy the Xie family. He suddenly had a direction, like grabbing a piece of dead wood while floating in the sea, and once he grabbed it, he would not let go. He wants revenge, whether it is Weide or Qiye Jialan, he wants them to die without a burial!
Xie Jinglan got up from the ground and staggered toward the endless night. He knew that Xie Jinglan, the young master of the Xie residence, had already died in the middle of the night, and from now on, he will continue to live as a ghost.