Aotian... Hearing these two words, Ji Ping'an's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and the three people next to him were confused.
Yu Yu couldn't help but say:
"Although the name is a bit arrogant, your expression is a bit exaggerated."
In Dazhou, this name did not have other meanings.
After all, once a name is taken out of context, it will give people a very different perception. For example, people of different generations have completely different name styles.
Ji Ping'an picked up the tea bowl to hide the change in his expression, skipped complaining about this name that had a halo of "protagonist", and whispered:
"It seems that we are not the only ones who have noticed something unusual about this young man."
The implication:
Sanqingguan's visit was obviously not to participate in a hairpin banquet, but to be a "reborn person".
Following the imperial military, Daomen simply stopped pretending.
"Aotian?" The head of the Nangong family was startled. The middle-aged man who looked like a Confucian businessman couldn't hide his surprise:
"The audience is looking for my useless nephew?"
His demeanor doesn't seem to be fake.
At present, although the news of "Rebirth" is gradually spreading, it is still limited to the circle of big shots.
In the final analysis, the Nangong family is just a Jianghu family disguised as a businessman, and they have no access to such secrets.
In his opinion, although his nephew's temperament has changed drastically during this period, he has shown many differences, which has attracted some attention and attention within the clan.
But...that's all.
Why did it attract the attention of Taoist "immortal masters"?
The old Taoist priest with crane hair and childish face, holding a whisk in his hand, showed no emotion or anger, and said calmly:
"On a whim in the past few days, Pindao realized that a good boy should be here. Hearing that a good young man was born in the Nangong family, he took the liberty to come and have a look. If there was a chance, Pindao would like to take him under his sect and join the list of the national religion. "
As soon as these words were thrown out, there was a low roar, and then the envy of the guests.
Everyone knows that the Taoist sect has a high status in the Great Zhou Dynasty, not to mention that the "elder-level" temple master personally accepts disciples.
Once you can really worship, you will be ahead of others at the beginning. After practicing for a few years, you can at worst get a "deacon" position in the Taoist sect.
Who wouldn’t be envious? Even though the Nangong family does not lack cultivation resources, it still depends on who they are competing with.
Especially in the past few years, he has been trying to challenge the Pei family's position in Jiangnan. Not long ago, the Pei family had an accident, and the Nangong family was overjoyed.
But then, "Mochou" was taken away by Qi Hongmian, which was like a blow to the head.
Now, if my nephew can really join the Taoist sect, it will be a blessing from heaven.
"Congratulations, head of the family."
"Today is a double blessing."
A famous businessman immediately sent congratulations in a familiar manner, as if the matter had been settled.
The head of the Nangong family was stunned for a moment, surprised and suspicious at the same time.
On the surface, he looked overjoyed, and just as he was about to speak, suddenly, he heard the roar of tigers and the cries of apes coming from outside the garden.
Then, another group of people walked in on their own without waiting for notification.
They were all wearing the iconic robes of the Beast Control Sect, headed by a mature and glamorous female cultivator, followed by an expressionless, porcelain doll-like little girl.
As he walked, the gold medals on his waist collided, making a clanging sound.
Luan Yu sneered:
"It's better to come early than to come by chance. It happens that our Beast Control Sect is also interested in Nangong Aotian, why don't we watch it together?"
Beast Control Sect!
Seeing this scene, the guests who were discussing in various places in the garden suddenly fell silent. No one expected that a hair-raising ceremony, which was originally boring, would turn out to be such a turmoil.
The Dao Sect and the Beast Control Sect are robbing people...
"What is going on with Nangong Aotian? I have never heard of such a person in the Nangong family before." In the pavilion, the scholar holding a folding fan was surprised.
"Who knows, hey, now it's fun. No matter which one he chooses, he will offend the other party to death." Someone gloated.
One is a Taoist sect that is rooted in Yuhang and is on the same front as the Demon Slayer Division and the government office.
