Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The Maze
Zuo Feiqing saw that the nine painted boats were of the same shape, and the candles looked like candles. He was surprised and amused at the same time, and thought: "This must be the trick of Qing girl, who wants to use these boats to disturb Zuo's sight. It's hard to find so many identical boats for her." Thinking of concentrating on her thoughts, she fixed her eyes firmly on the boat that Yao Qing and the others were on, so that she would not be confused by other boats.
Suddenly, the nine lotus lanterns were all extinguished, and the river surface was plunged into darkness, only the shadows of boats shuttled around like horses.But Zuo Feiqing used his magical powers, regardless of light or shade, only Yao Qing's boat was in his eyes, and the other eight boats seemed to be missing.
After a while, the nine lotus lanterns were lit again, and the nine painted boats also scattered, some heading north, some heading south, some facing east, some facing west, but Yao Qing's boat was lost in the chaos. head, back to the upper reaches.Zuo Feiqing smiled secretly when he saw it, and quietly went up to a roof, using the cover of the building to follow him at a leisurely pace.
The painted boat sailed slowly for about ten li, and not long after it reached the end of the Qinhuai River, Zuo Feiqing only thought that Yao Qing had to stop and go ashore, but unexpectedly, the painted boat turned back and sailed downstream.
Suspicion arose in Zuo Feiqing's heart, he couldn't help falling down the boat, and shouted: "Qing girl." But no one answered.Zuo Feiqing took a step forward, opened the bead curtain, but saw that the cabin was empty, there was still half a figure.
Gu Zhen walked on the long street, looked up at the bright moon in the sky, and suddenly laughed out loud.Lu Jianqi asked, "What are you laughing at?" Gu Zhen smiled, "Guess who did I think of when I saw the white moon?" Lu Jian raised his eyes and laughed, "Mr. Feng?" ?”
"Exactly." Gu Zhen clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "Zuo Feiqing is conceited and smart. He only had eyes for boats, but he forgot that the people in the boat had legs. He just chased after the empty boat, but he didn't know that I had changed to the boat in secret. Don't ship, this trick seems to be 'fake it', but it's actually 'stealing the beam and changing the pillar', a trick hidden in the trick, making it hard for him to guard against."
Seeing his face, Yao Qing felt angry, and sneered, "When did you get so many identical boats? Could it be true that, as Senior Brother Shen said, all the bustards and tortoises on this river know you?"
Gu Zhen smiled and said: "Although they don't recognize me, they recognize my money." Yao Qing suddenly said: "So you paid for it."
"Don't be too happy." Shen Xiu snorted, and said abruptly, "The Marquis of Feng is catching wind and shadows, and is well-known in the world. If you think that you can hide this little trick from him, it is nothing more than daydreaming."
Gu Zhen glanced at him, and said with a smile: "So, brother Shen must have a clever plan to escape?" Frowning and lowering his eyes, he pretended to be thinking, not wanting Gu Zhen to intentionally sweep his face, and kept looking at him with a smile on his face. Seeing that he didn't speak, he asked again: "Brother Shen, haven't you figured it out yet?"
Shen Xiu was beaten up by him, faltering in her mouth, ashamed and angry in her heart.Yao Qing saw the mystery and couldn't help but said: "Smelly fox, this is not the time to be angry, just say what you have to say, don't procrastinate."
"Beauty has a life, how dare you refuse?" Gu Zhen smiled slightly, "If there is a place where Shen Zhouxu can't find it, tell me, can you escape the eyes of Feng Junhou?"
Shen Xiu sneered and said: "Nonsense, how can there be such a place in the world?" Gu Zhen smiled and said: "Unfortunately, there is one here." He stopped suddenly and pointed to a mansion in front of him.The other three people looked up, Lu Jian and Shen Xiu were both startled, they dared to say that the door of the mansion had the word "Luo Zhai" imprinted on it, it was the place where the Japanese pirates hid earlier, the gate of the mansion was sealed, guarded by two soldiers .
Shen Xiu frowned and said, "There will be a hiding place here?" Gu Zhen smiled, turned to Yao Qing, and said with a smile, "Please send me in, too." Yao Qing said, "Don't you have long legs?" Gu Zhen said: "I'm no better than you guys, light work is useless."
Yao Qing had no choice but to release a "evil fate vine", walked along the wall, and entered the house, Gu Zhen slowly climbed into the house, Lu Jian followed closely behind, Shen Xiu and Yao Qing were brilliant at lightness skills, and swept the wall And enter.
The house was dark, Gu Zhen found a candle from nowhere and lit it, touched it here and there, looked around, full of interest.Shen Xiu sneered and said: "Xue Er has heard of the wall purlins and rock gardens here, and there is no secret room or tunnel, so you don't need to waste your efforts."
Gu Zhen smiled and said, "If that's the case, why didn't you catch Xu Hai?" Shen Xiu's eyes flashed sharply, and she said coldly, "I have to ask Brother Lu about this." Thick, no one sees.
Gu Zhen said with a smile: "Shen Zhouxu has always been cautious. Since he has deployed troops to arrest people, he must go to the sky and set up defenses everywhere. How can he let people escape? But why did he fail to catch Xu Hai when he surrounded Luo's house last night. It shows that Xu Hai didn't leave the mansion, but escaped from the secret passage in the mansion, but Shen Zhouxu couldn't find it."
Shen Xiu sneered: "Even if there is a secret way, my father can't find it, can you find it?"
"If Shen Zhouxu can't find it, that's good!" Gu Zhen smiled and said, "Isn't Zuo Feiqing at a loss for the secret way that even the Lord of the Heavenly Department can't find?"
"What." Shen Xiu's face changed abruptly, and she lost her voice, "You want to use the Japanese pirate's secret path to escape Feng Junhou?" Gu Zhen smiled and said, "That's right."
This plan was unthinkable, not only Shen Xiu was surprised, Lu Jian was also shocked, Yao Qing was even more inexplicable, so she couldn't help pulling Lu Jian to ask, Lu Jian told the whole story, Yao Qing was very surprised and asked: "Smelly fox , are you sure you can find the secret way?" Gu Zhen said with a smile: "If you are sure to find it, wouldn't it be boring."
While talking, the four of them came to the garden behind the hall. The garden has been left unattended for a long time, overgrown with weeds, and there is a gossip well in the corner.Gu Zhen wandered around the garden, came to the well, and looked inside, but saw the moon reflected in the well water, rippling.
Gu Zhen looked at it for a while, then smiled and said, "Here it is." Seeing everyone's doubts, he said, "Look at the wheels on this well, other wells are made of wood, but the wheels of this well are made of iron."
Shen Xiudao: "The iron well is not rare." Gu Zhen said: "So, the iron well rope is not rare?" As he spoke, he stretched out his finger and pulled aside a layer of hemp thread on the well rope, revealing the thickness of the finger, Rusty iron chains come.
A look of surprise flashed across Shen Xiu's eyes, but she said in her mouth: "It's nothing, the hemp rope is easy to rot, but the iron chain is much stronger."
