Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen: The Secret of Escapism

Baichun was dressed in elegant casual clothes, wide-sleeved shorts, silk trousers, and a silk belt around his waist. Except for a jade bracelet on his wrist, he didn't wear any accessories. people. With a romantic look on the corner of her mouth, she stepped into the door opened by Ruan Xiuzhen with great demeanor, walked to the other side of the table, and said happily, "So you are Master Qiu Jiu." Before Qiu Jiushi had time to respond, she turned her delicate body away and said to Ruan Xiuzhen who had returned to her seat: "If I guess correctly, this must be Mr. Ruan Xiuzhen, the chief strategist of the Great River League." He politely sat on the other side of the table facing Qiu Jiushi.

Qiu Jiushi didn't dare to look at Ruan Xiuzhen, for fear of making him suspicious.He knew his own business, the moment Baichun stepped out of the carriage, the whole world suddenly changed, the sun seemed to be a little brighter, and now facing her, it was even more terrible.He just didn't want Ruan Xiuzhen to see through him.well!What should I do this time?His defense was in danger of collapsing. At this time, the waiter came in hurriedly to serve Baichun, and set out a pair of cups and chopsticks for Baichun, and the two took the opportunity to sit down. Ruan Xiuzhen lifted the teapot and filled Baichun's cup.

After the man left the room, Qiu Jiushi let out a dry cough and said, "Last night..." Baichun said casually: "Of course something has happened! Isn't it? The two characters who can make the river tremble by stepping on their feet, came to Yueyang together, and they definitely didn't come to visit the mountains and rivers, or to waste time in Hongyelou." Qiu Jiushi and Ruan Xiuzhen finally understood that the sultry beauty did not come to accompany them to drink tea and eat, but to find trouble. Ruan Xiuzhen suddenly realized that under such circumstances, it was really not his turn to intervene, and his scalp was still numb.

Qiu Jiushi is one of the ten million people who is unwilling to hurt Baichun. He doesn't want her to be unhappy. What he hates the most is that he can't tell the real reason. I can't go to see the girl, what does the girl think?" Ruan Xiu, who was on the sidelines, was really bad.He had a deep understanding of Qiu Jiushi, and when he saw his expression, he could tell that he was in a "fearless" state of going all out, that's why his eyes radiated a frightening light.Ruan Xiuzhen had seen this situation three times before.When Qiu Jiushi faced a powerful opponent, he would climb to the peak state, calmly command his subordinates to fight, and win brilliant victories every time.If Qiu Jiushi regards Baichun as the target of the love battle and wants to "conquer" her, then they will be defeated by the invisible enemy in the dark.

In the current situation, it is even more inappropriate for him, Ruan Xiuzhen, to intervene, just sitting here is already very ignorant. Baichun's beautiful eyes lit up, and she said softly: "Fate! What kind of fate is it? Can Mr. Qiu explain it more clearly?" Ruan Xiuzhen sighed secretly, reached out to pat Qiu Jiushi on the shoulder, stood up and opened the door. After the door was closed, Qiu Jiushi said calmly: "The reason why I, Qiu Jiushi, was able to do everything without fear and let go is because I have no worries in my heart. Now all the people in the world are in dire straits, how can those who are ambitious stand by?" Ignore? This is my destined fate."

Baichun showed a bright smile like the sun breaking through the clouds, and said softly: "So that's the case. But I have heard that you are such a person, so it would be strange if you don't. But what is there to be afraid of? It’s not that I fell in love with you at first sight and I have to marry you. It’s just that you are a hero and I want to make friends with you and get to know you better. Life is rich and colorful! If there is only one single goal and ignore the others, How can I be worthy of myself? Mr. Qiu's scruples are unnecessary. When you like to come and when to leave, I will not complain. Even if we have skin relatives, I will only regard it as a moving journey in life , wouldn’t call life and death, that’s definitely not the way of slaves. The brave and invincible Qiu Jiushi is not so useless!”

