Since ancient times, sand devils have conquered villains

Two words are simple, but they make people happy.
The tip of her heart sank and turned into a soft ball. Shi Dai looked at the child in front of her and couldn't suppress her aunt's smile that raised the corners of her mouth.

She always does.
Confused by those almond-shaped eyes, Shi Yunsheng's ears grew hotter, and he gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

Then suddenly, he fell into a warm embrace.

"Be good, be good."
Shi Dai was so proud that she gave him a big bear hug and did not forget to rub her brother's soft black hair: "Remember to bark more in the future, you know? When my sister gets her monthly salary, I will buy you delicious food!"

Shi Yunsheng:......
Startled by this unreserved hug, the tears disappeared.He has been in Chang'an for several months and has met many people of all kinds. Why is she the only one who is so, so——

Unable to think of a suitable adjective, Shi Yunsheng gritted his teeth.
She always had countless strange ways to keep him from losing his temper and unable to say anything to refute.

"and also."
Shi Dai released him, held Shi Yunsheng's thin shoulders, and asked him to look at Shen Liushuang beside her: "What do you want to call her?"

So annoying.
Shi Yunsheng raised his eyebrows.

Shen Liushuang crossed his arms, raised his eyebrows with a smile, and looked like he was watching a good show in a leisurely manner.

After Shi Yunsheng was found, she was usually the one taking care of him. In addition, the two of them learned swordplay from Shi Jingcheng together, so they were familiar with each other.
Seeing that the former was silent, Shen Liushuang pretended to be sad: "That's all, it doesn't matter if Yun Sheng doesn't want to call. Probably this 'sister' is for Dai Dai alone, not for me."

Shi Yunsheng's eyebrows jumped.
Next time you say something like this, could you please pay attention to managing your expression and not laugh out loud?

Playing with children, bad woman.

Youyou stared at the smile at the corner of Shen Liushuang's mouth, and Shi Yun said in a hoarse voice: "Sister Liushuang."

Shi Dai and Shen Liushuang both showed triumphant smiles and raised their hands to give high fives.
Shi Yunsheng: ...Damn it!
"And still more."
Shi Dai pointed to the other side: "Who is that?"

Shi Yunsheng turned his head and saw the figure clearly, his expression solidified.
Suddenly, Jiang Baiyan was stunned by three eyes with different expressions.

What was supposed to be a heartwarming reunion scene just now, but he felt bored and slightly distracted.
Rather than staying here to kill time, it would be better to find some evil spirits and draw swords to fight them for fun.

——So, why are they looking at him?

Shi Yunsheng felt very annoyed.
He was willing to call Shi Dai and Shen Liushuang "sisters", but the person in front of him...

He didn't know why, but he could feel a blood-soaked animality from Jiang Baiyan.
It is not a jackal like him, but a more sinister and cruel poisonous snake. It looks beautiful and charming, but in fact it has poisonous fangs, lurking in the depths of the shadows, waiting for a fatal blow.

This understanding stems from the intuition Shi Yunsheng developed after living with wild animals for nine years.
All in all, he didn't like Jiang Baiyan.

"Look, you called us sister. If you ignore Mr. Jiang, he will be sad."
Shi Dai leaned behind him and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "The sound of the cloud is so good, it won't make people sad on New Year's Eve, right?"

Shi Yunsheng:......
Who cares whether he is hurt or not!
Although he thought this in his mind, he raised his head and glanced at Jiang Baiyan, and Shi Yunsheng pursed his lips.
He knew that Jiang Baiyan had no father or mother and was in a rough situation.New Year's Eve is a day for reunions. Before Shi Dai knocked on the door, Jiang Baiyan was left alone in the room with no one to talk to.

……never mind.
With his chest rising and falling, Shi Yunsheng squeezed out one word from deep in his throat: "Brother."

Just this once, never again!

