Twilight War

05

At night, the north gate of Juyongguan was slowly raised with the sound of iron cables being tightened.

Blood dripped on the gray-yellow heavy stone floor tiles.

The border guard covered in blood fell on the red snake horse, holding a package tightly in his hand.

"It's dead." The city gate guard tried his breath.

The blood condensed the mane of the Red Snake Horse into wisps, and the horse was still pawing the ground restlessly.

"There's something in the package."

……

No one in the main hall spoke.

General Tanlang and Zichen occupied the two sides of the hall, looking at the head of the strange beast on the table.

Blood snaked along the willow table and onto the floor.

They lost a hundred frontier soldiers, and only brought back this one head.

That's not any kind of creature that should exist in this world.

Evil and terrifying.

"Send down the order to block all the plank road official posts! No one is allowed to leave the city." General Tanlang sent down the order.

"I'm going out of town, I have to figure out what this thing is," Zichen said.

"The North Festival team is coming soon, there can be no mistakes at this time!" General Tanlang said while staring at Zichen.

"North Festival?"

"Emperor Changgeng was preparing for the Northern Sacrifice at the border of the Northern Territory a few months ago to comfort the ancestors and show the country's prestige." General Tanlang said: "Half a month ago, Emperor Changgeng issued an order to hold the Northern Sacrifice at Juyongguan. General Lu Cun Commander, it will be here in a few days."

"Let that kind of thing stay outside the Great Wall, and then there's no way it's going to happen." Zichen said, "I'm going to take fifty Huangxuan soldiers out of the city."

"I can't stop what the young master is doing." General Tanlang sneered, turned around and walked to the door, as if he didn't want to care about Zichen anymore, his red cape turned up.

The giant bronze gate with corners was slowly raised, and Zichen, dressed in black light armor, stopped his horse in front of the north city gate.

On the black wristband, the emblem of the Huangxuan family's inverted double swords reflects the light of the early morning.

"Young Master, have you seen the head of a strange beast?" Chu Wu asked beside Zichen.

"kindness."

"How about it?"

"It does look scary." Zichen said.

"Then why does the young master still want to leave the city in person?" Chu Wu let out a muffled laugh under the mask.

"The so-called strange beasts are just wild beasts that have never been seen before." Zichen said, "I am afraid because of the unknown, so I want to see it myself. If I see more, I will become an ordinary beast."

"Didn't the land we lived in thousands of years ago be full of strange beasts?"

On the land of ancient times, Kuafu chased the sun, Gun robbed the soil, and people marched in the wilderness with fire.In the world at that time, Xiu Snake and Jiu Ying, Fei Yi and Da Feng.

"At that time, people could fight and live among alien beasts, so how can we not go on?" Zichen said looking at the wild grass in the wind in the distance.

"Wanglong River is ahead." Chu Wu said.

Crossing Wanglongchuan, Zichen saw a large piece of wild grass covered with blood, and it was difficult to distinguish the severed limbs from the flesh and blood.

"It's the dead herdsmen and frontier soldiers." Xiang Liu said.

There are low roars of beasts and the sound of breaking grass.

Everyone in the Huangxuan family slowly drew their swords from their waists.

Several ferocious beasts suddenly rushed out of the grass. They had the bodies of tigers and beasts, but they sneaked as fast as snakes.

The sharp blade cut through the beast's body, and hot blood splashed on the boy's face.

The bodies of those strange beasts were twisted and weird like molten iron thrown out by a blacksmith at will.

And their claws are so sharp that they can cut through the scales of fish.

Those strange beasts tore the body of Floating Cloud Horse directly, and the soldiers who fell were also quickly bitten into pieces, and the sound of flesh breaking

Like cracking silk.

In the bloody fight, Xiangliu and Chuwu stood behind Zichen, slashing all the strange beasts from the neck to death.

