Chapter 17 second quarter

At the same time, the moon was dark at the Yangquan wine shop on the outskirts of the city. The oil lamp was dim, casting the indistinct figure on the board wall. The board wall was blackened by oily smoke, and a thin finger could pierce through it.There was a thick layer of grease on the table, and the hands felt as if they were going to stick.The only small lamp made of tung oil was covered in a bamboo cage and hung in the air. The sound of wind came from outside the board wall, and the wind passed among the treetops with a faint whistling sound.The wind poured in through the cracks of the door, and the lights flickered on and off, erratic and restless.

This is a small shop on the edge of Nanhuai City, close to the forest farm of the rich businessman Chu, outside is the endless pine and fir forest.Logging laborers go back to the city every day by the side of the path, so there is such a simple shop.Late at night, there was only the last table of guests left in the shop, no one spoke, and the silence was chilling. "Gold and silver are not a problem, we only want the whereabouts of the sword." At the side of the long table, the leader broke the silence.He pushed the heavy box to the other side, and the lid popped open, revealing neatly stacked solid gold collars branded with eucalyptus leaves.It was a gold collar made by the Jiang family of the Wanzhou Chamber of Commerce. Some people said that it was more effective than the money made in the imperial capital.It is not the Dayin gold baht that is hidden in the royal treasury, but these full-color gold collars.

The reflection of the gold seemed to dazzle the eyes of the person opposite, she smiled slightly and turned her face sideways, covered her eyebrows with her hand, and pointed to a bit of emerald which revealed a gorgeous deep blue color under the lamp. It was amazing to have such a woman in such a small shop.The twilight of the oil lamp was cut by the bamboo cage and cast on her bare skin, reminiscent of those stunning and mottled ancient paintings.The woman was wearing a light purple dress, which was exquisite and luxurious. On her bare shoulders and arms, her complexion was dazzlingly white. Four or five blue crystal bracelets were set together, jingling.

"The whereabouts of buying a sword at such a high price? You really don't regret it?" She covered her mouth and giggled. There was still makeup on her plump lips. With gold powder, it reveals a luxurious beauty. "You don't need to ask too much," the leader on the opposite side frowned, his voice was cold and stern, "tell what you know, there is a carriage outside, we will send you out of Nanhuai tonight, take this box Gold. From now on, the Nanhuai matter has nothing to do with you." On one side of the table is a lonely woman, and on the other side are neatly dressed warriors.Their gold-rimmed cowhide body armor was exquisitely crafted, with long knives around their waists, dark red cloaks of the same color, and high stand-up collars that half covered their faces.Those faces were as thin, with dark brown skin.The warm light reflected in their eyes, and they suddenly became cold and severe.They were all strong men in their twenties, but no one paid attention to the woman's half-naked chest.Their eyes are constantly patrolling the surroundings, like snakes spying on their prey.

This is also the person who should never appear in this small shop. "Don't worry, my lords, I'll tell you what I know," the woman lovingly stroked the gold collar for a while, "See if it's worth the price. But...you have to say what I said, I don't know yet What about your background. If you sell this news, even if I leave Nanhuai, I may not be able to escape from the eyes of the lord. I am a helpless woman, and I have offended the dignified imperial minister, Ting Weifu A wanted warrant, even if I escape to the horizon, who can guarantee that I won’t be caught? I’m afraid this box of gold was buried with me, right?”

"If you speak up, we will naturally protect your safety, and we don't want the Lord Baili to arrest you from thousands of miles away. Can I trust you not to betray us?" The leader sneered. "Hehehehe," the woman laughed with him. "Why is it so troublesome? I've heard of silence!" The woman suddenly stopped laughing, The smile on the leader's face suddenly disappeared, and when he rolled his eyes, his gaze changed from a prying snake to a vicious fang, fixed on the woman's bright pupils. "In the winter of the eighth year of Zhenyi, You Changji went south from Lanzhou, via Moli County, from Feiyunpu through the blockade of Shangyang Pass, and came to Wanzhou. A total of 327 people were ordered by the Imperial Capital Tingwei. Jie killed him, and You Changji was alone. Because You Changji is the last known leader of the Heavenly Exorcist warriors so far, and the Heavenly Exorcists call him the Great Sovereign."