Ah Li was horrified when she heard this: No, Shi Dai's logic is contagious.If she lets her little mouth chatter for a few more days, will everyone think that Jiang Baiyan is a harmless little pitiful person?
The confusion in his eyes fleetingly disappeared, and Jiang Baiyan tugged the corner of his mouth very gently: "Young Master Shi, there is no need to be polite."

Shi Yunsheng was annoyed: Who has been polite to you? !
"correct."
Shi Dai was in a good mood. She put her right hand into her cuff, and when she came out, she actually held another bulging red envelope in her hand.

Her voice and movements came together. As she spoke with a smile, she handed the red paper envelope to Jiang Baiyan: "This is for Young Master Jiang."

Shi Yunsheng opened his eyes wide.
Why does he also have a red envelope?

His eyelashes twitched unconsciously, Jiang Baiyan looked at her intently and smiled softly: "Miss Shi, I'm not short of money."

“The point of red envelopes is not money.”
Shi Dai said seriously: "This is a good fortune for the New Year. If you accept it, you will have good luck."

good luck.
Jiang Baiyan sighed secretly.

He has never had any good luck in his life. He has been immersed in the mud for a long time and is accustomed to malice, hardship and humiliation.
He doesn't believe in fate, and he won't expect vain luck. The only thing he can rely on in the world is the sword in his hand and his broken body.

"But I remember," Jiang Baiyan answered absentmindedly with a slight smile in his eyes, "Miss Shi said that this is a gift from the elders to the younger ones."

The meaning is self-evident.
He and Shi Dai are similar in age and belong to the same generation. Once he accepts this red envelope, he will be taken advantage of his seniority and act against the rules.

This means to refuse.

Most people would feel embarrassed to be politely rejected in person, but Shi Dai's eyes moved and she showed a bright and candid smile:
"This is not a red envelope from the elders to the younger ones. Well...if I want to say it, it is my sole wish for Young Master Jiang."

Jiang Baiyan raised his eyes slightly and saw her smiling black pupils, reflecting the fireworks, like stars falling into a clear spring.

When preparing a red envelope for Shi Yunsheng, Shi Dai thought of Jiang Baiyan.
He is very similar to Shi Yunsheng. He was young and lonely, homeless. After the Jiang family was wiped out, Jiang Baiyan should have never received a red envelope again.

Since Jiang Baiyan came to Chang'an, Meng Ke and Shi Jingcheng have attached great importance to him and taken good care of him.
But no matter when, even if he stayed with their whole family, Jiang Baiyan rarely had real joy and smile in his eyes.

Like a handful of silent snow, it cannot melt into the smoke and smoke of the world.

The reason why I prepared a red envelope for him was because I knew Jiang Baiyan had been walking alone for too long and wanted to make him happy——
Of course, Shi Dai couldn't tell him this. Mentioning other people's old scars would only make them feel sympathy and make them feel even more uncomfortable.

"We will catch monsters together from now on, and we must rely on Mr. Jiang a lot."
Shi Dai waved the red envelope in front of his eyes: "I'm still waiting for you to kill everyone and lead me to a promotion in Zhen'es."

Jiang Baiyan couldn't understand her.
Glancing at the scarlet paper seal in her hand, he felt puzzled, frowned and said, "Miss Shi, is this the same for others?"

how come!
Shi Dai clenched the red envelope tightly, with a look of pain on her face: "I can't do it, I can't do it. I've already given out all my personal money tonight, and I don't have any money to share with others."

Especially Shi Yunsheng's share. After nine red envelopes, her coffers immediately bottomed out.
Whoever likes to be a money-spreading boy will be taken as her own. She doesn't have time to think about other people, she just needs to take care of the few around her.

Jiang Baiyan smiled.

He couldn't understand more and more.
If Shi Dai wants to get close to him, she can say some high-sounding words, such as "You are different from others" and "Only one for you."

When she blurted it out like this... the warmth was gone, but instead it was real and funny, leaving him at a loss as to how to speak.

"So," Jiang Baiyan said, "Miss Shi gave me all the remaining private money?"

