The sky is bright, and the Zidou Mountain in the early morning is still shrouded in fog. There are already hard-working birds coming out to look for food in the forest. The occasional clear bird song highlights the tranquility and etherealness of the mountain.
A sound of uniform footsteps came up the mountain road stairs. It was a group of soldiers patrolling the mountain on a routine inspection.
This team of soldiers has been patrolling all night, but everyone did not show any signs of neglect and still followed the patrol route to explore every place.
This is their last shift. When they reach the foot of the mountain and turn back, other soldiers in charge of the open and hidden posts will come to change their shifts.
Standing guard during the day and patrolling at night are the methods of protection that the Xinghe Sect has used for hundreds of years.
When they approached the foot of the mountain, the soldiers were shocked by what they saw.
A team of soldiers who were responsible for guarding the entrance to the mountain were all killed. They staggered and fell near the pillars of the archway with the name Xinghe Sect written on them. They died in various forms.
"The enemy may still be nearby, prepare to meet the enemy in formation." The captain shouted with a solemn face and at the same time sounded the Xinghe Sect's unique flare. The soldiers immediately took action, pulling out their weapons and getting into combat formations. Everyone moved. It was extremely fast, and the formation changes were completed in the blink of an eye, which showed the well-trained soldiers of the Xinghe Sect.
There was no movement for a long time. The captain's face became more solemn and he signaled the soldiers not to move while he walked down the steps to check. When he took a few steps forward, there was a pile of things covered with black cloth a few feet away in front of the archway that attracted his attention. .
He did not dare to be careless. He held the sword across his chest and moved forward cautiously. He was highly concentrated and always alert to his surroundings.
But nothing happened. The captain came to the pile of things safely. He carefully opened the black cloth with the tip of his knife, and a pile of bloody heads appeared in front of him. Even the Xinghe Sect Armor who had seen the world The sergeant captain was also shocked by the scene in front of him.
The captain showed no other unworthy behavior. He stared at these heads thoughtfully. He always felt that these heads were somewhat familiar.
Soon other teams who came to support also rushed over, and even a master master came to check. The person who came was none other than Jiang Wanli, the master of Tianxuan Pavilion. This big man came in a hurry, stepping on the steps. Shake.
When Jiang Wanli arrived at the foot of the mountain, there were already many soldiers gathered around, and everyone looked at the pile of heads with solemn expressions.
"Get out of the way, let me see what's going on." Jiang Wanli's rough voice sounded, and he pushed several soldiers aside while he got into the crowd.
When Jiang Wanli saw the heads, his face was full of anger. Obviously, he knew some of them.
"Qiao Hongting, Liu Song, Su Jingcheng in Tianquan Pavilion, Zhang Yongming in Tianshu Pavilion, who the hell did this!" Jiang Wanli stared at these heads and read out a few lives, then glared and yelled.
There were more than ten heads on the ground, but Jiang Wanli only named four. I don't know if he really knew four of them or he couldn't bear to identify these heads anymore.
"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, the patrol team I was responsible for found no trace of the enemy when they discovered this place." The soldier captain who first discovered these heads hurriedly stepped forward and said.
"This matter is of great importance. You will bring these heads and soldiers' corpses back to Zongmen Yizhuang as soon as possible. I will immediately report to the headmaster and pass on my order to strengthen the vigilance. If any suspicious persons are found, they will be captured immediately for trial. "After saying that, Jiang Wanli left in a hurry, and with the speed of his master, he disappeared on the mountain road in the blink of an eye.
The Hall of Stars is the residence of the leaders of the Galaxy Sect in the past. It is located on the Star Terrace. This is also where Gu Xifeng and others first came to the Xinghe Sect and met Chen Yaoguang, the leader of the Galaxy Sect.
At this moment, Chen Yaoguang was sitting alone on a chair in the Star Hall, reading a book. There was a cup of steaming tea on the table next to him. The old headmaster looked contented. He liked the leisure time in the early morning very much, and it would not take long for him to have countless The sect affairs have to be dealt with.
