Dark clouds covered the moon, and the lights in the Exorcism Department were dim. Li Jinglong rushed into the courtyard like a gust of wind. He saw Mo Rigen bare-chested, and there were a few lines of claw marks on his left arm. Hongjun checked it and thanked the heavens that it was not poisoned, so he went to prepare some medicine.
Mo Rigen said, "I asked you to follow me, but you didn't want to …"
"If it weren't for your recklessness, how could that guy attack us?!" Lu Xu said angrily.
Mo Rigen was rarely angry, and he replied, "If you were willing to listen to me, it wouldn't have been able to run away?"
"Fine, fine, fine!" Lu Xu said angrily, "Next time you go by yourself!"
"Stop arguing." Li Jinglong was dizzy. It was not easy to find a clue, but now Mo Rigen had alarmed the monster in the tomb, and the two of them were still arguing in the courtyard. Hongjun wanted to persuade Lu Xu to take him away, but Mo Rigen finally said angrily, "Lu Xu! I usually spoil you, and you do whatever you want. When did I say anything about you? Now the Exorcism Department is on a mission, do you understand?! "
"Did you ask for my opinion before you went on a mission?!" Lu Xu did not give in at all, and he almost roared, "Did you discuss with me before you took action?!"
"Shut up!" Li Jinglong did not expect the two of them to quarrel so fiercely, so he shouted and finally stopped.
Hongjun rummaged through the medicine, and after listening to Lu Xu's narration, he learned that Lu Xu and Mo Rigen also encountered the same monster in Xianling. To ensure Lu Xu's safety, Mo Rigen made him wait in place, and he rushed into the tomb, but he was attacked by the monster. In the darkness, the monster was almost Tianma, and Lu Xu was worried about Mo Rigen's safety, so he could not help but cast a spell. Who would have thought that Mo Rigen's original intention was to risk some minor injuries to lure the monster to Lu Xu's location.
As soon as Lu Xu made his move, the demon immediately became alert and took the opportunity to escape. The two of them then quarreled. Mo Rigen scolded Lu Xu for not listening to his arrangements, while Lu Xu had no idea what kind of backup plan Mo Rigen had.
Hongjun prepared the medicine and said to Lu Xu, "Okay, okay, don't be angry."
"I will never work with him again," Lu Xu said angrily.
Hongjun did not know whether to laugh or cry. Just as he was about to comfort him, Ashina Chong, Atay, and Qiu Yongsi also came back. Li Jinglong immediately said, "Everyone is here, let's start the meeting."
Mo Rigen's shoulders and back were bare. Hongjun handed the medicine to Lu Xu, but Lu Xu did not take it. Hongjun handed it to him, and Lu Xu returned it, ignoring Mo Rigen. Li Jinglong frowned and said, "Lu Xu! Don't mess around! "
Lu Xu immediately sat up straight after being yelled at by Li Jinglong. This was the first time Hongjun had seen Li Jinglong get angry. The hall was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Ever since the Exorcism Division was established, Li Jinglong had almost never reprimanded his subordinates. Everyone was waiting for him to get angry, but Li Jinglong said, "The success or failure of a mission depends on everyone's cooperation and mutual trust. Since we accidentally alerted the enemy, what's the use of pushing responsibility after the fact?"
After a moment of silence, Li Jinglong finally said, "How's the situation of checking the information and waiting for the rabbit?"
The atmosphere relaxed a little. Atay said, "We didn't manage to wait."
Atay and Ashina Chong stayed in Qiaoling until midnight and encountered the same situation as the other two teams. Qiu Yongsi did not enter the mausoleum and stayed outside to provide support so that he would not be frightened into screaming and ruining things. According to the current information, two appeared in Ding Mausoleum: one in Qiaoling, one in Qianling, one in Zhao Mausoleum, and one in Xian Mausoleum …
"It doesn't match." Li Jinglong muttered.
"Maybe one of the two in Ding Mausoleum appeared in Qianling last night." Hongjun speculated, "It just accompanied it."
"That's not right either." Qiu Yongsi said, "There are too many."
"No matter what, Zhao Mausoleum was the first to have an accident." Li Jinglong muttered to himself for a moment. He spread out a map and used a charcoal pencil to draw the various mountains. "Let's assume that there are many of them. The first one entered Zhao Mausoleum on the thirteenth of March."
"When the Exorcism Division received the case, it was already the seventeenth of March. There were four days between, but when Hongjun and Lu Xu went in, they encountered Xie Yu?"
"That was a trap." Lu Xu said, "It was specifically waiting for the two of us."
Li Jinglong said, "Maybe it was a trap, but it wasn't necessarily waiting for the two of you."
Mo Rigen: "!!!"
Li Jinglong said, "Tonight, I received an inspiration. Everyone, why don't you think about it? What if Xie Yu wasn't in cahoots with these four demons, or even opposed them?"
