Following Qing Shu's words "Come in", Zhong Wu and Lu Li rushed to the entrance of the school building, each standing on either side, firmly occupying the gate. A person got out of the carriage, it was Shouchun Xing Jingtai.
Jingtai chuckled and cupped his hands in front of the steps. Qingshu extended his hand to invite: "Jing Xingxing, please!"
Jingtai smiled and said, "That's too much trouble."
Qingshu asked Zhong Liying: "Where is he imprisoned? Is he in a dungeon?"
Zhong Liying closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Qing Xingxing, does it have to be like this?"
Qingshu shook his head and said: "You don't understand... Just tell me, don't worry. After the matter is completed, you can leave Yangzhou and come to Linzi to join my sect again. In the future, you will become a god and you may not be able to walk anywhere. Isn't that better than Trapped in a mere Yangzhou and a hundred times stronger?"
Jingtai also said: "Zhong Liying, I have heard Deacon Qing praise you a long time ago, saying that you are proficient in general affairs, have a general understanding of the general affairs, are honest and loyal, and are impeccable in handling things. If you don't want to leave Chu State, you can come to Shouchun. All the general affairs of my Shouchun Academy will be left to you."
Zhongwu and Lu Li looked at Zhongli with eager eyes. When they first came to Yangzhou, they had a lot of dealings with Zhongliying. In the entire Yangzhou school, Zhongliying was the only one who could catch his eyes, and they each advised him.
One said: "Zhongli, what's wrong with returning to the service of Deacon Qing? Will Sun Wu be able to convince the people when he walks in Yangzhou? Are you convinced? At least we are not convinced."
Another said: "Zhongli, you have to think carefully. Qing Xingxing is willing to support you. If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to do it again."
Seeing that Zhong Liying didn't speak, Jingtai said in a serious tone: "Zhong Liying, the school building is so big, do you really want to wait for us to search for the person? By then it will be too late!"
Zhong Liying murmured and nodded: "That's alright...you can go to the dungeon."
Everyone rushed to the backyard dungeon. Zhong Wu and Lu Li held Zhong Liying forward to prevent him from escaping. Zhong Wu asked: "Where are the others?"
Zhong Liying said: "They are all in the dungeon."
Zhongwu said: "Zhongli, this is the right choice."
There is a pond in the backyard of Yangzhou Academy, and the rockery beside the pond is the entrance to the dungeon.
Qing Shu winked at Zhong Liying and said, "Call the door."
Zhong Liying stepped forward and knocked on a sound stone above his head three times. The sound stone made a pleasant sound, and the stone door of the dungeon suddenly opened.
Zhong Wu pushed Zhong Liying behind him and pushed him into the dungeon. The others followed behind and filed in, leaving Lu Li guarding the entrance to the dungeon.
The structure of the Yangzhou dungeon is the same as that of most other schools in the world. After walking down the stone steps for a few feet, there is a damp and dark tunnel. There are torture chambers, stone houses, prison cells, water cells, etc. in the tunnel, of different lengths. For example, the dungeon in the Shouchun Academy is shorter, with only four cells, while the dungeon in the Yangzhou Academy is more than twice as long - the Baiyue wilderness under the jurisdiction of the Yangzhou Academy has too many prisoners.
Walking six or seven feet along the tunnel, there is a water prison at the corner ahead. Everyone has heard the sound of people talking and talking from the water prison, but the sound is vague and not very real.
Qingshu and Zhongwu both knew very well that if there was an ambush, this would be the best place, so they pushed Zhong Liying to turn the corner first.
Just as Zhong Liying turned around, everyone's eyes suddenly dimmed. The torch bulbs on the wall seemed to have been blown by the wind, and the flames bent.
At the same time, the chatter that had just come from the water prison suddenly disappeared, and the dungeon became eerily quiet.
None of them were inexperienced novices. Everyone knew something was wrong immediately. They distanced themselves, sacrificed their magic weapons, and held their breaths.
Zhongwu called out: "Zhongli?"
