He thought he could pick the flower without anyone noticing, but when his finger was about to touch the petal, the little red flower moved away with the wooden stick. Shao Chong seemed to sense something and looked up. The owner of the wooden stick was looking at him with his eyes downcast. The two looked into each other's eyes.
The boy frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"
Shao Chong looked at the little red flower eagerly. Even though he failed to steal the flower and was caught by the owner, he did not feel guilty. He smiled and raised his eyebrows: "How much is this flower? How about you sell it to me? I can afford any price, just name your price!"
Chao Lian couldn't help but say, "I can't afford it."
The boy's clear eyes paused for two breaths on Shao Chong's face, then he moved away and turned around, looking like he didn't want to talk to a stranger. He took out a small purse from his sleeve and whispered to the vendor to check the price, looking reserved and shy. Perhaps because he rarely communicated with people, the whole process was the vendor calculating how much each item cost, telling the boy the total price, and the boy then counted the money and paid.
"You look so poor." Shao Chong couldn't take his eyes off the little red flower. Seeing that the boy paid mostly in copper coins, he planned to use money to persuade the boy to give in. "Just sell me this flower. One tael? Two taels? If not, I'll give you five taels..."
The boy ignored it.
He took the packaged items from the vendor, which contained daily necessities such as salt, corn, needles and thread, and cloth. This was the first time he went out to buy things by himself since he was a child. Usually, Uncle Lin was in charge. The teacher told him not to worry, and he only needed to buy what was written on the scroll. He could use the remaining money to buy himself some candy...
"Thank you, does the shopkeeper know where I can buy some candy?"
The boy was missing candy, but he didn't know where to buy it.
Seeing that he was being ignored, Shao Chong raised the price again.
"How about ten taels?"
Chao Lian continued to spoil the show while eating: "Thirteenth brother, I don't have ten taels of silver. It's just a small red flower. If you want it, I'll take you out of the city to pick as many as you want next spring. Don't bother me."
The boy still ignored Shao Chong.
The only thing in my mind was that I could buy a few candies with the remaining money.
"Hey! Look at me!"
Shao Chong did not listen to Chao Lian's words, but acted like thunder and grabbed the boy's left shoulder. He swept away the previous youthful enthusiasm, and his voice became low and sinister, and a series of tiny and strange gurgling sounds came out of his throat, like the growl of some wild beast.
Looking at his eyes again, they were flashing an ominous red light.
Chao Lian was all too familiar with Shao Chong in this state.
How could I have time to eat the last bite of corn porridge
He threw the clay bowl and wanted to step forward to stop Shao Chong from going crazy.
"Thirteenth brother, you must calm down. This is not the place for you to go crazy! If big brother finds out, you'd better be beaten!"
Chao Lian also had doubts in his heart.
I didn't find the problem before, I just knew that Thirteenth Brother would go crazy when he saw blood, but after a few years of recuperation and restraint, the influence of the insect in Thirteenth Brother's body on him gradually decreased, and even his stagnant mind began to slowly improve with age. Except for the full moon night, the insect was particularly manic and forced Shao Chong to passively enter a state of madness, but he was normal at other times.
Shao Chong turned a deaf ear to it.
The hands pressing on the boy's shoulders kept tightening.
Chao Lian subconsciously held his breath and did not dare to make any more noises, fearing that he would irritate Shao Chong and the boy's shoulder would be broken. Unexpectedly, the boy did not move at all, turned his head and looked at Shao Chong: "That flower is not for sale, let go of your hand."
Shao Chong let out a strange laugh: "What if not?"
The boy looked confused and embarrassed.
He said, "But I don't want to kill anyone."
The calm voice of the young man was clearly heard by Chao Lian, who was extremely anxious. Of course, he was not worried about his thirteenth brother, but about the young man. The crazy Shao Chong was like a firecracker that could explode at any time, and the provocation of the young man was adding fuel to the fire. There was a high probability that he would be chopped to pieces with bare hands and blood would be spilled on the spot.
The boy repeated it again.
"I don't want to kill you." When he said this, there was no murderous aura around the boy. His eyes were as clear as a spring, and the warmth between his eyebrows was like a breeze in the world. "The teacher also said that it is better to have less trouble than more. Killing people is simple, but dealing with corpses is troublesome. The teacher hates trouble the most."
The boy added: "I hate it too."
Chao Lian couldn't help but remind him in a low voice.
"Don't provoke Thirteen anymore..."
Doesn't this kid know Shao Chong's notoriety? Didn't he see that the common people on the street ran away or hid when they saw Shao Chong's posture
Many people have seen Shao Chong's face, and some have even seen him kill people. That scene once became an unforgettable nightmare. Even women in the countryside used words like "If you cry again, the red-eyed monster will come to eat you" to scare children. Is this young man dressed in exotic clothes a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers? Does he have to stroke the tiger's beard
“Bring it here!”