One is the Beast Control Sect, which has been running Lanzhou for nearly a thousand years.
No matter who you offend, there will be trouble.
As for the Beast Control Sect coming to rob someone, after the initial shock, the guests no longer felt surprised.
After all, from the perspective of "competition", no matter whether Nangong Aotian has the talent to get close to the "pet beast", the Beast Control Sect will fight for it.
You don't have to use it if you grab it, but you can't let Daomen get a good fairy seedling.
Qiu Shanchang also stroked his beard and couldn't help but look at Ji Ping'an.
I vaguely felt that today's incident might have some connection with yesterday's arrest by the military government.
However, upon looking at it, he was stunned.
Because there was no change on Ji Ping'an's face, he just watched this scene calmly, as if what happened in front of him had already been calculated by him, and there were no surprises.
"Luan Yu."
Sanqing Temple Master squinted his eyes and stared at the approaching female cultivator. He suddenly felt troubled and was surprised by the arrival of this woman.
There was news yesterday that Luan Yu was suspected of entering the city, and the Taoist priests in Sanqing Temple felt a sense of urgency.
——Xin Yaoguang's decree has been issued long ago, and they are extremely eager for reborn people.
Luan Yu walked over with a smile. Although there were fewer people, she was not afraid at all:
"What, you're not welcome?"
Seeing the stalemate in the atmosphere, the head of the Nangong family broke out in cold sweat on his forehead and said hurriedly:
"The Immortal Master of the Beast Control Sect is here. The Nangong family welcomes him. He just doesn't want the two major sects to arrive. It's really rude to fail to prepare in advance. My nephew is not here right now. Please sit down in the hall first. I'm here So he sent someone to find him."
Sanqing Temple Master was silent for a moment and nodded slightly.
The head of the Nangong family was busy personally leading the way.
During the process, Zhao Yuanyang, who had a small face and a sleepy expression, suddenly lit up his eyes and saw Ji Pingan in the pavilion not far away.
He wanted to say hello, but held back and just gently pulled the corner of Luan Yu's clothes with his hand.
The female monk turned away, slightly startled, and suddenly felt a headache:
She is not afraid of Ji Ping'an, but does the other party's appearance here represent the will of that bad old man Qin Tianjian Zheng?
With their own thoughts in mind, the group of people walked towards the main hall.
When people walked away, the originally quiet garden started to buzz with discussion again.
In the pavilion, Huang He blinked and whispered:
"Master, what should I do now? Do you want me to go to the academy..."
He finally realized the seriousness of the matter: in the past, they could catch the reborn as long as they took the initiative.
But now when a sign emerges and a group of people come to snatch it, they have no room to perform unless they move out and correct themselves.
Yu Yu glared at him, his eyes rolling around, thinking about whether he should cooperate with Sanqing Guan.
After all, Miss Saint believed that she was "in the Cao camp and her heart was in the Han Dynasty" and she still wanted to fight for the interests of her sect.
However, Ji Ping'an just yawned and said calmly: "Just watch. Don't you hear that the snipe and the clam are fighting for the fisherman's profit?"
Huang He hesitated, wanting to correct us that we are not fishermen at all.
"Don't worry, there will be a road to the mountain. I guess the protagonist of this scene won't be here for a while, so I'll take a rest first."
Ji Pingan said lazily, then leaned back in the seat and started to take a nap, looking like he didn't sleep well last night.
Why are you so sleepy today... always sleeping... Yu Yu complained in his heart.
However, she thought that it would be beneficial for the Taoist sect if Ji Pingan did not go to Jian Zheng, so she remained silent.
Mu Yaoyao's focus was relatively simple. She covered her belly with both hands and looked out from behind her neck, slightly frowning:
"When will the banquet begin..."
…
The next development was just as Ji Ping'an expected.
The protagonist of this scene has yet to arrive.
