Seeing Ling Huan lowering his head in frustration, Lord Ruyue thought of what Xie Zhe had said, realized something, and said quickly:
"Ah, but injecting spiritual power is also an idea! However, the scale is too large, and it is not easy to do this. Tonight I got the news that there are still some puppets left in Dailuan City. In addition to figuring out their structure , it is best to take one back and study the composition of clay. As long as you know these basic things, it will be much easier to understand their principles and functions."
"Is there anything we can do to help?"
Han Chang asked this, and Lord Ruyue told them that there was actually nothing that they needed to be particularly concerned about. She was worried that if she could find the doll, it would be troublesome to move it by herself, so a few coolies happened to come. In Dailuan City, there is a huge courtyard that was once the residence of an old couple. Because it had been abandoned for a long time, an informant witnessed someone entering and exiting from the main entrance, which aroused the suspicion of Zao Wuchang. That must be the family member who has the key, but why is it at night? Could it be that there is something shady going on? Or is it difficult to distinguish between puppets and real people in the dark? Considering all the recent signs, there must be something fishy here.
The previous owner of this house was named Wuyong, and this property was also the property of Wuyong. Three years ago, old man Wuyong died of illness, leaving his wife alone. Presumably, the old man was not highly respected in the family, otherwise he would not have left his wife to face the clan members fighting for the house alone after his death. Less than a year later, the old lady died for unknown reasons. Outsiders said she was framed by her tribe, or maybe she was just gossiping. There were only two people living in their courtyard, plus a long-term worker and a maid, so the four people there seemed empty. But compared to the houses of many dignitaries, this place is much smaller. So the main reason why it is remembered by the tribe is not how valuable it is, but other reasons, such as... location?
To the north of Dailuan City is a river, from west to east, and to the north is a woodland, and through the woodland are villages. The villages there used to be relatively loose, but now they have condensed into two or three small towns. But it is a bit dry there, the climate is not good, and the wind and sand have accumulated for thousands of years, and it has not developed on a larger scale until now. Directly to the east is a spacious plain, and further east is a small city that has changed its name three times in five hundred years. Due to the continuous expansion of it and Dailuan City, if the carriage is fast enough, it can make a round trip in a day.
The south and west are both mountainous, and the west is steep and the south is gentle, both of which isolate the two cities. In recent decades, they have built new mountain roads with Dailuan City. They also climbed the mountain and walked very fast. If they wanted to come directly from Xueyan Valley in the distant past, they would have to take a slightly longer detour and take the plain over there. There are still some lush trees in the middle and lower part of the mountain, but further up, to the sky, it is all green and black, so it is named Dailuan. It is said that there is a city-protecting bird named Dailuan that lives on the mountain.
"In the past, I seemed to know a city lord named Dai Luan." Lord Ruyue said, "But I really have no impression. When I asked about it later, I only knew that she was a female city lord. When she was in power, everything was peaceful and everything was going well. , with political connections and people. At that time, it was rare for a woman to hold power, so there were many voices of opposition. Whether before or after she was in power, there were many people with evil intentions who hired assassins to get close to her. However, in addition to her political skills, she She is also an expert in Kung Fu. She also has a great master who she meets every three to five years. Her master travels around the world and tells her what he knows about other cities, and she then combines it with the situation in her own city. She makes judgments and choices, and occasionally consults for advice. Her master is an immortal, and he is still alive. Now, this is the Sheng Temple that you just worshiped today. These things are all mentioned in the Sheng Temple. "
"It turned out to be Lintian Master? We didn't pay attention... Maybe there were too many people, so we didn't notice." Han Chang scratched his head.
"Isn't there a big stone at the door? The story of him and Dailuan City is engraved on it, and you are talking to an old lady beside the stone."
The three looked at each other awkwardly. As they were busy talking to the old pilgrims, they didn't pay attention to the stone at all.
Ling Huan asked: "Then, how is this female city lord doing now?"
"Then she must be dead. She didn't learn immortal magic. I guess if she wants to learn it... the master will teach her. But the court will definitely not allow it, right? Unless you resign from your current position. Maybe she feels that a lifetime is enough. If you don't, then you don't have to study. She dedicated her whole life to this city and remained unmarried. On her seventieth birthday, she gave up the position of city lord to a strategist who had followed her for many years. Anyway, the dynasties changed later, like this This extremely high position of power is rarely allowed to be inherited hereditary by the imperial court. Relatives can only recommend it, but cannot make a final decision. After abdicating the throne, the female city lord spent the rest of her life peacefully, and she was more than a hundred years old."
Ling Huan couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "It's really amazing... I didn't expect Lord Ruyue to know such a powerful person."
"Oh, I was not who I am now, and we can't even talk about knowing each other..."
