Chapter 18 Chapter eighteen.Doubtful

Wang Dagui was riding a tall and strong blue-gray mule from the Fuchang Inn, with some dry food and water in the mule bag, a short mule and a pair of scorpions fastened to his waist, and he carried it close to his body. Master Zhen entrusted him with the letter to Ba Ye Guan and Master Gu. When he crossed the large piles of Yanhe River, he took the road to go north. Before the beginning of the shift, he had already entered the center of Shawozi in Nianli; Travelers regard it as daunting, and those desolate golden-white fine sands are the relics left by the Yellow River when it captured the Huaihe River in the long past. Some farmlands make that concave field a barren land where not a single blade of grass can grow.

Shawozi will greedily absorb rainwater and maintain its dry appearance all year round. The floating fine sand loves to exaggerate the wind, even if there is a slight breeze that pedestrians don't feel, the sand smoke will jump up from the ground one by one , rolled lightly, and moved to the distance; if it was really a windy season, the sand smoke would fill dozens of miles of yellow mist, forcing merchants and travelers not to dare to open their eyes, nostrils, teeth, There are ghostly grains of sand in the throat.And these are nothing, the most troublesome thing is the heat on the sand and the difficulty of walking.

The scorching heat in the sand nest is caused by the hot summer sun; the sun in the dog days is shining on the sand, making people afraid to stay in that concave field at noon. It is no exaggeration to say that the sand The heat on the sand can make pancakes, and the soles of the feet can be scalded even through the cloth shoes with a layered sole; even at night, when the heat on the sand surface begins to dissipate, it does not cool down for a long time, like a steamer . When it comes to the difficulty of walking, it is better than the heat; because the dry quicksand is soft and buoyant, the road surface is a flowing river of sand, and people who ride on donkeys usually drive across the twenty miles in the early morning or evening. , I don’t feel much about it, but it takes a lot of effort to push a handcart, a rooster cart, a Liuhe cart, or a mule cart or an ox cart.Quicksand bites the wheels like quicksand, and when it sinks five or six inches deep, it will not touch the ground. Needless to say, it is difficult for the people who push the cart and drive it.

Under such circumstances, a new industry emerged. Many farmers living on the edge of Shawozi set up fiber sheds at the north and south ends of the road to help business travelers pull carts, commonly known as pulling dry fiber; A few of them, a few of them, used thick and long ropes to drag heavy vehicles across the tens of miles of quicksand. They rolled up their trousers, wore hemp shoes, and wore wide-brimmed bamboo hats. , Just like the tow trackers pulling the boats on both sides of the river, while trudging hard, they roared out rough tow songs in unison, driving away the loneliness on the sand with such a desolate voice.

Wang Dagui walked this road in his early years, and he knows this. Today the world is dark and gloomy, although the night wind is not strong, fine sand smoke still often rises from the ground, charming the eyes.He didn't know how many people were there in total among the shacks evacuated from Yanshi and the refugees without foreign guns on the Yanhe North Dadui?He only felt that in the concave field, there were figures everywhere, cigarette butts could be seen everywhere, and the voices of people discussing could be heard. Why don't I understand Fang Dexian's intentions?Not far in front of him, the leader of a shanty town said: He does not want to abandon Yanshi, and he does not want those of us who do not have guns to be murdered by the Beiyang army. Let's fight to the death, let's protect the refugees in the north and avoid those defeated soldiers who set fire and looted.His hard work is hard enough. I have told everyone to be considerate of Mr. Fang's hard work, but when I think of the bastards in the Beiyang Army, who were robbed, arrested, and pressed for donations, my teeth itch with hatred. I am not reconciled to peeling their skins!

That's right, another complained: Master Fang forced us to leave Yanshi, saying that he was sending us to protect the people, but in fact he was releasing lives for us!Even though we used knives, forks and sticks, when we helped guard Yanshi, we fought in Gaodui and Yangqiaokou in the south of Yanshi, Gudao in the east of Yanshi, and Hanhongtou in the west of Yanshi.The duck head and the snub nose are called father and mother; I don't believe that you can't stand up to the fire without foreign guns? ! We can manage so much? !Someone shouted from the side: As long as we seize the opportunity, let's fight face to face with the Beiyang Army, and try to see if it is their foreign guns and cannons?Or our knives, forks and sticks? !Lord Fang and the others are not afraid of death, why should we be greedy for life? !

Shawozi is a good place to fight the Beiyang Army.The leader said: As long as we arrange the old and weak refugees first, we can turn around and form an array along the sandy nest. We only need to surround the rats and yell, there is no need to put a knife on their necks, They will throw guns! It's a pity that we are not familiar with the terrain in this area. One said: If we can find someone who is familiar with the terrain and terrain, it will be easy to handle! If you want to find people who are familiar with Shawozi, there are too many!There was a joyful voice on the other side of the road, saying: Most of the people we evacuated from the Yanhe North Heap are farmers from the villages near Zhou. Everyone is familiar with this depression. Dawaer, with Shahekou and Bianjiaxu in the northwest and Nanhuang in Lianshui County in the north, is really like a mousetrap.

Wang Dagui was walking among the crowd with his mule reins around his shoulders. The words of these people touched him deeply. He knew that these people, whether they were shanty townsmen who suffered earlier or farmers who suffered recently, had suffered from Beiyang. Ling Yi of the defense army all suffered from the pain of losing their families and children, and it can be said that their blood feuds are as deep as the sea!Even if Fang Sheng's mortal men, who are heart-warming, are willing to die for them, they are unwilling to stand still and covet life when they have the opportunity to get rid of the evil and avenge their blood.

In the early years, in Zhengjiada, Baojiadu, and Wujiadu, the various salt gangs fought with the anti-private and small defense forces many times, but those were only small-scale sporadic fights, and they did not have much influence. Since these earth-shattering battles in Yanshi had set the people on fire, he could imagine that in the coming days, the people would swarm up and attack the Beiyang Army.The many impressions gleaned sporadically from the experience of life overlapped, combining the savage movements and the original sound of killing shouts, repeatedly stirring in Wang Dagui's heart.

If I arrived at Wanjialou in time to meet Guan Baye, I would still have time to participate in the siege of the Beiyang Army and fight a hearty fire!Wang Dagui was thinking secretly; he wanted to urge the mule to leave quickly.But the sky is so dark, and there is soft floating sand under our feet. The animals paddle the floating sand with their four hooves, as if crossing a river, and they can't get up quickly. Moreover, there are countless people rolling in front of them, which is even more difficult. Wrap yourself in it like a stuffed pie, even if it can be fast, it will not be fast. The shacks greeted each other in the dark, and some even lit up lanterns, gathered separately, discussing which direction to go?Some young women were afraid to get lost in the dark night, one by one leading the other, dragging and dragging for a long time; there were also people calling for their lost companions against the wind, their voices were blown away by the night wind, and they seemed very strange. the desolation.