The topics discussed in the garden, without exception, turned to the focus on "Nangong Aotian". As for the protagonist of this hairpin ceremony, the young lady of the Nangong family, everyone ignored it.
When the guests arrive, the ceremony begins and the guests celebrate.
But everyone seemed absent-minded, turning their heads towards the door from time to time, wishing they could fast forward to the end of the hair-raising ceremony and watch the snatching part.
However, the ancient etiquette was cumbersome, let alone a family, so it took a lot of trouble. When the ceremony finally ended, the sky had darkened and the dishes began to be passed around in the kitchen.
In the antique garden, there were tables and cases, small bridges and flowing water, string and bamboo music, and even singing and dancing to add to the fun. Mu Yaoyao finally got what she wanted and started to feast.
The other three seemed absent-minded.
Finally, just when the confrontation between the Taoist Sect and the Beast Control Sect began to get impatient, a servant rushed over and whispered to the head of the Nangong family in the hall.
The latter smiled and said: "My nephew has brought it."
coming!
Hearing this, the guests on the left and right sides of the hall were all shocked. The sights of the old Taoist priest and Luan Yu collided in the air, as if sparks were flying out.
The outside of the hall also became quiet.
It was already dark now, with half a waning moon hanging high in the sky. The lights in the Jiangnan Garden were brightly lit, and a group of people came in force.
In front of him was a steward who was leading the way, and behind him was a young man of about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a resolute expression and an unruly expression.
At this moment, Ji Pingan in the crowd also looked at each other curiously.
"Ao Tian, why haven't you met the immortal masters yet?" the head of the family, who looked like a Confucian businessman, said with a smile.
However, Nangong Aotian did not respond. He stood in front of the hall first. His youthful face was deliberately mature. He glanced at the monks one by one, and finally looked at the head of the family. The corners of his mouth raised a "curve" ":
"Ah."
It fully demonstrates the dissatisfaction and disdain for authority of a protagonist who is oppressed and ostracized by his family.
The owner's smile froze, and he wanted to scold him, but he forced himself to hold it back, laughed, and said to the two of them:
"My nephew has a bit of a naughty personality. I hope you don't take offense to it. If you polish it off, it will be good."
Seeing that the temple master and Luan Yu did not answer, the family master looked at the latter and said as gently as possible:
"Ao Tian, these two are the elders of the Dao Sect and the Beast Control Sect, and they admire you very much."
When Nangong Aotian heard this, "a flash of surprise" flashed in his eyes, but he "hid it very well" and frowned:
"appreciate?"
It's just that Rao pretended to be young and mature, but his slightly rapid breathing, excitement and anticipation that could not be concealed were all exposed in front of Ji Ping'an, the "master of pretending to be young".
Luan Yu and the viewer also frowned slightly. With their eyesight, no matter how they looked at it, the person in front of them looked more like a middle school boy.
Is it because his acting skills are too good?
After pondering for a moment, the old Taoist priest with gray hair and childish face coughed, and locked eyes with the young man:
"Pindao heard that you have changed a lot in recent days and have become prominent in the clan. Is this possible?"
While speaking, green light shines from his eye holes, and he performs Taoist magic.
Nangong Aotian was startled and said automatically:
"Yes. My master taught me a lot."
After speaking, he suddenly covered his mouth with his hands, his eyes frightened, as if he didn't understand why he revealed his deepest secret.
"Your master?" the viewer asked.
As if his soul was taken away in an instant, Nangong Aotian put down his hands blankly and said mechanically:
"I picked up a ring by chance a few days ago, and when I fell asleep at night, I dreamed of a mysterious man. He claimed to be an ancient powerhouse and said he could help me become stronger..."
Next to him, Luan Yu was also stunned. Suddenly, he slapped the gold medal, and an illusory swimming fish came out with its tail swung, bumped into the young man, grabbed the "control", and asked:
"Where's the ring? Give it to me."
