Two days later, the boat stopped at Sanmen Gorge. Li Jinglong felt slightly better after coming ashore. Hongjun stood at the top of Sanmen Gorge and looked at the surging Yellow River. He remembered the Carp Demon's lifelong wish, which was to jump over the "Dragon Gate" at Sanmen Gorge and transform into a dragon.
Although he later found out that jumping over the "Dragon Gate" wasn't enough to make one a dragon, Hongjun couldn't help but come over to see for himself on behalf of the Carp Demon. When he thought of the Carp Demon, he thought of the day when he left Taihang Mountain, Chong Ming, Qing Xiong, and so on. It felt like a lifetime ago, and he had already walked together with Li Jinglong.
Ever since he left Dazzling Gold Palace at the beginning of the year, Chong Ming didn't seem to care about him anymore. He also didn't seem to be nice to Li Jinglong. Thinking of this, Hongjun sighed again. The feeling of not having a family made him feel lonely.
After entering Heluo region through Sanmen Gorge, Li Jinglong didn't take the boat anymore. The caravan gathered here, so they spent money to hire a carriage and followed the caravan down to Luoyang. It took them another day and night to rest in the carriage. It wasn't easy for them to recover from the seasickness. Just as they were about to be intimate, Hongjun didn't dare to fool around in the carriage and hurriedly pushed Li Jinglong. Suddenly, they heard a voice from outside, "Shen Du Luoyang, Thousands of Households Open!"
"We're here!" Hongjun hurriedly opened the curtain and looked out.
Li Jinglong covered his face with his hands, his heart full of helplessness.
Since ancient times, King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty had set this place as "Luoyi". Luoyang was the Sanchuan County of the Qin Dynasty and the capital of the Han Dynasty. After the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Sui Emperor settled here. The Tang Dynasty followed the system of two capitals and Luoyang was called the "Eastern Capital". Li Zhi and Wu Zetian lived here for a long time.
During the Zhou Dynasty, Luoyang was called the "Shen Du". The whole city was planned according to the 28 constellations of the Celestial Cycle. The "Seven Heavens" buildings in the city corresponded to the seven stars of the Big Dipper, like a heavenly palace. The School of the Emperor Star was located in the middle of the three constellations in the sky. It was called the Central Palace and was where the Celestial Emperor lived. It was called the Ming Hall.
It was April in the human world, just like Li Longji's poem, 'Luoyang's fragrant trees reflect Tianjin, the Ba shore droops down the willows and the earth is new.' The Tianjin Bridge stretched across the Luoyang River, the current of the river corresponded to the silver river on the horizon, rolling away.
Li Jinglong and Hongjun led their horses into the city of Luoyang. Although the Eastern Capital was not as grand and chaotic as Chang 'an, it had a sense of prosperity that only belonged to the Central Plains.
Hongjun was on the bridge looking at the school of fish in the Luo River. He thought about how the human ancestor Fuxi was comprehending the Eight Trigrams on the banks of the Luo River, creating the Map of the River and the Book of the Luo. Immediately he felt that the Divine Prefecture was vast and had a myriad of phenomena, it was enough to encompass everything. He wondered if he would be able to finish walking and seeing everything in his lifetime.
"Go east." Li Jinglong said, "Go along Dingding Gate Street."
"Are we staying at an inn?" Hongjun asked.
Li Jinglong waved his hand. He and Hongjun each led their horses. From their clothes, it was obvious that they came from Chang 'an. Although the Eastern and Western Capital were only a few days apart, after entering Hangu Pass, the local conditions and customs were different. The people of Chang 'an were more Hu. Their sleeves, accessories, and hair were more casual and loose. The people of Luoyang were more particular. Li Jinglong had a heroic spirit, and Hongjun was bright and cheerful. As they walked on the street, many people cast glances at them.
"Let's go to the Babel Stupa." Li Jinglong said, "Legend has it that the earliest Exorcism Division was behind the stupa."
In the past, when Wu Jiong was in power, he built a Buddhist temple, which became a Babel Stupa. Behind it was Di Renjie's Exorcism Division. Later, Li Xian of the Central Sect moved to Chang 'an, and the Exorcism Division followed. Now that this place had been taken down, no one lived here. Usually, there were novice monks taking care of it, so it was very clean. Outside was an extremely large school field. It was the end of spring and the beginning of summer, and the sun was shining brightly. Many children were playing cuju and shuttlecock on the school field.
"That's strange." Li Jinglong pushed open the courtyard and smiled. "Chang 'an's Exorcism Division is overgrown with weeds. There's no one in Luoyang, but it's so clean."
Hongjun said, "How come there's still someone living here?"
Li Jinglong replied, "When Yongsi came out to catch demons, he stayed here for a night."
The two of them packed their luggage. Li Jinglong saw that there was a crude tea set on the table. It must have been used by Qiu Yongsi. Hongjun then remembered that Qiu Yongsi had come here before. He must have already greeted Li Jinglong.
As he spoke, Li Jinglong took out a few copper coins. They were the ancient coins of the previous dynasty. He went out to find a child playing shuttlecock and gave him the coins as a reward. He said, "Please help me send these two copper coins to Yunlai Fang on East Main Street for a man called She She. This one, help me send it to Siwen Alley on Kuixing Street for a man called Lao Wu."
