The moon was white and the dew was falling, the mountains and fields were clear. The bonfire reflected the aroma of wine, and the atmosphere was elegant and unrestrained. The new soldiers lowered their heads to drink and eat meat, and raised their heads to talk about the sky and admire the moon, which became a unique scene in Liangzhouwei.

Sparks flew out with the autumn wind, making people wonder if they would burn their clothes. But in a moment, they became a burn, accompanied by a low sob.

Xiao Mai sobbed and said, "I have forgotten what my parents look like..."

"I'm even worse off," Wang Ba said expressionlessly, "I've never seen my parents since I was born."

He Yan: "..." She raised her hand and took a big gulp of wine, trying to calm herself down.

In order to comfort her, everyone compared their own unpleasant experiences, and in the end, it became a comparison of who was worse off. Now, the other recruits were all laughing and smiling, but they were the only ones who were filled with sorrow and sadness.

Looking at Xiao Mai and Wang Ba who were crying with their heads in their hands, and then looking at Young Master Jiang Jiao who was drinking alone with red eyes, He Yan was speechless. Well, he didn't know who was comforting who.

Huang Xiong looked at her and said, "Brother He, you can drink quite well."

He Yan was startled, and looked down at herself. Unconsciously, she had already drunk the third bowl. She didn't know how much the former Miss He could drink. She thought that the weak Miss He would not drink such a spicy and pungent liquor with a broken bowl, but for the former General Fei Hong, this was very familiar.

When you are cold, afraid, upset, or hungry, if you have wine at hand, it can temporarily protect you from the hard times. Wine can drive away the cold, strengthen your courage, satisfy your hunger, or relieve your sorrow.

When she was in Shuojing, she didn't drink a drop of alcohol, fearing that she would be exposed. But when she joined the Yue army and lived in Moxian, she gradually made drinking a habit. She trained her drinking capacity, and none of the young generals and new soldiers in the army could drink more than her. Sometimes, when celebrating a great victory, she was the only one who could still sober up after drinking at the end of the banquet.

This may be the legendary lonesome pursuit of defeat.

What surprised her was Shitou. She thought Shitou grew up in the mountains and looked strong, so he should have a good alcohol tolerance. However, she didn't expect that he fell on his back and fell asleep before he had even finished half a bowl of wine - was he drunk?

The remaining half bowl of wine was taken away by his younger brother Xiaomia, who drank the bowl together with Wang Ba and said, "I didn't expect that we were all from the same poor family. Now, we can be a family in the future." After saying this, he drank the whole bowl in one gulp, his nose turned red from the sting of the spicy wine. Soon after, within an incense stick of time, he also fell on his back like his elder brother, drunk.

He Yan: "...We are truly brothers."

Wang Ba lost such a drinking buddy in an instant, so he put his arm around Jiang Jiao's shoulder, handed him a skewer of roasted rabbit meat, and said, "Don't just drink alone, come and eat some meat. Your fiancée didn't choose you, it's because you two are not destined to be together." This was the first time he spoke like a human being, "In life, meeting and parting are all fate, there is no need to force it."

Jiang Jiao took his rabbit meat and continued to drink in silence. Huang Xiong smiled and looked at the moon in the sky, saying to himself, "I miss my family."

He Yan took out a moon cake from the snack basket Cheng Lisu gave her. The moon cake was small and shaped like a diamond flower, with the words "Auspicious Flowers and Full Moon" written on it in red. She took a bite and tasted the sweetness of sesame and peach kernels.

"If they were still alive, I would not be here, but in my old home," Huang Xiong said, "My mother's cooking is delicious. I want to eat her cooking."

He Yan lowered his head and ate the cake silently. Huang Xiong asked, "What about you?" He turned his head and looked at He Yan, "How do you usually spend this time?"

Is this the usual Mid-Autumn Festival? He Yan was a little dazed.

Before she joined the army, she spent the Mid-Autumn Festival with others in the He family. But because of her special status, people were watching her wherever she went, so she was not very free. She actually liked the lively and noisy time during the moon festival, but it was inconvenient because she was wearing a mask. She was an awkward existence in the He family. In terms of status, she was a legitimate daughter, but on the other hand, she belonged neither to the first wife nor the second wife.