After the long slaughter, more than half of the members of the Huangxuan family were destroyed, and the corpses of those strange beasts fell into the Wanglong River. The blood stains looked like washed red silk in a dyeing workshop.

"Damn it, what the hell are these..." Xiang Liu said, spitting out blood from his mouth.

"I don't know, anyway, it's not something normal." Chu Wu raised his arm and wiped off the blood on the mask.

"That is... what." Zichen raised his head, and a huge shadow enveloped everyone.

It was a giant beast as tall as a screen wall, and the wild grass was stepped on and collapsed one by one.

Zichen gripped the blood-stained hilt tightly.

There is a rotten smell, like a skin that has lived underground for a hundred years.

Chu Wu gritted his teeth, whipped the Floating Cloud Horse under him, and rushed forward suddenly, but the long sword only cut into the monster's forelegs and broke a gap.

Everyone's blood-stained long swords were pulled out of their scabbards again.

"Woooo!!!"

The alien beast roared like a bell.

The sharp claws dug up the grass and soil.

No matter who is facing an enemy several times bigger than himself, he will be afraid.

The sharp claws of the ferocious beast tore apart human flesh, and every time it fell, it was dripping with blood.

A huge gash was torn from Zichen's chest.

He clenched his teeth tightly, as if he was enduring something.

Chu Wu supported his falling figure from his side, and said in a hoarse voice behind the mask: "Young master..."

"Step aside!"

Lu Shu drew his bow from behind the crowd, and shot two arrows into the giant beast's eyes.

The giant beast struggled wildly because of the great pain, and it rushed into the crowd as if out of control.

Zichen gritted his teeth, feeling that the blood in his body was boiling.

He seemed to yearn for killing and death.

He looked at the behemoth that was constantly charging, like a hungry wolf looking at its fleeing prey.

He wiped the blood from the sword on his arm, and jumped up suddenly!

The sharp sword pierced through the giant beast's forehead, and blood splashed on his neck from bottom to top.

He seemed to be licking the corner of his mouth unsatisfied.

How could he be afraid of such a thing.

——In this cage, he is the most ferocious beast.

The monster fell slowly, and he fell from the huge body of the beast.

Chu Wu immediately fished him onto the horse.

"retreat!"

All the people guarded behind Zichen, their blood melted into the never-ending Wanglong River, and their horseshoes turned over the water.

06

"What are those things?" General Tanlang pushed open the door of Zichen's resting place.

Zichen took off his light armor and wore a large black robe. The wound on his chest was bandaged several times, but blood was still oozing.

He sat on the floor in the room, looking at the county annals by the candle lamp.

Hearing General Tanlang enter the door, he raised his eyes to look at General Tanlang, then lowered his head and continued to look at the County Chronicle, "I don't know."

"Young Master Jhin went out to the Great Wall and lost so many people, so I don't know what you got in return?" General Tanlang said sarcastically.

"General Greedy Wolf, if you want to know, why don't you go out of the city and take a look." Zichen lazily stood up from the floor. It's winter, and the floor heat is burning in the room, and he doesn't feel cold when he steps on the ground with bare feet. .

"Those strange beasts look different. Although the ordinary tigers and leopards are much more difficult to deal with than ligers, they can be dealt with anyway. The giant beasts that the Huangxuan family encountered later, if Lu Shu hadn't shot him in the eye , I'm afraid it's quite difficult to deal with." Zichen put on a coat and said looking out the window.

"Where did you meet the strange beast?" General Tanlang asked.

"Pass Wanglong River."

There was the sound of evening drums outside the window, and Zichen looked at the dilapidated temple on the cloud platform, "Are there any monks here?"

"Two days ago when you were recovering from your injuries, two of them came here. I don't know why you went crazy to come to this kind of frontier." General Tanlang said, "One is old and the other is young."

"They were at ease. They cleaned up the dilapidated temple on the Yuntai and stayed there."

Zichen nodded.

Beiling Road, Yemu.

