Chapter 37 Chapter 2 Sword Twenty-Two

In the depths of autumn, another layer of fallen leaves was laid on the cobblestone ground in the yard.The setting sun shone through a layer of thin clouds, and the light was a little dim. By the fish pond in the backyard, Yi Tianzhan and Xi Yan stood side by side. Xi Yan threw the last piece of fish food into the center of the pond far away, and the fish took it in one gulp, leaving only ripples and ripples. open. Xi Yan clapped his hands: "This time, something happened in the ancestral mausoleum, the grand master went down, demoted Honglu Siqing to a commoner, and his family property was confiscated. The imperial army abolished twelve captains, and the military academy in charge that night executed thirty-six people. The search in the city is not over yet, don't move around if you have nothing to do."

"Baili Jinghong knows that the fire is not accidental, right?" "Although the entrance was blocked by a landslide. However, an accident happened in the place where Cangyun's ancient tooth sword was hidden. Su Jieyu and Youyin disappeared on the same night. You," Xi Yan looked at Chi Xin with his hands behind his back, "when are you going to leave?" Yi Tianzhan shook his head: "I thought the last thing in my life would be to retrieve this sword for Tianqi. Now that I have found the sword, I don't know where to go." "Does this count?" Xi Yan smiled.

"I gave up when I put the finger cot on that child's hand. I know I can't handle that sword, and you probably can't either." "The suzerains of Tianchao are not good, but Jian has accepted the heir of the barbarian clan. It's a mockery." "He was eroded by the sword. It's hard to imagine that such a young child can hold on to the end." Xi Yan nodded: "The Northland is vast, a place where heroes run rampant. I have been to the Northland once and saw the scene of the barbarian cavalry crossing the grassland. I feel that the sky and the earth are hanging upside down."

"I'm sorry. I haven't believed you completely all this time, so I didn't tell you the secret of that sword." Yi Tianzhan said suddenly. "Secret?" Xi Yan didn't seem surprised either. "Haven't you ever wondered why Baili Jinghong, as the Duke of the imperial dynasty, covets the sacred object of Tianqi? Even if he got the Cangyun ancient tooth sword, he couldn't use it to command the warriors of Tianqi to fight for him .” "I doubt it. Although the king is not the king of tigers and wolves in troubled times, he is definitely not a fool sitting in the deep palace and dreaming."

"Baili Jinghong," Yi Tianzhan sneered, "The Cangyun Ancient Tooth Sword he wants is not a holy object for heaven's drive, and he doesn't care about the power of the soul seal weapon. What he wants is actually It is a key, and this key can unlock the ancient arsenal of Sky Drive." Xi Yan turned his head abruptly: "Arsenal?" "Actually, all the seven suzerains of the past knew this secret. Although no one has seen the location of the arsenal. But now there are not many people who really believe it. It is said that it can be traced back to the era of Da Chao. The great suzerain made an alliance with Heluo. He led the elite warriors at the most critical moment and brought the Heluo refugees who were killed by the emperor to Yuezhou. Therefore, all the great volcanoes and Heluo are willing to follow him. His will is to create weapons suitable for human use. The whole process lasted nearly two hundred years, and there are countless sophisticated weapons, including soul-printed weapons and armors with secret spell seals. The Taoists collected them in the precepts and poured them into weapons. Finally, in order to store these equipments, the rivers dug through the entire mountain, used it as an arsenal, and set up powerful obstacles and spells around it to protect it. .When needed, the Great Sovereign holding the Cangyun Ancient Tooth Sword can open this arsenal, and he will immediately have the most powerful weaponry on the land of Kyushu."

Xi Yan was silent for a while: "Is that so? Do you want to open it? I can guess that that is your greatest wish." "If it was forty years ago, I would definitely do this. But now," Yi Tianzhan pondered, "I don't know what the result of this arsenal being opened, maybe more wars, more people died General Xi, I am not like you, I am already old. I know what you are doing in private, and many descendants of Sky Drive follow you. But I am just afraid that the powerful power will be used by the wrong people, so it is not as good as Let it be buried forever!" Xi Yan lowered his head and smiled: "It has always been to maintain a peaceful era, and the Cangming Eagle is really the most loyal sky expelling warrior."

