A moment ago, there were still many marks on the ground.
There were human footprints, horse hoof prints, and... some strange drag marks.
But now, at a glance, under the hazy moonlight, there is only a blur of white.
Suddenly, a biting north wind blew by.
At the same time, a figure appeared on the hillside.
He was wearing a big cloak and a bamboo hat.
There was a moderately heavy burden on his shoulders; a long sword hung on his waist.
After reaching a high place, he stopped and looked into the distance.
When the small inn that was crumbling in the wind and snow appeared in his sight, he let out a sigh of relief.
In these barren mountains and ridges, among the rocks and deep pines, it is indeed not easy to find this place with memory, intuition, and a little bit of dim moonlight.
It can even be said to be a miracle...
bang bang bang bang
He quickly stood under the plaque of "Misi Inn" and raised his hand to knock on the door four times, two long and two short.
Then, he stood at the door and waited silently.
Not long after, there was the sound of moving the wooden latch inside the door, and then the door was opened.
A tall, muscular man came out. After seeing the face of the man outside the door, he said respectfully: "Brother, please..."
While speaking, the big man turned sideways and made way.
The man known as "Big Brother" only glanced at the room briefly before stepping in.
There were several lanterns hung inside the house, and there were oil lamps on the table, so there was plenty of light.
While the eldest brother was shaking off the snow on his bamboo hat and cloak, the big man who opened the door had already closed the door and reinstalled the latch.
"How did the third child die?" After the big man turned around, the eldest brother moved his gaze to a corner of the room and asked.
At this time, there was a person, a man, lying in the corner.
Of course, it can also be said that it is a male corpse...
Although his head was not chopped off and there were no particularly obvious wounds on his body, the "big brother" could tell at a glance that this man was already dead.
"I killed him." The big man replied almost without thinking.
The "third child" in their words was sworn brothers with them, but the tone of their conversation at this moment was surprisingly calm, as if they were discussing someone who had nothing to do with them.
"Why?" After a breath, the elder brother asked again.
"He wants to touch the goods." The big man replied.
The eldest brother's eyes moved slightly and he looked at the big man: "How to move?"
"Of course it's the kind of move that can cause bad things," the big man replied.
The elder brother took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and after a few seconds, opened them again: "Where is the goods?"
"In that room." The big man pointed to a door on the other side of the room, "Fourth sister is responsible for watching."
The elder brother thought for a while and then said: "Other people in this inn..."
"The shopkeeper, the clerk, and the guests, there are six of them in total..." The big man continued before the other party could finish his words, "They are all lying in the woodshed now. When we leave tomorrow, a fire... can destroy the corpses and eliminate all traces."
"Okay." The eldest brother said hello, turned around and walked towards the room that the big man pointed to just now.
He opened the door and entered, but the "fourth sister" had also heard the conversation outside, so she stood behind the door to greet him.
"Brother." When the fourth sister saw her eldest brother, she nodded respectfully and bowed.
The eldest brother waved his hand casually and walked straight towards the "goods" at the other end of the room.
And the so-called "goods" are actually individuals.
a woman.
There is such a kind of woman in this world, they seem to be destined... not to appear in front of men.
They should be locked in a deep palace, hidden in a boudoir, and hidden from the world.
It would be better for them to exist only in portraits or in people's imaginations.
But...they still live in this world after all.
Therefore, when such women appear, wherever they appear... there will often be fights and deaths.
"Alas..." The elder brother glanced at the woman, and then sighed.
Regarding the death of the third child, he originally had some doubts in his heart, but the moment he saw the woman, the doubts disappeared.
The eldest brother also knew that his third sworn brother was a relatively lecherous person, but he did not think that the third brother would act recklessly in such a "highly important" action.
Until...he saw that woman.
He only glanced at it and then looked away.
Because he knew that one glance was enough...enough to imprint her appearance in a man's heart forever.
If he were allowed to look at her for a while longer, or meet her eyes, he might be shaken.
"You are not hurt, are you?" The eldest brother immediately turned his head and looked at the fourth sister and asked.
"No, it's just... Third brother, he..." Fourth sister's tone was a little hesitant.
"I know everything." The eldest brother interrupted her, "Don't worry... we will set off as usual tomorrow."
After saying this, he turned around and exited the room.
He didn't want to stay there for even a second longer because he could feel her gaze.
And he didn't want to have further contact with her, even just a look or a word.
Only in this way can he continue to regard her as "goods" and insist on completing his "mission" even though he knows what fate she will encounter.
…………
The time for a cup of tea has passed.
The eldest brother and the big man (the big man is undoubtedly ranked second, but I don't want to call him "second" repeatedly) are sitting face to face on both sides of a square table. Next to the table is a small charcoal-burning stove.
, there is also a copper kettle hanging on the stove that is steaming out.
"Your heart is messed up." The big man suddenly spoke while holding the tea cup, staring into his elder brother's eyes.
"Is this strange?" asked the eldest brother.
"It's not surprising." The big man said. After a while, he added, "Not only the third child, but every man who has seen that face... will be upset."
"So, what's really strange is..." The elder brother continued, "Why isn't your heart in chaos?"
"What do you think?" At this moment, the big man's tone of voice and his attitude towards his elder brother suddenly changed.
"You are not a eunuch." The eldest brother still seemed very calm and said unhurriedly.
"No." The big man said.
"It's not Tianyi (also known as Tianhuan or Hidden Palace; Lu Xiaojia and Jiang Duanxian in Mr. Gu Long's works all fall into this situation)." The eldest brother said again.
"No." The big man said.
"It's even more impossible for a woman to be disguised as a man." The eldest brother said again.
"Impossible." The big man said.
"Then there is only one possibility." The elder brother said.
"Haha..." The big man laughed, weirdly, and proudly...
