Lanting prelude

Chapter 67 Brothers
The moment the sharp arrow shot in front of him, Xiao Junmo turned his back to the sky and fell off the cliff.Feathered arrows flew past his nose.Xiao Junmo spread his limbs, like a gliding bird, fell straight down from the cliff...

Xiao Junmo galloped all the way north, and was chased and intercepted by many groups of imperial infantry.

This is a life-and-death battle with no way out, and its danger and tragedy even surpassed the hunted down last year when he was on the run.Because Xiao Junmo was not fighting alone at that time, there were people who extended a helping hand in time along the way, and there was always a certain distance between him and the pursuers behind him.Today, however, God cruelly threw him into a desperate situation surrounded by heavy siege, hand-to-hand combat and no one to rescue him, as if he was determined to put him to death!

Xiao Junmo didn't want to hurt these fellow imperial guards at first, he mainly focused on defense and avoidance, but as more and more pursuers, the battle situation became more and more dangerous, he was forced to fight with all his strength, and he didn't know how many people were cut down before and after.

After running about a mile, Li Ke led people to catch up with him.

However, rather than saying that Li Ke wanted to arrest him, it would be better to say that he was "escorting" him, because Li Ke kept shouting "Catch him alive" along the way, so that the soldiers of the imperial army were a little at a loss, making Xiao Jun silently kill a bloody road .

Xiao Junmo knew that no matter what Li Ke said, he still cared about his brotherhood in his heart.

Thinking of this, a warm feeling surged in his heart.

The mount gradually galloped to the end of the woods, and outside the woods was the most difficult part of Stone Urn Valley, full of deep ravines and ravines.Xiao Junmo's mount had already been hit by several arrows during the fleeing all the way just now, and it couldn't hold it anymore, its front hooves softened, and it fell to its knees. The inertia of the forward rush threw Xiao Junmo's whole body out.

Although he was injured in many places, he managed to relieve the force of the landing with his dexterous posture, then got up quickly, rushed out of the woods with one stride, and jumped into a ravine in front of him.

Facing the terrain with ravines and ravines, Li Ke and the pursuers behind him had to dismount, which happened to provide Xiao Junmo with a glimmer of life - if it was on flat ground, Xiao Junmo who had lost his horse would have nowhere to escape.

Marquis Wu and the soldiers of the Imperial Army were mostly good at riding horses, but there were not many who knew how to do light work, and the ravines in front of them were three or four feet high and more than one foot deep, so most of them were hesitant to move forward, only Li Ke He took twenty or thirty men with good lightness skills and chased after him.

However, their skills are still not as good as Xiao Junmo.

Seeing the figure in front of him striding like flying, the rabbit rising and falling, and quickly opened a distance of three or four feet from them, Li Ke couldn't help scolding his mother again.

There was a rumbling thunder in the sky, and the big raindrops fell down at this moment.

When Li Ke and the others climbed out of a deep ditch more than two feet high, they were dumbfounded—there was a deep green pool in front of them, and the rain fell one after another, splashing countless splashes, and Xiao Junmo had disappeared .

On the right side of the pool is a reed field, on the left side is a steep but still climbable cliff, and on the opposite side is a gentle slope covered with wormwood as tall as a person.

Where is Xiao Junmo? !
Li Ke stood beside the pool thoughtfully, the rain mixed with sweat dripping down his face.

"Your Highness, why don't you let the brothers search separately?" a Marquis Guard next to him suggested in a low voice.

"Just the few of you, are you still searching separately? Is it enough for Xiao Junmo to plug his teeth?" Li Ke said coldly, "Go back and inform Li Shiji, let him send all the people over, with the lake as the center, densely packed within a radius of three miles Search, I don't believe he can escape!"

"Obey!" The Wu Hou guards took the order and left.

At this time, the rain became heavier and heavier, and the surrounding scenery gradually became blurred.Li Ke stared at the water, stood in a daze for a while, then suddenly turned around and walked into the rain...

A reed stalk sticks out of the water.

It is close to the shore, and it is only two or three feet away from where Li Ke was standing just now, but it is not easy to detect because of the abundant aquatic plants on the shore.

The reed stalk moved, and a string of bubbles bubbled up beside it, and then Xiao Junmo's head jumped out of the water.

If he hadn't practiced extraordinary breath-holding skills, he would definitely not be able to last for such a long time by breathing only with this reed stalk.At this moment, there was mist and rain all around, Xiao Junmo took a quick look, then took a deep breath, and plunged into the water again.

