Chapter 368 The End of the World
Hearing the words "Born to Know", a bold guess suddenly appeared in Gu Xu's mind, and he tentatively said to Zhao Yan: "Odd and even will remain the same." ?”
Zhao Yandai frowned, showing a puzzled expression: “What did you say?”
“It’s nothing,” Gu Xu immediately shook his head, “I just think that you are My cousin’s behavior is really disgusting.”
At the same time, he came to the conclusion in his heart: It seems that Zhao Yan is not a time traveler. After all, I am alone, a stranger in a foreign land.
"Yes," Zhao Yan agreed, "especially when my uncle proposed that I make a marriage contract with Zhao Yu, Zhao Yu's behavior became more and more rampant, as if he regarded me as his property.
< br> "Fortunately, my father believes that my personal opinion should be respected on important life matters such as marriage, so he has never agreed to it.
“Then, sixteen years ago, Lu Huan, the chief minister of the cabinet, committed treason and was executed by the Nine Clan. The governor Tang Hui was sent to the Lu family’s mansion in Qingzhou to carry out the task of ransacking the house.
"Most of the group of people led by Tang Hui failed to come out after entering Lu Zhai. It is said that they were retaliated by ghosts.
“But there were a few people who left the mansion early and escaped the disaster.
"During that time, Zhao Yuzheng followed our family's tradition and traveled around Youzhou and nearby areas accompanied by his guards. While killing demons and monsters, he challenged his peers to hone his martial arts skills.
" During his training, he never changed his nature and never forgot to hang out with people from all religions and schools. While fooling around, he happened to bump into several people who had escaped from the Lu family residence. These people were all low-level soldiers who came from the city. They were not aware of the seriousness of this incident yet. They actually shared with their companions the various atrocities committed in Lu's house in a ostentatious tone - the dignitaries who used to be well-dressed and well-off have become They were allowed to trample and humiliate the prisoners, and those women covered in gold and silver, with their bodies bruised and bruised, cried and begged for mercy in front of them, which seemed to be something they were proud of.
"Zhao Yu was extremely excited by the rhetoric of these people. After he returned to Jicheng, he conducted the same experiment on prisoners in prison and military prisoners, and then described it to me vividly Listen. He even tried to get me involved in his disgusting 'games'
"Fortunately, Coach Cai followed my father's orders. I was protected by my side and stopped his crazy behavior in time without letting him succeed. Then my father put him in solitary confinement for half a year, forcing him to face the wall and think about his mistakes.
“Later, when I started to practice, my strength quickly surpassed Zhao Yu. He was afraid of being beaten by me, and he never dared to say any dirty words in front of me, nor did he dare to do anything. Outrageous behavior.
"Just because of these experiences in my childhood, I began to resent marriage, the touch of the opposite sex, and the intimacy between men and women.
"As for those 'hanging around brothels', it was because I always wanted to avenge my mother. I have placed spies in the brothel, hoping they can help me find out the true situation back then...
"I seem to have said a bit too much."
Speaking of this, Zhao Yan looked at Gu Xu in front of him forced out an apologetic smile.
Actually, she just wanted to say briefly that she had a difficult relationship with General Zhao Changqi and his son. Unexpectedly, as he spoke, his heart opened quietly, and many words that had been suppressed in his chest suddenly came out like a flood.
She had long been accustomed to wrapping herself in a prickly shell, covering her inner shadow with pride and indifference. But around the person in front of her, she inadvertently let down her guard more than once.
Gu Xu listened quietly to her confession.
Zhao Yan spoke in a calm tone and her expression was calm, but Gu Xu could detect the turbulent undercurrent beneath the calmness.
He can understand Zhao Yan's mood. He knows that some things and some words may not matter to adults, but they will leave a deep psychological shadow on young children and even cause irreversible damage.
Like a friend in his previous life, after hearing a ghost story told by others when he was a child, he did not dare to sleep alone for a long time, for fear that evil spirits would lurk in the dark night and attack him. Not to mention people like Zhao Yan, who has been sharing all kinds of cruel atrocities in reality with her psychopathic cousin since birth.
There was just one thing that confused him.
Since Zhao Yan hates contact with the opposite sex, why did she heal him before? Is this a very torturous thing for her?
"Then before you..." He pondered for a moment and couldn't help but ask.