Gu Zhen said: "If that's the case, why bother to wrap the hemp rope around the iron chain? Besides, a bucket of water weighs only twenty or thirty catties, and it is enough to hang it with a thick hemp rope. Even if the hemp rope rots, it will take ten or eight years. If it is a human body weighing a hundred catties, it cannot bear it without iron chains. Although Shen Zhouxu is far-sighted, his legs and feet are inconvenient, so it is difficult to inspect it in person. He can only rely on Jie Nu. .”
Shen Xiu's expression was uncertain, and she suddenly said coldly: "Since you are sure that the secret way is in the well, just go down." Gu Zhen shook his head and said, "If you want to go down, you and I must go down, or we can't fool Zuo Feiqing .”
Shen Xiu was startled and angry, and in a blink of an eye, she saw Yao Qing silently looking down the well, obviously she had been persuaded, if she didn't follow the crowd, not only would she lose the love of the beauties, but she might even become the target of public criticism.Thinking of this, I don't feel regretful that I was obsessed with sex and got involved in this matter.
Gu Zhen smiled and said: "How about it, can't you go down?" Shen Xiu thought for a few times, let out a breath, and sneered: "Go down and go down, but this well mouth only allows one person to go up and down, you go down first, and we will come later."
Lu Jian's heart sank. Since the underground is a hiding place for Japanese pirates, whoever goes down first must be at the forefront, and immediately shouted: "No." Shen Xiu glanced at him, and was about to retort. One after another, it’s hurtful, why don’t we compare our skills and luck.”
Shen Xiudao: "How to compare?" Gu Zhen said: "I also borrow the pearl necklace from the great beauty." Yao Qingxiu frowned slightly, untied the pearl necklace, Gu Zhen took it, the golden thread piercing the pearl was cut off, and the pearl burst out Scattered and fell to the ground.
Shen Xiu felt distressed when she saw it, and couldn't help shouting: "This necklace is not named Gu, don't you know how to cherish it?" Gu Zhen smiled and didn't answer, returned the azure gemstone to Yao Qing, picked up the pearl, and said, " Here are thirty pearls, and you all can see."
Shen Xiudao: "So what?" Gu Zhen said: "The three of us toss up the pearls with both hands, and then catch them with the back of our hands. Whoever catches more pearls will drop them later, and whoever catches fewer pearls will drop them first. "
Yao Qing suddenly said, "Is this Zhuazier?" Gu Zhen nodded with a smile.It turns out that rural children have nothing to do, and they often catch stones to play. First, they throw up the stones, and then catch them with the back of their hands. The one who catches more stones wins.It's just that the size of the stones is uncertain and the texture is rough, so they are easy to catch, but these pearls are big and round, they will slip when they stick to them, and they will go away when they touch them. Compared with catching stones, it is more than ten times more difficult.
"Come on slowly." Shen Xiu frowned, "Why are there only three of us?" Gu Zhen said, "How can we let a woman go down first? This bet is only limited to men, and Yao Damei is the last to go down." Lu Jian nodded Said: "That's right."
Unexpectedly, Shen Xiu said a few words, but she seemed to be narrow-minded, and she laughed in a moment of anger: "Okay, Shen will catch it first." She snatched the pearl, glanced at Lu Jian, and said in her heart: "This guy picks up 'Qianlin' empty-handed, it won't be tolerated." Look down; this guy surnamed Gu climbed vines and entered the house, he is clumsy, obviously he doesn't know much about martial arts."
The calculation was made, Shen Xiu took a breath, held the pearl in both hands, concentrated her energy, and suddenly threw the pearl up.One must know that he has practiced "Xing Luo San Shou" and his hand skills are very strong. When the pearl falls, he will submerge his inner strength. As soon as the pearl touches the skin, Shen Xiu's muscles will sink in, and suction will be generated to hold the pearl firmly. They seldom slipped, and counted afterwards, there were as many as twenty-six.When everyone saw it, they all showed amazement.
Shen Xiu pretended to pick up the dropped pearls, secretly hooked five pearls into her sleeves with a clever trick, and handed the remaining twenty-five pearls to Lu Jian, saying, "It's your turn." He thought to himself Come on, even if Lu Jian didn't lose one, he would still be considered a loser.As a result, Gu Zhen must go down first, Lu Jian will come next, and he and Yao Qing will be behind. At that time, he only needs to find an opportunity to restrain Yao Qing, then cut the well rope, and block the mouth of the well. No matter whether he is Xu Hai, Gu Zhen, It's okay for Lu Jian, if there is no other way out of the well, he will die.
Shen Xiu made up her mind, looked at Gu Zhen coldly, but seeing that he didn't notice anything, she still smiled and said, "Lu Jian, don't lose." Shen Xiu sneered secretly, shaking the pearls in her sleeves off her palms.
Lu Jian took a look at Shen Xiu, and for some reason, a ball of fire seemed to ignite in his chest, and he felt a sense of competition. He gritted his teeth, tossed the pearls, flipped his hands, and the pearls fell. At the same time, Shen Xiu took advantage of the valley, The two of Yao paid attention to Lu Jian, and secretly scattered the pearls in their hands on the ground, so as not to count them at that time and show their feet.
After the pearls were sprinkled, Shen Xiu raised her eyes, but she was stunned. She saw Lu Jian's hands going up and down, left and right, stacking phantoms like a big net, wrapping the sky full of pearls on top, letting everyone It jumped up and down, but none of them landed.In contrast, the five pearls on the ground were pale and glistening, extremely eye-catching.
Shen Xiu didn't expect Lu Jian to have such a supernatural skill, she was startled and anxious, and said sharply, "What is this? Is it a kick?" Gu Zhen and Yao Qing looked down. the beads."
Shen Xiu's face became hot, and she argued forcefully: "Who hid it privately? He obviously missed it. Hmph, he won't let the pearl fall, how do you count it?"
Yao Qing glanced at the pearls on the ground, and said calmly: "What's the point, even if he doesn't drop a single one, he's still a loser." Shen Xiu pretended not to hear, and turned her face away.
Gu Zhen didn't expect Shen Xiu to be so shameless, he frowned, and was thinking about how to deal with it, but Lu Jian said, "It's okay." As he spoke, he made a mistake with both hands, and the pearl stopped bouncing suddenly, like a stack of arhats on the back of his right hand, Built into a shining pearl minaret.Seeing Gu Zhen and Yao Qing, they were both surprised and happy, and cheered together.
Shen Xiu looked ashamed.Gu Zhen counted the pearls, no more, no less, exactly twenty-five. He couldn't help laughing and said, "Lu Jian can take twenty-five pearls with one hand, and fifty with two hands. How can these five pearls be on the ground?" What do you think, brother Shen?"
Shen Xiu regained her composure, and said to herself: "It's right to lose to this kid, but the surnamed Gu is absolutely incapable of doing so, so I should be second." Seeing Yao Qing's displeasure, she was afraid of losing the love of her beauty, so she simply Dadu said: "Brother Lu is amazing in his skills, and Shen was convinced of the defeat."
