broken branch

Chapter 1
The setting sun is like blood.

A great battle is drawing to a close.

Duan Ling had a fierce fight with the right protector of Tianjue Sect, and beheaded him with a single sword, spattering blood all over his body and face.He himself was also injured, but his fighting spirit was strong, so he didn't retreat to heal his injuries, but joined the crowd to round up the remnants of the demon sect.

After this battle, the vitality of the Tianjue Sect, which had been rampant for decades, was severely injured, and it was no longer capable of causing disasters.

Duan Ling let out a long breath, and suddenly heard someone beside him shout: "There is a secret passage under this stone platform!"

Everyone gathered around to have a look, and they saw that there was a mechanism under the stone platform, revealing a dark hole, the bottom was not deep inside, and they didn't know where it led.

Someone guessed: "Could it be the place where the devil's religion hides its treasure?"

Another person said: "The leader of the demon sect died, and the right guardian was punished. Only the left guardian disappeared. I heard that he is also a character with both wisdom and tactics. Maybe he escaped by using this secret way."

Duan Ling came out of the crowd, took the torch in his hand, and said, "I'll go down and have a look."

Liu Yi from the Qingshan faction was the closest to him, and quickly persuaded him: "Brother Duan, beware of fraud."

"It doesn't matter, the tricks of demons and ghosts can't suppress their righteousness."

After saying that, he jumped into the secret passage and walked forward by the dim light of the torch.

Duan Ling is not a big fan, but is quite familiar with the traps of the Demon Cult. After walking a few steps, it triggers a few places, all of which are ordinary rain of arrows and poisonous sand. With Duan Ling's skill, he easily avoided it. , not long before they came to the end of the secret road.

At the end is a stone door, with no decoration on the door, it looks ordinary.

Duan Ling didn't dare to be careless, he slowly stimulated the sea of ​​​​qi in his dantian, and used his inner strength to protect the big acupoints around his body, before pushing the door open and entering.

Behind the door is a small room, with thumb-sized luminous pearls hanging from the four corners, emitting a faint light.

There was no ambush in the room, only a young man was sitting at the stone table in the middle, bowing his head and playing with the strings.This person was dressed in black clothes, without any accessories on his body, only his black hair was tied with a golden crown, and his pupils were also jet black, making the hands playing the piano as white as jade.

Hearing the movement, he raised his head and glanced at Duan Ling, with a smile on his face, he said, "A Ling, you are finally here."

Hearing this address, Duan Ling was shocked, and the torch in his hand fell to the ground.

The man smiled slightly and said, "What? You don't recognize me?"

"How come... For the past ten years, I have been thinking about coming back to save you day and night..." Duan Ling's chest heaved and he spoke, only to realize that his voice trembled slightly.

The man stood up and approached him step by step like in countless dreams.

"With this sentence, it is not in vain that I have been waiting for you for ten years."

"Repair words..."

Duan Ling's heart was agitated, and he couldn't help but shake his hands.

But Lu Xiuyan raised his hand to caress his cheek, Ruyu's fingers lightly passed between his brows, and then he wrapped his hands around his neck, almost falling into his arms.

Duan Ling couldn't help holding his breath.

In the next moment, he shot like lightning, grabbing Lu Xiuyan's white wrist.

With a "clang", a sharp dagger slipped from his hand.

Only a little bit, this sharp blade can penetrate Duan Linghou's heart.

Duan Ling's face sank like water, and he read out a name word by word: "Lu Xiuwen, it really is you!"

The man in his arms rolled his eyes, and suddenly changed into another expression, obviously the same eyebrows and eyes, but not as gentle and elegant as before, but with a hint of evil, he asked: "How did you recognize it?"

Duan Ling said calmly: "No matter how much you pretend, you are not Lu Xiuyan."

Lu Xiuwen was exposed by him, but he was not angry at all, he bent his lips and said with a smile: "My brother and I are born exactly the same, you are the only one who can tell the two brothers apart at a glance."

Duan Ling snorted and said, "Who is your junior brother?"

"Isn't it? I was also there when you were apprenticed to the teacher that day. Well, the younger brother even kowtowed to my senior brother."

Duan Ling was born in a respectable and upright family, and his father was even the leader of a sect. But when he was young, he was kidnapped by the demon sect and stayed in the sect for several years. At that time, in order to survive, he had to worship the demon sect leader as his teacher.This matter is the greatest shame in his life, hearing Lu Xiuwen mention it now, how can he not hate it?Duan Ling slapped his palm immediately, and shouted: "Your devil master is dead, I will send you to meet him right now."

