The sunlight in the valley seemed to have become tangible. Wherever it shone, the clouds rippled like blue waves disturbed by an oar. Most of the fog had dispersed, but there was still a wisp of smoke lingering in front of the precipice, passing through the scattered green trees.
The top of the small cave protruded slightly, and the opposite cliff was very far away from the bottom of the valley. Even with Fan Xian's hearing, it would take him a long time before he could faintly hear the sounds coming from the bottom of the valley. Presumably, the Brocade Guards of Shangjing were searching for their bodies at the bottom of the valley.
The bottom of the valley should be damp and gloomy. Fan Xian reckoned that after a while, they would know that Xiao En and Fan Xian had not fallen off the mountain. Fan Xian guessed that the Northern Qi people would probably think that he and Xiao En were lucky and search along the bottom of the valley. But he did not dare to underestimate Shen Zhong's ruthlessness. No one knew when they would turn their attention back to the mirror-like surface of the cliff. As for Lang Tiao, Fan Xian knew from their first encounter that this senior disciple of Haitang was indeed one of the most powerful men in the world. His mind was firm and determined, and he was not the kind of person who would be easily deceived.
The mountain breeze stirred, and Xiao En's pale face trembled slightly. The old man had already fallen into a semi-conscious state, and could die at any moment. The sun outside seemed unable to transmit any warmth to this old man who had forced his way to the mountains to meet his death.
Fan Xian scratched his head and looked at Xiao En's face. The old comrade's face was like a layer of orange peel that had been dipped in white pulp. He thought for a moment, then carefully took out the small blue pill from his belt.
The pill gave off the faint smell of ephedra leaves, and had already been cut in half with a knife. Fan Xian crushed the remaining half and stuffed it into Xiao En's mouth. Then he took out a water pipe from his sleeve and dripped water from a water bag hidden in his clothes onto Xiao En's withered lips.
...
...
After a while, the dying Xiao En woke up. He opened his eyes, and the scarlet color that had faded reappeared in his pupils. The old man seemed to have regained some of his former power in the moment before his death.
"What medicine did you feed me?"
"A small blue pill." Fan Xian smiled and said, "It's to raise your spirits. However, it can't help you recover your former glory."
Xiao En naturally did not understand this joke.
"You ate before you made your move, right?" Xiao En's breathing became much more powerful, and his spirit gradually shook off the depression. If it wasn't the final radiance of the setting sun before death, then it meant that the drug had stimulated the remaining energy in the old man's body.
Fan Xian did not immediately respond to his question. He stretched out his finger and felt Xiao En's pulse. He found that it was gradually becoming stronger, but there was a slight dryness to it. He knew that the ephedra pill was beginning to take effect. But this primitive stimulant could raise Xiao En's spirits for a moment, but it could not save his life.
He took a deep breath, looked at Xiao En calmly, and said, "Lang Tiao and Friar He, I broke your leg. Even if we join forces, we won't be a match for them, so I have to take some medicine. However, I'm a little curious as to why there are only two experts and not a large group of people waiting for us. "
Xiao En coughed violently. The medicine was taking effect. He waved his hand with some difficulty. "They don't want to make a big deal out of this. If they can't hide it from the little emperor, there will be trouble in the future."
Fan Xian looked at him and thought of the little emperor's reason for sparing his old life. It was the same reason as his own, but he did not continue on this topic.
"You saved this old man for no other reason than the secret in this old man's heart." Xiao En looked at the chirping birds in the valley, and a look of envy flashed in his eyes. "In the end, what is that secret? The little emperor wants the temple's help to unite the world. Why do you want to go to the temple so badly? "
"Of course I have my own reasons."
"Can you tell me about them?"
The two spies, one old and one young, were at different stages of history. At this moment, they were calmly chatting like children at the entrance of a village.
"Hmm, tell me a part of it." Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. He felt a little weak. The effects of the ephedra pill were about to fade, and his spirit was a little weary. "I don't know if you believe it or not, but I live in this world. Most of the time, I am like a tourist. I want to go to all the interesting corners of this world, and the temple … is without a doubt the place that interests me the most."
"Tourist?" Xiao En used a pair of blood-red eyes to stare at Fan Xian's ordinary face in disguise.
Fan Xian laughed. "Is it strange? Heaven and earth are the travelers of all living things. Time is the traveler of a hundred generations. Since you and I live in this great inn, we naturally want to see what is in every room of the inn. "
"Perhaps there is a poisonous snake in the room at the end of the second floor." Xiao En moved back a little with difficulty. He felt the heat of life in his body. He knew that he was getting closer and closer to death, and subconsciously wanted to sit a little more comfortably.
