"So, we have to go back to that room to take a look … Hongjun?"
Li Jinglong frowned, and everyone looked at Hongjun at the same time. Hongjun subconsciously got up, walked out of the front hall, and stood in the corridor.
This was a familiar place, but in his memory, everything had become different. Hongjun looked around and strongly felt that he had remembered a memory that he had never had before — —
— — What was going on? Was it because of the Soul Leaving Pollen? But didn't the Soul Leaving Pollen have the effect of forgetting? How could it make him remember the past?
"Father — —! Father! "
In his memory, Little Hongjun shouted at the top of his lungs, but a black shadow flew over and landed in the courtyard.
It was Qing Xiong! Hongjun suddenly turned his head and saw the former Qing Xiong.
His robes fluttered as he stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Have you killed enough?"
And in the hall, under the golden light, was a couple who died in each other's arms. Their faces had become blurred. Little Hongjun threw himself at the couple's bodies and cried crazily. Qing Xiong grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him back.
"Father — —!" Little Hongjun screamed, but Qing Xiong's voice sounded in his ears.
"Shh. Look at me, look at me. "Qing Xiong knelt on one knee and turned Hongjun to look at him. His eyes were fixed on Hongjun. His lips moved slightly, and he said something to Hongjun.
Little Hongjun stood in the courtyard in a daze and looked around. Qing Xiong forced him to look at himself again, pressed his head, and spoke to him, but the words had become blurred.
What did Qing Xiong say? Hongjun frowned deeply. Qing Xiong seemed to often say that sentence, but he had forgotten. But what was going on with the Exorcism Division and the dead couple?!
"Hongjun!" Everyone shouted.
Li Jinglong came to the courtyard and waved his hand in front of him, asking, "Are you okay?"
Hongjun always felt that he had forgotten something that Qing Xiong had said, something very important, but he also remembered even more strange things. He closed his eyes and shook his head with all his might, trying to expel these messy memories from his mind.
Li Jinglong asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
Hongjun took a deep breath and waved his hand to indicate that it was fine. He returned to the main hall and sat down. He raised his eyebrows and asked about the results of the discussion.
"Let's move tonight." Li Jinglong said, "I have a rough idea. We should have found some clues in the Poetry Pavilion, but we still need to confirm it. Now, let's go and rest first. We'll move out together tonight. "
Mo Rigen, Atay, and Qiu Yongsi nodded but did not move. They all looked at Hongjun. Hongjun hurriedly told everyone not to worry about him and went their separate ways.
In the afternoon, as soon as Hongjun lay down, Li Jinglong came to see him. He sat on the edge of the bed and asked, "Hongjun, what's wrong with you today?"
At this time, Li Jinglong raised his hand and placed it on the back of Hongjun's hand.
Hong Jun's heartbeat suddenly sped up, and an impulse surged from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to grab Li Jinglong's hand and tell him about his memories from before, but he himself didn't know what was going on, so he replied, "Nothing."
"If you have something on your mind, you can say it at any time." Li Jinglong withdrew his hand and said, "You don't feel well after smelling the Soul Leaving Pollen. You have to think of a solution as soon as possible."
Hongjun hurriedly said that it had nothing to do with the Soul Leaving Pollen. Li Jinglong nodded and turned to leave. Hongjun turned over, yawned, and temporarily fell asleep.
The sun set in the west, and the shadow of the mountains covered Daming Palace.
A woman in luxurious clothes walked quickly in the shadow of the palace wall, like a silent ghost.
"I feel it. It's in Chang 'an City."
A black-clothed man with a scar on his forehead was gloomy and silent.
"Fei Ao, go and take a look." The woman urged.
"It's for me to eat." The black-clothed man called Fei Ao was full of hostility and answered.
"There will be." The woman said in a low voice, "We have to find that guy. Tianma is still not stable …"
"It's for me to eat!" Fei Ao suddenly showed his sharp teeth.
"That's not your food!" The woman took a step forward and said threateningly, "Bring him back. When the time comes, there will naturally be something to feed you."
Her eyes suddenly flickered with red light. Fei Ao took half a step back. After a moment of silence, he turned around and climbed over the palace wall, disappearing into the dusk.
