Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Three: The Secret of Dream City

Qiu Jiushi sat down opposite Ruan Xiuzhen, everything in the garden became clear under the sun, and the shadow of the invisible enemy seemed to be completely dispelled.However, Qiu Jiushi's inner world is completely another matter. Ruan Xiuzhen said, "Do you have any clues?" Qiu Jiushi said: "It is expected that Qian Shichen will not tell the truth, but most of the stories he told must be true, because he is in a hurry, unless he is a genius in this field, otherwise he can't come up with such a thing. Bizarre and grotesque stories, but secretly fit our strange and special circumstances."

Ruan Xiuzhen cheered up and said, "Is there any shock like seeing the blue sky through the fog, tell me quickly." Qiu Jiushi said: "Ten years ago, Qian Shichen suddenly received a secret decree from the emperor, ordering him to fully assist a treasure hunt team from the capital led by Fu Meng. As for what treasure he was looking for, Qian Shichen said that he had no idea .” Ruan Xiuzhen asked with great interest, "Treasure hunting group?" Qiu Jiushi said: "After Fumeng arrived at Yueyang, he asked Qian Shichen about a place called Xiaoyunmeng." Ruan Xiuzhen frowned and said, "I haven't heard of it, is it related to Dongting Lake?"

Qiu Jiushi nodded and said: "It can be said that Dongting Lake is the ancient Great Yunmeng. Today's Yunmengze is located in Dongting Hunan, east of the Xiangshui River. It is a vast swamp with wild wolves in it. The bravest Hunters dare not enter that strange area, and the nearby residents even believe that there are ghosts in Yunmengze." Ruan Xiuzhen's eyes lit up, and he said, "A ghost is at work." Qiu Jiushi went on to say: "There is a river flowing through this area from north to south, called the Wuzhong River, which flows side by side with the Xiangshui River. According to a legend from ancient times, there once stood a magnificent ancient city beside the Wuzhong River. , was built in the Warring States period. Fumeng's treasure hunting group was ordered to go to Yunmengze to find a treasure hidden in this city."

Ruan Xiuzhen said: "I'm full of doubts when I tell you, and I don't know where to start asking. Keep talking!" Master Qiu Jiu said: "Fu Meng entered Yunmeng Lake on July 13th, and made an appointment that no matter what the result is, he would send someone out to notify Qian Shichen at the last hour of July 14th, and Qian Shichen was building the The Endless River at the temporary ferry meets them." Ruan Xiuzhen pondered, "Why is it July 14th?" Qiu Jiushi said: "Because that day is the moment when the gate of hell is opened." Ruan Xiuzhen shook his head and said, "It doesn't make sense. According to ancient legends, the entire seventh month is when the gates of ghosts are opened, so it is called ghost month."

Qiu Jiushi said: "I'm afraid even Qian Shichen has no answer to this. After the appointed time, Qian Shichen couldn't resist entering the lake to search, and found that except for Fu Meng and Xue Tinghao, everyone in the treasure hunting team was poisoned to death in the lake." Husband and Xue have since become fugitive imperial prisoners." Then he smiled wryly and said, "I know you're full of doubts, and I was the same at the time. It seems obvious but not clear. Don't be impatient, please listen to me in detail." Ruan Xiuzhen said, "Can I try to guess?"

Qiu Jiushi said: "Don't waste time, you won't be able to guess right." Ruan Xiuzhen asked, "Did Qian Shichen say that the whole operation was a conspiracy, and Eunuch Feng used this plan to kill Fu Meng and smash the emperor's ability to fight back against Eunuch Feng?" Qiu Jiushi couldn't believe it: "How did you guess it right?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Because only in this way can the responsibility be completely removed. But for some reason, Xue Tinghao escaped from Feng Gonggong's murderous hand and was arrested by Feng Gonggong in the world, because only Xue Tinghao knew what happened that day. Money Shichen's lie can be justified, there is only one flaw, and that is Gu Yueming."

Qiu Jiushi frowned and said, "Gu Yueming?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "At the beginning, I didn't believe that Gu Yueming came to kill you. Gu Yueming is a man of principle. He only kills those who have known evil deeds and have rewards on their heads. Even Eunuch Feng can't beat him in other matters. And Xue Tinghao is the one who has a reward on his head. But Gu Yueming came south this time, not to kill Xue Tinghao, but to uncover the truth about the tragedy of the treasure hunting team from Xue Tinghao, so as to track down the whereabouts of the treasure." Qiu Jiushi was startled and said, "Is it true that the legend of the ancient city is true?"

