Chapter 1: Fake death and escape

The heavy rain stopped, the road was muddy, the sound of hooves in the deep mist sounded muffled, and two black carriages ran out one after another. The drivers were all covered in black scarves, revealing only a pair of cold and deep eyes. They suddenly looked like a soul-catching messenger from the underworld.

The carriage passed through the deserted wilderness and rushed to the river bank to stop. The winding river was no longer as calm as before. The waves surging and swept through the river bank. The splashing water droplets turned into water mist, and were swept by the wind, and rushed to the face with a hint of coolness. The coachman located behind jumped out of the seat without waiting for instructions, dragged a stiff corpse out of the carriage, walked silently to the waterside, threw it away with force, and threw the corpse far away to the middle of the river, splashing countless water splashes. The next moment, the corpse was buried in the turbid river water and rushed downstream.

A corner of the carriage window in front of her was lifted, revealing a small pretty face, with fair skin and elegant orchids. She stared at the corpse that was floating and sinking in the water, and murmured: "No matter what, you have died once, and I am not considered violating the rules of the door. Next, it depends on your own fortune." After that, she stroked her lower abdomen and sighed quietly, with indescribable melancholy and sadness. This evil fate will be buried deep in her heart from now on and will never be touched.

When the body disappeared, the two carriages turned around and ran back along the way. On the wet river bank, nothing seemed to have happened except the marks of the carriage and a line of footprints.

The river went down more than ten miles, and the river surface gradually widened, and the water flow rate slowed down accordingly. At a river's many bends, the shallows were wide open and reeds were growing. Many broken trees, drowned poultry, and even the bodies of drowning people were washed to the shore and piled up together.

It was dawn, when the rain passed by, the sky was clear, the stars were faint, and the eastern sky was already shining. There were a few sneaky shadows busy in the deserted river beside the river. These people were divided into two groups, one of which used bamboo poles and fishing nets to salvage various corpses in shallow waters, while the other group stayed on the shore to deal with the fished corpses in different categories. If the drowned poultry and livestock were directly dismantled, they would take out the internal organs and throw them away, and put the remaining part on a flatbed cart. If the dead body was a dead person, they would peel off their clothes, shoes and pants, pluck all valuable things, put them into sacks, and then push the naked dead bodies into the water. All kinds of rotten internal organs were discarded in the grass, and they would vomit when they heard it. These corpse fishers who acted in the dark saw that the sky was going to be bright, and they would not want their fellow villagers to find that they were doing such shameless activities, so they called for a plan to evacuate.

"Heizi, Big Foot, it's time to leave!"

"Okay!" The two men who had been busy in the water for the middle of the night put away their tools and raised the last corpse together. One of them walked with their left hand cursed, "Is this dead man so hard? It's so damn heavy!" The other man said contemptuously, "Heizi, are you blind? They are wearing clothes made of silk, and they must be rich. Do you think they have too much money to bite your hands?" The Heizi's eyes shone, and turned his head to the shore and shouted, "Jiang Butcher, good goods are sinking to the bottom, let's go!

We caught a big fish!" A strong man with a big waist on the shore said angrily: "Heizi, please keep your voice! If the villagers hear it, who would dare to buy meat in my shop in the future?" The Heizi shrank his neck, laughed foolishly, and whispered: "Where are people from this deserted beach and wilderness?" Jiang, butcher scolded, and saw that the corpse was well dressed, and his heart couldn't help but feel hot. Could it be that he bumped into a magpies when he went out and was destined to make a fortune today?

The body was pulled to the shore by everyone. He saw his face clearly contoured, thick eyebrows, straight nose, square mouth, and quite masculine. What was strange was that there was no scar on his body, nor was it swollen like other dead bodies. I wonder how he died?

Jiang Butcher Jiang was obsessed with money and glanced at him quickly. He didn't care about the uniqueness of the corpse. He hurriedly reached out to grop. But this man's arms were empty, not to mention gold, silver and jewelry, and there was not even a copper plate. Jiang Butcher Jiang was so happy that he turned into a bubble. He couldn't help but swear: "My ancestor, you dress like a good person, but you are hundreds of times poorer than me! You deserve to be drowned!" After scolding, he was still not relieved and kicked the corpse a few times in the chest.