Being hurt by his words, Shi Dai learned from the pain and said in a deep tone: "It doesn't matter. There will always be money, there is only one Mr. Jiang."

There was silence for a moment, and Jiang Baiyan raised his long eyelashes.
The cold wind of winter night blows on the back mountain, seeming to bring some inexplicable emotion into my heart.However, the howling wind made my cheeks hurt, but in an instant, I felt particularly awake again.

So the unknown emotion dissipated instantly, leaving no trace.

"Young Master Jiang."
The red envelope was dangling in front of her eyes again, and Shi Dai smiled and said, "Take it."

Jiang Baiyan looked at her for a long time, then raised his hand to take the paper envelope.

The paper was crimson, making his fingertips look sickly white.
Like a child looking at a novel toy, Jiang Baiyan gently brushed the light gold pattern on the red envelope and smiled slowly: "Thank you, Miss Shi."

*
Tonight's fireworks will last until late.
After admiring it for a long time in the back mountain, Shi Dai was hit by the cold wind as a target. Shi Dai couldn't bear the cold, so she wrapped her cloak tightly and went down the mountain.

"The fireworks in Chang'an City get better and better every year."
While carefully walking down the mountain, Shi Dai chatted with Shen Liushuang: "I remember when we were children, we didn't have so many tricks."

There are not so many people watching the fireworks with me.

"I heard that there is a new way to play. You can connect the leads of several types of fireworks to each other and set them off to form a flower-and-bird pavilion."
Shen Liushuang said: "I will go find some some other time for you to play with."

She is pretty and has a heroic look on her brows. When fighting, she shows off her sharpness and energy. However, when facing Shi Dai on weekdays, she always looks carefree and smiling.

Sister Liushuang, the best.
Shi Dai heard this with longing, but before she could speak, she saw a red shadow in front of her.

Shen Liushuang was holding a red envelope in his hand.

"Give."
Shen Liushuang raised his eyebrows: "It's better to enrich the little private money you have left."

Shi Dai stepped forward and gave her a bear hug: "My sister is the best in the world!"

Shen Liushuang was adopted in the Shi Mansion. From the age of 14, every New Year, she would use the money she saved to give her red envelopes.

"You don't have to give me money."
The young-looking girl back then said: "I am your sister and I want to protect you."

The original owner had a good relationship with her, and in return, she would prepare gifts for Shen Liushuang every year.

"This year is a long-lost out-of-print storybook."
Shi Dai raised the corner of her mouth and said mysteriously: "The set you have been looking for for a long time, the hardcover version."

The curves at the end of her eyes are soft and beautiful. When she smiles like this, her eyes are like crescent moons and her cheeks are as white as a cat asking for credit.
Shen Liushuang burst into laughter and couldn't help pinching her face.

As soon as they walked down the back mountain, they met Meng Ke and Shi Jingcheng.

"Watching fireworks again?"
Meng Ke seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and there was a little bit of wind and snow in his hair: "It's not freezing, is it?"

Shi Jingcheng blocked the direction of the wind and was brushing the falling snow from her temples.

Shi Dai was curious: "What are parents doing here?" After asking, she quickly remembered that the back mountain was adjacent to Jiang Baiyan's courtyard.

"You all ran away without a trace, leaving our father and mother alone to accompany the guests. How heartless."
Meng Ke pretended to be heartbroken and raised his right arm, revealing several huge red envelopes: "Let's congratulate Bai Yan on the New Year."

Jiang Baiyan raised his eyes.

"Come on, come on, accept the red envelope, this is what we want."
Meng Ke couldn't stop talking, and he was even better than Shi Dai in terms of eloquence: "Bai Yan is extremely talented at a young age. Your master and I like him very much. If anything doesn't go your way in the future, feel free to come to us." Okay. In this city of Chang'an, I have been the invincible fighter in the world since I was a child..."

Shi Jingcheng obediently listened to her crackling words and added in a warm voice: "Madam is right. You don't have to be restrained in Chang'an. No matter what happens, we will always be there for you."

