Chapter 168 The war is about to begin
As darkness approached, Gu Xu and his party arrived at the Yishan camp.
The evil spirit here is obviously much stronger than outside.
Dark clouds covered the entire sky, and the forest was filled with gray mist. There was a strong chill in the air, which made people feel a strong discomfort while breathing.
Gu Xu knew that mortals could not stay in a place like this for too long.
They cannot use their true energy to block the erosion of Yin Qi like monks.
Yin Qi will unknowingly seep into their bodies, annihilating their sanity and swallowing their souls, turning them into zombie-like monsters.
“You are finally here.”
When Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan stepped out of the carriage one after another, a familiar figure walked through rows of makeshift houses and came to them .
"Master Chen." Gu Xu nodded immediately.
The person who came was none other than Chen Jisheng.
At this time, Chen Jisheng's "Qi Yao Suit" looked wrinkled and stained with a lot of mud and dust. He was holding a half-old kettle in his hand, and he could see obvious tiredness on his face.
"Did you have a smooth journey? Did you encounter any danger?" Chen Jisheng asked eagerly.
Gu Xu briefly described the snowstorm in the forest, the wolves, and Feng Buqi's disappearance.
“Xue Nu’s behavior is a little weird!” Chen Jisheng frowned, “It’s just a pity that Feng Siyu was captured by Xue Nu. It should be difficult for him to survive... Alas, he was unfortunately lost before he reached the battlefield. It’s such a pity to lose one’s life!”
"What's the situation like here in Yishan?" Gu Xu asked.
"According to Lord Wei's order, today I formed a team with two other Fourth Realm monks and headed to Osmanthus Village at the foot of Yishan Mountain. We planned to rescue the surviving villagers there," Chen Jisheng sighed. tone, replied, "However, when we arrived at Osmanthus Village, we found that the intelligence was wrong - there was no living person there at all, and it had become a complete ghost village."
"The intelligence was correct. Wrong?" Shi Xiaohan next to him felt a little confused, "I remember that there are several monks in Qingzhou Prefecture who are good at Tianji Technique..."
"Tianji Technique has limitations," Gu Xu explained, "It He is not truly omniscient.
“Many powerful people at a high level can interfere with or even block the secrets of heaven by virtue of their own abilities. For example, because Kongxuan Sanren once placed a ban on the Laoshan area, the Chief Secretary cannot observe the Laoshan ruins through Tianji Technique. ”
"Then the error in the intelligence near Yishan was due to the interference of the Snow Girl?" Shi Xiaohan touched his chin, thoughtfully.
"Probably."
"The situation in Yishan is much more serious than we imagined," Chen Jisheng's expression was particularly solemn, "Because the intelligence is inaccurate, the monks cannot do what they usually do. The location and number of ghosts were accurately predicted in the mission, and every battle was like crossing the river by feeling for stones.
"In addition, the supplies sent from the capital were much less than expected. Fortunately, His Royal Highness the eldest son of the Emperor and Lord Wei Jiusi Qianhu generously donated money, which did not affect the fighting and daily practice of the monks of the Exorcism Department. "
"His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Emperor? "Gu Xu was slightly surprised when he heard this name.
"That's right," Chen Jisheng nodded, "in the past few days, His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Emperor, has been fighting side by side with the monks in the Yishan camp. Not only did he kill many monsters, but he also personally rescued several officers back to the camp. Today I I once had the opportunity to take a look at him from a distance in the crowd, and he was indeed as extraordinary as the rumors said. "
"His Royal Highness the eldest son actually came in person!" Shi Xiaohan beside him couldn't help but open his eyes.
Chai Biao, a tall man standing behind them, was even more stunned on the spot, with a hint of fanaticism in his eyes, and murmured to himself: "I never thought that in my lifetime I would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Daqi Prince. A day of fighting..."
Seeing the reactions of everyone around him, Gu Xu secretly commented: It seems that this eldest prince has a high prestige in the hearts of everyone.
However, maybe it’s because he is a time traveler, maybe it’s because he once saw the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen pretending to be a female voice to deceive his opponent in the “Realm of Discussing the Tao”, maybe it’s because he knows that the Emperor of Da Qi has some ulterior motives. The secret... Gu Xu does not have a deep-seated awe for the Daqi royal family like his companions.
At this moment, a man dressed as a guard came to them, bowed to Gu Xu and said, "Master Gu, His Highness wants to see you."
The eyes of everyone present fell on On Gu Xu.
“I just remembered that you still have the status of a prince’s attendant.” Shi Xiaohan tugged on Gu Xu’s sleeve and curled his lips. At this moment, she suddenly felt that the royal family members were not as superior as she had imagined.
Chai Biao, a tall, middle-aged man, took two steps back unconsciously. He deeply felt that the handsome young man in front of him was not from the same world as himself.
