Shi Lei was silent for a few seconds, and then said to his daughter earnestly: "I know you can't forget him in your heart. But I hope you can be more sensible when doing things and think more about your family.
"You have to know that there are countless pairs of eyes staring at our family now, and I also have many enemies in the court. In the past few days, the cabinet has received many impeachment memorials, claiming that we married Gu Xu with evil intentions. They want to use this as a reason to remove me from my official position or even send me to jail.
"I believe you don't want to see our family destroyed because of your impulsive actions."
Shi Lei had almost never spoken to his daughter in such a serious tone before.
But now the situation is serious, and there are some things that he feels he must make clear to her.
Shi Xiaohan lowered his head and bit his lip.
Her pretty oval face gradually lost its color and became as pale as paper.
Shi Lei looked at her face and felt very distressed. His expression immediately softened and he wanted to comfort her with a few words.
However, at this moment, Shi Xiaohan suddenly said in a crying voice: "I...I won't go to Gu Xu anymore...send me to Jiange..."
"Jiange?" Shi Lei was a little surprised.
Recently, Shi Xiaohan was either lying in bed recovering from his injuries or having a cold war with his father. Therefore, Shi Lei still didn't know that his daughter had interacted with the master of Jiange Pavilion.
Seeing the confused expression on her father's face, Shi Xiaohan frowned and briefly described the invitation sent to her by Xu Man, the master of Jiange Pavilion, and the whole story.
"It was actually an invitation personally sent by the Master of Jiange Pavilion..." After Shi Xiaohan finished speaking, Shi Lei took a deep breath and sighed, "This is really a rare opportunity for you... "
Shi Lei knew very well that his daughter's cultivation talent was not outstanding. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to stand out from her peers and win the favor of a strong saint.
Shi Xiaohan didn't speak.
She raised her head slightly, with sparkling tears in her eyes, waiting for her father to nod in agreement.
"You go ahead," Shi Lei said with a long sigh, "This is such a rare opportunity, and I have no reason to stop you. But you have to remember that after going to Jiange, you must ensure your own safety and follow the saint's arrangements. Don't talk nonsense or do stupid things, and remember to write to me to say you are safe.
"In a few days, I will return to Laizhou Mansion. By then, we will be thousands of miles apart, and I won't be able to take care of you like I do now..."
Thinking that his daughter was leaving him again, Shi Lei felt quite sad and unknowingly babbled a lot.
Shi Xiaohan stood there without making a sound or nodding, and I don't know if she listened to these words.
…………
After the "Luoshui Conference", Su Xiao did not follow Jiange's team and immediately returned to the Shu Sect.
He still stayed in Luojing City and stayed in a temporary residence for a while.
On the one hand, the training of the "Shenji Camp" will begin soon, and by then the selected young monks will gather in Luojing. Su Xiao felt that there was no need to spend more energy traveling between the two places.
On the other hand, his father Su Hao was originally the "Ghost Attendant" of the Ghost King of Mang Mountain. However, after the Ghost King of Mang Mountain was defeated by Emperor Tianxing, the spell on Su Hao was removed, and the relationship with the Ghost King of Mang Mountain was also severed. contact.
However, the process of turning a person into a "ghost servant" will erase his self-awareness and turn him into a puppet who obeys the orders of the Mangshan Ghost King.
Therefore, after the spell was lifted, Su Hao did not become the dashing and all-powerful Jiange he once was, but instead became an unconscious vegetable.
He was lying on the bed like a dead body. He was breathing, heartbeating, and had basic vital signs, but he was motionless and would not respond in any way to Su Xiao's words.
Regarding this, Su Xiao's mood was complicated.
He was fortunate that his father was still alive in the world and had not been devoured by ghosts and no bones left, as described in the rumors back then. As long as you are alive, you will have a chance to return to your original state.
At the same time, he was also sad——
My father was such a proud and high-spirited man back then. With a sword in his hand, he made countless ghosts and monsters fearful. But now he can only lie on the bed like a dead body, unable to take care of himself. Even basic food needs to be taken care of by others.
Such a situation must be worse than death for the father!
In the past few days, Su Xiao has been at home, practicing and enlightening while taking care of his father.
Every morning and night, he would pray to God, hoping that a miracle would happen, allowing his father to open his eyes, stand up again, and become the heroic swordsman he was.
Until today, Su Xiao suddenly received news from Jiange through the Jade Talisman.
The main content of the news is that the senior brother of Xu Man, the master of Jiange Pavilion, Hu Yun, known as the "Undefeated Sword God", once accepted a student in Luojing City, an eighteen-year-old young girl named Shi Xiaohan.
