Wu Zixu opened his eyes, and what pierced into his eyes was the dazzling sunlight. He couldn't see clearly for a while, let alone where he was, and his head ached. He sat up abruptly, cupped his head in his hands unconsciously, and gasped for breath.He was extremely tired, he had never been so tired before, weakness and emaciation completely conquered him, it was like gambling for ten days and ten nights without sleep, but in the end he still lost everything, it was a terrible feeling.The pain from the soles of his feet reminded him of the arduous escape of the past ten days. The only thing I can comfort myself is that I am still alive.

He lowered his hands slowly, and listened intently first, only the chirping chorus of summer insects filled his ears, and then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and began to have the mood to look around. He was sitting on a slope of damp and musty grass. There was a clear stream at the bottom of the slope. Long grass and short trees were tangled on the bank, and the opposite bank was a dense jungle.He looked towards the top of the slope, which was about four or five feet high, and thought to himself: I must have fainted and fell straight from the top of the slope. Sunlight is coming from the right, and the sun has just risen above the horizon.

Looking south, there is a row of green mountains. What the hell is this place? well!What bad luck!well!Not bad luck, but terribly bad, causing a catastrophe.With his rich experience in walking the rivers and lakes, how could he do such an unwise and stupid thing?Fortunately, it should have abandoned the pursuers.After crossing the great river, he felt quite out of danger.Hope it's not an illusion! At this moment, the ears seem to catch a faint neighing of a horse. Wu Zixu was so frightened that he was trembling all over, and jumped up from the grass slope like a frightened bird. Suddenly his legs gave way, he lost his balance, and rolled down the grass slope until he reached the bottom of the slope, almost falling into the stream.

The neighing became clearer. Wu Zixu forgot how tired he was, got up, and fled south in a panic. Since he became sensible, he seems to have never experienced good luck, and now he is facing a catastrophe. If he is caught by the enemy, he will regret being reincarnated in this world. At this moment, he only had one thought, that is, to run as far as possible. He really didn't want to die. The Wushuang girl was dressed in black clothes, and she led Ai Ma Hei'er, who had no hairs, and quietly left the camp in the wilderness of the Baixi Troupe. For nine years, she has traveled with the troupe from town to town and city to perform as a performer. With her impressive skills, she has become a pillar of a hundred circus troupes, and she is also the most outstanding female disciple that the troupe leader "King of Juggling" An Jie is proud of. .But he left without saying goodbye tonight, but without the slightest nostalgia.

Her heart was never in Baixi Troupe. "Wu Shuang!" Wushuang sighed secretly, stopped in the darkness outside the lights of the camp, and merged into the dark night. An Jie came behind her and sighed.He knew her personality best, and knew that no matter what he said, he couldn't dispel her idea of ​​leaving. Wu Shuangnv said softly: "Uncle An has seen my letter." An Jie said in a deep voice: "Since you left Ning'an County, you have been in a trance, and you have been so silent that it is frightening, but you still can't imagine that you will leave immediately. I really can't imagine that after ten years, you still can't let it go, can't see it. .”

Wu Shuangnv said indifferently: "Does Uncle An understand what's on my mind?" An Jie smiled wryly and said: "If you don't tell me, how would I know. Since your uncle sent you to my Baixi Troupe nine years ago, I have known that something is unusual. Your uncle is my An Jie's life-and-death friend." , If he doesn’t say it, I won’t investigate.” Wu Shuangnv said calmly: "Why didn't uncle come back to look for me?" An Jie sighed: "I didn't intend to say it. Before your uncle left that day, he told me that for your safety, he would hide his name from now on and never come back to see you. His painstaking efforts are for you. Stay Now! Don't disappoint your uncle's expectations, and don't disappoint my expectations for you. This is the first time I, An Jie, have met such a remarkable woman like you, Wu Shuang, who has traveled all over the country for more than 40 years."

Wu Shuang said softly: "Uncle An's great kindness to me, I will never forget, but I must leave immediately, Uncle An forgive me." An Jie gritted his teeth sharply, and said, "Okay! Since you insist on leaving, let me tell you a secret that has been buried in my heart for nine years, that is, how to find your uncle." The Wushuang girl turned around abruptly, facing An Jie, her deep black eyes sparkling with moving light. Every time Gu Yueming sets foot in the palace of Eunuch Feng, known as the "Golden Eunuch", he always feels uncomfortable. Perhaps he had to untie the sword that he never left his body.Some people in Beijing said that no one could kill Gu Yueming with a sword in hand. This is not a compliment, because no one has been able to do so until today.

