After midnight, the temperature finally dropped.
The snores and murmurs of sleeping men sounded in the dilapidated windows and coffins. Mu Qing's footsteps were fast and light, and he quickly moved towards the depths of Mudleg Alley.
Along the way, Suzaku City at night was quieter than he imagined. But the aftermath of the turmoil during the day was still lingering. The closer you got to Mudleg Alley, the more patrols you encountered by soldiers. This discovery made Mu Qing feel happy, indicating that it was very possible that Shaoyao had not been caught by the other party. live.
And deep in Mudleg Alley, underground where the school was, another person was waiting first.
At the end of the corridor, a weak candlelight squeezed out from the crack of the door, projecting diagonal lines on the ground.
Huaifenghua listened to the movement inside, looked at the man next to her in surprise and said, "I didn't expect you to become a teacher in these years."
The silver threads in Zhang Zhiyuan's hair were visible. Listening to the sleep talk of the children behind the door, he chuckled and said, "Miss, you should know that I have always been like a teacher."
"I am now the Valley Master of Wanhua Valley, Huaifenghua. You can call me Valley Master." Huaifenghua narrowed her eyes slightly and said.
Zhang Zhiyuan smiled noncommittally and said attentively: "I didn't expect to see the young lady one day. But what happened outside?"
Huaifenghua frowned. She did not show up. After confirming that Mu Qing and the others were safe, she came over and could only say reluctantly: "There are many coincidences in what happened today, but if we really want to boil it down to one reason... "
"It was Bai Hao's initiative to test." Zhang Zhiyuan gave the answer for Huaifenghua. His eyes moved slightly, "Do you know what happened a month ago?"
Huaifeng Hua nodded firmly, and when she looked around, Zhang Zhiyuan's face became much more solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Bai Hao has never given up looking for the whereabouts of us people these years."
"I was even a little scared when I saw the young master. The driving force behind this is Bai Hao. He obviously knows a lot."
A trace of thought flashed in Huaifenghua's eyes: "Deliberately disturbing the situation? Why is he so anxious?"
"Isn't the answer obvious?" Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly smiled, "The young master's current strength also surprises me. It is impossible for him, Bai Hao, to let the young master continue to grow."
Zhang Zhiyuan didn't know what Mu Qing had done in Tiannan. He only thought that Mu Qing's current strength was still first-class, but this still shocked and gratified Zhang Zhiyuan.
Suddenly, the two people in the secret passage looked overhead almost at the same time.
Someone else is coming.
Huaifenghua looked at the solemn look in Zhang Zhiyuan's eyes, thought of something, and smiled: "I can find it here, and so can that kid. Let's go out and have a look."
In the empty room, Mu Qing frowned, staring intently, scanning every place in detail, and finally stopped at the wall with a hole.
Shi Lixiang's breath was very light, and he stopped when he reached here. He was sure that his judgment was correct.
But where did this girl Shaoyao go?
"who is it?"
The moment Mu Qing heard the sound of breathing, it was too late to turn around. He raised his right hand behind him, and a dim silver light shot out behind him instantly.
boom--
Ta-ta-ta-ta.
After the short and crisp sound of Jin Ge, there was a series of footsteps.
There are two auras outside the gate! Mu Qing frowned, but in the next moment, his eyes lit up and he rushed out quickly.
"Auntie!"
"Eh? It's you!"
Mu Qing recognized the man standing in front of Huaifenghua at a glance.
His eyes fell on the jade hand holding the wind flower, and he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked seriously: "Who are you?"
After saying that, he pursed his lips and looked at Huaifenghua, his eyes inquiring, wanting to confirm something.
Huaifenghua took away the jade hand on Zhang Zhiyuan's shoulder, smiled slightly and shook her head: "This is his territory, there is no reason to overstep his authority."
A wry smile flashed across Zhang Zhiyuan's face. If Huaifenghua hadn't come to help just now, he would probably have been pushed back several feet. At this time, he was still tilting his head back and was about to say thank you. Mu Qing was carrying a gust of wind. Came to the front.
The night is dim, but everyone faces each other very close to each other.
Zhang Zhiyuan looked at Mu Qing's slightly raised eyebrows, and finally found some outlines of an old friend on it. His eyes trembled, and there was a bit of emotion and relief in his voice that a new person was replacing an old one. "I don't know what Miss Bai gave me to the young master." Have I ever mentioned Zhang Zhiyuan, the former commander of the Guards. Now...now he is a teacher."
The lines on Mu Qing's face softened a little, and he shook his head and said, "I am not a young master, but my aunt did guess your identity. You are Shaoyao's uncle."
Zhang Zhiyuan thought for a moment and guessed Mu Qing's attitude towards the past. When the conversation changed, he stopped mentioning the past and said with admiration: "I didn't expect that only one month has passed, and your strength has increased a bit. . But this is not the place to talk now, come with me."
There was indeed a sinkhole behind the blasted wall. This time, under the leadership of Zhang Zhiyuan, Mu Qing and the others actually took another detour. After passing several houses, they found the tunnel in someone else's courtyard. entrance.
A well.
Mu Qing followed Huaifenghua and remained silent, watching this silently.
After seeing those families, they actually smiled and nodded after discovering them. While feeling emotional, they also had a deeper understanding of Zhang Zhiyuan's current situation.