Qiu Yongsi muttered, "That's right! Could it be that Xie Yu was waiting for the demon that went back to Zhao Mausoleum? "
Li Jinglong only made a sound of agreement. The truth seemed to gradually become clear under the fog. Mo Rigen frowned and said, "So that's how it is. First, a demon entered Zhao Mausoleum and left a trace. Xie Yu then rushed over … "
"In every imperial mausoleum, there might be something that they want," Mo Rigen said, "According to tonight's investigation, this thing is in the coffin room. The first time a certain demon entered the coffin room, maybe it got it, maybe it didn't … There are two kinds of inferences. "
"I guess it didn't," Li Jinglong said, "so Xie Yu went over. Maybe our previous inferences were all wrong. Xie Yu never thought of luring Hongjun and Lu Xu into Zhao Mausoleum. This was just an accident. "
"That's right!" Atay drew a circle around the six mausoleums and said, "Xie Yu seems to be alone right now. It might not be able to guard five mausoleums. But it's still guarding Zhao Mausoleum, waiting for the demons to return. "
"Those demons made use of the time to head to the remaining tombs," said Qin Fengqing. Qiu Yongsi said, "On the seventeenth night, they knew that Xie Yu was guarding Zhao Mausoleum, so they first sent one into Qian Mausoleum to investigate and found what they wanted."
The cause and effect became clearer in an instant. On the seventeenth night of the third month, Xie Yu was waiting in Zhao Mausoleum and met Lu Xu and Hongjun, who went to investigate. And on the same night, the demons avoided Xie Yu and entered Qian Mausoleum. The next night, the demon that went to Qian Mausoleum brought another one to Ding Mausoleum.
The remaining two went to Qiao Mausoleum and Xian Mausoleum respectively!
Hongjun applied medicine on Mo Rigen and couldn't help but marvel at the thoughts of this group of people. A seemingly clueless matter was actually pieced together just like that!
"There's no need to go to these four places anymore." Li Jinglong crossed out Ding, Qiao, Qian, and Xian mausoleums and said, "Most of the things have been taken away. Tonight, maybe …"
"Marquis Yadan?"
Someone suddenly said outside the door.
In the middle of the night, everyone was shocked. The voice was so clear in the quiet night. The door of the Exorcism Department was sealed with magic. No one could enter and could only wait outside.
Li Jinglong sensed that the voice was very familiar. Alarmed, he hurriedly got up.
"I have a few words to say to you," the person outside said.
This time, Hongjun also recognized the voice. It was Crown Prince Li Heng!
Li Jinglong indicated for everyone to wait and hurriedly went out to receive him. Mo Rigen said, "Let's go to the study."
Mo Rigen's arm injury wasn't serious. After moving to the study, Li Jinglong directly invited the crown prince in and said, "Your Highness also heard?"
Li Heng swept the teacup on the table and nodded. He said to Li Jinglong, "Is this really haunted or fake?"
Li Jinglong didn't expect Li Heng to get straight to the point after sitting down and could only reply, "It hasn't been investigated."
"Marquis Yadan." Li Heng's expression flickered as he sternly said, "Imperial Father sent you to me. If you want money, I'll give you money. If you want a title, I'll give you a marquis. In the Imperial Court, I've always spoken up for you. Why are you always so secretive? How have I offended you?"
Li Jinglong's brow furrowed as he replied, "Your Highness, in my habit, I never announce my conjectures to the public before a conclusion is reached. No matter who asks, no matter how they ask, the case will always be 'not yet investigated'. This is the same for His Majesty. But if Your Highness has any orders, please do not hesitate to speak. I will do my best to carry them out. "
Li Heng was clearly still angry at Li Jinglong because of the two's return that day. He knew that although Li Jinglong seemed to have a good temper, he was actually very stubborn. When it came to an issue of unwillingness to submit, no matter what method was used, he wouldn't budge.
Li Heng calmly looked at Li Jinglong as if trying to figure out his intentions. Li Jinglong didn't say anything. He just sat there, countless thoughts whirling through his mind.
This was already the second important person to come to the Exorcism Department alone. What did it mean for Su Ye to come in person without any attendants? Suddenly, Li Jinglong had an extremely troublesome idea.
As expected, Li Heng said, "Whether you believe in ghosts and gods or not, I believe in them. There are some words that can't be said by officials or sons, but can be said by ancestors. Li Jinglong, isn't that so? "
Li Jinglong was startled. He whispered, "Your Highness, why would you think that?"
At the same time, the lights in the study were lit. Everyone was rummaging through the files stored in the Exorcism Department.
"What could be hidden in the Imperial Mausoleum?" Mo Rigen asked.
Qiu Yongsi muttered, "It should be a burial item that every Imperial Mausoleum has. It's unlikely to be a magical treasure with spiritual energy, but it's something that demons need."
Hongjun pondered for a moment before asking, "Is there only a coffin in the coffin room?"
Ashina Chong nodded and said, "The burial items are all outside. There's nothing else in the coffin room."
"Has the coffin lid been opened?" Lu Xu suddenly asked.
Ashina Chong and Atay had followed the monster after it left. In the pitch-black darkness, they quickly lost track of the monster, but the two didn't turn back to check.
"We have to go back and take a look," Mo Rigen said. "That's what Chief Inspector thought."
