The night in Jiangcheng was cold and windy. Xiu Yun's hand was even colder than before, but the concentric knot in his hand made Jian Xun feel warm for no reason.
"...Thank you." Jian Xun responded in a low voice.
Xiu Yun looked at him, his handsome face looked unwavering, but his ears quietly turned red, like a bright color dotted on the treetops in spring, which was particularly touching.
He felt that what he was admiring was definitely a side of the person in front of him that was unknown to outsiders.
Jian Xun held the concentric knot in his hand, clenching it tightly for fear that the thing would get wrinkled and disappoint Xiu Yun, but he would loosen it for fear that it would be thrown away among the crowd and difficult to find again.
For a moment, I didn't even think of hanging it directly on my waist.
Xiu Yun didn't remind him, and felt that his somewhat confused look was very agreeable.
After all, it was something obtained in exchange for a gold ingot. If it worked, it would be worthy of his efforts to memorize those flush cards.
But this ending can be said to be a happy one. Xiu Yun got a gift to give, Jian Xun got a gift, and the boss kept his gold ingot.
The boss even happily echoed: "A happy marriage will last a hundred years!"
"Let's go." Xiu Yun said softly.
He grabbed Jian Xun's clothes and walked towards another dimly lit street.
There is no curfew in Daqi, but such crowded scenes can only be seen around the Shangyuan period. On weekdays, people are still busy working and have no time to relax and rest.
The crowd was so dense that it seemed as if all the breaths were mixed together. Xiu Yun stopped and said, "It's a little boring."
Jian Xun looked around after hearing this, then took him into the alley, carried Xiu Yun on his back, mobilized his internal energy, and made a few blows Jumped to the roof again.
Once familiar, Jian Xun's posture on the back is no longer as awkward as before.
The view from a higher place is better. With Xiu Yun on Jian Xun's back, looking towards the market, the prosperity of Jiangcheng can be seen at a glance.
He looked into the street and suddenly asked: "I haven't seen any defenders patrolling the streets along the way. Didn't they say they patrolled the streets before and after the Yuan Dynasty?"
Jian Xun's speed on the roof slowed down, and he followed Xiu Yun's line of sight. The place where the defenders were supposed to be on duty was also empty.
His arms tensed subconsciously.
Xiu Yun was a little hurt by the hoop, but he looked at the top of Jian Xun's hair and said nothing. He only gently stroked his tense neck muscles with his hands, as if he was watching and appeasing an angry beast at the same time.
His expression was dull and a little careless, but his words were doubtful and serious: "Xu Shi are all at the city gate tower. Do you want to go and have a look?"
"...Hold me tight." Jian Xun responded without saying yes or no. Agreeing, he ran towards the city gate.
There are also several tall buildings at the city gate. I don't know which powerful family built them. They are only six or seven feet shorter than the city gate tower. I don't know how such illegal buildings were built.
Jian Xun stood on the top of the building and looked down. Before and after Shangyuan, people were densely packed, and there were many people coming in and out of the city gate. However, the soldiers guarding the city were obviously impatient, and they often yelled and cursed, as if they were venting their dissatisfaction.
A few soldiers seemed to be just ordinary pawns, but even with this behavior, no one else came to discipline them.
The people passing by asked for help, so they could only enter and exit the city gate with a smile on their face, nod and bow, under the gaze of the soldiers, who were looking at them as if they were giving alms.
Xiu Yun sighed silently as he watched this scene, and patted Jian Xun's shoulder lovingly, "Over there."
He stretched out his hand past Jian Xun's ear and pointed to the city gate tower.
Among the noisy crowd, a few enthusiastic cheers came over.
Jian Xun looked towards where Xiu Yun was pointing. On the city gate, a group of soldiers gathered around a round table. The young general guarding the city was shaking the dice jar in his hand.
——The soldiers did not defend the city, but gathered people on the city gate tower to gamble.
Many of the people inside he had met at the school grounds outside the city. Now they were dressed like soldiers, but they were acting like gamblers.
It was a "custom" from top to bottom for the Jiangcheng defenders to gamble. Jian Xun had always known this, but he didn't expect that these people would be so derelict in their duties when defending the city.
Although there are still a few soldiers patrolling on the observation deck, judging from the anxious mood of looking back from time to time, their thoughts have already flown to the card table over there.
This is the Jiangcheng garrison. They clearly bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the city, but they are rotten to the core. Just talking about it with wine and rice can be regarded as a compliment.
The name Jiangcheng garrison can even be used by a mere gangster to bully others and oppress the people.
Jian Xun regained his strength, carried Xiu Yun on his back and passed by from the side, and reached the top of the city gate tower in a few steps.
Xiu Yun wrapped his arms around the other person's neck, almost not being thrown off.