Seeing the red color in her mother's hand, Shi Dai's eyes showed clear yearning.
Meng Ke rubbed her head and distributed the remaining red envelopes to the juniors one by one.

Another burst of chirping followed.

Sometimes it was Shi Dai who talked about Shi Yunsheng's "brother and sister" with great interest.
Sometimes it was Shi Yunsheng who was frustrated and helpless, grunting in embarrassment and irritation from his throat.

The whole family was talking to each other, mixed with Shen Liushuang's whispers, Meng Ke's exclamations, and Shi Jingcheng's thoughtful smile.

Jiang Baiyan was silent among them.

He is a homeless wild dog. He is used to wandering outside, but he never feels depressed.Only today, I feel confused for no reason.
He didn't know how to resolve it, so he habitually held the hilt of the sword at his waist. The cold feeling reminded him of the comfort of holding the sword to cut flesh.

Jiang Baiyan couldn't wait to destroy something, whether it was a human body or evil spirits. Only the pain and the pleasure of killing could drive away the boring thoughts.
This has been his habit since childhood. If there is any other way to relieve his emotions——

Jiang Baiyan didn't know anything.

"It's almost nine o'clock, and the vigil is almost over."
Meng Ke lazily yawned: "It's getting late, you should rest early, don't be tired."

The New Year's Eve was festive but tiring. By this time, even the little white fox on Shi Dai's shoulder could hardly hold on, and her eyelids were fighting up and down.
Holding Ah Li carefully in her arms, Shi Dai took one last look at Jiang Baiyan.

Although she was sleepy, her energy was not lost at all. She shivered due to the cold wind, and said in a clear and smiling tone, "Mr. Jiang, Happy New Year."

Jiang Baiyan looked at her quietly and suddenly whispered: "What does Miss Shi want?"

Shi Dai: "Huh?"

"Miss Shi gave me medicine to heal my wounds and gave me money."
Jiang Baiyan said: "Is there nothing you want?"

He asked straightforwardly, his tone was clear and cold, like the cold snow of late winter, and there was no hint of happiness or anger.

Everything in the world has a clear price tag, and Jiang Baiyan knows this very well.
The evil cultivator taught him swordsmanship and evil magic in order to train him into a sword that can kill people and demons; Shi Jingcheng kept him in the Shi Mansion because of his personal relationship with the Jiang family.

What is Shi Dai doing?
There was nothing in him that she could desire.

Shi Dai was stunned.
Shi Dai's mind was running rapidly.

She grew up in an environment surrounded by love and received kindness and favor from many people.In her opinion, showing kindness is a very common thing. Jiang Baiyan has helped her and saved her, so Shi Dai should treat him better of course.

But Jiang Baiyan's understanding was completely different from hers.
He's been taken advantage of for most of his life and it's hard to believe in pure good intentions.If she said, "I just want to be nice to you and don't want anything," Jiang Baiyan would definitely have random thoughts and think that she had other agendas.

Besides, Shi Dai herself felt numb.
That kind of words sounded so ambiguous that she couldn't say them out.

Wrapping herself tightly with a fur collar, Shi Dai thought for a while and blurted out: "Well... I want the stars in the sky. If Mr. Jiang can pick them, go ahead and pick them."

An answer I never expected.
The thoughts that had finally settled were broken up again, and Jiang Baiyan laughed softly: "Stars?"

He was so smart that he instantly understood what Shi Dai meant.
The stars are far away in the sky, and it is impossible for the world to pick them up no matter what -
Just like the question he just asked, she didn't really want anything, so she couldn't give an answer.

This is blocking his mouth so that he will not say similar things in the future.If she asks again, I'm afraid she will say, "I want stars. Mr. Jiang, instead of asking me here, it's better to pick them up."

One sentence completely blocked his suspicion and suspicion. Faced with this request, he was indeed speechless.

Falling in Shi Dai's eyes, Jiang Baiyan stared for a long time, trying to find some unusual and deliberately faked emotions, but saw nothing.