While they were talking, Li Jinglong had already sent Li Heng to the courtyard. Hongjun and the others watched from the corridor. This time, Li Heng didn't stay for long, but the two didn't seem to see eye to eye.
"What you're protecting is the empire of the Tang Dynasty," Li Heng said seriously.
"Whatever we find is what it is," Li Jinglong replied. "Everything in the world follows the word 'reason', which is the truth. If it's really as Your Highness guesses, I promise that I won't disturb the spirits of the deceased emperors. "
Li Heng snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeves. Li Jinglong, on the other hand, was extremely irritated. He glanced at everyone and said, "It's been a hard trip. Everyone, come with me to the Zhao Mausoleum for the last time. Lu … Hongjun, you and Mo Rigen stay behind to guard."
Everyone knew that Li Jinglong was going to do this. Although they had been busy all night, they didn't feel tired at all. Thus, they left the Exorcism Department, got on their horses, and left Hongjun and Mo Rigen to stay behind.
Mo Rigen was very tired. He sat in the courtyard and arranged the arrows. He didn't say a word.
Hongjun observed from the side. Mo Rigen raised his head and glanced at him, his eyebrows tightly knitted.
Hongjun said, "Look, the Chang 'an tonight is really beautiful."
"Beautiful your head!" Mo Rigen threw the things on the ground.
Hongjun laughed. Mo Rigen looked irritated and said, "I'll go shovel all the trees here."
"Don't!" Hongjun said, "Are you that angry? Sigh, Lu Xu is actually very easy to coax … "
"I don't want to coax him anymore." Mo Rigen looked around for a shovel. He walked around the courtyard a few times, then sat down angrily and said to Hongjun, "These days, I've had enough. No matter what I do, that brat is always indifferent. He'll either say 'mm' or 'thank you'. Hongjun, do you understand? That feeling, it's simply … "
Hongjun sat in the corridor and looked at Mo Rigen with a puzzled expression. Mo Rigen thought for a long time and finally said, "I gave him a piece of ice heart in a jade pot. He poured the pot and water over my head!"
Hongjun laughed. Mo Rigen was very sullen and said, "Tell me, what did I do wrong?"
"I think he likes you, but you don't like him that much." Hongjun came out with his underwear and took out Li Jinglong's pants. He sat down by the well and said, "I think Lu Xu is quite pitiful."
When Mo Rigen heard this, he was stunned.
Hongjun lowered his head and washed for a while, then looked up and asked Mo Rigen, "Is that so?"
Mo Rigen didn't say anything. After a while, he said with confusion, "I don't know. I … I can't think of what to do with Lu Xu. I can't think of what the future will be like. How do you feel about Chang Shi? "
Hongjun said casually, "I just … want to be with him all the time. I want to hold him, be by his side, and talk to him."
Hongjun always felt that Mo Rigen and Lu Xu had some kind of "together for the sake of being together" feeling. He had also asked Li Jinglong, but Li Jinglong only told him not to interfere. This kind of thing couldn't be forced …
"Even if we can't be lovers, being brothers is pretty good," Hongjun said. "Mo Rigen, I always feel that ever since you met Lu Xu, you've always been strange."
"How can I not be strange?" Mo Rigen lamented. "You all don't care about me. I don't know what to do!"
Mo Rigen was obviously an inexperienced young man. This incident had a strong impact on him from the very beginning. It had obviously overturned his world and life.
"I asked Ashina Chong. He even taught me a bunch of random things …" Mo Rigen finally exploded that night. He said to Hongjun, "Do you know what he taught me?"
Hongjun looked at Mo Rigen as he washed Li Jinglong's underwear. The underwear already had the smell from last night. Mo Rigen was still telling him vividly, "He told me to not care about Lu Xu and to do it first."
Hongjun said, "That's not good!"
Mo Rigen said, "It's fine if it's not good …"
Hongjun was complaining in his heart about what he meant by "it's fine if it's not good" when Mo Rigen said, "The problem is that I can't get hard!"
Hongjun was instantly embarrassed. When he thought of Li Jinglong, it really seemed like a natural reaction.
"But with girls, can you … do that?" Hongjun asked.
Mo Rigen said, "I can when I'm close."
Hongjun realized a very serious problem. Mo Rigen really did not like men. The two of them discussed for a long time. Hong Jun had never thought that there would be such a problem between men and men, or between men and women. But since Mo Rigen said that he had no desire for Lu Xu, then he really did not have any desire.
"… I said, what should I do if I can't get hard? Ashina Chong taught me to strip naked, tie myself up with a rope, kneel on the bed … cover my eyes and let Lu Xu do whatever he wants with me … He said that I can definitely get hard … "
When Mo Rigen said that, Li Jinglong's appearance suddenly appeared in Hongjun's mind. He could not help but get hard first.
"That's enough." Hongjun immediately said, "I'm so sleepy. I'm going to sleep."
Mo Rigen could only give up. In the end, he said, "You're right. Let's be brothers first." As he said that, he sighed and stared blankly at the arrows on the ground.