When the devil

[Lidong of the 39th year of the Zhao calendar]

It rained for three days and three nights in Yudu City. At dawn today, the heavy sky finally soaked up the light. At noon, the sun broke through the clouds and shone golden above the palace.

The hall was spacious and bright, and there was silence all around. The imperial doctor took Gu Xiao's pulse, his face seemed a little heavy, but Gu Xiao didn't care. Chess pieces are placed next to each other.

Sweat dripped from the imperial doctor's forehead. After waiting for a long time, he finally waited until Gu Xiao looked up at him. He thought it meant that Gu Xiao was willing to listen to him, so his lips moved slightly, and slowly revealed what was in his heart: "Your Majesty... ...the medicines before..."

"Go down." Gu Xiao didn't look at him, but behind the screen, there seemed to be a figure that had been waiting for a long time.

The imperial doctor looked embarrassed, but he couldn't go against Gu Xiao's wishes, so he backed away slowly and obediently left the room.

The figure behind the screen moved, and walked towards Gu Xiao through the round window where the sunlight penetrated with gentle steps.

"This year will be colder than previous years. It's only the beginning of winter, and it looks like it will snow in a few days." Yu Wanfeng spoke in a soft voice, which was not harsh in this empty hall. The bright light made him feel deeply His facial features were very clearly reflected. He was dressed in plain clothes recently, which lacked the majesty of being the dean of the Taili Academy, and added the concern and gentleness of a courtier close to him.

"Yeah, it's cold in Yudu, and the war is still going on in the north, and many people will freeze to death." Gu Xiao waved at him, pointed to the empty seat opposite him, and asked him to sit down and play chess with him.

Yu Wanfeng laughed twice, lifted his robe and bent down to sit down.

Gu Xiao has always disliked court rituals, and the traditions established by his ancestors are all invalidated by him.Except for being a little more solemn in the early court, and when meeting in private on weekdays, Gu Xiao let his subjects do as they wished, no need for greetings, no need for greetings, no need for respect, no need for flattery.

The rules have been established for a long time, and in Gu Xiao's view, it is an extremely simple matter, but unfortunately, things backfired, and there are very few people who can really do this step.

And among these very few people, Yu Wanfeng was included.

"This chess doesn't look like it was played step by step." Yu Wanfeng looked down at the chess: "It looks like it was laid out."

"I replaced the black pieces on the three key positions with white pieces." Gu Xiao clicked on a certain piece: "Look, you are surrounded by enemies."

Yu Wanfeng chuckled, picked up the chess piece that Gu Xiao was pointing at, casually threw it into his mouth and chewed it until it made a "clicking" sound.

Gu Xiao stared at Yu Wanfeng's teeth, seeing that he really ate the chess pieces like candy, and wanted to say something, but when the words came to his mouth, there was a sharp pain in his throat, he lowered his head and coughed continuously.

"Your Majesty, you still have to drink the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician." Yu Wanfeng swallowed the chess piece, and persuaded him in a gentle voice: "The ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven is coming soon."

The corner of Gu Xiao's mouth was stained with blood, and there was also blood on his hands. He shook his head and stood up, as if he had lost interest in the chess game in front of him.

The sun was shining today, but the cold wind blowing was still unbearable. Gu Xiao clenched his fist in his right hand and coughed softly on his lips. The blood soaked between his palms and flowed down his wrist into his sleeves. He wiped it on his robe casually.

"How long will Bai Lie come back?" He asked Yu Wanfeng.

"The escort team passed through Zhongzhou and Beiyan. I'm afraid there will be detours on the way. In my opinion, at least it will be after the winter solstice." Yu Wanfeng was still thinking about the chess pieces on the case. He took the sunspots and flipped them over at his fingertips flip over.

"The team led by Yuan'er?"

"The snow wolf army escort is His Majesty's intention, and the little prince will not make a fuss about it."

When Yu Wanfeng first heard these words, he was trying to excuse King You, but after careful consideration, he made the sharp point clear.Deviation from the route was a foregone conclusion, either King You ordered it, or there was a secret hidden in the Snow Wolf army.

Gu Xiao had no expression on his face, he was bathed in the sun, and his mouth was filled with the smell of blood he had coughed up.

"If Your Majesty is worried, the Taili Court can send someone there."

"It's okay." Gu Xiao's voice was hoarse, but he was very firm: "Just stare at it from a distance."