Lu Xiuwen is the proud disciple of the leader of the Demon Sect, he is extremely talented, he has learned the evil kung fu ten years ago, and now ten years have passed, his kung fu is even more refined.Duan Ling didn't dare to underestimate the enemy, this palm was extremely fast, and there were several subtle changes hidden in it, which could be changed anytime and anywhere.Even if he misses with one palm, he still has a counter move to catch, the palms are continuous, making it difficult to parry.

However, unexpectedly, this palm landed firmly on Lu Xiuwen's chest.

Lu Xiuwen didn't dodge or dodge, like a person who didn't understand martial arts at all, after the palm, he even took several steps back, with a trace of blood on his lips.

"You... how..."

"It's been a long time since we met again, but the younger brother treats me like this. It's really cruel." Lu Xiuwen licked the blood on his lips, looked at him with a half-smile, and said, "But if I die, you will be so cruel in this life." Don't even want to know the whereabouts of Xiuyan."

After all, he pressed his chest and coughed.

Duan Ling didn't know if he was acting, but for Lu Xiuyan's sake, he had no choice but to go up to hold his arm and ask, "Where is Xiuyan?"

Lu Xiuwen's eyes were slightly closed, as if he would die at any moment.

Duan Ling didn't believe that he couldn't even withstand this palm, so he stretched out his hand to pinch his pulse, but found that his pulse was strange, his dantian was empty, there was no internal energy at all, and all his martial arts...had disappeared.

Duan Ling was astonished.

Lu Xiuwen, who was once domineering and arrogant, has become a useless person?
Duan Ling couldn't believe it for a while, and suspected that Lu Xiuwen had other tricks at the same time, but after several attempts, the man didn't respond.Duan Ling was afraid that he was really dead, so he had no choice but to lose some internal energy against his palm.

Only then did Lu Xiuwen regain his strength, he slowly opened his eyes and said, "I know that Junior Brother doesn't want me to die."

Duan Ling ignored him and just asked, "Where is Xiuyan? Why isn't he with you?"

Lu Xiuwen laughed when he heard this: "I haven't seen you for so many years, why is my junior brother still so stupid? Do you really think that someone will wait for you for ten years? My brother has already..."

"How has it been?"

Duan Ling's heart was raised, but at this moment there was a sound of footsteps in the secret passage, and someone shouted: "Brother Duan, are you okay?"

It turned out that it was Liu Yi who saw that he didn't return for a long time, and brought people down to look for him.

Duan Ling could only say: "It's okay, there is no danger here."

At the same time, he lowered his voice and asked, "Where is Xiuyan?"

"Don't worry, he is in a very safe place, and his life is absolutely not in danger. But I just got a slap, and my chest hurts, and I suddenly can't remember where that place is."

"What... exactly do you want?"

Lu Xiuwen thought for a while, and lazily said: "I can't walk anymore, junior brother should carry me."

That demeanor and tone seemed to be that high-ranking young man ten years ago.

Duan Ling was so angry that he wanted to slap him to death, but for the sake of Lu Xiuyan, he could only swallow his anger, bent down to let him lie on his back, and carried him out of the stone room.

Seeing that there was another person on Duan Ling's back, Liu Yi was taken aback and hurriedly asked who it was.

Naturally, Duan Ling couldn't reveal Lu Xiuwen's true identity, so he made up a lie and said, "It's an old friend of mine. He was taken captive to the Demon Cult and suffered a lot. Now he is finally saved."

During his years in the Devil's Sect, he had one advantage, that is, he had tempered his face so that he was invulnerable, and when he told a lie, his expression would not change and his heart would not beat.

Liu Yi did not doubt that he was there, looked at Lu Xiuwen, and said: "This young man is so angry, he must have suffered a lot in this demon sect."

Lu Xiuwen smiled slightly, but did not speak.

After exiting the secret passage, Duan Ling turned his head to look, only to find that he had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

When people outside asked about Lu Xiuwen's background, Duan Ling still used the same rhetoric. These words can at most deceive young people like Liu Yi, but they can't fool a few veterans.However, Duan Ling contributed a lot to this encirclement and suppression of the Demon Cult, and since Lu Xiuwen has no internal strength, no one cares about it.

Seeing that the remnants of the Demon Sect had almost been wiped out, someone shouted "Ah!" and shouted, "It's no good, the head of the demon leader is gone!"

It turned out that during the previous battle, the leader of the Demon Cult went mad and died suddenly. His body remained in the hall, and they sent a few more people to guard it.But just as Duan Ling entered and exited the secret passage, the head of the sect leader disappeared.

And the guards were all dead, and they were killed by one move, and they didn't even have time to snort.

