Those are … dead people?! Hongjun shouted, "Li Jinglong!"
Hongjun had never seen such a monster before. He took a few steps back. Around the Five-colored Divine Light, there were more and more soldiers wearing armor. There were nearly twenty of them, and they slashed fiercely at him. Hongjun shouted and summoned a flying knife. He slashed at the soldier blocking his way. The soldier was cut into two halves, but he still made a "ho ho" sound on the ground. He crawled toward Hongjun, unwilling to give up.
The black figures crossed the Great Wall and jumped down from high places. In the depths of the forest, more and more dead soldiers rushed toward Hongjun. Hongjun supported the Five-colored Divine Light and tried to find a way to escape. He slashed fiercely with the flying knife, destroying the bodies of the soldiers. However, he couldn't kill them completely.
Hongjun pushed the Five-colored Divine Light and pushed a large group of dead soldiers away. Immediately, there was another strange roar. A dead soldier pounced on him from behind and hung on his body.
Hongjun couldn't help but shout, "Go away!"
He was not afraid of ordinary monsters at all. However, the appearance of the dead soldiers was too strange. He didn't know why the number of dead soldiers had increased sharply. Most importantly —
He couldn't kill them!
Hongjun threw the dead soldier over his shoulder. More dead soldiers rushed forward. Just as he was about to be drowned …
An arrow blooming with white light was shot from the Great Wall. It traveled nearly fifty steps, whistled across the stream, and shot into the helmet of the dead soldier. With a "bang", the dead soldier fell down and stopped moving.
Li Jinglong shouted, "Run!"
Hongjun pushed the soldiers away and ran down the Great Wall. Li Jinglong drew his longbow and ran out of the barracks. He listened carefully and determined the location by listening to the sound. He continuously drew an arrow, pulled the bow, shot an arrow, drew an arrow, and pulled the bow … The arrows flew out like meteors in the dark night. With the power of the Mind's Lantern, they whistled past Hongjun with a trail of flames.
It was like fireworks blooming, illuminating Hongjun's face. Every arrow hit a dead soldier who fell to the ground. Hongjun rushed toward Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong grabbed his hand and pulled him behind him. More dead soldiers jumped down from the Great Wall, raised their weapons, and rushed toward them!
Hongjun held the flying knife and looked around blankly. He saw the soldiers shouting hoarsely in unison, dragging their weapons and charging toward them on foot. Hongjun said, "Run!"
Li Jinglong protected Hongjun behind him. When the soldiers rushed in front, Li Jinglong changed his sword for a bow. He gathered all the strength in his body, shouted, and raised his sword.
The snow on the ground exploded, and the light of the Mind's Lantern suddenly burst out, forming a wave of light that swept out. The dead soldiers let out a cry of fear and fell to the ground one by one under the light, their helmets rolling off.
Li Jinglong supported himself with his sword. His heart was in pain. When he gasped for breath, Hongjun hurriedly supported him. At this moment, the mark that Yuan Kun drew on his chest emitted a weak light, protecting his heart.
Li Jinglong let out a long breath. He heard rustling sounds in the distance, as if all the enemies had retreated. The two looked at each other. Li Jinglong said, "I heard you call me in my dream. I didn't expect that when I opened my eyes, it really was … Are you okay?"
Hongjun turned his head to look at the fallen soldiers and murmured, "These are all dead people?!"
Deep in the mountains outside Jiayu Pass.
The bow in Mo Rigen's hand was sharp and pointed towards the depths of the forest.
Lu Xu squatted beside him with a blank face. The two of them hid behind the bushes together. Mo Rigen vigilantly observed the movements of the leaves. Lu Xu frowned. He was impatient from waiting and turned to leave.
"Shh." Mo Rigen signaled Lu Xu to lie in ambush and said, "Just for a while. Don't leave." After saying that, he drew his bow and aimed towards the depths of the forest.
Nailhead Seven Arrows shot out, and the animals behind the trees fell.
Lu Xu: "!!!"
