The fairy is fierce

The warlords are separatist, and the killings are endless. The people are in dire straits, and their lives are like grass...

These words that show the most miserable and desolate aspects of troubled times cannot be seen in the relatively prosperous and stable Jiuzong. Shangguan Lingye could only understand a few words in books in the past.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have imagined that without the suppression of the immortal family and the political power, ordinary people who were originally peaceful would also commit all kinds of cruel acts against other mortals that are not allowed by nature, and even the methods were not weaker than those of the most extreme ones. Evil heretics.

When they came to the military camp near the city wall, the people who were still in the county gathered here to seek safety.

As Zuo Lingquan and Shangguan Lingye walked along, they saw that the people they saw were all old, weak, sick and disabled. Regardless of men, women, old or young, most of them were missing arms or legs. Those who could stand upright and walk had already put on red headscarves to maintain order. of the rebels.

Lu Chen was accustomed to this, and even said that these people were lucky. Zuo Lingquan asked the reason and found out that the chaos had been going on for more than ten years.

In the beginning, the foundation of the imperial court was rotten. It imposed tyranny and torture and plundered the people's wealth. A number of people in the county were killed, and most of the remaining people became disabled in the corvee.

Then the people of the world were overwhelmed and rebels emerged everywhere, including around Macheng County. The people thought they would survive, but they didn't expect those "rebel" leaders who started from a local background. Without the suppression of the law, their style was far more vicious than that of the imperial court. They stole money, food, women, and slaughtered villages for the slightest disobedience. Zhai, you come over and kill one wave, I will come over and kill another wave.

In the end, food was no longer available. A place close to the sea like Macheng County could still survive by fishing. The remaining people in the mainland had long been reduced to exchanging food for food. It was not uncommon for the rebels to use people as food for the army. .

In this troubled world where the value of a human life is not worth as much as a bowl of rice, to be able to survive till now and to shelter from the rain in a dilapidated house is just because of a good life, and for a bad life, the bones will be chewed to pieces.

Shangguan Lingye walked slowly along the muddy road. When he was still some distance away from the farmyard on the hillside, he saw dozens of rebels with swords and guns surrounding him under the heavy rain. There was blood flowing down the slope along with the rain. The yard There was a heartbreaking cry:

"Dad...wuwu...mother..."

"father……"

The voice came from a girl, which was childish, and there was a boy's voice next to it.

Shangguan Lingye walked behind Zuo Lingquan, passing through the silent crowd, and saw a small fenced courtyard with blood stains on the ground.

The young man wearing a red headscarf, at most fifteen or sixteen years old, and the girl wearing Baijia clothes with short hair, cried so hard that they were exhausted, and sat slumped next to the earthen wall, with two men wearing short swords comforting them.

There was a square table in the old main house with porridge bowls and dishes on it, which had been eaten clean, but it was obviously not for the owner's family.

A man carrying a spear and a man dressed as a scholar stood beside the table, with four corpses at their feet.

There was no clean cloth available in the county town, so they just covered the body with a sheet. From the outline alone, you could see that the body was not human-shaped, and the blood stains on the ground continued to flow outside the door.

Shangguan Lingye has handled no less than 10,000 murder cases in the past 80 years. He is aware of the pity and misfortune of mortals, but rarely goes to the scene of the crime in person. No matter how many casualties appear on paper, it is just a cold number. The number of casualties is less than ten. It's hard to even pay attention to it.

At this moment, when I saw the little girl crying so hard that her voice was exhausted, I truly realized how many separations and separations were hidden behind those cold numbers.

She walked slowly to the steps and looked at the little girl who was about to faint from crying. The natural tenderness of women made her want to comfort her.

But what comfort can there be at this time?

Based on her experience, she could only console them with the endless cycle of reincarnation, telling them that her family members had been reincarnated in other worlds and lived a good life.

But if the brother and sister really believe her, the most likely thing they can do now is to accompany their family members and escape from this world of cannibalism. That would be open to the eyes of an immortal family like her who can pursue immortality.

Shangguan Lingye stood silent outside the eaves. She had some understanding of her ancestor's origins. She originally thought that it was a tragic but common experience, and that her ancestor had long since given up. ♝ ♦ ♦♦

Only now do I understand why our ancestor has been sitting alone in the palace on the top of the mountain for thousands of years, never leaving the small area of ​​​​Nine Sects.

