Start with ten times the talent of Zhang Sanfeng

Chapter 222

The location of this so-called "inner study" is really hidden, and the journey was very tortuous.

Under the guidance of General Xixia, the group first passed through the imperial garden and entered the "Qingfeng Pavilion" where Princess Yinchuan usually lived.

Afterwards, a personal maid of Princess Yinchuan came forward instead, and invited Meng Xiuyuan and others to have some refreshments and rest before setting off on the road again.

Walking into the inner hall of "Qingfeng Pavilion", one can see a long and secluded corridor extending far away on the wall, in which the candles are brightly lit, and the end cannot be seen at a glance.

The palace lady led the people into the corridor, every tens of feet away, there was a thick stone gate blocking it, they had to be opened with a special mechanism, and only after walking through three stone gates in a row did the crowd walk out of the corridor.

It's not over yet, just after leaving the tunnel, I suddenly heard the sound of water, but saw a dark and bottomless deep stream in front of me.

"Brother Meng, have we left the Xixia Palace at this moment?
Or, is this in the underground of Xixia Palace? "

Duan Yu walked a distance of two hundred zhang in that corridor, and he had already lost his sense of direction.Seeing such a deep stream appearing in the darkness, I just thought it was really unimaginable, and couldn't help asking Meng Xiuyuan who was beside him.

Meng Xiuyuan shook his head when he heard the words, but did not answer.In fact, he didn't understand what was going on, let alone where he was at the moment.

The only thing he can confirm is that the difficulty of this road must be deliberately designed by Li Qiushui.

After all, not to mention the disciples of the Xiaoyao School, they are all quite accomplished in architecture.Whether it is the Vulture Palace in Tianshan, the Wuliangyu Cave in Dali, or the long corridor under the Xixia Palace, they are all the same.

Not only is the exquisite design admirable, but it also has the practical effect of concealing the enemy.

Thinking about it, the reason why Tianshan Child Elder's martial arts are higher than Li Qiushui's, but she has not been able to take revenge for decades, is due to the design of the "inner study".

"To go to the inner study, you have to pass through this Orchid Stream, everyone, please follow me..."

The palace maid who led the way listened to everyone whispering, she couldn't help smiling, she took the lead to walk to the edge of the deep ravine, and then she jumped down.

"girl?!"

Seeing this court lady acting like this, many people immediately exclaimed.

However, soon everyone discovered that the maid did not fall into the deep stream, but walked over the stream gracefully and volleying over.

If you look carefully again, you can see that there is a steel cable leading from one bank to the other bank, crossing the stream.It's just that the steel cable was painted black, and it was in the dark where the firelight couldn't reach it, so everyone didn't notice it just now.

All the people present were selected from among the hundred or so people through martial arts competitions. If they were not highly skilled in martial arts, or had powerful helpers by their side, the tightrope walking was naturally not difficult.

Many people guessed that this might be a test between meeting the princess, and Dang even scrambled to jump on the tightrope, performing lightness kung fu, and sprinting across in what they thought was the most chic posture.

Meng Xiuyuan had no intention of taking the position of son-in-law, so he was unwilling to compete with them, and Duan Yu was the last one to step up after Ba Tianshi led him through the tightrope.

Unexpectedly, when Meng Xiuyuan was halfway there, he suddenly heard a sharp "whoosh", and one end of the steel cable under his feet was suddenly disconnected, and the whole steel cable seemed to be pulled by some mechanism, and quickly retracted into the opposite bank. among the grass.

The creek was about ten feet wide, and Meng Xiuyuan was in the middle of it at this time, and there was no support for his feet.

The incident happened suddenly, and everyone was shocked when they saw this scene, with different expressions.

Most of them, including Murong Fu and the Tubo prince Zongzan, felt overjoyed in their hearts, only God helped me, in today's competition for the position of son-in-law, I lost a biggest opponent.

The eyes of the crowd are discerning. During the martial arts competition just now, everyone saw clearly that this Mr. Meng was firmly ranked first no matter his appearance or martial arts. With him present, others felt that his chances were a little less. It would be better if he wished for him to fall to his death.

