Looking to the Thirteen Rivers

The sky was completely gloomy, as if night would fall in the next moment, the wind and rain destroyed the forests and weeds on the top of the mountain, and blew the snow left over from this winter into flying sand.

There was a sound of steady and powerful footsteps behind her, and an invisible murderous aura diffused in the wind. Ye Zhilan turned around in the swirling rain and snow, with a glint of cold light in her eyes.

At the end of the line of sight, several familiar figures approached one after another. The bow-wielding disciples simply stopped hiding and stood openly in the open space in the forest.The sharp arrow opened the bowstring, made a neat pulling sound, and aimed at the independent figure on the edge of the cliff.

Ningshuang was trembling, tugging at her dress, and Man Jiangxue walked slowly out of the crowd, her black hair covered in snow foam, which was quickly doused by the rain.Her eyes were cold, and her usually calm face was stained with rare gloom. She stared at Ye Zhilan closely, her sharp eyes seemed to be able to separate her from the air, which made people chill.

The two looked at each other quietly, exchanging their gazes, Ye Zhilan smiled slightly, and said softly, "You're here."

Man Jiangxue said in a low voice, "What do you want."

"Don't worry yet," Ye Zhilan's dignified and upright figure, at this moment, looks somewhat similar to Man Jiangxue's, she said gently, "When we meet old friends, we should catch up on the old days."

"I have nothing to do with you." The two were about the same size, but Man Jiangxue seemed to be looking down at Ye Zhilan, "Let's gossip."

Ye Zhilan twirled the bamboo flute, standing on the edge of the cliff like a fragile green bamboo, even though she was standing so straight, it still gave people the illusion that she would shatter in an instant.

"She really came here alone," Wen Chaoyu folded his arms and looked around, "That's the end of it. If she brings someone with her, it means she still wants to live. If she doesn't bring anyone with her, it seems that she is planning to burn everything with her." gone."

Ji Wanshu observed the situation on the opposite side for a moment, then frowned and said, "Troublesome."

"Jiang Xue must calm down," Xie Yijun stood beside Man Jiangxue and said in a low voice, "Yin Qiu's life is in her hands, as long as we make a move, she can loosen the rope and throw Yin Qiu down Cliff, even if you can hurt her with an arrow, she can still strike before she dies, so you must bear with it and don't provoke her!"

She clearly said this in a low voice, but unexpectedly Ye Zhilan listened to it verbatim, and said with a smile: "What Master said is very true, let me remind you again, even if you can hurt me, or Push me off the bottom of the cliff, and I can hold my breath to activate the poison, Yin Qiu will die in my hands no matter what, so you have to think clearly about your every move."

Xie Yijun's expression was complicated, with regret and hatred at the same time. She looked at Ye Zhilan with dark eyes, but she still couldn't say "sinister".

Wen Zhaoyu had a flash of inspiration at this moment of confrontation, and thought of the only remaining bad plan, she took two steps back calmly, hiding behind Man Jiangxue, and Bai Ling who rushed behind said in a very low voice: "Take a few people Retreat and see if there is any way to climb the cliff and approach Yin Qiu."

Bai Ling's eyes lit up, he returned Wen Chaoyu's look, and quickly retreated behind the crowd without making a sound, leading a few disciples into the forest quietly.

Ye Zhilan could see the crowds moving, but she didn't know if she saw Bai Ling's movements clearly. Man Jiangxue listened to Xie Yijun's instructions, suppressed the killing intent in her heart, and said with a calm expression, "What do you want to tell me about the past."

Ye Zhilan showed a thoughtful expression, and said: "There are so many old things, I don't know where to start." She tapped the palm of her hand with the bamboo flute, and finally said, "I'm not wearing a mask right now, do you recognize me? "

Man Jiangxue answered very simply: "I don't know."

"It's normal not to recognize you," Ye Zhilan said, "but I know you. I saw you once many years ago. Although it was only once, it was enough to never forget it."

Man Jiangxue frowned slightly, and asked, "When?"

The drizzle was flying, the cold wind was raging, and the wind and snow alternated in mid-air. If it were placed on a normal day, this scene would be somewhat poetic.However, at this moment, there is only a strong depression and loneliness left.