The woman didn't care about the cold gaze on the other side, played with her long temples, and spoke leisurely, as if telling a rap story.But at the beginning of this story, all the warriors held their breath, and the leader's dark eyebrows also jumped. "You Changji's passport was issued by the Northern Kingdom of Jin. His name on the badge is Xie Feng. The administrative office outside the city gate has a record of his entry into the city. It was the ninth day of December. Among the items he carried Including a long knife and an epee, all were recorded on the travel certificate. But three days later, all the court officers of the imperial capital entered Nanhuai, and that night at the Minglong Posthouse on Ziliang Street, there was a vicious murder, and the corpse was later collected At that time, there were more than 30 dead people, and there was no You Changji among them. In fact, all the dead were court officers from the imperial capital, but the ministers of the imperial capital did not mention it, and the king of the next Tang Dynasty did not pursue it. The matter was suppressed , and there has never been any record left.”

"No record?" The leader cut in. "The administrative office has no record of going out of the city. Whether it was You Changji or Xie Feng, he disappeared in Nanhuai City. No one knows where he went. The sword you are asking about also disappeared with him." "Disappeared?" "Yeah, it's just gone. It's nothing unusual. This is Nanhuai City. There are many people. If there is one less, no one will pay attention." The woman giggled lightly, and the hairpin with a phoenix holding a bead in her hair nodded slightly, trembling like a flower on a branch.The woman laughs as she wants, and doesn't care about the people on the other side of the table, as if she is surrounded by her own stage. She is an actress who is happy and sad.The leader's heart suddenly paused, for some reason, this woman was smiling, but he felt a faint sadness.

"What else? You said you know the whereabouts of the sword!" He suppressed a little uneasiness in his heart, and accentuated his tone. "Sword? The epee that You Changji wears?" The woman still giggled, covering her mouth, "I have also been to the arsenal of Zihuan Palace, but there are at least a thousand swords in it, all of which are famous. Sword, what kind of sword do you want? I am a female officer and I don’t know how to use a sword, so don’t think that I know everything.” "A bronze-colored epee. The sword is very long and heavy. It is at least four feet five inches long and weighs no less than thirty catties. There is a cloud-like pattern on the sword. There is absolutely no other sword like it. You just Once you’ve seen it, you can’t admit it.”

"Oh, it's that sword. If you want to say it, I really remember it, yes, I've seen it before." "Really? Where?" The leader's eyes lit up with unbearable joy. The woman gently twisted her skirt, her long eyelashes flickered, and she glanced sideways at the leader: "I've said so much, but you haven't said where you came from." "You don't need to know this at all!" "Hmph! You also think our Wanzhou women are too simple," the woman smiled disdainfully, "Don't try to hide your identity like this! You deliberately wore leather armor, but you didn't bring your proud steel armor. He even used a straight-edged knife that didn't fit his hand, and replaced the horse with a night horse with an indistinguishable calendar. But all the adults of the Wind and Tiger Cavalry, you forgot one thing..."