Your lord, where are you going with your cattle? When Wang Dagui's mule passed a crowd gathered around a mound, someone greeted him. I was sent by Master Fang to visit Ba Ye in Wanjialou.By the light of the torch, Wang Dagui saw that the other party was the shanty who guarded the valley road to the east of Xiaoyan Village with him, so he reined in the animals and said: "Are you planning to pull towards the east?"Or toward Sira? ! We can't figure out the terrain, and we are discussing together.The man said: Since Master Fang ordered us to protect the refugees in the north, we have to go to the densely populated areas.However, since Master Fang planned to defend Yanshi to the death and leave the foreign gun team alone, he changed our name and let us go, we are really unwilling to do so!The Beiyang soldiers burned, killed and looted our hometown in turn, forcing us to leave our hometown and build a reed shed in the salt market. The defender turned to the defender, and the other said in a rough voice: "His grandma is a foreign bear. Let's seize the opportunity and rush up with knives, forks and sticks. Let's beat it to pieces first and then talk about it!" When it comes to fighting, there is a good place under your feet. Wang Dagui said: I am familiar with the terrain here. If you pull to the northwest and station near the mouth of the Shahe River, and wait for the defeated Beiyang soldiers to pass through Shawozi and shovel them from the side, they will not just go for it. Became a grasshopper on the dusty ground?As soon as I went to Wanjialou and met Ba Ye, maybe in these three days or two days, I would be able to pull up the gun team of the major households in the Northland and beat them head-on.If we can fight on three sides, maybe we can keep those defeated soldiers on this land Wang Dagui's words made all the shacks eager to fight. The nobleman had a good idea, and the leader said, "Let's go to Xila and settle near the mouth of the Shahe River." On the fork road to the north of Shawozi, large groups of people separated.When it was dawn at the beginning of the day, Wang Dagui urged his animals to cross the shallow sand river, leaving the crowds who had evacuated from Yanshi far behind. After a night's journey, he didn't feel sleepy at all. After wading through the Shahe River, he turned over the animals, let the big green mule loose the reins and rested, and raised his arms and stretched his fists in the face of the early red clouds in the eastern sky. Bloodline squatted down on the wet flat bank of the Shahe River again, took two handfuls of water to drink, washed his face along the way, and wiped his wet hands on his open chest. He is an upright and straightforward person, and he is unambiguous in his work; he is happy to get such an errand from Fang Sheng, who is a sweetheart. He is familiar with this journey, and Wanjialou is a place he is familiar with, not to mention He and Big Bear were thinking about Baye Guan all day long, he never expected what would happen on the road ahead?What kind of difficulty? The morning sun rises early on the plain, and when he walked around the Shahekou Farm, the sun had already risen.As soon as the blue mist cleared in the morning, the wilderness was clearly in front of his eyes. Not far from the northwest corner, a dense forest spread out like black smoke. After crossing the miscellaneous woods and driving the animals for another two hours, you will be able to see the red earth hills in the southeast of Wanjialou. It is estimated that you will be able to reach Wanjialou before noon. The big green mule walks alone, and the footsteps are fast enough. Compared with pushing the heavy salt truck for a long distance, I don’t know how many times faster. Let’s not talk about it, just talk about relaxation and comfort, and it’s much more comfortable. .In just one meal, the distant treetops have already moved in front of us. At the beginning of spring and summer, it is the time when the trees are flourishing. This dense forest of miscellaneous trees merges into a sea of ​​green. Seeing it in the eyes of people, it makes people feel cool and refreshed.It would be the most refreshing pleasure to walk the forest road in the usual, sunny weather, but before meeting Baye Guan, Wang Dagui was somewhat unsteady in his heart; What my son said was a gunshot wound in Yangjiao Town, after so many days of recuperation, he should be healed. Baye is that kind of person, as long as he can move, he will never stay in Wanjialou. People who don't see him in Yanshi should also read his letters. Since there are no letters, then his injuries must be extremely serious, or else, something happened to him in Wanjialou! In a familiar place like Wanjialou, what kind of trouble would happen to him?This is what Wang Dagui couldn't figure out.No!No way, Lord Zhen of Lao Qifang is in Yanshi, so it can be seen that Wanjialou and Yanshi are in the same voice. Since the beginning of the Lao Liuhe Gang, Baye and Wanjia have had a deep friendship, and they are close to each other. After all, on the night that the fourth judge's picture was rolled up in Wanjialou, Baye risked his life to do it. Even if the Wan family didn't enshrine Baye as a living Buddha, at least they wouldn't treat him