"In the year when you entered the palace at the age of nine," Ye Zhilan said, "when you protected the banner and rescued all the courtiers, I sat in the sedan chair and witnessed your feat, which is still fresh in my memory. "

Man Jiangxue was not surprised by her words, Wen Chaoyu just showed his face clearly, but Xie Yijun asked in surprise: "Are you the heir of Xiling?" She looked back and forth between Ye Zhilan and Man Jiangxue, "Then you and Isn't Jiang Xue..."

"That's right, true sisters," Ye Zhilan said, "We have the same father, but we didn't grow up in the same palace, and we never had a formal meeting."

Without waiting for Man Jiangxue to make a sound, she said to herself: "Father was executed by King Yongye before you got married. I know about this, and I didn't impose the crime of subjugation on you. I want to find you Seeking revenge has other reasons. Man Jiangxue, you are smart, why don't you guess?"

Man Jiangxue thought for a while, then raised her eyes and said, "Nangong Min called you Xiaoqi, so your identity is not difficult to guess. The Duke of Xiling is the Seventh Princess who lost her mother when she was young, so it must be you."

Ye Zhilan nodded: "And then?"

"Then?" Man Jiangxue sneered for no reason, "Since you didn't blame me for the crime of subjugation, then the only thing left is the marriage. I came to the Central Plains, and the rest of you will die or live It's up to me, how King Yongye will deal with you is not something I can control. But as the crown prince, if you have some value, he will naturally keep you and let you come and marry."

Ye Zhilan clenched the bamboo flute in her hand, the smile on her face dissipated immediately, she said coldly: "It's ridiculous?"

"Isn't it ridiculous?" Man Jiangxue took two steps forward, stood upright in the drizzle, and said, "Everyone in the world will blame me for the crime of subjugation. I have carried this crime for so many years, but I don't mind. But if you want to blame me for the marriage, then don't think about it, I will not admit to this crime no matter what."

Ye Zhilan's anger suddenly rose, and she said angrily: "Why don't you admit it! If you hadn't fled to the Central Plains, how could King Yongye have pointed the finger at me? As the heir of Xiling Emperor, you have enjoyed all the glory and wealth, Thanks to the grace of the Heavenly Family, you have assumed the responsibility of defending your home and country as a matter of course since birth, and getting married is your duty!"

"My obligation?" Man Jiangxue's voice was cold, and there was sarcasm in his words, "If you want to talk about enjoying the glory and wealth, I am no happier in the royal courtyard than you are in the palace. You are also the heir of the emperor, and you are still under one person." The crown prince above ten thousand people, it is only right and proper to kiss and reconcile with me, and you have suffered a lot of grievances when you reconciled, you bound me with moral shackles, but you picked yourself clean, where do you have the confidence to stand in front of me and talk nonsense? "

Ye Zhilan gritted her teeth, with a fierce look in her eyes: "If you hadn't been in the limelight at the sacrificial ceremony, King Yongye would not have heard of you, and there would be no such thing as a marriage! You caused the disaster yourself , but you want me to clean up the mess for you and bear the consequences that should have been borne by you, isn't it your fault?"

"Well said," Man Jiangxue said coldly, "As the crown prince, you should know more about Xiling's national conditions than Mu De himself. As. Mude spent a lot of manpower and financial resources to hold a sacrificial ceremony, praying to the true god to protect the people of Xiling. You also lost your head following him. As the crown prince of Xiling, you should stop it in time and remind me, but you didn't do anything. You ate delicacies and drinks in the stands of the sacrificial ceremony. When the rainstorm came, you took a sedan chair And go, hide faster than anyone else, I am a princess who was raised outside the palace and was forgotten by my father. Afterwards, Mude ordered me to go to the palace to meet him, and I made a suggestion to him face to face. He was so angry that he refused to take a second look at me. After the collapse of Xiling, he remembered asking me to go to a truce with my relatives. , in the eyes of you father and daughter, am I so contemptible?"

"You are presumptuous!" Ye Zhilan yelled, "How can you call your father by his first name? You are a rebellious person!"

"It's not that the sky is going to kill Xiling, it's that you who are in high positions are going to kill Xiling." Man Jiangxue looked at her contemptuously, "The country's destruction is unstoppable, and the fate of heaven cannot be violated. I'm afraid I don't dare to fight, I only dare to blame others. I have the ability to escape from Yong Ye. If you don't have that ability, you can't blame me. As long as you are willing to think about Xi Ling and assist Mu De by your side, although Yong Ye is strong, it is not impossible to resist. The soldiers invaded, what did you and Mu De do in that year? What did the courtiers do? You will only wait to die, and you will only find someone to take advantage of your grudges after being reduced to prison."