The child outside agreed. The two of them sat in the Exorcism Division and drank tea. On the wall of the room, there was also a mural of Acala. Hongjun thought of the Golden Armored War God who killed his parents when he was young. Vaguely, it was the reincarnation of Acala.
He stood in front of the mural and looked up. He saw that Acala held six magic tools in his hands. The sword that he saw the most was the Sword of Wisdom that Li Jinglong carried with him.
"I remember Qing Xiong said it before." Hongjun said, "Is it true that you must have all six tools to kill Tianma and purify the demon seed?"
"That's just a legend." Li Jinglong continued to brew tea. He pondered for a moment and replied, "I also asked Yongsi about this. We studied a lot of historical materials left behind by Di Gong. The legend is true."
"If Tianma revives to the point where it can't be stopped, only the six magic tools of Acala can kill it and let the evil spirit return to the sky." Li Jinglong said.
"The evil spirit is born from all living things in the world." Hongjun said, "The last thing to kill is actually the demon seed."
"Yes." Li Jinglong knew the meaning of Hongjun's words. If the six tools were gathered, the purpose was only to destroy the demon seed in Hongjun's heart.
"In all these years, haven't you looked for the others?" Hongjun looked at the six magic tools and asked.
"It's impossible to find them." Li Jinglong said, "They have been missing for nearly a thousand years. From the last time Tianma came back to life until now, such a long time has passed. How can we find them?"
Hongjun asked, "When was the last time Tianma came back to life?"
"Qin lost its deer, and the world chased after it." Li Jinglong replied, "From the time Bai Qi killed four hundred thousand surrendered soldiers until the Qin Dynasty unified the world, countless people died. The second Qin Dynasty died, and the world fell into chaos again. The evil aura finally exceeded the limit that the veins of heaven and earth could withstand. It was the birth of a heavenly demon … Come, come here."
Hongjun knew that since Li Jinglong took over the Exorcism Division, he must have been familiar with the past history. His knowledge was above his, so he did not have any doubts.
"If Tianma really came back …"
"It won't come out, I promise you." Li Jinglong said seriously, "It's not the time, Hongjun."
Hongjun frowned deeply. Li Jinglong said, "The first time Tianma came back, it was after the Battle of Zhuolu. The second time Tianma came back, it was during the Battle of Muye. Tianma has its own rules, it does not exist for Yao, and does not die for Jie. The third time Tianma came back, it was during the Battle of Chu and Han. Think about it, what is the connection? "
"It's a war where many people died." Hongjun said.
Li Jinglong nodded and said, "When mortals die, their resentment will not dissipate, so it will wander in the world and gather more and more."
"But in these thousand years, many things have happened." Hongjun thought for a moment and said, "Let's not talk about the distant past. Four hundred years ago, when the Han and Hu fought, weren't there many people who died?"
Li Jinglong did not expect Hongjun to know about this period of the history of the Divine Continent. He pondered for a moment and then said, "You think that the demonic aura that Xie Yu and An Lushan absorbed was left behind from that time?"
Hong Jun nodded. Li Jinglong sighed and said, "Indeed, with the passing of every thousand years, the evil aura in the human world is more than the previous thousand years. Di Gong also wrote this in the book."
The first thousand years were the thousand years of the ancestors. Before and after the Battle of Zhuolu, Tianma was born first. The second thousand years were the thousand years of the Three Ancient Dynasties. In the Battle of Muye, King Wu defeated the four hundred thousand strong army of the Shang Dynasty. After that, he became a god. Although the number of people who died was much higher than the previous thousand years, it could not be considered a bloodbath in the Divine Continent.
In the third thousand years, the seven kingdoms of the human world competed. The seven warring kingdoms rose together and the lives were counted in the millions. Bai Qi killed four hundred thousand soldiers of the Zhao Kingdom. The allied army of the six kingdoms arrived at Hangu Pass, five hundred thousand men. When the Qin Dynasty conquered the six kingdoms with the autumn wind, this massacre reached its peak. And when the world finally settled down, everyone thought that this disaster was over. However, "the world suffered because of the violent Qin Dynasty" and the evil aura grew stronger day by day. In the end, Tianma appeared.
The historical records could not be checked. Li Jinglong did not find any description of Tianma's resurrection, but one thing was certain — the Immovable Wisdom King also appeared and removed Tianma, returning the evil aura to the veins of heaven and earth. Otherwise, Di Renjie would not have established the Exorcism Division.
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will be victorious in a hundred battles." Hongjun said, "Sometimes I always wonder, what am I?"
Li Jinglong rarely discussed this question with him. He did not even want Hongjun to worry about it. However, as their relationship changed, he gradually understood Hongjun. He realized that although this handsome boy usually looked confused, he hid many things in his heart.
Especially regarding the demonic seed and his own past, his heart was like a mirror. It was just that most of the time, Li Jinglong did not mention it, and he did not talk about it.
