May 11th, early morning.
Chang An was drowsy. When he woke up from his sleep, there was a fierce knock on the door.
"gentlemen!"
It was Zhuang Xiuyu's voice.
He shook his head vigorously. He was so drunk with Wan Chaoyang last night that he had forgotten how he returned to Chu's Villa.
He opened the door unsteadily, and Zhuang Xiuyu looked at him with a troubled expression.
"Sir, why did you get up so late today?"
Chang An was still groggy and murmured
"What's wrong?"
Zhuang Xiuyu said
"Master Chu is here and he wants to see you."
Chang An suddenly woke up after hearing this.
"Okay, I'll come right away."
With that said, he closed the door again, quickly dressed up, and prepared to go downstairs.
Downstairs, Chu Yuchao was sitting quietly in front of the door, admiring the scenery in the courtyard.
Chang An walked down, saw Chu Yuchao, and stepped forward apologetically.
"Sorry, Master Chu, I've been waiting for a long time."
Chu Yuchao's eyes were clear and he said calmly.
"Master Chang, there is no need to apologize. It was me who came early."
Chang An smiled bitterly, and when he saw an empty chair placed next to Chu Yuchao, he knew it was prepared for him.
Without being pretentious, he sat next to Chu Yuchao generously.
There was a square table between the two of them. On the square table, there was a teapot, two cups of new tea, and three wisps of hot air rising up.
"This is tea brewed with the morning dew collected from the Black Coffin Forest every day. Master Chang, try it to see how it is different from your tea from the Central Plains."
Chang An smiled
"Okay, I'll try."
As he spoke, he picked up the tea cup in front of him, gently blew away the tea leaves on the surface, and took a sip. Suddenly, he felt the fragrance overflowing in his mouth, and the alcohol in his body was swept away, leaving him feeling refreshed.
“What a refreshing tea.”
Chang An praised.
Chu Yuchao also picked up the tea cup, but he was not as elegant as Chang An in drinking tea. He drank it all in one gulp and didn't even care to drink the tea leaves as well.
He seemed to notice Chang An's surprised expression and said
"Rough people from the mountains are not as refined as the Chang family, so the Chang family is laughing at them."
Chang An shook his head and said
"Master Chu has the final say on how to drink his own tea."
Chu Yuchao said lightly
"Master Chang is reasonable, so why on the territory of my Chu family, Master Chang wants to attract strangers here at will."
Chang An was startled, then smiled bitterly, feeling that this was a case of questioning.
"Sorry, Master Chu, Chang has a purpose for coming here. As for my friend, I guarantee that he will not walk out of the black coffin forest."
Chu Yuchao stared at the courtyard slightly.
"I don't know what the reason for the Chang family's visit this time is?"
Chang An said solemnly
"I'm here to ask the owner how he plans to deal with Miss Chu being kidnapped from the twelfth floor."
Chu Yuchao was silent for a long time, stared at Chang An, and said slowly
"This matter is not my responsibility."
Chang An smiled bitterly again, meaning that it was my turn to take care of it, and then he became more and more suspicious. Master Chu Zhuang was too careless about Chu Guanyu's affairs.
"This tea is so refreshing and seems to be able to relieve hangovers?"
Chang An laughed and changed the topic.
Chu Yuchao glanced at him
"People in the villa have been practicing martial arts for generations and prefer drinking alcohol to drinking tea. However, drinking too much wine is harmful to the body. Therefore, the doctor in the villa taught everyone how to make this tea. One cup a day can indeed relieve hangover."
Immediately, his expression changed again and he said seriously
"After the small talk, it's time to talk about business."
Chang An also looked serious.
"All ears."
Chu Yuchao's eyes drifted into the distance and he said slowly
"Since I can remember, my Chu family has been living in seclusion here and rarely contacted the outside world. The reason is because my Chu family has guarded a secret for generations."
Chang An asked
"What secret?"
Chu Yuchao Road
"Penglai."
Chang An was shocked. He touched his chest unconsciously. The half of the silk book Yan Sihai gave him was the Penglai map.
"Is there really a Penglai divine realm in this world?"
Chu Yuchao looked at him
"A while ago, the missing boy case that Miss Chang Sheng solved in the imperial capital has already spread all over the world. It is not a secret that Mo Bei set foot on the Magpie Bridge. Master Chang will not tell me now that you don't know these things, right?"
Chang An sneered. Of course he knew this, but he would still be extremely shocked when he personally confirmed the existence of Penglai.
"Is it possible that the Chu family has some connection with Penglai?"
Chang An asked.
Chu Yuchao said
"To be honest, I don't know about this. It's just that since I became the head of the family, the elders of the Chu family have been telling me to protect one thing."
"what?"
Chang An asked.
Chu Yuchao's expression suddenly became strange, and he silently pointed to the sky.
Chang An was stunned
"Starry sky?"
Seeing Chu Yuchao nodding solemnly to him, as if he was lying to him, Chang An really didn't know what to say. Why did this ancestor of the Chu family speak so out of tune.
