"Going along this street is the Jiazi Hall, which is the secret treasury of the imperial city. The history and top secrets of Zhao State, as well as many old antiques, are stored there. However, the hall is extremely tightly guarded. , it is difficult for birds to approach." Zhao Shisong pointed to a large area of ordinary-looking houses and slowly introduced them.
Ning Jiujiu looked along the line of sight he pointed at. He saw the deep gate of the mansion, the stone lion lanterns, and the guards coming and going in an orderly manner. It seemed that they had not been affected by the recent turmoil in the imperial city.
Beside him, Ning Xiaoling was rubbing her eyes, looking a little sleepy. After she was woken up by her senior brother, she was pulled out in a daze before she could ask what happened.
Ning Jiujiu withdrew his gaze: "What a huge sword intent and killing intent."
Zhao Shisong tightened his fists in his sleeves and immediately said with a smile: "It has been more than a hundred years since the founding of Zhao Dynasty. Naturally, there are many killing weapons hidden in Jiazi Palace."
Ning took a long look at the girl beside him and said, "Junior sister, can you feel anything?"
Ning Xiaoling glanced at the deep palace compound, frowned and shook her head.
Zhao Shisong looked at the cute little girl and said, "I heard that this little sister was also attacked last night?"
Ning Jiujiu nodded and said: "He is also hers."
Ning Xiaoling recalled the scene last night and said with lingering fear: "Fortunately, senior brother arrived and gave me a hand."
Zhao Shisong said with emotion: "Actually, Zhao has never understood why the little Taoist Master with such a cultivation level would follow Ning Qinshui. What are you planning?"
Ning Jiujiu didn't want to answer this question, but just smiled and said: "Even if I was a little late last night, junior sister would not have died. This little girl is so powerful."
Ning Xiaoling was stunned, she lowered her head slightly, her expression was extremely indifferent at that moment, her eyes seemed to be filled with wind and snow, and then she became calm again.
She raised her head and smiled: "Senior brother, what are you laughing at?"
Ning Changai rubbed her head and smiled lightly.
Zhao Shisong looked at the brothers and sisters and felt increasingly unpredictable.
The three of them were getting farther and farther away from Jiazi Palace.
Zhao Shisong has a distinguished status, and everyone always greets him and greets him when they see him along the way.
Ning Jiujiu stopped and looked at the awakening ancient city quietly.
After exiting the archway under the palace wall, you can see a large lake not far away. The center of the lake is filled with mist, and red leaves are stacked on the lakeside. There are palace maids on the lakeside throwing fish food, and ripples on the lake surface.
Zhao Shisong smiled and said: "This is Qifeng Lake. It was not dug by humans. Zhao originally built it among the mountains and steep soil, so it was not easy."
Ning Jiujiu looked back and saw that the splendid and splendid palace was built against the mountain, while the layout of the imperial city was much flatter. Beyond the continuous palaces, there were connected markets and streets, and further out, the line of sight expanded into villages. The fortresses are also well distributed.
Zhao Shisong recalled something and let out a long sigh: "In the past, Zhao State also occupied many fertile lands in the south, but more than ten years ago, many of them were ceded to Rong State in exchange for a temporary peace... Unfortunately, later, Because of His Highness Xiang'er's incident, everything was ruined."
Ning Changjiu pointed to the south of the lake and asked, "Follow this road and you'll find the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion, right?"
Zhao Shisong nodded and said: "Well, in the past two years, the national master was still full of black hair and energetic. Now the national destiny is in decline. The national master inherited the national destiny, so he is also getting old and dying."
Ning Jiujiu asked: "The national teacher inherits the destiny of the country, so what does the shaman master inherit?"
Zhao Shisong said: "The main work of the Witch Lord's lineage is to annotate ancient arcane books, pass on Taoism, and defend the city. The Witch Lord's authority over the imperial city is second only to His Majesty, so if the Imperial City is destroyed , the witch master will also suffer backlash. When Lord Xueyu brought trouble to the imperial city, it was the witch master himself who took action to suppress him."
Ning Jiujiu was a little puzzled: "The national teacher inherits the destiny of a country, and the witch master inherits the destiny of a city?"
Zhao Shisong said: "That's exactly it."
Ning Xiaoling listened on the side and whispered: "It sounds like the Imperial Master is much more powerful."
Zhao Shisong smiled bitterly and did not answer.
Ning Jiujiu knew that he was hiding something, but after all, the matter involved the top secrets of Zhao State, so he did not ask further questions.
The three of them walked along the lake. Ning Jiujiu looked at the red leaves floating all over the ground and wondered: "It is recorded in the book that Lord Xueyu is a demon bird from the Half-step Ziting. He has a very high status. Why did he appear in Zhao Kingdom?" Imperial City?”
