The old eunuch glanced at the general and said calmly:
"Your Majesty, God General, made a decision immediately. I think His Majesty will be satisfied."
Daidong Shenjiang took out a breath, suppressed his anger, and said:
"This incident failed and all the pagoda cavalry of the military government were destroyed. There is no doubt that there was a problem with the intelligence. That Ji Ping'an had more tricks than we imagined."
The old eunuch said "En" and said understandingly:
"It must have been Jian Zheng who arranged a back-up plan that led to this result. The general's crime was not a crime of war."
Dadongshen will be slightly satisfied with this answer, his tense face softens slightly, and he says:
"Jianzheng personally came here to demonstrate in public, but he didn't do it for me to see. I'm afraid it will be difficult to attack Ji Ping'an again."
The old eunuch said nothing.
It is common for the chamberlains who hang out in the palace to be smart and thoughtful, and of course they can understand the meaning of the general:
It is false for the prisoner to intimidate the military government, but it is true to warn the court.
This is also the reason why he tacitly approved the introduction of "Sun Xianzu" as a shield.
The God General Dadong sacrificed a "loved general" in exchange for the old eunuch returning to the palace to write a letter, mitigating the guilt of the ambush.
"Since the supervisor has appeared, it will naturally be decided by His Majesty himself." The old eunuch sighed.
However, the two of them knew that under the current situation, it was impossible for Emperor Yuan Qing to break up with Jian Zheng, and there was no need for it, so this ambush would probably come to an end for the time being.
As for whether conflicts will break out again in the future, that is not something they, as ministers, have to consider.
General Daidong breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Excuse me, father-in-law."
The old eunuch smiled and said:
"This is all to share your Majesty's worries. However, although this matter has been shelved for the time being, the general must still pay attention to the matter of finding those who have returned from the dead."
General Dadong said:
"That's natural. The teams sent out are still running around Lanzhou."
After a pause, he tentatively said:
"It's just that Your Majesty is so anxious. What are you looking for?"
The old eunuch in python robe glanced at him and said calmly:
"We, as ministers, had better ask less about your Majesty's affairs. What does the general think?"
The white-robed god general's heart trembled, and he lowered his eyes and said, "My father-in-law is right."
He immediately changed the topic and said:
"The search team that was re-sent to Yuhang a few days ago should be back in the next two days. I think it will be fruitful."
…
On the border of Sanhuang County, in a certain mountain forest.
A team walked out of the forest, dusty and dusty. Behind the team, there was also a group of iron corpses. The leader of the "silver corpse" had dull eyes and followed the sound of the bell.
Behind them are the iron corpses that are equally dull and hollow, like puppets on strings.
They may be dressed as villagers, merchants, scholars, or even ordinary warriors.
The rickety corpse witch is holding a skeleton staff in his right hand, and holding a long-handled copper bell covered with black lines in his left hand. He is shaking it gently, making a "bell" sound.
After the group left the "Xingyue Cave", they began to collect the iron corpses while avoiding the army.
Unexpectedly, the Gu insect died suddenly.
The Four Saints can only compete with the court and the martial arts alliance for time, and use the "corpse control technique" of the rickety old man to summon and control a group of walking corpses that have lost their "brains" to escape.
"Let's go here." Someone in the team said.
Everyone stopped in the open space with a tacit understanding. The dwarf jumped up and stabbed a white flag into the open space.
The surrounding crowds carried stones and formed a simple altar around the white flags.
Wrapped in black gauze, with her hair tied up, and her complexion as white as snow, the "Saint of the Devil's Cult" without any variegated colors hugged her shoulders and looked on coldly.
When the altar was built, everyone looked at him at the same time:
"Saint, please."
There was disgust in Xue Ji's eyes, but she still walked to the altar, pulled out a deerskin sheathed knife from her waist, pulled it out with a clang, and lightly cut her wrist.
The blood dripped and fell, and a strange fragrance filled the air.
Everyone gathered in a circle and recited strange scriptures.
The blood suddenly burned and turned into curls of green smoke, shooting straight into the sky.
After a while, the wind suddenly picked up, thick clouds gathered in the sky, and clouds of black mist came from all directions, condensing into a pure black crow with green eyes.
It flapped its wings and landed on the white flagpole. It looked down at the people below who bent down to salute, shouting "leader" and uttering human words:
"Where is the Great Protector?"
Xue Ji was one of the few people who did not salute, and sneered: "Dead."
The green-eyed crow said: "Who can kill him?"
