This morning, Tang Ping pushed open the door of Qian Chao's courtyard, and in came Tang Ping and Yan Xuan.
"Let's go, Mr. Qian, let's go to Tianshui Lake to watch the fun!"
Qian Chao was practicing and drawing a talisman on the desk. After he finished drawing, he asked: "Is today the day?"
"Yes, today is the day. I have told Brother Li and Brother Lu that they have probably arrived at Tianshui Lake now."
"Okay, let's go too." Putting away the painted talisman, Qian Chao walked out with the two girls.
…
It’s so lively by Tianshui Lake!
When the three people arrived, the "Chengguan Tower" by the lake, which was specially designed to welcome distinguished guests, was already crowded with people. Looking from a distance, they could see a sea of heads. Tang Ping, Qian Chao and Yan Xuan dropped down far away. Walk that way.
It seems that the news has already spread, so there are really many people coming to watch the excitement. The sect does not stop this, and people are allowed to witness this event, which is also a major event for the Wuling Sect.
Tang Ping's sharp eyes found Li Jian and Lu Pingchuan in a secluded but far away place.
"Brother Li, Brother Lu, why did you choose a location so far away?" Tang Ping asked after passing by.
"There are few people here, it's easy to talk, and you can see clearly," Li Jian said. "This kind of thing is just a show. If you are close, you can't see anything. It's better to be quiet here and see clearly." .”
"That's true," Yanxuan looked around and said, "The terrain here is high, which is a good place, but why are the people watching the excitement standing on the ground? Wouldn't it be clearer if we flew up?"
"Monks are not allowed to fly here," Tang Ping said, pointing to the four-story Chengguan Tower. "Look, Chengguan Tower is only used by distinguished guests from our sect. Flying is not allowed around here." Yes, even the seniors of Jie Dan are like this, and Sister Yan, look over there, what is that?"
Yanxuan looked over, Qian Chao and others also looked over after hearing this. There was a table downstairs in Chengguan. It seemed to be quite big. I didn't know what it was used for.
Lu Pingchuan guessed: "Could it be a stage?"
Tang Ping said: "No, that's an arena. Once every ten years in our sect, it's called the 'Cheng Guan En Trial', also known as the 'Little Competition', and it's held there."
"What is the Cheng Guan En Examination?"
"Actually, it's just a fighting ring," Tang Ping said. "Once every ten years, Qi refining disciples can participate as long as their cultivation has broken through the fifth level. The rewards are actually ordinary, nothing more than spiritual stones, elixirs, etc., but this Cheng Guan'en The important thing about the test is that during the competition, those Danjie seniors in the sect were watching from the Chengguan Tower. In fact, to put it bluntly, it was the day when those Danjie seniors who wanted to accept disciples chose their apprentices, so those in the sect who did not The disciples who follow the master attach great importance to them, and they must perform well on that day, hoping to be noticed by a senior and accepted as a disciple. In that case, foundation building will be out of the question, so this Cheng Guan'en It’s quite exciting.”
Lu Pingchuan was very interested when he heard this: "Oh! There is also this matter!"
"Brother Lu, you already have a master, are you still interested?"
"Hey, it's okay not to participate and just watch the fun!"
Li Jian asked: "When is the next Cheng Guan En Examination?"
Tang Ping thought for a moment: "When was the last time? It seemed like seven or eight years ago. I heard someone say that the next time is coming soon anyway. We are currently on the fourth level of Qi Refining, and right in front of us is the Small Fifth Level. After passing Xiaowu Pass, the three of you, Mr. Qian, Sister Yan, and Brother Li, are likely to participate. Although Sister Yan and Brother Li both have elders who want to accept you as disciples, it is very likely that It’s time to pass the Cheng Guan En Trial, especially Brother Li. After you kill everyone in the Cheng Guan En Trial, Senior Leng Yue will accept you as his disciple, which will save her money. A lot of trouble.”
Li Jian nodded after hearing this and put this matter in his heart.