The man next to him hurriedly hugged him: "Boss Jiang, Boss Jiang, it's unlucky to destroy the body!" "Butger Jiang, be careful that this guy turns into a ghost to settle the score with you." "Butger Jiang, I see that this dress is worth at least three or four taels of silver, don't ruin it."

The butcher Jiang was undoubtedly moved by his last sentence and said angrily: "Okay, take off this guy's clothes quickly and let's go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dead body lying on his back moved his limbs slightly, his chest undulated, and he spewed out a mouthful of sewage and slowly opened his eyes.

The river bank suddenly fell into death silence. The men's scalp was numb, their limbs were cold, their hearts were beating wildly and about to split. Cold sweat oozed down from their foreheads, and everyone flashed a fearful thought - zombie fraud! According to legend, after the corpse died and resurrected, they would pursue the yang energy of the living, and they would eat human flesh and blood! The men looked at each other, and the timid almost cried.

The resurrected corpse's eyes turned slightly, his eyes flew past everyone, and he sat up with his waist.

"My mother, run away quickly!" Someone shouted, and the men shivered and turned around and ran away, fearing that they would be eaten alive. After all, the butcher Jiang was more courageous and carried the sack when he ran away, and he would not let go even if he died.

Hu Xiaotian looked around in a daze, except for those strangers who were so scared that they could not see the moving figures in his sight. He took a deep breath, stood up slowly with his hands, looked at the surging river water in front of him, felt the thick earth under his feet, and let the first ray of rays of rays of rays of rays of rays fall on his face in the morning, and the glory of surviving the disaster surged into his heart - he did not die, nor left the familiar world.

Hu Xiaotian touched his wet clothes, looked at the debris and dead bodies piled up around him, and after thinking about it, he guessed the reason why he was here. When he recalled the unbearable days in the secret room, he was filled with mixed feelings and sighed. No matter what the reason Yan Jiu considered, it was already a perfect end to let him escape by pretending to die. No matter how much dissatisfied he had, he had to endure it one by one for the sake of the fetus in her womb. He knew very well that Yan Jiu would definitely practice the Nine-Turn Reincarnation**, and it was impossible for them to reunite their relationship, but as the father and mother of the child, this natural bond of connection will be with him for a lifetime and cannot be separated.

Hu Xiaotian let out those troubles. He was trapped in a secret room for more than two months, isolated from the world, wondering what changes have happened in the world? The Five Clan Alliance has long ended, who has soared into the sky and become famous all over the world? After the Qinglong Association and the Baiyun Sect joined forces, did they reveal their ferocious claws? Are Song Qian and others still wandering around Chang'an and Luoyang? And according to time, he may have missed the opportunity to take the recommendation exam, and his plan to obtain a half-time position was vain. So how should we stop next? Should we meet with Song Qian and others first, or to rush to the capital as soon as possible to get a first-line opportunity? He touched his whole body, but it was empty, without road guides or copper coins and silver notes, which was simply difficult to move forward. The most urgent task is not to consider how to stir up the storm of the world, but to think about how to survive?

Hu Xiaotian's shoes had been washed away by the flood, and he walked barefoot to the river bank. He saw the fields flat, with trees growing, and there were faint smoke rising in the southwest, and villages should be gathered. He lowered his eyes and saw a few rows of chaotic footprints on the ground, just heading to the southwest. Thinking of the men who had just lost their souls, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile, raise his foot and go.

The rising sun rises, the rays of rays are shining, and the weeping willows are like green and the fields are as bright as the fields.

When Hu Xiaotian passed by a pond, he simply jumped into the water and washed the sludge on his face to avoid frightening others again.

"Hey, that man, are you rushing in my pond? Do you want to steal fish?" Suddenly, a man with dark skin rushed towards him with a t-fork in his hand, his feet were like the wind, and he ran to the edge of the pond with a glare.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Brother, you misunderstood. I borrowed the water to wash the pond for a while because I was covered in mud. I had no other intentions." As he said, he walked out of the pond, and was so wet. The man heard that he spoke clearly and had a clear foreign accent. The anger in his heart dropped by five points. He asked in confusion: "What's your name? Where did you come from? Why don't you even have a pair of shoes? Has it been robbed?" Hu Xiaotian smiled bitterly: "My surname is Hu, but because of a sudden flood last night, I accidentally washed into the river by the flood. Fortunately, I hugged a driftwood in time and was not drowned on the spot. I floated all the way until it was shallow in front of me.

