Chapter 477 Chapter 4: The Alliance of Abandoned Castles

The three of them galloped away from the green state and set foot on the yellow sand at the same time, their moods were totally different from before. First, the falcon, which made them restless, was shot by an arrow on the left wing, and screamed away, allowing them to return to freedom. Secondly, the horses are fed and rested, and the input of true energy makes them lively, which greatly increases their cost of throwing away the enemy, and they have the upper hand in this wasteful battle of chasing each other. At this time, there was still half an hour before dawn, Kou Zhong suddenly laughed and said: "We must be born to be chased and beaten fiercely, this is true inside the pass, and it is the same outside the Great Wall."

Ba Fenghan slowed down the speed of the horse, smiled and said: "The young commander doesn't know how lucky he is. Jieli has always been careful and rarely misses. This time, it's a waste of time and effort to work hard and take the risk of being attacked by a surprise attack. It's embarrassing. This is enough to make the young commander-in-chief immediately famous outside the Great Wall, and no one dares to take the young commander lightly." Xu Ziling smiled wryly and said: "But our matter of recovering the sheepskin will be ruined. The worst thing is that Du Xing and Xu Kaishan have obviously betrayed them. They can still push the blame completely, and we can't ask them to settle the score."

Kou Zhong gritted his teeth with hatred and said, "These two guys are too hateful!" Ba Fenghan led the two of them up a small hill, reined in the horse, looked around, and said cheerfully: "Two elder brothers, please rest assured, the younger brother is now more confident than ever before that he will hold the eldest lady's 80,000 yuan. If the sheepskin is recovered, although it may not be the original sheepskin, in short, someone will be fully responsible to compensate us, unless he does not want to live." Kou Zhong was stunned and said, "You want to settle accounts with Ma Ji?"

Ba Fenghan's eyes were full of murderous intent, and he said coldly: "Ma Ji is willing to be Xieli's running dog and accomplice, of course he has to take full responsibility for the 80,000 sheepskins." Xu Ziling asked in surprise: "Didn't you say that Ma Ji's whereabouts are erratic and he has no fixed place? Where should I find him?" A smile escaped from the corner of Ba Fenghan's lips, and he said: "It's called the monk who can't walk to the temple. My younger brother just happens to know where Ma Ji's secret workshop for laundering stolen goods is located. The master sent the stolen goods back to the workshop, and the artisans under him changed their faces, and then sold them off early. Come on! Let’s go there first and wait for Maji’s master, this time even if there is a king of heaven, I will not dare to speak for him again.”

Xu Ziling reined in his horse and stopped. Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan let the horse rush to more than ten zhang away, reined in the horse and turned back. After three days of traveling, he not only left Jieli far away, but also left the small Gobi and arrived at the prairie on the west bank of the Wujiang River. Over the vast plateau, shiny silver-white clouds float leisurely and freely, blocking the afternoon spring sun like an umbrella, creating a spectacle of grasslands where the clouds move and shade.The lake water reflects the sun, shining like jewels. The long wind blows slowly, blowing people's skirts.

Kou Zhong came to Xu Ziling and said, "What's the matter?" Xu Ziling closed his eyes, pointed to the distance and said, "Go over there, relic!" Ba Fenghan's spirit was greatly lifted, and he said, "Shi Zhixuan?" Xu Yuling opened his tiger eyes, nodded and said, "It feels so imperceptible, it can be seen that Shi Zhixuan passed by here quite a long time ago." Kou Shuai said: "Where is the place going over there?" Ba Fenghan shook his head and said, "I've never been to that area, now we have to make a choice, whether it's Shi Zhixuan or Maji."

Kou Zhong said with a headache: "If I miss this opportunity, can I still find Ma Ji?" Ba Fenghan said: "It must be very difficult, but it's not impossible, there are traces of him." Kou Zhong said decisively: "Then let Ma Ji go for now, kill Shi Zhixuan first and then do other things." Ba Fenghan thought about it: "It's so strange! What exactly is Shi Zhixuan hiding from? Going to such a remote place?" Kou Zhongdao: "Could it be someone from the Yin Gui sect?" Xu Ziling let out a breath and said, "The feeling has disappeared again! I hope to catch up with him before dusk, let's go!"

Dust began to rise in the distance, and a team of more than ten cargo camels and more than a hundred knights came across the grassland. Ba Fenghan stared and observed for a while, and said: "It's a businessman from Dashi Kingdom, you wait a moment, my little brother will go over and ask for directions." After saying that, he rode away. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling took the opportunity to dismount to let the horse rest. After tracking Shi Zhixuan for nearly ten days, Ba Fenghan, an old horse who knew the way, didn't know where he was. Xu Ziling's perception of the relic was intermittent, but at this moment he could no longer sense where Shi Zhixuan was.