Qian Chao and Yanxuan also wrote down this matter, especially Yanxuan. Although Senior Zhong said that he would be included in the door and become her top disciple, but now that he thinks about it, since Senior Zhong has not accepted a disciple , but as a senior Jiedan, there must be many people who want to be her disciples. I heard that senior Zhong still has not accepted a disciple. It seems that he is waiting for himself to break through the fifth level, but think about Brother Li. , Senior Zhong is afraid there are many people watching. Although the Cheng Guan En Examination is still some time away, it is coming soon. If I can break through the Little Five Levels and perform better in the Cheng Guan En Examination, in the future When you worship Senior Zhong as your disciple, you can also stop many people's mouths.
As for Qian Chao, he doesn’t have much thought about becoming a disciple. The many seniors in Jiuxuan are naturally very advanced in cultivation, and the guidance they can give him must be enough, but the path Qian Chao is taking now is not It is limited to any senior. Among those seniors, some are good at weapon refining, some are good at talismans, and some are good at formations, but Qian Chao wants to learn all three and master them. After all, they can be regarded as The science of runes, unfortunately, none of the seniors in Jiuxuan satisfied Qian Chao. Compared with several other companions and even many Jiuxuan disciples, Qian Chao's mentality was different. He was not waiting. The master chooses him, but he wants to choose the master. Of course, he has never said this out loud, fearing that if he did say it, he would be ridiculed by Tang Ping first!
After chatting for a while, Qian Chao saw that the people in front of Chengguan Tower were still just watching the excitement, so he asked, "When will that person arrive?"
Tang Ping looked at the sky, then at the place where the crowd gathered over there, and said, "It should be almost there. Look downstairs at Chengguan, there are already seniors waiting there. If they weren't almost there, they would be I won’t stand there anymore.”
Sure enough, downstairs in Chengguan, there were already many seniors who were alchemists in the sect. Today seemed to be different from the past. These senior alchemists were all dressed up and stood in awe. It seemed that they paid great attention to what happened today.
Lu Pingchuan stretched out his hand to point to the crowd over there and said, "Hey, look, there is no one standing at the pier next to that building. Do all the people come by boat?"
By the lake near Chengguan Tower, there is a very impressive pier. As Lu Pingchuan said, no one is there, and there seem to be a few foundation-building brothers who are responsible for maintaining the pier on the pier. , to prevent the crowd of spectators from being crowded, they ran to the pier.
Tang Ping said:
"That's right, the people who came must have entered our Five Spirit Sect by boat."
"Hey, dear, how long will it take to get to our place by taking the boat slowly and leisurely?"
"Brother Lu, they definitely didn't take a boat on the way. They just arrived at the edge of our sect and then took a boat in from the Tianshui River, just like we came from Youming Valley. This is considered a kind of etiquette. The etiquette of our Wuling Sect shows our respect for our guests. Although Jiu Genyuan is having a hard time now, it is a large sect after all, and we must give him the face he deserves."
"Oh, then flying all the way here is quite tiring. I heard you said that it is flying all the way from the northernmost part of Central China to us. Isn't it tens of thousands of miles?"
Tang Ping smiled and said: "Tens of thousands of miles? It's still a lot further! It took them two months to walk this way. In fact, it didn't take that long, but the troubles along the way were enough to give them a headache. , I heard that they were chased by the monks from Motian Cliff from the very beginning. They went back and forth, took many long detours, and fought several times. Naturally, it took a long time."
Upon hearing this, Yanxuan asked strangely: "Are there still dangers on the road?"
"Of course there is danger. Motianya and Muyang Sect definitely don't want to see our Wuling Sect and Jiu Genyuan form an alliance. As long as Yan Shuang is killed halfway, this alliance will be gone."
Li Jian asked: "Why is that woman so important to this covenant?"