"Okay." Gu Zhen picked up the pearl and said with a smile, "Then brother Shen, do you want to go down first or second?" Shen Xiu snorted coldly and said, "If you have the ability, call me first." down."
"As you wish." Gu Zhen turned around with a smile, took out a handful of clay from the flower bed, and kneaded it into a ball with the pearls. Shen Xiu was surprised and said, "What are you doing?" Gu Zhen said, "We agreed to hold the pearls with both hands." Throw it up and catch it with the back of your hand, right?" Shen Xiu said, "That's right." Gu Zhen said, "Did you ever say that it is not allowed to wrap pearls in mud?"
Shen Xiu couldn't help being dumbfounded, watching Gu Zhen divide the mud ball into two, toss it left and right, turn over his hands, and gently catch it, the pearls are stuck in the mud, there is no reason to roll them, thirty pearls, naturally None landed.
With Yao Qing's arrogance, seeing this situation, she also covered her mouth and smiled, and had to admit that Gu Zhen was eccentric and ingenious.
Shen Xiu's face was as red as blood, she gritted her teeth, and suddenly said in a low voice: "This doesn't count, it's cheating!" Gu Zhen smiled and said, "Where did I cheat? Just tell me." Yao Qing also said: "Shen Xiu Brother, I am willing to bet and admit defeat, otherwise I will be underestimated."
Shen Xiu said urgently: "Junior Sister, you don't know, they are trying to kill me!" Yao Qing said: "Even if there are Japanese pirates guarding the secret passage, with my senior's ability, I shouldn't be afraid." Shen Xiu said: "If there is no secret passage underground What? These two thieves are jealous of my close relationship with my junior sister, and they have repeatedly opposed me. If I go down, there is no guarantee that they will not cut the well rope and seal the well mouth. Wouldn’t Shen be an unjust ghost at that time.”
"It's absolutely unreasonable." Yao Qing frowned, "I'm at the top, how can I allow them to mess around." Shen Xiu sighed, "Although junior sister's martial arts are high, but two fists can't beat four hands..." Yao Qing knew that this person was suspicious by nature, all in all , just refused to go down, feeling annoyed, suddenly heard Gu Zhen laughing: "Forget it, I'll go down first."
Lu Jian was surprised and said: "How can that happen? I'll go down first!" Gu Zhen shook his head and said, "I have my own measure." He showed his majesty, suppressed Shen Xiu, thought of this, and stopped persuading her.
Gu Zhen pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, and said with a smile, "I am number one, brother Shen must be number two, otherwise, Yao Damei, Lu Jian, you put him down for me." Shen Xiu sneered: "Don't worry , if there is a secret way, Shen will never be a descendant."
Gu Zhen nodded, held the dagger in his mouth, and descended by the rope.The three people above waited with bated breath, passed for a long time, and there was no sound, the three of them were suspicious in their hearts, taking advantage of the shimmering moonlight, they looked closely, but there was no sign of Gu Zhen.
Lu Jian couldn't help but said, "I'll go down and have a look." Turning over, she was about to go down the well, but Yao Qing grabbed her and said, "Don't worry, the order is in order." After finishing speaking, she looked at Shen Xiu and said coldly, "Senior Brother Shen, now you."
Shen Xiu had no reason to back down, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go down into the well, but she felt the cold air rushing from the soles of her feet, piercing her muscles, she felt shuddering all over her body, and felt fear in her heart.
He deliberately slowed down, and slowly slid for more than five feet. Suddenly, he felt a cold on the soles of his feet, and dipped into the well water, but for some reason, he still couldn't see the entrance of the secret path. However, in this situation, he must not be allowed to fail in vain, so he had to continue down. Shen, touched the walls with his feet along the way, sank to about waist deep, his feet were weak, and suddenly he reached a hole.
Shen Xiu's spirit was greatly lifted: "It turns out that this secret path is in a six-foot-deep well. No wonder Xue Er can't hear it." But thinking that if he could catch Xu Hai by chance, it would be a great achievement, so he put his heart into it. With a horizontal stroke, he sank and dived.
After entering the cave, I realized that the so-called entrance of the cave is a small door as high as a person. There are steps going up behind the door, and the water is very shallow. After walking two steps, the water has already emerged.
Shen Xiu was afraid that there would be enemy soldiers in the secret passage, so she was in the water, so she was ready to go, but after coming out of the water, the surroundings were silent, it was pitch black and she couldn't see her fingers.He groped and walked up six stone steps, and came to a corridor, the corridor was higher than one person, and the ground wall was built with square bricks. After trying to figure out the direction, he must have crossed the Luozhai wall and reached the street outside the wall.
Thinking of Gu Zhen's entry into the secret way first, Shen Xiu's poisonous thoughts suddenly arose: "That guy has many tricks, but he doesn't know martial arts. Now there are only him and me in the secret way, so we can kill him and blame the pirates... ..." Thinking of this, he was ecstatic in his heart, but he felt that God had given him a good opportunity, he should not miss it, and he held his breath to listen, but there was no sound in the secret path. Lah, where are you?"
She called twice, but no one answered. Shen Xiu became anxious, afraid that Lu Jian and Yao Qing would arrive and break the killing situation. There was a light ding, as if the jade pendant had hit the wall.
Shen Xiu chuckled: "Brother Gu, are you playing a puzzle with me?" While talking and laughing, her body flew towards the sound like the wind, her left foot landed, and suddenly she felt a piercing pain coming from the sole of her foot, Shen Xiu let out a miserable snort , with his right foot hanging in the air, and his right hand leaning towards the wall beside him, trying to stabilize his figure, but unexpectedly there was another sharp pain, which went straight through the palm of his hand.
Shen Xiu almost passed out from the pain, but he is the young master of the Tianbu, steeped in wisdom since childhood, even in such a dangerous situation, there is still a gleam of clarity in his heart, thinking about the darkness around him, I don't know how many powerful traps are still in place. The best plan is to stay the same and wait for the rescue. If you move rashly, your limbs will be injured, and you will never survive.
Thinking of this, even though the pain was unbearable, he still gritted his teeth and endured it. He only felt that blood flowed out from the wound, his strength weakened, and his injured hands and feet trembled.What's more, Shen Xiu found that the thorn had barbs, hooking the flesh and blood, and tried to pull it out, but couldn't.
Time passed by bit by bit, although it was only for a moment, Shen Xiu seemed to have gone through thousands of years. He tried his best to clear his mind and recall the scene just now, but he felt that the time for Gu Zhen to enter the secret path was very short, so it should be too late to set up traps. Zhen is bound to be doomed, why can't he hear him screaming and moaning in pain, could it be that he has been hit by a more powerful trap and died immediately.
Thinking of the death of her enemy, even though she was in pain, Shen Xiu felt relieved, and then became more afraid, fearing that if she moved even a little, it would affect the sharp mechanism and end up like Gu Zhen.
Thinking wildly and worrying about gains and losses, Shen Xiu's energy drained faster, her body was covered in blood and sweat, and her clothes were drenched. She wanted to yell wildly, but she was afraid of being discovered by the Japanese pirates, and she would die in vain.Zhengjue was exhausted, and suddenly heard the slight sound of water. He was in a state of fear, and his senses were extremely sharp. Any sound that fell on his ears would be amplified several times, and he couldn't help but hissed: "Help, help."