Yu Wanfeng raised his head to look at him, perhaps because of the backlight, Gu Xiao's figure became the only darkness in a ray of light.

"Bai Lie was entangled by Chaos in the Demon Realm, and injured his right arm. Chaos' blood is highly poisonous. If he drags him down with a mortal body, it will be very dangerous." Yu Wanfeng said: "If Your Majesty is reluctant to part with him, wait for him to come back." In the palace, I think of a way to make him more demonic, maybe it will be more useful than it is now."

Gu Xiao looked out the window, as if he was thinking about what Yu Wanfeng said.

Yu Wanfeng was not in a hurry to get an answer, he put down the white chip in his hand, replaced it with a black chip, and threw it into his mouth again to chew.

"What do you think?" Gu Xiao asked.

After chewing crisply, his deep voice echoed in the huge hall again.

"In my humble opinion, it's a pity that Bai Lie really died like this."

Gu Xiao smiled, and said, "Does Aiqing think it's a pity to die, or is it a pity to die at someone else's hands?"

Yu Wanfeng swallowed the chess piece, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, his eyes were warm, as if there was a little love in it: "Your Majesty, you must feed the meat well when training a dog. Hungry."

Gu Xiao was still laughing: "If I give you meat, you won't eat it. You have to eat something with bones and thorns."

Yu Wanfeng said: "Your Majesty misunderstood, I don't like bones and thorns the most, but when we play chess, we have to pay attention to abandoning the car to protect the commander. Up to now, General Bai has made the best use of everything. Your Majesty, don't put the cart before the horse."

Gu Xiao pointed at the chessboard: "It's not a kind of chess."

Yu Wanfeng stood up with a modest smile, put his hands into each other's sleeves, and walked slowly to Gu Xiao's side.

"The chess I'm talking about is not this game of chess, and the handsome is not implying His Majesty." He leaned slightly, and the light flooded into his eyes, reflecting Gu Xiao's side face: "Wei Xianzun returned this time. The palace is not here looking for His Majesty, the Queen has stayed in the palace for so long, the closer the hour is, the more she will be unable to sit still, is Your Majesty planning to continue to drag her, or as soon as possible—"

Before he finished speaking, he consciously stopped, Gu Xiao's eyes were much colder than before, and even the brilliant light outside the window couldn't melt into the pure darkness.

Yu Wanfeng lowered his eyes, laughing in a low voice, the sun was shining on him, but there was no shadow.

"I'm old and stupid, Your Majesty, please forgive me, please forgive me." He walked around behind Gu Xiao, took two steps, and stopped again: "The weather is fine today, which is really rare. If Your Majesty wants to go out for a walk, call your ministers at any time." That's right."

After saying these words, Yu Wanfeng disappeared, perhaps because he walked lightly, leaving no trace of movement when he went, only the mottled light and shadow on the ground, like the surface of a lake blown by a breeze, with trembling ripples .

There was fog in the mountains, and the carriage moved much slower than usual.

The wheels ran over the stones and bumped hard on the muddy road. Bai Lie woke up from the shaking, smelled the bitter smell of some herbs, and looked at the people beside him.

The carriage was not that spacious, and Shen Feihuan was sleeping on the side, breathing very calmly, as if a slight movement would wake him up.

Bai Lie leaned on the soft cushion and didn't move. His right hand was in pain for a long time last night, and he was unconscious when he woke up today. The wound left by Chaos grew red spots, which were delicate and threaded, crawling around his tight muscles like a spider's web. Zhi's arm.He didn't let others see this situation, and he could bear the pain, but the discomfort that drifted under the flesh not only didn't get relieved, it even spread to the whole body.

Without disturbing Shen Feihuan, he turned around slowly and picked up the curtain of the carriage with his left hand.

The trees on both sides are shrouded in mist, and the air is cold and humid. Looking into the distance, there is a cloud of gray, and I don't know where it leads.

"General."

The young general of the Snow Wolf Army who rode a horse to protect him greeted Bai Lie.

Bai Lie looked up at him: "Where are you?"

"Returning to the general, I have been walking from the north to the east for three hours. There are mountains and forests around here. I asked the locals and they said that there are small villages in this direction. Now I am heading towards the villages and towns."

Through the helmet, the young general Bai Lie looked familiar, but he couldn't name him. He should be an unknown junior who just joined the Snow Wolf Army a few years ago.

