Unsheath

Act IV Friend and Foe

To the north of Hezhou Prefecture, the mountains are like a partition, cutting off the barren north and the Central Plains, and are full of exotic flowers and plants that are cold in nature.

Orion chopped up the leaves of some native plant, poured them into a pipe, ignited it with a stick, and took a deep breath.He narrowed his eyes and stared at the two visitors.

The woman used her scabbard to pry open the cobwebs on the door frame, motioning for the man to follow.The latter's complexion is not good, and there is also a sword at his waist.They were brightly dressed in furs, and they looked either rich or expensive, which was out of place with this leaky stone house.

"What are you here for?" Orion asked.

His voice was hoarse, with a thick accent.

The woman said: "I have a request from the Moon Palace."

She is bright and beautiful, but she is not delicate at all, her fingers holding the sword are extremely steady, she must have practiced martial arts since she was a child.

A gleam of light flashed in Orion's cloudy eyes, and he stretched out his free right hand.Without further ado, the woman handed over a silk bag.

"...Many people were abolished in the Moon Palace in the past... I took people up there, looking for a solution to the strange poison, looking for the relics of the ancestors..." Having benefited, Orion changed his attitude just now, and talked about the past in a rambling manner.His choice of words and sentences is very rough, if he does not speak slowly, he is almost incomprehensible.

"A martial artist?" The woman raised her eyebrows.

"It's all of them." Orion bit the gold, and smiled so much that he showed a row of broken teeth. It was indescribably terrifying, and the smoke overflowed with his mouth.

The man was choked and coughed: "Ahem...ahem, Junior Sister, you may have been caught first."

"That's natural. Anyone can go to the ruins of the Moon Palace," she said after a long while, "Don't worry, Second Senior Brother, I know it well. Senior, please lead the way!"

Orion woke up the dog at his feet.The old hound looked at the stranger and yawned.

The uninvited guests were Lin Qingxiao and Liang Jingsheng.

They set off from Hezhou Prefecture [-] days ago.The mountains in this area are steep and the streams are rushing, so you have to abandon your car and go.In order to save time, the two left their attendants behind, and the brigade could arrive the next day.

They rushed for a while and arrived at the Changji Mountains before dawn.

Due to the unsatisfactory temperature, there is still a declining village lingering on its last breath. Every family is engaged in collection work and lives by the mountains.Villagers avoid talking about the past, warning them that evil spirits linger there.Lin Qingxiao spent a lot of money and learned that there is an old hunter who has worked for 30 years who can lead people to the "cemetery".

Orion is a perverse person, living alone on the mountainside, with a radius of more than ten miles, it seems that there is no one.He is also greedy for money, so it is not very procrastinating after accepting the gold.After the three of them made some preparations, it was noon.Outside, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the lingering white mist dissipated, and the evergreen coniferous forests could be seen growing verdant.

"It's weird."

Liang Jingsheng tied up his horse and stepped on the muddy ground.

He had just recovered from a serious illness, but he insisted on getting involved. He traveled from Xinzhou to travel by water, and hurried on.He and Lin Qingxiao are both members of the Chu Clan, but they are not familiar with each other. They only met for the first time when Hezhou merged.

Liang Jingsheng is just like the rumors, dignified and prudent, well-trained, even when walking, he has an impeccable charm, very much like his master - Chu Lue, I am afraid that he was deeply imprinted in his heart by him when he was a boy, So that he will imitate that figure unintentionally.

Lin Qingxiao came back to her senses, and agreed: "Indeed, it's too quiet."

Late spring is approaching, maybe it is caused by the ghosts of the Moon Palace War, the higher you go, the more gloomy and icy cold it is, which is not pleasant at all.Lin Qingxiao felt it carefully, but there was no movement of living beings inhabiting it.

Orion didn't notice any difference, bent his body, and stomped on the ground with one foot and one foot, but the speed was very fast.The dog carried the master's dry food and followed obediently at the end.

"Senior, how long will it take..."

Before Liang Jingsheng finished speaking, Orion made a bend with his hand.The dog thought the owner was giving an order, so it whined a few times.

Lin Qingxiao understood, it meant that he had to make a detour and go to the Yin of the Mountain.The Moon Palace advocates inhuman evil and represents the dark side. It was built on the north side to avoid the light and conform to its teachings.

"Long Silence Mountain Range," she chewed on the name repeatedly, "Long Silence, Long Silence..."

I don't know whether it was the ancestors praying for peace and peace with the barbarians in the northern part of the country forever, or the mountains themselves were not lively and silent.

The path under one's feet is tortuous, without grass, and traces of manpower can be seen.They didn't know how long they walked, the sky was getting dark, and thick clouds covered the blue sky.

