Chapter 573 Chapter Nine Self-Casting

Kou Zhong carried Jing Zhongyue on his back, came out through the window, unfolded his movements, and suddenly there was wind in his ears, and he entered the night world. The streets of Luoyang are still full of traffic and lively.But Kou Zhong knew that disaster was imminent. Even if Wang Shichong could keep the lifeline of Hulao and Yanshi, Li Shimin would send troops to do everything possible to intercept and rob the grain and grass transported to Luoyang, causing the soldiers and civilians in the city to enter a difficult time of siege. The residents of Luoyang are not very alert to the war, because the siege wars in the past are nothing like scratching the itch, and cannot affect the life in the city.In Luoyang City, which has not been baptized by the flames of war, everyone in the city has the illusion that Luoyang will never be broken.

In fact, Luoyang City, which occupies the south bank of the Yellow River, is located on Pingqiu Mountain in the north. It is a place where the Yi, Luo, Chen, and Jian rivers meet. The city wall is thick and the city is more than fifty miles around. It is impossible to do it, and it is even more impractical in terms of strategy. We can only deploy heavy troops at key points and block Luoyang by blocking. Under such circumstances, if there are strategic towns nearby that are still in the hands of Zheng Jun, waiting for an open gap, not only can break through Li Shimin's blockade at any time, but also threaten the survival of the siege army, making Li Shimin dare not disperse his troops. Surrounding Luoyang, in other words, cannot isolate Luoyang, and that is the only way to capture Luoyang.

Kou Zhong knew how the old horse ran from house to house, and the energy in his body reached its peak state, so his senses became extremely sharp. When he climbed over the outer wall and fell into the backyard of Rong Mansion, the enemy's bright post and dark sentry could not hide him. through his eyes and ears. He didn't come to the Rong Mansion just for a moment, but to confirm a thought in his heart, that is, whether Daming Zunjiao, who had suffered serious setbacks outside the Great Wall, would move to the Central Plains and use Rong Fengxiang's mansion as a place of residence.

Suddenly, he slid against the wall to the left, avoiding the guard post watching him, and then with a ghostly swiftness, under the cover of trees and flowers, he rose up from the ground and came to the tiled roof of a building in the backyard that seemed to be a place for servants . Sweeping around, there are many courtyards, towering old trees, and there are various corridors and loops between the buildings. The rockery pools and kiosks are arranged in an orderly manner. The lights shine from the house, and the corridors are illuminated by hexagonal palace lanterns. brightly lit.For an average expert, it is indeed difficult to move an inch in such an environment, but for an expert in numbers like Kou Zhong, Rong Mansion is like an undefended place.

Kou stretched out his movements, jumped up and down, and came to the round forest where he could look directly at the outer edge of Zhengdong's main courtyard. Because the main hall is surrounded by a large open space, under the illumination of the lights, no matter how good his movement skills are, it is absolutely impossible for him to pass through the open space of nearly a hundred steps without being noticed. At this time, the sound of cups and plates interlacing and drinking and guessing came from the magnificent main hall. It was obvious that a dinner party was being held, which made Kou Zhongsheng want to take a closer look.

After Kou Zhong waited for a group of servants carrying food to pass by, he jumped up to the second floor building where he had chosen to hide in the past, and he couldn't help but feel helpless. If Xu Ziling is there, the two of them can easily cross this insurmountable "gap", avoid the eyes and ears of the guards, and fall to the top of the main hall without anyone noticing.Now he has no felt or fan, and he is hard to change from a god. At this moment, a warning sign suddenly appeared in his heart, he suddenly turned his head, and a figure like light smoke was rushing towards him against the back of the tile.

As soon as he stepped into Qingcheng Sichuan Restaurant, Ji Qian's sweet laughter came to his ears, which comforted Xu Ziling and felt that the trip was worthwhile.At a glance, Ji Qian was surrounded by four or five sons and sisters at a table surrounded by stars. She didn't know what funny words she heard, and she was laughing wildly, attracting the attention of all the diners in the restaurant . Although there are many well-dressed female guests in the hall, compared with her beauty, they are immediately overshadowed by the reflection. He was suddenly stopped by someone. It turned out that the clerk in the store politely asked him to come back later because the shop was full.