After more than half an hour, Xiao Junmo climbed up the cliff from the west of the pool.

His face was pale, his steps were staggering, and his strength was already exhausted.Blood kept coming out from many wounds on his body. Although it was diluted by the rain, it still stained his black armor red.

Xiao Junmo walked to a huge rock, panted heavily, then lowered his head, got under the rock, and sat down on the ground.

This small area is just right for shelter from the rain.He closed his eyes and rested his head on the rock, feeling completely dazed.

Everything that happened today caught people off guard, as if an invisible force pushed him into the abyss at once.Just like last year, he suddenly became a court prisoner again; the difference is that what happened last year was the result of his active choice, but the great change he encountered today happened so suddenly that he was completely caught off guard.

What should I do next?
Even if he could break out from the encirclement of tens of thousands of forbidden troops and escape from Lishan by chance, what about after that?
Maybe we should find a place to recuperate first, and at the same time try to inform Xi Yan, Hua Ling'er, and of course Chu Lisang.

Then again?

Do you want to join them and flee to the end of the world again?Or simply throw everything away, part ways with Xi Yan and the others, and only take Chu Lisang away to live in seclusion in a place that no one knows, and never ask about world affairs, and die in Linquan forever?
Xiao Junmo smiled wryly.

Of course he couldn't do that.Not to mention that his mother, Xu Wanniang, was still in Wang Hongyi's hands, even if he had rescued her, he would not give up his responsibilities—the responsibilities of being a subject of the Tang Dynasty and the leader of the Tianxing League.

Just thinking about it, Xiao Junmo suddenly felt something was wrong.

Although his eyes were closed, he still vaguely felt that he was being stared at by a gaze.

He opened his eyes suddenly, and immediately let out a helpless smile.

Sure enough, Li Ke was standing under a big tree not far away with his hands behind his back, staring at him with eyes as cold as frost and as sharp as a knife.

"You have already sent me a ride, don't you need to send me again?"

Xiao Junmo had no choice but to walk under the tree and meet Li Ke's eyes.

"Do you think you can escape?" Li Ke said coldly.

"Fortunately, you were escorting me all the way," Xiao Jun smiled silently, "otherwise it would be a disaster."

"Xiao Junmo, the army will be here in a blink of an eye. You are running out of time. Stop smiling with me. Tell me, what is your relationship with Tianxingmeng, Wang Hongyi, and Prince Yin?"

In fact, Li Ke had already spotted the reed stalk sticking out of the water at the edge of the pool just now, but he pretended not to know and dismissed his subordinates in order to ask Xiao Junmo about the matter alone.

Xiao Junmo wiped the rain off his face, looked at the gray rain around him, and suddenly smiled desolately: "Li Ke, if I am destined to die here today, can you do something for me?"

"what's up?"

"Help me find someone."

"who?"

"My mother."

Li Ke was puzzled: "Lingtang? She's not..."

"I'm talking about my biological mother."

"Birth mother?" Li Ke frowned, vaguely realizing that the truth Xiao Junmo wanted to tell might be very important, "Who is she?"

"Her name is Xu Wanniang."

"Where is she? What's the matter?"

"Wang Hongyi kidnapped her. I don't know where she is, so I asked you to help me."

Li Ke was surprised, and became more and more puzzled: "Then tell me, who is your biological father?"

Xiao Junmo looked at him, and smiled strangely again: "Li Ke, if I tell you that we are actually cousins, I should call you third brother, do you believe it?"

"What?!" Li Ke was shocked, and his eyes widened immediately, "You mean..."

"Yes." Xiao Junmo paused, "Prince Yin is my biological father."

A thunderstorm suddenly exploded above their heads.

Li Ke was so terrified that he couldn't help but took two steps back.

"Unbelievable, right?" Xiao Junmo tried his best to show a relaxed smile, "But this is the truth, and this is the truth you want."

"Then why did Wang Hongyi kidnap your mother?"

"Because he knew my life experience, he held my mother hostage just to make me help him kill the Holy One and subvert Datang."

"What is the deep hatred between Wang Hongyi and my father? Why did he do this?"

"Two reasons: one is to realize his power ambitions and recreate the past glory of 'the king and the horse share the world'; the other is because, during the reign of Wude, he was my father, the counselor next to Prince Yin, so he To avenge my father."

Li Ke was stunned, and immediately thought of something: "So, what you told me yesterday is true? Are you indeed the leader of the Heavenly Punishment Alliance?"

Xiao Junmo replied with silence.