It was just an accident that they were traveling in the same car today.
After that, the young man will continue to move forward along the dazzling Kangzhuang Avenue; and he will return to the remote small county town, watching his deeds through the court newspaper in the dark and narrow duty room, silently imagining that he can also have a Such an excellent son.
…………
A moment later, Gu Xu met the eldest prince Xiao Shangyuan in a simple wooden house, as well as the royal minister Fan Cheng and Qingzhou Prefecture Qianhu Wei Jiusi beside him.
This house was temporarily built using magic.
The furnishings in the house are simple.
A large rough table and a few hard wooden chairs formed a temporary conference room.
When Gu Xu stepped into the room, Xiao Shangyuan immediately stood up to greet him with a smile; when Gu Xu was about to bow his hands, Xiao Shangyuan immediately grabbed his arm and said repeatedly: "Brother Gu Xian, there is no need to be polite. "
Xiao Shangyuan's appearance is similar to that of his younger brother Xiao Shangzhen. He can be considered handsome in appearance, but his eyebrows are a little less childish and the outline of his face is tougher.
Although the eldest prince looked amiable and called Gu Xu a brother-in-law, he kept his official position and etiquette far away.
But Gu Xu noticed that Xiao Shangyuan's eyes were awe-inspiring, revealing an unquestionable arrogance - as if he was a majestic lion entrenched in his territory. As long as someone dared to offend him, he would It will reveal its gleaming fangs.
After sitting down, Xiao Shangyuan got straight to the point and talked about the business.
He took out a piece of talisman paper from his arms, handed it to Gu Xu, and said to him: "Brother Gu Xian, is this 'Fengxing Talisman' your work?"
< br>Gu Xu took the talisman and observed it carefully.
This talisman paper is not his.
The lines on the paper were a bit jerky and not smooth at all, and they were definitely not drawn by him.
But Ma Xingkong's idea of improvement that day was indeed his handiwork.
But the problem is that he has never taught anyone how to draw the improved version of "Feng Xing Fu".
So how did this talisman appear?
"This talisman was copied by us, not the original version." Seemingly sensing Gu Xu's confused look, the eldest prince smiled and explained, "The earliest 'Fengxing Talisman' was mine. Picked up from the waste basket of the Exorcism Department of Qingzhou Prefecture, Uncle Fan was convinced that it was definitely made by the master.
"In order to find out the identity of the Fu Dao master behind it, we decided. It can be said that it took a lot of effort and went through many twists and turns.
"Now, we have finally found you, Master Gu!
"I can't imagine that at this young age, you have such profound cultivation of Talismans! I'm afraid even the National Master will be envious of your talent! "
Hearing the eldest prince's words, Gu Xu also remembered that he had indeed used a "Wind Talisman" on the way to Qingzhou Mansion, and then threw it into the wastebasket.
I didn’t expect to be picked up by the eldest prince. “Last October, His Highness was also in Qingzhou Mansion? ” he asked.
"Yes," Xiao Shangyuan replied candidly, "At that time, I saw the Yishan Snow Girl making trouble in Qingzhou and causing harm to the people, so I asked my father for help, hoping that I could use the sword in my hand to eliminate harm for the people.
“But I don’t want others to misunderstand my motives and think that I do this kind of thing just to pursue fame. So I concealed my identity and whereabouts.
"It's a pity that the snow girl is much stronger than I imagined. I tried my best and failed to defeat her. Instead, I was bruised and embarrassed. If it weren't for the national master's junior brother Mr. He He rescued me with his magical power of "shrinking the ground into an inch". I'm afraid my soul has become the food of the Snow Girl."
It turns out that He Yiqun abandoned "Seven Styles of Burning Heaven" at his home. I hurried to Yishan to save this prince!
Gu Xu recalled silently in his heart.
Xiao Shangyuan paused for a moment, then smiled slightly and continued: "But I have never been a person willing to admit defeat easily. I will not give up my desire to eliminate harm for the people because of a temporary failure.
" And I also realized that with my own strength, I cannot compete with the Yishan Snow Girl, who has a strength close to that of a saint.
“So now I come to this camp, hoping to fight with the monks here to get rid of the serious problem of Xue Nu for the people of Qingzhou Prefecture.”
“Your Highness really cares about people’s livelihood. ," Gu Xu politely complimented, "If the people of Qingzhou Mansion knew about His Highness's thoughts, they would be very grateful to His Highness."
I have to say that the eldest prince's scene was right. She is very beautiful and has a knack for winning people's hearts. Compared to his childish brother, she is a world of difference.
If there were no aristocratic families and extraordinary power in this world, then Xiao Shangzhen would have no competitiveness at all in front of this capable brother.
