Shi Hao thought about it and it made sense.
After a moment of hesitation, he said, "I originally planned to go to Lingnan with the goddess, but the current situation is unclear..."
Xuanfeng Huanzhi bent down and said, "Young Master, just go ahead tomorrow, don't worry. Today, Wei Yuxin and Bi Zongtao saw the Goddess Infant here with their own eyes, so Chongxianmen no longer dares to come to us. They don't know much about our relationship with the Goddess Infant, but the Goddess Infant and Yun Caiyao teamed up to kill Lie Zunyi that day, and the Young Master was also involved, which makes them dare not not think deeply."
"Besides, I think for them, since we have taken Jingxiang first, it would be wise for them to take Chuyin. With the strength of Chongxian Sect, Sheng Menghui's predicament, and the coming of winter, it would be difficult for Hong Leichi to send troops across the Five Ridges. This winter is enough for Chongxian Sect to occupy Chuyin, one of the eight provinces, and sit back and watch the internal fighting in the Central Plains, which is better than losing the initiative and having to fight Jingxiang to the death."
"Young Master, just go do your own thing. The Barbarian Army has to quell the chaos in the north. The south is in chaos. Now everyone has to spend the winter. Overthrowing the Barbarian Court is the consensus of the world. Jingxiang will be safe for the whole winter."
She bent down, spread out the map on the table, pointed, and explained the surrounding forces in detail.
Shi Hao nodded as he listened, and couldn't help but stroke her buttocks, praising her: "The Xuanfeng Sect Master is the female dragon beside me. I feel relieved when you are here."
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi was already thirty years old, but this was the first time a man had touched her in this place. Her pretty face flushed at first, and then she said softly, "As long as the young master trusts me, I will do my best to repay the young master's kindness."
Shi Hao's hand slid down. The skirt she was wearing was slightly below the knees, but because she was bending over, the hem of her skirt lifted up and touched her beautiful legs. Then, the hem of her skirt fell on the young man's wrist and rose up.
As expected, her underwear was empty... This was natural. One could tell at a glance that she was not wearing a jacket or pants, and underwear was not popular in that era.
Shi Hao stood up, hugged her from behind, gently pressed her on the desk, and brushed her long black hair aside. He smiled in her ear and said, "In this case, I'll trouble Sister Fengzhi to take care of the things on this side of Dongting Lake."
Chapter 279 Encounter on Meiling Ancient Road
Shi Hao is not a fool. Xuan Feng Huanzhi dressed like this and appeared in front of him, clearly intending to "get closer" to him.
From his point of view, he should not be partial to the three forum masters. If he really did not show any expression, Xuanfeng Huanzhi would inevitably feel uneasy over time, worrying that he did not regard her as "one of his own".
Therefore, this action was actually to tell her that he had her in his heart and he regarded her as his own.
After all, he was about to leave for a while, and if he didn't make such a statement, she would not be able to feel at ease.
So here, he "bullied" Xuanfeng Huanzhi. Although he didn't cross the bottom line, he still satisfied his desire. It was a loving relationship and it felt special.
Early the next morning, someone sent a letter to Qingyutan in Hengshan, which contained some good words.
Of course, it was impossible to lend food and ships to Chongxianmen, and in fact, Chongxianmen did not need them. He just said some high-sounding words, saying that Sheng Menghui was cruel and inhumane, and the people of Chuyin were miserable. Chongxianmen wanted to attack Sheng Menghui, which was just to act on behalf of heaven, and the Dongting Army expressed its spiritual support, etc.
Afterwards, Shi Hao and Ming Yueshu, together with Madam Meihua and Madam Taohua, left Jingzhou. However, it was Sha Lingshan who came to greet them personally by boat.
After boarding the ship, they sailed south on a merchant ship. At this time, except for the area around Dongting Lake, most of the area along the Changhe River was still under the control of the Barbarian Army, but the control was not strict and they could withdraw at any time. The merchant ships were not hindered from coming and going, but the Barbarian Army was collecting heavy taxes.
In fact, it had reached the point where as long as one was willing to pay money, the barbarian army would turn a blind eye even if they knew it was a "bandit army" or a "bandit army", so this ship was basically not intercepted.
The boat sailed all the way into Poyang Lake, then changed to a pleasure boat in Poyang Lake and quietly sailed towards Yuelian Tower.
When they arrived at Yuelian Tower, they found that the atmosphere inside Yuelian Tower was completely different from before. It was because the girls from Jinghua Shuiyue Pavilion had moved in. Yuelian Tower was originally a place with strict rules, but these female disciples from Jinghua Shuiyue Pavilion had no rules at all, so it was inevitable that conflicts of all sizes arose.
