It was night, a bright moon shone on Yubi Pass, and Geng Shu finally found an opportunity on the pavement. While everyone was sleeping, he gently got up.
There were bloodstains from the rope on his ankle, and the blood had solidified and scabbed.
In the past few days, he has roughly figured out the terrain and military arrangement of the entire Yubi Pass. It is impossible to release all the prisoners of war. If he flees south unprepared, he will surely die on the road.
"Sura Wushen"
This has been the ninth month since he was arrested. He didn't think much about Jiang Heng's situation, but wishful thinking that he must be wandering in the south now, waiting to find out for himself.
Under the avalanche, can you still live
But Geng Shu still stubbornly believed that as long as he didn't see Jiang Heng's body with his own eyes, he didn't die.
As for what to do when the body is found? He never thought about it.
In the quiet night, with the bright moon shining on the earth, Geng Shu stole a dagger from the sleeping guard and quietly climbed up the wall. For him five years ago, this was commonplace.
Back then, he carried a black sword on his back, and that was how he came from Anyang to Xundong.
He was barefoot and silent, the boy's figure hidden in the shadows, his bright eyes like a lone wolf, waiting for the right moment.
In Guancheng, a hundred steps away from the gate of Neiguan, it is a place where the defense is extremely strict, and you must be very patient... Geng Shu waited for a long time until the sound of cocks crowing in the distance, and it was almost dawn.
He never found a chance to leave smoothly, so he had to change the road and try to climb the roof.
But just as he turned one of the rooms, Geng Shu inadvertently glanced in and suddenly changed his mind.
The light was still on in the room, and the door was half-open. Juicong was reading the military newspaper in front of the case. He was already a little sleepy. He picked up the cup on the side of the case and found that the cup was empty, so he got up on his knees and went to the side to pour water. .
Geng Shu rolled on the spot and quietly entered the room.
Juicong returned to the front of the case, Geng Shu slowly stood upright behind the screen, holding a dagger, stepped on the ground with his dirty feet, leaving footprints one after another, where the lights couldn't shine, the footprints were like invisible demon wolves. , slowly approaching Juicong from behind.
Juicong stopped for a while, thought for a while, then raised his eyes and said, "I know you will come, you look like you have learned martial arts."
Geng Shu suddenly turned sideways, silently, and swung a dagger towards Juicong, but Juicong didn't turn sideways, stood up, took out his long sword from the case, turned around to block, and held Geng Shu's dagger.
Geng Shu stepped back and swooped on the ground. Juicong stepped back half a step. In an instant, Geng Shu knelt down on one knee, thrust a dagger against Juicong's lower abdomen and chest, and thrust his elbow straight into it!
There is no way to crack this style. If Geng Shu used a long sword, Juicong would be cut open on the spot!
Fortunately, however, Geng Shu was holding a dagger, and it was more than twice as short as the sword's edge. Before reaching Juicong's abdomen, Juicong returned his hand, and the long sword circled and blocked. .
The daggers and swords intersected again, colliding.
The shock of that dagger just now was even more shocking than the shock of Juicong's almost corpse lying on the ground.
"Wait... you..."
In an instant, countless fragments of the past flew past, and Juicong finally understood where the familiar look in his eyes came from when he looked at this young man.
"Stop!" Juicong shouted, "I have something to say!"
But Geng Shu, like a mad beast, rushed forward again, Juicong set off the counter with a loud noise, and collided with Geng Shu, but Geng Shu collided with the counter, in mid-air, the dagger showed no mercy, towards Juicong. pick.
"who?!"
"There are assassins!"
The guard outside was instantly alerted, and at the last moment, Juicong made a move that no one could understand.
He abandoned the sword in his right hand, and stepped forward to meet Geng Shu's dagger with his left hand. With a soft sound, he grabbed the dagger blade with his palm. The dagger pierced his palm, but was caught by his bones and could no longer advance an inch.
Geng Shu: "!!!"
Immediately afterwards, Juicong's right hand crossed the railing, holding Geng Shu up, stopping him from rolling in the air and shoving him to the ground.