The North Festival team from Chang'an moved along the long road like a long snake.

Long Yingluo, dressed in a dignified five-layered garment, sat in the ten-square ceremony, and slowly put down the delicate bone flute in her hand.

Youhu opened the heavy curtain of the car, "I don't know what the Holy Majesty is thinking, but let the princess come to escort Jiuding. The prison here is poor, how can the princess bear it?"

"It's what I should do to share my father's worries." Long Yingluo lowered her head and smiled like a flower in the evening.

Clean but with inexplicable sadness.

"It's almost here." Long Yingluo asked.

"Well, General Lu Cun said that it will be Juyongguan in one day." Youhu nodded.

"What tune did the princess play just now? I think the princess has been playing this tune for the past few days." Youhu asked.

"It's the sacrificial fun in the Shang Dynasty," Long Yingluo said, "Come here, I'll teach you."

07

The next day, hearing the bell from the cloud platform, Zichen sat up from the floor.

The skylight shines in from the low windows on the side of the floor.

He put on a fur coat and went out, walked up the dusty steps to the high platform like in the clouds.He lazily leaned against the colonnade, looking at the little monk who was sweeping the floor.

Almost 15 or so.

Wearing brown uniform.

"You knocked less a few times." Zichen said with his body tilted.

"Anyway, no one listens." The monk said without blushing at all.

"I'm listening." Zichen said.

"I heard it but couldn't understand it."

"The first knocking of the Hong Zhong, the precious gatha is chanted. It goes up to heaven, and down to the underworld." Zichen slowly recited the gatha on knocking the bell.

"The donor believes in Buddhism?" the monk asked.

"I don't believe it." Zichen shook his head, and pushed open the dilapidated palace door. Someone cleaned the room, but the smell of dust still lingered.

Inside the hall, an old monk was sorting out the damp scriptures while coughing.

The old monk was wearing a sea blue li-dyed suit, and when he heard the door being opened, he looked back at the person coming.

Zichen raised his head and looked at the third Buddha in the center of the hall.

"Sakyamuni Buddha in the whirling world, Medicine Master Liuliguang Buddha in the eastern glazed world, and Amitabha Buddha in the western Paradise world." Zichen said looking at the worn-out painted Buddha statue.

His peach blossom eyes were lazy, and he looked up at the solemn Buddha statue, not like worshiping Buddha.

"The benefactor doesn't believe in Buddhism, so how could he know these things?" the little monk asked with a frown.

"I just worship Buddha, but I don't believe in Buddha." Zichen said.

"Worship Buddha but don't believe in Buddha?" The monk asked with some doubts.

"I have been a vegetarian for ten years, and I have never believed in Buddhism." "If you don't believe in it, why do you worship?" The little monk asked puzzled.

Zichen still looked up at the majestic Buddha III, "I have always been in awe of the Buddha, but I don't believe that he can save me."

"What are you doing in this kind of place at this time?" Zichen turned his head and asked the old monk.

"Wandering monk, naturally he is wandering around, he can go anywhere." The old monk laughed.

"This is not a good place, you'd better leave as soon as possible." Zichen said, "Haven't anyone mentioned that there are strange beasts around here?"

"Sentient beings in the three realms are like a house of fire, so where can we avoid suffering?" The old monk still just smiled silently, "If there are strange beasts here, we can also overcome more suffering here."

"Alright, then you guys just stay here, I'll send someone over from Yunshuizhai." Zichen nodded.

"Thank you, benefactor." The old monk nodded and smiled.

Zichen turned around, walked halfway and looked back at the huge Buddha of the third age, and smiled slightly with his mouth raised, "I have seen many Buddha statues with golden lacquer and bronze bodies in this world. But I have never seen one with bodhicitta." seen."

The young man turned and left, his fur coat flitting across the dusty steps.

He can't see the afterlife promised by Buddha, so he doesn't believe it.

He knew that he only had this life to live...