The night was dark, the light of the lights could not reach such a high place, and the dark clouds just covered half of the moon. The two of them were standing on the top of the city gate tower and would not be easily discovered.
Even judging from the way the defenders were gambling enthusiastically down there, these gamblers wouldn't know there was someone on the top of the building unless they made some big noise.
Jian Xun put Xiu Yun down, and the two of them looked down, and found that the group below was gambling quite a lot. The table was full of gambling money, and the total of those copper plates amounted to dozens of taels of silver at least.
He kicked a brick down, and the sound of it falling to the ground was covered by the cheers, and no one noticed anything unusual.
Jian Xun clenched his fists, turned around, and simply sat down on the top of the building door.
Xiu Yun also sat down next to him, took off his curtain hat, and let his long, loose hair be blown away by the wind.
The location here was too high, and the originally comfortable night breeze brought a chill, but Xiu Yun felt that the people next to him were like burning charcoal fire, and his body was extremely hot - probably half of the heat was coming out of his breath.
Xiu Yun saw those two beautiful eyebrows knitted together, and the depression on the man's face could not be concealed.
"It's not your fault that the Jiangcheng defenders behaved like this. Why torture yourself for others?" Xiu Yun said slowly, reaching out to slowly smooth out the unsightly wrinkles.
Jian Xun looked at Xiu Yun's gentle smile, and his depression dissipated a little. He didn't know how to explain his annoyance, so he only said intermittently under Xiu Yun's guiding gaze: "The young general holding the dice below is named Liu. He is not the only member of the Jiang family's staff. Most of the generals in the Jiangcheng garrison have received favors from the Jiang family. Jiang Chenghe has the largest casino in Jiangcheng."
In just a few words, Xiu Yun was able to connect many things together. .
This man was originally from a powerful family, and he had seen how Jiangcheng County Sheriff, a parent official, managed to find a way out for the people in the cracks. He knew that in Jiangcheng, an official with a pure heart was not enough to compete.
He tilted his head and asked, "Do you think the Jiang family is the culprit for the Jiangcheng garrison's depravity? That's why you assassinated Jiang Chenghe last night?" "This is just one of the reasons. Jiang Chenghe's crimes are far more than this
. Pile." Jian Xun said in a low voice.
Xiu Yun asked again: "Jiang Cheng and Ruo are dead, and there are other juniors in the Jiang family. Do you want to get rid of them one by one?"
Jian Xun was stunned, as if he hadn't thought about this yet. After thinking for a moment, he nodded.
But Xiu Yun posed another problem for him: "Even if the young master can destroy the Jiang family bit by bit, what about the next one? The Li family, the Shen family?" "
I..." Jian Xun murmured his lips several times, and he couldn't stop talking for a while. Know how to answer this question.
Xiu Yun sighed, with a smile on his face, but could not hide his coldness: "But if you only kill one Jiang Chenghe, what's the use of destroying one Jiang family? Without the Jiang family, there will be another powerful family. And the next casino owner, after all, is just treating the symptoms but not the root cause."
"In this world, there are always distinctions between superiors and inferiors, and there are always people who are good at manipulating power. How can the Jiang family be considered the root cause? There are also princes, emperors, and relatives. Even aloof..."
Xiu Yun's mouth was covered, and he swallowed back the disrespectful words that followed.
"...be careful what you say." The full emotion in Jian Xun's chest finally turned into just two words.
Jian Xun looked at him deeply with his eyes, as if a place in his heart that no one had ever pried into had been pried.
Xiu Yun held Jian Xun's hand and slowly moved it down. He chuckled and said, "You can't talk to anyone? You can't either?"
"No." Jian Xun shook his head and said solemnly, "Such treacherous words will lead to death."
- But that's not what you think.
Xiu Yun looked at the pair of eyes that were trying their best to endure, sober and restrained, as if he could see the man bound under the skin, a beast screaming for freedom and rebellion.
Xiu Yun gently let go of his hand and stopped discussing the topic. It was somewhat embarrassing for the person in front of him to analyze his heart for him at this time.
Xiu Yun looked down from the city gate tower. Looking down from a few feet high, when his eyes fell to the ground, he would feel dizzy for no reason.
He stretched out his hand downwards, as if trying to touch the ground, there was even a little yearning in his eyes, and his body leaned forward slightly.
This move was a bit dangerous, so Jian Xun quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Be careful."
Xiu Yun came back to his senses, looked at him sideways, and said with a smile, "If you fall from here, it will hurt, right?"
"...You will definitely die. ." Jian Xun said with a frown.
His tone was a little serious, and Xiu Yun could hear advice and disapproval in it.
Silence spread between the two of them. After a while, Xiu Yun said: "We parted in a hurry the first two times we met, and I haven't asked the young master his name yet." Jian Xun hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth several times, and finally said:
"My mother's surname is Xiao."