Unless the city lord's palace sends troops to plow the Mudleg Lane into pieces, Zhang Zhiyuan will be safe if he stays here.
There is a world under the well. Mu Qing and the others did not wade into the water, but entered the tunnel from the stone wall of the well.
As soon as he entered the tunnel, his vision dimmed a lot, but breathing in the faint fragrance coming from around him, Mu Qing became much more relaxed.
After walking through several long tunnels and passing through several side roads, Mu Qing became increasingly shocked.
The scale of this tunnel seems to be larger than that under the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley, and mottled moss is still crawling on the stone walls in some places.
"How many years has this tunnel existed? I have lived here for a few years, but I never knew there was such a place under my feet. The person who can create such a tunnel is amazing."
After Mu Qing finished speaking, there were only footsteps and slight breathing in the secret passage, and no one responded for a long time.
Zhang Zhiyuan didn't stop until after another corner, when some dim light came over from the other end of the tunnel.
The traces of digging on the stone wall have long since faded, and it actually feels smooth when you touch it with your fingers.
Zhang Zhiyuan quickly retracted his fingertips, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes. After staying here for a long time, he didn't realize that time had changed everything. Even the tunnel dug by the brothers back then had become smooth.
He turned his back to the two people behind him and said in a low voice: "In the first year of Tianshou's reign, Mudleg Alley was still the land of the Lin clan. This tunnel was built before the Tianshou Dynasty. I remember that I was very disgusted with this approach at the time. , Soldiers, once they go to the battlefield, what escape route can they think of?"
In the secret passage, even the breathing was low.
Zhang Zhiyuan paused and continued: "But the ridiculous thing is that many people died, but in the end it was me, the person who opposed the most fiercely at the beginning, who lived in this tunnel for many years."
Zhang Zhiyuan stood in the tunnel, gradually straightening his back. When he turned to look at Mu Qing, his face was serious and he asked word by word: "Will you take revenge?"
Mu Qing met his gaze and nodded.
"Do you know what that is for?" Zhang Zhiyuan asked again.
Huaifenghua turned sideways, her slender eyebrows slightly raised,
Mu Qing lowered his gaze slightly and remained silent for a while. When he raised his face, he glanced at Huaifenghua but still said truthfully: "I want to avenge Uncle Zhang and Aunt Xiaoya."
Huaifenghua turned around, looked at the wall and remained silent. Mu Qing felt slightly anxious and added: "Of course it's also for my parents."
"This should be the truest thought in his heart." Zhang Zhiyuan showed a hint of satisfaction at Mu Qing's answer, looked at Huaifenghua and said softly: "In his memory, there is no city lord and wife, nor us veterans, who can I remember the nurturing grace of Zhijing and Xiaoya, what else is wrong?"
"Auntie..." Mu Qing took half a step to the side, then stopped, lowering his head and saying nothing.
After the long conversation in Wanhua Valley, Mu Qing vaguely understood Huai Fenghua's thoughts.
In the past month, when he occasionally touched the jade pendants on his chest, he would also think about whether his mother was as beautiful and gentle as his aunt. What about his father?
There was some pain in his temples, and the aftereffects of the force were still there, but Mu Qing knew that his answer just now was not affected in any way. That was the answer that first came to mind when he was asked by Zhang Zhiyuan.
But this answer is bound to disappoint many people who are looking forward to it.
In just a few months, Mu Qing's strength has undergone earth-shaking changes. He often wonders what he relied on to persevere during the twelve years in Hidden Valley.
Becoming strong and able to protect the people he wants to protect has always been Mu Qing's pursuit.
What about other than that? That is revenge, revenge for Uncle Zhang who died to protect him, and revenge for Aunt Xiaoya whose face has become irreparably blurred.
This was a promise he made to himself and to Shaoyao, and that was when he came out to Hidden Valley.
In the tunnel, there were a few glimmers of light, and in the silence, Mu Qing's emotions became more and more sour.
But at this moment, he vaguely heard something said by Zhang Zhiyuan in front of him.
Mu Qing wasn't sure if he heard correctly, so he raised his face suddenly and asked with wide eyes, "What did you say?"
Zhang Zhiyuan looked at Mu Qing, sighed softly, and said seriously: "Zhijing and the others may still be alive. I searched for him for a long time, but I couldn't see his body. Instead, he killed several people."
"With Bai Hao's temperament, it's not impossible. It's just..." Huaifenghua suddenly raised her head and looked forward. Behind Zhang Zhiyuan, a dim light came out of the corner and a petite figure rushed out.
When Zhang Shaoyao rushed to Zhang Zhiyuan, he suppressed the urge to rush to his master and brother A Liang, raised his head, and asked with a worried look on his face: "Uncle, is it true? Why didn't you tell me before? I?"
Zhang Zhiyuan's eyes were full of love, he raised his hand and put it down again, and said softly: "There is a possibility that even your mother Xiaoya may not have died back then."
Zhang Zhiyuan raised his head and looked here, the corners of his mouth moved slightly, but there were many unfinished thoughts.
Seeing that the girl was safe, Mu Qing felt relieved, but at the same time he was aroused with fighting spirit, "No matter what, you have to try to find out."
