Where light and shadow converge, there are ghosts and shadows.
The man's wanton laughter and the woman's screams overlapped, filling the entire night sky.
Xiao Yu stayed quietly in the dark place for a while. He took note of the path he took and the layout of the surrounding houses and courtyards.
The layout here is so intricate that it feels like a maze when you first come here.
He couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. It was not easy to rescue people from this devil's cave, and he was the only one at this time.
After he crossed the high wall, there was no sound on the other side of the wall. Dongfang Lao and Shi Qi didn't know what they were doing. Maybe they had another way and found a better path to the inside.
He waited for a moment in the darkness, but there was still no sound behind him, so he waited no longer and walked forward alone to explore the path.
Unknowingly, it was approaching the third watch, and the men's lustful sounds gradually stopped, but there were a lot more snorings. Only the women's crying and moaning sounds were still intermittent in the air.
At this time, several night watchmen holding torches passed by in the narrow alley. Xiao Yu was suddenly startled and hurriedly pressed his body tightly against the corner of a wall covered with vines.
There was just a depression in the wall that could fit Xiao Yu's body into it. Coupled with the cover of the surrounding vines, it did not attract the attention of the night watchmen.
The fire gradually approached and then receded, and Xiao Yu's nerves became extremely tense.
He saw the carelessness on the faces of the sleepy night watchmen, and they cheered each other up with some lewd topics.
Those figures gradually moved away, and the surroundings began to dim.
Xiao Yu gathered his attention and looked at the figures who were gradually walking away.
They don't look like ordinary servants and guards. They are all tall and well-dressed. Maybe they have done too many bad things. There is always an evil aura about these people that makes people feel frightened.
During the day, Dongfang Lao said that the remaining troops of the trapped camp were stationed in this courtyard, but the guards he saw since entering the courtyard seemed to be very different from the behavior of those real marching soldiers.
They should not be the same group of people. Xiao Yu believes that the real elites in the army must have iron discipline in order to survive a hundred battles.
When Xiao Yu thought of this, his surroundings gradually fell into darkness again.
The surroundings also became quiet, and all one could hear was the snoring one after another, and the intermittent whimpering of the woman, like a ghost crying at night.
Xiao Yu took a deep breath before walking out of his previous hiding place and walked a few steps forward.
Suddenly he stumbled on something under his feet, and his body fell forward. He quickly took two steps to steady himself, but these few steps also made an uncoordinated sound, and in the silence Seems extremely harsh.
Suddenly, a snoring sound that was heard not far away stopped immediately, and a man's vigilant cry came from the darkness not far away: "Who!"
It was so dark there that Xiao Yu couldn't see the other person clearly, and the other party should also not be able to see him clearly.
He didn't dare to move, but his heart was beating wildly.
There was some movement on the other side, as if the man was adjusting his posture, and there was a slight sound of metal scraping against the wall.
At this moment, Xiao Yu heard a cat meowing from above his head, and there was a crunching sound that could only be heard when tiles collide.
"Meow~"
There was a loud yawn from the other side, followed by another cry of relief.
"A thief cat gave me a false alarm!"
There was another noise, and the man in the darkness seemed to be making noise at the base of the wall again.
Xiao Yu still held his breath and concentrated until the snoring started again before he dared to change his movements.
He couldn't help but feel lucky. Only then did he realize that there were actually sentries posted in the dark places at many street corners. However, these people were not very vigilant, so they just tried to change places to sleep, that's all.
Xiao Yu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned to look up. He should really be grateful to the night owl that happened to appear.
The moonlight shines on the high wall, but the east where the cat meowing just now is empty, there is nothing.
Where did the cat that protected him go?
When Xiao Yu was suspicious, he thought again, maybe someone was meowing like a cat just now.
Dongfang Lao and Dendrobium should be near him, maybe they are hiding in a corner, coordinating their actions with him.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yu became more courageous.
What did you trip over just now? Xiao Yu couldn't help but look back. It was pitch dark there.
But just as Xiao Yu turned around, Xiao Yu suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a small door on one side of the wall exposed to the moonlight. It was surrounded by vines and plants, which made it look particularly conspicuous, and the one just now The cat meowing came from above this small door.
