Inscription of Different Cases

Chapter 18 Stone Dragon 4

When I chased into the dense forest, the bright noon sun gradually disappeared, and there were only layers of leaves like tiles above my head.Surrounded by silence, not even the chirping of birds or the sound of the wind could be heard, Zhuzhen felt that she had stepped into a huge airtight space, like a steamer, slowly emitting moist heat.

Not long after he walked, he found himself being followed.

The assassin's intuition made him pay special attention to the wind and grass, and he felt a strange breath flickering, always keeping the same pace as himself.He frowned in annoyance, and jumped up the treetops with a touch of his toes.Originally, I wanted to observe the surrounding movement from a high place, but this forest is really unusual, the airtight branches and leaves on it are as hard as a copper wall and iron wall, and even a sword can't penetrate it.

He faintly felt that something was wrong, and this place can be regarded as a frequent visitor recently. For the mission, he wandered around Heshan almost every day.This forest is at the southern foot of Heshan Mountain, very far from Baochang Dam, but it is not that they have never been in contact.He never remembered that there were such weird trees in Heshan, and the "Valley of No Return" that the villagers had spread by word of mouth was too childish compared to this.

So, where exactly is this place?

Is he really still in Heshan?

There was a strange smell in the air, sweet and fishy, ​​like the rotten smell of rotten fruit.Zhuzhen felt uncomfortable all over, and at this moment, an ugly and strange face flickered behind the tree trunk, and immediately disappeared into the shadows.

He remembered this face, that monster with teeth.

A fleeting light flashed across Zhuzhen's eyes, which was evil and brutal, already stained with killing intent.He admitted that this time he was really angry, Zhuzhen is not a saint, and of course he is definitely not a good person, his pity or guilt is pitifully small, and the stock is even less than the copper coins in Ruan Ping's family.What's more, he doesn't need these things at all, all he wants is money, a life of wanton indulgence, and the blunt feeling when a sharp knife stabs into the flesh, and the pleasure of blood spurting out afterwards.

Nobody should stand in his way, not even ghosts or monsters.

He chased after him, but the vision in front of him became darker and darker, and the road under his feet seemed to gradually turn into a swamp, with a soft and sticky touch.When he lowered his head, he found that what seemed to be the skin of some kind of creature under his feet was splashed with scalding venom, and densely packed sacs continued to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then burst one after another.

The smelly pus splashed everywhere, making people want to vomit.The woods also disappeared, and the surroundings became the same scene.Bubbles were still bubbling under his feet, and a huge black figure appeared behind him. He couldn't see his face clearly, but he knew it was a monster, slowly approaching him.

He tried to run a few steps, but the monster really came after him.This scene was almost exactly the same as in the nightmare, except that he didn't run fast, and his heart was terribly calm.He was looking for the breakthrough point of the illusion, but he didn't run very far, and he saw the same room as in his dream. He pushed the door, but still couldn't open it.

The panic and fear in the dream had long since ceased to exist, he chuckled secretly, and turned around.The monster had already chased him, its huge body completely covered his head, and the disgusting mucus dripped around his feet, some even dripped into his clothes and landed on his skin.

Spicy, venom-like, burning to the touch.

The monster stopped and made no further attacks.He might be a little confused, because Zhu Zhen didn't fight or run away, just staring at him so coldly.The eyes of this human being are so gloomy and cold, comparable to a pool of dark stagnant water. Anyone stared at by such eyes will shrink back under the huge sense of oppression.

It was almost a competition of endurance, the monster started to growl and scratch the ground, and the tumor on its body almost stuck to Zhuzhen's face.Zhuzhen didn't even lift her eyelids until the black claws stretched towards him, less than an inch away from his eyeballs.

Zhuzhen made a move suddenly, dodging and attacking in one go.Countless black shadows didn't seem to pass through his hand at all, they just popped out of his cuff like sharp arrows flying fast.It was impossible to dodge at such a short distance, and then, with a "click", he held a ball-like object in his hand and threw it directly towards the monster's mouth.

That is Wan Ren Zhan, a hidden weapon made by Zhu Zhen.After the explosion, the tens of thousands of poisonous needles inside will roll up a storm like a drizzle, and all creatures that step into it will be stabbed into a sieve.If you come into close contact with a living person, this hidden weapon is enough to crush the opponent's flesh, leaving only the bones.This is a killer move that Zhuzhen seldom uses, it takes half a year to make one, and he carries at most two.

Now it is directly given to this monster.

The monster was obviously stupid, and didn't even realize that something had fallen into its mouth.In an instant, the light surged, like a violent storm, the whistling steel needles obscured the field of vision, and the place where the eyes could see was full of fierce blood light.The blunt sound of flesh being torn was heard endlessly, and Zhu Zhen saw the monster in front of her collapse at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a wall made of sand and stones, slowly collapsing.