Eunuch Feng coughed from the study. Or maybe it's because he doesn't like Eunuch Feng, an old eunuch who is deep in the city, unpredictable in mood, can make ministers tremble, and has power over the government.But what he disliked the most were the various questions that Eunuch Feng asked and had to answer. The eunuch leading the way, Ji Shan, said in a low voice without turning his head: "Grandpa is in good spirits tonight. He caught a cold two days ago. After taking three prescriptions of medicine from the imperial physician, he is much better today." Gu Yueming hummed lightly, indicating that he heard it.

Ji Shan is not a particularly kind-hearted person, and he is the most terrifying eunuch and number one killer under Feng Gonggong, with blood on his hands.It's not that he treats Gu Yueming differently and takes special care of him, just because he took a lot of gold from him. There were two guards guarding the study outside, Ji Shan gave him a wink and asked him to stay outside, while he went inside to communicate, and came back after a while, pulled him aside, and whispered: "It's strange, Grandpa is in a very good mood, As if looking forward to seeing you. Opportunity is rare, Yueming, you must seize it and don't miss it. I have done enough for you."

Gu Yueming's heart couldn't help but jump a few times, for him, this was a rare state.After taking a deep breath, he thanked Ji Shan and went into the study. People in Beijing often say that it is better to offend the emperor than to offend Eunuch Feng.You offended the emperor, and Eunuch Feng pleaded for you, but offended Eunuch Feng, it was a dead end.This veteran eunuch who has served three emperors in three dynasties is no one to offend. At first glance, Eunuch Feng is just a frail old man with wrinkled face. He should be tall when he was young, but now he is shrunken because of his stooped body.