"The woman came here because our sect insisted on it. Jiu Genyuan didn't agree at first, but later they were forced to have no choice but to agree to it. Of course, it wasn't us who forced them, but Motianya and Mu Yang Zong has been bullying Jiu Genyuan. To put it bluntly, sending a woman here to reach a covenant will make Jiu Genyuan feel humiliated no matter what, not to mention that this woman is the granddaughter of a Nascent Soul monk. On the way, the people from Motianya have been chasing and killing Yan Shuang. If they can't even send a woman to Wuling Sect, then Jiu Genyuan's strength is really too low. People are disappointed. If Yan Shuang really died on the way, then it doesn't matter whether this covenant is real or not. In the same way, after they enter the realm of Wuling Sect, if they are in the realm of our Wuling Sect, the sect within the sect will The seniors who went out could not protect Yan Shuang completely. If something happened, it would be a great shame. Not only did they fail to get what they wanted, but they also completely offended Jiu Genyuan. Although it would not make Jiu Genyuan unite. Other major sects are looking for trouble, but in order to calm down Jiu Genyuan's anger, the price paid will naturally be higher. Therefore, they can be said to be a hail of swords and swords along the way, and they are frightened at every step!"
Li Jian nodded when he heard this.
Tang Ping continued: "Actually, something almost happened, and it's within the boundaries of our Five Spirits Sect. Those people succeeded just by taking a small risk."
"Oh? What happened? Let me tell you." Qian Chao said.
"Just a few days ago, my master also went out to deal with Yan Shuang's matter. After that trouble was resolved, my master came back early. All I know is what she told me. It is said that they were together along the way. They were only pestered by the monks from Motianya, but Muyang Sect, which was much stronger than Motianya, had always stood still. Later, when Yan Shuang and the others entered the realm of our Wuling Sect, they discovered that Muyang Sect had arranged for everyone to join us. Of course, there are also people from Motianya who are planning to kill Yan Shuang in one fell swoop at Wuling Sect. What’s even more sinister is that among the Jiu Genyuan monks who escorted Yan Shuang all the way, there are actually quite a few... Motianya may be a spy of Muyang Sect..."
"What! Is there such a thing?"
"Well, they originally planned to take advantage of the ambush of Mu Yangzong to kill Yan Shuang, but they were unexpectedly seen through by Mu Xiufeng's senior Leng Yue. Senior Leng Yue killed him with just one sword. Killing a spy and then warning everyone forced the other spies to take action in advance. Then the people in the ambush of Mu Yangzong had to rush over to help. Although they saw through their plan at that time, Mu Yangzong's There were really too many people coming this time. Fortunately, my sixth grandfather got some news in advance and arranged for people to send letters to the sect asking for help. They also specially sent a letter to my master. My master read the letter before going out to help. Later I I just found out that one of the Danjie monks from Mu Yang Sect was very famous, but that person once killed one of my master's disciples. Well, I have never met that senior brother. It is said that that senior brother was very popular with my master back then. After that time, my master went out to seek revenge for a long time, but that guy had been hiding in Muyang Sect, making it impossible for my master to take action. So when I heard that that person was coming, my master immediately went out and rushed there. After I got there, I beheaded the man, which was like fulfilling a wish!"
"I didn't expect it to be so dangerous, and there are so many things hidden behind it." Qian Chao sighed.
"Well, I heard from my master that Mu Yangzong suffered a big loss this time. The people they came were all good players, but almost none of them managed to escape. However, one of the people who came from Motian Cliff was actually my sixth grandfather's old man. My friend, my sixth grandfather let him go because of favoritism, and Senior Leng Yue from Mu Xiufeng was very powerful. I am afraid that at least ten of the alchemy cultivators died in her hands, but Senior Leng Yue seemed to have suffered too. I have some injuries, so I returned to the sect early to retreat to heal my injuries."
"That's it." Li Jian said. Only then did he know why he couldn't see Senior Leng Yue this time. It turned out that he was sent by the sect to go on business. Moreover, Li Jian felt that the reason why Senior Leng Yue could see through the spy was I am afraid that the plan was achieved by relying on the clear mind of the sword. Thinking of this, Li Jian only hoped that senior Leng Yue could come out of seclusion as soon as possible.
"This time, Jiu Genyuan was really embarrassed. When Yan Shuang came out, there were about forty people sent by Jiu Gen Yuan to protect her, not too few, and they were all monks who formed pills. But After that time, less than ten people survived. At least 30% of the more than forty people were spies. Many of them were killed by spies on the spot. Those who survived finally returned to Jiugenyuan. I’m afraid life won’t be easy either, I didn’t expect that Jiu Genyuan has been so deeply infiltrated by Motianya and Mu Yang Sect in recent years!”