The fingertips brushed the hilt of the sword, and the restlessness in his heart gradually subsided. The next moment, an increasingly turbulent undercurrent emerged.
Jiang Baiyan said: "...Okay."

*
It was late, and Ah Li had already fallen asleep.

Shi Dai held the little white fox in her arms, chatted with Shen Liushuang for a while, and then walked back to her small courtyard alone.

Her courtyard is on the east side of Shi Mansion, passing by the pond and plum garden.
It's late winter now, the pond is covered with ice, everything is desolate, and the plum blossoms are in full bloom.

On Jozhao's New Year's Eve, it is important to stay up late every night. Every household must light up lights.
Several lanterns on the path were burned out, and the remaining firelight was dim, hazy in the night, as light as mist.

This place was so quiet and dark that Shi Dai couldn't help but speed up her pace. As she walked, her movements suddenly stopped.

There is something different in the sky.

At first, there was a flash of white light across the dome, vast and clear, like the moon setting in the valley, dispersing the heavy dusk.
Immediately afterwards, the white light bloomed like fireworks, overflowing with little pale golden rays of light. Even this dark path was illuminated as bright as day.

So beautiful. Is this a new type of firework?Look at this overwhelming battle...

wrong.
Suddenly realizing something, most of her sleepiness disappeared, and Shi Dai immediately woke up.

This feeling... is clearly sword energy!

The sword energy was originally a sharp and terrifying thing, but it was actually used as a sword formation, all spread out in mid-air. It seemed that it did not intend to hurt anyone, but rather -

Shi Dai's brain shut down for a moment.
Like setting off fireworks.

Who dares to play like this?With such a strong sword energy, he must be a master, right?

She saw it in a novel way, and her steps became a little lighter.After walking through the plum garden and walking along the path, Shi Dai saw a figure in the distance in front of her courtyard.

The young man was tall and tall, his brows and eyes flashed with changing light and shadow, and because of the sword energy wrapped around him, he looked like a knife with killing intent.
But Jiang Baiyan's expression was quite lazy. He was leaning under the tree with his eyes lowered, and he was playing with a sword talisman.

Sensing her arrival, Jiang Baiyan raised his head slightly, stretched out his hand, and threw out a crimson paper envelope.

He threw it accurately, and Shi Dai caught it in a hurry.

It's a red envelope.
A red envelope that was at least three times thicker than the one she gave to Jiang Baiyan.

--new!Year!welcome!fiscal!god!

Shi Dai opened her eyes wide: "Jiang, Mr. Jiang?"

Perhaps he thought her expression was interesting, so Jiang Baiyan chuckled and crushed the sword talisman in his hand.

On New Year's Eve, Kangqu in Chang'an City was covered with smoke and fireworks bloomed one after another in the distance.

When the talisman shattered, the sky-wide sword formation roared into action, and with Shi Dai's small courtyard as the center, wisps of strong wind surged in.
The sword energy entwines with the snow light, mixed with the light fragrance of plum blossoms.

Jiang Baiyan stood under it and released his palm. The sword talisman had been broken into powder.

He never owed others any favors.Even if Shi Dai doesn't want to repay, Jiang Baiyan can't accept the gift with peace of mind.
That gave him the illusion that he was weak and being pitied.

Jiang Baiyan hated this feeling.

Tit-for-tat, Shi Dai gave him a red envelope and took him to set off fireworks. Logically speaking, he should give back the same or even more reward.

But he doesn't understand romance, only swords and blood.
After thinking about it, I decided to use the sword as a formation and give him a firework in return.

It's funny to say that his hands have been soaked in blood all year round and are used to killing, so he can't even give out ordinary gifts of thanks.

But...since I gave it away, I naturally wanted to give it the best.

The stars in the sky are flowing slowly, the sword light is shining, and the flow is like a tide.
In just a blink of an eye, it was overshadowed by the dazzling light of fireworks all over the city.