Hearing a beep, it was Lu Jian, and Shen Xiuyi heard that it was the enemy. She was very clever and couldn't help but keep quiet.At this time, I heard the sound of water again, and then I heard Yao Qing say: "Lu Jian, what's the matter?" Shen Xiu burst into ecstasy, and hurriedly said: "Junior Sister Yao, help me."
It turned out that Lu Jian was different from Gu and Shen. After entering the well, she found the entrance and told Yao Qing loudly that Yao Qing was afraid that Feng Junhou would arrive, so she went down the well without hesitation. road.At this time, they heard the cry, and both rushed over.
Before approaching, he suddenly saw a flash of fire in front of him, Gu Zhen smiled and lit a candle, illuminating the corridor brightly.Seeing him coming towards him, Shen Xiu was stunned and said in a stuttering voice, "You, you..."
Gu Zhen tutted his tongue and said with a smile: "Brother Shen is so hardworking, he is still practicing golden rooster independence at the moment!"
Lu Jian and Yao Qing also saw Shen Xiu's strange appearance clearly by candlelight. They saw that his left foot was on the ground and his right foot was curled up. He did have a somewhat "golden rooster independent" posture, but when he looked closely, he couldn't help but lose color. The ground and walls around him were densely filled with slender steel cones with barbs.
Seeing that Gu Zhen was unharmed, Shen Xiu's heart suddenly became clear: "Yes, this guy must have set up a trap in advance, and then led me here to frame me." Thinking of this, he suddenly calmed down, staring at Gu Zhen, his expression Very scary.
Yao Qing also guessed the reason, her eyebrows frowned, Lu Jian couldn't bear it, she stepped forward and pulled out the steel awl, and put Shen Xiu down, Shen Xiu unexpectedly got rescued by this person when she was in trouble, she was shocked and ashamed for a moment , said in a shy voice, "Thank you."
Lu Jian wanted to help him pull out the steel awl, but the steel awl pierced through his palm, and there were barbs at both ends. If he tried to pull it out, he would tear off flesh and blood. Feeling awkward, Yao Qing suddenly said, "Get out of the way." She took out a box and picked up a pair of small silver scissors, which were exactly the same as Xianbi's silver scissors.It turns out that the "Earth Department" is the master of growth, and the disciples in the department did not learn the art of hurting people, but first learned the method of saving people, so they must carry medical equipment with them.
The small silver scissors are extremely sharp, and the steel cone is like a straw, which should be cut off.But the steel awl on the sole of Shen Xiu's foot didn't penetrate the back of the foot, the barb was stuck in the bone.Yao Qing applied a layer of blue medicinal powder on the silver scissors and wedged it into the wound. Shen Xiu was in extreme pain at the beginning, but then felt the wound numb and felt no pain at all, so she knew that the medicinal powder was an extremely strong anesthetic.
Shen Xiu went through many kalpas, sweated through her heavy clothes, and was exhausted. Suddenly, under the candlelight, Yao Qing's expression was focused, and she looked even more charming and provocative. Shen Xiu looked at it for a moment, and couldn't help lusting lustfully. Her heart was burning like fire. Forgetting the pain, she whispered softly in her ear: "Shen Xiu's grace of saving each other is not enough for Shen Xiu to repay her in this lifetime."
Speaking of this, his lips touched Yao Qing's earlobe intentionally, and Yao Qing's cheeks became hot immediately, fearing that he would say crazy things again, she hurriedly picked out the steel awl, bandaged the wound indiscriminately, and immediately got up.
Gu Zhen saw it both before and after, just sneered, and suddenly saw Yao Qing glaring over, and shouted: "You have been here before, haven't you?"
"Where are you talking?" Gu Zhen said casually, "It's my first time here."
"Lie to your face." Yao Qing scolded, "You set up these steel cones." Gu Zhen smiled and said, "Don't wrong a good person, this is clearly a trap set by Japanese pirates, what has it to do with me?"
"Do you still want to deny it?" Yao Qingxiu gritted her teeth with cold eyes, "If you hadn't arranged it in advance, why did Senior Brother Shen hurt his hands and feet, but you didn't have anything to do with it?"
"I also find it strange!" Gu Zhen was still grinning, "Could it be that these steel cones have been psychic for a long time, and they only pierce bad people, not good people?" Shen Xiu was furious, and was about to curse, but Yao Qing sneered , said: "So, I will throw you on the steel cone to see if you are a good person or a bad person." Gu Zhen said with a smile: "Okay, let's try."
Unexpectedly, the two disagreed, and their swords were on the verge of breaking out. He hurriedly took a step forward, separated the two, and said loudly, "Everyone is in danger, so we should help each other."
"Together in the same boat? Is it just to set a trap to harm people?" Yao Qing's snow-white cheeks flushed, "Lu Jian, get out of the way, today I must beat this stinky fox." Gu Zhenha smiled, eyes full of tears Yao Qing felt even more annoyed by the sarcasm, and wanted to go up, but was stopped by Lu Jian.Lu Jian was sandwiched between the two of them, covering left and right, trying to make things difficult. He had hoped that they would be a good couple, and he could die in peace. Unexpectedly, this pair of men and women were like natural enemies, never giving in to each other.
Yao Qing stared at Lu Jian for a while, seeing that he had no intention of giving way, she couldn't help but stumbled, and said bitterly, "Okay, you are friends with him, I will remember." Turning around to help Shen Xiu up, Shen Xiu saw her Standing out for himself, his heart was as sweet as honey, and he pretended to be weak on purpose, leaning on her shoulder.Lu Jian's lips trembled at the sight, and he hesitated to speak.
Yao Qing supported Shen Xiu to jump over the steel cone and walk in front.Lu Jian was stunned for a while, then came to Gu Zhen's side, and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, she will be fine after a while."
Gu Zhen snorted coldly, shook his head and said, "I intended to crucify that bird thief surnamed Shen, but I hate that Lord Yan didn't accept him." Lu Jian was taken aback, and blurted out: "This trap is real, you really set it up?"
"Remember when you and I were separated when we entered the city?" Gu Zhen said, "At that time, I suspected that there was another secret passage in Luo's house, so I came to search for it, but unexpectedly I found it." He said here, Very proud, he laughed and said, "It's just that it was to explore the way that time, but the trap was set this time."
Lu Jian frowned and said, "Since this is a Japanese pirate's lair, wouldn't it be dangerous for you to come here alone?"
Gu Zhen said: "You are not good at deceiving people. If you had known the secrets here, you would be ostentatious and suspicious. If you are talking about danger? Hmph, when and where are you and I not in danger, if you really want to be afraid of death, just Find a turtle hole to hide."
Lu Jian nodded silently, looked at the steel cones, and asked in confusion: "Your hand strength is normal, and the time is short, how can you insert so many steel cones into the bricks?" Gu Zhen smiled and said: "I remember when I was on Prison Island, I Have you ever been in Sha Tianhuan's room?" Lu Jian said, "I remember."
