The northwest is dry and sandy, so not long after Xu Jingming came out, he quickly retreated. As soon as the fine wine and delicacies are exposed to the wind, a handful of sand must be added as seasoning. His Highness Prince Rong's teeth are almost chipped, and his fair skin is also roughened by the sandy wind.
"Qu Duanyun, I don't understand. Do you dislike looking at flesh or something? It's not enough to deal with Chi Goujiao first, so why go all the way around?" Xu Jingming hid in the sedan chair and moistened his hands with the good balsam. These days he has been traveling in the sandy plains, and he has no time to spare.
"It's rare for Your Highness to come to the northwest, so it's good to see Jing'er. When the northwest is near the Great Forbidden City, the surrounding area will be lively." Qu Duanyun reined in his horse and answered the question.
"When are you still looking at Jing'er? I just want to get my hands on Jing'er as soon as possible and present it to my brother." Xu Jingming was not bypassed by him.
The emperor had always disliked the Imperial Master's lineage, and had little interest in the Xian family. Xu Jingming grew up in the Imperial Prefect's Mansion, fearing that his brother would hate him - the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion had never done anything bad. If the emperor's brother realized how good the Xian family's methods were, this conflict might be alleviated.
"Brother Huang has been thinking a lot about Dayun, and his complexion is getting worse day by day. Even if he can't become an immortal by eating meat, it must be a great tonic. If he gets it earlier, Brother Huang will suffer less. bitter."
The more Xu Jingming talked, the more she felt that she was doing good things that benefited others and herself, and her tone became a little more cheerful.
Qu Duanyun was silent for a while and did not look back: "A fast horse can move easily, and His Highness's carriage, horse and sedan all have to choose the road. Only the northwestern forbidden area has a big trade road, so..."
The meaning of the words is very obvious - I just said some nice things before. In fact, if it weren't for your procrastination, Taiheng would have arrived long ago.
Xu Jingming pretended not to understand, and changed the topic: "The Northwest Great Barrier sounds scary, how can it become a lively place?"
"This place is dry and rainless, and sandstorms and droughts often occur. The sandstorms from Xilong are particularly annoying. No one could live here originally. During the founding of the country, the sage set up a big ban here. The sandstorms from Xilong were blocked out. This is where people are raised.”
Qu Duanyun finally turned around.
Xu Jingming covered her face with a fan and frowned: "It is said that the formation needs materials to support it. How can such a huge restriction be maintained out of thin air for three hundred years? Have you never heard of where the magic materials can be found in Shafu?"
"The saint has his own secret method." Qu Duanyun said with a perfunctory smile.
Xu Jingming shrank her head and returned to the sedan, muttering: "... It seems that the secret method is only so effective. If the Great Restriction is so effective, why should we eat so much sand?"
Who would have known that this unintentional complaint would come true.
The market on the Great Ban was not as lively as Xu Jingming described. The sandstorm here is not so bad that no one can live in it, but it still leaks a lot from Xilong. Fresh fruits were placed on the stall, but soon they became covered with dust. People coming and going all covered their faces with gauze masks and wrapped them into rice dumplings in the warm wind.
Fortunately, the inn can still rest. Xu Jingming finally moved into a house with a wall, and her energy returned a little. He dressed up like a handsome young man again and started "private visits" in the dining room.
Qu Duanyun left the store early in order to communicate with the people at Taiheng's station. Xu Jingming felt very at ease with no outsiders around.
Within an hour, he started chatting with the young girl in the store, talking about her. Xu Jingming's clothes are made of expensive materials and her embroidery work is superb. At first glance, she looks like she's not an ordinary person. The girl is happy to earn a few more rewards and is very cooperative.
"My grandma said, this sandstorm is getting worse little by little. There used to be a big market here, but now there are fewer and fewer people coming. This shop can't make any money."
The girl Xu Jingming poured wine and spoke Mandarin with the flavor of Shafu.
"Master, look at the decoration in this house. Doesn't it look good? My grandma's generation used to have it covered with gold foil, but now it's all gone. If the sandstorm blows out again, my family will move back to Shafu. ”
Xu Jingming banged her fan in the palm of her hand, learning and selling now: "This formation was set up by a saint using a secret method. How could something like this happen?"