Now, Hu Yun unfortunately passed away during the turmoil in Luojing City. Pavilion Master Xu said that she was willing to take on the responsibility of teaching the disciples for her senior brother, and brought this nephew to the Jiang Pavilion to give personal guidance.
However, Shi Xiaohan is currently only at the third level of cultivation and cannot fly with a weapon by himself, so he can only ask Su Xiao to send her here.
The name "Shi Xiaohan" made Su Xiao feel familiar.
He quickly remembered that this girl used to be Gu Xu's fiancée, and their engagement once caused widespread discussion in Luo Jing City. But after Gu Xu was charged with "treason and traitor", the engagement was also annulled.
"It's such a pity Gu Xu." Su Xiao sighed silently in her heart.
Ever since Gu Xu passed through many obstacles on Mount Laoshan and obtained the inheritance of Kongxuan Sanren, Su Xiao had attached great importance to him, and had also looked forward to the two of them gathering at the "Shenji Camp" for a face-to-face competition.
However, before the new generation of "Shenji Camp" officially started, Gu Xu was wanted by the Qi court and he did not know where he had escaped.
This made Su Xiao feel quite regretful.
"I also know something about your father's situation," Xu Man added, "You can send him to Jiange together, maybe I can help find a solution.
"After all, he was once our guest at Jiange."
After seeing the news about Master, Su Xiao sincerely expressed her gratitude. He thought that the master was a saint and a strong man, and he might actually have a solution when faced with such a difficult problem.
…………
After crossing the Youzhou border, Gu Xu and Zhao Yan quickly arrived in Shimen County.
While on the road, Gu Xu discovered that the closer to a crowded place, the more dazzling the "Hui Lu" rune shines and the more powerful the energy it generates.
He even felt that even if he didn't practice, the true energy in his body would increase rapidly at an extraordinary speed.
This made Gu Xu more and more certain that "Hui Lu" was closely related to Youzhou's "Fire God".
"Could it be that 'Hui Lu' is the inheritor of the 'God of Fire'?" A bunch of random speculations popped up in his mind, "Or, 'Hui Lu' usurped the authority of the 'God of Fire', just like the 'Tai Shang' How did Haotian deal with Emperor Ziwei?"
At the same time, it seems that after entering Youzhou, Zhao Yan did not want anyone to recognize her identity.
She took out a hooded cloak from her storage magic weapon, and then took out a metal mask to cover herself tightly.
Then she left Gu Xu behind and walked straight towards a tall house with white walls, gray tiles, and cornices and brackets in the center of the county.
There is a plaque hanging on the door of the house, which says "Department of Internal Affairs" with three flying phoenixes.
Many years ago, after the State of Yan surrendered to Da Qi, it was not placed under the administrative jurisdiction of Da Qi, but it still retained a high degree of autonomy.
In addition, Dayan has always used force to govern the country. The elixirs, talismans, formation materials, etc. here are not handled by the Exorcism Department. Instead, they are regarded as a strategic resource and are managed by the Internal Affairs Department responsible for logistics.
As soon as Zhao Yan walked to the door of the Internal Affairs Department, several soldiers wearing helmets and armor and holding spears came forward and stopped her, saying, "No one is allowed to enter the government office."
But when Zhao Yan calmly took out a metal token, the attitude of these soldiers immediately changed 180 degrees. They bowed to her and respectfully invited her into the room.
What this token represents is not Zhao Yan's status as the successor of Dayan, but the position of commander she held in the border guarding army a few years ago.
In the eyes of these gatekeepers, he is undoubtedly a big shot that needs to be looked up to.
A few minutes later, Zhao Yan walked out of the Internal Affairs Department carrying a yellow gourd and came to Gu Xu's side.
Gu Xu saw at a glance that the gourd was a storage magic weapon engraved with a space formation.
"This contains the 'barrier-breaking pill' you need, which is enough for you at least three months," Zhao Yan said as she stuffed the gourd into Gu Xu's arms, "In addition, I also asked for one for you. A 'fixing spirit pill' for you to break through."
Gu Xu put the gourd into "Xianyun Residence", and at the same time did not forget to thank Miss Zhao for her thoughtful consideration.
Zhao Yan looked around and said to him: "Let's continue heading north. It's really not suitable to stay in Shimen County for a long time."
Regarding her proposal, Gu Xu nodded and agreed without hesitation.