"I'm really getting old, and my energy is not as good as before." Chen Yaoguang felt a little headache when he thought about so many sect matters to deal with, and gently rubbed the center of his eyebrows.
"It seems it's time to choose a successor. It's time for me to take a rest, old man." Headmaster Chen thought about the days after he gave up the throne, with a faint smile on his face.
"Hmm... Dao Ling? He's only a few years younger than me. This old boy will definitely not be happy..."
"Qiuyue? This girl knows Qian. If I give her the headmaster, I'm afraid she will sell the sect..."
"Wan Li? His strength is good, but he is too upright and is not suitable to be a head coach..."
"The other old guys are definitely not good either, young people, young people..."
"Jin Ge is extremely talented and has a good character. He has gained a lot of prestige in the military in recent years, but he has not yet reached the level of a master. Passing the throne to him goes against the ancestral teachings, so we can only wait..."
"Huang Xin? Huh? Huang Xin!" Chen Yaoguang's eyes lit up and he nodded gently.
Just when he wanted to think deeply about whether Huang Xin was suitable for him, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, and a rough voice sounded, who was it if it wasn't Jiang Wanli.
"Brother Headmaster! Oh no, something big has happened!" Jiang Wanli quickly ran into the hall and shouted hurriedly.
"Wanli, as the master of a pavilion, what are you talking about in a panic? Remember, you have to achieve Mount Tai..." Chen Yaoguang was about to open his mouth to give this junior brother a good beating, but was directly interrupted by Jiang Wanli: "Senior brother, really Something big happened, a bunch of heads were found at the foot of the mountain, all of them were disciples of the sect who were serving as officials in the court!"
Chen Yaoguang, who was originally dissatisfied with Jiang Wanli for interrupting him, suddenly stood up with a shocked look on his face and hurried out of the hall, Jiang Wanli quickly followed.
"Where is the head? Take me to see it quickly!" Chen Yaoguang said urgently.
Jiang Wanli didn't dare to be negligent and replied: "I ordered people to take the head to Yizhuang. They should have arrived by now."
Chen Yaoguang nodded gloomily and said no more words.
The two came to the Xinghe Sect Yi Zhuang, which is a place specially used to deal with the funeral affairs of the Xinghe Sect members. Behind here is the Xinghe Sect's sect cemetery. The Xinghe Sect has been standing for hundreds of years, and the tombs of all generations of sect members are here. , taking up a large area.
However, the cemetery is well-kept and the environment is filled with birds and flowers, and it does not feel eerie.
When the two people walked into the Yi Zhuang, the steward of the Yi Zhuang immediately saluted in front of them. Jiang Wanli explained the purpose of their visit. As expected, the heads had been brought to the Yi Zhuang. The steward immediately led the two people towards the widow's house in the back.
Entering the widow's office, it was not as dirty and smelly as the office's office, but neat and orderly, almost spotless. The heads and corpses were arranged in a row.
Chen Yaoguang recognized who several of the heads were at a glance, and closed his eyes in pain. These once living beings were now dead, with only their heads left. Their voices, faces, and smiles were revealed one by one by the old master appeared before my eyes.
Chen Yaoguang clenched his fists, and the aura in his body came out as if it were real. His body trembled slightly with excitement, and returned to calm after a moment.
"Master Headmaster, Master Pavilion Master, the identities of these heads have been verified. Here is the list." A skinny old man handed a piece of paper to Chen Yaoguang's hand. This was the work of the Galaxy Sect. Chen Yaoguang adjusted his breath and started to look. Jiang Wanli also stepped forward to watch with a serious expression.
"Qiao Hongting, the governor of Fengwu County, is a disciple of Tianquan Pavilion.
Sun Fu, the Prime Minister of Wanning County, is a disciple of Tianquan Pavilion.
