Lanting prelude

Chapter 31
When Xiao Junmo woke up, he found that he was lying on a couch embroidered with nephrite jade, and his body was covered with a bright red satin brocade quilt.Looking around, it turned out to be an unusually spacious cave, with bright lamps and candles lit everywhere in the cave, all the furnishings were readily available, and many of the furniture looked a little luxurious.

This place should be the Cave of Thousand Demons that Hua Ling'er was talking about, but since she had tried her best to tie herself up, why didn't she lock herself in a cell instead of giving her such preferential treatment?
Xiao Junmo rolled over and got out of bed, and saw that he was actually wearing an expensive silk thin shirt, which was obviously replaced by someone after fainting, and he didn't know whether it was a man or a woman who moved his hands, so he couldn't help shaking his head and smiling wryly.

"Lang Jun is awake!" A woman's voice suddenly sounded from outside the bead curtain.Immediately afterwards, there were some small footsteps walking back and forth, and then the bead curtain was lifted with a bang, and four maids filed in, holding clothes, shoes, hats and other things in their hands, kneeling in front of him respectfully, leading the way : "Your Majesty, please change your clothes."

Xiao Junmo felt uncomfortable all of a sudden, he was stunned and said: "What are you doing changing clothes?"

The maid said: "The head of the family has an order. If the lord wakes up, he will wait for him to change his clothes, and then take him to the meeting hall to see the head of the house."

"The master? Who is the master?" Xiao Junmo frowned.

"Your Majesty will know when he's gone."

Xiao Junmo had no choice but to wave his hand: "Okay, you guys go down, you don't have to wait."

"The head of the family has an order, and the servants must serve the Lord well..." the maid insisted.

"I'm a big man and you have to wait for me to change my clothes?" Xiao Junmo was displeased, "Everyone back down, otherwise I won't go anywhere!"

The four maids looked at each other in blank dismay, and finally had to put down what they were holding, and bowed back.

After Xiao Junmo finished dressing, he followed the maid out of the cave where he lived, and was surprised to find that there was a river in the cave outside. There was already a light boat waiting for him, and dozens of black-clothed warriors took several small boats to escort him.

As the boat sailed in the river, Xiao Junmo was greatly surprised by what he saw along the way.This Thousand Devils Cave turned out to be an unimaginably large karst cave. There are countless stalactites hanging upside down on the top of the cave, most of which are hideous and ghost-like. Xiao Jun thought that this must be the origin of the name "Thousand Devils Cave".A group of people took a boat and walked along the winding river for half an hour, then abandoned the boat and landed on the shore, walked in the maze-like cave for at least two minutes, and finally climbed dozens of stone steps before arriving at a palace in a huge cavern.Xiao Junmo looked around and saw a high stone platform in the hall. On the high platform was a stone couch covered with tiger skin. A heroic woman in military uniform was sitting on the stone couch, listening to the audience. More than a dozen strong men in black are playing.

She is Hua Linger.

Looking at everything in front of him, Xiao Junmo couldn't believe his eyes—who would have thought that there would be such a unique place hidden among the vast mountains of Qinling?Who would have thought that the charming, graceful and coquettish woman on the scull boat was actually this majestic and domineering female thief leader in front of her? !
Hua Ling'er had obviously seen him, but continued to discuss matters with those men in black without seeing him.Xiao Junmo was escorted by a group of warriors, so he could only stand aside and wait.He looked around boredly, but he saw that the hole was at least seven or eight feet high, with a depth and width of more than 30 feet, which was comparable to the Tai Chi Hall in Chang'an.Behind the stone couch where Hua Ling'er was sitting, there was a large screen with dozens of large cursive characters written on it, which looked like a poem.

He was just about to take a serious look at what was written in the poem, but Hua Ling'er said loudly: "That's it! Instructions, all the halls will follow this agreement, and other matters will be discussed at another day, and we are separated!"

Afterwards, the dozen or so men in black walked past Xiao Junmo one by one, and exited the hall, and the leader was none other than the old boatman.He glanced at Xiao Junmo expressionlessly, and strode out, as if the scene on the boat never happened.Thinking about it now, Xiao Junmo would rather that scene be a dream.However, Chu Lisang, Biancai and Mi Mancang's life and death are uncertain now, and they can't allow themselves to be sentimental here.Right now, we must cheer up and deal with this female devil well to see what she wants to do!
"Did Xiao Lang rest well last night?" Hua Ling'er got up from the stone couch, looked at him with a smile on her face, her voice returned to the gentle and charming voice of last night, completely different from the mighty and domineering just now, "Why are you here?" Standing below? Come up and talk."

Hearing this, the samurai behind him immediately grabbed Xiao Junmo's arm and wanted to take him up.Xiao Junmo flicked both hands, shaking the two of them back a few steps: "No need, it's very good here."

Hua Ling'er smiled again, and walked down the high platform, followed by a person who was the maid from last night.Hua Ling'er went straight to Xiao Junmo, and looked at him with a smile: "Xiao Lang must have a lot of questions to ask my slave now, right?"

Xiao Junmo met her gaze: "Who are you? Why did you arrest us?"

"My family is Hua Ling'er. If you don't change your surname, you won't change your name. As for why you were arrested, the answer is very simple. The reward of five hundred gold is too tempting, and I happen to be a money-hungry person!"

