A big fish suddenly jumped out of the surging magma and bit Qiu Qianchou. It was full of sharp teeth arranged like jagged teeth, which looked even more cold and cold against the warm color of the magma, causing a chill to rise up Qiu Qianqiu's back.
After all, Qiu Qianchou is a master of the Moon Watching Realm, and his experience and knowledge are far superior to Governor Zhao Gong. Although he has never seen such a quiet scene, he can guess based on the previous information that he is in a dream at the moment.
Different from ordinary illusions, dreams seem to have a deeper suppressive force on those who are recruited, just like the ferocious monster fish in front of him. The strength that Qiu Qianqiu usually looks down on can now make him feel fear. feel.
"Dream, dream, everything in front of you is both a dream and an illusion. None of it is real. Let's see what tricks Master Xiaoyao can play."
His spirit was shaken, and the haze that had previously enveloped his heart dissipated, and the faint fear completely disappeared. Place your feet on the top of the lava cave and stand on your hands. There seemed to be quicksand flowing in the palm of the hand, making the strange fish unsteady and unable to break away. He could only watch helplessly as the palm slapped it on the forehead.
"puff."
There was a muffled sound, and Qiu Qianqiu immediately felt as if his palm was hitting the quilt, soft but very thick, which actually made his arm numb.
“Such thick fish skin!”
The strange fish was extremely powerful and its momentum was not reduced. The tail of the fish stirred in the magma, and with a strong force, it rushed upward again, trying to press Qiu Qianqiu against the stone wall at the top of the cave. Qiu Qianqiu didn't dare to be careless anymore. He turned around while hanging upside down, dodged the strange fish's headbutt, and then took advantage of the situation to strike out with a palm, hitting the strange fish's lower jaw, closing its bloody mouth, and its belly. It turned upside down and fell down. It was like falling into a pool of water, causing a big splash.
But there was lava underneath, and the splashing up melted the stone walls on the left and right, revealing a bit of light. Qiu Qianqiu was overjoyed. He only thought that the stone wall there was shallow and could be opened to the exit.
So he directly used his magic ax to attack. The ax was about the size of a palm and looked extremely sharp. It spun like a windmill and flew out with a sharp sound of breaking through the air. Every time it moved forward, the ax blade emitted more air blades. It grew an inch, and when it reached the stone wall, it was already the size of a wheel. It cut a hole in the stone wall for people to walk on.
Qiu Qianchou couldn't wait to look forward, but he heard the lava surging behind him, and the strange fish was chasing after him again. He ignored it and quickly crossed the hole. Unexpectedly, the environment here was exactly the same as the one in the grotto just now, and Qiu Qianchou's uneasy feeling surged into his heart again.
"Boom!"
The shallow stone wall was broken by the strange fish, and the fallen fragments were quickly melted by the magma and turned into one of them. The strange fish lingered, and since he couldn't find a way out, Qiu Qianchou couldn't help but feel a little angry, so he wanted to take out his anger on the strange fish.
He raised the ax and swung it down, stirring up the magma into a large whirlpool and rolling out the strange fish inside. Then, under his control, the ax cut off the head of the strange fish with one blow.
The sharpness of the ax cannot be blocked by the fish skin, and the strange fish was directly divided into two pieces. But what flows out of it is not blood, but magma. Qiu Qianqiu secretly thought that something was wrong. Sure enough, the next moment, the body that had been broken into two parts was reassembled into a whole body under the influence of magma, and his body became even stronger.
The recovered monster fish became even more furious, twisted its body, and then the magma that had not stopped spinning came to Qiu Qianchou's side. The ax went under the skin again, and under Qiu Qianchou's control, he struck out more than twenty axes in succession, dividing the strange fish into nearly a hundred pieces.
But the next moment, magma surged up, and the broken pieces reassembled into a strange fish, and its body doubled in size. Such a weird fish could no longer suppress the fear rising in Qiu Qianchou's heart while he was in a dream. He hurriedly took out his treasured magic weapon, Soul Refining Sand. This magic weapon was packed in a gourd, with a total of 3,600 grains, about the same size as gravel. Each grain was a separately refined magic weapon, which could attack the human body and soul. It has miraculous effects, and only Tianfu monks have the ability to refine and collect such magic weapons.
