痕書站

　　沈玨跟在伊墨身後，一步三回頭，眼裡不知是牽掛還是擔憂，終於消失在陽光那頭。而伊墨沒有回頭，或許是害怕回首後，就再捨不得走。
　　
　　柳延站在原地，看著他們走遠，在這個陽光和煦的日子裡，他們消失。山風撩起他的長髮，輕輕揚起，又輕輕放下，從熱烈明亮的白晝一直到夕陽落山。他一直都沒有動作，仿佛成為傳說裡那等待戀人歸來而蒼老凝固的石像。
　　六月的天，說變就變。山風逐漸大了，樹梢在黑暗裡影影綽綽的搖擺，“呼啦啦——”仿佛成千上萬的樹葉，奏出了自己的聲音，隨著一道驚雷，天際劃過明亮的閃電，恍如白晝。柳延眨了一下眼，仰頭看了看天，碩大而稀疏的雨滴猛地一下砸進他的眼裡，接著一滴又是一滴，倒豆般脆生生地砸在肌膚上“啪啪”作響。一瞬間，大雨滂沱。
　　不知道為什麼，柳延想起不久之前，他還是個傻子，與伊墨住在這院子裡，因山中雨水豐沛，便常常玩得正高興時，被伊墨叫喚，不准再玩，立刻回屋。他自然是不答應的，拖遝許久，次次都是伊墨扯他回家。
　　往往門戶還未關嚴，瓢潑大雨就灑下來，斜殺入戶，打濕他的臉頰。這時伊墨會閉緊門窗，拉著他去擦臉，面對著面，將他臉上水珠拭淨，還會歎氣，說：雨都不曉得躲嗎？
　　也不知他們，誰比誰更癡。分明那時，傻子想他湊近，看著他俊美容顏，近在咫尺觸手可及，擦拭臉上水滴，神情小心翼翼，視若珍寶的待自己。
　　
　　柳延站在雨中，想起往事，忽而笑了起來，水流順著挽起的唇角滑下，雨有多大，他的笑容就有多繾綣。
　　一生一世，三生三世，雨水沖刷的記憶裡，竟無一絲不合意。
　　暴雨中柳延的笑容乾淨而溫暖，仿佛所有苦難都不曾發生，所有坎坷都不曾血淋淋的走過。仿佛擁有世間最完滿的幸福，輾轉三世，他的笑容始終不變，似乎可以將凍土點燃，也可以讓冷心冷情的蛇妖甘願為此奔赴任何地方。
　　如角落裡默默綻放地金色花朵，只要留意到了，就再也不會忽視。而後，它會成為你生命裡，一道金色的陽光。
　　暴雨下了盞茶時間，雨勢漸收，細小的雨滴密密匝匝，落在瓦片上，落在樹葉上，落在濕土上，落在眼睫上，一一敲奏出不同的聲音。脆脆的響，悶悶的響，細微的響，明亮的響。
　　天與地都籠罩在暴雨營造的水汽裡，朦朧細密的水霧，仿佛那年那月，溫泉裡嫋嫋升起的白煙，阻隔了遠山近水，卻沒有攔住一人一妖。
　　柳延垂下眼，返身進屋，換下一身濕衫，去灶房備飯。
　　
　　朦朧的水煙後，細密的雨聲中，巨大的黑狼在奔跑，毛髮擦過低矮的草葉和未長大的小樹，發出悉悉索索的聲音，這聲音越來越近，直到他停下，停在愈來愈細小的雨絲裡，柳延迎上去，看見黑狼的頸項上仿佛戴上了一圈鐵鐐，在夜色昏暗裡閃爍著微微的光。
　　“爹，我回來了。”沈玨說著化成人形，一路奔波，恨兩條腿都不夠用，索性以狼形狂奔，說話的時候他還有些喘，從脖子上取下不知為何失去意識的長蛇，雙手捧著遞了過去。
　　雨下的那麼大，他渾身濕透，而手中黑蛇的鱗甲上，卻無一絲水滴。
　　昏暗無比的光線裡，柳延望見了他頸側的血洞，血跡早已讓雨水沖刷乾淨，傷口泛著慘白的顏色。柳延一手將黑蛇摟在懷裡，一手伸出去，撫上沈玨的傷處，問：“疼嗎？”
　　“不疼。”沈玨說，說著一笑，“他現在可真是討厭我，一路上咬了我好幾回，還要跑，我只好讓他先睡過去，才帶了回來。”
　　說著沈玨伸出胳膊，捋起衣袖給爹爹看，帶著幾分撒嬌的意味，展示自己手臂上的幾個血窟窿。也泛著白，沒有再流血。
　　
　　其中細節柳延沒有再問，不用問，他大約也猜得到。畢竟失去了靈性的伊墨，再也不認得他，生於叢林的野獸們，天生就有一種察覺危險的本能，譬如那年剛抱回的小狼崽，就怕極了伊墨，又比如現在，失去了妖力只是一條野蛇的伊墨，也怕極了這擁有強大力量的黑狼。這是獸類的本能，弱者對強者的畏懼。