"How could it not come out? Chi Gou must be digging around and destroying the formation." The girl said with a serious face when she saw that no one was there. "I've also heard people say that when the saints set up formations here earlier, some would steal things."
Xu Jingming didn't take it seriously. Rumors like Dayun's were as high as 800 or less: "Hmm, if you can steal under the nose of a saint, you have the ability."
At the same time, near Shafu.
Shi Jingzhi: "...stealing from right under He Chengan's nose?"
He Chengan was the name of the first imperial master. Out of resentment towards the Yinxian Society, Master Shi did not plan to call him a "sage".
There was constant stench and noise in the yard, which kept people awake. Surrounded by eyes, Shi Jingzhi didn't want to be too close to his apprentice, so he simply chatted with Yin Ci about Hua Jingchun.
As the person who recruits the Hua family, "Su Zhi" naturally knows better - the Hua family is good at making grave visiting equipment, and various skills are only passed down to family members. Hua Jingchun is in charge of repairing tools and creating things in the sect, and this is what he relies on.
… But when it comes to stealing things from the hands of the first imperial master, the ancestors of the Hua family are extremely skilled. No wonder "Su Zhi" wanted to bring the Hua family into his fold. Shi Jingzhi took several breaths of air conditioning.
Yin Ci was not surprised: "It was indeed stolen from under the nose. It is said that the ancestors of the Hua family infiltrated into the coolies who were building the formation, and took advantage of the ban to 'wake up the formation' and stole several large barrels of mercury from the formation. The Hua family made poison traps. The title and water bag are still in use today. "
After saying that, he sighed sadly.
"When I woke up, everything around me was filled with mercury poisonous gas. There was no grass growing around me, not to mention people, not even an insect or ant. The methods of the ancestors of the Hua family made even me a little curious."
Shi Jingzhi leaned next to Yin Ci and hummed softly. This day had been full of ups and downs, and he was already tired. Yin Ci's voice was gentle and pleasant, and his voice and breath seemed to isolate the dirty sounds around him. Master Shi finally felt a little sleepy while listening to the legends from a hundred years ago.
Noticing the shaking of Shi Jingzhi's head, Yin Ci simply pressed him on his shoulder, and his voice became much softer: "Go to sleep."
"Say something else, anything." Shi Jingzhi muttered, "As long as you are talking, the noise will not be heard."
Yin Ci was startled and said with a smile: "Aren't you afraid that you will tell some ghost stories?"
"...I am trapped, you will never tell me." Master Shi said firmly, "You can't scare me..."
He had thought through the path of this person's apprentice, and this person was habitually unforgiving with his words - if he were still awake at this moment, Yin Ci would come out with his mouth open to any strange things happening among the people. He was about to fall asleep at this moment, and Yin Ci would never scare him awake.
It's also strange. This place is obviously shabby and dirty, but at this moment, he is just chatting. Shi Jingzhi has never been so satisfied. Like a hungry man who has been hungry for a long time and is satisfied for the first time, the feet that have stepped on the mountain of needles are stepping on soft satin.
Shi Jingzhi's voice became lower and lower, and finally blurred into a ball.
After confirming that Jingzhi was asleep, Yin Ci adjusted his posture slightly and leaned against the wall as well. It's just that when his eyes left the people around him, they immediately became colder.
A hundred years ago, he decided to give up exploring the mystery of his constitution and instead seek a way to die, so he joined Chi Gou.
At that time, Chigou was still a small sect that hunted for old weapons on ancient battlefields. The advantage was that the believers were all poor people from the local area. Although the Chigou Cult does things that harm one's morality, there are very few extremely evil people among its followers.
It's just the right time for him to sort things out.
Yin Ci has been wandering in the desert for a long time in a "mad" state, and has a vague impression of the battlefield ruins. He led people to sweep them one by one, repaired the good weapons and sold them to the government, and melted the remaining ones into farm tools, thus laying the foundation for the war. With more manpower, Yin Ci led others to visit the sand tombs of several Xilong nobles, and the Chigou sect finally became wealthy.
Different from the Ling Sect, Chigou has a completely mutually beneficial relationship with the surrounding people - there are many poor people near Shafu, and when the person dies, there will be no mats or thin wooden coffins, so what induces Chigou to dig them up? On the contrary, Chi Gou sold ancient items here, which attracted many merchants to do business, and Shafu City prospered from this.
