Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

Wu Zixu lowered his voice and said, "Isn't it very evil?" Gu Yueming said coldly: "It's just a sudden wind and rain. You are very timid." Wu Zixu said frankly: "Because I am timid, the plans I come up with are always meticulous and meticulous, and I never make mistakes. It is impossible to make two mistakes in a row, but it happened to me." The wind and rain outside made the hall seem extraordinarily safe, private and peaceful. Gu Yueming said: "I didn't come to listen to your complaints." Wu Zixu smiled bitterly, and said: "Baichun asked me the same question, and others just found my Chariot Goddess very attractive. In fact, I can provide the same answer to Brother Gu, but it may be slightly different , It will make me feel sorry for Brother Gu."

Gu Yueming was surprisingly impatient, and said, "Your Excellency, is your name Gao?" Wu Zixu asked: "Why do you suddenly become interested in me? My younger brother's surname is Wu. Since he aspired to be a thief, he changed his name to Wu Zixu, which means nothing. This is exactly what I imagined I would become. Treat me with gold." After washing their hands in the basin, the five escaped robbers will turn into illusions and illusions, and seem to be nothing." Gu Yueming said calmly: "Brother Wu, can you make a long story short?" Wu Zixu hurriedly said: "The whole thing starts with the first mistake I made. I ran desperately, tried my best, and finally fled to the south bank of the great river. He was able to chase after me until I stumbled and fell into the pool, was washed miles away, and woke up to find myself in a very strange place."

Gu Yueming frowned and said: "With Brother Wu's skill, even if it is Qiu Jiushi who is chasing you, it is impossible for him to still follow you closely in the barren mountains covered with trees." Wu Zixu sighed: "I don't understand like Brother Gu. The most bizarre thing is that I can't see anyone, only hear the sound of hoofbeats. My mother! How can a horse climb mountains and ridges? In retrospect, it's a bit like being killed by a ghost." Alas! I don’t know who I offended, I have done all the wrong and stupid things.” Gu Yueming took a deep breath and said, "Where did you rush to?"

Wu Zixu had an expression of reminiscence on his face, his eyes flashed with fear, and said: "It's a place with rolling hills, full of rivers, ponds and swamps, with strange flowers and trees growing there, and it's always covered with mist, I thought I died and went to the world of the netherworld." Gu Yueming was startled and said, "Yunmengze!" With his calmness, he still couldn't help his scalp tingling. He faintly felt that Ruan Xiuzhen's guess was reasonable. This seemingly unrelated person might have a subtle relationship with him. Wu Zixu shook his head and said, "It's not Dongting Lake, it's the place east of Xiangshui in Dongting Hunan. I didn't find out where I was until later."

Gu Yueming did not explain the difference between Dongting Lake and the Yunmeng Lake he knew, and listened silently. Wu Zixu continued: "When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on a mudflat beside a rushing river. The lower half of my body was still submerged in the water. My hands and feet were numb and I couldn't move." Gu Yueming nodded and said, "That must be the endless river." Wu Zixu asked curiously: "Brother Gu, isn't he from the capital? How can you be so familiar with the remote river in the remote south corner?" Gu Yueming said lightly: "Speak on!"

Wu Zixu was obviously immersed in the memory, and he was not displeased by his commanding tone, saying: "At that moment, I heard the sound of horses stamping on the ground, and the sound of wheels trampling on the ground." Gu Yueming said in astonishment: "This is impossible." Wu Zixu sighed: "What you said was exactly what I was thinking at the time. I tried to look up and saw a large group of troops passing by, all of them were warriors in strange armor, and no one noticed my movement. Existence. At this time, I saw her." Suddenly there was a strong wind, and the wind carried raindrops from the lake and rolled into the hall. At this moment, the world inside and outside became one.The wind and rain come and go quickly, and the previous situation is quickly restored.

Wuzi's expression changed, "What's going on here?" Gu Yueming took a deep breath and shouted: "Don't bother! Keep talking!" Wu Zixu was still in shock and said: "She was driving an ancient chariot, wearing the beautiful clothes in my painting, she looked at me, and then my head seemed to be struck by lightning, and I lost my mind. At that time, although it was still by the river, it was no longer that place.” Gu Yueming felt as if he was in the wind and rain outside the pavilion, unable to maintain a peaceful state of mind, but couldn't grasp the reason for the turmoil in his heart.

