After a while, Princess Zhaoning came to the attic of the mansion.
She was sitting on an official chair, wearing a spotless men's gown and her hair tied up in a high bun. Although her face was tired and her eyes were slightly red, her waist was straight.
On the floor in front of her, complex formation patterns were carved.
Accompanied by a flash of golden light, several translucent figures formed by the convergence of light appeared in the sky above the formation, all wearing black gauze hats and Qiyao uniforms.
"See you, Your Highness, Princess!" These figures all saluted Princess Zhaoning.
Seeing that all the people she was looking for had arrived, Princess Zhaoning went straight to the point and said: "The traitor Gu Xu has been exposed near Jinyang Mansion. You are the people with the highest cultivation level in Hedong Province. I You need to put down what you are doing immediately and carry out the task of arresting Gu Xu."
Several officials from the Exorcism Department nodded and said that everything was in compliance with Her Royal Highness the Princess's instructions.
They had long heard that Gu Xu was a criminal who had been personally ordered to be captured by His Majesty the Emperor, who had been living in the palace for a long time. Any official who dared to slack off in this matter would surely face the Emperor's wrath.
Princess Zhaoning stood up and walked to the wall.
There is a large, slightly yellowed map taped to the wall.
She stretched out her slender fingers and pointed at the map: "Pu Qianhu, Shen Qianhu, you two will immediately take people to go to Tianmen Pass, Shiling Pass and Chitang Pass to organize local monks to intercept the fugitives." Gu Xu."
Tianmen Pass, Shiling Pass and Chitang Pass are known as the "Three Passes of Jinyang". The terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. They strangle the entrance and exit of Hedong Province and control the transportation hub of Jinyang in the north. They are described in ancient books as "living on the backbone of the world. Be the throat of the river".
If Gu Xu wanted to leave Daqi, whether he was going to Youzhou to join Zhao Changying, or fleeing to the barbarian territory in the northwest, he would inevitably pass through the "Three Passes of Jinyang" without taking a detour.
The Daqi Dynasty paid no less attention to the "Three Passes of Jinyang" than the Dachu Dynasty - it not only strengthened the fortress, but also sent many practitioners to stay at the pass and set up the "Forbidden Air Formation". of multiple defensive formations.
In other words, the monks cannot fly across the "Three Passes of Jinyang" with weapons. They can only pass by land, and they must also hold a pass issued by the imperial court - "Luyin".
After hearing Princess Zhaoning's instructions, the two people whose names were read nodded in agreement.
"Shang Qianhu, you rush to Shouyang County as soon as possible, lead people to set up an ambush, arrange formations to block the space in advance, and check the 'road guide' of every passerby," Princess Zhaoning then ordered, "If you care Xu did not go to the "Three Passes of Jinyang", but chose to take a long detour to the east, so he would definitely pass by near Shouyang.
"Que Qianhu, you go to Malingguan in the south of Jinyang, lead your cultivators to block all the twenty-four passes under your jurisdiction, and similarly set up formations to check the identity of every passerby.
"Gu Xu has always been scheming. He may not follow common sense and choose to escape south. We must be prepared in advance."
"Yes, Your Highness." Que Juchang, a Qianhu in Liaozhou Prefecture, and Shangwei, a Qianhu in Fenzhou Prefecture, said with fists in their hands.
Finally, Princess Zhaoning's eyes fell on the only female official - Zhu Qiuyi, the commander-in-chief of Hedong Province.
This woman with a simple appearance and quiet temperament is a powerful monk whose strength is close to the peak of the sixth realm. She masters a magical power called "Chasing the Wind" and possesses a magic weapon called "Memory". She has solved many major cases and made many criminals and ghosts frightened.
"Commander Zhu, your cultivation level is the highest among all the people present," Princess Zhaoning ordered, "According to the news, the place where Gu Xu last appeared was Mengshan Mountain to the west of Jinyang City. I need you to use your best skills. Get there quickly, use your magical powers and magic weapons to find as many clues as possible and trace Gu Xu's escape path.
"If others discover Gu Xu's whereabouts, you will also need to deal with him."
"Your Highness Princess, I have heard that Gu Xu masters a spell that can travel through space," Zhu Qiuyi, the commander-in-chief of Hedong, lowered his head and said in a calm voice, "With my magical power, I may not be able to catch him. Fuck him."
"No, you can catch up," Princess Zhaoning smiled faintly and shook her head, "Gu Xu's magic can travel hundreds of miles in an instant, allowing him to reach Qingyao Mountain from Luojing City in the blink of an eye.
"However, several days have passed since the destruction of Luojing City, and Gu Xu still remains within the borders of Daqi and has not traveled too far.
"This proves that Gu Xu cannot travel through space without restriction. Casting such a spell consumes a lot of his real energy."
Zhu Qiuyi nodded, thoughtfully: "Then I'll try it."