Liang Jingsheng was exhausted and couldn't catch up.He recovered from his injury in sevens and eighties, and he followed the instructions on the way to recuperate, and there was nothing wrong with it.The person who injured him didn't hit him hard, and he miraculously recovered his original skill.

Lin Qingxiao had been with him for a long time, and it was the first time he saw him sweating profusely, so he stopped at a loss.She mobilized her true energy to surround her body and completely resisted the severe cold, so she wanted to help Liang Jingsheng with this.

Unexpectedly, his face was contorted, and he hurriedly took two or three steps back to distance himself from her, his voice was torn apart by the sudden and intense wind.

"It's not... small... Lie... There are..."

Lin Qingxiao took out the wine bag, lowered her head and bit the cork, and was about to pour it for her senior, but spilled it all over the floor uncontrollably with both hands.

——Liang Jingsheng disappeared out of thin air.

She suddenly understood that the Changji Mountains were still inhabited, so it couldn't be a lifeless death.I'm afraid that from the very beginning, what they entered was a trap!

Taoist temples in the Central Plains mainly focus on martial arts, and those who practice truth do not care about world affairs.She had heard of the secret art of putting people in an illusion, but she thought that if the Lin family sent someone there, it would be fine and they could pass by casually. She thought that among the people Lin Qingye arranged for her, there must be someone who is proficient in this way.Paralyzed by anxiety, they are desperate for the truth, and they are trapped in their own cocoon.

Lin Qingxiao clenched the Wuming Sword tightly, unsheathed it on the spot, and slashed with her backhand.The sword's edge overcomes strength with softness, and it overwhelms the surrounding trees, and the brown leaves flutter and fall, which is different from the evergreen forest in her impression.Her heart was beating like a drum, and she couldn't tell which side was true or false for a moment.

At this time, the fallen leaves trembled, and the enemy attacked in the air!

She stabbed viciously, but was provoked frivolously, and the offensive was deflected in a daze.She was in the open, and the enemy was in the dark. She fought hand to hand several times and lost one by one.The opponent was well versed in the unknown characteristics, and even deliberately poked into the hollow, rubbed heavily, and successfully changed the attack direction.She didn't dare to run, even if she was at a disadvantage, she had no choice but to take the move.

The man wanted to spy on her, and his methods became more and more varied, and it was no longer predictable.

She couldn't get close even once, and she was simply treated as a plaything to be teased.There is no wave on his face, but he is extremely angry!This invisible sword intent came from abroad, and she must be able to see it clearly, only she danced the sword like a blind man touching an elephant, and was led by the nose.

After a few rounds, Lin Qingxiao's composition was in chaos, her breathing was disordered, and she could only close her eyes to meet the attack.She was pressed by every step, unable to maintain her center of gravity, and had to jump up in the illusion.

However, no matter how she comes and goes, she will return to the original path, which is a strange circle!

At this time, Wuming's flexible sword was thrown into the air, making an appalling sound.With nothing in sight, she was lucky and hit the tree trunk!The sword intent was persuasive and seductive, luring Lin Qingxiao to strike at the dense forest clearing.She was full of suspicions, but she couldn't take it back because of the good guys outside, so Yaofeng, who had just captured her senior brother, roared.

"Ughhhhhhh-"

There must be a reason for its aggressiveness.The pause of the sword intent gave her a gap to think - this technique is set in the forest, and there should be something as the core - it is both the starting point and the ending point, and the scenery is stitched together in order to trap her.

She made up her mind to use namelessness as a medium, wherever the blade went, regardless of its reality, it would destroy everything!

Following the sight of blood, she saw the hound slumped to the ground in front of her.Behind it is a towering ancient tree, which absorbs all the sunlight, making no grass grow under it.It was covered with yellow talisman paper and hung with two broken ropes, which were originally connected to a place she couldn't see.

The old dog whined and scratched the ground with its front paws, as if weeping from the outflow of liver and intestines.She didn't have time to cheer for the formation, and was about to step forward to find out.

A narrow black shadow jumped out of its ear, its tentacles squirmed, and it was about to touch itself!

She was so exhausted in the battle that she failed to pick up Wuming in time.At this time, the sword intent that was wrestling with her passed by her ears, catching the unknown thing, and she was able to see it clearly.

It was a transparent millipede, which almost blended with the pitch-black color of the old tree, arched its body, and wanted to move forward along the sword.The sword master threw the small porcelain bottle, the powder poured out, and the insects returned to the dust in an instant.

"Tips for carving insects."

Lin Qingxiao was really stunned.

This tune has not been changed for five years, the sound quality is clear, and there is a bit of restless banter, it is undoubtedly the person she misses day and night.

