The Word of Heaven

Chapter 292 Return

Time passes with the wind and snow, and spring is approaching in the blink of an eye.

What happened in Cangzhou that night caused a huge uproar in the world, but it subsided in a very short time.

Many people began to believe that Daqin and Taoism would face a protracted war, and the winner would not be determined in a short period of time. Those forces that survived the Weiyang Palace Incident had to think seriously: if the great struggle of a hundred years ago came again, which side would they stand on?
As a result, the people once again felt the oppressive atmosphere of impending storm, and became silent and anxious in their spare time in daily life. Even those idle men in the capital who loved to sit in taverns and teahouses and talk loudly with others about current affairs have now become much more restrained.

This is because they have never been able to figure out one question: the return of the Demon Lord is an established fact, so why is it that His Majesty the Emperor is still unwilling to personally kill this man, but is still sitting in the Weiyang Palace, oblivious to what is happening in the world?

Some of them learned the reason why the three thousand black-armored heavy cavalry stopped their charge that night, and thinking about the royal secrets involved, they dared not speak out.

If any member of the royal family did such a thing, they would surely be branded as a witch who brought disaster to the country. However, people kept silent about this matter tacitly, because no one believed that Her Royal Highness the Princess had really committed treason, just as the people of the Qin Dynasty always believed in the wisdom and bravery of His Majesty the Emperor.

The silence of the human world failed to affect the government affairs in the Weiyang Palace. The Empress became more and more accustomed to ruling the country from behind the curtain, and the ministers also began to get used to working with her.

As spring approached, the imperial court issued an edict. The content of the edict was extremely complicated, but the main purpose was very simple - to reward.

Almost all the positions vacated by those who died before and after the Weiyang Palace Incident were filled in this edict. Many people became successful overnight and got what they had always dreamed of. However, after a short period of happiness, they were still worried.

The most surprising fact in that edict was that the Qin Dynasty still recognized the status of Zen Buddhism as the state religion and did not excessively pursue the acts of rebellion by Cihang Temple and Changle Temple, but almost all of the past favors and rewards were taken back.

This decision made people believe even more that the Qin court was preparing for the next war with Taoism, otherwise there would be no reason to give up on destroying Buddhism.

As for the three sword sects, the leader of Chaotian Sword Que went to the capital in person, and after making unknown sacrifices, he actually succeeded in making the Qin court give up pursuit and keep its mountain gate.

While these things were going on and happening in full swing, and tens of thousands of heads were chopped off by the executioners, a small incident also happened in the capital of God.

Chen Chi was released from prison.

The prison cell where the gods imprison practitioners is called Daoyu, and the meaning behind it is self-evident.

Sitting on the cold blue stone, looking at the girl standing not far away with the light coming from the only skylight, Chen Chi vaguely guessed that he was about to leave this place, but he could no longer feel any joy in his heart.

Those stones emitting a faint blue light were produced in the mountains of the wilderness. They naturally contain a heart-pounding chill. If a practitioner stays in them for a long time, his or her Tao heart will suffer an indelible impact, just like candlelight darkening a wooden beam.

The person coming is Lin Wanyi.

She felt the cold and filthy atmosphere everywhere in the prison, ordered someone to open the cell door, and took Chen Chi out into the daylight.

It was not until the sun set again that the two of them spoke their first words.

"You're going to the wasteland next."

Lin Wanyi said: "This is the price of leaving Daoyu."

Chen Chi lowered his head, closed his eyes, and asked weakly, "Is it because of Gu Zhuo?"

Lin Wanyi was silent for a moment, then said, "Your survival is related to him, but it was my mother's wish that you could come out."

Chen Chi was very surprised and said, "Has the Qin Dynasty reached the point where it can recruit talents regardless of their background?"

Lin Wanyi did not explain, and said to herself: "This time when you go to the wilderness, you will join General Wang's army, and he will make specific arrangements for you on other matters."

Chen Chi raised his head, opened his eyes and looked at Lin Wanyi. He could no longer find the youthful brightness of the past in her eyes. All that was left was indifference.

He nodded in agreement and resisted the urge to ask about Gu Zhuo. He was thinking about leaving for the north, but he finally said those words.

"I'm sorry... I really couldn't stay that day."

Chen Chi's voice was very difficult: "At that time, I almost died just for delivering a letter to you. I can't convince myself to help you face Zizai Taoist directly."

Lin Wanyi listened to this and expressed her understanding.

Everyone is responsible for his or her own life. Who can expect others to risk their own lives for them?
"So he never blamed you for it."

