On the edge of the desert, even the sky is covered with dust that lingers all year round. The market is bustling with dust and sand under everyone's feet. The sounds of shouting, selling, and bargaining come one after another.
A young man with a strong figure and a scimitar on his waist stepped back a few steps, avoiding the laughing and shoving children who ran past, and then quickly caught up and asked, "Why are there so many people today, Master?"
"Once a month." Xie Yun said without turning his head, "Today is the big market."
He paused in front of a flower stand.
It is said to be a flower stand, but in fact there are only a few baskets of small white flowers connected with strings. The edges of the petals are almost withered, and they are guarded by a white-haired flower girl, who is particularly eye-catching in this crowded and simple desert market.
"Young boy—" The old woman looked at the boy who was catching up quickly from behind, and said with a hoarse smile, "Tsk, what a handsome young boy, how about buying a flower for your wife?"
"… what?"
Children who struggled and grew up in the desert are born with strong physiques. When Shan Chao was picked up back then, he was as thin as firewood, and his height was less than Xie Yun's chest. In just a few years, he is taller than his master .
Xie Yun didn't wear a mask, but his whole body and face were wrapped in a gray-white linen cloak, only revealing a pair of beautiful and deep eyes. Shan Chao looked at his master, but he didn't expect the old woman to admit his mistake in such a way. Immediately, his face became hot, and he stammered, "I...not...this..."
Xie Yun had already withdrawn his gaze from the bunch of flowers, and walked forward without saying a word.
Shan Chao hastily apologized to the old woman, and ran after her.
They exchanged salt, cloth, and daily necessities at the market, and the sun was almost setting when they left the town and returned to the desert.
The river bed in the desert glows golden-red in the setting sun, and the small courtyard made of bricks and stones is located under the soil slope, and the felt on the roof sways in the wind, making a crackling sound.
This is their home, the place where Shan Chao is most comfortable and has the deepest affection since he was born.
He went into the house to lay down his burden, neatly tidied up the stove and prepared to light a fire, when he suddenly heard the flapping of birds' wings outside the door, and then Xie Yun quickly walked out of the courtyard.
"Master?"
no answer.
Shan Chao put down the firewood, walked out of the kitchen, and stopped behind the door frame. I saw Xie Yun in the small courtyard with his back facing him, letting go of a letter eagle.
This is already the third time in half a month.
Since they settled down in the desert, they have been isolated from the world, not to mention letters, if they don't go to the market, they are used to not seeing outsiders for ten and a half months.
Since two years ago, Xinying has gradually come to visit. Shan Chao can't remember when the first time was, but he knows that most of the time he brought a small iron tube. It can hold only half a sheet, and can't write a few words.
This kind of Xinying only came once every three or four months. He guessed that someone from afar was contacting Xie Yun, but every time he asked, Xie Yun always answered him in silence.
Xie Yun is different from himself, he should have a family, Shan Chao thought.
He should have parents, relatives, brothers, friends...
Maybe there are childhood sweethearts, and confidante.
"Master?"
Xie Yun didn't look back.
"Master?" Shan Chao stepped forward: "Have you received the letter again?"
Xie Yun suddenly clenched the parchment roll in his hand and turned around.
If you look closely, his expression is a bit strange, and the shadows are shrouded on the deeply contoured side cheeks, like the deep and indistinct shadows cast by the glacier.
"It's nothing," Xie Yun said in a low voice.
"...do you want to write back?"
Xie Yun shook his head, walked into the room without saying a word.
The moment he passed by, the wind curled his long hair, and the ends of the hair brushed against the boy's hard cheeks. Shan Chao suddenly turned his head, his lips moved, and courage and impulse suddenly came from nowhere in his throat: "... your family... is urging you to go back?"
Xie Yun was just crossing the threshold, he paused slightly upon hearing this.
The time was infinitely elongated, and every minute and every second was wrapped in the yellow sand by the strong wind, whizzing past between them, and swept away towards the sand dunes farther away.
"I have no family," Xie Yun said.
He lifted the blanket, bowed his head and stepped into the house.