He poured out ordinary soul-refining sand and spread it out, hitting the strange fish. It was riddled with holes in an instant. Its body was violently twisted and looked very painful, but what was even more terrifying was the soul-refining sand's annihilation of the soul. , according to Qiu Qianchou's idea, the soul of this undead strange fish can be dispersed.
Unexpectedly, although the strange fish knew pain, it seemed to have no soul. There was no other abnormality. Qiu Qianqiu quickly threw out the remaining soul refining sand, and even the ax was blocked by the strange fish. In front of him, the two phases cooperated and continued to attack, smashing the strange fish to pieces, but it was unable to heal and eventually turned into magma and floated down.
Some of them were about to fall on Qiu Qianchou. He hurriedly used magic weapons to protect himself, but suddenly found that all his magic weapons were no longer detectable and seemed to be integrated with the body of the strange fish.
Qiu Qianchou hurriedly cast a spell to resist, but the magic weapon Soul Refining Sand he released earlier was in the magma, which easily tore his defense into pieces, and the magma finally fell on him.
If it were ordinary magma, he wouldn't be afraid of it, but the soul-refining sand in it was extremely powerful. It beat Qiu Qianchou full of holes and screamed repeatedly. Although he tried his best to control the soul-refining sand, it had no effect on him at all. In the end, it was completely swallowed by the magma transformed by other strange fish.
Under the double cutting of the soul-refining sand and the ax blade, Qiu Qianchou soon only had a skeleton left. His consciousness was still there, and his soul was still screaming, but it was not over yet. The soul-refining sand rubbed back and forth. , and eventually his remaining bones were ground into powder.
I don't know how long it took for Qiu Qianqiu to regain some consciousness and have clear thoughts, but he was unable to move. Day after day, year after year, Qiu Qianchou, who was sinking at the bottom of the magma, slowly merged with the stone. Endless darkness and squeezing accompanied his remnant soul, which was suffering and painful, but he could not even make a sound.
As the ground moved, he finally broke through the soil together with the fused stones, welcoming the baptism of sunlight. After the spring rain, all things came to life, and a seed that had already existed here began to sprout and grow. Its rhizomes searched for resources and energy deep down. One of the roots seemed to have discovered something extremely nutritious and grew out of the soil, eventually absorbing Qiu Qianqiu's ashes.
And Qiu Qianchou naturally became the soul of this newly grown tree.
I don't know how many years passed, the saplings grew stronger, experienced insect plagues and droughts, and grew into towering trees. Qiu Qianqiu's consciousness also existed for such a long time, unable to move, and could only passively bear everything. Hurt. This caused him to collapse many times, but he couldn't even commit suicide.
Just when his spiritual consciousness was about to disintegrate, a thunderbolt fell from the sky and set the tree on fire. His soul also completely disappeared along with the tree trunk, leaving no trace.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
Qiu Qianqiu, who was sleeping on the bed, suddenly sat up. He was soaked with sweat, exhausted physically and mentally, and almost collapsed.
"Fortunately it was just a nightmare."
He comforted himself.
Suddenly, he felt something in his hand. He picked it up and saw that it was a piece of paper with writing on it.
Qiu Qianqiu looked at it carefully and was immediately trembling with fear. He saw that it read, "Master Xiaoyao is here to give you a little punishment so that you can take care of yourself."
But Qiu Qianchou trembled for a while, rolled his eyes and fainted immediately.
It happened that Zhao Gong arrived here at this time, heard the noise in the house, and hurried in to check. When he saw Qiu Qianchou fainted on the bed, with a letter written by Hua Zizai in his hand, he already understood the general idea. In order to prevent others from knowing that Zhao Gong's solid backing had fallen, there were no other options nearby except Tianfu Temple.
By the time Zhao Gong brought Qiu Qianchou into the Longzhou Branch of Tianfu Temple, Qiu Qianchou had already woken up.
