Makeup (Part 2)
Habitable.
This place had been in ruins for a long time, and only the words "Keju" could be vaguely seen on the plaque above the courtyard gate. The gate drooped like a decoration in front of the threshold. The courtyard was overgrown with withered grass, and coughs could be heard through the thin door.
Meng Shizhuang held up the half-fallen wooden door with ease and slipped in through the gap with the sword in hand.
As soon as he entered the door, he angrily threw down his sword.
There were intermittent coughing sounds in the inner room. He suppressed his emotions and turned over the medicine jar, but the medicine inside only had a faint medicinal smell that was better than nothing.
Meng Shizhuang tore off the front of his clothes, took out the short knife he had just hidden, and placed it against the wall.
He opened the rice jar, but the rice inside was not even enough to cover his palm.
Meng Shizhuang counted the days and had to seal the rice jar again.
He straightened up, and because he stood up too quickly, his vision went dark. When he came to his senses, he found himself leaning against the wall, his face covered with tears.
Meng Shizhuang wiped her face vigorously, secretly cursing herself for being useless.
The sunlight passed through the rotten window frame and climbed onto Meng Shizhuang's palm. The dagger standing by the wall shone with a cold and bright color under the golden light.
Meng Shizhuang slowly lowered his eyes, humiliation and abuse tearing and colliding in his mind.
He reached for the dagger.
"—Where is your sword?"
A voice behind him interrupted his movements.
Meng Shizhuang suddenly came back to his senses, he closed his eyes tightly, and his face looked even more impatient.
Lao Ju leaned against the wall. Seeing that he didn't answer, he asked again: "Where is your sword?"
Meng Shizhuang was suppressing his anger, his rage already rushing to his throat, his teeth were clenched tightly, and he had no time to open his mouth to speak.
He lowered his head and stuffed the dagger into the stove under the window.
Lao Ju coughed muffledly twice, then took a few more steps, leaning against the wall. He couldn't quite see the wounds on Meng Shizhuang's face or her expression, but seeing Su Jian lying quietly by the door, he thought Meng Shizhuang was being stubborn again.
He looked at Meng Shizhuang carefully for a few breaths and asked, "Why didn't you stuff the cloth in?"
Meng Shizhuang was so angry that the veins on his forehead were exposed and his eyes were flashing with white light.
He didn't answer, and Lao Ju continued in that strong yet calm tone: "Miss, the cloth strip..."
Meng Shizhuang finally couldn't hold his teeth anymore. He thought that if he opened his mouth he would whimper in embarrassment, but in fact, the anger that poured out filled the whole room in an instant.
"Don't call me that!"
He could hardly breathe when he finished this sentence, and his head was so dizzy that everything went black in front of his eyes.
Meng Shizhuang tore open his shirt randomly, and his bones were clearly visible under the old clothes.
The resentment and resentment in his words were directed at someone unknown: "Look at how much flesh I have, can I share it with you?"
As his angry words fell, an unbearable silence filled the room.
Lao Ju was stunned by the call.
Perhaps because he had vented his anger, Meng Shizhuang's depression had dissipated a lot. His vision gradually recovered, and he saw Lao Ju, who was a few arms' distance away from him, wanting to say something but stopping himself, with a look of caution and guilt on his face.
The fire in Meng Shizhuang's heart suddenly subsided, leaving only a little regret.
He moved his mouth, all kinds of emotions flowing through his chest, but it was as if he suddenly became speechless.
Meng Shizhuang lowered his head and went into the inner room. He took out a roughly shaved, finger-long wooden stick. He stuffed the cloth strips in it, untied his loose hairband and tied it tightly around his waist, then used the stick to pull up half of his hair.
Seeing that he was about to go out again, Lao Ju still didn't hold back what he was saying.
"Put the sword in your arms."
Meng Shizhuang stared at Su Jian with a sidelong glance, and really wanted to throw the sword into the furnace.
The two men confronted each other silently for a moment. Meng Shizhuang's skinny chest heaved a few times, then he bent down, picked up the sword and walked away.
Seeing Meng Shizhuang leave, Lao Ju bent down and coughed heart-wrenchingly. The old knife wound on his ribs hurt violently. He moved back to the inner room and stared at the two rusty knives on the wall in a daze.
Here, Meng Shizhuang had just taken a few steps, sword in hand, when his vision blurred again. He stopped, leaned his sword against his leg, and tightened the hair tie around his waist.