Mo Rigen dragged out a bear from the bushes. The arrow penetrated the bear's right eye and into its brain, killing it in one shot. He put the bear in front of him, put his hands together, bowed, and struggled to lift the bear up. He walked down the mountain shakily and turned back to say, "Let's go!"
There were merchants everywhere in front of Jiayu Pass. When Mo Rigen left Chang 'an, he didn't bring much rice with him. He bought a set of clothes for himself and a set of clothes for Lu Xu. He was almost out of money, so he could only hunt for game and set up a stall at the foot of Jiayu Pass to sell rice.
The bear lay in front of Mo Rigen. Mo Rigen crossed his arms and wore a mask. He stepped on the bear with one foot and looked at the passersby.
"I'll take you to eat something delicious tonight." Mo Rigen said to Lu Xu.
Lu Xu sat cross-legged on the side, holding a dagger and cutting a piece of wood. Mo Rigen looked at him for a moment and felt that this young man was quite quiet. He didn't cause much trouble for him along the way. It seemed that as long as he could survive, he wouldn't go crazy. Also, he didn't have high requirements for food, unlike Hongjun who wanted to try everything. Mo Rigen spent a lot of time with him, so he could more or less understand how Li Jinglong took care of Hongjun.
Some people were born to be taken care of.
"Eh? This is … You are … "
A passing merchant saw Mo Rigen selling a whole bear in the market and was instantly shocked. He hurriedly said, "Benefactor! Benefactor! "
Mo Rigen instantly felt uncomfortable and hurriedly signaled for him to shush. He warned, "Don't shout, don't shout!"
In the market at the foot of Jiayu Pass, many people glanced at Mo Rigen. Someone noticed his mask and said, "Hey, isn't this the Chao Luomen?!"
Mo Rigen gasped. Lu Xu heard this and looked up at Mo Rigen. He said, "The Chao Luomen."
"Don't say it." Mo Rigen said.
"It's that hero!"
"Benefactor!" The merchant hurriedly said, "Last time on the Chabulakan Ancient Road, you saved my life. After that, I didn't know how to repay you. Outside the Great Wall, no one knows your whereabouts …"
Mo Rigen hurriedly said, "There's no need to repay me. Come over here. I have to quickly sell the bear to the North … "
The merchant came over and knelt down in front of Mo Rigen. He waved to the women and children behind him and said, "Quickly, call me benefactor!"
Instantly, "Benefactor, benefactor" was heard. Many people in the market looked over curiously. Another hunter who had been saved by Mo Rigen shouted, "The Chao Luomen! Benefactor! "
Mo Rigen: "…"
The market was in chaos. The merchant thought of something and took out a box filled with ten taels of gold. He said, "Benefactor, if you don't mind …"
Mo Rigen hurriedly pushed it away. The merchant wanted to thank him, but a box was pushed in front of Lu Xu. Lu Xu's gaze followed the box. He looked over and over, his face filled with confusion.
More and more people came. Mo Rigen pushed it away and said with grief and indignation, "Don't just watch! Who bought this bear? I'm busy! "
The bear lying on the ground was a good one and was worth a lot of money. But everyone was a businessman. They couldn't buy a whole bear. The merchant wanted to kneel down in front of Mo Rigen again. Mo Rigen had an idea and said, "I'll take the money, but you can have the bear. Lu Xu, let's go. "
Mo Rigen took the box and left the scene with Lu Xu as if he was running for his life.
Lu Xu said, "The Chao Luomen."
Mo Rigen let Lu Xu get on the horse first. He then lifted his leg and stepped on. He shook the reins and shouted, "Jia!" They immediately fled.
That afternoon, in another small town outside of Jiayu Pass, Mo Rigen was staying in a house. Lu Xu was still cutting his wood. He said, "The Chao Luomen, benefactor."
Mo Rigen was wiping his leather hunting boots. He said, "The Chao Luomen means' Dawn Star '. That's the nickname they gave me. "
"Dawn Star." Lu Xu said again, "Benefactor."
Mo Rigen said to himself, "There are too many poor people in this world. My father used to say that I should go and see these poor people, and then look at myself …"
Lu Xu lowered his head to cut the wood. Mo Rigen said self-deprecatingly, "I used to want to be a hero, wear a mask, and go around saving people. Now that I think about it, I was really stupid."
