The corner of Han Guolan's mouth twitched. Atay patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Han, it seems that everyone knows that you have a storeroom."
Han Guolan muttered to himself, "This is already the last substitute. There won't be any left after it's used up."
Qiu Yongsi smiled and said, "If we hadn't released so much blood in advance, we probably wouldn't have been able to fool the Gu Ape."
Ashina Chong said, "You almost failed in advance. If the Gu Ape returned and still planned to eat the corpse …"
Lu Xu replied, "No, I tampered with a dream that Da Lang had before he set off and gave him an extra memory."
"Oh? What memory? "Qiu Yongsi asked.
Lu Xu did not answer. In the end, he said, "In short, I made him owe Brother Han a favor in his dream and urged him to keep his corpse intact."
Everyone's expression changed slightly. Han Guolan said, "You can affect anyone's dreams and even memories?"
Qiu Yongsi immediately signaled Lu Xu not to say anything. Lu Xu fell silent. Atay changed the topic and said with a smile, "Brother Han, Lu Xu saved your life. How are you going to thank our family's Lu Xu?"
Han Guolan's big beard moved slightly and suddenly changed his appearance. He said with a smile, "If you didn't let Prince Mo Rigen act as a spy, my life wouldn't be in danger. The Exorcism Division took the risk to use this plan and protect my safety. Isn't that what you should do?"
Atay also smiled and replied, "You can't say that. Brother Han, if it wasn't Mo Rigen today, An Lushan would have sent someone else tomorrow. In short, they would have killed you to be at ease."
Lu Xu was impatient. His mind was no longer on this matter. He said, "You two slowly haggle. I'm leaving."
Lu Xu left. Qiu Yongsi wanted to persuade him, but Ashina Chong signaled for him to follow and let him stay.
Han Guolan said, "If Prince Mo Rigen didn't come personally, how could I have fallen for it? It seems that I still trusted you too much … "
"That's not the case." Atay was still asking Han Guolan for a sky-high price and said, "An Lushan is determined to kill you. Who knows what other tricks they'll use?"
Qiu Yongsi said with a smile, "Ai, Atay, it's a pleasure to help others. Why do you want to repay them? In my opinion, why don't we go do something else first? "
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... Atay and Qiu Yongsi looked at each other innocently and were about to turn around again.
Han Guolan had thought that there would be a follow-up. He didn't expect that Atay would go through so much trouble to find him. First, he urged him to use a substitute doll. Then, he tricked Gu Yuan into using his identity. Now that he had changed the pearl ring that proved his identity, what if he was killed by either Gu Yuan or Mo Rigen? What would he do then?
"Come back, come back!" Han Guolan muttered helplessly, "It's true that when you sit at home, trouble will fall from the sky. What do you want? Tell me!"
Atay said seriously, "Brother Han, if Tianma is not eliminated, Chang 'an will never have peace. Your life will also be in danger."
"Got it!" Han Guolan said impatiently, "Name your price!"
Qiu Yongsi waved the fan in his hand and exchanged glances with Atay. Atay signaled Qiu Yongsi to speak. Qiu Yongsi thought for a moment, then said, "I have a piece of information."
Han Guolan signaled Qiu Yongsi to speak.
"Why does Tianma want to kill you?" Qiu Yongsi said thoughtfully, "Do you know of any of its shortcomings, or some kind of magic weapon that can restrain it?"
This question stumped Han Guolan. He said angrily, "How would I know why Tianma wants to kill me? If I knew, would I still be here? I would've run away long ago! "
Qiu Yongsi suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He closed his fan, clapped his hands, and said, "Come with us. I'll show you something."
Han Guolan saw that the Wan Bao in the mirror had already found the mechanism and opened his private storeroom. Just as he was about to get angry, Atay pushed him away and forced him to leave. Atay and Qiu Yongsi sandwiched him in the middle, repeatedly persuading him that no matter how much money he had, it was not as important as his life. After much persuasion, they finally brought him away from Changle Fang.
In the pitch-black wilderness, a huge black wolf was rapidly digging the ground with its claws. Before long, it had dug out a deep pit less than one zhang square.
It would occasionally stop, twitch its ears, or turn its head to sniff suspiciously, alert to the wind and grass in its surroundings. After digging the pit, the black wolf tossed Han Guolan's body into it.
Lu Xu stood on top of a tree, looking at the scene on the ground from afar. The moon peeked out from the dark clouds, and in a split second, countless rays of silver light flickered on the black wolf's glossy fur. It used its claws to push the soil together, circled the temporary grave twice, lowered its head to sniff it, and turned to leave.