"...Master, Senior Sister?"

"Long time no see, Junior Sister Qingxiao, how are you doing?"

Chu Qiao didn't feel nervous at all, she shook off the ashes on the Broken Shadow, and put it back into the sheath.Her white teeth and star eyes are flawless, and the arrogance born from the smooth path of martial arts has been tempered, and the whole person reveals a restrained tension, which nets Lin Qingxiao inside and makes her suffocate.

Lin Qingxiao thought about the reunion thousands of times in her mind, and it would be in Tianhai Mansion, where they would eat and drink together, instead of being deep in the mountains and old forests, asking her to save herself.She is already strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

"It's okay to be stupid, it's okay, you don't recognize me?" Chu Qiao stretched out her five fingers in front of the junior sister and shook them.

"You...you are also part of the illusion, right?" Lin Qingxiao finally said, "I haven't seen Senior Sister for five years...how come you don't seem to have changed..."

Chu Qiao immediately bent down laughing, held back desperately, and opened her arms gracefully.

"Am I real? Come and see."

She was so real that Lin Qingxiao even exhaled carefully, for fear of blowing her away.She had heard from her master before that there were lonely and wild ghosts who couldn't enter reincarnation, and they specially lured people to commit suicide, taking away their places and being reborn in the underworld.

Could it be that the disciples of Yuegong sneaked in and wanted her to fall off the cliff?

However, Lin Qingxiao leaned over.While waiting for the temperature of her long-lost senior sister, she thought resolutely, "Then I will be doomed."

She was ready to die for this, just to confirm that Chu Qiao really came back.

This Chu Qiao hugged her gently.She smelled the fragrance of her daughter's house.

She froze for a moment, just like the day Chu Qiao left, returning the painfully tight hug back.

Apart from Chu Qiao, Lin Qingxiao seemed to have no one to give affection to.Her father died young, her mother didn't respond to her, her brother's love was impure and distant, she didn't want it.She only cares about Chu Qiao, this senior sister who used to be inseparable from her, is both a teacher and a friend.

"...Senior sister, let's go find Second Senior Brother."

She still hugged Chu Qiao, quietly wiped her wet eyes with her sleeve, and then reluctantly let go.

"Don't worry, he has studied the secret art of Southern Border, and he saw through the old man's intentions at a glance. I asked Xiaoxiao to take him to the Moon Palace, and then I came to pick you up. Fortunately, I caught up with you."

Lin Qingxiao kept blushing, secretly thought that she was too easy to be satisfied, and almost lost her life, but was confused by Chu Qiao's next words.

"Who is Xiaoxiao? Did you bring a companion?"

"It's not human, it's my rule," Chu Qiao said, "I saved it by accident. I didn't expect it to be very spiritual, understand human words, and would not leave me, so I used the technique of controlling birds to take it for my own use. "

"Wait, Moon Palace? Senior Sister, what the hell are you..."

"You'll know when you come."

The Changji Mountains have undulating peaks, with deep valleys in between. Lin Qingxiao was overwhelmed by the panorama of the Moon Palace Temple—it was a pure white stone castle, half facing the abyss, and half embedded in the mountain. .

Chu Qiao opened the way, and they walked along the dense forest.Lin Qingxiao saw Liang Jingsheng under the tree at a glance. He was holding the Light Feather Sword, his face was still pale, and he was looking at the Baiyu Road not far away - where it led to the temple, and a carriage of people could go up and down.

Chu Qiao glanced at her junior sister, and said calmly: "The Gu poison that has been attached to his body for ten years, although it has been removed, but there is still a disaster, I have no solution for the time being."

Lin Qingxiao was shocked that Liang Jingsheng's stupidity was actually caused by Gu poison!

Gu's insidiousness and viciousness are unique.

Not long after he came to the throne, his younger sister was enfeoffed to Shu, and she loved the local customs and customs there very much, and had close personal relationships with several major Miao villages.A few years later, the prince invited the emperor's aunt to attend his wedding, but the eldest princess died suddenly at the banquet, and Longyan was furious.After an autopsy, it was found that it was the Gu in the head of the eldest princess who couldn't stand the climate of Shangjing, which caused both of them to die.

In order to avenge his sister, Jinshang bloodbathed the village that was originally related to the princess, and then issued an edict to strictly prohibit such crooked ways from harming the people, and never let the tragedy happen again.

"The Moon Palace...is related to the eldest princess?" Lin Qingxiao asked.

Chu Qiao didn't deny it, but she didn't agree either, but her eyes were meaningful, which made her feel at ease.The senior sister has gone back and forth to the Moon Palace more than once, so she must have gained something and held the key.

The truth is close at hand.