In the darkness, the wolf pack's whimpers accompanied the youth's sobs. It was extremely clear in the gloomy cave.
He lay on the cold ground, his tears and snot smeared all over the ground. There was an arrow stuck in his back. The arrow had pierced through his chest, causing him to convulse uncontrollably. He let out a muffled cry before he died.
In the cave, there was a lifelike painting of the Deer King's Life. The snow-white deer king with nine-colored spots on its back turned and walked out of the painting.
The wolf pack made way for the White Deer. It slowly walked towards the young Mo Rigen who was lying on the ground.
"Life in this world is like being surrounded by thorns."
Its horns emitted a gentle light that enveloped Mo Rigen. On Mo Rigen's body, the image of a Grey Wolf with grey-blue fur appeared. It raised its head to look at the White Deer.
"Go," the White Deer said gently. "Even if the sea of thorns is boundless, there will always be an end."
It lowered its head slightly and gently stroked the Grey Wolf's neck. The light from its antlers healed his wounds. Mo Rigen stood up with difficulty. The White Deer turned into a star and flew out of the cave. Mo Rigen turned and walked towards the entrance of the cave. The first light of dawn appeared outside the forest.
Dawn came. A ray of morning light shone into the Wei Manor of Anxi and shone between Mo Rigen's brows.
He opened his eyes. Half naked, his shoulders and back full of whip marks. He sat in the corner of the cell, recalling the moment in his dream.
The cell door opened. A tall man said from outside, "Mo Rigen, come out."
Mo Rigen's Nailhead Seven Arrows had been confiscated. He did not have any magic treasures on him. His wrists and ankles were tied with strange gold chains, which jingled. He dragged his feet and walked into the hall. An Lushan dismissed his attendants. Only two men in black stood on his left and right.
"I know your father," said An Lushan, "of the Wei tribe of the Southern Chamber, Ambusi'er Kiyin Moheduo."
Mo Rigen looked up at An Lushan. An Lushan said, "We even fought a war before."
Mo Rigen remained silent. An Lushan continued, "I heard that he has a son who is a star on the grasslands."
Mo Rigen frowned slightly. An Lushan finally said, "Then he disappeared without a trace. I'm guessing that he came to the Central Plains. Why did you come to the Central Plains?"
Mo Rigen replied, "You know very well, Tianma."
An Lushan laughed heartily, his laughter causing the bed to shake. "You're here to kill me? I don't think so! "
"The subordinate tribes of Qinyin Moheduo are just a small place that you can destroy with a wave of your finger." One of the men in black said, "You only have fourteen thousand and seven hundred people. There are less than eight thousand men in your tribe who can fight. Ten years ago, you ceded your land to the Khitans to seek peace. "
An Lushan laughed coldly. "I only need to issue an order and fifty thousand cavalry will head north. Within a month, your tribe will be wiped out."
"That's right." Mo Rigen nodded. "You don't even need to send troops. You only need to go to the banks of the Karsi River and release your demonic energy. Everyone in your tribe, old and young, will be killed by you."
"That's not necessary." An Lushan smiled amiably. "As long as you're willing to come to me, not only will your tribe not be in danger, they will also be my most stable vassal in a few years."
"If I say I'm willing to surrender," Mo Rigen looked at An Lushan and replied coldly. "Will you believe me?"
An Lushan laughed like a wild beast. After he finished laughing, he looked at Mo Rigen carefully. Soon after, he stood up and walked over to Mo Rigen. He lowered his voice and said, "I know what Li Jinglong is looking for. Unfortunately, you're looking in the wrong place …"
Mo Rigen's eyes suddenly widened. Then, An Lushan suddenly reached out a hand and pressed it against his left chest!
Mo Rigen was caught off guard and was wrapped in demonic energy. He let out a painful roar as his heart was sucked in by the demonic energy and dragged out!
That heart flickered with a grayish-blue light as it was continuously corroded by the demonic energy. Mo Rigen's eyes suddenly widened, his empty pupils looking at his heart in midair.
