Du Gui'er's scream was as if an invisible hand clasped Tang Fan's heart tightly.
At that moment, his heart was beating violently, and Du Gui'er's voice echoed in his ears.
The next moment, her cry came to an abrupt end, as if someone had strangled her throat or mouth.
Tang Fan became nervous: "Miss Du?"
He turned around quickly, even though he couldn't see anything.
"It's me." A voice came to his ear.
Perhaps because of the cold wind, the tone was much colder than usual, but that didn't affect Tang Fan's familiarity with the voice.
It's Suizhou!
At first, Suizhou obviously regarded Du Gui'er as Tang Fan because he couldn't see anyone.
After covering Du Gui'er's mouth, he declared his identity aloud, and then felt that the other party relaxed instantly, so he let go of his hand, grabbed Tang Fan instead, and led them forward.
"Guangchuan, slow down, Miss Du is injured!" Tang Fan lowered his voice and said hastily.
The man in front was indeed a little slower, but he still seemed to be in a hurry.
Tang Fan had to hold Du Gui'er tightly so that she wouldn't be able to keep up.
The slaughtering sounds that lingered around continued, and there was no sign of stopping. They seemed to be in the Shura field, and even the sound of blood splashing was mixed with the wind.
However, with more people around, even Tang Fan felt a lot more at ease.
Suddenly, Sui Zhou's pace stopped, and Tang Fan and Du Gui'er had to stop.
Before they could ask, they heard Sui Zhou draw his sword out of its scabbard, and it seemed to be facing the oncoming sword.
"Is it big brother! Big brother, it's us, Wei Shan and Lu Yan!" The other party called out.
"Yes." Sui Zhou responded briefly, sheathing the knife in one hand, while the other hand still held Tang Fan's arm tightly and never let go.
Tang Fan was overjoyed. In the darkness, he vaguely saw two figures jumping in front of them.
The other party was equally overjoyed: "Brother, Lu Yan is seriously injured, how do we get out of this ghost place now?"
Suizhou didn't talk nonsense: "It's not suitable to stay here for a long time, first find a place to avoid it!"
Tang Fan hurriedly said, "Miss Du just now said that there is a cave at the foot of Manhan Mountain where you can take a break."
Suizhou: "Which direction?"
He asked very briefly, but Tang Fan immediately understood: "According to where we camped at night, it should be northwest of Weining Haizi."
Sui Zhou was silent for a moment: "Follow me!"
He took Tang Fan and Du Gui'er in a different direction, while Wei Shan and Lu Yan followed closely behind.
Tang Fan supported Du Gui'er, even through her clothes, she could feel the other person's body temperature rising. In contrast, her footsteps became more and more sluggish.
"Miss Du! Don't sleep, hold on for a while! It's coming soon!" he said to Du Gui'er.
But the person in his arms didn't respond to him, and he didn't know if he was in a coma or had no strength to speak.
Tang Fan had no choice but to pinch her arm hard!
Du Gui'er moved reflexively, and then made a weak voice: "I'm awake, don't screw it, it hurts..."
Tang Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Then just say something!"
Du Gui'er was weak: "What did you say..."
Tang Fan: "Whatever."
Du Guier: "Then let me recite the medicine scriptures, otherwise I will really faint... Any great doctor who treats a disease must calm the mind and resolve... No desires or desires, first show great compassion and sympathy, and vow to universally save the suffering of the soul. … If someone comes to ask for help from an illness, don’t ask them whether they are rich or poor…”
In her self-talk, the group stepped on the gravel and grass on the ground, and tripped over a large stone several times in the middle, until Tang Fan was also exhausted and felt that he was about to be unable to support Du Gui'er's weight. It was only then that Sui Zhou's footsteps gradually slowed down.
"arrive?"
He was covered in sweat, and then he noticed that his group seemed to be gradually moving away from the battlefield, and even the sound of fighting was left behind.
"Wait," Sui Zhou let go of his hand, "You stand here and don't move, I'll explore the way first."
After a while, Tang Fan saw a little spark ignited in the darkness, which then reflected the vague outline of Suizhou.
