Zheng Xiu strode into the main hall.
He came with Feng Bei last night.
Now he is alone, carrying a scroll, facing each other in the candlelight.
In the main hall, the old monk with a long gray beard was still sitting on the futon, with the wooden fish in front of him having a smooth surface.
The old monk seemed to have sat there all night without moving a step.
Zheng Xiu passed a [Detection] when he came in.
He found that the two doors in the main hall were brand new, the positions of other futons had been moved, and there were fingernail scratches on one of the floors.
There was sandalwood burning in the four corners, but Zheng Xiu still smelled an indescribable smell from the quiet and elegant fragrance.
The flavor is very light and almost unnoticeable.
If I had to describe it, it smells like... bird poop.
Zheng Xiu looked like he was facing a formidable enemy. He was even mentally prepared to use his ultimate move. He stopped ten steps away from the old monk, turned his back to the exit, and bowed his hands.
"Zheng Shan, I have met Master Waiting."
The old monk nodded and looked up.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Zheng Xiu took a deep breath, then chuckled, breaking the awkward silence and said, "Master, don't you have anything to say to Zheng?"
Benedict.
Wait for the master to pick up a small wooden hammer and land on the wooden fish, hitting a dull note.
Zheng Xiu took a step back.
He felt that he was being persecuted and hallucinating. When the old monk knocked, the words "Wait a minute" came to his mind involuntarily.
The old monk did not say wait this time.
After a moment of silence, the old monk sighed softly and finally told the truth.
"An old friend gave this painting to the old man and asked him to hand it over to the benefactor in Fengbei."
really!
Zheng Xiu didn't look surprised at all when he got the expected answer. Zheng Xiu had already deduced this possibility when he was ambushed by Ye Weiyang and the two men in Jiangjun Town. From beginning to end, this was a game against Feng Bei. This matter was not a question, but a result.
Zheng Xiu’s real doubt is...
"Why?"
When Zheng Xiu said these words, the temperature in the main hall seemed to drop a few degrees with Zheng Xiu's tone.
"I don't know."
The old monk lowered his head, closed his eyes, and sighed.
Zheng Xiu gritted his teeth, thinking that if he made a move, the other party would tell him to wait a minute. Zheng Xiu held back and asked again: "Then Zheng will ask again, is your old friend the night master of Ye Weiyang?"
"Yes."
Zheng Xiu frowned: "No, you lied. At that time, you clearly said that it was because you knew Feng Bei was Ye Weiyang that you were unwilling to hand the painting into Feng Bei's hands. You must know what would happen if you handed it over to Feng Bei. You clearly know why it is Fengbei! You have known it for a long time..."
At this point, Zheng Xiu's words suddenly stopped, with a look of astonishment on his face. The thoughts full of distracting thoughts seemed to be split open by a bolt of lightning, the chaos was pushed aside, and Ming Xin was revealed.
yes! The master had said from the beginning that he was unwilling to hand over the painting, and the old monk also advised them to leave. However, Zheng Xiu and Feng Bei didn't pay attention and were still obsessed with the "cannibal painting".
Zheng Xiu did not blame Chu Susu. When Chu Susu successfully stole the scroll from the old monk, Zheng Xiu had every chance to return the scroll.
No matter what the old monk's reasons were, he had advised Zheng Xiu and Zheng Xiu to leave right from the beginning.
The old monk left a sentence before Zheng Xiu and the three of them went out, "It's hard to distinguish between truth and fiction, black and white, right and wrong." It seemed to be reminding Zheng Xiu to be wary of Ye Weiyang.
Therefore, from the beginning, everything that happened was due to the choices of Zheng Xiu and Feng Bei. They chose that painting, so Fengbei was swallowed up, causing Fengbei and himself to fall into the Night Lord's situation.
He is the one to blame for all this!
It was because he was inexplicably attracted to Gongsun Mo's ancient paintings in order to deepen his knowledge as a painter, and he coveted "weird things" that were ethereal, uncertain, or even non-existent, and caused Feng Bei to end up like this.
The more Zheng Xiu thought about it, the more frightened he became. Something seemed to clear up the fog in his heart.
Suddenly.
Zheng Xiu was like an enlightenment. Ever since he learned about the "cannibal painting" on January 1, everything that happened during this period flashed through his mind like a slideshow.
He suddenly woke up and found that under the influence of [Painter], his thinking and decision-making seemed to be the same as before, but he was strangely obsessed with pursuing Gongsun Mo's century-old paintings.
With every choice and every investigation, rather than saying that he was following the [Painter] path, it would be better to say that he gradually forgot that he was not a real [Painter] path of thaumaturgy at all!
The real stranger Feng Bei has always been very taboo about his own "doorway".