This self-introduction was very perfunctory, but Xiu Yun was not annoyed. He only said: "You also know that others call me Mr. Yun. I have no surname. My first name is Xiu Yun. Xiao Lang can call me whatever I want."
This title is a bit too close. Jian Xun grew up among martial artists, and no one has called him so affectionately since he was a child.
He was a little uncomfortable with it. He was a rough guy, and he was on a first-name basis with his only friend. He didn't know how to address the person in front of him who was as gentle as spring water.
Several titles flashed through his mind, but he didn't say them out in the end. He just said: "...Hmm."
The voice was probably a little louder than a mosquito in the noisy environment. If Xiuyun hadn't been so close, I'm afraid I can't even hear it.
Xiu Yun laughed softly, and the laughter dispersed in the air. It could be seen that he was in a good mood.
After watching the night view from a high place and chatting with Jian Xun for a while, Xiu Yun finally felt that the past few days had not been in vain.
Xiu Yun leaned his head on Jian Xun's shoulder and asked softly: "If one day, I beg Xiao Lang to give me a break, will Xiao Lang be willing to let his sword be stained with my blood?"
Jian Xun raised his hand several times, as if there was hesitation, but in the end he did not push him away. Hearing this, he just said: "I can't."
Xiu Yun prolonged his voice and said: "Oh, there are so many miserable people in this world, and the young master is willing to give up to a young man who sold his body to bury his father." Why don't you show mercy to me? Do you think I will dirty your sword?"
Jian Xun said in a deep voice: "My parents are the ones who bear the consequences of my body and skin. I don't know what your situation is, but in life, you must not take yourself lightly. Belittle yourself."
Belittle oneself.
Xiu Yun crushed these four words and savored them carefully, like fine tea with a bitter aftertaste.
He sighed softly: "It's late at night. Xiao Lang, go back."
*
Zui Feng Tower was as lively as when he left. No one noticed that a certain guest on the third floor had already taken a night tour in Jiangcheng.
In the private room, Xiu Yun tidied up his somewhat messy clothes, took off the curtain on his head and put it on the table, covering the waist badge that made him upset when he saw it.
He approached Jian Xun and asked, "Is the Tongxin Knot still there?"
"Yes." Jian Xun responded, opening his palm, and the Tongxin Knot still lay intact in his palm.
Xiu Yun picked up the Tongxin Knot, possessed it slightly, and tied the Tongxin Knot around Jian Xun's belt.
When he got closer, he realized that the man had been running with him for most of the night. At this time, he was only sweating a little and was not even breathing.
As expected of a martial arts practitioner, he is a physical monster.
Xiuyun tied the concentric knot and fiddled with it gently. The concentric knot swayed gently with the hanging tassels and slapped on the hem of Jian Xun's clothes.
"Okay." He straightened up and looked at Jian Xun.
The man subconsciously avoided his eyes. This time, the candlelight in the room was bright, and Xiu Yun saw that the thin red color had spread from the shell of his ears to his neck.
Hey, why are you so ungrateful?
Xiu Yun couldn't wait to see what Jian Xun's reaction would be after hearing some degrading and dirty words.
But not tonight.
Xiuyun took a step back, as if admiring his masterpiece.
Shao Qing, Xiu Yun whispered, regretting: "The moonlight is so beautiful tonight, but I forgot something important."
As Xiu Yun distanced himself, the heat in Jian Xun's body also subsided, and he said seriously: "What did you say? "
The steward in the building said that I was disheveled and dissolute all day long, which really insulted the appearance of Zui Feng Building. Unfortunately, all my belongings were lost on the way back to the city, and I couldn't leave the building easily, so... I want to A wooden hairpin in the shape of a begonia." Xiu Yun said, picking up the waist tag that originally belonged to Jian Xun from the table, "I'll use this in exchange."
Jian Xun shook his head and pushed the waist tag back, said: "This is for you. The wooden hairpin... I will send it as soon as possible."
Xiu Yun lowered his hand holding the waist badge and hid it in his sleeve, pinching his knuckles until they turned white.
He seemed to want to step forward, but tried his best to restrain himself. He stopped where he was and whispered, "Then you have to come early."
"I will." Jian Xun silently wrote down Xiuyun's request and walked over. Next to the window, he opened the window, looked back at the people in the room, and told him: "Go to bed early."
Xiu Yun nodded.
After Jian Xun jumped out, Xiu Yun walked to the window and watched him gradually move away, as if he was watching a person traveling far away without knowing his return date.
Jian Xun's figure suddenly stopped on the roof not far away. He looked back, and the two people's eyes immediately met, and they were separated at the first touch.
The man seemed to feel that Xiu Yun's gaze was scorching, so he quickly turned his head, quickened his pace, and disappeared from Xiu Yun's sight.
After a while, a chuckle dissipated in the night wind beside the window lattice.