Chapter 25 Chapter 25: Alliance

Qingyun Mountain, Tongtian Peak. Outside the Yuqing Hall, a large group of righteous people stood densely, including Master Daoxuan, head of Qingyun, and Yun Yilan, owner of Fenxiang Valley.Behind the two of them, other well-known figures from the Qingyun Fenxiang sect also stood here, looking at the formation, it seemed as if they were about to welcome someone. I don't know who it is that has such a big face? Not counting those from the small sect, most of the important figures from Qingyunmen and Fenxiang Valley were present at the moment, Shangguan Ce, Lu Shun, second generation disciples Li Xun, Yan Hong and others in Fenxiang Valley were all standing behind Yun Yilan.Among them, Li Xun has no expression on his face, but his complexion looks very ugly, and there are people talking in low voices everywhere, and they glance at him from time to time, which makes his complexion even more ugly.

As for the Qingyun Sect, Tian Buyi, Zeng Shuchang, Master Shuiyue and Qi Hao were also present, including Xiao Yicai and other disciples also standing behind Reverend Daoxuan, but among the crowd, the most outstanding and limelight of the Qingyun Sect in recent years The strongest character, Lu Xueqi, did not see her figure.In addition, Lin Jingyu didn't see anyone, so he wondered if he was at the ancestral hall again. The day was bright and clear, the sky was cloudless, and the mountain breeze was blowing slowly, giving people a refreshing feeling. If it weren't for the fact that there are too many grievances and hatreds in this mortal world, and the constant involvement, this place would really be like a fairyland on earth.

Among the crowd behind him, many people were talking in low voices, and it was vaguely heard that most of them were talking about the biggest catastrophe in the world today. Master Daoxuan, the head of the Qingyun Sect, heard it in his ears, his face was serious, and he couldn't help it. He sighed softly. His voice was not loud, and most of the people around him did not arrive, but Yun Yilan, the owner of Fenxiang Valley who was standing side by side with him at the front of the crowd, heard it, turned his head, glanced at Master Daoxuan, and said in a low voice: "Senior Brother Daoxuan, why are you sighing?"

Daoxuan smiled wryly, shook his head slightly, and said, "Have you listened to the whispers of these fellow Taoists behind us, few people are optimistic." Yun Yilan smiled slightly, and said: "Senior Daoxuan, why should you care about them? Although the catastrophe has been accomplished and the lives of the people are in ruins, we are the last hope of the world at this moment. Facing those vicious monsters, senior brother, you, as the leader of the world , if you no longer have confidence, how can you face the high expectations of the common people in the world?" Reverend Daoxuan's complexion changed slightly, and a gleam flashed in his eyes. He took a deep look at Yun Yilan, but saw this person's expression was calm, as if he didn't mean anything, he smiled and said, "Where is the benefactor Yun? What kind of virtue and ability can we be worthy of the words "leader of the world"? This catastrophe of beasts and monsters has poisoned the living beings. As people who learn the Tao, we have always boasted of the righteous way, so naturally we can't stay out of it. Wait for Tianyin Master Si Puhong is here, you and I, together with the heroes of the world, will die for the people, and it will not be in vain for us to learn the Tao."

Yun Yilan nodded and said, "Senior brother is right." Reverend Daoxuan returned the salute with a smile, but there was a strange feeling in his heart, the owner of the Fenxiang Valley, Yun Yilan, spoke modestly and impeccably, but he couldn't see through this person, felt that this person The city is unfathomable. Just as Master Daoxuan was thinking about whether he should find a chance to give this Yun Yilan a try and see what he had in mind, there was a sudden commotion in the crowd, and both Master Daoxuan and Yun Yilan were refreshed , Looking down the mountain, I really saw a golden light flashing in the depths of the white clouds floating among the towering Tongtian Peak.