Geng Shu's eyes blackened when he fell, and he spit out a mouthful of blood. He crawled on the ground for a short period of time, coughing uncontrollably.
"His Majesty!"
"Hurry up to the military doctor!"
When he heard the word "Your Majesty", Geng Shu turned his head and looked at Juicong with shock in his eyes.
Juicong said, "Back off."
When Zeng Yu arrived, the guards pressed Geng Shu to the ground. Juicong held the hilt of the dagger, pulled the dagger out of his palm, and threw it on the ground with a "dang clang".
"Get him up." Juicong said, "Son, come here."
Geng Shu got up slowly, Juicong tore open the front of his clothes, wrapped himself around his hands a few times, and instructed Zeng Yu, "Get out, don't let anyone in. Go now!"
Zeng Yu and the guards looked at each other, Ju Cong looked angry, and everyone had to exit the study and closed the door.
Geng Shu glanced at the dagger in the corner, then at Juicong.
Juicong said solemnly, "That style is called 'going home', but it's a pity that you are not holding a sword, otherwise you would have successfully taken my life."
Geng Shu's face was indifferent, and he looked at Juicong quietly.
Finally, Juicong asked, "Who are you from Geng Yuan? I recognize those eyes."
Geng Shu breathed for a moment, blood surged, staggered, knelt on the ground, Juicong stepped forward in an instant and hugged Geng Shu.
Geng Shu was exhausted. He was seriously ill and had a high fever for several days. He shot and killed Juicong, exhausting his last bit of strength.
It is dawn, the wind blows and grass grows under Yubi Pass, and it is autumn again.
The prisoners of war set off one after another and were escorted back to the Yong Kingdom. The long dragons that could not see the end were arranged windingly, extending to the horizon. Yongguo cavalry came and went, shuttling in front of the pass.
In the five-story turret at the top of Guancheng, in the main room, Ju Cong, who originally planned to leave the camp today and return to Luoyan City, did not leave. After a night of sleeplessness, King Yong's spirit was extremely excited.
Juicong sat upright in the middle of the hall, with Geng Shu sitting beside him. Geng Shu was half-naked, with scars on his shoulders, abdomen, and chest. Arrow sores, knife wounds, rope marks, new wounds mixed with old wounds, left too many memories on his body as a young man.
"Your Majesty," said the military doctor respectfully, who had diagnosed Geng Shu, "this young man's injury is not in the way. As long as you adjust your diet and combine with decoction, you will be able to recover slowly in less than a month."
Geng Shu held a bowl of porridge with a very complicated expression and drank it slowly.
Juicong looked at the bowl in his hand, raised his eyes again, and looked at Geng Shu's eyes. Geng Shu didn't want to meet him, and said coldly, "Don't look at me."
Juicong said seriously: "Your father's body was smashed to ashes by Liang Guo. I sent a dead man, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Even the black sword is missing. What happened to your mother?"
"Dead." Geng Shu said solemnly.
After Geng Shu finished drinking the porridge, Juicong said again, "Give him another bowl."
Geng Shu was very hungry, and after eating the hot porridge, he finally regained his strength.
Juicong added, "I've been looking for you all these years. Now I've finally found you."
Geng Shu suddenly sneered: "You never thought about it, what if I was fake?"
Juicong looked at Geng Shu's eyes and said, "Your eyes are exactly the same as your father's, but not many people in the world have seen his eyes. After all, it was a long, long time ago."
Before Geng Yuan was blind, the brothers Juicang and Juicong met him. More than ten years ago, in the Yongdu Palace, Juicong would never forget these bright eyes. However, just after Geng Yuan stabbed his eyes, covered with black cloth, and went to Liang State, no one saw his original face again.
Even Geng Shu's mother, Jiang Zhao's maid Nie Qi, could not see Geng Yuan's true face.
"Where's Mrs. Zhao?" Juicong said again.
"It's dead." Geng Shu finished the second bowl of porridge and replied, "Heng'er doesn't know yet, it's okay if he doesn't know."
Juicong ordered to give him a third bowl, and said, "So, you still have a younger brother."
Geng Shu didn't answer and took the last bowl of porridge.