Sure enough, the female thief knew their identities a long time ago, so she carefully set up this trap to trap them.Judging from this, when he and Chu Lisang were arrested under the Sala tree last night, Biancai and Mi Mancang must have also been arrested in the inn.Xiao Junmo couldn't help regretting secretly: I was too careless after all!
In fact, yesterday they sneaked along the mountain road next to Yigu Road to the south ferry of Fengyang City, and the journey went too smoothly, beyond imagination, and at the same time, it was disturbing.Xiao Junmo knew very well that Pei Tinglong must have rushed to Fengyang County to wait for them a long time ago, so it was impossible not to set up clear cards and secret sentries to intercept them all the way, but in fact, Xiao Junmo didn't find anything along the way.At that time, he felt that something was wrong, but after all, he was lucky, so he hurriedly boarded the boat at the ferry without thinking much.Now it seems that Hua Linger and Pei Tinglong must have conspired long ago, that's why the Xuanjiawei was undefended and let them jump into the trap set by Hua Linger themselves, so as to capture them at the lowest cost.

"It seems that Xiao Lang has guessed it, so I'll tell you the truth." Hua Ling'er suppressed her smile and resumed her capable and decisive expression, "As early as two days ago, I reached a deal with Pei Tinglong. Arrest you, and hand over the four of you to him intact; he rewarded me with five hundred gold, and at the same time acquiesced in my activities on my own territory. Then, Xuanjiawei will never interfere with me from now on, and I will not provoke you They, they don't have to trouble me."

"What a non-infringement!" Xiao Junmo sneered, "He is an official, you are a bandit, and your deal can only be temporary. Just wait, once you hand us over to him, he will take your thousands of dollars away later. The magic cave has been suppressed."

"Suppress me?" Hua Ling'er also sneered, "Let's not talk about how much it will cost to suppress my Thousand Devils Cave, even if Pei Tinglong can suppress me, he will never suppress me. Does Xiao Lang know why?"

"I know. Don't you mean that Pei Tinglong is a nest of snakes and rats with you, and you are in cahoots?"

Hua Ling'er giggled: "Look at what Xiao Lang said, it's too ugly! You should call the officials and the people a family! Of course, you can call the officials and bandits a family if you want. But hasn't it been like this since ancient times? There is no balance between power and power, but as long as there are common interests, isn’t it all about you and me behind the scenes? Xiao Lang is also a person who has been in the officialdom, so he doesn’t even understand this, right?”

"I understand, of course I understand. But don't forget, today Pei Tinglong can collude with you for this benefit, and tomorrow he can kill you for other benefits. In the final analysis, the power of life and death is still in his hands In the end, you are just a pawn he uses."

"Yes, you are right. He uses me, and I use him. Isn't that how people deal with each other? In fact, it's not terrible to be used by others. The terrible thing is that you don't even have the value of being used by others."

"In that case, why don't you just hand me over to Pei Tinglong, while I'm still worth two hundred gold?"

"Because, I changed my mind." Hua Ling'er suddenly looked at him directly, then took two steps closer, and said softly, "To tell the truth, Xiao Lang, since the first time I saw you yesterday, I have been shaken , Then I saw that you are a man who helps those in need, a loving and righteous man, so I completely changed my mind. Speaking of which, you have to thank those little thieves. What kind of man."

Xiao Junmo couldn't help smiling wryly upon hearing this.

Last night under the Sala tree in Gui'an Town, the reason why he suddenly became wary of Hua Ling'er at the last moment was because of those three thieves.At that time, when he went to feel the pulse of the bearded man, some kind of fragrance was on his hands, but he couldn't figure out why a rough man would use spices on his body. It was not until he smelled the fragrance of flowers under the Sala tree that he suddenly remembered: boarding at the ferry. During the boat ride, Hua Ling'er leaned against his arms, and this fragrance exuded from her body.So, Xiao Junmo spliced ​​all the fragments together in an instant: when he hit the bearded man with a stone, Hua Ling'er happened to shoot the silver needle at the same time. No wonder Xiao Junmo noticed that the big man's neck twisted strangely at that time, but he didn't She looked up and studied carefully; the spices that Hua Ling'er usually used were collected from the Sala tree, so the hidden silver needle hidden in her body was invisibly dyed with fragrance; then Xiao Junmo dragged the bearded man who fell into the water ashore, and used He probed his neck with his hand, and happened to touch the part where the silver needle had been injected, so the fragrance stuck to his hand.

At this point, Xiao Junmo finally figured out the reason why the bearded man suddenly fell into the water, and realized that Hua Linger possessed martial arts. From this, he knew that all her previous performances were fake, and it was naturally a scam to repeatedly beg him to send her home .However, by the time Xiao Junmo understood all this, it was too late, because he and Chu Lisang had already fallen into the trap carefully designed by Hua Linger...

At this time, Hua Ling'er was almost talking against his cheek, her eyes were like silk, and her breath was like blue.Embarrassed, Xiao Junmo took two steps back subconsciously: "Aren't you just doing it for money, what kind of person I am has anything to do with you?"

"Of course it has something to do with it! Because my family is not only greedy for money, but also lustful!" Hua Ling'er rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly, "A man as good-looking and manly as you is naturally more attractive to my family than gold!"

Xiao Junmo couldn't laugh or cry.There are people in the world who describe themselves as "lustful for money", and they are a woman!If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears, he would never believe it.Chu Lisang said that this Hua Ling'er's skin was as thick as a city wall, and he really hit the nail on the head, and he didn't wrong her at all.

"To tell you the truth, Xiao Lang," Hua Ling'er continued, "When I saw your portrait on the sea arrest documents, I thought this man was so handsome. When I saw you at the ferry yesterday, I felt that your real person was more handsome than you. The portrait is a hundred times more handsome, so I fell in love with you, and then I saw that you are upright and respectful, and I love you even more..."