Qiu Jiushi was so dumbfounded that he could hardly react.It was the first time for him to meet such a bold and direct beauty, and he felt an unprecedented feeling in his heart.Although he has never cared about the love between a man and a woman, he is by no means a gentleman who can sit still. The allure of Baichun to him is increasing exponentially at this moment.He laughed dumbly and said: "The problem is, the girl may regard the relationship between a man and a woman as a tourist, but I am afraid of breaking the barrier of love, especially here and now. It doesn't matter if the girl laughs at me as a coward, or anything, I must restrain myself now." Myself, please forgive me, girl."

Baichun said happily: "Knowing that the young master is not without slaves in his heart, and it also makes the fearless Qiu Jiushi feel fearful, Baichun has the feeling of seeing the blue sky through the clouds and mists. Last night, the slaves have been looking forward to you. I really don't know who to confide in the feeling of self-pity. You have to care about the great career of a man and ignore the private affairs of your son and daughter. This is what the slave family admires you the most. But you, how can you be so disregarding the face of your daughter's family? At least send someone to inform me, find a grand excuse, so that people can easily step down. Now I have caused me to push everyone away, but I waited for nothing, so that people have something to say."

Qiu Jiushi felt that he couldn't beat her.Her coquettish and angry expression was indeed extremely touching, and her somewhat unreasonable tone of voice made him feel even more exciting and fresh, and he enjoyed it.He smiled wryly: "This is my fault, I am here to apologize to the girl." Baichun's whole portrait was glowing and glowing, which made her even more radiant and unbelievably beautiful.The most charming thing is that she is full of healthy vitality, Yurong has rich and changeable expressions, and her eyes seem to be able to speak. Qiu Jiushi felt the hairs all over his body stand on end, secretly screaming that something was wrong, his "resistance" was getting weaker and weaker.It is more clear that no matter which direction things develop in the future, he will never forget her.

Baichun gave him a charming smile, and said, "How can I just make amends with empty words?" Qiu Jiushi blurted out: "Then why?" He immediately regretted what he said, what would he do if she said that he would go to Hongye Tower to see her tonight?And how to face Ruan Xiuzhen. At this moment, the five thieves did not exist in his mind. Baichun replied naturally: "Of course I have to drink as a punishment for apologizing, so I can take this breath." Qiu Jiushi lost his voice: "Drink?" Baichun showed a puzzled expression, frowned slightly, and asked: "What's wrong with drinking? Could it be that Qiu Jiushi, who is all over the world, doesn't know how to drink, and never touches his lips?"

