The devil has too many vests

The seven years of Jingtai have passed, and the new year has arrived. The war between Dayong and the Dongli coalition forces of Qi State has not yet ended.

After taking Yunzhou unexpectedly, the coalition forces had a big appetite and set their sights on Yuzhou in the north of Yunzhou.

But Dayong deserves to be the head of the Three Kingdoms, and its national power should not be underestimated after all.Previously, Yunzhou fell because of a surprise attack by the coalition forces. Now that Dayong was prepared, the entire Yuzhou was immediately stationed by millions of troops, and an insurmountable defensive line was drawn up to prevent the coalition forces from advancing an inch.

Essentially, Yan Weilou, who does not belong to any country in this vast land of China, does not care about the wars between several countries. After settling down the forces under his command, he set off for Beiyuan alone.

From Yunzhou in the southeast of Dayong to Beiyuan in the south of Beimo, it happens to pass through Yuzhou.And these news were all he heard in the cities he passed along the way.

The moon rises and sets, and the sky is getting dark.

After leaving the last city, Yukong flew for half a day, most of the true energy in the dantian qi sea was consumed, and the sky in the distance was slightly blackened with ink. Yan Weilou observed it in midair, and then turned to the ground not far away Fly to the place where the fire is faintly flickering.

It's time to find a place to rest for the night.

At this time, a small village hidden in the deep mountains gradually appeared in his sight, and became clearer as the distance got closer—surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing water on one side.The only connection to the outside world is a rushing river between the mountain passes.This is a very closed village.

In the middle of the village, gongs and drums were beating, firecrackers were constantly being fired, and the magnificent fire light illuminated the night, and many people continued to gather there, it was very lively.

Xiaoye Village is an inconspicuous isolated village in the northwest mountainous area of ​​Yuzhou. Due to the many mountains nearby, the roads are difficult to walk, and wild animals are entrenched, so it is very inconvenient to communicate with the outside world.

Fortunately, there is a very special river passing through the mountain. There are many fish and shrimps in the river, and the water is sweet. Except for Xiaoye Village, there are seven or eight villages scattered in the mountains along this river, with thousands of people. The endless fish in the river are supported.

Therefore, everyone named this river Yuanhe, which means the source of nourishment for everyone.They have worshiped Hebo of the Yuanhe River from generation to generation, and are grateful for the protection of Hebo, and regard the sacrifice of Hebo every year as a top priority for the whole village.

This day is the day of offering sacrifices in Xiaoye Village.

No one noticed that in the starless and moonless sky, there was a black shadow passing by, like a feather or a fallen leaf, following the cold winter wind, he came suddenly.

In front of Xiaoye Village's ancestral hall, the bonfires were connected together, and in the isolated open space, an old lady dressed as a witch stood out from the crowd.When she was about to go forward, her eyes suddenly flashed, and a person fell from the sky out of thin air, and landed right in the middle of the open space.

—Someone fell from the sky.

The cheering villagers, who were beating gongs and drums, were dumbfounded and looked at this man who suddenly appeared in the middle of the open space in bewilderment.

This is a very young and outstanding boy.

He looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, his facial features were extremely handsome, and his gaze was even more compelling.Although the whole body is only dressed in a pitch-black robe, every inch of fabric on the body can be seen to be extraordinary even though these villagers have little contact with the outside world.

After a moment of silence in the arena, the sorceress who also opened her mouth wide reacted immediately, pointing at the young man and shouting in surprise: "It's the envoy of God! This must be the envoy of God sent by He Bo, to reward us for our hard work!"

As she spoke, she yelled loudly: "I have seen the envoy!"

So the villagers all prostrated themselves one by one and paid respects, with ecstasy on everyone's face:

"An envoy! An envoy! I have seen an envoy!"

Looking at the frenzied and almost weird scene in front of him, Yan Weilou, who just came to stay overnight, couldn't help but have question marks all over his head, and he could not stop complaining in his heart.

...How could it be the same as that cult organization of Tianzong!Could it be that he has already passed through Yuzhou and entered Beiyuan?

Of course, Yan Weilou also knew that as long as he didn't have Lu Chi, he must still be in Yuzhou.It can only be said that the people in this village are too weird.

Thinking of this, he rarely became curious, looked around, shook his head and explained: "Everyone has misunderstood, I am not the envoy you mentioned, but just a practitioner who passed by here."