Only Duan Yu and his colleagues from Dali felt anxious after seeing this situation, and were really worried about Meng Xiuyuan's safety.But they are far away after all, except for Duan Yu exclaiming "Brother Meng", there is no other way.

For Meng Xiuyuan himself, this situation was completely unexpected, and he couldn't help being surprised.

Such a desperate situation, even if it was only two years ago, he must have no other ending except to fall into this deep ravine.

Fortunately, now that he has the lightness skills of "A Happy Journey" by his side, things are a little different.

"Ah!"

Meng Xiuyuan yelled lightly and exerted his strength, and immediately stretched out his palms backwards and downwards, two powerful and unparalleled palms suddenly struck.

With the reaction force of this palm force, Meng Xiuyuan immediately leaped forward and upwards, and then forced a breath of true energy, using the kung fu of "Xiaoyaoyou", his arms stretched out like a dandelion It flew across the air for a few feet and landed slowly on the opposite shore.

"what?!"

Seeing this, all the people present couldn't help but turn pale with shock, they only felt that the kung fu displayed by Meng Xiuyuan in a short while was no longer ordinary.

Among them, Murong Fu's heart is the most complicated, because only people like him who have stepped into the ranks of peerless masters understand where the limit of human power is.

This kind of kung fu of flying across the sky without relying on strength, let alone do it, just dare not even think about it.

"My lord, I'm really sorry, I don't know why the steel cable will be withdrawn suddenly..."

Seeing this scene, the maid who led the way was very flustered, and hurriedly wanted to explain to Meng Xiuyuan:

Meng Xiuyuan didn't say anything when he heard the words, he just thought about it. On the contrary, Duan Yu who was at the side was so frightened just now, he couldn't help but fight for him now and said:

"Sister, it's too reckless for you to act like this.

In the situation just now, only brother Meng has peerless martial arts to be able to protect himself.

If it were the rest of us, I'm afraid they would have fallen down and smashed to pieces...

Is this how Xixia treats guests when recruiting consorts? "

As soon as Duan Yu said this, everyone present couldn't help nodding their heads and figured out the reason behind it.

Indeed, in such a dangerous situation just now, no matter which of them encountered them, they would all die in the end, and there was absolutely no possibility of surviving like Meng Xiuyuan.

To choose a son-in-law here is actually in danger of life, no one is willing.

As a result, all of a sudden, the crowd couldn't help but rioted one after another, they all surrounded the little maid and asked questions in one go, wanting to ask for an explanation.

The court lady was only sixteen or seventeen years old, although she was clever, she couldn't bear such a heavy question for a while, she became more and more panicked, and hurriedly explained to everyone:
"Everyone, don't get me wrong, I, the Xixia Kingdom, have absolutely no intention of harming everyone.

This stream seems to be bottomless, but in fact it is mainly because there are few candles and no sunlight here.

The stream below is flowing, even if you stumble and fall, you will not be in danger of your life, but it is just a little embarrassing..."

While speaking, the maid looked at Meng Xiuyuan, bowed deeply to him, and said sincerely:

"My lord, please forgive me.

This accident was all caused by Xiaolei and I alone, and has absolutely nothing to do with Her Royal Highness or the Xixia Kingdom.

If you want to blame, please just blame me..."

Meng Xiuyuan shook his head when he heard the sound, knowing that this matter must have nothing to do with her as a little girl, so naturally he didn't want to make things difficult for her, so he immediately said with a smile:

"Miss Xiaolei, you don't need to explain.

Don't delay, please lead the way. "

Seeing this, the maid immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and after bowing respectfully to Meng Xiuyuan, she led the crowd forward.

After passing the deep ravine, the terrain gradually rises all the way to the ground and sees the sun.After passing through a large bamboo forest, before coming to a cave gate, it is finally at this mysterious "inner study".

Pushing the door open, I saw a hall first. This cave was originally a natural cave in the mountain peak, and it was artificially modified later.

