The door was almost slammed open by Li Jinglong. Qiu Yongsi, Mo Rigen, and Li Jinglong rushed into the room. Hongjun examined Ashina Chong's condition while Lu Xu wiped his body with a wet cloth.
Ashina Chong had obviously been tortured inhumanely and was eventually abandoned in the dark passage. If not for Lu Xu's sudden idea, Ashina Chong might have disappeared. He had a high fever and suffered from severe sepsis. Hongjun had used all kinds of medicine, including rare herbs from Bazin, and mixed them with safflower, snow lotus, and other spiritual herbs to treat him.
"Can you wake him up first?" Li Jinglong asked. "I'll only ask three questions. After that, Mo Rigen and I will go find Atay. You guys stay here and take care of him."
"No." Hongjun frowned and shook his head. "Besides being injured, he's also been poisoned."
"What poison?" Mo Rigen checked Ashina Chong's pulse. Hongjun said, "In short, we have to … clean up the poison first."
Ashina Chong was still unconscious and his body was covered with injuries. Finally, Qiu Yongsi asked, "When will he wake up? Give me a time limit. "
"Three days at the earliest." Hongjun said helplessly. "Ten days at the latest."
"His injuries are not as serious as yours." Lu Xu said, "He's still alive. His life is not in danger."
When Li Jinglong was facing Tianma, his meridians were all destroyed. Ashina Chong's injuries were mostly external, but his vital energy was greatly depleted. Mo Rigen observed Ashina Chong and said, "Why does he look like the dead who were sucked dry in the Chang 'an Fox Demon case …"
"This is a sign of true essence loss," Hongjun said expressionlessly. "Don't ask anymore."
Qi strength, tendons and veins, as well as strength, were known as' yuan ', which was further divided into Yin yuan and Yang yuan.
"Why is there a loss of True Essence?" Li Jinglong asked. "I must know. Don't hide any details."
Hongjun said helplessly, "Alright, the reason why his True Essence was exhausted … was because they fed him a kind of medicine. It's not really a poison, but it has a fierce personality. It will make him … that. "
"Shoot," Lu Xu added concisely.
Li Jinglong immediately understood. Based on this drug, everyone immediately deduced some of the details. Li Jinglong, Qiu Yongsi, and Mo Rigen immediately began to dismantle the details.
"They met Amman in Bazin," Li Jinglong said. "Obviously, Joan and Atay trusted him at first."
"Oh," Mo Rigen said. "Halfway through the conversation, they realized something was wrong. They were alerted."
Qiu Yongsi paced back and forth in the room. He muttered, "One of them ran away. Catch the other one."
"Joan deliberately stayed behind to bring up the rear," Li Jinglong said. "Atay should still be safe."
The vague outline gradually became clear as they deduced. Ashina Chong and Atay met their old friend Amman in Bazin and stepped into Amman's trap. At the critical moment, Ashina Chong fell into the enemy's hands, and Atay successfully escaped. Then, Ashina Chong was tortured by Amman and was even fed an aphrodisiac …
… Li Jinglong was almost certain that Ashina Chong and Amman had a lot of entanglements. It seemed that the warrior Amman failed to confess his love and was rejected by Ashina Chong. In the end, his love turned into hatred … Of course, the inside story was not as simple as what Li Jinglong described.
"He likes these two boys," Mo Rigen said casually. "Amman must have gone crazy."
Ashina Qiong had always liked beautiful young men, and had never been interested in strong and powerful martial artists who exuded a masculine aura. In the end, Amman betrayed them and said, "Don't you want to be the leader?" Using this as an excuse, he fed him an aphrodisiac, tied him up in the prison, and whipped him until his body was covered with cuts and bruises. Then, he quietly watched him tremble in pain and repeatedly shoot out his Profound Qi. Eventually, he exhausted his Yang Qi and died of exhaustion.
Pleasure in bed was indeed beautiful, but dying of ejaculation was a tragedy. Based on this, Li Jinglong could roughly deduce Amman's personality and his complicated feelings for Joan.
"But no matter what." Qiu Yongsi said helplessly. "Compared to being stoned to death in Bagdad, it's better to send him on his way with a strong dose of an aphrodisiac. Well, it's better to die without pain."
Hong Jun and Lu Xu were dumbfounded when they heard this. They didn't expect that everyone would be able to complete the entire process with just this one herb.
"Track Atay's whereabouts," Li Jinglong said decisively. "Who's going with me? Hongjun, stay here to take care of Joan. Take him and the team to depart. I'll see you at Taros. "
After finding one and knowing the general process, they were relieved. They decided to let Qiu Yongsi stay here and take care of Ashina Chong with Hongjun and Lu Xu. Li Jinglong and Mo Rigen went to track Atay. That night, they set off. The next day, Hongjun and the others set off with Joan.