This time, in order to eliminate demons and defend the Tao, all the heroes from various sects have come out. There are many masters and gang leaders present, and there are even two figures who are the masters of the Taishan Beidou in the martial arts world.

But under the eyes of these masters, someone came and went without a trace, and took away the head of the leader of the Demon Cult without anyone noticing.

Wouldn't it be shocking to have such martial arts?
Looking at the bloody corpses in the hall, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.Just imagine if a person has such abilities, wouldn't it be easy to take the life of any of them?
Liu Yi felt the chill on the back of his neck, raised his hand to touch it, and said, "Brother Duan, who do you think did this?"

"Except for the left protector who escaped, no one else has such abilities. Hmph, this is the cunning of the devil's monsters. First, they can snatch the leader's head away, and second, they can shock people's hearts, and let us all be free." dangerous."

Most of the others guessed the same way, but it's a pity that the left protector disappeared like a ghost, and no one could find his trace.After discussing with each other, everyone set fire to the Devil's Cult main altar in order to prevent further incidents, and then dispersed.

Duan Ling was originally riding a horse. At this time, there was an injured Lu Xiuwen beside him. Naturally, they couldn't share a ride, so he had to buy a carriage and drive back slowly.

Lu Xiuwen's injury healed very slowly, he fell asleep all the way, his breath was weak when he fell asleep, he seemed to be dead.Duan Ling originally wanted to find a doctor to take a look at him, but he thought that this person was the beloved disciple of the leader of the Demon Cult, and also his greatest enemy in life. , there is really no need to be so kind, so let him go.

After a few days like this, Lu Xiuwen gradually recovered, but no matter how Duan Ling pressed him, he still refused to reveal Lu Xiuyan's whereabouts.Duan Ling wanted to torture him severely, but seeing his half-dead appearance, I'm afraid he could only move one finger, and Lu Xiuwen would vomit blood and die.

Duan Ling had to suppress the anger in his heart and took good care of him all the way. It took half a month before he returned to his hometown of Qingzhou.He has a separate courtyard here, the place is very secluded, and he usually practices martial arts here on weekdays.Because of Lu Xiuwen's special status, he wanted to place him here first.

Lu Xiuwen was not polite either, and asked after getting off the carriage, "Which room does Junior live in?"

"how?"

"The place where your master lives is naturally the best place. Now that senior brother is here, shouldn't you give it to me?"

As he spoke, he walked towards the inner courtyard.

Duan Ling almost laughed angrily at him.

He is just a prisoner, but he wants to occupy the magpie's nest. How can there be such a reason in the world?Immediately grabbed his arm and said with a sneer, "Who told you to live in the house?"

Duan Ling turned to the housekeeper and said, "Take him to the dungeon and lock him up."

The housekeeper was stunned and said, "Master, there is no dungeon in this other courtyard."

Lu Xiuwen burst into laughter with a "puchi".The same face as Lu Xiuyan's, except for a pair of dark eyes, showing a proud and sly look.

Duan Ling held his breath in his chest, unable to go up or down, gritted his teeth and said, "Then let him sleep in the woodshed!"

Lu Xiuwen was usually eloquent, and could speak black as white, but this time he didn't make a sound, he just glanced at Duan Ling, and followed the housekeeper.

Duan Ling had a good night's sleep.

The next morning, I got up early to practice boxing, ate a bowl of porridge and a few side dishes, and then I remembered that something was missing, so I called the housekeeper to ask questions.

"Where's the man I brought back yesterday?"

"I haven't seen it today, maybe it's still asleep in the woodshed."

Duan Ling looked at the sky, saw that the sun had already risen, and thought that he didn't catch Lu Xiuwen and come back to be the young master, so he threw away the chopsticks and went to the woodshed to find him.He walked all the way and thought, although he can't torture that person, he can make him do some servant work to dampen his spirit.

Back then when he himself was trapped in the Devil's Cult, he was always a cow to Lu Xiuwen.

The firewood house is located in a remote place, the butler was afraid that people would run away, so he sent two guards to watch over it, it looked like a prison cell.Duan Ling pushed the door open, and suddenly a musty smell came over his face. The inside was densely covered with cobwebs, not only dirty, but also dark and narrow, with no place for anyone to sleep.Lu Xiuwen huddled in the corner, leaning his back against the wall, resting his head on the thick wood, obviously still asleep.

Duan Ling walked over and kicked him and said, "Hey, get up."

Lu Xiuwen let out a "huh", shrank his body inward, but did not open his eyes.

Duan Ling looked down and saw that his face was paler than the previous few days, even his lips had lost all color, and when he reached out to touch his forehead, he felt that it was terribly hot.