Originally, the right path was against the Ling religion, and the martial arts world was divided into black and white. The rise of the Chigou sect has added a soft touch of gray to Dayun Jianghu.
Yin Ci's feelings for Chi Goujiao can't be said to be unforgettable, but he is not a careless person. Over the past hundred years, Chigou not only has not declined, but has strictly followed his original rules and developed steadily. Now that he was about to fall into the hands of the Immortal Yin Gui, he was slightly panicked.
Just right now.
No matter what the conspiracy is, all they need to derail the situation is sabotage the enthronement ceremony and capture the false leader alive. There are people from Chigou and Taiheng present, so there is no need to worry about not being able to catch anyone from the Immortal Yin Gui.
However, there are some risks in showing up directly. Fortunately, they have an excellent "shield".
The next day.
"You want to help?" Hua Jingchun laughed out loud. "You knew the situation, so you just offered to help?"
Her injured leg is much better, but unfortunately the wound has not been closed and she cannot install a prosthetic leg. She found a bench and sat on it, still surrounded by fresh blood.
Yin Ci: "Of course I know. You are hiding here to gather some villagers who are dissatisfied with Chi Gou and disrupt the enthronement ceremony of the new leader."
Hua Jingchun said "Oh" without admitting or denying: "How can you see it?"
"Those around you are Chigou believers. Their temperaments are different from those of ordinary villagers, and the calluses on their hands are not made from farm tools." Yin Ci smiled slightly.
"It's a bit interesting. But this help that comes to your door for free is not practical."
"Both of them are natives of Shafu. Who doesn't have a relative in Chigou? We just came back from Qizhou, and that's when we found out that Chigou is like this." Shi Jingzhi interjected with a serious face, Shafu accent is pretty standard. "Hua Hua, your legs are so injured. You don't have a good doctor around you, do you?"
Hua Jingchun was silent for a long time, then slowly showed a smile: "Forget it, we are short of manpower now, even dogs can be used."
Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci: "..."
"You go to the woodshed and wait first. We are used to discussing there. We will be there soon after we finish the sunbathing." After that, she winked secretly at her subordinates.
Yin Ci saw it but smiled and said nothing.
The firewood shed is narrow and filled with dry firewood balls. The master and apprentice were waiting inside to burn incense, and then they saw Hua Jingchun limping closer with several subordinates, and stopped at the door.
She smiled sinisterly at them and made a gesture - Shen Zhu said "ouch", but was pointed at by one of the Chigou cultists with a knife, and entered the woodshed "tremblingly".
"To be courteous for nothing is to be either a traitor or a thief. Not to mention someone who dares not show his true colors to others." She snorted coldly, "This is the 'Miss Sun' you are escorting. This young lady is frail and sick and needs to be nursed back to health by a doctor... Just now?" "I was asked about her pulse condition. Please repeat it here. If it's right, let's talk about it later. If it's not right, don't blame me for not remembering yesterday's kindness."
"... As expected of the Demon Cult." Shi Jingzhi murmured, "Aci, they are much more difficult to deal with than Taiheng."
Even if they sell Hua Dharma protectors a hundred favors, even if Hua Dharma protectors fail, she doesn't hesitate at all when she bites them back. Yin Ci nodded, with a strange feeling of relief on his face.
"The harder it is, the better."
If Protector Hua is a fool who promises people randomly, it will be difficult for him to act. This is what they have been waiting for—
Before he finished speaking, Yin Ci used Qinggong and almost instantly dodges behind Protector Hua, pressing two fingers against the vital point of her neck. Shen Zhu sighed, turned around deftly, and held her hostage empty. Several sparrows fell from the sky and pecked at the man's eyes. The man was shocked and the knife came out of his hand.
The long knife fell, and there was no sound of landing.
Shi Jingzhi didn't move the flag, so he took a few steps and firmly caught the handle of the knife. Then he swung the blade horizontally, and the sharp blade touched another person's neck - that was the servant who was closest to Hua Protector last night and talked the most.
The last burst of true energy shot out, the woodshed door slammed shut, and dust fell.
"Can we talk now?" Master Shi's smile was covered by his face, but there was still some trace in his tone.
From the beginning, the master and apprentice did not expect Hua Jingchun to agree to this matter.