The Aral Sea stretched as far as the eye could see. Although it was a huge land lake, it was also called the "sea". Hongjun and the others set off again. They followed the coastline to the west and then turned southwest. Although Li Jinglong was not there, Qiu Yongsi accompanied the team to ensure that Hongjun and Lu Xu would have someone to discuss with if anything happened.
After entering the Aral Sea region, the rivers became more abundant. Along the way, there were large areas of floodplains. Plants such as reeds and reeds grew on the banks. Wild cows wandered in herds and were not afraid of the team at all. Hongjun was accompanying Ashina Chong, who was sleeping soundly. Lu Xu suddenly shouted, "Hongjun! Quick! Look! So many elephants! "
Hongjun thought it was some kind of monster, but then he heard the ground shaking. A group of elephants walked through the floodplains in a line. He had seen Li Longji's elephants in Chang 'an before, but he had never seen so many elephants. The appearance of the elephants meant that they were once again close to the lush Crescent Valley.
The caravan stopped and let the elephants pass. At this moment, Ashina Chong opened his eyes. Hongjun turned his head and shouted with joy, "Brother Yongsi! Lu Xu! He's awake! "
Qiu Yongsi immediately came over. The three of them surrounded Ashina Chong. Ashina Chong said tiredly, "He's alive … Little Lu, I knew … you would come to the secret palace to find me."
"Let him drink some water first." Hongjun carried Ashina Chong and fed him into the water. Ashina Chong was very weak, but his face gradually regained color. He weakly told the whole story of how he was captured — it was exactly as Li Jinglong had guessed. Amman was a good friend of Ashina Chong and Atay in the past. He was once the successor of the Lion and Eagle warriors who protected the Isai family. The Ashina family was known as the "Eagle of the Empire", while the Hukrado family was known as the "Lion Heart".
Ashina Chong did not hide anything from Hongjun. He told him honestly that Amman had once loved him and had a grudge against Atay. Because of this, Ashina Chong had always believed in Amman. Although he had rejected Amman several times, he still believed that Amman would not betray his friendship with Tegra.
Therefore, in Bazin, Ashina Chong and Atay were betrayed. He was brought to the Holy Temple by Amman and was given a choice of death. He was also spared from being handed over to General Ba Si in Baghdad and suffering the pain of being crushed. Ashina Chong chose the secret palace in the depths of the Zoroastrian Holy Temple. It was the place where the sacred fire was worshipped.
Qiu Yongsi glanced at Lu Xu and said, "You have talked about this place before?"
Ashina Chong said, "I let Atay go first. Since I was going to die anyway, instead of letting Amman tie me to a rock and throw me into the Aral Sea, I would rather take the chance that you would come and save me."
Therefore, Amman fed Ashina Chong a strong drug, stripped him naked, and threw him into the cellar. He watched as Ashina Chong ran out of energy and fainted. Then, he closed the door of the secret palace.
"My life's savings are almost gone." Ashina Chong did not know whether to laugh or cry. "I probably won't be able to get hard in the future."
"That won't happen." Hongjun joked. "I gave you a few doses of drugs to replenish your Yang energy. Just like when you are exhausted from a battle, you will recover even more quickly."
Everyone could not help but laugh. Ashina Chong looked gratefully at Lu Xu and Hongjun. Qiu Yongsi let him rest for a while. By dusk, Ashina Chong could barely sit up. Qiu Yongsi repeatedly confirmed with him the plan with Atay.
"Tegra wants to reignite the sacred fire of Zoroastrias." Ashina Chong said, "Summon Ba Si. The golden wheel is in Ba Si's hands."
"Who told you that?" Qiu Yongsi asked.
"Amman." Ashina Chong pondered for a moment and said.
When he met with Amman, Atay received this crucial information. Although he could not determine whether the information was true or false, at least he had a clue.
"It can't be false." Qiu Yongsi said, "Amman wants to lure you into a trap. There is no need for him to lie to you about this."
"Ba Si killed Tegra's father in the past." Ashina Chong sighed and explained, "Baghdad is heavily guarded. It is impossible for the two of us to break through the heavy guards and get close to him. If Atay can reignite the sacred fire of Zoroastrias, he can lure Ba Si over. He will definitely take care of the last successor of the Isai family. Amman asked me to infiltrate his personal guards and wait for an opportunity to cut off his arm and take back the Sun Wheel. "
This sounded like a perfect plan, but they still fell into Amman's hands in the end.
Qiu Yongsi said, "What about the blood ya that was given to you?"
"Ba Si found it and took it away." Ashina Chong said.
Qiu Yongsi suddenly had an idea and said, "Maybe we can think of something from there … Wait a moment. You rest first. "
Lu Xu patted Ashina Chong's shoulder and said, "Take it easy."
Lu Xu and Qiu Yongsi left, leaving Hongjun by Ashina Chong's side.
Ashina Chong was no longer smiling. Unlike his usual self, he remained silent in the dusk. The convoy continued on for a while and began to prepare to set up camp.