"Then what are you going to do with me?" Xiao Junmo interrupted her coldly.

"Marry me and be the master of the slave family!" Hua Ling'er replied very naturally.

There was a bang in Xiao Junmo's head, and he almost fainted.Hua Linger, the female devil, has far surpassed the limit of his cognition of "women", so that he hardly knows how to deal with it.

"You keep me, how can Pei Tinglong explain?" Now Xiao Junmo really feels that he would rather die in Pei Tinglong's hands than be a damned "lord of the village" here.

"Let Pei Tinglong go to hell!" Hua Ling'er chuckled, "The person I Hua Linger likes, no one can try to snatch it from me."

Xiao Junmo smiled wryly: "But if you want to marry me, you have to ask me if I want to?"

Hua Ling'er looked at his helpless expression, and said with a smile: "If Xiao Lang feels that his self-esteem can't bear it, then it's easy to deal with. You will be the master of Thousand Demon Cave, and my servant will be your wife in the village!"

Xiao Jun could not laugh or laugh, and said: "It sounds like a good idea. However, marriage is not a child's play, you have to let me think about it."

When Hua Linger heard that he was relieved, she was overjoyed: "No problem, anyway, we have plenty of time."

While perfunctory, Xiao Junmo stabilized his mind and began to think about countermeasures.Then, his gaze accidentally fell on the screen of the high platform, which was the twenty or so flamboyant cursive scripts that he hadn't had time to read just now.After reading a few words, he was stunned, and there was a light of life in his eyes.

"Is Cao Huaping of Xuzhou West in the ninth year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty your ancestor?" Xiao Junmo asked suddenly. "Xuzhou Xicao" is an official name, and he is the assistant official of the governor of Xuzhou.

Hua Ling'er was beaming with joy, she couldn't help being taken aback when she heard the words: "Why did Xiao Lang ask this?"

"You just need to answer me yes or no."

"So what if it is? So what if it's not?" His tone made Hua Ling'er a little uncomfortable.

"If it is, it is necessary for us to continue talking; if not, then you hand me over to Pei Tinglong as soon as possible."

"Did you feel wronged by marrying me?" Hua Ling'er was displeased, "So you would rather die?"

"Please answer my question first."

"Yes, Huaping is my ancestor. What do you want to say?"

Xiao Junmo's eyes gathered together, he looked at her again, and said slowly: "I want to say, if you hand over the four of us to Pei Tinglong, then you have betrayed your ancestors, and you are ashamed of your identity!"

Hua Ling'er was puzzled, and frowned: "What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is very simple, I am a member of the Heavenly Punishment Alliance, just like you! And so are the other three people who are traveling with me!"

The reason why Xiao Junmo was sure that Hua Linger was a member of the Tianxing League was because he finally saw clearly the poem on the screen:
I am willing to travel with talented people and untie knots to roam Haoliang.Crazy chant whatever suits you, wandering without any country.

This is a five-character poem written by one of Wang Xizhi's close friends, Xuzhou West Cao Huaping at the Lanting Meeting.According to the relevant clues that Xiao Junmo had obtained before, anyone who wrote poems at the Orchid Pavilion must have joined the Tianxing League and set up a branch on behalf of his family.Although Xiao Junmo didn't know the name of Hua Ping's sub-rudder, he could be sure that Hua Ling'er was the heir of this sub-rudder.

Hua Ling'er was shocked when she heard the words, and looked at him in disbelief: "You are also a member of the Heavenly Punishment League? How is this possible?!"

"Last night, when your people went to the inn to arrest my two companions, they should have retrieved two packages at the same time. You should ask someone to fetch them immediately. The contents inside are enough to prove my identity."

Seeing that he was so sure, Hua Ling'er gave the samurai next to him a wink.The samurai ran out quickly.After a while, both packages were picked up. "Open!" Hua Ling'er ordered.The two packages were opened immediately, one was full of gold and silver, and the other contained a little copper coins, a volume of "Lanting Collection", a jade pendant, a scythe and flint, and the left half of the bronze Pixiu—— The beginning of no end!
"That's my wine glass. Master Hua may as well verify it and replace it if it's fake." Xiao Junmo said lightly.

Hua Ling'er quickly picked up the bronze pixiu, looked it over and over a few times, and had to believe the facts in front of her.

"So, you are 'Wu Ya'?" Hua Ling'er looked at him with a strange look.

"It's right here." Xiao Junmo was very grateful that he had always carried Lu Shiheng's wine glass with him. He didn't intend to use it for anything, but now he saved his life by relying on it. "Dare to ask your rudder's name?"

"Wandering." Hua Ling'er replied, and immediately thought of something, and suddenly became a little nervous, "Then who are the other three?"

"The two young ones are my subordinates." Xiao Junmo said casually, "but strictly speaking, the three of us are the elder's subordinates. If you also admit that you are a member of the Heavenly Punishment Alliance, then naturally, You are also his subordinate."

Hua Ling'er was even more astonished: "Who is he?"

"The left envoy of this alliance is also the only person entrusted with important tasks after the death of the alliance leader Zhiyong."

Hua Ling'er was shocked, and couldn't help muttering: "It's over, it's over..."

Xiao Junmo suddenly realized something, and grabbed her arm suddenly: "You have already handed them over?" Hua Ling'er's face paled instantly, and she nodded sadly.

Xiao Junmo opened his eyes wide and stood on the spot.

Standing under the Sala tree, Pei Tinglong looked up at the tree full of white flowers, his nose fluttered from time to time, and then he closed his eyes with a relaxed and comfortable expression on his face.