　　所以沈玨即使沒有任何敵意，在此時的伊墨眼裡，也是危險的敵人。
　　柳延讓他去上藥，又去廚房往爐灶添柴火，沈玨回房換了身衣衫就趕去，將一人一蛇推搡著，趕出廚房，自己接手，在柳延做好的飯菜旁，又添了兩樣小菜。這才端進房。
　　熱騰騰的飯菜上桌，兩人都是一天滴水未進，低頭各自忙著往胃裡填充食物，一碗米飯剛剛下肚，床上昏沉著的黑蛇此時清醒過來，吐著信子，仿佛在觀察他們。柳延也未多想，立刻放下碗筷走過去，剛伸出手，只聽背後沈玨一聲“別動”，柳延的手已經被咬住。
　　疼歸疼，柳延卻在笑，打量著這死咬自己不鬆口的黑蛇，也不知作何感想，良久方道：“怎麼沒了妖丹，個頭都小了這麼多，那年你可是將我手腕都咬透了。”
　　那蛇自然聽不懂，只管緊咬他不放，毒牙還在注入毒液，許久這人都無反應，倒像是咬在棉花上似的，不痛不癢，莫說毒，連眼皮都沒眨一下。倒是他自己的蛇尾，被柳延提了起來，就勢纏在自己臂膀上。
　　沈玨啞口無言，不得不承認眼前一幕有些滑稽，那黑蛇纏著柳延的胳膊，毒牙卻咬在他的手上不放，因為打回原形失了妖丹，個頭比原先小了許多，否則柳延一隻胳膊，必定舉不起來它。
　　滑稽之外，卻又有三分淒涼。原本他們是最親愛的人啊。
　　
　　臂上掛著那蛇，柳延又走回桌前，幸而伸出的是左手，右手還有自由，可以握得住木箸，繼續吃飯。沈玨雖是妖，卻很少修煉，尤其與家人在一起，每日裡慣了五穀雜糧，人間美食那麼多，何必封了口腹之欲的快活。連伊墨，不也常常一日三餐，自稱吃得滿身濁氣，卻依舊樂此不疲？但這晚，沈玨卻突然沒了食欲。
　　倒是柳延，神情恬靜，始終從容淡定，一手被咬著，都未停止進食。
　　沈玨看了他許久，終於出聲：“爹，他要天天咬你，你就天天這樣麼？”
　　柳延未立刻回答，又吃完一碗米飯，才倒茶漱口，不緊不慢地道：“他雖沒了靈竅，你就當他是傻子了嗎？”
　　沈玨眨了眨眼。
　　柳延解釋道：“他咬幾次發現全然無用，也就不會再咬了。明知道無用，還花力氣咬，那可不是他。”說到這裡柳延頓了一下，而後補了一句：“他懶得很。”
　　沈玨連忙點頭，如醍醐灌頂，跑過去一手捏住黑蛇的頭部，讓它張口，從柳延的肉裡退出毒牙。又將纏繞的蛇身剝下來，提在自己手裡，低頭對著黑蛇自說自話：“你可趁著現在多咬我幾次，往後別突然來一下就行，怪嚇人的。”
　　那蛇吐著信子，扭身就要跑，概因先前咬過他好幾回，也沒把這東西咬死，反倒是自己莫名其妙昏過去，心裡知道不是對手，識趣得很。
　　沈玨很驚訝，一邊不讓他亂跑，一邊說：“爹，他真不咬我啦！”
　　
　　柳延只是笑，笑容平靜，那絲絲惆悵，掩得極好。
　　黑蛇在沈玨手上掙了好一會，也沒掙脫開，索性就放棄了，不再掙扎，要死要活由他，自己確實弱小，這一點判斷無需靈智，只是本能。
　　見他放棄了，沈玨將蛇交給柳延，確認柳延不會天天被咬，也放了心，道：“雨停了，我去找些野物來喂他吃，爹你別讓他亂跑，要是鑽到哪個洞裡去了，我也不容易找到。”
　　柳延應了聲，看他矯捷的身影徹底消失在黑夜中，低下頭，柳延將放棄掙扎的黑蛇緊緊擁進懷裡，這動作過於突然，已然裝死的蛇受了驚，又抬起頭，一口咬在他身上。
　　尖銳的毒牙刺破血肉肌理，刺入前一夜，他曾細細親吻過的地方。被他傷到的人只微顫一下，沒有任何動作，指腹執拗而溫柔的在那冰冷鱗甲上撫摸著，來來回回，反反復複，一遍又一遍的摩挲，仿佛世上最珍貴的寶物。
　　“伊墨。”
　　柳延低低地喚。燭火搖曳著，光線明昧不定。
　　他一遍又一遍地喚：“伊墨。”
　　他的聲音虛無縹緲，在空氣裡經久不散。
　　除了這個名字，除了指尖撫觸的冰涼，此刻，他一無所有。

