"That's the old woman from Zhao Si's family. She was buried a few days ago, and her grave was dug up this morning. Her tongue was really missing."
"What use is this dead man's tongue?"
"What's the use of that? How dare you make braised tongue?"
"Bah! You're the one eating it!"
"That's not so bad. The old man Ji who died last month had his tongue cut off before he was buried..."
"You're killing a dead person, what a heartless person you are!"
…
Without going forward to ask, Gu Pinglin just followed the group of villagers and got a general idea of what happened.
The tongues of more than one dead person were cut off. This could not be a personal grudge among the villagers. I'm afraid there are evil practitioners nearby who need to collect organs from corpses as materials for their evil skills, which is similar to Xin Ji's method of taking human eyeballs to make pupil paintings.
There is one person in this world who collects human tongues to practice magic. I can remember one person.
"Master Lu the Tongue Man," Duan Qingming said, "rumor has it that he was born in the Yinshan Lu family of the Northern Cultivation Realm. He was cowardly by nature and married Wang when he was twenty. Wang was a rare fierce woman in the world. She had a sharp tongue and was fond of gossiping. Not only did she anger her mother-in-law to death, she also falsely accused her younger sister-in-law of having an affair and forced her to death. Master Lu couldn't stand it, so he killed her and cut off her tongue to vent his hatred. Fearing that the Wang family would pursue him, he fled overnight. By chance, he got a scroll of ancient skills and realized the art of refining the tongue. He was called the Tongue Man. The original form of his magic weapon 'Qiao Huang' was the tongue of his first wife."
The Duan family is indeed a first-class family, and they even know these secrets. Gu Pinglin said: "You are well-informed."
"I dare not, I only know a little bit," Duan Qingming said with a smile, "Although Master Lu is very powerful, he rarely stirs up trouble in the cultivation world. Many younger generations do not know him, and I never thought that he was hiding and cultivating in the world."
"Then do you know that this person has an old grudge against Yan Sen?"
"oh?"
Seeing his surprise, Gu Pinglin's mouth curled up slightly, and he tapped the palm of his left hand with his fingers: "The power of the Soul Sword School lies in the soul attack. The practice of Master Lu is special, but he is not afraid. About thirty years ago, Master Lu killed a disciple of Yan Sen and took his tongue. Yan Sen raised an apprentice for sword practice and did not allow others to covet it. Unfortunately, the tongue man rarely shows up, and few people know his name. Yan Sen had to give up after failing to track him down. But if the two sides fight, Yan Sen will definitely be able to detect it."
Duan Qingming narrowed his eyes: "I see, Junior Brother really knows everything."
Gu Pinglin calmly replied: "I dare not, I just know a little bit."
Duan Qingming didn't care about the sarcasm and smiled as he said, "Yes, you are so powerful just because you know a little bit. I am ashamed of my ignorance."
Gu Pinglin just couldn't stand him pretending, so he deliberately belittled him. Of course, Duan Qingming was not ignorant. Not only did Yan Sen not know about this, but even Master Lu had long forgotten what he had done. Many years later, Master Lu's martial arts skills were successful and he accidentally confronted Yan Sen, and this was revealed.
The two talked as they walked, and it was already evening when they arrived at the post house. This area was under the jurisdiction of Feijian Palace. As the leader of the eight major sects, Feijian Palace was very powerful, and even the post house in this small town was built in a grand manner. Xin Ji had already booked a room and was standing at the door waiting for the two. After meeting up, the three of them walked towards the guest courtyard at the back. Just as they arrived outside the gate, a yellow shadow suddenly flashed by and went in before the three of them.
"Sister, come out quickly, I heard something strange outside!" The woman in yellow ran into the yard and shouted in a delicate voice, "It's so weird!"
"What's strange?" A woman in red ran out of the room, her face full of curiosity. When she saw Gu Pinglin and the other two, she was stunned.
Gu Pinglin recognized them of course. They were the Guangling Sect sisters he had seen the day before. The woman in red was the elder sister Zhou Caige. Twin sisters usually have different personalities, but it was strange that these two sisters had the same personality. In their previous lives, they were used by Duan Qingming and caused a lot of trouble for the Lingxin Sect. Gu Pinglin could naturally tell them apart - the elder sister Zhou Caige liked red and loved pearl flower accessories; the younger sister Zhou Caiqin liked yellow, often wore butterfly accessories, and spoke a little fast.