Xue An, Huan Dieyi, Luo Biao and other generals stood behind him, and behind him were dozens of Xuanjia guards, and many archers were ambushing in the surrounding bushes.

Pei Tinglong made an agreement with Hua Linger to trade under the Sala tree at noon today—Hua Linger handed Xiao Junmo and four others to him, and he gave Hua Linger a reward of [-] gold on the spot.

Seeing that the hour is approaching, Pei Tinglong couldn't help being a little excited.He really wanted to know, as a loser, Xiao Junmo's expression and what he would say when he appeared in front of him later; When Pei Tinglong's hands were shattered, what expressions would Huan Dieyi, Luo Biao and all those who followed Xiao Junmo have on their faces, and what feelings would they have in their hearts.

"Dieyi, look," Pei Tinglong pointed to the white jade-like flowers on the tree, and smiled at Huan Dieyi, "These flowers are so beautiful, it's the best thing in heaven that we can settle with Xiao Junmo here arrange."

"General, it's not that my subordinates are spoiling the scenery," Huan Dieyi said coldly, "When dealing with Xiao Junmo, one should not be overly optimistic. Before the dust settles, any variables may exist. So please forgive my subordinates for boldly saying that the general is still Don't be happy too early, lest the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

When Pei Tinglong heard this, his face was a little uneasy, and he said awkwardly: "It seems that to this day, in Huan Duizheng's mind, Xiao Junmo is still an invincible myth!"

"The subordinates don't know any myths, they just tell the truth based on what they have learned about him in the past."

"Whether it's the truth or a myth," Pei Tinglong looked at Wuliang Mountain in the distance, and unconsciously narrowed his eyes, "In a moment, the answer will be revealed. Dieyi, let us look forward to this moment together! "

The old boatman's surname is Pang, and everyone in Qianmo Cave calls him Pangbo.At this moment, Pang Bo was leading a team of people on horseback on the mountain path of Wuliang Mountain.In the middle of the line was a prison van, in which were tied up Chu Lisang, Biancai and Mi Mancang.

Since he fell into a coma last night, Chu Lisang has never seen Xiao Junmo again, and he does not know where he is now, whether he is alive or dead.Recalling the scenes of life and death with him on the way to escape these days, Chu Lisang's heart is full of warmth and sentimentality.Just yesterday, she was still imagining that one day, she would be able to sit with Xiao Junmo hugging each other under the bright sunshine, in a place far away from plots, killings and disputes, and listen to Xiao Junmo saying "Hold your hand, and be with me!" The old love saying "children grow old together".But now, everything has turned into a fantasy, even if she only wants to die with Xiao Junmo, it has become a luxury.

And the person who tore up all her happiness with one hand was that brazen, despicable and sinister Hua Ling'er!
Thinking of her, Chu Lisang trembled with anger, wishing to tear her to pieces.

Ever since seeing Hua Ling'er at the ferry yesterday, Chu Lisang has been quite disgusted with her.First of all, it is because this woman is always acting like a coquettish fox, making Chu Lisang jealous in front of Xiao Junmo; secondly, there seems to be something disturbing in Hua Linger's eyes—Chu Li Sang couldn't tell what it was, but she felt it with a woman's intuition.It's a pity that Xiao Junmo and his father, the two big men, always cared about the morality of being human, and had no defense against this Hua Ling'er, so they fell into this situation...

It was already summer, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the surrounding area was steaming. The three people in the prison car were sweating profusely, and their minds gradually became dizzy.Mi Mancang drooped his head, swaying left and right with the shaking of the prison car, and then his head hooked down, and he collapsed.Chu Lisang and Biancai were startled at the same time, and screamed a few times, but Mi Mancang closed his eyes tightly and remained motionless.

"Stop the car, he's passed out, get some water!" Chu Lisang yelled.

Pang Bo reined in, looked back, and gave his men a wink.

The convoy stopped.A samurai opened the prison cart and climbed up, holding a bulging water bag in one hand, and supported Mi Mancang's head with the other hand, pouring water for him.Suddenly, Chu Lisang broke free from the rope, pulled out the saber from the warrior's waist, quickly cut off the rope on Mi Mancang's body, and then laid it across the warrior's neck.Mi Mancang turned over and sat up, smiled at the samurai, and then released the debate.

Surprised, Pang Bo and the others drew their knives and surrounded the prison car, but they were held hostage by Chu Lisang, so they dared not act rashly for a while.

Chu Lisang said sharply: "Take three horses and add three bags of water, and then you all retreat ten feet away, hurry up!"

Pang Bo said calmly, "Miss Chu, the old man is very curious, how did you break free?"

Chu Lisang sneered, raised his left hand, and something flew over.Pang Bo caught it and saw that it was actually an iron nail.

"This is from your car, and I will return it to you now."

Pang Bo suddenly realized that Chu Lisang must have pulled out the nails on the prison car, and then cut off the ropes on his body bit by bit. "Miss Chu has extraordinary skills, and I admire you. However, please forgive me for not being able to comply with your request just now."

"Aren't you afraid that I'll kill him?" Chu Lisang put more effort into his hands, and the blade sank into the warrior's skin.

"Of course the old man is afraid. After all, he is a brother who was born and died. However, if it is for the sake of the overall situation..."

"Can you let him die for the sake of the so-called overall situation?" Chu Lisang interrupted him loudly, "What kind of brother are you so disregarding his life?"

