Shi Hao accompanied her for a stroll in the mountains and forests.
The new moon has risen, it is the beginning of the month. The crescent moon shadow hangs in the sky, looking thin.
The stars in the night sky appear bright on such a dim moonlit day.
From beginning to end, Shi Hao didn't say much. He didn't ask too many questions, nor did he do anything unnecessary. He just accompanied her silently.
Du Yuejiao couldn't help but wonder in her heart, what kind of person is this
She recalled the first time she treated him the most. This man was obviously arrogant, confrontational and uncompromising.
Why can he become so gentle? This silent protection and silent consideration are completely different from the arrogance when we first met, but it is precisely because of this that it is even more touching.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and the young man behind her rushed over and grabbed her wrist.
Du Yuejiao turned her head in surprise and looked at him.
Shi Hao whispered, "There are people at the foot of the mountain!"
He pulled the girl behind a big tree, hid in the shadow, and quietly looked down the slope.
They saw a group of people, escorting many children, traveling through the barren mountains.
These people were wearing grey tight clothes, carrying swords and knives, and their faces were covered. Most of the children were weak and looked like they were from poor families. Some of them could not hold on and fell down.
The gray-clothed men would forcibly pull the fallen child up, beat and scold him, and force him to continue on his way. If the child really couldn't bear it anymore, they would carry him on their backs to prevent him from slowing down the journey.
Du Yuejiao whispered: "Who are these people and what are they doing?"
Shi Hao whispered, "I heard that there is a group of people who have been stealing and kidnapping children recently. It seems that these people are them. I just didn't expect them to appear in a place like this."
He thought quickly in his mind, "There are a large number of refugees in the heart of the Central Plains, so this kind of thing is inevitable. However, both the Dark Thunder Society and the Barbarian Court have noticed this phenomenon, and it seems to be on a large scale, so much so that even the Barbarian Court needs to suppress the Six Gates and investigate the matter as soon as possible."
Shi Hao saw that those gray-clothed men were well-organized and had all practiced martial arts.
Although most of them are second-rate warriors, it seems that there are at least three ninth-grade masters.
These are definitely not ordinary human traffickers, but an organized gang.
He looked at the direction these people were heading, and became even more confused, because these people were heading northwest.
Even if it is child trafficking and human smuggling, it should logically go to the more prosperous south.
The Western Shu Province is located in a remote area, and it becomes even more desolate towards the northwest. What is the purpose of sending these children there
Shi Hao knew that if this was just a business, at least these children would still be alive.
Although the outcome may not be good, such as buying a girl from a brothel or selling a boy to the Beggars' Gang.
But at least, you can survive in the short term.
If this is what the Demon Sect needs, then even staying alive would be a delusion.
Shi Hao himself is still having a headache. After he has mastered the Xuan Mei Gong, how can he obtain a hundred "living souls" to advance his magic skills
Similarly, if someone's advancement ritual requires the blood of a large number of boys and girls... this is entirely possible.
He recalled the time when the fire charmer Su Xi said with a smile, "Anyway, the price is not yours," and "Of course, just find a village that no one pays attention to and massacre them," with that nonchalant tone.
For the Demon Sect, this is absolutely normal!
Shi Hao turned to look at Du Yuejiao and whispered, "Miss Du, these people are in such a hurry, they must have a base far away. I will follow them in secret to see which sect they are from and where they are, so that I can inform the Six Gates. Miss Du, you..."
Du Yuejiao blurted out: "I'll go with you."
Shi Hao shook his head and said, "Miss Du, your illness is not fully recovered yet. It is not appropriate to take action for the time being. You should go back to the cave and rest. Don't worry, I will find out the background of these people and will be back soon."
Du Yuejiao opened her mouth, then after a while lowered her head and nodded slightly.
Shi Hao left the trees and tried to sneak down the mountain. Suddenly, the girl's voice came from behind him: "Wait a moment."
Shi Hao turned around and looked at her.
The girl was embarrassed. She twirled her hair with her fingers and whispered, "Just call me... Yue Jiao."
Shi Hao nodded and said, "Miss Yuejiao... Yuejiao, wait for me to come back." Worried that the group had gone too far, he used his skills to fly away.