Zhou Caige recognized Gu Pinglin and the other man, but Zhou Caiqin didn't notice them and still looked very surprised: "Someone is stealing the tongue of a dead person, don't you think it's weird?"
"Stealing a dead person's tongue?" Zhou Caige was also surprised.
Zhou Caiqin was beaming with joy: "Yes, I heard it was in Yanlai Village not far away. What a coincidence. They have had funerals in recent months. Who knew that all the dead people buried had their tongues cut out? Tell me, what's the use of a dead person's tongue? Who would be so bored?"
Seeing her quick words, Zhou Caige glanced at Gu Pinglin and the others, feeling a little embarrassed: "Hearing is believing, don't believe these rumors."
Zhou Caiqin retorted: "It's not a rumor, they mentioned someone with a name and surname!"
Zhou Caige couldn't help but pull her hand and signal her with his eyes.
Zhou Caiqin then realized there was someone behind her. She turned around and said "Ouch!", pointing at Gu Pinglin: "I've seen you guys before, who are you..."
Gu Pinglin bowed lightly: "I am Gu Pinglin from Lingxin Sect. I am honored."
"My name is Duan Qingming, and I'm his senior brother." Duan Qingming stepped forward and said with a cheerful face, "Meet the two girls."
"It's the Lingxin Sect," Zhou Caige was obviously relaxed, and seemed a little regretful. She looked at Duan Qingming for a few more times, blushing and returning the greeting, "We are disciples of the Guangling Sect. My father's surname is Zhou, and his taboo name is Qiu. I am the second among my sisters, and my younger sister is the third."
"Oh?" Duan Qingming raised his eyebrows slightly, his tone carrying a hint of surprise, "So, Lord Zhou is your father. I have heard of you for a long time."
The two sisters smiled at each other, showing a hint of pride, and became more friendly. Zhou Caiqin took the initiative to ask: "You just came from outside, have you heard about the strange thing just now?" She was straightforward and told all the news she knew.
Duan Qingming had been trained by the Duan family as the future head of the family since he was young. His speech, manners and etiquette were a model for young masters of aristocratic families. This gentle appearance brought him great advantages, and he looked very different from ordinary disciples of the sect. The Zhou sisters were indeed stunned by his temperament, and gradually became reserved and shy, and even their voices became a little more gentle and tactful.
Gu Pinglin was left out, but he was not unhappy. He thought that what was coming could not be avoided. The two sisters were still fascinated by him.
The layout of this guest courtyard is somewhat special. Perhaps because there are too many guests and not enough rooms, two rows of guest rooms are built in the middle of the courtyard. Not far away, a window creaked open and someone appeared in the window. After seeing the situation in the courtyard clearly, he immediately closed the window quickly and lightly.
It was only a blink of an eye, but Gu Pinglin did not ignore this little movement. He was surprised: "Huh? Is it him?"
Duan Qingming was still talking to the Zhou sisters, and I wonder if he noticed it. Zhou Caiqin asked carefully: "Mr. Duan, what does that person need so many tongues for?"
Xin Ji beside him laughed and interrupted: "Needless to say, it's for the magic refining technique."
"Demonic cultivator?" The two sisters were shocked.
"Western Buddhism calls the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind the six roots, and our cultivation world calls them the six desires. As long as they are spiritual and have spiritual consciousness, they can be refined. However, most of the sects in the Demon Realm now refine corpses, souls and blood. There are very few advanced alchemy techniques that only use eyes and ears for cultivation. My pupils... cough cough," Xin Ji almost let the cat out of the bag, but stopped in time, "I just heard it, don't take it seriously."
"Senior, you are very knowledgeable," Zhou Caiqin complimented, with a worried look on her pretty face, "If that's the case, you must tell Fifth Senior Brother."
Zhou Caige said: "Regardless of whether this person is a demon cultivator or not, he is practicing such evil techniques, so he is definitely not a good person. It would be best if we can get rid of him."
Duan Qingming said in a gentle voice: "I have heard for a long time that Guangling Sect is admirable for exorcising evil and slaying demons, but I think this matter is unusual, so the two girls must be careful."
