Gao Xianzhi sat in his study, panting in anger. The messenger hurriedly said in a low voice, "The court is in an uproar. His Majesty wants to punish you and General Feng for retreating. Even Lord Geshu Han … also …"
"What did Guo Ziyi say?" Gao Xianzhi asked in a low voice.
The messenger was clearly Gao Xianzhi's messenger to and from Chang 'an and the border. Gao Xianzhi had been in business for many years, so he naturally had many spies in the court. Once there was news, they would quickly send it over.
"I really don't know. Prime Minister Yang wants the two of you to leave quickly," the messenger said. "Otherwise, once Bian Lingcheng arrives at Tong Pass with His Majesty's decree, I'm afraid something bad will happen!"
Half a month ago, the refugees and defeated soldiers that had flooded into Tong Pass had arrived in Chang 'an. For a time, the Chang' an city was in a state of panic, and a large number of officials who had retreated to the west had complained to the court. The Ministry of War had followed the military report and not sent it out. Li Longji was furious when he saw Fang Zhigao and General Feng abandon Shan County and return to Tong Pass. Over the years, there were many people in the court who had bad blood with Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, and there was no lack of people who hit them when they were down.
That day, after careful analysis, the generals believed that Shan County was not unwinnable. Gao Xianzhi had withdrawn his troops to ensure his safety, but in reality, he had been overly cautious. There was also someone called Bian Lingcheng, who had served under Gao Xianzhi. Back then, he had been whipped by Gao Xianzhi and held a grudge. As a result, Li Longji listened to the traitorous officials and ordered Bian Lingcheng to bring the decree to Tong Pass to punish Gao Xianzhi.
Gao Xianzhi had once been on good terms with Yang Guozhong, but now Yang Guozhong's position in the court was in jeopardy, and he no longer had any say in it.
Li Jinglong's brows furrowed. He was afraid that this was also part of Yang Guozhong's plan. Once the defending general of Tong Pass became a deserter, An Lushan was bound to drive straight in. The special envoy sent to punish Gao Xianzhi was already on the way and would arrive at Tong Pass tomorrow. They could neither escape nor defend.
"Let him come!" Gao Xianzhi said angrily. "When the general is outside, the monarch's orders cannot be obeyed! I want to see what Bian Lingcheng can do. "
Li Jinglong almost wanted to barge in, but he held back in the end.
"Who is Bian Lingcheng?" Lu Xu asked in a low voice.
"Let's go back," Li Jinglong said in a low voice. "Get ready. After tomorrow, this battle is unavoidable."
Bian Lingcheng wanted to directly denounce Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi for their crimes, but they were unable to defend Tongguan. Li Jinglong guessed that in all likelihood, Bian Lingcheng wanted to use Li Longji's name to urge Gao Xianzhi to go into battle, to recapture Shan County, and to repel An Lushan.
In the dark night, Hongjun suddenly woke up. His body was drenched in sweat, and his clothes were stuck to his back.
Ever since he left Luoyang, Hongjun had been dreaming every day. Countless nightmares emerged one after another. Lu Xu tried his best to make him wake up from his nightmares less painful. But the dream was still there. He didn't tell Mo Rigen about it and just endured it. In fact, he didn't even want to sleep most of the time.
But on this night, he had an unusual dream. He dreamed that a pack of wolves was gnawing on a withered skeleton, eating what little meat was left. He was surrounded by the grasslands to the southwest of the Shiwei tribe. This was something he had never dreamed of on his way north. Moreover, the withered skeleton was emitting waves of demonic energy.
"What did you dream of?" Lu Xu's voice whispered into his ear.
Hongjun jumped in fright and almost shouted, "Ghost!" Lu Xu immediately said, "Shh, don't wake that guy up."
Hongjun couldn't stop gasping for breath. Lu Xu said, "I'm not dead. Don't worry, you're the only one who can hear me right now."
Lu Xu sensed Hongjun's thoughts and said, "Sorry, I know what's on your mind."
Hongjun immediately waved his hand, indicating that it was fine. Lu Xu sensed his thoughts and said, "You sensed someone's dream in Shiwei."