Li Ke let out a "ha", and couldn't laugh or cry at once: "Xiao Junmo, you are really good! Wearing the skin of Xuanjiawei, you are doing deeds against the imperial court!"

"The purpose of the Tianxing League is to protect the world, not to fight against the imperial court."

"Really? But didn't you just say that Wang Hongyi wants to overthrow Datang?" Li Ke sneered, "Isn't he a member of the Tianxing League? Isn't he a descendant of Wang Xizhi?"

"It is true that he is a descendant of Wang Xizhi, but he has betrayed the purpose of the Heavenly Punishment League!"

"So, are you and Wang Hongyi having an internal quarrel?" Li Ke still had a sneer on his face, "If that's the case, why did you help him kill his father's substitute?"

"I did it to stabilize him!" Xiao Junmo suddenly raised his voice, "I just said that my mother is in his hands!"

Li Ke was at a loss for words, and he said after a while: "Jun Mo, there is something I have to ask. When you said you wanted to help me win the heir, what was your motivation?"

"Motive?" Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "What motive do you think I am? Do I want to harm you, or do I want to harm the court and the world?"

"I didn't say that either." Li Ke said embarrassingly, "It's just that your identity is too complicated, and it's inevitable... that makes people worry."

"I just found out about my own life experience not long ago." Xiao Junmo said, "What's more, even if I knew it, it has nothing to do with this matter! You don't think that I help you win the heir for the sake of myself?"

"Why can't you?" Li Ke smiled unnaturally, "Since you are the orphan of Prince Yin, and you also have the blood of the royal family, in principle, you can also seize the throne and become the prince, or even... the emperor ?"

When Xiao Junmo heard the words, he couldn't help feeling a pain in his heart.

What hurt his heart was not Li Ke's questioning of him, but that he would never have imagined that fate would force the two of them to such a state of mutual suspicion!
"If you really think so, then you might as well kill me now." Xiao Junmo spread his hands, "Chop off my head, you can not only eliminate a threat, but also go to ask for credit from the Holy One, so that your prince's life The position is guaranteed, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?"

Li Ke didn't answer, but secretly clenched the handle of the knife at his waist.

Xiao Junmo noticed this detail, so he smiled lightly, opened his hands wider, and closed his eyes at the same time.

"Li Ke, after killing me, remember to find my mother and hand her over to Chu Lisang. They are innocent, please let them go. Please!"

Li Ke remained silent, his hand gripping the handle of the knife trembling slightly.

"If you don't agree, I will die with regret." Xiao Junmo still closed his eyes and actually smiled, "Then I will not let you go even if I am a ghost."

Li Ke's eyes suddenly became moist.

He told himself desperately: These are not tears, but rainwater flowing into his eyes.Then he desperately told himself: Xiao Junmo is right, for me, killing him now is the best choice - if you offer his head today, you will definitely be able to enter the East Palace tomorrow!

As for the brotherhood at the beginning, there is really nothing to worry about, because that is already a thing of the past.Back then, I was just a carefree vassal king, and Xiao Junmo was just a Xuanjia guard general. The relationship between them is so simple and clear, so we can naturally be brothers.But now everything is different, I have already embarked on the road of no return, and Xiao Junmo has become the "Leader of the Heavenly Punishment League" that my father wanted to kill soon, and he is still the orphan of Prince Yin. It is even more impossible to let him live in this world!

Therefore, no matter from which point of view, Xiao Junmo must die.That being the case, instead of letting him die in the hands of others, it would be more cost-effective to let him die in his own hands!

Li Ke convinced himself in this way, and then slowly drew out his saber.

"I promise you." Li Ke said.

"Thank you very much." Xiao Junmo said.

A bolt of lightning flashed across, illuminating Xiao Junmo's pale face as well as the gleaming knife in Li Ke's hand.

But the sound of rolling horseshoes suddenly sounded at this moment.

The Forbidden Army has arrived.

Li Ke turned his head and looked, only to see two horses rushing out of the vast rain and fog, one was Li Shiji, and the other was Li Zhi.Immediately afterwards, cavalry cavalry from the imperial army appeared from all directions.

"Do it!" Xiao Junmo closed his eyes and looked calm, "Don't let this credit fall into the hands of others."

"Don't blame me, Jun Mo, I have no choice." Li Ke held the knife in both hands and held it high.

"Stop talking nonsense! It's worth it to trade my head for your imperial career!"

If someone else was present at this time and heard this sentence, they must have thought that Xiao Junmo was teasing and mocking, but Li Ke knew that Xiao Junmo was sincere.This is what a real brother would say, and only as a brother can you hear how much love is contained in this sentence.