Because the ancestor was more desperate than the little girl in front of him, when Shangguan Lingye saw the little girl's eyes, he no longer dared to imagine his own reaction to experiencing such a tragic event in the world, let alone the ancestor's complete and complete reaction. The extremely desperate situation of annihilating a clan, I am afraid that no one who has experienced that feeling personally will let this happen again.

Zuo Lingquan noticed the emotion in the Dowager Empress's eyes and felt that she was becoming more and more emotional.

But if you witness this kind of human tragedy with your own eyes and still remain rational and unmoved, you are not worthy of being called a human being, so how can you be called an immortal?

Zuo Lingquan did not disturb Shangguan Lingye and followed Lu Shen to the main room. He half-crouched and lifted the cloth to take a look at the body.

The death was so horrific that it was difficult to describe it in words. Under the body were incantations painted in blood, forming a formation.

Lu Chen took off his bamboo hat, came to Jiang Heng's side, and introduced softly:

"This is the newly arrived Zuo Daxia. This is Jiang Heng, the leader of the rebels here."

Jiang Heng saw that Zuo Lingquan had a good temperament, but at this time he had no intention of making friends with the master. He stood next to the corpse with a gun in his hand and said:

"No money or food was taken from the house, only the food on the table was eaten. Judging from the scene, they were killing people and eating at the same time. This kind of villain has never appeared in a hundred miles around, and there are not many literate people in the county. , Master Zuo, can you tell what is written?”

Zuo Lingquan put down the cloth covering the body. It was difficult to explain these demon sect methods, let alone the origin of the murderer. He could only say:

"The way to cast a curse in witchcraft is to kill for the sake of killing."

After Shangguan Lingye comforted the little girl for a few words, he walked into the main room, his expression having returned to the coldness and dignity it used to have when he was in charge of the Demon Hunting Department.

Now that both she and Ancestor Youhuang have exhausted their spiritual energy, their hatred and hatred are secondary. The most important thing is to restore their strength first.

Ancestor Youhuang obviously wants to kill people in evil ways to obtain supplies. It is difficult to do it here, and he will go to other places to kill people. And not just one or two were killed. The monks in the Jade Realm seized the power of mortals, and hundreds of thousands of people's lives were invisible. As long as they were not stopped, they could be slaughtered in a radius of thousands of miles.

Shangguan Lingye has been doing the job of "becoming God to ordinary people" for eighty years. Even if this is not her jurisdiction, she cannot sit back and watch this happen. She asked:

"Besides Macheng County, are there any gathering places with more than a hundred people nearby?"

The voice was cold, with the toughness and domineering tone of a superior, and it startled the gentlemen in the room as soon as he spoke.

Jiang Heng originally thought that Zuo Lingquan was the rightful owner, but then he realized that the woman behind him was the real master. He turned around and cupped his hands, with the bamboo hat covering his face so that he couldn't see his face, so he didn't take a closer look and responded:

"Bandit soldiers are everywhere, and the countryside is empty. There are not many people alive. They have either fled or hid in the mountains and forests. Villages with more than a hundred people are all soldiers' dens. There are no people nearby. They are either dead or captured. Ninghe City, a hundred miles away to the south, is used as cannon fodder; Ninghe City is the garrison of the Qingjia Army, with nearly 20,000 people inside, 4,000 soldiers and horses, and local overlords for hundreds of miles around..."

After Shangguan Lingye listened carefully, he felt that Ancestor Youhuang was seriously injured. Killing 20,000 people with bare hands would easily lead to a mass rout, which would be a waste of 'resources'. If he wanted to kill people to replenish himself, the first choice target would probably be a horse with less than a thousand people gathered. City and county.

"The murderer will continue to kill people. Gather your people, keep an eye on the food, don't disperse, and send a single scout to Ninghe City to keep an eye on it. I will help you guard it for a few days. The other party will look for the next target. If they are not in the county within three days If we do, we will definitely go to Ninghe City.”

If Shangguan Lingye wanted to be safe, he couldn't let Ancestor Youhuang kill too many people to regain his strength. He had to find and kill them before Ancestor Youhuang regained his strength. This move not only protects the local people, but also protects himself.