Ruan Xiuzhen nodded and said: "The ancient city is real, and the treasures are real. That's the only way to be reasonable. When Ji Nieti tried everything, but still couldn't find Xue Tinghao's shadow, Eunuch Feng could only rely on Gu Yueming. The thief who has never missed, Gu Yueming is an unprecedentedly successful bounty hunter. Those who have never been hunted by him can escape under his hands. Eunuch Feng dispatched Gu Yueming, which just shows that he is determined to get the treasure in the city. It also proves that ten years ago The tragedy has nothing to do with him."

Qiu Jiushi said in a deep voice, "Could it be Qian Shichen did it?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "This possibility is extremely high. According to my guess, Gu Yueming is indeed well-deserved. He has gone to Xue Tinghao to find out what happened that year, and pointed the finger at Qian Shichen. However, Qian Shichen was desperate because of the incident, so he gave up his heart." Rebel, unite us to rebel, otherwise it will be a dead end." He said happily again: "Now we finally understand the reason for Gu Yueming's sudden change of position on the matter of the five escaped robbers."

Qiu Jiushi said in astonishment, "Why do you bring this up, I don't understand." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Remember? The place where Wudun Pirates won seven rounds in a row happened to be in the south of Dongting Lake, on the west bank of Xiangshui River, and it was near Yunmeng Lake. Wudun Pirates must have been to Yunmeng Lake." Qiu Jiushi said: "Maybe it's just a coincidence." Ruan Xiuzhen shook his head and said, "Nothing is a coincidence. Our enemy is the evil spirit that haunts the lake. For thousands of years, he has been guarding the mysterious ancient city in the lake. The father-in-law's power is all over the world, and it is still impossible to find the ancient city to this day. The five escaped robbers accidentally entered Yunmengze because they wanted to avoid our pursuit, and became related to the ghosts in the lake. They also became key figures in finding the treasures of the ancient city. Gu Yueming changed his position."