Qiu Jiushi was really speechless this time, just when he didn't know how to deal with this intoxicating and unique beauty, the door of the room was pushed open. Ruan Xiuzhen rushed in, and said solemnly, "That kid is gone." For a moment, Qiu Jiushi couldn't get his thoughts away from Baichun's body, couldn't turn his head around, and asked in amazement: "Which kid?" Ruan Xiuzhen looked at Baichun who was staring at him, smiled apologetically, and replied, "It's that kid who sells snake guts. Someone saw him leaving the south gate this morning with a bamboo basket on his back." Qiu Jiushi stood up abruptly, as if he had fallen from the fairyland into the mortal world. Xue Tinghao said slowly: "According to the records of Mou Chuan's family history, after the city was broken, the Chu army massacred the city to take revenge. They searched for the Chu box but failed to find it, so they set fire to the city for seven days and nights before withdrawing." Gu Yueming was puzzled and said: "What did the commander of the Chu army do? He should keep his mouth alive and torture him one by one. How could he fail to ask about Chu He's whereabouts?" Xue Tinghao looked at Gu Yueming who showed him a look of astonishment, nodded and said: "The benefactor has thought of the problem. When we entered the ancient city, there were obvious traces of the ancient city being burned violently. All the houses were burned to the top. Most of the solid city walls collapsed. But at the bottom of the mountain city, we found a passage with a complete copper gate at the end. Inside the door was a vast space with a depth of five feet. It should be expanded by digging out the stone layer at the bottom of the mountain city. Yes, a stone bed was placed in the middle." For some reason, Gu Yueming's mind was deeply attracted by Xue Tinghao's description, shocked, and exhaled: "You can find it, how could the Chu army ignore it, this is unreasonable." Xue Tinghao said: "This is what I said is unreasonable. In this mausoleum-like secret room, there are two sets of skeletons. One is sitting on the stone bed, and the other is kneeling beside the stone bed, hugging each other tightly. Their clothes are already worn out. It is dilapidated and its tentacles are turned into ashes, but the skeleton kneeling beside the stone bed is still holding the Chu box with both hands, and we got the Chu box from this person who died for a thousand years." Gu Yueming felt cold all over his body, wondering if he was afraid?But what is there to be afraid of."What happened next?" he asked. Xue Tinghao said with a look of reminiscence about the past: "Looking back at the time when we got the Chu box, there seems to be an inescapable force that prompted us to do this. Qian Shichen built a temporary wharf on the east bank of the Xiangshui River. There are three warships moored, as long as we board the ship with the Chu box, set sail immediately, go out to the canal on the big river after arriving at Dongting Lake, transport the Chu box back to the capital, and then we will be done." Gu Yueming was puzzled and said: "Chuhe's matter is very important, and wild wolves are rampant in the lake, why didn't Qian Shichen send troops into the lake, and set up defenses along the way, so as to be safe." Xue Tinghao said: "This was our earliest idea, but it was strongly opposed by Mou Chuan. He said that if there are too many people, the gods who guard the ancient city will be aware of it. Looking back now, he must have other selfish intentions. I am merciful. " Knowing that he was reaching the most critical point, Gu Yue stopped asking questions and let him continue. Xue Tinghao said: "After the Chu box was in hand, Brother Fu ordered me to immediately inform Qian Shichen who was on the east bank of the Xiangshui River, asking him to bring troops into the marsh to meet him. I left the ancient city immediately. It was afternoon, and the marsh was shrouded in mist. For some reason, I lost my way and couldn’t reach Xiangshui no matter how I walked. My compass seemed to be broken, and kept swinging, making me unable to orient myself. Until I suddenly encountered a group of wild wolves, I couldn’t hold back anymore Containing the fear in my heart, I turned around and went back to the ancient city. I don’t know... I can’t find it anyway. I thought I was going the wrong way, and I searched everywhere, but what I found was their bodies, including Mu Chuan. Big brother." Gu Yueming said: "Are they poisoned?" Xue Tinghao nodded and said: "Everyone is bleeding from seven orifices, it is indeed poisonous. At that time, I was in a state of confusion. On the one hand, I was sure that Brother Fu was not such a person, and on the other hand, I felt that only Brother Fu could have the possibility They poisoned me, and he sent me away first because he cared about family affection. Alas! My brain can't function normally, I only know that staying here is a dead end, the emperor will spare me, and Eunuch Feng will not spare me either." Gu Yueming suddenly realized: "So the master rushed back to the capital, found Sister Ling and his daughter, and fled to the end of the world to avoid Eunuch Feng's pursuit." Xue Tinghao said: "Probably so. After settling their mother and daughter, the poor monk returned to Yunmengze and searched for the ancient city according to the route