"Miss Chu misunderstood." Pang Bo said seriously, "It's not that anyone disregards someone's life, but that every brother among us has the integrity to donate generously and would rather die than surrender. So, if you want to kill him, the old man will be afraid." , but he himself is not afraid."

Chu Lisang was startled, but before he could react, he heard the samurai say, "Young lady, kill me if you want, don't talk nonsense. If I frown, I won't be considered a hero!"

As soon as this remark came out, even the debater next to him was quite surprised, and he couldn't help but exchanged glances with Chu Lisang.None of them expected that the bandits under Hua Ling'er would have such courage to face death as home.Biancai immediately realized that this was definitely not an ordinary bandit who would rob houses.However, they clearly occupied Wuliang Mountain, entrenched in the Thousand Devils Cave, so who would they be if they were not bandits?
The hostages in his hands were not afraid of death, but Chu Lisang was in trouble.She was just bluffing and didn't want to kill him, but now that he insisted on letting her kill him, she didn't know what to do.

During the stalemate, there was a sudden sound of horseshoes from the direction of the top of the mountain.Chu Lisang turned his head to look, and saw more than a dozen riders galloping from the mountain road, and Xiao Junmo was the first one, so he couldn't help being surprised and delighted.But when she took a closer look, she saw that Xiao Junmo was wearing a brocade attire, obviously he was not treated as a prisoner, she was very suspicious, and then she saw that Hua Ling'er was driving with him, and she suddenly became angry .

"Li Sang, let go, everyone is our own!" Xiao Junmo shouted from afar.

Chu Lisang became even angrier when he heard the words, he didn't expect him to give in to Hua Linger so quickly, he might as well be more upright than the man in his hands.

"Xiao Junmo, it's up to you to treat her as your own, don't involve me!" Chu Lisang yelled back bitterly.

In an instant, more than a dozen riders galloped towards them.Xiao Junmo got off his horse and walked in front of her: "Li Sang, listen to me, they are members of the Heavenly Punishment League just like us." He winked at her secretly.

Chu Lisang didn't expect such a thing to happen, and was momentarily stunned.Biancai quickly reacted, and hurriedly said: "Sang'er, put down the knife, it seems that there is indeed a misunderstanding." Chu Lisang had no choice but to put down the knife, but the gaze that looked at Hua Ling'er was like a knife. Sharper knives.Afterwards, Xiao Junmo roughly explained the whole story to them, and Hua Linger also explained to Pang Bo.Everyone was relieved, and immediately decided to divide into two ways: Hua Linger took Xiao Junmo back to the Thousand Demon Cave temporarily, and Pang Bo went down the mountain to see Pei Tinglong, but the task was different.

When Chu Lisang heard that he wanted to go back, he was immediately displeased: "Haven't we been deceived badly enough? Why do we have to go back?"

"Now Pei Tinglong and Xuanjiawei are waiting for us at the foot of the mountain, so naturally we have to go back to the mountain before making any plans." Xiao Junmo said.

Hua Ling'er came over and said with an apologetic face: "Miss Chu, I'm really sorry, I didn't know that everyone was my own, so the flood rushed into the Dragon King Temple..."

"Who is with you?" Chu Lisang was still angry, "Don't get close to this girl, the ghost knows if you have some evil intentions!"

Hua Ling'er smiled shyly, cupped her hands and said: "Yes, Miss Chu is right, I did do something wrong, please forgive me." After speaking, she turned to Biancai, knelt down on one leg, and clasped her fists together: "Your servant wanders around Sub-helm Hua Linger, meet Zuo Shi!" Biancai quickly helped her up: "Miss Hua, please get up quickly, the poor monk is just an outsider, and he is no longer a Zuo Shi."

Chu Lisang couldn't help being very surprised to see that Hua Ling'er's words and deeds are upright and her manners are forthright at this moment, and she is completely different from the treacherous and treacherous woman who was posing last night.

Hua Ling'er finally looked around at the four of them, clasped her fists again, and said loudly: "What happened last night, I made a big mistake and caused you to be wronged. I have prepared a little wine on the mountain to scare you, and I have the right to apologize to you! "

Pei Tinglong never expected that he had waited under the sun for a full hour, and what he finally got was a message from an old man with a white beard, saying that he acted carelessly last night and made Xiao Junmo and the others run away.

"Why didn't Hua Linger dare to come by herself?" Pei Tinglong suppressed the anger in his heart, and stared at Pang Bo, "I just sent an old bastard like you to perfuse me, isn't she tired of working?"

Pang Bo was neither humble nor overbearing, clasped his fists and said: "General Pei calm down, my family has important things to do, and I have appointed an old plenipotentiary representative to express my apologies to the general! My family has said that I will come to the door in person someday and make a special trip to pay a special visit to Pei. The general apologizes. No matter what the general orders in the future, all the people in my Thousand Devils Cave, etc., will definitely go through fire and water and die!"

"Just a few nonsense words, and you want to send me away?" Pei Tinglong grabbed Pang Bo's collar suddenly, "Tell me, did Hua Linger let the prisoner go without permission?"

"Back to the general, there is absolutely no such thing! It is true that Xiao Junmo and others are too cunning, so they didn't take the bait..." Before he finished speaking, Pang Bo was kicked in the chest by Pei Tinglong and flew out. He fell two feet away, a mouthful of blood Spit it out.Seeing this, more than a dozen warriors behind him drew their swords and rushed forward.Pang Bo stretched out his hand to stop him, and said sharply: "Get back! Put your sword away!" All the warriors had to stop and put their swords back into their sheaths, but they were all filled with righteous indignation.On Xuanjiawei's side, Xue An and all the soldiers also drew their swords, staring at each other very vigilantly.