Hongjun looked at Ashina Chong. The two looked at each other in the dusk. Ashina Chong seemed to want to say something but stopped. Hongjun said, "The feeling of being betrayed is hard to bear."
Ashina Chong smiled helplessly and said, "You have never been betrayed before."
"Why not?" Hongjun said, "Zhao Zilong."
Ashina Chong was startled. Then, he laughed loudly and shook his head helplessly. Hongjun thought for a while and said, "Even if you lose your close friends, you still have Atay, Yongsi, and us."
Ashina Chong said, "What makes me shudder the most is that Amman has changed."
Hongjun did not interrupt and only listened quietly. The sky gradually darkened. Ashina Chong's side profile became a hazy silhouette. He said in the last light, "He said … the new God he believes in has purified his heart. Those impure feelings will be purified and burned in the Inferno … "
"He said that we are all sinners." Ashina Chong said in a daze, "There are so many girls out there, but he actually likes men."
Hongjun immediately said, "You are not guilty. Neither are we."
Ashina Chong made a sound of agreement in the darkness. Hongjun suddenly asked, "Chong, do you like …"
"No." Ashina Chong replied, "I have never liked Little Lu, but I really envy you guys. I envy you and Chong Shi, Little Lu and Da Lang."
From these words, Hongjun suddenly felt a deep sense of loneliness. He climbed down from the carriage and hugged Ashina Chong. Ashina Chong gently leaned on his shoulder. The two were quiet for a moment and then separated.
"You will meet someone you like." Hongjun laughed in the darkness, but his eyes were bright. He said, "When that day comes, you will no longer feel that you have sinned."
"I believe you." Ashina Chong replied.
The merchants carried large and small bags of goods out of the carriage and started a fire on the dry riverbank. Suddenly, an extremely faint and strange sound came from afar.
Ashina Chong and Hongjun each leaned against the carriage. Lu Xu got on the carriage and said, "What was that sound? Did you hear it? "
Hongjun's eyes and ears were not as sensitive as Li Jinglong, Lu Xu, and Mo Rigen. After being reminded, he seemed to feel that something was wrong.
"I will go take a look." Lu Xu said, "Brother Yongsi will stay here and guard. If there is anything, call him."
Hongjun said, "I will go with you."
Lu Xu waved his hand and jumped off the carriage. Under the carriage, the merchants started a campfire. Qiu Yongsi lit a lamp and looked at the map. In three days, they would arrive at Taros. However, after Li Jinglong and Mo Rigen left Bazin, there was still no news of them.
The floodplain changed its appearance at night. The wind blew, and the dark riverbank seemed to hide a huge monster. The merchants made a fire, but it was extinguished by the wind, back and forth a few times. The temperature dropped sharply. Hongjun wrapped Ashina Chong in a blanket and leaned against him. He pressed a hand on his thin arm to help him warm up.
"At that time, I thought I would never see you again." Ashina Chong said.
"What were you thinking about at the last moment?" Hongjun asked.
"Nothing." Ashina Chong replied, "It seemed like no one was waiting for me to go back."
Hongjun was about to say, "How could that be?" when Ashina Chong put up a finger and made a "shh" gesture. He sang in a low voice, "Leaves always leave the branches in autumn; Friends will part ways one day. Only my lover is waiting for me to finish my campaign and return to a distant place … "
"… I don't have a lover, and I have no regrets." Ashina Chong said calmly, "If I'm not wrong, you must have been thinking about Chang Shi at the last moment, right?"
Hongjun recalled that when he was fighting against Tianma, there was only one person in his mind at the last moment — Li Jinglong.
"Where's Lu Xu?" Qiu Yongsi got on the carriage and asked, "He's not back yet?"
Hongjun also became alert. With Lu Xu's speed, it usually took less than an hour for him to explore the road.
"I can't light the fire!" the merchant said. "The wind is too strong! Let's spend the night in the carriage! "
"Get on!" Hongjun said hurriedly. "Get on my carriage!"
Qiu Yongsi put down the curtain and replied, "I'm going to look for Little Lu."
The merchants gathered by the carriage. Qiu Yongsi told them that there was an exorcist in the carriage, so they could rest assured. He then went to look for Lu Xu. The night was cloudy, and it was almost impossible to see one's fingers. The wind was biting cold. Hongjun asked the accompanying merchants to get on the carriage, but the merchants were very conscientious and did not disturb them. They only drove the carriage to a place and gathered by the central carriage to drink strong alcohol.
Ashina Chong came back to his senses and said, "Hongjun, I keep feeling that something's not right."
Hongjun also became alert. Lu Xu's speed was exceptional. Among all the martial arts in the world, only speed was unbeatable. He was not worried. In fact, the only person in the exorcism division who had not been injured was Lu Xu.
"Don't worry." Hongjun shook out the Rainbow Divine Light and enveloped the carriage. He restrained the horses and held four throwing knives in his hands. He tilted his head and listened to the movements outside.