When I served in the army in Mo County for three years, I lived in fear every day at the beginning, not knowing when I would die on the battlefield. I could not even think about a family reunion during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Later, she returned to Beijing and married into the Xu family. Around this time last year, she had already gone blind.

Before she could fulfill her wish of being with that person, she fell into darkness. At that time, she thought she could not get out of it and her life would be like this. On the fifteenth day of August, she asked Xu Zhiheng to take her to the mountain to worship Buddha, hoping that the Bodhisattva would bless her and maybe let her see the light again. Xu Zhiheng agreed.

In fact, she didn't really go to ask for the Bodhisattva's blessing that day.

The tip of her tongue hurt. She accidentally bit her tongue. The sweet taste was instantly covered by the stinging pain. He Yan came to her senses and avoided Huang Xiong's gaze. She said nonchalantly, "Let's just live like this. It's almost the same as now."

"When I see you, it's like seeing myself back then." Huang Xiong took a sip of wine and said, "You're just like me back then."

He Yan smiled and said, "Brother, my family is doing well." In fact, they are living better than most people.

"But you are unwilling to give up." She heard Huang Xiong's voice and turned her head to look. The bald man's face showed the wisdom and vicissitudes of a middle-aged man who had experienced many hardships. He touched the Buddhist beads and said, "You have not yet avenged your great hatred, and you are unwilling to give up. Therefore, you are always distressed and have trapped yourself."

He Yan's heart was moved, but he didn't say anything.

"I don't know what your grudge is," he looked at the moon, "sometimes you look like I did back then."

He Yan was a little confused. Did she? She always thought she had covered it up well.

"One day everything will be fine." The big man lowered his head and patted her shoulder: "You have to believe this."

He Yan didn't say anything, he just picked up the wine bowl and drank silently. Huang Xiong stopped talking, eating meat and drinking wine by himself. Wang Ba was also a little drunk, holding his head and sitting there with a silly smile, while Jiang Jiao buried his head in his knees, not knowing whether he was crying or asleep.

…

The coaches also gathered together, eating meat and drinking wine by the campfire. The hard training over the past few days finally paid off in this group of new recruits. They all felt much more relaxed. Cheng Lisu was also among them. He was a young master from the capital and had never experienced such a novel way of playing. He even thought that the roasted rabbit leg sprinkled with coarse salt was delicious. He originally wanted to find some free time to talk to He Yan, but after taking a sip of wine, he felt his legs go weak and couldn't walk, so he sat back down.

The coaches laughed in good faith, and one said, "Mr. Cheng needs to practice his drinking capacity more. With this level of drinking capacity, you can't be a guard of Liangzhou!"

"I'm not from your Liangzhou Guards," Cheng Lisu muttered, "I just came here to have some fun."

This kid always managed to justify his "no" with a clear conscience. If this was the coach's own son, he would have been picked up and beaten ten times. But this man was Xiao Jue's nephew, so everyone said: "Master Cheng is still open-minded!" "Being greedy is not good, my wife doesn't allow me to drink! Learn from Master Cheng!"

"But Master Cheng," Liang Ping asked him, "the governor really doesn't want to come out and have fun with us?"

"My uncle doesn't like noisy places," Cheng Lisu replied, "so he definitely won't come."

Everyone felt a little regretful, and some thought that Xiao Jue was too unkind. After all, it was Mid-Autumn Festival. It was too arrogant for a general who didn't even celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with his subordinates to have such a deep relationship with them.

But some people didn't mind it. Ma Damei chuckled and said, "Why don't we send some wine and food to the governor? It's a big festival, and it's hard to be alone."

"No need," Cheng Lisu said, "My uncle won't drink this kind of inferior rice wine."

Everyone: “…”

Well, after all, he is the second son of the Xiao family in Shuojing, and he will never force himself to drink.