"Hu Lai." Bai Lie was seriously injured, but he still had enough strength to speak, "Hui Yu is the top priority, how can we change the route at will, let alone King You..."

"This king can't bear hardships, and he doesn't like to sleep in the open. If he wants to rest, he must go to a place where there are people." Gu Yuan's casual voice came from the roof of the carriage.

Bai Lie was slightly taken aback, but he didn't realize that there was someone on the roof of the car at all. Gu Yuan tilted her body, half of her body was hanging upside down, and looked out of the window at Bai Lie's stunned handsome face.

"My lord, there is still turmoil in Zhaoyang, and the way back to the city should be more cautious..."

From what Bai Lie thought, Gu Yuan was playful by nature, and every time she left the palace and ran around, she could not find her for half a year.Now it must be because of my playful nature, and I deliberately took the route in circles.

Unexpectedly, after hearing Bai Lie's kind words of persuasion, Gu Yuan gave a "tsk" and muttered: "The good intentions are not rewarded, the wood is white." Then she put her body away and continued to sit on the roof of the carriage.

Bai Lie was also depressed, so he loosened the curtain and obediently leaned back to the carriage. Shen Feihuan, who was resting beside the desk, had already woken up.

Gu Yuan came out because she considered that Bai Lie's injury was too serious, and her dressing would have to be changed after a while.However, as the commander of the Snow Wolf Army, Bai Lie's duty is to protect the royal family's blood. If he were to know the reason, he would definitely feel ashamed.

The carriage went on for a while, passed through the heavy fog, and finally arrived at the edge of the town.

"This road is full of bandits, there are no villages or towns, there is an inn in front, what is the name of the inn, if we go, don't put on the airs of the royal family, just call it the people of Shuiyue Pavilion, especially you, Bai Lie. "Gu Yuan's voice came from the roof of the carriage: "You treat me honestly as a patient...or, as a mute."

Bai Lie looked at the roof of the carriage: "The lord wants to avoid suspicion?"

"This road is dark and not controlled by the surrounding area. The inn is a place where people come and go. The proprietress is the landowner here. If she asks you to call her mother, you have to. It doesn't work when the emperor comes."

"This…"

"Dabai, I know you can't cry out, so you just treat yourself as dumb." Gu Yuan yawned, and her crossed legs became numb. He stretched slowly, relaxed himself, and changed to another after a while. Standing on the roof of the carriage: "We are only passing by, staying overnight, as long as we don't cause trouble, we will be safe and sound. This is the rule of the rivers and lakes, understand?"

There were two big characters written on Bai Lie's face: I don't understand.

He took a deep breath, the numbness of his right arm made him frown slightly, his heart was full of emotions, and he couldn't let go of it for a while.

It was not only Bai Lie who could hear Gu Yuan's words, but also Xia Zhou and Wei Ling who were riding horses in front.

"I've heard of this inn. If you have money, skills, and acquaintances, it's easy to go in." Seeing Wei Ling's confused face, Xia Zhou kindly explained to him.

Just now what King You said was clearly: what and what inn.When I arrived at Xia Zhou, I heard it clearly. I have to say that the two brothers really have a good heart.

"Yes, our journey, first, is not short of money." Gu Yuan answered on the roof of the car.

There is a lot of banditry here, but he spoke loudly. As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a movement behind the big tree. Blood splashed up and scattered into the white mist. It was the young general of the Snow Wolf Army who moved his hand. The gun pierced the trunk and pierced the throat of the person hiding behind the big tree.

"Second, it's not bad."

The young general drew his gun, and the body of the middle-aged man behind the tree fell crookedly. Wei Ling glanced at him. Like the injury just now.

There was a smell of blood in the air.

There is a murder ahead, this person should be a civilian who escaped...

"Where are the acquaintances?" Xia Zhou pulled the horse and turned around: "Who is waiting for us inside?"

"This is waiting for the sheep to enter the tiger's mouth." Shen Feihuan got out of the carriage, he looked ahead, and the outline of the inn was looming in the mist: "The smell of blood is so strong, can't you smell it?"

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The author has something to say:

The locked chapters have been struggling for a long time and I can't solve them...or I have to delete them all, and I will toss after the end.

I've been too busy with work recently...I can't guarantee the update time for the new chapter, so I can only follow the fate, and I will try my best to finish it.