the enlightener says

"Let's not talk about these things for now." The shopkeeper continued, "I don't know what the adults call it?"

"Qin Ke." Qin Ke did not deny his title of "Master" at this time. After all, he was a "liaison officer" of Zhuge Wanling at this time, representing Zhuge Wanling, and the word "Master" was also Sude, "Zhuge..." He just wanted to call out Zhuge Wanling's name, but quickly realized it, and continued, "The prime minister said, you have something to give him."

The shopkeeper didn't deny it, just drooped his eyes, took out a box from his sleeve, and said, "That's it."

Qin Ke slowly opened the box with strange eyes, different from what he imagined, this box is not old ginseng, nor is it rare jade, nor is it a document with top secret information, and opened the bedding inside the box. There is a layer of cloth, but there is one inside, which looks very old, like a soup spoon that has been drifting in the long river of time for countless years.

"This..." Qin Ke didn't know what to say, maybe this soup spoon was used by the emperor of the dynasty?Is it an antique?Oh yes, in the main hall where Zhuge Wanling is, there are indeed several shelves on which there are many porcelain and bronze wares...

"What dynasty is this..." Qin Ke held back for a long time, and finally couldn't help asking.

However, Gao Yishui's eyes looked a bit fanatical. Hearing Qin Ke say this, he rolled his eyes, thinking that this kid is uneducated to a certain level: "This is something passed down by the ancient sage kings at that time."

"Is the ancient sage king...a used spoon?" Qin Ke asked strangely. If so, this thing is one of the most precious antiques in the world. Just putting a spoon on the shelf for viewing all day is not for him. It's really strange.

Gao Yishui was drinking tea to ease his emotions. Hearing Qin Ke's question, he spewed out all the tea in his mouth. Abu, who was sitting directly opposite him, probably didn't expect such a thing to happen, and was sprayed all over his face. water, in a panic.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Gao Yishui couldn't help laughing, and reached out to pass a handkerchief over, but Abu shook his head, indicating that he had it, and then wiped his cheeks.He wiped it, looked at the "spoon", and said softly, "Could it be..."

Gao Yishui smiled lightly, and said, "This is Wuxing Sinan. Of course, it's only part of it."

"This is the Five Elements Sinan?" Qin Ke said in surprise, "I thought that the Five Elements Sinan was no different from the current compass."

"Please, what time was the ancient sage king?" Gao Yishui hummed, "It is recorded in the ancient book that 'the Fang family can use a magnet to grind the needles and they can guide them. At that time, Wang basically did not use Sinan to identify the direction. The so-called "Sinan's ladle, cast on the ground, it is a guide". .”

The old shopkeeper nodded slightly, and said, "This gentleman is very knowledgeable."

Gao Yishui smiled and said, "Thank you, thank you."

Qin Ke let out a sigh. He really didn't dabble in this kind of miscellaneous knowledge, but when he understood it, he looked at the "spoon" in front of him differently. Is this the Five Elements Sinan?One of the artifacts?

He has imagined many scenes where he finds the artifact, perhaps in a deep cave in a deep mountain and old forest, or in a crater that is about to erupt, or in a tomb with hidden institutions and dangerous tombs, but this Five Elements Sinan is When he first arrived in Tang country, he saw it without any effort, which made him feel like he was dreaming.

He stretched out his hand and slowly touched Wuxing Sinan with his fingertips, feeling that the vicissitudes of ten thousand years seemed to have crossed the distance and came straight in front of him. The slightly rough touch was like an electric current flowing straight down his arm. Punch the brain.

He seemed to hear that voice again, like a man, but also like a woman, it was calling to himself: "Come...come..."

He raised his head, wanting to ask Gao Yishui and others if they heard the voice, but found that there was an unfathomable darkness in front of him, and he was not in the inn!

The neighing of war horses and the trampling of iron hooves came from a distance like a flood. Countless people were shouting, and the drums were deafening like thunder. Qin Ke's eyes were dark, but he already felt that countless people were charging towards him. .

He saw the outlines of the cavalry in the darkness. They were wearing black iron armor, as cold as a sharp knife. The light did not dare to approach their bodies, so they could only curl up in the darkness, trembling.Qin Ke raised his eyes, and the leader was covered in iron armor, holding a long sword. The style of the sword looked familiar, and the eyes under the helmet almost pierced himself.