"Perhaps it is a beautiful woman bathing in a wooden tub." Fan Xian laughed.
Xiao En looked at the young man and gently shook his head. "Curiosity killed the old cat. You actually risked your life to save me for such an absurd reason, and ended up in a dead end. Do you regret it now?"
Fan Xian turned his head to look at the unfathomably deep cliff. He sighed and said nothing.
"Are you stupid?" This was the second time Xiao En had said this. He smiled. "For a worthless secret, you buried your own life."
Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "That's right. In the face of death, all secrets are unimportant."
Xiao En suddenly looked at him strangely and said, "Can I ask you a favor?"
Fan Xian's heart trembled. Although this old man was no longer as brave as he had been in the past, his status was still there. On his way north, he had never asked for anything. "What do you want to say?"
Xiao En's voice was a little strange. "I am not afraid of death … but after I die, you will be trapped in this cave alone. I reckon that in the end, you will be so hungry that you will be interested in my corpse."
Fan Xian was startled, but he understood what the old man was afraid of. He felt a little disgusted. "Your old arms and legs. If I wanted to chew on your flesh, I would be afraid of breaking my own teeth."
Xiao En laughed bitterly. "When you are really hungry, what can't you do?"
Fan Xian frowned. "You're not even afraid of death, and you're afraid of me eating your flesh?"
Xiao En stared at him. "There are many people in this world who are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of cockroaches." He paused. "I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of being eaten by you after I die. That feeling is not good."
The effects of the medicine had temporarily replenished Xiao En's energy, so his speech had gradually become smoother. The wounds on his body had long since stopped bleeding, but the strange red in his eyes had deepened. This was not a good sign.
Fan Xian looked at him and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Don't worry. If you die, I will immediately throw you into the valley." His pupils suddenly contracted. He looked at Xiao En and quietly asked, "Old man, have you eaten human flesh before?"
...
...
The cave suddenly became quiet. For a long time, Xiao En's voice did not ring out. After a long while, the old man said expressionlessly, "When I went to the temple, the mountains were sealed off by heavy snow. There was nothing to eat, so I had to eat human flesh."
Fan Xian's heart thumped. Although he had dug up graves and dissected corpses since he was young, the thought of eating human flesh still made him feel disgusted. He unconsciously looked away from Xiao En's withered lips.
Xiao En laughed strangely. "Human flesh, in fact, is really disgusting... but what Ku He ate was much more delicious than what I had."
Fan Xian's heart trembled again. Today, the high and mighty grandmaster revered by tens of thousands of people, the Imperial Advisor of Northern Qi, Ku He, had actually eaten human flesh?
He immediately figured out the crux of the matter. Since Xiao En knew where the temple was, and Ku He was a disciple of the temple, then the two of them must have gone to the temple at the same time. For two great masters to have fallen to the point of eating the flesh of one another, one could only imagine the dangers of the journey. But he did not understand why Ku He had to kill Xiao En. Was it just to hide the fact that he had eaten human flesh?
"When did you and Ku He go to the temple?"
Xiao En unexpectedly closed his mouth. Fan Xian was like a diner, looking at a plate of duck skin noodles served by a waiter, and then watching the waiter take it away. Fan Xian's breath was stuck in his chest, unable to come out for a long time. He could not help but say angrily, "Seeing that we are about to die, can't you let me die a little more happily?"
Xiao En rolled his eyes at him and laughed mockingly. "Are you stupid?"
Fan Xian sighed. "For you, this secret is no longer of any use to protect your life. Why bother hiding it?"
...
...
"The temple is to the north."
Very suddenly, very without warning, Xiao En spoke.
"How far north?"
"In the snowy lands of the extreme north, if you follow the Northern Prison Pass, it will take you more than three months."
At this time, the sky outside the cave was gradually darkening. Fan Xian's expression did not change, but his heart was a little nervous. He knew that he had finally succeeded halfway. At least he knew the general location of the temple. His heart slightly tightened. The mountain wind gradually picked up, and the summer chill on Mount Yan grew. He looked at Xiao En, who had closed his eyes and was waiting for death. Like a friend, he began to chat casually. "Dying old man, what do you think about the scenery of the temple?"
Xiao En did not open his eyes. He lightly panted. "It's just a big temple. What scenery could there be? What about you? Which rock did you jump out of, kid? "
Fan Xian yawned wearily and said, "I am from Danzhou, and Danzhou does not have much to look at. There are only two trees planted in the back garden of my house. One is a date tree, and the other is also a date tree."
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