When Xu Mang learned about Xu Sheng's current situation, he was in disbelief. He sat blankly for a while, thinking in his mind that fortunately he came back in time. If it had been a few days later, his dearest brother would have starved to death.
The two of them sat staring at each other in silence for a long time, until with a "Gulu", Xu Yang stood up awkwardly and ran to the big willow tree at the entrance of the village. He rode back from the other side on the tall horse he got from nowhere.
A package was unpacked.
When he entered the house again, he had already taken out several shriveled flatbreads from the package.
"Just eat this?"
"If you don't want to eat, forget it."
In this way, the two brothers, who met for the first time in five years, drank cold water and ate sesame seed cakes. They had a meal that was not very delicious but was much needed. Moreover, they were still unsatisfied after eating.
"Well..." Xu Yang, who was only half full, wiped his lips and looked out from time to time, looking a little anxious. He wanted to say something, but in the end he did not speak.
"Let's go, we have nothing to do at home." Xu Sheng knew what he wanted to say. His eldest brother was going to travel around the world again.
"And one more thing."
"What?"
Xu Yang took out a small black wooden box from his arms, opened it, and gently pushed it in front of Xu Sheng.
Xu Sheng looked down and saw that there was a token as dark as ink in the box. He picked it up and took a look, using the dim light in the room, he found that there was a very majestic word "Xu" on the token.
, turn over, there is a pattern of three wolf heads on the back.
"This is?" Xu Sheng couldn't help but wonder.
"A guest order from the Xu family," Xu Yang said solemnly, "After I leave, I will take this with me to the Xu family to find a good job."
"What?" Xu Sheng sneered twice and said with a bit of fun: "Are you trying to find a promotion for me?" He had his own ideas and was not willing to work hard in a wealthy family.
"I know your ambition, but..." Xu Ram paused and said with some embarrassment: "With me as your brother, fame, wealth and fortune have nothing to do with you in this life."
"You..." Xu Sheng was shocked, and immediately had some bad guesses. The words came to his lips, but he couldn't say them out.
"I'm leaving." Xu Sheng knew what he was going to say. He didn't want to listen, and he didn't need to. He clasped his hands and said loudly: "Take care."
"Take care of yourself"
"Snapped"
Pushing open the door and leaving without looking back, Xu Yang walked away very neatly.
"Why on earth did you become like this?" Xu Sheng looked straight at the door and asked himself in a daze.
They are compatriots, but they are completely opposite. Xu Sheng thinks he is timid, but his brother is bold; he thinks he is dull, but his brother is cunning and changeable; although he is familiar with his brother, he does not know it, and he
But my brother seemed to know him well. Now for some reason, Xu Sheng felt that the two of them were becoming more and more unfamiliar, and they were drifting apart.
People often say that relatives are close to each other, but Xu Sheng and Xu Mang, the two closest relatives, are far apart.
On the winding mountain road, a horse galloped, raising layers of smoke. On top of the galloping horse, a tall and handsome man turned back from time to time, looking at the almost invisible small village in the mountain, and whispered in a deep voice: "Brother, don't do it.
Blame me, there are some things you don’t know, and I really can’t explain them!”
Early the next morning, a large number of people came to the small mountain village. They were all officers and soldiers, about twenty or so. When they came, they didn't say anything, they just searched every household, no matter who they were or what they were doing.
, regardless of whether he was sleeping with his wife in his arms or sticking his buttocks out to defecate, they were all kicked out. The stoves, water tanks, cellars, beams...the officers and soldiers must not turn the world upside down.
No need to ask further, Xu Sheng also knew that this person came to see his brother, but he didn't know what he had committed to cause such a big fight.
kill!
Tumen!
When Xu Sheng found out, a large group of officers and soldiers surrounded him and interrogated him.
Xu Yang, alone, under the blue sky and broad daylight, slaughtered an escort family, a total of 113 people, including women and children!
how come?
Xu Sheng felt that the world was spinning, his energy and blood were not smooth for a moment, and he fainted.
When Xu Sheng woke up again, all the officers and soldiers had left. There was really no useful information available on him.
At this moment, a group of simple villagers gathered around his bedside. Seeing Xu Sheng wake up, they were all filled with surprise.
"Just wake up. I was scared to death. I thought something was wrong."
"Oh, Xu Sheng, you have to think about it. After all, it has nothing to do with you!"
"What do you want to eat? Auntie will make it for you. You are weak now and you need to take good care of it."
...
There was a lot of chattering, and Xu Sheng felt a buzzing sound and his head hurt. He was very grateful for the concern and care of these old neighbors, but it was really unbearable and he could only try to smile.