The walls of the hall are polished and smooth, and calligraphy and paintings are hung everywhere.There is a big red sandalwood desk on the side of the hall, on which are placed the four treasures of the study, curios of inscriptions, several bookshelves, three or four stone benches, and stone tables. Although it is a bit empty, it is also quite elegantly arranged.

The maid Xiaolei said: "This is the inner study of Her Highness the Princess, please feel free to enjoy the calligraphy and paintings, the Princess will be here later."

When everyone heard that the princess was coming soon, they were very excited, regardless of whether they could understand the calligraphy and painting on the wall, they immediately began to appreciate the paintings one by one.

Even Duan Yu was attracted by a picture of a lady dancing with a sword, because the picture in the picture was exactly what Li Qiushui looked like when he was young.

Only Meng Xiuyuan recalled what happened when he walked through the deep ravine just now, and he didn't act in a hurry, but sat on a stone bench to rest quietly.

The cable mechanism will never be put away by itself by accident, it is obviously the hand of the owner here.Meng Xiuyuan just didn't know what he meant by acting like this, whether he didn't welcome him, or just wanted to make a little joke.

After a long while, Meng Xiuyuan stood up again when he saw that there was no abnormality, and walked to the wall to observe carefully.

However, Meng Xiuyuan naturally didn't see those calligraphy and paintings. He gently lifted the images, and saw countless human figures carved on the wall, some were meditating, some were jumping, and their postures were all kinds of strange.

Most of these human figures are surrounded by circles, and most of the circles are marked with some heavenly stems and earthly branches and numbers.

Taking a closer look, I can see that these figures are similar to the figures carved on the stone chamber wall of Vulture Palace. Presumably, Li Qiushui rubbed those handed down knowledge in his early years, and copied them into this "inner study room".

All the differences among them should be the insights accumulated by Li Qiushui in the past decades of hard thinking.

Meng Xiuyuan's careful observation was quite rewarding. After all, although Li Qiushui's kung fu was a bit inferior to Wu Yazi's and Tianshan Tonglao's, he was definitely a peerless master, and he had a unique understanding of martial arts.

In this way, after a while, when Meng Xiuyuan was immersed in the comprehension of martial arts, he suddenly heard a very elegant and light fragrance, and then heard a court lady say loudly:
"His Royal Highness is here."

When everyone heard the princess's arrival, they were both surprised and delighted, and immediately arranged their clothes and crowns, cheering up.

I don't want to, but after a while, Princess Yinchuan didn't appear, I could only hear a rustling conversation from the direction of the inner hall across the door, obviously the princess had stopped there.

Seeing this, the Tubo prince Zongzan was very anxious and couldn't help shouting:

"I waited for Princess Yinchuan and traveled thousands of miles to come here.

Just now in the imperial palace, he defeated many opponents, so he had the opportunity to come to this 'inner study room'.

Why doesn't the princess want to see us? "

As soon as he said this, several people around him echoed, all talking and putting pressure on the maid standing between the hall and the inner room.

Unexpectedly, the maid was not affected at all, she just saluted everyone politely, and then said slowly and softly:

"His Royal Highness invites all of you to come to Xixia to meet with guests. The princess has a question, please answer it one by one. If it suits the princess, I will welcome you.

If you don't want to stay here longer, please leave first, and go back to the Ningxiang Hall to have a rest with tea. Someone will guide you along the way so that you won't lose your way. "

After hearing her words, everyone secretly thought that this princess of Xixia was really different, and they didn't dare to say any more, and they all became quieter.

The maid waited for a while, and when no one spoke, she said softly:

"The questions the princess wants to ask have been told to the servant girl, please listen to me:

Excuse me, all of you have traveled thousands of miles to Xixia to be the son-in-law of Xixia, what do you want most in your heart? "

Speaking of this, the maid's voice paused for a while, and after watching everyone in the hall slightly, she continued:
"I also ask you to answer according to your heart, and don't be hypocritical.

The princess is very concerned about this and hopes to hear a sincere answer..."