Chu Yuchao explained
"Although I don't know what it means to protect the starry sky, my ancestors left behind a saying that when Kui Lao is in full bloom, it will light the way back home."
"Then what happened to the Chu family?"
Chang An asked.
Chu Yuchao drank another cup of tea
"I have to say this at both ends. Three years ago, when the Chang Family Master was having a decisive battle with the Sword God, an old scholar in the village observed the sky and found that the Big Dipper was extremely bright. For some reason, it seemed to be responding to something. This caused a stir. The old scholar is uneasy. He thinks that the road to his hometown that the ancestors said has been illuminated, and the people who the ancestors said are returning home may soon return."
Chang An frowned, this was very similar to what Yan Sihai said in his letter.
"The person who returned home, but there has been no news from the person who returned home. He seems to be still lost in the darkness. How can he find his way back?"
Chu Yuchao shook his head slightly
"I don't know either. Three years ago, the Big Dipper was at its peak. My clan was shocked. I searched for the reasons, but I couldn't find why the Big Dipper mutated. I had no choice but to go out and form an alliance with the outside world to fight against all the unknowns in the future."
"Originally, two years have passed and nothing happened. Everyone thought that all this might be just a coincidence. Gradually, they all forgot about it, and Shouchi returned to his usual appearance."
Chang An frowned slightly
"A year ago, the Gu family was massacred. Is this related?"
Chu Yuchao looked at Chang An with admiration
"Mr. Chang's guess was right. The second incident happened because of the murder of the Gu family a year ago. After I came out three years ago, I made a lot of friends with people in the world. Among them, I fell in love with Prince Gu at first sight. At that time, Gu The prince has been canonized as the quasi-emperor and the future human emperor. At that time, I was worried about the prophecies of my ancestors. After meeting Prince Gu, I thought that if I could join forces with the emperor, maybe it would be easier to find the star mutation. s reason."
"So, I gave half of the Penglai silk book left by my ancestors to Prince Gu. Unexpectedly, this half of the silk book caused Prince Gu's death, and caused Prince Gu's whole family to be wiped out. I learned that Prince Gu After I died, I rushed to the north all night, but I was still a step too late. By the time I arrived, the Gu family had already..."
Chu Yuchao's eyes were filled with melancholy and he blamed himself.
"If I had not given that half of the silk book as a gift, perhaps Prince Gu's family would still be alive and well now."
But at this time, Chang An was shocked. He touched the half of the silk book on his chest and his expression changed drastically.
"On the twelfth floor, after all the hardships and efforts, even if the entire Gu family was destroyed, what they were trying to find was actually half of the Penglai Picture? Is the so-called secret treasure that Qu Fengzhi escorted the Penglai Picture that was lost back then?"
"But wasn't that picture taken to the Imperial Capital by Gu Jingshi? How could it appear on Gu Yuanwu's body?"
Chu Yuchao nodded
"It should be the Penglai Picture, but why the Penglai Picture is on Gu Yuanwu's body is unknown."
Chang An's eyes narrowed
"No, the killer on the twelfth floor assassinated Prince Gu in the capital, but still went to the north to kill the entire Gu family. Logically speaking, they should have gotten the half of the Penglai map in Prince Gu's hands, so why did they go there? To the north, unless Prince Gu did not take Penglai Tu to the imperial capital at all."
"He knew it was a conspiracy from the beginning!"
Chang An suddenly shouted.
Chu Yuchao said lightly
"But he still went to the Imperial Capital."
Chang An felt sad and whispered:
"That's why Gu Yuanwu was able to escape with Penglai Tu. From the beginning, he planned to protect Penglai Tu with the life of his family."
Thinking of this, Chang An couldn't help but secretly admire that the King of the North was truly a hero. Even if he died, he would keep his promise to his friends and protect the world's treasures.
"Master Chu, I have another question to ask you."
Chang An said suddenly.
"Excuse me."
"Were you also involved in Fu Rushui's assassination of Qu Fengzhi?"
Chu Yuchao was silent for a long time, looked into Chang An's eyes, nodded and said
"Master Chang is really smart, why would he think of me?"
Chang An said
"Because it was so strange that the Chu family came to ask for marriage, I even thought at first that the Chu family and the Twelfth Floor were working together to plot against me."
Chu Yuchao Road
"Of course it's impossible."
"That night, was it the Chu family leader who shot down the rope in front of the city gate?"
Chang An asked again.
Chu Yuchao shook his head
"Why should I do this to cause strife in the world?"
Chang An nodded slightly. Indeed, doing such a thing meant nothing to Chu Yuchao.
Chu Yuchao added some tea to Chang An and said
"If you have nothing to do, Master Chang, you can stay here for a while. There is still some time before the March appointment on the twelfth floor. I just ask Master Chang to make sure to save the little girl."
Chang An nodded solemnly
"Chang will definitely bring Miss Chu back to the villa unscathed."
Chu Yuchao stood up and slowly walked out of the yard.