"Can the general arrange an opportunity for me to meet that barbarian child? I don't want the person who has mastered Cangyun's ancient-toothed sword to end up in war." Xi Yan nodded: "I've thought about this for a long time. Then, let me accept him as a student for you. If we can't tame that sword, at least we can teach its owner how to use it." "It couldn't be better." Yi Tianzhan turned his head to leave. "I still want to ask something." Xi Yan said suddenly. "you say." "All along, you have said that You Changji is the rebellion of Tianqi. But as the great suzerain of Tianqi, why did You Changji rebel? As far as I know, there is no rebellious suzerain in the history of Tianqi."

Yi Tianzhan took a deep breath: "As one of the seven suzerains, you should know these things. I didn't tell you directly, because I don't know how to say it. Rebellion is just a way of saying, and You Changji did not deviate from heaven. To drive this organization, he violated the will of Tian Drive, and wanted to overthrow the rule of the Bai royal family and establish his own country." "Build your own country?" "He's tired. Fourteen years ago, when it was the darkest time for Tianji, the actions of the kingdoms to kill the warriors of Tianji reached the extreme. At that time, if one of your three generations of direct relatives was Tianji, you would be killed. Sent to the bitter cold place in Yebei, digging the frozen soil with both hands and a dustpan, and will never be able to return home. As for the general, he probably cannot escape the death method of peeling and empowering." Yi Tianzhan's voice was faint, with silk Si's coldness, "You Changji is the youngest of the seven suzerains. He has been working hard for this. In Jinbei Kingdom, there are about three or four hundred people who support his approach. They conspired in the wine shop, hoping to find a suitable The people who are here will convey the will of Tianqi to the emperor."

"Then what are the thoughts of the other seven suzerains?" "The tradition of Tianqi will not cooperate with the authority. That would make Tianqi a weapon in the hands of ambitious people, so the rest of the Seven Suzerains tried their best to dissuade him. I was not in northern Shanxi at that time, so I don't know For the specific details, we only know that the two sides collapsed in the end. The three or four hundred people who supported You Changji all died in the hands of the Imperial Capital Tingwei. You Changji, who lost all support, passed his hopes on the princes. He visited In the following seven months, Lei Qianye, the lord of Jinbei Kingdom, even the feudal princes in Yuezhou and Wanzhou began to respond to his call in private. At this time, I was urgently summoned to Jinbei by the rest of the suzerains, and we realized the situation It's beyond our grasp!"

"You Changji proposed to overthrow the Bai family and re-establish the country?" "Yes! We don't have much time to think about it, and we must internally punish it as a traitor as soon as possible. All six people covered the eagle emblem with their fingertips on the letter against You Changji, including me and your teacher. The rules of Tianqi, Those who hold six suzerain fingertips must obey the great suzerain who holds Hoshino Hawk's knuckles. But if these six people oppose the great suzerain with six suzerain fingertips, the great suzerain will be impeached. The letter is also Kill order, from the time that letter was sent, You Changji has become the enemy of Tianqi!"