Tears welled up at this moment.

Li Ke roared, then raised his foot and kicked Xiao Junmo out.

Xiao Junmo fell on the muddy ground.Before he could react, Li Ke had already rushed up, and with a sharp knife, he slashed at the rocks around him one after another, making a crisp clang.

"Run, run!" Li Ke lowered his voice, anxious, "Give me a knife first, and then run!"

"I'm running away, you're finished!" Xiao Junmo got up and swung his knife to block, as if fighting.

At this time, Li Shiji and Li Zhi had led their troops to surround them, but the rain and fog were too heavy, and they couldn't really see the situation on Li Ke's side, only vaguely seeing the two of them fighting.Li Shiji was about to lead people to rush over, but was stopped by Li Zhi: "Master, let's stay here, there is no need to go up."

Li Shiji had been in Bingzhou for many years as Jin Wang Changshi, and he was Li Zhi's staff member in name, so Li Zhi often called him "Master" in private.

"What does Your Highness mean?" Li Shiji was anxious to go up and "capture" Xiao Junmo alive, to save his life first, and then try to save him.

"The third elder brother just disobeyed his father's will and didn't kill Xiao Junmo on the spot. His father is already angry." Li Zhi smiled lightly, "Now, of course, we must give the third elder brother a chance to make up for his mistakes. If we go up and give him If you kill him, isn't that just taking credit from the third brother? This is too unkind."

Li Shiji was extremely anxious, but he had no choice but to say: "Your Highness is really kind, it's the old man who didn't think about it."

Li Zhi squinted at the two "fighting" in the distance, with a thoughtful smile on his lips.

He knew very well that Li Ke was limited by his friendship and couldn't bear to attack Xiao Junmo. At this moment, the two of them were fighting sonorously, but they were just acting.He predicted that Li Ke would let Xiao Junmo go in the end, so he wanted to "fulfill" Li Ke.In this way, Li Ke's crime of manipulative crime is completely confirmed. Even if he is not severely punished by his father, he will lose his father's trust. How can he compete with himself for the position of crown prince?

Thinking about it, Li Zhi quietly clenched the bow in his hand.

Here, Xiao Junmo was still unwilling to "give him a knife" as Li Ke said. Li Ke blushed anxiously, and took advantage of his unpreparedness to bump into him himself.With a puff, the blade of the Dragon Shoudao penetrated Li Ke's armor and pierced his chest, and blood gushed out immediately.

Xiao Junmo was taken aback, and quickly drew his knife.

Li Ke took advantage of the opportunity to push him out, and shouted in a low voice: "Run! Don't dawdle!"

Xiao Junmo had no choice but to take a deep look at Li Ke, then turned around and ran towards the top of the cliff.

"No, the third brother is injured!" Li Zhi pretended to exclaim, but in fact he was secretly proud, because the development of the matter was exactly as he expected. "Master, go and see third brother, I'll go after him!" After finishing speaking, before Li Shiji could reply, he slapped his horse and galloped out.A group of Custodian cavalry followed.

Li Zhi's wishful thinking is to wait for Li Ke to let Xiao Junmo go, and then shoot Xiao Junmo with his own hands, so as to take the lead.

When passing by Li Ke, Li Zhi smiled: "Don't worry, third brother, I'll avenge you."

Li Ke was shocked and angry, but he could only helplessly watch Li Zhi gallop away.

Xiao Junmo ran up the mountain for more than ten feet, and suddenly stopped.

Here is a high cliff, and he has nowhere to go.

Li Zhi led his people to gallop there, reined in the reins three feet away, and smiled triumphantly: "Xiao Junmo, so many people couldn't catch you today, but in the end you died in my hands, you Say, is this God's will?"

Xiao Junmo glanced under the bottomless cliff, then slowly turned around, looking at Li Zhi expressionlessly.

The two looked at each other.

Suddenly, Li Zhi realized something, his smile disappeared immediately, and he immediately raised his bow and arrow, and shot it with a swish.

The moment the sharp arrow shot in front of him, Xiao Junmo turned his back to the sky and fell off the cliff.

Feathered arrows flew past his nose.

Xiao Junmo spread his limbs, like a gliding bird, fell straight down from the cliff...

Lishan is famous for its hot springs, which boil like soup in four seasons.

The heavy rain poured down, so Li Shimin had no choice but to find a natural cave at the northern foot of Lishan Mountain to shelter from the rain.The hot springs in the cave are overflowing and steaming.Zhao Dequan waited for a group of relatives to finally find a dry and flat rock, spread several layers of bright yellow brocade on it, and use it as an "imperial couch" for the emperor.