Du Mao asked curiously, "Master Cheng, do you know how much alcohol the governor can drink? I heard that General Feihong can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. I wonder if the governor is better or worse than General Feihong?"

Upon hearing this, the coaches immediately looked at Cheng Lisu with sharp eyes. Whenever there was a conversation about who was more powerful between General Feihong and General Fengyun, it was always fresh. From swordsmanship to drinking capacity, from height to temperament, people would compare them one by one. Unfortunately, except for being classmates, the two had never appeared together, nor had they competed in person. Moreover, General Feihong always wore a mask, so who was better was still a mystery.

"Of course it's my uncle." Cheng Lisu answered without thinking, "I've never seen my uncle drunk in my life."

In fact, Cheng Lisu had never seen Xiao Jue drink. But he couldn't say this in front of the coaches. No matter how powerful General Feihong was, he would definitely not be as powerful as his uncle.

"Go away, stop talking behind my back." Shen Han waved his hand, "Drink, drink, why are you nagging like an old woman! Mr. Cheng, come, I'll toast you... Mr. Cheng?"

Mr. Cheng's face was red and he was drunk.

…

That night, the green curtains blocked the bright moon, and the shadows on the bed were sparse. The autumn sounds were quiet, and someone was playing the zither.

The moon is like a beautiful magnolia, and the ice is like a beautiful woman. On the wall hangs a long sword as white as frost and snow. The young man in a coat is handsome and calm. His hands touch the strings of the zither, and the sound is moving and intoxicating.

The piece he played was "Liu Guang".

The sound of the zither was distant, like pearls falling on a plate. It was the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunion. Even though the instructors and recruits of Liangzhou Guards were thousands of miles away from their families, they were still gathered together, singing and drinking, which was not as quiet as his. He seemed to be unaware of it, just plucking the strings of the zither seriously, his tied black hair hanging on his shoulders, and the moonlight gave him a layer of coldness.

From spring to autumn, from summer to cold, it seems like just a blink of an eye.

The moonlight was made even colder and more desolate by his piano music. The night sky was as clear as water. The piano music seemed to float endlessly in the sky, making people want to cry when they heard it.

Suddenly, something hit the yard, making a crisp sound, interrupting the cold and quiet piano music. Xiao Jue paused, raised his head, and through the window, he saw something thrown in from outside the yard wall.

He paused for a moment, stood up, pushed the door open and at this moment, a third object smashed in and landed right next to him. He bent down to pick it up and found it was a stone.

Fei Nu appeared from behind and whispered, "Master, outside..."

Xiao Jue opened the gate of the courtyard.

Standing outside was a young man in red, holding a small jar of wine in his hand. The cork had been removed and the wine was fragrant. It was none other than the Eighteen Immortals.

He was quite generous. It was just a small bottle of wine, which most people would hold for a long time before taking a sip. Judging from his appearance, he must have drunk quite a bit.

This person is He Yan.

Xiao Jue looked at her indifferently. He Yan's eyes widened, as if she had just seen his appearance clearly, and asked, "Xiao Jue?"

Fei Nu behind him couldn't help but glance at He Yan, and actually called Young Master by his name, which was really brave.

"What are you doing here?" Xiao Jue asked him.

"I thought about it again and again," the young man didn't know how much he had drunk, and he reeked of alcohol all over his body, but his expression was normal, not drunk at all, and it was hard to tell whether he was drunk or not. He said, "I'm not convinced that you chose Lei Hou to go to the Vanguard Camp, so Xiao Jue," he curled his lips, "let's have a fight!"

Before he finished speaking, he rushed towards Xiao Jue!

Fei Nu behind him saw this and was about to step forward, but when he heard Xiao Jue's order: "Don't move," he immediately dared not move.

The young man flew forward and raised his fist towards Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue dodged to the side and looked at him with a frown.

He Yan had no weapon and came here with bare hands. It would be foolish to call him an assassin. But he spoke clearly and his eyes were clear, and he didn't look like a drunk. Xiao Jue simply looked at him leisurely to see what this man was going to do. He Yan failed in his first attack and turned around to attack again.