Nangong Aotian turned around and looked at her, his expression dull, as if he was talking in his sleep:
"Hidden in my shoes."
As he spoke, he took out a simple ring from his shoe and threw it towards Luan Yu.
The master of Sanqing Temple flicked his whisk: "Come here!"
An invisible force came and pulled the ring towards him. Luan Yu sneered and refused to give in:
"Niubi is really shameless."
The dream fish flicked its tail, swallowed the ring in one gulp, and flew back towards her.
Suddenly, one person pulled it with a whisk, and the other person controlled it with a pet beast. The ring was suspended between the two people, making a "click" sound, and then exploded.
"ah!"
At the same time, Nangong Aotian screamed and fainted on the spot.
An invisible black energy emerged from his body, then disintegrated.
Seeing this scene, everyone inside and outside the hall looked shocked, not understanding what was happening.
The viewer and Luan Yu were obviously stunned, and the next moment, their expressions turned ugly almost at the same time:
"He is not!"
Yes, at this moment not to mention the two elders, even Yu Yu, Huang He and others who were snooping outside also saw the clues.
Yu Yu's face changed slightly:
"Master, this is clearly an illusion. The illusion is engraved on the magic weapon ring. His so-called dream is just deceived by the illusion, and the increase in power is given by the magic weapon."
As a saint of the state religion, the drama queen may seem unreliable, but in terms of "vision" and "knowledge", she is far beyond the ordinary monks.
So... Nangong Aotian, the rising genius, is a fake... Someone deliberately planned and created a "genius", but what's the point?
Yu Yu couldn't figure it out. He subconsciously looked at Ji Pingan for help, and then froze.
I saw that Ji Ping'an had closed his eyes at some point, as if he had lost interest in everything in front of him.
…
…
On the Qinhuai River, in the painted boat.
In a warm pavilion, Xiang Ning, wearing a gauze dress, sat at a low table, holding a handkerchief and slowly wiping the dark green hairpin in her hand.
It's just that his eyes are a little dazed, and he doesn't know what he is thinking.
Until the door was knocked open, the "maid" who served her came in, closed the door behind her back, looked at her wife, and said:
"The people from Sanqing Temple and the Beast Control Sect have all left the city. They should have gone to the Nangong Family."
Xiang Ning came back to her senses, looked at the latter, and frowned slightly:
"For that Nangong..."
"Aotian."
"Yes, Aotian?"
"Are we really not going to investigate? Such an important thing..."
"No need." Xiang Ning shook her head. The rather charming former oiran shook her head, her face solemn:
"There's something weird about this."
"eccentric?"
"Yeah. I can't tell, but it just feels wrong."
"Could it be that we are too suspicious? If something is really wrong, why did the Dao Sect and the Beast Control Sect go? They are not stupid." The maid questioned.
Xiang Ning said calmly:
"No. Just because they are not stupid, they will definitely do it. The smarter they are, the easier it is for them to think too much, and even if they are aware of it, they will still go because they can't afford to gamble."
This sentence was a bit mysterious, but the maid understood it:
"Because they don't dare to wait any longer and are worried that other forces will get there first and snatch people away?"
Xiang Ning nodded and sighed:
"All parties are fighting openly and secretly. Even if there is a slight possibility, they will try their best to seize it. Besides, even if Nangong Aotian is not the one who has been resurrected from the dead, what can they lose? There is no way that someone wants to use it. Let's use them as bait to lure these people over. What's the point?
After leaving Yuhang City, their cultivation level will not be reduced by half. What's more, the two families are trying to lure them there together. Even if they want to set up a trap, are they not afraid of breaking a mouth of teeth? Do you really think the elders of the five major sects are easy to provoke? "
The maid listened and suddenly asked:
"What if it's to lure the tiger away from the mountain?"
Tune the tiger away from the mountain?