Everyone didn't believe this, and they still shouted the name of "God's Envoy", and respected each other.

Xiaoye Village is located in a remote place, and the news is backward.Many people may have never gone out in their entire lives. Even if some young people have occasionally gone out of the village, they have been to nearby small villages, and the warriors with the highest cultivation levels they have seen are all in the shackles.

In the eyes of these people, an insight martial artist like Yan Weilou who can fly in the air is no different from a god.

Yan Weilou explained for a long time, and finally convinced the villagers to believe his words and regard him as an ordinary traveler passing by here for the night.

The timing of Yan Weilou's visit was not coincidental, as Hebo was about to be sacrificed in the village.The seemingly prestigious sorceress whispered a few words with some old people in the village, and then called a little girl from the village, and let the little girl lead Yan Weilou to stay overnight.

The girl was only seven or eight years old, wearing a brand new red jacket, her black hair was tied into a small bun, she was fair and lovely, but her face was pale and her figure was frail, as if she lacked energy and blood.

After being called over, she was not afraid of life at all, and only showed a cute smile at Yan Weilou.

"Brother, come with me, grandma has already made arrangements!" Dafangfang greeted Yan Weilou, she trotted all the way, leading the way for Yan Weilou, "A few strange brothers and sisters have already lived in."

Hearing this, Yan Weilou was a little surprised: "Are there other people who also come from outside?"

The little girl puffed her cheeks and nodded: "Yes, they said they are some disciples of the Sword Sect, and the big brother who leads them can catch a lot of fish..."

Yan Weilou: "???"

The little girl's speech was a little confused and not completely fluent.From what she said, Yan Weilou could hear that besides him, there were three other people, two men and one woman, who had come here a few days ago.It was the witch in the village, that is, the little girl's grandmother, Grandma Li, who specially vacated a vacant yard for them to live in.As for this little girl, her name is Manman.

Yan Weilou didn't intentionally hide the sound of his footsteps, as soon as he came to the courtyard, the people inside heard the movement, but saw the small wooden door "creak" open, and a person came out.

Manman called out immediately: "This is the big brother who is very good at fishing."

"I'm not only good at fishing, but I'm also good at catching children." The visitor heard her childish words, smiled and hugged the little girl, and teased her a few words.

This man was dressed in brocade clothes, with a handsome appearance, and the long sword at his waist reflected a golden light under the firelight.It was an acquaintance Yan Weilou had known for a long time.

The two met each other, but the man still didn't respond, Yan Weilou raised his eyebrows: "Lu Yiyu?!"

Lu Yiyu was taken aback: "You know me?"

As he said that, he looked curiously at the young man in front of him, scanned him from head to toe seriously, and finally shook his head in wonder: "I'm sure we've never met before. Otherwise, with your little brother I will never forget my appearance and demeanor."

Yan Weilou smiled.The one who met Lu Yiyu back then was the vest of Yan Wulun, the owner of Xiaoyao, but as for him himself, of course the other party didn't know him.

He unhurriedly stretched out his hand and pointed at the long sword on the opponent's waist, with a smile on his face: "We have never seen it before. But as long as there is this sword, who in the world does not know the king?"

Lu Yiyu couldn't help laughing out loud, not without complacency, he laughed at himself: "Well said! Such precious gold, I'm afraid I'm the only idiot in the world willing to use it to forge swords! It's really easy to recognize. "

Yan Weilou said: "But such an expensive sword, only Brother Lu dares to wear it on his body."

Gold is precious, and swordsmith masters are even more difficult to find. Although there are not many people in the world who can make such a sword with precious gold, Lu Yiyu is definitely not the only one.However, none of those people dared to carry so much wealth with them like him.

This golden sword is the triple symbol of status, strength, and wealth.

Lu Yiyu nodded approvingly, feeling that the little brother spoke really well.He stretched out his hand, and hastily and warmly invited Yan Weilou to enter.

Manman also rushed into the yard, called "Sister", opened one of the doors and got in, and a corner of the bed curtain faintly appeared in the crack of the door.

"Little brother is also from outside, right? Don't know your name yet? Where are you going?" The two entered the yard, and Lu Yiyu couldn't wait to ask.

Yan Weilou reported the pseudonym used in the secret realm of the vast sea, and narrated without any haste: "I am Yan Qi, a member of Dayong. This is the first time I have traveled far and wide, just to increase my knowledge. Originally, I heard that in early December Brother and Xiao Wuyi of the Big Dipper Demon Palace will have a duel in Beiyuan, and they are going to join in the fun, but they were delayed on the road and missed the time."