"If you can do it, why don't you do it?"
"Your arrow can reach places where all weapons can't …"
"With just this arrow, you can avenge your mother."
"I saw it —!" Accompanied by An Lushan's wild laughter, the image of Mo Rigen kneeling on one knee in front of the sickbed slowly appeared. The hatred from thirteen years ago, the illusion in the sea of blood, weaved into black veins that gradually covered the surface of the heart.
The heart was still beating, but Mo Rigen did not say a word and began to struggle violently.
"What's deeper inside?" An Lushan's voice became low and hoarse.
"Monster …"
"It's a monster!"
Fear flickered in front of his eyes. On the archery field, Mo Rigen was teaching martial arts to his younger brothers. He tripped one of his younger brothers to the ground. He smiled and reached out to pull him up, but the other boy fled in fear.
In the tent, his father's wives each looked at Mo Rigen. His father waved for him to come over, then raised his hand and slapped him.
Mo Rigen was silent.
The scene changed. The Grey Wolf carried Hongjun and galloped under the moonlight, jumping over rooftops.
"Mo Rigen?" Hongjun asked in a low voice.
"Yes?" The Grey Wolf stopped and turned around slightly.
Hongjun gestured for it to continue and asked, "Are you a monster?"
"Sort of." The Grey Wolf replied, "There hasn't been a person with the Grey Wolf's transformation in the clan for nearly a hundred years. I don't know what I am either. Don't tell Atay and the others."
The Grey Wolf did not seem to want Li Jinglong to hear too much. It arrived in front of a courtyard, bent its body, and jumped up the wall of the courtyard, then onto the roof.
At that moment, the dark clouds in Chang 'an gradually parted, and the moonlight shone brightly. The Grey Wolf carried the young man and ran silently along the rooftops.
"You're not coming to take me, are you?" The Grey Wolf suddenly said.
Hongjun laughed and leaned close to its ear, saying, "Half of me is also a monster."
"Yes." The Grey Wolf seemed to be very surprised. It shook its ear and asked, "But I don't think you look like one."
"My father is a …"
"Shh." The Grey Wolf replied, "Say no more. My father said that there isn't much difference between a monster and a human. There's only the difference between good and evil."
An old shaman held a scepter and whispered in front of the fire.
"There isn't much difference between a monster and a human. There's only the difference between good and evil. So what if you're a monster?"
Suddenly, the black fire surged and covered the past. An Lushan made a gesture, and the heart that had been corroded to pitch-black suddenly shot towards Mo Rigen's chest, causing him to tremble and fall sideways onto the ground.
The Carp Demon hid outside the window and looked into the room with its fish-like eyes. Then, it slowly retracted its head.
"Get up." A black-clothed man stepped forward and lifted Mo Rigen with his palm, allowing him to slowly stand up.
An Lushan's expression became complicated. He said, "Since you wanted to kill the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, why didn't you do it earlier?"
Mo Rigen lowered his head, his whole body bathed in the black fire. The black fire slowly retracted into his body. During this process, he slowly raised his head and looked into An Lushan's eyes. Two balls of black fire appeared in his eyes, constantly rotating.
"Where's the other arrow?" An Lushan asked in a low voice.
A subordinate carried a wooden tray with six nail-headed arrows on it. Mo Rigen raised his left hand and placed it on the tray. The six arrows began to vibrate.
In the morning, the arrow tied to Lu Xu's wrist pulled on the red string, constantly vibrating, and pointed in a certain direction.
Atay and Ashina Chong were in the middle of a discussion when Lu Xu quickly walked out and gestured for them to look at the direction the arrow was pointing. The Nail-Headed Seven Arrows were forged from ancient Western gold. Just like the Flying Immortal Blade used by Hongjun, it could recognize its master. In the past, treasures that could recognize their masters all had a long history and powerful magic power. It was unknown how Mo Rigen made it recognize him as its master.
"He's starting to summon the Nail-Headed Seven Arrows." Lu Xu said.