Wu Zixu lowered his voice and said, "Did I have a dream?" Gu Yueming let out a breath to relieve some inexplicable emotion that was pressing in his heart, and replied honestly: "I don't know, you should know it yourself." Wu Zixu said: "I really can't tell the difference. From that moment on, everything is different. It seems that there are gods or ghosts guiding me. I will have nightmares and see visions in broad daylight. I kept doing stupid things. What made me most terrified was that I actually won seven hands in a row at the casino with one tael of silver, and won 499 taels of silver, plus my own tael, a total of 500 taels of silver. Sigh! My God, five hundred taels is exactly what I have reserved for my treasure-robbing operations over the years, no more and no less, brother Gu is here to tell me what's going on."

An unprecedented chill rose in Gu Yueming's heart, as if his heart was not settled. Ruan Xiuzhen's words rang in his ears again. "If I say that our real opponent is not the Five Dungeons, but the invisible ghosts and gods who can control the fate of people, can Brother Gu have the patience to listen?" Wu Zixu said: "everything I said is true. Alas! I also know that the current situation is deep and the chance of being caught is far greater than slipping away. Of course I will not sit still and wait for death. I feel that I am now in the most exciting state of my life. I am afraid and happy, exciting and tense, and colorful. I am not trying to win brother Gu’s sympathy, but I just hope that brother Gu can give me a clear understanding. Come see me?"

A strong, strange, and incomprehensible deep emotion surged in Gu Yueming's heart, and he said, "What's the use of telling you?" Wu Zixu pleaded: "I know Brother Gu, he doesn't like to talk like me, and he doesn't like to reveal his inner thoughts to others. But I'm just a person with a precarious life, and I will die at any moment, Brother Gu should pity me, Let me die as a ghost who understands, not a fool." Gu Yueming said: "Have you asked Baichun?" Wu Zixu said: "I haven't had a chance yet." Gu Yueming stared at the wind and rain outside the window, his eyes shot blankly, and said slowly: "Brother Wu has the feeling of being fascinated by ghosts, and I am starting to have the same weird feeling now. The beauties in ancient chariots drawn by Brother Wu are so beautiful Very expressive, when I looked at her, she seemed to be alive, staring at me with her eyes, at first the eyes seemed to be burning with hatred, but the hatred subsided in a short while, replaced by the deepest concern , Forgiveness and compassion, I can’t help myself. She seems to be very familiar with me, and my feelings for her are beyond the feelings of the viewer, and I can no longer think of her as just a portrait.”