"Madam." A maid rushed over but did not see anyone. She whispered, "Is there anyone here? You … "
The woman turned her head in an instant, and the maid let out a heart-wrenching scream.
"Help —" Before the maid could scream, she was enveloped by a black fog. Her eyes widened as she stared at the furry monster in luxurious clothes in front of her. Her throat gurgled uncontrollably, and then the skin all over her body dried up at a speed visible to the naked eye. In an instant, she was sucked dry and turned into a skeleton-like dry person. With a soft sound, she fell to the ground.
The noblewoman was dressed in luxurious clothes. She walked under the setting sun and whistled towards the mountains. Several wild foxes leaped over the wall and grabbed the maid's body. They dragged her out of Daming Palace and threw her into the valley.
"Hongjun, wake up." Mo Rigen patted Hongjun's shoulder. Hongjun slept with a splitting headache and turned to get up.
Mo Rigen touched Hongjun's forehead with his hand. There was no fever. He asked, "Are you not feeling well? Do you want to sleep a little longer? "
Hongjun had a very long and strange dream. When he woke up, he forgot about it and waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. When they came out of the Exorcism Department, everyone was ready. Li Jinglong carried a bow and a sword on his back and was assigning tasks to everyone.
Hongjun remembered the feeling when Li Jinglong put his hand on the back of his hand in the afternoon. He suddenly felt that he was very reliable and took a step closer to him. He was a little hesitant to speak, but when there was someone else around, Li Jinglong did not say anything and just nodded at him.
The Carp Demon was riding on a horse, its two furry legs dangling in the air. Its head was resting on Li Jinglong's back, and it was dozing off with its hands hanging down.
"Mm … Let's go." Hongjun decided to forget about this matter, even though it made him feel vaguely uneasy.
The drums sounded, and the five of them mounted their horses and galloped to the outskirts of Pingkang. Atay and Qiu Yongsi turned to the main street, while Li Jinglong, Hongjun, and Mo Rigen entered the back alley. Mo Rigen nodded at the two of them, climbed up the wall, and entered the backyard.
"Hammurabi and Pei Yongsi went to attract the attention of the people in the brothel." Li Jinglong put the carp demon down. When he saw Hongjun looking around, he explained, "Mo Rigen sent a message. Let's go back to that room and investigate again."
"Wow, it's so lively." Hongjun said.
It was Hongjun's first time coming out after the drums. He felt that Chang 'an had changed greatly in an instant. Inside Pingkang, the brothel was full of singing and dancing. The big red lanterns were all lit up, illuminating the brothel in front of it. The lanterns were bright and colorful, and the music was playing.
On the left, the spring dawn of the oriole was playing the pipa, like thousands of pearls falling on a huge drum. On the right, dozens of harps were playing in unison, like a spring melting snow. On both sides of the brothel, red muslin was fluttering, and the sound of scholars and merchants cheering could be heard. The brothel was filled with bright lights, and the inside of the brothel was gilded with gold and jade. Shadows came and went like a merry-go-round. The proverb, "Singing and dancing without night, ten miles of peace and quiet", was just right.
"What is this place for?" Hongjun was still puzzled.
Li Jinglong never thought that Hongjun didn't even know what a brothel was. He didn't know if Hongjun was really stupid or just pretending to be stupid. He looked at Hongjun for a moment, and saw that this young man really did look innocent. He asked, "Are you serious?"
Hongjun: "?"
"It's a …" Li Jinglong was really in a dilemma. He said, "In short, it's not a good place."
Hongjun asked again, "Last time I took you to the spring dawn of the oriole, why did they laugh at you?"
Li Jinglong waved his hand and held his forehead, indicating that he shouldn't ask anymore. In fact, which civil and military official didn't come to Chang 'an? They were just using him to make an issue out of it.
Hongjun, however, was still curious. He asked again, "Have you been here before?"
"No." Li Jinglong answered. At this moment, a scholar hugged a beautiful girl and turned around from the alley. He was obviously drunk and wanted to enter from the back door. Li Jinglong pulled Hongjun and the two hid in the dark.