Not knowing what magic power that little door had, Xiao Yu couldn't help but walk towards that little door.
With a slight push, the door made a harsh creaking sound.
Xiao Yu immediately felt that all the hairs on his body stood on end, thinking something bad, he quickly turned his head to look at where the snoring sound came from.
The snoring stopped for a moment, then got louder again.
The door was opened, Xiao Yu adjusted his breathing and got in.
I saw a small courtyard inside, which was overgrown with weeds and seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.
However, there are three bluestone-paved paths with no grass growing on them, and it seems that people often walk on them. At the end of the three paths are three houses located in different directions.
Xiao Yu was curious and walked along the path to a room. The door was unlocked and hung casually on the door.
There might be someone in the house, Xiao Yu concentrated and held his breath, putting his ear to the door and listening.
After a long time, no sound was heard in the house.
But vaguely, he seemed to smell some kind of pungent smell, which made him frown.
He pushed the door gently and it opened on its own.
And a more pungent smell came out of the house, making him cough twice and make him cry.
He seemed to have smelled that complex smell before, but not in this era.
It seems to be the smell of sulfur mixed with saltpeter. If charcoal is added, the ratio is right...
Xiao Yu's body trembled slightly, and a bad feeling came to his heart.
That's impossible! Such a terrifying invention that changed the course of human development should not have been invented until the Tang Dynasty three hundred to four hundred years later.
At this time, he remembered the fire in Tongxiali. According to the description of the person involved, the cause of the fire was like an explosion.
At that time, Xiao Yu had thought of gunpowder, but considering that there was no gunpowder in the Northern and Southern Dynasties where he lived, he overturned his assumption.
But the trajectory of history has long since changed.
Xiao Yu can't remember clearly, but it seems that Ge Hong, an alchemist who lived in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, mentioned a similar gunpowder refining method in one of his books.
If someone really knows the ratio of "nitrate, disulfide and charcoal", it is not impossible to create black powder that is beginning to take on power.
It seems that someone has quietly touched the key to open the door to hell.
Xiao Yu no longer thought about it, the strong pungent smell dissipated lightly, and under the moonlight, Xiao Yu finally stepped into the room.
In the vague shadow, he could vaguely see several wooden shelves against the wall. The wooden shelves were filled with pots and jars, and there seemed to be a strange oblate spherical object on the ground near the door, glowing with a faint metallic luster in the night. .
Xiao Yu lowered his head and glanced at the flat spherical objects the size of his palm. He bent down and picked up one and weighed it in his hand. It seemed to have some weight, but it was not particularly heavy, but it didn't look like it was hollow inside. It seemed to be full. something.
If you look closely at the appearance of this flat ball, you can see that it is somewhat similar to modern grenades or landmines.
Could it be that in addition to himself, there are time travelers who have brought technology from later generations?
Then this guy is too diligent, Xiao Yu is too lazy to worry about this childishness!
Xiao Yu kicked such an iron guy into his arms and walked around to the surrounding wooden frames.
Some bottles and jars are sealed, but they still can't block the pungent smell.
As he walked, he noticed a half-open clay pot. There didn't seem to be any strange smell in it, but it seemed to be filled with some kind of medicinal powder.
He pinched some casually, looked at it in front of his eyes, and saw that it seemed to be some powdery black objects, and then crushed it between his fingers.
Only then did he realize that it was charcoal ground into powder!
Xiao Yu's heart sank, almost all of his previous speculations came true here.
What on earth does Zhu Yi want to do?
Just as he was thinking of this, Xiao Yu suddenly felt something flashing behind him, and he quickly turned back to look.
But he saw that the courtyard behind him was empty, with only knee-high weeds swaying slightly in the night.
Xiao Yu always felt that someone had been following him. If it was Dongfang Lao or Shi Hu, they would have appeared long ago.
But now he has never seen his partner, and is acting alone here. Thinking of this, he feels a little scared.
In short, it is not suitable to stay here for a long time. The purpose of his trip is to find the prisons where Hu people are imprisoned.