Thinking of the dead Xushu, he followed the path of the [Executioner], and he also had an almost pathological obsession with the [Executioner] of the foreigner Fengbei. This obsession eventually led to the death of the Xushu without a complete body.
Can strange things confuse people's hearts?
wrong.
Cold sweat broke out on Zheng Xiu's back. He shook his head vigorously and remained silent. He quickly denied this.
Weird things do not confuse people's hearts. Zheng Xiu is very sure that he was very sane while pursuing the scroll. However, once a magician who has stepped into a certain portal knows, or vaguely knows, the existence of the portal's uncanny object, he will seem to be involuntarily affected by the "uncanny object" and will desire that uncanny object from the bottom of his heart.
But why did he ignore this?
It’s fine if others don’t know. Zheng Xiu had “personally” experienced the tragedy in Baili Village twenty-one years ago. How could he not know that strangers and strange objects themselves are not risk-free things?
This is why Feng Bei always calls the killing power hidden in his hands "ominous"! Because in her opinion, becoming a "foreigner" itself is a kind of ominous thing!
At the same time, it will also bring bad luck to those around you.
Strange things, the reason why Ye Weiyang calls them weird things, may be because "they" are never some kind of gift or miracle from God, but weird and evil things!
Zheng Xiu's mind was clear and his thoughts were smooth at the moment. When he connected everything together, his clenched fists were filled with cold sweat.
The massacre in Baili Village, Xu Shu’s tragic death because he longed for the executioner’s ghost, and the fate of his longing for the painter’s ghost...
The three things seem to have no connection and are unrelated to each other.
But at this moment, Zheng Xiu vaguely figured out the connection.
"Trick...!"
After thinking about it, he felt that the scroll on his back was as hot as a red-hot iron. He was horrified and quickly took off the scroll. But after a moment, the hot feeling disappeared, and the fabric wrapping the scroll became rough and cool to the touch, as if the hot feeling just now was just an illusion caused by Zheng Xiu's temporary fear.
"Wait a minute!"
Waiting for the master to suddenly perform the technique, the sound was like a morning bell.
The operation this time was not to ask Zheng Xiu to withdraw. When Zheng Xiu heard the sound, he intuitively felt that the irritability in his heart was "wait a moment" and gradually calmed down.
Zheng Xiu was surprised, remembering how rude and irritable he was when he came, he felt apologetic, so he clasped his fists and said, "Master, I have offended you a lot just now, please forgive me. All the blame lies with me, I am the one to blame."
Zheng Xiu is not an unreasonable person.
Although Master Wait has a secret in his heart. But he did make it clear from the beginning that the painting could not be handed over to Ye Weiyang. He was the one who asked Chu Susu to steal the scroll and take it away from Yunliu Temple. Zheng Xiu would not blame Chu Susu for no reason. When something goes wrong, blame this person or that. This is not Zheng Xiu's style. A real strong man should have the courage to bear his mistakes, bear everything, and turn things around.
Hearing this, the master did not blame him and clasped his hands together: "Who can do nothing?"
"I beg you, Master, not to play riddles."
Zheng Xiu spoke sincerely.
"The stakes are so high that it's hard to explain."
"Then please keep your story short."
Waiting Master: "Let me ask you, if I sacrifice one person, Fengbei Donor, the people will be safe. If I save Fengbei Donor, the world may fall into an abyss of misery. How do you choose?"
Zheng Xiu was stunned when he heard this, and then he couldn't help but smile, his eyes like torches, brighter than the candlelight in the palace.
"The word 'common life' is too vague. There are millions of people, how can we save so many? Master is just asking a redundant question, I choose Fengbei."
Zheng Xiu's tone was firm when he answered, "Besides, Feng Bei's life should not be decided by others."
"If you want to save her, you need to be involved in...Gongsun Mo's ancient paintings like her." The master seemed to have known Zheng Xiu's answer for a long time. His expression was calm and he said slowly: "But, there is a narrow escape from death. Please make your decision carefully, Zheng Shan Donor.”
"Thank you for your concern, Master. I am not afraid of ghosts."
The old monk shook his head: "What you need to fear is the human heart."
Zheng Xiu complained: "Master, if you have anything to say, please say it directly."
The old monk said: "This is not a riddle, but a proverb."
Zheng Xiu was speechless.
Having said this, the master suddenly raised his head, and his gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the ceiling of the main hall.
"It's time for you to go!"
Yeah--Yeah---
As soon as the old monk finished speaking, dense crows came from outside the house, coming from a distance.
Thousands of crows approached from all directions. Zheng Xiu's expression changed. He turned around and pushed the door open to walk outside the hall. He found that there were thousands of ravens in the sky, gathering together like an ominous black cloud, covering the sky. The sun and the earth press towards Yunliu Temple.