Qian Chao said: "There is another possibility. Jiu Genyuan sent all the suspicious people out this time in order to lure them into action. I'm afraid they themselves have already discovered the spy, but they have been unable to see who it is. Let’s use this matter to clean it up.”
Tang Ping said: "Well, it is indeed possible."
Li Jian said: "It's a bit interesting. These large sects are similar to the countries in the world. They compete with each other for wits and strength. First they make conspiracy calculations, and finally they meet the real seal on the killing field. I feel like I have found some old feelings. "
Yanxuan just listened to what they said. She had never thought that in addition to dangers, there were so many intrigues in the world of cultivation. Thinking that she would be involved in them in the future, she couldn't explain how she felt.
Lu Pingchuan was not interested in these. He kept staring there and suddenly pointed with his hand and said:
"Hey, is it coming? Those people have all gone to the dock."
Several people looked over, and sure enough, the dressed-up Jiedan seniors all walked to the dock. They seemed to have arranged their positions according to seniority, and some of them even showed humility and courtesy to each other.
Qian Chao looked at the people in that area and sighed: "So many Dan-Jie seniors!"
Tang Ping said: "There are more! Those who have some status like my master are too lazy to come out to join in the fun. There are also some who have just formed pills and feel that they do not have enough status in the sect, so they do not want to come out. They are all just arrogant and pushy."
Yanxuan suddenly pointed with his hand and said: "Look, the ship is coming!"
Sure enough, at the mouth of the Tianshui Lake where the Wuling Sect was going to flow out and become the Tianshui River, a ship was sailing out of the waterway.
The boat is not very big, much smaller than the giant boat that Qian Chao and others used to enter the sect from Youming Valley, but it is more luxurious and unique. The material of the hull must be some kind of unknown spiritual wood. Overall, the ship glows with a faint purple light and looks full of treasure. The bow is raised high, and behind it is an empty deck. There are all kinds of colorful flags on the ship. There are no masts and sails on the ship. In the middle of the ship's hull is a three-story pavilion, which is also made of wood. Each floor has raised cornices, carved window lattice, painted pillars and carved beams, which is extremely luxurious.
On the dock side, after the boat sailed into Tianshui Lake, the melodious sound of silk and bamboo instruments rang out, and the disciples who were watching the excitement nearby were also driven back by a group of foundation-building brothers who were responsible for maintenance, and the venue was given away. came out, and the many alchemy monks who were already standing there stopped talking and stood still waiting.
"That's Senior Tang." Yanxuan recognized that the old man standing on the tall bow was none other than Tang Ping's sixth grandfather, Tang Bonian.
"Yes," Tang Ping nodded, "He is in charge of the last part of Yan Shuang's journey until they finally enter our sect."
As the sound of the silk bamboo became louder and louder, the ship docked steadily.
Qian Chao saw Tang Bonian first salute to the alchemy monks waiting on the dock, and then walk to the loft on the ship. After saluting inward, he turned to one side and held hands, and many people walked out of the loft. Come.
Those who first came out were all elderly monks. Tang Ping said that those people were all monks from Jiugenyuan and came with Yan Shuang as escorts. Moreover, several of these people were in Jiugenyuan. They are still people with status, so these people truly represent Jiu Genyuan.
However, it seems that there are not many people. After counting, it seems that there are only seven or eight monks in Jiu Genyuan. It seems that many people died in the spy rebellion and Mu Yangzong's ambush a few days ago. people.
After these people came out of the attic on the ship, they saluted the many waiting monks of the Five Spirit Sect on the pier. Then they got off the ship and pretended to be kissing these people. They talked with fake smiles on their faces, and they must have said something tasteless. Kind words.
These are not actually what people want to see.
Finally, a woman walked out from the attic!
This woman has long and slender eyebrows, a pair of gleaming black eyes, a pretty nose with a straight jade bridge, her cheeks are as red as peach, her cheeks are as smooth as jade, her skin is as delicate as snow, and the most eye-catching thing is that this woman has a full head of hair. It is really pure white color, neither tied up nor hairpin used, just hanging loosely on the back of the head. She is wearing a light green coat with wide sleeves and an apricot white long skirt.