The girl looked at the young man's quickly receding back, thinking that he was not only willing to protect her even though she had a grudge against him, but also worried about those children who had nothing to do with him.
She thought to herself: "So he is such a good person..."
—
Shi Hao secretly chased after the gray-clothed warriors who were carrying swords and sabers.
In fact, he had never practiced Qinggong specifically, and at this moment he did not dare to use the Soul-Chasing and Soul-Locking Step easily.
He set a rule for himself that he would only use the Mysterious Charm, the Soul-Chasing and Soul-Locking Steps, and the Heart-Burning Finger after using the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique.
No matter when, when he appeared in his true form, he only used his Taoist foundation and the swordsmanship taught to him by Fairy Shengxuan.
The practice of both Taoism and magic should be regarded as his hidden trump card and should never be easily exposed.
The intelligent and charming girl taught him the "Evil Shadow Disguise Technique" because she helped him think of this.
Although it was a starry night, the moonlight was weak at the beginning of the month and it was dark all around.
Those people were in a hurry, and from time to time, wild beasts at night were startled by them in this uninhabited wilderness.
Although he had not practiced any special light skills, the "Six Styles of Immortal Power" contained a method of lightening the body that was used in conjunction with sword skills. When he used it at this moment, Shi Hao was able to walk on the grass without touching the ground.
These people gradually entered the deep mountains, which was an old forest with no human habitation. Even hunters who made a living by hunting found it difficult to reach such a place.
Until he saw them climb up a mountain, Shi Hao knew that was their destination.
Those children could no longer hold on and were either carried or snatched up by these men in gray.
Even these men in gray were out of breath.
Shi Hao saw that the mountain was not high, but it was covered with dense trees. He didn't know what happened after those people entered the forest.
He did not dare to be careless and sneaked into the forest, following them quietly and closely to avoid losing them.
A "cuckoo cuckoo" sound was heard in front of him. The sound was a bit strange, so Shi Hao dodged behind a tree.
The shouting soon died down. Shi Hao leaned over to look, but he didn't see those people anymore.
In the dim forest, no one knew where those people went.
Shi Hao was unwilling to see his mission fail at the last moment, so he flashed and, taking advantage of the cover of the trees, rushed forward.
A dark shadow fell from a tree.
Shi Hao almost collided with a pointed and monkey-faced face.
The man was also startled and suddenly let out a sharp scream.
In fact, this man did not notice Shi Hao. He was just moving quickly in the forest, patrolling the surroundings. Accidentally, he almost bumped into Shi Hao.
As he screamed, there was a commotion in the distance, and someone shouted, "Something's happening!"
Immediately following this was the sound of a large number of breaking air.
Shi Hao thought to himself, "Not good!" and with a flash of his figure, he withdrew.
The short man with a pointed face and monkey cheeks was running around him. Shi Hao saw him jumping around on the tree without making any sound.
Such a strange scene made Shi Hao begin to understand why he had not discovered him in advance... This was a person with supernatural powers.
What the other party used was not some kind of superb lightness skill, but some kind of magical power.
The figure stepped on a tree, and without even the sound of breaking through the air that would have been caused by the wind brought by the tight clothes, he reached another tree next to Shi Hao.
The sharp blade attacked Shi Hao from the side, at a tricky and strange angle.
Shi Hao knew that this man wanted to delay him and wait for his companions to arrive, so why would he get entangled with him
The iron sword rolled up, one sword intercepted the blade light, and the second sword, with a cold and icy air, stabbed at the man's throat.
The short man was also startled. He kicked his legs and suddenly changed direction with no support. He quickly reached a distant tree.
Shi Hao became more and more certain that this person was a person with supernatural powers... He could even change directions by stepping on the air. If this was martial arts, how powerful was this person
He was not even sure whether people like Fairy Shengxuan and Fire Charm Girl could achieve such a level of "light steps in the air and controlling the air".
Not wanting to get entangled with this man, Shi Hao turned around, used his skills, and rushed down the slope.
The man attacked him from the front and back with ghostly movements, trying to delay his pace.
Shi Hao's speed slowed down, and even the sound of the strong wind chasing him from behind became louder and louder, and it seemed that it was about to catch up with him.
