Yuan Gang understood and knew what he meant. After encountering troubles along the way, it was a smooth journey. The ghost never showed up again, which was a bit strange.
Judging from the damage done to the torch storage point, it stopped halfway. At that time, there was overestimation. Either the other party saw that they had cracked its method and there was no point in destroying it any more, or they were not familiar with the road section behind and found it all at once. Don't destroy it until you reach the torch storage point, or there are two possibilities.
Now when I ask about the situation in the village, the ghost dares to attack even the monks. There are no monks in this village but it has not been attacked, which means that the ghost has not touched this place yet.
No matter what the situation was, one thing was certain. The ghost had destroyed so many torch storage points along the way and had traveled more than a little distance. Its eagerness to murder could be imagined. The other party has put in so much effort, and the two sides have never fought before, so they don't know the depth of each other's strength. How can they let it go so easily
The only explanation is that it was not that he let go easily, but that the ghost was very careful and did not dare to act rashly when he was not sure. This also proved Niu Youdao's statement that the ghost's strength was limited.
Two women soon came down the mountain, and with them came a very simple sedan chair with two poles and a chair.
As soon as Shang Shuqing was helped onto the sedan, Niu Youdao suddenly said: "Monkey, you accompany the princess down the mountain first." He gave him another wink.
Yuan Gang knew that he was asked to check out the situation in the village first.
When Shang Shuqing and others heard the sound and looked back, Luo An asked, "Won't Master come down the mountain?"
Niu Youdao: "Something happened. General Luo, can you borrow the guard here?" He raised his chin towards Mao Ting.
Luo An asked strangely: "I wonder what happened to the mage?"
Shang Shuqing knew Niu Youdao's habit and liked to leave some room. It was useless to ask about things he didn't want to say, so he said, "Uncle Luo, just listen to the Master's arrangements."
She had already spoken, and Luo An had no choice but to greet someone: "Shan Hu, did you hear that?"
The young man who rang the bell before nodded and said, "I heard it."
A group of people then gathered around and carried Shang Shuqing down the mountain. Yuan Gang packed up a few packages, carried them on his back, and followed him down the mountain.
Niu Youdao watched him off with a smile. He realized that his background was different. He came to this remote mountain and still received unusual treatment. No matter how poor his family was, he was still a hundred times better than ordinary people. There was no suffering to speak of. This was the foundation!
"Master Dao, do you want to deal with that sneaky guy?" Yuanfang came over and asked in a low voice. He obviously saw the clues.
Niu Youdao whispered: "I am here to retreat and cannot be disturbed. If this ghost is not eliminated, I will not feel at ease!"
"Oh!" Yuanfang understood and nodded.
Niu Youdao whispered again: "I guess the ghost didn't give up easily. Maybe it was following him all the way, hoping to wait for an opportunity to strike. The sun is shining high now, and the yin and yang are separated. It shouldn't dare to come out. Once the sky gets dark, it's very possible. He will come out to explore. Now go back inside and find a place to hide. Once he appears, cut off his escape immediately. I will stay outside and will pick you up."
Yuan Fang hummed, "I understand." After saying that, he turned around and was about to go in. However, he paused and then turned around and said, "Master Dao, he might be hiding at the entrance. I will probably be killed by him as soon as I enter." Now, I have a plan to avoid this worry."
Niu Youdao said, "Tell me and listen."
Yuanfang whispered in his ear for a while, Niu Youdao nodded, and then turned back to the cave entrance with him.
Yuanfang carried the torch that was unloaded at the entrance of the cave alone, and Niu Youdao lit a light to lead the way. The two deliberately made noises, then got back into the cave in succession, and returned to the underground river in a calm manner. , returned the torch to the spot where it was placed, and then returned together. Halfway up the mountain, Yuanfang's figure flashed and hid in a nook on one side. Niu Youdao walked out of the cave, extinguished the torch and threw it aside, and walked towards the thatched pavilion.
"Master!" The young man named Shan Hu saluted and asked, "Do you have any instructions?" He also glanced at the entrance of the cave, as if wondering why Yuan Fang didn't come out.
Niu Youdao: "Are you the only one guarding it? Is there anyone who will take care of the food?"
Shan Hu: "There's nothing going on here. During the day, there's only one person to guard the place, and someone comes to change it at meal time. At night, there are two people keeping company, and the person changes it every two hours."
Niu Youdao smiled and said: "I know, let's do this. I'll help you guard it during the day, and you can go back."
"Ah! How can this be done?" Shan Hu waved his hands repeatedly.
Niu Youdao held the sword in front of him, put his hands on the hilt of the sword, and said seriously: "Then I will go to General Luo to discuss it again?"
"Uh... Okay!" Shan Hu scratched his head, as if he was a little afraid of Luo An. After leaving the pavilion, he turned around and said, "I will bring you food when it's dinner time."
Niu Youdao felt the simplicity of the people here and said with a smile: "No, if anyone has any opinions, please ask the princess!" In fact, with his cultivation level, it doesn't matter if he doesn't eat for two or three days. At most, he is physically weak.
After watching the confused Shanhu go down the mountain, Niu Youdao took a good look at the surrounding mountain scenery and observed the terrain. Finally, he sat down cross-legged in the thatched pavilion, closed his eyes and adjusted his breath. After walking in the secret passage for a whole day, I was indeed a little tired...
"Uncle Meng!"
