It’s late autumn in October, the wind is getting colder and the rain is getting colder day by day. Even as they advanced southward, the unstoppable chill intensified. The south is supposed to be humid and rainy, but until now, they have not experienced an autumn rain. This is a bit unusual, after all, they are already very close to Qinglize. They could have been here earlier, but Master Lintian and Master Baishen had not yet found a way to use the mirror fragments to break the shadows. Several people could only slow down as much as possible.
On the way, they occasionally saw some dead trees. This is not very common. Although their number is not very large, it is enough to attract people's attention. The originally green lawn turned mottled yellow. I wonder if it was infected by some disease.
They passed a village where the people didn't have much hospitality. In the end, only an old widowed woman was willing to take them in for a night. They still promised to help her clean the yard and take care of the housework, so they reluctantly exchanged for a place to live.
Wenying helped the woman choose vegetables and wash clothes, while Xie Zhe and Han Zhang were responsible for cleaning up the debris in the courtyard. Those things are piled here haphazardly, and it can be seen that they have not been taken care of for many years. Every piece of furniture and utensils was covered with a thick layer of dust, and beneath the dust were dried mold spots. It took them a lot of effort to clean it up. Many wooden parts have been eaten away by termites, and they have been replaced one after another. Now they have become " The worms have gone and the building is empty.” There are also many dusty cobwebs in the gaps, which are dusty.
"Let's take them all off before it gets completely dark."
"I don't know how these old ladies stacked them up together... Even if they were put down, they wouldn't be able to fit in this yard. Why don't you take down a few and put them outside?"
"What if someone else takes it away?"
"Who takes these scraps? I don't know what the use is of saving these things. None of them are of use."
"Human beings are like this. The older they get, the more reluctant they are to throw away old things. Over time, it becomes like this. The most we can do is help her wipe it and show her the rotten things. She can clean them up. Just don’t stay. Living in such an environment is not good for your health.”
"Hey, there's a hatchet here. It's rusted like this. It's a pity. There are no gaps in the blade. I'm afraid it was still new when I lost it. It should have been left here, but it can't be used now. .By the way, has your sword been polished? Ordinary swords are not as good as Fengyun Slash, and they will become rusty if you are not careful."
"It's been wiped. It's not as wet as expected, and it doesn't seem to need to be wiped so diligently. By the way, your sword...Has Yingying ever drawn it out? In the form of a long sword?"
"...Not yet. But I think she can still do it. As long as she has the will to fight, she can summon the long sword like before. Master Lintian will bring the demon-subduing pestle when they meet, but even so, We still don’t have many weapons at our disposal.”
"Don't rely too much on weapons. Well, I hope there will be some good news by then."
They finally finished packing, had dinner together, and then showed the old lady the things that could and could not be used. Because it was already dark, Han Shang used fox fire to light the lantern they brought with them. They were not happy to use the old lady's things. It was late at night after everything was packed up. Perhaps the old woman herself slept later than usual, and they could hear her snoring clearly through the fragile wall. However, the three of them did not rest, but gathered together to chat.
"The old woman said that this year's harvest is not good." Wenying told them, "The rice fields do not store water, and it does not rain very much. It has been like this since summer. During the harvest season, the rice ears are very dry, and a field Not much rice can be harvested. After paying the tax, there is even less left. This was not the case a few years ago, but in the past two years, the harvest has been worse each year."
"Because...it won't rain?" Xie Zhe asked.
"Maybe that's not the reason. There have been some insect infestations in recent years, but no one has found out what they are. It's just that the symptoms in the rice fields are like insect infestations. Trees, flowers and plants are also prone to getting sick, and the symptoms are different, but I don't know why. In the past, materials When there was plenty, she said the villagers here were still very hospitable. Now that we can't guarantee food and drink, who would have the heart to entertain people."
Han Shan said: "I see. Then have they hired people from elsewhere to investigate to see where the crux lies? Is it the wrong climate, poor water quality, or new pests and diseases? I originally suspected that there were some monsters. It’s causing trouble, but I haven’t noticed the aura of the monster yet, so I won’t speculate for the time being.”
"I don't know if there are any monsters that specifically harm the fields like this. Of course, there are some, but I have never seen one in this form. And from what I heard, there may have been something wrong from a long time ago."
"Maybe a lot of bad influences came together?" Han Chang guessed.
"It's not impossible." And in the dead of night, several people suddenly heard a clear knock on the door. The old woman slept deeply, and her snoring never stopped for a moment. Wenying stood up and was about to open the door, but Han Chang stopped her and planned to go alone. In such a small village, who would visit a lonely old man at this time? They were all a little nervous, wondering if they had brought any trouble to this peaceful place.
It seems to be the scent of an ordinary human being, but not quite like it. Han Chang tiptoed close to the door, tentatively asking for the identity of the visitor. Unexpectedly, it was Mutsuki-kun's voice that came from outside the house.