The surroundings lit up, fresh air poured into her body, Zhu Zhen subconsciously took a deep breath.He saw the afternoon sun shining through the leaves, making his eyes sore.There was a gurgling stream in the distance, and he saw squirrels jumping in the treetops.Back, he thought.

There was a child sitting in front of him, the one I had seen in the dream, short, with small eyes, and a mouth that was too big, it was now as if it had been pinched by someone, and the eye sockets were also red.Zhuzhen originally had killing intent, but after seeing this scene, for some reason, the anger in her heart gradually disappeared.

"Who are you?" He asked a little annoyed.

I don't know what was touched by these words, and the child in front of him went from bowing his head silently to crying loudly in an instant, which directly made Zhu Zhen cry dumbfounded.He was crying out of breath, like a storm, tears and snot pouring down his nose.It didn't take long before Zhuzhen became more annoyed, and turned to leave, the child suddenly stopped crying, grabbed his sleeve, and whimpered, "You pay me!"

Zhuzhen also had a rare patience, and asked, "Repay you?"

"You burned my house, I have no place to live, and my parents can't be found," the child yelled aggressively, but there was a cry in his voice, which became more and more like a puppy whining, "You did it! I want revenge! I want revenge!"

Zhuzhen understood, this is really the skink.So this is looking for revenge?She is really a little goblin, haunting the bed, creating illusions, it seems like that.But it's too weak. After being easily cracked by myself, I only know how to vent my grievances by crying.

"He's a little devil after all, useless." Zhuzhen said coldly.

Enraged by him, the child let out a shrill howl, twisted his face extremely ferociously with his astonishingly large mouth, and then rushed towards Zhuzhen again.Now Zhuzhen was not afraid of him at all, grabbed his throat with one hand, and turned around chicly, the child's slender body was thrown out by him, and hit the ground heavily.

The child was so painful that he couldn't get up, and stared at him, his eyes were full of hatred that refused to admit defeat.Zhuzhen felt a little weak in his heart for no reason, it was an emotion quite unfamiliar to him.Where is this?he asked himself.When he was young, he just lost a head when he was practicing Kungfu, so he was ordered by his father to kneel in the dark room for two days and two nights.In the twelfth lunar month of winter, when he came out, he had frostbite all over his body. He was so hungry that he couldn't walk steadily, but he was forced to throw himself into new torture.

That was his real father.

That's why he's leaving that house.

The child got up, but he didn't dare to approach him again, and began to cry again.Zhuzhen frowned, and sneered: "Kill me if you have the ability, and get out if you don't. Why cry?"

After all, he walked over.The child backed away in fright, but Zhuzhen stopped early and glanced at the child indifferently.

"No promise."

The child stopped crying suddenly, wiped the snot with one hand on the grass, and pulled the hem of his clothes over to wipe away his tears.Then, his tear-stained face gradually showed a stubborn and unyielding expression.Seeing this, Zhu Zhen suddenly felt relieved for some reason, and then looked at the child's distressed face, and couldn't help but "chi" smile.

The child yelled, "I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you—"

Zhuzhen waved her hand, turned and left.When he walked out less than ten feet away, he turned his head once.The child was gone, and a colorful skink was crawling on the trunk of the tree, and disappeared in a swift motion up to the top of the tree.

+++

When Zhuzhen went back, Ruan Ping was already at home, and a group of animals still stayed in the yard, roaring when they saw him.Only one skink was missing.Before Ruan Ping could ask, Zhuzhen had already said: "That thing has gone back."

Ruan Ping didn't ask further, the expression on his face was calm, he just nodded to show that he understood.

"It's time for me to go too." Before dinner, Zhuzhen said.

This time Ruan Ping looked up at him with a strange expression.It was the first time Zhuzhen saw him showing such an expression, she couldn't help laughing, and said, "Reluctant to bear me?"

Ruan Ping couldn't speak, so Zhuzhen had the idea of ​​teasing him, which he had never done to anyone before.As soon as he finished speaking, Ruan Ping made several gestures to him, which meant that your injury is still not healed.

Zhuzhen waved her hand indifferently: "This is a small injury, it's not a problem."

Afterwards they chatted a few more casually, and it was all Zhuzhen said, and Ruan Ping simply responded with gestures and expressions.It's strange to say that Zhuzhen, who is so cautious, relaxed her guard for no reason today.Perhaps because Ruan Ping is a mute, he can't tell any secrets, and even if he tells them, others may not believe them.Or maybe because of the influence of the skink, Zhuzhen hid her emotions for more than ten years, and for the first time felt the desire to confide.

This day's dinner was rare and sumptuous, Ruan Ping unsealed the self-brewed rice wine, and Zhu Zhen poured it into his stomach cup by cup.There is no porridge on the table, but soft boiled rice, a plate of river fish and two side dishes.This made the animals in the yard greedy, and they screamed around the dining table.It's a pity that their master only cared about entertaining the guests in front of them. They barked for a while and got no response, so they could only leave in a daze.