This light of fire is so precious in the dark, not only Tang Fan, but everyone else stared at the fire book in Sui Zhou's hand, holding their breath.
Tang Fan also had a fire stick on his body, but just running all the way, it was wind, rain, and an unknown enemy, who set the fire stick on fire and made himself the target of public criticism. This approach was not wise.
Under Sui Zhou's swing, the fire became brighter.
By the dim light, everyone saw their situation clearly. They were standing under a tree, which was big enough to help them block some of the wind. The leaves were rustled by the wind and covered with There was a faint sound of fighting in the distance.
Wei Shan also wanted to take out the fire book and set it on fire, but was stopped by Suizhou: "Save it for a while."
Tang Fan saw that the other Jin Yiwei leaning on Wei Shan was the injured Lu Yan. His injury seemed to be more serious than Du Gui'er. At this time, he closed his eyes tightly, motionless, and he had to rely on Wei Wei. Shan supported half of his body.
Suizhou asked Tang Fan, "Is it that cave?"
It was Du Gui'er who answered him: "That's right... it's that one, but I haven't been in it before, so I don't know if there is any danger inside."
However, it is too late to think about it now. Although the rain is much smaller, it is still falling, and the night wind is biting. Everyone is tired, hungry, and nervous. They are already on the verge of physical strength, especially Du Guier and Lu Yan , even more in need of a place to heal and recuperate.
Suizhou gave an order, and everyone trotted all the way, over the potholes on the bottom of their feet, and entered the cave.
As soon as they entered the cave, everyone felt relieved.
Although the wind and rain continued to drift in, it was still much more comfortable than staying outside.
Following his line of sight, Sui Zhou slowly moved the fire stick in his hand while checking the terrain.
There are some gravel underfoot, and it is rough, but it is only for one night, and these are not problems.
Du Gui'er was right, this cave was indeed tall and spacious enough, and deep enough, with the weak firelight in Sui Zhou's hand, it couldn't illuminate the end of the cave at all.
He walked inside for a while, found a dry place, and asked Tang Fan and Wei Shan to sit down with the two wounded first.
The fire can't burn for a long time, and the fire is too small to keep warm.
Wei Shan looked around: "Brother, I'll go in and see if there are any fire branches inside."
Suizhou said: "Don't go too far, and warn you if something goes wrong."
Wei Shan agreed, and took out the bamboo tube from his arms, took out the fire stick inside, lit it, and walked in with the fire in hand.
Sui Zhou first walked over to Lu Yan and squatted down to help him check his injuries.
Lu Yan was indeed seriously injured. He was slashed in the waist, and even his bones were exposed. There were large and small wounds in the rest of the way. He was rushing all the way, and Wei Shan could not bandage him. His whole face turned white.
Suizhou sprinkled the gold invasive medicine on his wound, and Lu Yan twitched slightly in pain, as if he wanted to struggle, but was held down by Tang Fan who was already prepared.
With the help of Tang Fan, Sui Zhou tore off the corner of his clothes and simply wrapped it up for him, then turned to see Du Gui'er.
Although this girl's injury was lighter than that of Lu Yan, she was a girl after all, and she had not been subjected to any sparring on weekdays.
Tang Fan touched her forehead, it was hot and hot, and his face couldn't help but be solemn.
"Give her some medicine first." Suizhou said.
"There's no water here." Tang Fan took out the medicine bottle and frowned in embarrassment.
Sui Zhou was not as gentle as him, he took the medicine bottle directly, poured out a few pills, then opened Du Gui'er's mouth, stuffed the pills in, slapped her cheeks again, and ordered, "Swallow it!"
Completely simple and crude.
Tang Fan: "..."
Du Gui'er's cheeks were slightly red and swollen, she swallowed twice with difficulty, and finally swallowed the pill, but she couldn't help coughing, and she coughed until her cheeks became more and more red as blood.
Tang Fan gently patted her on the back, gradually calming her down.
Sui Zhou frowned slightly when he looked at his gentle expression, but didn't say anything.
Now is of course not a good time to speak your mind.
"I found the dry wood!" Wei Shan rushed out from the other end of the cave, holding the fire stick in one hand and a bundle of branches in the other.