Shimen County is still too close to the Daqi border and is not an absolutely safe place. Coupled with his tight schedule, Emperor Tianxing will end his retreat in a year and a half and come to deal with him personally. Before that, he had to find all the fragments of the "Star Plate" as soon as possible and awaken the power belonging to "Emperor Ziwei", so that he would have the possibility of survival.
But suddenly, he caught a strange emotion in Zhao Yan's eyes.
"Did you just...find something in the Internal Affairs Office?" He asked tentatively.
"I heard someone talking in the Yamen. My uncle sent his personal guards to the border to look for my traces." Zhao Yan spoke in a low voice without hiding anything from him.
Gu Xu knew that the "uncle" Zhao Yan spoke of was Zhao Changying's younger brother Zhao Changqi. Before Zhao Changying's rebellion, he had been awarded the title of "General of the Auxiliary Country" due to his military merit and family background.
But compared to his elder brother who is a powerful True King, Zhao Changqi's light is obviously much dimmer. People often call him "the younger brother of the Duke of Yan" or "the younger brother of the King of Yan" instead of "the general who assists the country". Gu Xu didn't know him very well.
"You don't want him to find you?" he asked again.
Zhao Yan nodded, then tugged on Gu Xu's sleeve, signaling him to leave this crowded county first.
So the two of them used their skills again and traveled several miles to a remote mountain forest.
The woods here are lush, and the stream falls from the cliff into the deep ravine, like a hanging white line, making a splashing sound.
Zhao Yan sat on a big rock next to the waterfall, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Before you met me, have you ever heard of some of my not-so-good reputations?"
Gu Xu thought for a while and replied: "I heard that you once defeated Luo Jing's invincible opponents. At that time, I was particularly afraid that you would come to my door and challenge me."
Zhao Yan chuckled, seemingly amused by Gu Xu's words.
But she quickly shook her head: "It's not my reputation in this area. What I want to say is that I am in my early twenties and not yet married. I used to visit brothels in Luojing City to drink and chat with the girls... Many people doubt whether Duke Yan’s daughter likes women.”
Gu Xu nodded.
He admitted that such speculation did cross his mind when he first heard the rumors.
"Have you ever known that many years ago, in order to ensure the purity of their bloodline and produce more offspring with 'flaming spirit bodies', the Yan royal family often engaged in intermarriage within the clan?" Zhao Yan quickly changed the subject.
"I have read in the book," Gu Xu nodded again, "The last queen of the Great Yan Kingdom in history was his cousin."
"My uncle has an almost fanatical obsession with blood," Zhao Yan continued. "Years ago, he rejected the marriage proposal from the Chen family in Xiangyang and married his cousin. But when I was young, After Shi showed his bloodline talent, he always wanted me to marry his son, my cousin Zhao Yu."
"Is he coveting your inheritance?" Gu Xu guessed.
The Duke of Yan is different from other titled Dukes in the Qi Dynasty. This is a title with real power, almost equivalent to the monarch of a small kingdom. As Zhao Changying's only legitimate daughter, Zhao Yan is undoubtedly Dayan's first heir.
Perhaps it is because in the Great Wilderness, a land where extraordinary power exists, women can gain powerful power through practice. In addition, the status of "saints" in the hearts of the people of Dayan is high. The country of Dayan has always implemented "inheritance through eldest heirs". "System", that is, the monarch's eldest heir, regardless of male or female, inherits the throne.
However, no matter what kind of inheritance law it is, during the actual implementation process, various contradictions and disputes will arise around the supreme royal power.
For example, when a female monarch came to the throne, there were precedents where power was devolved and the government was controlled by her husband's family.
"There should be a reason for this." Zhao Yan admitted.
She paused for a moment, then continued to recount her past experiences: "Maybe it's because his bloodline is too 'pure', but my cousin has always been crazy and violent, and he often enjoys torturing people.
"He is six years older than me. Not long after I was born, he liked to go to the garden to catch bugs, cut them into several pieces, and put them on the table in front of me, in the cradle where I slept, and even on my In his job, he wanted to tease and scare me. When I cried, he would laugh happily.
"When he was eight or nine years old, he liked to follow the guards to the dungeon and watch the guards torture and interrogate prisoners. After he came back, he described these scenes to me.
“He thought I didn’t understand what he was saying.
"But he didn't know that I was born knowing it. From the moment I was born, I could understand what the people around me were saying and remember what was happening around me."
At this point, she raised her head slightly and looked into Gu Xu's eyes in front of her: "I have only told my parents about this secret before. You are the third person who knows it."