————————————————

Shen Jue followed behind Yi Mo, looking back every few steps, with eyes full of worry or concern, and finally disappeared into the sunlight. But Yi Mo did not look back, perhaps because he was afraid that if he looked back, he would not be able to bear to leave.

Liu Yan stood there, watching them walk away. On this sunny day, they disappeared. The mountain breeze lifted his long hair, gently lifted it up, and then gently let it down, from the warm and bright day to the sunset. He never moved, as if he had become the old and frozen stone statue in the legend waiting for his lover to return.

The weather in June changes suddenly. The mountain wind gradually grew stronger, and the treetops swayed in the darkness, “Hualala–" as if thousands of leaves were playing their own sounds. With a thunder, bright lightning flashed across the sky, as if it was daytime. Liu Yan blinked and looked up at the sky. Huge and sparse raindrops suddenly hit his eyes, and then one drop after another, like beans falling , hit his skin with a “crackling" sound. In an instant, it rained heavily.

For some reason, Liu Yan remembered that not long ago, he was still a fool, living in this courtyard with Yi Mo. Because of the abundant rain in the mountains, he was often playing happily when Yi Mo called him and told him not to play anymore and to go back to the house immediately. He naturally refused, and dragged on for a long time, and every time Yi Mo pulled him back home.

Often, before the doors were shut tightly, heavy rain would pour down , slanting into the house and soaking his cheeks. At this time, Yi Mo would close the doors and windows, pull him to wipe his face, face to face, wipe the water off his face, and sigh, saying: Don’t you know how to hide from the rain?

I don’t know who is more foolish. Clearly, at that time, the fool wanted him to get closer, to look at his handsome face, so close that he could touch it, to wipe the water droplets off his face, to be so careful, to treat himself like a treasure.

