Looking back at the Chang 'an, thousands of doors opened one after another on the top of the mountain. Riding on the red dust, the imperial concubine smiled. No one knew …
"Huh? What's this? "Hongjun's attention had been attracted by the white fruit in the crystal bowl on the table. The fruit was crystal clear. Placed together with the ice, it emitted a burst of coolness in this hot summer.
There was also a small plate of salt water as a dipping sauce.
Li Jinglong whispered, "Lychee." He signaled him to behave and just eat.
In the Golden Flower Fall, Yuan Kun took away the divination armor on the table. The hall was filled with a solemn and silent atmosphere. Li Longji said, "This master was personally invited by Gao Lishi to divine the fate of the Tang Dynasty."
Li Jinglong glanced at Yuan Kun, wondering why he was with Gao Lishi again. But then he remembered that too many things had happened in the past year. Although Li Longji was old, he was not stupid. He must have felt that under this prosperity, the foundation of the Tang Dynasty had produced some kind of imperceptible crisis.
In a short moment, after Xie Yu escaped from the Chang 'an, Yuan Kun entered the city with a banner in his hand. He was found by Gao Lishi and brought to the Emperor. The scene flashed through Li Jinglong's mind. With Kun Shen's ability to see through the mysteries of heaven and the future, this conversation was not only a conversation between the Monster King and the Human King, but also a hint to him that things might not be over yet.
"What kind of disaster will the Tang Dynasty face in the future?" Li Longji asked.
"Violent wind, sudden rain, lightning, and thunder."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kun Shen just flicked his sleeve. The whole Golden Flower Fall instantly darkened. Everyone immediately looked around. Thunder came from nowhere, and a chilly wind blew. Suddenly, Yuan Kun's voice came to Hongjun's ears through the Secret Voice-sending.
"Come to Xingjiao Temple at dawn tomorrow. Don't look back. Eat your lychees."
The light was dim, and the Golden Flower Fall was pitch-black. There seemed to be countless demonic shadows leaping about on the huge screen, and the neighing of soldiers and horses could be heard. Black clouds rolled over, as if a grand war was suddenly unfolding on the screen. Crimson blood filled the air as a sea of blood instantly drowned the entire Golden Flowers Fall. Everyone from the Exorcism Division stared at the screen intently. Li Heng was the first to lose his composure, almost shouting. Li Longji stared at the screen, his hand on his son's knee.
Not long after, everything suddenly disappeared, and the Golden Flower Fall returned to its original state.
After waiting for a long time, a voice rang out.
"Do you still have lychees?"
Hongjun had already finished the whole bowl of lychees.
Everyone: "…"
Li Longji's mouth twitched. Li Heng said, "I'll get someone to send it over later … but …"
Li Longji asked in a low voice, "When will the calamity begin?"
He looked at where Yuan Kun had been standing, but Yuan Kun had suddenly disappeared. Li Longji fell silent, and then he sighed.
"He's gone," Li Jinglong said.
For a moment, Li Longji was in a daze. Hongjun, on the other hand, thought that this lychee was simply too delicious. He looked at Li Heng with eager eyes, but the Great Tang was about to collapse, so how could he be in the mood to care about your lychee?
"I had you come today … to determine if this alchemist … was speaking the truth." Li Longji forced himself to calm down. He originally wanted to ask about the fate of the Tang Dynasty, but he didn't expect to get such a result.
Li Jinglong said, "I know him. None of his prophecies have come true … No, perhaps only one thing has come true."
"What is it?" Li Heng asked.
"It's about me," Li Jinglong replied. "This matter is rather complicated, so I can't explain it in detail right now."
Hongjun shivered and looked at Li Jinglong. Many thoughts flashed through his mind. Kun Shen's prophecy seemed to have not come true since he first appeared in front of everyone.