The boy was agile and seemed to want to fight sincerely, but his methods were clumsy and crude. At first glance, it looked like a fight between students from some academy, who only knew how to punch and kick each other without caring about their accuracy.

Xiao Jue dodged again by leaning to the side. After two failed sneak attacks, He Yan wondered to himself, "When did my skills become so bad?"

Fei Nu, who was standing aside, said: "..."

Did this young man think he could beat the second young master Xiao? I had heard that He Yan from Liangzhou Guards was arrogant and conceited. Now that I saw him, it was true. The young master was really good-tempered and didn't just kick this arrogant boy out.

She fought and lost again and again, but she didn't feel discouraged at all. She came forward again, but was still dodged by Xiao Jue this time. Xiao Jue was about to speak when she suddenly saw a black object coming towards her from behind. She frowned, and without thinking, she drew out the Yinqiu Sword and slashed at it.

With a "bang", the thing shattered, and he stepped back a few steps without being touched. However, He Yan, who followed the thing, was unable to dodge and was splashed from head to toe.

The moon was full, the wind and dew were gentle, the osmanthus was just beginning to bloom, and the aroma of wine was everywhere. The fragments of the Eighteen Immortals were scattered on the ground, each piece was clear and fragrant. The young man's clothes were stained with fragrance, and he looked at it with frowns.

She seemed to be awakened by the broken wine jars on the ground. She looked at Xiao Jue, took a step forward, and said like a young lady whose pearl hairpins were broken in the flower market, "It's broken, you pay for it!"

Fei Nu took a look and felt that the young man was indeed drunk, otherwise he would not have spoken so confidently and incoherently. He whispered to Xiao Jue, "Master, do you want me to take him away?"

Xiao Jue raised his hand to stop him and shook his head slightly.

The master and servant have been together for many years, and one look can tell what the other is thinking. Fei Nu immediately understood that the reason why Xiao Jue did not throw He Yan out at the first time was not because he had a good temper, but just wanted to test He Yan. This young man's identity is now suspicious, and there are doubts all over his body. If we can ask him something by taking advantage of the drunkenness, we can save a lot of effort. If he pretends to be drunk again tonight, but actually does something else, then his heart is despicable and even more unforgivable.

Fei Nu then hid in the tree and said no more.

Xiao Jue turned around and walked into the house, saying as he walked, "Why should I pay for it?"

Upon hearing this, the young man rushed into Xiao Jue's room. She ran very fast, stumbling a bit, and rushed ahead of Xiao Jue, blocking his way. She asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Xiao Jue laughed, his eyes were cold: "Who are you?"

He Yan slapped his thigh, "A real man never changes his name, I, He Yan! The best in Liangzhou Guards!"

"Liangzhou Guards are number one?" Xiao Jue looked at her with a half-smile: "Who told you that?"

"Do I need someone to tell me?" The boy, who was not sure if he was drunk or not, said in a shockingly matter-of-fact tone, "I know what I am doing."

Xiao Jue walked around him, put down his sword, picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself some tea. He had just taken a step when the young man came up to him like a tail, stood in front of him and asked him, "Tell me, am I short?"

Is this guy drunk and likes to compare heights with others? Xiao Jue glanced at the top of his head that just reached his chest and nodded: "Short."

He Yan: "I'm not short!"

Xiao Jue: “…”

He Yan asked him again: "Am I stupid?"

Xiao Jue stopped pouring tea, stared at him, and said slowly: "Stupid."

He Yan: "I'm not stupid!"

Xiao Jue suddenly regretted not throwing He Yan out of the yard right away, but coming here to get into trouble and trap him. Apart from listening to his nonsense, he didn't seem to get any useful information. Either He Yan was too stupid, or he was too smart to leak anything.

"If you have anything else you want to brag about, tell me." He lowered his eyes and spoke in a neutral tone.

He Yan: "I am tall and mighty, fierce and invincible, handsome and extraordinary, and I have great integrity. Why, why does no one like me when I am such a kind-hearted person? Do you know how hard I work?"