Zhao Gong quickly asked with concern: "Master Qiu, how do you feel? Is there anything uncomfortable?"
Qiu Qianqiu's face was pale, but he did not mention himself. Instead, he persuaded Zhao Gong: "The Governor should draw a clear line with Chang Shi as soon as possible. Even if he gives up power, he should not provoke enemies he cannot afford to offend."
Before Zhao Gong could react, he asked, "What do you mean, Mr. Qiu? Do you want me to waste all these years of hard work? I definitely don't agree."
Qiu Qianqiu said in a trembling voice: "My Taoist heart has been affected by Master Xiaoyao, and my cultivation level has dropped greatly. I can no longer protect you. If Ming Changshi and the Ming family take action, we can only give in. Moreover, if we continue to entangle with Ming Changshi I don’t know, Xuan Mingdao won’t let us go. He can give us a warning this time, and next time he will kill us easily without anyone noticing. Don’t be confused, Mr. Governor.”
Qiu Qianqiu's tone was so sincere, which was rare in the days when the two knew each other. Zhao Gong understood the meaning. He remained silent, seeming to weigh the pros and cons in his mind before making a final decision.
…
Ji Wenyi stayed at home for a few days and spent a very warm few days. Under Ji Longwei's deliberate arrangement, Ji Wenyi had almost no contact with anyone except his parents and fourth uncle.
Ji Longwei handed a package to Ji Wenyi, "Ayi, I have prepared the elixirs you need. You have been away from the sect for some time. You can go back when you are done."
Ji Wenyi was startled, but he didn't expect that this day would come. Although he had been making some insinuations in the past few days to find out what happened at home, his parents had been tight-lipped and would not reveal anything to him. If they left like this, they would not be able to cooperate with Master Hao and there would be no way to solve the problems at home.
"Dad, I haven't gone to see grandpa yet. I have to meet him when I go home, otherwise grandpa will definitely punish you if he finds out."
Ji Longwei was not frightened by Ji Wenyi's words, "The situation is urgent now. Even if your grandfather knows about it, he will definitely understand and support my approach."
Ji Wenyi still refused to give up, "Then let Grandpa Xu escort me."
Ji Longwei smiled and said: "I knew you were going to say that. I have already prepared it. With me and your fourth uncle's guards, I think we can escort you to Jianzhou Mansion."
Ji Wenyi's wishful thinking was shattered by Ji Longwei. Although he was helpless, he could not convince his father, so he thought of hiding quietly in Ji's house to find out the matter. This way, he didn't need any followers.
"I won't bother dad and fourth uncle. I am a disciple of Xuan Ming Dao after all. Whoever ambushes me blindly won't be afraid of retaliation?"
Seeing Ji Wenyi's carelessness, Ji Longwei frowned and said: "You brats are talking big words. If the name Xuan Mingdao is so useful, why are you guys coming out to practice when you have nothing to do? Why don't you just report your sect's name? For your safety." , listen to daddy."
Ji Wenyi said nonchalantly: "How strong is dad's bodyguard? Even if we fight alone, there may not be anyone who can be my opponent. In this case, should I protect them, or should they protect me?"
Ji Longwei was speechless for a while. He thought for a while and was waiting for a rebuttal, but heard Ji Wenyi say again: "Although there are many people with great strength, I don't want to fight with others, but return to the sect as soon as possible. Being alone has a small target and your cultivation is not weak, so you can escape faster, don’t you think so, dad?”
Seeing that Ji Longwei had nothing to say, Ji Wenyi settled the matter, "There has been some unrest in the family recently, so father should keep the guard for himself."
After that, Ji Wenyi carried the package on his back and walked away.
Although he didn't need an escort, he still needed someone to lead the way in the house to prevent anyone from trying to get his idea, so he kept sending him outside the door. They still thought about continuing to see each other off until they left the city, and Ji Wenyi interrupted their thoughts with some good words.
He walked around the outside of Ji Zhai twice, thinking that everyone had almost gone back, so he found a place to climb over the wall. This was right near his residence these days, and he had already taken good care of it. After all, with his current strength, it was still very difficult for the monks of the Ji family to track him.