The vague concern in his words was just right, not at all frivolous, and both sisters blushed when they heard it.
"We understand this," Zhou Caige raised her chin and smiled softly, showing her daughter's delicate beauty. "This is a serious matter, we still need to discuss it with our senior brothers. Please come in."
"Please." Duan Qingming leaned forward slightly.
While they were talking, Gu Pinglin entered the room, looked around, performed a water purification technique, and then walked over to open the window. Just after he finished doing all this, Duan Qingming pushed the door open and came in.
"It's rude to come in without invitation." Gu Pinglin turned around.
"Brother, you are so formal with etiquette, aren't you feeling awkward?" Duan Qingming walked over and sat down on the chair.
“The chair is dirty.”
"Gu Yun risked his life to accompany a gentleman. In front of my junior brother, why should I be afraid of dirt?" Duan Qingming leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to look at him. Under the light from the window, his handsome face was half bright and half dark. His tall nose bridge looked even sharper, but it was infected by the three-point smile on his lips, revealing an indescribable gentle charm. "My junior brother understands my small bad habits so well. It's thoughtful."
Gu Pinglin sat down opposite him and said, "I know a little bit about my fellow disciples. It's not surprising."
"Really?" Duan Qingming smiled as his eyes fell on the hand on the edge of the table. "Isn't it enough for you to understand me?"
"Enough, so I understand that Master Duan brought good tea with him, and he is well versed in tea. He is also generous and willing to share."
"You, I just said a few words and you treated me like a servant."
"Not willing?"
"It is my honor to make tea for you, Junior Brother. I will do my best to serve you."
Gu Pinglin watched him calmly stand up and take out tea leaves, tea sets, a wind furnace and other items from his Qiankun bag, including a large jar of aged Lingshan rainwater.
The charcoal fire in the stove was red, and the small fan was fanning itself, but the man was still sitting safely in the chair, with his hands free of dust.
Gu Pinglin just waited quietly. When the tea was ready, Duan Qingming poured him a cup personally: "Please, please have it."
The aroma of tea lingered in the air, and the small, humble room actually exuded a sense of elegance. Gu Pinglin praised, "Good tea."
Duan Qingming asked, "You call it good without looking at it or tasting it?"
"Because you are too confident," Gu Pinglin held up the teacup, "It must be good tea if it can make you so confident." After saying that, he lowered his head to look at the color of the tea, sniffed it, took a sip, and savored it for a long time: "It is indeed good."
"Since you like it, how about I make a pot for you every day?"
Listening to this casual joke, Gu Pinglin took another sip of tea and put down the cup: "How dare I bother you, you should say this to the two Miss Zhous."
Duan Qingming was not surprised: "What do you mean?"
Gu Pinglin said: "The woman is infatuated. Since you have no intention, you shouldn't provoke her. It will only cause consequences."
Duan Qingming took his teacup nonchalantly and poured out the remaining tea: "How do you know I have no intention?"
Gu Pinglin was stunned: "You..."
Duan Qingming said: "Aren't you interested in them too?"
He could not hide this matter from Gu Pinglin. He did not deny that he was indeed interested in the Zhou sisters, and it was because of him. Firstly, he was curious whether the two sisters would still follow him. Secondly, the two sisters had special identities, and he was worried that the Lingxin Sect would be implicated.
Duan Qingming poured him another cup of tea: "Focus."
"Um?"
The sky gradually darkened, and the cool breeze blew through the window. The smile on his thin lips seemed to have lost its warmth. Duan Qingming put away his Qiankun bag, and his tone remained gentle: "They are not qualified to interfere in our path."
Duan Qingming is still Duan Qingming. Gu Pinglin was worried that he would offend the Zhou sisters, so he said, "They are not ordinary people, so it is indeed not advisable to offend them."
Duan Qingming said, "Of course, it's best if you think so."
After getting a clear answer, Gu Pinglin breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this person enjoyed making trouble, and it was troublesome enough when he acted like a demon.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Is that Senior Gu in there?" The person outside was very cautious and deliberately lowered his voice.
Knowing that he is a smart person. Gu Pinglin said: "Come in."
A figure quickly flashed into the room and closed the door behind him.
He was a teenager, tall and thin, with phoenix eyes and thin lips. It was Lan Feiyu whom he met outside Shengong Valley.