I saw the golden light floating, taking the shape of a golden lotus blooming, floating up among the white clouds, and the Sanskrit sounds echoed between the heaven and the earth. Reverend Daoxuan and Yun Yilan went forward at the same time, the golden lotus fell, swaying and flickering for a moment, the golden light dissipated, and dozens of Buddhist monks headed by Master Puhong of Tianyin Temple appeared.The headed master, Master Puhong, looked just as before, compassionate and peaceful, with a golden red Buddhist robe and a solemn treasure appearance, holding a string of dark sandalwood beads in his hand, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

Standing behind him is Pufang, a tall and tall junior who holds the "Golden Bowl of the Buddha". After that, there are more than a dozen eminent monks and second-generation disciples of Tianyin Temple. Faxiang, Fashan and other famous Buddhist disciples are also there. in. Reverend Daoxuan stepped forward and said with a smile: "Master Puhong, you are finally here, everyone has been looking forward to it for a long time!" Master Puhong nodded with a smile, and said: "I am ashamed to keep all the benefactors and the head of Daoxuan waiting for so long." At this moment, Yun Yilan, who was standing beside Daoxuan Daoxuan, laughed loudly and said: "Master, do you still recognize me? I haven't seen you for many years. Don't forget all the old and familiar friends!"

Master Puhong glanced at Yun Yilan, his expression was obviously startled, and even the smile that he had been wearing all the time was restrained for a moment, then a look of admiration flashed in front of his eyes, and said: "Could it be that this benefactor is actually Yun Yi Is Lanyun the old valley owner?" Yun Yilan laughed loudly, and saluted, "It's the old man who has met Master Abbot." Puhong came up and bowed back to salute, and said with a smile: "I have heard that Fenxiang Valley is profound in Daoism, especially the Three Yang Realm of Fenxiang Jade Book is even more miraculous. Donor Yun is determined and talented. Could it be that he has reached the realm of 'Yuyang'? ?”

Yun Yilan's complexion changed slightly, and his heart was shocked. Fenxianggu Taoism has always been known for its secrets in the righteous way, and it is far less famous than Qingyunmen and Tianyin Temple. Brahma Prajna", everyone knows everyone.But this time when he entered the Central Plains, he met the leaders of the two great families in the Central Plains, and he was recognized by Master Daoxuan and Master Puhong successively. When he thought about the relationship, he couldn't help feeling suspicious: Could it be? There are spies under my door who can't do it? It's just that he wanted to return to his thoughts, but he still had a calm expression on his face, and said with a smile: "Master's eyes are like torches, and the old man is a little bit rudimentary, so it's nothing to worry about!" After a pause, Yun Yilan looked slightly serious, and said: "But Master Now that you’re here, that’s good. Now that the world is suffering, and evildoers are rampant, it’s a disaster that has never been seen in ancient times. I hope that the master can lead the world in the right way, and there is no such thing as goodness.”

Reverend Daoxuan stood aside, his expression suddenly changed slightly. Venerable Master Puhong humbly said: "Where is the meaning of benefactor Yun? The common people in the world have been robbed, and beasts and monsters are rampant. Everyone in Tianyin Temple is a disciple of Buddhism, how can they retreat to the back of others? But now the world is full of righteous ways, and Daoxuan senior brother has always been respected. , Taoism has supernatural powers, so it is natural that Senior Brother Daoxuan should be the leader to lead the righteous way in the world to fight against powerful enemies."