"Hey! That woman's hair is indeed white. It's the first time I've seen it." Lu Pingchuan said in surprise after seeing the woman.
Not only Lu Pingchuan, but also the dark crowd of onlookers started talking buzzingly after seeing the woman.
"She really has white hair!" Yanxuan also sighed. The girl was indeed beautiful, but in her opinion, she looked a bit like Senior Sister Mei from Qixia Mountain's "Mei Min Shuang Shu". Although they are different in appearance, they are all equally stunning, and their temperaments are somewhat deserted.
"Why is she dressed so plainly? Shouldn't it be more festive for a day like this?" Yanxuan asked again.
"Jiugenyuan is located in the Northland, where the snow never melts all year round. Therefore, the people there view white as beauty and plainness as noble. The way Yan Shuang is dressed today can be considered a dress-up in the Northland."
As soon as he got out of the pavilion on the ship, Yan Shuang bowed deeply to Tang Bonian and thanked the senior for taking care of him on the way. Tang Bonian returned the bow slightly because of the woman's identity. After walking off the pier, Yan Shuang bowed to the many waiting Wuling Sect monks, and then was led into the Chengguan Tower.
…
At this time, there was also a secluded place, further away than where Qian Chao and others were. Covered by the trees, there was a person who was also quietly watching the woman coming off the boat. Because he was farther away, the man's eyes sparkled with spiritual energy. He obviously kept the spiritual energy in his eyes in order to see clearly. He saw the woman's beautiful face clearly, and he also saw the woman clearly. With her head full of white hair, she could clearly see the cold look in the woman's eyes. Maybe it was the joy in her heart when she saw such a beauty. There was always a smile on that person's face.
This man's hair is all gray. If he goes through a few more years, he will probably have a head full of white hair like that woman.
This person was Wen Liang who returned to the sect from outside. He must see what happened today with his own eyes first.
The Jiu Genyuan monks who disembarked from the boat were all in his eyes. Humph, there were only so many of them. It looked like life was not easy for them along the way! I heard that there was an ambush by Mu Yangzong's people a few days ago, and the spies who had been planted in Jiugenyuan, they lost a lot of people at once, but Yan Shuang survived, Mu Yang The people of Mu Yang Zong failed in the end. Not only that, but they also vaguely heard that the people of Mu Yang Zong suffered a big loss this time. Many people died. Even Gui Changfeng couldn't escape. It seemed that Yu Ling It was a good thing to send the woman who had a grudge against him to kill him. In the past, Gui Changfeng was always in the way of Mu Yang Sect. Now that he is dead, he will no longer be able to interfere with what happens next. A good thing!
However, there was another thing that was a bit surprising. From the news I found out, Yan Shuang was not only here to be a hostage, but he actually wanted to marry her! Then it won't be that person who will become a Taoist couple with Yan Shuang in the future, right? Well, things in the world are always unexpected. You have to pay close attention to this matter. Everything has its own traces. Wait for a while and make preparations. But no matter who this woman is going to marry, tonight We all have to meet that Han Tian.
At this time, a person came from below, and when he reached his side, he said softly: "Senior Brother Wen, I asked about it, and it is said that the people from Jiugenyuan talked to the people in the sect for a while on the Chengguan Tower. Then Yan Shuang will be taken to Yuhu Mountain."
The person who came was Yan Jing.
"Oh?" Wen Liang glanced at Yan Jing in surprise, "Who did you get this news from?"
"I asked this from a fellow Foundation Establishment Brother I know down below."
"Yes." Wen Liang nodded and looked up. Through the branches on the tree crown, he couldn't see the sky above his head, but what he was looking at was the direction of Yuhu Mountain on the vast blue Tianshui Lake.
I really didn’t expect the old guys on Yuhu Mountain to value Yan Shuang so much. If you want to say so, you need to be more cautious and plan more carefully in the future. Those old guys will definitely not interfere. But it's enough to show off. The defense around Yan Shuang will definitely be tighter in the future, I'm afraid it won't be easy to start!
"You should pay more attention to these things these days. I have something to do after I met Han Tian tonight, but I will leave after I finish it."