Just when the short man thought he had a good plan, Shi Hao's sword flashed, and an iron sword flew out into the air. It was the "Xuanying Flying Sword" from the Six Styles of Immortal Li.
The sword energy flashed like a firefly, and the man's figure swayed and fell in the distance, but blood was splattered on his shoulder.
Shi Hao clenched his hands and the iron sword flew back, further increasing its speed and quickly shaking off the pursuer behind him.
Without the interference of the short man with strange magical powers, the others were unable to catch up with him. Soon, they could only watch him disappear into the darkness.
—
Shi Hao made a big circle and when he returned to the cave, it was almost dawn.
He saw a blazing bonfire in front of the cave, and Du Yuejiao was sitting by the bonfire, looking anxious.
Only after seeing him walk out of the forest did the girl heave a sigh of relief and whispered, "What's going on?"
Shi Hao shook his head helplessly: "I originally wanted to find out where those people were, and then secretly notify the Six Gates. I didn't expect that the other side had a supernatural power. His supernatural power is really weird and unpredictable. Not only is his speed very fast, but more importantly, he comes and goes silently.
“Although I was careful enough, I failed to spot him in advance, which led to my failure.
"Since those people know the location has been leaked, they will definitely move overnight. The mountains are far from here, and even farther from the city. Even if we rush to notify the Six Gates now, it will be too late. Besides, the city gates are closed now, and I can't enter the city."
Du Yuejiao thought for a moment and said, "You should be talking about 'Earth Dog Star'."
Shi Hao asked: "Earth Dog Star?"
Du Yuejiao said: "For the various divine crystals that have appeared in the past few hundred years, the divine powers that can be bestowed are specially recorded in the Chongxian Sect. The person you are talking about should have absorbed the divine crystal 'Earth Dog Star', which is one of the earthly magic weapons and is extremely suitable for assassination and sneak attacks.
"On a night like this, you suddenly encountered this kind of person with supernatural powers. It's great that you can return safely."
When she said "that would be great", she raised her head and looked at the young man in front of her, with a moist gleam in her eyes.
Shi Hao thought about it and felt fortunate: "I was careful enough. Although I didn't notice him in advance, he didn't notice me in advance. If he had discovered me first, I would have been assassinated in a hurry."
He thought to himself that people with supernatural powers were indeed terrifying.
Just like the magic weapon "Earth Brave Tiger" he possesses, the divine crystal inside is the "Earth Brave Star".
When it is used as a magic weapon, it can only be used once a day. But if this magic is absorbed and becomes a magician of "Earth Brave Star", the divine body and divine power it grants can be used at any time, and his strength will increase significantly.
Just thinking about this is enough to make you excited.
Although becoming a supernatural being would no longer be able to use any magic weapon, which was also a major drawback, there were still many people who found it difficult to resist this temptation.
After all, being able to use some kind of magical power all the time is a strong enough temptation.
Chapter 22: Desperate
Shi Hao frowned and said, "It's a pity that we were unable to save those children."
Du Yuejiao said softly, "Since a large number of children are missing, the Six Gates will not ignore it. They will be able to find these people sooner or later."
Shi Hao shook his head and said nothing.
He actually didn't believe that the Six Gates could be very careful about such matters.
But then I thought, Yueyaer brought the Eighteen Thunder Chasing Riders to Jin County just to put pressure on the Six Gates.
With the pressure from the barbarian clan Yue Ketai, the six gates of this county should not be so perfunctory about this matter.
Under Shi Hao's care, Du Yuejiao's condition had almost improved. Even though she hadn't fully recovered yet, all she had to do was take good care of herself for a few days and she would be fine.
At dawn, Shi Hao accompanied her and walked towards Mingkun Temple.
On the way, in a town, Shi Hao went to a clothing store and bought her a set of ruqun.
There wasn't much good fabric in the town, and the ready-made skirt was just a blue coarse cloth skirt worn by ordinary people's daughters.
Du Yuejiao changed her clothes in the forest. When she came out, Shi Hao took a look and found that they generally fit her.
Because she was naturally beautiful, even wearing such a coarse blue dress made her look like an orchid in the forest, with a unique beauty.
When he arrived outside the mountain gate of Mingkun Temple, Shi Hao stopped.
Du Yuejiao turned around and looked at him, saying: "Master Brother..."