Liu Yan stood in the rain, thinking of the past, and suddenly laughed. Water flowed down the corners of his lips. The heavier the rain, the more affectionate his smile was.

For a lifetime, for three lifetimes , in the memories washed by rain, there is not a trace of dissatisfaction .

In the rainstorm, Liu Yan’s smile was clean and warm, as if all the suffering had never happened, and all the hardships had never been bloody. It was as if he had the most perfect happiness in the world. After three lives , his smile remained unchanged, as if it could ignite the frozen soil, and make the cold-hearted snake demon willing to go anywhere for it.

Like a golden flower blooming silently in a corner, once you notice it, you will never ignore it again. Then, it will become a golden sunshine in your life.

rainstorm lasted for a while , then gradually subsided. Tiny raindrops fell densely on tiles, leaves, wet soil, and eyelashes, making different sounds one by one: crisp sounds, muffled sounds, subtle sounds, and bright sounds.

The sky and the earth were shrouded in water vapor created by the rainstorm, a hazy and dense mist, just like the white smoke rising from the hot springs that year and that month, blocking the distant mountains and nearby waters, but failing to stop the man and the demon.

Liu Yan lowered his eyes, went back into the house, changed his wet clothes, and went to the kitchen to prepare meals.

Behind the hazy water smoke, in the sound of dense rain, a huge black wolf was running, its fur brushing against the low grass leaves and stunted trees, making a rustling sound. The sound was getting closer and closer, until it stopped in the increasingly fine raindrops. Liu Yan ran forward and saw that the black wolf seemed to be wearing a circle of iron shackles around its neck, which flickered faintly in the dim night.

“Dad, I’m back." Shen Jue said as he transformed into a human form and ran all the way. He hated that his two legs were not enough, so he simply ran wildly in wolf form . He was still a little out of breath when he spoke. He took the long snake, which had lost consciousness for some reason, off its neck and handed it over with both hands.

It was raining so heavily that he was soaked all over, but there was not a drop of water on the scales of the black snake in his hand.

In the dim light, Liu Yan saw the bloody hole on his neck. The blood had long been washed away by the rain, and the wound was pale. Liu Yan held the black snake in his arms with one hand, and reached out with the other hand to touch Shen Jue’s wound and asked, “Does it hurt?"

“It doesn’t hurt." Shen Jue said, smiling, “He really hates me now. He bit me several times along the way and tried to run. I had no choice but to let him fall asleep before bringing him back."

Shen Jue stretched out his arm, rolled up his sleeves and showed it to his father, showing the bloody holes on his arm in a coquettish way. They were also white, and no longer bleeding.

Liu Yan did not ask about the details. He could probably guess without asking. After all, Yi Mo, who had lost his spirituality, would no longer recognize him. Wild animals born in the jungle were born with an instinct to detect danger. For example, the wolf cub that was just brought back that year was very afraid of Yi Mo. For example, now, Yi Mo, who had lost his magic power and was just a wild snake , was also very afraid of the powerful black wolf. This was the instinct of animals, the fear of the weak against the strong.

So even if Shen Jue had no hostility, in Yi Mo’s eyes at this moment, he was still a dangerous enemy.

Liu Yan asked him to apply medicine and go to the kitchen to add firewood to the stove. Shen Jue went back to his room to change clothes and rushed over. He pushed the man and the snake out of the kitchen and took over. He added two side dishes to the meal prepared by Liu Yan and then brought it into the room.

The hot meal was served. Both of them had not eaten anything for the whole day. They lowered their heads and were busy filling their stomachs with food. Just after finishing a bowl of rice, the black snake that was unconscious on the bed woke up and spit out its tongue, as if observing them. Liu Yan did not think much about it. He immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks and walked over. Just as he stretched out his hand, he heard Shen Jue behind him say “Don’t move", and Liu Yan’s hand was bitten.