Ashina Chong stood on the other side, and the two of them watched the black wolf leave together. Not long after, Lu Xu came down from the tree. Ashina Chong bent down, and began to dig at the soil on the black wolf's body.
Lu Xu said, "This magic weapon can be recycled?"
Ashina Chong replied, "Who cares. Let's take it back and have a look."
Ashina Chong obviously didn't even want to let go of a magic weapon that had been used before, and began to rummage through the soil. Lu Xu didn't have the patience to accompany him. He stood up straight, and looked in the direction Mo Rigen had left. Suddenly, it transformed into a White Deer, and with a swoosh, it flew away. Ashina Chong shouted, but he couldn't catch up, so he could only give up.
Chang 'an entered the night. The White Deer's entire body emitted a pure white light, which scattered into thousands of households. The nightmarish cries of children stopped, and the originally restless Chang' an in the summer night suddenly became truly peaceful.
The black wolf stepped onto the roof of Ping Kang Li, and with a shake of its fur, it transformed back into its human form. It leapt down the alley, walked along the alley, and ate supper in front of a mutton soup shop. It used the hand that it had used to kill people to break the bread piece by piece, and put it into the soup. There was still some blood on its fingers.
Lu Xu leaned against the railing on the second floor of Ping Kang Li, and quietly looked down at Mo Rigen, who was sitting across the street. Mo Rigen was chewing seriously, as if he was in a trance. Under the illumination of the red and green lights of Ping Kang Li, the outline of his face actually gave Lu Xu a feeling of trembling that tugged at his heartstrings.
There was a natural evil aura around him, just like a gloomy death god. The guests who came out of Ping Kang Li for supper, the manservants who came to buy hot food, and the waiters who wiped the tables, all inexplicably avoided him, staying far away, and even sitting alone in front of his table. Lu Xu looked at him seriously for a while, and remembered that this mutton soup shop was the first place Mo Rigen had brought him to when they had just arrived in Chang 'an.
He had told Lu Xu that he liked the taste of this shop very much. The whole mutton was cooked in a pot until it was soft and glutinous. The soup was milky white, and the fragrance of thorn mustard made the mutton soup very delicious. The baked bread was golden brown, and it was very tasty when broken up … This was the only shop in Chang 'an that used thorn mustard to flavor the mutton soup. During the harvest festival, the Shiwei family also used thorn mustard when they cooked a whole mutton.
That was the taste of home, but Lu Xu did not have this memory, so he could not understand Mo Rigen's obsession with this delicious food …
… But now he could feel it.
He closed his eyes and tried to enter the memory of the thin, evil young man. He saw Mo Rigen sitting at the edge of the Shiwei royal family, participating in their harvest festival. The grasslands were full of singing and dancing, and Mo Rigen was playing with a few small stones on the table, looking at the people who were dancing.
A mangy dog sniffed around and came to Mo Rigen's feet, looking for leftovers from the diners. Mo Rigen suddenly raised his foot and stepped down beside the dog. The dog was startled and quickly ran away.
"You've become bad," Lu Xu said to himself.
Mo Rigen threw down the copper coins and got up to leave, walking along the dark alley. Lu Xu turned and went downstairs, following behind him.
The dark alley was very quiet. Mo Rigen was dressed in black, and he was hidden in the darkness. Lu Xu did not dare to make too much noise, and gradually lost track of his direction. After thinking for a while, he thought that Mo Rigen must be returning to Anxi to report. Just as he was about to take a shortcut to take a look, he suddenly felt a gust of wind behind him.
Lu Xu immediately became alert and turned around to block. Mo Rigen, dressed in black, used his left fist and right palm to counter Lu Xu's moves. Lu Xu lowered his body and spun around, coming out from under Mo Rigen's ribs. The two exchanged palms in the air.
In an instant, a gust of wind rose from the ground, and the two forces collided. Lu Xu originally thought that he had the upper hand in terms of speed, but Mo Rigen's speed was suddenly faster than his. He turned into a shadow, and his fists and feet intertwined, almost sticking close to Lu Xu again.
How did this guy's speed become so fast?! Lu Xu was shocked.
"In the past, I always let you win." Mo Rigen said coldly, and leaned over to his ear. In an instant, Lu Xu stretched out his leg, but Mo Rigen slapped it away. Lu Xu used the force to turn around, and kicked him in the shoulder! In the blink of an eye, Mo Rigen hooked his palm, locking Lu Xu's ankle and twisting it.
Lu Xu was sent flying, spinning in circles in the air, and then was thrown by Mo Rigen against the alley wall. His back hit hard, and his internal organs were in turmoil, and he almost spat out blood. He knew that things were not good, and was about to escape when Mo Rigen used one hand to support himself against the wall, and his whole body leaned forward.