badly. It must be Ba Ye who was seriously injured. Thinking of this, Wang Dagui's heart seemed to be held by a lead pendant, and he felt more and more heavy. Facing the lush green forest in front of him, Wang Dagui couldn't help but think of the brothers who pushed the salt carts into the rivers and lakes. No matter how difficult the life was, no matter how difficult the life was, the brothers held their arms, and there was always joy and comfort. At any moment, a group of people are like bushes standing side by side in front of them, sharing the warm sunshine and shielding them from the incoming wind and rain. His eyes were desolately wet. The sun had already risen very high, and before people left the forest road, there was a strange sound from the forest, which interrupted Wang Dagui's wandering thoughts. He heard a flock of crows clamoring wildly. Speech, wretched stinkbird! He muttered something so casually, and then spit out another mouthful. This is very natural; not only Wang Dagui, but no matter who he is, when he hears a crow cry when he is walking, he will utter a curse in his heart and spit at it twice to get rid of the bad luck. Because in the superstitious northern wilderness, people have always been accustomed to relying on many absurd and ancient legends to survive, as if there is a dim and faint light in those legends, which can give them some kind of hint or guidance. Wang Dagui grew up in this kind of wilderness, and he is sensitive to these things; he didn't seriously investigate when crows were regarded as ominous birds and insects by people?He just followed the legends, and when he saw a crow, he would spit, frown and curse. In fact, the fate of the crow is completely different from that of its three magpies.In terms of shape, there is almost no big difference between the crow and the three magpies, except that the crow is bigger in shape, with a slightly thicker beak and claws, and is completely black without variegated feathers. The beak is sharper and the claws are more slender and flexible. In terms of jumping and flying, it is more flexible than a crow!Comparing the noises of the crows, the difference is quite big. The noise of the crows is extremely ear-piercing, wow, wow, like howling, while the three magpies just chirp and utter a series of melodious whispers; When crows fly down, their short tails are always flapped downwards. When three magpies fly down or jump together, their long and slender tails are always tilted up very high. The most obvious difference between them is not just these, The feature that allows people to distinguish which kind of birds and insects they are at a glance should be that there is no white circle like the three magpies on the crow's neck.That white circle, people call it a happy ring. But why do people like the three magpies so much and hate the crows so much?Of course, it is related to many legends. First of all, there are legends about color. People transfer the concept of color derived from legends to the heads of poultry and various birds and beasts, and judge whether they are good or evil by their skin color, fur color and feather color. According to the usual practice, this kind of discrimination is based on solid-colored birds and animals, such as red roosters, white civet cats, black dogs and horses, etc.Secondly, for non-solid-colored birds and beasts, just look at whether they have white foreheads, like the three magpies without white foreheads, they are listed as flowers and birds and are not pursued.The three magpies are luckier than the crows, mainly because of this. According to the concept of color that people have held for many years, red is always listed as lucky and auspicious, yellow is sacred and majestic, white represents filial piety or mourning, and black is the most hated by people because it symbolizes terror, Mystery, ominousness, and death, so that a crow without a variegated feather all around is doomed to be cast aside. The second is about the sound of the noise. People have always liked to hear the fine, brisk, and joyful birdsong, the thick, loud, short and powerful animal calls, but hated listening to the slow, sad, or howling birdsong, and the continuous low or The shrill roar of beasts; therefore, like the oriole in spring, the cuckoo in early summer, the whispering swallow, and the yellow gurgle, are all loved by people, because they fell in love with their voices first; people also love them. I like to hear the crowing of cattle and sheep, the barking of dogs, and the crowing of roosters; I hate listening to the crying of sick dogs at night, the howling of hungry wolves, the language of geese in autumn and the crowing of cuckoo birds. At the beginning, the emotions were very natural and simple, but when many attached legends were added, the situation was different. Especially people who are away from home, pay more attention to these, and bear in mind many taboos.A simple and straightforward man like Wang Dagui believed in many ancient rumors that had been deeply infected in his childhood. Many entangled rumors are dogmatic. The old people say this, and the young people remember it like this. Wang Dagui remembered a lot in this way, such as: a sick dog cries at night because it saw evil spirits; The