Chapter 61: The stray dog ​​is like a skinned dog. ...

The night before leaving the city, it snowed heavily, so Shen Changfeng decided to rest for a night before setting off again.

It was New Year's Eve and close to curfew, so there were not many people in the tavern, only a few vendors sitting around the stove cooking wine.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves could be heard in the streets. The noise stopped in front of the tavern. The diners stopped talking and followed the waiter's gaze to greet the newcomer.

Several men in brocade clothes came in shouting, looked around the front hall with wandering eyes, and fixed on a man wearing a bamboo hat sitting by the window, and then walked straight towards him with their arms around each other's shoulders.

One of them sat down across from me, leaning against the backrest like a boneless person, legs stretched out carelessly, and asked with a playful smile, "Can I sit here?"

The tall man opposite had half of his face hidden in the shadows, revealing only his cold and hard jaw with broken scars. He didn't say anything good or bad when he heard the words, but just drank his drink quietly.

The diners sensed something was wrong and left in twos and threes.

One of the men in brocade clothes leaned over and took a look, as if he had discovered something new. "Hey, isn't this Shen Changfeng?"

"Really? I'm so sorry! It turns out to be Master Shen!"

"What is Master Shen? I think it should be Master Shen!"

Amidst the roar of laughter, Shen Changfeng paused in pouring the wine, gritted his teeth with his heels, and the veins on the back of his palms gradually twisted and bulged.

"Prince, why do you look so unhappy? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Nonsense! Your wife and mother have been robbed, and you're so angry, let me see you!"

Shen Changfeng exuded a chilling aura all over his body. He slowly raised his head, his dark eyes revealing a fierceness and frenzy. The men in brocade clothes seemed to be drunk but they were staring at him vigilantly. When they were shouted at by his fierce gaze, the shadows of the past shrouded their hearts, and their throats became dry and they stopped talking.

The moment Shen Changfeng stood up, the faces of those people changed drastically, and they all took a step back at the same time. The man who was sitting didn't put down his cup properly, and it broke into two pieces with a clang.

Shen Changfeng placed a few copper coins on the table, his voice a little hoarse: "Waiter, check out."

The waiter behind him ran out from behind the counter: "Sir, we're still short of money for a wine cup!"

The man in brocade clothes approached Shen Changfeng with a smile: "Prince, did you hear that? You still owe me some silver..." At the end of his speech, his tone suddenly changed, and he swung something at hand and smashed it towards the back of the man in plain clothes!

Shen Changfeng did not stop walking, but his ears moved, and he suddenly felt a sharp gust of wind coming towards him from behind. He twisted his waist to avoid the long bench falling from the sky. The other people moved together, drew their sticks and rushed towards him, aiming at his injured parts.

Shen Changfeng fought and retreated at the same time, and suddenly the waiter who had been hiding in the dark to watch the fun came out from under the table and chairs and hugged his waist. He subconsciously made a move to push him back, but he felt that the table, chairs and people in front of him had double images. Several men in brocade clothes showed a tacitly evil smile, rushed up, and hit his left leg with sticks.

Shen Changfeng heard the crack of bones, but gritted his teeth without a groan. Anger suddenly burned in his heart. He had deliberately chosen this secluded inn to stay overnight to avoid the people following him from the palace, but he hadn't expected to be drugged in a moment of carelessness! He kicked the servant who was entangled with his feet, and knowing that he had to fight quickly, he reached for the sword at his waist. At the same time, Shen Zhongda's words rang in his ears, and his hand immediately stopped.

No blood can be seen, no officials can be seen, otherwise... He could almost imagine Shen Zhongda standing high and mighty with his hands behind his back, with a sneer on his face that said "I knew it".

This brief hesitation was seen as cowardice in the eyes of outsiders. The men in brocade clothes showed their vicious side. Thinking of the losses they had suffered at the hands of Shen Changfeng in the past, they attacked even more ferociously.

Shen Changfeng wanted to turn over and dodge, but he found that his hands and feet were gradually becoming sore and weak, and he didn't even have the strength to raise his hands to protect his head.

As dusk deepened, the tavern owner emerged from the back hall, munching on sunflower seeds. He glanced at the bloodied mess on the floor and said disdainfully, "Get him out of here! It's bad luck!"

The men in brocade clothes gasped and stopped, blaming each other: "You hit him so hard, what if he dies? After all, he is still the prince's son!"

"What are you afraid of? He has countless enemies, who would suspect us? Besides, he was the one who got rid of the palace's secret guards and came to this remote corner. There's no evidence. Let's throw him out while the snow is heavy!"

After saying that, several people worked together to lift the bloody man and threw him into the snow.

In the stable, the Jade Lion Zhaoye smelled a strong smell of blood and neighed uneasily. It struggled to break free from the reins, ran to Shen Changfeng, and licked the dirty blood on his face.

The two rabbits were thrown out, jumping into his palms, and nibbling his fingertips gently with trembling noses.

The Jade Lion of Zhaoye heard the muddy sound of blood clots in his throat, gently rubbed his face to the side, and suddenly galloped through the narrow alley, letting out long, urgent and mournful howls as it ran. Its hooves were as heavy as hammers and as fast as drumbeats. It rushed from one end of the street to the other and then back, trampling the newly printed ruts on the snow into a mess.

People living in the houses on both sides of the alley heard the noise, opened their doors and windows, and saw a snow-white horse without a single strand of hair wandering in front of a lighted house. It held its head high, one end of the reins in its mouth, revealing a pair of tearful amber pupils, and its eyes were sad, as if it was crying and complaining.

It stopped in front of the open doors and windows, looking at the curious people, a broken neigh coming out of its throat, and its hind hooves were alternately raised and lowered, always drawing a semicircle in the same place, sending out a mournful signal for help.

Everyone marveled in amazement, then hurriedly closed the doors and windows again after seeing who had caused the horses to repeatedly look back. Everyone nearby knew that the owner of this secret shop was related to the Third Prince's favorite minister. Even in the past, who would have been willing to step in and help Shen Changfeng, let alone now that he was in dire straits? His friends and family had abandoned him, and strangers were unlikely to offer a helping hand.

The Jade Lion of Night moved along with the candle flames that went out one after another. Every time it heard a "bang", the muscles on its neck would tremble like waves.

As the last candle went out, the alley returned to silence.

The Jade Lion of Zhaoye seemed to be strangled by invisible shackles, and stretched its neck out in extreme pain - the next moment, a rock-splitting and cloud-piercing howl pierced the dark night. This howl seemed to crush and throw out the heart and lungs, and the sorrow and misery was like a whirlpool that grew with each echo, crashing into the icicles on the eaves and causing them to collapse.

The tireless sound of horse hooves could be heard again in the dark alley.

Shen Changfeng had no reaction to his surroundings. His black eyes were half-closed and lifeless as he stared into the void without moving. The blood at the roots of his eyelashes gradually solidified into ice chips.

He lay on his side with his knees curled up in the red snow, his tattered cloth soaked in blood and stuck to his back, like a skinned dog - a stray dog ​​abandoned on the roadside to die.

The snow is getting heavier.