The Corpse Witch shook his head and said: "I don't know. This was already the case when we arrived..."
He pointed at the body of the Great Protector, which was pressed into a "two-dimensional shape" on the ground next to him, and recounted what happened, and said at the same time:
"We originally guessed that the person who took away the remains of the Holy Master was perhaps a one-star official, but judging from the traces at the scene, there should be at least two people."
The green-eyed crow stared at the corpse, seemingly confused:
"The person who suppressed the mutilated body should be Qin Tian Jianzheng, but it is impossible for him to kill the Great Protector."
The dwarf whispered:
"Did you use some kind of magic weapon? Or a talisman? The kind that can temporarily exert the power of observing the sky?"
Someone questioned:
"How precious is an item of this level? Even a great monk from Shenzang would have difficulty refining it."
The dwarf argued:
"The Qintian Supervisor may not be there, but what about the deceased Great Zhou Imperial Master? Since he was a top expert, he left several powerful trump cards to the Qintian Supervisor before his death. Is it any wonder? Or someone from the Taoist sect took action, and Xin Yaoguang was in charge The Taoist Scriptures, and being in the realm of the Divine Treasure, it is also possible to grant such trump cards. Although it is difficult, it is possible after all."
A group of people immediately started arguing.
The blue-eyed crow paused for a while and said calmly:
"It has happened, and there is no point in arguing about it. Although I have gained a lot of iron corpses this time, I have lost the remains of the Holy Master. I should have been punished, but since the Great Protector is dead, that's all."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time and secretly rejoiced.
A flash of disappointment flashed in Xue Ji's eyes.
The green-eyed crow said:
"Next, you should return to the main altar first, and then make the next arrangements."
After saying that, it twisted its neck again and looked at Xue Ji with sharp eyes:
"As a saint of our own sect, you are different from the believers after all. You are more passive and sabotage your work. After you return to the main altar, I will punish you to face the wall and think about your mistakes."
Xue Ji curled her lips and mocked, "You might as well kill me too."
The green-eyed crow said calmly: "There will be a day, but not now."
After a pause, it added:
"I know you are still thinking about Grand Master Zhou, but this time is different from the past. Not to mention that he still doesn't know what he will become after being reborn. Even if he becomes famous again, this leader will personally take action and cripple him bit by bit. Drop it so you can avenge yourself for the past."
Xue Ji's beautiful face, three-dimensional facial features showed a look of pity:
"A guy who doesn't even dare to reveal his true identity and only dares to hide his head and tail. Not to mention being reborn once, even if he is reborn ten or a hundred times, you will not be able to compare with him."
"Snapped!"
The blue-eyed crow's eyes flashed with spiritual fire, and Xue Ji screamed and fell to the ground.
As if being whipped by an invisible whip, there were no scars on her fair and graceful body, but her face was distorted by pain.
Everyone was as silent as a cicada.
The green-eyed crow flapped its wings and flew into the air, disappearing. A group of believers said in unison:
"Congratulations to the leader!"
…
…
Yin Yang Academy.
Ji Ping'an waited in the hall for about two sticks of incense, then put down the tea cup and looked into the air.
Xin Yaoguang's figure was outlined, restoring his original Chuchen temperament, but the remaining excitement and joy on his face was difficult to hide:
"It has been confirmed that he is indeed the headmaster of our sect Huayang. This time, the Taoist sect owes you a favor."
Ji Ping'an was not surprised and said with a smile:
"Qin Tianjian and Taoist sect share the same spirit, so there is no need to be polite, Headmaster Xin."
Xin Yaoguang raised his slender hand and hooked it gently, and a page of "Tao Sutra" in Ji Ping'an's arms flew into his palm.
No... You said you owed a favor, but what are you doing... Ji Ping'an raised his eyebrows.
Then he saw Xin Yaoguang holding the Dao Sutra in his hand, the sun flashing suddenly, and streams of pure breath flowing into it.
After a moment, he stopped, threw the Tao Sutra back, and said slightly tiredly:
"I left a dharma body in it, which can be used at critical moments, enough to kill the monk sitting in the well."
After a pause, he seemed to feel that the force level was a little low, so he added:
"I am not a physical body at the moment, I am just a yang god with limited cultivation. Besides, I have to protect Headmaster Hua Yang when he returns to the capital of the city later. I have to guard against being intercepted by powerful enemies along the way, so I can't give you too much."
I understand... why explain so much... Ji Ping'an lowered his head and looked at it, and found that there was an extra golden lotus petal mark on the Taoist scriptures, and said:
"Thank you."
