Looking outside, Jiang Wang opened his eyes in front of the new grave.
The small silver moon fell into the palm of his right hand, turned into a silver moon mark and was imprinted on it, and then disappeared.
But Jiang Wang can still clearly perceive its existence. It does not have any power. It will only reappear when Jiang Wang thinks, connecting with the Taiyin Star and bringing his spiritual consciousness into the mysterious Taixu illusion. .
He had not explored Taixu Illusion for too long, and the countryside he was in was not a place where he could explore with peace of mind.
Not to mention, after the aftermath of the battle between powerful cultivators here dissipates, whether there will be cultivators from Maplewood City rushing over to investigate. For Jiang Wang himself, he also had more important things.
If I remember the time correctly, three days later it will be the time for the inner courtyard of Fenglin Taoist Academy to select students.
Once he misses this point in time, it will be difficult for him to find an opportunity - an opportunity for revenge.
Because the students of the inner courtyard are the Taoist disciples who are truly recognized by Zhuang Guo, and the Taoist disciples must not be lightly insulted, let alone killed!
With one last look back at the dilapidated Taoist temple where the sick body had been lingering for many days, Jiang Wang strode away under the moonlight.
There were overgrown weeds in front of the gate, and a gust of wind blew by, allowing the moonlight to shine on the old plaque that had been lying on the ground for many years. The writing on it is blurry, but the word "huanzhen" can be vaguely outlined.
The moon shines through the new grave, and the wind rustles through the leaves.
It seemed like someone was sighing, both sad and relieved.
Maplewood City is actually not that small. For many people who have lived here for generations, this is even the entire world.
In addition to the city lord who represents the will of the Zhuang Kingdom, the three surnames Zhang, Fang, and Wang are the owners of this territory.
It was dark at night, and the back door of Yicui Building was pushed open. Amid the coquettish laughter of a plump girl, a man wearing a collared gown with slits on both sides staggered out. The smell of alcohol all over his body made him look more and more complacent.
His name was Fang Decai.
The word "Fang" is not easy to come by. He has served in the Fang family for three generations since his grandfather's generation, and he was given this surname only now. It was because of being trusted by the Fang family that he was able to have so much money and was able to enter an ecstasy like Yicui Tower once a month.
After giving his best friend another squeeze, he laughed and left.
The plump girl looked at him with shame and murmured a few words reluctantly. It wasn't until his back was far away in the alley that he spat: "You're just relying on the power of others." He closed the small door tightly.
Because of this, she didn't notice that a man in ragged clothes was approaching behind Fang Decai.
Fang Decai had some martial arts skills. When he felt something was wrong, he suddenly raised his fist and turned around, but the other party broke up his fight with just a slap.
Then his throat was grabbed, his whole body flew into the air, and he was pressed hard against the wall.
Compared to the pain that quickly swelled on his face and his gradually difficult breathing, what frightened him more was that face.
Gentle and calm, Jiang Wang's face.
"Ginger... Jiang..." Fang Decai hissed in fear and struggle with his strangled throat.
"Who instigated you, the Fang family, or Fang Pengju? Who else was involved in this matter? What kind of poison was in the wine? How did you get in touch with the remaining bandits in Xishan?"
Jiang Wang asked these questions slowly, and just before Fang Decai suffocated, Shi Shiran let go: "Now, tell me slowly."
He looked up at the moonlight and said, "We have a lot of time."
The evening breeze gently pushed the clouds away, slightly blocking the moonlight, and the whispered conversations in this alley were as gentle as the whispers of evil ghosts.
That night, the bright moon was shining in the sky and the wind was blowing at night. Those who were not dead had returned to the city.
When the sky was bright, Jiang Wang stood at the door of Maplewood City Taoist Temple.
Zhuang State regards Taoism as its state religion, and the most powerful supernatural power naturally comes from Taoism. The Taoist temples spread across the three counties and cities in the country are proof of this.