Lu Xu yawned. Mo Rigen said, "Go to sleep."
When they left Yulin, Mo Rigen took Lu Xu to a clothing store. Lu Xu saw people from beyond the Great Wall wearing white slim-fit martial clothes. He stood in front of the clothes for a long time. Mo Rigen knew that scouts in the north always had two sets of clothes. One was a black night suit for missions, and the other was a white slim-fit martial clothes for wearing in the snow. Probably out of habit, Mo Rigen bought him one.
Lu Xu had a good figure. He had all the muscles he should have. He was dressed in white. His eyebrows were thick, his eyes were bright, and his nose was high. He seemed to be of mixed blood. Mo Rigen looked at him for a while and said, "Is one of your parents from the Shiwei Empire?"
Lu Xu did not answer. Mo Rigen patted his chest and lay down beside him. He picked up the wooden carving that Lu Xu had carved on the pillow. It was a small stag.
In Liangzhou Prefecture, soldiers and horses came and went, as if they were facing a great enemy.
Li Jinglong sneezed. He had not yet recovered from the cold. Hongjun handed him a cloth to wipe his nose. When they arrived in Liangzhou, they handed over the Crown Prince's handwritten order. The city guard did not dare to act rashly and hurriedly brought them to the General's Mansion to settle down.
Li Jinglong walked into the hall and threw a cloth bag. The rusty armor inside scattered all over the floor.
"Liangzhou is not like Chang 'an. Please be magnanimous and forgive us, Chief Li." A guard served ginger soup to dispel the cold. Li Jinglong hurriedly received it with both hands and thanked him.
Before Hongjun came, Li Jinglong had specially instructed him that the soldiers were all soldiers who protected the country and must not be rude.
While they were talking, another general came in. He was a secondary third-rank West River patrol guard. His name was Zhang Hao, and he held the position of Yunhui General. He held the same rank as Li Jinglong, who held the position of Chief Exorcist and Huaiwei Zhonglang General. The two of them greeted each other. Zhang Hao took off his helmet as soon as he came in. He smiled and said, "Ai! General Li, I've heard a lot about you! "
Li Jinglong covered his nose and nodded repeatedly. His nose was already hurting from the sneezing.
"Liang Guo Duke happened to have something to do. He'll be back soon." Zhang Hao crossed his ankles. He was clearly a soldier ruffian. He smiled and said, "Us brothers will take you two out to play?"
Li Jinglong waved his hand. Zhang Hao said, "Where's your wife? Oh, it's a little brother. It's okay, little brother can also be a wife … … Our place … … "
Hongjun was very embarrassed. He said, "Hello, General Zhang. I'm Hongjun from the Exorcist Department."
Zhang Hao said in surprise, "You're also from the Exorcist Department? Can you fight? Why don't you have a sword or a bow? "
Hongjun glanced at Li Jinglong. Four throwing knives shot out from his hand and he spun them twice for Zhang Hao to see. The four throwing knives circled around his five fingers a few times. Zhang Hao did not dare to act rashly. He knew that as long as this youth wanted to, a throwing knife could instantly pierce his throat.
"Sorry, I was just joking." Zhang Hao said with a smile.
Li Jinglong and Hongjun both said it was okay. Zhang Hao glanced at the armor on the ground with curiosity in his eyes.
Li Jinglong said, "I've already informed the Guan Camp to go inspect the scene."
The two rushed all the way to Liangzhou and could not bring the corpse. When Li Jinglong passed by the Guan Camp under the Great Wall, he had the soldiers go to the place where he and Hongjun stayed to clean it up.
"This is … …" Zhang Hao said, "Where did this armor come from? Or is it an antique? "
Li Jinglong covered his nose and explained the process. Zhang Hao's expression was very strange. He looked at the two people in front of him as if they were idiots. He wondered if they had a fever that made them stupid.
Li Jinglong knew that he did not believe him. He wanted to bring a corpse over, but the dead soldiers that were put down by the Mind's Lantern had already become ordinary corpses. What was the use of bringing a dead person for them to see?