Xin Yaoguang did not answer, but said calmly:
"You don't have to thank me. It was Headmaster Huayang who told me that I would like to thank you for taking care of me during this trip to Qixia Town.
Therefore, I am specially told to give you this dharma body. Otherwise, just borrowing this page of Taoist scriptures from you for several months will be enough to offset the favor. "
Ji Ping'an was startled, then smiled, folded the Taoist Scripture carefully, put it in his arms, and said:
"When I have the opportunity in the future, I will express my gratitude to Master Huayang in person."
Xin Yaoguang nodded without saying anything. He waved the whisk and his figure turned into a stream of light and faded away.
Not long after, a phantom of the Yang God enveloped a girl in a red dress in the academy, rose from the ground, and flew towards the north.
In the courtyard.
Ji Ping'an looked at the sky with his hands behind his hands as the two women disappeared, and suddenly felt a little empty.
He stepped into the guest room where Huayang lived and saw the bedding neatly inside. There was a burnt black and simple long sword without a scabbard lying on the table.
He picked up the sword and found a note underneath, which read: Goodbye.
Ji Ping'an smiled and muttered:
"After all these years, my handwriting is still not very good..."
Breathing flames between his fingers, he burned the paper into ashes and erased the traces.
Ji Ping'an put the long sword into the Taoist scriptures, turned around and walked out of the yard, and heard another whistling sound above his head.
Qin Tianjian was smiling and landing with his hands behind his back, stroking his beard and saying:
"I just saw Headmaster Xin Yang Shen heading north from a distance. It seems that the matter here is over."
Ji Ping'an said suspiciously:
"You didn't come in at a certain time on purpose, didn't you? You didn't want to meet Xin Yaoguang?"
Jian Zheng looked serious: "How is that possible?"
Then seeing the latter's suspicion, he smiled and said:
"I just calculated that Headmaster Xin will come during this time. With her temporarily in charge, Yuhang won't have much of a problem. I'll take the opportunity to leave to do something."
Ji Ping'an remembered that the last time the two met at Laoliu Street, Jian Zheng said that he learned through astrology that it was best not to leave Yuhang.
It was just that the words were unclear at the time, but now the meaning revealed is much more specific and clear.
"So, do you have a premonition that someone is watching Yuhang? Once there are no strong men here, someone will attack the city? But what is there in the city worth worrying about? Is it... or is it the fate of the country?"
Ji Pingan analyzed:
"Let me just say that the Four Saints sect's actions last time to steal the national destiny seemed a bit reckless. If it is understood that they were acting as pawns to test whether there was a strong man in Yuhang City, it would make sense."
The old prisoner with white hair and white beard was slightly surprised, nodded and said:
"Indeed. Perhaps the Four Saints, or someone else, is still trying to devour the destiny of the country. Obviously, the last failure did not make the other party give up their thoughts. It's just that the premonition last time was not clear. It was also during this period. With each horoscope, the revelation became clear.”
Ji Pingan nodded.
This is consistent with his judgment of the eldest disciple's cultivation.
Obviously, under the wave of spiritual recovery, Jian Zheng's cultivation has been greatly improved recently, so some vague premonitions have become clearer.
The two largest cities in the north and south of the Great Zhou Dynasty are also the hubs of national transportation, corresponding to Shendu and Yuhang respectively.
When the Great Zhou Dynasty was established, the imperial masters used the dynasty's territory as a base to set up a large formation, and they also referred to some things from the Taoist sect.
simply put:
The entire Great Zhou's luck formation is a Tai Chi disk situation, with Shendu and Yuhang corresponding to two "Tai Chi eyes" respectively.
Ji Ping'an shook his head, put the matter aside for the time being, and said curiously:
"By the way, what did Jian Zheng do?"
Qin Tianjian smiled and said: "I went to the Dadong Army Mansion."
Then, he roughly told what happened, and finally said with some regret:
"The current situation is indeed not suitable for a major conflict with the imperial court, but due warnings are still needed. Next, as long as Emperor Yuan Qing is still conscious, he should not do anything to you and other star officials."
So, did you run away overnight to vent your anger?
Ji Ping'an looked a little strange, but also a little relieved.
I remember that back then, I seemed to be in the same situation. If a disciple was bullied, he would come to try to regain his place.
It's just that he was too strong back then, and Da Zhou was also in a state of strong martial ethics, so the matter of "venting anger" was always carried out thoroughly.
As time went by, the result was that no one dared to bully the Qintian Supervisor Star Officer who was practicing outside.