Kou Zhong smiled wryly and said: "Shi Zhixuan, this old fox is really not simple, he is still so powerful even outside the Great Wall, we can't touch his ass." Xu Ziling said: "He took a circuitous route, as if he wanted to get rid of an enemy who was chasing after him. Who could scare him so much? Without the help of Jin Huanzhen and his wife, what should Concubine Xuan do?" I can't follow, and Shi Feixuan has no reason for Luoling Shi Zhixuan to be so scared." Kou Zhong frowned and said, "This is the place that confuses my little brother. Jin Huanzhen and his wife can only feel the relic within a hundred miles away. In this endless plain, just run fast to escape the hundred miles Even with the help of Jin Huanzhen and his wife, it is still impossible for the Yingui Sect to pursue thousands of miles to come here."

At this moment, Ba Fenghan finished asking the way, ran back and said with a smile, "Do you know what's ahead?" Kou Zhongyi said calmly: "If you don't tell me, how will we, who have just arrived in the noble land, know?" Ba Fenghan said happily: "I'm asking too much. If you walk westward for two days from here, you will arrive at the famous Tongwan City on the south bank of Heishui, which means 'unify the world, and rule over all nations'. tribes are comparable." Kou Zhong was surprised: "There is such a place?" Ba Fenghan said: "You Han people should be familiar with Helian Bober who built this city, because he established the Xia Kingdom, one of the sixteen kingdoms in the Northern Dynasty during the Jin Dynasty, and led the army to the south to conquer Chang'an and establish himself as emperor during the Jin Dynasty. Helian Bobo was a famous tyrant in history, he once built a platform known as a skull, and his opponents were also extremely cruel, gouging out eyes, cutting lips, hooking tongues and beheading at every turn, and the result was only passed down to one generation before being wiped out by the Northern Wei Dynasty."