It’s a good place to choose a flower protector. This woodshed is remote and looks like it has been taken care of by her. There are no bandits nearby, so it is very suitable for action. To convince people from the Demon Cult, human kindness and words alone are not enough, strength is the foundation.
"Tell me why I was suddenly caught." Shen Zhu touched his neck, "There are bandits outside watching, and it's really hard to move. Who would have thought that a place like this would be so lively."
Seeing that the other party still wanted to discuss it, Hua Jingchun was not in a hurry. She glanced at the three members of the Dry Mountain Sect one by one, and hummed: "I think I hunt geese all day long, and there are also days when geese peck me in the eye. Which kind of heroes you are, you might as well report your name."
"Well..."
"The Chigou matter must be resolved by the Chigou people themselves." Hua Jingchun's tone was cold, without showing any sign of weakness. "If outsiders take advantage of it, I will go to hell in the future and I will not be able to see the leader of the dormitory!"
Yin Ci: "..." It's a pity that he is not in the underworld.
Shi Jingzhi also choked. This Flower Protector is really good at chatting to death. Hua Jingchun had fallen to this point. He only knew that she would not retreat easily, but he didn't expect that she would not retreat even if she took a step forward. They didn't conceal their identities on purpose, it was just that the Kushan Sect had offended Wu Xue Po to death. Perhaps the Chigou Sect hates them the most compared to the decent people from a well-known family who are being hunted outside.
Things are a bit troublesome, I have to make up another formula...
There was a loud banging sound.
When the headmaster was racking his brains to think of what to say, the fragile door of the woodshed burst open. Following the morning light that shone on the door, a figure crashed into the woodshed. The man's hair was disheveled and his clothes were shabby. However, the momentum was quite distinct, and several people present were very familiar with it.
Shi Zhongyu's steps were so fast that he almost bumped into Shen Zhu, who was guarding the goal. She glanced around and breathed out fiercely: "... As long as nothing happens."
Shi Jingzhi immediately stepped up the pole and said, "Miss Shi, you came just in time."
Yin Ci also followed the current, took a step back, and let go of Protector Hua, who was still weak.
"It's okay if nothing happens?" Hua Jingchun's attention was elsewhere. "Sister, what do you mean by this?"
Shi Zhongyu: "When I heard that you brought them to the woodshed, I knew I was going to take action. Sister Hua, they, uh... you are no match for them."
We haven't seen each other for many days, and she still doesn't know what euphemism is.
Hua Jingchun was not offended by Shi Zhongyu's statement. She hurriedly asked: "Listening to what you said, do you recognize them? What are the origins of these three people?"
Wu Xuepo didn't want to see the Kushan sect. Shi Zhongyu was always watching the ghost tomb. She spoke straightforwardly and had her thoughts in mind - Shi Zhongyu murmured for a long time, neither lying nor clarifying.
"Sister Hua, I really can't say this." She shook her head, "But I have known these people for several months. They are all heroes with strong martial arts skills. I can guarantee this."
Hua Jingchun's face was gloomy. She leaned against the pyre and fell into deep thought. Her aura became calmer, no longer as murderous and hostile as before.
"Miss Shi, you also want to intervene in the enthronement ceremony?" Shi Jingzhi asked curiously.
"No, this is an internal matter within Chigou. The sects have to avoid suspicion." Shi Zhongyu shook his head, "Even if you leave Taiheng, if you take action without permission, it will still ruin Taiheng's reputation. As an alternative, you can only help. Helping Hua protect the Dharma... That young leader is looking after human lives, and he really shouldn't be in charge of Chi Gou."
Only her eyes were clear on her face, and now they were looking at Shi Jingzhi with a very sincere expression.
Shi Jingzhi couldn't laugh or cry.
He was happy to show his strength in the front, and Shi Zhongyu guaranteed to be in the back. Hua Jingchun devoted herself to teaching Chi Gou, at least she would not refuse their help anymore. He felt sad... Shi Zhongyu's meaning was obvious. No matter how hard the Kushan Sect tried, there was no reputation that could be ruined.
"It turns out that these few people are not from the sect." Hua Jingchun finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Looking at Shi Nuxia's guarantee, I can have a chat with you."
"Protector Hua, please ask again. As far as I know, the young leader has a bone-sweeping sword as a token, someone within the sect as a guarantor, and he even has the blood of his family. Protector Hua is so obsessed with Chi Gou, and he has to break the rules. ?"
