across the Quartet

Chapter Eight

Wei Zhuang gave a generous speech, but as expected, he didn't get any reply from Gai Nie, so he sneered and got up and left.It seems that his purpose is to find someone who can appreciate the panorama of his strategy and talk about it, not really to convince someone.For the descendants of Guigu, there are too few people in the world who can keep up with their ideas, and even catching one is a supreme blessing; just like for a national chess player, it is nothing unusual to defeat an opponent, what is even more rare is to watch Chess players can see how exquisite his layout is, how much calculation and painstaking efforts are implied in each move, which is even more intoxicating.

People who have reached the level of Wei Zhuang's lobbying skills, usually after listening to him, most people's reactions are directly convinced, kneeling down and begging for a clear way; It is already a relatively high-end state to refute.After Wei Zhuang left, Gai Nie sat on the spot and meditated for a long time. From the three years of cultivating in Guigu to the life and death experience of joining the army after leaving the valley, from the hard work all the way to the Qin Dynasty and the official career, to the travels in the three Jins, Qichus, etc., it seems that it has always been the same. Unable to grasp an answer to the question that allows him to stick to his heart and defeat Wei Zhuang.He felt that he had reached a deadlock, so he simply let his mind go and let his body get a full rest.

No matter whether he could argue against Xiao Zhuang or not, he never gave up his plan to escape from this place for a moment.Gai Nie considers himself casual and modest, but what he does must be determined by his own will, and he is never at the mercy of others.

About half a day later, Mr. Changping was carried back and hung on the chain of the opposite cell again.Looking at his drowsy state, Gai Nie couldn't help thinking of his situation when he was caught in a net in Handan, which was really similar to the situation of Lord Changping at this time.The only difference is that Wei Zhuang will never kill Changping Jun whether he cooperates or not; in order to conceal that Yao Jia's accounts have fallen into other hands, he must make the news that "Changping Jun betrayed Qin" be true.The reason why Gai Nie was spared in Handan was only because Luo Wang took a fancy to his swordsmanship.At that time, he wanted to show Zhao Gao his ability to lobby and argue, but he was laughed at before he could speak. "Now the world is at peace, and the Seven Kingdoms have already been destroyed; lobbying vertically and horizontally is of no use." This sentence has become a thorn in Gai Nie's heart since then.

Could it be that Gai is also like that idiot who has lost all his wealth and learned the "skill of dragon slaying", and he has completed the skill in three years but has no use for it?

Thinking of this, Ge Nie suddenly felt a flash of inspiration in his heart.

"I'm too stupid. Why are you obsessed with one answer? People and things are changing, and the problem itself is changing. How can there be one answer that can explain all the truth? The general trend of the world has been constantly changing since the beginning of the world. The prosperous times of Yao and Shun, or the chaotic times of Jie and Zhou, they all flowed away like rivers in the end; the lobbyists who once overturned the clouds and rain were of no use to help the world when the world was unified. Shouldn’t the way I seek should also be like flowing water? Is it right to go on and on and change in response to the situation?

"As Xiaozhuang said, if the descendants of the Ying clan abuse the people in the future, there will naturally be a new solution. I am not a sage, and I don't want to be a soldier forever. It’s just to end the war in front of us. When people are fighting, the general encourages the soldiers to charge forward and kill people like hemp. Is this a kind of evil? But when the flames of war are extinguished, in a peaceful village, even killing one person is a crime, and you must bear the crime That is to say, the good and evil of a person can only be judged under specific circumstances. It is precisely because of knowing this that the actions of the officials and the people must be regulated by law... But what about the Son of Heaven? Even if there is no tangible law, there is an invisible law The law restricts the actions of the emperor? If you want to have grand events and the prosperity of the country, the emperor can't do whatever he wants. With the shrewdness and strength of the king of Qin, how can he not know where this constraint lies?"