"But I believe that it's good to prepare for a rainy day." Li Jinglong said casually, "What Master Yuan said is actually closely related to the various oddities this time …"
Li Jinglong originally had a headache about how to convince Li Longji to accept all these inconceivable things. Yang Guozhong was also a demon, and An Lushan was also a demon. Moreover, he wanted to overthrow the Tang Dynasty. No matter what, no one would believe these words. However, Kun Shen, perhaps unintentionally or intentionally, had paved the way for him in advance. This made things much easier.
Thus, Li Jinglong organized his thoughts and talked about the Demon Dragon Xie Yu and the Phoenix 200 years ago. Then, he talked about Xie Yu occupying the Chang 'an. The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox was his doing. Li Heng was extremely shocked, but Li Longji had already heard Li Jinglong mention it. After that, he talked about the case of subduing demons in the northwest. Then, he talked about the haunted mausoleum of the Four Emperors. When he mentioned An Lushan, Li Longji finally couldn't sit still.
"An Lushan?!" Li Longji was shocked.
Li Jinglong slowly nodded and said, "He has already fled back to Fanyang."
"Who is Xie Yu?" Li Longji asked.
"Xie Yu has already been chased away by us," Li Jinglong said.
When it came to the prime minister of a country, Li Jinglong didn't dare to rashly reveal the truth. Otherwise, it would cause a huge commotion. However, he only used a hint, and Li Longji instantly understood.
In the end, Li Jinglong recounted the events of the birthday banquet in detail. Treating it as closing the case, he said, "That's how it is."
Golden Flowers Fall once more fell into a deathly silence.
"We still remember," Li Longji muttered, "twenty years ago, when we first saw Xie Yu."
This time, it was everyone's turn to be shocked. Li Longji had actually seen Xie Yu's true body?!
"What did it say?" Li Jinglong immediately felt that it was inappropriate to ask this question. Li Longji was still the Son of Heaven. No matter what, a subject should not be so presumptuous. Li Longji, on the other hand, had no intention of reprimanding him. He only replied, "That was when we were offering sacrifices to the heavens by the Wei River. A thick fog appeared on the surface of the river, so thick that one couldn't even see one's fingers. In a daze, We saw it."
"It said to Us … Your country, I'll leave it to you first, wait for you … wait for you …"
Li Longji hesitated for a long time. Everyone present added the second half of the sentence for him in their minds: After you die, I'll come back to take it.
Li Heng's expression instantly became extremely unsightly.
"All the civil and military officials saw Hei Jiao's back submerge into the water. In less than an hour, the fog dispersed." Li Longji's aged voice said, "They called Xie Yu an 'auspicious sign', but only We know that this is truly an ill omen. Xie Yu has only appeared once in Our life, but it has always made Our heart uneasy. This is also the reason why the Exorcism Division was established. "
After saying this, Li Longji turned to Li Jinglong.
Li Jinglong finally understood why Li Longji had treated them with such a tolerant attitude ever since the Exorcism Division had been restored.
"We are tired." Li Longji said to Li Heng, "Discuss clearly with Jinglong how to capture Guozhong and Lushan and bring them back to Chang 'an. We have questions to ask them. "
Li Longji had long ago understood the meaning of his words. Yang Guozhong was Xie Yu. Li Jinglong thought, you said it yourself. If Yang Guifei asks, I won't take responsibility.
In truth, Li Longji was no fool. After such a major incident, how could the Prime Minister of a country disappear just like that? How could there not be any suspicions? As he stood up, everyone could sense that Li Longji had aged even more than when they had seen him at the Huaqing Pool. The Son of Heaven's footsteps were actually somewhat unsteady.
After Li Longji left, Li Heng personally saw everyone out of the Meridian Gate. It was now night, and the cicadas had stopped chirping. Chang 'an was also much cooler. Li Heng had passed the initial period of shock and finally realized that the situation was rapidly tilting in his favor. The day he could hold his head high had finally arrived!
Li Heng's two greatest opponents in his life, An Lushan and Yang Guozhong, were both demons. This also meant that Li Jinglong would be ordered to eliminate them. He no longer needed to worry about them and could just wait to inherit the throne of the Tang Dynasty.