Zheng Xiu's expression changed again. He had never seen such a large number of ravens gathered together. Even the ravens hovering over the Imperial City of Daqian were not even one-third of the flock of crows flying towards Jiangjun Peak at this moment.
Too much!
Crows are scavengers that accompany the dead, and their crows have been considered unlucky since ancient times. Now a mighty flock of crows was coming. Even though Zheng Xiu knew that the crows had no attack power, he was still amidst the overwhelming crows. His whole body was tense and his hairs stood up, making it difficult to relax.
"time to go!"
Wait for the master to knock the wooden fish, click, click, click, and then start to perform the technique.
"Wait a minute!"
"Wait a minute!"
"Wait a minute!"
This moment.
The blue sky is clear during the day, like a clean picture. The ravens flying from all directions are like someone accidentally breaking the ink tank, and the thick ink contaminates from all sides to the center. Zheng Xiu's imaginary metaphor is by no means an exaggeration. It is conceivable that the number of ravens is extremely terrifying, and it seems to indicate that some kind of terrifying existence is about to come.
As the old monk recited "Wait a minute", the approaching speed of the ravens suddenly slowed down, and the "black" invasion in the sky slowed down, as if they were collectively performing a slow-motion action.
The old monk's "Waiting Zen" is incredible, almost Taoist, and can no longer be measured by common sense.
Zheng Xiu's heart moved, he touched the center of his eyebrows and secretly had an [Inspiration].
The painting style suddenly changed in the field of vision, with the old monk as the center and circles of gray ripples spreading to all sides.
The word "wait" is vaguely written on the old monk's barren forehead.
Zheng Xiu watched the old monk sitting alone in the hall reciting "Wait a minute" while a crowd of 100,000 crows performed in slow motion at the same time, and he cried out in his heart.
Could it be that the medium of these masters' magic is not sound or anything else, but themselves?
When someone knows that his name is "Master Dang Waiting", have they actually been influenced by "Dang Waiting Zen"?
Zheng Xiu suddenly realized when he recalled that every time he thought of this person, he could not help but say "Wait a minute" in his mind.
Wait a minute, Master, wait a minute. The old monk allowed his name, his existence, and even the stories he spread in the world to become a "medium"?
That's outrageous.
Can Gate Path Magic still be played like this?
If the old monk is not a natural stranger, it can only be said that he has gone deep enough in his own path, which is unfathomable.
"It's Ye Weiyang's crowkeeper!"
Between the two recitations, the old monk hurriedly reminded in the hall: "Let Ruchen take you away from this place quickly!"
"master!"
Ruchen has been guarding the door. Now the strong man goes out and the crows attack. Ruchen's face is panicked. He heard the master's instructions. When he was about to say something, the old monk said in a deep voice: "Go to the Jingxin Pool!"
In the time it took these two sentences, the dark flock of ravens in the sky came closer to Yunliu Temple. No monk in the temple had ever seen such a terrifying scene. More than a hundred monks looked horrified and surrounded the main hall, vowing to protect the old monk to the death.
After the old monk said those two sentences, he recited "Waiting Zen" again, as if in the dark, he was fighting in the air with the "crow farmer" mentioned in the previous sentence.
Only then did Zheng Xiu realize that the smell of bird droppings hidden under the scent of sandalwood when he entered was not an illusion. Weiyang's crow farmer must have been here that night.
What is the relationship between the old monk and the Night Lord?
Why does the old monk call the Night Master an "old friend"?
Zheng Xiu was filled with doubts, but at this moment, the ravens gathered in the sky were densely packed, and black crow feathers were floating down, as if there was a heavy rain made of crow feathers. Zheng Xiu had never heard about the deeds of the "crow farmer" from Feng Bei or Yue Yan, and he didn't know about the other party's magical skills. One can imagine the mystery of the crow farmer.
"Come on! Come this way!"
Ruchen pointed in the direction of the side hall and urged Zheng Xiu to leave Yunliu Temple quickly, while Chu Susu stepped forward at a loss and said: "Uncle Zheng! Crows, so many crows!"
Even if she didn't know how powerful it was, she could still sense that something was wrong in the atmosphere.
Zheng Xiu originally wanted Chu Susu to stay here. Firstly, he is not that familiar with Chu Susu, and secondly, the strong man carrying the scroll is the Raven Man's target. Once he leaves here, Yunliu Temple should be fine.
But before he could make arrangements, Chu Susu ran away with Monk Hua in a daze. In a hurry, Zheng Xiu could only keep up.
The layout of the side hall is simple. Ruchen opened a dusty futon in the corner. There was a secret passage hidden under the futon. Entering the secret passage, there was a slide that was built at an unknown time.
"Quick! Let's slide down the mountain!"