Zhao Shisong said: "The establishment of the city by the State of Zhao opened up many originally barbaric lands. Perhaps those lands were originally the territory of the Blood Feather Lord. If they were occupied for no reason, they would naturally arouse anger."
Ning Jiujiu asked: "Has that Blood Feather Lord been killed?"
Zhao Shisong said: "It's just an expulsion. The witch master was also seriously injured for this."
The two of them walked a lot of distance while asking and answering questions. The mist of the great lake was like a gauze, and the light of the rising sun behind them filtered through. The strands were like sharp swords, slowly parting the cold mist. At the other end of the lakeshore, guards with knives were walking back and forth. Behind their intertwined figures was a large area of broken ruins.
"Qianyu Palace?" Ning Changjiu asked.
Ning Xiaoling stood on tiptoes and looked over. Through the long corridor between the high walls, she could vaguely see the collapsed corner of the grand hall. Even after a long time, the cracked bricks and tiles along the way were filled with wet murder. meaning.
Zhao Shisong clenched a fist in front of him and held it behind his back, his eyes full of regret. The temple that was once regarded as a holy place has not yet emerged from nirvana after a huge fire.
"It's a pity that I have never met the empress. I can only get a glimpse of the beauty of the empress from Her Highness Xiang'er."
Ning Jiujiu clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for clearing up the confusion along the way."
Zhao Shisong waved his hand: "Compared with the little Taoist Master's life-saving grace, it's nothing."
Ning Jiujiu said: "Next, I want to take a walk with my junior sister. Is it okay?"
Zhao Shisong said: "Of course you can, but the Taoist priests must not trespass into those secret warehouses I just mentioned."
Ning Changjiu said: "I have a sense of propriety, so I naturally avoid those places."
Zhao Shisong suddenly looked a little embarrassed: "The Prince's Mansion...and Tang Yu, I..."
Ning Jiujiu said: "Just follow the agreement and don't interfere in this matter anymore. Zhao Xiang'er probably has no time to care about you."
After saying goodbye to Zhao Shisong, Ning Changjiu and Ning Xiaoling walked slowly by the lake. In the distance were the ancient palaces, and nearby were wet fallen leaves. The golden light broke through the sky, and the mist on the lake gradually dispersed, glowing with sporadic golden colors. .
Ning Xiaoling stepped on the fallen leaves, folded her arms, and tightened her slightly thin Taoist skirt. Her immature cheeks were slightly red from the cold. She glanced in the direction of Qianyu Hall again, frowning slightly, not knowing what to think. What are you wearing
"Senior brother..." Her eyes moved along the high walls of the imperial city, and she said, "What state are you in at this moment?"
Ning Jiujiu glanced at her doubtfully, then smiled and shook his head: "Realm is just people's imagination. It's like a glass of water. When it is empty, it is empty. When some water is poured in, there is water. When water is poured in, there is still water. When it overflows, it is full... During the process of pouring water, people carved many scales on it as marks for the convenience of recording. As milestones, I think it is meaningless."
"Why?" Ning Xiaoling was a little dissatisfied.
Ning Jiujiu said: "Because the water is in the cup after all. Only when the water jumps out of the cup and starts to look for a larger container, that node is the node of the realm in the true sense..."
Ning Xiaoling sighed leisurely and said with a wry smile: "But senior brother, have you ever thought that most practitioners in the world will never be able to see the edge of a cup in their lifetime."
Ning Jiujiu stopped, thought for a while, and said: "Well, for most people, even cultivation is just a castle in the air, but junior sister, you are different. Since you can form an innate spirit, you are already above ten thousand people." .”
Saying this, Ning Jiujiu thought of his current body and felt a little depressed, wondering where he could go now.
Ning Xiaoling also thought of her mouse-sized fox with a broken tail, and puffed up her cheeks with confidence. She raised her head and glanced at Ning Changchun, and asked curiously: "Senior brother, does he have innate spirit?"
Ning hesitated for a moment before slowly spitting out one syllable: "Yes."
Ning Xiaoling was shocked and almost blurted out: "What is it?"
Ning Jiujiu looked at her calmly: "My innate spirit is gone."
Ning Xiaoling was a little stunned for a moment.
Once the innate spirit appears, it will be integrated with the sea of qi. If the innate spirit is forcibly removed, the sea of qi will also be shattered and become a useless person...
What exactly happened to him that night? Who is the person standing in front of me at this moment
Ning Xiaoling felt terrified. She had suppressed the fear in her heart for a long time, and now it was like a needle running over her skin, making her feel physically and mentally trembling.
She asked casually: "How come the innate spirit is missing? Senior brother, did he forget it?"
Ning Changjiu shook his head gently and did not answer.
In that memory that was so far away that it was almost false, the last scene he remembered was an extremely bright sword light piercing his heart. Beyond the most extreme sword light was the most indifferent and most beautiful face.