"I found a lot of treasures that time." Gu Zhen's eyebrows danced brightly, "In addition to 'Phantom Mirage', there is also a kind of 'fossil water', which can soften the bricks and stones when the potion is completely dry. It hardened again. The elders of Dongdao used this potion to open up the prison island dungeon. I found out the secret passage, and I brought this potion with me when I went back. Once I entered the secret passage, I wiped it on the bricks first, and the bricks and stones softened. It's very easy to use a cone, but when Shen Xiu came in, the potion had already dried up."
Lu Jian was slightly surprised, and after a while of silence, Fang said: "So, you planned to kill him as soon as you discovered the secret passage?" Gu Zhen sneered, and said, "As soon as that fellow Shen Xiu entered the secret passage, he started to kill him." Xin, if I don't kill me, he will kill me."
Lu Jian sighed, and said, "When is it going to be the end of such an intrigue?" Gu Zhen smiled and said, "Lu Jian, since you want me to pursue Yao Qing, then talk less and watch more, but I'm just playing monkeys." .” After saying that, he laughed and walked forward.Lu Jian shook his head and smiled wryly, and followed behind.
After walking for a while, I suddenly saw Yao Qing and Shen Xiu sitting by the wall resting. Gu Zhen ignored them and walked past them. Unsteady, he fell to the ground and his nose was bleeding.Shen Xiu was delighted to see it, clapped her hands and laughed loudly.
Gu Zhen got up, stretched out his sleeves to wipe away the nosebleed, and said with a smile, "It's not a good year, and I was bitten by a dog when I was walking." Yao Qing's eyes turned cold, she jumped up, and stretched out her hand to scrape his face. With one hook and one push, it actually suppressed her veins.
As soon as Yao Qing failed to break free, she said angrily, "Lu Jian, are you going to help him?" Lu Jian said with a wry smile, "I'm not helping him, I just want everyone to be kind."
Yao Qing looked at him, said "OK" twice, and said shyly, "You helped Xianbi before, and now you help him, as long as you are my enemy, you are also your friend." Lu Jian was trembling all over. , but I don't know what to say.
Shen Xiu sneered, and suddenly said: "Junior Sister Yao, this country bumpkin is so stupid, talking to him is disgraceful." Yao Qing suddenly turned around and said coldly: "Who is the bumpkin?" Shen Xiu was taken aback for a moment, Said embarrassingly: "Junior Sister, what's the matter with you?" Yao Qing said: "He used to live by the sea, only five miles away from my house. He is a country bumpkin. What am I?"
Shen Xiu was taken aback, and said with a smile: "How can he compare with Junior Sister?"
Yao Qing snorted softly, turned around and said, "Stinky fox, where were you going just now?" Gu Zhen said, "I want to see, where does this secret path lead to?" Yao Qing nodded and said, "You come to help Senior Brother Chen , I'll come to find out the way." Shen Xiu hurriedly said: "Good junior sister, it's better for you to help me, this person is uneasy and kind."
Yao Qing said: "If he harms you, I will avenge you." Shen Xiuxin said: "If I die, revenge is still useless?" Suddenly seeing Gu Zhen coming, I didn't feel a chill in my heart, but saw him smiling and said: " Don't worry, Brother Shen, you have Yao Damei protecting you, even if I have ten guts, I won't dare to do anything wrong." As she spoke, she really helped him up, Shen Xiu put her arms on his shoulders, and the poisonous thought came again: "I just need to With a tight arm, he could break his neck." Thinking of this, she suddenly felt chills down her spine, and looked around, only to see Lu Jian staring at her with piercing eyes. Gu Zhen helped.
Yao Qing took the candle, walked more than a hundred steps, and stopped suddenly.Looking fixedly, I saw two dark entrances illuminated by faint candlelight, which turned out to be two forked roads.
Yao Qing stared at him for a while, then suddenly said, "Stinky fox, which one should I go?" Gu Zhen smiled and said, "How would I know?" Wanting to make a move, Lu Jian suddenly gasped and said, "Ah Qing, look at your feet." Yao Qing looked down, and saw a flying dragon engraved on the square bricks on the ground, swinging its claws and tail, flying up and down.Yao Qing looked at it for a moment, then suddenly said: "Senior brother Shen, your family has a long history, do you know the meaning of this figure?"
Shen Xiu also had no claim, and said perfunctorily, "I think it's the decoration on the floor tiles." Gu Zhen sneered, and said, "Then why is there no decoration along the way, but there is one here?" Shen Xiu protested, "Then What did you say?" Gu Zhen said: "Need to say? Before the fork in the road, this flying dragon is a road sign."
Shen Xiu sneered and said, "Is this a Laoshizi road sign?" Gu Zhen said, "You are the young master of the Tianbu of Xicheng, so you haven't read it?" This question made me speechless.
Yao Qing suddenly said: "Among the eight trigrams, the hexagram Zhen is a dragon. Could it be that this dragon refers to the position of the earthquake?" Gu Zhen said with a smile: "The beauty is still smart, how dare I ask where the earthquake is located?" Yao Qing said: "The earthquake is in the northeast. " Gu Zhen said: "Then the secret road in the northeast is the way out."
Yao Qing said: "It's pitch black here, how do you know what is south, east, north and west?" Shen Xiu ate a big turtle and was feeling depressed, so she hurriedly said: "Not bad, not bad." Suddenly Gu Zhen smiled slightly and reached out his hand Putting it in his arms, he took out a compass.
Yao Qing was neither happy nor angry, she laughed and scolded: "Bah, you really have prepared for it." Gu Zhen smiled and said: "Don't dare, this is just a must-have all year round, it's nothing to worry about."
Yao Qing couldn't believe it, she sneered, then frowned again and said, "It's strange, the Japanese pirates have already dug out this secret passage, but they can still come up with this kind of road sign, which shows that there are capable people among the Japanese pirates."
"What kind of thing are Japanese pirates, worthy of being called the master of the secret way?" Gu Zhen said coldly, "They just discovered the secret way by chance, doves occupy the magpie's nest, I'm afraid, they didn't see the mystery of this road sign at all, blindly blinded Just scurry around."
Everyone was amazed, Gu Zhen changed his expression of laughter, and said solemnly: "This secret road should be called a maze. It leads in all directions, with endless divergences, all over the city of Nanjing. Lu Jian, do you remember the secret road under the restaurant? ?" Lu Jian said, "I remember."
Gu Zhen said: "That is a side branch of the labyrinth, but compared to this secret path, it is very rough, there are many dead ends, and there are no guiding signs. In my opinion, the secret path under the restaurant has not yet been completed; but the current one is the only one. It is the right way that the master of the labyrinth has painstakingly managed, and if you follow the signposts all the way, you will be able to reveal his secret."
Having said that, he glanced away, only to see Lu Jian's expression was blank, Yao Qing was thoughtful, but Shen Xiu's eyes flickered, revealing a look of greed.