At this moment, Li Shimin was sitting on the imperial couch, with Li Ke and Li Zhi kneeling in front of them, who were soaking wet.

Li Shimin glanced at the injury on Li Ke's body: "It is said that you are brave, but you are also injured. How is the injury?"

"Going back to the father, it's just a little flesh and blood wound, nothing to worry about." Li Ke's complexion was very bad, and his spirit was quite sluggish. "My son is incompetent and failed to capture Xiao Junmo alive. Please forgive me!"

"I'm afraid it's not that you are incompetent, but that you are unwilling to try your best?" Li Shimin said lightly.

Li Ke was slightly startled: "My father, my son... I want to catch someone alive so that I can find out more clues about the Heavenly Punishment Alliance."

"But didn't you hear my will? If you resist, you will be killed on the spot!"

"Yes, Erchen knows, but Erchen still wants to try his best."

"Try as hard as you can?" Li Shimin snorted coldly, "There are countless casualties among the soldiers, but Wang Hongyi has not been caught until now, and Xiao Junmo also jumped off the cliff! Is this the result of your trying your best?"

"My son is incompetent. I have let down my father and I am ashamed of the court. My son is willing to accept the crime."

"Guilt or innocence aside, it's just that you really let me down today." Li Shimin sighed, "If I don't use a substitute today, then the person who was kidnapped by Wang Hongyi and whose head was chopped off by Xiao Junmo, wouldn't it be me? ?! You are both General Wuhou Wei and General Xuanjiawei, and you are solely responsible for the safety of this trip, but this turned out to be like this, you let me down so much!"

Li Ke's face was ashen, and he was silent for a moment, then suddenly took off his helmet, and held the top of his head with both hands: "My minister's crime is unforgivable, please, father, dismiss my minister immediately!"

Seeing this scene, Li Zhi was overjoyed in his heart, but on the surface he made an appearance of pleading: "Father, third brother, he has tried his best. If there is no credit, there is hard work. The only ones to blame are Wang Hongyi and Xiao Junmo. The thief is too cunning! If the emperor wants to punish the third brother, please also punish the son!"

"You're here again!" Li Shimin smiled bitterly, "Pheasant slave, why do you rush to suffer together every time your brothers make mistakes?

I have always been strict with rewards and punishments. Your performance today was very heroic, which surprised me quite a bit. Therefore, not only will I not punish you, but I will also reward you heavily! "

Li Zhi was overjoyed in his heart, but his face remained calm: "Thank you for the compliment, father, but I just did what I should do, and I don't think I have any credit..."

"You shot Xiao Junmo off the cliff with an arrow, isn't that credit?"

"Father's words are not quite accurate." Li Zhi still had an innocent look, "My son's arrow actually missed, and Xiao Junmo fell down by himself."

"Regardless of whether the shot hit or not, it was you who took timely action to force Xiao Junmo off the cliff, wasn't it?"

Li Zhi scratched his head: "This... this is true."

"That's why!" Li Shimin smiled all over his face, "In my opinion, this is a great achievement!"

Hearing this, Li Ke couldn't help smiling wryly in his heart.

Ninth brother picked up a leak insidiously today, but was called "a great achievement" by his father, which is really ridiculous.However, the more ridiculous thing is actually myself: yesterday I was confident that I belonged to the East Palace, but now I feel like I am a guilty person; I didn't expect that I would fight with the prince and the king of Wei, but in the end it would be a fight between a snipe and a clam , The fisherman reaped the benefits, but let the ninth brother, a seemingly benevolent but ulterior boy, take advantage of it!

"Father, even if I have meritorious service, I don't want to receive the reward." Li Zhi said.

"Why?" Li Shimin was puzzled.

"My son is willing to use this merit to offset the fault of the third brother, and I only hope that the father will not reward or punish him."

Li Shimin suddenly realized, with a look of relief in his eyes, and said to Li Ke: "Ke'er, have you seen it? Pheasant slaves are so benevolent, righteous, filial, and broad-minded at a young age. You and Chengqian and Qingque are big brothers. Shouldn't you be ashamed?"

Li Ke smiled wryly: "The emperor's words are very true, my son is ashamed." After speaking, he turned his head to look at Li Zhi, and said something in a low voice.Li Zhi was a little embarrassed.

Li Shimin frowned: "What are you mumbling about?"

"Oh, Erchen is thanking the ninth younger brother for interceding for Erchen."