blood of a black dog and the drowning of a white horse can drive away ghosts and evil spirits; the white-fronted dog is the god of mourning. Whoever raises a white-fronted dog will die twice in three years. It is time to hang a piece of festive red silk on the beam to welcome the festiveness into the home. When crossing a river and crossing a boat, if a rat runs out of the boat, you must get off the boat; because it is a hundred-year-old thing that the rat in the boat will sink the ship.If taming poultry and beasts spit out human words, they are evildoers descended from heaven and should be killed immediately.A dead domestic animal cannot be buried in its entirety. Even if it is buried, it must be bled first, otherwise it will turn into a nightmare and so on. If anyone asks: why? !Then, the old people will tell you: I told you so, so it is!Is there any need to ask?really Other legends spread more widely, because they are spread in the form of children's songs and ballads that are extremely easy to recite. When the elderly speak, they like to quote it casually. Most people like to mention it in their daily life. The ignorant children in the village prefer to sing it, like: Magpies call on the branches, and visitors from far away from the village arrive. When the crow crows three times, it is about to meet the fierce god! The old man pooped head-on, and his bad luck couldn't be washed away for three years. Lao Quoer splashes the bubbles head-on, and the bad luck can't be washed away for a lifetime. Three magpies come, three magpies come, You report happiness in the morning and report wealth in the evening Reporter at noon before noon Magpies climb high branches, prepare cold clothes early Where crows sing in the forest, there must be carrion Wang Dagui memorized many of these ballads and songs without anyone teaching him in his childish days, and these ballads and songs have a special magic power, no matter who has recited them, they will naturally It's rotten in your stomach, you can't throw it away if you want to, and you can't forget it if you want to. Whatever you encounter on the road, you will think about it in your mind. As soon as Wang Dagui heard the chirping noise, he knew it was a large flock of crows. He first thought that it was not a good omen to encounter these stinky birds and insects, so he hurriedly cursed twice and spit to destroy it! (Northern legend says that when a crow crows, it will get rid of bad luck.) At the same time, he reined in the cattle full of disgust, looked up to see if there was a crow flying over his head, and crowed three times in succession. , or defecate and drown in the sky or something. He waited for a while, only to hear the weird rumbling and the beating of their wings, as if they were pecking at something. Strange? !These sour guys! He thought, why do they gather together in large groups in such a dense forest?Could it be? !He suddenly thought of the ballad "The Crows Singing in the Forest". Suddenly he shook his head again, laughing at himself suspiciously: Then he thought that he had walked such a long distance, and he still had no food on an empty stomach, so he might as well take this opportunity to get off his mule to have a look, and by the way, lean on a tree The tree trunk closed its eyes and rested for a while, and then started on the road with some dry food. After making up his mind, he turned over the animal, took the reins of the green mule, and groped in through the dense forest. While spreading his palms away from the low branches sweeping people's faces, he walked in, while listening to the crows. Where did it come from? Just as he was turning into the dense forest, he heard human voices from far and near on the forest road behind him, and the sound of hooves of horses. As soon as he heard the sound of horseshoes, he became alert, because any horses passing by with a large troop were either fierce horse bandits or Beiyang officers and soldiers, because ordinary people would never gather so many horses. Experience told him that judging from the chaotic hoofbeats alone, there are at least ten horses coming from the road behind. The snorting sound of the horses and the hoofbeats during the process are all significantly different from other animals. You can tell it just by hearing it. He hurriedly picked up the mule and hid behind a bushy tree with thick branches and leaves. He fastened the leather reins carelessly, squatted down instinctively, and put his hands on the handle of the pistol in his arms. The group of horses was coming from the road he had just walked, and they traveled fast enough, and in a blink of an eye they had already arrived at the opposite side; Wang Dagui didn't have time to think about where the group of horses came from. Peeping through the gaps in the leaves, he couldn't see the people on the horses clearly because of the blocking of the trees, he could only see some crossed hooves stepping over like a whirlwind, stepping over, the wet mud and sand on the road turned up, splashed back. Wang Dagui hissed secretly. Most of the horses stepped over their hiding places In this extremely chaotic situation, there are always unexpected dangers and full of murderous opportunities. Take this horse team as an