Xiang Ning laughed and said:
"How is it possible, not to mention that the Nangong family is not too far from Yuhang, and what's the point? Attacking Sanqing Temple? Is it the residence of the agent of the Beast Control Sect? Besides, there are Ye Hongling and the 'Martial Temple' in the city , even if an accident does happen, as long as the officials in the city are not dead, the founding generals in the martial temple can be awakened, and they can use the city's mountains and rivers to kill the enemy...
This is Yuhang, a big city in the Great Zhou Dynasty second only to the Divine Capital. It gathers the luck of the whole city. Not to mention sitting in a well, the state of observing the sky must be prepared. what are you thinking. "
The maid couldn't think of any words to retort, so she could only purse her lips and remain silent.
Xiang Ning waved her hands and said:
"Okay, you can go back. In short, we still need to pay attention to this matter. Now Daxizhou may also be undergoing great changes. We don't have to participate, but we must keep an eye on the latest news."
The maid left with a "yes", and Xiang Ning stood up. Shi Shiran inserted the dark green hairpin in his hair in front of the mirror, then walked barefoot to the window and pushed it open.
Looking at the night outside, he frowned slightly.
Because the wind seems to be a bit stronger tonight, the ship is shaking more and more, and the crowd on the shore is much smaller than before.
Raising her head, she saw a halo of mist surrounding the waning moon above her head. She suddenly recalled the words of the "maid" and couldn't help but mutter:
"Trying the tiger away from the mountain..."
…
…
The wind is a bit strong in Yuhang tonight.
Coupled with the light rain last night, the whole city was much cooler, even a little cold.
A drunkard got out of the liquor store and walked back along the street.
He was holding a jar of wine in his right hand, and a bag of snacks in his left hand, humming an unknown tune. However, as the wind got louder, the jar of wine in his hand began to sway, and it was a bit laborious to walk, so he had to use his arms to block the wind.
Xu Shi blocked his sight and bumped into a person who suddenly walked out of the alley with a "Ouch" sound. The wine jar fell to the ground with a "pop" sound. He couldn't help but curse:
"Do you have eyes...uh?"
He choked on the second half of his sentence because he saw a masked man in night clothes coming out. The latter glanced at him coldly and gently raised his hand on his lower back.
"puff!"
The next second, the drunk man's eyes suddenly widened, and his hands instinctively touched his neck, but he only felt a sticky feeling, spitting blood from his mouth, and looked like he was dead.
The masked man dragged his body into an alley and ran away under the cover of darkness.
And if you look down from the sky, at this moment, people dressed in similar clothes are walking out of many places in the city, like a group of ants coming out of their holes, gathering towards the four "Martial Arts Temples" in the four directions of Yuhang City.
When he walked all the way to a relatively quiet neighborhood in the north of the city, he quickly met up with several other companions.
A few people waited for a while, only to hear a burst of wind, and a bat fluttered its wings in the air, suddenly disintegrating into countless black "silk threads" in mid-air, spinning and entangled, and crashing to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, a tall and thin figure was formed, wearing a black robe and a black veil.
The hands wearing strange red "gloves" hang down by the side, which is extremely eye-catching.
"Shadow Guardian!" A group of people knelt on one knee and whispered.
The red glove named "Shadow Guardian" said "Yes", looked at the sky, and said with a smile:
"We don't have much time left, let's go."
The group of people stood up and quickly flowed towards the nearest martial arts temple like a stream. After a while, a classical building hidden in the corner and similar in shape to the Earth Temple appeared in everyone's field of vision.
It’s not big, but it has weathered the storm.
At this moment, a lantern was hung at the entrance of the temple, and an old man on duty was lying on the table sleeping soundly inside. Without any instructions, someone quickly came forward, raised his hand and pressed lightly, and shot the old man to death in his sleep.
"Dharma protector, is there only one old man guarding this martial arts temple? He is too lax." One person was confused.