Gai Nie felt that the fog in his heart gradually dissipated, and the next action he should take became clear.When he was eating at night, he knocked over the table seemingly unintentionally, the soup spilled over his body, and a few round fruits rolled all over the floor.The maid hurriedly fetched a cloth towel and wiped it for him.Gai Nie took the opportunity to mobilize the yin and yang energy and concentrate it on his right arm; although he does not know how to use the Yin-Yang family's spell-seal technique, he can find out from his memory that the internal energy will be divided into undivided, melted and flowed during the spell-seal. a feeling of.Sure enough, when the hexagram "Zhen" reappeared on the drenched right arm, the acupoint-sealing golden needle was like a sprouting grass and tree breaking through the ground, and opened a few centimeters outward.

Gai Nie realized that his right hand could move an inch, so he secretly hid two red dates.In the middle of the night, he groped carefully against the walls of the prison cell, and finally found a hidden hole about an inch thick; then he stuffed two dates into the hole one after another, just stuck to death.

Another long wait followed.When he heard the breathing movement in the opposite cell changed, he said just now: "Mr. Changping, are you awake?"

There was no answer on the other side.Gai Nie was as expected, but he was not in a hurry: "I thought of something, if you are interested, you can listen to it. The battle of Jiulong Gorge six years ago was one of the most dangerous battles I have encountered since I came out of the valley. Your Excellency's swordsmanship, I also admire. But Gai never figured it out, how did you escape from my sword at that time?"

There was a small sound of iron chains clashing in the dark cell.But that's all.

"However, after entering the Qin Dynasty, I once met an expert in Yin-Yang art in Xianyang—she was walking in the downtown area in full view, and everyone saw her as a different person; It can make the real thing invisible. So I wonder if you used a similar illusion when you were at the bottom of the cliff?"

Changping-kun's hoarse voice finally sounded. "...That's right. Back then when I used the Yin-Yang Escape Technique, when you were still searching underwater, Qi had already landed on the shore. And when you were at a loss on the shore, Qi was within a hundred steps of you." He said There was finally a tinge of excitement in his tone of voice when he was proud of his plan back then.

"That's how it is. At that time, you were secretly aware of me, why didn't you take this opportunity to take my life?"

"..."

"I still want to ask, if the Yin-Yang technique really has such a mystery of turning the world upside down, why hasn't your Excellency used this technique to get out of trouble?"

"Illusion is deception. Although it can deceive people by seeing and hearing, things themselves have not changed beyond the five senses. After the battle of Jiulongya, Qi was seriously injured, and he only temporarily concealed his body. If he took risks rashly, It may not be your opponent. But now you have the poison of 'Xi Shi' in your body, and if you mobilize your inner breath for a moment, it will be like a burning ant, and you can't use any Yin-Yang secret technique."

"So that's how it is." Gai Nie said, "You can't practice kung fu, and I don't know illusion. However, if you can help me with yin and yang, you and I can both escape from this place."

There was an intermittent inhalation sound from Mr. Changping's prison, and it was with great difficulty that Gai Nie could tell that it was him laughing rather than howling. "...Genie, are you joking?!!"

"Did you stay here voluntarily? Wei Zhuang doesn't kill you now because he wants to get more information about Xincheng and Qin Dynasty from you. No matter how much you know, don't you have a day to finish?"

"But why should I trust you?"

"This is the second time you've asked me this." Ge Nie said calmly, "You don't have to believe it, but you have no other choice. If the two of us stay here, you are the only one who will die." Zhuang would never kill Lord Changping, but this person has been in a dangerous situation before, and he feels that there are mortal enemies everywhere. Even if he would not believe otherwise, if someone said that he would kill him, he would most likely believe it.

However, there was only a sigh on the other side, and there was no vitality in the tone of his voice. "...so what if you escape? Qin and Chu have no place for Qi."

"You and I both know King Qin's temperament. He will not tolerate betrayal. But the king of Chu has not yet come to a conclusion. The king of Chu wants to kill you out of personal affection, but the state of Chu is now in danger. What's the point of winning the throne? If you show off your talents, you may not be appreciated by the nobles of Chu; and before the danger of survival, the king of Chu has to give in in order to win the support of the princes everywhere."

"Hehe... Gai Nie, you are obviously serving King Qin, but are you trying to persuade me to serve Chu?"

