At night, in the deserted suburbs of Tongguan County, 6,000 people gathered to sleep on the endless loess plain.
The wind is blowing, the night is still chilly in the early summer, and the rest of the Sixteen Hus have already fallen asleep. There are faint wolf howls from the distant mountains, and the shadows of the mountains and rivers are like a huge curtain.
The Big Dipper hangs in the sky, and the Xinghe River in the summer night is like a powder sprinkled in the sky, which is extremely brilliant.
On the ground, Chen Xing was wrapped in a blanket, fascinated by the bonfire.
After leaving the Epang Palace, Xiang Shu became silent, and his subordinates did not bother the three of them. They only set up a bonfire under the lonely tree in the wilderness, and no one came to approach Xiang Shutao. Only Chen Xing, Xiang Shu, and Feng Qianjun sat quietly.
Feng Qianjun untied the shroud, revealing the hunched body of his elder brother Feng Qianyi. He set up a firewood frame by the copper water, and burned his brother's body with a fire.
The flames ignited and devoured Feng Qianyi's body. His legs were amputated below the knees, and his long-term use of a wheelchair caused his limbs to shrink, just like a child. A gust of wind blew, and the fly ash rose to the sky. Chen Xing vaguely saw a faint trace of light rising continuously, flying towards the splendid galaxy in the sky.
Xiang Shu raised his head and saw a broad and gorgeous light band overlapping in the Yin Han, like a huge river, passing through the night sky.
"Did you see it?" Chen Xing said.
Xiang Shu frowned slightly.
"Tianmai," Chen Xing said, "the destination of all the 'Dao' between heaven and earth, Lao Tzu said, the metaphysical is called the 'Dao'. The metaphysical is called the vessel. All things living in the human world will one day break away from the form of the vessel. , will be included in the avenues.”
Xiang Shu said, "Is that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?"
"No," Chen Xing said, "the veins of the sky and the veins of the earth are both higher-level rivers than the spiritual energy."
As his brother's body turned into ashes, Feng Qianjun put the ashes in a box, returned to the two of them, wiped a small jade plaque, turned it over and looked at the bonfire in the afterglow, and wrote the number: Dahan Exorcist Feng.
"Xifeng Bank used to be the largest base in Luoyang." Feng Qianjun said, "When my eldest brother took over the family business with my father, I was studying art in Kuaiji. From the age of seven to sixteen, I only saw my eldest brother once in two or three years."
Chen Xing was wrapped in a blanket and remained silent. He knew that at this time, Feng Qianjun needed to speak to relieve his inner anguish.
Feng Qianjun added: "At that time, Luoyang was still subordinate to the 'Yan Kingdom' built by the Murong Clan."
Xifeng Qianzhuang bought a wealthy industry in Luoyang, the famous capital of the world at that time, and maintained a certain relationship with the Jin people in the south, secretly preparing for the great cause of expelling the Hu Hu by raising troops, waiting for the opportunity to welcome the Jin army to restore the country.
Later, Fu Jian sent people to capture Dayan, and the city was destroyed overnight. The Murong clan took all the prisoners and surrendered to Fu Jian. It was also during this war that Feng Qianyi took his family and fled in a hurry, but the army was in chaos, and all his family soldiers died in the battle, his wife was killed by the chaotic army, and both children died in the war. His legs were also run over by a chariot.
Hearing the bad news, Feng Qianjun immediately went north to search for his brother's whereabouts. After several years, he finally found his brother in Chang'an.
Feng Qianyi didn't mention much about the past, but told him in an understatement that this is what he must face on the road to great cause. Since Dayan is dead, the current target is Fu Jian. And the Murong Clan is also the minister of destroying the country, but he can try to win over and use it.
"I still remember the first day I saw Qinghe," Feng Qianjun said in a trance, "she and her brother Murong Chong were locked in the deep palace, and my brother sent me to buy her some jewelry. Murong Chong didn't like to talk, but she was very happy. Very, asked my name... asked me if the peony in Luoyang had bloomed, and asked a lot of things about the north..."
"...After Dayan destroyed the country, I haven't been to Luoyang for three years, so I had to make up some lies to deceive her." Feng Qianjun recovered, smiled reluctantly at Chen Xing, and said, "Go home and tell eldest brother, eldest brother only Say, whether Luoyang or Guanzhong, Youzhou and Yongzhou are all places where we Han people, what face do Xianbei people have to regard Luoyang as their hometown?"