Only then did Duan Ling realize that he was ill. He glanced at the crumpled clothes on his body and said in a deep voice, "Why don't you bring him a quilt?"

Several servants looked at each other, but no one dared to speak out.

Who will prepare bedding for a person who sleeps in a woodshed?If the bedding is prepared, do I need to prepare a bed?If the bed is prepared, do we need anything else?Is this a firewood house or a guest room?

Duan Ling didn't have the time to pursue this matter. After pondering for a while, he hugged Lu Xiuwen and ordered, "Go and invite the doctor."

The housekeeper responded.

Due to the sudden incident, there was no time to clean the guest room, so Duan Ling had no choice but to carry him to his own room, and even put him in his own bed.

Lu Xiuwen fell into a deep sleep and did not wake up even after bumping all the way.When he was asleep, he couldn't see those slightly sinister eyes, but they looked more like Lu Xiuyan.

The two of them were originally twin brothers, they were very similar in appearance, but their temperaments were very different, one was as gentle as jade, and the other was as hearty as a snake.

Duan Ling remembered that Lu Xiuwen had a whip with white scales, which was made of tanned snake skin, and when it hit his body, his skin was torn apart, and the pain was so painful that he was dying.Lu Xiuwen was cruel and merciless, he beat people with a whip at every turn. Duan Ling was whipped and rolled on the ground once by him, if Lu Xiuyan hadn't pleaded for him and then secretly gave him wound medicine, he would have died already.

At that time, Duan Ling swore to himself that when he practiced kung fu well in the future, one day he would hang Lu Xiuwen up and give him a whip.Now this man fell into his hands, but let alone whipping him, just let him sleep in the woodshed for one night, and he was already sick and half dead.

Why is it so difficult to take revenge when it's his turn?
Duan Ling smiled wryly.

Fortunately, the housekeeper was able to do things well, and it didn't take long before he invited the doctor over.The doctor's surname is Yao, he is in his 40s, with a goatee, he is a famous doctor in Qingzhou City, and he has some real skills.Duan Ling also recognized him, and hurriedly asked him to come to the bedside to check his pulse.

Dr. Yao put his hand around Lu Xiuwen's wrist, twirled his beard, shook his head for a while, then suddenly let out a "huh" and said to himself, "Strange...this pulse...how could it be..."

He was so startled that Duan Ling's eyelids jumped up, and he felt a little distressed for no reason, and asked, "What's wrong with him?"

"It's just an exogenous cold, the old man prescribed a prescription, no matter how healthy it will be for a few days, it will be fine. It's just..."

"how?"

"This son's pulse condition is peculiar, his veins are severed, and his heart is full of poison. Ordinary people can't stand it anymore. It's unimaginable that he can survive until now. It's probably because the poison in his body collided with each other, but saved his life. .”

Duan Ling already knew that Lu Xiuwen was useless in martial arts, but unexpectedly he was also poisoned, so he hurriedly asked, "Is there a way to cure it?"

"Healing?" Dr. Yao stared at him and shook his head repeatedly, "How can such a pulse condition be cured well? Even if he hangs himself with ginseng every day, at most... he can only live for half a year."

half a year?

Duan Ling was startled when he heard that, and after a while, he gave a soft "hmm" and said, "I see."

Doctor Yao offended some people because of his outspokenness. Seeing that Duan Ling didn't blame him, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Do you want to prescribe medicine for this young master?"

Duan Ling nodded and said, "Let's go."

He said to the steward again: "Ginseng and other life-sustaining things are also prepared, don't worry about money."

The butler responded and led Dr. Yao to prescribe the medicine.

Duan Ling stood alone for a while, then slowly sat down beside the bed, looking at Lu Xiuwen who was still asleep.

It is said that good people don't live long, and evils last for thousands of years. For such evils as Lu Xiuwen, he thought he could live a long life, but unexpectedly he lived such a short life.

He used to hate and be afraid of this person, but now that he knows that his life is not long, he feels something else in his heart.Seeing that Lu Xiuwen was sweating in his sleep, he wet the veil and wiped the sweat for him himself.

Lu Xiuwen frowned slightly, and suddenly called out in a daze: "Junior Brother..."

Duan Ling's heart skipped a beat.

Then he heard him say: "Junior brother, catch that little golden snake for me..."

Duan Ling was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

This man is so sick that he still wants to order him in his dream.

Back then, Duan Ling was bitten by a snake in order to catch the little golden snake to refine poison for him. His entire arm was black and he suffered from pain for three days and three nights.Thinking of this, he really regretted that he felt compassion just now, so he threw away the handkerchief in his hand, and called another maid to take care of Lu Xiuwen.