example. Who would have expected them to appear in such a remote place as the miscellaneous woods?As far as I know, there are very few people passing by on this secluded road.Although I didn't know for a while whether this group of people were horse bandits or officers and soldiers, at least if I didn't hide, I would always have some troubles when I met them, not to mention that I was carrying a gun. Oh hey! Just when Wang Dagui took a breath, secretly glad that he was not discovered by those people, there was such a yell in front of him. Oh hey!Followed by a remote response. What's worse, all the horses were reined in and they didn't go any more. A horse was circling and neighing. Damn it, only behind the Yinshan Mountain is there such a desolate back road!A thick and complaining voice, speaking in a tone that only food bosses usually use, cursed: When crossing the Salt River, you shouldn't ask that thieves for directions. Telling him to live is wronged!How could this ghost road look like the road leading to Wanjialou?I fuck it big sister plus second sister! When Wang Dagui heard this, the top of his head felt a little numb, and he sucked back the breath he had just exhaled. Needless to say, just by hearing the yelling and scolding tone, he knew that the group of people on Lindao were all the cavalry of the Beiyang Army. He couldn't understand why this group of cavalry had to cross the wilderness, take a back road, and rush to Wanjialou?He leaned forward and swam a few steps forward, and looked carefully at the thinner grass blades, and found that the men were all dressed in casual clothes, not only changed their clothes, but also had duck-billed carbine with curved handle, blunt saber, and coiled rope. Equipment such as picture capsules and pictures have also been withdrawn!Each of them carried only a wooden pistol, a large bamboo hat with a wide brim to protect against rain and sun on his shoulders, and a leather belt slanted on his upper body.What on earth are they going to Wanjialou for? The unlucky stinky old man was probably startled by the neighing of horses and people's voices, wow, wow, wow, it was so loud that people couldn't hear the whispered words, and the guys over there also cursed away in a rough voice. Don't make trouble for me!I fuck you eight generations, spit! We've got to be careful, there's bad luck ahead. There is something wrong with these old ravens, how can they gather so many ravens properly?After finishing the scolding first, he thought about it and said: Let's go over there and have a look, and see what is there in the woods over there that attracts so many stink birds and insects? ! Hearing what the man said, Wang Dagui took out the pistol from his bosom, weighed it in his hand, and pulled up the nose with a bang. That's obvious, if those people want to slant into the shade of the forest, they will definitely go where they pass. No matter how dense the forest leaves are, if they pass by in broad daylight, even if they can hide people, they will never be able to hide such tall people. Animals: Rather than falling into the palm of their hands, it would be better to fight happily. Since I was forced to hide and decided to fight to the death with the opponent, I had to calmly assess the situation in front of me. If I met this kind of person in normal times, I hid in the dark and poured out the whole box of guns to catch it by surprise. At least I would put down five or seven of them first, but just because I had two autographed letters from Master Zhen in my arms, I had to rush to Wanjialou to meet Eighth Master and Gu Ye, and this time, It has a lot to do with the safety of Yanshi, and if you can't bear it, you will make a big conspiracy. This is the reason why you dare not act rashly. But if the other party forcefully stepped into the woods and forced himself to show up, he had no choice but to fight to the death.As the saying goes, two fists are hard to beat with four hands. If you are alone and have a gun, it is considered a pre-emptive strike. If you beat half of the opponent with one shot, the other half will be difficult to deal with: the two sides are too close, and it is rare for you to have a drawer. At the opportunity of changing fire, the opponent stretched out his gun and covered it, and he became a living target. It doesn't matter if my body is broken, Wang Dagui, he gritted his teeth and thought: After I die, they must not let them search for the two letters written by Lord Zhen, so that they can learn about the situation in Yanshi, and know that Lord Eighth stayed in Wanwan with injuries. Home building, time forced him to think too much, he hastily reached into his arms, took out the two letters, hastily crumpled them into two balls of paper, like a toad swallowing a grasshopper, staring and stretching its head to swallow it. As soon as he swallowed those two letters, Wang Dagui was determined to die, not afraid of anything. He tightened his grip on the pistol and waited. But his waiting was in vain. It turned out that the man said he was going into the woods, but he didn't get off his horse. Another guy blocked him from the side and said, "Are you really looking for something to do?" !What's in the woods, it's none of your business?Just save yourself