Taoist temples are not only the preferred place of cultivation for young people in Zhuang Kingdom, but even officials at all levels must have experience of studying in Taoist temples in order to convince the public.
Therefore, as far as the entire Maplewood City is concerned, the most important place may not be the city lord's mansion, nor the gates of the three major surnames, but the Maplewood City Taoist Temple.
The Taoist sect inherited by Zhuang Kingdom belongs to the Yujingshan line, which places the most emphasis on rituals. Therefore, the entire Taoist temple is also built magnificently. Not to mention anything else, just the pair of jade lions squatting on both sides of the gate are extremely majestic and noble.
Jiang Wang's clothes are still shabby, and there is even a sour smell if you smell it carefully. He simply washed his face and tied his messy hair back casually.
He stood in front of the open door of the Taoist temple, with his head held high and his chest upright like a green pine.
The outer disciple on duty rubbed his eyes again and again before shouting in disbelief: "Jiang...Senior Brother Jiang!?"
Jiang Wang nodded and said, "Hello, Junior Brother Wu."
As the most risk-taking outer disciple in Maplewood City Taoist Academy, he has participated in countless Taoist missions. As long as he is an outer sect disciple who has been in the Taoist academy for more than a year, basically all the outer sect disciples do not know him.
Junior Brother Wu turned around and ran into the Taoist temple, shouting excitedly: "Senior Brother Jiang Wang is back! Senior Brother Jiang Wang is back!"
In a short time, many outer sect disciples swarmed in, crowding the Taoist temple gate, and the senior fellow apprentices kept shouting. It can be seen that Jiang Wang is usually popular among the outer disciples.
Among the dozens of outer disciples, a few stood out. Even in the crowd, the crowd subconsciously made way for them.
"You bastard named Jiang! Where have you been hiding these days? I damn thought you were dead!"
The one who started shouting from afar was Du Yehu. When he ran, the muscles on his body seemed to explode at any moment. His face is also different, with a full beard. Where he stood, his face was two or three times older than the surrounding outer sect disciples. Some people believed him where he was from, but he just didn't look like an eighteen-year-old boy.
Because he was too anxious to grow up, he was called a premature beard.
Like a bear squeezed out of the crowd, he hugged Jiang Wang, ignoring the faint sour smell on his body, and kept saying: "Damn it! Damn it!"
"Just come back!"
He said it would be good to come back, but it was Ling He whose eyes were filled with tears and whose lips were trembling.
His face is upright and heavenly, and he looks like a calm and calm person. At this time, Du Yehu was standing behind Du Yehu, wearing white washed practice clothes, looking at Jiang Wang steadily.
Only a handsome young man came over and looked Jiang Wang up and down first, then pointed at his rags and said with a smile: "Why do you look like this?"
His name is Zhao Rucheng. He had the most outstanding appearance, and the smile on his face seemed slightly frivolous. But only those who are truly familiar with him can see the faint tears in his charming smiling eyes.
These people have different appearances and personalities, but they all have close friendships with Jiang Wang.
In many trials and missions in the outer sect, they worked together to overcome countless difficulties and dangers, and they had already formed a deep friendship.
But Jiang Wang looked past them and only focused on the handsome young man in the crowd whose eyes seemed to be red.
He didn't speak or move much, but just standing there seemed to be the center of the crowd.
"Pengju, it's been fifty-seven days." Jiang Wang said almost word by word, "I miss you every day."
"If you only want Pengju, don't you want second brother?" Du Yehu grabbed Jiang Wang's shoulders and shook him, screaming.
Ling He and Zhao Rucheng were both silent.
Fifty-seven days is a very specific and sensitive time. It was exactly fifty-seven days since Jiang Wang disappeared.
Fang Pengju, dressed in rich and royal clothes, stepped forward with a smile: "It'll be good to come back. Everyone is worried about you these days."
"Yes." Jiang Wang also laughed, "How can you not be worried if you can't see the body?"