Gu Zhen smiled, turned the compass and said, "The way out is on the left." He took two steps forward, groped for the opening on the left, and suddenly smiled and said, "It's not what I expected." Yao Qing moved the candle closer, but saw the lower left corner of the opening. , there was an arrowhead carved with a knife, so he asked: "What is this?" Gu Zhen said: "This is a road sign for Japanese pirates."
"That's strange." Yao Qing said, "How did the Japanese pirates find a way out?" Gu Zhen smiled and said, "Stupid people have stupid ways. There are so many of them, and if they walk each road once, they will probably find a way out."
Yao Qing knew that the future was dangerous, but she couldn't match her curiosity, so she entered the corridor on the left first, and the four of them walked two hundred steps in a file, and saw three forked roads.Gu Zhen found a brick relief in the right corner, with a narrow waist and sharp snout, it was a hunting dog, and said: "The dog is Gen, the way out should be in the position of Gen, northwest of Gen."
He turned the compass, looked up, and suddenly saw Yao Qingting standing at the northwest entrance, with a sneer on her face.
Gu Zhen was stunned, stood up and smiled, "You're amazing." Lu Jianqi said, "What?" Shen Xiu said with a sneer, "Brother Gu is not enlightened. Since the Japanese pirates left a mark, why bother to find some dragon?" Damn it." Lu Jian suddenly realized.
This time the corridor was extremely long, the four of them walked for a while, and suddenly saw a faint fire in front of them, Yao Qing put out the candles, and walked on tiptoe.After walking not far, he listened to small human voices, and walked a few more steps. The front suddenly opened up. Two iron gates were facing the corridor, which were tightly closed.
Yao Qing moved like a civet, and moved closer quietly, only to hear someone say: "...In the evening, there is indeed a Ming army leaving the city. The leader is Yu Dayou. He is riding a white horse, and there is a carriage behind the horse. Hu Zongxian should be in the carriage. ..."
When there was silence inside the door, another person said: "According to Zidan's information, the army should not be dispatched until early in the morning, but this morning, Shen Laizi surrounded Luo Zhai. Although I escaped, he became suspicious and Hu Zongxian moved ahead Troops are dispatched." Lu Jian's heart skipped a beat, and he realized that it was Xu Hai who spoke.
The man before said with a sly smile: "My lord, just don't worry, the man who broke into the house has been killed by me. Even if the cripple Shen is clever, he will not be able to predict the lord's plan." Lu Jian heard the words and thought: "This man must be a 'corpse' Yao'huan is missing."
But Xu Hai said: "Mr. Huan, the matter is very important. If someone hits the palm, will he really die?"
"Absolutely true." Huan Zhongque said, "He hit me with a palm on the shoulder, and the 'Yin Corpse Poison' entered his body. Immortals can't save him. I checked at night, half a street away from Luo Zhai, he is indeed dead. One person, I heard from the neighbors that the black skin of the corpse is a sign of being poisoned by the corpse." After speaking, he laughed and was quite proud.
