Yefutidaolu

Chapter 137 The Secret of Late Autumn

In ancient times, there was a martial arts saint who was poisoned. He needed a doctor to scrape his bones to flush out the poison with vital energy. His pain was no different from this. The doctor advised him to bite a wooden stick and tie up his body to avoid losing control.

But he did not obey. He stretched out his hand and let them do what they wanted. He talked, laughed, drank, played chess and read books as if nothing had happened.

Everyone was shocked and covered their faces in dismay, thinking it was a god.

To be honest, Doctor Bai has been a military doctor for such a long time and has seen many big scenes.

For example, he had seen soldiers whose hands and feet had been chopped off before. He would give them two injections at that time, first blocking the surrounding blood vessels, then reaching out and forcibly pulling out the blood vessels that had shrunk into the body, tied a knot, and stuffed them back in.

For example, if the intestines leaked out, he would just stuff them back in and then sew them up with thread.

For example, if someone's lungs were pierced and leaking air, making it hard for them to breathe, he would simply stick a tube in there and forcibly inflate the lungs, and then seal the wound.

On the battlefield, staying alive comes first and governing comes second.

But since he is a doctor, he won't feel the pain. But the people who do it, no matter how tough and strong they are, will all roll over in pain, and many of them will cry like the little girl.

In most cases, most patients would simply faint, making it easier for him to continue.

How to say it, patients usually have a strong sense of self-anesthesia.

He had heard of many true warriors who gritted their teeth and endured such pain, but he had never seen anyone who could remain calm and composed.

However, I heard that if you live long enough, you will see rare things.

There is one right in front of you.

Under such circumstances, he actually began to comprehend the divine charm!
"Wow... You've shown me this skill, I can't show weakness..." After being surprised, Doctor Bai's eyes also lit up with fighting spirit.

I can still see such a brave man in my lifetime! I can't lose face!
He immediately exerted all his skills and responded to the wise advice with all his might!
Sima next to him couldn't close his mouth at all.

He had also experienced the flush of anger.

At that time, he cried like a woman.

Damn, this is a brilliant idea—!
It really suits your appetite!

he likes!
----------

But for Gao Jian himself, he felt a strange feeling at this moment.

When he held the rusty knife, his heart calmed down, as calm as ice, without any ripples.

He had been prepared for this. He had originally intended to use the rusty knife to suppress the pain, and then comprehend the fourth level of the charm of the Xuanhuatongmen Dao Song.

After all, the blade of his sword is now one foot and four inches long. It would be a waste if he didn't use it. It would make him feel better. It was really painful... No wonder someone died from the pain.

But when Gao Jian really did this, he found that... the rusty knife did not block his senses.

He could still feel the pain clearly.

However, this kind of pain did not feel 'real' to him at all.

He seemed to be calmly observing his own feelings, as if he were observing another person.

The heart calmly faces the pain that comes.

It's like in a game, the character you control is affected by pain, his attributes are reduced, his movements are slowed down, and he may even lose control of it, but the player himself doesn't feel anything.

Gao Jian’s consciousness at this moment is like this player, and his body is like the game character.

Does it hurt? Yes, I can clearly feel the pain.

But it doesn't feel real, as if I'm feeling the pain through a layer of glass.

It's amazing.

But there is no time to waste. The blade is rusting, although the rust is inside the scabbard and cannot be seen from the outside.

So Gao Jian immediately calmed down and began to comprehend the charm.

His speed of comprehension was not affected at all. Although the pain continued to come, to him it was like watching a performance in a game.

The same was true when he was comprehending the spirit. A huge amount of information poured in and impacted his heart, but his heart was calm and he absorbed all the information easily.

Outside, Dr. Bai's treatment is going on.

Inside, the understanding of Gao Jian was not delayed.

As the two were running in parallel, time passed little by little. Sima, the Demon Suppression Division nearby, was originally ready to leave, but after thinking about it, he decided to stay and watch both sides.

Doctor Bai was so busy that sweat broke out on his forehead. This method of using vital energy to flush out evil spirits was a very delicate operation, and it was difficult even for him, especially when using dragon blood.

Dragon blood is not so easy to control, especially this dragon blood seems to be of a high level. Judging from its activity... it is at the eighth level or above.