That night, Shan Chao opened his eyes and looked at the dark roof in front of him. His ears were filled with the sobs of the wind and sand outside the window, and the long breaths of Xie Yun beside him.
He got up, walked quietly to the bed, and quietly looked down at his warm and undulating body in the dark.
The earthen house is very small, and only one person can sleep on the kang. In the early years when Shan Chao was young, Xie Yun let him sleep on the kang, and he slept on the ground. Later, Shan Chao grew up year by year, and I don't know when he suddenly developed a complex relationship between a boy and a man, shy, patient, and full of impatient possessiveness. Li Zhuang insisted on sleeping on the floor, so he forced Xie Yun to catch up with the kang to sleep.
It's like a male beast guarding his partner, full of pride and solemnity.
Xie Yun was already fast asleep, and the moonlight passed over the window lattice and sprinkled on half of his pale cheeks, even his skin faintly glowed with a bright and cool halo. Shan Chao stroked the shape of his cheek with his fingers in the air, greedily and carefully, repeating it over and over again.
When he was young and ignorant, he thought that this kind of life would last forever. At the end of this desolate world, only he and Xie Yun could rely on each other until the last day of this long life.
Only later did he realize that there are still many helpless things in this world, and the separation that has to be faced.
Xie Yun said, "I have no family."
— really not
Xie Yun from "outside", Xie Yun from a wider and more prosperous world, Xie Yun who has received more and more letters.
Is there really no one waiting for him in the more attractive world of flowers far away
The next day, when the horizon was just getting brighter, Shan Chao left. He galloped in the desert, leaving the night as dark as the dunes far behind.
He didn't come back until noon, got off his horse in front of the gate of the small courtyard, fastened the reins, and excitedly pushed open the gate: "Master..."
Xie Yun stood upright in the courtyard, holding a small scroll of parchment in his hand, his nails were slightly turning blue and white.
Shan Chao conditioned reflex to look back, and sure enough there was a small black dot fluttering its wings towards the sky, it was Xinying.
"Master?" Shan Chao asked suspiciously.
"..." Xie Yun withdrew his gaze, but did not look at him.
Xie Yun's gaze was distracted and focused, as if he was looking at a more vast and lonely void through the air in front of him. For some reason, Shan Chao looked at this scene, and suddenly felt an indescribable and slightly uneasy feeling in his heart, and took half a step forward to test: "Master? What's wrong with you?"
Only then did Xie Yun come back to his senses: "...huh?"
"Have you received another letter?"
Xie Yun looked at the note, and after a while, he slowly held it tightly in his palm.
His movements were gentle and steady, and there was no expression on his face, but when he clenched his fist, there were obvious blue veins on the back of his hand: "... where did you go?"
Shan Chao reflexively raised his hand and touched his bosom, but he hesitated for some reason when the words reached his mouth, and said cautiously: "I remembered that I didn't buy some things yesterday, so I went to the market—"
Normally, Xie Yun would definitely ask what did you buy at the market, but at this moment he just nodded absent-mindedly, and suddenly said, "Come here."
There was nothing unusual about Xie Yun's words, from his expression to his voice, but Shan Chao had lived with him for many years, getting along day and night, and depended on each other for life. Some kind of ominousness suddenly rushed into his heart, and suddenly touched the deepest and most subtle nerves.
He hesitated a bit and stepped forward, but every time he took a step, his muscles tensed up a bit, and when he approached Xie Yun, the scimitar on his waist even made a buzzing sound.
Shan Chao pressed the handle of the knife back with one hand, staring into Xie Yun's eyes: "I... I bought something for you..."
Xie Yun looked at him and shook his head, then silently mouthed two words.
Shan Chao's pupils tightened instantly.
Those two words are clearly—goodbye—
The cold light came oncoming, Shan Chao retreated like lightning, and screamed: "Xie Yun!"
brush!
The Longyuan sword was slashed face to face, and several hairs on the forehead were cut off in unison, and instantly smashed into powder by the murderous aura!
This ultimate move was really caught off guard, if he hadn't been prepared, Shan Chao's neck would have been cut in two at this moment!
"Why?!" Shan Chao said angrily, "Master! It's me! What do you want to do?"