Wu Zixu stared at him blankly, both of them felt speechless for a while. Gu Yueming picked up the long sword on the table and hung it on his back. Wu Zixu's eyes fell on the leather pouch on the other side, and said, "Is there another sword hidden inside?" Gu Yueming asked: "How would Brother Wu know?" Wu Zixu said: "Can I let my younger brother take a look?" Gu Yueming's heart moved, the other party is an expert in stealing treasures, and his knowledge of antiquities should be beyond ordinary people, maybe he can explain the reason for this ancient sword of unknown origin, so without further ado, he picked up the leather bag in one hand, and the other He pulled out the ancient sword in one hand and handed it to Wu Zixu. Wu Zixu took over the ancient sword, held the sword in both hands and bowed his head to examine it carefully, his eyes flashed with a strange light, and said in a deep voice: "If I read correctly, this sword should be an early iron sword. It was made in the Warring States Period, and its shape is regular. , the blade is sharp, with a strange light looming, although it is ancient and new, it is absolutely extraordinary, and it is very likely that it came from the hands of a swordsmith from Wan people in Chu State." Gu Yueming's mind was shocked. Although he had thought that this sword was not what Feng Gonggong said before, he still hadn't thought that it was a product of Chu State as far back as the Warring States Period.It was Chu State again, what happened? Then he asked: "Brother Wu, why do you infer that it is Chu Jian?" Wu Zixu returned the ancient sword with both hands, and said: "During the Warring States period, Chu State's iron sword masterpieces were in the world, and Wan was a famous iron producing area in Chu State, famous for producing excellent iron swords. Only Wan people have such superior iron swords. Get it out." Gu Yueming put the ancient sword into the leather pouch, stood up, and inserted the leather pouch into his belt. Wu Zixu stood up and said, "The rain is getting heavier and heavier, Brother Gu, why don't you wait for the rain to stop and leave?" Gu Yueming said: "Just give me an umbrella, I have to think about it alone." When the carriage drove into the front of Hongyelou, Baichun saw the back of Gu Yueming leaving through the curtain. On the stormy long street, he was so lonely, but also so strong and calm.In the vision blurred by the heavy rain, he held a wandering umbrella in his left hand. His slender figure seemed to be able to withstand any impact. His steps were firm and rhythmic. Unmoved by the bad weather, he gradually disappeared into the depths of the wind and rain. place. An indescribable feeling arose in Baichun's heart. The scene in front of her reminded her of Gu Yueming's posture when she was viewing the painting in her Qingzhu Pavilion last night. Unrememberable memories. The carriage enters the Hongye Building. She was suddenly occupied by another kind of confusion, sadness and helpless worry. She had never been so unhappy.She has always been a person who can distinguish between right and wrong, and knows the difference between right and wrong, and she will never get lost in this regard.But Qiu Jiushi ruthlessly uncovered a truth, the boundary between right and wrong can be blurred.The world she had before was safe, simple and clear. She couldn't accept Qiu Jiushi sacrificing someone who shouldn't be sacrificed in order to achieve his goals and ideals, but she also understood the pain and contradictions in Qiu Jiushi's heart, and the heavy price he paid for his lofty goals. Is life always so helpless? The street has become a world where big and small streams rush. The torrential rain covered the sky and the earth. With the strong wind, it hit the ground one after another, causing countless sprays. The rainwater from the eaves of the houses on both sides was like a curtain, and the sky and the earth were entangled. Gu Yueming's heart was like the world outside him, with strong wind and heavy rain. For the first time since he was sensible, he felt lost. "Do you believe in ghosts and gods?" The question of Eunuch Feng resounded in his mind again.Since Jindu met the girl, everything that happened afterward seemed to point to the same answer.It is in the ancient city of Yunmengze that there is indeed a power beyond ordinary people. That power can not only make the ancient city disappear without a trace, but also affect people and things inside and outside the lake.That extraordinary power is weaving a strange web of fate, the purpose of which is impossible to guess. He came here from the capital all the way for Chuhe, is it a link in the extraordinary power plan?What is the relationship between the five thieves and this extraordinary power and the ancient city? Gu Yueming came out from the alley, and there was a river a thousand steps away in front of him. An arch bridge with a length of 50 steps was built across the river, and it was perfectly combined with the small river in the heavy rain.The houses by the river fluctuate with the terrain on both sides, and the heights are scattered, and there is a hidden unity in the disorder. Crossing the arch bridge and passing through a bamboo grove is the Junshan Garden where he temporarily lives. A figure appeared at the other end of the arch bridge, with a wide-brimmed bamboo hat on his head and wearing a coir raincoat. Even in the wind and rain, he still gave off a majestic aura of majestic mountains standing tall. Gu Yueming turned a blind eye, kept her original pace, and walked straight to the arch bridge. There was no moment, more than this moment, that made him wish someone would take his life. Qiu