Gao Jian's life was very rich. It was hard to imagine how he bathed in the blood of the Eight Realms Dragon. Did he go to the East China Sea to slay a dragon? Or did his elders find it for him?
I don’t quite understand, but I don’t have time to think about it. This treatment is not easy.

About half an hour later.

Doctor Bai, who was soaking wet, sat back and said, "General, it's done..."

Perhaps it was a coincidence that at this moment, the charm of Gao Jian’s reading just ended.

This time, the blade consumed one foot and three centimeters, leaving Gao Jian with just one inch of blade, so it was not completely used up.

Gao Jian opened his eyes.

He was also sweating all over.

It hurts.

His body was still in pain, so of course he was sweating and twitching, but in his subjective consciousness it was not as severe.

But after recovering, he still felt almost exhausted.

"You kid, you've opened my eyes again." Sima stood in front of Gao Jian, his eyes had obviously changed: "How long have you been here? I don't know how many times I've said 'again'."

Again, again, and again.

He had only been in Cangzhou for less than half a year, from autumn to winter.

He cleaned up the outer city, killed the third realm master with the second realm master, and brought people to reorganize the outer city. Moreover, the person chosen was the son of the Shui family, Shui Cangcang, which made it impossible for the Zuo family to even retaliate.

Then he went to Baishanjiang Dragon Palace, and when he came back he brought a real dragon and flattened the Baishanjiang Dragon Palace.

This time again...

Wait, then, I was brought to this place by myself.

On the first day, two fourth realm masters died, and he also stabbed Zuo An, who was in the sixth realm. You should know that Zuo An was once the ruler of the Zuo family...

Although the Zuo family does not require physical strength to be in power, they pay more attention to strategy, wisdom, and the overall situation. There are often wise men of lower realms who command the combat forces of higher realms to fight, but if their own cultivation has not reached a certain baseline, they will not be able to accurately judge the situation.

Therefore, Zuo An's strength should not be underestimated. He is considered to be a formidable figure in the inner city. He has a multitude of magical weapons, all of which he wore when he was in power.

But even so, Gao Jian still chopped off one of his kidneys.

High insight and talent level three...

Sima of the Demon Suppression Division suddenly felt a chill on his back.

There shouldn't be any problem...right?

He is now lying in bed and is almost paralyzed. If he is a Taoist priest or a shaman, it is not surprising that he has to lie in bed for half a year. Even if he is a warrior, he will need to recuperate for more than ten days before he can recover, right?
Ok……

There should be no problem.

should.

He thought about this and went out.

After all, he is the Sima of the Demon Suppression Department of a state, and he actually has a lot of work to do. Taking out so much time to accompany Gao Jian has already piled up a lot of things for him.

Especially since he also needs to help Gao Jian register for the Imperial College selection. Alas, this is also a troublesome matter.

There is really no moment of leisure.

Sima left here shaking his head.

Doctor Bai looked at Gao Jian and said, "The ghost energy has been cleared, but the remaining injuries still need to be healed. Although you warriors can walk normally with fractures all over your body, it is best not to exert any strength or move your hands. Just be quiet."

"I have something else to do, so I'll leave first. You lie down and rest, and someone will bring you food."

After saying that, he stood up and prepared to leave.

"Doctor, what are you doing here?" Gao Jian asked the question that had always been on his mind.

With so many people stationed on the ancient battlefield, what are they busy with?

"There are a lot of things to do, including maintaining various formations, resisting some monsters pouring out, and guarding against people who want to detonate this place." Doctor Bai said as he packed up.

"Monster?" Gao Jian asked curiously.

There is a difference between demons and monsters. There is a clear distinction between monsters and demons. Gao Jian also knows this, but... after the world is dead and silent, can monsters still exist?
"A monster formed by the energy of heaven and earth, like the 'Xi Beast', do you understand?" Doctor Bai said as he packed his clothes.

As he spoke, he was already ready to leave.

Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Gao Jian nodded and lay down to rest.

However, before Doctor Bai left, he asked Gao Jian out of the blue, "By the way, why do you have to make things difficult for the Zuo family?"

"I almost got subjected to a blood sacrifice. I've seen what a blood sacrifice looks like, and I've also seen what it's like without a blood sacrifice. So I want to end the blood sacrifice. Is that weird?" Gao Jian said.