"It turned out to be for ambition." Yi Tianzhan was silent for a long time: "No, I must admit that You Changji was not for his own ambition. He was just to save Tianqi, because he no longer believed that our patience and sacrifice would pay off. He and I finally A conversation said that only absolute power can defeat ambitious people in troubled times, because if the enemy is unscrupulous, your kindness is just a kind of cowardice." "Because if the enemy is unscrupulous, your kindness is just a kind of cowardice..." Xi Yan whispered. "Think it makes sense?" Xi Yan nodded. Yi Tianzhan sighed for a long time: "But after all, that is just the hegemony of reincarnation. Even you, Xi Yan, when you sit on the emperor's seat in the Taiqing Palace, you will be corrupted by power. Even Can you guarantee that you will not be swallowed by human greed, and can you guarantee that the person who inherits your power will also inherit your ideals and will?" "I have no idea." "I don't know either. I'm old, and I'm not afraid of dying on the gallows of the princes, but I'm afraid of losing my heart. Then I'm sorry for the warriors who fought side by side with me, and I won't forget that they died Myself, let me pass on the fire of Tianqi!" Yi Tianzhan's voice was like cutting iron, "You Changji used to be the person I was most optimistic about, but in the end it was me who arranged to hunt down and kill him." "It's the person you are most optimistic about..." Xi Yan looked at the cloud shadows flowing in the sky, "I often think these days, what kind of person is he? A person with such a strong will, even if In the end, there is no hope, all the ways to survive are blocked, even friends and relatives are betrayed, there is only one charming girl in the whole world who still believes in him, and he can draw his sword and fight to the death..." Yi Tianzhan took out a letter from his belt and handed it to Xi Yan: "Look at this." Xi Yan opened the envelope suspiciously. "I was able to follow You Changji's route to Xiatang, so I naturally know You Changji's final whereabouts. He told me himself, and finally he entrusted a friend to deliver the Shadow Moon Knife to me in Qingdu. The handle of the Shadowmoon Knife is empty, and this letter and the list of princes are hidden inside." "The princes who support You Changji against the emperor?!" Xi Yan's face changed slightly. "Look at the first name on the list." "Baili...Jinghong?!" "Sixteen years ago, Emperor Ai came to the throne by killing his brother, and the princes did not respect him as orthodox in private. In order to conquer the princes, Emperor Ai forcibly expanded the Yulin Heavenly Army, extorted violently, and exploited and oppressed the princes until the time of Emperor Fengyan's Northern Expedition. At that time, all the feudal lords had the idea of ​​setting up a new emperor, but there was no one who stood up to call out. And You Changji appeared at this time. He was not only the leader of Tianqi, but also a descendant of the family. Youshi is still in the cloud There is still a lot of power in Yijun, a great nobleman second only to the Ye family in Yunzhong. Another thing that few people know is that You Changji's wife has a surname of Baili." "Barry!" "You guessed it right. You Yin's mother is Baili Jinghong's niece, so Baili Jinghong was the first to support You Changji, and You Changji went all the way south, and finally sought Baili Jinghong Support. But You Changji did not expect that he would be expelled by the suzerain of Tianqi, let alone Baili Changqing, the patriarch of the Baili family in the imperial capital, would react far beyond his expectations. In the dream, the envoys of the imperial capital had already rushed to the capitals of the princes with Baili Changqing's handwritten letter, and negotiated with the princes separately. This is the famous "Three Agreements between Monarchs and Ministers". The emperor and the princes reached a tacit agreement, and the princes supported the emperor. According to the orthodoxy, the emperor only maintained the 20,000-strong Habayashi Heavenly Army, and at the same time reduced the tax to the level of the founding of the country. The princes have achieved their goal, and the court captain of the imperial capital is waiting for his arrival in Nanhuai." "Yes... Baili Jinghong betrayed him?" Yi Tianzhan laughed silently: "Who else could it be? The one who supports the emperor is Baili Changqing, the head of the Baili family, and Baili Jinghong, who is a branch of the family, will stand by a down-and-out warrior?" Xi Yan handed the letter back: "For this sword, the road was full of blood, so many efforts to die, so many people died, is it just for a lunatic's obsession with the new era?" Yi Tianzhan put away the letter: "The reason why You Changji wanted to raise an army to revolt is because he relied on a pair of swords in his left and right hands. The shadow moon in his left hand hides the roster of princes, and the Cangyun ancient tooth sword in his right hand It is the key to unlocking the arsenal of Tianqi. He thought that as long as he has these two, he can send troops to the city of Tianqi and build his