The water flow in the bay slowed down and I was able to get out of trouble. My brother, can you please tell me the name of the surname? Which prefecture is your village under which county? "The mansion is under the jurisdiction of which county?" The man scratched his head and said, "Our village is Baliwan Village, which belongs to the territory of Qi County, Kaifeng Prefecture. My name is Liu Dazhu, and the villagers call me 'Dazhuzi'. Are you a scholar? What you speak is different from others." Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "I have studied for a few years and passed the exam for a scholar." Liu Dazhu was solemn and invited Hu Xiaotian to visit his home. Hu Xiaotian did not shirk his feelings and immediately agreed. Liu Dazhu jumped into the pond and forked two fish, stringed them up with a straw rope, and walked towards the village first.

Hu Xiaotian saw that he was quick to fish and hit the fish with one blow. He asked indifferently: "Brother Dazhu, have you practiced martial arts?" Liu Dazhu shook his head and said, "How is it considered to be practicing martial arts? But I have practiced fists and feet with my father for a few years, strengthening muscles and bones, and making fish and hunting rabbits is okay, but it is far worse for people to compete with people." Hu Xiaotian asked again: "Are there many people practicing martial arts in your village?" Liu Dazhu said, "It's all family-borne styles, nothing is strange. The main reason is that he is worried about being harmed by bandits. Every family must have a man to support him, right?" Hu Xiaotian felt a move in his heart: "Is there a bandit hidden nearby? The government doesn't send troops to clear it out?" Liu Dazhu spat and said, "The bandits can be sent to get food and grass when they come. The officers and soldiers will shave three feet of the ground. Do you still expect them to suppress bandits? They are even more cruel than bandits! After all, you have to rely on yourself."

Along the way, the villagers we met looked at Hu Xiaotian with strange eyes. We probably had never seen such a strange foreigner. Liu Dazhu stopped from time to time to explain, saying that Hu Xiaotian was a scholar sent by the Water Dragon King. He fell into the water and had not died, so he temporarily went to the village to rest. There were hundreds of people in the entire Baliwan Village, and no one had ever read a book, even the village chief could only recognize one to ten. In just half an hour, the story of Liu Dazhu picking up the scholar and spread throughout the village.

Liu Dazhu's home is located at the east end of the village. There are three thatched houses in rows, fences in front and back. It is a simple yard. There are a few chickens in the front yard, a few dried fish skewers, and two walnut trees are planted. The back yard is a vegetable field, and the fence is covered with melon vines. Liu Dazhu is still dozens of steps away from home, and a dog barking sounds, a black short-haired native dog rushed over, followed by a four or five-year-old butt boy, shouting: "Dad, dad!"

The black earth dog pounced at Liu Dazhu's feet and shook his tail happily. Liu Dazhu kicked the earth dog away, pointed at the black and strong boy and smiled, "Hu Xiucai, this is my son, nickname Tiedan!" Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Tieedan? It's really a name, this body is very strong." As he spoke, the little boy rushed to the front, threw himself into his father's arms, and looked at Hu Xiaotian in a blink of an eye, with curiosity in his dark eyes. Liu Dazhu smiled, "Son, call him Master Xiucai! This is Wenquxing descending to earth, you can't see him a few times in your life." Hu Xiaotian hurriedly said, "Dazhu, I'm not a 'master', just

A scholar in distress. Tiedan, my surname is Hu, just call me 'Uncle Hu'." Tiedan was not afraid of life, and shouted frankly: "Uncle Hu!" Hu Xiaotian said: "Dazhu, I don't have any gifts to give to your son. If you don't dislike him, I'd better give him a big name?" Liu Dazhu was overjoyed and said: "Okay, of course it's good! You are Wenquxing, and named Tiedan is his lifelong blessing!" Hu Xiaotian thought for a while and said: "Iron comes from gold, earth produces gold, and gold produces water, so how about it, so I call it 'Liu Juntao'?" Liu Dazhu grinned and said: "How about the name given by scholars? It's it!"