"It's not surprising, it's just a little difficult. You know, blood sacrifice is not just a few things. It's a self-sustaining system, which is very troublesome." Doctor Bai shook his head.

Gao Jian smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. The simplest way to solve this kind of thing is to bury the person and the problem together."

"You are so ambitious. What did you want to say to Bai Ping before? I'll pass on the message for you."

"It's nothing, just tell him that I'm fine and ask him not to be too stingy with himself." Gao Jian replied.

"Okay, I'll send a flying sword letter back to the mountain gate when I have the chance." Doctor Bai turned and left, looking very free and easy.

To be honest, it seems that everyone Gao Jian meets in the Demon Suppression Division is pretty nice.

I guess it’s because of Sima.

Sima himself is a good person, although he looks a little rough.

After a few minutes, just as Doctor Bai left, another person walked in.

It was Zou Shu. (For details, see Chapter 134)
Zou Shu is also a captain in the Demon Suppression Division. At first glance, he seems to be in his early thirties and looks more mature than Gao Jian.

He seemed to have just finished his work and there was still some dew on his body.

"Hey, brother." Zou Shu greeted Gao Jian as he came in.

"Brother Zou." Gao Jian responded, propped himself up and sat up, waving at him.

The two smiled at each other.

Zou Shu said, "I saw it all last night. Sima took you to the hilltop of the Zuo family. Do you have a grudge against the Zuo family?"

Gao Jian shook his head: "No hatred, oh... I should have it now."

"No grudge? Why would you provoke them if there is no grudge?" Zou Shu was a little confused.

"Isn't the Zuo family conducting a blood sacrifice? I couldn't stand it, so I found something for them to do." Gao Jian answered casually.

As soon as he said this, the smile on Zou Shu's face froze.

"Huh? Brother Zou, what's wrong?" Gao Jian noticed the other party's abnormality, so he waved his hand.

Zou Shu rubbed his face, walked in, pulled a stool and sat down, and said to Gao Jian: "According to what you said, you... saved a lot of people from the blood sacrifice, right?"

"Quite a lot, I can't count." Gao Jian replied.

But Gao Jian seemed quite proud while speaking.

He really felt that what he did was right, and it felt a little good when someone asked him about these things.

"What else did you do?" Zou Shu asked again.

"It's not worth mentioning. It's not worth mentioning." Gao Jian waved his hand.

Although Gao Jian was a little happy, he still felt a little embarrassed when he really wanted to brag about what he had done.

It may be a little awkward, but that's the best idea.

He really felt that what he did was right and was proud of it. He also liked to hear others bragging about these things, like hearing the laborers in Cangzhou telling people about these things, or the stories about the evil captain circulating in Cangzhou's theaters. Every time this happened, Gao Jian would feel as refreshing as drinking a glass of ice cola in the summer.

But if you really let him brag about what he has done, he will become shy again.

You can only listen to others bragging, you can't speak out yourself.

But Zou Shu's reaction was beyond Gao Jian's imagination.

He immediately leaned forward towards Gao Jian, and said with a serious and somewhat urgent expression: "Brother Gao, if you treat me as a brother, then tell me."

Does Gao Jian regard him as a brother?

Not necessarily.

But the other party helped Gao Jian last night and helped Gao Jian stop the two fourth-level assassins. Gao Jian was still very grateful.

So Gao Jian immediately said, "If you want to hear what Brother Zou has to say, I'll tell you."

So Gao Jian told everyone everything he had done.

He concealed his origins, only saying that he had become a blood sacrifice in Cangzhou, and saw the local villagers voluntarily sacrifice themselves to the so-called "mountain god" and become "dead meat". He also saw the blood sacrifice of He Bo, killed He Bo, and provoked the Baishanjiang water tribe.

I went to Cangzhou again and saw many "landlords" in the outer city of Cangzhou who were fat and big-eared because of eating blood.

Therefore, Gao Jian reorganized the hundreds of gods in Cangzhou, pacified the Baishanjiang water tribe, and wiped out all the dragons.

Then, now.

Gao Jian finished his story and spread his hands: "So, now I am targeting the Zuo family. I will rely on Sima to see if I can cause some trouble for the Zuo family."

After hearing Gao Jian's story, Zou Shu was silent for a while.

To be honest, he had expected a lot.