When I saw Yueyaotai and Zhijinhua, I found that the two of them had a headache. When I asked about the details, I learned that basically this person beat that person, and that group of people beat this group of people. It was endless, and there were several fights every day.
Although three women make a play, and a bunch of women make the whole play, but these are girls who know martial arts, and when they fight, it is really fierce.
What surprised Shi Hao... but was also natural, was that he saw Xu Xiaoyan here.
Xu Xiaoyan, however, looked like he was just there to watch the fun.
"It seems that you have been promoted to the sixth rank?" Shi Hao looked at Xu Xiaoyan and said with a smile.
Xu Xiaoyan curled her lips: "Is there any need to say more?"
Shi Hao said: "That's fine. I plan to accompany Yue'er to the Three-Tassel Ghost Cave. Do you want to go?"
"Yue'er?" Xu Xiaoyan looked doubtfully at Yue Yaotai who was holding his temple in the distance, not knowing how to deal with all the troubles, big and small.
"It's not the Moon Altar Master!" Shi Hao pointed at the girl with long hair tied in a bow next to him, "It's Yue'er."
Xu Xiaoyan's eyes widened... You, you call Mingyueshu, the third-ranked "female infant" on the blacklist, "Yue'er"
—
That evening, Shi Hao, Yueyaotai, Shalingshan, Zhijinhua and others gathered together.
Sha Lingshan waved the round fan in her hand and said, "I plan to go to the Three-Tassel Ghost Cave with the young master to take a look."
Zhijinhua was shocked and asked, "Senior Sister, how can you leave at this time?"
Sha Lingshan smiled and said, "Aren't you here?"
Yue Yaotai said with a headache: "I want to leave too."
Sha Lingshan said, "That won't do! This is the territory of your Yuelian Pavilion. If the disciples of the two altars gather here, there will be a lot of trouble. If you don't preside over it here, the female disciples of Yuelian Pavilion will think that our Jinghua Shuiyue Pavilion is occupying their place, and things will be even more troublesome. I'm afraid that Junior Sister Zhi will find it difficult to control the people from your Yuelian Pavilion."
Zhijinhua gritted her teeth and said, "Sister, it's fine if you leave, but Meihua and Taohua have to stay and help me."
Madam Plum Blossom and Madam Peach Blossom looked at the altar master pitifully... They both wanted to leave the crater temporarily and be with the young master.
Sha Lingshan turned her head away and pretended not to see them.
Shi Hao said: "The things here are more important. The unification of the three sects cannot be just in name only. It is normal for the disciples to communicate with each other. They are not familiar with each other now, but when they are familiar with each other, everything will be fine."
"In addition, I have already told the Xuanfeng Sect Master that the Black Lotus Realm Snake Princess will also bring a group of inner disciples to communicate with the disciples of the Yuelian Tower and the Jinghua Shuiyue Pavilion..."
Zhijinhua muttered, "Can I leave for a while?" After a pause, she said, "Where is the elder? She..."
Sha Lingshan said, "There are many things going on in Dongting Lake. Elder Shuiyue has to cooperate with Longniu and use Jinghua Lake as a base to collect intelligence and develop the periphery. She is busy with all kinds of trivial matters. She has no time to come and help you take care of these girls."
Zhijinhua asked, "So, you are the only one who is free?"
Sha Ling fanned herself and turned her head, pretending not to hear.
Yue Yaotai rubbed his brows, but was helpless.
Sha Lingshan at least has Zhijinhua to help her, but she can only continue to stay in Yuelian Tower. Zhu Ping and Huan Tingting alone may not be able to control the situation here, not to mention that they both need to cooperate with Dongting Lake to open up trade routes.
She looked at Shi Hao and said, "Young Master! There's news from Long Niu that there seems to be a mysterious organization in the martial arts world that is hunting down certain magical people."
Shi Hao frowned: "Is it someone from the Six Gates, or someone from the Chongxian Gate?"
Yueyaotai said: "It is still unknown at the moment. It is not clear which sect it is related to. In the martial arts world, several people with supernatural powers have been killed for no reason."
Sha Lingshan looked at Shi Hao and said, "Young Master, do you think this matter is related to the God-conferring Stone?"
Shi Hao said: "Unless you bring the God Sealing Stone, even if you kill the master, you won't necessarily get the God Crystal. What's the point of doing this? There are three God Sealing Stones in total. One was taken away by the Guiji Sect, one was taken away by the Chongxian Sect, and the other one fell into the hands of the Dark Thunder Society."