Lin Wanyi paused, and finally said: "Don't try to find out his whereabouts. This is not only taboo, but also because no one knows where he has gone now."

After saying this, the girl turned and left without taking a step back.

In the distance, Xie Yinglian was standing under the rain porch.

Lin Wanyi came to her side and asked, "I remember I said goodbye to you last night."

Xie Yinglian smiled and said, "You haven't really left yet, and I want to talk to you for a few more words."

Lin Wanyi walked down the corridor and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Xie Yinglian smiled even more cheerfully, and said, "Your mother said something to me last night. She said that she felt that I was more like her biological daughter than you. That's why she let you leave and let me stay."

Lin Wanyi's expression remained unchanged as she said, "If you believe what she said, when I come back, I may only be able to visit your grave."

"Isn't this the meaning of parting?"

Xie Yinglian smiled even more and said, "There will always be someone who cannot return as scheduled."

Lin Wanyi turned her head and glanced at the woman whom she had believed to be a lunatic since the ceremony at Cihang Temple.

At this moment, Xie Yinglian's voice suddenly disappeared, and when it sounded again, it was already in Lin Wanyi's sea of ​​consciousness.

"Your mother asked you to leave so that she could use you to lure him out, so you are bound to encounter many misfortunes."

"I'm not an idiot."

"Where are you going?"

Lin Wanyi stopped.

Xie Yinglian looked at her and raised his eyebrows, somewhat curious.

Lin Wanyi said those two words: "Go home."

Xie Yinglian asked, "Go home?"

Lin Wanyi hummed with a nasal sound and said, "Wangjing."

Xie Yinglian smiled and said casually, "Then I guess he is not in Wangjing."

……

……

Yes, no one knows where Gu Zhuo is now.

After the abbot passed away, he expressed his grief with a bouquet of flowers, then walked away on the waves with Pei Jinge.

According to the testimony of the nuns at Changle Nunnery, that was the direction leading to the deep East China Sea.

For this purpose, the Qin Dynasty sent out its navy and many practitioners to conduct a large-scale search. The end result was that without any surprises, nothing was found, not even a clue.

Being nowhere to be found doesn't mean there's nothing to do. All places related to Gu Zhuo have come under the surveillance of the Qin court.

Whether it was the old capital of Wangjing, or the Nanqi County city where the Tianming Sect was located, or even the huge Yunmengze, they were all included in the sight of the Great Qin court.

Not to mention Xuandu.

Every road leading to the Taoist ancestral temple has been blocked.

However, nothing has been achieved so far.

To this day, the practitioners in the Imperial Observatory are still busy all night long, observing the stars, discussing with advisers, and exhausting all human and material resources to try to find Gu Zhuo's whereabouts.

…………

"How long do you think it will be before you are discovered?"

"Perhaps the day when the new emperor ascends the throne?"

“It seems to be true.”

"I haven't asked you in the past few days, why do you want to stay with me until now?"

"Logically speaking, I should leave. After all, I only promised Her Royal Highness the Princess that I would do my best to keep you alive. I never said that I would accompany you all the way."

"so?"

"So I didn't leave, of course, because you gave me a reason to stay."

"What's the reason?"

"curious."

Pei Jinge's voice was very calm: "Just like when you first entered the Dongzhen realm in Wangjing and defeated thirteen Dongzhens in a row, what you are doing now makes it natural for me to be curious about you."

Gu Zhuo thought about it and felt that this reason was very powerful. He suddenly laughed and said, "I remember that you seemed to have told me at that time that an old friend of yours and I..."

The words stopped abruptly.

The reason is of course Pei Jinge.

She looked into Gu Zhuo's eyes expressionlessly and said in a slightly cold voice, "If you insist on bringing up that matter, please do so after I leave, and don't let me know that you're laughing at me behind my back with others for fun."

Gu Zhuo smiled and didn't insist.

Pei Jinge's expression eased slightly, and he asked seriously, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​hiding in Baidi Mountain?"

……

……

Yes, after leaving Changle Temple that day, the two seemed to be heading towards the depths of the East China Sea, but in fact they turned back to the land halfway, and then with the help of the remaining power in Qing Xiaoyue's hands, they were able to climb up Baidi Mountain.

Qing Xiaoyue's willingness to help in this matter had nothing to do with Gu Zhuo's identity, but was because of Si Zhu's death.

That night, or from the moment the incident in Weiyang Palace happened, Qing Xiaoyue developed an uncontrollable murderous desire towards Si Zhu.