"Because even if you want to serve King Qin, I'm afraid you won't have a chance. Out of consideration for Qin, what I should do is to kill you before you escape." Gai Nie said unhurriedly, "But if you don't You help me, but it is not easy for me to escape from the city under the control of Wei Zhuang. Therefore, I promise: as long as you cooperate with Gai, I will save your life. As for how you choose in the future, it is your personal matter. We will meet on the battlefield in the future , and then decide life and death."

Mr. Changping was silent for a long time.But at this moment, Gai Nie listened to his breathing, and judged that his mind had loosened a bit. "What do you think, Mr. Changping?"

"Cooperating with you... Hmph, Guigu Zongheng is a cunning and vicious person. You have seen the end of my cooperation with Wei Zhuang. If you and I join forces again, I am afraid that Qi will die without a place to die."

"Didn't you betray the covenant first and kill the killer sent by Quicksand to meet you?"

"Then why Wei Zhuang keeps hiding his identity and refuses to show up with his other half, Yujue? He just wants to control everything secretly, and he has no sincerity to form an alliance with Qi at all!"

No, Xiao Zhuang didn't go there in person, I'm afraid there is a reason, Gai Nie thought - he had already calculated that the day when his internal injury would occur was around the corner, and the cooperation with Mr. Changping was a big event, so he couldn't possibly take such a big deal with him. A weakness that may be exposed at any time.And did not hand over half of the jade ring as a proof to the group of killers lurking in the forest, was it because of lack of trust?Xiao Zhuang once said, "... Quicksand has grown beyond your imagination in the past few years; I just assigned the task to a group of newcomers who joined after my brother left Chu." It seems that this sentence Most likely true.But even Wei Zhuang didn't expect that this decision led to a series of events, which were intertwined, and it turned out to be an inescapable situation.

He said to Changping Jun: "My junior will only respect opponents who can defeat him. Since entering Chen, you and I have been played by him to applaud and trapped in prison. How can he take it seriously? He used you and me earlier The contradiction between mutual suspicion designed the two of us, let me fight against the enemy with him, just like "Lian Heng". We can also use this in reverse, thinking of "Combining Vertically": He thinks that people who will never unite, To join forces, this is a step beyond his plan."

Mr. Changping thought for a moment, then said: "Wei Zhuang has caused me so far, I'm afraid he won't give me a way out. As long as there is a chance, I also want to make him suffer. However, even if I agree to help you, what about you?" Undo my poison and let me use yin and yang?"

Gai Nie said: "I don't know how to detoxify. The one who wants to use Yin Yang is me, not you."

"what?!"

"You taught me the secret formula for escaping from the Nine Dragons Cliff. After I escape from the trap, I will take you out of this prison to see Wei Zhuang and persuade him to give you the antidote."

"This is your plan?! Gai Nie, are you so stupid that you are out of your mind?!" Mr. Changping was furious, "The yin and yang secret arts are profound and infinite, and the disciples are also extremely strict: those who are not qualified enough will not be able to do it for the rest of their lives. How many achievements have been made; and some people with special physiques may have the cultivation base of others for a few years. Such people are rare, and there are not many people in the entire Yinyang family. If you practice against the sky with an inappropriate physique , I’m afraid that if the magic technique is counterattacked, it will be smashed to pieces in an instant. You think the formula is a child’s play, how can you learn it in just a few days??”

"Didn't you also think that Ge Nie would die under the seal of the curse, why am I still alive?" Ge Nie's right arm was tensed with all his strength, and the golden needle broke out of his body and shot on the stone wall on one side.He moved his right hand, and then pulled out the acupuncture needles on his left arm and both legs in turn. His five fingers were as fast as lightning, and Mr. Changping was dumbfounded. "I was taught by an old Taoist master, and learned to mobilize the yin and yang in my body. According to my guess, the various secret methods of yin and yang should be complementary. The escape technique you used to escape back then was also yin and yang. Is it easier to learn another technique if I already know one technique?"

"You, you, you..." Mr. Changping pulled the chains on his limbs, and it took him a long time to calm down.

"Gai Nie, you are indeed a guy who cannot be guessed by common sense. But even so, you were too old when you penetrated the 'Self-Yin-Yang', and you have missed the best time to get started. Therefore, even if you barely master the usage of individual Yin-Yang , there will be a huge backlash afterwards."