He said politely: "No, thank you all, I just want to be alone now."
"It's okay, this matter has hit you hard after all, it's okay to be alone alone," someone responded. After a while, they all left in twos and threes, leaving Xu Sheng alone lying on the bed with a dull expression.
One person slaughters a whole family, including women and children. How can this be done by humans? It is clearly an act of animals.
How could his brother be so cruel? So vicious? Such an orcish behavior?
Besides, it doesn’t make sense at all! How can one person slaughter one hundred and thirteen people? Are those more than a hundred people stretching their necks and waiting to be slaughtered? How can a bodyguard’s fighting ability be so weak if there are hundreds of people in the bodyguard?
Are they all made of clay?
Xu Sheng's heart was pounding, but his mind was still quick, and he suddenly thought of many unreasonable things.
Although his brother is brave and has practiced martial arts for two years when he was a child, he might be able to deal with three or five people, but if he were to fight against hundreds of people practicing martial arts, he would only be dealt with. Even if he has been in the past few years,
Traveling in the world of rivers and lakes, making rapid progress, shouldn't be like this, right? It's hard to resist a hundred people, it sounds like a legend. Besides, you have to do the killing during the day, for fear that others won't know?
Xu family!
Suddenly Xu Sheng thought of the key point, pinched his thigh, stood up instantly, and pulled out the black token from the tattered fir.
He decided to go to the Xu family to have a look, but he couldn't do it! Firstly, he suspected that his brother had received instructions from the Xu family; secondly, he also needed a place to stay.
"Dazhao Code": Those who are guilty of capital punishment are not allowed to enter the officialdom. This sentence is like completely killing Xu Sheng's thoughts. He is a scholar, and his biggest ideal in life is to be an official, become a general, become a prime minister, and be promoted to a title.
It's not that he is vulgar, he also has the ambition to seek immortality beyond the world, but he feels that they are just legends, which can be imagined but cannot be touched. The path he has set for himself has always been to be an official. In fact, it is not just him,
Ninety-nine percent of scholars are like this. It happens due to the trend of the times and the times.
It turned out that he had long wanted to take the imperial examination to try his luck. When his parents were alive, he was still young and felt that his talent and learning might not be enough. By the time he thought that his talent and learning were about the same, his family was ruined and his wealth was gone, so he had no money to go if he wanted to go.
Now, he has a large piece of gold in his arms, and he has financial support, but he is not accepted.
Damn it!
If you ask for more than you can't, you can't do more than you want!
It’s all about life!
What's more, Xu Sheng thought about it, the people in the bodyguards can be regarded as wandering around the world, and they must have some friends. As Xu Mang's brother, he might be hunted down by his enemies that day. The Xu family, as a big family, will definitely be stable.
.
Furthermore, although the death penalty is not punishable, if Xu Mang is not caught for a long time, Xu Sheng, as his only relative, is likely to be forced into forced labor.
Xu Sheng couldn't stand this.
The next day, Xu Sheng got up very early, took a deep shower, rode a bullock cart from a neighboring village, and drove for half a day to Pingling County. There, he first exchanged a whole piece of gold for scattered silver, and then
I went to a silk and satin shop to make some clothes. After getting dressed, I asked for a good meal at the largest restaurant in Pingling County. After eating and drinking, I hired a fairly comfortable carriage and hurried to the county town in the dust.
.
The wind was blowing on the official road, and the weather in summer was never sure of rain or shine. Just a moment ago, the sky was clear, but in the blink of an eye, it was covered with dark clouds.
Xu Shengyuan drank two bottles of Huadiao, and the wind blew and he became a little sober again. The wind blew in and out, making him half drunk and half awake, and felt very uncomfortable. He looked into the distance and saw the sky was dark and the earth was dark, and the sky was heavy, and he couldn't help but feel sad.
, lamenting the wandering life and ill-fated fate, he began to compose poetry according to his character:
The sky is dark and covered with dense clouds,
The sky is about to burst with flying sand and rocks.
Magpies are frightened by other branches and flee everywhere,
Only let me pass through this.
Xu Sheng chanted it once and felt it was not good, so he composed another one:
Looking out, I see vast fields, and my heart is filled with sadness. The east wind blows, the flowers are old, my heart is lonely, and the sky makes me thin and sad.
I lowered my head, eyes closed with drunkenness, the grass was swaying in the wind but it still remained. The stones were moving and the sand was spreading, but I was so affectionate that I didn't want to leave. Long and long.