"Come on! Why don't you go up?" Pei Tinglong laughed a few times, with a ferocious smile on his face, "I'm just standing here for you to kill, come on, all come up!"

Pang Bo stood up, clutching his chest, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "General Pei, since this old man came here under the order of my head, I will follow the command of the general. If the general wants to punish you, please come here alone!"

"Come to you? How old are you?"

"Returning to the general, although the old man is not talented, he is still ranked second in the Thousand Devils Cave. When the leader of Huada is not around, the old man still counts."

"Really?" Pei Tinglong squinted at him, "You are the second master of Thousand Demon Cave? Isn't this official disrespectful?"

"Don't dare. If the general has any orders, please ask for instructions."

Pei Tinglong stared at him for a while, then suddenly smiled: "Very good! Since you can represent the Thousand Demon Cave, then you should kneel down now, kowtow to me ten times, and slap myself ten times on the mouth, and I will tell you later What to do."

Pang Bo didn't expect him to say that, and he was stunned.

Huan Dieyi, who was on the side, couldn't bear it anymore, and stepped forward: "General, you can't kill an old man without nodding your head. You don't need to humiliate an old man like this. If the Thousand Demon Cave offends The law of the imperial court has been enforced, whether it should be suppressed or arrested, and it can be handed over to the local government for disposal. The duty of this guard is to arrest Xiao Junmo and others, and the subordinates think that there is no need to entangle them here."

Knowing that she was helping him out, Pang Bo couldn't help but give Huan Dieyi a grateful glance.

Pei Tinglong was silent for a while, the muscles on his face twitched a few times, and he smiled silently: "Well, Captain Huan is right. The second leader, why don't you thank Captain Huan quickly?"

Pang Bo quickly thanked Huan Dieyi.

"Second Master, I wonder which hand you usually use to hold the knife?" Pei Tinglong asked with a smile on his face.

Pang Bo was startled, wondering what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd.

"I think it should be this one?" Pei Tinglong suddenly raised Pang Bo's right arm, "Hold it still."

Pang Bo was wondering, when Pei Tinglong suddenly drew his saber and struck down in the air.With a scream, Pang Bo's right arm flew away from his body in an instant, blood spattered, and a series of blood spots sprayed onto Pei Tinglong's face.All the warriors behind were shocked and rushed up to support Pangburo, while drawing their swords out of their sheaths, and put on a desperate posture.Xue An and all the soldiers also rushed forward immediately with swords, and the two sides formed a confrontation.

Huan Dieyi was stunned by this sudden scene, and unconsciously covered her mouth.

Pei Tinglong stared at Pang Bo darkly: "Breaking your arm is just a small warning. Go back and tell Hua Linger, whether Xiao Junmo was let go by her or not, I will only give her three days; within three days , Xiao Junmo and the others must be tied up in front of this official, otherwise, this official will flatten your Thousand Devils Cave, and you will not be spared!"

After finishing speaking, Pei Tinglong turned around, motioned Xue An to retreat, then walked to Huan Dieyi, whispered in her ear: "Dieyi, I don't like you embarrassing me in public, what happened today, I will treat it as the last time. I hope this is not the case.”

Looking at his blood-stained face, Huan Dieyi suddenly felt creepy.

In the early morning of summer, the sky dawns very early.

The sound of the last morning drum was still lingering, and Sorens left the Zoroastrian Temple in Puning Square in a carriage, followed by four Persian guards.He first came to Liquanfang in the north of the West Market, and entered the Zoroastrian Temple in that square with his guards. After chatting with the priests and followers of the temple, he came out from the back door and boarded another set of cars that had already been prepared here. Horses; then, a group of people came to Buzhengfang to the east of Liquanfang, also entered the Zoroastrian Temple, had a brief conversation with the priest and came out through the back door, and changed carriages and horses; then, they crossed half of Chang'an City again, came When they arrived at the Zoroastrian Temple in Jinggongfang, they still carried out this set of movements, and finally went to Yongxingfang in the north, which was the real destination of Saurons today.

On the surface, the High Priest Sorens seemed to be on tour, but in fact he was trying to get rid of the stalkers as much as possible.

Sure enough, even though Wang Hongyi and Wei Laoliu had already arranged people to watch the front and back doors of the four Zoroastrian temples, they finally let Saurons slip away.Because there are many believers going in and out of each Zoroastrian temple, many of whom are wealthy businessmen, so the front and back doors are full of horses and horses, and it is difficult for Wang Hongyi's subordinates to recognize which carriage Solons took. It's easy to get thrown off at the next Zoroastrian temple.

When the sun was high, Sorens and his party slowly entered the east gate of Yongxingfang.They deliberately stopped by the square gate for a while to confirm that there was no tail behind them, and then they continued on, and finally arrived at Wangchuan Tea House.

Yesterday afternoon, Solons ordered someone to send an urgent meeting request, so at this moment, on the window sill of the first private room on the east side of the second floor, there are three striking pots of rocks.At the same time, a familiar carriage had already stopped at the door of the teahouse.The person Solons wanted to see had obviously arrived.

The clerk led Solons straight to the door of the private room on the second floor.After passing the signal, Solons pushed the door and entered. Wei Zheng rose to greet him with a warm smile on his face: "High Priest, long time no see."

Sorens also smiled and cupped his hands: "I kept the Grand Master waiting for a long time."

The "sir" he and Doris mentioned in the secret room a few days ago was Mr. Linchuan Wei Zheng.However, Solons is not a member of the Linchuan Ruo of the Tianxing League, but a close friend of Wei Zheng for many years.