"I am not a yin and yang disciple. Using this technique is nothing but emergency. I really can't think of any other way to get out of this place. If it is not a matter of life and death, I will never use it again."

Seven days later, a maid went to the prison to deliver meals as usual, but found that there was no one in the cell where Gai Nie was held; however, the lock and key were intact, as if the person had just disappeared out of thin air.She was overly panicked, and in desperation, she unlocked the door and groped around in the room, when suddenly her eyes went dark and she passed out on the ground.

The sun was shining brightly this day, and Wei Zhuang was patrolling and meditating on the city wall.The defenders of the Qin State in the city were defeated and killed; the scattered reconnaissance cavalry sent from Yingchuan and Nanyang counties were almost wiped out.He asked Chi Lian to control a snare agent with fire charm, and ordered him to write a secret report to Xianyang, saying that Lord Changping rebelled against Qin, but it had been suppressed, everything in Chen County was stable, and there was no abnormality on the border of Chu State; Then try to make this news flow into the secret stronghold of the net.

At this time, it was the third year after he succeeded to the throne.The news came from the scouts that Wang Ben mobilized troops on the border of Qin and Wei. He was afraid that after the beginning of spring, he would first pacify Xinzheng and then attack Daliang.And the Hedong Daying also had well-trained soldiers transferred to Hanoi.Wei Zhuang believed that the isolated city was difficult to defend, and planned to abandon Xinzheng again and use Yingcheng as his base, and launch an attack after Qin attacked Chu.As for military information such as the recruitment of Chu soldiers, the deployment of supplies, and the layout of the defense line, the "fish bugs" in the account books are sending letters to Luo Wang day and night, and then sent to Qin General's tent by Luo Wang.The key to whether the poison that has been buried for a long time can break out lies in this battle.

A familiar voice disrupted his meditation.

"Little village."

Wei Zhuang suddenly turned his head, and his right hand rested on the shark's teeth in disbelief.He never imagined that only a few days later, his senior brother would stand in front of him so generously, followed by a haggard Changping Jun.Although several soldiers in the city immediately drew their swords and stabbed them, they were stopped by Wei Zhuang.Of course, Wei Zhuang has never been a tolerant person, nor is he an easy-to-impress person.He only likes exquisite layouts and cruel wars, and he feels pleasure whenever his calculations are better than others; he also feels challenges and excitement when his strategies are at a disadvantage.

"...Brother. You really can always surprise me."

"As I said, it will be very difficult for the chess pieces to have their own plans," Gai Nie said.Wei Zhuang stared at him in various ways, as if he was thinking about how he escaped from such a tight cage, but felt that it would be demeaning to ask directly.He preferred to think of it as an interesting puzzle to entertain himself when no one was around.

Gai Nie turned to the side and said to Lord Changping: "I have done what I promised you. Although you can't go back to Qin, I can take you out of Chen County; if you live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, you can live a little longer. Relaxed and worry-free days. You can also stay here for a long time, and share great events with my junior brother. Mr. Changping, how do you choose?"

Although Mr. Changping's hair was stained with dust and his clothes were blood-stained, his face was somewhat pale because he was out of trouble. "Wei Zhuang, Qi is willing to continue to cooperate with you. However, you must also agree to my conditions."

Wei Zhuang smiled warmly, as if he had never threatened to frame this person, nor had he cut off his fingers one by one in the flying flowers and rain. "What can quicksand do to serve the king?"

"...It's the same as the previous agreement." Lord Changping stood with his hands behind his back, "I want to be the king of Chu."

"Wei will definitely keep his promise." Wei Zhuang walked slowly, closing the distance to the opposite side, and then stretched out his left hand to give him a high-five. "One day." He waved his hand, summoned two attendants, pointed to Lord Changping and said, "Take this distinguished guest to the Pizhi Palace to take a bath and change clothes, and I will have a long talk with the guest later."

Mr. Changping raised his leg and wanted to leave, but Gai Nie suddenly said, "Wait a minute."

"Senior Brother, what else is there?" Wei Zhuang asked with great interest, "Since we have regained the city, why don't you leave here earlier, could it be that you came here specially to say goodbye to Junior Brother?"