Ji Wenyi looked around and saw that no one was watching, so he left the place and went straight inside.
Although he didn't know the changes in the mansion in recent years, he still had an impression of the general layout. If his memory was correct, the northernmost corner was the secret room where Grandpa Ji Zibai's retreat was located. Fortunately, he was naughty when he was young and knew a lot of things, which finally came in handy today.
He couldn't remember the way. Even if he climbed up the wall at night, he would be very conspicuous in the house. In this time of tension, he could easily become the target of public criticism. So he simply followed some servants to the kitchen until lunch time, when the servants began to deliver food. Ji Wenyi found a rather simple meal and immediately set his goal.
But when he saw a servant pick up the lunch box and leave, Ji Wenyi followed him.
Turning left and right, like walking through a maze, the servant seemed to have arrived at the right place. He stopped where he was and knocked on the door. A middle-aged man with profound cultivation level came out. He had two scars on his face, both on the left cheek. He looked very fierce.
Ji Wenyi thought to himself: "Isn't this Uncle Fan? It seems that grandpa is really here."
After the servant left and the movement behind the door became quieter, Ji Wenyi felt that the time was right, so he revealed himself and walked to the door. He thought that although he could knock on the door, Uncle Fan might not stop him, but he could easily expose himself, so he might as well sneak past and investigate the situation inside before making a decision.
He leaned forward and looked around, and only started to act when he saw no one. Unexpectedly, he had just taken two steps forward when he heard someone behind him shouting at him: "Hey, where are you from? What are you doing sneakily here?"
Ji Wenyi secretly thought that he was unlucky, but the distance at this time was too far to attack him. If he was a more powerful monk, he would lose more than he gained if he tried to create some movement by himself.
Ji Wenyi slowly turned his head, a fake smile appeared on his face, and his eyes narrowed to a slit.
"I am a servant of the uncle's family, and I have some things to do here."
The visitor yelled angrily, "Nonsense! You guys have already received the old master's order and don't dare to send anyone here to disturb you. You must be a gangster pretending to be a servant in the uncle's family. Please tell me your purpose."
Ji Wenyi secretly scolded this man for being troublesome, "Then whose order did you come here to obey? Aren't you afraid of the old lady's anger?"
At this time, Ji Wenyi had turned around and began to look at the two people opposite. The two people also looked at Ji Wenyi and found that the other person looked familiar.
After all, the two of them have grown older and have not changed much. However, Ji Wenyi is in his third or fourth year of youth, which is when his body is growing, and he has changed a lot.
Finally, Ji Wenyi saw the person clearly and said excitedly: "Second uncle, third uncle, aren't you afraid that grandpa will punish you?"
It was only at this moment that the two people put the person in front of them and the image in their memory together.
"Ayi?! When did you come back?"
"It's great to have you back. Come on, the key to our Ji family's defeat will fall on you."
Ji Wenyi was confused and couldn't figure out what Lai Lai was talking about, "Second uncle, third uncle, what situation are you trying to break?"
The burlier man, with more than a dozen armbands on each arm, was Ji Wenyi's second uncle Ji Longfeng. He said, "It's a long story. Ah Yi, come back with us." , let me tell you slowly."
Another slightly shorter middle-aged man, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, and a bookish air, is Ji Wenyi's third uncle Ji Longxiang, "Ayi, did you greet your parents when you came back? Your grandfather doesn't need to, half a year I haven’t seen anyone, and I don’t know how long I will remain in seclusion.”
Ji Wenyi answered truthfully: "Goodbye, I've been at home for three days and I'm leaving today. I didn't see my grandpa, so I turned back."
Ji Longfeng said in shock: "You have been back for three days, so why don't you come and see your uncle."
Ji Wenyi smiled bitterly and said, "Second uncle, this is going to be difficult for me. This garden has changed so much that I still don't know where you live."
Ji Longfeng said: "I will take you to visit my current residence."