After the two sat down, Wei Zheng made tea for Saurons himself. After reminiscing about the past, Solons said eagerly: "Grand Master, as you expected, Wang Hongyi from Mingzang Tuo appeared."

Wei Zheng calmly added another spoonful of hot tea to Saurons' teacup before he said calmly, "Is it for Xu Wanniang?"

"Exactly."

"After so many years, he still wants to see through that secret!"

"Teacher, you once said that once the secret is revealed, there will be a turmoil in Chang'an, do you still think so?"

"Yes, there is no doubt about it. If this secret is used by Wang Hongyi and gets mixed up with the current kings seizing the throne, the situation will become more complicated. In the worst case, the bloody scene of Xuanwumen might repeat itself. "

"It's been 16 years in the blink of an eye, but the tragedy of the death of Prince Yin and the five emperor's grandsons is still vivid in my memory!" Thinking of the changes in the Xuanwu Gate in the ninth year of Wude, Sorens immediately became sad.

Wei Zheng was also infected by him, his eye circles were slightly red: "The high priest is so empathetic and righteous, presumably the prince Yin's spirit in heaven will also feel gratified."

Solons turned his gaze out of the window and fell into memories: "Thinking back then, our sect was facing catastrophe. If Prince Yin hadn't stepped forward to turn the tide, our sect would have ceased to exist. Therefore, the great kindness and virtue that Prince Yin showed to my sect , I, Sorens, will never die; I teach tens of thousands of believers in Datang, and I want to pass on his kindness from generation to generation..."

The "Ende" mentioned by Solons originated from the eight years of Wude.At the Yuan Lantern Festival that year, when the clansmen of Prime Minister Pei Ji were watching the lanterns, a chariot and horse ran into several Zoroastrians. A dispute broke out between the two sides, and then a physical conflict occurred. The Zoroastrians caught him and sent him to Wannian County.Unexpectedly, those clansmen were released without charge the next day.The Zoroastrians were filled with righteous indignation and gathered thousands of people to petition at the gate of Suzaku.Pei Ji took the opportunity to report to Gaozu Li Yuan, saying that the Zoroastrians had gathered a crowd to cause chaos.Li Yuan was furious. He not only ordered Marquis Wu to disperse the petitioners, but also obeyed Pei Ji's words, and prepared to issue an edict to ban Zoroastrianism, demolish all Zoroastrian temples in the world, and completely prohibit the people from believing in Zoroastrianism.

If this order is implemented, it will be a disaster for Zoroastrianism.At a critical moment, Prince Li Jiancheng heard the news, and immediately went to the palace to play Li Yuan, argued with reason, stated his interests, and finally got Li Yuan to withdraw his order, and then ordered Wannian County to deal with the Peiji tribe according to law.Zoroastrianism, which was on the verge of extinction, escaped a catastrophe. Sorens and thousands of followers are all grateful to Li Jiancheng...

"High Priest, the Sri Lankan has passed away, and the past is over, so you don't have to be too sad."

Hearing Wei Zhengzhi's words, Solons slowly withdrew his thoughts, and said apologetically, "The grand master is right, I lost my composure and almost missed the business." Afterwards, he shared the information about Wang Hongyi obtained by Doris Tell Wei Zheng one by one.

After Wei Zheng heard this, he frowned: "Wang Hongyi actually picked up Wei Wang, it really is not a good person!"

"The current situation is so similar to the Nine Years of Wude!" Solons smiled wryly, "My religion believes in the retribution of good and evil. Judging from the current situation, I am afraid that the debt of murder made by the King of Qin back then will be paid by him." His sons have come to pay back."

Wei Zheng was slightly displeased: "The high priest's words are wrong! Since he ascended the throne today, he has humbly accepted advice and made great efforts to govern, and single-handedly created a peaceful and prosperous world for the country and the people. If there are any debts, hasn't he already paid them off? In this world, is there any greater good than allowing the common people to live and work in peace and contentment? This old man fully understands the high priest’s affection for Prince Yin, but if you turn your respect and memory of Prince Yin into hatred and curses for Jinshang, then How is it different from someone like Wang Hongyi?"

Sorens was very ashamed, and hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "What the grand master said is very true, I am too narrow-minded, lacking the grand master's mind to focus on the world and care about the people, ashamed and ashamed!"

"You don't have to blame yourself, the high priest. Now that you have risked the risk to complete the plan we made together, you have made a contribution to the peace of the country. It is already a merit; in addition, the information you provided today is also very timely and timely. It is very important, the old man should thank you."

Sorens waved his hand, and then he showed a gratified smile.

Back then, in order to protect Xu Wanniang and her secrets, Wei Zheng and Saurons jointly weaved a "net".One end of this net is hung in Yelanxuan, and the other end is hung in Zoroastrian Temple. The outermost circle is Xiugu, the second circle is Doris, the third circle is Saurons, and Wei Zheng is sitting firmly in the center of the net.Once someone wants to track down Xu Wanniang, they will throw themselves into the trap and become their prey.At the beginning, Wei Zheng made a prediction, and the person who was most likely to bump into this net was Wang Hongyi.In this regard, this net is not only Xu Wanniang's protection net, but also a warning net carefully arranged by Wei Zheng: once Wang Hongyi touches the net, it will be automatically exposed and an alarm will be triggered, and Wei Zheng can take the initiative and deal with it calmly.

"Has Doris been transferred safely?" Wei Zheng asked.

Solons nodded: "Don't worry, Grand Master, I sent someone to escort her out of the city early this morning."