Ji Qian's attention finally shifted to him, Xu Ziling met her bright gaze, smiled slightly, turned and left leisurely. When they came to the crowded main street of Beili, within a few steps, Ji Qing caught up behind him panting softly, cursing: "Damn ghost! Have you left yet? You are lucky, Yang Wenqian's Jingzhaolian tree fell into the lake Sun San, otherwise you will be skinned and torn apart." Xu Ziling said as he walked, "I came back yesterday to find the lost girl on behalf of my friend." Ji Qian unceremoniously tugged at the sleeve of his coat, half-forced him to move to a side street with less traffic, and said with a smile on her face, "Are you begging me? Otherwise, how could you be so frank? It’s not as mysterious as before. Hee, buy me a drink, everyone knows that Ji Qian, who is drunk, will agree to things that she would not normally agree to.”

Looking at her bright, bright eyes and listening to her seductive words, Xu Ziling felt familiar and familiar, and smiled, "It's best to find a quieter room..." Before he finished speaking, Ji Qian had already harassed him into the depths of the side street involuntarily. The other party and Kou Zhong met face to face, and both felt astonished. The one who came was Ling Longjiao, a beautiful woman from Kucha, dressed in nocturnal attire, she threw herself down beside him, then looked in the direction of the main hall on the ridge of the roof, and said in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"

Kou Zhong sniffed the fragrance of her delicate body, suddenly felt that Ye Chuangrong's mansion had become more fragrant and charming, and smiled, "What is Miss Jiao doing here?" Linglongjiao looked at him, and said calmly with a solemn expression: "Of course I'm ordered by the emperor to check on Rong Fengxiang's movements." Kou Zhong laughed and said, "You're lying!" Linglong's delicate body trembled slightly, and she said displeasedly, "There's no need to lie." Kou Zhong turned around, looked up at the starry sky, and said with a smile: "Wang Shichong and Rong Fengxiang exhale through the same nostril, and they are like minions. Now that the interests are shared, no one will guard against the other. Miss Jiao is not lying. Say what?"