own country. But his stupidity is that no matter whether it is the powerful soldiers in the hands of the princes or the weapons of Tianqi, It doesn’t belong to him. He is just a puppet in the hands of the princes, and the princes rely on him to open the arsenal of Tianqi. Pitiful such a puppet, but thinks he is the master of everything.” The two fell silent, the cloud shadow slowly moved over, and the fish sank.Xi Yan looked down at the water and remained motionless, no one knew what he was looking at. "Do you like watching fish?" Yi Tianzhan asked after a long time. "I just wonder if You Changji is like a fish in this pond, thinking that he is swimming in the sea, but in fact it is just a pond dug for him. But he still dreams of making waves in this 'sea'." "Are you wondering if we, too, are swimming in ponds dug by other people?" "Actually, I think... until she died, she didn't know that the person she should really hate was right in front of her." The two of them didn't speak any more, they just stood there quietly, watching the fish with their cigarette sticks in their mouths.The shadow of the fence cast by the sun gradually moved eastward, and gradually grew longer, and gradually the sun dimmed, and everything around became gray.The shredded tobacco was burnt out, and the two continued to watch the fish with the cooled tobacco rods in their mouths. The wind wrinkled the surface of the water, and the fine raindrops sprinkled down, and the splashes jumped on the water surface, and countless ripples finally mixed together.The two of them covered their heads and ran back under the eaves. The rain suddenly became heavy. Bean-sized water droplets hit the roof and the cobblestones in the yard, and soon there were thin and rapid streams in the crevices of the stones. "It's raining, does Mr. Yi have a piano?" Xi Yan suddenly turned to ask Yi Tianzhan. "I don't have Donglu's long piano, but I have an old konghou from the next year. I took it with me along the way." "Konghou is just right, Changqin is elegant, how can someone like me caress?" Yi Tianzhan went back to the house and took out an old konghou. It was unpainted, elegant and simple, and the tung oil surface on it was worn to the point of sand.Xi Yan tried to flick the strings, and nodded slightly: "No wonder Mr. Yi never left this konghou all the way, it is indeed Zhang Haoqin." "I didn't know that the general also likes to play the piano. I still have the last bit of camphor tea left. I boiled it and listened to the general playing the piano. It's a pity that I don't drink alcohol. I can't use wine to help the general's killing spirit." "Just a few country tunes, how can there be any murderous spirit?" Xi Yan smiled. Yi Tianzhan took the camphor tea wooden box and tea set and came out, the room was already pitch black, Xi Yan didn't play the piano, he sat on the ground in front of the door, facing the pouring rain, holding the vertical harp in his arms.Yi Tianzhan suddenly felt that he could not go out at all, nor could he break the tranquility of this moment.With eagle-like eyes, he could only see a black silhouette outside the rain curtain.The lines on the side of his face were so clear and clean, there was no sadness or joy, and he looked at Kong Hou with downcast eyes. Xi Yan flicked his robe sleeves, and chanted in a long voice: "The temple is high, the flute and drum are old, Candle tears piled red, how many people sing? " The momentum was extremely high, and it was as blue as the singing of a witch, and even the sound of the rain outside was suppressed by him for a while.The tobacco rod jumped on the string, but the voice was hoarse.The strings were a little wet, and there was just a flutter.Xiyan's cigarette rod stopped there, not moving for a long time. "Since no one listens to it anymore, why should anyone want to play it?" He smiled softly, dropped the harp, got up and walked into the heavy rain without looking back. history In the first year of Emperor Cheng, Donglu was safe and there was no war. That year, Beichen rose into the star field of Zhongzhou, shining like a sword, and a meteor shower fell, damaging the farmland in several places.Qin Tianjian was uneasy, and presented the star map in front of the emperor's throne in the Taiqing Palace.A few days later, another ancestral mausoleum under the Eastern Palace of the Lower Tang Dynasty caught fire, burning dozens of main halls and auxiliary halls that had been built for hundreds of years to ashes.The new emperor came to the throne, thinking it was an ominous omen, he pardoned the prisoners all over the world, and exempted twelve cities in poor places from paying taxes. Apocalypse, What the historians of the imperial capital did not record was that Xi Yan, the commander of the military hall of the Tang Dynasty, invited himself to be the teacher of the barbarian heir Lu Guichen, and began to teach the academics of marching troops. In the rainy autumn of Nanhuai City, the old man uncovered the silk and looked at the ancient giant sword. The souls that could not be released from the sword were still roaring, the real bloody storm had already rolled up black clouds in the sky of Donglu.