He didn't know her name, but he knew that she was his master.
In his vague memory, he vaguely saw his innate spirit being pulled out by her and cut off with a sword.
She seemed to have said something to herself. That sentence seemed important, but he couldn't remember it.
The memory of that life ended abruptly. From then until he woke up in this body, he only vaguely remembered that he was trapped in a desolate place like a cemetery.
He no longer thought about that, and looked at the towers of Zhao State. The rising light of the rising sun reflected the age of the city, making it look like a trapped beast in its twilight years.
"Do you like this city?" Ning Jiujiu suddenly asked.
Ning Xiaoling sat down on the shore of the lake. Her petite and beautiful shadow was reflected in the water. She said lightly:
"I've only been here a few days, how can I talk about likes and dislikes?"
Ning Changjiu said: "Three hundred years of Zhao State's life have been very difficult."
Ning Xiaoling nodded and said: "The two hungry wolves of Rongguo and Jinguo are always watching. Even if I cut off a lot of meat, how can I feed them?"
Ning Jiujiu smiled and said: "Then do you know why Zhao Guo was able to carve out a piece of his own land among them a hundred years ago?"
Ning Xiaoling said: "I wasn't born yet at that time, how would I know?"
Ning Jiujiu smiled and said: "Because there are immortals to help me."
Ning Xiaoling also laughed: "Senior brother, do you believe those legends too?"
Ning Jiujiu said: "I once read some classics of human dynasties. At that time, I thought they were legends. Living in the palace these days, I vaguely felt that those legends might be true."
Ning Xiaoling shook her legs gently and said, "What did senior brother say? What legend is it?"
Ning Jiujiu also sat down next to her: "That is the true foundation of Zhao State. Junior sister is too young, so hearing this at this moment may be a bit bluffing."
Ning Xiaoling blinked: "It's okay, senior brother, can you tell me about it?"
…
…
There were many strange birds gathering in the sky above the Imperial Prefect's Mansion. Some of them stayed on the ridge of the roof, and some fluttered their wings and circled in the sky. However, as if they were afraid of disturbing the girl in the mansion, they remained silent.
The legend about the sparrow ghost caused great panic in the palace. The attack on Zhao Shisong last night also spread to a small area. However, Zhao Shisong's own words were very vague. He only said that the sparrow ghost was seeking his life. Thanks to the family The little Taoist priest rescued him in time, and the appearance and words of the witch master that day locked the identity of the sparrow ghost on the demon bird Xue Yujun who caused trouble in the imperial city many years ago.
Many old people who have experienced the Blood Feather Lord's rebellion still have lingering fears, hoping that the witch master will take action again to completely kill the monster bird.
Those who knew more about the inside story did not believe Mr. Xueyu's statement. What they were most afraid of was the girl who was currently temporarily living in the Imperial Master's Mansion.
She now holds the authority of the Grand Formation of the National Preceptor's Mansion, and the name of the National Preceptor is related to her, so it is naturally difficult for them to take action.
But Zhao Xiang'er will leave the house one day, so privately, many people have contacted Jin State and made intensive preparations. At the moment when the empress was surrounded and killed, everything was irreversible, and she could only do one thing and kill the other, including the highness.
The girl is still in the house, but the killer is already on the way.
But for those, the girls in the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion turned a blind eye and listened.
In the early morning, after Zhao Xiang'er woke up, she took a shower and changed into a dark silk dress. Her long, ink-dyed hair was draped wetly on her shoulders, like clouds carrying rain.
The winding corridor is entangled with ancient vines. On one side of the corridor, there is an old well with withered moss.
"This well is connected to the underground spring of Qifeng Lake. It is very sweet. If you want to make tea, I can make you a pot."
At the entrance of the corridor, the Imperial Master stood leaning on a cane. His spirit became increasingly depressed and his tone of voice became slower and slower.
Zhao Xiang'er looked at the well and said, "The water in the well does not interfere with the water in the lake. Sir, there is no need to hide it. In fact, I know everything."
The old man's stooped body trembled, and the hand holding the cane involuntarily exerted force. Even though his spiritual power was blocked at the moment, cracks still appeared on the floor tiles under the tip of the cane.
Zhao Xiang'er smiled: "There is a well like this in the Qianyu Palace, one in the Immortal Forest, and one in the palace. When I was very young, I heard the sound of ghosts screaming down the well, and I went down to take a look."
The old man stared at her: "So you know everything?"
Zhao Xiang'er said: "Now that the Qianyu Palace has been destroyed, and the well leading to the depths of the underground palace has been sealed, I can't go to either the imperial palace or the Immortal Forest, so I came to the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion."
The old man smiled mockingly to himself: "I thought that with my decrepit body, I could still get some attention from His Highness, but now that I think about it, I am arrogant."