Master Daoxuan smiled and said: "Master is too polite, Daoxuan really dare not be." Master Pu Hong folded his hands together and said: "Master Daoxuan, the common people in the world are looking forward to day and night, and that is to get rid of this catastrophe as soon as possible. You must never refuse." Yun Yilan chuckled, and said: "Both of you are masters of Taoism, why are there so many polite words, come on, let's go in and talk, otherwise it would be negligent to let these many fellow Taoists accompany the three of us to talk and blow people!" Reverend Daoxuan and Master Puhong looked at each other and smiled, they walked together, along the way, people kept saying hello to Master Puhong and the monks of Tianyin Temple, which shows that Tianyin Temple has a high reputation in the righteous way. All the way into the Yuqing Palace, Master Puhong couldn't help but praise a few more words about the grandeur and majesty of the newly built Yuqing Palace in Qingyunmen. Reverend Daoxuan smiled and thanked him modestly, and wanted to invite Master Puhong to sit on the main seat, but Master Puhong refused and refused several times, and finally Daoxuan took the seat as the master, Master Puhong and Yun Yilan Sit on both sides. There were more than a hundred people standing in the main hall at the moment, but the seats were limited. Except for a few famous Sanxians, those who sat down were figures from the three major factions. The status and strength in the Righteous Way, and the discussion of countermeasures, etc., are naturally mostly discussed among the three major factions. After everyone sat down, Yun Yilan was the first to speak and asked Master Puhong: "Master, have you seen any cruel monsters on your way here?" Master Pu Hong nodded and said, "Yes, we also got rid of some monsters." There was a commotion among the people nearby, the disaster of beast monsters has already been spread all over the world, and many people have seen it, but in this Qingyun Mountain Yuqing Palace, the righteous people who have fought with it, except for the three sects sent out to inquire about the news Apart from his disciples, there are not many other sects. Reverend Daoxuan was also moved by it, and said: "Oh, there is such a thing, master might as well talk about it, and let everyone here know about it." Master Puhong folded his palms together and said, "Don't dare. Actually, we didn't expect to encounter these monsters on the way here. We have always heard that these monsters are still raging in the south, but we are 700 miles south of Qingyun Mountain. In a small village, more than a dozen monsters were found attacking the village, but unfortunately we went too late, and all the villagers were killed." "Ah!" Reverend Daoxuan and Yun Yilan exclaimed, seven hundred miles to the south of Qingyun Mountain, although it is not close, it is not very far.At this time, most of the monks in Tianyin Temple who stood behind Master Puhong showed expressions of unbearable expression, and several monks joined hands and recited Buddha's name. It must have been a tragic scene at that time, which left a deep impression on these monks. Master Puhong sighed at this moment, with a look of unbearable expression flashing across his face, he sighed: "Those monsters are indeed just like the legends, they are mutated from several ferocious beasts in the southern border, and they are cruel and easy to kill. Leave a life alive. When encountering such monsters, even if they break the precept of killing and damage their cultivation, they still want to eliminate harm for the people, so we will go down and get rid of them." Reverend Daoxuan raised his palms up, and said: "Master is acting on behalf of the heavens, what he has done is merit and virtue, not a crime of killing, master, you don't need to be sad about it." Puhong sighed and nodded, while Yun Yilan frowned, but was concerned about another question, and said, "Master Abbot, I have something else to ask." Venerable Puhong said: "Master Yungu, please tell me." Yun Yilan said: "Earlier we didn't hear that these monsters had already arrived there. Now that the master met this time, the beast monsters must have arrived near Qingyun Mountain soon. I don't know if there are any other people on this road, except this village. Master, have you found any beast monsters yet?" Master Pu Hong shook his head and said: "Not really, except in that village, I haven't seen it in other places. Presumably, a small number of evildoers ran fast and happened to be bumped into by us." Reverend Daoxuan sighed: "It's their misfortune, it's a pity they can't save those villagers." When all the monks heard the words, they clasped together and chanted the Buddha's name. Yun Yilan nodded slightly, and said: "Master, based on the fighting between those beast monsters you saw and the eminent monks of Tianyin Temple, what is their fighting power?" Master Pu Hong pondered for a while, and said: "Most of these evildoers are ordinary monsters, but they are powerful and sharp claws, ferocious and brutal. If we really want to compare them, the ordinary practice of us cultivators can beat them." Got them." Yun Yilan nodded, and said: "It seems that most of these monsters are ordinary monsters, and they got separated from the team members." After speaking, he paused, turned his head and said to Li Xun behind him: "Xun'er, what are you doing?" Tell