As Hongjun walked through the long corridor, the moonlight from the West Lake shone into Fuyun Villa. The night breeze blew, making the summer night very cool.
He glanced around and saw that Qiu Yongsi was sitting cross-legged in the room. He was slowly and carefully pouring the glowing powder into a glass bottle.
Hongjun was curious, so he stepped on his wooden clogs and walked in quietly. He knelt down in front of the table. Qiu Yongsi looked up at him and smiled. "Help me hold this bottle."
Hongjun reached out to take it, but Qiu Yongsi gestured for him not to use his hands. Hongjun spread out the Rainbow Divine Light and fixed the glass bottle in place. He also carefully held the powder in Qiu Yongsi's hands.
"What is this?"
"Ye Ming's ashes." Qiu Yongsi whispered. "Send them back to the pagoda tomorrow."
After Qiu Yongsi returned home, he became much more relaxed and casual. He was shirtless, revealing his strong muscles. Hongjun saw that everyone in the Exorcism Division was a man who did not avoid arousing suspicion. Even though he was in love with Li Jinglong, Lu Xu, and Mo Rigen, they were all very open. They often wore thin shorts and swaggered around.
However, Qiu Yongsi was the only one who was not shirtless. When the weather was hot, Hongjun wanted to strip naked as soon as he returned to the Exorcism Division. The Atay and Ashina Chong were foreigners, so they were even more unscrupulous. However, even during the hottest time, Qiu Yongsi was only wearing a single shirt and white pants. Li Jinglong's explanation for this was that scholars were well-mannered. Whenever there were outsiders around, they were used to dressing neatly. However, when they came to Fuyun Villa, it was the first time that Hongjun saw Qiu Yongsi shirtless.
Qiu Yongsi was very tall, he was a bit more robust than Li Jinglong; he did not look like a scholar at all. Hongjun inadvertently caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye and suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?"
Qiu Yongsi smiled mysteriously and said, "Don't tell them."
There were faint markings on Qiu Yongsi's back and shoulders. Those were … dragon scales!
Qiu Yongsi put all the bone ashes into the bottle and sealed it. He also took out a stack of yellow paper and a small plate. Hongjun knew he was going to draw talismans, so she took the cinnabar and mixed it for him.
"You've seen his father?"
In the tea room, Li Jinglong had a premonition that this old man, Qiu Qiu, might uncover a secret from the past.
"I've seen more than that." Qiu Qiu suddenly looked tired and said with a smile, "Are his parents still giving birth?"
"They passed away." Li Jinglong answered.
"Oh, ah —" Qiu Qiu sighed and nodded. "Fine, fine. I think … it's been a few years. Does that child know his parents' identities?"
Li Jinglong suddenly remembered that whenever they talked about Hongjun's background, they always mentioned his father, Kong Xuan, but rarely mentioned his mother. He only heard from Yang Guifei that Hongjun's maternal uncle's family was the Jia Family of Hong Nong. His mother's name was Jia Yuze. Many years ago, because of a plague in Hong Nong, there were very few people left.
"His father is Mahamayuri." Li Jinglong thought for a moment and then answered, "His mother … is a mortal?"
"How can a mortal give birth to a demon seed?" Qiu Qiu said meaningfully.
These words suddenly caused Li Jinglong to be shocked, and he seemed to feel that this conversation between him and Qiu Qiu tonight contained an extraordinary information.
"Can't a mortal give birth to a Tianma seed?" Li Jinglong asked, "Please enlighten me."
"Demons have demon poison." Qiu Qiu said, "If you have sex with a mortal, you will die after a year and a half. How many descendants of mortals and demons have you seen?"
Li Jinglong instantly thought of the peony demon and the scholar. He said, "But … the demon poison can be cured with medicine, can't it?"
Qiu Qiu asked, "How? Why don't you teach me? "
Li Jinglong explained to Qiu Qiu the whole process of how Hongjun used the Battle Corpse Ghost King's poison to restrain the flower demon's poison. Qiu Qiu suddenly understood and stroked his beard. "Really smart, really smart. This kid is like his father, a doctor."
"Wait …" Li Jinglong was already a little confused. This actually confirmed Qiu Qiu's words. He thought for a moment and said, "When Kong Xuan was still alive, that time when he met the Battle Corpse Ghost King … Hongjun was already born. It stands to reason that he didn't use their corpse poison, which means …"
Kong Xuan didn't do anything to cure Jia Yuze's poison, but Jia Yuze survived and gave birth to Hongjun? Li Jinglong didn't know how many difficulties there were in the process of giving birth to a Tianma seed, but was Jia Yuze really a mortal as they said?!
"Have you seen Yaoji?" Qiu Qiu said again, "She was really very beautiful. Now that I think about it, that beauty is really unique in the world. That child doesn't look like her, what a pity."
Li Jinglong was even more confused. He said, "Wait … Yaoji is … Hongjun's mother? But his mother isn't called Yaoji, she's called Jia Yuze! "
"Jia Yuze." Qiu Qiu nodded and said, "Where did she reincarnate to?"
