The setting sun shot out bloody light and fell on the Lithospermum manor. The beauty and glitz that once existed have turned into dilapidation and destruction before our eyes. Outside the manor, rags and trees were scattered with branches and leaves, showing signs of being chopped, smashed, and chiseled. Inside the manor, dahlia stems were broken and trampled into the dust and mud. Among the flowers and trees, the buildings decorated with gold and silver carvings are dyed with fresh red, like the brush of death, writing the mark of the end.
Huitu Puap came with a thousand elite warriors full of murderous intentions. In just half a day, he captured the Zicao family's manor. Most of the more than two hundred Lithospermum warriors stationed there were killed in the battle, a few were captured, and only a few scattered to the southeast. Subsequently, more than three hundred members of the Lithospermum tribe were captured by the warriors and imprisoned in the main hall deep in the manor. Among them, there are sixty or seventy people including Gulamo's wives, concubines, and children.
At this moment, hundreds of Qin Congcan warriors were patrolling the manor repeatedly, looking for fish that had slipped through the net. And Puap himself led a hundred warriors to torture the Zicao people in the palace.
"Say! Where did Gulamo go?!"
"I...I'm just a servant...ah..."
Huitu Puap looked fierce, grabbed the opponent's hair with his left hand, and slashed hard with the long dagger in his right hand! The warmth splashed out instantly, and Gulamo's servant died immediately. Then, with his eyes red, he grabbed a middle-aged nobleman's hair and put the blood-stained long dagger on his neck.
"Say! Where did Gulamo go?!"
"I...I don't know, brother...uh..."
Puap flashed a fierce light and waved the blade again. Then, he wiped his face with his sleeves, licked the corners of his mouth, and grabbed another old tribesman.
"Say! Where did Gulamo go?!"
"I...he, he is Gulamo's son, he knows."
"Um."
Puap nodded. He sneered and retracted the dagger, then thrust it forward suddenly, stirred it hard, and pulled it out again!
"ah!..."
The old tribesman's chest was bleeding and he fell to the ground. Then, Puap strode forward and grabbed the identified young noble. He put the long dagger dripping with blood against the opponent's cheek.
"Say! Where did Gulamo go?!"
"Ah! Father...Father came back not long ago and took a few brothers away in a hurry. Then, he went, went..."
The young noble's legs became weak and he collapsed on the ground, with snot and tears streaming from his nose. Gulamo didn't even enter the manor, but hurriedly took away a few people who had been waiting. At the time, he was hanging out with his father's dancer, and when he got the news a little late, he missed his only chance of life.
"Where have you gone?!"
"Go to the south lake...ah!"
Puap pulled out the dagger neatly and said to the guard angrily.
"Separate two hundred warriors and search the lake in the south! Try to find as many boats as possible!"
"Yes, deputy commander!"
The bodyguard bowed his head in response and followed the order. General Huitu doesn't like to be called battalion commander, preferring to be called deputy commander. Of course, for now, this title is just shouted in the camp.
Huitu Puap stood there, looking around the hall with red eyes. The four walls of the hall are painted with naked goddesses and graceful dancing girls. At this time, the goddess was stained with bright red, and the dancer stepped on the corpse, giving her a unique and coquettish beauty. His eyes swept across the crowd manically, and his eyes rested on Gulamo's concubines.
After a few breaths, he made a choice, strode over directly, picked up a tied up feminine woman, and dragged her to the side hall next to her. After a while, deep breathing began, accompanied by the woman's charming voice. The voice came quickly and quickly, then became high-pitched. In the side hall, there was first a hysterical man's roar, then a woman's scream, and all the sounds stopped at the same time.
Puap walked out of the side hall with fresh blood stains on his body, and his violent eyes finally calmed down. By this time, he had to admit that Gulamo, this insidious snake, had escaped from the snare.
"Secret message...Secret message...Where is the secret message?!"
Puap held on to the last chance and whispered to himself. Then, with a cold look in his eyes, he replaced the worn obsidian dagger and walked towards the Zicao tribe again.
The sun sets in the sky, and darkness covers the earth, covering up the endless blood. The samurai who went to Nanhu to search had not yet returned, but Sky Orta had already arrived first.
"How about it!"
Horta asked anxiously and irritably.
"He escaped. The letter was not found."
Puap lowered his eyes and shook his head. Then, he asked equally eagerly.
"How is it in the city?"