Hongjun kept looking outside. The doubts in his heart were about to break through the sky. Li Jinglong saw that he didn't seem to be faking it, so he said seriously, "I don't like …"
"Don't like what?" Hongjun looked back. The two were very close, so Li Jinglong unnaturally moved back a little.
"I don't like this kind of short-lived marriage." Li Jinglong answered.
Hongjun could roughly guess the meaning of these words. Li Jinglong was surprised and said, "How come you don't know anything? Not to mention your parents, didn't that Carp Demon teach you anything? "
"Then tell me?" Hongjun hurriedly pricked up his ears. The more mysterious he was, the more interested he was.
Li Jinglong: "…"
At the same time, at the front door of the Poetry Pavilion.
"Hey, monkey —!" Atay laughed exaggeratedly and opened his arms.
"Wow — he's here again!"
"It's that barbarian! That guqin playing barbarian is here again! "
"Sweetheart — Baby —"
Atay lifted the chin of the brothel keeper who came forward to greet him and made a "kiss" gesture. The brothel keeper's face suddenly turned red, and she smiled and said, "Young master is here again! You haven't been here for a few days. The girls are all waiting. "
Atay smiled and said, "I can't help it. Ai, I'm new here, so I have to please my boss. Didn't I come to see you when I had time?"
"Ah —"
As soon as Atay walked into the hall, the girls flocked out, screaming endlessly, and hurried downstairs to greet him. The scene made all the guests behind the screen in the hall couldn't help but look around.
"Young master Qiu is here too!" Another girl said, "Will you compose a poem for us?"
"Tell us about your cousin!"
Qiu Yongsi smiled and said, "Tonight, let's listen to Atay's guqin first."
Atay walked into the hall, and the dancing girls all stopped what they were doing and crowded around him. Atay hugged one of them and lightly kissed her on the cheek, and walked to the innermost couch in the hall.
"Don't you want some wine?" Qiu Yongsi smiled and asked.
The waiter immediately served the wine. Tonight, there were many scholars who came to the capital for the autumn examination. Seeing the girls who accompanied them looking around, one of them said unhappily, "What's wrong with that barbarian?"
"Shh." The girl signaled to the scholar not to ask more, and couldn't help but look outside the screen.
There were several lanterns hanging above Atay's head, and the second and third floor railings were full of girls. The guests didn't know what was going on, and came out to take a look. Under the bright lights, Atay had a head of dark brown curly hair, eyes as deep as the sea, a high nose, and skin as white as milk. He smiled at the audience.
The whole hall was silent. Atay sat cross-legged, hugging the Barbat guqin, but he didn't pluck the strings. He cleared his throat and started singing.
"How many wastelands were once blooming gardens … …"
"How many palaces have become ruins today … …"
His voice paused, and Atay plucked the strings of the Barbat guqin with his five fingers. The strings vibrated continuously, as if there was a strange magic flowing from his fingertips. It was as if the moonlight shone on the courtyard, and the silver ornaments made a small sound, and a white stag walked through the weeds in the courtyard, and in an instant, the courtyard bloomed with snow-white flowers.
"I'm drunk in your eyes, and I've already forgotten the passing of time … …"
Atai tilted his head slightly and closed his eyes. His side profile was so handsome that it took people's breath away. The doors on the second and third floors, which were leaning against the poetry railing, opened one after another. Everyone was attracted by the music and went downstairs quietly.
At that moment, the whole building seemed to have fallen into a dream, and they couldn't help themselves under the music.
Qiu Yongsi had a smile on his face, and two balls of cotton were stuffed in his ears, and his head was gently swaying.
In the back alley, after listening to Li Jinglong's narration, Hongjun's face turned red. He was both excited and curious, and asked: "Really?"
Li Jinglong didn't want to repeat what he had just said to Hongjun again.
"Don't tell anyone!" Li Jinglong ordered.
It was reasonable to say that Hongjun was already 16 years old, and the customs of the Tang Dynasty were open. Chang 'an youths were considered adults at 13 or 14 years old, and it was normal for them to wander around Pingkang. Li Jinglong usually led the Long Wu Army and didn't forbid them from discussing. However, when facing Hongjun, he suddenly felt a strange sense of guilt in his heart.