Xiao Jue: “…”

"Because of you, I am very unhappy tonight on Mid-Autumn Festival. Let me ask you," she took a step forward, keeping a very short distance from Xiao Jue, looked up at him, and asked earnestly, "Do you like me?"

Xiao Jue took a step back, distanced himself from her, and tugged at his sleeves that had been pulled out of shape by her, avoiding them as if he had seen the god of plague, and replied calmly, "I am not a cut-sleeve person."

"Me neither." He Yan muttered, and suddenly raised his head, with a sad and angry expression, and asked loudly: "Then why do you prefer to like Lei Hou instead of me! That person is only a little taller than me, how can he compare to me? In terms of appearance, skills, or the relationship between you and me in the past, Xiao Jue, you are too much, too short-sighted! I am very disappointed!"

At this time, Shen Han, who was walking outside the house and planning to give some roasted rabbit meat to Xiao Jue, covered his mouth with his hand, looking surprised. Just now, he seemed to have heard some great secret.

Inside the house, a young man wearing only a moon-white lingerie looked at the person in front of him in silence. The young man looked up at her with sparkling eyes. There was no fear or hesitation in his tone, and his frankness made people wonder what was going on in her mind.

What do you mean by past favors? He just gave him a pot of medicine before, and that became a past favor. This person is too familiar.

"But it's nothing," the young man suddenly raised his lips, smiled slyly, and whispered, "If you pick Lei Hou to join the vanguard camp, I will spar with Lei Hou every day. If I spar with him ten times out of ten, I will lose ten times. Then everyone in Liangzhou Guards will know that you, Xiao Jue, are blind and have poor vision. Let's see what you will do then."

Xiao Jue: “…”

After saying this, He Yan burped, and his body tilted, falling onto Xiao Jue's soft bed. As he fell, half of his body tilted onto the horizontal Wanxiang Qin, pressing the strings so that they made a piercing sound, and then fell to the ground with a "clang".

Xiao Jue stood in the middle of the room, his brows twitching slightly, and he felt that today's idea of ​​taking advantage of the alcohol to get information was as bad as it could be.

He glanced at the door and saw a figure hesitating. He said coldly, "Why are you standing outside instead of coming in?"

Shen Han was startled and came over tremblingly. He had just heard a secret at the door, and was seen by Fei Nu when he entered the yard. He was really in a dilemma. The governor was in a bad mood at the moment, so he should not make fun of him.

"I brought some freshly roasted rabbit meat from outside, thinking that the governor might not have dinner, so I brought it here specially." Shen Han put the roast meat wrapped in oil paper on the table, "Governor, enjoy it slowly, I will go downstairs first."

"Wait a minute." Xiao Jue said unhappily, "Can't you see such a big living person?"

He motioned Shen Han to look at He Yan. Shen Han was moved when he saw him. Just now, he only heard He Yan's words that he had a close relationship with Xiao Jue. Now, he saw that this young man was sleeping on the second young master Xiao's couch so generously. That was the second young master Xiao's couch! Among the Liangzhou guards, there was probably only this one person who had the courage to do this.

The relationship between the two of them is indeed special!

Xiao Jue walked to the couch, lifted He Yan up by the collar of her neck, and threw her in front of Shen Han: "Take your people away."

"I dare not, I dare not." Shen Han said.

Xiao Jue: “What?”

Shen Han said hurriedly: "What I mean is that the new recruits of Liangzhou Guards are under the jurisdiction of the governor. How can they be said to be my people? They are the governor's people."

Xiao Jue laughed angrily: "Shen Han, you talk too much today."

"I understand," Shen Han said, "I will take him away now!" He turned around and walked halfway, and seemed to remember something. Shen Han asked, "Where do you think I should send this young man?"

Xiao Jue looked at him calmly: "Do you want me to send it to your home?"

"No, that's not necessary!" Shen Han's scalp was numb, and he said, "He Yan...should be sent back to his original room!"

After Shen Han left, Fei Nu walked into the house.

Xiao Jue had already picked up the Wanxiang Qin from the ground. Thanks to He Yan's pressure, one of the strings broke. Looking at the broken string, the young man couldn't help but pinch his forehead.