Mo Rigen had told them in advance that when the Nail-Headed Seven Arrows moved, it meant that he had regained the ability to summon treasures. This also hinted to them that he had successfully gained An Lushan's trust, and that the plan had officially begun.
"I have to tell you some bad news." Atay's expression was serious as he said to Lu Xu, "There might be a change in the plan."
Lu Xu: "…"
"According to the first wave of information that you've gathered." Ashina Chong said sternly, "We've analyzed it according to the ancient records. What you saw was indeed the Divine Flame, but that was only one of the forms of the Divine Flame. It hasn't fully manifested. Other than the Fire God's Arm, there are many other parts of the Divine Flame that will change according to An Lushan's needs and unleash its power. The next time we make a move, it might not be on his back. "
"The Divine Flame is shapeless." Atay continued, "I have a certain degree of confidence that I can retrieve it now."
Lu Xu said, "Before we make a move, we have to confirm where An Lushan has transferred it."
Qiu Yongsi nodded thoughtfully and said, "At the same time, we need An Lushan to use it. Everyone has to prepare a Water-type treasure to successfully take it away and seal it temporarily."
Lu Xu thought to himself that it was a good thing that Mo Rigen was by An Lushan's side now. If they had acted rashly, they would have failed.
Late in the morning, in the Luoyang Bureau of Exorcism., Hongjun sleepily pushed away Li Jinglong, who was hugging him, and got up to check on the others. Last night, after Li Bai and the two of them returned, everyone fell into a deep sleep. At this time, Li Bai was still snoring in the living room with his clothes disheveled.
Wen Bin had taken some medicine and was feeling better. He was sitting in the porch, basking in the sun.
"I'm much better." Wen Bin saw Hongjun coming over and hurriedly said, "Benefactor, your medicine is useful!"
Hongjun asked him to stick out his tongue and take a look. He said, "You're not sick, you're poisoned. I'll make some antidote for you. After taking it, you'll feel better. However, whether or not the poison can be completely removed will depend on your luck."
As he said this, Hongjun went into the inner room to make medicine for Wen Bin. After returning from a round last night, Wen Bin was poisoned by the Peony Flower Demon's Lust Poison. The antidote still needed to fall on the Flower Demon. However, many demons originally had demonic poison. After having intercourse with humans, even they themselves were unable to remove the poison. Capturing the Flower Demon was time-consuming and might not be effective. Thus, Hongjun came up with a bold idea, to fight poison with poison.
The world's demonic powers all corresponded to the eight gates of Qi Men Dun Jia: Life, Injury, Rest, Obstruction, View, Death, Shock, and Opening. It symbolized blooming and bearing fruit. The Flower Demon's strength was "reproduction" and "lust", which corresponded to the power of the Gate of Life of the eight gates of Qi Men Dun Jia. Similarly, Wen Bin's body was festering, which was also the reason why his flesh was rotting.
The Corpse Ghost symbolized the death of all living things, which corresponded to the Gate of Death. Once the Corpse Poison was administered, it could instantly turn all scenes of life into sorrowful death.
Previously in Liangzhou, Hongjun was amazed by the Corpse Ghost's Corpse Poison. He asked Liu Fei for a few strands of hair, burned them to ashes, and a few drops of blood, which he sealed in a bottle. At this moment, he proposed to fight poison with poison. Wen Bin regarded Hongjun as a divine doctor, so he naturally agreed. As long as this damned disease could be cured, anything was negotiable.
"I really love her." Wen Bin still didn't know that the girl named Xiang Yu was a demon. He said, "Benefactor, can you also save her? In this life, I'll be your ox and horse …"
Hongjun absent-mindedly agreed. He diluted the Corpse Poison's dosage again and again. He was afraid that Wen Bin wouldn't be able to withstand it. Even if he couldn't cure the poison, he couldn't poison him to death. It wouldn't be too late to slowly increase the dosage while observing. Finally, he diluted it into a small cup of wine and handed it to Wen Bin. Wen Bin held the wine and said to Hongjun, "In my life, only at that moment did I feel that I truly loved someone."