Ge Nie also held out his hand to him. "Yuanhong."

"……what?"

"This sword was bestowed by the King of Qin. If you don't bring it with you, it will be difficult for me to return to life."

Wei Zhuang squinted his eyes and smiled, "If I don't kill you, that's a great tolerance. Do you really want to provoke me so far?"

"You want to fight to the death with me?" Gai Nie asked intentionally, "The battle is imminent, Qin can be without Nie, but Chen can't be without Zhuang. If you are seriously injured, who will be in charge of Quicksand? Who else can guard Ying and Chen?"

Wei Zhuang dragged his tune and said: "According to what you say, senior brother should win and lose with me - even if both sides suffer, he is considered a loyal minister of Qin."

Gai Nie still stretched out his hand, "Then return Yuan Hong first." Wei Zhuang wanted to press him down with words, but suddenly he saw Gai Nie's five fingers grabbing him, Chang Pingjun staggered and fell in front of him, Gai Nie The palm of his hand is printed on his vest. "If you don't pay back, I will have to kill your new ally."

Changping Jun was furious, and shouted: "...Gai Nie, so you have been using me from the beginning to the end!!" But at this time Wei Zhuang laughed loudly, pulled Yuanhong from his waist, and handed it over.Gai Nie took the sword, pushed Chang Ping Jun behind his back, and sent him to Wei Zhuang.Behind them, the white phoenix landed silently on a corner of the city wall, with deadly feathers between its fingers.But Gai Nie didn't know it, he stepped back a few steps, and stood next to the depression in the female wall.

"Brother, are you leaving now?"

Gai Nie tilted his head, looking at the mountains, rivers and hills outside the city, the countryside and wilderness, "Xiaozhuang, you once asked me if I wanted the world."

"Oh? Do you still remember? Today, can Senior Brother answer this question?"

"It doesn't matter if you think or don't want to, because I am not qualified to answer this question. This world should not be mine, nor should it be yours; it should not belong to any one person, family, or surname. Even if you are the emperor, If you treat the world as your own property, you will not treat the thousands of tattooed heads living on this land as human beings after all."

"You still care too much about what the world thinks. Most people in this world have lived their entire lives in a daze, not knowing why they lived, nor why they died. Whether they treat them kindly or harshly, they don't care about the outside world. Change is indifferent and ignorant."

"Even so, they are also creations of heaven and earth, and they are constantly struggling for survival and desire. From the perspective of heaven and earth, you and I are no different from them."

"Oh? Senior brother is obsessed with saving the world, is it just because he respects heaven and earth?"

"Of course not. Lao Tzu said, heaven and earth are not benevolent, and they treat all things as dogs; saints are not benevolent, and people are dogs. But Gai Nie is neither heaven, earth nor a saint. Why should I follow their way? The way I walk is only Because of respecting and loving people; seeing their life, I can't bear to see their death, as far as I am concerned, it is just what the heart wants, and there is no repentance. Isn't this also a kind of 'nature' from the heart?"

"……I understand."

Gai Nie noticed a faint tiredness in Wei Zhuang's brows and eyes, but he smiled on his face, "To be praised by the whole world without persuasion, to be recognized by the whole world without embarrassment, it depends on the distinction between inside and outside. The state of honor and disgrace is over."

Gai Nie stared at him fixedly, held his sword in salute, and said, "Junior Brother, I'm so honored."

"Brother, the next time we meet, I'm afraid it will be the time of the decisive battle. There is no wine before the battle, so I will respect you with this sword." Wei Zhuang pulled out the shark's teeth, wiped his finger on the sword, and popped a sound at the end A crisp sound like collapsing jade.

"Thank you." Gai Nie also pulled Yuanhong out of its sheath, and sang the sword.Immediately afterwards, he leaped and jumped off the city wall; with a flash of cold light on the edge of the blade, he swung off the white feathers flying in the air.Wei Zhuang stepped to the base of the wall in two steps, and when he probed to look, Gai Nie had disappeared in the moat.

However, on the female wall he leaned against, there were three bright red fruits that looked like blood.

TBC