Hearing this, Xiang Shu got up and left, leaving the space for the conversation to the two Han Chinese, Chen Xing and Feng Qianjun.
Feng Qianjun smiled helplessly: "But the Murong family of Dayan was destroyed by a Han Chinese. Wang Meng obeyed Fu Jian and won this battle, which also led to the loss of life in the four barriers. They also looked down on Wang Meng because he As Fu Jian's official, Tianchi, do you hate them?"
Chen Xing remembered his father's death, and looked at Xiang Shu who was lying on the ground and leaning on a rock not far away.
"My father said before his death that the Hu people or the Han people," Chen Xing said slowly, "all of them are residents of this splendid Shenzhou. The battle between kings, which time is this not like this? The Han people who are dressed in the south still have the idea of revenge, but if it is replaced by the soldiers and people who died in the rebellion of the eight kings, where can they find someone to reason with them?”
"In the final analysis, only the word "stop the war" is enough." Chen Xing sighed, "What's more, if this chaos is not eradicated, the day when a large-scale outbreak will occur, the Hu people and the Han people, I don't think there is any need to continue fighting. , the end is the same, that is, death."
Feng Qianjun was silent, looked down at the Sen Luo knife in his hand, and weighed it.
"Are you planning to go to the north with Da Shan?" Feng Qianjun asked.
"I don't know." Chen Xing's brows showed anxiety, "Time is running out, and there is no clue as to the reason why all things return to silence. At least in the next three years, I have to find mana for everyone. I don't care if I ask, there is someone who can stand up to Feng Qianyi's master. We are not the only exorcists in the world.
Chen Xing got the first clue that it was related to Dinghaizhu. Although the inside story has not yet been understood, according to records, in the second year of Wanfa's return to solitude, Dinghaizhu still contains powerful magic power, and it is impossible to get rid of it.
It's just that the sky is big, where can I find it
Feng Qianjun said, "Just leave it to me to investigate the chaos. Brother Yu will set off early tomorrow morning."
Chen Xing: "Where are you going?"
Feng Qianjun said: "Maybe secretly sneak back to Chang'an, maybe go to Luoyang, or go to find the tombs of the eight kings, and investigate who the eldest brother has met during his lifetime, and how to get the trick to drive grievances. You only need to concentrate on finding you. Dinghaizhu."
Chen Xing immediately said: "Brother Feng, don't worry about this matter..."
Feng Qianjun pondered: "I can roughly drive the Sen Luo knife, although in another way."
Chen Xing did not expect that the magic weapon that used to be driven by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has now absorbed grievances and used it for his own use. Played a powerful effect, Feng Qianjun's identity has also inspired the magic of all things in history, awakened the mountains and seas, and led the endless life, resulting in a complete change.
Become a dark exorcist.
And rashly attracting resentment, forcibly launching the Senluo knife in this way will definitely cause powerful damage to the body. Chen Xing reminded Feng Qianjun repeatedly, Feng Qianjun explained: "Don't worry, where there is no resentment, you can't use magic."
This is also true. Feng Qianjun wants to sacrifice the Senluo knife and summon the withered tree demon and bloodthirsty vines. The prerequisite is that in a place full of resentment, as long as there are no large-scale dead people around, this knife lacks resentment power and cannot be activated. .
"Give me a little more time," Chen Xing replied, "let me think about it."
Seeing that Chen Xing could not be beaten by Feng Qianjun, he nodded and motioned him to go back and rest. Chen Xing wanted to sleep peacefully under the tree, but Feng Qianjun moved him and asked him to go beside Xiang Shu.
Chen Xing walked through the open space and came to Xiang Shu. Xiang Shu did not say a word, closed his eyes, and heard the hoarse crows in the distance. Xiang Shu suddenly woke up, with a little fear and panic in his eyes, and looked at the crows flying. past.
Chen Xing observed Xiang Shu curiously, and saw that he regained his composure very quickly, so he whispered, "I have to go to Ding Haizhu. The bad thing is, the records from the Yin-Yang Mirror are all gone."
"I know the place," Xiang said, "follow me."
Chen Xing: "!!!"
The map drawn on the last page is called "Ozawa". Chen Xing has made many guesses, maybe it is Yunmeng Daze, but this place only exists in legends, and the exact location has not been found.