When Ruchen turned back, a "charming" smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. That smile on Xiafei's cheeks made Zheng Xiu's scalp tingle. But before Zheng Xiu could take a closer look, Ruchen had jumped into the slide and slid into the darkness. .
"Uncle Zheng, leave quickly!"
Chu Susu followed soon after. Zheng Xiu raised his eyebrows and looked at Chu Susu's back thoughtfully. Immediately afterwards, Zheng Xiu held the cloth strap that tied the scroll tightly with one hand and slid down the secret passage.
The inside of the slide is curved and not very flat. Zheng Xiu's buttocks hurt from the slippery ride. Chu Susu in front made noises from time to time. She screamed in pain, gasped, or groaned, which showed that this slide also brought all kinds of tastes to her buttocks, including bitter, spicy, sour, and sweet, which were indescribable.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-"
"Plop!"
"Plop!"
Not long after, there was first the sound of falling water, like a waterfall, and then two sounds of falling water. Zheng Xiu's eyes lit up, he lowered his hips, followed the inertia and was thrown out of the chute, falling downwards.
Below is a deep and deep pool. Ruchen and Chu Susu surfaced. Just as Zheng Xiu was about to take off, Ruchen warned in a shocked voice: "Don't use the technique easily, as it will attract the attention of thousands of ravens!"
Seeing Zheng Xiu hugging the scroll tightly, Ruchen wiped the water on his face and said hurriedly: "That ancient painting is impervious to water and fire!"
Zheng Xiu finally felt at ease, assumed a macho posture and plunged into the water, raising a water column several meters high.
There is a stone tablet beside the pool with three words engraved on it - Jingxin Pool.
"Quick! There is a cave under the water! You can escape from here!"
Ruchen said, took a deep breath and dived into the water.
Chu Susu looked a little flustered: "Uncle Zheng, Susu... is not good at water!"
Zheng Xiu smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, I'll take you with me! Just try your best to hold your breath!"
"...Okay!" Seeing the strong man's firm tone, Chu Susu felt convinced in her heart. She took a deep breath and nodded to the strong man, indicating that she was fine.
Zheng Xiu took Chu Susu's hand and dived into the water. As she said, Chu Susu was not good at water, as if she was erecting a corpse underwater, closing her eyes tightly and motionless.
On the contrary, Ruchen is like a nimble fish at the bottom of the water, swimming to the bottom of the pool in the blink of an eye. There was a cave hidden among the water plants. Ruchen's cheeks puffed up and he waved to Zheng Xiu before entering the cave.
The visibility in the cave was extremely low, but the strong man's physical fitness was far beyond that of ordinary people. He followed Ruchen all the way and swam quickly in the twists and turns of the cave.
I do not know how long it has been.
Swimming through an arc-shaped waterway, there are sparkling waves above your head, like dust suddenly rising up, protruding out of the water, and taking in big breaths.
Zheng Xiu pulled Chu Susu and followed closely, getting out of the water easily. Putting Chu Susu on the shore, Zheng Xiu combed his wet hair back with his fingers. The perfect muscles under the tight-fitting clothes were like sculptures by famous artists.
"Susu is dead!"
Ruchen climbed ashore and looked back to see Chu Susu, who was brought to the shore by the strong man, without any sound, with a blue face, and said in shock.
"It doesn't matter, I'll save her with my words." Zheng Xiu said calmly. He didn't ask for Ruchen's opinion when he said this, he carried everything on his own, leaned over and pressed towards Chu Susu's pale little mouth.
The lips of the two people came closer little by little. The hot breath of the macho man blew Chu Susu's long eyelashes, and they were about to sip.
The flower monk on the side stared wide-eyed.
But before the hot breath from the macho man could reach him, Chu Susu suddenly trembled, her arches bent, and a mouthful of turbid water sprayed on the macho man's face, and she opened her eyes blankly.
The air was suddenly quiet.
"Uncle Zheng...I...you..." Chu Susu stood up at a loss, avoided a few steps and stood up. Her pale face suddenly turned red. She didn't know whether it was because she regained her vitality or because Lu'er was in her heart. Chaotic arching.
"Susu, didn't you say that water is not good for you?"
Zheng Xiu stared at Chu Susu and asked. Without waiting for Chu Susu's answer, he suddenly flashed in front of Chu Susu and struck her like lightning. In an instant, he grabbed Chu Susu's neck and lifted her up in the air.
Chu Susu never expected this. She waved her hands to try to break away, and her feet kicked helplessly in the air. However, the strong man's bare-handed strength was like that of a ferocious beast, comparable to an iron hoop, and Chu Susu could not break free.
The macho man's friendly smile turned murderous in an instant, and he looked straight into Chu Susu's eyes.
"who are you?"
(End of chapter)