back then, but he couldn't find it again." Gu Yueming asked: "Isn't Master afraid of wolves?" Xue Tinghao said in a deep voice: "The gods in Yunmengze have boundless magic power. They not only protect the ancient city, but also secretly manipulate the wolves, making people's feet bound." Gu Yueming said: "Master still believes that the Chu box fell into Fu Meng's hands?" Xue Tinghao said indifferently: "Does the benefactor believe it?" Gu Yueming shook his head and said: "According to what the master said, Fu Meng can't open the Chu box at all. He doesn't know what's inside. No one would take the risk of ransacking his family for something he doesn't know." Xue Tinghao agreed: "Brother Husband is indeed not this kind of person. He not only has a noble personality, but also has great ambitions to revitalize the country and bring order out of chaos. Eunuch Feng regards him as a thorn in his side. But the Chu box obviously did not fall into Eunuch Feng's hands. It made me shake the idea that it was Eunuch Feng's careful planning to remove the thorn in his side." Gu Yueming said: "There must be someone else who took away the Chu box, and it has nothing to do with Eunuch Feng. This is a poisonous plan to seize the treasure and blame him. As long as Huo Meng disappears, everything can be blamed on Fu Meng, making people think that Fu Meng is coercing him." Bao escaped privately." Xue Tinghao's thin body trembled violently, his eyes shone strangely, and suddenly he raised his sleeves to cover his face, and then said: "It makes sense! Who is this person? Brother Fu is a very careful person. Every time he eats, he will test it with a silver needle. It's not easy to figure him out." Gu Yueming thought of the two times he was attacked, and pondered: "Qian Shichen should have nothing to do with it." Xue Tinghao showed a thoughtful look. Gu Yueming said: "Why is the master willing to tell the whole thing frankly, after all, I am the person sent by Eunuch Feng." Xue Tinghao showed a relaxed and happy expression, as if there was nothing in the world that could stop him from cultivating, he said leisurely: "What is lost in Yunmengze is also gained in Yunmengze. It is a long story, please bear with me. The poor monk skipped it. The poor monk told the benefactor of this matter, hoping that the benefactor can find the Chu box and restore the reputation of the elder brother, so that the poor monk can let go and return home with no worries in his heart." Gu Yueming was stunned and said: "Master wants to..." Xue Tinghao's cheeks were bright red, and he said: "There are Datura in Yunmeng Lake. Ordinary Datura flowers have large leaves and white flowers, and they are as firm as eggplants. Only the Datura flowers in the lake are white and purple. It contains the poison that sees blood and seals the throat, I have chewed one just now." Gu Yueming remembered that he raised his sleeve to cover his face before, and sighed: "Why did the master do this?" Xue Tinghao said calmly: "When I intentionally exposed my whereabouts, I already made a death wish. The benefactor doesn't need to go into the reason. If the benefactor can let me live here forever, the poor monk will be very grateful." After finishing the last sentence, his head It hangs down weakly, but still maintains a cross-legged posture. Qiu Jiushi and Ruan Xiuzhen rode their horses out of the city through the south gate, and galloped along the official road for half a mile. When someone appeared beside the road, Fang reined in and reined in his horse. Under the direction of his hand, he turned left and entered a sparse forest to reach the other three. At a place where his subordinates gathered, the bamboo basket containing snakes belonging to the snake gall seller was suddenly abandoned on the grass, and the basket was opened to become an empty basket. Ruan Xiuzhen dismounted from the stirrups, circled the bamboo basket, and said in a deep voice, "Get back." The subordinates returned to the official way as promised. Qiu Jiushi was still sitting on the horse, his eyes flickering, staring at Kongluo calmly. Ruan Xiuzhen said, "What do you think?" Qiu Jiushi clasped his arms around his chest and said, "According to the superficial situation, this kid abandoned the bamboo basket here, released the snakes in the basket, and then ran away. But I really don't understand, if this kid is afraid of us Get away, why didn't you leave the city immediately after selling snake gall to us yesterday, but you had to wait half a day and a night before leaving." Ruan Xiuzhen walked around the bamboo basket again, thinking: "Does this kid need to go?" Qiu Jiushi said: "This is the second thing I can't figure out. He should know that we didn't have the slightest suspicion of him. In other words, his operation of hiding his identity was completely successful, and he should make good use of it to carry out his treasure theft It’s a big plan, but he wants to leave when he shouldn’t, what’s going on?” Ruan Xiuzhen smiled and said: "If we didn't want to buy an extra snake gall, even if this kid slipped away, we might not care about it for a while. Now it seems that we are in the dark, and we have our own arrangements to let us know that he left the city. .As I expected, that invisible force is indeed an enemy rather than a friend, and it is secretly helping this kid." Qiu