"Where did it come from?" Tang Fan was a little strange, how could there be branches in the cave
Wei Shan shook his head: "I don't know, there are some firewood that has been extinguished. Maybe some hunters spent the night here before, so I took out all the unused ones!"
Although this speculation is not particularly reasonable, there is no better explanation now, let alone when it is time to get to the bottom of it, Tang Fan took the branch and helped start the fire.
The effect of a fire in a certain situation is infinite.
With this pile of flames, the cave immediately brightened a lot, and even made people feel a little warm.
More importantly, it blew away the cold wind and rain, as well as the unease of all threats outside, making people see hope.
Although Du Gui'er was still in a drowsiness, she couldn't help leaning in the direction of the fire.
Tang Fan saw it, helped her up, and moved to sit beside the fire.
It's a pity that all those thin blankets and beddings fell into the tent, and the only one was discarded on the road. At present, apart from the clothes on each person's body, no one has extra clothes to cover the floor or cover.
Seeing that Du Gui'er was shaking so badly, Tang Fan wanted to take off his coat, but just as he moved, he was held down by a hand.
"You think of the wind chill?" Sui Zhenfu made his face sank.
"But she's so cold." Tang Fan blinked, a little puzzled.
"The fire has already started, and it will be warm soon." Sui Zhou threw a branch in and made the fire more vigorous.
Seeing that he wouldn't let him, Tang Fan was helpless and had to stop.
Except for the two injured, the other three also sat beside the fire to bake and dry their clothes.
Tang Fan remembered that he just stretched out his hand in the dark and couldn't see his five fingers, no one could see the way, and he didn't dare to light the fire easily, but Suizhou was able to accurately find the cave, and asked, "It was so dark just now, how did you identify the direction? of?"
Sui Zhou took out a small object from his arms and handed it over.
Tang Fan took a look and couldn't help but snort.
This is a compass.
When he left the city, Izumoko also brought a compass in his hand, but this one in Suizhou was several times smaller than that of Izumoko, about half the size of the palm of his hand, and it was done extremely delicately.
The gossip bearing is engraved on the compass, and there is a pendulum in the middle that shakes gently.
Presumably, Suizhou was groping for the pendulum needle and the characters engraved on it to quickly identify the direction.
"Where did this come from?" Tang Fan couldn't let it go.
"Go to the Qintian Superintendent before leaving the capital and ask for it. If you want it, when you return to the capital, I will go and ask for one for you." Suizhou said.
He said it as if it was like Chinese cabbage, there are as many as you want. In fact, this kind of small and delicate compass is very difficult to make. There are only three in the entire Ming Dynasty. One was dedicated to the emperor, and the other two were in the Qin Tianjian. As a result, Suizhou asked for one, and now in order to please Tang Fan, listening to this, I'm afraid that even the only one left will not be kept.
But Tang Fan shook his head: "Let's talk about it when we go back, but what happened tonight, is that what Izumoko said about the passing of the shadow soldiers?"
Suizhou: "Yes, but it's not."
Tang Fan: "How do you say it?"
Suizhou: "If I'm not mistaken, from the moment we arrived at Weining Haizi, we've already fallen into the opponent's formation, or rather, a trap."
Tang Fan was not in a hurry to ask questions, but as expected, Sui Zhou paused and explained: "After I got out of the tent, I checked and failed. I wanted to go back to find you, but I found that I couldn't find the tent where you were, not only that. , I can't even find other people's tents."
This is exactly the same situation as Tang Fan and the others encountered.
Wei Shan also interjected: "Brother, we too!"
Sui Zhou nodded: "I followed the direction of the compass to look for it, but I was attacked on the way."
Tang Fan frowned: "Attack?"
Suizhou: "There are more than one person, and their skills are very good. It was a little difficult for me to deal with them, so I fought and retreated. I didn't expect that I would be able to find you later by mistake."
After listening to Tang Fan, he looked at Wei Shan and said, "Are you guys like this too?"
Wei Shan took a deep breath and said, "Yes, we encountered a lot of attacks, Lu Yan was injured at that time, and there were all soldiers around, so we couldn't get around it at all, it seems that Daoist Izumo said something shady. It is true that the soldiers borrowed the way, this place is indeed very evil!”