Hongjun thought, Just now, the demonic energy became more and more obvious. Although I'm anxious to return to Tongguan as soon as possible, it's related to Tianma, and it's also Brother Rigen's home. I can't ignore it …
Lu Xu said, "I know you want to meddle in other people's business. Go out and take a look."
Hongjun quietly got out of bed, looked at Mo Rigen who was sleeping soundly, and got up to open the door and go out.
In the dark corridor, the drifting demonic energy in the distance became more obvious. Hongjun stretched out his hand and found that he had some kind of connection with the demonic energy. It was as if as long as he drove the demonic seed in his body, the demonic energy flowing between heaven and earth would gather around him as the center of a vortex.
"Why are you here?" Hongjun asked.
"Dream magic." Lu Xu answered, "The White Deer can travel freely in everyone's dreams, but it's an exception for you. In order to protect you from the nightmare, I left a mark in your dream, so I can come in at any time."
"Why didn't you come earlier?"
"Unless I had no choice, I didn't want to disturb you," Lu Xu said, "After all, some people don't like to have their minds peered into, like that person … Forget it."
Hongjun never had anything to hide from Lu Xu, or rather, he was the same with everyone. Even if someone were to read his mind, they would be able to read it openly and openly. He was never afraid of others guessing what was on his mind.
Hongjun asked again, "How's the situation at Tongguan?"
Lu Xu didn't tell him that the situation was not good. He only answered, "It's fine, there's a door in front …"
He followed the flow of energy, passed through the dark corridor, and used a throwing knife to cut the chain on a door. He passed through the stone corridor that connected the castles, and when he saw the chain, he gently cut it open. He avoided the patrolling Shiwei guards and came to the top of the central castle.
"Can you enter Brother Gen's heart?" Hongjun asked.
"Who wants to enter his heart?" Lu Xu answered casually. "He's so narrow-minded."
Hongjun laughed and said, "That's great, you should have come earlier …"
"Be careful," Lu Xu whispered. "You don't have to speak, I can know what you're thinking."
Hongjun saw Lu Xu beside him. Perhaps Lu Xu didn't want him to feel strange, so he used a spell to create an illusion. This illusion could pass through doors and walls, and it was indeed very ghostly.
The smell of incense grew stronger, mixed with the smell of burning herbs. A door was half closed.
King Shiwei was lying on a bed with his eyes closed. A graceful woman covered in fur knelt in front of him and mumbled something. King Shiwei's body kept twitching as if he was experiencing a terrifying nightmare. The woman was chanting in a low voice, and her voice was sometimes high and sometimes low. Hongjun stared and saw waves of black gas coming out of King Shiwei's body.
"Who's this?" Lu Xu asked.
'Your father-in-law.' Hongjun thought.
Lu Xu: "…"
Lu Xu still didn't know what had happened before, but that night, he couldn't hold back and told Li Jinglong part of the story. After that, he couldn't help but regret saying too much. After thinking about it, he decided to tell Hongjun about it. He didn't expect that after entering Hongjun's dream, such a strange thing would happen.
"Don't touch the door!" Lu Xu saw that Hongjun was always careless, so he hurriedly reminded him.
Hongjun was very surprised, and his body leaned in a little. When he pushed open the wooden door, it made a sound. Suddenly, the woman stopped chanting and turned to look outside the door. In the blink of an eye, a hand covered Hong Jun's mouth and took him to turn back quickly, disappearing into the corridor.
The priestess suspiciously walked to the wooden door, looked outside, and then closed the door again.
Mo Rigen and Hongjun looked at each other in the darkness at the end of the corridor. At dawn, the light of dawn shone in. Lu Xu said: "I'm leaving. You guys be careful, don't tell that stupid wolf I came."
Hongjun thought: 'Don't go!' But Lu Xu had already disappeared.
"Who's that priestess?" Hongjun frowned.
"The shaman." Mo Rigen said in surprise. "The old shaman's disciple, Hongjun. What did you see just now?"