Shao Chong's eyes were replaced by scarlet blood, and the sound coming out of his throat was not human. He raised his hand into a claw, and with lightning speed, he grabbed the boy's face. Among all the brothers, Shao Chong had the strongest finger strength. Even if he didn't use any martial arts, it would be no easier for him to break a piece of stone with his bare hands than tofu. If he caught the boy, his skull would be split in half!
"Thirteen!"
Seeing Shao Chong really taking action, Chao Lian was so anxious that his voice broke.
He didn't even have time to take out his weapon, ready to stop Shao Chong with his bare hands. But he was still a step too slow. The young man actually dodged the grab at such a short distance, bent his elbow and hit back, and swung out a green breeze with his right palm, forcing Shao Chong to retreat.
Although it was only ten feet away, it was enough to make Chao Lian stare in amazement.
This boy...
Judging from his facial features, he is definitely younger than Shao Chong.
"Run away!"
This is not the time to be shocked.
Chao Lian grabbed the air and took out his weapons, inserting his two guns diagonally in front of Shao Chong, one on the left and one on the right, blocking his way and buying time for the boy to escape. He could force Shao Chong to retreat, but that didn't mean he could escape Shao Chong's attack. Killing innocent people and increasing the killing was against the law of nature.
The young man said to Chao Lian, "Thank you very much."
But he didn't turn around and run away.
"I can spare his life!" He formed seals with his palms and offered the wooden staff inserted diagonally behind his waist. Mysterious patterns and the Big Dipper spread from his feet to all directions. The boy's robe moved without wind, and the small red flower on the top of the wooden staff swayed left and right.
Chao Lian: “…”
What kind of power is this
It was neither like a literary aura nor a martial aura, but it could communicate with the aura of heaven and earth. Chao Lian's intuition told him that the boy was safe. Reality also confirmed his guess. The boy did not hit Shao Chong's head with the stick, but tapped the ground. A stream of green energy shot out like a meteor, directly hitting Shao Chong's forehead. Chao Lian raised his hand to stop it, but who knew that the thing could pass through his palm.
"Thirteen!" Chao Lian turned his head and saw the energy entering Shao Chong's eyebrows. He stepped forward and caught the man.
The boy stepped forward with a wooden stick in hand.
He half squatted down and poked Shao Chong between his eyebrows with his finger.
"There's something in him that won't listen."
Chao Lian was greatly shocked.
"Who are you? What did you do to Thirteen?"
"Now you're obedient."
Chao Lian grabbed the young man's wrist and refused to let him go.
"Obedient? What do you mean? You said that the thing inside Thirteen's body...became obedient? How did you do it?"
"Let it fall asleep, and it will be obedient."
Isn't this kind of thing easy to do
The boy straightened the crooked red flower, put the stick back on his waist, and kindly reminded Chao Lian: "Don't let your brother eat insects carelessly. If people eat insects carelessly, the insects will eat people. Not only will your stomach hurt, but your brain will also hurt. The teacher also said that people who eat insects and have brain pains will have a short life and will not live long."
"Do you have any way to get rid of the bugs?"
The boy shook his head: "The teacher hasn't taught me yet."
The teacher only taught how to make the bugs sleep.
Chao Lian seemed to have grabbed a floating log and asked hurriedly: "Your teacher? Does your teacher know? This is my thirteenth brother. As long as he can be cured, no matter how much it costs, it is fine. Whatever your teacher wants, as long as it is not against morality, we brothers will do it for him!"
The boy shook his head again: "I don't know."
Chao Lian found that the boy's reaction was the same as Shao Chong's, as if he was a child. He secretly took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and asked in a coaxing tone: "Then do you know where your teacher is? I want to visit him."
The boy refused to tell: "The teacher said I can't tell."
"Then..." Chao Lian wanted to ask more, but the young man had already frowned impatiently and stood up to leave. He quickly changed the words on his lips, "Can Xiaolang help ask the master?"
"Why? He wanted to steal my flowers. He's a bad guy."
Chao Lian said in a mysterious way: "Xiao Lang, please help me with this. I will ask Thirteen to buy a lot of candy to apologize to Xiao Lang. How about that?"
The boy looked struggling, as if he was weighing whether it was worth it.
In the end, I succumbed to the temptation of sugar.
"Okay, I'll come back to you when I get a reply."
Chao Lian was overjoyed and was about to trick the boy into telling him where they were going to meet so he could follow the clues to find the boy's teacher. But the next moment, his right hand was empty. When he looked up again, a leaf fell from the sky to where the boy was. Where was he
When Gu Ren learned about this, he immediately sealed off the city and searched for the person.
The young man who made the noise appeared in a roadside teahouse outside the city, holding something. In the corner, a man dressed as a commoner lowered his bamboo hat and sipped tea quietly. The young man called him, "Fourth Uncle Lin."