Xie Yun didn't answer, Dangkong suddenly changed his move, and the unparalleled exquisite swordsmanship was swept by the wind and thunder, and it was about to cut Shan Chao's entire body!
Shan Chao had no choice but to draw his knife out of its sheath with a clang, only to hear the loud bangs of several metal impacts, which could be described as deafening - it turned out that dozens of hand-to-hand fights rang together at the same time, and suddenly the sky was full of lightning and sparks, dazzling It's hard to keep your eyes open during the day!
"You want to kill me?" Shan Chao blocked the sinking edge of the Longyuan Sword, and said in disbelief amidst the crackling sound of the scimitar: "Why, what is going on here?"
Xie Yun still didn't answer.
Shanchao was furious, raised his arms and swung Longyuan's sword, and stabbed up in a thousandth of a moment's gap—he is the kind of person who can display extraordinary strength the more angry he is, the scimitar, which is almost at the end of its strength, unexpectedly Counter-pressed Long Yuanjian.
Xie Yun drew his sword back and remained unmoved. At this time, the profound swordsmanship skills from a small secret door were vividly displayed.
In the nick of time, Long Yuan slapped away the scimitar that had already been cut in front of him, and the tip of the knife swung close to Xie Yun's bridge of nose in an instant!
"Stop!" Shan Chao roared angrily: "Xie Yun! Stop!"
Xie Yun ignored it.
He didn't wear a silver mask, but his handsome face was cold and ruthless, as if covered by a layer of more gorgeous, delicate and cold things, as if he had completely changed from the inside.
A cold and strange killer, a killing machine without emotion and pain.
— Clang!
The Longyuan sword hit the same point on Shan Chaodao's body for the third time, and the cracks in the machete suddenly deepened, and then, amidst the ear-piercing sharp sound, it suddenly fell apart!
"Thank you Yun!"
The Longyuan sword swept across the world, and Shan Chao swept back like an arrow.
In the blink of an eye, the tip of the sword pierced through the body, and the huge impact pushed Shan Chao away!
thump!
Shanchao fell heavily to the ground, and the machete shattered into thousands of pieces and flew backwards. Immediately afterwards, he felt his chest go cold and then hot. When he looked down, he saw that the front of the chest had been cut horizontally, forming a wound that was more than a foot long and half an inch deep, and blood was dripping out from the wound bit by bit.
"..." Shan Chao's pupils dilated, gasped slightly, and was suddenly enveloped by a shadow.
He raised his head, only to see Xie Yun condescendingly walking in front of him, the Long Yuan sword pointed straight at his throat like a pool of ice water.
Shan Chao has never felt the approach of death so clearly and absurdly like now—all the changes happened too fast, so fast that he couldn't even resist the will to survive, so fast that he couldn't tell that this was an accident. Tragedy, or an absurd and funny dream.
He stared into Xie Yun's eyes and slowly shook his head, finally uttering three words with difficulty: "Why?"
Xie Yun was like a lifeless and unresponsive ghost, ignoring everything around him, only holding the sword in his backhand, slowly raised the blade, and was about to stab Shan Chao in the neck.
—At this moment his movements stopped.
His gaze was fixed on a certain place on Shan Chao's chest, and he remained motionless for a long while.
Shan Chao followed his gaze, and saw that his jacket and inner pocket were torn apart by the force of the sword, revealing a bouquet of flowers in the inner pocket.
The blood fell on the snow-white flower strings, which was extraordinarily bright and dazzling.
It was the one he secretly bought back after galloping to the market on galloping horse just now.
Xie Yun's chest rose and fell slightly, and then his breathing became deeper and deeper. There seemed to be some kind of astonishment, despair, and indescribable emotions intertwined in his eyes, sinking into a dark abyss.
"... let's go..." he murmured, took a step back, and said sharply, "go!"
Shan Chao was inexplicably shocked: "You—"
"Get out!" Xie Yun thrust his sword heavily into the sand, and said sharply, "I'll give you six hours to run away. In this life, you and I will never see each other again. From now on, we will never see each other again!"
"If you are caught by me again in this life, I promise you will die—get lost!"