"By the way, when you are performing your mission, remember to bring the Jade Talisman and the 'Breaking Sky Pearl' with you," Princess Zhaoning paused for a moment and then said, "If the situation changes, report it to me immediately. Will make arrangements again.
"All consumable magic weapons and formation materials used by you during the mission, including the 'Air-Breaking Beads', can be reimbursed to the imperial court."
After receiving the order, the figures of several officials quickly disappeared into the room.
Princess Zhaoning still stood there, looking at the map on the wall, somewhat lost in thought.
She has blocked all possible ways from all directions, east, west, north and south, making Gu Xu a turtle in a jar.
"Where can you escape to now?" She moved her fingertips gently on the map and thought silently.
…………
Gu Xu held the astrolabe in his hand, like a ghost, walking quickly in the mountains.
Since his whereabouts were discovered by Sima Chang, he started running away without hesitation and never stopped for a moment.
He did not dare to fly to conspicuous high altitudes, and only dared to fly quietly at low altitudes under the shade of trees.
After flying for more than ten miles and far away from Jinyang's jurisdiction, he landed back on the ground and rested for a while.
At this moment, his true energy has returned to fullness, enough to build a space channel again.
"Where should I escape to?"
While he was thinking, he took out the copper coins in his pocket, intending to find a safe route through divination.
At this moment, when he muttered the names of "Tai Shang Haotian" and "Emperor Zi Wei" in a low voice like before, he only felt it was quite ironic.
They are clearly sworn enemies.
However, they appear in pairs on the altar and appear in various mantras and prayers.
Gu Xu finally understood why his divination results were never wrong.
Because the object of others' prayers is gods, and the object of his prayers is himself, there is no possibility of being interfered with.
"Is Tianmen Pass safe?"
"Is Chitang Pass safe?"
"Is Malingguan safe?"
"Is Huangyuling safe?"
"Is Jingxing safe?"
"..."
After asking questions more than ten times in a row, Gu Xu finally came up with a relatively safe path in his mind - first go southeast, bypass Shouyang County, go straight to Douquan Ridge, and then turn northeast to avoid Maling Twenty At the fourth pass, we left Hedong Province from Jingxing and headed for Youzhou.
Although they took a long detour, they happened to avoid the heavy defense lines set up by Princess Zhaoning.
It's like finding a narrow gap in the dragnet.
He took a deep breath, his eyes turned into a deep indigo blue, and the "astrolabe" also glowed with silvery white light.
Soon, black ripples appeared in the air, and a space passage quickly formed in front of him.
He wiped the sweat from his temples and stepped inside.
The surrounding scenery instantly turned into blurry blocks of color, as if falling into a rotating kaleidoscope.
…………
After receiving Princess Zhaoning's order, Hedong Commander-in-Chief Zhu Qiuyi immediately crushed a "sky-breaking bead" and came to Mengshan from his residence in an instant.
She took out a small white porcelain bottle from her sleeve, placed it on the ground, and then silently recited the incantation.
Soon, a faint colored smoke rose from the bottle.
The smoke floats into the air, creating a three-dimensional and dynamic picture.
This small white porcelain bottle is called "Memory". As the name suggests, it is a magic weapon that can recall scenes from the past.
It can reproduce what happened within six hours in the form of smoke.
With the help of "Reminiscence", Zhu Qiuyi saw the "Reggae" with its teeth and claws showing its fierce look, the bruised and bruised young official Sima Chang, the majestic golden-red sea of fire, and also saw Gu Xu and his body blown to the ground by the wind. mask.
Her mood suddenly became complicated.
She didn't expect that a fugitive wanted by the whole country would expose his whereabouts because he rescued others.
But she was on task and didn't think too much.
Soon, Gu Xu in the smoke image picked up the mask, put it on again, and then rushed towards the depths of the dense forest.
Zhu Qiuyi immediately picked up the small porcelain bottle and flew into the air, chasing Gu Xu's image.
After flying for more than ten miles, Gu Xu's image finally stopped.
He stopped there for a moment, tossed the coin for a while, then constructed a space passage, walked in, and disappeared.
Zhu Qiuyi sighed softly and put away "Reminiscence".
"Reminiscence" can only recall what happened at the same place, but it cannot know the destination of Gu Xu's space shuttle, let alone tell her Gu Xu's subsequent escape route.
"Your Highness," she took out the 'message jade talisman' and sent a message to Princess Zhaoning, "I followed Gu Xu's footsteps all the way from Mengshan to Fangshan. He built a space channel in Fangshan. But 'Remembering' 'The power is limited. I have no way of knowing where he went afterwards."
After a while, Princess Zhaoning responded: "I know."
…………
"Report to Your Highness that there are no suspicious persons passing near Tianmen Pass."
"Your Highness, Wei Chen has not found any trace of Gu Xu in the Shouyang area yet."
"Your Highness, there is nothing unusual around Malingguan."
"..."
Princess Zhaoning held the messenger jade talisman tightly in her hand, and her brows furrowed more and more as she listened to the ministers' reports.