Qiu Jiushi breathed out and said, "You seem to be chasing after the wind, it's too unbelievable." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "I'm not chasing after the wind. Didn't Gu Yueming point out that we have no choice, and he has no other choice? Why doesn't he have a choice? Because the five escaped thieves are the key to whether he can find the treasure." Qiu Jiushi said: "If the tragedy ten years ago was caused by Qian Shichen, the treasure should have fallen into Qian Shichen's hands, right?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Usually this should be the case, but when it comes to the ghosts in the ancient city, it cannot be guessed by common sense." Qiu Jiushi was speechless. Ruan Xiuzhen said: "We must not lose the general direction. This is a game, a game of fate planned by the ghosts in the ancient city. Everyone around us is deeply trapped in the game and is at the mercy of Ze Ling. Gu Yueming was inspired by me, Since he knows the affairs of the ancient city, he can grasp the overall situation better than us, and his words come from feelings, and he is not a person who likes to talk nonsense." Qiu Jiushi smiled wryly, "What should we do now?" Ruan Xiuzhen smiled wryly with him, and said: "I want to tell you a bad news first. The leader's order was sent to me an hour ago, and he said firmly that we should not act rashly until we have captured the five escaped robbers." Qiu Jiushi was speechless. Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Now I can be completely and absolutely sure that Lang Geng is Wutun Bandit. Gu Yueming is a person who has no friends, how can he know Lang Geng? He is willing to go to Lang Geng, because Lang Geng is Wutun Bandit, and Gucheng Treasures have a subtle connection. This idea is very important. It is related to the life and death of our Dahemeng. We are in a race against time. If you sit on the position of leader one day earlier, we will have more capital to fight against Eunuch Feng. There is no delay. " Qiu Jiushi said: "What good idea do you have?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Under the current situation, Qian Shichen has become our reliable ally, because he has no other choice, and no one has any other choice. We must make good use of him." Qiu Jiushi nodded in agreement. Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Three pictures of the Eight Beauties of the Five Dungeons were completed within two days, and only five are left. From my point of view, the Five Dunrobbers are also racing against time, although I still can't understand why he did this, But I know that my feeling is right. The Ninth Master is a man of promise, especially if the other party is Baichun, and he will not break his promise. When will the five escaped robbers complete the eight beautiful pictures, and when will we arrest them. We must never underestimate the five The escape ability of the thief, not to mention his well-prepared. We have only fifty brothers in the city now, which is not enough to block the whole city. The power of the minister is so infallible." Qiu Jiushi said: "I will tell Qian Shichen the importance of Wudun Pirates, and I don't worry if he doesn't fully cooperate. When Wudun Pirates completes the eighth picture of beauties, we will set up a net, and then I will enter the building in person. Capture people. Ha! The ghosts and ghosts in Ren Yunmeng Lake have great supernatural powers and boundless mana, so they will definitely not be able to protect that kid this time." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Not only do we have to monitor the five robbers, but we also have to strictly prevent Gu Yueming from interfering, so the matter must be done in secret. When the rice is cooked, Gu Yueming will have to do nothing." Qiu Jiushi stood up and said, "I'll go see Qian Shichen again immediately." Wu Zixu stepped into the hall of Yuzhu Pavilion. The round table in the center was full of large and small bags, which had not been unpacked. A long wooden table was placed on one side of the hall, and various tools were placed, ranging from cutters, pounding cups, charcoal stoves, etc. The large stone mill suddenly turned the hall into a temporary workshop. But there was no trace of Iraqi. Wu Zixu went straight to the table, and when he was about to check, Wushuangnv's voice came from the stairs: "Which hand you touch with, I will cut off that hand." Wu Zixu withdrew his hands in embarrassment, looked at Wushuang who was walking down the stairs, and his eyes lit up.I saw Wushuang girl Ruyun with her hair hanging down her shoulders, wearing a tight-fitting warrior outfit and long boots, she was full of heroism, yet she did not lose her daughter's charming attitude. Wu Zixu blew a short whistle and praised: "The girl is so beautiful!" Wushuang came to the other side of the table expressionlessly, and frowned, "What are you doing here?" Wu Zixu smiled and said, "My name is Wu Zixu, what's your name?" Wu Shuang said displeased: "Don't even think about making friends with me, you get out immediately, otherwise you will bear the responsibility." Wu Zixu said with a playful smile: "Why do you want to reject people thousands of miles away? Now my life is at stake, and everyone is at the end of the world. Can you give me some sympathy? At most, a few smoke bombs for the girl are wasted, but for me. It's a great merit. The so-called saving a life..." The Wushuang girl interrupted him and said, "Don't think that I will provide you with anything. If you want to escape, you have to rely on your own ability. Don't blame me for not warning you. If you miss a black smoke bomb, I will report you." Wu Zixu smiled wryly and said, "So what about trading in silver? You all come out to travel the rivers and lakes just to ask for money. Miss, please offer me a fair price." Wushuang sat down angrily and said, "Not for sale!" Wu Zixu took advantage of the situation and sat down opposite her, lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "So what if we exchange exclusive information? I'm not exaggerating, but I believe that the girl is like me before. Because I don't understand the situation, I think I have no choice. I came to Hongyelou to be a painter in a daze, and I really had no choice." Wu Shuang frowned and said, "What are you talking about?" Seeing that she didn't insist on asking him to leave, Wu Zixu was secretly happy, knowing that these words were the right medicine, which touched her heart, so he continued: "Miss, do you agree to the deal?" Wushuang closed her beautiful eyes, opened them after a while, and said, "Let's listen first." Wu Zi was overjoyed humbly, and hurriedly said: "Let me reveal something first, the girl will see if it is enough. Let me guess the girl's situation first, the girl will not come to the Hongye Tower, but the development of the situation, but It was