The medicine prescribed by Dr. Yao was really effective. Lu Xiuwen took it for a while, and the fever subsided at night, but because of his frailty, he did not wake up for a long time.Duan Ling was afraid that he would die and he would not get news from Lu Xiuyan, so he had to stay by the bed again.

It was not until the evening of the next day that Lu Xiuwen woke up.After he opened his eyes, he was a little dazed at first, as if he couldn't remember where he was, but after seeing Duan Ling's face clearly, he smiled a little, and said, "Junior brother's family is really rich and powerful, even the firewood room is so spacious. "

Duan Ling knew that he was mocking him, so he said with a dark face, "This is my house."

"Really?" Lu Xiuwen's eyes lit up, and he carefully looked at the furnishings in the house, nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad, other places are good, but I don't like the screen at the door, I'll ask someone to change it tomorrow."

He also said: "The color of the gauze curtain is also old. Ask someone to change it to a blue color."

His tone was very natural, and he already regarded himself as the master.

"Don't push yourself too far."

"Junior brother is so stingy, he can't bear to change even a screen?"

"..."

Duan Ling wondered why he would give up the house?He should be told to sleep on the street.He stared at Lu Xiuwen's white neck exposed at the neckline, knowing that as long as he squeezed hard, he could die.

Calm down, calm down, everything is for the sake of cultivating words.

Duan Ling took a few deep breaths before suppressing the surging murderous desire, stood up and said, "I'll go and see how the medicine is doing."

In addition to the medicine for wind and cold, Dr. Yao also prescribed another tonic, which used high-quality medicinal materials. The butler felt heartache when he saw it, but since Duan Ling had spoken, he had no choice but to grab the medicine.

Duan Ling waited for the maid to fry the medicine, and brought it back to the room while it was still hot, but saw that Lu Xiuwen had already sat up, put on some clothes and leaned against the head of the bed, staring intently at the scenery outside the window.

There are several peach trees planted in the yard. Because they are not carefully maintained, the branches are scattered and scattered.One of the branches even slanted out and came in through the window. When the spring is fragrant, it often falls all over the ground with peach blossoms.

Lu Xiuwen was fascinated, and suddenly said: "It's such a good peach tree, it's a pity that we won't see the flowers blooming next year."

It's early autumn now, he only has half a year to live, so naturally he won't live until next spring.

Duan Ling shook his hand holding the medicine bowl, and said, "You know?"

"I vaguely heard you talking while I was asleep. The half-year period is about the same as I expected. The doctor is good, it seems that he is not a quack."

His tone was light, and he was extremely calm when it came to life and death.

Duan Ling handed the medicine bowl over, and seeing him drink it in one gulp, he couldn't help but said, "I remember that devil dotes on you the most. With such great ability, can you destroy your martial arts? And who has the guts to poison you?"

Lu Xiuwen was silent for a moment, then smiled.He had just recovered from a serious illness, his voice was still a little hoarse, and he whispered, "I did it myself..."

"what?"

"Junior brother thinks too much. With Master here, who can harm me? It was because I was so eager for success when I was practicing that I became obsessed, my meridians went backwards, and my martial arts were useless." Lu Xiuwen closed his eyes and wrote lightly, "That's all. .”

Duan Ling used to be Lu Xiuwen's junior, and knew that he was practicing an evil school of kung fu. He improved very quickly at the beginning, but it became more and more difficult as he went on.When you reach the seventh level, you must absorb other people's skills and use them for your own use, in order to make another breakthrough.And this "other" is also very particular, it must be someone who has practiced the same kung fu.The person who created this skill has sinister intentions, that is, to kill each other in the same sect, and only the winner can become stronger.

For this reason, the head of the Demon Cult kidnapped many teenagers with excellent bones and asked them to worship him as teachers, in order to use them to practice kung fu.Duan Ling was originally on this list, if Lu Xiuyan hadn't taken the risk to save him from the Demon Cult, he would have been a dead bone by now.

This kind of evil martial art is extremely dangerous to practice, if you don't pay attention, you will go crazy.

Therefore, Duan Ling did not doubt what Lu Xiuwen said, but was slightly puzzled, not knowing where his poison came from.

Afterwards, Lu Xiuwen took Duan Ling's room as a matter of course on the grounds that sick people should not move around at will, and even changed the screen and gauze curtain according to his preferences.

During this period, Duan Ling went back home.

His father is the head of a faction, and is also highly respected in the Jianghu. Previously, he had not participated in the encirclement and suppression of the demon sect because he wanted to practice in seclusion.Now that he has successfully passed the test, he learned that Duan Lingli, the right protector of the Demon Slaying Sect, has become famous all over the world at a young age, so he was overjoyed and praised him a lot.