The fish is very fresh, with tofu and a few green scallions floating in the milky white soup.Zhuzhen couldn't stop after taking a few mouthfuls, and put them into the bowl piece by piece.During the meal, he glanced at Ruan Ping, and found that the man's movements were unexpectedly elegant. The fishbone was shaved with chopsticks and neatly placed aside. He drank the soup without making a sound, like a well-bred rich man.

Zhuzhen couldn't help asking: "Your family let you study... is it because you want to test your fame?"

Ruan Ping looked up at him, neither admitting nor denying it.

"What exactly happened to..." In the middle of speaking, he hesitated, wondering if he could touch the other party's experience.Obviously, Ruan Ping will not live a very happy life. The dumb illness is enough to ruin his life and make all his ideals come to naught.

Ruan Ping looked at him calmly, seeing that he was silent and only focused on drinking, he smiled and put a piece of fish with shaved bones into his bowl.Zhu Zhen was taken aback for a moment, and then showed a childish awkwardness, muttering: "You really think of me as your cats and dogs."

Ruan Ping smiled deeper, and Zhuzhen could see the calmness of an elder in his eyes. "How old are you?" He couldn't help asking.Ruan Ping lip-synced and said 31.

Seven years older than myself.Zhuzhen thought.But this person usually behaves like a 60-year-old old man, so calm and calm all day long, without any disturbance.He thought of himself again. After living for so many years, he finally escaped from that place, but he still made a living of killing people.He will never become a person like Ruan Ping, who is leisurely, relaxed, and calm. This kind of life is too far away from him. He thinks that the most suitable ending for him is to die at the hands of others for no reason, such as in a certain place. In a place where the fireworks are drunk and dreamy, a famous actress disguised as an assassin was murdered with a glass of poisoned wine.

That's how his elder brother died. He took on all kinds of jobs, and ended up offending too many enemies. When he died, he didn't know who killed him.As for Zhuzhen's father, he stopped doing this business after his mother died of illness, and died of a willow disease that he contracted from nowhere.At that time, Zhuzhen was 17 years old. She broke away from the family and erased her real name, and began to take jobs under the name "Zhuzhen".

Thinking of this, he felt a little drunk, because he couldn't explain where the throbbing emotions in his chest came from.He fiddled with the fish in front of him over and over again, and the tip of his chopsticks poked the fish into pieces like a ball of mud.Ruan Ping realized that something was wrong with him, jumped over the table and patted him on the shoulder.He raised his eyes, his gaze was not so cold, and even a little confused.

He said to Ruan Ping, "I am not as good as this fish."

Ruan Ping looked at him puzzled.

"Since I was born, I was strangled by a fishing net, and I couldn't breathe. Later, I was shaken off the chopping board, and I was cut open with a knife. But I am still alive, like a fish. I shaved the scales and went to the hospital. After removing the internal organs, I can still move a few times. But after all, it is no different from death.”

He glanced at Ruan Ping, and found that the other party seemed to be listening but not listening, and his face was still expressionless.This appearance actually made him laugh, and there was a bit of mockery in his bitter laughter: "Don't you understand? It's good if you don't understand. To tell you the truth, I am a scum and scum. Child, I have killed a woman, any dirty work, I will do it for the money."

After all, he filled himself a glass and poured it down his throat.The rice wine was sweet, but he tasted bitter, bitter and spicy, like boiled Coptis chinensis soup.

"I should go, otherwise, I will even kill you," he said calmly, slowly wiping the liquor off his chin with his hands, "I can't control it, let alone you know my whereabouts, Yu Li , you should die."

The surrounding animals screamed wildly, maybe they sensed the murderous intent hidden in Zhuzhen.But Ruan Ping still didn't react much, he just stopped pouring the wine and looked at Zhu Zhen meaningfully.

Zhuzhen said again: "Yu Qing... I decided to save your life."

Ruan Ting looked at him calmly, with an invisible arc drawn at the corner of his mouth.He raised his hand, and the animals were quiet again.Zhuzhen looked him up and down several times, but still didn't see any abnormality from him.

This idiot really didn't understand.he thinks.

This time Zhuzhen simply let go, pouring wine down her throat non-stop while babbling about his past experience.He spoke in a chaotic manner, but Ruan Ping listened carefully.Later, Zhuzhen was completely drunk and fell asleep in a daze. When she woke up again, it was already the next morning. Ruan Ping was not at home, so she probably had already gone to work in the fields.

Zhuzhen put on the mask again, packed up her things, thought for a while, and kept all the money on her body.He knew that Ruan Ping was short of money, and it was really hard to take care of himself these few days, so it would be nice to be able to repay a little.

When he left, he didn't say anything to Ruan Binh.The animals in the yard were still yelling at him, and he glanced in the direction of the fields.The sun has risen so high, eyes are full of greenery, and the surroundings are as peaceful as a dream.For a moment he wanted to stay here, but it was definitely an illusion, and he even regretted the appearance of this illusion.He hooked the corners of his lips in a self-deprecating manner, and quickly disappeared into the woods without stopping.