As he spoke, he sighed regretfully.He looked at Lu Yiyu curiously again: "How did brother Lu appear here? Could it be from the north? I don't know who will win and who will lose?"

In fact, Yan Weilou knew very well that this duel never came true in his previous life—Xiao Wuyi had already died in the hands of Zhao Chongzhi before he could go to Beiyuan in the future—although Xiao Wuyi did not die in this life, but because of his troubles in Purgatory Sect, Missed the agreed time early.

However, the current Yan Weilou is just a rookie who has just entered the rivers and lakes, so of course he knows nothing about these things.Therefore, he looked at Lu Yiyu expectantly.

"Cough!" Lu Yiyu coughed in embarrassment, "Actually, I'm going to Beiyuan too. The duel will probably be postponed. If Brother Yan wants to join in the fun, there's still time."

After listening to what Lu Yiyu said, Yan Weilou finally understood what was going on.

It turns out that Lu Yiyu is a road idiot.

A few months ago, in order to hunt down Tiankui and train himself, Lu Yiyu took a group of Canghai Sword Sect disciples to Shengjing City all the way. It happened that the Big Dipper Demon Palace was also causing trouble in Shengjing City, so Xiao Wuyi handed Lu Yiyu a letter of challenge, agreeing A decisive battle in Beiyuan in early December.

Knowing that he never knew the way, in order to avoid accidents, Lu Yiyu asked others to continue to practice, and he set off early by himself, taking two younger brothers and sisters who had been to Beiyuan, and rushed all the way to Beiyuan.

On the way, doing chivalry and fighting for righteousness, eliminating demons and defending the way, robbing the rich and helping the poor... etc. are all things that should be done.

Unexpectedly, there was an accident on the way. While catching a flower-picking thief in a small county, they accidentally bumped into a great demon master, and were chased by the demon master for nearly a hundred miles. They were all badly injured, and they deviated from the path.

Later, he was rescued by the villagers of Xiaoye Village, and the day of the decisive battle had already passed, so Lu Yiyu decided to take it easy and slow down his schedule so that his juniors and sisters could recuperate from their injuries.

Yan Weilou nodded slowly: "So that's the case."

Looking at the two closed doors in the courtyard, he vaguely smelled the smell of soup and medicine coming from inside, and then looked at Lu Yiyu, who seemed to be sitting in the courtyard with a seemingly casual posture, but was actually ready to draw his sword at any time. It's clear.

"Brother Lu is really a good senior brother."

Back then in Shengjing City, Yan Weilou had figured out Lu Yiyu's character, he was a person who liked to enjoy himself and join in the fun, not the kind of ascetic.

Now there is clearly a lot of excitement in the village to watch, but this man stays peacefully in the yard, not going anywhere, not to protect his unhealed pair of juniors and juniors, but who else?

With Lu Yiyu's seemingly carefree attitude, but in fact he is ready to fight, even Yan Weilou, who seems to have a good chat with him, can draw his sword out of its sheath anytime and anywhere to stop him if something goes wrong.

Knowing that Yan Weilou saw his vigilance, Lu Yiyu smiled awkwardly.

... He is not a suspicious person, if his younger brother and younger sister were not injured and temporarily lost the power to protect themselves, he would not be so wary of a stranger for no reason.

Yan Weilou didn't bother to expose him, so he also sat in the yard, drank the good wine provided by Lu Yiyu, and chatted with him.

Lu Yiyu's nature is loose and chivalrous, while drinking wine, he narrates his memorable experience since he went down the mountain this time like a storytelling, his eyebrows are beaming and it is very vivid.

Speaking of Shengjing City, he mentioned the trip to Xiaoyao Building, with a regretful expression on his face: "Xiaoyao Building is famous outside, it is indeed extraordinary. It is a pity that I was anxious to catch Tiankui that day, and I was concerned about the safety of Xiaoyao Building, and was later challenged by Xiao Wuyi. I don’t have much time to visit Xiaoyao Building.”

"And the owner of Xiaoyao is also an interesting person. If there is a chance in the future, I would like to introduce you to Brother Yan..."