Jiushi walked slowly on the street where there was no one in the heavy rain, even though his whole body was soaked, but he still couldn't extinguish the passion in his heart. He knew that not only hurt Baichun, but also hurt himself.But he had no other choice.Right now, personal sacrifices are insignificant. He understood Ruan Xiuzhen. Ruan Xiuzhen encourages him to approach Baichun to speak freely, in order to hand over the choice to him and let him make his own decisions about the future. Now he has made a choice that will never turn back in the future, but he knows that no matter how many years it takes, this deep memory will always accompany him in his quests and battles, and accompany him through every war until his death. Gu Yueming went straight to the boarding bridge, stopped leisurely, still holding the wandering umbrella, and shouted coldly: "Gemo!" Ge Mo's face was covered by the veil hanging down from the bamboo hat, and his whole body was wrapped in the coir raincoat, with no weapons exposed, and his feet were bare underneath. He was powerful and murderous. Gu Yueming couldn't find any weakness in him that he could use for himself. The weapon he hid in the coir raincoat should be the weapon he is good at, and his bare feet without shoes can make his martial arts to the limit.This kind of induction comes from Gu Yueming's clever response cultivated by being in the battle for a long time. It is an unexplainable spiritual response, but it can make him repeatedly kill the enemy and win. But this opponent is different from any previous opponent.Gemo is the one who is qualified to defeat him, not only because of Gemo's high martial arts skills, but also because he is an evil monster who knows sorcery. Gu Yueming felt the blood vessels constrict, the blood in his body was boiling, but his mood was as cold as ice and snow.He said in a deep voice, "Where did Fu Meng go?" Ge Mo looked up to the sky and laughed wildly, then the laughter stopped suddenly, and the voice burst out from between his teeth: "Brother Gu, it's not easy to find Fu Meng, let me take you to see him!" Speaking of the last sentence, he stretched out his hands from the coir raincoat, raised the hands to cover his face and lowered the curtain, and pulled them aside to reveal an ancient and clumsy face. Gu Yueming couldn't see anything, only Ge Mo's eyes were cold like two blades, and the eye sockets were shining brightly, like two poisonous arrows aimed at him, implying a breathtaking evil force. The moment he made eye contact with Ge Mo, the whistling wind and rain around him suddenly intensified, filling Gu Yueming's eardrums. At the moment when the wind and rain ruled the world, they came out from the underworld to demand his life, and the howls of ghosts turned from vague to clear, and some were still calling Gu Yueming's name, and as long as he answered, his soul would be taken away by the ghost. Ge Mo's eyes gradually opened, and his eyes became sharper, extremely strange. Gu Yueming was still holding the wandering umbrella, his expression was neither surprised nor happy, his eyes did not reveal the slightest change of mind, as if he could not hear any sound. He didn't understand how Ge Mo did it, he only knew that even though he was bewildered by the opponent's magic at this moment, his sword heart was still as hard as a rock and was not shaken. Ge Mo suddenly opened his mouth and shouted a spell, and the world changed suddenly. Gemo, the arch bridge, the river, the surrounding houses and the wind and rain all disappeared without a trace, the world became dark, and there was an abyss ahead, with no way out. Gu Yueming didn't care about the mutation in front of him at all, and spun his left hand vigorously, You Zisan immediately let go of his hand and spun sharply, turning towards the highest point of the arch bridge like a wheel.At the same time, Bai Luyu left the sheath.He closed his eyes. His spirit is completely concentrated on the wandering umbrella, and he is no longer confused by any appearance, just like attaching his soul to the umbrella and being his most outpost spy. Long before he publicly challenged him, he had planned a strategy for dealing with Gomer.No matter how powerful Ren Gemo's demon skills are, in the final analysis, they are still just magic tricks to confuse people's hearts. As long as he can guard his heart, he can break his demon skills. Moreover, Gemo made a strategic mistake, that is, he should not attack him on a bridge, because a master like him can fully grasp the shape and size of the bridge at a glance, and with his eyes closed, he can also walk on the bridge without missing a step. On the arch bridge, you can move forward and backward freely, which is no different from what you can see with your eyes. Ge Mo's attack was also limited by the arch bridge. With his spirit condensed, the Guikushen retreated further and further away. "puff--" There was a faintly detectable sound of the umbrella cover being pierced from the Youzi Umbrella, and Gu Yueming's white dew rain slammed on something. "Ding--" Gu Yueming opened his eyes, his clothes were already soaked through. A crossbow arrow fell into the swiftly rising river in response to the sword. The violent storm replaced the abyss, the howling wind and rain replaced the Guikushen, the arch bridge reappeared, and Ge Mo at the other end was holding a small crossbow machine with an unbelievable expression on his face.Then recovered, put the crossbow arrow machine into the coir raincoat, and ran towards Gu Yueming. Gu Yueming stood proudly with his horizontal sword, laughed and said: "If you don't have more powerful magic arts, this time next year will be