In the dead of night, the Chu Family Villa was peaceful.
Chang An's figure once again appeared on the high ground of the villa. He kept jumping, and it was like being in a deserted place in the villa. Although there were many masters in Chu's villa, with Chang An's current skills, he could easily dodge all the sentries. The eyes and ears of the post.
But tonight, instead of heading towards the Black Coffin Forest, he walked in the opposite direction and came to the back of the villa.
Behind the villa is a stone wall that is more than ten feet high. Chang An looked calm and gently stepped on the wall. He jumped up along the vertical stone wall. To him, the almost impossible to climb stone wall. It seems like walking on flat ground.
In just a few breaths, he jumped onto the stone wall, but just as he jumped onto the stone wall, a strong wind blew by, which distorted his face.
Chang An took a closer look and saw the unfathomable cliff in front of him.
The strong wind kept roaring, and the unfathomable cliff was like the bloody mouth of an ancient beast, as if it was about to swallow him up at any time.
Chang An frowned slightly and stared at the deep cliff. He always felt that there was something profound about the Chu Family Villa being built on the edge of this cliff.
And the evil name of Black Coffin Forest also made him feel uneasy.
At this moment, a flying knife pierced the night sky and struck from behind Chang An.
Chang An's ears trembled slightly, and his eyes became cold and stern. He jumped high, easily dodged the flying knife, and then landed steadily on the stone wall.
Then, he tiptoed slightly forward, jumped backwards, and landed firmly on the ground.
He slowly turned around and looked at the three men in black standing behind him with fierce looks.
"You are from the twelfth floor? You actually chased me here."
Chang An said calmly.
The three of them seemed unwilling to talk to him. One of them held a spear and stabbed straight at Chang An. Chang An smiled coldly, turned slightly and easily dodged the shot.
"boom!"
The gun pierced the stone wall, penetrated three-thirds of the way, and raised a faint trace of lime.
Chang An gently touched the gun body with his finger, and saw that the man was shocked as if he was electrocuted, and then he let go of the gun with his hands loosened.
Chang An succeeded with one blow, with a look of surprise on his face.
"Kuofu level? Which building owner are you?"
The man snorted coldly and remained silent, but at this moment, another man attacked.
I saw that the man was holding a short blade and stabbing Chang An directly in front of the door. On the other side, there was one person left, holding a launching device in his hand. Chang An looked at it intently, but it was the one used by Chu Muhe when he was in Liangzhou that day. transmitting device.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...
Several thin black iron needles were fired towards Chang An. On the other side, the man in black holding a short blade had also arrived in front of Chang An.
Soon after, Chang An's face was calm, his inner strength wall slowly opened up, and he rushed directly towards the man in black holding a short blade.
But the black iron needle was extremely fast and reached Chang An's eyes first. Chang An stabbed out the sword fiercely, and the sword shadow of Qingkui bloomed again in the dark night.
"Dang!" "Dang!" "Dang!"...
Several sounds of metal collision were heard, and all the black iron needles fell to the ground. On the other side, the man in black holding a short blade had an evil smile on his face and had already stabbed him in the face. The man actually ignored Chang An's body-protecting Qi wall and stabbed straight down.
Chang An secretly thought that it was not good. He saw that the short blade in the man's hand was emitting a dark light. The short blade was also made of black iron. Just when the short blade pierced Chang An's inner strength wall, Chang An quickly retreated, dangerously And narrowly avoided a fatal blow.
But the battle was far from over. On the other side, the man in black with a spear came behind him at some point. He had already pulled out his spear and stabbed him in the back.
Chang An was flying back at this time, unable to avoid it. He suddenly thought quickly and swung the sword of the God of Sword behind him, hitting the man in black holding the gun directly in the face. The man in black was shocked and quickly put away his gun to avoid that attack. sword.
"Bang!"
Chang An plunged his sword straight into the stone wall behind, raising a lot of dust.
A cold smile appeared on Chang An's face. He stopped steadily in front of the stone wall. His right hand stretched back slightly, holding the sword of the sword god. Then, just as his feet landed, he put his right foot against the stone wall. above the wall.
"Snapped!"
He exerted force with his right hand and right foot at the same time, and the Sword God's Sword came out of the wall. Then, his right foot received the reaction force of the stone wall, and the whole person was shot out at once.
He already possesses unparalleled lightness skills, but now he has borrowed the force of the stone wall to push back, making his speed even more difficult to beat.
"Gulu!"
The sword rose and fell, and in the blink of an eye, the man in black holding the short blade had already beheaded him.
"who!"
At this time, the sentry post in the manor had already noticed the sound of someone fighting, and quickly came here.
When the two saw this, their expressions were gloomy. They quickly took out two hook locks, hooked them on the stone wall, and used the hook locks to climb up the stone wall. Then, under Chang An's gaze, they actually jumped off the high stone wall. , fell under the cliff!
Chang An did not stop them, but looked coldly at the two falling figures and said to himself
"What the hell are you doing?"