"We should catch it alive." Li Jinglong said.
"A living corpse?" Hongjun felt a little scared. He was not afraid of monsters, but a dead person lying on his body was still very uncomfortable.
It felt wrong to say that.
"How's the capital? I haven't been back for many years. " Zhang Hao did not ask about Li Jinglong's corpse. Instead, he was concerned about the situation in Chang 'an. Li Jinglong knew that he did not believe him and replied, "His Majesty's health is very good."
After a while, Li Jinglong asked, "Have you all gone to see the four border towns?"
Zhang Hao smiled and said, "It's okay. We sent a new garrison."
Li Jinglong asked, "Is there any evidence at the scene?"
Zhang Hao shook his head and said, "No."
"Is it the Huihe people?"
"I can't say. Let's wait for Liang Guo Duke to decide." Zhang Hao replied.
Li Jinglong wanted to ask again, but Zhang Hao kept bringing the topic to Chang 'an. Li Jinglong just kept asking. In the end, Zhang Hao saw that he could not avoid it and could only smile and say, "General Li, we are all soldiers. There are some things that I can't say. Please forgive me."
The Tang Dynasty valued martial arts. Men were proud of joining the army. Li Jinglong naturally knew what Zhang Hao meant. There must be some sensitive issues that Zhang Hao did not want to touch.
"When we see Liang Guo Duke later, please don't …"
"I know." Li Jinglong replied.
"Then let me ask …" Li Jinglong was about to ask when Geshu Han came back.
Geshu Han was tall and his voice was like a bell. He said from outside, "Why did the imperial court send someone again?!"
Everyone stood up. When Hong Jun saw that person enter, he was shocked. He saw that Geshu Han had almost bumped into the door when he entered the room. Zhang Hao hurriedly went forward to help him up. He saw a tall and sturdy old man. His neck and face were flushed red, giving off an awe-inspiring aura. He was actually half a head taller than Li Jinglong. When he sat down on the general's seat, the entire couch shook.
Li Jinglong hurriedly greeted the old general. Hongjun said, "You're drunk."
"Hey!" Geshu Han shouted, "I'm not drunk! I'm not drunk! Give me ten more jars! "
Another middle-aged civil official followed in. He held a cloak and covered Geshu Han's body. He greeted Li Jinglong and said, "Liang Zhou County's Provincial Governor, Qin Liang."
After everyone greeted each other, Qin Liang said, "General, you've just returned from a drink to reward the army."
Li Jinglong nodded. Geshu Han reclined on the couch with his eyes closed. A maid came in to serve him a hangover soup. Geshu Han drank two mouthfuls and slowly exhaled. He said, "Done. What does the Chang 'an have to say? What is your name? Who sent you? "
Li Jinglong saw that Geshu Han reeked of alcohol. However, at his position, the imperial censor did not dare to accuse him of drinking alcohol. He could only say, "Liang Guo Duke, I'm here on the Crown Prince's orders to investigate the massacre of the four counties in the northwest."
When these words were spoken, the hall immediately fell silent. Zhang Hao's face was filled with an 'it's over' expression. Qin Liang also did not know what to do.
Geshu Han's eyes suddenly widened. He said, "What did you say?!"
At that moment, even Hongjun felt a murderous aura. He wondered if this matter could not be mentioned.
"What do you mean?" Geshu Han sat up straight and stared at Li Jinglong. He said word by word, "Go back and tell the crown prince that Liang Province is under this old man's jurisdiction. Do not meddle in other people's business because of the rumors!"
Li Jinglong immediately understood. Geshu Han did not want the Imperial Court to send people to interfere. He thought to himself that he had most likely been played by Li Heng. Before leaving the Chang 'an, he had not warned him!
"It's not a rumor, General …"
"Get out of here right now!" Geshu Han angrily roared. "This old man doesn't care who you are! Who sent you?! Even His Majesty can't do anything! "
Hongjun sized up Geshu Han. He did not mind being scolded, but when Li Jinglong was scolded, Hongjun was filled with anger. He wanted to retort, but Li Jinglong indicated that he should not be impulsive. Instead, he smiled at Geshu Han.