"In the south?" Chen Xing asked.
Xiang Shu didn't answer, moved a little away, leaving Chen Xing a place.
Chen Xing leaned over, and Xiang Shu said again: "Go back to Chilechuan first, many things need the support of the clan."
Chen Xing counted the time. When he left Huashan, he had four years left. Now that Shenzhou has entered the summer, there are only more than three years left. The time was quite short, but he did not urge Xiang Shu, but nodded.
In the middle of the night, when the plain was extremely silent, Xiang Shu suddenly opened his eyes and looked into the distance.
Feng Qianjun got up from under the tree, took his brother's ashes, got on his horse, and when he walked around the perimeter of the temporary camp, he raised his hand and waved at Xiang Shu.
Xiang Shufu closed his eyes again, and Feng Qianjun dived into the twilight like this.
When the child was born, the phantom magic palace was filled with ubiquitous blood-red rays of light.
A huge heart like a house is hanging in the air, pacing slowly, the blood vessels tangled in Qu Qiu are covered with the strange giant heart, spreading to every corner of the Magic Palace.
Thousands of blood vessels seep into the walls, absorbing the nourishment of resentment from the earth, and the radiance of the ley lines is refined into an endless stream of purple-black aura, which is injected into the heart along the blood vessels.
A scribe wearing a mask and a black robe, holding the corpse of Princess Qinghe in his hands, walked slowly into the Magic Palace.
"This mortal," the heart hoarse, "is so uncontrollable."
The scribe said: "Feng Qianyi was eager to take revenge, and was broken by the holder of the heart lamp, thus disrupting our plan."
The voice in my heart was furious: "It's stupid! You ruined the magic soldier you spent so much effort training for nothing!"
The scribe replied: "Feng Qianyi has been burnt to ashes, and it can be regarded as a punishment for him, my lord, but please calm down. There are always people, and there are hundreds of thousands of herdsmen left in the ancient alliance of Chile, who will fill in this. Lack, it's always enough. It's Shulukong this person..."
After a brief silence, the scholar said leisurely: "The first warrior outside the Great Wall... Even if he is chosen as the exorcist's protector, he shouldn't be so unbelievable. It's really strange, why did Xin Deng choose him?"
"A mortal," said the heart slowly, "no matter how strong you are, there are limits, why should you be afraid of it?"
The scribe replied respectfully: "My lord doesn't know anything, although the number of members of the Cilichuan League outside the Great Wall is limited, it is a force that should not be underestimated, otherwise it would not have been so much trouble in the past. For use, it will save a lot of unnecessary trouble."
"This is not something you should be worried about now, how should the Wanling Formation solve it?" the heart hissed, "I have been dormant for many years, and I would never want to fall short due to such an accident. Considering last week, the exorcist has already been executed. Your two subordinates!"
The scribe said: "Now that Fu Jian has destroyed the Great Wall and exiled Shulükong, there will be no threat to Chang'an in the short term. We are still in the dark, Chen Xing has followed Shulükong and fled outside the fortress, and he will not return to the Central Plains for the time being. So I sent Zhou Zhen to go and get rid of the two of them together, so that they would no longer be able to affect the resurrection of our Lord. Of course, now that everything is quiet, the only lamp can still play a small role, even if it is ignored, it will not cause many storms... I host."
The scribe placed Princess Qinghe on the altar directly below the huge heart and asked, "Please give this girl a new life. Next, the Wanling Array in Chang'an must rely on her."
There was a sneer in the heart, a little blood condensed, and slowly dripped down the membrane wall. With a soft sound, it dripped on the body of Princess Qinghe, and the corpse emitted bursts of red light and resentment lingered.
In the late summer and early autumn, the Sixteen Husbands led by Xiang Shu left the Great Wall and entered the sea of grass. The sky is high and the earth is far away, and flocks of birds are flying. The north side of this majestic Shenzhou is another scene compared with the prosperous city of Guanzhong.
And along the way north, more and more people brought their families and joined them. The Qiang and Di tribes lived in Guanlong for a long time, but they were not given preferential treatment. The various tribes fought and fought for a long time. After another year of severe drought, the people were unable to make a living, so they had to give up their cultivated fields, and accompanied Da Chanyu all the way to the north, changing their way of making a living.