Unfortunately, all this also changed with his "death".
Ji Ping'an shook his head and sighed in his heart.
As for Sun Xianzu being pulled out to stand up to the thunder, it was an unsurprising result.
Both parties knew it well, and on the premise that neither of them wanted to completely break their faces, Sun Xianzu took revenge for his own selfish desires. This statement is a good explanation.
The life of a lieutenant general is indeed not a light one.
It's just that although Ji Ping'an is used to the cruelty and coldness of court battles, it's still hard for Ji Ping'an to like this kind of thing.
"That's good." He smiled and said, then stood up and left:
"Since things here are temporarily suspended, I will go back first."
The supervisor nodded: "Okay."
…
After leaving Yin Yang Academy, Ji Ping'an changed into a clean coat, walked through the streets and alleys facing the rising sun, and returned to Laoliu Street.
Along the way, I could only hear people in the streets talking about the strange phenomenon that happened at the Academy Observation Deck last night.
"Extraordinary number, extra number... The government posted a notice. The imperial monks cast a spell last night. The epidemic in Sanhuang County has been resolved. There is no need to panic..."
Newsboys walked through the streets waving newspapers.
"Tsk, there was a storm in the city yesterday, and some people were shouting to run away, for fear that the epidemic over there would spread, and it would be gone in a blink of an eye. Hey, I don't know if it's true or not, but the battle last night was really scary... …”
When Ji Ping'an walked into Laoliu Street, he heard from a distance that the owner of the calligraphy and painting shop next door was chatting with his neighbors, pointing out the contents of the newspaper, and spitting stars.
He has the air of directing the country.
Seeing Ji Ping'an's return, the owner of the calligraphy and painting shop raised his voice:
"Mr. Xiao Li? Hehe, I haven't seen you for a long time. When did you come back?"
The surrounding neighbors also looked over with surprise on their faces.
Ji Ping'an smiled and walked over to chat with him, talking casually.
He only said that he had just returned from a trip to a distant place to meet relatives and did some business.
The owner of the calligraphy and painting shop sighed:
"Then you missed the good show. There was such a wonderful scene in the city last night, and the recent illness in Sanhuang County. Have you heard of it? Not heard of it? That's just right, let me tell you... But It’s mysterious.”
The people didn't know the details. In order to reduce panic, the government suppressed the existence of iron corpses. They only said that it was a big epidemic, a mad disease, some people were crazy and bit people, and so on.
Ji Ping'an listened with a smile, looking surprised, and suddenly felt like returning to the human world.
And these ordinary people also don't know that Mr. Li in front of him has not only experienced the Wulin Alliance and the corpse poison disaster, but he is also the key figure who led the vision last night.
"Master!?"
Suddenly, Ji Ping'an heard an exclamation, turned his head and saw the door of Yijingzhai. Huang He and Mu Yaoyao ran out one behind the other, showing surprise smiles:
"You are back."
Ji Pingan said goodbye to the neighbors and returned to the backyard of the shop with the two of them. The two were extremely excited and kept asking about the situation:
"Sir, what was the outcome of this alliance? Have you met anyone from the Four Holy Sects?"
"Do you know what's going on over there in Sanhuang County?"
"And the formation of the Academy last night must have something to do with you."
Huang He was lucky and could restrain himself.
As for Mu Yaoyao, she became a complete follower. The girl kept circling around Ji Ping'an, and her black hair was bouncing around, rising and falling on her fair forehead.
Her cheeks were bulging with baby fat, and her eyes were filled with the word "curious".
Ji Ping'an sat helplessly in the wicker chair, stretched out his hand to grab the chubby cheeks and bulging belly of the foodie girl, and said helplessly:
"First of all, tell me how far you have advanced in cultivation recently?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Yaoyao straightened up and faced A, with her hands on her hips and she said proudly:
"I've upgraded!"
Huang He also walked over with a smile, looking like a butler, nodded and said:
"Sir, I've also made a breakthrough."
Ji Ping'an was slightly surprised, and then finally smiled:
"not bad."
Although the talents of the two are not as good as that of him and the Saint, they are still considered outstanding among practitioners. Coinciding with the revival of the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, they can be considered to have caught up with the express train of the times, and their progress is not slow.
Now, both of them have entered the Po-Jiu realm.
But compared to Ji Ping'an, or even the drama queen, it seems a bit slow.
"Before, you were stuck in the big realm, and it was hard to break through. It was difficult for me to help you. Now that you have entered Pojiu, you can use some strong medicine next."