"Did you finish buying?"
The man known as "Uncle Lin" looked up.
Then he asked, "Did you fight with anyone?"
"He stole my things..."
Uncle Lin asked, "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"
The boy shook his head: "I didn't kill it. I let the bug sleep."
Uncle Lin didn't ask what "letting the bugs sleep" meant. After the boy finished his training, he liked to squat in the corner and play with toads, centipedes, scorpions, ants and other things. For a boy of his age, playing with bugs was quite normal.
"Have you bought everything?"
The boy nodded nervously: "Hmm..."
But her fingers were trying to cover something unnaturally.
Uncle Lin checked it and confirmed that it was correct. He stood up, paid for the tea, and said, "Let's go. Your teacher is still waiting for you."
Halfway through the walk, he whispered a reminder.
"Although you look like a teenager, you are still a teenager. Eat less candy. If you are caught by your teacher, don't let me suffer."
The boy uttered an "oh".
Actively admit mistakes and refuse to change despite repeated admonitions.
The young man’s teacher was an old man with white hair and beard. He had aged very rapidly in the past few years, and a sense of decadence was emanating from his body. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that he didn’t have much time left.
Seeing the young man and Uncle Lin coming back, the dead wood face finally came to life. The three of them had a simple meal, and the old man said, "Everything is ready, let's continue to head south..."
Uncle Lin: "Leaving again?"
This seclusion was like a war, hiding from place to place, but he didn't see anyone chasing him, and he didn't understand why the old man was moving so frantically.
The old man said: "Yes, for Shaobai's practice."
The young man was stunned for a while before he realized that Shao Bai was calling him. He said distressedly: "Teacher, I am A Yan."
He didn't like the unfamiliar name Shaobai.
Fourth Uncle Lin just wanted to roll his eyes.
"It doesn't matter where he practices?"
The old man said, "Of course it's different. The countries in the northwest are busy fighting and have no intention of holding a selection. Even if there is one, foreign scholars will be refused to participate. Shaobai needs to go to the Holy Land of Mountains and Seas. By then, I will be completely relieved."
Uncle Lin didn't say anything after hearing this.
The young man was fidgeting: "Teacher..."
"What is it?"
"Teacher, do you know how to kill insects?"
"insect?"
"Today I met a guy with worms in his brain. His brother promised me that if I help him kill the worms, then, then..."
The last words were ambiguous.
The old man understood instantly and sneered: "Those who abuse it deserve death. Your teacher knows the method, but cannot do it. You can do it, but your strength is not enough. Of course, if that person's life is big enough, you can drag it until you are strong enough..."
"Yes, Ah Yan knows."
"Also, eat less white and sugar."
The young man covered his mouth with both hands: "Ayan didn't eat!"
The old man pointed to the tooth with candy stuck in the boy's bowl and said, "Your tooth has fallen out, but you're still stubborn?"
Boy: “…”
Those eyes, like a landscape ink painting, were stained with mist.
The one that fell out was a front tooth.
A few days later.
Gu Ren and his brothers dug deep into the ground but could not find the boy. It seemed as if this person did not exist in the world. Even Chao Lian could not help wondering if he had made a mistake. On this day, they returned empty-handed again. Chao Lian was extremely worried, but he saw a familiar face.
He was overjoyed and stepped forward to stop the man.
"Young man, please let me..." After seeing the man's face clearly and meeting his eyes that looked like he was looking at a fool, Chao Lian almost coughed and said in surprise, "Gong Xichou, why is it you—"
"Oh, it's you, Gu Ziyi's younger brother, what's up?" This person was Gong Xichou who left Xiaocheng. He was on the road alone, and his travel efficiency was maximized. Gong Xichou greeted calmly, as if he was not the one who almost killed Shao Chong that year.
He reacted frankly, but Chao Lian was confused.
"you… "
Gong Xichou said, "I was just passing by."
A few days ago, the clan pattern on my shoulder blade became inexplicably hot.
He ran all the way in the direction indicated by the clan emblem.
As a result, there was no movement halfway.
Chao Lian asked hesitantly: "Then have you... ever seen a boy who looks 50% like you? His outfit..."
Having said this, he paused.
His eyes were completely glued to the patterns on Gong Xichou's collar.
This pattern is similar to the teenager's style.
Obviously they come from the same source.
Gong Xichou had no patience, and seeing that Chao Lian had not responded, he planned to pay and leave, but Chao Lian grabbed his arm. Gong Xichou sneered and threatened: "Don't you want this hand anymore?"
"That person looks a lot like you." Chao Lian was afraid that Gong Xichou would not believe him, so he took out the pattern he had drawn based on his memory and almost slapped Gong Xichou in the face, "Have you ever seen him?"