Kou Zhongdao: "Will Shi Zhixuan go to Tongwan City?" Ba Fenghan said: "It depends on our luck. The current decision is made by Tie Fuyou from the Heishui Department of Mohe. It is no longer as grand as it was when the city was rebuilt." Xu Ziling said: "Okay! Let's go to Tongwan City to try our luck." Amidst talking and laughing, the three of them continued their long journey towards the vast wilderness. The waning moon hung like a sickle in the western sky. After riding slowly and rushing for more than 300 li day and night, they were all a little bit lost because Xu Ziling couldn't sense the evil emperor's relic. Ba Fenghan looked up at the sky and said, "If I'm not wrong, there will be rain before sunrise." Xu Ziling asked in surprise: "Isn't the weather very good? Why did Brother Feng Han speculate that it will rain?" Ba Fenghan said: "People who live in the prairie have a set of methods to predict the weather, and those who don't know it will be at a disadvantage. Ziling has a look to see if the clouds in the sky are like cotton wool, they are very high from the ground, and there is moisture in the air. Sufficient. The so-called cotton cloud and rain are coming. This judgment should be 80% accurate.” Kou Zhong was overjoyed and said: "This method of forecasting the weather is very useful for marching, please tell me quickly." Ba Fenghan said proudly: "My sky measuring skill is not ranked first in the prairie - it can be ranked second. It can be divided into three parts, namely looking at the clouds, observing the wind, and observing objects. If you can combine the three into one If we speculate together, we can reach a certain level of certainty.” Xu Ziling was also very interested, and said: "When I was young, I often heard the old people say that the morning glow does not go out, and the evening glow travels thousands of miles. It is probably this kind of experience to observe the sky." Ba Fenghan said: "Let's start with looking at the clouds, from their shapes, movements and changes, distinguish what is called fish scale sky, carp spot, or fort cloud, tendon cloth cloud, and we have an understanding of these. When the young commander returns to the Middle Earth to fight for hegemony, he is not only a commander who predicts the enemy like a god, but also a master of measuring the sky." Kou Zhongchang smiled and said, "I just got this secret technique, my little brother already feels that this trip is worthwhile." Xu Ziling pointed forward and said, "What is that?" The two followed his instructions and saw a fortress-like building standing on a small hill in the distance of the vast grassland. Ba Fenghan cheered up and said, "That must be Helian Fort in the south of Tongwan City. We have shelter from the rain!" Kou Zhong hesitated, "What time is it now? Will the people in the castle welcome us three uninvited guests?" Ba Fenghan laughed and said, "It's just a broken castle that has been abandoned for more than ten years! Let's take this opportunity to have a good rest, and we will enter Tongwan City tomorrow." Before the words were over, the situation in the sky changed color, and heavy rain was about to come. Ba Fenghan broke his horse forward and said with a big laugh: "Young commander must have full faith in my sky-testing skills!" The two admired each other so much, they rode and chased after them. The white castle on the top of the hill overlooks the land like a ghost, and it seems completely indifferent to the heavy rain pouring down on its head, and it doesn't care about its own body that is crippled and missing due to long-term disrepair. The three of them braved the rain and came to the entrance where there was no door, shouting happily. Ba Fenghan let the rain wash his face up and said with a smile: "Do you two know the circumstances under which this small fortress was built?" Kou Zhong laughed and said, "I was about to ask for advice." Ba Fenghan sighed: "Helian Fort is very famous on the prairie for its sturdiness. The method of construction is to build layers of special soil mixed with the blood of cattle and sheep, and then pile firewood for barbecue. Every time it is built On the first floor, Helian Bobo ordered the soldiers to tap into it with a big iron chain. If the taper pierces an inch, they will kill the builders of the wall. If the taper does not penetrate, they will kill the soldiers instead. The two of you can imagine whether the fortress built in this way is strong. Can you sharpen a knife and an ax?" Kou Zhong took a breath and said, "My mother! Is the whole Tongwan City built like this?" "Young Marshal made a good guess." The three of them shook violently at the same time, and looked in disbelief into the dark space inside the castle that could only accommodate dozens of people. The heavy rain became more and more urgent, hitting the fortress wall, making a loud voiceless sound. Kou Zhong's eyes were full of murderous intent, but he said calmly: "It turns out that Zhu Zongzhu is coming. This should be called meeting a thousand miles away by fate, or meeting enemies on a narrow road, don't blame us for not letting go of this good opportunity." Zhu Yuyan came out of the darkness, reached the edge of the darkness where she was only one step away from the darkness, stood inside the door, and said with a sneer, "Ignorant boy, what qualifications do you three have to keep me here?" Ba Fenghan laughed dumbly and said: "Qualifications? Of course you were qualified to say such things in Luoyang back then, but now, you have to ask about my sword first!" Zhu Yuyan let out a coquettish smile, panting softly and said: "Stop messing around with you, let's get down to business, are you interested in cooperating with me to kill Shi Zhixuan?" Her voice made people never get tired of listening to it, and it had a powerful contagious power, and the three of them immediately lost a bit of hostility, and their fighting spirit was greatly reduced. Kou Zhong knew that he was influenced by her magic skills, he frowned and said: "Stop talking nonsense, there is no possibility of cooperation between us." Zhu Yuyan said calmly: "In order to show my sincerity in wanting to cooperate, I made an exception and explained to the young commander one thing, that is, Shangguan Long is not a member of my Yin Gui sect." Ba Fenghan said in a deep voice: "Then who is he?" Zhu Yuyan said calmly: "He is from a mysterious sect outside the Great Wall, Huitong. Although we have a relationship with us, they are just mutual use. I should not be responsible for what he does!" Xu Ziling said: "Did Jin Huanzhen and his wife fall into your hands?" Zhu Yuyan