Gao Xianzhi had no choice but to come out of seclusion. He could only say to Feng Changqing, "Give them soldiers!"
Li Jinglong finally won. Lu Xu and Ashina Chong rushed down like a gust of wind to wait for the gate to open. Li Jinglong said to Hongjun, "Return safely."
Hongjun replied, "Good job, Jinglong."
Li Jinglong's eyes suddenly widened. Hongjun leaned over on the Grey Wolf's back and reached out his hand to Li Jinglong's face.
Li Jinglong closed his eyes and immediately said to Hongjun, "Let's go."
The next moment, the Grey Wolf howled and rushed down the tower. Hongjun jumped off the Grey Wolf's back. The Grey Wolf transformed into Mo Rigen and went out of the gate with Hongjun.
The gates on both sides opened. Lu Xu and Ashina Chong rushed out with the city guards. They shot arrows while covering Hongjun and Mo Rigen.
"We can't use magic." Atay reminded Li Jinglong from the tower. "I'm afraid that the Grey Wolf has broken the rules by appearing."
Li Jinglong replied, "I know."
If one side took the initiative to use power that surpassed that of mortals, it meant that they had broken the rules. Li Jinglong looked at the rolling dark clouds in the distance. At the end of the dark clouds, who knew how many monsters were hiding.
Hongjun successfully rushed out of the encirclement. He looked back and shouted, "Brother Gen —!"
"I'm here!" Mo Rigen shot down a cavalryman and quickly caught up with Hongjun. After leaving the battle, Mo Rigen transformed into the Grey Wolf. Hongjun jumped on it. Without waiting for the cavalrymen to catch up, the Grey Wolf had already disappeared into the forest. Carrying Hongjun, he looked at the miserable situation outside Tong Pass.
There was still a fierce battle. The evil aura surged and rushed to the sky. It was as if the common people were driven into a valley and then trampled and killed without restraint.
"Don't look." Grey Wolf said, "Let's go."
Hongjun looked at the city tower. Although he couldn't see under the gray sky, he knew that Li Jinglong must be there watching them. The Grey Wolf turned and left. It brought him into the depths of the forest and rushed to the northeast.
The first day of the first month of the first month of the 15th year of Tianbao year.
The first year of the Lunar New Year.
The whole world celebrated.
The sun rose. Hongjun rode the Grey Wolf. The Grey Wolf ran toward the east in the wilderness. The sun shone brightly, shining on their footprints in the snow.
At the foot of Mount Li, every family in Chang 'an hung peach talismans to welcome the arrival of the new year. The auspicious snow heralded a good harvest. At dawn, the sun shone brightly on the land of Huaxia.
The sunrise of the new year shone on every family in Chang 'an, as if it was plated with a layer of glittering gold powder.
The sunrise of the new year also shone on Tong Pass, which was three hundred li away. It warmed the mountains of corpses of the Tang Dynasty citizens in front of the pass. Blood flowed out of the valley. The sun shone brightly on Lu Xu and Ashina Chong, who were covered in blood.
The sun shone on the blood flowing from the front of the pass and spread to the huge blood lake outside Tong Pass.
"The day of the final battle is approaching."
Halcyon gazed at the Taihang Mountains, at the rising sun of the new year.
Yuan Kun walked out of the hall and said in a deep voice, "Think carefully, Chong Ming. Once you start, there is no turning back."
Chong Ming turned around and stared at Yuan Kun. At this moment, his eyes seemed to have thousands of words to say, but he had nothing to say.
"Tell me, Yuan Kun," Chong Ming said seriously, "Fate can be changed."
Yuan Kun's eyes were covered with a black cloth. He stretched out his hands as if to catch the light jumping between the mountains. He said in a low voice, "A mortal once told me that when you don't know what will happen in the future, fate will no longer be fate."