There was a constant buzzing in his ears, and he couldn't remember where he had walked with the sword in his hand today.
The light at noon was a little strong, and he squinted his eyes and couldn't see the road ahead.
Meng Shizhuang put one hand on the hilt of the sword, and he wanted to go to the kitchen to steal something.
Before he could figure out how to get over there, the sword in his hand was kicked out by someone.
Meng Shizhuang suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked up. Lao Hu was looking at him with his back to the light, and his face looked like he was about to get angry at any moment.
He staggered back a step.
Lao Hu looked at him with dismay and said, "You only know how to hold on to this sword all day long. This sword will harm you!"
His eyes held a deep well of weathered regret and fear, and the emotions surging within him were clearly visible on his face. Meng Shizhuang was so shocked that his back froze. On ordinary days, he would have pretended to cherish the "Su Jian" and stiffened his neck to protest his decision to practice the "Su Jian Jue."
But now, hunger and the resurgence of resentment had already shattered his remaining rational soul.
So he forced a smile and replied in a sly way, "So it was the sword that hurt me."
When Lao Hu heard this, his eyebrows raised, he put his toes on the white sword that fell on the ground, picked up the sword with his palm, and grabbed Meng Shizhuang's shoulder.
Meng Shizhuang's left shoulder ached. Lao Hu had used this tactic on him several times before: simply holding his arms with his sword. He mentally rehearsed for a long time how he would struggle and fight back. In the past, he had always been able to hold it back, but today, his anger had surged to the top of his head.
He pulled his shoulders back hard, using Lao Hu's palm as a fulcrum to stabilize his body. Then, he used the hand that was not suppressed to hold up the scabbard. The base of his palm slid upwards, and after a light "pop" sound, he pushed the scabbard outwards.
The bright white blade of the "Su Jian" forced Lao Hu to blink. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Meng Shizhuang rushing towards the sword regardless of anything.
Because of his posture, in order to avoid really hurting Meng Shizhuang, he could only repeat Meng Shizhuang's previous action, holding the hilt of the sword and pushing the sword out from between the two of them.
The sword and its scabbard fell to the ground with a clang.
The hand that Lao Hu was holding Meng Shizhuang did not move at all. The body was like a "skeletal frame", which made his palms sore.
He stared at Meng Shizhuang's face.
He was very familiar with the look on this face. It was not the kind of unwillingness that ordinary teenagers showed in a duel of fighting and courage, but deep hatred.
Lao Hu's breathing became disordered. He felt as if he were looking at a wooden sculpture made from the same mold, this one exactly like the last, using the same life story, blood, tears, and experiences, each stroke of the wood carving a cruel evil ghost.
The feuds between three generations have given rise to the current Meng Shizhuang. Who will be the next one?
Meng Shizhuang was about to shake off Lao Hu's hand, but Lao Hu let go on his own.
The stern look on his face had disappeared.
"It seems you remembered the moves I taught you last time."
Lao Hu picked up the white sword, but did not return it to Meng Shizhuang. He took out a dark blue package from his arms and gently placed it at Meng Shizhuang's feet.
He had no expression on his face.
"You have to understand that what others do to you is not important. What is important is whether you can clearly know what is right and what is wrong."
He looked at Meng Shizhuang deeply and said, "Any casual cuts made by others on your body can change your appearance. You will be no different from a walking corpse."
Meng Shizhuang was filled with anger and couldn't even sneer when he heard his words.
Lao Hu walked quickly with a sword in hand.
After Meng Shizhuang could no longer see Lao Hu, he squatted down and opened the dark blue bundle.
Inside were a few hard steamed buns, a bag of millet, and a packet of medicine.
His throat churned a few times, he put the bundle in his arms, and walked back to Keju.
Sushan Hall.
When Lao Hu walked in with Su Jian, Luo Shun was still discussing matters with other hall masters.
When everyone saw Lao Hu hurrying in, their smiles subconsciously faded halfway. Then, seeing him holding the plain sword, the remaining smile turned into a look of trepidation. The people in front glanced at Luo Shun's expression, but saw nothing.
But this did not stop them from feeling nervous.
The current leader was not an easy character to deal with; to say he was moody was an understatement. Furthermore, given the incident with Su Jian, Wen Ya's smile might be a sign of trouble ahead.
Master Hu is a fool who doesn't know how to deal with anything soft or hard.