The early spring in the north came very late, and there was still a lot of snow on the plains. Mo Rigen put a rope around the dog, and several big dogs pulled a small sled out of the stone castle Magus. The name of this city meant 'tomorrow' in the Shiwei language. Hongjun couldn't help but look back and say: "That's your father!"
"There's no time!" Mo Rigen insisted. "I'm now an exorcist, and an exorcist's mission is to bring you to another Acalanatha ritual implement."
Hongjun said: "If that's the case, I'd rather not go."
Mo Rigen stood beside the sled and looked at Hongjun. After a moment of silence, he said: "Then what about the people waiting for you at Tong Pass?"
Hongjun knew this was an unsolvable problem. Mo Rigen jumped onto the sled and whistled: "After I get it, I'll come back to deal with it. At least for me, our business is more important."
Although he said this, Mo Rigen still felt uneasy. The sled pulled them towards the Great Xianbei Mountains. Hongjun wrapped himself in a thick cloak and quietly looked at the beautiful scenery of the plains. Mo Rigen couldn't help but look back at his former home.
"Actually, if we catch that priestess, maybe everything will be …"
"That's not the same." Mo Rigen said. "We need to investigate thoroughly, and we can't just do anything. We don't have time to waste here."
Hongjun still wanted to insist, but Mo Rigen said: "This is my home, Hongjun, you have to listen to me."
The plains had a wide view. By the time the sun was high in the sky, Hongjun had already fallen asleep leaning on the sled. He felt the sled gradually come to a stop. When he opened his eyes, he saw that they had stopped in the ruins of a village. The ruins were already overgrown with weeds.
"Brother Rigen?!" Hongjun shouted.
Mo Rigen was walking through the ruins. When he heard Hongjun's shout, he looked up and motioned for him to wait. Hongjun looked into the distance. He had never seen Mo Rigen show such an expression. There was sadness in his eyes, but it also seemed like he was relieved.
He had heard from Lu Xu that Mo Rigen also had an inner demon. He guessed that this might be the hometown of Mo Rigen's mother. However, Mo Rigen did not stay for long. He only walked around the ruins a few times before getting on the sled again. He did not find anything, nor did he linger. It was as if this was just a simple consolation to himself.
"Brother Rigen." Hongjun wanted to say something to Mo Rigen.
"Yes." Mo Rigen looked down at the map in his hand and compared a few symbols. He said casually, "I know you understand me, Hongjun. I think, maybe in the future, I can only treat the Exorcism Division as my home. " In fact, when Mo Rigen left Shiwei for the Central Plains, he no longer missed Magus at the foot of Xianbei Mountain. He had once drifted beyond the Great Wall, telling everyone that he was called Li Mingxing, in order to start a new life.
In the distance of the plains, the mountain peak shrouded in clouds gradually approached. Hongjun looked at it for a while, but Mo Rigen pulled the reins of the sled and went around the mountain.
"Is this it?" Hongjun asked.
"Look from the other side." Mo Rigen said. After a while, the sun set in the west. After half a circle at the foot of the mountain, a huge ice lake of about a hundred mu in size appeared at the foot of the mountain. Mo Rigen said, "What do you think it looks like when you look from here? I've been thinking about it since that day, and today's weather is just right … "
Under the sunlight, the Lonely Mountain, which was covered by clouds and mist, was completely exposed. The surrounding Xianbei Mountain stretched endlessly. This was the only peak in the plains, and there was an ice lake at the foot of the mountain. Mo Rigen held one of the symbols and turned it around to show Hongjun. On top of it was a sealed semicircle, and then a broken line was drawn.
The semicircle almost completely overlapped with the ice lake in front of them, and there was a stream at the top of the mountain that poured almost vertically into the lake. Now that the weather was cold, the stream and the waterfall were frozen, showing an almost perfectly straight line of ice. Under the sunlight, it sparkled and matched the white line perfectly!
"This …" Hongjun was shocked, and said, "It must be here! There's no mistake! "
"In the past, this mountain could only be climbed when it thaws." Mo Rigen said, "The entrance to the cave would be sealed by ice."
Hongjun immediately said, "My magic can unseal it."