was stunned and said, "Why did Ziling ask this question?" The three are sure that she is not cheating.Because in her position, she shouldn't have to lie about such things. If it wasn't for the Yingui Sect, who exactly took Jinhuanzhen and his wife abducted?Apart from the Yingui faction, there is no other faction with such strength, Jin Huanzhen and Jin Huanzhen must not be fuel-efficient. Kou Zhong said angrily: "Frankly speaking, now that we know that Sect Master Zhu Yu is going to seek Shi Zhixuan's bad luck, we will stop fighting for the time being, but we will stop talking about cooperation." Zhu Yuyan sighed softly, with a kind of endearing aura. The strangest thing is that she is still hidden in the darkness of the entrance, blending with the darkness, but her voice is enough to make people think and imagine endlessly. Just listen to her talking in a young and alluring voice: "You may not believe that the only person Shi Zhixuan is afraid of is me. Do you want to hear the reason?" Ba Fenghan smiled bitterly and said, "Sovereign Lord, please enlighten me." Zhu Yuyan was silent for a while, then said softly: "Because he knows that only I can kill him, and because I have already made up my mind to die, I will never allow him to use the dead energy in the relic to mend his fatal flaw." The three of them were all trembling when they heard it, her tone was filled with tenderness as deep as the ocean, but she was talking about the life and death situation set up to get rid of Shi Zhixuan. Zhu Yuyan continued: "Only by dying together with Shi Zhixuan can it be possible to break his seal of immortality. There is no other way, do you believe it?" The whole earth is in the boundless wind and rain.It turned into a world of water, but the three of them seemed to forget the heavy rain that was pouring on them, and only Zhu Yuyan's words rang in their ears. If Shi Zhixuan and Zhu Yuyan, the two top figures in the Demon Sect, were to die together, what better ending could there be? Kou Zhongdao: "What can we do to help?" Zhu Yuyan scolded: "Damn brat! You have bad intentions. When you heard that my family is going to die with Shi Zhixuan, you immediately changed to another glib tone. Don't you think it's too revealing?" The rain intensified.The cold rain was blowing in all directions with the wind—push down, countless temporary small waterfalls washed through holes drilled from the broken roof of Helen Castle, and the sky and the earth were separated again. Xu Ziling said indifferently: "Sect Master Zhu, do you know where Shi Zhixuan is?" Zhu Yuyan asked without answering, "Why do you want to go to Tongwan City?" Ba Fenghan said: "We are looking for a man named Ma Ji, and then we will look for traces of the wolves who ravaged the Northeast from him." Shi Yuyan said: "If you have the sincerity to cooperate, stay in Tongwan City and wait for my news." After that, he didn't go into the darkness in the castle. The three of you looked at me and followed, and they all felt that what happened just now was unbelievable.Zhu Yuyan asked them to cooperate to deal with Shi Zhixuan, which shows Zhu Yuyan's determination to destroy Shi Zhixuan. Ba Fenghan dismounted and said, "Let's go! Go in!" Helian Fort is divided into three floors. It is a fortress about twenty steps wide and horizontal. There are stone ladders running through each floor. . Although it has been destroyed, the body of the fort is still largely intact. The two-foot-thick solid gate is strong enough to withstand the violent impact of the stone ring.It is surrounded by plains, but because it was built on the top of the hill, it does have the awe-inspiring aura of Husband Dangguan. It was raining heavily outside, and light rain was falling inside. The rainwater dripped from the cracks in the upper floor, and the stone steps formed layers of water diversion channels. The lower floor is covered with firewood sticks, charcoal, coal, stones and remnants left by travelers. Fortunately, there are small archery holes in the wall, allowing air to circulate, so there is no rancid smell. Xu Ziling stood still, and said in a low voice, "Shi Zhixuan has been here before, and stayed for a long time." The two of them were in high spirits. Ba Fenghan came to one of the small square windows with wetness, looked out into the stormy world, and said in a deep voice: "What's wrong with Shi Zhixuan's Immortal Seal? Judging from the tone of the temptress Zhu, it seems that if he There is no flaw in the seal of immortality, no one can do anything to him." Kou Zhong unfastened the saddle for the horse, said: "Young Master Ling has fought against him many times, so he knows better." Xu Ziling said slowly: "About forty years ago, Shi Zhixuan entered the Buddhist sect and secretly learned the orthodox profound arts, and combined with the secret skills of the Momen Huajian and Butian sects, he created the imprint of immortality that shocked both the righteous and the evil. At this time, the outstanding person who unified the magic way met Bi Xiuxin, who was sent by Cihang Jingzhai to deal with him, and an unprecedented and extremely strange struggle, which was unimaginable for outsiders, began. " "Boom!" A thunderstorm fell near the castle, shaking everyone's ears, and the lightning pierced through the darkness, illuminating the plains and hillsides far and near as bright as day, creating a terrifying scene of wildly swaying trees and grass. Ba Fenghan sighed: "I'm still not good enough. The cloud just now looks like a castle. It should be a sign of thunder. Let's continue!" Xu Ziling came to Ba Fenghan's side, leaned against the wall of the window, looked out, and said, "This struggle was supposed to end when Bi Xiuxin read the "Immortal Seal" and died, but it didn't happen. In this way, Shi Zhixuan's personality was split because of his deep love, and because he couldn't accept the cruel fact that he personally killed the woman he loved the most. Like a sea of ​​frustrated people. Shi Qingxuan has become an inseparable burden for him, and the seal of immortality is no longer without gaps." Ba Fenghan gasped and said: "There are such strange things in the world, if Ziling hadn't said it himself, I wouldn't believe it." Kou Zhong came over and patted the two of them on the shoulders and said: "If Zhu Yuyan still can't kill Shi Zhixuan, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to sleep well in the future." "boom!" Another thunder and lightning exploded and flashed above Helen Fort in no particular order, shaking the whole solid stone castle to vibrate, making people feel like they were in a dangerous situation.