One after another, this migratory team has reached tens of thousands of people, gathering a very spectacular scene. When passing the Great Wall, General Qin did not dare to stop him, so he had to switch to let it go. When they arrived at Caohai, Xiang Shu's troops found a carriage from nowhere, purchased a set of supplies before leaving the fortress, and finally assembled into a convoy, galloping to the end of the world, Chilechuan.
What kind of place is that? Chen Xing asked Xiang Shu's entourage, and the answer was that it was north of Shenzhou, the last area where people lived.
Further north, there are large tundra and snow fields swaying in the wind and snow, a desolate area, and very few people who travel north have returned.
The major branches of Guanzhong Wuhu originated from Baitou Mountain, Xing'an Mountains, Xiliang and other places, and finally became the Chile Ancient League under the Chile River, which is also the common birthplace of the Huns and the Tiele people, and is collectively referred to by all the Han people. It is the common hometown of the "Hu" race.
As the song sings, Chilechuan, under the Yin Mountain, the sky is like a dome, covering the four fields.
"I live as a nomad with few doctors," Xiang said. "I bought medicines from the Central Plains along the way and brought them back to Chilechuan."
Chen Xing issued a prescription and asked Xiang Shu's subordinates to buy it. In his spare time, he would sit in the carriage and watch Xiang Shu write and draw on a piece of paper.
Feng Qianjun left without saying goodbye, which made him very worried, but the most urgent task is to find out the whereabouts of Dinghaizhu as soon as possible. As long as the mana returns to the land of Shenzhou, half of the burden of Chen Xing will be relieved. He believes that with time, the ancient exorcist will be The industry will eventually recover, and a powerful force will be assembled to fight against the masters behind Feng Qianyi and the "魃" they created.
The plan for now is to hope that Fu Jian will stop massacres and control his grievances a little.
Chen Xing said: "I really have no clue about the 'Daze' mentioned in the book."
Xiang Shushi's two fingers are slightly hooked on the charcoal strips, which is different from the posture of the Han people when they catch the pen, but the slender fingers look very beautiful, and outline the zigzag mountains, rivers and terrain on a piece of parchment.
Chen Xing: "Yeah!"
Xiang Shu only glanced at it, but he could remember the map on the last page of the lone ancient book in the Exorcism Department. He showed it to Chen Xing and said, "Is it here?"
On the map scene, there is a lake on one side, and behind it is a three-section, towering mountain peak. The sides are dotted with a large number of forests. The terrain is very strange. There is a lake on the plain, and there are mountains in the lake. Next to it is Tielevin.
"That's right!" Chen Xing took it and said, "You actually remember it all!"
"It's not Yunmeng Daze, and it's not in the south." Xiang Shu said casually, "It is said that in the north of Chile River, far away, Tiele's name is Erqilun, and the Xiongnu language is Kaluosha, which means dragon. where he fell."
Chen Xing was surprised: "Have you been there?"
Xiang Shu: "I saw it in a book that an old man gave me when I was a child."
Chen Xing looked down, then looked at Xiang Shu, who changed a piece of parchment and began to recall the scene on the penultimate page of the book on another piece of paper.
"You also have books," Chen Xing said in surprise, "Where are the books stored?"
"What?" Xiang Shu said coldly, "Only you Han people are worthy of reading and writing?"
Chen Xing hurriedly explained that this was not what he meant. He just wanted to see what clues could be found in the place where the ancient books were stored in the Chile League.
The carriage was advancing on the grassland, and the mountains shrouded in clouds and mists in the distance could be vaguely discernible. At that moment, everyone in the team cheered. Chen Xing suddenly raised his head and turned around the hillside. He saw the vast land, with many tents, mountains and rivers, late summer. When the wind blows, a magnificent picture scroll seems to be slowly opened and presented in front of you.
Chi Lechuan has arrived.
Chen Xing was shocked by the scene in front of him. Beneath the Yinshan Mountain, surrounded by the Kundulun River and the Dahei River, the Wanli Grassland was like a blanket, supporting nearly 200,000 herdsmen. The tents stretched from the hillside to the foot of the mountain. Hope is boundless!
At the beginning of autumn, almost all the nomads outside the Great Wall were migrating towards Yinshan Mountain, worshipping the sacred mountain of the Sixteen Hus, and joining the Chile Ancient League.