your death day." At this time, Ge Mo rushed to the middle of the slope of the arch bridge on his side, jumped up suddenly, stretched out his right hand from the coir raincoat, grabbed the wide side of the bamboo hat, lifted the hat away from his head, and then threw it at Gu Yueming like a hidden weapon . The rapidly spinning bamboo hat first bends to the right of Gemo, drawing an arc trajectory in line with the principles of heaven and earth, which seems to be transformed into an invincible destructive force. The final point is the position of Gu Yueming's chest and abdomen. The angle is tricky and unbelievable How to resist. Gu Yueming affirmed that this bamboo hat was not an ordinary bamboo hat, but a murderous weapon with steel plates inlaid on the brim.The most powerful part of Ge Mo's work is that he sealed Gu Yueming's attacking route with bamboo hats and exhausted the characteristics of the arch bridge situation.As long as he closely pursues and attacks from behind the bamboo hat, he will have the upper hand.It can be seen that he chose this bridge as the location to intercept Gu Yueming, after careful consideration.This man's strategy cannot be underestimated. Less than five feet away from the bamboo hat, there was a muffled thunderous sound, and then the thunder turned sharply, overwhelming the sound of wind and rain.The raindrops hit the bamboo hat and immediately splashed away, causing the power of the bamboo hat to increase suddenly and the area covered by it expanded.This is of course an illusion, but it looks so real and deterrent. Ge Mo fell back to the ground, and at this moment, the bamboo hat was no longer a bamboo hat, but suddenly turned into a fast-rotating black cloud, completely blocking Gu Yueming's sight, and Ge Mo could no longer be seen. The heavy rain was still hitting Gu Yueming on his head and face. In this world full of the power of water, although what happened in front of him was so unreasonable, it was easy to be taken for granted. Gu Yueming was still taking care of herself, Bai Luyu pointed forward obliquely, and stretched out her other hand to the leather pouch inserted in her left waist, grabbing the handle of Wanjian. Something unexpected happened to Gu Yueming. His original intention was to pull out the Wan sword and the leather pouch, use the Wan sword in his left hand to break through the enchanted bamboo hat, and then use the Bai Luyu in his right hand to meet Ge Mo.Unexpectedly, the moment the hand grasped the hilt of Wanjian through the leather pouch, it felt like an electric shock, an indescribable, seemingly substantive warm current spread through the whole body through the meridians in an instant, and the spiritual light shone in the brain. The black cloud turned back into a bamboo hat, only ten feet away from him, but lost its power to cover the world. Ge Mo rushed to the highest point of the arch of the long bridge at this time, holding an epee, and was about to jump down from the top of the slope and attack him with a thunderous force.When the black cloud turned back into the bamboo hat, Ge Mo's whole body trembled violently, not only stopped suddenly, but also staggered, opened his mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood, his face was stern like a ghost, and his eyes shot out a bewildered look. Gu Yueming picked Bai Luyu straight forward, and hit the edge of the bamboo hat, making a tearing sound. He used strength very cleverly, borrowing his strength and secretly releasing his strength, the bamboo hat immediately changed the direction of the sword, crossed the air above Gu Yueming's right, and spun behind him. Gu Yueming suppressed the astonishment in his heart, let out a cold drink, and ran up the arch bridge like a leopard, and rushed towards Ge Mo who was injured by the broken demon technique, Bai Luyu turned into several virtual sword shadows, and attacked Ge Mo. Gemo yelled violently, turned over, and just jumped over the bridge railing and threw himself into the river. Gu Yueming came to the place where he threw himself into the river, looked down at the rushing water, and felt sorry.If Gemo hadn't escaped by water, he must have taken his life this time. What made him afraid to chase into the river was because he was concerned about Gemo's crossbow arrows. From the way Ge Mo threw himself into the river, Gu Yueming judged that Ge Mo's injuries were insignificant. Although it would put him at a disadvantage, he did not lose his strength.What Gomo used was to lure the enemy, leading him to chase into the river, and then attacking him with crossbow arrows at the bottom of the water.To block the powerful arrows shot by the crossbow machine in the turbulent water, the opponent is a master who is well versed in water skills, even with Gu Yueming's ability, he dare not take the risk himself. "Keng--" Bailu rains back into the sheath. At this time, the rainstorm gradually subsided, leaving only slender rain streaks, the color of the low-hanging dark clouds faded, and the sky and the earth became brighter. The two groups of dark clouds in the sky were separated by God, revealing the clear blue sky behind. Gu Yueming stood leaning on the railing, tentatively grasping the hilt of Wanjian with his left hand. Although he no longer felt the strange feeling of electric shock, Wanjian seemed to have established a subtle relationship with him, making him feel as if he was connected with the sword. . Gemo must be the most powerful enemy he has ever met in his life. In fact, Gemo almost killed him, only because of the magical Wanjian. Is all this preordained? Gu Yueming smiled wryly in his heart, and walked away from the bridge to Junshan Garden.