some energy!We still have to find our way to Wanjialou. Bear Crow!Although that one didn't go into the forest to see what happened, he still muttered unwillingly: Wow, wow, the noise made this way made my heart jump, and my eyelids were stabbed so restlessly, what a fucking ghost, I don't know what will happen in the future. Then you throw fire into the sky to startle them, and one of them said: lest they stick to people's ears and make noise. I'm so damn good at showing you fire!That said. Hey, you want to die!The leader hurriedly turned around and shouted loudly: "Don't think about it, what time is it now?"What is here again? !Can you shoot for fun?I have to tell you that the refugees all over the Northland are our enemies. If you hear the news and gather up, and the poles can smash us to pieces, don't you think you have a gun in your hand? ! The one who was scolded didn't say anything more. Get ready to go.The leader said: We can't stay here for a long time, even if we find something wrong, we have to f*ck to the north before talking, at least we wait to find out this ghost forest, so we can grab someone to ask Lu, what's the point of staying here?None of the ghosts could be seen! Let's go, buddy, the guy who was scolded changed his tone, and said half-jokingly and half-jokingly: Wanjialou is going to lunch, it's time to build the Wuzang Temple! Oh hey.front called. Oh hey.Follow behind. They yelled and urged the horses like this, and ran away like a gust of wind. After they left for a long time, until the sound of horseshoes disappeared, Wang Dagui rolled his eyes as if waking up from a nightmare, put down the snatched machine head, closed the safety box, and put it in his arms again. After the sound of horseshoes disappeared, the world in the forest returned to loneliness again, only the crow noise over there was still ringing.Wang Dagui stood up and patted the damp leaves stuck to his knees. He regretted that he was not calm enough just now, and swallowed the two letters in a hurry. After this nervousness, he felt a little weak and tired. He didn't want to follow that group of people towards the north, so as not to get into unnecessary trouble, he didn't even want to use his brain to figure out why those people went to Wanjialou. Now, the crowing of the crow was so attractive to him that he unconsciously walked over there; he walked through a space where the trees were relatively sparse, and felt that the sun was extremely dazzling, so he put one palm flat He raised his eyebrows, raised his eyes to look west, and saw that the top of the forest in the west was covered by dark clouds, full of black wings flying around, no one could count how many those old black ravens were there?It is estimated that there are more than a few hundred. The noise of crows is very loud, especially when a large group of crows gather together.When Wang Dagui first heard the crows, he thought that they were gathered nearby, but now he realized that he was wrong!It took at least half a mile to cross the clearing in the forest and reach the dense forest where the crows gather.Everyone has curiosity, and Wang Dagui is no exception. He thought, since he encountered such an unclear and strange thing, he had to take a little time to go and have a look. He got on the mule's back and walked over there. Although those crows are more courageous than ordinary birds, if they were usually approached by hunchbacked animals, they would still scream and fly away. Although the crows that flew up and down for a while had seen someone coming, they only clamored frantically, but refused to spread their wings and fly away. It was obvious that there was something they were reluctant to part with under the forest. Song, it really makes sense! When Wang Dagui walked into this forest, he felt that it was deeper and denser than the forest over there. Even though the sun was shining outside the forest, the forest was very gloomy, with a bit of a windy smell. He turned down the animal again, and groped inward by the rein of the mule. The crows were buzzing above his head. He picked up a dry stick and threw it at them.The moldy birds and insects were frightened and flew away from the left side, howling and howling, they circled half a circle, and landed on the right side as if nothing had happened. When he bent down to pick up another thicker wooden stick, he couldn't help taking a step back, opened his eyes wide, and blurted out "Ah!"Character. It turned out that he found that it was a blood stick. From the bruises all over the body of the stick, it can be seen that this wooden stick was once used as a beating object. The bark on the surface of the stick was completely blown away, and the bluish-white inner skin was covered with patches of dried dark red. There were bloodstains, and some people's broken hairs stuck to it. He looked at the blood stick repeatedly, hesitating in his footsteps. He never imagined that such an astonishing murder would happen in such a deserted forest. The murder was reported by crows, so that he, a passer-by, accidentally discovered it and became the first witness. That's for sure, although he hasn't stepped over and found the victim's body, but the blood stick and the crows all over the forest make him