Fang Pengju's expression changed, "What do you mean by this? After what happened to you, I was so anxious! I sent people everywhere to look for you!"
Jiang Wang said quietly: "That's why I didn't dare to show up until today."
"Jiang Wang! Those who attacked you are the remnants of the Xishan bandits. Everyone knows this! Do you actually doubt me?" Fang Pengju's face turned red and he looked shocked and angry. "We, the Five Heroes of Maplewoods, are as close as brothers! You are Didn’t you hear some rumors by mistake?”
Ling He, Du Yehu, Jiang Wang, Fang Pengju, and Zhao Rucheng, these five people are all the most outstanding figures among the disciples of the outer courtyard of Maplewood City Taoist Academy. Because they share the same spirit, they often work together to fight against bandits and go in and out together, so they are called Fenglin City Taoist Academy. Lin Wuxia.
Feeling the tense atmosphere, the disciples from the outer courtyard who came to greet Jiang Wang began to feel a little uneasy.
"Did Fang Pengju harm Jiang Wang?"
"Don't talk nonsense, Fang Pengju has always been upright, how could he do such a thing? It must be a misunderstanding!"
"I don't think so...Senior Brother Jiang is not a fool who can be fooled by others."
The crowd murmured.
"We are all brothers, don't talk nonsense!" Du Yehu stared at Jiang Wang with a very anxious expression. His intuition was very bad, but there was nothing he could do to prevent what happened next.
Ling He thought for a while and advised: "Third brother, you must have experienced a lot during this period and suffered a lot. Why not settle down first? In a few days, the inner court will elect students. This is a relationship. Major events in life must be treated with caution. We have jointly killed the bandits in Xishan. If there are any hidden secrets, we can slowly sort them out. If you have grievances or hatred, our brothers will definitely help you, even if it is We won’t hesitate to go to the county and provincial courts and the national highways!
But Pengju is our brother who swore a blood oath together, so I believe there must be some misunderstanding. Maybe someone was provoking it..."
"Brother." Jiang Wang interrupted him, "When have I ever spoken unscrupulously? I value this brotherly relationship as much as you do. So since I said this today, it means that this is indeed the case."
"Fang Pengju!" Jiang Wang turned to look at the young man in brocade clothes and raised his hand, "I hope you can still be so confident after opening this box!"
Only then did everyone notice that there was a large box placed behind Jiang Wang.
"No matter what happens, I, Fang Pengju, will never hurt my friends!" Fang Pengju was stunned for only a moment, and then said with emotion: "I will see for myself what kind of evidence can make the third brother doubt his own brother!"
He strode outside the courtyard, pulled out a long sword from his waist, and opened the lid of the box with one strike!
A tied-up man was exposed from inside the box, with rags stuffed in his mouth. When he saw Fang Pengju, he looked extremely anxious and whined desperately.
Du Yehu and Ling He also fell silent. They both recognized that this was Fang Decai, a close servant of Fang Pengju.
"That day, your slave sent a message saying that you invited me to drink at Wangyue Tower. When I went there, you hadn't arrived yet, so he advised me to drink a few drinks first and try the wine you specially sent. The poison in that wine ...It is the separation of yin and yang.
As soon as the poison took effect, bandits broke into the door and attacked... I personally suppressed the bandits in Xishan, but I didn't expect that I was almost killed by a group of remnants in Maplewood City! "
Jiang Wang's voice sounded faintly: "So the first thing I did when I recovered was to find Fang Decai."
Fang Pengju was silent for only a moment, and the next moment he rushed out with his sword!
"Beast! Our Fang family treats you well. How dare you collude with bandits, forge letters, and harm my third brother!"
This sword was fast and accurate, and blood spattered. Fang Decai suddenly twitched, whimpered several times in his throat, and finally became as motionless as a dead dog. From beginning to end, he didn't even have time to say a word to defend himself.