Under a fluffy but thick white hair, his forehead is high, and his deep and narrow cheeks set off his thin lips like two horizontal lines. Looking horizontally and vertically, Eunuch Feng looks like he is dying, but Gu Yueming knows that this is just an illusion.It is said that Eunuch Feng practiced a kind of mysterious qigong that only eunuchs can master since he was a child, and he has reached the peak level today. As for how powerful it is, no one knows. However, Gu Yueming can still see the clues from his eyes, which transmit a kind of cold and extremely sharp light, which also shows the wisdom of Eunuch Feng who has been honed over the years.If a person can go through three dynasties and stay at the pinnacle of power, it is by no means a simple matter. Eunuch Feng was full of style, dressed in a blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns and rolled in gold, sitting on the grand teacher's chair in the south, holding a long gold pipe in his mouth, and was puffing.Gu Yueming thought to himself: This golden bong weighs no less than ten catties, just looking at the way this fragile old eunuch lifts the weight in his hand, people dare not underestimate him. Eunuch Feng looked at Gu Yueming saluting him, nodded and said: "Sit! Yueming has done a good job, the emperor is very satisfied with the birthday gift you gave him." Gu Yueming sat down on the chair on the lower left of Eunuch Feng, and thought: This gift was earned by risking his life.It took him half a year to track down a group of thieves and thieves rampaging in the Northeast, beheading the leader Zhou Hucheng, and adding three more scars to his body. Eunuch Feng looked him up and down for a while with his perceptive eyes, and said relaxedly: "I want to ask Yueming a question." Gu Yueming cried again, and said helplessly, "Please ask my father-in-law to inquire, Yueming knows everything." Eunuch Feng put the golden bong on the small table beside him, his movements were calm, showing that he was in a relaxed state.There is also a long and narrow leather pouch about two feet long on the table. I don't know what it contains.Ji Shan was right, Eunuch Feng was in a really good mood, and tonight must be a rare opportunity.Eunuch Feng is seldom in a good mood. He has been at the center of the court's long-term struggle, who can be happy? Why is Eunuch Feng in such a good mood? Eunuch Feng cast his eyes on the moonlit night outside the window, and said casually: "Regardless of the generals and ministers, everyone is always afraid and fearful when they see me. Only you, I feel that Yueming has no fear of me. Tell me, why is Yueming not afraid?" And me?" Gu Yueming sighed secretly, everyone has questions they want to ask in their hearts, and the person being asked can choose to answer or not to answer, and he never answers the questions.But the current question was raised by Eunuch Feng, so he had to answer it.Maybe he really wasn't afraid of Eunuch Feng, but he was definitely afraid of his questions. He couldn't even express his reluctance, shrugging his shoulders and said: "If Yueming said that because he asked himself, he has always served the father-in-law wholeheartedly, with a clear heart, and never thought of being afraid at all, would the father-in-law believe it?" Eunuch Feng shot at him like an arrow, and said happily: "Yueming is an interesting person, not only confessed, but also dared to talk to me like this, which made me feel like talking to my friends. Sigh! I haven't had this kind of feeling for a long time. I feel it. Tell me, why are you not afraid of me?" Gu Yueming thought that Eunuch Feng might be the only one who thought he was interesting, and said calmly: "Eunuch Feng may not like my answer. I am a person who does not love life. Not only am I not afraid of death, but I also long for it. Eunuch is not happy, but I don't want to lie." Eunuch Feng didn't move, his voice seemed to come out from between his teeth, he said: "Death can be divided into good death and bad death, even life is worse than death, what does Yueming think?" Gu Yueming calmly said: "My father-in-law must be Yueming's blind self-confidence. Yueming firmly believes that no one can capture me alive." Eunuch Feng laughed hoarsely and said, "Good! Good! Well said! This is the first time in my life that someone told me that he is not afraid of death." After speaking, he turned his eyes to the roof beams, revealing a thoughtful expression. Gu Yueming looked at the wall with four landscape scroll banners hanging behind Mr. Feng's seat. Just when he said the words "no one can capture me alive", he heard short breathing from behind the wall, and immediately understood come over.Behind the wall there must be dead soldiers who are protecting Eunuch Feng closely. One of them thought that this sentence would offend Eunuch Feng and make Eunuch Feng immediately order him to kill him, so he was so nervous that his breathing became a little cloudy.This wall should be just for show, but in fact it is as thin as paper, and the dead soldiers hiding behind it can break through the wall at any time. Eunuch Feng's words came to his ears and said: "I really don't understand, with Yueming's talented martial arts, handsome and romantic appearance, a wonderful life is waiting for you to taste, but you just want to die. Are you tired of living? Are you tired of living this year? How old is it, twenty-five or twenty-six?" Gu Yueming replied honestly: "Twenty-five." At the same time, there was a feeling of walking on thin ice in my heart.In fact, every time he saw Eunuch Feng, he felt like he was in danger.This time Eunuch Feng said so much "nonsense", it was unprecedented, and it seemed even more unusual. Eunuch Feng did not speak, waiting for his answer. Gu Yueming said calmly: "What Yueming wants to say is just a fact, his own situation. Yueming is a person who likes to put himself in danger, and he is obsessed with the crisis of killing or being killed. This is an unexplainable thing. When someone can Send me on the road, I will be grateful to the other party. But I will never kill myself, unless I come to a dead end where life is worse than death, then death will be a relief." Eunuch Feng stared at him without blinking, and said after a while: "It is this kind of mentality that makes you the number one sword in the capital, and even the reward hunter used by the emperor, but it makes me even more confused. Since Yueming is a person who regards death as his home, why