A gust of wind blew up, followed by thunder, and the two silver dragons tore apart on the edge of the sky, illuminating the gloomy world in an instant, and then extinguished in the next instant.

Ye Zhilan staggered and staggered, her face turned pale, and she was rendered speechless by what Man Jiangxue said.

Seeing Man Jiangxue's sharp words and refusing to show any sympathy, Xie Yijun's back broke out in cold sweat, and hurriedly said: "Jiang Xue! Just bear with it, don't provoke her!"

"She's the one who provoked me." Man Jiangxue looked straight at Ye Zhilan without any sign of flinching.

"You, you..." Ye Zhilan looked sad, and her face that was originally young suddenly showed a bit of unnatural oldness. She was about to crush the bamboo flute in her hand, and said sharply, "You know that I will be here in eternity." What was life like at the Night Palace? You know what the rest of us went through? You know..."

"I'm not interested in knowing," Man Jiangxue interrupted her mercilessly, "except for our inseparable blood relationship, we are no different from strangers. Even if I accept the marriage, you will end up dead. And my I was only ten years old when I was able to escape with my mother. I have already experienced a near-death experience. I can't even save my mother, let alone you. I am not the one who caused all this. You came to me to seek revenge. It’s just a matter of venting your anger personally, and you being able to attack Xiao Qiu also proves that this is not the first time you have done such a thing, and the demise of Ruyimen must have something to do with you! I didn’t ask you to settle accounts because you hid it deeply, and now you If you dare to show your face openly, you won't be able to live until tomorrow."

Ye Zhilan looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "Why, you still want to kill me?" She tugged on the rope around her waist, and Yin Qiu in midair immediately shook, "Do you dare to kill me? How are you going to kill me again?" ?”

Man Jiangxue touched Ningshuang and rattled the hilt of his sword, while Wen Chaoyu next to him couldn't help cursing: "Crazy! You are no different from the maggots in the gutter! The so-called grievances have the head and the debtor, who is responsible for it?" You, whoever you want to go to, what's the matter with Man Jiangxue? What's the matter with Yin Qiu? If you really have the ability, go and wipe out Yongye Kingdom, avenge your father and yourself, and think that you didn't kill enough people !"

"Stop talking—" Xie Yijun was burning with anxiety, "I really made her anxious, who of you can save Yin Qiu?! Why are you still arguing at this time!"

Ye Zhilan glanced at Wen Chaoyu, and said mockingly: "You are a good person, and I am a despicable person, how can I compare to you? After all, you were abandoned by your parents, you have a family and cannot return, but you are still willing to take the place of those two immortals." I took care of my adopted daughter and held her in my hands like a heart. You are all gentlemen, how can I be compared with you!"

Wen Zhaoyu was really beaten to death, but she never thought that Ye Zhilan knew her background, she couldn't help but startled when she heard this, Ji Wanshu was standing beside her, but Wen Zhaoyu's limbs were stiff, and she even turned her head to see Ji Wanshu's strength also no.

Ji Wanshu was also unexpected, and she also didn't expect Ye Zhilan to know about this. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Wen Chaoyu's pestle on the spot and made no sound. Ji Wanshu secretly gritted his teeth, couldn't hold back his anger, and drew his sword and said: " Stop talking nonsense! What are you going to do today!"

"What do I want..." Ye Zhilan smiled, and met Man Jiangxue's eyes fearlessly, "You caused me, and I want to seek revenge from you. The old emperor of Yongye Kingdom has long been killed by me. You're poisoned, now it's your turn. I can't kill you, but I can do everything I can to torture you."

She moved slightly, approached Yin Qiu a little, and said fiercely: "You are right, the Ruyimen incident is indeed related to me. I sent the blueprint of the underground mechanism to Nangong Min anonymously, so she was able to do it so quickly. Attacking Liucang Mountain, your good senior sister was killed by your indifference, including today's Yin Qiu, who was also killed by you. Man Jiangxue, you have to atone for all the mistakes you made, and you have to pay the price !"

As soon as these words came out, the disciples present couldn't help but show shock.