"Don't act yet. Listen to my orders," Li Heng said. "An Lushan has fled back to Fanyang, but he definitely won't stretch out his neck to be executed. There are still many inside stories that need to be dealt with one by one. Otherwise, I'm afraid that I'll incite a mutiny in the army. "
Li Jinglong knew that An Lushan was the Jiedushi of Pinglu and Fanyang. He had hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command. If he didn't deal with this properly and only killed the leader of the bandits, it might incite a mutiny. Perhaps what Yuan Kun had predicted was the Tang Dynasty descending into internal strife after An Lushan's death.
Li Jinglong stopped and said seriously to Li Heng, "Your Highness, you can't let your guard down. Eliminating the demons must be done quickly."
Li Heng's thoughts had been seen through by Li Jinglong. Somewhat uncomfortable, he said, "I naturally know this."
Li Jinglong reported to Li Jinglong that they were going to Hangzhou. Li Heng agreed without even thinking. Suddenly, he noticed Qiu Yongsi standing behind the people from the Exorcism Division. After sizing him up for a moment, he didn't ask any more questions and sent Li Jinglong back.
Li Jinglong walked out of the palace and looked at the starry sky. He stretched lazily. The arrest warrant had finally been resolved and he had regained his freedom. The trouble this time had finally come to an end. When he turned around, he saw that everyone had different expressions on their faces. It seemed like they were still thinking about Kun Shen's prophecy.
"Why does everyone look so dejected?" Li Jinglong smiled. "Cheer up. Tomorrow, you'll get your salaries, right?"
Everyone nodded and forced a smile.
Li Jinglong said seriously, "To be honest, Kun Shen's prophecy might not be accurate."
"Yes," Qiu Yongsi said. "The future is in our hands."
"Even if a war breaks out, I think it will only be a local war," Ashina Chong said. "It won't spread to the entire Central Plains."
Atay shook his head and said, "That's impossible."
At this moment, everyone's thoughts were similar. They would rather believe it than not. A war was very likely to happen. A war was unavoidable. It was just a matter of the scale.
Li Jinglong said again, "Mortals also have their own battles. Our enemy is only An Lushan. The rest should be dealt with by the Crown Prince. Tomorrow morning, we will set out. "
Everyone agreed. Hongjun didn't expect it to be so soon. That night, the members of the Exorcism Division returned to the station to pack their luggage. However, they found that the reward was already waiting in the alley. This time, there was no promotion for Li Jinglong. Instead, there was a large amount of money and ready-made summer clothes.
Li Jinglong hurriedly knelt down to receive the edict. Yang Guifei stood next to the eunuch who came to announce the edict.
"I heard that Hongjun likes lychees." Yang Guifei smiled and said, "So I had someone send them over."
Li Jinglong knew that Yang Guifei would definitely pay such a visit. He originally wanted to leave early tomorrow morning. He didn't know how to deal with it and planned to hide. He didn't expect that she couldn't wait for even a moment.
"Imperial Consort, this way please." Li Jinglong could only make a "please" gesture. The eunuch who passed on the message left the Exorcism Division and waited outside. Everyone was instantly curious and gathered around to eavesdrop. Lu Xu saw Yang Guifei for the first time. He asked Hongjun, "This is the Imperial Consort? She's really beautiful. "
The Exorcism Division was dark. There was only the moonlight, which made Yang Guifei even more cold and moving. Hongjun said, "She's really, really good. It's just that … sigh."
Could he say that she was unlucky? Li Longji still didn't choose an empress. Yang Yuhuan was the noble mother of the country, so he couldn't say that. However, her sister and brother were both demons. He didn't know what kind of bad luck she had provoked.
"Go pack your things." Mo Rigen said, "We have to leave early tomorrow morning. Go, go, don't listen."
Lu Xu glared at Mo Rigen. After Hongjun recovered, he didn't say much to Mo Rigen. He immediately turned around and rode on Mo Rigen's back. Mo Rigen took large strides and left with Hongjun on his back.