Master Puhong about the news we have inquired about these days." Li Xun responded, walked out, and saluted Master Puhong respectfully, Master Puhong smiled and said, "Nephew Li, please speak." Li Xun nodded and said: "Master, after this period of time, we have sent many comrades to the south to investigate, and found that there are three main reasons for the catastrophe of the beast monsters. One: most of the ordinary beast monsters look like The beasts mutated. Although we don't know what the mutation is, these monsters have indeed become more ferocious and cruel than the original beasts. Ordinary people are absolutely irresistible; The number of alien races is countless. The disciples we sent saw countless monsters swarming in the sky many times, the number at least exceeded tens of thousands. Under such circumstances, no matter how high your skills are, it will not help; , among these ordinary monsters, there seems to be an unknown number of special monsters. These monsters are completely different from ordinary monsters. They have powerful demon skills, especially better than many cultivators. I don’t know what kind of character he is because of the beast god in the legend, but seeing how he can manipulate countless monsters, I’m afraid he is also an extremely tricky character!” Master Puhong frowned tightly, and the monks of Tianyin Temple behind him also looked at each other in blank dismay. This time, the cataclysm of beasts and monsters, the situation is obviously unprecedented. Seeing Li Xun's expression when he spoke, it was similar to that of Qingyunmen and incense burners. The dignified expressions of Gu and other characters, it is obvious that everyone is also in a heavy heart. The hall fell into silence for a while, and after a long while, Yun Yilan let out a long breath and said with a smile: "If these monsters are not powerful, how could they be a catastrophe through the ages! Anyway, things have come to an end, it's useless to think too much, it's better for us Let's discuss how to resist these monsters." Reverend Daoxuan nodded and said: "Valley Master Yun is right, how about it! I still have some bad tea that I have collected for many years, please come to the inner hall to taste it, and we will talk while drinking." Master Puhong and Yun Yilan stood up deliberately, and confessed a few words to each other, then followed Master Daoxuan into the inner hall. As soon as the three respected and respected figures left, the atmosphere in Yuqing Hall gradually relaxed After coming down, Xiao Yicai, Qi Hao, Li Xun, etc. were old acquaintances with the Faxiang and Fashan of Tianyin Temple, and they all came together to talk now.Taking advantage of this rare moment, Xiao Yicai proposed to take Faxiang and Fashan to have a good look at the scenery of Tongtian Peak. Faxiang and others readily agreed, and Li Xun and others happened to be fine, so they walked out together. It was already summer at this time, and the weather was getting hotter, but on the towering Tongtian Peak, it was still extremely cool.Walking to a cliff with railings far from the peak, leaning on the railings and looking into the distance, you can see the vast sea of ​​clouds and the blue sky above, which makes people feel that they are out of this world. Faxiang praised: "I have heard about Qingyun Mountain fairyland for a long time. I have been here ten years ago and it has opened the poor monk's eyes. See you again today. It is still so spectacular and breathtaking. It is a wonder in the world!" Xiao Yicai smiled and said, "Brother Faxiang is being polite again. If you want to talk about the scenery, isn't your 'Wordless Jade Wall', 'Xumi Road', and 'Jade Seed Mountain' in Tianyin Temple on Mount Xumi more famous places in the world?" Faxiang smiled and said: "Those are small scenes, how can they compare to such a magnificent scene as Qingyun." Turning around from the corner of his eyes, he suddenly found Li Xun and Yan Hong standing behind him.Yan Hong was fine, but Li Xun seemed a bit dissatisfied on his face, but after all, he was not back then, and now he has a bit more self-restraint, so he didn't express it. Fa Xiang was very thoughtful, and there was no change in his expression, so he continued naturally: "But if we really want to talk about these scenery, I think that in the whole world, only Brother Li's Xuanhuo Rantian at Fenxiang Valley can be compared. .Is that right, Senior Brother Li?" Li Xun was stunned, with a smile on his face, but he still thanked him modestly: "Brother Faxiang is overwhelmed, Fenxiang Valley is a small place, and it is located in a remote place, so I dare not compare it with the scenery of Middle Earth." There was deep meaning in Xiao Yicai's eyes, he glanced at Faxiang, a half-smile expression appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then he said with a smile: "Okay, okay, you don't need to boast, anyway, every place has its own scenery, The vastness of the world is so vast, I wonder if we can see it all in our lifetime?" Everyone was touched for a moment, and said in unison: "Exactly." They laughed out loud together. Everyone chatted and laughed for a while, Li Xun seemed to have thought of something again, walked slowly to Xiao Yicai's side, and when no one was paying attention, he said in a low voice: "Senior Brother Xiao, please ask." Xiao Yicai was startled, and said: "Senior Brother Li, if you