does he do everything possible to ask me to speak for you in front of the emperor so that you can be dismissed from the military?" Gu Yueming secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and finally turned to the main topic.To this, he had already prepared the best answer he could think of, and replied without hesitation: "Yueming is a withdrawn and outlier person by nature, and he is afraid of crowded places. My father-in-law said that life is worse than death, and I am most afraid that something bad will happen to me, and if I fail to serve the country, I will miss a major event." He sighed again: "Ever since he was an adult, Yueming has always been alone, father-in-law should know." Eunuch Feng said with a sympathetic tone: "So what if you know? The problem lies with General Peng. Before he was alive..." Gu Yueming was stunned, and said, "Before he was alive?" Eunuch Feng said regretfully: "The bad news came back from the northern front seven days ago. General Peng was ambushed by the enemy and was defeated. Until now, I still suppress this matter so that I can have time to make arrangements for the aftermath. Those who know the news will not come out within ten days." People, don't let the moonlight leak." Gu Yueming had no expression and did not speak.He has long been numb to death, and he doesn't know whether it's because he killed too many people or because of his nature.General Peng once taught him the art of war, and he was one of the many disciples of General Peng. Eunuch Feng continued: "General Peng mentioned you to the emperor before he was alive, pointing out that Yueming has a special talent in military affairs, no matter how esoteric and difficult to understand the military strategy, Yueming can understand it as soon as he hears it, and it is by no means just talking about it on paper." , and Yueming is the queen of the general, so that the emperor believes that the tiger father has no dogs, and he remembers it in the dragon's heart. When the news of General Peng's death came, the emperor thought of Yueming first. If you didn't persuade me, Yueming He should have received the imperial decree to replace General Peng." Gu Yueming's expression changed: "What?" Eunuch Feng looked at him intently, without saying a word. Gu Yueming suddenly felt that he was at an absolute disadvantage.It doesn't matter whether the emperor has this idea as Eunuch Feng said, but as long as Eunuch Feng puts himself on the battlefield with all his heart, he will surely be doomed.Why did Eunuch Feng force him into a desperate situation? An inscrutable and profound smile overflowed from the corner of Eunuch Feng's lips, and he said calmly: "Under such circumstances, the emperor will not listen to Long Er. Nian Zai Yueming has worked hard for me in the past five years, made countless contributions, and thought hard Next, I will come up with the only way for Yueming to make the emperor change his mind." Gu Yueming had nothing to say, but said: "Please give me your advice." Eunuch Feng shouted in a low voice: "Back off!" Listening to the sound of the dead soldiers leaving quietly behind the wall, Gu Yueming felt a chill down his spine. What secret will Eunuch Feng say next, why is he only allowed to know? In the darkness of the mountains where he could not see his fingers, Wu Zixu almost collapsed, the air in his lungs seemed to be emptied, and he had to open his mouth to breathe rapidly. Countless questions swirled in my mind like a revolving lantern.This is impossible, he is like a prey being chased by a hunter, being driven around, panicked, unable to escape according to the previously set plan. He originally wanted to go west after crossing the river, and try to steal a sea ship after arriving in Yangzhou. He could go anywhere, but he wanted to leave Zhongtu.His enemies are too powerful, as long as he stays in the Central Plains, he is likely to be arrested.Previously, no matter how he used various methods to get rid of the enemy, the enemy could always follow closely behind.Now that he has entered the depths of the mountain range in the south that he saw on the grassy slope, will the situation change? Do you regret it? The answer is yes.He regretted going to that gambling house, regretted dating that woman, regretted... Alas!A big mistake has been made, there is nothing to regret, everything has been wronged and hated, and I am sorry that I only have a tael of silver left in my pocket. The howling sound of the horse came to his ears again, but he was in the mountains, how could the horse climb the mountains?Is there a road in the mountains? Among the chasing enemies, there must be some masters in tracking, even if they are not as good as the world-famous bounty hunter Gu Yueming, they should be almost the same, otherwise how could they have been chasing Wu Zixu until now. Wu Zixu is not an ordinary person, but a big thief who has never missed a hand since his debut. He only hates himself for stealing hard and gambling even harder. A first-class big thief is a low-level gambler, and he often loses his money. Now He even made a point of view for others, exposing Xingzang.It would be a lie to say that you have no regrets.But as long as he escapes to a big city and a big town, "breaks the precept" and steals some silver taels, and buys materials for disguise and modification, Shi Shiran can go to Yangzhou with another appearance and identity according to the original plan, and go to sea to escape without a trace. without a trace. A series of thoughts flashed through his mind like flashes of lightning. Wu Zixu jumped up and rushed forward, thinking about the vastness of this jungle, when suddenly he stepped on the ground, unable to stop his momentum, and just rolled towards the steep slope When it fell, I didn't know how many short branches were broken. Suddenly, the body was suspended in the air, and the sound of water rumbled behind it, and it turned out to be a big waterfall pouring down. This is impossible, why didn't I hear the sound of water just now? "Boom—" Unable to help himself, Wu Zixu plunged several tens of feet into the pool, and almost passed out.When I rose from the bottom of the water to the surface, I had already drank an unknown amount of water, my head was dizzy, and I could no longer stay awake, let alone swim to the shore. The turbulent water rushed him to the downstream without knowing the direction. "boom--" Suddenly, his body hung in the air again, and it turned out to be