It was nighttime. Hongjun didn't have much to pack. When he thought of how the Carp Demon used to pack his things every time he went out, he felt a wave of sadness in his heart. Mo Rigen sat outside the door. Hongjun and Mo Rigen exchanged a few words. Mo Rigen turned around and glanced at him, replying intermittently.
In the Exorcism Division, for some reason, Mo Rigen and Hongjun had always been closer. Perhaps it was because Mo Rigen was a Grey Wolf and also a half-demon. Before he met Lu Xu, he often felt close to Hongjun as if they were of the same race. But when Hongjun asked about Lu Xu, Mo Rigen was a little reluctant to answer him.
"Do you like him or not?" Hongjun took his bag and sat down.
"I do," Mo Rigen answered. "Now I know what it feels like."
"Then why aren't you going to say it?" Hongjun pushed him and said, "Go now, go. You've already kissed and done that …" Mo Rigen laughed, a little distracted.
"I just can't take this lying down," Mo Rigen said.
Hongjun: "…"
"Don't worry about it." Mo Rigen said, then patted Hongjun's head and told him to go back and rest. He got up and left, saying, "I don't believe that I can't take care of him."
Hongjun's mouth twitched. He thought to himself, was it necessary? He was waiting alone in the room for Li Jinglong, but he didn't see him. Yang Guifei seemed to still be a guest. Seeing that it was almost two o 'clock, Hongjun suddenly remembered his promise with Kun Shen. He went out and prepared to see Kun Shen.
The moon was high in the sky. The door to the main hall was still closed, but the people in the courtyard were not yet asleep. Mo Rigen was in the courtyard talking to Lu Xu. Mo Rigen pressed one hand against the trunk of the Chinese parasol tree in the courtyard. Lu Xu's face was cold, as if mocking him.
When the two saw Hongjun come out, they both turned to look at him.
Hongjun immediately waved his hand, indicating that they should continue. Lu Xu asked, "Where are you going?"
Hongjun said, "Xingjiao Temple."
Mo Rigen said, "I'll take you there."
Lu Xu: "…"
Lu Xu looked at Mo Rigen. Hongjun didn't know why the two of them were not cuddling and being intimate in the room in the middle of the night, but running to the courtyard to talk.
Lu Xu said, "I'll go with you."
Mo Rigen said, "Then let's go together."
Hongjun: "…"
Hongjun had a lot of questions to ask Kun Shen, so he nodded and let the two of them follow him. The Grey Wolf and the White Deer transformed at the same time, waiting for him to ride them. Hongjun looked at them for a while, then finally chose the White Deer and flipped onto it. The Grey Wolf shook its fur a few times, raised its leg to scratch behind its ear, and ran out of the Exorcism Department.
Not long after they left, they suddenly saw Qiu Yongsi, Atay, and Ashina Chong coming back with bags of various sizes.
"Where are we going?" Qiu Yongsi asked curiously.
Hongjun: "…"
Thus, there were three more people in the group. Qiu Yongsi had to go home and wanted to bring some local products to Hangzhou. It was obviously too late to wait for the opening of Xi City during the day, so he went with Atay and Ashina Chong to the Chamber of Commerce. Coincidentally, they met the three of them.
"Do you know why Da Lang said he would send you?" The White Deer carried Hongjun and flew over Chang 'an City, while the Grey Wolf carried the rest of them and ran through the streets of Chang' an.
Hongjun asked curiously, "Why?"
Lu Xu answered, "Because he knows that I want to take the opportunity to escape and go out with you."
Hongjun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You both like each other, so why do you always have to be angry?"
Lu Xu said, "I just can't stand it."
Hongjun also asked Li Jinglong about it, but Li Jinglong's answer was to let them solve it themselves and not say anything more. Hongjun tactfully kept silent and didn't comment on the awkward love between Lu Xu and Mo Rigen.