Juicong said again: "Don't misunderstand, my original intention is not to test your identity, but I remember too many past events, and I can't rest assured if I don't ask questions."
Saying that, Juicong sighed again: "Even if you are not Geng Yuan's child, I still want to thank God. At this time, if you were sent to lie to me, it's okay to treat you as him."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Zeng Yu said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I found what you said, and it is in the hands of the commander in charge of the army. He did find this thing on a young man, but he didn't report it and took it as his own."
"Bring it in." Juicong said.
The door opened, Zeng Yu was holding a piece of red cloth in his hand, and the red cloth showed a corner of the crystal clear jade. Zeng Yu carefully placed it on the table and backed out.
Juicong untied the red cloth, and inside was Geng Shu's Yujue.
He picked up the jade, suffocating his breath, his fingers trembled, and touched the surface of the jade, which seemed to still hold Geng Yuan's soul.
Geng Shu didn't speak, his eyes were red, and he looked at Yu Jue. Jiang Heng seemed to be by his side, lying in his arms, leaning on his legs, looking up and smiling at him.
Juicong pushed Yujue in front of Geng Shu, Geng Shu didn't say a word, he still put it on, his movements were very natural.
"This is the sword that your mother put in Luoyan Palace before she died," said Juicong, "keep it away."
Nie Qi's sword was thin and flimsy, the body of the sword seemed to be broken when touched, flashing a biting cold light.
Geng Shu finished the last bowl of porridge and grabbed the hilt of the sword. Juicong said again: "If you haven't changed your mind now, you can kill me at any time."
Geng Shu was silent, and finally put away the sword.
At dusk, Ju Cong got into the carriage and left Yubi Pass.
Geng Shu was sitting in the car and fell asleep beside Juicong. Juicong's shoulders were wide and warm, which made him dream of his father again, just like in Anyang when he was young.
My father sometimes came to see them and sat at the desk and played the violin. The mother went to prepare the meal, and the little Geng Shu lay in the blind Geng Yuan's arms, listening to the intermittent sound of the piano, watching his hands, and fiddling with the strings from time to time.
The convoy exited the customs and drove all the way to the north. The Kings Guard of nearly 3,000 people was mighty, supporting Juicong to return to the court.
In the evening, Geng Shu woke up in the car with the residual warmth of Juicong's body still beside him. When he opened his eyes, he suddenly turned his head and looked out, only to hear what Juicong was instructing the imperial army outside.
"I think you're not too tired," Juicong said, "I can't let you sleep longer. Come out for a walk?"
Geng Shu's whole body was in severe pain, as if it had fallen apart. He got out of the car and looked around. Juicong said, "Want to ride a horse? Have you ever learned it?"
Geng Shu replied, "A little bit."
Juicong helped him mount the horse, personally held his own rope, and led Geng Shu out of the grassland under the watchful eyes of the guards.
Geng Shu suddenly put his legs on the horse's belly and shouted "Drive!" Wang Qi instantly threw off the juice Cong and rushed out like a gust of wind.
The guards of the imperial forest were immediately furious and stepped forward to scold them, but Juicong laughed and signaled that it might be okay. Seeing Geng Shu run away, he asked someone to lead another horse for him, get on his horse, and chase Geng Shu away.
Geng Shu galloped his horse, but it was in the opposite direction of Juicong's march, heading towards the south.
Juicong rode his horse, caught up with him, and said, "Do you want to go back?"
"Yu!" Geng Shu didn't have many opportunities to ride horses, but he controlled the horse in a good manner. He stopped in the middle of the grassland under the sunset.
Yubi Pass appeared in the distance, becoming a black shadow under a gold-red ink painting.
"This is the land that your father bought for me with his life." Juicong said, "When he left Luoyan before his death and went south to the Central Plains, I did the same, I sent him to Yubi Pass and promised him , From that day on, the country in the north has half his size."
"But he's dead." Geng Shu said solemnly.
"Life is alive, and it is inevitable that one will die. This is the case with all living beings." Juicong said lightly, "You are still alive, this is what God gave me."
Geng Shu was silent for a moment, turned his horse's head, returned to Juicong, and rode side by side, back to the camp.