believe that the body should be not far away. He dropped the blood stick and turned to tie the cattle. On the tree where he tied the cattle, he also found several marks on the rough surface of the bark that had been hit by heavy objects; when he lowered his head, He found that under his feet, there were many messy marks that had been turned over by the soles and toes of the shoes. Yes, yes.He muttered to himself: The scene of the murder is here. Sure enough, when he turned around several trees standing side by side, he saw everything, including Wan Shu's body. In Wang Dagui's eyes, the scene where the red-eyed Wan Shu failed to chase and kill Wan Xiaoxier, but was accidentally assassinated by Wan Xiaoxier, was quite miserable in Wang Dagui's eyes.No matter what kind of person Wang Dagui is, no matter how many risks he has experienced and how many bloody battles he has participated in, he is now on the outside, and his mood is different. At that moment, he was stunned. He has never seen such a strange scene, this small space in the secluded forest is almost completely stained with human blood; one way dripping blood stretches from the foot to the other side, another way dripping blood again Meandering from there to here: In the place where the forest trunks criss-cross, some long ropes are tied here and there, forming a cobweb that traps people. Not far from the west, there is a small sunken pond. A dead donkey was lying on the side of the pond, and the blood cake from its belly made reddish-brown blood streaks float on the stagnant water in half of the pond. The human corpse was curled up next to an old tree root protruding from the ground, and a large group of crows landed on him, making him like a black velvet quilt, and a big one stood on the back of his head, tasting delicious food Delicious, pecking at his rotten ear.But other greedy guys are scrambling for the intestines dragged out of the dead donkey by the pond. The bloodstains stained the ground, the peeling tree trunks and the stretched ropes. The bloodstains swam, rolled and entangled in such a way. From those bloodstains alone, one could imagine the situation of the two sides fighting to the death at that time.Those crows, like a flock of old addicts, were feasting, when they saw this unknown man barge in with a tied animal, thinking that the other party wanted to force a share of the pie, they all yelled in unison, swaying They showed an attitude of not wanting to be outdone, stretched out their wings in unison, and flapped their wings to protect the food that had already reached their mouths. Wang Dagui got angry, picked up a broken stick and threw it over, and they flew up helplessly. Some of them didn't fly, but they were too full to eat rotten intestines and carrion, so they couldn't fly. They fluttered their wings again and again, stretched their necks and ran away from the ground. One of them ran too slowly, and was kicked by Wang Dagui and fell into the bloody pond, struggling with its face up to the sky. Although he drove away the crows, he couldn't stand the wild flies gathering in a radius of several feet and the vicious stench from the carrion.Those nasty wild flies were attracted by the diffuse smell of corpses just like the crows, but the flies were small and could not be seen from a distance, and the sound of their buzzing wings was also suppressed by the loud noise.的鴉噪蓋住了，可是等王大貴掩著鼻子走近時，牠們就一哄而起，嗡嗡營營的噪刮不停，甭瞧牠們小得不打眼，牠們的膽氣卻比那夥不中用的專愛虛張聲勢的烏鴉大得多，牠們從各處驚飛起來，直朝王大貴的頭上、臉上、身上亂落，揮他揮不走，逐也逐不開，王大貴被牠們釘得硬是毫無辦法了。 他先強忍著走近那具人屍，俯下臉仔細察看了一番，死人的臉變成灰敗的醬紫色，被風吹掠得乾燥了的一層薄薄的油皮下面，包裹著已經腐臭的爛肉，從他風乾的、痙攣著交抱著胸口刀柄的手指和烏蛇般的手臂看來，他中刀死去少說也有兩三天了，春夏相交的氣節，地上的濕熱之氣上騰，屍首接著地氣，很容易腐爛發臭的。 他用腳把側面蜷臥的屍體撥翻過來，使他仰臉朝天，後退兩步，歪著身子端詳著；他發現死人的臉業已腫脹得變了形，鼻子和臉腫得一抹平，眼也腫沒了，極難辨認出死者生前的本來面貌，那屍首一經翻動，就聽呼啦一聲，整盤的腸子連著一些潰爛的腑臟，從被蛆蟲鑽透的肚腹間脫出來，黏黏滑滑的淌了一地。 有經驗的人都說屍臭不是臭在皮肉，全都是臭在潰爛的腑臟上，單是皮肉臭還臭得使人可以忍受，唯有臭腸子、爛肚子，那股臭氣最難聞，那股臭氣之濃、之烈，是沒有聞嗅過屍臭的人難以想像的，它臭得濃得已經不像是一種氣，而是一塊毒臭的牛皮膠，爛臭的黏漿糊，即使你掩住口鼻，屏住呼吸，你還是避不開它，保不了它，它會像牛皮膠般的膠住你，黏漿糊樣的貼住你，會像吐火信的妖蛇一樣，從你耳目口鼻甚至一根汗毛孔穴裏鑽到你的體內去，你走，它跟著你走；你跑，它跟著你跑！它像冤魂惡鬼般的纏著你，你就是立即跳下大河去洗它一百把澡，也絲毫洗不脫那種使你淚涕交流，全心作嘔的怪味道，甚至於過了一年半載，你心裏的臭味還不能除盡，你想起它仍會作嘔。 那潰爛了的腑臟和黏乎乎的、熱氣蒸騰的肚腸從死人的腹間直瀉出來，滾了一地，那種又熱又黏瘟毒毒的臭氣，不由使王大貴登登的朝後退，因為在古老的傳說中，相信屍漿濺到人身上，會生五毒疔瘡，永不收口，王大貴不能不避諱這個。 經過這一翻動，死人的臉孔也起了些變化；原已腫合的鼻孔、耳眼、嘴唇被震得迸裂開來，那腦袋點呀點的半懸空，彷彿要跟王大貴打聲招呼。這麼一來，死人腦子裏鬱著的血水又有了出路，緩緩從七竅間流溢出來，使那張原已怕人的臉顯得更怕人了。 最難堪的是滾成團兒的白米粒般的蛆蟲，從牙關、眼縫、耳眼和鼻孔裏，順著血水爬出來，伸縮著肥凸凸，肉聳聳的身子，在那兒泅泳；肚腹間潰爛得較早，所以蛆蟲也生得更多更早，被腑臟壓著的一盤銅盆大的蛆餅兒，化開來何止千千萬萬？牠們大約是屬於綠頭蠅和麻蠅一類，蛆身足有半寸長，每隻肥蛆都拖著針尖似的尾巴，爬動起來一聳一聳的，望在人眼裏，不由使人不渾身上下直豎汗毛 王大貴強嚥著噁心，再把死屍的臉上和身上端詳一遍，憑著一種本能的直感，他彷彿覺得這死者的臉孔雖算不上熟悉，卻也並不全然陌生，他斷定早先曾經在哪兒見過這個人。 究竟在哪兒呢？他就恍惚得無從追憶了。 他離開那具腐屍，又去瞧看那匹死去的毛驢兒；毛驢兒的身上也已腫脹潰爛，破了的肚腸被烏鴉啄得稀爛，但那隻染著血跡和彈洞的白帆布的驢背囊還是好端端的，仍然拴在死驢的身上。 一瞧見驢背囊上列印的記號，王大貴可就認出來了。他雖認不出毛驢兒，卻認得出驢背囊上印著的萬家鹽槽兒的標記，又從這標記，想起這匹毛驢來。 good!Not bad at all!他自言自語的說：這是萬小喜兒常騎的那匹獨眼的毛驢兒。我猜的不錯，牠的一隻眼果然是瞎的！ 不單是王大貴，但凡常推著鹽車走西道的漢子們，沒有幾個人不認識萬小喜兒的，有很多老鹽梟不單認識他，而且都是眼看他在鹽槽兒裏長大。 王大貴認出萬小喜兒的毛驢後，眼裏就浮起那個斯文白淨的少年的影子來。那匹毛驢確是他的，但那具死屍再變了模樣，也不會是小喜兒的屍首。他拿眼前的屍體跟印象裏的萬小喜兒作比較，越比越敢斷定死者不是這匹毛驢的主人。 死者的年紀，一眼望去就比萬小喜兒大得多，死者的臉孔雖浮腫變形，但輪廓仍在，那是一張寬闊多稜的螃蟹臉，跟小喜兒的龍長臉臉型全然不同，死者的身材，手腿，都比小喜兒多毛而且粗壯，最明顯的一點，就是死者的兩頰叢生著短短密密的落腮鬍子，這可是萬小喜兒臉上所沒有的玩意兒。 HH?他是越弄越迷惑了。 萬小喜兒的獨眼毛驢既然死在這裏，驢身上留著好些彈洞，由此推斷，在這場血案裏，萬小喜兒算是一個角兒，被人槍擊的角兒，但死者不是萬小喜兒，死者手上又沒見槍，死者胸口插的是攮子。 是死者存心和萬小喜兒為仇呢？ 是萬小喜兒跟死者同路，被第三者圍擊毆殺呢？ 還是萬小喜兒在這塊僻林裏擊殺仇人呢？ 這些這些他實在弄不清楚。 