Geshu Han took a deep breath and said, "What are you smiling at?"
Li Jinglong said, "Duke, there's something you don't know."
"Speak," Geshu Han said. "Today, I'll let you finish. You're called Li Jinglong, right? This old man has been in the army for fifty years. Today, you're the first. "
"Let's go," Hongjun said in a small voice.
Li Jinglong waved his hand and indicated for Geshu Han to look at the ground. He bent down and picked up the armor. He asked Geshu Han, "Duke, have you seen this kind of armor before?"
Geshu Han was startled. Qin Liang was afraid that Li Jinglong's tone was unfriendly and would anger Geshu Han, so he interjected, "Where did Grand Scribe Li get it?"
Li Jinglong replied, "The person was wearing it. It was at the foot of the Han Great Wall, one hundred and twenty li from here."
"Impossible," Qin Liang said. "This armor is from the Han Era, and it's already rusted."
Geshu Han narrowed his eyes and sized up Li Jinglong. He did not know what medicine he was selling.
Li Jinglong replied, "It's absolutely true. The armor is from the Han Era, and the person is also from the Han Era."
"What?!" Geshu Han thought that he did not hear clearly.
Qin Liang frowned. Zhang Hao had an expression that looked like he wanted to laugh but did not dare to.
"Or rather, it's a corpse." Li Jinglong said, "Thousands of dead soldiers have all come back to life. They've slaughtered the four border cities, crossed the Great Wall, and are currently moving around Liangzhou."
The hall was silent again. Even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.
After a while.
Geshu Han coldly said, "Are you done?"
Li Jinglong replied, "Duke, this is the truth."
Geshu Han seemed to have heard a joke and said, "Li Jinglong! You came all the way from Chang 'an just to follow the Crown Prince's orders and make up a story to play with this old man like a monkey?! "
Li Jinglong held the helmet and muttered, "How about this, after last night's fierce battle, there were still many corpses under the Great Wall. I used my unique skills to knock them down and reported to the nearest checkpoint. I'm sure the Great Wall garrison has already gone to check the battlefield …"
Geshu Han sized up Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong calmly said, "This humble one will use my head as a guarantee. As long as the corpses are transported here, the truth will definitely be revealed …"
"Good! You said it yourself! "Geshu Han immediately said," Your head, Li Jinglong, you have guts! "
Li Jinglong: "…"
"This …" Qin Liang said, "Duke, Elder Li is the Crown Prince …"
"This!" Li Jinglong immediately said, "Wait! Duke! This humble one was just speaking casually … "
Geshu Han coldly said, "There are no joking words in the military. Everyone heard it and can be witnesses." As he spoke, he sized up Li Jinglong and said, "This old man believes you now and is not here to make up a story."
Hongjun asked, "What's a head?"
Li Jinglong: "…"
"It's to chop off my head." Li Jinglong said.
Hongjun immediately exploded and said, "How can that be! You're letting him chop off your head? "
Li Jinglong said, "How would I know?! In the past, everyone in the Long Wu Army said that! "
Hongjun hurriedly said to Geshu Han, "It doesn't count, it doesn't count just now."
Geshu Han looked at him as if he was looking at an idiot. Hongjun kept interrupting, but at this moment, the checkpoint sent a scout and shouted from outside, "Report — there's a message from the Great Wall garrison!"
Geshu Han's eyes suddenly widened and said, "Send it in!"
A scout came and Li Jinglong said, "What's wrong?"
"Are you Chief Li Jinglong?" That scout looked at him blankly and said, "There's no corpse by the Qiulin stream."
Li Jinglong: "…"
Hongjun said, "There's no corpse? How is that possible?! "
The scout said, "It's absolutely true, there's nothing!"
Geshu Han said, "Men! Give Li Jinglong to me … "
Li Jinglong: "Hongjun, run!"
Before Hong Jun could come back to his senses, Li Jinglong decisively pulled him away. With a roar, he turned around and rushed out.