Just as he was talking, the flames suddenly blazed not far away, and waves of cheers came from the ancestral hall.Those people could be vaguely heard shouting loudly:

"Ying He Bo! Ying He Bo!"

Yan Weilou only glanced in that direction, then turned around.The vast land of Shenzhou is boundless and has a long history.Even if it is only the 33 states in the central region, different countries, different states and counties have different customs.

Although the custom of worshiping He Bo in Xiaoye Village is purely feudal superstition in his opinion, it is also a kind of spiritual sustenance for the villagers and has its own meaning.

However, Lu Yiyu looked excited: "It's better to come out to travel and gain knowledge. Before, I stayed in the mountain gate all day long, except for cultivation. It's really boring!"

As he said that, he glanced at the direction of the ancestral hall, and there were some changes.But thinking of his younger brother and younger sister, who are now seriously injured and have no power to protect themselves, they suppressed it again, but there was still some pity in their eyes.

Just at this time, an old woman holding a medicine jar came out from the kitchen in the backyard, and when she heard Lu Yiyu muttering about it, it was a pity that she couldn't go and see the sacrifices, she quickly responded enthusiastically: "This young master is very fond of the people in our village. Interested in sacrificing He Bo? If you don't mind, I can talk about it."

As she spoke, her eyes shone brightly, staring at Lu Yiyu as if she was looking at a pile of gold ingots.

She is here to help boil medicine these few days, but she is very clear that these outsiders are all young masters and ladies with unusual identities, and they are quite generous.After only living here for a few days, the money given to Grandma Li is enough to build several more houses.It also made her envious.Seeing an opportunity to join in now, she naturally wouldn't let it go.

When Lu Yiyu heard this, he also became interested, and took out a piece of silver: "Mother, why don't you tell me about it."

The helper lady immediately became excited, and said with dancing: "You two young masters don't know, this sacrifice to Hebo has been a custom in our entire Xiaoye Village, not only us, but the other nearby villages are the same..."

It turned out that, including Xiaoye Village, the villagers of seven or eight nearby villages were all survivors of Dayou who fled to the mountains to avoid the war at the end of the Dayou Dynasty.For them, this place is like a paradise.

For hundreds of years, due to the special environment of this mountain range, these villagers almost all depended on the source river for their livelihood.

Therefore, the local villagers all believe in the existence of Hebo, and believe that it is this god who is behind the blessing, so that there will always be a steady stream of fish and shrimp in the source river, and the water will always be clear and sweet. Wealth and peace.

The lady worker also talked a lot about the unique custom of offering sacrifices to Hebo, and some interesting things that happened in the past years. With her dancing and dancing movements, the two of them listened with gusto.

However, seeing her admiration for He Bo in both words and deeds, Lu Yiyu couldn't help shaking his head, feeling that it might be wrong for the village to continue to develop.

He reminded earnestly: "Fishing parasites, you can live today because you are self-sufficient, how can you put the credit on the illusory gods?"

Hearing this, the aunt immediately became unhappy, and the previous money was no longer good. She looked angry, raised her finger and raised her voice twice: "How are you talking! How can you be so disrespectful to He Bo?" You will be punished by God!"

Lu Yiyu was speechless for a while, and teased angrily: "What about Uncle He and Uncle Shui? It can't be true at all. Could it be that you have really seen that Uncle He!"

"Of course I have!"

An even more angry voice interrupted his words, and the aunt shouted aggressively, and added: "Although I haven't seen it, someone has seen it!"

She turned her eyes, and suddenly saw Manman in a red jacket standing there timidly under the eaves not far away, looking at this side carefully.

She immediately beckoned: "Manman, come here quickly, do you think you have seen He Bo? Tell them about it!"

Then he looked at the two of them proudly, mainly at Lu Yiyu: "Our Manman is a child who has really met He Bo and has been blessed by He Bo."

Yan Weilou, who had been sitting quietly by the side, slowly raised his head at this time, looking at her indifferently: "...He Bo's blessing? Can you explain in detail?"

His eyes were flat, with a faint smile on his face, and his tone was very peaceful, but there was a feeling that people couldn't refuse.

Under an inexplicable intuition, the originally complacent aunt subconsciously restrained herself a little.She pulled Manman over and said with a smile: "Hebo blesses, that is the most important thing in every year's sacrifice..."

The tradition of sacrificing Hebo near Xiaoye Village has a long history, which is different from the custom of sacrificing gods in other places.Generally, the sacrifices to the gods are livestock, but the sacrifices in Xiaoye Village are boys and girls under the age of seven.