"Who are you...?" Qin Ke tried hard to see their faces clearly, but the darkness gradually became thicker, and soon he couldn't see anything, only the voice in front of him humming like gold and iron rubbing against each other.

"Kill." The man said.

Immediately, the war horses roared together, and their iron hooves rolled towards him.

Qin Ke put his arms in front of his head in fear, but how could he alone be able to stop those heavy armored cavalry?However, those shadows in the darkness passed through him and rushed behind him. He turned his head suddenly. Although he couldn't see anything, the wailing and crying of countless people was so straight to the heart.

They are not here for themselves.

Qin Ke wanted to step forward to stop him, but just after taking a step, he suddenly found that he was holding a sword in his hand, and blood was slowly dripping from the sword.

Chapter 223 Five Elements Sinan

"Ake...Ake..." Qin Ke woke up suddenly, Abu was shaking him vigorously, Gao Yishui also had a bit of a strange look in his eyes, as if he saw something amazing.

But Qin Ke felt very tired at this moment, and hot sweat poured out from his vest, soaking his underwear.He didn't know what was wrong with him, and who was that person in the dark, and which cavalry was that group of cavalry, could this be part of the so-called "divine revelation"?

He doesn't know.

In fact, he has always felt very strange, if there are gods and spirits in this world, why can't such a powerful existence directly convey the words to his ears, but repeatedly call them in his heart in such a vague way?

But when he lowered his head, he found that he had held Wuxing Sinan in his hand at some point, tightly, as if stuck to his hand.It took a lot of effort for Abu to finally take Sinan down.

And Abu didn't dare to hold it too much, and quickly put Sinan back into the box. The terrible blankness in Qin Ke's eyes just now made him a little frightened. He always felt that Wuxing Sinan seemed to have awakened something in Qin Ke's body.

Something, something like a ghost.

Gao Yishui stretched out his hand to hold his wrist, felt his pulse, and then said relaxedly: "It's just that the blood is out of control all of a sudden. I just exhausted too much energy. Just take a rest."

Qin Ke nodded, smiled wryly and said, "I feel like there are two stones hanging on my eyelids."

"What did you see just now?" Gao Yishui said meaningfully.

"I don't know. I didn't see anything." Qin Ke replied, he didn't know why, he didn't want to tell Gao Yishui about these things, he just wanted to hide them as if they never happened.

Qin Ke, who was helped by Abu to the room, lay on the bed, perhaps because he was too tired, and soon Abu heard his snoring.He stroked Qin Ke's forehead to confirm that he was just tired for a while and didn't have a fever, so he closed the door carefully and walked back to the room.

Gao Yishui was still sitting there, playing with the Five Elements Sinan in his hands. The length of the Five Elements Sinan was about the same as the palm of an adult, and it was just right to hold it.

Gao Yishui looked calm, stroking it with his thumb.

"Be careful." Abu said with some concern, "I didn't know what kind of evil happened to Ake just now. Although it is a holy artifact, no one knows what terrible secrets are hidden in it."

Gao Yishui shook his head: "If that's the case, I hope I can get a glimpse of the secret. It doesn't feel good to be kept in the dark."

"What do you mean?"

"Can't you see it? Qin Ke must have seen something just now, but he just didn't want to say it." Gao Yishui confirmed that he couldn't be affected by it, put Wuxing Sinan back into the box, and closed the lid, "Obviously The reason for our trip is not as simple as we imagined. Zhuge Wanling's thoughts are deep, and no one can guess what is hidden in his heart, but since he chose to let Qin Ke come to find his master, There must be a reason for him."

"Sir..." Abu thought for a while, "I think it's for our own good. There are some things that can only increase your troubles if you speak them out."

"From your point of view, I really think so. After all, he is your teacher. But unfortunately, he is not mine." Gao Yishui smiled and looked at the old shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, I have a question. The five elements Simon, where did you get it?"

The old shopkeeper glanced at him indifferently. Just now Gao Yishui casually called Zhuge Wanling's name, which made him a little dissatisfied, but he clearly distinguished between public and private, and just lowered his head and said softly: "This is... a collection in the palace of King Tang. .”