At the same time, the Nailhead Seven Arrows left the quiver, and were aimed at Lu Xu.
"Again," Mo Rigen said in a low voice, carrying a dangerous aura.
Lu Xu: "…"
Lu Xu felt that Mo Rigen was like a bloodthirsty wolf in this dark shadow. His hair stood on end, as if he was about to devour someone.
"Again what?" Lu Xu said coldly.
"The arrows," Mo Rigen said in a low voice.
Lu Xu looked at him silently, wondering how Tianma affected his mind. The Mo Rigen in front of him still remembered him, remembered everything. Then, did he also remember the plan he had made?
"Hand it over …"
Mo Rigen's voice suddenly stopped, and his eyes widened. Lu Xu put one hand on the side of his face, tilted his head, and kissed him on the lips.
Mo Rigen never expected Lu Xu to do this, but Lu Xu's actions were simply natural. He closed his eyes and focused on kissing him.
Mo Rigen: "…"
"I'm sorry."
When their lips parted, Lu Xu said expressionlessly, "I couldn't hold back."
After saying that, Lu Xu took advantage of Mo Rigen's absent-mindedness and left the cage of his arm with a "swish" sound. He leaped against the wall of the alley at his highest speed, creating a shadow in an instant. Before Mo Rigen could react, he looked up and saw that Lu Xu had disappeared above his head.
Mo Rigen leapt onto the opposite wall in two steps, then flipped over and jumped onto another wall. After a few leaps, he reached the roof, only to see a bright moon hanging high in the sky. Lu Xu had already disappeared without a trace.
Mo Rigen was speechless for a long time. After a moment, he turned around and left with a complicated expression.
Lu Xu hid between the scattered rafters, panting constantly in Mo Rigen's blind spot. He waited until the sound of Lu Xu's footsteps faded away, then he let out a sigh of relief. He slowly crawled to the end of the eaves and sat down quietly.
Dark clouds rolled in again, blocking the moon.
Raindrops the size of soybeans fell, and then the whole city started to rain, covering the sky and the earth.
When Lanling Amber was about to close, Ashina Chong lifted the door and sealed the front door of the wine shop. Lu Xu, drenched, slipped through the gap.
"I was just about to go out and look for you," Ashina Chong said. "Where did you run off to this time?"
Lu Xu didn't say anything. For a moment, he seemed to have lost his soul. He ignored Ashina Chong and went into the back room without asking. There was a lamp behind the screen. Qiu Yongsi, Atay, and Han Guolan were discussing at the table.
"When will Li Jinglong come back?"
"You didn't even want to see him before," Qiu Yongsi said with a smile. "Now you're concerned about him?"
Han Guolan let out a heavy sigh and replied, "How would I know that this guy, as a mortal, could reach his current position?"
Ever since the Exorcism Division was established, Han Guolan had interacted with them many times. During the Fox Demon Case, he happened to not be in the capital. He originally thought that Li Jinglong was just an ordinary mortal. He didn't expect that he would become the leader of the Exorcism Division. He couldn't help but sigh that people couldn't believe in rumors.
"Can you just say it clearly … Little Lu?" Atay saw the drenched Lu Xu go around the screen and head towards the backyard.
"Yes," Lu Xu replied.
"Come and take a look," Qiu Yongsi said.
Lu Xu didn't answer. He didn't care about what Han Guolan said and just returned to his room. Atay gave Qiu Yongsi a look. Qiu Yongsi only smiled and shook his head, indicating that he didn't need to worry too much about him.
Han Guolan continued, "At that time, I didn't know that the golden sword was the Immovable Wisdom King's treasure. If I knew, would I still sell it to him?"
"Save it," Atay said. "Other than him, who else would buy it? Who else would use it? "
"Tell me, tell me." Qiu Yongsi dipped his brush in ink and said, "I'll write it down."
Han Guolan hesitated for a moment and said, "This is what we agreed on …"
"Understood." Atay and Qiu Yongsi replied together.
"You'll live in the Lanling Amber." Atay said, "When we're done, we'll send you out. This time, we'll do it secretly. No one will know where you are."
Han Guolan thought for a moment and finally made up his mind and said, "Okay, this sword was actually stolen by a thief from Luoyang's Tong Tian Tower …"
As soon as these words were said, Atay and Qiu Yongsi immediately sat up straight. Han Guolan had never known the origin of the "Sword of Wisdom". She only knew that it was Di Renjie's sword when he was alive. It was said that Di Renjie spent his entire life searching for the whereabouts of the other weapons that were part of this sword.