"You are different from others." Zhao Yan guessed what he was thinking and immediately interrupted him.
Then she suddenly realized that this sentence seemed a bit misleading, so she added another sentence: "Don't think too much about it. What I mean is that it may be because the techniques we practice have similar origins. , so I’m not physically disgusted with you.”
"I understand." Gu Xu nodded. He knew clearly that Zhao Yan's help to him these days should only be out of guilt and repayment of gratitude. He is not narcissistic enough to have the illusion that the other person likes him.
Other young girls may be obsessed with his appearance and admire his legendary deeds. But as the heir to Dayan, Zhao Yan must have seen countless handsome men, beauties, and geniuses since she was a child, so she may have long been tired of aesthetics. She should have given up on these vulgar interests long ago and focused on the avenue of heaven and earth and the revenge plan.
Zhao Yan hesitated for a while, then continued with a straight face and a serious tone of "discussing practice issues": "To be precise, you don't feel like 'someone else' to me, but Like another 'self'. Especially on the day you helped me activate my blood vessels, our meridians and even blood vessels seemed to be connected by a mysterious force, and the true energy and blood flowed back and forth between each other's bodies. Surge...I wonder if you have similar feelings..."
"I do have similar feelings," Gu Xu said.
"It's amazing," Zhao Yan sighed after a long silence, "I had doubted before that you might be the illegitimate child left behind by the Zhao family."
"I think not." Gu Xu smiled. In his opinion, the connection between himself and Zhao Yan should come from the "Hui Lu" rune.
In the following period, Zhao Yan briefly described some potential conflicts between her father and uncle. She pointed out that Zhao Changqi, the general of the auxiliary state, had close economic ties with many dignitaries in Daqi, and had cooperated in some industries of refining elixirs and making magic weapons. Therefore, Zhao Changqi is more inclined to compromise with the Daqi Dynasty than Zhao Changying, who has been plotting revenge for his wife. When the Qi court tried to reduce the military power in the hands of Duke Yan, Zhao Changying showed obvious dissatisfaction, while Zhao Changqize believed that handing over military power to eliminate the doubts in the king's mind was a very cost-effective deal.
"I'm very worried that after meeting you, my uncle will send you back to the Daqi court for personal gain," Zhao Yan said, "He is a sixth-level monk who controls There are many powerful magic weapons, and although the bloodline is not as good as mine, it is still much stronger than most of the Zhao family. I may not be able to protect you in front of him."
"Then do as you say. "Okay," Gu Xu said, "rush to Beiming as soon as possible and get the fragments of the magic weapon."
"I'd like to ask Miss Zhao to be my guide." ”
"I've told you ten thousand times - don't say polite words in front of me."
…………
After making the decision, the two of them didn't waste a moment and started. Continue heading north.
When he had plenty of real energy, Gu Xu used the "Astrolabe" to build a space passage, while Zhao Yan grabbed his arm and traveled hundreds of miles in an instant.
When the real energy was insufficient, Gu Xu found a remote and uninhabited place, took out "Xianyunju", changed it back to its original appearance, and then got in to practice with Zhao Yan.
With the "Obstacle Breaking Pill" brought by Zhao Yan and the energy flowing out of the "Hui Lu" rune, his cultivation speed was much faster than before.
When he closed his eyes and was in the netherworld of consciousness, he felt that he was not walking, but running like the wind. The scenery on both sides of the road receded rapidly, and the "Meng Po Pavilion" at the end of his sight was in front of him. "Pounced towards him quickly. Zhao Yan beside him could clearly feel the surge of true energy in his body.
In her perception, whenever Gu Xu enters the state of cultivation, he seems to turn into a blazing bonfire in winter, a sun bursting with rays of light, toward Light and heat are radiating freely all around.
The true energy in her meridians also became excited, and she couldn't wait to respond to the other party.
Practicing the "Nirvana Sutra" is an extremely painful thing. It will make her feel like her flesh and blood are torn and then healed, and her bones are shattered and then restored.
But as long as you enter the state of cultivation with Gu Xu, this pain will be relieved to a great extent, and the speed of true energy growth will also be greatly increased.
"Could it be that the "Nirvana Sutra" is an incomplete exercise?" Zhao Yan randomly guessed in her mind, "its incomplete other half is in Gu Xu's body?"