In less than a year, the ragged and disheveled boy has changed a lot. He has grown much taller and is no longer as thin as before. He now wears a black silk robe with excellent defensive properties. He looks broad-chested and long-legged, exuding the heroic spirit of a young man. His behavior is very cautious. Ignoring the gloomy and cruel look that occasionally flashes in his phoenix eyes, people who don't know the inside story will definitely mistake him for an honest and polite new disciple of a major sect.
Gu Pinglin was even more surprised when he caught a glimpse of the sword at his waist.
The sword was kept in an ordinary-looking sheath and seemed to have no spiritual energy. In fact, it was the Zhexiu sword used by Li Moqing in his previous life. It was also the ancestral sword of the Yinlan Li family. In modern times, the heads of the Li family seldom went out due to pulse diseases, so other people only heard of the sword but did not know its true appearance.
Giving the Zhexiu sword to Lan Feiyu shows that Li Moqing has good intentions, but whether Lan Feiyu deserves such treatment remains to be considered.
Thinking of the ending of this master and disciple in the previous life, Gu Pinglin did not agree with Li Moqing.
Lan Feiyu is the descendant of the demon Lan Gu in the fantasy world of concealing the truth. He possesses the "Secret Book of Forbidden Heart". In order to avoid being tracked down by the demon world, he wants to join a righteous sect. However, he meets Li Moqing by accident and becomes a disciple of his enemy. Li Moqing takes pity on him for being helpless and teaches him carefully, but he is waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. Li Moqing's fate was caused by himself.
Now that Li Moqing knows Lan Feiyu's identity, he still has no grudges, which shows that he is indeed a kind person. I hope he can resolve the hatred in Lan Feiyu's heart. After all, Lan Feiyu still had some feelings for him in his previous life and sought medical treatment for him. Unfortunately, Li Moqing was already disheartened and refused treatment until Lan Feiyu died.
At this time, Lan Feiyu was still young, not the powerful guardian of the Wanfa Sect. Seeing that Gu Pinglin didn't say anything, he was obviously a little nervous. He saluted stiffly, and his words were a little awkward and shy: "Hello, Senior Gu."
Gu Pinglin asked: "Why are you here? Where is your master?"
When Li Moqing was mentioned, Lan Feiyu's face flashed with a very complicated expression, and he quickly lowered his head: "My master is in Shengong Valley, and I was ordered to come to Feijian Palace to deliver a letter."
Duan Qingming smiled and said, "Master must have been practicing the 'Thirteen Swords of Lanting'. This is cause for celebration."
Lan Feiyu quickly glanced at the two of them, then lowered his eyes and answered politely, "Master's pulse disease has not healed, and his health is not good. He cannot practice the "Thirteen Swords of Lanting."
"Hmm?" Gu Pinglin narrowed his eyes slightly, "Could it be that the spiritual stone milk is not effective enough?"
"No, the spiritual stone milk was stolen." Lan Feiyu answered in a low voice.
Stolen? Gu Pinglin pondered for a while, then relaxed his brows: "That's a pity."
Lan Feiyu raised his head and said, "Don't worry, senior. Master has been very kind to me. I will definitely find the elixir for him."
Gu Pinglin nodded: "Brother Li is very lucky to have a good disciple like you."
The sharp gaze was like a knife, piercing straight into the heart. Lan Feiyu was already suspicious, and he trembled all over when he was looked at. Thinking that his identity was easily revealed when they first met, he dared not say anything. He quickly lowered his head again and clenched his hands under his sleeves.
Gu Pinglin withdrew his gaze, picked up the teacup, and slowly drank a sip of tea before saying, "Forget it, Brother Li is an open-minded and insightful person. I don't think he will be upset. You don't have to worry too much."
Seeing that he didn't ask any more questions, Lan Feiyu breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes."
Gu Pinglin changed the subject and asked him as usual, like a senior showing concern for a junior: "You have been a disciple of Brother Li for quite some time. I wonder how your cultivation has progressed? Do you have any questions?"
Speaking of cultivation, Lan Feiyu immediately showed shame on his face: "I started late and am naturally dull. I am still at the fourth level of Na Yuan. I really failed my master's cultivation."