"It turned out to be her, she was the one who tipped off the Ziwei sect!"

"It's really a snake and a scorpion. This person is too vicious, and the heavens will not tolerate it!"

"So many people have died in the Ruyi Gate. From this point of view, Uncle Shen must not be here anymore. Now she is going to harm Senior Sister Yin again. It's really abominable!"

……

Wen Chaoyu couldn't bear it anymore, moved the arm hanging by his side slightly back, and held several small flying knives in the palm of his hand. Xie Yijun hurriedly gave her a wink, and said in a deep voice, "Why are you making trouble? Don't be impulsive!"

Wen Chaoyu said: "I killed her with one blow!"

"It's not difficult to kill her, but what about Yin Qiu?" Xie Yijun pressed her hand back, "Even if you cut her throat with one knife, or directly stabbed her in the heart, she would never die immediately, As long as she still has a breath, she can loosen the rope and throw Yin Qiu down, can you bear this responsibility?!"

Wen Chaoyu said: "At worst, I..." She remembered that she had broken an arm, and immediately changed her words, "At worst, Man Jiangxue will jump off the cliff with her! Just catch Yin Qiu!"

"Confused! Absurd!" Xie Yijun said, "That's a cliff! It's not a beam or wall, you can jump if you want to? Besides, Yin Qiu still has Gu poison on her body, can you carry it for her?"

"I don't believe she can still play that flute for me with the last breath left!" Wen Zhaoyu looked sideways forward and urged, "Man Jiangxue! Make up your mind!"

The rain suddenly became rapid, and the drizzle quickly turned into a torrential rain amidst the interlacing of thunder and lightning. On the other side, Bai Linggang climbed hard along the cliff to behind Yin Qiu, but was overwhelmed by the sudden heavy rain. Forced to go back.

Bai Ling slipped his hands and feet, and he swung in a circle in the sky. Fortunately, she tied a rope for herself in advance, and tied it to a tree trunk on the edge of the cliff.Bai Ling couldn't help swearing, and had no choice but to turn over and said angrily, "Why is it raining heavily at this time, I'm really afraid of something!"

The few disciples who fell behind also grabbed the rope and climbed up one after another. They said anxiously and angrily: "When it rains, the muddy water will follow, let alone settling down, I don't even know where to put my hands!"

Bai Ling had no choice but to return in vain. When Wen Chaoyu saw her, he naturally knew that the strategy would not work, so he urged Man Jiangxue, "Hurry up and think of a way!"

The thunderstorm flooded the top of the mountain and covered the whole world. The light dimmed, and the vision became blurred immediately.Man Jiangxue took the dagger from his waist and shook it into a long sword, but raised his hand and threw it to one side, and nailed it to the tree with a clang.She slowly approached Ye Zhilan, tapped her own acupuncture points within the gradually shortening distance, and said: "I am unarmed, and I have sealed my internal energy. You let Xiaoqiu go. Today I will let you handle it."

Ye Zhilan was drenched by the torrential rain, she sneered and waved Man Jiangxue to stop.

"You dare to take a step closer." Ye Zhilan loosened the rope around her waist and held it firmly in her hands, "I'll kill her right away!"

She was weak and exhausted, and almost used all her strength to pull Yin Qiu, but even so, Yin Qiu fell down suddenly the moment she untied the rope, and Man Jiangxue's heart followed her. sink.

"Just say it—" Man Jiangxue stared intently at the unconscious Yin Qiu, suppressing the turbulent emotions, "What exactly do you want me to do!"

Ye Zhilan observed the expression on Man Jiangxue's face, she laughed again, so wildly and carefreely.She moved back slightly and turned her head to glance at the cliff behind her. The rain was so heavy that the scene at the bottom of the cliff was covered by the dense rain, and even the river could not be seen clearly.Ye Zhilan looked at Man Jiangxue triumphantly, and sneered, "I want you to kill yourself in front of me, do you dare?"

Hearing what she said clearly, Xie Yijun shrank his pupils, and immediately shouted at Man Jiangxue: "Jiang Xue! Don't promise her!"

The disciples also quickly dissuaded——

"Uncle! Absolutely not!"

"This person is full of tricks, if you agree, she will definitely backtrack!"

"Master, come back quickly!"

……

Amidst the anxious words, Man Jiangxue stood quietly, her eyes still on Yin Qiu.