Li Jinglong, "…"
Li Jinglong looked up and looked at Qiu Qiu. He said, "You know his mother?"
"I do." Qiu Qiu said, "135 years ago, on the day she gave birth to Yongsi, it was I who was by her side."
These words were like a shocking thunder that bloomed in Li Jinglong's ears. Qiu Qiu's words were far beyond his understanding. For a moment, he actually felt that this white-haired old man was joking with him!
"You …" Li Jinglong frowned and said, "How old are you this year?"
"According to the years in your world, I'm already more than 180 years old." Qiu Qiu replied, "But when Ye Ming was still alive, time in the pagoda was different from time in the mortal world. A day in the pagoda was a year in the mortal world. I'm old! I'm old! "
Qiu Yongsi separated the yellow paper. Hongjun leaned in front of the table and watched him draw talismans. Qiu Yongsi dipped the brush in cinnabar in his left hand and held a book in his right hand. The book was full of crooked ancient characters. Hongjun laughed.
"What are you laughing at?" Qiu Yongsi said seriously.
"You still want to flip through the book?" Hongjun said, "You didn't do your homework."
Qiu Yongsi replied, "I'm too lazy to memorize it. I didn't like drawing talismans when I was young."
"Who taught you how to draw talismans?" Hongjun asked.
Qiu Yongsi replied, "Grandfather."
Hongjun's heart skipped a beat. He thought about how he had never seen Qiu Yongsi's parents in his long time here. He had also never heard him mention them before. Perhaps there was a story behind this. Hongjun was curious. After thinking about it, he put himself in Qiu Yongsi's shoes and did not ask. He did not want to upset him.
"They're dead." Qiu Yongsi seemed to have guessed Hongjun's thoughts and answered with a smile.
Hongjun nodded and said, "My condolences."
Qiu Yongsi began to draw talismans. One stroke, one press, one circle, one twist … he said, "Do you still want to ask how my parents died?"
Hongjun said, "Don't think about it."
"I haven't even seen their faces." Qiu Yongsi said, "Grandfather only said that my parents were killed by someone."
"Who was it?" Hongjun asked curiously.
Qiu Yongsi shook his head and replied, "My enemy died a long time ago. They were killed."
Hongjun thought, then how did you get the scales on your body?
"You guessed right." Qiu Yongsi seemed to have peeked into Hongjun's heart and said with a smile, "My father is a dragon."
Hongjun: "!!!"
Qiu Yongsi finished drawing a talisman and put it aside. He looked up at Hongjun and then turned sideways and said, "Do you want to touch it?"
"Can I?" Hongjun was very curious.
Qiu Yongsi smiled and said, "Just don't let the chief official see it. Otherwise, I'll get beaten up."
"Forget it." Hongjun put his hand on his forehead. If Qiu Yongsi did not mention it, Hongjun would not have thought about it. If the two of them were alone at night, if Li Jinglong came over and saw him touching Qiu Yongsi, he would not be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
"See?" Qiu Yongsi said again, "I have some here too."
Qiu Yongsi turned his back. The traces of dragon scales were very faint, but under the moonlight, they vaguely reflected the light. The silvery-white color was clearly visible, extending from his back all the way to his waist and was blocked by his trousers.
Hongjun said, "Your father is a dragon!"
If it were anyone else, they would be very surprised, but Hongjun's father was a peacock and his adoptive father was a Phoenix. Seeing that Qiu Yongsi had dragon blood, he only said, "Hello, hello, so you're also half a demon." Thinking about it this way, if the Grey Wolf and the White Deer were included, the Exorcism Department would soon fall. What if Atay and the Ashina Chong were also demons? In the end, only Li Jinglong was left as a real person. That would be the real joke of the heavens.
"I'm just kidding." Qiu Yongsi smiled and said, "My father is not a dragon. If he was, would he be killed?"
Hongjun thought for a moment and agreed.
"When my mother gave birth to me, she had a difficult labor." Qiu Yongsi said, "Grandfather took her into the Dragon-subduing Pagoda and begged a dragon to help her give birth to me smoothly. That dragon gave her a breath of dragon aura, and after giving birth to me, I had these marks on my body."
"Oh — —" Hongjun nodded and commented, "But with dragon scales on your body, you're simply too handsome!"
Qiu Yongsi drew four talismans and handed them to Hongjun. Hongjun then spread them out. Qiu Yongsi said, "I just like to chat with you. Our family's Hongjun is experienced and knowledgeable, so he doesn't make a fuss about nothing."
"Experienced and knowledgeable" could not be applied to Hongjun, but it was true that he did not make a fuss about nothing. Hongjun's attention was never on other people's origins, origins, or family background. He looked at the talismans that were drying beside his hand and asked, "What are these talismans used for?"
Qiu Yongsi answered, "Set up a formation. When you enter the pagoda, put it together with this bottle."
"What effect does it have?" Hongjun asked.