Li Shimin turned his gaze to Li Zhi, and Li Zhi hurriedly smiled and said: "Third brother will be out of touch if you say that, they are all brothers of your own family, why bother to say thank you?"

In fact, what Li Ke said just now was: "Ninth brother, what a trick is the mantis catching the cicada, and the oriole is behind. I admire the third brother!" Li Zhi, who was smiling, replied in his heart: " You are wrong third brother, I am not a squirrel, I am the one under the tree who shot the squirrel with a slingshot."

"Put on your helmet." Li Shimin said to Li Ke angrily, "Until Wang Hongyi and the Tianxing League are completely wiped out, you can't give me a pick."

"Yes, my son obeys the order." Li Ke had no choice but to put the helmet back on.

At this moment, Li Shiji hurried in from the cave, and was about to kneel down to salute, when Li Shimin raised his hand to stop him: "Tell me, how is the situation?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Wang Hongyi has not been captured yet, and the soldiers are still searching; and the place where Xiao Junmo fell off the cliff is full of jagged rocks, ravines, and many deep pools. It is not easy to find, and no body has been found yet..."

Hearing this, Li Ke felt as if his heart had been gouged out by a knife.

Xiao Junmo fell from such a high cliff, and there is absolutely no hope of surviving. If he can't even find the body, and can't be buried in the ground, then as a brother, what face will he have when he meets him under the Nine Springs in the future? !
"Haha!" Li Shimin sneered loudly, "The living can't see people, and the dead can't see corpses. Could it be that they will go to the sky to escape?!"

Li Shiji showed embarrassment on his face, and hurriedly knelt down: "I am incompetent, please forgive me! But...but there is one thing, I have to say, the rain is too heavy today, not only the sight is not clear, but also the ground is muddy and slippery. A few soldiers didn't pay attention, and fell from the cliff..."

When Li Shimin heard it, his expression darkened, and he said coldly: "If your niece didn't indulge Wang Hongyi privately, how could the soldiers have worked so hard to find her, and how could they have sacrificed in vain?!"

Li Shiji was shocked: "What did your majesty say?"

Today's situation is extremely chaotic, so Li Shiji still doesn't know about Huan Dieyi's arrest.

Li Shimin stared at him darkly: "Li Shiji, while hunting in Lishan today, although I didn't hunt even half a wild animal, I caught several spies from the Heavenly Punishment Alliance lurking around me. You have a close relationship. So now I am very curious, what is your real identity, Li Shiji?"

Li Shiji was shocked, and hurriedly kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I have always been loyal to the court, and I have absolutely no other identity..."

"No?" Li Shimin raised his eyebrows, "Then please explain to me why your proud disciple Xiao Junmo colluded with Wang Hongyi to kill my substitute? Then, why did your former subordinate Luo Biao use force to help Xiao Junmo escape ? Finally, why did your niece Huan Dieyi let Wang Hongyi go without permission? So, how do you explain it?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, I was also very surprised by what Xiao Junmo did; and Luo Biao helped Xiao Junmo escape, and I have personally arrested him; as for the matter of Huan Dieyi, I... I don't know at all!"

Li Shimin smiled coldly and gave Li Zhi a wink.Li Zhi coughed twice, and said to Li Shiji: "Li Shangshu, I discovered Huan Dieyi's private manipulation of Wang Hongyi; I also arrested her."

Li Shiji was so dumbfounded that he couldn't speak a word.

"Li Shiji," Li Shimin said in a deep voice, "in today's case, you have serious suspicions, and you should have been dismissed and investigated. But because of your meritorious service to the court, I will not deprive you of your official salary for the time being, but from now on, you will be suspended." You are the Minister of the Ministry of War. You should go back to your private residence and introspect, and you must not step out of the house until the court finds out the truth."

This means that Li Shiji will be placed under house arrest.

"I... obey the order." Li Shiji's face was ashen, trembling slightly, he took off his helmet.

Zhao Dequan stepped forward immediately, took his helmet, and then two imperial guards stepped forward and escorted Li Shiji out.

Li Shimin looked at the gray rain curtain outside the entrance of the cave, pondered for a long time, sighed, and said to Zhao Dequan: "It will be hard for the soldiers to encounter such a ghostly weather. Pass down the order, leave one behind, and strictly seal all the people entering and leaving Lishan Mountain." At the intersection, all the other soldiers will withdraw, and all the ministries will set up camp on the spot, and search again when the weather clears."

"Observe the decree." Zhao Dequan opened an umbrella and hurried out to deliver the decree.