But I never thought Gao Jian’s story would be so... bizarre.

Moreover, he didn't think Gao Jian was lying.

He was recruited as a general by Sima at the third level, so he must be a capable person.

So, Zou Shu suddenly half-knelt down on one knee.

Gao Jian was startled.

He quickly turned over, and even though his joints were in great pain, he still managed to hold on to Zou.

But it was obvious that he didn't have enough strength to hold the other person back. Seeing that the other person was going to continue to move down, Gao Jian could only shout, "Hey, hey, hey, stop torturing me! My arms and legs are broken! If you kneel down again and pull my hands, you will be responsible if something happens!"

After saying this, Zou Shu stopped what he was doing and stood up.

Then, he took a step back and bowed: "General Gao is so righteous. You deserve this bow."

"Okay, okay, brother, don't be like this. How can I get along with you in the future if you continue like this?" Gao Jian got goosebumps from embarrassment and felt uncomfortable all over.

He did enjoy being praised, but this attitude was still a little uncomfortable.

But Zou Shu wiped his face and said, "No... No matter what, this worship is necessary. General Gao, you don't know that my family died in a blood sacrifice."

After saying this, Gao Jian stopped talking.

What else can I say?

So Gao Jian could only sigh: "Then I will accept your greeting, but don't call me General Gao. You can still call me brother as before."

"Well, Brother Gao, you know, I have done the same thing as you before." Zou Shu said.

"But I'm far worse than you. My whole family was sacrificed, and I killed several villagers by myself and fled from my hometown..." Zou Shu seemed to be lost in memories and began to recount his past.

Obviously, he had something to say to Gao Jian, but he just needed to use these stories as a prelude.

Gao Jian realized this, so he listened quietly at the side.

It turned out that Zou Shu was once a country boy, but he was strong and healthy since childhood and had learned some farm skills. He was considered brave among the thousands of people in the village. He earned the title of a village militiaman and became a minor official in the county town. He rented a house in the county town and lived a comfortable life.

The village is nearly a hundred miles away from the county town, and it is quite troublesome to go back, so he goes back about once a month.

He is a bachelor and does not need to support a wife. He earns his own living. The only thing he cannot let go of is his elderly parents in his hometown. Every month he buys some wine and meat and brings them back to the village.

My old parents are already half buried in the ground. They don’t want to go to the city to enjoy a good life. They just want to stay at home and enjoy the last bit of leisure time, waiting to be buried.

My only hope is to have my son find a wife as soon as possible.

But Zou Shu was used to being lazy, and he had great talent. He was about to make a breakthrough in the county government, so he was highly regarded by the chief constable, who said he would promote him to be a constable. So he was not in a hurry to get married.

He had always known about the blood sacrifice, and he didn't think it was a big deal. After all, those chosen were old people with no relatives or friends, and they didn't seem to want to live. Since the blood sacrifice could bring good weather, it naturally didn't matter and was a good thing.

He returned to the village every month, well-fed and drunk, and relying on his youth, strength, and backing, and the fact that he was about to be promoted to constable, he always bumped into the village elders and acted tyrannically.

The village elders and villagers didn't say anything at the time, but later... when they drew lots for the blood sacrifice, they picked his old mother.

He immediately followed the "tradition" and prepared a generous gift for the village elder, which was his half-year savings, hoping to secretly change the result of the lottery to the old widow next door whose son had died.

As a result...the village elder refused.

Zou Shu was stunned. He grabbed the village elder's neck, pressed him on the table, and threatened him that he must either take the money and change his name, or die here. Then he rushed out.

The village elder agreed to change the name.

He believed it.

The blood sacrifice was held as scheduled, but he was not in the county town that day.

When the news of his elderly parents' death reached the county government, he didn't even react.

“Thinking back now, I was incredibly stupid back then.” Zou Shu shook his head: “I was just too young, trusting others too easily, trusting myself too easily, and always thinking I was the best.”

After that, the captain of the police advised him not to make a big deal out of it. He had an argument with the captain of the police and was knocked to the ground by the other party with a punch. He couldn't get up for a long time.

The head constable said to him, "For your future, and... do you know that these village elders have connections to the county magistrate? Otherwise, how could they hold the position of village elder? Do you know that the county magistrate is a big shot from the capital? He has a family background."