At the foot of the mountain, a group of people greeted a man with gray hair sitting on a wooden wheelchair. His face was thin and elegant, his eyes were gentle and powerful, and his whole body was neatly groomed. It could be seen that he was very self-disciplined and meticulous. people.
Shang Shuqing, who got off the sedan, ran forward and squatted next to him regardless of the pain in his feet. His eyes were red, and it was obvious that he had an unusual affection for this man.
This man's name was Meng Shanming. He was originally the number one general under King Ning Shang Jianbo. He was a Confucian general with both civil and military skills. Later, he was seriously injured in the battle where 10,000 heroic guards attacked the enemy's 100,000 troops. Two One of his legs was severely damaged and was basically useless. He could never stand up again, which was why he was in a wheelchair. King Ning originally intended for him to enjoy the rest of his life in peace, but he was worried about the relationship between King Ning and the court, so he voluntarily gave up his glory and wealth and brought his family here to live in seclusion. Unfortunately, he was expected to come. To a certain extent, he came Living in seclusion here actually avoided the purge by the court.
Now, he is in charge of this secret place.
"Princess has grown up, as long as everything is alright, everything is alright!" Meng Shanming stroked her head and sighed with emotion, and his eyes were a little moist, "I received a summons from the young prince before, and I knew that the princess was coming, so I estimated that the time would be at least It will still take two or three days to arrive, I didn’t want to arrive so soon and not be able to greet him in time!”
"Uncle Meng is out." Shang Shuqing shook her head. She never expected to arrive so quickly. Thanks to Niu Youdao carrying her all the way, the rugged journey of several days took about two days. The time has come.
It's just that she couldn't even talk about being carried by Niu Youdao.
"It's been a hard journey. You must be tired. Don't squat here. If you have anything to say, talk slowly when you go home." Seeing that she was uncomfortable squatting and knowing that her feet were uncomfortable, Meng Shanming waved his hand.
The group turned around and came to a temple-like courtyard, which can be said to be the best building in the village.
The main hall is spacious and has a strong smell of incense. The platform behind the incense burner is filled with spiritual tablets arranged in steps. Each name is written on it. They are tablets of some deceased generals. The tablets of Ning Wang Shang Jianbo and his two sons are in the middle. superior.
Shang Shuqing came forward to offer incense and worship, and then in the hall, a chair sat next to Meng Shanming, telling the story of the two brothers and sisters after the death of King Ning, hiding nothing from Meng Shanming during the conversation. The others were dismissed by Mengshan Mingping. There were some things that were not easy for too many people to know.
In fact, Meng Shanming knew the general situation. After all, he had been communicating with Lan Ruoting through secret letters. However, there were some things in the secret letters that were difficult to discuss in too much detail and were also made in a vague way, for fear that the golden wings would accidentally fall off. Something will happen in the hands of others, and it is natural to ask questions at this time.
After the two chatted for a while, Luo An quickly walked in and wanted to whisper to Meng Shanming.
Meng Shanming raised his hand and grabbed the beard on Luo An's cheek. Seeing that Ruya's hand was quite heavy, Luo An let out an "ouch".
Snapped! Meng Shanming released his hand and struck Luo An on the cheek with the back of his palm, "The princess is not an outsider, why are you so secretive? Is there anything you can't say in front of the princess?"
Luo An rubbed his cheeks and felt embarrassed, "I didn't pay attention for a moment and forgot." He looked like a rude man with a beard, but he was very honest in front of Meng Shanming.
Shang Shuqing pursed her lips and smiled, "It seems that Uncle Meng has not put down his martial arts skills."
"I'm disabled, I can't do it anymore." Meng Shanming smiled and waved his hand, then turned around and asked Luo An, "What's the matter? Tell me."
Luo An: "The man who came with the princess is wandering around the village. In some places, I don't know if I should stop him."
Upon hearing this, Shang Shuqing knew it was Yuan Gang.
Meng Shanming said calmly: "The people your prince can ask to come here must be reliable people. If there is anything you can do to stop me, just let me know and don't cause any misunderstanding."
Shang Shuqing also added, "There is indeed nothing to hide from him. Now that he is here, there are some things that cannot be hidden."
Luo An immediately left quickly.
Meng Shanming also paid attention to this issue, "I was so excited to see the princess that I almost forgot. I heard that Mr. Dong Guo's disciple was here, why didn't he show up?"
Shang Shuqing looked a little solemn, "I guess something happened, we encountered some trouble in the secret passage..." She told all the unexpected things she encountered in the secret passage.
Meng Shanming's expression also became solemn, "There is actually a ghost living in it. If we don't get rid of it, I might be in trouble."
Shang Shuqing: "If I guessed correctly, he should have settled the matter before he came down from the mountain."
Meng Shanming: "Are you sure? Do you want to send someone to cooperate?"
Shang Shuqing: "Since he has taken action, he must be sure of it."
Meng Shanming doubted: "I have never fought in the secret passage, and I don't know the depth of the opponent. Why is the princess so sure?"
Shang Shuqing: "Uncle Meng, you don't know something. This close disciple of Mr. Dongguo may not have the highest cultivation level among Mr. Dongguo's disciples, but his ability is definitely the strongest. After all, he should actually be the highest-ranking disciple. The current head of the sect..." He told the story about Niu Youdao being under house arrest in Peach Blossom Spring, how he invited Niu Youdao down the mountain, what happened in Nanshan Temple, how Niu Youdao helped the Shang Dynasty sect get married, how Taking advantage of Feng Lingbo's momentum to gain a foothold in Canglu County, the story of how he came here can be told exactly as it should be.