There was no point in avoiding this question, so Li Jinglong simply said, "I won't hide it from you. I have thought about it before, but it has nothing to do with who you are. You are you, you are Hongjun, you are my wife."
Hongjun laughed. Li Jinglong did not wait for him to reply and said, "You are right. As for what Tianma is, Mo Rigen, Atay, and Yongsi often discuss it. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will be victorious in a hundred battles. This is the principle that our ancestors taught us. If we want to defeat our opponents, we must first understand them. "
Hongjun made an "en" sound and said, "The demonic seed, at the very beginning, should be said to be in my father's body. Back then, did my father transform into Tianma? If so, how did the Immovable Wisdom King kill … kill him? "
Li Jinglong said, "First of all, it is the Immovable Wisdom King's Six Artifacts, the Sword of Wisdom, the Demon Subduing Pestle, the Demon Binding Rope, the Great Sun Golden Wheel, the Moon Eclipse Bow, and the Vajra Arrow. At present, although I do not know where the remaining five artifacts are, if your father transformed into a demon, then only with these six artifacts in hand can we get rid of the demon in his body."
"What if it was me?" Hongjun suddenly said, "What if I …"
"No!" Li Jinglong said, "Why would you have this kind of idea?"
As soon as Hongjun opened his mouth, Li Jinglong guessed what he wanted to say — to split Xie Yu's three souls, absorb all the demonic energy that had been collected, transform into a demon, and then let Li Jinglong kill him.
"Alright." Hongjun scratched his head and said, "If you overreach yourself and make a fool of yourself, you don't have the six artifacts in hand, and I lose consciousness, it will be even more troublesome."
"It's not a matter of overreaching myself." Li Jinglong's brows knitted deeply, and said with anger, "If you die, what will I do? The one I care about is you, you! "
On the contrary, Hongjun did not think of this and could only say, "Alright."
It seemed that Lu Xu was indeed tight-lipped. This was the first time Li Jinglong knew of Hongjun's thoughts, and immediately he could neither be angry nor shocked. He repeatedly confirmed with Hongjun, and Hongjun could only repeatedly say, "Alright, alright, alright."
"What's so good about that!" Li Jinglong said, "You didn't listen at all."
Hongjun scrutinized Li Jinglong, and suddenly felt a little sad. In fact, he did not have much obsession with living. Perhaps it was because he grew up by Chong Ming's side, but Phoenix did not care much about living. Qing Xiong was also a great demon who was not obsessed with life. It was often said that mushrooms do not know the end of the month, crickets do not know the spring and autumn. Whether it was humans or demons, in the face of this vast world, the time of life was just a drop in the ocean.
Therefore, he was very open-minded about life and death since he was young, and naturally lived happily. Even if he was going to die tomorrow, he did not have many regrets. Especially after being together with Li Jinglong, he felt that his life was not in vain.
But if he died, he was afraid that Li Jinglong would be very pitiful in this life.
Naturally, he did not dare to say this, otherwise he would provoke Li Jinglong's endless scolding. Hongjun saw that he was very angry, and could only nod repeatedly.
"Swear." Li Jinglong finally said, "You and Brother will live well together."
At this moment, Hongjun felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He nodded and said, "Okay, we'll live together."
Li Jinglong said again, "Swear on my life, if you want to mess around, I'll die."
"That won't do." Hongjun immediately said.
Li Jinglong said casually, "Anyway, if you really want to do this, I won't kill you. I'll just stand there and watch you. If you kill me, you'll feel even worse. After you kill me, no one can control you, and you'll become the Demon King. If you become the Demon King, the entire Divine Continent will be destroyed in your hands. "
Hongjun immediately shouted, "How can you do this?!"
Li Jinglong said, "Why not? In any case, I have to do something for myself. "
Hongjun did not know what to do. He could not win against Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong was smart. He proposed the method of mutual destruction in order to save everyone. With Li Jinglong's words, Hongjun could only give up on this idea.
At this moment, someone outside said, "Requesting an audience with the King."
The two immediately turned their heads and saw two thin men walk in. Each was thin in their own way, and each was thin in their own strange way. The person on the left had an inverted triangular snake face. It was the Sand Snake that was captured at the Jade Gate! The person on the right looked to be around forty years old. He was stooped, and the beard on his face was messy like a monkey. He bowed slightly and said, "Greetings to the King."
Li Jinglong signaled for them to come in. Hongjun thought, when did you become their King? Li Jinglong said to Hongjun, "Old Five was a monkey demon that the Hou used to keep by its side. After Yongsi killed the Hou, he set it free and sold fruits in Luoyang to make a living."
The two demons kowtowed to Hongjun again. Only then did Hongjun realize that the one they were calling 'King' was actually him! He hurriedly said, "Quickly get up, I'm not some King!"
Li Jinglong signaled with his eyes. Hongjun did not understand, but he also nodded. Li Jinglong said, "How is the matter that Young Master Qiu instructed you to do?"
"Reporting to the two of you." The Sand Snake said, "King Qing Xiong also instructed us to keep a close watch. A few days ago, two great demons under Tianma came to Luoyang …"
"Qing Xiong?!" Hongjun said in surprise, "When did Qing Xiong come?"