After a brief silence, the room was suddenly filled with the sound of metal humming.The warriors sitting quietly pushed the table at the same time, retreated two feet, and pulled out the sabers around their waists in unison, the sharp light of the sabers caught people's eyes. "Hahahaha, hahahaha," the woman laughed again, clapping her hands lightly and laughing without looking at them. The bamboo cage containing the oil lamp was spinning leisurely above her head, and the darkness in the room changed, and the lights were strange.The warriors had their knives in their hands, but they couldn't cut them out.They are all battle-tested fighters, but in this strange place of Wanzhou, facing this crazy but beautiful woman, everyone feels as if they are in a dream, and there is something strange in the air Make everything around you seem ethereal and unreal. The woman stopped her laughter: "If I didn't know that you are the captains of the Wind and Tiger Cavalry, I wouldn't dare to sell the news. How much gold is the news about the last leader of Tianqi worth? Your lords should know better than me. , I can carry this box of gold with me as a woman, and I want to exchange it for the secret of the sky drive, is the asking price too low?" "Then how much do you want?" the leader asked in a low voice. "I want an asylum. After you find the sword, you will bring it back to Chun Country. I don't care about it. I just hope that you will give me this box of gold at that time and take me back to Chun Country." Go, arrange the rest of my life well. Without the shade of the big tree of the Marquis of Xuanchang County, how many people dare to offend Baili Jinghong, the lord of the Tang Dynasty?" The warriors looked at each other. "What kind of shelter do you want?" The leader sat back at the table. "That's right, You Changji did die in Nanhuai City. The sword of the leader of Tianqi was also kept as a treasure in Xiatang. I can't get it out if I want to, but it's not easy for Chunguo to want it. Since I dare to come, Standing on the same boat with all the adults, this is a close call. If you hide from each other, you will only kill yourself. It is better to spread out everything you know on the table, and we will be partners. I will take all the adults to get the sword , and go back to Chunguo together, I want the Marquis of Huangchang County to go to the imperial capital and give me an imperial order." "Are you going to..." the leader looked at the woman hesitantly, "join us?" The woman covered her mouth and smiled again: "I'm a woman, and I'm not afraid of you tigers and wolves. Are you afraid of me? I just hope to leave Xiatang safely, and I don't have to come back here from now on." She turned the white porcelain wine glass in her hand: "Actually, I have wanted to leave here for a long time, and I want to go back to the north..." The slight sadness surged again, and her smile gradually faded, becoming as silent as a mural. The room was silent for a long time, the light was suppressed by the breeze, and the woman's bright skin became dull. She turned her head to look out the window, and it was as dark as a thick ink. "Okay, it's just an imperial order. I can still speak in front of the Marquis of Xuanchang County," the leader finally nodded. "I also know that it is not easy to take a sword. It may be a good thing to have you as a companion. Our Chun Guofeng Hu, never team up with strangers, today I made an exception! But if you listen to me, it will be difficult to leave us easily. You have to think clearly!" "It's clear, this is a business of getting rich or dying, I don't want to make it right, why did I come here?" "What do you want to know?" "There is only one thing. It has been fourteen years since You Changji died, and no one has asked him about his whereabouts. And Chunguo is far away in the north. How could the Marquis of Xuanchang know about this past?" The leader was silent for a moment, then nodded: "That's a good question! Since you know about those imperial court officers who robbed and killed You Changji, do you know what happened to them?" "The end?" "Let me tell you, the reason why no one has asked about the Cangyun ancient tooth sword in the past fourteen years is because all the Tingwei who returned to the imperial capital alive were thrown into death prison. Half a year later, Tingwei's mansion sent the ashes to Everyone. My father was one of the court lieutenants at that time, but he didn't even have time to go to prison, but was executed at the door of my house." "Why is he different?" "Because he violated the secret order of Tingwei Mansion, he did not report to Tingwei Mansion immediately after returning to the imperial capital, but returned home once." "why?" "The emperor and the feudal lords have been suppressing and killing the warriors from the sky for decades, but there has never been a case where hundreds of elites from Tingwei's mansion were dispatched to rob and kill a single person. That time was because the emperor got the exact According to the information, You Changji contacted more than a hundred generals and aristocratic families of the princes and countries, preparing to join forces to kill the king. Therefore, his course of action went from Zhongzhou to Lanzhou and then to Wanzhou, constantly contacting the forces of various countries along the way. Who I never thought that a small group of rebels like Tianqi could cause such a big storm, but hundreds of powerful generals and patriarchs of aristocratic families cannot be killed at the same time, otherwise the general situation will be chaotic. Therefore, the imperial capital The goal was to rob and kill