Afterwards, they chatted some more, had a meal, and then rested in their rooms. They must get some sleep first to prepare themselves mentally for the night. According to Xie Zhe's previous reminder, Lord Ruyue stayed in Ling Huan's room to guard her in case anything happened to her again. They were all together on the road a few days ago. Although nothing went wrong, it's always good to take precautions before they happen.
Ling Huan had been walking with them for so long, and naturally developed a good habit of falling asleep as soon as the pillow touched it. What's more, I've been exhausted physically and mentally lately, and it's easy to fall asleep. However, someone in the next room had no intention of taking a rest so early.
Han Chang glanced at Xie Zhe, who had just sat beside the bed, and suddenly teased: "Old Xie, you are really good at talking."
Xie Zhe knew that he was speaking sarcastically and asked inexplicably: "What's wrong with me?"
"Kisaragi-kun, who is the most junior among the Six Paths of Impermanence, knows the atmosphere better than you."
"What the hell?" Xie Zhe frowned, "If you have anything to say, just say it."
"Don't you think that what you say really doesn't please the little girl?"
"Who? Miss Ye?"
"You are always talking about Miss Ye, why don't you call her by a friendly name."
"Didn't you mention this? I usually call you all by name very casually?"
"I'm telling you, can you please stop hurting the little girl's feelings all the time. Forget about others, we have been spending so many days together with sister Ling Huan, so don't hold back your words just because we are familiar with her."
Xie Zhe was indeed unhappy: "Why am I speaking so freely again?"
"There have been so many times along the way that I can't even count them." Han Chang shrugged, "If she were my biological sister, I would have ridiculed you on the spot the first time you said something rude. Wouldn't you say it on purpose? Are you being obedient so that you can drive her away?"
Xie Zhe smiled helplessly and said, "Okay, I've been rude again. Don't slander me. I think it's you who take too good care of her as a younger sister. I've been worried that she's following us. A very risky thing. We will always encounter all kinds of troubles... It is better to say that we are chasing troubles. But she shouldn't be like this. Think about Miss Xue and her arm Things - although the words are not pleasant, they are indeed related to us. We were lucky enough to meet Lord Ruyue, and just now downstairs I specifically asked her to take more care of Ling Hu. But this is not a long-term solution after all... If this continues, I don’t know what bad things will happen to her. By then, can we still protect her? We have already lost..."
Han Chang looked at him with a very strange look, which made Xie Zhe feel a little uncomfortable. So Han Chang looked away and took a few steps back and forth in the house. He put his hands behind his back,
"Didn't Mr. Shuangyue say that Miss Xue will be fine? But...at this point, I think you just want to send Sister Linghua away. You are really ungrateful. You have benefited from others along the way. Just drive her away? But I didn’t expect you to say hello to Kisaragi-kun. I really thought you had only one thing, so I wrongly blamed you.”
Xie Zhe certainly deserved to feel aggrieved, but that was not what he meant.
"Why are the good and bad words coming out of your mouth so unpleasant? I am doing this for her own good. Do you want her to encounter more mishaps? Furthermore, think about it carefully. If she were your biological sister, would you dare to let her continue? Will I take risks with you?"
"Why don't you dare? No matter humans or monsters, they should see more of the world, so that they can be experienced and stand on their own. Do you think that my sister is unwilling to travel with me? I am not only dealing with my own affairs, but also her fiancé's It's a matter of course. If there weren't some elderly people in the family who needed to be taken care of, I would have taken her with me."
"Forget it, I can't explain it to you." Xie Zhe waved his hand and lay down on the bed.
"I think you can't explain it. You are so cunning and cruel."
Xie Zhe didn't want to argue with him, so he stopped talking to him and just turned his back to persuade him to fall asleep as soon as possible. He still had work to do at night. But people have always been curious. The more they push themselves to sleep, the more active things in their heads become, and they don't feel sleepy for a while. Tossing and turning, he was thinking about what Ruyuejun and Hanshang had said.
Where did the puppet come from? Who did it? What to make of it? What is it used for? Who can manipulate them? How to control? How do they move like humans? Lord Kisaragi did inform them of all the risks, but he still didn't quite understand what kind of changes would such a thing cause? Indeed, in the hands of a cook, a knife is a kitchen utensil that can make delicious meals, but in the hands of an assassin, it becomes a deadly weapon. If it is in the hands of the Wuyong family, it is indeed doubtful...
If Ling Huan were to leave, would it be better to leave?
He couldn't think of a better idea. Of course, the most important thing is that their abilities are not enough to protect her. Think about it, if nothing else, weren't they right in front of her when she hurt herself with the scissors? This may be a secret. It would be the best and safest thing for her if she had her family with her and servants to take care of her for a long time.
But he didn't know if he could bear to do this.
I don’t even know if I am willing to give up on this.