Chong Ming frowned slightly. Yuan Kun continued, "You, I, Qing Xiong, and even Hongjun himself may only see part of the truth. You and I are the creations of this world. How can we see the whole picture of the fate of the divine continent from ancient times to the present? "
"What did you see?" Grey Wolf was licking its claws in the ruins. Its claws were covered in blood. A fire was burning by the river. Hongjun was roasting half a lamb that had been frozen to death.
"I didn't see anything," Hongjun replied.
Grey Wolf said, "Elder Shi always mentioned that you saw the future in Kun Shen's magic."
Hongjun thought for a moment and laughed, "You guys still talk about this?"
Grey Wolf asked again, "In your future, does Lu Xu and I exist?"
"No." Hongjun looked at the bonfire and said absentmindedly.
Grey Wolf said, "Just eat whatever you want. It's in the wilderness. I'll take you to eat something delicious when we return to the clan."
Hongjun filled her stomach and climbed onto Grey Wolf's back, saying, "We have to hurry."
"There's no hurry," Grey Wolf replied in a low voice, "Elder Shi told me to take you to have a good rest."
This was the first time Hongjun had left Li Jinglong and acted alone with Mo Rigen. Moreover, they were going to a place so far away without Lu Xu. She felt that it was a bit strange. If Lu Xu and Li Jinglong went out alone to look for things, Hongjun would not be jealous, but she would inevitably feel that it was strange.
Mo Rigen and Hongjun got along very naturally. In his words, "You are the fate that connects everyone in the Exorcism Division."
Was that so? However, Hongjun had never felt that way. Her existence had indeed caused too much trouble for everyone. Before leaving Tongguan, the scene of corpses strewn all over the field had given Hongjun a huge impact. However, as they headed north, Grey Wolf deliberately chose a path where they would not meet anyone. The wilderness and nature gradually improved his mood.
On the third day of their journey, Grey Wolf fell sick. After running around for days and encountering the bitter cold, they had already reached their limit. The two of them stayed in a mountain village for another day. The villagers here had not been raided by the rebel army and were very hospitable to them. Hongjun only told the others that Mo Rigen was her elder brother and that she had found medicine to disperse the cold and wind. The two of them then passed through the forest and hills and continued on their journey.
When they passed through the rear of An Lushan's camp, the world suddenly quieted down. The large expanse of winter grassland, the chilly wind in the spring night, and the bright stars in the night sky were completely different from the Central Plains. Mo Rigen and Hongjun would lie on the hillside every night, looking at the ever-new stars and chatting casually. Mo Rigen talked about his feelings for Lu Xu, about Shi Wei's past, about how he envied Li Jinglong and Hongjun's love, and about his own future … Hongjun discovered that Mo Rigen's thoughts were much more than he knew.
"Lu Xu told me that you were born to save this world," Mo Rigen said.
"That's not it." Hongjun smiled. "I also want to live well. It's good to be alive."
Hongjun always thought that perhaps everything would pass, just like the stars in the sky. After the An Lushan rebellion passed, the story of the exorcists would eventually be buried in history and turned into dust.
At sunrise, the herders of the Shiwei tribe in the north passed by. They were already very close to the Great Xianbei Mountains. The flocks of sheep on the grassland were like white pearls rolling in the distance. This time, Mo Rigen did not transform into Grey Wolf. Instead, he brought Hongjun with him to buy food and water from his tribesmen. They also borrowed horses to end this short journey.
"Alright," Mo Rigen said to Hongjun outside the Shiwei tribe with a bow and arrow on his back. "Are you feeling better?"
Although Hongjun was in a hurry to go back and just wanted to spend more time with Li Jinglong, Mo Rigen's company made him feel much better. When he saw the Shiwei tribe, he was very surprised. He thought that this large tribe in the northeast was a group of herders who were sitting in tents and enjoying barbecued meat and wine.
He did not expect to see a stone city built against the mountain. There were many fortresses, and the security was tight. Herders came and went, gathering and dispersing in front of the castle.