Gu Pinglin smiled when he heard this: "The Na Yuan realm is the foundation of a cultivator, it is very important, and it takes more effort than other realms. You don't need to rush."
Lan Feiyu responded obediently: "Yes, thank you for your teachings, I will keep it in mind."
Gu Pinglin said cheerfully: "Since you have something important to do, just go ahead and I won't delay you."
Lan Feiyu was afraid of saying something wrong and exposing his flaws, so he was just about to find an excuse to leave. These words hit the mark, and he calmly bowed and said goodbye to the two of them, carefully closing the door before leaving.
Gu Pinglin looked away. The tea on the table had cooled slightly. Duan Qingming reached out to take his teacup, poured out the half-cup of residual tea, and then used a water purification technique. The tea set and other items were quickly cleaned as new, and everything flew back into the Qiankun bag in an orderly manner. Gu Pinglin did not say anything, and watched him clean up.
After doing all this, Duan Qingming finally sighed: "This woman's kindness is really disappointing."
This was obviously referring to Li Moqing, and Gu Pinglin did not refute it. The sword is the most important of all weapons, and the number one killing weapon. For sword cultivators, the four words "momentum" and "decisiveness" are absolutely indispensable. The so-called "benevolent swordsmanship" is at most "benevolent" to the extent of the Yao family outside the mountain. It is generous and non-contentious, but it does not mean that it is soft-hearted and can be bullied. Just as Yao Feng, no matter how kind-hearted he is, will definitely draw a clear line with himself because of his beliefs. Moreover, the righteous swordsmanship is based on "righteousness". If it is weak when encountering evil, how can it become a righteousness? No matter how high Li Moqing's talent and understanding are, if he is too soft-hearted, then his future swordsmanship achievements are doomed to be limited. Just looking at his previous life, he never took revenge on Lan Feiyu when he fell to that point. If it were me, I would definitely go to great lengths to kill the traitor and clean up the family.
Duan Qingming was truly disappointed, so disappointed that he didn't even bother to hide it. He closed his eyes slightly and said, "I really want to see the authentic "Thirteen Swords of Lan Ting". I wonder how elegant it would be... What a pity."
His handsome face was very calm, and his tone was not too agitated, but he made people clearly feel the loneliness.
"The spiritual stone milk was stolen by Lan Feiyu, and he didn't let Li Moqing recover." He opened his black eyes again, smiling again, "What do you think of this little friend Lan Feiyu?"
In the blink of an eye, he had lost all interest in Li Moqing. This was Duan Qingming. No matter how much interest he had in someone, once the other party couldn't keep up with him, he would turn around and abandon them, or even use them as chess pieces.
Gu Pinglin replied calmly: "Another person who plays along and is good at disguising himself."
Less than a year after entering the sect, a person with average or above talent should be at the third level of Na Yuan. The humble words "still at the fourth level of Na Yuan" completely exposed Lan Feiyu's talent - he thought he should not be only at the fourth level. Li Moqing valued him and treated him without reservation, and the reason for this was also revealed.
I have excellent aptitude and have entered the fourth level of Na Yuan. I know I can go further, but I still haven't tried my best...
A reasonable explanation is --
He was already practicing the "Secret Book of Forbidden Heart" and was distracted.
"It's fine if you're just acting according to circumstances and being good at disguising yourself, but what does 'another' mean?" Duan Qingming said, "After all, you always have to scold me to feel happy."
Gu Pinglin glanced at him: "You think you are not that kind of person, so I'm not scolding you."
"You think I am, so I am not either," Duan Qingming curved his thin lips and didn't bother with him. "The kid surnamed Lan is really cruel, how do you treat him?"
"What can I do?" Gu Pinglin tapped the table with his fingers. "In your eyes, am I a nosy person?"
"No," Duan Qingming looked at the slightly pale, slender, and powerful fingers and said with a smile, "I mean you don't seem like a heartless person."
"Li Moqing made his own decision, whether good or bad, and he has to bear the consequences himself. It is useless for others to interfere," Gu Pinglin stopped and frowned, "Yanlai Village is interesting. It's a coincidence that such a small village has held funerals for several months."
The tongue-maker Mr. Lu used the tongue of a dead person to make "Qiaohuang", but what if there was no dead person
"It's easy to create dead people." Duan Qingming said.