Jiushi said in a deep voice, "Did that kid really slip away?" Ruan Xiuzhen suddenly looked up to the sky and let out a haha, very happy, then shook his head and sighed, "Five escape robbers! Although you are great, I have finally seen through your escape technique." Qiu Jiushi was puzzled and said: "His evasion technique? What evasion technique does he have?" Ruan Xiuzhen said solemnly: "His appearance can be fake, the scars on his wrists bitten by snakes can also be fake, and the smell of snake stinky snake medicine can be done by everyone, but he catches snakes and kills them. The method of stealing guts by snakes is impossible to impersonate, he does have real skills in this regard, obviously he was once a person in this industry." Qiu Jiushi sighed: "That's true, otherwise how could we be deceived by him." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "For a long time, no matter before or after stealing the treasure, no one has been able to see through his identity as the Five-Dun thief. Of course, he doesn't know the Five-Dun magic, but he has another way of escape, that is, pretending to not reveal any flaws. Because he was engaged in this industry for a certain period of time before, such as selling snake gall, or doctor, blacksmith, tailor, fortune teller, or even any industry. He doesn’t need to pretend at all, as long as he returns to that industry, he will be successful. This is the evasion technique he uses to conquer the world. So if he really slips elsewhere, the chances of us finding him are very slim." Qiu Jiushi said: "He should sneak back into the city." Ruan Xiuzhen said happily: "Exactly. During the half day and one night yesterday, he found a more favorable identity for his actions, so he decided to give up selling snake gall and act with a new identity. Abandon the bamboo baskets and set up a formation of suspicious soldiers, I'm sure he's still in the city." Qiu Jiushi's tiger eyes lit up, and he said fiercely: "No matter who he pretends to be, if I see him again, I will recognize him at a glance." Ruan Xiuzhen said indifferently: "Don't underestimate his ability to cheat, he is a talented person in this respect. Now let's go back to the old question, why does he still throw himself into the trap when he knows we know his goal of stealing treasures?" He should know that we will notify Qian Shichen. As long as Qian Shichen is more vigilant, he will have nothing to do, so what's the point of staying in Yueyang?" Qiu Jiushi frowned and said, "Could it be that we guessed wrongly who he's attacking?" Ruan Xiuzhen said seriously: "This possibility is extremely high." Qiu Jiushi said: "Should we follow the plan and pretend to leave the city to chase him, so that he has no defense?" Ruan Xiuzhen said, "How did he know we left?" Qiu Jiushi nodded in agreement.The five escaped robbers had only one person, so they could neither grasp all the situation inside the city nor take care of things outside the city.In this tense period, he dared not act in the streets where the eyeliner is everywhere, so no matter what they did, the five escaped robbers would not know. Ruan Xiuzhen said: "This is an unprecedented battle. The Five Escape Pirates are not ordinary people, and their intelligence is not inferior to ours. Therefore, we must abandon the usual methods and adopt targeted methods in order to be effective." Qiu Jiushi said: "What should we do now?" Ruan Xiuzhen let out a look of enjoyment, and said, "This game of catching thieves is getting more and more interesting. It can make the five escaped thieves give up their identity of selling snake gall, and there must be a new identity that is more altruistic." Qiu Jiushi said: "Will his new identity allow him to sneak into the chief minister's office?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Master Ninth's idea is the most reasonable. Only by sneaking into a certain place without stepping half a step outside the door can he avoid our eyeliner. If he is intent on stealing the jade sword, then we just need to meet him." Qian Shichen, let him investigate thoroughly from this morning to the present, whether there are any new outsiders in his chief minister's mansion, and the five escaped robbers will have nowhere to hide. But if there is no such person, then the five escaped robbers The target of attack is not Qian Shichen, but someone else." Qiu Jiushi cheered up and said, "I'll go to Qian Shichen right away. If I still can't find Wudun Pirates, I will use Qian Shichen to check all Yueyang wealthy households who are eligible to be the targets of Wudun Pirates. This time I think he is Wings are hard to fly." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "There are some things I have to think about carefully. Now we will work separately, you go to see Qian Shichen, I will visit the local gang, and take advantage of the opportunity of Wu Dun to hide in a certain mansion and a certain house, and set up a trap." As long as any outsider with a figure close to that of the five escaped bandits appears, it is guaranteed that they will not be able to escape our eyes and ears." Qiu Jiushi excitedly said: "I also want to ask Qian Shichen to strengthen the city defense, to check the entry and exit of strangers like Wudun Bandit, and to catch turtles in an urn. Let's see where Wudun Bandit can escape this time?"