You Changji alone. Unfortunately, until the end, for some reason, the court officers did not get the list of traitors attached to You Changji. My father came back from the adventure, just to leave a Message." "A message?" "He rushed home like a fugitive, and only had time to say a word. He said that the key to open the bronze door was the sword. Only I heard this sentence, and he hugged me on his chest and leaned into my ear He said that, and then an arrow shot in from outside the door and pierced him from behind, and also wounded me. People from Tingwei's Mansion rushed in and dragged his body away." The leader fell silent and fiddled with the white porcelain wine glass in front of him. "A court lieutenant, why on earth would you do such a thing?" "I know you will ask this question," the leader pulled out something from his belt, and slid it to the woman along the table. It was a bow finger, wide and heavy.The woman hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and studied it carefully.Under the lamp, the finger cuffs glowed with a blue-gray faint iron light, with ancient and obscure inscriptions around the inside, and a flying eagle with spread wings on the outside. "Because he is a Heavenly Exorcist," the leader's laughter became cold, "A Heavenly Exorcist hiding in the Tingwei's Mansion. This stupid person has always wanted to do something for the Heavenly Exorcist, but he has no skills. He can't be a hero like You Changji, he has no choice but to sacrifice himself to keep this secret of Heaven's Exorcism." The woman played with the finger cot, with a slight smile: "The person who holds this finger cot should be a warrior of Tianqi. Are you a subordinate of the Marquis of Xuanchang County, or are you carrying the mission of Tianqi? " "Heavenly Exorcism?" The leader shook his head, "I only know that is my stupid father. For the mission of that group, he caused me and my mother to be displaced all our lives, and my mother was reduced from being a noble lady to doing laundry for others. How much is this broken finger cot worth? Just let him go crazy like that? But I keep it, I know it will be useful to me someday .I came here this time because of the secret order written by the Marquis of Xuanchang County. As long as I bring back the Cangyun Ancient Tooth Sword, I can be named a Viscount. Isn’t it easy for you to obtain an imperial status?” There was a smile on his lips, he glanced at the woman sideways, stretched out his hand to press her soft hand, and rubbed the round dimples on her knuckles: "Actually, why bother? I think you are born well, you If you marry me, you will naturally have the status of imperial order. You lead us to get the sword, and I will protect you for life." The woman didn't avoid it, she just covered her mouth with her other hand and smiled, but couldn't hide her white teeth: "Me? I'm old, the general is in his prime, why do you want to marry an old woman? " The leader fell silent.He looked at the woman carefully again, and was surprised to find that he couldn't tell the woman's age at all. Looking at the appearance, she looked like a stunning girl of eighteen or nineteen years old, but looking at the eyes, there were too many things hidden inside. It looked as if it had fallen into a pool of water. He restrained his growing uneasiness: "I have explained our reason for coming. We are all on the same boat, so can you tell us how to get the sword now? However, if you are just lying to us..." "False words?" The woman laughed, "In the entire Nanhuai City, there is probably no one who knows the location of the sword better than me." She suddenly shook off the leader's hand, spread her palm, and there were two fingertips in her palm: "The general showed me your fingertips, and the general will look at mine again, and you will know whether I have lied." The leader hesitantly picked up two finger cots.Just look carefully at the light.It looks like they are completely indistinguishable, as if they were cast from the same furnace of molten iron, and there are signs of erosion on the surface, like ancient objects from many years ago.He looked over and over again, and his eyes suddenly fell on the inscription on the inner ring of the fingertip. His heart beat like a hammer was pounding inside. He is a descendant of Sky Drive, and he knows that the inner rings of these finger cots are filled with the ancient bronze characters "the iron armor is still there".But the one the woman handed over was completely different, it was a line of sixteen characters: "The God of Beichen, the Emperor of the Vault of Heaven, is shining brightly without beginning or end." His voice was already hoarse when he read this, and a stream of blood rushed to the top of his head. He couldn't help shouting while holding the fingertip: "Xing... the fingertip of the Eagle of the Star Field! This is... this is the thumb of the great suzerain!" set!" "That's right, this is You Changji's finger cot. Now you should believe me? Since I can get this finger cot, I can also take you to that sword," the woman's expression remained unchanged. Playing with a strand of her hair leisurely, "But before I take you there, I want you to guess a riddle with me." "puzzle?" The woman covered her mouth, giggling: "Yes, my lords, don't you want to know how I found out that you are from Chun Kingdom, and you are famous wind and tiger cavalry?" The warriors looked at each other.It was only then that they remembered that they had missed this section. They were all the best scouts in the Wind Tiger Cavalry Army, but it was a shame that they were identified so easily. The woman ignored their expressions, but got