Duan Ling was kidnapped since he was a child, and although he returned home later, he was somewhat unfamiliar with his family, so he only stayed at home for three to five days before returning to another courtyard.

When the butler saw him, he had a hesitant expression on his face.

"What? What happened?"

"That Mr. Lu called a tailor to make clothes today."

Duan Ling's footsteps paused.He just remembered that when Lu Xiuwen left the Demon Cult, he had nothing but his old clothes.

"It is necessary to make some clothes. If he needs anything else, he will do it."

The housekeeper looked bitter: "Since Mr. Lu came, the expenses in the mansion have increased a lot."

"It's okay, he won't live for long anyway."

Duan Ling said as he walked towards the inner courtyard.

He lived in the same yard as Lu Xiuwen, and they were separated by a long distance, so he heard the man's voice coming from the room.

"In the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, I make eight sets of clothes for each season, two Taoist robes, two straight skirts, and others are optional. The inner clothes should be made of good pine mountain cloth, and I will get rashes on other fabrics. In addition, there are embroidery..."

Duan Ling heard the pain in his forehead, and finally understood where the money was spent.Originally, he wanted to go back to the room to rest, but unknowingly walked to the next door, stretched out his hand and pushed the door open.

As a result, he was stunned by just looking at it.

Lu Xiuwen was reclining on the soft couch, holding a book in his hand, his face was still pale.But behind him stood four maidservants, all in yellow shirts and emerald skirts, with pretty looks and jingling rings.And in front of him there were two maids serving him, one beat his legs and the other fanned him.

Do you still play fans in this weather?He is not afraid of falling ill again.

Duan Ling snorted angrily.

Only then did everyone notice him, and several maidservants knelt down and said, "Master."

Lu Xiuwen changed into a more comfortable position, and said with a smile, "Junior brother is back? You came just in time. I called the people from Jinxiu Pavilion to take measurements. Do you want to make some sets of clothes?"

Very generous.

Duan Ling wondered if he should thank him for his generosity?
Lu Xiuwen saw that he didn't speak, so he told the tailor to go down, and said, "Why don't you sit down?"

While talking, a maidservant has brought tea.Duan Ling saw that the tea leaves were green in color and smelled tangy, which was quite different from what he usually drank, so he must have changed to a better one.

He has only been away for a few days, why is this other courtyard turned upside down?
"I remember that I only sent two maids to serve you a few days ago."

"Well, Junior Brother is just another hospital after all, and there is a shortage of manpower. It is not easy to be like this now. Junior Brother, don't blame yourself, I will just let it go."

I remember that when he was in the Devil's Cult, Lu Xiuwen's ostentation was indeed bigger than it is now, but it is not what it used to be, and he doesn't think about his identity?

Duan Ling was about to fight against the case and teach him a good lesson, but he heard a servant girl say: "My lord, it's time to take a nap in the afternoon."

"Then make the bed for me." Lu Xiuwen glanced at Duan Ling apologetically, and said, "Junior Brother, I have to sleep for a while every day at this time, so I won't greet you."

He ordered, and all the maidservants responded in unison, and immediately started to move in an orderly manner. Some made the bed and folded the quilt, some lighted tranquilizing incense, and some brought out a small cup of tonic, saying that it was the blood swallow that the young master would eat every day.

Duan Ling got in the way in the room, and was quickly invited out like a gust of wind.Hearing the door close behind him with a "squeak", Duan Ling almost froze.

Is it because he knows too little?

Is there any prisoner in the world who lives as comfortably as Lu Xiuwen?
Duan Ling finally understood why the housekeeper had a wry smile on his face, and his expression is probably similar now.

Lu Xiuwen has this kind of ability, how many members of the Devil's Cult have dealt with him submissively, let alone just a group of servants from other courtyards?If you leave it alone, it won't be long before his master has to pack up and get out of the other courtyard.

Of course Duan Ling would not let him succeed, after thinking about it, he went to Lu Xiu's study room at night.

Lu Xiuwen was having dinner, and there were still a group of maids serving him, when he saw him coming, he waved and said: "Junior Brother..."

Duan Ling said with a straight face, "I've already eaten."

"That's just right. Today's dishes don't suit my taste. I remember that my junior brother is very good at cooking. How about..." Before he could finish speaking, Duan Ling drew out the sword from his waist and slammed it on the table with a "dang".

His inner strength was astonishing, and with only a third of his strength, he cut a deep mark on the table.The cup was shattered, and several maidservants fled away screaming.

Only Lu Xiuwen sat quietly, waved his hands to get everyone to back off, and said: "Why is Junior Brother so angry? Come, drink a bowl of soup and go to the fire."