"The Dark Thunder Society has been disbanded now. 'Sword King' Zhao Gucheng must have made arrangements for this before his death. The only ones left are Chongxian Sect and Guiji Sect. Guiji Sect is in decline and is currently vying for power and has no time to spare. The Barbarian Court should still have a lot of information related to the Sealing God Stone. If it is the Barbarian Court, they will definitely use the Six Gates. In this case, there should be some traces to be found."
"On the contrary, it was Chongxian Sect that tried its best to distance itself from the sect while trying to seize the divine crystal. Therefore, this mysterious organization with unknown origins and a background that hunts down all kinds of supernatural powers is most likely related to Chongxian Sect."
Sha Lingshan said: "If this is the case, this matter is most likely related to Master Yinxing."
Shi Hao asked: "Who is this Master Yinxing?"
Sha Lingshan said: "This person is the junior brother of the Chongxian Sect's headmaster, Master Yin Yue, but he has never been able to enter the upper grade. He is the oldest of the eight martial immortals, but in these years, he seems to have disappeared out of thin air, and no one knows what he is doing.
"Although this person is not of the highest rank, he is extremely scheming and has extraordinary strategies. According to our investigation, many of the unspeakable things of Chongxian Sect in the past were secretly manipulated by him. If Chongxian Sect really controls such a mysterious organization in secret, it is most likely related to him."
Shi Hao frowned and said, "We still need to let Longniu pay more attention to this matter. If they really start collecting a large number of divine crystals, there must be a bigger plot behind it."
After the plan was completed, on the second day, Shi Hao, Ming Yueshu, Sha Lingshan, and Xu Xiaoyan left Yuelian Tower and headed south.
At this time, the north had become extremely cold, but the south was relatively better, except that the scenery along the way was devastated and chaotic.
On this day, they entered the Meiling Ancient Road in Dayuling Mountain. The Meiling Ancient Road was winding, rugged, bumpy and not easy to walk on, but it was one of the rare passages connecting Lingnan and the north.
The ancients said, "The road to Shu is difficult, as difficult as ascending to the sky." At least the road to Shu is traversable, but the Five Ridges are full of mountains and ridges, filled with miasma, and full of poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts.
During the Ying Dynasty, a small path was barely opened here. During the Sheng Dynasty, a large amount of manpower was used to cut through the mountains and open up the road, which eventually formed the current Meiguan Road.
Shi Hao and the others arrived near Meiguan, where there was a teahouse for passers-by to rest. The four of them ordered some snacks and sat down to rest.
Suddenly, four other people came into the teahouse. On their side, there was one man and three women, but these four people were one woman and three men.
One of them was a young woman with a face as cold as water. She wore a light grey cotton skirt and carried a sword on her back.
The three men were all in their fifties or sixties. One was a Taoist who was thin and tall like a bamboo pole. One was a bald man with shaved hair and was fat. The other was dressed as a Confucian scholar and wore a brocade robe.
These four people didn't look like they were from the same group, but they gathered together, chose the same table, sat in a circle, and ordered some tea and snacks.
Shi Hao couldn't help but look at the young woman twice more... He had seen this woman before.
That day, he went to Chishan with Xuanfeng Huanzhi to ask Taoist Qimu to come out and assist the Dongting Army. The one who spoke to Taoist Qimu at that time was this young woman.
Although it is unknown what she said to Taoist Qimu, it is obvious that Taoist Qimu rejected her. When she left, her originally beautiful face looked gloomy and ugly.
At the same time, Shi Hao also realized that the Taoist, the bald man, and the Confucian scholar who were traveling with her were not ordinary people either.
The young woman seemed to sense his gaze and looked over as well.
But at this moment, Shi Hao had not used the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique, so she could not recognize him. Moreover, Shi Hao doubted whether this girl had ever looked at him straight in the eye when they were in Chishan.
Shi Hao didn't bother with the four people anymore. The young woman glanced around and quickly retracted her gaze.
People from both parties were resting, and dust was rising in the distance outside the teahouse.
Chapter 280: Pheasant and Taurus
Shi Hao looked up and saw more than 20 horses galloping from the other end of the ancient road. With a low shout from the leader, more than 20 horses actually stopped at the same time, obviously they were well-trained.
The leader was a middle-aged man wearing armor. His eyes were as sharp as lightning. With one glance, the sky and the earth seemed to darken.
The girl's clear and light voice came from beside Shi Hao: "This person is Zuo Wuxiong, 'Thousand Splitting Explosion' under Hong Lei Chi's seat. He has the strength of the fourth rank and is one of the three evils and seven villains under Hong Lei Chi's seat."
Sha Lingshan was surprised and asked, "Didn't they say that Hong Leichi's forces were mainly located south of Yuecheng Ridge, Dupang Ridge, and Yinzhu Ridge? Why did they come to Dayu Ridge?"