"The cycle of heaven and earth, the door to all wonders." Qiu Yongsi lowered his head to draw the talismans and casually said, "It slows down time in the pagoda, making it very, very slow. How slow is it? In the pagoda, you can barely feel the passage of time, but in the human world, the world has already changed … "
Li Jinglong: "135 years?"
Qiu Qiu: "135 years."
For a moment, Li Jinglong felt like he was in a dream. He stared at Qiu Qiu, wondering if he should find a doctor for him. He said, "You're telling me that Qiu Yongsi's mother and Hongjun's mother are the same person? They're brothers?! Qiu Yongsi is 135 years old, and Hongjun is just 17 this year??? "
"Exactly." Qiu Qiu said, "To be exact, their mothers are the reincarnations of Yaoji in a certain life."
"Who is Yaoji?" Li Jinglong asked in disbelief.
When Qiu Qiu mentioned this name, a smile appeared on his old face. His wrinkles squeezed together, and he looked as innocent as a child. He answered, "A very, very beautiful girl."
Li Jinglong said, "Wait … I really can't accept this … Senior … Senior, do you swear that you're not lying to me?"
"Tsk!" Qiu Qiu was angry and said, "Why would I lie to a junior like you?! To make fun of you? "
Li Jinglong almost went crazy and roared in his heart. You're just making fun of me, aren't you?!
The two looked at each other for a moment. Qiu Qiu seemed to be immersed in a distant memory and said, "135 years ago, the day Yongsi was born was the day his father was hanged … His mother's name in that life was' Li Shunying '. Yongsi was born in the pagoda. 'The Han Dynasty is so vast that it cannot be imagined. The river is so eternal that it cannot be imagined. ' After Shunying gave birth to him, she named him 'Yongsi' and let him follow my surname Qiu. After leaving the Dragon Subduing Pagoda, he disappeared without a trace. "
"I made a promise with her." Qiu Qiu said, "No matter how long it takes, no matter where she is, she has to come to West Lake in her lifetime to see me again and see her and Ah Dan's child."
In the tea room, Li Jinglong was speechless for a long time.
"Ah … Ah Dan." Li Jinglong said, "Is it Yongsi's father? Is it the Ah Dan I know? "
"Yes." Qiu Qiu poured tea into a bowl on the table, stirred it, and handed another bowl to Li Jinglong. When Li Jinglong took it, his hand couldn't help but tremble.
More than a hundred years ago, the so-called 'Ah Dan' had another well-known name — Yang Guang!
"I don't know when she died," Qiu Qiu said in a daze. "When she appeared in front of me again, she had already reincarnated and started all over again. She had forgotten everything, but she still remembered the promise she made with me. She forgot that she had a child. In the Dragon Subduing Pagoda, she had a new home and a new lover. "
Qiu Qiu sighed, but seemed to ignore Li Jinglong as if he didn't exist. He said, "She had another child. He met Yongsi. Today, I feel that all of this was fate. And this fate fell on Xie Yu. If it hadn't stolen Ye Ming's ashes out of the Dragon Subduing Pagoda, these two children might never have met. "
"How old is your grandfather?" Hongjun asked.
"How old do you think he is?" Qiu Yongsi answered.
Hongjun guessed eighty, ninety, and a hundred. Qiu Yongsi smiled and shook his head. In the end, he said, "I don't know either. Sometimes he's in the pagoda, sometimes he's outside. His age is very messy, and I can't calculate it clearly. According to the time in the human world, it should have been more than a hundred years since the year he said he was born, right? "
"Xie Yu escaped two hundred years ago." Hongjun curiously asked, "After Ye Ming's ashes were taken away, didn't the time in the pagoda return to normal?"
"Ye Ming's dragon soul is still there." Qiu Yongsi said, "It's just that its soul is getting weaker and weaker. Two hundred years ago, after Xie Yu killed it, its soul was still struggling to support the time seal in the pagoda. At first, one day in the pagoda was equivalent to one year in the human world. Later on, it was two days, and then three days. As the years passed, the time in the pagoda became faster and faster … "
"What will happen?" Hongjun asked.
"Once Ye Ming's dragon soul completely dissipates, the time inside and outside the Dragon-Subduing Pagoda will be the same." Qiu Yongsi said, "The time seal will completely lose its effect, and it can no longer be repaired."
"Will the dragons come out?" Hongjun asked again.
Qiu Yongsi answered, "The dragons that voluntarily live in the pagoda won't, but the flood dragons that are locked in the lower levels will. The human world will be in chaos, and it will be even more troublesome than Tianma."
"How many flood dragons are there?" Hongjun frowned and asked.
"A few thousand?" Qiu Yongsi finished drawing the last talisman and spread out all nine talismans. He smiled at Hongjun and said, "More than ten thousand? I've never counted. "
Hongjun thought that it was indeed hard enough. A single Xie Yu could torment Chang 'an to this extent. A few thousand of them could tear down Taihang Mountain.
"But Xie Yu is different," Qiu Yongsi said. Qiu Yongsi said, "When it escaped, it carried Choking Cry's ashes with it. These ashes have the power to reverse karma and time. Without it, it would just be an ordinary evil flood dragon."