The shadow guardian wearing red gloves smiled and said:
"In the past, the first emperor of the dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty established the country, but there are still a lot of 'remnants' in the major state capitals. Hehe, how to deter them? You can't open military palaces directly in the city, so you can simply set up mountains and rivers under the major cities. The military formations were built, and martial temples were built one after another. To the outside world, they only said that they were dedicated to the founding of the country, but they were indeed just clay sculptures and wood carvings.
However, if a big crisis comes, this martial arts temple is the key to mobilize the national destiny to meet the enemy.
But even if you know, so what, no one has tried to destroy it, but you usually ignore this thing, it is just a broken stone sculpture, but if you really want to touch it, it is equivalent to being an enemy of the fate of this city. Who can bear it? live?
The karma of millions of people is a cause and effect that even a Taoist master would not want to be implicated in. "
As he spoke, he slowly stepped into the threshold of the martial arts temple.
"In addition, the Imperial Master of the Great Zhou Dynasty also set up a 'mechanism', which is to split the formation hub into four. Even if someone carries the backlash and moves forcefully, they can only move these four at the same time, otherwise the hub will" Transfer'... It can be said that as long as there is still a martial arts temple, this formation can still be used."
He stepped on the ground in the Martial Temple, raised his head, and under the black bamboo hat, his eyes hidden behind the veil looked at the statue of the founding general on the stone platform in front of him with great fighting power and an ice blade.
Over the centuries, the statue has become somewhat obscured.
Under the light of the lights, it looks like a shrine, exuding a peaceful atmosphere.
"But national luck is a good thing. It's called 'national luck'. In fact, if you can steal it and bless yourself, it will be a blessing from the sky. By then, your practice will be rapid, and every bad thing will be turned into good luck. It is said that Taoists are experts in alchemy, but Even the most powerful elixir is not as good as this."
On the stone platform.
The flames of a row of candles suddenly began to tremble rapidly, as if they would go out at any moment.
Several masked men outside the door also showed longing and greed, and one of them said:
"According to what you said, although this thing is good, we can't snatch it away. Doesn't it mean that we don't dare to move around in the sky-viewing realm?"
The Shadow Protector said "ha" and said:
"With my level of cultivation, I would never dare to touch this thing, but there are always exceptions to everything."
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and took out a simple carving knife from his sleeve. It was dark gold and had blood-colored runes engraved on it.
When the carving knife appeared, the stone statues in the temple suddenly shook slightly.
And when he held the carving knife in his hand, across the void, extremely suddenly, the incense in the temple suddenly blew away.
The wind is blowing in!
The table was overturned and the candles were extinguished!
The burly, dark gray stone statue holding a weapon swayed violently, and with a "click" between its eyebrows, a gap as thick as a finger opened!
Numerous spider web cracks appeared above and below the statue, spitting out a pale golden light.
Then, wisps of pale white "qi" emerged from the cracks between the eyebrows and were swallowed by the carving knife.
The aura of the Shadow Protector began to rise crazily!
At this moment, his eyes shone with excitement, and in a trance, the prayers of millions of people rang in his ears, and an indescribably powerful hallucination arose.
National destiny!
It turns out that this is what the leader calls luck!
He was shouting in his heart, and his excitement could not be higher. Every pore in his body seemed to be relaxing, swallowing up the spiritual essence of heaven and earth...
But at this moment, a gentle and calm voice suddenly came from everyone's ears:
"Is it tasty?"
The Shadow Protector's pupils shrank suddenly, and he felt his hair standing on end. He was instantly brought back to reality from the hallucination!
He turned around suddenly and saw that the rest of his men still maintained their original positions, protecting him.
The streets outside were dark and the wind was blowing. This martial arts temple seemed to be the only source of light in the world.
And on the cold street, a young man wearing a light blue robe and holding a lantern was walking over with a smile.
Ji Ping'an glanced at the latter's red gloves, thought for a moment, and suddenly said:
"Hongying...it is indeed you."
…
Correct typos first and then correct them
(End of chapter)