"However, Brother Gu Xian, today I don't care about the thoughts of the people of Qingzhou Prefecture. I only care about your thoughts." Xiao Shangyuan leaned forward slightly and looked at Gu Xu's eyes seriously, as if he had just confessed his love. The person is waiting full of hope for the answer from his beloved, "I want to fight side by side with Brother Gu Xian tomorrow and see with my own eyes his cultivation of Talisman. I wonder if Brother Gu Xian is willing to agree?"
Xiao Shangyuan's words remain. There was a certain amount of leeway, and there was no direct requirement for Gu Xu to take sides in the fight for the throne and become his follower.
But this also means that this is a request that cannot be refused.
After all, this is a critical moment against the Snow Girl.
Once he refuses, his words are likely to be taken out of context and used as leverage.
"Your Highness has your orders, how dare I disobey him?" Gu Xu responded with a smile.
He didn’t want to get involved in the muddy waters of the royal family’s succession.
So if the eldest prince wants to be his brother, he has to keep the distinction between monarch and minister.
"Then I look forward to Brother Gu Xian showing off his power tomorrow!" Xiao Shangyuan's expression remained calm, with no emotional change on his face.
On the side, Fan Cheng frowned slightly, seeming to be thinking about something; Wei Jiusi smiled, showing a hint of appreciation for Gu Xu.
…………
That night, the monks gathered in the open space to count the number of casualties and discuss the assignment of tasks for the next day.
It wasn't until late at night that they dispersed, either to receive food or to return to their temporary residence to practice.
Gu Xu followed the arrangement of Qianhu Wei Jiusi of Qingzhou Prefecture and handed over some "Tai Shang Arctic Demon Suppressing and Demon Killing Talisman" to this temporarily formed team for use in the battle tomorrow, and in exchange for this, he received a lot of money. Less meritorious service.
"I heard from Chen Jisheng that your improved ghost-killing talisman is much stronger than the original version," Wei Jiusi said with a smile, "Can you tell me how many times stronger it is?"
"Well... at least more than ten times. Right!" Gu Xu himself couldn't figure it out. After all, as the power of the talisman increased, it became increasingly difficult to find mice for experiments.
When he returned, he saw Shi Xiaohan holding a food box and sitting glumly in the corner.
She huddled up, her little face was bulging with anger, and she looked like a small glutinous rice dumpling from a distance.
The cold wind ruffled her black hair and made the hairpin on her head jingle, but she was completely unaware of it.
"You look unhappy." Gu Xu came to her side and said.
Shi Xiaohan raised his head and looked at him, with a look of grievance in his clear almond eyes: "The food in this camp is really terrible."
As she spoke, she The food box in his hand was raised in front of Gu Xu.
There were two steamed buns, a boiled egg, a few green vegetables, and a few pieces of half-lean pork roasted randomly.
"It seems to be better than the food I had during military training..." Gu Xu complained silently, "It looks pretty healthy."
"Miss Shi," he sat down next to her and consoled her, "These are extraordinary times and the conditions are quite difficult, so you have to endure it."
"But I really can't swallow these things! "Shi Xiaohan snorted, feeling dissatisfied with Gu Xu's answer, "Also, how many times have I told you not to call me eldest lady!"
But now you are spoiled. Miss!
Gu Xu commented secretly.
He knew that this was the first time Shi Xiaohan had participated in such a high-risk task - as a flower who had grown up in a greenhouse, it was inevitable that he would be a little uncomfortable.
Without tempering, it is difficult to truly grow.
“Don’t think of it as food, think of it as part of your cultivation,” he advised. “Do you want to let the ghosts and monsters feel the power of the ‘Taotie Seal’ tomorrow? Do you want to be with His Highness the Prince? Do you want to show off your power in front of Master Wei? Do you want the monks in Qingzhou to feel the majesty of the Yishui heroine? "
" Think about it!" Shi Xiaohan said without thinking.
After she finished speaking, she realized that she had been deceived accidentally.
"Humph!" She glanced at Gu Xu angrily.
Gu Xu smiled and waved to the soldiers around him, asking them to bring him an identical dinner.
The two sat quietly in the corner.
In this bleak cold wind, enjoy the moment of tranquility before the storm.
This time, Gu Xu rarely finished his dinner first.
He took out the pamphlet from his pocket and continued to write, draw, and think about cultivation issues.
Inadvertently, he turned to the pale pink floral paper sandwiched in the book page. On the paper was a beautiful and neat hairpin flower in small regular script, which read the words "May everything be well for you, the young master, and may you live forever".
Thinking of the snowstorm and the white wolf in the forest today, and of the lotus-like woman in Lu's haunted house, Gu Xu sighed softly, feeling extremely regretful.
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Thanks to the departing Bai Xiaohua for the 500 reward!
(End of this chapter)