"It's such a good place, why don't you come?" Hongjun asked.
"Of course I won't come!" Li Jinglong almost exploded from this sentence, "Do I look like that kind of person?"
Mo Rigen poked his head out of the backyard, whistled at the two, and waved his hand, indicating that they could go in. Li Jinglong's expression was serious, indicating that Hongjun should keep his mouth shut, but it didn't seem to be necessary.
"Let's get to work!" Li Jinglong moved the Carp Demon and said, "Go guard the front of the building."
The two turned around and quickly ran to the backyard.
The second and third floors were actually empty! Hongjun threw out his grappling hook, and flew up to the second floor with Li Jinglong. Mo Rigen was waiting on the outside of the second floor, and he handed Li Jinglong and Hongjun two balls of cotton. Li Jinglong immediately stuffed them into his ears, and Hongjun held the cotton, not knowing what to do for a moment.
Li Jinglong walked in front, and Hongjun leaned against the railing of the building and looked down. The sound of the zither was like the sound of nature, and the people leaning against the railing were intoxicated, like frozen puppets.
Hongjun: "…"
Atay's song had the flowing moonlight and the flourishing courtyard … In the blink of an eye, Mo Rigen grabbed Hongjun's hands and stuffed the cotton into his ears. In an instant, the sound of the zither and the song faded away, and Hongjun returned to reality in an instant.
Li Jinglong dragged him into the room and said in a low voice, "Don't listen. Get to work."
Mo Rigen stood guard outside to prevent any more accidents. Hongjun kept looking outside, and asked, "Is that Atay playing the zither?!"
Hongjun could roughly guess that this was most likely Atay's magic. It was just that he had never used it on them when he was playing the zither in the Exorcism Division. He lay on the bed and looked inside. Li Jinglong didn't find anything unusual, so he put away his sword and came over to carry the bed. He gritted his teeth and said, "Haven't you heard of it before?"
"Not like today … Found it!" Hongjun found a long cloth bag under the bed, and hurriedly pulled it out. However, he saw the shriveled head of the corpse again.
"Wah —!" Hongjun shouted in fright, "It's this again!"
Mo Rigen knocked on the door, and Li Jinglong answered, indicating that he was fine inside.
"Eh? Why did I say 'again'? "Hongjun said to himself.
"Drag it out." Li Jinglong said.
After Hongjun dragged out the dried corpse, Li Jinglong put down the bed. This time, Li Jinglong came prepared and wasn't frightened. He opened the cloth bag, put on a pair of black silk gloves, and began to examine the corpse. Hong Jun had goosebumps as he watched and hid behind Li Jinglong.
"It's a man, between thirty and forty years old." Li Jinglong said, "Look at his clothes, he doesn't look like a businessman, nor an official. Maybe he's a scholar who went to the capital to take the exam … Hongjun?"
"I don't dare to look!" Hongjun saw that the dried corpse was dark, with its mouth wide open, exposing its gums. Li Jinglong stripped it of its clothes and exposed it to the light. It was indescribably disgusting, and his hair stood on end.
Li Jinglong said, "Don't be afraid, it can't eat you. Look, what kind of demon sucked his blood essence dry? This can't be the effect of slow decay. "
"Is the demon the owner of this room?" Hongjun suddenly had an idea, and rummaged around the cabinets and drawers.
Li Jinglong said, "Don't touch things, you'll be found out."
Hongjun lowered his head and said, "If it's a demon, it must have some magic weapons or evil things with it, but there's nothing here."
Li Jinglong pondered for a moment. The people downstairs were still singing and playing the zither. Mo Rigen asked outside, "Is it not done yet?"
Hongjun rummaged around and said, "There's no demon in this room."
"Let me ask you a question, can you feel the demon's aura?" Li Jinglong asked.
Hongjun shook his head. Li Jinglong pondered and said, "The demon must be in this building … The only thing we can do now is to be bold. Hongjun, let me borrow your grappling hook. Later, you and Mo Rigen go to the two sides of the building and keep an eye on the people in the hall. You can release flying knives at any time … "
"I only have three flying knives left."