Although it hurt , Liu Yan was smiling. He looked at the black snake that was biting him tightly and didn’t know what he was thinking. After a long while, he said, “How come you have shrunk so much without the demon pill? That year, you bit my wrist through."

The snake naturally didn’t understand, and just bit him tightly, its fangs still injecting venom. For a long time, the man didn’t react, as if he was biting cotton, no pain, no itching, not to mention the poison, he didn’t even blink. But his own snake tail was lifted up by Liu Yan and wrapped around his arm.

Shen Jue was speechless. He had to admit that the scene before him was a little funny. The black snake was wrapped around Liu Yan’s arm, but its fangs were biting on his hand. Because it had lost its demon pill after returning to its original form, it was much smaller than before. Otherwise, Liu Yan would not be able to lift it with one arm.

Besides being funny, it is also sad. They were originally the dearest ones.

With the snake hanging on his arm, Liu Yan walked back to the table. Fortunately, he stretched out his left hand, and his right hand was still free, so he could hold the chopsticks and continue eating. Although Shen Jue was a demon, he seldom practiced, especially when he was with his family. He was used to eating grains every day. There were so many delicacies in the world, so why should he suppress his appetite? Lian Yimo, didn’t he often eat three meals a day, claiming that he was full of turbid air, but he still enjoyed it? But this night, Shen Jue suddenly lost his appetite.

Liu Yan, on the other hand, had a serene expression and remained calm. Even when one of his hands was bitten, he did not stop eating.

Shen Jue looked at him for a long time, and finally spoke: “Dad, if he bites you every day, will you do this every day?"

Liu Yan did not answer immediately. He finished another bowl of rice, poured tea to rinse his mouth, and said slowly: “Although he has lost his spiritual power, do you think he is a fool?"

Shen Jue blinked.

Liu Yan explained: “He bit it a few times and found it was completely useless, so he stopped biting. Knowing it was useless, but still wasting energy biting, that’s not him." Liu Yan paused here, and then added: “He is very lazy."

Shen Jue nodded quickly, as if he had suddenly realized something. He ran over and grabbed the black snake’s head with one hand, forcing it to open its mouth and pull its fangs out of Liu Yan’s flesh. He then peeled off the snake’s body and held it in his own hand. He lowered his head and talked to the black snake, “You can bite me a few more times now, and don’t come at me suddenly later, it’s scary."

The snake spit out its tongue, turned around and tried to run away, probably because it had bitten it several times before and failed to kill it. Instead, it fainted for no apparent reason. It knew in its heart that it was no match for the snake and so it was very tactful.

Shen Jue was very surprised. While stopping him from running around, he said, “Dad, he really doesn’t bite me!"

Liu Yan just smiled, his smile was calm, and the slight melancholy was well concealed.

The black snake struggled in Shen Jue’s hand for a long time but failed to break free, so it simply gave up and stopped struggling. It was up to him to decide whether to live or die. It was indeed weak, and this judgment did not require any intelligence, but only instinct.

Seeing that he had given up, Shen Jue handed the snake to Liu Yan. After confirming that Liu Yan would not be bitten every day, he felt relieved and said, “When the rain stops, I will go find some wild animals to feed him. Dad, don’t let him run around. If he hides in a hole, it will be difficult for me to find him."

Liu Yan responded and watched his nimble figure completely disappear into the darkness. He lowered his head and hugged the black snake, which had given up struggling, tightly into his arms. The action was too sudden, and the snake, which was already pretending to be dead, was frightened. It raised its head again and bit him.

The sharp fangs pierced through the flesh and blood, piercing the place he had kissed carefully the night before. The person he hurt only trembled slightly, without any movement, and his fingertips stroked the cold scales stubbornly and gently, back and forth, over and over again, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

“Yi Mo."

Liu Yan called softly. The candlelight flickered, the light was dim and uncertain.

He called out over and over again: “Yi Mo."

His voice was ethereal and lingered in the air for a long time.

Apart from this name and the coolness of his fingertips, he had nothing at this moment.