have something to say, it's okay to say it." Li Xun hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but speak out, saying: "This...these days, especially today is such an important day, why haven't we seen Lu Xueqi and Junior Sister Lu from Xiaozhu Peak appear?" Xiao Yicai's face changed slightly, he took a look at Li Xun, and said in a low voice: "Senior Brother Li, Junior Sister Lu has been ordered to reflect on her mistakes at the moon-watching platform on Xiaozhu Peak because she publicly contradicted my mentor Daoxuan in the Yuqing Palace that day. It's been a few days today." Li Xun said "Ah" with a complex expression, as if sad, but also ashamed and annoyed. After a while, he sighed again, and smiled wryly at Xiao Yicai, saying: "Thank you brother Xiao for telling me, I am very grateful, later I will beg my teacher to see if I ask his old man to persuade Master Xuan to say a few words, alas, it can be regarded as doing my best." Xiao Yicai nodded without saying a word, just stretched out his hand and patted his shoulder. Among the crowd standing in the distance looking at the beautiful scenery of the world, Fa Xiang slowly looked away from the two whispering people behind him, and suddenly heard someone whispering beside him: "Master, does Master know that Senior Brother Li proposed marriage to Lu Xueqi and Junior Sister Lu?" Is something wrong?" Fa Xiang smiled slightly, glanced at Qi Hao who was standing beside him, and said, "I heard a little." Qi Hao nodded and stopped talking, but Fa Xiang suddenly sighed, with a bit of emotion in his voice.Qi Hao was slightly surprised, and said, "Brother Fa Xiang, why are you sighing so much?" Faxiang smiled faintly, regained his original expression, and said, "It's nothing, I just remembered an old friend." Qi Hao wondered: "Old man, what old man?" Faxiang said leisurely: "An old man who was born and died with us, has a lot to do with us, and that Miss Lu..." Qi Hao fell silent, and after a long time, he also sighed heavily, and there was a bit of emotion in the vicissitudes of the world, and things are different. ※※※ The main altar of the Demon Cult's Wandu Sect is located in a place called "Poisonous Snake Valley" in the southwest of Middle Earth.Geographically speaking, the Poisonous Snake Valley, the Huqi Mountain of the Ghost King Sect, and the Xiaoyao Stream of the Hehuan Sect just formed a large triangle, restraining each other and facing each other, forming a fairly solid balance of power in today's Demon Cult. But at this moment, this balance has reached a precarious point, especially in the Wandu sect, which was originally the most powerful in the Demon Cult. The gate was already in chaos, and the poisonous snake valley where the main altar was located was already in a state of tension, and the situation was imminent. Nominally speaking, Qin Wuyan, the closed disciple of the Poison God, was the official heir who received the deathbed will of the Poison God. It is a pity that in the Demon Sect, especially in the Wandu Sect, who is a martial artist and has a lot of strength. Among all sects, relying solely on the will left by the God of Poison will not help. Not long after the God of Poison passed away, several of his other disciples rushed back to the Valley of the Poisonous Snake. They came aggressively, posing as if they wanted to compete for the position of sect master.And although Qin Wuyan has won the True Inheritance of the Poison God, and his abilities are far superior to those of his senior brothers, but first of all, he is not very experienced in the Wandu Sect, and the important masters in the sect are almost all on the side of his senior brothers this time. .Secondly, last time in the Dead Marsh, he was accidentally ambushed by Gui Li, the blood son of the Ghost King Sect, and he was seriously injured. Although he had largely recovered at this time, the blood-devouring orb, the most vicious and evil magic weapon in Gui Li's hand, really made him feel ashamed. He had suffered so much, that blood-devouring monster power was firmly attached to the Qi veins in his body like maggots attached to the bone, which greatly reduced his cultivation and gave others the opportunity to peek at the throne. However, fortunately, at this critical juncture, Qin Wuyan finally relied on the strange Taoism of the God of Poison and combined the use of five kinds of poisons including the "seven-tailed centipede" to forcibly suppress this strange blood-eating poison. The demon power was removed from the body.But this important matter happened only a few days ago, Qin Wuyan was deep in his thoughts, and kept this secret all the time, knowing that he was already the target of public criticism, so he was willing to bear it. His patience was soon rewarded. The three senior brothers Fan Xiong, Cheng Wuya and Duan Rushan who had worked together and formed an alliance to come back to snatch the position of sect master found out that the little junior brother who was the most feared had turned out to be an internal injury. , a half-disabled person suffering from illness, and he also expressed very sincerely that the master had indeed passed on the position of sect master to him when he was dying, but he himself did not want to sit in this position at all, and handed over the seal of the sect master on the spot, After placing it before the spirit seat of the poison god, indicating that