"Leave it to me, we'll definitely come back."
In the main hall, Atay was playing the zither. A round of rapid music flowed like clouds and flowing water. When he reached the climax, the music was like the rising of the wind and clouds, covering the full moon. It was also like thousands of leaves flying together, covering the sky and covering the earth.
"… I'm painstakingly searching in this storm …"
Atay's singing resounded throughout the building. At this moment, with a loud bang, a mummy with a rope tied around its neck fell down from upstairs. Qiu Yongsi and Atay were caught off guard and were shocked at the same time. Atay didn't know what happened and subconsciously turned his head to look at the second floor.
The singing stopped abruptly. Hundreds of people in the hall stared at the mummy in a daze. After a few breaths, there was a sudden burst of screams —!
In the hall, the procuress screamed in horror. The guests suddenly panicked. There was a large-scale riot in the building. Screams rose and fell one after another. Many girls fainted.
At this moment, Li Jinglong, Hongjun, and Mo Rigen observed the guests in the hall from three directions on the second floor at the same time. They saw a woman in the corner change her expression and take a step back.
In the other two corners of the hall, two girls who were accompanying the guests were shocked. They glanced at the woman, and then the three of them looked up at the door of Jin Yun's room on the second floor at the same time!
In the blink of an eye, three flying daggers broke through the air and shot towards those women! The woman didn't realize that her identity had been exposed, but she knew that a disaster was coming. She immediately waved her hand, and the silk fluttered open, emitting a dim purple light. Unexpectedly, the flying daggers were not afraid of the purple light at all. They shot towards the woman's shoulder with a raging fire!
"Follow the flying daggers!" Li Jinglong shouted, "Don't let them escape!"
Li Jinglong jumped over the railing and flew down to the hall on the first floor. At this time, the hall was already in chaos. Atay put away the zither and rushed out with Qiu Yongsi. Mo Rigen pushed against the railing and used his shoulder to break open the window on the second floor.
The woman near the door of the hall cried out in pain. The three women stretched out their hands to grab the flying daggers on their shoulders. As soon as their palms touched the flying daggers, they cried out in pain. Knowing that a master had come, they didn't dare to continue fighting and turned to escape.
One of the women seemed to have the highest cultivation. Before she jumped out of the window, she turned around and shot a flame into the air in the hall.
At this time, Hongjun was jumping down from the second floor. Li Jinglong suddenly shouted, "Hongjun, be careful!"
Hong Jun jerked his head to the side, and the flames flew past him. However, the target was not him, but the corpse that was suspended in mid-air. The moment the flames touched the corpse, it immediately burst into flames and burned the corpse to ashes!
As soon as the woman near the door rushed out of the door, Mo Rigen broke through the window on the second floor and flew out. While he was in the air, he nimbly drew his bow and shot three arrows.
When the woman rushed out, she couldn't help but look back at the pursuers. It was fine if she didn't look back, but when she looked back, her neck was instantly hit by the flying arrows. With a "weng" sound, she turned into a green-eyed brown-furred fox in a white light. It opened its mouth wide and blood spurted out from its neck. Then two more arrows flew over. She was shot in the stomach and leg, dying on the spot!
Li Jinglong shouted angrily, "You're too heavy-handed! Warning once! Where are the other two?! "
Mo Rigen landed on the ground and waved his hand. The three arrows flew back and tore at the fox, causing blood to splatter everywhere.
"I didn't want to shoot its neck!" Mo Rigen shouted innocently.
At this time, Hongjun pulled back his neck and also chased out. Leaning against the railing, they pushed and trampled. It was a mess.
Hongjun waved his hand and the flying dagger returned to his hand. He said in surprise, "Fox?"
"Fox demon." Li Jinglong said, "Go find your flying dagger, quick!"
"It's …" Hongjun looked around and said, "In the alley!"
"Where's Zhao Zilong?!" Li Jinglong said, "Quick, quick! Why don't you guys have any tacit understanding? "
The Carp Demon held a brocade bag and ran over while wagging its tail, saying, "I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Li Jinglong kicked the Carp Demon into the building and immediately went to track the other two fox demons with Hongjun and Mo Rigen.