To save the sect, bad rules are nothing new. However, the calm look of Protector Kanhua does not seem like a reaction of reluctantly "giving up the rules for righteousness".
Hua Jingchun looked at Shi Zhongyu for a while, and when she saw that Shi Zhongyu had no reaction, she slowly said, "That bone-sweeping sword is fake. The Hua family is responsible for the restoration of old things, and you can tell it with just one eye."
Yin Ci couldn't help but raise his eyebrows - claiming to have his bloodline was a lie, and taking his sword was still a lie. I wonder where the young leader got the confidence.
"It's just that this thing relies on intuition. If Wu Huai doesn't hand over the sword, he won't be able to get definite evidence." Hua Jingchun put away the mean look on his face and spoke in a heavy tone. "Wu Huai knew that he could see it. Not long after he joined the religion, he found an excuse to throw it away from San Sheng Cliff... My legs are the ones that San Sheng Cliff doesn't have."
Shi Jingzhi: "Where is the real bone-sweeping sword? Shouldn't it be in the teaching? The counterfeit can't disguise its identity and destroy the real thing..."
That's A Ci's sword, he thought dissatisfied.
Hua Jingchun's face turned ugly: "It's embarrassing to say that the master's bone-sweeping sword was stolen at some point, and it hasn't been found yet. This time to prevent Wu Huai from ascending the throne, we can only beat him hard."
"I don't know why some of you are helping me. This battle is easy. King Lao Shizi Rong chose this time to come, and Shafu is heavily guarded. Taiheng Qu Duanyun is also here, and I can't wait until I get it. The evidence will only be regarded by him as thieves who disturb the order. If you want to gain from this battle, you won't get much... Even if you want to be paid, you won't have anything to give. "
"It's easy to talk." Master Shi handed over the knife in his hand, "Well, you just want two things - Wu Huaigui, how about you guys?"
"It's up to you. What's the use of that bastard? Where's the second one?"
"There should be a clay statue of in the Chigou warehouse, made by Mrs. Sun Wang herself. When the chaos in Chigou subsides, Protector Hua will hand it over to us."
Hua Jingchun frowned: "That thing is not very valuable, and it has more commemorative significance. Although it is not impossible to give it..."
"That's good."
On the other side of the courtyard, Su Si and Yan Qing were unaware of the chaos here. The sand bandits were in charge, and most of the people in the hospital were injured. The bandits usually don't want to work, but now it's rare to have a few people with limbs intact. At this moment, Yan Qing was busy helping people in the hospital scoop up porridge and distribute cakes. He was very busy.
Su Si didn't want to serve strangers, so he chose the shadiest corner of the wall to roast the freshly caught bird - there were only pancakes and gruel here, and Yan Qing practiced every day, so he had to add some meat.
He was playing with the meat-picking knife and humming a tune. A lot of new blood was added to the rough wooden handle, and it was polished until it was shiny. Su Si specially added a small iron ring at the bottom of the knife handle. The mountain ghost money given by Yan Qing was tied with a red silk ribbon and hung precariously on the handle. The short knife is rough, but with this pendant, it adds a bit of rustic charm.
After Yan Qing finished his work, the meat here was also roasted. Su Si tore the meat into pieces and threw it into the porridge: "You eat it first, and then grill one."
"Thank you." Yan Qing held the bowl with both hands and smiled gently.
"It's not as delicious as Senior Yin's, don't worry." Su Si sneezed and wiped his nose. "But this damn place stinks like this, and the delicacies from the mountains and seas can't be tasted anymore."
“Very delicious.”
"Third son, you are just pretending to be blind, and you are still talking nonsense. How many pounds or taels, don't know?"
Yan Qing smiled and didn't answer. He looked at Su Si who was handling the bird: "This knife of yours is really good. I haven't seen you sharpen it for so long."
Su Si shook off the blood on the knife and looked around. There was a bit of a treacherous smile in his smile.
"That's what I made myself." He winked at Yan Qing, "Don't think this knife is ugly, the blade is made of good materials."
"Where did the material come from?"
The blade swept through the air, slicing through fine bones like lard. Su Si glanced at the people in the yard and put on a serious look: "Well... I'll tell you when I feel better one day."