Zou Shu said nothing.

After that, he secretly returned to the village and wanted to kill the village elder, but what appeared before him were other constables.

It turns out... everyone is not stupid.

Everyone has a clear idea of the situation.

He is the only one who is self-righteous and thinks he has the strength and support.

In fact, others are the ones who have strength and backing, but he is a poor country guy with only a half-full bottle of water clinking around all day long, not knowing that others think he is a fool.

Unfortunately, everyone misjudged a little.

That’s Zou Shu…really talented.

In desperation, he risked his life, opened his Qi Sea, broke through a realm in battle, and killed everyone present.

After that, he left his hometown and became a desperado.

This desperado went through a lot of things and was finally taken in by Sima of the Demon Suppression Division, where he received systematic inheritance and training. Finally, he broke through the four realms and became the current captain of the Demon Suppression Division.

Zou Shu said with emotion: "To be honest, after becoming a lieutenant, I have killed several water gods and solved several blood sacrifices, but the more I do these things, the more powerless I feel."

"There are people behind every blood sacrifice. Every blood sacrifice is led by aristocratic families. I also realized what role the Zuo family played in it... I found that if I continue to stop it, the Zuo family will take action. At that time... I will end up like that 'poor countryman' again."

"So I took note of the Zuo family, but I never cared about the blood sacrifice again. I was a coward."

"This time I heard that you, Brother Gao, are having problems with the Zuo family, so I came to see you. I think you and I are of similar minds, and maybe we can cause some trouble for the Zuo family together in the future."

At this point, he looked up to the sky and sighed: "But I didn't expect... Brother Gao, you are much better than me."

"If my parents had done something like that at that time... Never mind, let's not talk about that. If you don't mind, I will acknowledge you as my brother. If you have any problems in the future, just come to me. If it involves the Zuo family, then don't worry, I have a grudge against them too." Zou Shu patted his chest and said so.

"Okay." Gao Jian nodded: "I knew that I couldn't be the only one who couldn't stand the Zuo family's behavior."

"Okay, let's not talk about this. By the way, you should be able to walk now, right? Do you want to go out for a walk?"

"That's fine. It won't affect our actions anyway. I also want to see what this place where the heaven and earth are stagnant looks like." Gao Jian nodded immediately.

He had wanted to go out a long time ago.

The yin energy of the Autumnal Equinox locked the heaven and earth of the season, and Gao Jian was really curious.

Zou Shu nodded, shook the mutton-fat jade pendant around his waist, and went out with Gao Jian.

As soon as I went out, I saw some soldiers training on the training ground not far away, practicing coordination between formations and fighting between individual soldiers.

However, most of the soldiers were not training. Some were resting, some were doing odd jobs, such as washing clothes, and some in the kitchen were cooking.

It seems that the pressure of preparing for war here is not that great.

As an officer, Zou Shu certainly had more free time. He walked around with Gao Jian and soon left the barracks and came to a river outside.

During the Autumnal Equinox, the surrounding temperature is very low and the rivers are frozen.

However, it is not completely frozen. There is a thin layer of ice floating on the surface, and the water underneath is still flowing.

This is the transition between autumn and winter. It is cold, but not too cold. However, it exudes a strong smell of death. It is the season of 'transition from life to death', when everything is withering.

Trees shed their leaves, insects hibernate, and all kinds of crops produce seeds, then throw them away and die, waiting for the seeds to germinate in the future.

The autumn fog shrouded the surroundings, and the damp and cool air was even more chilly than the real cold. The chill penetrated the skin and made people feel a kind of pain in their bones.

If it's just cold, then you can resist it by wearing more clothes to keep out the wind and keep warm.

But this kind of coldness, like a maggot on the heel, can never be shaken off. No matter how thickly you wear, you can only rely on your own vitality to resist it.

Everything was silent and the air was shrouded in invisible and colourless mist, which seemed to contain vague illusions.

To be honest, even in a real winter, the climate wouldn't be so cruel.

Because of 'winter hibernation', in essence, winter is a season of gestation and dormancy. In the dead silence of winter, life is nurtured. At any time, it is possible that yin and yang will reverse, life and death will alternate, and then 'spring' will be born.

But the autumn at this moment is different. Autumn is the gold energy that kills the energy of spring and summer. Therefore, it is particularly deadly.