"Sure enough." Gao Yishui nodded, "If you want to get such a precious thing, it can only be hidden in such a dangerous place. It's not so easy for the shopkeeper to get such a thing."

The old shopkeeper shook his head, with a bit of sadness in his eyes: "It's really not easy. For this thing, the children... don't know how many died in foreign countries. The only thing I can do is to keep their tokens So, if one day, I can go back to my hometown, I hope to build a tomb for them."

"It should be." Gao Yishui said, "But it's still a pity."

"Unfortunately?" Abu asked.

"This is indeed a part of the Five Elements Division, but it is only a part of it. Without a compass, this 'spoon' is just a valuable antique. Although it is precious, it doesn't have much meaning. I found the artifact...but It’s only half, which is really a pity.”

Gao Yishui said: "Unless we can find a compass and combine the two together, it is recorded in the "Biography of the Holy King" that the ancient sage kings used the five elements to distinguish yin and yang, investigate feng shui, control floods, and finally set the capital of the country and create an immortal world. Merit. It is said that under the control of spiritual practitioners, the Five Elements Division can expand its perception so that it can sense wind and grass tens or even hundreds of miles away."

"Hundreds of miles?" Abu gasped. He had studied battle formation, so he naturally knew the importance of scouting on the battlefield. If the Five Elements Sinan really has such an effect, wouldn't a general with him be invincible?

"This is just a legend. After all, the only one who can do this is the ancient sage king. It has been so long. Who knows if there is an exaggeration. I don't care about this, but it has one of the most important things. function."

"What is it?"

Gao Yishui likes to pause every time when there is the most suspense, always tantalizing, which makes Abu a little anxious.

"It can sense the position of other artifacts." Gao Yishui said: "If we have a complete Five Elements Sinan, at least we won't be looking for other artifacts like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Abu fell silent. What Gao Yishui said was so shocking that he was a little overwhelmed for a while. Indeed, if the Five Elements Sinan really has such an effect, then they don't have to run around like headless chickens, and just follow the instructions designated by the Five Elements Sinan. Orientation to find the artifact, maybe things will be simpler instead.

The old shopkeeper nodded and said: "Indeed. It is mentioned in the fragment of "The Legend of the Holy King". Among all the artifacts, the Five Elements Sinan may not be the most powerful one, but it is the core of these artifacts."

"It seems that the old shopkeeper has also studied "The Legend of the Holy King." Gao Yishui smiled.

"I think there is no one in this world who does not respect the prosperous times under the rule of the Holy King." The old shopkeeper sighed, "It's a pity... people like us, we can't even see the peace of the world."

"Oh? Does the old shopkeeper think that Zhuge Wanling can do this?" Gao Yishui asked suddenly.

The old shopkeeper glanced at Gao Yishui with his cloudy old eyes, and shook his head: "Who can say for sure what will happen in the future? I'm old, and what happens to the children and grandchildren, let the children and grandchildren witness for themselves."

After finishing speaking, he clasped his hands together: "You two, I have to leave first. If I'm not here all the time, I'm afraid it will arouse suspicion."

"Okay. Thank you, shopkeeper." Gao Yishui also stood up and cupped his hands.

The door slowly closed in front of him.

Gao Yishui turned his head, looked at Abu, and said, "It seems that Zhuge Wanling has been searching for the whereabouts of the artifact a long time ago."

Holding the teapot, Abu paused slightly with his right hand: "How can you see that?"

"The head of a spy has actually read "The Legend of the Holy King". You must know that this book has been handed down to this day, and it has long been incomplete, and the writing is ancient and very difficult. If you don't study it specially, it may be difficult to gain anything. Gao Yi calmly analyzed, "At least, not in the short term."

"Didn't he say he respected the Holy King? Maybe it's his preference? Also, don't you also understand the biography of the Holy King?"

"That's nonsense. Do you think I can really understand the biography of the Holy King? I am a luthier, not a historian! My understanding of the Holy King is limited to other ancient books. Although I can't fully understand it, I can understand it by touch. Summarize the deeds of the Holy King."

"You..." Abu choked on his answer, "Are you testing the old shopkeeper?"

"I just tried to put down a bait. As for the fish taking the bait, you can't blame me, can you?" Gao Yishui spread his hands and looked innocent.