But he still couldn't understand, so he discussed with his third brother Ji Longxiang: "Why did the eldest brother block the news of A Yi's return?"
Ji Longxiang said: "I guess you don't want us to push A Yi out to fight for the position."
After hearing the third brother's analysis, Ji Longfeng said angrily: "Although the feeling of protecting the calf is unavoidable, this is a critical moment for the family's survival. How could the eldest brother do such a thing."
Ji Wenyi listened lively on the sidelines, and roughly straightened out the relationship between several uncles in the family and his father at this time.
Ji Longwei and Ji Longlin are the conservatives in the family, waiting for things to develop and trying to preserve the family's strength as much as possible. But I don't know what Ji Longfeng and Ji Longxiang's plan is.
"Second uncle, third uncle, do you have anything special to do with me?"
Ji Longxiang replied: "Of course I will seize the Ji family's property in your name and become the head of the family."
Ji Wenyi waved his hand, "My nephew is not interested in this."
"But you have to do it now."
"Why?"
Ji Longxiang sighed and said, "Because your eldest brother will soon get the position of head of the family."
Ji Wenyi retorted: "My eldest brother is the eldest son and grandson, so it is natural for him to inherit the family business."
Ji Longxiang said: "That's why I need you to come forward. You are also the legitimate son and grandson. You are the only person who can nominally restrain Wenhong."
Ji Wenyi grinned, "I think it would be better if two uncles did it."
"Nonsense! Don't worry, Ayi. You are just using your identity to do something to delay Wenhong's succession. Your second uncle and I will do the specific things. You only need to be a leader. Everything else will wait for the old man. Come out and make a decision.”
Ji Wenyi had no choice but to accept his fate. He and his two uncles returned to their residence. The residence was far less comfortable than Ji Wenyi's home and seemed very crowded, with many wounded people wailing on the side. Ji Longxiang returned to the house and gathered as many people as possible to prepare.
"Second uncle, when did our family open a medical clinic?" Ji Wenyi asked with some confusion.
Ji Longfeng sighed softly and said: "They were all harmed by the newly promoted shopkeepers. Because we were unwilling to fully cooperate with the monks and thus abandoned ordinary people's business, they repeatedly provoked our business practices and often made big mistakes. Fight.
Ji Wenyi asked tentatively: "Is it my brother's problem?"
"It's not that simple. I'm afraid Wenhong can't make much of a decision in this matter."
…
Since the Xuan Ming Dao disciples competed with the Shan Sect disciples, the two sides have become much more familiar with each other and are no longer as tense as they were at the beginning. Ji Wenyi even became good friends with Quan Sheng. Quan Sheng and Quan Zhang, the little Taoist priest he saw at the door that day, took him around every day and visited the Shanzong.
On the contrary, Zhang Xingwen and Yao Yi didn't seem so happy, because there were always people who wanted to discuss spiritual practice with them, and they couldn't refuse. They received batch after batch of requests, as if they were giving lectures.
The two of them have very similar psychological activities at the moment, "I hate Taoist priests who have no sense of boundaries."
Today, You Ziji and others were called to Hao Lianfeng and stopped their slack time in recent days.
As the eldest sister among the three, Yao Yi first asked: "Uncle Hao, do we have any tasks?"
"There is indeed a mission, and it's a little dangerous, which is just right for your current strength."
Yao Yi and Zhang Xingwen's eyes shone. They had been bored to death these past few days, and it was always safer to have a task to do.
"What mission?"
"In a while, it will be the birthday of Ji Zibai, the old man of the Ji family. We need to solve the crisis of the Ji family before then. Once Ji Zibai shows up, everything will probably be settled and cannot be changed. In a few days, we will have to rely on In the name of Shan Zong, we go to the Ji family to resolve the crisis, so we must resolve any problems that may arise in advance."
When Hao Lianfeng said this, his expression became more serious, "We are going to fight with the people from the Governor's Mansion, are you afraid?"
Yao Yi and Zhang Xingwen responded loudly: "Not afraid."
You Ziji raised his hand and asked with some confusion: "Uncle Hao, what is the Governor's Mansion?"