"Has the high priest himself made arrangements?"

Sorens smiled: "There is no need for the grand master to worry about it. I have decided to go to Guangzhou, where merchants gather and integrate from all over the world. It is a good place to preach."

"Because of Xu Wanniang's matter, the High Priest and Dai Lisi had to travel far away and leave Chang'an, I feel really sorry!"

"Teacher, don't say that. This is the voluntary choice of Dai Lisi and I, and it is also a trivial repayment for Prince Yin's spirit in heaven. We are willing."

Wei Zheng was a little moved, and added some hot tea for him, and then picked up the tea bowl: "Come on, I will replace the wine with tea. I wish the High Priest and Dai Lisi a smooth journey, and I also wish you a speedy return!"

After the two had finished drinking tea, Sorens was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something: "By the way, I almost forgot about one thing, that Wang Hongyi's adopted daughter, Su Jinse, is still locked up in my temple, according to the Grand Master, how should I deal with it? "

Wei Zheng pondered for a while: "You have to work hard and bring her here, I have my own opinion."

The northernmost gate of the west city wall of Chang'an, named Kaiyuan Gate, was the starting point of the Silk Road in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Starting from Kaiyuan Gate and heading west, passing through the Hexi Corridor and exiting Yumen Pass in Dunhuang, one can reach Gaochang, Yanqi, Qiuci, Shule, Khotan and other countries in the Western Regions.Through the post road outside Kaiyuanmen, camel teams transported silk and porcelain from the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions in an endless stream, and Hu merchants in the Western Regions transported a large amount of spices, jewelry, medicinal materials, etc. to Chang'an, so on this road , all year round camel bells jingle, horses and horses plow, and there is an endless stream of business travelers, and the traffic is extremely busy.

In the early morning of this day, the morning drum sounded, and just as the gate was opened, a barbarian caravan hurried out from the West Gate of Puning Square, went straight through the Kaiyuan Gate, and embarked on the post road leading to the Western Regions.A Persian woman wearing a veiled hat, a tulle face, and a white dress rode a horse in the caravan, looking around from time to time, with a very alert look on her face.

She is Doris.

In addition to the front and rear doors of the Zoroastrian Temple in Puningfang, there is also an underground secret passage leading to a warehouse in the next street.It was through this secret passage that Doris left the Zoroastrian Temple, followed the caravan out of the warehouse as a merchant, and embarked on the road to the Western Regions without anyone noticing.Even if countless pairs of eyes were ambushed around the Zoroastrian Temple, there was no way to find that she had already escaped her shell.

The caravan that came out of the warehouse was no different from other barbarian caravans on the surface, and they also used camels to pull a lot of goods. In fact, they were an escort specially arranged by Saurons. Send Doris to Yanqi secretly and safely.

As the caravan traveled farther and farther west, Doris's vigilance and uneasiness gradually receded, replaced by more and more intense nostalgia and reluctance.

As revealed to Sorance a few days ago, although Doris is a Persian born in the Western Regions, she has long regarded Tang Chang'an as her only home.Since she was eight years old, she has never left this prosperous, majestic and magnificent city. Now that she suddenly wants to say goodbye to it, Doris feels that her heart seems to be empty at once, as if there is no one on top of her head at this moment. A sky of clouds.

Of course, what Doris couldn't let go of more than this city was the woman she called her aunt.

Doris has no memory of her biological mother at all.From the time I can remember to before the age of eight, the name "mother" is synonymous with terror, a mixture of scolding, whipping, humiliation, and abuse. It was not until she met Xu Wanniang that she experienced the feeling of being cared for and loved for the first time in her life. Only then do we know what is safe, warm and carefree.In her mind, the beautiful and kind Xu Wanniang was already her mother, but every time she called her, she never had the courage to remove the word "aunt" in front of "aunt".

After becoming a priest at the age of 16, for almost ten years, Dai Lisi would go to the secluded two-story building in Huaizhenfang every month to live with Xu Wanniang for a few days, chatting with her about her parents, talking about An anecdote.She watched the crow's feet in the corners of her aunt's eyes getting deeper year by year, and saw the faint hoarfrost gradually staining her temples, but her beautiful and quiet expression, and her kind and warm smile were still the same as Delly's. As Ruth saw it when she first opened her eyes when she was eight years old.

Yesterday Doris begged Sorance to allow her to go to Huaizhen Square for the last time, to comb her aunt's hair again, and to tell her some interesting anecdotes, but Sorance vetoed it extremely severely: "If you If you don't care about the lives of yourself and Xu Wanniang, then you go!" After saying this, Solons walked away, leaving Doris on the spot for a long time.

At that moment, Doris tried her best not to let the tears fall, but at this moment, unsatisfactory tears had already crawled across her face behind the veil.

When the majestic Chang'an City gradually turned gray and yellow on the horizon behind her, Doris suddenly turned her horse's head around without any warning, and galloped towards the way she had come.The dozen or so guards were instantly dumbfounded.The lead guard reacted, and quickly ordered a few of his men to take the camel horse team to the front station to stand by, and then led the rest of his men to turn around and chase.

Seeing the mount below her galloping towards Chang'an, and hearing the wind whistling past her ears, Doris felt that she must be crazy.

From the day she became a priest, she never once disobeyed Saurons' orders.But this time, she violated without hesitation.

Now, she just wants to go back to the two-story building in Huaizhen Square, help her aunt comb her hair again, and talk to her for a while, and when the time for the final farewell comes, she must put the "aunt" in front of her. Remove the word "姨" and only call out the following word...

(End of this chapter)