"Father," Li Ke said suddenly, "Let my son find it, I want to make up for my mistakes."

Li Ke thought that no matter what, he had to find Xiao Junmo's body, otherwise he would have a restless conscience for the rest of his life.

"No need." Li Shimin glanced at his wound again, "What can you do if you are all injured? Go down and treat the wound."

"Yes." Li Ke was full of helplessness.

There was lightning and thunder outside the cave, and the rain became heavier...

When Xiao Junmo opened his eyes again, it was already three days later.

He found himself lying on a wooden bed, and the bright sunlight slanted in through a wooden window, shining warmly on his face.Two colorful butterflies are flying by the window, chasing and playing.Looking around, this is a simple but clean wooden house, tidy and tidy, the few pieces of furniture are made of logs, without carving or painting, under the sunlight, there is a faint smell of wood Unique fragrance.

Xiao Junmo struggled to sit up, the multiple wounds on his body were affected at the same time, the pain made him gasp, and he had to lie back down again.

Where am I?

How could I survive? !

He clearly remembered that when Li Zhi forced him onto the cliff that day, he probed his head and found that the cliff was at least a hundred feet high. Although his sight was blocked by the rain, he could still vaguely see that the bottom of the cliff was full of rocks and ravines. If you fall, you will die!

However, there is no unparalleled road. Just three or four feet below the cliff, there is a small tree that grows horizontally from the crack in the rock, about five feet long.It was this small tree that slanted out from the side that gave Xiao Junmo a glimmer of life in the desperate situation.

He moved his steps quietly, aiming his body at the small tree below.At the moment when Li Zhi shot the arrow, Xiao Junmo fell backwards, then firmly grasped the tree trunk during the fall, then turned over, hugged the tree trunk and quickly climbed towards the cliff, finally stood up, kicked Stepping on the tree trunk, stepping on the protruding rock next to it, the whole person stuck tightly to the cliff.

Li Zhi led his men to stand on the edge of the cliff, and looked down for a while, but couldn't find him at all.

While listening to the movement on the cliff, Xiao Junmo carefully observed his surroundings, and saw a few thick vines hanging from the cliff a foot away from the right.After a while, there was the sound of horseshoes going away from the cliff.Xiao Junmo took a deep breath, leaped vigorously, firmly grasped a vine, then climbed the vine, stepped on the cliff, and slid down little by little.

After sliding down for more than ten feet, a sunken rock platform suddenly appeared on the cliff.At this time, Xiao Junmo was still bleeding profusely, his physical strength was almost overdrawn, and he was supported by a strong desire to survive, and the timely appearance of this platform undoubtedly brought him back to life again.

Xiao Junmo immediately jumped onto the platform.

As soon as the danger was lifted, a strong sense of exhaustion suddenly hit.He collapsed on the rock limply and slowly closed his eyes.In a daze, he felt the grass beside him move a few times, and then he heard a boy's voice tremblingly saying: "Father, there is a person lying here, he seems to be dying." Suddenly, it seemed that someone walked up to him and opened his eyelids with his fingers.

Xiao Junmo saw the blurred face of a middle-aged man, and then he didn't know anything...

At this moment, Xiao Jun thought to himself, the father and son must have saved him, and this should be their home.But what makes him wonder is, who are these father and son, and how did they appear on that cliff?

Faint voices came from outside the house.Xiao Junmo listened attentively, and a look of surprise suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Chu Lisang!
Why is she here? !
The door of the wooden house opened with a creak, and Chu Lisang walked in with a bowl of medicine.When she raised her eyes, she suddenly met Xiao Junmo's eyes.Her hand trembled, and she almost knocked over the medicine in the bowl, her eyes turned red immediately.

Xiao Junmo smiled brightly and patted the edge of the bed lightly.

Chu Lisang came over and sat down, put the medicine aside, wiped the corners of his eyes, choked up slightly, and said, "I thought you didn't want to wake up."

Xiao Junmo smiled again: "How long have I been asleep?"

"Three days."

"Where is this?"

"Hong Qingshan."

Xiao Junmo was stunned.Hongqing Mountain is just south of Mount Li, much larger than Mount Li, with high mountains, dense forests, deep valleys and narrow valleys, hidden here, it is difficult for outsiders to find.Even if the emperor mobilized an army of [-] to search here for three months, it would be futile to find a needle in a haystack.

"Then, how did you find me?"

"It's not 'you', it's 'you'!" Hua Ling'er said loudly, and strode in, "The difference of one letter from the leader can wipe out all the credit for me, Hua Ling'er!"