Thinking of the scene at that time, there is still lingering fear on his face.
They seemed to be surrounded by thousands of troops and horses. Those ghosts that had not dissipated after many years lingered around them and attacked them desperately. Wei Shan and Lu Yan were shocked, and they were already uneasy. , he had to avoid the trampling of the horses, and soon fell behind. In the end, Lu Yan tried his best to bring the two of them out of the encirclement, and he was seriously injured.
Tang Fan asked, "What kind of weapons did those who attacked you use?"
Wei Shan shook his head: "I don't know, it was too messy at the time, and we couldn't see it, so we could only listen with our ears, but Lu Yan suffered a knife wound."
Tang Fan asked Suizhou again, "What about you?"
Suizhou: "There are knives and swords."
Tang Fan: "No spear, spear?"
Suizhou: "No."
The utterly affirmative answer made Tang Fan ponder. After a long while, he shook his head: "It's true that the Yin Soldier borrows the way, but it may not be true that ghosts take people's lives. Like you said, there are indeed traps in it."
Suizhou said: "To kill the enemy on the battlefield, in order to achieve long-distance lethal effects, weapons such as swords are generally not used, but long weapons such as spears, geeks, spears, and halberds are chosen."
Tang Fan nodded: "Yes, that's exactly the problem. Just imagine, if the people who attacked us were really the lingering shadow soldiers on the Mengjin battlefield, how could they use knives and swords? It seems that someone planned By the shadow soldiers passing by and ambushing us. Now it seems that all this has been arranged. First, there will be storms, lightning and thunder, and then the shadow soldiers will pass by and set up an ambush. No matter how capable Li Zilong is, he will not It is possible that he really calls for wind and rain, and at most he can only rely on the power of heaven and earth to make things happen. It is estimated that this Yin soldier came from this way. And the previous Ming army was either dead or missing, and it was blocked here, which must also be related to this. "
Sui Zhou was silent for a moment: "For today's plan, we can only wait for the dawn."
After dawn, the wind and rain dissipated, and the formation would naturally not be broken.
However, Wei Shan still has many puzzles: "If it weren't for the shadow soldiers, who would the attackers be? We can't see the way ourselves, why can they see us and attack?"
Jinyiwei has been trained for a long time and should not be so vulnerable, but what Wei Shan has experienced in person is too unbelievable, not to mention anything else, it is unheard of for Tang Fan to use Yin soldiers to form a formation.
He still remembered that when he was fighting with the opponent, because his eyes could not see, he could only use his ears to hear. Although a martial artist must have more sensitive ears than ordinary people, no matter how sensitive he is, it is not as easy to use as his eyes, and every time he slows down. It took half a beat to react, but the other person seemed to be able to see them in the dark, which made Wei Shan and Lu Yan extremely passive.
No matter how smart Tang Fan was, he couldn't explain this question. He could only shake his head and tell the truth, "I don't know either."
Sui Zhou said, "I've heard that some people can do this after special training, and they may not be able to see, they may just be in the dark for a long time, and they are deliberately trained to be able to see. In the dark, the reaction is more agile, and the listening position has reached the highest level, so it may not be impossible to use the ears as eyes. It seems that after returning, Beizhen Fusi's training can be added again. "
Wei Shan: "… "
Wait, he just had some doubts, so he just asked, how could the Lord Zhenfu think about increasing the training of Beizhen Fusi? !
If the brothers knew about it, they would hate themselves to death!
Wei Shan couldn't help shivering when he thought of Suizhou's endless practice methods.
Although he came back, he also understood that if it wasn't for Suizhou's strictness, maybe they would not have escaped.
Thinking about the scenes of being manipulated to death on the school grounds every day after returning home, Wei Shan suddenly felt that the "yin soldiers" just now were actually not that scary anymore.
Tang Fan sighed: "I don't know what happened to Duke Wang and the others!"
Sui Zhou said indifferently: "He has a cunning temperament, so he will be fine."
Tang Fan: "..." This sounded comforting at first, but if you taste it carefully, why doesn't it seem like a compliment
Although the rain outside was not as heavy as when Tang Fan and the others first came out of the tent, it never stopped. When they went out of the cave, it was dark outside, which made them warmer and more popular.