"Fang Pengju!" No one here is a fool. Although Du Yehu is rough and arrogant, it does not mean that he is stupid. Now his eyes widen and anger surges.
"Second brother." Fang Peng held up the long sword dripping with blood, his face full of shame, "I...I was so angry that I just wanted to kill this beast to vent my anger on the third brother!"
"It doesn't matter." Jiang Wang watched Fang Pengju finish his performance, then took out a piece of paper from his arms, with dense handwriting on it, "Here is Fang Decai's confession and signature. Does Pengju want to see it?"
"Bang!"
Fang Pengju casually discarded the long sword and fell to his knees suddenly, "I know roughly what is written on it without reading it. I can only say that I am determined to kill the bandits in Xishan. I don't know what price it cost to make this beast Decai so determined." ! But Third Brother, you believe me, I have always been an upright person, and have I ever acted like a villain? No matter what the cause of this matter is, our Fang family will definitely give you an explanation. I will offer a reward of 10,000 yuan, and I will definitely eliminate the bandits within a hundred miles. , to wash away the hatred in Third Brother’s heart!”
There were also disciples from the outer courtyard in the crowd who said, "Yes, Senior Brother Jiang, you Maplewood Five Heroes are all good men, and you are the pride of our outer courtyard in Maplewood City Taoist Academy. Don't be provoked by villains!"
"My mother was seriously ill once, and it was Senior Brother Fang who generously donated money. I believe he is not this kind of person."
There was also someone who spat on Fang Decai’s body, “It’s not a pity for such an evil servant to die, but he actually slandered Senior Brother Fang’s reputation and ruined the brotherhood of the Five Maple Forest Heroes. If he were still alive, I could not wait to kill him thousands of times. cut!"
"Fellow disciples, there is no need to say anything!" Fang Peng waved his hand to stop everyone's discussion, and took a few steps to look at Jiang Wang sincerely: "After the third brother disappeared, I led people to search everywhere, and I burst into tears several times! My love for the third brother is known to everyone. You know, heaven and earth can teach you! But even though I have a clear conscience, if I hadn’t trusted me to get the money, and my third brother trusted me, how could this beast have taken advantage of it? All the blame lies with me, and I am willing to bear it with all my strength!"
"I am willing to spend all my private property to repay the pain of my third brother; I am willing to be whipped to make up for the fallacy of my mistaken belief; I am willing to fight against the bandits alone and swear to destroy the remnants of Xishan. If the remnants of the remnants are not eliminated, I will never return to the city!"
"I am willing to do this, not for compensation. My third brother almost died, and this hatred is hard to repay! It's just our brothers, I can't forgive myself!"
"If..." Fang Pengju almost burst into tears in the end, gritting his teeth and said: "If the third brother still can't get rid of his hatred, then pick up this long sword and kill me with one strike! Pengju will never complain!"
Everyone's eyes were cast on the blood-stained sword that hit the ground.
"Senior Brother Fang, you can't do this!"
"I believe it's not your fault. How can a man die so easily?"
The viewers were all moved by this situation and spoke out to dissuade him.
Even Ling He spoke again after being silent for a while: "Lao San Lao Si, this matter..."
Jiang Wang waved his torn sleeve and stood straight out, "Pengju, I have suffered many wounds for you, and you have stood up for me. We five brothers have lived and died together."
No matter Ling He, Du Yehu or Zhao Rucheng, all of them had reddish eyes. The blood and tears they experienced together, the days of fighting together, the joy they spent together... only they know it well.
How can a few words describe the brotherhood of living and dying together?
"Third brother..." Fang Pengju lowered his head, bursting into tears for a while, and burst into tears: "I made a million mistakes, and they were all my brother's fault. I shouldn't have mistakenly trusted the evil servant, which almost led to a big mistake!"
"But since Pengju you said so..." I heard Jiang Wang say slowly: "Then third brother, it is better to obey orders than to be respectful!"