"The city was broken. The legions went around the east gate, and the defenders there immediately collapsed. Then, the warriors climbed over the wall and entered. The rebels in the city resisted for a while at first, and then surrendered. Now, the four gates in the city have been sealed. Blockade, the large group of rebels either died or surrendered, leaving only a few scattered skirmishers, who can't escape..."
Orta answered confidently. He did not mention the golden-armored leader who died in the battle at the North Gate, because as Huitu expected, he was just a substitute.
"Where's General Etalik?"
"He is intact and has five hundred Mexica warriors with him."
Speaking of this, Orta's face looked a little angry.
"This old guy Etalik! We traveled hundreds of miles and traveled day and night to save him. He actually sat high on the pyramid temple and asked me to go and see him alone!"
"Oh? Going to visit alone?"
Puap raised his eyebrows and asked.
"Did you go alone?"
"...I went. I took a dozen personal guards with me, but he didn't dare to say anything!"
Horta's eyes flashed and he turned his head slightly, avoiding Puap's eyes.
"If it weren't for his seniority and his family background as a warrior..."
Huitu Puap was silent. Taking a dozen personal guards with you is basically the same as going alone. He thought for a moment and asked again.
"What did the old general say?"
"The old guy asked me to divide my troops to suppress the rebels in the city, and then control the streets and prohibit civilians from passing. I left 1,500 people in the city to quell the chaos, so I came directly with 500 personal guards."
"Five hundred Mexica warriors still on the temple pyramid?"
"It was still there when I left."
"Um."
Puap nodded silently. It seemed that General Etalik was also suspicious of them. Gulamo's assassination put all the generals from Prepecha in an awkward position. He and Horta contacted Gulamo many times. This was the most embarrassing situation, even in danger.
"Damn it! Horta, I was tricked by you!"
Thinking of this, Puap cursed softly.
"The secret message may have been taken away by Gulamo!"
"ah!"
Horta looked nervous and subconsciously held the dagger at his waist.
The two of them were feeling upset when suddenly a personal guard came from the main hall and reported back.
"Deputy commander, we tortured Gulammo's trusted servant, and he said that Gulammo has a secret room!"
"Um?"
"Walk!"
Hearing this, the two people's eyes lit up. they shouted almost simultaneously.
"Lead the way!"
Everyone held torches and followed the trembling servants to the family warehouse behind the main hall. There are many rooms in the warehouse, one of which is filled with unknown herbs and bottles. The servant walked to the back of the room, pushed open a wooden table, and pointed to the wooden board below.
"Sir, it's down there."
Alter sneered. The so-called "secret room" had almost no secret measures, it was just a shady cellar. He directly opened the wooden board, and a pungent herbal smell mixed with rich blood hit his nostrils.
Puap looked stern and held the long dagger at his waist. He signaled to the guards on the left and right, and several guards held torches and carefully walked into the cellar. Then, a low exclamation came from the front.
"ah!"
"This is?"
"O Lord God!..."
Puap waited patiently until one of the guards returned.
"Deputy Commander, there is no danger ahead, only a strange... earth wall?"
"Um?"
Puap looked at Horta and walked into the cellar first. The cellar is not deep, and is cool and dry. The further you go in, the stronger the smell of blood becomes, making you dizzy. Within a moment, the group of people entered the deepest part, and a vast basement appeared in front of them.
"...Gulamo, this disgusting poisonous snake! Warriors collect the heads of powerful warriors and build skull walls to show off their military exploits! But he actually collects so many women's heads and embalms them with herbs. It's really disgusting. coward!"
Puap let out a disdainful "Bah". Horta shuddered.
In front of everyone, there was an earthen wall seven or eight meters long and two meters high. There is a hole in the earthen wall as big as a person's head. In the holes, the heads of young women are neatly collected. They are all treated with antiseptic herbs, most of them have long hair, dry and pale skin, and different expressions can be vaguely recognized. Some are frightened, some are afraid, some are desperate, some are relieved, and some are smiling.
At this moment, there were hundreds of heads on the entire wall, all with empty eyes, staring at everyone strangely. On the wall next to the head, there are also detailed graphic and text annotations, which seem to be evaluations of the collection.
If Shulot stood here and examined it carefully, he would be able to identify a withered head in the middle. She had a relieved smile on her face, and her eyebrows bore a slight resemblance to Medina. And on the mark next to her, there was a sad smile.