"Huh? There are living things in the river?" Gao Jian saw some nostrils under the ice.

"It's a hibernating crocodile." Zou Shu said to Gao Jian at this time.

"Oh? Really." Gao Jian observed carefully and saw some clues. They were indeed some crocodiles, frozen in ice water, with only two nostrils on the tip of their noses exposed on the ice. They looked like a "crocodile popsicle".

"Is he dead?" Gao Jian wanted to go up and touch him.

But Zou Shu stopped him and said, "Don't go. Someone with no eyes has touched it before."

"What's the result?" Gao Jian asked.

"I found three things." He held up three fingers.
"First, even though they are hibernating, they are still awake."

“Second, the ice is thinner than expected.”

"Third, its teeth are longer than your entire body."

"Haha." Gao Jian laughed, but tactfully shrank back and did not touch the exposed crocodile nose.

But he still looked around, seeing the late autumn frost all around, and said, "But I'm a little surprised. I thought there was nothing left in here, but there are still some alive. How long have these crocodiles been frozen?"

“Who knows? Maybe it has been alive since the energy of heaven and earth solidified until now, but it has been in hibernation. Now almost everything in here is in hibernation.” Zou Shu explained.

Gao Jian didn't ask "Where have those who can't hibernate gone?"

There is no need to ask, those that do not hibernate are of course dead, their vitality has been drained away, and they are killed by this deep autumn.

Gao Jianyin realized this and looked into the distance.

In the distance, shrouded in cold and damp fog, a lifeless scene can be seen everywhere.

This is a scene of a dead world.

There is the sun in the sky, and it also emits light, but without the slightest heat. Everything is motionless in this light.

Rather than saying that this is the sun, it would be better to say that this is the sky opening a ghostly eye, because the sun's light is not only not warm, it is not even dazzling.

Here, one can stare at it with one's eyes, just like staring at the moon, without feeling any burns.

Under the gaze of this giant eye-like sun, everything becomes forever stiff and cold.

All the soldiers from the Demon Suppression Division living in this strange place.

"To be honest, this place is quite magical." Gao Jian touched the surrounding trees. These trees were also dead, but they still maintained their pre-death appearance and did not fall down, so this place was still a forest.

"It may seem marvelous if you see it once or twice, but if you stay here for ten years, you will feel suffocated. That's why there is frequent rotation here. Few people are stationed here all year round. No one can stand it," said Zou Shu.

Then, Zou Shu suddenly asked, "I heard that you stabbed Zuo An last night."

Gao Jian smiled and proudly gave a thumbs up: "This cut is what he owes to countless people in Cangzhou. I'll cut it first as interest."

When Zou Shu heard this, he showed a happy expression and then said, "I really envy you."

Gao Jian picked up a dead leaf and asked, "Why do you envy me?"

Zou Shu said, "I envy you for being able to perform this strike. I am better than you, but when I stand in front of Zuo An, I am afraid I will never think of striking him. I have often thought about whether I should strike a few members of the Zuo family to death, but when I am in front of them, all my killing intent is gone."

"Then why are you guarding here?" Gao Jian didn't quite understand.

Zou Shu said indifferently: "What are you talking about? Why don't you go ask those soldiers and ask them what they are pursuing by working hard?"

"What are you working hard for? Dreams? The future? Or something else? Actually, it doesn't have to be that complicated."

“Not everyone has something to pursue, but everyone does have a family to support and food to eat.”

"Everyone is just trying to make a living."

Gao Jian looked back at the soldiers behind him and nodded: "Indeed."

"By the way, I didn't bring you out here just to chat." Zou Shu suddenly ended the chat and said, "Although this is only the third time we've met, I think we've already exchanged lives, right?"

Gao Jian didn't say anything, just stared at the other person, waiting for his next words.

As if he had sensed Gao Jian's attitude, Zou Shu said, "The power of the Demon Suppression Division belongs to the imperial court, so we cannot use it. But I will take you to see something that may cause Zuo An to suffer a great loss."

"There is such a thing, why didn't you use it before?" Gao Jian was stunned.

He smiled with relief and said, "Before, no one dared to cut the left bank."

"Your knife seems to have hit me too. I feel uncomfortable if I don't take you to see it."

(End of this chapter)