Jiang Heng faced a tone that left no room for doubt. As a leader, he should have asked a few questions. However, the woman in front of him was so powerful that she didn't dare to ask more questions after one sentence. After thinking about it, he turned around and ordered:

"Xiao Su, gather all the villagers at the port, send people to keep an eye on the granary, and report any trouble immediately.

The young man dressed as a scholar immediately went out to deliver the order. A man holding a sword outside the door hesitated a little and said:

"Boss, we can't last a few days, and now weird things are happening frequently. Why don't we lead the team to join the Qingjia Army. There are many people there, and we can still have safety and security."

The speaker was Cao Xin, who was born in Jianghu and was not very optimistic about the future of the small team. He had been trying to persuade them recently.

Of course, this is not to play devil's advocate. The most reasonable choice at the moment is to join the large-scale "rebels". Bring some people there and still find a position. If you work alone, you will have trouble even eating, so it will not be a big business.

Others in the rebel army obviously also had this intention. Zuo Lingquan actually also felt that it would be better to protect the people by bringing them together in one place.

But the leader Jiang Heng shook his head:

"Zhu Wu of the Qingjia Army has a bloodthirsty and narrow-minded vision. He can gain a foothold in a county or a state, but it is difficult to achieve great things. In the past, we were just helping the strong to bully the weak and making the troubled world more chaotic; if we encounter Against a strong enemy, Zhu Wu will not use his troops, and those of us who have taken refuge in him will die the fastest."

Zhu Ba, who is also from Jianghu, sighed:

"We must survive before we can talk about ambitions. In our situation, we can't survive for a few days. If we wait for the Qingjia Army to attack and then surrender, we will be shameless."

"well……"

As a group of brothers watched, Jiang Heng was speechless as he had no way to break the situation.

Although it was just a few words, Shangguan Lingye had already roughly understood the county's situation through his observation of the situation in the county and Jiang Heng's expression and behavior.

Shangguan Lingye thought about it for a moment and said, "You can't be short-minded if you are poor. You should do as I say first, and find me some paper and pen by the way. I will teach you something, which should be useful in the future."

Jiang Heng did not understand the meaning of this sentence. He regarded it as a step and said:

"Okay, let's do this for today. You all go back and pay attention to the movements. If there is anything unusual, report it in time."

Seeing this, the rebel leaders outside said no more. After saying goodbye, they left one after another...

------

The rain became less intense, but it still didn't stop.

The coffins in the county town had been used up many years ago, and the four corpses were carried to the mass graves by the rebels. No one discussed the matter again until dark. After all, death is so common these days, and the people who often visit the city have become numb. .

Zuo Lingquan stayed in the fence yard and chatted with Jiang Heng for a while about the situation here.

Jiang Heng also came from a lower class background. He grew up in a troubled time when information was blocked and everyone was in danger. He didn't know much about the situation in the world. He only knew that the coastal area used to be called "Yan Land". The most powerful one was Zhu Wu, the Qingjia Army. There is no chance of contact outside.

Shangguan Lingye originally wanted to find a map to analyze the current location from the topography, but in the troubled times that lasted for more than ten years, it was impossible for strategic materials such as maps to fall into Jiang Heng's hands. Even the rare books , because they were of no use in the troubled times and had long been lost. The county town did not make paper, so naturally there was no paper.

Hearing that Shangguan Lingye wanted to use pen and paper, Jiang Heng searched for a long time and took apart a few clean wooden boards to make up the number. Seeing this, Shangguan Lingye was too lazy to use pen and ink, and it would be more convenient to carve words directly.

As night fell, nearly a thousand soldiers and civilians in the county gathered near the military camp under the city wall, casually finding a place to shelter from the rain.

Regarding the arrangements of the rebels, the remaining people have no complaints. Apart from trusting the rebels, most of them are numb - they are all old, weak, sick and disabled, and they can't run away. It's just the difference between dying early and dying later. If there are more people, they will die together. Have a companion.

Zuo Lingquan moved his residence to a place near his station for the convenience of protection. Jiang Heng gave special treatment and specially arranged a small courtyard. Although it was still dilapidated, it did not leak at least.

Zuo Lingquan, Jiang Heng and others returned to the small courtyard after exploring all the roads around the station.