There was no response from the other side of the corner, so he called again: "Zhong Liying? What the hell?"
Seeing that there was still no response, Zhongwu threw the flying sword out and danced into sword flowers around the corner. Looking under the cover of the magic weapon, he couldn't help but be startled, and turned back to look at Qingshu and Jingtai.
A huge iron shield stood erected in the tunnel. Countless sharp thorns protruded from the shield mountain, reflecting a blue luster in the dim firelight, completely blocking the way.
Having been in the Academy for many years, Jugo recognized it at a glance. This was the Wolf Fang Hundred-Nail Shield. Ten of them were refined in total and all were stored in the Qifu Pavilion. When the Academy fought against the Demonic Way, the Academy was at the forefront. The monks then formed a shield array.
Qingshu and Jingtai also came forward to check. These two were more knowledgeable than Zhongwu, and they immediately recognized that it was a small shield like the Wolf-Tooth Hundred-Nail Shield. When the academy was refining this shield, there were still some scraps left over from the materials. Because they were relatively precious, several small shields were made along the way.
For personal protection, a small shield is far less effective than a large shield, but setting up one in the tunnel is enough to trap them for a short time, making them unable to move forward even half a step.
Jingtai asked: "Didn't you set it up at that time?"
Qing Shu said: "Of course not, it must be set up by Sun Wu... Zhong Liying!"
Zhong Liying still didn't answer. Qing Shu said angrily: "Zhong Liying, don't think that if you hide behind you, I can't help you. Are you really going to be that ungrateful person?"
Jingtai knew that Qingshu would definitely not be able to summon Zhong Liying, so he immediately flew out three magical weapons: the soul-catching hook, the Tianzhan scissors, and the heart-destroying claw. With a stabbing sound, he pulled out a hole in the stone wall of the tunnel next to him. The soil fell one after another. He knew that based on the current situation on his side, it would be impossible to break through the Wolf Fang Hundred-Nail Shield in a short period of time, so he would just go around it.
Qingshu also came to help, and at the same time told Zhongwu: "We must beware of the thieves' tricks. You go outside the dungeon to help Lu Li and guard your retreat."
Zhongwu received the order and hurriedly exited. As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw a person flying in. It was Lu Li who was guarding the outside.
Zhongwu caught Lu Li in a hurry. Before he could ask what was going on, the stone door had already closed, sealing the entrance.
As the stone door closed, two talismans suddenly floated on Lu Li's body, but they were stuck to him when he "flew" in just now.
The movement here alerted Qingshu and Jingtai. When they came to check, they happened to see two talismans rising above Lu Li's head, making two bangs, and burning one after another.
Qingshu's hands and feet felt cold for a while, and he murmured: "Tiangang Thunder Talisman..."
Jingtai shouted, turned the corner, and bumped into the wolf-toothed shield: "Let me pass..."
Behind the wolf-tooth hundred-nailed shield stood Zhong Liying, Huaihua Jian, Chen Bu and Shi Jiu. Chen Bu asked curiously: "Is Xue Xingxing's Tiangang Thunder Talisman so powerful?"
Zhong Liying said: "It's very powerful. The talisman created by Jiang Fengxing. I have read the archives. Seven years ago in the West Ji, Yongcheng walked with two Tiangang thunder talismans and killed an evil cultivator of the God Refining Realm in the West Ji on the spot. No bones remain.”
Chen Bu was a little worried: "You won't really kill someone, right?"
Zhong Liying said: "There are four people inside. If we work together to resist, Qing Xingxing and Jingtai will not die, but it is hard to say for Zhongwu and Lu Li."
Sophora Flower Sword comforted him: "Why should Zhongli be sad? You have persuaded Qing Xingxing to come in, who is to blame? Brother Sun once said that good words cannot persuade a damn ghost!"
Zhong Liying said sadly: "Yeah, damn it, why didn't you listen to my advice..."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Thanks to Taoist Master Tianming for the reward, and to fellow Taoists for their encouragement with monthly tickets and recommended tickets!
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