When Gu Xu finished practicing and opened her eyes, she couldn't help but ask: "With your cultivation speed, I'm afraid you can break through the fifth realm in two or three months, right?"
" I hope I can survive until then," Gu Xu said with a smile.
Zhao Yan pondered for a few seconds and then said: "Beside you, my cultivation efficiency seems to have accelerated a lot."
"Me too."
"I am describing an objective fact . It’s not a psychological factor, and it’s not a joke.” She crossed her arms on her chest and said seriously. The sun shone in from the window and fell on her cheeks, making her skin glow with a hazy light, like crystal snow.
"Me too."
…………
The further north you go, the colder the climate becomes.
Although it is late spring, there is still a chill in the air in the wild north.
While passing by Jicheng, the capital of Youzhou, the "Hui Lu" rune produced extremely majestic and violent power. Gu Xu could hear the prayers of thousands of people.
This reminded him of the story of "Tai Shang Haotian" and "Emperor Zi Wei" competing for incense.
The power of faith is really powerful. No wonder the gods in the upper world need it to ascend to the highest realm.
However, as you go further north, the farmland recedes and the population gradually becomes sparse, leaving only sparse trees in your field of vision. The hills became steeper and soon turned into snow-covered mountains, standing under the dim sky like white-haired gray-blue giants.
Occasionally, an icy cold stream passes through the grass and trees, the water surface sparkles and the skylight reflects.
When the sun set and the silver moon rose, Zhao Yan stood on the edge of the steep cliff, pointed to the place where heaven and earth meet in the distance, and whispered: "That should be the end of the world!"
Her eyes were very complicated at the moment. Gu Xu could see the emotions of curiosity, expectation and apprehension, like an explorer about to land in a new world.
He looked in the direction she pointed, and saw that the sky was covered with clouds and fog, and it was blurry.
The legendary "Northern Ming" should be hidden behind that cloud. It was a mysterious land that few people visited, with the "astrolabe" fragments he wanted, as well as countless potential crises.
Just when the two were about to continue on their way, a huge shadow suddenly rose from the clouds and mist, like an overwhelming curtain, dimming the silvery moonlight a bit.
"Do you know what that is?" Zhao Yan frowned slightly and asked again.
"Maybe it's the legendary 'Kun Peng'."
Gu Xu thought of the description he had seen in books: "The Peng's back is thousands of miles away; it flies in anger , its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky.”
The book describes Dapeng as huge and majestic.
Although he had been mentally prepared, he was still quite shocked when he saw this scene with his own eyes.
“I heard that ‘Kunpeng’ is a ‘fierce god’ level monster.” Zhao Yan said with a worried look on her face.
"Don't worry too much," Gu Xu said, "If the description in the book is correct, 'Kunpeng' is different from ordinary ghosts. It is an existence that evolved from the great road of heaven and earth and will not devour humans. Instead, it uses yin and yang as food... Of course, there is no yang in this world, it can only swallow yin.
"As long as we are careful enough not to provoke it, we should not be attacked by it. . ”
As Gu Xu spoke, he took out a few old copper coins from his pocket, tossed them gently, and silently recited the names of "Tai Shang Haotian" and "Emperor Zi Wei", and received the words "Shock up and down". The hexagram of "Shui Lei Tun".
"The 'Tun hexagram' is the second hexagram of Kan Palace, which means there are difficulties. It symbolizes the dangers encountered when moving, and it requires perseverance and courage to get through," he explained the hexagrams to Zhao Yan. , "But it is a lucky hexagram after all, and it can be regarded as a symbol of 'difficulty first, solution later'."
"Are your divination accurate?" Zhao Yan asked.
Zhao Yan likes simple and crude fighting methods, and is accustomed to using the spear in her hand to solve problems. She does not know much about complicated things such as divination, talismans, and formations. In addition, there are not many reliable fortune tellers in Youzhou, and they often calculate results that are far from the truth, which makes Zhao Yan not very confident in the art of divination and deduction.
“Never went wrong.”
"Even Luosi Capital wouldn't dare to say that."
"In this aspect, I am more talented than him."
Gu Xu's tone was very calm, not like a young man bragging. Impetuous, there is no guilty conscience after showing off, but it seems to be describing objective facts and telling a truth like "the sun rises from the east."
(End of this chapter)