Historically, this kind of underground or semi-underground structure is called a skull wall. It is a custom that has been passed down from the Teotihuacan era and was usually built underground in ancient temples. The skeleton itself records the achievements of the builder and also symbolizes the sacrifice to the gods. This worship of death is deeply rooted in the hearts of various tribes in Central America, just like the Day of the Dead in later generations.
"Bah, what a waste of time!"
Puap looked at it for a moment and determined that this was just a simple skeleton hiding room. He was so angry that he picked up the servant on the ground and waved the long dagger vigorously, and there was more fresh blood in the storage room.
Everyone came out of the cellar and returned to the manor again. After being busy for a while, the samurai who went to search by the lake have returned. They found neither the boat nor the people, and returned in vain.
"Puap, what should we do now? Do we want to continue the interrogation?"
Horta looked worried and vaguely frightened.
"Continue the interrogation? The Guards are on their way south, we don't have time!"
Speaking of this, Puap's eyes turned cold, and murderous intent boiled in his chest.
"Your Majesty said that the Purple Grass Family will be sacrificed! Then, we will kill all the Purple Grass Clan members, and then burn the entire manor to ashes with fire! Anyway, no one in the entire Purple Grass Family is clean. They are all rotten wood of the kingdom... If the secret message is still in the manor, it will be over."
"Ah? If the secret message is still in Gulamo's hands, wouldn't we be blackmailed by him?..."
"Well...the only way now is to confess to His Majesty and surrender!"
Puap frowned and pondered for a moment. He remembered what the old militiaman said after drinking, and finally spoke decisively.
"Since I can't find the letter, I can only confess! There is nothing in those letters, just some...just assumptions that will not happen."
"Old man Qi once said that there is no loyalty like stone in the world, but loyalty like a tree. As long as your majesty reigns over the world and is high above, the tree will live. Every branch, every leaf is loyal! Let him live Just live, or die if you want him. And if His Majesty does not come back from the northern expedition, the tree will die. Loyalty rots, and the wood rots. When the time comes, not to mention us, even the most loyal Ezpan will Choose the Rebel Alliance!..."
"His Majesty has received divine enlightenment and is a king who can see far away. We are useful to His Majesty. As long as we sincerely plead guilty, even if we receive some punishment, we still have a chance!"
Horta thought for a moment and nodded helplessly.
"That's all! Hey!"
The two sighed, gave a few instructions to their respective guards, and then stopped talking. Soon, the dying wail suddenly sounded and then suddenly subsided. The Prepecha warriors briefly plundered some belongings and set fire to Shimu's house.
The wind helped the fire, and in just two quarters of an hour, the vast Lithospermum Manor was engulfed in flames! Trees are burning, flowers are burning, buildings are burning, bodies are burning.
The glorious family that has been passed down for more than two hundred years has been destroyed! All past glory and all past sins were reduced to ashes in the fire and then scattered in the wind. Outside the manor, the tall ragwort trees were ignited by the fire, burning from bottom to top, like a row of twenty-meter-high torches, shining brightly in the gloomy night.
"Puapu! Orta!..."
Lake Atoyak reflects the distant firelight. Gulamo stood on a canoe, with a few people beside him. He was in great pain, his face was as ferocious as a snake, tears of regret fell in large drops, and turned into the venom of hatred, which was buried deep in his heart. After a while, he wiped away his tears and shouted to the people around him in a low voice.
"Why are you crying?! As long as we are still there, the family will still be there. Let's go!"
"Father, where are we going?"
A young noble asked in a low voice, trembling all over.
Gulamo said nothing. He reached deep into his arms and carefully took out a jade talisman. This was left by a guest from afar when the king was on his northern expedition. He thought it would be useless at all, but he never thought that this would be his last resort... and he didn't know what fate was waiting for him.
"Row a boat and go east!"
Gulamo glanced at the mysterious symbols on the jade talisman and said coldly. Then, he squeezed the jade talisman tightly, turned his hand away, took one last look at the burning manor, and left by boat. On the front of the jade talisman, there is a hummingbird in the sun engraved, and on the back of the jade talisman, there is actually a small square Chinese character "mi".
The night is vast and the fire is shining brightly. At the same time, the veteran Etalik stood to the south of the great temple, which was the battlefield where the Purple Grass Warrior died in the last battle. He frowned, looked at the fallen body in front of him, and said nothing.
There was a smile on the face of the corpse, and next to it was the peeled off bronze armor, and above the bronze armor, there was a leather bag stained red with blood. This leather bag was found from the deceased's bronze armor. The inside was well preserved. After a brief inspection, it turned out to be...two secret letters!