But until his death, only this sword was left. It was rusty and did not accompany him to the burial. Instead, it was sent to the bottom of the Tong Tian Stupa. Later, when Li Xian succeeded to the throne, no one cared about the stupa anymore. Sometimes, there would be thieves who would go there to steal. From the bottom of the tower, they would steal a few jade carvings and this one of Di Renjie's weapons when he was alive.
Along with it, there was also a will. Han Guolan had thought of looking for these weapons, but gradually found that this sword had no magical powers. It was just a piece of scrap metal, so she no longer remembered it. During an auction at the Chamber of Commerce, Han Guolan instructed her subordinates to take out this sword. Unexpectedly, it was sold at a sky-high price in front of Li Jinglong.
Afterwards, Han Guolan was extremely shocked, thinking that she had missed out on some rare treasure. She secretly observed Li Jinglong for a while, only to see that he had only re-polished the sword and carried it by his side all day long. He did not do anything shocking. The sense of novelty that was rekindled gradually faded away.
"Where's the will?" Qiu Yongsi asked.
"It's burned." Han Guolan said helplessly, "There was a night in the desert. It was really cold. In order to start a fire and control the wolves …"
Atay was helpless. He raised his hand and signaled for her to get to the point, "Where are the other five weapons?"
Han Guolan thought for a moment, then said, "It's all guesses from the will. I thought that Di Renjie made up a few stories to coax the later generations …"
The will did not specify the exact location. Instead, it drew five symbols, which were respectively …
"You're scribbling nonsense! Who knows what it is! "Qiu Yongsi looked at the few circles that Han Guolan had casually drawn and said frantically.
The Carp Demon leaned on the edge of the table and looked up curiously. After thinking for a moment, it pointed at one of the symbols and said, "Where have I seen this symbol before?"
Atay and Qiu Yongsi immediately looked at the Carp Demon and became nervous. The Carp Demon thought about it, but it really could not remember.
Han Guolan finished drawing and spread out her hands, saying, "This is all I know. There's nothing I can do even if you ask me again."
There were five strange symbols drawn on the paper. They had never seen a single one of them before. Atay and Qiu Yongsi thought for a long time, but could not figure out what they meant. The Carp Demon, on the other hand, thought that it was some kind of decorative pattern on a building. After guessing for a long time, Qiu Yongsi gave up, saying, "No matter what, now that we have the first clue, this is a good start."
Atay originally thought that since Tianma was so afraid of a merchant like Han Guolan, it was very likely that Han Guolan knew some important information, so it did not hesitate to silence him at all costs. And before this, Han Guolan had never even heard of Tianma, let alone grasping its weakness. Since a magic treasure merchant was familiar with magic treasures, then there should be some magic treasures that could restrain Tianma … Thinking back to how Han Guolan was the previous owner of the Sword of Wisdom, the only possibility was the Six Weapons of Acala.
Now that there was finally a clue, Qiu Yongsi even suggested that they should find it first and hand it over to Li Jinglong. The result was unexpected. They had obtained such a vague clue, so they could only wait for Li Jinglong to return before discussing the next step.
The rain grew heavier and heavier, pattering loudly against the pond under the eaves and in the courtyard.
Lu Xu lay in her room, tossing and turning restlessly.
Under the snowstorm, countless snowflakes interweaved and scattered in an instant, like the eruption of stars during the creation of the world. Within the light, Mo Rigen's handsome face appeared. His mouth was muttering words that she could not understand, but his eyes were gentle …
"… the sea."
That was what Hongjun had told him. Lu Xu had never seen the sea in his life, and neither had Hongjun. But he had heard that at the end of the world, there was a boundless azure sea. He had promised that in this life, he would go see the sea at least once.
He had heard that it was vast and boundless. Many nights, it always reminded Lu Xu of Mo Rigen's blue-black eyes.
That mutton soup was actually quite delicious … it was better than many of the dishes he had eaten in Liangzhou. When Lu Xu first came to Chang 'an, he was used to looking at Mo Rigen's back. His shoulders were broad and strong from years of pulling a bow, and his back was like a mountain range, giving him a sense of security in this strange place and lonely thoughts.
Lu Xu sighed, turned sideways, and closed his eyes. His lips that had kissed Mo Rigen were still slightly warm.
In the Wei Manor of Anxi, Mo Rigen threw his quiver to the ground and sat in a corner, like an unwilling wolf.
"Mission completed?" Wan Feng's voice sounded from outside the room.
"Scram," Mo Rigen said coldly.
Wan Feng said in a low voice, "His Excellency ordered you to report …"
"Scram!" Mo Rigen gathered his zhenqi and roared violently. The entire room shook, and the outside quieted down.
He stuck out his tongue, slowly licked his lips, and closed his eyes.