While talking, he filled a bowl of soup with his hands.

Without even looking at it, Duan Ling raised his sword against his throat, and said coldly, "If it wasn't for the sake of cultivating words, I would have taken your life already."

"Yes." Lu Xiuwen was kind, "I can live until now because I have a good brother."

"If you don't tell me about Xiuyan's whereabouts today, you won't be able to walk out of this door alive."

The corner of Lu Xiuwen's mouth curled up, and under the reflection of the blade, he actually smiled, and said: "Junior brother knows that I prefer to be soft and not hard, so why bother to scare me with a sword? If it really scares me, I will remember it even more." I'm sorry where is my brother."

"What conditions do you have, it is better to make it clear once."

Lu Xiuwen's eyes moved slightly, but he sighed and said, "I'm afraid you can't do it."

"As long as it's not something harmful to the world, I will definitely do it for you."

Lu Xiuwen stared at him and said, "I want you to kneel to me, are you willing?"

Without further ado, Duan Ling put his sword back into its sheath, raised his knees, and was about to kneel down on the spot.

Instead, Lu Xiuwen was taken aback. He stood up quickly, causing the bowls and chopsticks on the table to fall to the ground, and shouted: "Wait a minute! I don't intend to accept you as an apprentice, and I don't mind asking you to kneel."

He thought for a while and said, "I don't have a good appetite today, why don't you cook a bowl of porridge, junior brother."

When Duan Ling was in the Devil's Cult, he often had to do this kind of work, and he was really good at cooking.It's just that he regards cooking as a great shame in his life, and he would never touch it when he came back. At this time, for Lu Xiuyan, he gritted his teeth and agreed.After working in the kitchen for a while, a bowl of hot porridge was brought out, which was very suitable for Lu Xiuwen's taste.

Lu Xiuwen ate very slowly, until he finished a bowl of porridge, he wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "It tastes good, only a cup of Xiaoshi tea is missing."

Duan Ling made a small fuss, and hurriedly went to make tea again.

Only then was Lu Xiuwen satisfied, holding a teacup and saying, "Why are you looking for my brother in such a hurry?"

"This is a matter between me and Xiuyan, and has nothing to do with you."

"If someone wants to kill my brother, will I bring that person to him?"

"How could I harm Xiuyan?"

"Know the face but not the heart."

Duan Ling choked, and after a moment of silence, he took out something from his arms—it was a token, made of neither gold nor iron, very special, with a monster with a human head and a snake body engraved on the front, and some ghostly characters on the back .The color of the token is jet black, and because it has been worn close to the body all year round, a layer of paste has formed on the surface, exuding a faint luster.

Lu Xiuwen recognized it with just one glance: "This is... the holy order of the leader."

Duan Ling treasured such a thing very much, after showing it to him, he took it back into his arms and said, "Xiuyan stole it for me."

"This is the personal belonging of the leader. You can freely enter and leave the main altar if you get it. How did my brother steal it?"

"Ten years ago, the devil's evil skills had reached the eighth level, and every three months he had to absorb one person's skills for his own use. There are less than one of us cheap apprentices captured by him. I I have seen people who have been sucked out of their internal energy by him. They look like they are decades old, and their whole body is as soft as a pool of mud. They will run out of oil and die after only a few days. On March [-]th, Xiuyan suddenly He came to me in the middle of the night and said that the devil would use me to practice kung fu tomorrow, and told me to escape with him immediately. I said that the devil sect is heavily guarded, how can I escape? He gave me the token of the leader of the sect."

Speaking of this, Duan Ling smiled slightly on his face, his eyes became extremely gentle, as if he saw a glimmer of light in the endless darkness, he said: "I still remember the day Xiuyan looked like, he was barefoot, His hair was not tied, and he fell somewhere, and his body was covered in mud. From then on, he was the only one in my heart. He treated me like this, shouldn't I look for him?"

Lu Xiuwen was not surprised when he heard this old story, he nodded and said: "I see, I just find it strange, junior brother, you are so stupid, how did you escape back then?"

Then he talked to himself again, and said softly: "Well, it turns out that Xiuyan saved you."

"Although he took the risk to save me, he refused to go with me anyway."

"There is only one token of the leader. If two people walk together, you will be seen through before you leave the main altar."

Duan Ling also understood this truth, and said: "After I left, I couldn't find any news about the Devil's Cult, and I don't know what happened to Xiuyan."

"Master's magic kung fu is at a critical juncture. Who would have thought that your tonic would escape, causing him to fall short. Naturally, the thunder is furious."

Duan Ling said solemnly: "Then Xiuyan..."