Han Chang opened the door fiercely, and the silhouette with the moonlight on his back turned out to be Mutsuki-kun himself. He was still wearing a bamboo hat, leaning on a Zen staff and holding a prayer wheel in his other hand. His short hair that fell below his jaw looked refreshing. When he followed Han Chang to Xie Zhe and Wenying, they both stood up with surprised expressions written on their faces.
"Long time no see! How did you find yourself here? Are you here to tell me something important, or..."
Mutsuki-kun has indeed not contacted them for a long time. After the sudden visit made people feel reassured, it gave rise to more uneasiness. Is something big going to happen? Three pairs of eyes were staring at him, and he just smiled flatly. Looking at this look, Xie Zhe felt guilty. Feng Yunzhan had someone steal it, but he hadn't figured out how to explain it yet.
"It is true that we have been gone for some time, but in fact, we have not been away for too long. At least in the past, Mr. Xie and I have not seen each other for several years. I know that on your way to the Death Shadow Pavilion, something seemed to have happened there. .Working with you, there are also Lintian Master, Baiskeleton Master and others."
Wenying asked anxiously: "Are you here to help us?"
Mutsuki-kun shook his head.
"There's nothing I can do to help you. I can't stop what's destined to happen, let alone you who try to stop it."
"You said it...as if you knew what was going to happen."
Mutsuki-kun didn't answer. After a brief silence, it was Xie Zhe who spoke first.
"Well, about the sword..."
"Well, I still have something to talk about during this trip." Just when Xie Zhe couldn't continue, Mu Yuejun just filled in the blank. He kept shaking the prayer wheel and continued calmly: "You don't have to blame yourself. Collecting the Six Paths Divine Weapons is indeed the purpose of Lord Xueyue. As long as he has this intention, ordinary people will definitely not be able to defeat him. Now, he has achieved his goal."
"But it's not in his hands to cut the blood and seal the throat, right?" Han Zhang said, "Even if it were in his hands, it would be of no use."
"Cut the blood and seal the throat. Due to the negligence of the guard, he was easily included in the bag. We also thought about whether we were a little lazy and should melt the large piece of iron into several ordinary knives. But after thinking carefully, we still I don't think it's necessary. Since he must get it by cutting the blood and sealing the throat, there is no difference between a piece of iron and several pieces of iron. He probably has his own method, but we don't know the method. We preliminarily infer that he will want to use The power of divine weapons to break through six barriers."
"That will definitely cause chaos in the world!" Xie Zhe blurted out.
"Perhaps not." Mutsuki-kun said, "If it really comes to this, the Lord will not ignore it."
"Isn't it already too late to take care of it?" Han Chang explained, "If we don't detect and deal with it as early as we did with the Ten Evils, by the time it causes a catastrophe, I'm afraid there will be countless casualties... "
"These are two different things. The evil angel is a monster that has completed its transformation and its identity has been established, but Lord Kutsutsuki's purpose has not yet been implemented. We cannot because of that. Taking action based on seemingly reasonable speculations - this is not even a perfect inference. Moreover, although he always does some outrageous things, he is still an impermanent person."
Wenying said angrily: "I think that adult never cares about him!"
"Maybe it's hard for you to understand, but I know something about it. I can't explain it clearly to you. Based on your current experience, you can't believe it and you can't understand it. In this case, I will just let you execute it. Your own plan. Only in this way can you understand the meaning of this trip."
"We... just want to expose the Death Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy." Xie Zhe said honestly, "No more people can die."
"You are very honest. But isn't the so-called conspiracy of the Shadow Pavilion also an unresolved matter?"
"Why do you always say good things for these evil people?" Wenying said in confusion, "You have said so much, it really affects our morale."
"Because it's only going to get worse ahead."
"..."
There was another moment of silence. The old woman's snoring was so clear and regular. As a result, the night seemed even more dead. Finally, it was Xie Zhe who broke the silence.
"How much do you know about the Shadow Pavilion?"
"The further you go, the more desolate it becomes. Many terrains and vegetation have changed. By then, you will probably doubt what you see."
"What happened to Qing Lize?"
But Mutsuki-kun stood up and stopped answering. He was about to leave, but before leaving he said:
"I have no intention of stopping you, but the road ahead is long and dangerous. I will lend you this string of clams for the time being. I hope you will take care of yourself, not be disturbed by foreign objects, and return safely."
Mutsuki-kun put his hand on the table, and then moved it away. A string of pure white bracelets with golden threads was placed on the table. This was indeed a magic weapon, but it was unbelievable that he would just hand it over like this.
"This, this is too precious. What if we lose it? It is much more useful to you than to us."
"The six paths of impermanence have immortal bodies. However, when we live to the age we deserve, although our appearance remains unchanged, we are eating away at the lives of others every second."
"..."
Xie Zhe suddenly thought, is this the real reason why Lord Mao Yue doesn't want to continue?