Bo Fanxun, the princess of Wanning County, is a disciple of Tianquan Pavilion.
Zhao Gongyi, the captain of Yangliu County, is a disciple of Tianxuan Pavilion.
Liusong, Yin of Qiao County, Fengwu County, is a disciple of Tianquan Pavilion.
Zhang Yongming, Yin of Taibai County, Yunhan County, was a disciple of Tianshu Pavilion.
Su Jingcheng, Yin from Cang County, Yuhua County, a disciple of Tianquan Pavilion
…”
Chen Yaoguang's vision almost went dark, and he took a step back to stabilize his figure. Although he had recognized a few of them, after confirming these names, the headmaster of the Galaxy Sect, who was used to seeing big winds and waves, almost couldn't bear it.
The thirteen Xinghe Sect disciples corresponding to these thirteen heads were all officials of the Taichu imperial court. The lowest official was also the chief official of a county. Qiao Hongting, the highest official, could still be the feudal lord of a county even when the Emperor Taichu excluded the disciples of the Xinghe Sect. A big official shows his ability.
Qiao Hongting's reputation had already spread far and wide when he was in the sect. Although his martial arts talent was average, as a disciple of Tianquan Pavilion, he was very good at strategy and his articles were famous all over the world.
He once sat down with ten disciples of Tianquan Pavilion to discuss Taoism, and fought with the heroes, even one against ten and still won a great victory.
Song Chengyan, the master of Tianquan Pavilion, said personally that Qiao Hongting's articles and strategies were already superior to his.
After Qiao Hongting became an official in the court, he became even more famous. He was already in the third rank of the official position before he was 30 years old, and he was highly regarded by the former emperor. However, after the new emperor came to the throne, he rejected the Xinghe Sect officials. Naturally, Qiao Hongting could only work in Fengwu County, far away from the capital. Sheriff.
No one expected that such an amazing and talented person would die like this.
These officials accounted for almost half of the people of the Xinghe Sect who entered the court as officials, and it can be said that they suffered heavy losses.
After today, many places have broken away from the protection of Xinghe Sect officials, and it is unknown how many people will have their families broken up and their families displaced.
Chen Yaoguang found an intriguing name on the list, Su Jingcheng!
Just after the Xinghe Sect defeated the Qingyantang forces in Cang County, so many Xinghe Sect officials were killed. The dead were almost all over Yingzhou, and after the murder, the murderer also majestically placed the head of the deceased at the starting point of the Zidoushan Mountain Road. , this is a naked provocation.
It seems that the only one who dares to do such a thing and has the ability to do it is Qingyantang.
Moreover, among the dead was Su Jingcheng, a Yin from Cangxian County who was inseparable from the defeat of Qingyantang, which made people even more suspicious.
"Calling all the masters and masters in the sect to the Star Hall to discuss matters!" Chen Yaoguang looked at Jiang Wanli and said majestically.
Seeing the headmaster's expression and tone, Jiang Wanli naturally knew that the sect was going to make a big move, so he didn't dare to neglect it, so he took the order and left.
Chen Yaoguang looked at Wu Zuo again and said, "Old Li, tell us to go down and give these soldiers a grand burial. As for the heads, we will save them first and see if we can find the trunks and bury them together."
"No problem, Master Headmaster, I'll make arrangements right away, old man." The co-worker of Xinghe Sect is equivalent to the master of the pavilion in Yizhuang, so he naturally agreed and walked out of the co-worker's room to call for someone.
Chen Yaoguang stared at those heads for a long time, and the expressions on each face were fixed at the moment of their death. There was almost no fear on these faces, and most of them went to death calmly. They were indeed old disciples trained by the Galaxy Sect.
When Wu Zuo came back, Chen Yaoguang had already left. Before leaving, Chen Yaoguang left a message: "The sect will not let you die in vain, Qingyan Hall will pay the price with blood!"