Ming Yueshu said calmly: "Hong Leichi's power is indeed only in the south of Yuechengling, Dupangling and Yinzhuling. However, he is the largest power in Lingnan, and no one can control him in Lingnan. It's just that Lingnan is full of mountainous areas, with complicated terrain and complex ethnic groups. The reason why his power did not attack here is not because he can't conquer it, but more because there is no need to occupy such a barren land.
"Hong Leichi is too brutal, and the people are afraid of him. When his troops arrive, the people flee into the mountains. He flees and then they fight their way out again. The people here are tough, and it's not worth it for him to spend a lot of energy to occupy such a place."
"Thousand Splitting Explosions" Zuo Wuxiong's gaze swept towards them, but soon fell on the four people at the other table.
The young woman had a gloomy face, and the other three were all angry, but also obviously on guard.
The warriors led by Zuo Wuxiong were all strong. Their horses crossed each other, forming a semi-encirclement and secretly controlling the entire teahouse.
He jumped off his horse and entered the teahouse in a flash. At this moment, the owner of the teahouse saw that the situation was not good and had already fled. The teahouse was a small business, and life was more important. For a businessman like him, he had seen many situations and knew when to leave immediately.
Zuo Wuxiong stood beside the young woman and said in a deep voice, "Miss Zhao! My master invites you to Wucheng for a chat."
The young woman said coldly: "If you don't go, then what?"
Zuo Wuxiong was murderous: "My master only told me to invite Miss Zhao to Wucheng, but he didn't say that she must go alive. If Miss Zhao is willing to go alive, I can still treat her with courtesy. If she wants to go dead, that's fine too. I have people around me who can help her keep her beautiful face. It's just that those people have strange habits. I don't know how they will 'treat' your precious body well on the way."
The young woman raised her eyebrows. The bald old man next to her laughed strangely and said, "You guys are really so powerful, but unfortunately, we don't have the time." He pressed his hand on the table and a yellow light rushed up.
The young woman, the Taoist, the bald man, and the Confucian scholar all sank down along with the table.
Then the bald man's expression changed... The ground where they were standing sank three inches, and there was no more reaction.
Looking closely, they were sitting with their tables and chairs in a small round pit no more than three inches deep. The ground where the table and chairs stood was still flat, but the edge was circled and the ground had sunken to form a flat circle.
"Hehehehe!" A head popped out from the corner of the teahouse. "You Dabalzi, since we knew you had the magical power of 'Stomach Earth Pheasant', how could we not prepare for it in advance? The soil and rocks here have been hardened by my magical power of 'Bull Golden Bull'. You are already fish in the net and can't escape."
The bald old man snorted, "'Remnant Gold' Jiang Yimeng, I didn't expect that even you would join Hong Leichi and help him commit atrocities."
The four wanted to use their magical powers to escape, but they were prepared in advance and their magical powers were restrained.
Swish! The Taoist and the Confucian quickly attacked. The Taoist slashed at Zuo Wuxiong with his knife, and the Confucian stabbed him in the chest with his sword.
Both of them have the strength of fifth rank. They cooperate well with each other, one using a sword and the other using a saber. The sword moves in unusual paths while the other moves in straight lines. Their energetic energy explodes, combining the normal and the strange.
Zuo Wuxiong grabbed with both hands, and it was as if two fireworks unfolded. Amidst the dazzling light, he caught a knife and a sword at the same time.
How can the name of Zuo Wuxiong, the "Thousand Splitting Explosion", be underestimated
Zuo Wuxiong gathered the energy in both hands and was about to use his famous skill "Double Breaking Hands" to break the swords and severely injure the Taoist and Confucian scholars.
The young woman leaped back, put her right hand on her shoulder, and the sword flew out by itself as if she was flying a sword, and pierced Zuo Wuxiong's heart.
Zuo Wuxiong snorted, let go of his sword, and retreated quickly, shouting, "Kill them!"
The twenty or so warriors rushed forward. All of these warriors were extraordinary. There were as many as seven who had entered the middle level, and the others had also entered the high level.
It seemed that these four people were about to fall into danger.
Knock! A light sound, and a breeze blew.
The warriors only felt that as the breeze approached them, it seemed as if there were flying needles piercing their eyes.
They stepped back in horror, and when they looked again, there was nothing in front of them.
More than twenty people rushed forward together and then retreated in an instant. The scene was extremely strange and jaw-dropping.
The young woman, the Taoist, the bald man, and the Confucian scholar were all startled.
Zuo Wuxiong's expression froze and he looked towards the four people sitting in the other seat.