"It'll take one night to climb up the mountain." Mo Rigen said, "How about we rest for a night before going up?"
Hongjun only wanted to make the best use of his time. He tidied up the grappling hook and said, "Let's go now." After saying that, he remembered that he had the Demon Binding Rope, so he took it out, replaced the grappling hook, and hung it on the rope. Mo Rigen said, "Don't force yourself. After all, after we go up, we still have to find …"
Suddenly, Mo Rigen quieted down, and Hongjun also felt that something seemed to be wrong. A gust of wind blew around them, as if something was rustling.
Hongjun looked at Mo Rigen, and Mo Rigen made a "shh" gesture, protecting him as they headed down the mountain towards the forest. In all directions, on the plains, by the lake, and in the forest, Shiwei assassins armed with crossbows suddenly appeared.
Hongjun looked back, and saw that behind the sand dune on the plains, there were suddenly many people.
There were more and more people, and they were scattered everywhere, surrounding them.
The Shiwei priestess walked out of the forest, and said in Chinese, "Hongjun."
Mo Rigen immediately protected Hongjun behind him, and said something in Shiwei language in a low voice. There was anger in his voice, but Hongjun knew that it was a simple reprimand. He gently put his hand on Mo Rigen's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Did An Lushan send you here?"
The priestess said stiffly, "What do you want to find here?"
"Er ha!" Among the assassins, a young man opened his mouth, and then quickly said a series of words. Hongjun looked over, and saw that it was Mo Rigen's younger brother!
"Qiluo 'er!" Mo Rigen angrily reprimanded again, "Withdraw your people!"
Hongjun and Mo Rigen stood back to back, and without any explanation, he could roughly guess that this priestess was most likely a monster planted by An Lushan in the Shiwei tribe. After he and Mo Rigen arrived last night, An Lushan already knew their whereabouts!
Mo Rigen panted, and touched the longbow on his back, but Qiluo 'er shouted in Chinese, "Do you dare! Let's shoot now! "
Hongjun had the Rainbow Divine Light, so he was not afraid of ordinary arrows. He asked, "What do we do?"
"Let's fight." Mo Rigen said, "I'll deal with the shaman, you …"
"I don't want to hurt your family." Hongjun said.
He really did not want to see blood on the grassland, or else Mo Rigen would be even more uneasy. Mo Rigen said, "Then what do we do? I say attack, and we break out? They may not shoot arrows … "
"Run up the mountain." Hongjun answered.
Mo Rigen said, "You give the order."
Hongjun scanned the whole encirclement, and said, "Let's go."
In an instant, Hongjun turned and leaped, shaking the Rainbow Divine Light in the air. Mo Rigen turned and turned into the Grey Wolf, and Hongjun's leap was just enough to grab the Grey Wolf's mane. With a howl, the Grey Wolf crashed into the encirclement by the lakeside, sending people flying in all directions. It rushed towards the surface of the lake!
Hongjun first blocked the Grey Wolf's back, and then released the Rainbow Divine Light in front of him. However, the Grey Wolf suddenly shook.
"Are you okay?!" Hongjun shouted.
He could not use the Rainbow Divine Light to completely cover the two of them, as it would hinder the Grey Wolf's movements. A steel arrow instantly hit the Grey Wolf's shoulder, and blood spurted out. The Grey Wolf did not say anything, and when it stepped on the ice, it slid sideways, bringing Hongjun with it into the depths of the frozen lake.
Then, it turned around, and its wild nature erupted, and it howled again!
Hongjun was almost shaken off the wolf's back, and the howl formed a storm, sweeping up the pursuers on the ice. The female Shaman shouted something incomprehensible, and after hearing it, the Grey Wolf was enraged again. Its fur stood on end, and it took a deep breath.
Hongjun immediately covered his ears, and then the vibration spread, causing his blood to boil. The Grey Wolf's howl and wolf's might swept across the surface of the lake, and the solid ice suddenly shattered. The lake water spurted out, and the assassins on the surface of the lake all sank into it!
Hongjun hurriedly said, "Let's go!"