After entering the Liu family, a young woman wearing an apron greeted her: "Why are the child's father? The acres of land in our family have been served?" Liu Dazhu looked stern and said in a deep voice: "What are you doing? You are so damn, but you didn't see a guest coming from your house? This is a scholar! Hurry up and cook, and clean up the two fish and fry them." The woman's face turned slightly red, she glanced at Hu Xiaotian, and went to work hard without mentioning it. Tiedan broke free from the ground and chased her mother and shouted: "Mom, mom, I have a big name!"

Liu Dazhu smiled embarrassedly and said, "Hu Xiucai, my wife has never seen the world. She is so rough and rude that she is not polite. Don't be surprised." Hu Xiaotian waved his hand and said, "Dazhu, I see that my sister-in-law is thrifty and has quick hands and feet. You are lucky and married a good woman." Liu Dazhu put down the iron fork and muttered, "What's the good thing? I have only given birth to one baby in so many years! Which of my cousins ​​has not given birth to a litter of little kids?"

"Ahem, you bastard, can't you give birth to a baby and just blame your wife? Why don't you blame yourself for being useless?" An old farmer with pale hair walked out of the house, with wrinkles on his face and a hunched figure. He was leaning on a crutch with one hand and coughing twice from time to time.

Liu Dazhu smiled silly and said, "Dad, I know you feel sorry for your daughter-in-law. I just talk about it casually. How dare I really blame others?" He pointed to Hu Xiaotian and said, "This is Hu Xiucai. He fell into the water and was washed here. He accidentally bumped into the child, so he invited him to visit our house. The scholar was very kind and just named Tiedan, and he just named Liu... What's Liu?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Liu Juntao, average 'even', Botao'. Dad Liu, my nephew is polite!" He put his hands on and bowed with a straight face.

Dad Liu turned his head and smiled, "My ancestors are all rough people, they are not knowledgeable, and they are all blindly named. Tiedan has such a loud name, and it is much easier to talk about a marriage in the future. Dazhu, you, a father, cannot forget the kindness of the scholar!" Liu Dazhu hurriedly nodded and said. Hu Xiaotian said, "What's the point of asking for trouble? If the old man is too disgusted, my nephew will not be able to disturb you with shamelessness." Dad Liu smiled and asked Liu Dazhu to go back to the house to get a pair of new shoes and put it on for the scholar.

Hu Xiaotian put on straw sandals and walked two steps, nodded with satisfaction and said, "Yes, these shoes are well made and comfortable to walk." Liu Dazhu said proudly: "This is my wife's craftsmanship. Who doesn't praise her? Every market day, I have to sell dozens of pairs to the city for money, and a pair of shoes can be exchanged for two copper plates."

At this moment, I suddenly heard the noise of people, and dozens of people surrounded me and rushed outside the Liu family. The middle-aged man led by him was dressed brightly and quite stylishly. He raised his throat and shouted, "Big Pillar, come out!"

Liu Dazhu walked out of the yard for no reason and asked, "The village chief, you brought so many villagers to the door, isn't something big happening?" The chief looked into the yard and pointed at Hu Xiaotian and said, "I heard that you brought back a suspicious man. This is this person, right?" Liu Dazhu explained, "The village chief, he is a scholar who is studying. He accidentally fell into the river last night..." The chief waved impatiently and said, "Stop! Who can prove that he is a scholar? Does he have a way to guide him? What if he is pretending to be the gang of robbers in "A gust of wind", can you tell me

?This person is suspicious and has unknown origin. I want to tie him up to see the official and hand it over to the county magistrate to deal with it." Liu Dazhu was so anxious that his face was blushed and his neck was thick: "Scholar Hu is not a robber, you can't catch him for no reason!" The long sneered: "What a bullshit scholar! You don't have to say whether he is a robber or not. The government will go to interrogate and convict. Liu Dazhu, if you cover up the suspect and harm your neighbors, everyone will not agree." More than ten young men behind him were ready to beat their hands and shouted: "Dazhuzi, get out of here!" "Dazhuzi, don't trust foreigners!"

Hu Xiaotian heard that the matter was involved in him, and he was secretly surprised. He glanced up and found that there were two people behind the crowd evacuated and wandered, as if he had done something bad, which was very different from other villagers. After a slight change of thought, he immediately remembered that he had met them on the river bank this morning, and he couldn't help but feel so lit up. It turned out that the evil man complained first!
Chapter completed!