another waterfall. When he sank into the water again, the current was even faster. Wuzi humbly said, "My life is over." As soon as this idea entered his mind, the torrent had already taken him into the darkness downstream. Eunuch Feng said leisurely: "Does Yueming believe in ghosts and gods?" No matter how much Gu Yueming thought about it, he couldn't understand why Eunuch Feng suddenly brought up such an irrelevant topic, but he couldn't help but answer, and said firmly: "I don't believe it!" Eunuch Feng smiled and said: "If Yueming lives to my age, he will not be so sure, because you will encounter many strange things that can only be explained by ghosts and gods." After a short pause, he continued: "But when I tell the whole story, Yueming will understand." Gu Yueming was greatly astonished, and said in surprise: "Could it be that the father-in-law actually wants Yueming to do something related to ghosts and gods, and as long as Yueming completes the task assigned by the father-in-law, the emperor will change his mind and give me relief from the military?" Eunuch Feng said happily: "That's right, as long as Yueming can complete the task, the emperor will be elated and forget everything, including his territory. And I can also guarantee that Yueming will not have to go to the battlefield, and all battles will be fought with Yueming from now on." not related." When he said these words, Eunuch Feng's stooped body was straight, and his eyes shone with divine light. In the end, he seemed to have become another person, without any feeling of aging. He was full of vigor and vitality, and his eyes were full of desire and expectation. Extremely weird. Is Eunuch Feng protesting against him? Gu Yueming said: "Yueming has aroused interest for Eunuch." Eunuch Feng suddenly returned to his old-fashioned appearance, and said indifferently: "Have you heard of Yunmengze?" Gu Yueming couldn't figure it out and said: "Where is it? The name is weird, but it is full of poetic charm." Eunuch Feng didn't hold back, and replied: "This is the ancient name of Dongting Lake in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. It is located in the territory of Chu State. The current Yunmeng Lake refers to a swamp on the east bank of the Xiangshui River in the south of Dongting Lake." Gu Yueming couldn't help asking: "Are there ghosts and gods living in Zen?" Eunuch Feng said fairly: "Maybe it can be said that way." Gu Yueming was so confused that he couldn't grasp the meaning behind Feng Gonggong's words. Eunuch Feng seemed very satisfied with his reaction, and continued: "This incident also dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. At that time, there was a city called 'Zhuan' in the Yunmengze of the Chu State. A treasure was taken as his own, he betrayed the king of Chu, and refused to offer the treasure. What happened during this period has long since disappeared, but Zhuancheng was later captured by the army sent by the king of Chu, but the treasure could not be found, so it just disappeared. gone." Gu Yueming took a deep breath and said, "Did my father-in-law want me to find such a thing that has disappeared for more than a thousand years?" Eunuch Feng was obviously in a good mood, and said with a smile: "Although Eunuch is old, he is not old and confused, so he would deliberately make things difficult for you. This thing was discovered once, and it was almost sent to the capital, and it was only ten years ago. " Gu Yueming's spirit was lifted, and he began to understand a little bit, and asked: "Is it rumored that there are ghosts attached to it, and it was found in Yunmengze, so the father-in-law has what you just said?" Eunuch Feng didn't know what to think of, and the white hair on the top of his head fluttered automatically without wind, and said: "Why do I choose Yueming to take charge of this treasure hunting mission despite having so many talented people under my command?" Of course, Gu Yueming couldn't say how great he was, so he could only say: "Why does my father-in-law like me?" Eunuch Feng said: "Because Yueming is indeed a person who has no interest in any rare treasures." Gu Yueming said in relief: "My father-in-law should have deduced that I would not be tempted by anything external to me because of my views on life and death." Eunuch Feng smiled meaningfully and said: "Whether Yueming really doesn't care about life and death and regards life and death as a trivial matter, I'm afraid Xu Yueming will only know when he is faced with life and death choices. But you are not greedy for money and treasure, but you have facts to support it. " Gu Yueming was confused and said: "Yueming doesn't understand." Eunuch Feng stared at him and said: "You actually forgot, which shows that you really don't care about treasures and games. Remember? Three years ago you chased and killed the thief 'Rooting Thousands' for me, and he gave me the Sword of the First Moon After the release, Yueming presented the secret treasures he had stolen over the years to the imperial court. Afterwards, I sent someone to conduct an extensive and thorough investigation, and found that Yueming had handed over the secret treasures intact, and there was no shortage of famous treasures. , I find it hard to believe that there are people in the world who are not greedy for treasures like Yueming. You must know that if you want to steal some of them, there is no way to track them down. become." Gu Yueming showed a bitter expression, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Fortunately, Yueming really has no interest in those things." Eunuch Feng said calmly: "This is only the first reason." Gu Yueming frowned and said, "Is there another reason?" Eunuch Feng said: "Secondly, the success or failure of this task depends on whether you can use your expertise again." Gu Yueming was puzzled and said: "My specialty is killing people. What does it have to do with the treasure hunting that my father-in-law said?" Eunuch Feng said: "That depends on who you kill. If a super thief like 'Dao Qian Jia' comes and goes without a trace and leaves no trace, killing him is a science. In this respect, no one in the world can do it." Mochizuki Ming has his neck back, so Yueming is my best choice." Gu Yueming couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer, and asked, "What priceless rare treasure am I looking for?" Eunuch Feng was as still as water, and said in a low voice: "No one knows." Gu Yueming lost his voice: "What?"