Wei Shan worried: "We have a fire here, will those who are in ambush follow?"
Neither Tang Fan nor Sui Zhou could answer this question.
In fact, they had no other choice. Without this fire, Lu Yan and Du Gui'er would have died of severe injuries and fever, or they would have been frozen to death.
And with the firelight, not only the enemy can see it, but Wang Zhi and the others can also see it, maybe they will come over to meet.
There is no such thing as the best of both worlds, and when the pros outweigh the cons, a fire is the best option.
The fire burned very vigorously, and everyone gradually warmed up, and the wet clothes were not so uncomfortable anymore. Tang Fan heard Du Gui'er muttering and shouting for thirst, so he saw a larger leaf, and went outside to pick up some The rain fed her to drink, and then touched the other's forehead, presumably the effect of the medicine began to take effect, Du Gui'er's forehead was not as hot as before, and he was relieved.
I've been busy for most of the night tonight, running and dodging attacks. I haven't even slept. Tang Fan has long been exhausted. After sitting down again, he immediately started fighting, and he didn't even know when he fell asleep.
When he woke up again, he saw the burning fire in front of his eyes. Tang Fan couldn't help but move, and found that he was leaning against Sui Zhou, and the other party wrapped one hand around his waist, almost covering him. In his arms, he didn't even know when his coat was covering him.
Tang Fan was a little moved. Although this posture was a little awkward, he didn't dare to move it again for fear of waking Sui Zhou.
However, Sui Zhou was already in a light sleep and was very alert. Almost the moment Tang Fan opened his eyes, he also woke up.
"Don't move, the clothes will fall as soon as you move." Suizhou said.
It's fine that he didn't speak. As soon as he spoke, Master Tang remembered the scene that happened in the tent before, and a handsome face also blushed slightly, so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do.
Fortunately, the fire reflected his face, so he couldn't see it.
"What time is it?" He randomly searched for a topic.
Wei Shan was curled up and sleeping on the other side of the fire, and the other two injured people were unknown.
"You just slept for less than half an hour." Sui Zhou said.
No wonder it was still completely dark outside.
Tang Fan was a little disappointed.
However, the next moment, he immediately sat up straight.
The outer clothes that Sui Zhou covered on him slid down.
But it wasn't just him, Sui Zhou also reacted the same way, and it was faster - he picked up the knife at hand and stood up.
Wei Shan also woke up.
The eyes of the three fell on the outside of the cave.
It's still raining, but it's not rain that they are concerned about.
Instead, the silhouettes flashed along with the sound of rain.
Who will it be
Friend or enemy
Tang Fan also stood up and walked beside Du Gui'er and Lu Yan.
If there is a real fight later, he will definitely take good care of these two people and not let Sui Zhou and Wei Shan have any worries.
But he didn't notice that he was still holding Suizhou's outer clothes in his hand.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and everyone held their breaths and stared outside for a moment.
The figures appearing on the edge of the cave entrance also seemed to have some scruples. When they reached the entrance of the cave, they suddenly slowed down and sneaked into it.
Just looking at the exposed half of the other's head, Tang Fan said, "Boss Meng?"
The other party snorted, exposing his head, and his face was surprised and happy: "Master Tang, Master Sui, are you really you?!"
Tang Fan was helpless: "What kind of way are you exploring? If we were the enemy, you would have been discovered long ago?"
Meng Cun smiled shyly, and hurried in with the help of his companion.
Only then did Tang Fan and the others notice that the person he was helping was actually Izumoko.
"Master Izumo?!"
Hearing Tang Fan and the others' voices, Izumoko raised his head with difficulty, and smiled reluctantly at them.
Half of his clothes were stained with blood. After being soaked by the rain, the blood faded and new ones poured out constantly. The whole light-colored robe looked terrifying.
Everyone hurried forward to help, took Izumoko from Meng Cun's hand, and helped him sit down.
"You were also attacked?" Tang Fan asked.