他轉臉退回拴繫青騾的地方，抱著腦袋發愁。 他是個直性人，不遇著事情便罷，既遇上這檔子事情，就不能袖手不管；他不敢斷定萬小喜兒是死是活，又弄不清事實真相；他有心要追根刨底，但他急於要趕到萬家樓去見八爺，不能在路上因為這樁岔事耽擱了太多的時刻。想了一會兒，覺得祗有先繞著這塊染血的地方看一圈兒，看看萬小喜兒的屍首是否也躺在附近？再看看還有沒有兇器留在地上，若是沒有，就使攮子扒些浮土，先把人屍和驢屍虛掩上，免得奇臭四溢，引得鳥獸來糟蹋；然後就去萬家樓，把這事稟告牯爺，他自會設法查明的。 他這樣拿定主意，便繞著林子，一面察看著灑落在地上的血跡，推磨似的繞起圈兒來。 林子既是這般的陰黯，乾了的血跡的顏色和地面敗葉的顏色又相差不遠，王大貴必得耐著性子緩步追尋著；沒有什麼風翻動林葉，腐屍的臭氣在潮濕、悶鬱的空氣中沉澱著，烏鴉雖不敢朝下落，卻都停棲在櫥梢上等待著，繼續牠們那種千篇一律的聒噪，他沒找到預想中的萬小喜兒的屍體，卻得到許多有利於他判斷的新的跡象。 他搜尋的結果，發現牲口的蹄痕有兩種，一種小而略尖的該是毛驢的，另一種大而略圓的好像是屬於較大的騾馬的，和現場對照起來，毛驢死在這裏，而那匹騾馬卻不見了，他追覓那圓大的蹄印，發現牠一路朝南，踩過一道潮濕的沙坑，直奔沙河口那個方向去了。 其次，他也發現兩種不同的腳印，像是在鬥毆，由之可以斷定在這林子裏拚殺的祗有兩個人，拚殺的結果是一個死了，另一個帶了重傷，騎著另一匹騾馬跑掉了；不用說，跑掉的那個就是萬小喜兒。 最使王大貴恍然大悟的，是他在草窩裏撿到了那管快機匣槍，匣槍帶著彈匣，抽下彈匣來查看，裏面還有幾粒沒射完的子彈。 他仍不敢斷定死者是否是萬家樓的人，但他把許多跡象連綴起來，卻能朦朧的判明死者是騎著那匹騾馬，帶著快機匣搶來追殺萬小喜兒的，在黑夜的密林裏遇上了，並且動了手，結果他沒殺著小喜兒，卻被小喜兒用攮子戳殺了，小喜兒反而騎著死者的牲口遁走了。 假若萬小喜兒還活著，估量他必定是投奔沙河口去了，萬家的族人，也必會把這宗血案的真相查明，用不著自己在這兒多費心神。可嘆的是自己始終弄不懂，人與人之間哪來的這許多難解難分的糾葛？哪來的這許多非得殺人見血的恩怨？ !是否是殺了人，見了血，就算是冤仇化解，有了個了局呢？ 初走江湖道的時辰，心裏含著怨怒，動不動就熱血湧騰，無論是遇上土匪官兵，明裏暗裏的強梁，祗知道橫起支車棒，豁去小褂兒，打字殺字朝前，從沒朝更深更遠處想過，慢慢的，一年年冷雨秋風，一場場血光四迸的搏殺，把人的銳氣磨盡了，與其說是悲憫旁人，不如說悲憫自己，內心常有一種迷濛的淒雨似的聲音，自問著：王大貴，王大貴？What is this? ! 真的，這算是什麼呢？ !這世上，有人的地方就沒有清靜，有人的地方就有波瀾。甭說是自己像一粒風裏的沙粒，總是被一陣不可抗拒的狂風牽得在半空打轉，四面八方都那樣的空虛，那樣的沒有依憑；就連關八爺那樣鐵錚錚的漢子，也常起力不從心的慨嘆。光論一個殺字，就好像使快刀芟除原上的野草，除葉不除根，是再難除得盡的了；大智大能的人又在哪裏？ 總算懂得一份悲憫了罷；王大貴那樣的望著雙手抱著刀柄的腐屍，搖頭嘆息著；懦弱也罷，強梁也罷，白刀子一進，紅刀子一出，全都是這樣的了，哪天真有人來除暴安良呢？眼前這具死屍，不論他生前如何，就這樣曝屍在荒林裏，任鳥獸爭食，誰看著也於心不忍，自己假如不埋他，轉眼怕就要被烏鴉啄盡了啦。 他靠近一些，用攮子撥起土來。 林土的表層是軟浮的，王大貴很容易就撥起大堆的松土來，去掩蓋人屍；他雖然通宵趕夜路，又空著肚子，覺得虛軟疲憊，但是他急著要去萬家樓辦事，不得不振作起精神來，先把這腐屍掩埋掉。 撥土埋屍是樁功德事，在北地，常有些遊方的和尚帶著方便鏟出門，見了死貓死狗，還要鏟些土把牠們的屍骸蓋住，莫說是人屍了；王大貴賣力的撥土埋屍，並沒存心行什麼功，積什麼德，他祗是覺得這些都是為人應盡的本份。 實在對不住，你這位老哥，他刨土刨得滿頭掛汗，一面認真的跟那腐屍說：你沒死之前，咱們也許在哪兒結過緣，碰過面，也許是同一張桌子喝過酒，同一個臺面賭過錢，看上去總有幾分面熟，祗是我的記性差，一時記不起那麼多了姑不論你生前為善為惡，死後總該掩埋入土，所以烏鴉才招引我來埋你的屍骸。 他停住嘴，又發力的刨土。 刨著刨著的，他又喃喃的唸咒似的說：老哥，若是在平常，我沒有急事在身上，也許會替你整出個坑洞，把你埋得像個樣兒，加個墳頂，插個標記，把浮土踏實了，免得風吹雨打弄塌了墳，日後你家人無法收殮你，可是事不湊巧，急事釘在我身上，祗能草草了事，如此這般把你掩一掩，你就委屈些兒罷，等我到了萬家樓，立即稟告牯爺，是好是歹再見分曉，不會讓你這把骸骨，長年久日的拋在荒林裏的！ 單是把人屍和驢屍掩蓋妥當，業已把王大貴累得歪歪的，渾身汗氣蒸騰，估量著總要耗去一兩個時辰，初時還覺得肚餓，如今餓過了頭，再加上屍臭一薰，胸口反而覺得飽脹脹的，不再饑餓了。 他把撿的快機匣槍扔在牲口的背囊裏，把沾著潮泥的攮子在鞋底上擦了擦，入了皮鞘，把兩手拍打拍打，取出盛水的竹筒喝了幾口，挺胸喘了幾口大氣，摸著屁股伸伸腰，表示事兒辦完，這該牽著牲口走了。 騾子的韁繩已經抓在手上正待解疙瘩，忽然聽見林葉那邊有了人聲。 要不是這群烏鴉，真還不易找呢！一個聲音說：這兒若不見屍便罷，若是有屍，那準是他。他若不是出了岔兒，哪有不回去報信的道理？ ! I do not believe.另一個聲音說：也許他臨時手軟，沒把事兒辦成，回去又怕牯爺責怪他，所以叔侄倆一道兒開溜掉了！若真是真刀真槍面對面，他就是閉著眼，也不至於栽倒在那小小子的手裏，何況乎他腰裏的家當底兒夠硬紮的！ 甭先抬槓了。另一個說：你們聞聞這股氣味罷，不是屍臭氣是什麼？ ! 這邊，就是在這邊！人聲是越來越近了。 王大貴最先聽著人聲時，倒是老大的吃了一驚，還以為是適才那幫騎馬的傢伙們陰魂不散，又好端端的折轉來的呢，及至聽清來人說的話，才把一顆懸起的心重又放將下來，迎著說：朋友，你們敢情是萬家樓下來找屍首的？這邊有具腐屍，我剛把他撥土掩住。 他剛把話說完，那邊的人也過來了，一共是三個人，牽著三匹馬，每人全把墊起機頭的匣槍拎在手上，看樣子，全是萬家樓槍隊上的人。 那三個人也許沒料著這荒僻的林子裏先有人在，神色全有些驚異緊張，進來後並不拴馬，全瞪著兩眼從上到下，防賊似的盯視著王大貴，三支匣槍的槍口也跟著瞄住他的胸口。 Who are you?為頭的那個冷冷的問說。 王大貴一點兒也沒介意，他認為既是萬家樓槍隊上的人，說起來都不算外人，也許在他們眼裏，自己出現得太冒失了，不過，祗消把話說明就得了。 Who are you? !沒容王大貴答話，對方又理平匣槍指著他，欺上前幾步，更嚴酷的問說：林子裏有路你不走，鬼鬼祟祟匿在這兒幹什麼？ ! 我是六合幫的人，我，我叫王大貴。王大貴笑著臉說：我是留在鹽市上幫著方爺，奉他的差遣到萬家樓去見八爺的。適才路過這兒，聽見老鴰子噪叫，牽著牲口進來一瞧，就看見了腐屍，喏，他伸手指著說：這邊的土堆裏掩著腐屍，那邊的土堆裏，掩著一匹死驢，我認得那匹毛驢是萬小喜兒常騎的。 那人聽他這麼一說，臉色就略見緩和些了，不過指著他的槍口仍沒放下來。 我說，老哥，你說你是六合幫的人，咱們按理不該這麼對待你，不過咱們幾個眼拙，實在認不得你，你的話，咱們不能全信。 那倒不要緊，王大貴半舉著手說：我正要動身上路，關八爺既在萬家樓，他曉得我是誰，你們若不放心，我們一道走也成。 我也正是這個意思。那人說：這兒的屍首是你先見著的？ it's me.王大貴說：你們看，那兩堆土還是我撥了掩住屍首的，我怕烏鴉把牠們啄光了，這一陣子，弄得我一身汗，兩手泥。 把攮子解下。said the man. 王大貴就把攮子解下了。 真對不住。那人這才笑了一笑說：你老哥既是六合幫的人，諒必沒有什麼不放心咱們的地方，你說對罷？ right.王大貴說：你說的不錯，咱們都不算是外人。 Well.那人又不笑了，歪著嘴呶呶兩邊的兩個說：替我過去搜搜他，身上有傢伙，替我摘下來。 我懷裏有一管匣槍。沒用那兩個搜，王大貴就說：那邊的牲口背囊裏還有一管快機，是我在這兒地上撿起來的，正打算到萬家樓時當面呈給牯爺，你們過來一併拿了去，這該放心了罷。 兩邊兩個過來，分別把槍給摘了去。 真真對不住，那人又笑了，王大貴看出這回才是真笑：槍呢，咱們先代收著，等你跟咱們一道兒到了萬家樓，見過牯爺，咱們再把槍還給你！如今不得不暫時請你受些委屈。他說著，把匣槍插回腰眼。 那邊死的是誰？王大貴走過來問說：我是局外人，一點兒也弄不清，這究竟是怎麼回事兒？ 那人從另一隻手裏接過那管快機匣槍，反覆看了看，抬臉朝王大貴說：說真箇兒的，老哥，你既是局外人，就不必多問這些，這是萬家的族事，這裏頭的是是非非，一向是不用外人多口的。他又轉朝那兩個說：取鐵鏟來，把浮土刨開，我要看看腐屍的臉。 有一個應著，取下馬鞍旁的短柄鐵鏟，把王大貴好不容易才把死屍蓋住的浮土刨開，露出那七竅仍然溢著臭血的頭顱來。 不錯，那人看了說：確是紅眼萬樹。 你說是紅眼萬樹？ !王大貴忍不住的驚叫起來。 人雖不甚熟悉，但這名字卻比人要熟悉得多，因為凡是走西道的推鹽漢子，常經萬家樓的都跟紅眼萬樹在賭臺上見過面，經那人一提，自己就記起來了。好像自己也跟他同桌推過牌九，擲過大骰子（六粒骰子齊擲，俗稱大骰子，三粒骰子齊擲，俗稱小骰子。），彷彿記得他的賭品很癩，催骰子時喜歡直著脖子大嚷大叫，贏了錢嘿嘿大笑，輸了錢喜歡扯皮賴帳，輸急了就耍花樣，吹碗底，胡罵人，甚至於摔碗，咬骰子，推鹽漢當面叫他樹爺，背後全管他叫紅眼賴皮。 那人沒答他，卻轉臉說：把土給掩上，咱們該回去報信，說屍首已經找著了！ 嗨，紅眼萬樹怎會死到這兒來？四個人一道兒上路時，王大貴猶自回望著烏鴉盤繞的樹梢，這樣喃喃著。 除非是你殺的，那人說，王大貴還當他說的是笑話，便笑著說：我殺萬樹麼？夠不上。他又沒賴過我的賭債！ 隔了一會兒，王大貴想起什麼來，指著林道中間的蹄印說：你們適才過來，不知遇著那撥騎馬帶槍的傢伙沒有？ 什麼騎馬帶槍的傢伙？ 我也弄不甚清他們的來路，祗知他們也要去萬家樓，說是怕迷了路途。王大貴說：他們總有十多匹馬，每人都帶者槍，官不官、匪不匪的打扮，聽口音，我以為他們是北洋軍裏差來的人。 咱們沒見著。後面的那個插口說：咱們是在紅土崗上遙望著烏鴉繞林，抄近路翻荒過來的。 八爺如今在萬家樓療傷，不知傷勢怎樣了？王大貴又問說。他心裏有些說不出的惶亂，恐怕那些人是去對付八爺的，如今八爺不比往日，他是個帶著槍傷的人，全靠萬家替他擋著風險，雖說萬家樓還有聲勢赫赫的槍隊，不至於讓他們白攫了人去，但自己總是忐忑的，放不下這條心。 能扶杖走路了。前面的那個說。一面半側過臉，陰鬱的望著他，似乎嫌他太多話的樣子。 王大貴一點兒也不知道，老二房的槍隊，尤其是牯爺左右的心腹，都是對六合幫懷著敵意的，宗祠集議過後，牯爺棋輸一著，沒誣陷得關八爺，掛不下臉面，反而把萬振全羈押起來，暗中就交代過左右，儘量注意著外來的人，尤獨是鹽市來的，得把他們吊著，不讓他們去見關八；假如讓他們跟關八聲氣相通，想剷除他就更難了。 王大貴到達萬家樓之後，就被收押在牯爺家的後宅地窖裏，他不明不白的被加上一付牛鐲，弄不清是什麼緣由？他跟看守的人講話，看守的人也不理睬他，他蹲在地窖胡思亂想，還當是自己受了紅眼萬樹這場血案的牽連。Hi!臭老鴰子這種霉氣鳥蟲實在是沾惹不得，他想道：我若是逕管趕路，不理會群鴉的噪叫，豈不是早就見著八爺和牯爺了？這場麻煩是我自找的，真算是他娘的晦星罩頂，白白的費那麼多力氣撥土埋屍，他們若追查不到萬小喜兒，也許會一口咬定人是我殺的，那豈不是荒乎其唐？ 一會兒，又兀自搖頭想道：不會的，不會的，萬家樓是巨門大族，至少也辨得出是非黑白，不至於冤枉到我王大貴的頭上來的，又不是蠻不講理的兩家村，三家店，可以隨意整人的冤枉。再說，天大的麻煩，還有關八爺一肩扛著呢，八爺他該曉得我王大貴不是那種人，屍首腐在先，我祗不過是個過路人，何況萬小喜兒的毛驢死在紅眼萬樹旁邊，任他是誰，也不能隨意拿捏人的。（拿捏，北方土語，意思就是修理人。或說栽誣亦可。） 地窖是石砌的，又深又冷，裏面一股霉濕氣味，頭頂的石面上凝聚著許多濕氣騰蔚而成的水珠，地窖共分內外兩間，外間靠著甬道入口，一路七八層石級揉升上去，有一道鐵門關閉著，王大貴初被押進來的時候，曾把那地方打量過，那彷彿是一間廢置已久的私設的刑室，作為老虎凳用的長條石凳兒在兩邊分列著，一端靠著石牆，石牆上懸掛著繩索、梭子、皮鞭、烙鐵、三眼虎等等的刑具，使人一望就覺得心寒。 裏面一間是方形的囚室，祗有一面開著扁窗，窗間有粗壯的鐵柱澆嵌在石壁裏面，使那囚屋變成一座獸籠；王大貴被牛鐲鐲住頸子，鍊頭鎖在鐵柱上面，他墊起腳尖，攀著窗的下緣朝外張望，祗能看見一截看守人在踱步時交叉移動著的褲管。