"Obviously, Zhuge Wanling was looking for information about the artifact long before Qin Ke came. It must not be an easy task to take this object out of the palace of King Tang. As for him, he was looking for his younger brother. It doesn't matter whether I have my own purpose or not, I am not used to being played around with applause, if there is a chance, I will definitely..." Gao Yishui said with a smile: "Jump out."

Abu sighed and said, "But I think Mr. will definitely not harm us."

But Gao Yishui said: "I have to go back to what I said earlier - it doesn't feel good to be kept in the dark."

Chapter 224 Lantern Festival

When Qin Ke woke up, the room was pitch black, probably already at night, and the sky was as dark as ink. He lay in bed for a while, recalling the scene he saw before, those cavalrymen, and the man who spoke , gave him a strange feeling, but he couldn't describe it yet, but the more he thought about it, the more entangled he was.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he could only put it aside for the time being. He was a little hungry, and slowly propped himself up, about to get out of bed to find something to eat, but he heard a light knock on the door.

"Ake." Abu called him from outside the door.

"Abu? Come in." Qin Ke said.

As soon as Abu opened the door, a strong aroma of vegetable soup wafted in from the tray he was carrying. Qin Ke's stomach was dry, and he got up naturally when he smelled the smell.

Sitting at the table, Ah Ke didn't say anything polite, picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating.

Abu looked at Qin Ke's anxious look, smiled, and said, "I knew you were about to wake up from hunger, but I was afraid that you would not be able to eat greasy food, so I asked the kitchen to cook some food." Vegetable soup, a bit bland, but good for the body."

Qin Ke didn't care too much. The porridge added shredded meat and mushrooms. It didn't taste bland. He drank half a bowl in one go. He didn't raise his head until he was sweating a little and said: "Why are you alone, old Gao?"

"Mr. Gao has gone out. Tonight is the first night of the Lantern Festival. He said he was going out for a walk... Well, he said 'gathering folk songs'."

"Come on. He just wants to play around." Qin Ke scoffed at the word "collecting the wind", "Anyway, I haven't seen him compose any tunes after collecting the wind everywhere. He just cheats on food and drink everywhere he goes."

Abu smiled, noncommittal, but said: "Take a shower after eating, you smell of sweat, those who don't know think you are a porter."

Qin Ke nodded, but suddenly thought of something, stood up, and walked to the window.Although this inn was not luxurious, the sound insulation was very good. In the room, he could only hear the slight noise from outside.

And when he opened the window, the festive atmosphere of Ding'an City that had been brewing for a long time rushed over. The lantern festival had already started, the sound of gongs and drums intertwined with silk and bamboo, and a team of dragon dancers rolled past from below. The streets that are not considered bustling have already been hung with lanterns, and the rays of light gather together to drive away the darkness, making the night of the entire Ding'an City look like daytime.

"Shall we go out for a stroll too?" Qin Ke came to Ding'an City for the first time, and he was also interested in the Lantern Festival in Tang Dynasty, so he leaned against the window and said.

Abu scratched his head, he didn't really like such a crowded crowd, but since Qin Ke proposed, of course he nodded in agreement.

After Qin Ke finished eating the soup, he took a comfortable bath with the hot water from Xiaoerduan, changed into clean clothes, and felt a lot lighter all over his body. There was a singer singing in the theater, her voice was sweet, which made Qin Ke feel a little bit more festive.

Following the singing girl humming the inexplicable song, they pulled Abu on, and they went downstairs. Seeing the lively scene outside, the two looked at each other and smiled, like two fish jumping into the water, soon Squeezed into the crowd and disappeared.

And in a tea shop outside the inn, there were two people sitting opposite each other, and one of them was already drowsy. Even though the Tang Dynasty Lantern Festival was very lively, after all, no one was made of iron. It's all boring.

"Hey! Hey! Wake up, wake up! People are coming out." The bandit named Lu Pu slapped Wu Ting forcefully. Before Wu Ting recovered, he rushed into the crowd In the middle, Wu Ting hurriedly dropped the tea money and followed in two or three steps.

The owner of the tea shop collected the money, and while cleaning the table, he looked strangely at the backs of the two people walking away... These two guests, the tea and tea in front of them have not touched much, but they have been sitting from day to night, and their behavior is very serious. Weird and funny.