"Yes," Meng Cun smiled bitterly. He also suffered a lot of injuries, bleeding all over his body, but fortunately they were all skin injuries, not so serious. "I met Daoist Izumo on the way, and when I saw the fire here, I quickly took him to escape, and just now I vaguely heard Wang Gong and the others scolding, I'm afraid their situation is worse than ours now. , as soon as we leave, those yin soldiers will definitely go to them, please go and save Wang Gong and the others!"
Tang Fan and Suizhou looked at each other, and the latter asked, "Are you sure they are still surrounded?"
Meng Cun took a deep breath: "Yes, there were more people besieging us originally. It was Duke Wang who helped us share part of the pressure, and let us come over to report first, so that I could escape with Daoist Izumo!"
Tang Fan said, "Guangchuan?"
The tacit understanding between the two has reached a certain level, and many times they can know each other's intentions without saying anything.
Sui Zhou nodded slightly and looked at Meng Cun: "Do you still have the strength to fight?"
"Yes!" Without hesitation, Meng Cun said sternly: "This subordinate must guard this place, and it will be after death!"
Suizhou nodded, without delay, he called Wei Shan, and the two ran towards the vast night outside.
In the cave now, Tang Fan is not good at martial arts. Izumoko and Lu Yan were both seriously injured. Du Guier can be ignored. There is only one Meng Cun left. If something happens, he can resist, but since he can With Izumoko rushing out of the siege, his skills will not be too bad.
Tang Fan asked, "When you guys just found out that there is light here, didn't the other party come with you?"
Meng Cun shook his head: "No, it seems that the range of activities of those Yin soldiers is limited by the formation. As soon as we break out of the encirclement, no one will catch up."
Tang Fan said, "It's not a Yin soldier."
Meng Cun was at a loss: "Huh?"
Tang Fan explained: "Those are not Yin soldiers, but someone used the Yin soldiers to confuse us, taking the opportunity to attack at night."
Meng Cun was horrified: "Could it be that it wasn't a ghost that was going to kill us, but a human?!"
Tang Fan nodded: "That's why I wonder why they didn't pursue us when they knew we came here."
Meng Cun was confused: "This, how is this possible? At that time, I clearly felt that I was surrounded by many soldiers and horses, and my body was terribly cold. There were also the sound of horse hooves and horns... If it wasn't for the soldiers, where did these come from?"
Tang Fan told him his speculation just now. Meng Cun was still a little unbelievable, but he couldn't think of anything to refute. As soon as his previous experience of escaping from death made him relax, fatigue appeared on his face. look.
Izumoko beside him had already fallen asleep, and Tang Fan said to him, "You can rest for a while, too."
Meng Cun smiled wryly and shook his head: "My subordinates still need to guard, lest someone rush in, so the adults should sleep first."
Tang Fan was really tired. He just squinted his eyes for less than an hour, which was not enough to relieve his fatigue. He was not polite to him at the moment, he pulled Sui Zhou's outer clothes on him, and then closed his eyes.
The cave was quiet again.
Just now, because Meng Cun and Izumoko came in, Du Gui'er was disturbed for a while, her brows were slightly furrowed, she seemed a little uneasy, and she didn't know what she was talking about.
Lu Yan and Izumoko were sleeping soundly at the moment due to their serious injuries, and they were afraid that even the thunder around them would not wake them up.
Meng Cun looked around, looked at the dark sky outside, turned back inside, and his eyes fell on Tang Fan.
At this time, Tang Fan was almost shrinking his entire body into the outer garment of Suizhou because of the cold. Rao still seemed to feel a little cold, and he shrank slightly in his sleep, but his body was too tired, so never woke up.
Meng Cun moved and threw a stone out of the cave.
There was a crisp sound, and there was not much movement, but if these people were sleeping lightly, they would definitely wake up.
But no one woke up, including Tang Fan.
Only then did Meng Cun quietly get up and walk towards Tang Fan, taking out a dagger from his sleeve and slowly pulling out the blade.
With his skill, he is absolutely sure to end the opponent's life in the blink of an eye.
Meng Cun showed a sinister smile, and when he moved, he was about to jump up.
However, at this moment, Tang Fan suddenly opened his eyes and smiled at him: "Have you endured it for a long time?"