"Okay!" Xu Hai suddenly raised his voice, "The government has forced everyone to this point, there is no way out, the only option is to fight to the death, success or failure only depends on tonight, everyone, please..." After finishing speaking, he only listened to the cup Collision, gurgling and drinking.
姚晴听到这里，正想后退，忽听谷缜哈哈一笑，朗声道：“好个成败只在今晚，徐兄真是豪气。”
此言一出，门外众人无不失色，门内倏尔一静，接着便传来哐哐当当、瓷器破碎之声，呛呛啷啷、刀剑出鞘之声，铿铿锵锵、铁甲撞击之声，踢踢踏踏、奔跑跳跃之声。谷缜听了，拍手大笑。
姚晴猛可间明白谷缜的诡计，气得俏脸发白，不及发作，便听轰隆一声，铁门中开，门内人头耸动，刀甲耀眼，众寇仓促之间，布成阵势。
“有趣，有趣。”谷缜嘻嘻笑道，“这就是徐兄的待客之道么？”
徐海寒声道：“足下是谁？”谷缜道：“徐兄当年不吝赐信于小弟，小弟感佩万分，承兄美意，小弟在狱岛住了两年，这几日静极思动，特来与徐兄喝喝酒，叙叙旧，谈谈心事。”
徐海忽地咦了一声，道：“你是谷……”谷缜接口笑道：“正是小弟。”
徐海微一沉默，忽地呵呵大笑，朗声道：“稀客稀客，就你一个人吗？”
“小弟还有三位同伴，”谷缜笑道，“第一位是西城新任地母……”话未说完，桓中缺忽地厉声道：“西城新任地母？温黛死了么？”
姚晴气急，狠狠瞪了谷缜一眼，谷缜假装不见，又笑道，“第二位是天部少主。”此言一出，倭寇阵中生出一阵骚动，有人恨声道：“沈秀老弟，你也来了么？”
沈秀面如土色，硬着头皮道：“子单兄，你好。”陈子单嘿然道：“托你的福，我再好不过了。”谷缜呵呵一笑，又道：“至于第三位，是区区做生意的合伙人，并无什么名气。”
徐海道：“东岛西城，誓不两立，你是东岛少主，怎会和西城的人搅在一起？”
谷缜笑道：“多亏兄台成全，小弟既在东岛无法立足，便唯有投靠西城了。”说罢又道，“既然兄台不肯相见，没奈何，小弟只有打道回府。”说罢便要转身。
“且慢。”徐海喝道，“放他进来。”众倭寇闻言，散开一条路来，谷缜微微一笑，向陆渐低声道：“戴上面具。”陆渐点点头，将人皮面具戴上。
谷缜跨入门中，有如闲庭广步，穿过人群，不时左顾右盼，笑眯眯点头致意，众寇何曾见过如此对手，一个个拿着刀枪，面面相对。
陆渐却知谷缜纯属虚张声势，心中苦笑，紧随其后。姚晴此时进退两难，退回地面，难逃风君侯的追踪，若是进门，必有一场恶战，两相权衡，还是倭寇更易对付，便也随在其后；沈秀手脚受伤，不能独自逃生，也只得一瘸一拐，踅入门中。
门内是一座巨石垒就的大厅，上下三丈，长宽二十余丈，四壁打磨平整，嵌有八只铁铸兽头，形态各异，下方铁环插有火把，照得厅中有如白昼。
徐海坐在一张太师椅上，面色阴沉，左右各站一人，陆渐认出左边的是陈子单，右边一人从头至颈包裹布条，仅露口鼻双眼，望着姚晴，目光怨毒，姚晴甚是奇怪，也不由多瞧了他几眼，暗自运功提防。
四人入内，众寇轰然大叫，两名力士举起铁闩，哐啷一下将门抵住。一时间，群寇舞刀跺脚，呼声震耳，竟如两军对峙，气势汹汹。
谷缜却似虎入狼群，顾盼自若，走到大厅中央，在一条长凳上从容坐下，提一坛酒，坛底朝天，大口喝将起来。群寇见状，无不惊疑，倏尔之间，那呼喝怒叫竟随着咕嘟嘟的饮酒声稀落下去。
谷缜喝罢，将酒坛扣在凳上，揩嘴笑道：“徐兄，咱们多久没见面啦？”
徐海望着他，面露阴笑，淡然道：“三年了吧！”
“可惜，可惜。”谷缜笑道，“当年小弟眼福不济，未能亲睹尊颜，只远远望见兄台背影。想那时徐兄亲操舟橹，望风而遁，小弟拍马也是不及。”
他这番话似褒非褒，听得众人满心糊涂，忽见徐海面皮涨紫，额上青筋跳动，手攥刀柄，似欲站起，但只一瞬，忽又于盛怒间平静下来，微笑道：“老弟过奖了，当年你沉我宝船，害我弟兄，这笔血债徐某牢记在心，须臾不敢忘记。”
众人听得莫名其妙，陆渐却是狂喜难禁：“谷缜与这大倭寇果然是敌非友。那么他的冤屈也是真的了。”想到这里，心中如卸千斤巨石，长吐一口气，腰背挺得笔直。姚晴觉出他心情变化，忍不住瞧他一眼，心道：“这小子又有什么傻念头？怎么突然来了精神？”但转念又想：“他有什么念头，与我什么相干？傻小子尽跟我作对，气死人了，今生今世，休想我理他一下。”
正自赌气，忽听谷缜打个哈哈，道：“徐兄言重了。有道是'财色动人心'，谁叫你抢了那么多宝贝，大张旗鼓运回东瀛？小弟见了，不免眼馋，本只想借几船宝货玩玩，徐兄偏又不肯，小弟没奈何，只好小小用些武力。再说了，徐兄杀百姓，小弟杀徐兄，既然都是杀人，又分什么前后对错了，徐兄如此气愤，大可不必。”
他这番话说得阴阳怪气，徐海一攥刀柄，腾地站起，瞪视谷缜片刻，忽又慢慢坐了下来，冷笑道：“老弟想惹我生气，我偏偏不气。你当我不知道么？如今东岛高手遍天下寻你，就算你今日生离此地，也逃不过东岛五尊的手底，徐某只跟活人计较，对于必死之人，素来宽大得很。”
“徐兄这话说到点子上了。”谷缜一拍大腿，高声道，“小弟此来，不为别的，只求徐兄一纸书信，说明上次给小弟的书信是假非真，也好洗刷小弟的冤屈。”
徐海瞧他一眼，冷冷道：“你做梦么？”谷缜摇头道：“徐兄何必如此决绝，小弟想与你做一笔交易。”徐海皱眉道：“什么交易？”
谷缜道：“那日徐兄的宝船上的货物，最多不过一百五十万两白银，如今我赔你两倍的银子，换你为我伸冤如何？”
话一出口，众皆哗然，倭寇无不露出惊讶贪婪之色，沈秀则是一脸不信，陆渐更觉疑惑，左思右想，也猜不透谷缜的心思，只觉无论如何，又岂能与这大倭寇做交易。
徐海也是一愣，蓦地冷笑道：“银子多就了不起吗？你杀了我两千多名弟兄，银子再多，买得了人命么？”说着抬起手来，众倭寇弓身持刀，鹰视四人，只待徐海手臂落下，便要放手围攻。
陆渐、沈秀、姚晴见状，无不运功蓄势，谷缜却双手连摆，笑道：“徐兄这笔帐算得糊涂。”徐海冷笑道：“我怎么糊涂了？”
谷缜道：“有道是：'人多好办事，人少好分赃'。徐兄的弟兄已经死了，别说人死不能复生，就算能够复生，多活转一人，便多一人来分这三百万两白花花的银子，若是凭空多出两千人来，徐兄算算，须得分去多少银子？”
众倭寇乌合之众，利字当头，听得这话，嘴里不说，心中均是大大赞同，莽撞些的，竟然面露傻笑，连连点头。徐海瞧得吃惊，不想谷缜三言两语，竟搅得自己一方军心大乱，若不以理服之，必然生变，当下微一沉吟，拈须道：“人在江湖，不为求名，便为求利，若真有如许银两，你我旧怨大可一笔勾销。但你凭什么拿出这许多银子？”
谷缜笑道：“凭我谷缜二字，还不够吗？”说到这里，他徐徐起身，“若不然，凭这枚指环如何？”说着伸出右手，不知何时，他中指上多了一枚毫光四射的翡翠戒指，三缕血纹贯穿戒身，醒目非常。