Mo Rigen shouted in the Shiwei language. Someone saw him and hurriedly responded. It probably meant, "Open the door, Mo Rigen is back." Hongjun and him entered the tall stone gate and walked through the stone road. There were nearly ten thousand families living in the city. Occasionally, hunters would look at Hongjun in the market. When they saw him, almost all of them cast curious glances at him.
Hongjun could not understand the Shiwei language spoken everywhere. This made him very distressed. Before he left the Dazzling Gold Palace and entered the Chang 'an, the Chong Ming used the ancient language. Fortunately, Qing Xiong often brought the language of the mortal world. When Hongjun entered the human world, he could barely understand the official language of Guanzhong.
But when he came to Shiwei, the syllables were difficult to pronounce and everyone looked at him strangely. This made him a little shy. Most of the time, he could only hide behind Mo Rigen. Mo Rigen translated to him from time to time. The general idea was, "They all say you are beautiful." This made Hongjun even more embarrassed.
Mo Rigen's father was the current King of Shiwei. He was a fat old man. He set up a banquet in the deepest part of the castle. A group of concubines sat on thick woolen blankets. Two young men stared at Hongjun. The servants served them boiled mutton. Hongjun greeted them, excused himself, and began to eat.
Mo Rigen's younger brother did not look like him in the slightest. Moreover, both of them had vigilant expressions on their faces, as if they were afraid that the purpose of his return was to fight for the right of inheritance. His father, on the other hand, was very interested in Hongjun. He first asked Mo Rigen, then asked Hongjun, "How long have you been following him?"
"He is not!" Mo Rigen said unhappily.
Hongjun was even more embarrassed. He felt that Mo Rigen's two younger brothers were full of jealousy, and that jealousy was directed at him.
The old King of Shiwei said, "You are not on the same side as An Lushan?"
"Second Brother and Third Brother have both gone to war." One of the young men suddenly spoke up in Chinese. "You want to kill your own brother?"
Hongjun suddenly remembered that An Lushan's allied army included the Shiwei army. If that was the case, wouldn't Mo Rigen be fighting against his own brother?
Mo Rigen also replied stiffly in Chinese, "We are exorcists. We don't care about the wars of mortals."
Then his father spat, and Hong Jun vaguely realized that something was wrong. He heard the old patriarch say something in the language of the Shiwei Clan. Presumably, he was disdaining them for being monsters. This triggered Mo Rigen's anger, and the father and son began to argue fiercely.
Mo Rigen and his father argued until their faces turned red. Their voices grew louder and louder. Hongjun hurriedly said, "Brother Rigen, stop arguing."
"Let's go!" Mo Rigen stood up. Hongjun was halfway through his meal. He lamented that even thunder would not strike a person who ate. How could things turn out like this? He could only put down his food and follow Mo Rigen out. However, it was already dark. If they went out at this time, they would have to stay in the wilderness for the night. Princess Wei chased after them and said a few words to Mo Rigen. Her words were both pleading and reproachful. Mo Rigen was finally discouraged.
"What should we do?" Hongjun completely listened to Mo Rigen.
"Let's go," Mo Rigen said to Hongjun. "Let's sleep for the night. We'll leave tomorrow."
Princess Wei sent someone over to serve the two of them. Mo Rigen waved his hand and said, "I know where my room is."
Ever since the day Hongjun met Mo Rigen, he often heard Mo Rigen mention his four younger brothers. When he was brought to the clan, Mo Rigen was already sixteen years old. His younger brothers' martial arts and studies were all taught by him. Who would have thought that when he came to see them today, his relatives did not seem to respect him at all.
"Ah Shizhe used to like to hang out with men," Mo Rigen said with a wry smile. "Back then, I told him off, but I didn't expect to be slapped in the face now. Beggars listen to his mother. His mother has never liked me. "
Mo Rigen led Hongjun through the castle's corridors. The two of them returned to their room. There was a carpet, a hammock, and a bow and arrow hanging on the wall. Other than that, there was only a shelf. On the shelf were many books from the Northern Dynasties. Other than that, there were only animal skulls. There was nothing else.