She suddenly felt that Gu Xu was like a fish in the deep sea. He surfaced in Jinyang City, spit out a few bubbles, and then dived back to the bottom of the sea, never to be heard from again.
In order to catch this fish, she cast a huge net, but the fish was very likely to slip through the gaps in the fishing net when she was not paying attention.
She rubbed her dry eyes and couldn't help but secretly sigh. In the vast territory of Daqi, catching a fugitive who could conceal his identity, hide his whereabouts, and travel through space was no less difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.
Seeing a faint fish-belly white appear on the eastern sky, she pondered for a moment and asked the maid guarding the door: "Can you please invite Mr. Mu for me?"
The "Mr. Mu" in Princess Zhaoning's mouth, whose full name is "Mu Yunkai", is a minister of the Daqi royal family. He has the sixth realm of cultivation and is proficient in divination.
Perhaps because there are few monks who know how to do divination, this person is often arrogant and has high standards. He always puts on some airs in front of members of the royal family, especially in front of Princess Zhaoning, who has no qualifications for spiritual practice.
Princess Zhaoning was too lazy to do things with him on weekdays.
After all, there is a strong saint in the Exorcist Department who claims to be "knowing everything in the world."
But now, Luo Chuan, the head of the exorcism department, was seriously injured and bedridden, so naturally he couldn't help her find Gu Xu's whereabouts.
She had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.
After a while, a bloated old man with gray hair wearing a brocade robe, holding a gilt crutch, came to her under the guidance of the maid.
As he walked, the end of the cane struck the ground, making a harsh sound.
"I have met His Highness."
After seeing Princess Zhaoning, he did not bow to salute, but simply nodded.
Princess Zhaoning was too lazy to argue with him on these trivial matters.
She asked the maid to bring up a chair and said politely: "Mr. Mu, please sit down."
Mu Yunkai was not like other officials who would pretend to decline.
He sat down on the chair, crossed his legs, and then directly instructed the princess's maid to pour him a glass of water.
"Mr. Mu, there is something I need your help with-"
"——It's about the fugitive Gu Xu, right?" Before Princess Zhaoning could finish speaking, Mu Yunkai laughed and interrupted her, "A mere fourth-level monk brought a huge court to its knees. I’m exhausted, but it’s really interesting.”
"Mr. Mu, now is not the time to joke," Princess Zhaoning stopped her smile and said in a solemn tone, "Tonight, the traitor Gu Xu appeared in Mengshan near Jinyang Mansion. After his whereabouts were exposed, he came from Mengshan again. Shan fled to Fangshan, then built a space channel and went to an unknown place.
"We need to use your divination skills to find the place where Gu Xu escaped as soon as possible."
Seeing that the princess became serious, Mu Yunkai also sat up straight and said, "I can do divination. But I need as much information about Gu Xu as possible."
Princess Zhaoning took down a stack of files from the nearby bookshelf, placed them in front of Mu Yunkai, and said, "Are these enough?"
Mu Yunkai glanced down and replied: "Not enough. These are just his resume when he was an official in the court, and they are the tip of the iceberg of his whole person. It is impossible to predict the correct result by relying on these things alone.
"I also need to know his birth date, his private personality and hobbies, and the way he behaves... It would be even better if I could find his personal belongings."
"But in my impression, Luo Sishou never needs these things when doing divination." Princess Zhaoning frowned slightly, feeling a little confused.
"Because his divination and mine are from two different systems," Mu Yunkai said with a smile. "His divination relies on the stars in the sky and uses the trajectory of the stars to predict the rise and fall of the world.
"My divination relies on 'fate' itself. With enough information, I can clear away the fog on the river of fate and get a glimpse of a person's future.
"Your Highness, it seems that you are still a little ignorant."
Princess Zhaoning didn't pay attention to his sarcastic joke.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and began to recall all the details of her past interactions with Gu Xu, thinking about what kind of person he was in private.
Then she discovered that her experience with Gu Xu in private was pitiful.
She only remembered that on the night of the Lantern Festival, she disguised herself as a man and was with Gu Xu on the bank of Luoshui, evaluating the performance of each monk in the arena.
At that time, Gu Xu was handsome and high-spirited. His pair of deep eyes reflected the lights of the Lantern Festival, and he also glowed with confidence.
But more often than not, the two are far apart.
She got to know what kind of person he was through official documents from the court, through archives, and through looking at each other from afar in public places.
But to this day, especially after he went from being a prodigy of Great Qi to being a prisoner of the imperial court, his image in her mind became increasingly vague and mysterious.
Princess Zhaoning was silent for a moment, then raised her head and said to Mu Yunkai: "Maybe we have to go to Qianhu Shilei's mansion in Laizhou Prefecture.
"His daughter should be the person who knows Gu Xu best in the entire capital."
Genius website address:... Mobile version reading address: m..pppp('Eternal life begins with slaying demons');;