Ji Ping'an commented lightly.
Strong medicine?
The two looked at each other, feeling a little panicked for no reason.
As a former national master, Ji Ping'an was also the founder of a sect, and he had a complete set of methods on how to quickly improve the cultivation of his disciples.
In terms of resources, even though the space in his small bag is really limited, most of the cultivation resources stored are for the realm of "nourishing qi".
But if you need the resources to break through the Nine Realms, he also has them.
It's just that his own cultivation path is rather special. Although he also takes drugs during his daily practice and swallows the best elixirs, there is always an upper limit to the potency of the drugs, so it is still enough.
Huang He and Mu Yaoyao are stuck in the bottleneck of the big realm again and cannot use it for the time being.
So he didn't go get it.
But now, for the two of them to step into Pojiu and improve the cultivation level of those around them, they need to put it on the agenda.
Ji Ping'an didn't explain, he just sighed:
"This time the Holy Girl and I went to Qixia Town and saw the current situation of martial arts in the Central Plains. There are people with high cultivation levels everywhere. Although most of them are vulgar martial artists, the so-called "killing a master with random punches" means that martial arts can also defeat all methods. …”
Huang He and Mu Yaoyao stood aside and listened with their ears pricked up.
The latter simply reached into his small satchel, grabbed a handful of melon seeds and started cracking them... Suddenly he realized that the young master had stopped talking.
Just lazily spreading his hands.
Mu Yaoyao was stunned for a moment, blinked her big eyes, and hesitantly handed over the melon seeds in her little hand.
"..." Ji Pingan said angrily:
"Young Master is thirsty."
Huang He suddenly realized it and hurriedly made tea and handed it over.
Ji Ping'an took a sip, and then slowly and slowly recounted the experience of his trip to Qixia Town, selecting some parts that could be made public.
The two of them listened with rapt attention.
...It rains at night when the temple is broken down in Longhu Mountain, the master preaches...the old and new martial arts compete...and then the mysterious murderer, the strange mystery...and then the corpse poison disaster...
The whole experience is more interesting than the stories told by the storyteller in the teahouse, or the books about gods and demons sold in the bookstore.
The two of them felt thrilling and fascinated when they heard it, and they only wished they had not followed him in the first place.
Mu Yaoyao squatted beside the wicker chair, raised her face with envy:
"awesome."
Huang He also sighed:
"There are mountains outside the mountains, and there are people outside the people. I didn't expect that there are so many masters in the martial arts world, and the Four Saints are so rampant. It seems that our cultivation is not enough."
Dr. Huang was deeply worried and suddenly became anxious:
The little joy that had been brought about by breaking through the situation before was gone.
Ji Ping'an smiled and saw what he was thinking, but he didn't say anything. He just said lightly:
"According to my analysis, if the Four Holy Sects engage in such a big battle this time, no matter the imperial court, the Beast Control Sect, or even the Wulin Alliance, there will be no reaction. Next, at least in Lanzhou, all parties will The intensity of their investigation and purge will be unprecedented, so there is a high probability that they will temporarily hibernate, move or recuperate, digest what they have gained this time, and wait for opportunities to cause trouble again."
After a pause, he said:
"For us, the next task, in addition to continuing to look for traces of the 'Reborn Ones', is to improve our strength to deal with future dangers."
The situation today is clear:
Whether it is to find former friends, such as Wei Huayang and Xu Yuanyun, to draw them into one's own camp and increase the number of allies.
In order to kill the enemy, gathering at least nine star fragments and finding the reborn person is still the top priority.
At the same time, the whereabouts of Dao Zun and Zhenzhi Zhenren are used as clues that need to be paid attention to.
"By the way, did anything happen in the city while I was away?" Ji Ping'an asked casually.
Huang He shook his head and said:
"No, everything is quite quiet, just as the young master expected. I am afraid that even if there are still reborn people in the city, they have all hidden themselves and are not exposed easily."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone suddenly knocked on the side door of the courtyard.
The attention of the three people in the courtyard was immediately attracted.
"Who?" Huang He asked.
Outside the door, the landlord's urgent voice sounded:
"It's me, I want divination, help me find my son, he is missing..."
Ji Ping'an was startled, raised his eyebrows, and recalled the appearance of the landlord's only son.
It seems to be the one named Fang Shijie... little chubby guy?
disappeared?
…
Correct typos first and then correct them
Thanks to book friend: 1670...0128 for the 200-coin reward!
(End of chapter)