only those who became the sect master can get it, the alliance of the three descendants of the poison god quickly began to disintegrate. The master priests and disciples of the Wandu Sect are also divided into three factions at the moment, the faction headed by Baiduzi is on the side of senior brother Fan Xiong; His good friend, Patriarch Duanmu, stood behind the second eldest Cheng Wuya; as for the rest of the third Duan Rushan, although his Taoism ranked last among the four disciples of the Poison God, he was always scheming and plotted secretly. This time, however, his power is the strongest for the time being, and many old monsters of the Wandu Sect who have not been born for a long time have been drawn over by him, and nearly half of the disciples of the sect are on his side. And in the Poisonous Snake Valley right now, it is the last day of offering sacrifices to the God of Poison Head Seven.The news of the poison god's death had already spread, and the mourning hall was covered with white flags like mountains, but it was rare to hear a cry or two.Although most of the disciples of the Wandu Sect wore white silk and linen cloth, they didn't even have a trace of sadness and pain on their faces. On the contrary, many of them glared angrily and confronted the other faction. If it weren't for worrying about the last bit of face above the mourning hall, I'm afraid this place has long been turned into a martial arts hall rather than a mourning hall. The four disciples of the Poison God all wore heavy filial piety and knelt in front of everyone, but except for Qin Wuyan, the other three only kowtowed three times before standing up, standing to the side, and many people also stood behind them, Confronting each other, and countless eyes are looking at the small green box on the altar in front of the coffin in the mourning hall, with four characters written on it—— Seal of the God of Ten Thousand Poisons. It is the seal that can only be possessed by the owner of the Wandumen since ancient times. There were three fruit animals on the altar table, and there was a copper pot on the ground in front of the table, burning with flames. After Qin Wuyan kowtowed, unlike the three senior brothers, he knelt aside silently, took the paper money and put them into the copper pot one by one, and burned them to the altar. deceased.And none of his three senior brothers looked at him directly. Anyway, no matter who becomes the sect master in the end, this useless person can't escape the fate of being poisoned to death. Their attention is still more on that small box. Fan Xiong, who had a sultry face and a fierce expression, suddenly snorted coldly, took a step, and walked towards the altar, but Cheng Wuya and Duan Rushan, who had been on guard for a long time, flashed out almost at the same time, and Duan Rushan sneered: "Brother, Master's first seven days are not over yet, what do you want to do?" Fan Xiong stared at him with a fierce look on his face, and said, "I am a senior brother, so of course I will inherit this position." Cheng Wuya snorted, and said, "Where do you think that this seat is occupied by senior brother?" Duan Rushan also sneered and said: "You want to talk about the rules of elders and children, but if you really want to talk about rules, the master will also pass on the position to the younger brother when he dies. How can it be your turn?" Fan Xiong's eyes flashed fiercely, he turned his head to look at Qin Wuyan, Qin Wuyan didn't raise his head, his voice still sounded out of breath, he coughed, and said tremblingly: "Three senior brothers, you just came back...cough, cough Cough... At the time, I immediately handed over the seal letter and explained that I am not interested in this position. You... Cough cough... You started earlier than me, and your prestige is higher than mine, so naturally you should take this seat , Master is getting old, and I think he was a little confused when he left, so he just said nonsense. You have decided who will sit in this position, so don't drag me into it." He spoke in a deep and trembling tone, as if he still felt a little guilty and afraid, and he didn't have the deep and arrogant look before.Fan Xiong sneered, turned his head in disdain, and said without looking at him again, "Then what are you planning to do?" Duan Rushan sneered, and said: "Needless to say, it's still as we agreed, Master's first seven days will pass first, and after letting him go, we will decide who will sit in this seat tomorrow in this mourning hall! " Fan Xiong gave Duan Rushan and Cheng Wuya a hard look, and his two juniors looked at him with unkind looks.After a while, Fan Xiong turned around abruptly, strode out of the mourning hall, and a large group of people walked out after him.Cheng Wuya and Duan Rushan also led their troops out afterwards, and Qin Wuyan was soon left alone on the mourning hall, kneeling silently on the ground guarding the coffin. I don't know how long it took, the stack of paper money in Qin Wuyan's hand was burnt clean in a copper basin, and then he slowly raised his head, his eyes under the white silk were indifferent and without brilliance. "Master..." His voice was so soft that only he could hear, "Master! Did you see that these people are your apprentices, your subordinates..." The corner of Qin Wuyan's indifferent mouth gradually showed a sneer, which was cold and without any emotion.