It was raining, and only the windows of the main house shone with dim yellow light. The light was very weak. There were no candles in the county, and there was only a little lamp oil left. Jiang Heng himself was reluctant to use it, and he didn't give much.

Zuo Lingquan closed the courtyard door and turned around to see an old hen squatting on the steps under the eaves outside the window sill.

There are only big dumplings, arrogantly circling around the hen, "chirp, chirp, chirp...", which should mean, "Don't be afraid, there are birds covering you, no one can touch you...".

The hen will also "cluck" in response, but I'm not sure if I can understand it.

The dumpling recipe includes all living things. If it wasn't for the bad taste, I would probably eat all kinds of stones. Roasted chicken and duck would also be eaten, but birds are generally not included in the recipe.

The reason why I treat this old hen so well is because the only living things in the county are fish and shrimps, and all birds and animals have been caught long ago. This old hen is one of the few poultry left in the county; Tuanzi saw that there was not even a single poultry left in this place. Since we can’t even see the birds, we naturally cherish them for fear of eating them to extinction.

Seeing this, Zuo Lingquan naturally had no intention of making chicken soup. Quan thought it was just to give Tuanzi a playmate. He hung his bamboo hat and raincoat on the wall and walked into the main room.

The main room was tidied up, the bed was covered with clean bedding, and there were no missing arms or legs on the tables, chairs, and benches. It finally looked like a room.

There is an old desk next to the window, with an oil lamp and a long wooden board on it.

The stunning beauty in a golden phoenix skirt sat upright in front of the desk. She took out the golden hairpin from her bun and used it as a carving knife to carve words on the flat wooden board.

Under the dim light, those captivating eyes seemed to be shining with starlight, but the serious expression suppressed the bright beauty in the bones, revealing the intelligence of a noble lady in the palace.

The shoulders are like being shaved, and the long black hair is spread on the back. The hair ends reach the waist, and the waist is full of bunches. The round hips are connected to the bottom. The lines are perfect to the extreme, just like a ripe jade peach. Putting it on a stool, it even makes people feel that the old stool is not worthy of such a perfect butt.

"Come back?"

"Well, I just went on a tour and found everything around is normal and nothing unusual. I also found a few women's dresses. Although they are old, they are very clean."

Zuo Lingquan's eyes immediately turned away. He did not take a closer look at the voluptuous waistline of the concubine's grandmother. After putting down the random objects, he came to the desk and lowered his head to take a look.

The flat wooden board has been engraved with dense small characters. Shangguan Lingye's golden hairpin is a magic weapon to assist in condensation. It is made of fine gold. It is not much different from carving ordinary wood to carving tofu. The technique is extremely fast. There is a wooden board next to it. It's been carved.

Zuo Lingquan looked at it briefly and said unexpectedly: "Is this a secular metallurgical method? Does your Majesty know this?"

Shangguan Lingye did not raise his eyelashes, he carefully carved small characters and said calmly:

"Is this unusual for me? A practitioner starts at the age of six. Do you think all you learn is fighting and killing?"

Zuo Lingquan was a failed disciple of Qihuang Valley and had never received formal sect education. He shook his head and said with a smile:

"Even how to build an earthen stove. I really didn't know that the sect would teach these things."

"If you want to live forever, you must first learn to survive. Sooner or later, those who practice must leave the master and work hard on their own. If you practice outside, it is easy to get lost in some barren places. In order to increase the survival rate, the sect will teach its disciples how to survive in desperate situations. Under this, simple alchemy furnaces, weapon refining furnaces, magic circles, practice caves, etc. are built with one hand; this involves all aspects of metallurgy, exploration, tool making, material synthesis, etc., and is generally learned for secular use only at the age of twelve. All kinds of tools are spread from the spiritual path. Don't think that immortals are no different from ordinary people without their magical powers."

When Shangguan Lingye said this, he frowned strangely:

"This place is too backward. Many common things are not available. Even ordinary fine iron cannot be smelted. The weapons cannot be made too long. They use short swords. It looks like it has been isolated from the world for thousands of years. If Without seeing it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t dare to think that Kyushu is such a backward place.”

Zuo Lingquan didn't know the situation outside the Nine Sects, so he couldn't comment on it. He just said:

"Without a foundation, I'm afraid it's difficult to learn these things."