"Da Chanyu is back!" a child shouted when he saw the convoy on the bank of the Kundulun River.
The beautiful woman who was washing her robes by the river stood up straight and sang a loud song, and the warriors in the caravan responded with their presumptuous songs. Xiang Shu was still sitting on the open carriage, put away the parchment, rested his long legs on the edge of the carriage, adjusted his posture, and half-lying comfortably.
Thousands of galloping horses came out of the ancient alliance of Chile and rushed towards them, led by several young people, the Huns and Tiele people, shouting, Xiang Shu just ignored it, and the group of young people gathered in an instant. , gathered on both sides of the team, chatted and asked Xiang Shu with a smile, the language Chen Xing did not understand, so he could only listen at a loss, but guessing from the expressions, they kept asking Xiang Shu during this period of time, what happened? where to go.
The corners of Xiang Shu's mouth twitched slightly, showing a little smile, and the followers who followed him shouted, and the group of young people turned around to help unload the goods, move things, and settle the people.
A young man spoke in the Hun language, stretched out a wooden stick, entered the car and wanted to knock Chen Xing, but Chen Xing hurriedly avoided, with anger in his eyes. Presumably what he said was "Why did you rob a Han Chinese back?"
"Go away!" Xiang Shu finally said in Tiele language.
The young man laughed and galloped away.
People kept approaching, as if they were asking Xiangshu for instructions. Xiangshu either didn’t answer, or let out a lazily “um”. The people who came in the convoy took the Hu people in Guannei to resettlement, and the people and Hu people who moved north following Xiangshu. It seems that they are very excited, as if they have found their long-lost relatives here.
Chen Xing said: "It seems that after they entered the customs, they were not very comfortable."
That is the feeling of comfort and freedom of returning home. Compared with the various rules established by Fu Jian in Chang’an City, and studying for official titles, these barbarians obviously prefer to return to the grassland to live freely. It's so natural.
Xiang Shu didn't answer. Seeing that there were fewer and fewer people in the convoy, in the end it was just the two of them. The two carriages were pulled into the valley to the east of the ancient alliance under the mountains.
There are very few people living here, and everyone cheered when they saw Xiang Shu come back.
The carriage stopped in front of the largest tent, Xiang Shu jumped out of the car, Chen Xing suddenly thought, as Xiang Shu is a big danyu, and he has already passed the age of marriage, will he have a wife and children at home
However, there are very few people in this valley, and the place where Xiangshu lives is very quiet. The king's tent is built on the mountain and occupies the source of the river, which shows that his status is respected.
Many people came to say hello to Xiang Shu. Xiang Shu said a few words of iron, and the people dispersed. Chen Xing looked around curiously and said, "Is this your home?"
Xiang Shu said, "I'll call the elders for a meeting first, and you can do whatever you want."
With that said, Xiang Shuchao explained a few words to everyone, presumably to place Chen Xing.
At that time, someone else led the horse, Xiang Shu turned on his horse, and galloped out of the valley with a "drive".
Chen Xing: "Hey wait! I don't understand what you are saying!"
As soon as Xiang Shu left, many young men from Tiele came over, looked at Chen Xing curiously, and began to discuss.
The corners of Chen Xing's mouth twitched, and he could only nod politely.
Someone threw him a damp cloth, and Chen Xing hurriedly said, "Thank you." Then he wiped his face, thinking that he had to wash his face when he was waiting outside the Great Wall.
Everyone murmured a few more words, and then burst into laughter. Someone pointed to Chen Xing's tent, and Chen Xing said, "Okay, let's take a break now, everyone is bothered."
Chen Xing lifted the tent and entered Xiang Shu's house, only to see a huge blue-bottomed embroidered blanket on the ground. The screen that came here has very good lighting, and the snow-proof windows are opened on the top of the tent, which illuminates the interior very brightly.
There is also a bookshelf in one corner, which is full of ancient books with pictures and texts of various ethnic groups.
But because the owner has been away from home for a long time, the things are covered with dust.
The guy outside Tie Le came over again with a bucket of water, pointed at the table, patted Chen Xing's shoulder, and said something Xianbei: "This is the beginning, clean it up, and Da Chanyu will finish cleaning the king's tent before he comes back. "
Chen Xing looked down at the rag in his hand, then looked at the crowd, smiled and replied politely in Chinese:
"I'll go to you."