This was also the only reason why he rushed to Cangzhou despite his crippled body.

However, the means he prepared in the battle of Cangzhou were ultimately not used, and Si Zhu died at the hands of Gu Zhuo.

For various reasons and a strong desire for knowledge, Qing Xiaoyue tacitly allowed Gu Zhuo and Pei Jinge to use the power in their hands and disappear into the water without a trace.

On a day when the wind and snow continued, Qing Xiaoyue formally submitted his resignation to the Queen, and passed away with the fame and rewards that had not been seen in decades.

Thus, Qiuzhi became a representative figure in the Sky Patrol Department, recognized by the two former deputy directors of the Sky Patrol Department.

Today, this young killer from Wuyou Mountain has held a high position amid the extremely complicated gazes of the public, facing the heavy pressure exerted by the officials of the court.

The only lucky thing is that Qiuzhi’s best thing is not killing, but talking back and keeping his mouth shut.

As for the grave keepers living on Baidi Mountain, they had become real living dead long before the incident on Tianqiong Peak that destroyed the Bai family's ancestral tombs. They didn't care about anything happening in the outside world.

Therefore, until now no one knows Gu Zhuo’s true whereabouts.

……

……

Pei Jinge's question ultimately received no answer, the reason of course being that Gu Zhuo was unwilling to answer.

Since neither of them was a talkative person, they naturally would not dwell on this matter any further and just continued to lead their lives as usual.

Spring is approaching, and the climate on Baidi Mountain is warming up slightly, but the basic tone is still cold.

Pei Jinge picked some wild vegetables and hunted a few rabbits during the day, while Gu Zhuo boiled a pot of water in the stone house and threw some ginger and green onions into it.

This is said to be the way of eating hot pot in a certain place in southern Tiannan. Pei Jinge is quite disdainful of this, thinking that it is far inferior to the flavor of Yizhou, and can even not compare to the shabu-shabu mutton popular in Shendu.

After Gu Zhuo pointed out that there didn't seem to be anything special about the soup base for hot pot, Pei Jinge seriously emphasized to him how wonderful the sesame sauce tasted, but in the end he still ended in silence.

After all, not to mention the sheep for hotpot, even common seasonings are rare on Baidi Mountain.

Talking about sesame paste at this time seems too luxurious.

After nightfall, there was snow in the mountains and the lights in the house were slightly dim.

Pei Jinge and Gu Zhuo sat opposite each other.

Between the two of them was the plain hotpot, which contained little meat and was mostly vegetables.

"I have already sensed the opportunity to break through."

Pei Jinge picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks, casually smeared the marinated meat, put it into his mouth, and said nonchalantly: "After the spring, I can break through as long as I want."

Gu Zhuo said seriously: "Congratulations."

Pei Jinge said calmly: "Many years ago, I believed that I could achieve the state of Yuhua. From the moment I learned that you were the Taoist master, I knew that this was a fact that was bound to come, so there is actually nothing to congratulate you on."

"More importantly, what is metamorphosis?"

She did not look proud, and shook her head and said, "Not only did I see you standing on Xuandu a hundred years ago, but I also saw the Emperor during the Weiyang Palace Incident. I am sure that even if I enter the stage of immortality, there will still be an unimaginable distance between me and you, so there is no reason for me to be excited."

It's the truth, the real truth.

However, no matter who heard Pei Jinge's thoughts, they would sincerely think that she was too arrogant.

Gu Zhuo didn't think so, he understood it very well.

Many things in the world are often like this. Once you meet someone, you will spend the rest of your life chasing them and it will be hard to forget them.

This may be the state of mind that a seeker of truth should have.

"And there is a serious problem that I used to think was particularly idiotic, but now I have become the idiot in that problem."

Pei Jinge put down his bowl and chopsticks, and looked into Gu Zhuo's eyes through the hot mist rising from the hot pot. His voice was filled with extremely complicated emotions, and he said, "You and I have become de facto accomplices. If I break through, His Majesty will have reason to kill me."

"If I don't want to betray His Majesty, there is only one best way."

Her voice became colder and colder: "Kill you and bring your head to see His Majesty."

Gu Zhuo sighed and said, "That's really the case."

Pei Jinge waited for the next sentence.

At this moment, Gu Zhuo picked up a piece of rabbit meat from the pot with chopsticks, put it in her bowl, and said something sincerely.

"So...how about we eat some meat first and then talk?"

(End of this chapter)