"Drink it quickly." Hongjun said, "Don't be long-winded."
Hongjun was slightly moved by this long-winded guy. Who would have thought that when Wen Bin was about to drink, Li Bai had woken up at some point and said, "Wine! There's wine! "
Hongjun immediately shouted, "You can't drink it! This is medicine … "
Li Bai reached out to grab it. Hongjun hurriedly tried to stop him, but Li Bai's speed was actually faster than Hongjun's. He suddenly found a gap. This was the first time that Hongjun had failed to catch a mortal. Immediately, the courtyard became a mess. Fortunately, Li Jinglong heard the noise and hurriedly came out. He grabbed Li Bai's wrist and the two of them worked together to stop the cup.
Hongjun hurriedly said, "There's still some wine in the hall. Drink it yourself." As he spoke, he fed it to Wen Bin. Wen Bin drank the wine in one gulp and shouted, "I'm dead — —!"
Everyone jumped in fright and immediately turned to look at Wen Bin. Wen Bin instantly collapsed. Hongjun hurriedly went to take a look. Li Jinglong asked, "What kind of medicine did you give him?"
Hongjun gave a concise explanation. Li Bai laughed at the side and walked through the front courtyard. He said loudly, "The living are passersby, the dead are returnees …"
"… Heaven and earth are a journey back, grieving for eternity."
Hongjun knelt on one knee and examined Wen Bin. Li Jinglong suddenly thought of something and asked, "Isn't this the Demon Sealing Curse?"
Hongjun said blankly, "This is his poem!"
Li Jinglong's brows seemed to be puzzled. He said, "It's also the Demon Sealing Curse, isn't it?"
Hongjun nodded and replied, "Yes."
Li Jinglong asked again, "Qing Xiong has heard of this poem? Or even earlier? When did Li Bai write this poem? "
"Li Bai is in the hall. Why don't you ask him!" Hongjun was busy to death. He said, "Hurry up and save him!"
Li Jinglong came back to his senses. He half carried Wen Bin and checked his breathing. He said, "He's still alive. Don't worry."
Hongjun saw that many livor mortis spots gradually appeared on Wen Bin's body, as if they were mutually restraining the rotten sores. The bright red color of his skin gradually darkened. Li Jinglong held Bai Guang in his hand and pressed it against his chest. He was ready to inject his transcendence energy into his heart at any time to help him resist the poison.
Wen Bin couldn't stop twitching, but his breathing gradually became much stronger. The scars all over his body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. Compared to before, his condition was much better. Hongjun heaved a sigh of relief. The two of them stood guard by Wen Bin's side. Finally, Wen Bin opened his eyes and said, "It hurts so much."
"It worked!" Hongjun said with a long sigh.
Li Jinglong helped him in. Wen Bin was about to kowtow to Hongjun when Li Jinglong said, "Don't be in a hurry to thank me. Let me ask you, how did you meet my family's Hongjun?"
Hongjun, "???"
Hongjun was simply baffled. Wasn't this just a coincidence?
Wen Bin thought for a while and remembered something. He said, "Ah! That's right! That blind man! Nine days ago, I met a blind man. The blind man said that I didn't have long to live and that I was sick. I had to go to Jixian Bao Hall to see a doctor … "
Hongjun, "…"
Hongjun was once again shocked by Li Jinglong's intelligence! Li Jinglong immediately grabbed Wen Bin and said in a low voice, "Speak clearly, what did the blind man look like? What else do you have to say? "
"No … no." Wen Bin thought hard and answered, "You know him? His … face was very pale, so pale that he didn't seem human … It seemed … that … "
Li Jinglong frowned deeply and chanted a few incantations in a deep voice. He raised one hand and pressed it directly on Wen Bin's forehead, while the other hand held Hongjun.
In an instant, a white light flashed and Hongjun directly saw Wen Bin's memories!