Wen Liang said and walked down.
"yes."
Yan was surprised and hurriedly followed.
While walking, Yan Jing accidentally caught a glimpse of Qian Chao and others in the distance, which made him feel moved. He wanted to tell Wen Liang about it, but after thinking about it, he gave up. After all, he shouldn't know that Qian Chao. , if Senior Brother Wen knew that he had incited Wang Yizhong and others to have a fight with several of Qian Chao's companions, and then killed Wang Yizhong and others afterwards, maybe Senior Brother Wen would say that he was doing Meng Lang, So he didn't speak. He only glanced at her for a few times and followed Wen Liang all the way.
…
On Qian Chao's side, he also accidentally saw a figure from a distance. His heart moved but he couldn't remember who it was. At this time, Wen Liang was in front and Yan Jing was behind. Qian Chao could only see this figure from where he was. There was a familiar figure from the back, and there was another person next to that familiar figure. The person's hair was gray and white. He seemed to be an older person, but he looked like a young man. Qian Chao was deeply impressed. Who was that familiar figure from behind? ? And looking at the person with the familiar figure, following the gray-haired person, cautiously and respectfully, this is really interesting. Who is that person, with gray hair, and what is his identity?
Qian Chao felt restless for a moment. After coming back this time, he always felt this way. Now looking at those two people, this feeling came again!
But if a person he couldn't remember meeting somewhere was next to another person he didn't know, he naturally had no clue about either of them.
The only thing Qian Chao remembers is that familiar figure, but who is it?
Qian Chao couldn't remember it for a moment.
Some of the people watching the excitement have begun to disperse. They have already seen the beauty Yan Shuang. In fact, everyone just came to see it as a curiosity. After all, white-haired beauties are rare in the world, but after seeing it, there is nothing. It's so novel, and besides, this woman will be practicing in Wuling Sect in the future, so maybe she will meet her again in the future. Some people even felt that the praise for Yan Shuang's beauty was a bit exaggerated, and that it was not as beautiful as a certain senior sister or junior sister, so one after another some people found it boring and left. Because monks are not allowed to fly here, they all left on foot. When they saw the darkness there, they scattered and left.
Seeing people leaving, Lu Pingchuan said: "Hey, there's nothing exciting to see. It's time for us to leave too!"
Several others did not react to these words, but to Qian Chao's ears it was like a sledgehammer hitting a copper bell!
What did Brother Lu just say!
There's nothing exciting to see!
Watch the fun!
correct!
I remembered whose back that figure belonged to!
The person watching the excitement outside the sect, watching Brother Li, Brother Lu, Tang Ping and Sister Yan defeat four mid-level monks!
He didn't take any action, which was very weird. When I finally asked him, he said he was here to watch the fun!
it's him!
What a pity! I don’t know who this person is, and there’s been no news from Ma Hu in the past two days. Alas! Where did this Senior Brother Ma go? Why didn't he come to visit him when I wanted to see him for something?
Thinking of this, Qian Chao quickly turned his face and looked in the direction of the two figures. Unfortunately, there were already crowds of people there, and those two people could not be seen anymore.
"What's wrong with you?" Tang Ping noticed the strange look in Qian Chao's eyes and asked in confusion.
"It's nothing. I just saw someone who looked familiar. Maybe I saw him wrong." Qian Chao replied.
At this time, people were already coming and passing by them one after another. Lu Pingchuan was asking where to go next. Qian Chao was thinking about what happened just now, and didn't care about the people passing by. His hands were hanging down. Beside him, at this moment someone put a ball of something into his hand and walked over, holding what seemed to be a ball of paper.
Qian Chao was shocked, but remained calm. After a while, he looked back and glanced casually. He seemed to recognize one of the many back figures. However, he hadn't seen him for a long time, so he wasn't sure it was that person, but he was so mysterious. What does it mean to stuff a paper ball into yourself?
What will it say on it?
"Hey! What are you thinking about?" Tang Ping stared at Qian Chao curiously.
"Oh, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong with you? It's like you've lost your soul. I just asked you where should we go next?"
"Oh, Brother Li's place is clean. Let's go to Brother Li's place and talk."