Ye Zhilan threw her saber at her, without saying much, Man Jiangxue raised her hand to catch it, and touched the sharp thin blade with her fingertips.

"Why, are you scared?" Ye Zhilan took the time to calm down, "As long as you are willing to kill yourself, I will not only let Yin Qiu go, but also jump off the cliff by myself to end the rest of my life. From now on, there will be less trouble in the world, and your Yunhua Palace will never be over. There’s no more detailed work from Ziwei’s teaching, it’s a good deal, isn’t it?”

Man Jiangxue looked up at her: "You really mean what you say."

Ye Zhilan narrowed her eyes: "Of course."

Man Jiangxue pretended to hesitate, put her left hand behind her back without showing any trace, and made a gesture where Ye Zhilan could not see.

Seeing the movements of her hands, both Wen Zhaoyu and Xie Yijun's expressions were terrified.

In the past, their seniors and sisters often discussed swordsmanship together, and that hand gesture was used by the master. As long as the master showed this gesture, the few people who were ready to go would officially start fighting.

This is Man Jiangxue's signal to the two senior sisters behind him.

Wen Chaoyu immediately clenched the throwing knife in his hand, waiting for Man Jiangxue's next move, Xie Yijun also put his hands behind his back, signaling his disciples to remain calm and not to shoot arrows.

"Being bright and aboveboard is full of snow, and there will be a day when you are greedy for life and afraid of death?" Ye Zhilan seemed a little impatient, "My patience is limited, and I don't have so much time for you to think, so make a decision quickly!"

Man Jiangxue wiped off the rain from her face, and glanced at Yin Qiu again through the rain curtain, and after a while, she shifted her gaze to Ye Zhilan's face again.

"I hope you do what you say."

As soon as this remark came out, Man Jiangxue didn't hesitate any longer, and decisively put the blade on his neck, and cut the skin there neatly.

In an instant, a large amount of blood flowed out, like a drop of red ink dripping on rice paper, and the clean white clothes were soaked in blood in an instant, spreading at an extremely fast speed.

The disciples who didn't know the situation were in a state of confusion when they saw this situation, and they all shouted: "Uncle Master!"

Ji Wanshu's face changed, and he wanted to go up to help her without even thinking about it. Xie Yijun pulled her in time, and when Ji Wanshu staggered, a flying knife with a cold light brushed her ear and rushed out .

Man Jiangxue was on the verge of falling, and fell down under Ye Zhilan's rapt attention.Ye Zhilan's face was filled with joy, and the laughter in her throat had not yet come out, but she saw Man Jiangxue suddenly soaring into the air the next moment.

The white shadow suddenly approached, Ye Zhilan's complexion changed suddenly, she immediately let go of the rope in her hand, and at the same time brought the bamboo flute to her lips, a figure flashed in front of her, Man Jiangxue didn't even look at her, and rushed straight down the cliff go.

At the same time, a flying knife pierced through the raindrops and suddenly hit Ye Zhilan's eyes.

The flying knife was so fast that Ye Zhilan had no time to dodge it. She only felt a sudden sharp pain in her hand. When she lowered her eyes, she saw that the bamboo flute had been torn apart by the shock at some point, and it became a pile of waste, scattered all over the place. at her feet.

There were also a few bloody fingers scattered on the ground.

"Catch alive!"

Following Xie Yijun's order, Wen Chaoyu and Ji Wanshu flew up at the same moment, and Bai Ling immediately followed with his disciples.

Ye Zhilan stared blankly at her incomplete hand, her expression turned cold, but she laughed three times to the people who quickly gathered around her, then she tapped her toes and fell off the cliff in front of everyone .

"You can't let her die!" Xie Yijun fell behind the crowd and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Pull her back!"

Ji Wanshu pulled out the rope from Bai Ling's body, swung it vigorously, and wrapped it around Ye Zhilan's neck very precisely. She was about to spare no effort to pull Ye Zhilan back, but at this critical moment, she saw a stream of arrows suddenly Explosively shot out from the forest at the rear, passing through the rope with icy killing intent, and plunged into Ye Zhilan's chest with lightning speed!

Blood splashed, the rope broke, Ji Wanshu's hand was empty, and everyone stood on the edge of the cliff, watching Ye Zhilan fall into the abyss, irreversible.