“财神指环。”厅中响起几声惊呼，数十道贪婪目光汇聚在那戒指上。
要知倭寇中不乏商贾出身，许多人或多或少，听说过那个江湖传闻，是故一瞧戒指，无不吃惊。“翡翠之环，血纹三匝，财神通宝，号令天下。”徐海望着那戒指，喃喃自语，神色有些恍惚，他身旁的陈子单和蒙面人也是死死盯着谷缜，身子呈前倾之势。
谷缜笑了笑，忽地抬手，用那指环敲击酒坛，叮叮有声，嘻嘻笑道：“诸位，这玩意儿可不大结实！”众人闻言一惊，心知若是抢夺，谷缜随手便可毁掉指环，只得勉力吞下馋涎，收敛贪念。
徐海一定神，扬声道：“足下若真是'财神指环'的主人，三百万两银子，确实不算什么。但你如何叫徐某相信，这枚指环就是真的？”
谷缜笑道：“敢问徐兄有何高见？”徐海漫不经意地道：“你把指环给我，我瞧过真伪再说。”
“好主意。”谷缜笑道，“那么再问徐兄，脸和臀比，是上面的皮厚呢，还是下面的皮厚？”徐海不耐道：“问这些闲话作甚？自然是下面的厚了。”
“那就奇怪了。”谷缜笑道，“照我看来，徐兄上面的皮更厚一些，难道是长反了？”
徐海面皮涨紫，眼中凶光迸出，陈子单忍不住喝道：“兀那小子，你污辱我家主公，就不怕碎尸万段么？”
谷缜笑道：“谁叫你家主公脸皮厚，贪图我的戒指？”陈子单道：“只是瞧瞧真伪……”
“废话少说。”谷缜面色一沉，“要么做交易，我沉冤得洗，诸位也有钱可赚。嘿嘿，要么大家放开手脚，拼个鱼死网破！”
群寇面面相顾，徐海想了想，忽地露出决然之色，沉声道：“就做交易。”谷缜拍手大笑，忽地又道：“还有一件事。我再添一百万两，买你在东岛中的内奸。”徐海摇头道：“什么内奸，徐某不知。”
“那就奇了。”谷缜笑道，“若没内奸，你怎么能将假书信送到我的卧室里来？”
徐海沉默时许，忽地阴阴一笑，点头道：“也罢，你若给我五百万两银子，我便告诉你谁是内奸。”谷缜不假思索，拍手笑道：“好，好，五百万两，成交，成交！”
“爽快！”徐海大笑起身，“这么说，咱们就算一家人了。桓先生，你来倒酒，我要与谷兄弟痛痛快快喝上一碗，结为盟友兄弟。”
“不错，不错。”谷缜拍手道，“这世上三种酒不能不喝，第一种合卺酒，可惜徐兄是个男的……”徐海啼笑皆非，呸道：“废话！”谷缜又笑道：“第二种是断头酒，对于徐兄这等人，不大吉利。”
断头酒是死囚犯临刑前喝的绝命酒，徐海大贼巨寇，落到官府手里，不免喝这一盅，徐海听得大怒，谷缜却若不见，又嘻嘻笑道：“唯有这第三杯结盟酒，我跟徐兄共饮，才算合情合景，最恰当不过。”
徐海心道：“这厮哪来这么多废话？”脸上却转怒为喜，笑道：“不错，不错。”一挥手，那蒙面人上前两步，拖过一张木桌，放在徐海、谷缜之间，又命人取来两只大碗，放在桌上，然后捧一坛酒，汩汩注满两碗。
陆渐冷眼旁观，忽向谷缜耳语道：“这人就是'尸妖'桓中缺。”谷缜点了点头，瞥向姚晴，只见她两眼望天，微微点头，当即笑了笑，端起酒来。
徐海也举碗笑道：“请。”谷缜口中道：“请……”话音未落，忽地抬手，碗中酒水化作一道晶莹水箭，射向徐海。徐海躲闪不及，陈子单离他最近，伸手一挡，酒水四溅，霎时间，便瞧陈子单一只左手由白变青，由青变紫。
陈子单不料这毒发作如此迅烈，忽觉左手麻痒，头脑晕眩，耳边只听桓中缺一声厉喝：“好贱人。”便觉重重束缚自脚底涌来，几根粗大藤蔓，缠住身子。
陈子单被藤蔓一缠，越发酸软无力，只听得喝叫谩骂，此起彼落，他听得奇怪，茫然望去，一转眼的工夫，石厅内仿佛已成洪荒密林，无数藤蔓破地而出，如怪蛇厉蟒，将两百倭寇尽数缠住，陈子单初时一惊，继而心神恍惚：“是幻觉么？是了，一定是幻觉……”念头数转，忽地两眼翻白，昏死过去。
“擒贼擒王。”谷缜一声疾喝，陆渐如脱弦之箭，一把抓住徐海胸口要穴。
就当此时，嗤的一声，满厅的孽缘藤尽数化为飞灰，姚晴倒退两步，脸上血色全无。
原来，谷缜虚张声势，说了许多废话，全为转移群寇心神，让姚晴从容布下“孽因子”。
姚晴也知谷缜千方百计将她骗来，是为借用她的神通，此时共御强敌，不容她袖手旁观，是以自进门开始，便悄然布下“孽因子”，谷缜与徐海虚与委蛇之时，她已将“孽因子”布好。她手法奇妙，厅内火光摇曳不定，众寇又被谷缜吸住心神，是以无人察觉。
众寇之中，唯有徐海深知谷缜厉害，是故也是一团虚假，再见“财神指环”，更生杀人夺宝之心，当下假意交易，与谷缜共饮“结盟酒”，暗中却示意桓中缺下毒。
桓中缺双手蕴有尸毒，随时都能逼将出来，斟给徐海那碗，酒未沾手，是以无毒；斟给谷缜时，他将大拇指上挪几分，扣住酒坛边缘，酒水注下时掠过拇指指尖，沾染尸毒，故此酒到碗中，已是剧毒。
桓中缺的手法神不知鬼不觉，谷缜一方无人瞧出破绽。但他万没料到陆渐中掌未死，认出他来，谷缜料到他的身份，知道他必会下毒，至于如何下毒，也就无须理会了。
双方均为口是心非，暗伏杀机，敬酒时齐齐发难。但姚晴内功尚浅，“化生”又极耗真气，困住两百来人委实太难，只一瞬，全身“土劲”尽被抽空，“孽缘藤”失了真气支撑，群寇束缚陡然消失。
陆渐方才抓住徐海，便觉腥甜之气狂涌而来，他不敢硬接，一闪身，将徐海挡在身前。桓中缺变掌为抓，扣住徐海左臂，左手则绕过徐海身子，呼地抓向陆渐面门。
陆渐向后急仰，桓中缺一抓落空，中指从他额上掠过，怪叫一声，正要运劲夺回徐海，忽听谷缜喝道：“瞧暗器。”一蓬酒水迎面泼来，原来谷缜留了心眼，只将毒酒泼了半碗，剩下半碗，以防万一。
桓中缺也是血肉之躯，虽凭独门内功，双手能够驾驭尸毒，但双眼要害，仍不敢叫这毒酒溅着，当下放开徐海，转手护住面门。
陆渐趁机后掠，将徐海递给谷缜，忽听桓中缺怪叫一声，再度挥爪扑来，他既然失了徐海，便想擒住陆渐，迫谷缜换人。
陆渐避无可避，挥手迎出，左手迎上桓中缺的右爪，右手抵上桓中缺的左掌。两人四手一交，陆渐左手二指忽地勾住桓中缺的无名指，咔嚓一声，将指节拉脱。
桓中缺未及感觉痛楚，陆渐已势如破竹，噼里啪啦将他双手骨节一一卸脱，继而又卸脱双腕，直卸到两肘之间。桓中缺拼死后纵两丈，才算摆脱这双怪手，但到此时，他从指到肘，尽成了一堆碎骨，牵筋引络，痛不可当，不由得仰天跌倒，翻滚哀嚎，脸颈上的布条随他挣扎滚动，寸寸散落。众人一瞧，无不骇然，只见他从额至颈布满细小孔洞，孔洞四周皮肉枯缩，漆黑如墨。
姚晴咦了一声，露出讶色。陆渐却站在那里，呆若木鸡，他方才性命交关，无意中用上了“补天劫手”，不料只一招，便废了桓中缺双手。虽说桓中缺多半败于轻敌，但这门劫术之强，委实超乎陆渐想象，以至于他一时半会儿，也不过神来。
众倭寇也被这奇变惊得呆了，但只一瞬，便又醒悟过来，哇哇怒叫，舞刀扑上。
谷缜喝道：“谁敢过来。”手握一口明晃晃的匕首，抵在徐海胸前。
一时间，徐海被擒，陈子单中毒昏迷，桓中缺双手被废，三名首脑均陷困境。众倭寇一时间没了主张，纷纷收刀瞠视。
桓中缺忍住奇痛，勉力坐起，死盯着陆渐，厉声道：“臭小子别得意，你中了老子的毒，去死不远了。”
陆渐怪道：“中什么毒？”桓中缺森然道：“你额头被我手指划了一下，是不是又痛又麻？”陆渐一惊，急忙凝神默察。
徐海见状大喜，哈哈笑道：“谷老弟，'阴尸吸神掌'中者必死，你若放了徐某，我让桓先生给你解药。”
谷缜心头一沉，目视陆渐，眉头大皱，姚晴也望着陆渐，眼神百变，欲言又止，沈秀见势不妙，急道：“万万不可放人。”抢上一步，挡在谷缜之前，眼露凶光。
陆渐凝神片刻，忽地摇头道：“既不痛，也不麻。”说着扯下面具，但见中指之处，有一道淡淡的乌痕，不由心头恍然：“好险，这面具隔