The hall masters who were sitting there exchanged glances with each other, all thinking about how to stay away from trouble.
Fortunately, Lao Hu spoke up in advance: "Everyone, please go out first. I have something to say to the headmaster."
The others breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to Luo Shun and Lao Hu, and left.
The head of the Purple Gold Hall looked back before leaving. Luo Shun was still sitting there calmly, sipping his tea leisurely. Behind the main seat, there was a portrait of the previous head.
He stroked his beard and walked out.
There was a large patch of hibiscus trees planted in Sushan Hall, and at this moment, the petals were falling. He sighed and stopped looking.
Inside the hall, Lao Hu said directly: "Let them go down the mountain."
Luo Shun's eyes curved, his gaze fixed on Su Jian: "Okay."
He was wearing a red robe and had a very feminine face, with long eyebrows and thin eyes. His voice was thin and soft, with a subtle and sinister tone.
With the previous experience in mind, Lao Hu said again: "Let them go down the mountain alive."
Luo Shun slowly smiled: "It depends on their ability."
Lao Hu gritted his teeth and said, "Luo Shun!"
Luo Shun was not afraid of his cold face at all: "Master, you taught me that everything has a price."
His sharp eyes bit Lao Hu's heart. Lao Hu's shoulders slumped and his eyes drifted to the portrait in the hall. The eldest disciple's innocent smile reflected in his eyes.
Lao Hu's voice fell silent: "They have paid the price."
"Those who harmed your parents, tortured your senior brother, and bullied you are all dead. Thirteen years ago, you promised to let Lao Ju and that child down the mountain. Lao Ju was no match for the encirclement and suppression of several major hall masters. 70% of his meridians and internal energy were wasted, and he has been ill on and off for many years. The situation down there is not peaceful either. If they go down, they may not survive for long."
Luo Shun nodded slightly, "Then die on the mountain."
He stood up and said, "I can put aside our past grudges and collect their bodies."
Lao Hu's eyes were red. "All those who rebelled back then are dead. Why are you so unwilling to let go of the last two people who were just related to you? Lao Ju didn't do anything. Meng Shizhuang was just born at that time."
The windows in the conference room were wide open, and the wind outside blew hibiscus petals into the hall. The two stood facing each other, with only the silent sound of the wind between them.
Luo Shun's gaze shifted from the flowers to the portrait, the resentment in his heart still lingering, his madness and paranoia overflowing.
Luo Shun said, "Master, you begged them the same way back then, why didn't they stop?"
Lao Hu was speechless.
"Master, you are a kind person. You can forget the suffering you have endured, forget the death of your senior brother, and forget the sins I have suffered. Now you want to be the savior of your enemies."
Luo Shun's every word was laced with sarcasm, "But I can't forget it."
Lao Hu clutched his white sword, "No one will forget. I didn't show mercy when those people died. But Lao Ju and Meng Shizhuang did nothing wrong."
He always spoke frankly and could not come up with any clever words. He could only repeat his thoughts incoherently.
Luo Shun never listened to him, and his eyes were fixed on Su Jian again.
This sword is still the same as it was back then.
There are several green ripples engraved on the scabbard. The concave parts of the ripples have long been rusted and blackened due to being stained with blood, but the sword body must be as new as ever.
It looked like the scabbard and the hilt fit together perfectly, but Luo Shun knew that the hidden buckle at the scabbard had been damaged for a long time. If the buckle was not opened, the sword could not be drawn out.
He closed his eyes impatiently as Lao Hu asked questions louder and louder.
In just this brief moment when he closed his eyes, he recalled the color of the sword edge.
It is the neatest bright red.
When he kowtows, he can carve an exquisite flower on his face with just one move.
“—Don’t cry.”
A sigh entered his ears.
Luo Shun subconsciously forced a stiff smile, his pupils tightly shrank, not daring to tremble at all.
Then, Lao Hu's voice forcefully pushed away his memories.
Luo Shun was immediately brought back to the present.
He slowly came to his senses. Old Hu was giving him an ultimatum: "On the fifteenth of next month, I will go down the mountain to do some work and take them both with me."
Luo Shun let out a breath and gave an unnatural smile.
"They didn't do anything wrong, so they should be let off, right?"
Lao Hu's voice was as loud as a bell: "Yes."
Luo Shun met Lao Hu's eyes and said, "Okay."
"You must remember what you said today."
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