It is said that there is a mirror blessed by Hebo in the ancestral hall in the village. Every year, children who meet the age should be brought in to take a picture, and the child with the brightest light will be the sacrifice selected by Hebo—Hebo only likes nature. Simple children, only the ones he likes the most can welcome He Bo and bless the village to prosper in the coming year.

In fact, the villagers do not call these children sacrifices, they regard them as messengers, bringing the villagers' pious belief in He Bo, and bringing back He Bo's blessings.

On the day of the sacrifice, the villagers will send the selected children to the boat and send them to He Bo along the river.After three to five days, these children will be sent back along the river by boats, and Hebo will be welcomed into various villages along the way—it's just that ordinary people can't see it with their naked eyes.

Because of the difference between human beings and gods, children who have been in contact with Hebo will be seriously ill after returning, but they will recover after a short period of recuperation, at least half a month, at most a year and a half.The villagers believe that the more He Bo likes the child, the longer the child stays with He Bo, the longer he needs to recuperate after returning.

——And this is the so-called Hebo blessing.

Following her narration, Yan Weilou's expression did not change, but Lu Yiyu's expression became more and more ugly.He faintly sensed that something was wrong.

...In this kind of deep mountains and wild ridges, sending a boat of helpless children into the river is likely to be swallowed by wild animals or drowned in the river.But they can come back every year in good condition, if there is no one behind this.Lu Yiyu never believed it.

Seeing his serious face, thoughtful.The aunt thought that this foreigner finally knew how to be in awe, and knew how powerful He Bo was, so a radiant brilliance appeared on his face.

Then he pushed the little girl in his arms, and said in a showy tone, "Manman, come and tell this young master. Didn't you visit He Bo last year?"

The little girl who was pushed out by her suddenly trembled, and opened her mouth timidly: "He, He Bo..."

The aunt pushed her again impatiently: "You little girl is still afraid that you will not be born. Please tell me about the blessing of He Bo last year. Master He Bo is the most merciful..."

"I, I don't know." The little girl said timidly, not as well-behaved as before, "We drifted along the river and entered a big dark hole, and we all fell asleep together. When we woke up , the boat has reappeared on the river, floating, and we are back in the village..."

"Only these? What else?"

The aunt looked at the little girl expectantly.In fact, I was as curious as a cat's paw.

The village stipulates that women cannot enter the ancestral hall.So every year, she didn't know how those children were selected in the ancestral hall and where they went after boarding the boat.In the past, the old village chief didn't let people ask around.Taking advantage of this young master from outside to ask today, it happened to satisfy her curiosity.

It's a pity that the little girl trembled for a long time, but she didn't say why.No matter how she asked, there were only a few unclear sentences back and forth, I don't know, I don't remember... But it made her very angry!

... What a silly girl!

The aunt who felt bored glared at the little girl angrily, then picked up the silver in her hand, picked up the medicine jar again, and left on her own.

Yan Weilou looked at the little girl's pale face thoughtfully, and suddenly asked, "Are you afraid of Uncle He?"

The little girl's face turned even paler. She took a step back and shook her head desperately: "I, I'm not afraid. My grandma said that He Bo is a good god. It is he who protects us to have fish to eat and clothes to wear."

Yan Weilou asked again: "Since you are not afraid, why are your legs shaking?"

The little girl immediately lowered her head to look at her legs, only to find that her legs were standing in place without shaking at all.Instead, he stiffened with fear.

"...?" She was confused.

At this time, the laziness of the young man came from the ear: "I lied to you."

The little girl raised her head in a daze, and met the boy's dark and calm eyes. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up into a smile, which looked very hateful in the little girl's eyes: "So, I guessed right. You are afraid of He Bo .”

Lu Yiyu next to him couldn't stand it any longer: "Brother Yan, you..." You are bullying children too much.

Yan Weilou raised his hand to interrupt him, with a smile on his face: "I'm just a little curious, what is the so-called He Bo's blessing?"

As he said that, Yan Weilou suddenly put down his wine glass, his eyes swept over the little girl's snow-white face, and a strange smile appeared on his lips: "You must know something."

Manman, who was already white-faced, shivered involuntarily. This very good-looking big brother clearly smiled gently, but his eyes were so cold and scary.

Her eyes were red, and she cried "Wow".