"Master," Fei Nu looked at the direction where Shen Han was going away, "Coach Shen was a little strange today."

"He is often weird." Xiao Jue replied.

"Young Master, do you think He Yan is drunk today?"

Xiao Jue put the zither away. Just now, He Yan was about to drink tea. The tea in the teacup had already gone cold. He poured out the cold tea, poured a new cup, took a sip and said, "Not sure."

I'm not sure if He Yan is drunk or not, because a normal sober person probably wouldn't talk to me like this. But looking at her steps, words and expression, there's no confusion at all. Most importantly, tonight he did nothing except crush a zither, smash a pot of wine, and say some crazy things. Including revealing which side he is on.

This is puzzling.

"He seems to have some complaints about Lei Hou being able to join the Vanguard Battalion." Fei Nu said, "He wants to join the Vanguard Battalion."

Xiao Jue mocked, "It's not just the Vanguard Camp, he is determined to take over my Nine Flags Camp."

"Then..." Fei Nu asked, "Should we send him to the vanguard camp and take advantage of their strategy?"

"No need," Xiao Jue said, "I have other plans."

Fei Nu stopped talking. Xiao Jue thought of what He Yan had said just now, that he would find Lei Hou to spar with him every day to prove that he had poor vision. This kind of rogue behavior was really easy for this person to do.

Looking at the mess in the house and debris everywhere in the yard, he still had to find some free time to go to Liangzhou City to ask a master to repair the piano. He Yan actually had the nerve to say "Because of you, I am very unhappy on this Mid-Autumn Festival night". It really didn't make sense.

The young man stood in the room, as elegant as jade and as tall as a pine tree. After a while, he sneered, "You are sick."

…

Shen Han, who was carrying He Yan outside, was also very unhappy.

When others saw this, they looked at Shen Han in surprise and asked, "He Yan is drunk, why is the head coach still carrying him?"

Shen Han kept silent with a sullen face. If he hadn't discovered the relationship between He Yan and Xiao Jue, Shen Han would at most have asked someone to take He Yan back. But now that he knew that the relationship between the two of them was not shallow, how could Shen Han dare to neglect it?

He Yan just said that he and Xiao Jue had a "past relationship"! It seems that they knew each other a long time ago, so why did the governor pretend that he didn't know He Yan and secretly investigate He Yan's identity? Could it be that the two of them were originally good friends, but many things happened in the middle, and they became like this now?

No wonder everyone in Wei knew that Commander Xiao was not interested in women. He looked like this, and was one of the bravest and most outstanding men. So many women were eyeing him, and he was not tempted despite countless beauties in front of him. It turned out...it turned out that he was not interested in women at all!

When they were at Xiao Jue's door, He Yan's words, "Why do you like Lei Hou but not me?" were so sad that anyone who heard them would cry. Unfortunately, the governor's heart was as hard as iron and he was completely unmoved. Shen Han was thinking wildly, and the more nervous he was, the more strange stories he remembered.

For example, He Yan and Xiao Jue did know each other in the past and they were good friends for a while. But later, Xiao Jue found out that He Yan had a different identity, so he cut off his relationship and drew a clear line with each other. As for He Yan, he was young and unwilling to accept it. When he knew that Xiao Jue was coming to Liangzhou, he joined the army and went to Xiao Jue to ask for an explanation. He even worked hard to train, hoping to enter the vanguard camp to impress Xiao Jue.

He Yan did a good job indeed, but it was a pity that Xiao Jue mentioned Lei Hou's name in order to avoid suspicion. He Yan was heartbroken and could not help but drink to drown his sorrows. After drinking, he revealed his true feelings and went to Xiao Jue to ask for an explanation.

The hard-hearted Governor Xiao flatly refused, but in the end, out of a bit of old friendship, he let He Yan sleep on his bed.

Very good, Shen Han applauded himself in his heart. It was very reasonable and should be like this. It was almost correct.

——Digression——

Uncle: I'm a straight man, don't cue me

Shen Han: Drink the strongest wine, stand the wildest c