up silently, and walked slowly towards the door.Her back is even and slender, and her skirt is dragging on the dirty ground, but she has the gorgeousness of palace makeup, and the light gauze covers her delicate shoulder blades and slender neck, which makes people feel moved when viewed from a distance. She suddenly turned her head and smiled: "Because someone told me last night that he wanted to go far away with me, and then told me many things." The warriors looked at the leader suspiciously. "Don't you remember him? He has a small mole on his chin and a broken little finger on his left hand." All the warriors stood up in horror.That was one of their partners. Since this morning, they have never found this partner again. Only ten people are left in the eleven-person team. The woman's smile was like a mysterious flower slowly blooming: "He is really different from you careless men. Until he died, he told me that I smelled like Zi Linqiu..." A bone-chilling chill suddenly enveloped the people in the hut. The sound of the long sword coming out of its sheath was like a high string being played, and the warrior with the quickest response drew his sword sideways and jumped on the ground.His movements are like swiping a knife on a fast galloping horse. This is a unique martial art in the Wind Tiger Cavalry Army, which is extremely fast and precise.The woman had no time to dodge under his knife, her luxurious and close-fitting dress restricted her movements.The woman didn't want to dodge, but smiled lightly.An unbelievable thing happened at the moment of her low smile, the warrior's head suddenly fell down, and the stern bright red rushed from the cavity to the roof, and the headless body swung the sword and passed the woman until it hit After reaching the opposite wall, he fell powerlessly to the ground. The woman didn't make a move. At that moment, her hands were still holding the veil on her shoulders, and no one saw the light of the knife, as if an invisible demon weapon swung in the darkness, beheading the Fenghu's head. "Don't move!" the leader yelled. He wanted to stop, but it was too late.He felt a pain in his shoulder blade, but it was not severe, like being bitten by a bug.Then the little pain was magnified a thousand times, and a large flower of blood burst out from his shoulder, and the blood stains ran through the entire shoulder.Something had cut into him, but he still couldn't see anything.He couldn't help kneeling down, and even greater pain came from his knees.He wailed and lowered his head, and saw that his legs were broken from both knees, and blood was flowing all over the ground. His companions were also caught in an invisible net, all those who rushed forward were injured by something, and there was an insurmountable barrier around the woman. The leader struggled to raise his head, saw the woman smiled again, this time, her smile was icy cold. The oil lamp suddenly went out. The darkness is filled with the subtle sound of breaking wind, very thin and extremely sharp, a bit like a buzzing but with a strange shrill sound.Every time there was a wail, and the leader felt thick blood splashing on his face.These companions who have followed him for many years have no way to struggle in the dark, they are just lambs waiting to be slaughtered. He knew that he was going to die, and he regretted it very much. At this moment, he remembered that there were obviously too many unexplainable things about this woman, but the sword made him confused.For too many years he had longed for the day when he could hold the sword, and that desire had turned to greed. At last it was quiet again, and a little fire flickered and lit up. Enduring the dizziness from blood loss, the leader raised his head, and saw the woman standing by the door far away, holding tinder.She stopped laughing, but she couldn't see the joy of success.She is indifferent like a beautiful painted skin. With only a little fire, the leader could see clearly that the hut was full of silver threads, densely packed like a net, completely separating them from women.Those lines were so subtle that they were imperceptible, yet tough enough to imagine, like interlaced streaks of silver light, and finally passed through the surrounding metal rings, and converged on the emerald ring between the woman's fingers. "It's...it's Tianluo's Daosi! Who the hell are you?" He shouted with all his strength. "That's right, it's the spider's silk. You warriors always want to rely on brute force to win, but killing people doesn't require so much strength. A one-inch blade is enough." "Tianluo's assassin? Why did you do this? Could it be that Tianluo also..." The woman shook her head: "I am Tianluo's assassin, that happened many years ago. I have long stopped killing people for Tianluo. I want to kill you all because you covet my husband's things." "Your husband... who is your husband?" "Who is my husband? Didn't you just see his fingertips?" "You...you are...you belong to You Changji..." "You said your father was stupid, but have you really thought about why he did that? Some things, even after many years, cannot be desecrated," the woman approached slowly, and talked to the leader a foot away. face to face. "Don't...don't kill me..." "It's too late to repent now, isn't it?" Like brushing her hair, she waved her hand lightly, and the countless silver threads held by the emerald ring tightened instantly, like countless invisible sharp knives slashing across the leader.His whole body burst apart in an instant, turning into a huge coquettish blood flower. The wind outside the house is still blowing, and the sound of pines is like the sea.