Along the way, he seemed to be just wandering around the maze-like walls of the houses, and had to avoid the night watchmen.
Xiao Yu walked out of that room and decided not to look at the remaining two rooms.
Just when he was about to close the door and restore the place to its original appearance, he seemed to feel a slight sound behind him again, and he seemed to see a black shadow flashing past like lightning from the corner of his eye.
Xiao Yu was startled slightly. He turned around suddenly, pulled out the dagger from his waist, and glanced around.
The desolate scenery overgrown with weeds was still in front of him, and there was no other sound.
Xiao Yu didn't believe in ghosts and gods, so he muttered silently, maybe he had seen it wrong.
Without thinking too much, he hurriedly left this strange courtyard and returned to his previous position.
Standing at the starting point and determining the direction, Xiao Yu suddenly felt that the surrounding environment seemed to have changed, but he couldn't explain how.
It suddenly occurred to him that there should be a secret whistle in a dark corner. The night watchman neglected his duty and fell asleep there!
At this time, the loud snoring seemed to have disappeared, and there was a quiet sound not far away.
Did that person wake up again? He was hiding in the dark and watching every move outside.
Xiao Yu stood there for a moment, but the dark corner was still silent and deathly silent.
He became more and more uncertain, and there was no way to waste time here. He gritted his teeth, clenched the dagger, and quietly touched the dark corner.
He suddenly tripped over something again, but this time he was on guard, so he didn't trip over it.
Then his right hand seemed to touch something soft, and the soft thing seemed to be covered with some kind of greasy and viscous liquid.
He suddenly smelled a smell of blood. The man hiding in the secret whistle had been killed.
Xiao Yu's anger grew in his heart, and he repeatedly warned him before setting off that this time he was here to find the way, not to kill people.
Unless there are special circumstances, the three of them will hide if they can and run away if they can.
This hidden sentry obviously poses no threat, but don’t they know that their actions like this will cause trouble for their future plans?
If you die, die!
Xiao Yu thought for a moment, then dragged the body back to the small courtyard and threw it into the haystack.
He glanced around again and saw that there was nothing unusual here, so he hid himself in the darkness again.
He then groped along the base of the dark wall for some distance, during which he skillfully dodged several patrollers.
A low sound of crying and moaning sounded in the ears, and it seemed that it was not only the voices of women, but also the voices of men and children.
Xiao Yu looked up at the independent building in front of him. It seemed to be located in the center of the house and was a relatively independent courtyard.
The courtyard door was open, and the light inside slanted along the door frame to the outside.
A tall man in smart clothes was leaning against the door frame with his head down and sleeping.
Xiao Yu observed for a moment in front of the door. There seemed to be no other sounds except the low sounds of crying and moaning inside. Then he quietly moved forward and passed in front of the sleeping man.
Once inside, he froze.
The cries and howls of men and women came like a flood. Although the sounds were not loud, maybe it was because there were so many people crying, and all kinds of sounds were piled together. This is the case at the fourth watch now. I don’t know what else it could be during the day. Such a scene.
The sight in front of him made Xiao Yu think of the dog market first.
In the large open-air courtyard in front of us, there are many large iron cages placed one on top of another. Many men and women in ragged clothes are locked in these large iron cages, like domestic animals.
There is a brazier on all sides of the courtyard, and the limited light in the brazier slightly illuminates the surrounding area.
Xiao Yu walked in the aisle isolated by the iron cage and looked to both sides.
He saw men and women of different ages being locked up in iron cages. Their hands were all chained, and their hair was disheveled. Their clothes were in tatters, and some had blood stains on their heads and bodies. What a mistreatment.
Some people had already fallen asleep, moaning in their dreams; some had their eyes open and stared blankly, feeling nothing at all about Xiao Yu's appearance.
Xiao Yu walked among them, and the stench of blood and waste in the air was nauseating.
In the bottomless room further inside, men's laughter and curses and women's painful moans could be faintly heard.
Xiao Yu stood in the courtyard, feeling dazzled, this should be it.
Just as he was thinking of this, a small hand quietly and timidly stretched out from the cage and patted Xiao Yu's back.
A young voice whispered: "Are you here to save us too?"