With a sharp look in Linglongjiao's eyes, she stared at him for a long time, and finally she bent down on her delicate body as if softened, and then lay on her side, and said softly: "How much do you really know?" Kou Zhong twisted his body and turned his eyes into eyes with her. Immediately, he had the charming feeling of sharing the same bed with the tile surface as the bed and the starry sky as the quilt. He said softly, "Do you believe me? Ignore Miss Jiao and Wang Shichong. What is the relationship, I, Kou Zhong, are still on Miss Jiao's side, and will never disclose the affairs of Miss Jiao to the fourth person, Xu Ziling is the only exception." Linglongjiao sighed lightly: "If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't talk to you. You haven't said how much you know." Kou Zhongdao: "In Longquan, I have fought against people from the Daming Zun Sect, and I also learned that Wang Shichong is a member of the Daming Zun Sect who came to China, an atom of the previous generation. May I ask what is the relationship between Miss Jiao and Lamo?" Linglongjiao was startled and said: "How do you know this secret? Alas! My mother is a disciple of Lamo. She hid in Zhongtu under the shade of Wang Shichong, and then sneaked back to Kucha. I am coming to Zhongtu today. I was ordered by my mother to repay Wang Shichong, but..." Kou Zhong spoke on her behalf: "It's just that Wang Shichong reconciled with Daming Zunjiao out of interest considerations, Miss Jinjiao doesn't know how to deal with herself, right?" Linglongjiao glanced at him and said: "You are smarter than the slave family, so of course the slave family's affairs cannot be hidden from you." Kou Zhongdao: "Is the one Rong Fengxiang is hosting a banquet with someone from Daming Zunjiao?" Linglongjiao said: "I don't know, so I came to find out. When did you arrive in Luoyang, does the emperor know?" Kou Zhong was surprised and said, "I came to Wang Shichong with great gongs and drums, but you didn't know anything about it?" Linglongjiao said: "I was in Cijian to spy on the enemy, but I came back secretly, so how do I know about Luoyang. What should I do now?" Kou Zhong understood, and said with a serious face: "Miss Jiao, please tell me first, what is your greatest wish?" Linglongjiao hesitated to speak, then said sadly: "That's impossible." Kou Zhongdao: "If something is impossible, let's talk about it first." Linglongjiao pondered for a moment, met his gaze, and said softly: "Mother's greatest wish is to send Wucaishi back to Persia, have you heard of Wucaishi?" Kou Zhong smiled wryly, "Not only have I heard it, but I've also seen and touched it." Linglong's delicate and fragrant body shook violently, and she lost her voice: "What?" Sitting down at the table next to the door of the tavern, Ji Qian took the fine wine from the waiter, filled a glass for Xu Ziling herself, and when she poured the wine for herself, she said with a smile: "Did you show up in front of the little girl on purpose? You Is there any ulterior secret? Hurry up and tell me the truth, or the general will sue the government and put you in jail. I, Ji Qian, am a very capable person here." Xu Ziling knew that she was in a good mood after catching his big fish, so he said "witty words" and smiled: "Miss, have you ever heard of the name Yin Xiaoji?" He said straight to the point, because time was running out, and he wanted to steal "The Picture of Cold Forest and Qingyuan" for Hou Xibai. Ji Qian froze, and read: "Yin Xiaoji, this name is very familiar." Xu Ziling was stunned and said, "Does it sound familiar?" Ji Qian shrugged and said, "What's so strange. Before I came to Chang'an, I traveled all over the country and met so many people. It is most common to forget after hearing it. Is Yin Xiaoji the lost girl of your friend? Because this surname is not common. , I will remember that I seem to have heard it there.” Xu Ziling's heart sank, his hopes vanished, and he suspected that Ji Qian would speak in his tone so that she could bargain with him, and said dejectedly: "I see that Miss's stage name has the word Ji in it, and I thought... Oh! Forget it." Ji Qian raised her glass to respect each other, and said with great interest: "My God! You actually think I am Yin Xiaoji, tell the truth, you won't guess that I am Yin Xiaoji just based on the word Ji, there must be others The reason, tell this girl honestly." Xu Ziling began to feel like he was being thrown into a trap, and he had a headache, and said, "This matter is hard to explain. Doesn't Miss Ji need to go back to Shanglin Garden tonight?" Ji Qian said: "What's the big deal about earning less money for one night, and I have no promise to go back. You incomprehensible enemy! How about passing on my two unique skills tonight? If you want money or people, you can do whatever you want. " Xu Ziling's heart moved, and he asked casually, "Is the person Miss is going to deal with Chi Shengchun?" Ji Qian's pretty face changed slightly, her beautiful eyes stared at him, and she said after a long while: "If I give you an affirmative answer, can you stop looking into the bottom line and pass on your craftsmanship to me, of course you can't ask for money or people to take everything Cheap." Xu Ziling understood that she was unwilling to sacrifice her appearance to herself after all, so she felt pity suddenly in her heart, and said in a low voice: "Miss, can you stretch out your right hand?" Ji Qian was slightly taken aback, her eyes shot out a puzzled look, and finally obeyed obediently, spreading her palms on the table. Xu Ziling handed out his hand. Seeing Ji Qian's surprise when she saw his transparent jade right hand, she cried out in her heart because of the huge difference between his palm and his face. Knowing which finger I used to hit your palm, I will do what you wish." Ji Qian said happily: "This is not easy, come on! My girl and you will wait and see." Xu Ziling glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, his five fingers began to move, undulating from slow to fast, and suddenly stopped moving fingers sequentially, and the speed was like a magic trick. When Ji Qian was dazzled, this beauty "ah!" With a sound, he stared blankly at Xu Ziling's smooth and slender palm after removing his hand, dumbfounded. Xu Ziling asked, "Which finger is it?" Ji Qian's eyes turned red, and then two glistening teardrops overflowed from the corners of her eyes, she stood up abruptly, crying and snatching the door, and it was Xu Ziling's turn to be dazed, at a loss. Kou Zhong got up from the roof tiles, cast his eyes from the roof to the main hall, and said: "Miss Jiao should understand the grievances between me and Daming Zunjiao." Linglongjiao came to him and said in a low voice: "Wang Shichong has always been kind to my mother and me. I can leave him, but I cannot betray him." Kou Zhong still didn't know the true relationship between her and Wang Shichong, and he didn't want to force her to speak out, so he said, "I want to go and have a look." Linglongjiao frowned and said, "Do you have a way to get close?" Kou Zhong smiled and said: "As long as the two legs are not broken, you can go in and see who Rong Fengxiang is greeting, right?" Linglongjiao was taken aback, and said, "You haven't figured out the enemy's reality, so you just barged in like that?" Kou Zhong patted Jing Zhongyue on the back, and said with a grin: "It's called seeking the end, not using the means. For example, when two armies confront each other, no matter whether they know each other's truth or not, the battle will always be fought. No matter what happens later, you Don't show up to help me. Among the thirty-six strategies, I am best at walking first. Even if the Dazun, the good mother, the atom, the Wumingzi, and the five types of demons from the Daming Demon Sect are all present Shout out, I, Kou Zhong, still have the ability to go home and sleep peacefully. If you fail to find out, you can set up his mother as a majesty, this is called flexibility." After that, he showed her a bright smile. Linglongjiao showed a helpless expression that didn't know whether she was angry or funny, and then said in a low voice: "I like your hateful expression that doesn't care about everything, go!" Kou Zhong slid down the tile surface without making a sound, and when he stepped on the ground, he walked out from the shadows and swaggered towards the main entrance of the main hall. Xu Ziling took off his robe mask and hid it in his bosom, parted his hair, put on a ghost mask, and transformed himself into the short-lived Cao Sanhou. He easily rolled over the backyard wall of the Chi family's mansion in Yongfufang in the northeast of the city, and immediately closed the pores of his body. To prevent body odor from leaking out, because he had heard the sound of dogs walking in the yard just now, and the rats and thieves in the rivers and lakes would never want to hide their sense of smell and hearing that are hundreds of times more sensitive than ordinary people. He was standing in the back garden at the southeast corner of the courtyard, with his toes slightly on the ground, he pulled himself up and threw himself into the nearest building, and landed on the tiled surface soundlessly. The sound of dogs walking on the ground came from behind, and he couldn't help but secretly exclaimed that it was dangerous. If he stayed for a while, he would definitely be spotted by the vicious guard dogs. He leaned over and scanned the situation. With his knowledge of architecture, he quickly judged the difference between the host and the guest in the courtyards. He identified a building at the core of the courtyard, and sneaked through the houses. The building is divided into front, middle and back three entrances, connected by long corridors and patios, surrounded by gardens, with excellent scenery, flowers and trees, ponds, and rockery pavilions. It is completely different from other places in the courtyard. It should be the living place of the owner of the house. He and Kou Zhong used to learn the art of stealing from Chen Laomou. At that time, it was for the account books in Mrs. Dongming's hands, but now they are for the "Cold Forest and Qingyuan Picture" by Guan Tong, the great master of landscape painting.According to Chen Laomou's teaching, for all treasures, the owner will feel at ease by hiding them by his side, so the most likely place is in the dormitory, or in the basement built near the sleeping area. At this time, just after the first watch shift, most of the people in the Chi Mansion had already gone to bed, only a few buildings were lit up, everything was silent and peaceful. When he was sure that there were no vicious dogs around, he didn't hesitate and darted into the garden. At the same time, gather both ears to listen to any sound coming from the building. There was a faint voice coming from the advancing place, it seemed that a man and a woman were talking, but due to the distance and the walls blocking it, they couldn't hear clearly. There was no sound at all in the middle, and the back should be where the dormitory is. There was a faint light coming out, and there was a long and even breathing sound, and the people in the room seemed to be sleeping soundly. Xu Ziling really wanted to eavesdrop on who was talking in the front hall, because it was very likely that one of them was Chi Shengchun, and he was afraid that he would go back to sleep in the backward bedroom, and he would miss the opportunity to find the treasure painting. I finally made up my mind to hunt for treasure first and then eavesdrop, thinking about ordinary gossip, and I don't regret missing it. Putting it into action, Xu Ziling flitted out of his hiding place, stuck to the lighted window, and glanced inside. After seeing it, he was immediately stunned, because he never expected to see such a scene.