Dow and Carbon-Based Monkey Breeding Guidelines

Chapter 404 The Man Who Blows the Magic Flute

The winter wind whimpers and wanders outside the willows, like a herd of beasts patrolling at midnight.But the bonfire in the forest was steady and warm, making it impossible to get close.The broth is boiling on the tip of the fire, exuding an irresistible aroma.The old man picked up the fresh bread stacked on the sackcloth mat, broke it into two even parts, dipped it in the thick soup, then picked up the meat with a long wooden stick and put it in, and shared it with the peasant women.His dark, indistinguishable pupils reflected the heat of the campfire and always looked calm and cheerful.This kind of emotion is rarely seen in the worldly people, and it made the peasant girl feel happy.

"This martial artist born with supernatural power," said the old man, fiddled with the soup can, "ah, how should we judge? If it is in a story about war, I think he will show his skills. Unfortunately, he lives in a A country with order and stability. One day, the lonely and violent Zou Yishi finished his long hunting in the mountains and went to the town to exchange the hunted furs for money. He walked on the winding country road and met another rich man at the corner. Suddenly, he noticed that the other party was squinting at him with an extremely funny expression, as if laughing at his weird and ugly Pegasus birthmark. What a serious offense! He stopped immediately, Fist in the face of the squinting man. A battle of honor, boy, have you ever seen anything like it?"

The peasant girl gulped down the bread.She told the old man that it was only natural to fight for honor.In the past, many heroes fought each other because of a little quarrel. If the status of both parties was high, a grand ceremony would be held, and the gods would be invited to judge the outcome.Although rare today, there are remnants of the habit among warriors.They are the ashes born of Hellfire, and thus have a natural desire to destroy and burn, an impulse that makes them both brave and reckless.

"Ah, yes." The old man said, "The obsessive desire to conquer others is a kind of animal nature. Unfortunately, Zouyi did not live in a suitable place and did not choose a suitable opponent. When he conquered When the fists and kicks of the most savage beast ever fell on the squinting man, the poor pampered man fell down dead. The incident was witnessed by passers-by resting under the tree, and soon spread through the villages far and near. The family of the deceased reported the matter to the officials. , demanding that the murderer be severely punished.”

"He was provoked," she said.

"On the surface, yes. Although in that country, the importance of harming reputation cannot be compared with taking life."

She turned her head puzzled.There was a subtle and gentle smirk on the old man's face.

"Murder is a felony, so he has no excuse." The old man said, "but fate gave him even more ruthless arrangements. When Zouyi was preparing for his escape, he heard the conversation of the villagers and learned that The person he killed was born with a facial disease that affects people's expressions and vision-when one eye of the patient looks forward, the other eye will deviate outward, there is no way to control it .The rare disease is well known in the country, except our lonely and dangerous hunter, who never talked to outsiders much because he hated the eyes of the crowd. Now he understands what he has done, he His honor and liberty were forfeited by ferocity, but when the punishment of death came, his fear overwhelmed his dignity, and he fled desperately from the country into the wild forests he knew in the foothills, and then into the mountains where mortals shunned. According to legend, it is full of fierce beasts and ghosts, so the hunting team dare not go deep. Since then, he has been hiding in the deep mountains, living on wild fruits and spring water."

She listened intently, lost in the murderer's story.But at this moment, the wind outside the willow forest became turbulent, sending her an urgent warning.The sound of horseshoes came from afar, and the aroma of cooking food was mixed with the smell of tar and spirits.The voice was far away, and the path was not connected to the willow forest, so she didn't say a word.She continued to listen to the old man's narration, describing how the Zouyi clan escaped from the beasts and poisonous insects in the mountains, and endured day after day.The murderer was worn out by the hardships of life, and was ashamed of himself in the memory of the past.He began to long for redemption, but was so afraid of death that he had to be depressed all day long, dormant in the mountains like a wild animal.

The wind howled like a wolf.The sound of horseshoes in the distance changed direction.Some kind of signal attracted the passers-by who had no intention of disturbing them, and made them head towards Willow Forest with a clear goal.She heard the movements of the twenty riders varying in severity, most of them had only one rider, while others were loaded with goods and people.The group moved quickly and neatly, and soon they were only a stone's throw away.

The old man didn't respond, he was still fiddling with the soup can.He said: "It was full of hardships and dangers, but Zouyi managed to survive in the mountains. His mind was tortured, but his body became more capable of fighting. In a blink of an eye, he survived ten winters in the mountains." ..."

The loud snort of the horses had reached the willows.There was a burst of noisy human voices and horse neighing, mixed with harsh and dull iron sounds, and intermittent women weeping.Dozens of people wearing animal skins stepped into the willow forest.They all carried clanging iron knives and swords, leather shields or spears, and had malicious smiles on their faces.One of them was holding an iron chain, behind which were tied three ragged girls.

This group of visitors broke into the forest, looked around, and chopped down all nearby tree trunks needlessly, as if venting some residual excitement.The strong smell of alcohol infects every piece of air in the forest, and there is also the smell of sweat and blood.A man who looked most like a leader walked up to the campfire and looked at the old man and the peasant girl with a smile on his face.

"Good night, both of you," said the man with the scars and scabs all over his face.His right hand rested on a linen-wrapped hilt, on each finger of his left hand he wore a heavy gold ring, and around his waist hung splendid jewels that looked priceless.But the man just tucked them into his belt carelessly and contemptuously, like a urchin imitating an adult's attire.

The peasant girl did not speak.The old man squinted his eyes and looked at the leader across the campfire.

"Good night," said the old man. "What are you doing here, sir?"

"Oh, I'm going home." The other party replied, "Just made a big deal out of town. But my old sellers are a little bit tight now, so I need to give my new business partners some time to grow."

The people behind him roared with laughter.The old man still said calmly: "I can see that your business is going well."

"What's in this pot?"

"Venison. As you see, sir."

The man with the gold ring looked down at the broth with a cold, sly suspicion.

"In this world, your dinner is really rich."

"I have some savings from previous years." The old man said, "Tonight is a special day... My granddaughter, the last relative, will soon come of age and marry to a foreign country far away from here."

"Ah, I see. This is your last dinner together."

"I hope you have mercy."

There was another burst of laughter behind the man.Everyone slowly approached, surrounding the fire tightly.The man with the gold ring stopped them, saying, "It's no fun for you to eat here."

"I was telling some stories to my granddaughter."

"What kind of story?"

The old man was silent for a while, and said in the usual unhurried tone: "Some myths that the world has forgotten."

The man with the gold ring laughed too. "Myths," he said, "I've heard a lot from the dead."

"I'll put my life on the record that you haven't heard this."

"That's a dangerous promise, old man."

The man wearing the gold ring pulled out the machete at his waist, waved it casually, and made a whistling sound above the campfire.His martial arts are so strong that even children are not difficult to judge.Both the old man and the peasant girl sat in place, exchanged glances with each other, and then their hands and feet trembled at the same time, their faces turned pale.

The man stuck the machete on the ground, and sat down opposite the old man.

"Your words have interested me, old man," he announced, "and now tell me this myth too. If it is indeed unheard of, by the gods, you will be safe tonight. But if If you fail to do so, I will do business with you and your granddaughter."

(End of this chapter)