Shi Dai was stunned, speechless, and her heart was pounding.

"Fireworks, for Miss Shi."

Watching people under the fireworks is always a little more colorful than usual.

Jiang Baiyan had a lazy smile and messy black hair. He stood in the center of the surging sword energy, with an expression of ease and defiance.
The light and dark overlap, and the light flows from his eyebrows, reflecting the peach blossom eyes and the dimples on his cheeks, as bright as a begonia on a spring night.

Really burning eyes.

"Miss Wish——"
Jiang Baiyan said quietly: "The road ahead is clear, and there will be no worries every year."

The author has something to say:
100 red envelopes in the comment area ~ I’m taking a day off tomorrow to celebrate my birthday hehe!Wait for me to come back every day, I love you!
感谢在2023-08-30 00:26:56~2023-08-31 01:09:04期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~
Thanks to the little angels who threw the grenades: 1 pear jam and [-] Nanfeng orange;
Thanks to the little angels who threw the mines: 2 from Nanfeng Orange; 07 from Jiliwala, Yanhui, yuyu1, Maoeryan, WN, Muzhi, Hanna, and Bonhoeffer;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Charlie Su, don’t make trouble, 70 bottles; Lu Jie, 66 bottles; Secret Spring Swimming Fish, Muchuan, Balls Become a Ball, Like Me More Today, 50 bottles; Qian, Xiyan, Only Seeing the Warm Sun and the Cold Moon 42 bottles; 38 bottles of H; 34 bottles of drink more hot water; 30 bottles of Xingxing Want to Sleep, ~^^~///, AcidHsu, Pure People; 28 bottles of Smile White Milk Tea; 24 bottles of Haosheng, Mosheng; 20 bottles of Biesta, Little Wolf, Breeze, Return to Earth, K Someone; 18 bottles of Can’t Eat It Again; 16 bottles of Vita; 15 bottles of Rua Pig Di, Ginkgo Fruit; 13 bottles of Difficult Children; Honey and 11 bottles of Little Bear; Meizizi, 10 bottles of Tujiang and Muzhi; 8 bottles of Momo; 7 bottles of Zizizi and Jiji; 6 bottles of Penguin, isn’t he too cute? Soda without bubbles, Big Goose Goose, Yangliu Yiyi, Miss Zhang, Mingyi Youguang , Mao Mao Sui Sui &, Deathly Thales, Me Me Me, Wine Enters 5, Rejected Shen Qingqiu Many Times, Jacaranda, Chi Mu 4 bottles; Boating with the Stars, That Who 1 bottles; Roar, Ji Bei, 3-3 48826064 bottles; Xi Sang, Da Men’s Little Licking Dog, Shi Fei Ya, 2, Zhijin, Zi Yin 45683135 bottles; Professional Low Period Exorcism WW, Feng Ran Qi Yue, Sprite with Ice, Plum Yellow Shiyu, For the Rock Wang Emperor, Wang Fugui, Petrichor, Yu Nanxue, Yi Tuan Tuan Tuan, my CP all entered the Civil Affairs Bureau, 61945695, Mo Man, I also studied well today, Yan Qing, Cui Yan, I hope to make people regain freedom, fall asleep, fall asleep, fall asleep The elf, 22223333, shirly, Yin Ling, live up to the time, three pounds, wallflower fan girl, do you have to do homework today, salted fish will not turn over 2416, happy Doudouya, Quexing.吖, SUGAAA, Sui Sui, saya, the frogs are so delicious, Yanyanyan, ww, there is a breeze here, Yunxi is sleepy again., momo, ghjid, sleepyhead, meat buns with connotation, empty upper position, one by one, a rice bug? , Qin Xin, Do you know when you are lost, Ajiu, Ouch, momo, 1, Baogengshiwan, Ningmeng, [-], Zhizhi, Rong, Mitoo, Yue Nagara, Youyin, Kristin, Yue [-] bottle for picking up branches when seeing mountains, fighting, or getting wet in the rain;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!