Seeing her coming in, Chu Lisang was a little embarrassed, so she got up and left the bed.

"Just sit down," Hua Ling'er winked at her, "I won't compete with you."

Chu Lisang smiled, and didn't answer her fault, but said to Xiao Junmo: "Thanks to Miss Hua this time, otherwise you will be in trouble."

"Then thank you Miss Hua!" Xiao Junmo smiled.

"I'm not happy that the leader said that, as if he treats me like an outsider!" Hua Ling'er said coquettishly, and then glanced at Chu Lisang jealously, "If you want to say thank you, you should thank Sang'er the most Girl, I really have a heart-to-heart with you!"

"You don't have to bring me along to show your merits." Chu Lisang said flatly.

"That can't be done! I, Hua Ling'er, never covet the merits of the heavens or plunder the beauty of others." Hua Ling'er said, "The credit should be given to whomever deserves the credit..."

Then, she explained exactly what happened.

On that day, Xi Yan was ordered by Xiao Junmo to protect Chu Lisang in Xiao's house in Lanlingfang.Chu Lisang, who was still recuperating, was taking a nap in the room when he was suddenly awakened by a nightmare. He rushed out of the room and told Xi Yan loudly that Xiao Junmo had encountered danger in Lishan.Xi Yan doesn't believe it, isn't it just a dream, how can it be done accurately?Chu Lisang had no choice but to take advantage of his unpreparedness to climb over the wall and find Hua Ling'er who lived in the same house.Hua Ling'er was a little hesitant at first when she heard what she said. It could be seen that Chu Lisang was extremely anxious, thinking that it was about the safety of the leader. He drove out of Chang'an and came to Lishan in the rain.

However, at this time, all the passages into the mountain have been blocked by the imperial army.Seeing this, Chu Lisang believed even more that his dream was real.When everyone was anxious because the way was blocked, Pang Bo suddenly remembered that he had an old friend named Liu Qi, who was a herb collector, who lived in seclusion in Hongqing Mountain to the south of Mount Li, and shuttled between the two mountains all the year round. Learned many hidden secrets.The crowd immediately let Pang Bo lead the way and entered Hongqing Mountain, finally found the wooden house where Liu Qi lived, but unexpectedly, there was no one there.

Everyone had no choice but to wait here.Chu Lisang couldn't help it, and tried to find it by herself several times, but was stopped by Hua Ling'er desperately.After waiting for more than an hour, the rain gradually subsided, only to see Liu Qi and his son running out of the woods with a man covered in blood on their backs.Everyone went forward to meet them, and were very pleasantly surprised to find that the injured person was actually Xiao Junmo.

After listening to Hua Linger's narration, Xiao Junmo was quite emotional, but he still had a question unanswered, and said, "The place where I was unconscious was between the cliffs, how could Liu Qi and his son be there?"

"There is a cave there, and they went in to shelter from the rain through the entrance of the other end. By the way, they thought of picking some herbs at the entrance of your end, and happened to see you." Hua Ling'er said, "Auspicious people have their own days. Apparently, they just took some hemostatic medicine before, and they stopped the bleeding for you."

Xiao Junmo was stunned, and hurriedly said: "I have to thank Mr. Liu Qi very much."

"He's gone into the mountain. But the lord doesn't have to worry about it. He and Pang Bo have a life-threatening friendship, so thank you and we'll see each other."

"Although that is the case, I must thank you for saving my life."

Just as he was talking, there was a rush of horseshoes outside the house.Chu Lisang glanced out the window, said "It's Lao Xi", and walked out.After a while, Xi Yan deliberately lowered his voice from outside.Xiao Junmo's hearing was excellent, and he heard something clearly, so he asked Hua Ling'er to call them in.

Xi Yan walked in with Chu Lisang, and when he saw Xiao Junmo, his eyes turned red immediately: "Leader, you finally woke up..."

"I can't die." Xiao Junmo smiled faintly, "You just said, what happened to my master and junior sister?"

Xi Yan's eyes flickered, and he exchanged a glance with Chu Lisang, hesitant to speak.

Xiao Junmo turned his gaze to Chu Lisang: "Sang'er, tell me quickly, what happened?"

Chu Lisang hesitated for a moment, and finally told the truth: "Lao Xi just heard that Li Shangshu was suspended by the emperor and placed under house arrest, and Miss Huan and Luo Biao... were also imprisoned in Dali Temple Prison."

Xiao Junmo was shocked and his eyes widened.

With a bang, Xiao Junmo punched heavily on the bed, startling all three present.

(End of this chapter)