completely out of control, making the girl feel that coming to Hongyelou to be an illusionist is the only choice. Right?" Wu Shuang stared at him for a long time, then said coldly: "Why do you guess like that?" From the change in her eyes, Wu Zixu could see the horror in her heart, and knew that Gu Yueming's judgment was accurate, and she was also a part of this fate.Shrugged and said: "It's not a guess, but an inference. From my own situation, I can infer the girl's situation. Of course! I know far more than the girl. As long as I tell the situation, the girl will understand her current situation. Having a new understanding will certainly be of great help to the girl's final goal. Hey! Is this enough?" Wushuang's breath became short of breath, and then she calmed down. After thinking for a while, she said, "Ten black smoke bombs. But it still depends on whether what you say is worth it. If it's worth it, it will be deducted. I hope it's not worth one bomb at all." Wu Zixu was overjoyed, and said confidently: "Young lady, sit still." Wu Shuang said angrily, "I still have to talk nonsense." When Wu Zixu saw her daughter's tenderness for the first time, he immediately forgot everything else and stared at her, thinking: She and Baichun can be said to be Chunlan Qiuju, each good at winning, if he had to choose one of the two, he would be sure of himself. Can't make up my mind. Goddess Wushuang said unkindly: "What are you looking at?" Wu Zixu said: "Girl, don't get me wrong, I'm just watching the girl's complexion." Wushuang said angrily: "Don't look at your complexion." Wu Zixu has passed the test, so he has no interest in looking at his complexion, and he doesn't know how to look at it, otherwise he will definitely be the first to look at it.Said: "Yunmengze, south of Dongting and east of Xiangshui River, is the most strange area in the world. There is a mysterious mountain city that has been handed down from ancient times hidden deep in the lake. From the top of the city, you can overlook the endless mountains across the endless hills. The end of the river." Wushuang's female expression changed: "Have you been to the ancient city?" Wu Zixu said arrogantly: "You can say that." Wushuang said in disbelief: "Impossible. Tell me where the ancient city is located, are there any geographical features nearby, what is the shape of the mountain where the ancient city is located, how high and how big is it?" Wu Zixu smiled wryly, "I only went there in my dream, does this count as having been to the ancient city?" The Wushuang woman became angry and said coldly, "I won't give you one." Wu Zi calmly said: "That's why I say it's exclusive information, unless someone has the same dream as me. Of course it's impossible, right? What I'm going to say is something beyond common sense, and it's up to me After dreaming of the goddess Yunmeng who would come out of the ancient city on the east bank of the Endless River, nothing is normal. The goddess has always been attached to me. I really don’t know which sentence I said and which sentence I said now. The sentence is what she said. To put it bluntly, my current situation is like a ghost, which makes me paint like a god. If my painting skills are really so good, how can I still be interested in stealing things? I am a painting fairy too much." Wushuangnv felt chills all over her body. If she hadn't experienced the hallucinations after coma, she would have thrown him out, but at this moment, she felt the same.Wu Zixu wasn't talking nonsense, what he said was exactly his own situation. Wu Zixu was very satisfied with the reaction of her face turning white, and at the same time felt pity, said: "Many strange things have happened to me, for example, I can win seven games in a row in the casino purely by luck, and I will go back to the ancient city every night Go. My coming to Hongye Tower was not accidental, but carefully arranged by Goddess Yunmeng. As for why she did this and what purpose she has, I have no idea." The Wushuang girl let out a sigh of relief: "What does this have to do with me?" Wu Zixu sighed: "This is the most exciting part. At first glance, it really doesn't matter, but just seeing how much the girl cares about the ancient city, and looking into the root of the goddess in the painting, I know that the girl is not a person who has nothing to do with it. Let me be sure. Tell the girl that you came to Hongyelou like me, it is not by accident, but part of the plan of Goddess Yunmeng, understand?" Wu Shuang said in a deep voice: "Answer me honestly, have you ever mentioned this matter to Gu Yueming?" Of course Wu Zixu would not reveal what Gu Yueming thought of her, and said: "Gu Yueming is a person who has no interest in women, how could he be interested in talking about you. Oh! I'm speaking too frankly, girl, don't take offense." Wushuangnv remembered that he had accosted her many times in Jindu, and he was definitely not a gentleman, but she couldn't expose his true colors. Wu Zixu asked again: "Miss, do you really care how Gu Yueming sees you?" Wushuang regretted her words very much, because it was tantamount to telling Wu Zixu that she was afraid that Gu Yueming would know that she had something to do with the ancient city. Fortunately, Wu Zixu misunderstood that she was attracted to Gu Yueming, so he barely passed the test, so he did not explain, and said in a deep voice: "Today I and Don’t leak what you say, can you do it?” Wu Zixu patted his chest and said, "Young lady won't expose me, how can I reveal her's affairs? You can rest assured, young lady." Wushuang said: "You have to keep your word, or I will kill you." Wu Zixu said: "There will never be such a situation. Hey! How does the girl feel now?" Wu Shuang said lightly: "I don't feel it. Go on, what you have said is only worth three black smoke bombs at most." Wu Zi blurted out, "Three?" Seeing Wu Shuangnv looking at him coldly, she said with a wry smile: "Maybe the girl still doesn't understand her situation. How should I say it? Me and the girl..." Footsteps sounded outside the door, from far to near. Wu Zixu turned his head to look, Bai Chun walked in with phoenix eyes, and said, "As expected, I'm here, I thought you had slipped away." Then he apologized to Wu Shuangnv: "My sister must be annoyed by this guy." Wu Zixu protested: "Shuangshuang and I don't know how congenial we talked about." Wushuangnv said coldly: "Who can talk to you speculatively." Wu Zixu didn't expect that she would turn her face and deny anyone, so he looked at her in astonishment. Baichun came to Wu Zixu's side, crossed Xiaoman's waist, and shouted: "Don't you have to work today? Why don't you follow me?" Wu Zixu smiled wryly and stood up, thinking to himself: After all the talking, I only earned three black smoke bombs, this beautiful woman named Shuangshuang is really difficult to get along with.