"Junior brother, don't worry." Lu Xiuwen lowered his eyes, gently blew away the foam in the teacup, and took a sip of the bitter and astringent tea, "No one knows that Xiuyan saved you, so he is safe and sound. punishment."

Duan Ling breathed a sigh of relief: "I promised Xiuyan that day, no matter what, I would go back and save him. Unexpectedly, after years of planning, I finally broke into the Demon Cult, but I only saw you in the secret room."

Lu Xiuwen squeezed the teacup in his hand too tightly, even his fingertips turned white, but he still had a smile on his face, and said: "It's all my fault, I let my junior brother down. But how did you get over it?" It's only been ten years?"

"I was just a young man with low martial arts back then. How could I compete with the Demon Cult? But since I escaped, I have been practicing martial arts day and night, and I dare not relax for a day."

Lu Xiuwen nodded and said: "Junior brother's kung fu is considered top-notch among the younger generation of decent masters, but..."

He rolled his eyes, glanced at Duan Ling slowly, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Junior Brother didn't practice the decent inner skills, but continued to practice the martial arts taught by me, right?"

Duan Ling's pupils shrank suddenly, and the veins on the back of his hands popped up, and he was thinking of killing people in an instant.But he quickly calmed down, calmed down his shortness of breath, and hummed, "Nonsense."

"My junior brother and I came from the same sect, and the method of exercise is the same, how can we not see it? But the junior brother concealed it very well, I am afraid that others will not be able to find it."

Having said this, Duan Ling knew that he couldn't hide it, he let go of his clenched fist, and laughed at himself: "Yes, I have worked so hard to escape from the devil's sect, but I am still practicing the martial arts that the devil taught me. Decent internal strength emphasizes gradual progress, and it is difficult to see results in two to thirty years, but I... can't wait that long. I wish I could kill the Demon Sect as soon as possible so that Xiuyan can be rescued."

"How far have you practiced your kung fu?"

"The fifth floor."

"If others find out about this, you, the famous Duan Shaoxia, will be ruined."

Duan Ling was silent for a while, and then laughed loudly: "My life is also to cultivate words, how can I care about such a false name?"

For the person he was thinking of, even if he fell into the devil, he was willing.

Seeing his gaze, Lu Xiuwen couldn't help turning his face away.

After a while, he said: "Junior Brother, please do one more thing for me."

"what's up?"

Lu Xiuwen raised his finger and pointed to the peach trees outside the window: "Break a peach tree for me."

"What do you want this for?"

"You don't have to worry about it, just fold it off."

Duan Ling even cooked the porridge and poured the tea, so naturally he didn't care about it, but he heard Lu Xiuwen say again: "I want the one on the top with the best flowers."

Duan Ling was taken aback.

Now it's early autumn, and the peach blossoms have already faded away. How can it be good or bad?But he was used to being manipulated by Lu Xiuwen in the past, so he didn't dare to ask more questions, so he walked out of the house, jumped up the branch lightly, and broke off a small branch of peach tree.Looking back, I saw Lu Xiuwen standing at the window looking over, the moonlight shone on his pale and handsome face, his expression was hard to distinguish in the night, I don't know if he was looking at the peach tree or something else.

Duan Ling turned back into the house and handed the peach branch to Lu Xiuwen.

Lu Xiuwen played with it in his hand for a while, then suddenly smiled, brought the peach branch to his nose, bowed his head and took a deep sniff.

For a moment, it seemed that there were really gorgeous and unparalleled peach blossoms blooming on the branches.

Duan Ling looked again, only to realize that his eyes were dazzled, and there was nothing but the emerald green branches and leaves.

The smile on Lu Xiuwen's face only stayed for a moment, and then he returned to the same casual look, and said: "Thank you for your hard work, junior brother, you can go buy a carriage tomorrow. The one last time was too simple and knocked me down. I feel uncomfortable all over, so I need to change to a spacious and comfortable one this time. I just called the people from Jinxiu Pavilion today. I am afraid that the clothes will not be made in time, so I have to go to the tailor shop to buy a few. Of course, the waiters can't bring them. You are responsible for the chores. In addition..."

Before turning the corner, Duan Ling asked, "Carriage?"

"It's more than a month's journey to Xiuyan's residence. You don't need a carriage. Do you have to walk on two legs?"

Duan Ling was overjoyed immediately: "Are you willing to take me to find Xiuyan?"

"I haven't seen you for a long time, and I miss you very much." Lu Xiuwen still held the peach tree in his hand, and his fingers stroked the green leaves on the branch, as if stroking a flower that was about to bloom, "You promised back then ...Although it is a bit late to save people in Islam, since you have fulfilled your promise, I will naturally make your wish come true.”

(End of this chapter)