Zhao Xiang'er shook his head: "Teacher, there is no need to be humble."
The old man sighed, and the speculation in his heart was now realized. He said in a serious tone: "Do you know what kind of monster is under that underground palace?"
Zhao Xianger said: "I once saw him through the stove grate. He is a very strong old monster. All the killers I have seen in my life combined are not half as strong as him."
The old man lamented: "Then don't you understand that the meaning of the existence of the Zhao Kingdom is just for it? If it escapes from the underground palace, the entire Zhao Kingdom will cease to exist!"
Zhao Xiang'er looked at him calmly and slowly talked about that period of history: "My mother once told me that five hundred years ago, dozens of great demons with powerful demonic powers sprung up in the world like bamboo shoots after rain. Except for the twelve lords of the Hidden Kingdom, there are very few people in the world who can truly kill them. The lords of the Hidden Kingdom are limited by the laws of heaven and earth and cannot directly interfere with the world, so they ordered their envoys to go to the human world and use the fate of the city-states in the world to suppress the world. Demons, and many of the barbaric places where they were suppressed had no territory, so the envoys helped people open up territories and establish city-states there, which was the legendary Immortal-Forged Kingdom."
"Five hundred years ago, many countries emerged one after another. Their foundation was to suppress these evil spirits that were causing trouble in the world."
"A hundred years ago, a great demon escaped. Immortals chased it for thousands of miles, and finally shattered its body at the foot of Xiantai Mountain. Then the immortal built an imperial city on Xiantai Mountain and used four treasures to protect the country. 'Zhao' was Born from this.”
As Zhao Xiang'er spoke, she walked towards the well, her dark skirt fluttering in the autumn wind like a sliver of night.
The old man's expression gradually turned from intense to lonely, and he said in a solemn voice: "Even so, you still want to go into the well? Do you know how powerful it is? It can kill you with just a snap of your fingers."
Zhao Xiang'er said: "Then you don't know, what exactly is it eating away at? Where did Zhao's earthquakes, floods, plagues, and many natural and man-made disasters come from? You don't know the fate of the country that you inherited, right?" "
The old man Xiao Suo said: "So what? No matter how difficult these disasters are, they cannot shake the foundation of Zhao State. Since this is the foundation of Zhao State, it is naturally the fate that Zhao should bear!"
There are piles of fallen leaves beside the ancient well, like red and yellow ink, like rusty swords.
After the autumn rain, the water in the well rose a lot, and her beautiful face swayed in the water, stained with the beauty of the well water.
She looked at her reflection in the water and said, "I want to try to kill it."
The old man looked at her and almost begged: "Xian'er... stop it. It's still too late to stop now. Those people outside who want to kill you, I will try my best to stop them for you. I just ask you... "
Zhao Xiang'er interrupted him: "I will give Zhao a peaceful world."
After saying that, she lifted up the front of her skirt, held the ancient umbrella, and jumped into the well.
The sound of water in his ears was like thunder, and the old man lifted up his head with a sudden breath. The crutch in his hand was not held firmly and fell to the ground with a clatter. He pressed his chest and sat down slumped.
A moment later, a servant suddenly rushed from the pavilion. He was lying on the ground, and his voice was extremely panicked: "National Preceptor... National Preceptor, what's wrong, the national seal... is missing!"
The old man was stunned for a long time. He tremblingly picked up the crutch, threw it towards the ancient well, covered his face and said sadly:
"Crazy... crazy, all crazy..."
…
The water of Qifeng Lake was undulating with waves, and when the bells in the imperial city rang in the distance, Ning Jiujiu finished telling the legend about Zhao Kingdom.
Ning Xiaoling stared at him seriously, regained her consciousness a little, and asked curiously: "Is there really a big monster pressing under our feet?"
Ning Jiujiu said: "Maybe it's true, maybe the story is just a story."
Ning Xiaoling said worriedly: "Then what if one day it escapes from the ground?"
Ning Jiujiu looked up at the sky, "Then I have no choice but to take you to escape."
Ning Xiaoling looked at him with watery eyes: "Then you must not abandon me then."
On the official road not far away, two rows of officials were kneeling on the road. At this moment, the city gate was wide open, and the light shone in through the high brick wall.
On the arch bridge in the distance, Ning Jiujiu saw Song Bian's figure again.
Behind him, no one was carrying a small blue and white sedan, but it was floating out of thin air, undulating evenly as it came, as if the air around it was all lake water, gently dragging the small boat.
At this moment, the sky and the earth are bright, and the blue and white sedan has hanging curtains. Looking along the sunshine, you can vaguely see a graceful figure in the sedan, looking at the flowers through the fog, like an immortal from another world.
I would rather remain unmoved for a long time.
Ning Xiaoling stared blankly, forgetting her words.