Everyone was scrambling to be the first, and they all wanted to say some flattering and beautiful words to please the princess.But after hearing the reminder from the palace lady, I couldn't help but feel a chill in my heart. I was stabbed by the word "sincerity", knowing that the matter was not simple, and everyone didn't know how to speak.

After all, when everyone comes here to marry the princess, they all hide their petty thoughts, so how can they bring it up on the table.

After a while, I saw Prince Zongzan of Tubo stand up and said to the maid:
"I've already thought about the princess's question, so let me answer it first.

Haha, the reason why I want to marry the princess is because I heard that the princess looks like a fairy, rare in the sky, and unparalleled in the earth.

Heroes love beauties, and I, the prince of Tubo, loves the princess of Xixia, what's wrong? "

Everyone heard that although Prince Zongzan's words were a bit rough, but his performance was quite frank, they couldn't help but regret secretly, knowing that they should be so brave and be the first to stand up, so as to leave a good impression on the princess.

The court lady nodded upon hearing the words, bowed to Zong Zan, and said politely:
"The arrival of the prince, the whole country is honored and favored.

Also ask the prince to rest for a while, and wait for the others to finish answering the questions. "

Zong Zan laughed out loud, feeling that his performance was pretty sure. He happily sat on the stool beside him and watched the other people's answers with a smile.

Seeing this, Murong Fu thought that he had lost the opportunity, if he waited any longer, he might have left a deep impression on the princess, so he immediately stood up, bowed to the maid, and said politely :
"Murong Fu in Yanziwu, Gusu, has long admired the princess's name, so I came here to pay a visit.

I have already thought about the princess's question, but I wonder if I can answer it? "

The maid smiled and said:

"It turns out that it is Mr. Murong of Gusu who 'returns the way to others'. Even though the servant girl is in the deep palace, he has heard of his name.

Since the son has already thought about the answer, please answer it. "

Murong Fu nodded, cleared his throat slightly, turned to the direction of the inner room, and with a little energy, he said to the princess:

"Murong Fu wanted to be this son-in-law today, but he actually asked for a lot.

Men of my generation should make meritorious deeds.After becoming the Prince Consort of Xixia, it is naturally much easier.

I also heard that Princess Yinchuan is beautiful and dignified, and has read a lot of poetry and books. I also want to find this beautiful woman and a good companion to spend my whole life together.

So many kinds, and so on.It is too difficult to sum up the reason.

I only hope that after meeting the princess, I can get this answer..."

The maid heard the sound and nodded in the same way, then asked Murong Fu to sit aside.

In this way, it didn't take long for the dozen or so people in the hall to answer the questions one after another.

Influenced by Zong Zan and Murong Fu, most of the people were telling the truth in their hearts, and there were only one or two who played tricks a little bit, and they could hear it right away.

In the end, even Duan Yu answered the question, and said something embarrassing, "I hope Xixia and Dali will have a good relationship forever".

At this time, Meng Xiuyuan was the only one left in the hall who hadn't answered the question yet.

Everyone's eyes couldn't help but gather on him, wanting to hear how this peerless expert Mr. Meng would answer.

But Meng Xiuyuan remained silent all the time, with his eyes slightly lowered, wondering what he was thinking.

The maid looked at Meng Xiuyuan and reminded:
"My lord, it's your turn to answer the question."

"Oh..." Meng Xiuyuan was bored after hearing what those people said, so he deduced and thought about Li Qiushui's martial arts on the wall in his mind.After hearing the maid's reminder, he regained his composure, smiled and said:

"Meng Xiuyuan, coming here this time is actually not..."

No, as soon as he said those words, he saw the palace lady's complexion froze, and interrupted:
"You are Meng Xiuyuan, Mr. Meng?
I didn't hear your name just now, I thought the young master wouldn't be here today.

The princess has told you, Mr. Meng, you are her distinguished guest, as long as you show up, you don't need to answer the questions.

Young Master, please come in first, Your Royal Highness has something to discuss with you alone..."

(End of this chapter)