Hongjun asked for permission and flipped through the book. Mo Rigen jumped onto the hammock and swung his long legs over it. He let Hongjun sleep on the carpet. The two of them made do with it for the night.
"Stop reading," Mo Rigen said when he saw that Hongjun was still flipping through the book. "Reading at night is bad for your eyes."
Hongjun put the book away and said, "Actually, your younger brothers all like you."
Mo Rigen said helplessly, "Don't comfort me."
Hongjun said, "It's true. I can feel the jealousy in their eyes when they look at me."
Mo Rigen: "…"
"Fortunately, Lu Xu didn't come." Hongjun muttered to himself again. He turned over and said, "You'd better not bring him home. Otherwise, you'll definitely quarrel."
Mo Rigen wanted to continue asking, but Hongjun was already exhausted from the long journey and finally slept on a decent bed. He fell asleep just like that.
It was a dark night in Tong Guan.
Li Jinglong supported himself against the wall and walked in the dark. The coldest time of the year had passed and spring had arrived. The exorcists were already asleep, and Lu Xu followed behind with sleepy eyes. He was always on guard against Li Jinglong falling and fracturing her bones when she failed to learn how to walk.
"Go back to sleep," Li Jinglong said. "It's about time."
Lu Xu did not answer. He just looked at Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong could already throw away his crutches and walk slowly by himself.
Li Jinglong asked again, "Hongjun asked you to take care of me?"
Lu Xu was still silent. In fact, he rarely spoke in front of his fellow exorcists. He only talked about everything with Hongjun. He knew that Li Jinglong endured intense pain with every step he took, especially during the first few days of being bedridden.
Li Jinglong muttered to himself again, "You and Hongjun have a pretty good relationship. At first, I even thought about …"
"Why?" Lu Xu suddenly said.
Li Jinglong looked back blankly at Lu Xu. Lu Xu frowned and said, "Why do people like you have to atone for the sins of the world?"
"I'm atoning for my own sins," Li Jinglong said sadly. "You don't understand."
Lu Xu suddenly said, "But all of this happened because of the magic seed. Is it wrong to want to keep the person you like? You didn't know that this would kill his parents. What's the point of blaming yourself? "
Suddenly, Li Jinglong's eyes were filled with shock. He said in a trembling voice, "You … you knew?"
"I'm asking you," Lu Xu said, "Are you still wallowing in self-blame and can't walk out of it?"
"You don't understand!" Li Jinglong replied angrily. "You peeked into my dreams?!" Li Jinglong's forehead was sweating as he spoke. He quickened his pace and wanted to shake off Lu Xu.
Lu Xu said, "You're thinking too much. Who wants to look into your dreams?"
"Then you …" Li Jinglong was stunned again. Then he thought of another question. If Lu Xu didn't know from his own heart, there was only another way.
"He knew?" Li Jinglong said in a trembling voice.
Lu Xu looked at Li Jinglong silently. Li Jinglong was about to ask again when suddenly, a horse galloped across the street. The person on the horse was dressed in official robes. It was actually a messenger from the imperial court.
Li Jinglong trembled and looked in the direction the messenger left. Lu Xu wanted to say something, but Li Jinglong said, "Take me there."
Lu Xu said, "You're a mortal. I can't let a mortal ride me."
Li Jinglong said, "Even Mo Rigen can!"
Lu Xu said, "He's him and I'm me. In any case, I can't."
Li Jinglong said, "Hurry up! Maybe there's important information! "
Lu Xu frowned and looked at Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong said anxiously, "Hurry up!"
Lu Xu was very unwilling, but he couldn't disobey Li Jinglong. He could only transform into a White Deer and follow the messenger to Tong Pass' Wei Mansion. The Wei Mansion was brightly lit. When the two arrived at the study, Li Jinglong indicated that they must not disturb Gao Xianzhi. He and Lu Xu hid outside the study and listened with bated breath. Li Jinglong's hearing was good, but he could clearly hear Gao Xianzhi's angry shout.
"Preposterous! What an incapable ruler! "