"I just taught simple things like Dayan-style weapons and armor, how to make various daily utensils, etc. The descriptions were extremely detailed, and they used common materials that can be found everywhere. If they can't learn them anymore, it can only mean that their lives are bad. ”

Shangguan Lingye turned the board over and continued to carve:

"In troubled times, it is useless to save hundreds of people. Only by supporting a hero to bring peace to the world can the people of a country live a peaceful life. Today's Jiang Heng is a benevolent king in terms of his character. It depends on whether he has this good fortune. ”

Zuo Lingquan also felt that Jiang Heng had the bearing of a leader. He thought for a while and said:

"The county can't survive for a few months, and metallurgy will take at least a few years to show results. The investment is not small. I feel that water from far away can't quench the thirst for near."

"I am not stupid. I remember that sign was about military tactics, attacking and defending cities, and other military methods. The fact that the Nine Sects' secular dynasties did not fight does not mean they do not want to fight. The emperor of the Yan Dynasty in the past three generations dreamed of swallowing up the imperial edict dynasty. , secretly arranging troops all day long, and studying with the ministers how to train and use troops, thinking that I don’t know. After eighty years, it’s time for me to listen. To deal with a bandit army composed of refugees from troubled times, only the outsiders can do it. If the rebel army is not stupid, three hundred people are enough to swallow up the world."

"What should I do with food and grass? I can't even eat enough..."

Shangguan Lingye stopped the seal carving movement, supported the side of his face with his hands, raised his eyes, and looked at Zuo Lingquan:

"I can't think of the problems you can think of? Or do you think I'm so incompetent that I can't even help a bunch of mortals?"

Zuo Lingquan thought it was very difficult. Seeing that the concubine was unhappy, he said with a smile:

"I just didn't expect the empress to be so knowledgeable. With this intention, it is better than letting them fend for themselves. The method has been taught. Whether they succeed or not depends on their own luck."

Shangguan Lingye snorted softly and continued to carve:

"I don't know much about it either. Most of it was memorized by what I heard and saw in the palace, but it is enough to put it here. Do you have anything to add?"

Zuo Lingquan suffered a heavy blow when he was a child making glass. He had no experience with these things and naturally had no advice to offer. He turned and walked towards the door:

"I'm going to cook. A bag of rice and ten pounds of meat will probably satisfy me. As long as I regain my strength, it won't be difficult to kill that old devil with my bare hands."

Shangguan Lingye sat at the desk and wrote carefully, and said with slight satisfaction:

"good."

? !

Zuo Lingquan paused in his steps and tilted his head slightly, with a very strange expression.

The weird thing is not because of the sudden word "good", but because of the two of them. One is writing furiously at the desk, and the other is virtuous and runs to cook. Why do these identities seem to be reversed...

Shangguan Lingye blinked his beautiful eyes and seemed to have discovered this. He smiled "Pfft~" and turned his head:

"How about we change it and you write it?"

This smile came from the heart, and Bai Mei suddenly felt like the dark room was a little brighter.

Zuo Lingquan opened his mouth, and finally accepted the fact, and said in a very magnanimous manner:

"A man can bend and stretch, so I'd better go cook."

"I have to tell Jiang Yi about this, she will definitely laugh at you."

"Come on, there's nothing to say about this, right Tuanzi?"

Tuanzi was still squatting under the eaves chatting with the old hen. When he heard the words, he let out a "chirp?" and found Zuo Lingquan carrying the rice bag to the kitchen. He jumped two steps forward, spread his little wings and said seriously "chirp, chirp, chirp." ...".

Zuo Lingquan understood the meaning this time - he was told not to make salted fish rice, otherwise he would tell Jingxun and make Jingxun laugh at him for the rest of his life.

Zuo Lingquan said confidently:

"Don't worry, I won't make salted fish rice because there is no salted fish. This time I will make broth rice, which is guaranteed to be delicious."

Tuanzi was a little suspicious, maybe because he was worried, so he flew to Zuo Lingquan's shoulder, with the attitude of "a bird is commanding you".

Tuanzi has been following Tang Jing for many years. He stands next to the stove every day and looks at the pot. His cooking skills are definitely better than that of Zuo Lingquan, a rich man.

Shangguan Lingye secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this scene...