"Although there is a Lantern Festival in Jianye, it has never been so lively." Qin Ke walked out of the block and strolled on the avenue. The dragon dance team followed one after another, and at the moment he just turned his head, a group of children held The lantern giggled and chased after the dragon, and the parents behind them had gentle eyes and called, "Be careful, don't fall."

"Okay!" The children responded in unison, and continued to chase the dragon forward, yelling.

Qin Ke looked at the group of running children, and inexplicably thought of his own childhood. At that time, his father was planting rice seedlings in the field, and he was chasing dragonflies and catching frogs by the side of the field. The sun was scorching, but he didn’t feel the heat at all. Instead, it was his father who kept urging him: "Go stand in the shade of the tree, go in the shade of the tree..."

Or with a smile, he untied the sweat towel tied around his head and put it on Qin Ke's sparsely haired head, for fear that he would get sick from the heat.

Now... things are different, his parents have long since left him, and the only thing he has left is fragmentary memories of being with them. As time goes by, he can't even recall the appearance of his baby sister , and only remembered his mother's middle-aged but still pretty face, no matter how specific, he shook his head...he couldn't remember clearly.

This made him inexplicably sad. Will one day, Master's appearance will be slowly forgotten in his mind...

Abu was beside him, and suddenly pointed out: "Look, there is a lion dance team behind."

Qin Ke came back to his senses and looked in the direction of his finger. It was indeed a lion dance team, but just like the almost endless dragon dance team in front of him, the lion dance team in Ding'an City of Tang Dynasty was also magnificent. As far as Ke can see, there are hundreds of "lions" chasing the "Hydrangea" held by one person in the front, and there are many open and secret fights between them. Every move shows the character of the lion to the fullest, which is really beautiful.

Abu couldn't help clapping his hands, and said: "After becoming the prime minister, Mr. advocated frugality in Jing and Wu, and there was very little extravagance. Therefore, even if there was a lantern festival in Jianye City, it would never be as grand as the Tang Dynasty. But I have to Said, after all, the Tang Dynasty has a profound heritage, and a lantern festival has such a scene."

"I remember that the Tang Kingdom seemed to be one of the most affluent places in the Ji Dynasty?" Qin Ke recalled the books he had read in the Imperial Academy.

"Yes, the other place is our Jingwu." Although Qin Ke was not born in Jingwu, but since Qin Ke's master is Zhuge Wanling's younger brother, and Abu took Qin Ke as his own, he directly Using "us" as an example, "Jingwu followed the former Wu Kingdom, which was originally a fertile land in the world, but because the big and small gentry fought each other after the split, they naturally weakened. In comparison, the Tang King However, he made great efforts to rule by using virtuous ministers and benevolent government. He usually eats no more than three dishes, and the three horses in the carriage when he goes out are even poor horses. It is through such efforts that the peace of the Tang Kingdom has been brought about, and the present Tang Kingdom has also been achieved. of wealth."

"Sounds like a good king." Qin Ke sighed, "However, I don't know how the king of Tang would feel when he saw the luxury of Tang now. Is it gratification or indignation?"

"The things of the predecessors can't be discussed after all." Abu shook his head.

But after all, the two of them don't have the time to worry about the community of the Tang Kingdom. What's more, it seems that the people of the Tang Kingdom under Li Qiuhuang's rule live and work in peace and contentment. They are all proud of being the people of the Tang Kingdom. , but the most suitable for Tang.

The crowd was a bit crowded, so the two of them could only follow the crowd slowly. Along the way, they not only saw magnificent teams like dragon dance and lion dance, but also saw people walking on stilts with paint on their faces. A funny clown who looks like a fool, took advantage of the opportunity to eat a bowl of sweet glutinous rice balls in a shop. On the side of the road, a boss held up a scarecrow filled with candied haws for sale. Qin Ke picked two of them and gave one to Abu. The two ate together like this , Walking all the way, I don’t even feel tired.

At this moment, there was an uproar in the crowd. Qin Ke and A Bu pushed their way through the crowd, and leaned over curiously. It turned out that a person was holding a roll of bamboo slips and shouting at the crowd. At first, Ke thought that something had happened, but the person who yelled was not sad, but full of complacency, as if he wished everyone's attention would be attracted to him.