Ever since they got rid of Zhan Beiye that night, the next few days were peaceful. Yao Xun kept his word and stayed by their side obediently. But Meng Fuyao guessed that the reason he was willing to stay was probably because he had seen Yuan Zhaoxu's martial arts that night and was hoping to find a protective umbrella.
They arrived at the outskirts of Taiyuan Yan Capital. The three of them found an inn to rest in. Once they settled down, Meng Fuyao hurriedly started practicing. She had been working hard for the past few days and felt that the fourth level of Cleaving Nine Heavens was almost complete.
The sand in the hourglass flowed silently. Six hours later, Fuyao opened her eyes, which shone with a strange light.
She picked up the sword on the table and channeled her Qi into it, causing the blade to emit a green light. It was the light of the fourth level. Compared to a few days ago, the light today was more gorgeous, gentle, and pure.
"It's done!" Meng Fuyao jumped off the bed, giggling. "Who should I find for a kiss?"
She immediately smacked herself. "Don't let your imagination run wild!"
She laid down comfortably and took out the three treasures from her bosom, carefully caressing them.
This was the pass that she had spent a lot of effort to obtain.
There had always been a secret legend in the Five Continents. If one gathered all seven talismans from the seven nations, they would be able to pass through the five continents and travel all the way north to the northernmost Di Continent. Di Continent was the most mysterious and difficult to enter Evergreen Temple of the Qiong Cang Dynasty. There was a person with great divine power and wisdom who could solve all the problems in the world.
She did not need help, but there was a huge problem that she was counting on the power of divine ability to solve.
But reaching the altar was easier said than done. The five continents were originally five countries, each occupying a continent's land. Later on, the countries went to war and fought for territory. In the past thirty years, the five countries had been divided into seven countries, and the land of the five continents had been fragmented. Now, each country was guarding their own territory. Although they maintained peace on the surface, they were actually eyeing each other covetously. Most of them had stationed their troops at the borders and prohibited communication with other countries. It was said that if a feather from the Heavenly Fiend Dynasty fell into the territory of the neighboring Xuanyuan Dynasty, it would immediately be turned into powder.
Fortunately, this world respected the strong and opened the door for them. Thirty years ago, except for Qiong Cang, the other six countries formed an alliance in the Limitless Nation in the center of the continent. They gathered the symbolic tokens of each country and issued the "Six Nation Order" to the ten most powerful people in the five continents at that time. Those who held this order could pass through the six countries unimpeded all the way to any place in the five continents except for Qiong Cang and the palaces of each country.
Actually, that was just a gesture to curry favor. With the abilities of those ten experts, even if they didn't take the token, they would still be able to go anywhere.
After taking it, it would be difficult for him to go to the inner palace and watch the eunuchs wash the underwear of the imperial concubines.
Of course, with Meng Fuyao's current abilities, it was impossible for her to get the token.
Since this road was blocked, there was another way. Because the five continents each had their own products, the various countries relied on each other for business, military, and livelihood. In recent years, the various countries had gradually come to understand the importance of commerce in the economic development of a country. Five years ago, with the help of the Limitless Nation's brilliant and famous Prince Wuji, the seven countries began to distribute the tokens within a certain range for the upper class officials and merchants of their own countries to travel between friendly countries. This was to achieve political and commercial exchanges. It was considered a diplomatic pass and enjoyed a certain amount of travel rights and official protection.
Such travel rights were not even affected by wars. Even if two countries were to suddenly go to war, the merchants holding the tokens would be politely escorted out of the country and then put on a fighting stance.
However, for precaution and precaution, the distribution of the tokens was strictly controlled. It was only concentrated in the hands of the monopolized tycoons and merchants of each country, as well as the upper class officials. Furthermore, it required a guarantee from the court of the country to have the right to travel safely within the territory of the other country.
Without such a thing, traveling to other countries would be met with a lot of trouble. It was equivalent to illegal immigration, but there was no such thing as repatriation in this era.
The situation between the various countries was complicated and there were many checkpoints. The road to the Evergreen Temple was long and difficult, and Meng Fuyao could not kill her way there. She needed as much protection as possible so that she could go further in her future adventure.
Therefore, after receiving the news, she began to plan to collect the tokens of each country.
Two months ago, a merchant from the Xuanji Dynasty came to the Taiyuan Dynasty to expand his timber business. He brought dozens of carriages of goods and booked the entire inn. He also invited the most powerful martial arts sect to send disciples to protect him. Valiant guards filled the corridors, and the lights in the inn were not extinguished the entire night. By the next morning, the merchant was still stripped clean and his token was missing.
A month ago, an important official of the Xuanyuan Dynasty, Sima Rui, traveled by water on a large and beautiful ship that swaggered along the Yuan River. Beautiful women danced on the ship, and music played incessantly. Along the way, he received countless envious gazes.
Unfortunately, a scream almost caused the ship to collapse the next day. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Sima Rui rushed out and shouted, "My token is missing!"
The ship was thrown into chaos. Sima Rui quickly deployed troops to surround the river and sent troops to search the fishing villages. Countless people were interrogated but found nothing. After staying on the river for three days, Sima Rui was afraid of delaying the diplomatic mission. In the end, he had no choice but to apologize to the imperial court and leave the Yuan River dejectedly.
The soldiers accompanying him were not so dejected. They excitedly talked about the boat lady they met during the search. She was not very good-looking, but she could cook a good fish stew.
The stew was delicious, and the fish was fresh. It was a pity that no one saw what was hidden in the fish's belly.
As for the harvest from Mount Xuanyuan a few days ago, it was a coincidence that he had accidentally encountered a flustered minion who was alone on the mountain. Out of suspicion, he knocked him over and found Tian Sha's pass on his body.
She now had the tokens of Xuanyuan, Tiansha, and Taiyuan. When she went to the Evergreen Temple in the future, she would gather the tokens of all seven nations. Perhaps it would be equivalent to the Seven Nations Token, which would increase her chances of getting help from the Heavenly Officials.
Due to the varying degrees of diplomatic relations between the various countries, not every country would be given a pass. Thus, Fuyao had to make some arrangements. She drew a map of the relations between the various countries and calculated it carefully. Then, she thought of the fiendish Zhan Beiye who was after the Tian Sha Token. She felt that the future was bleak and could not help but sigh.
Halfway through her sigh, she suddenly heard a sigh from the beam.
*****
Meng Fuyao was shocked. With a flick of her fingers, she swept the three tokens on the table into her clothes. Her heart thumped wildly, and she cursed herself for being careless. How could she not have noticed that there was someone on the beam?
But on second thought, that's not right. The beam was so short that it couldn't possibly hide someone. How could she not have noticed?
She looked up, and sure enough, Hamtaro was flashing his snow-white front teeth at her.
Meng Fuyao was furious. "Why are you sighing out of the blue? Don't you know that rats can scare people to death? "
Lord Ingot could not be bothered with her.
After scolding for a while, Meng Fuyao suddenly felt that something was wrong. "I've never heard of an animal sighing … Ah!" She raised her head and glared at Lord Ingot. "Speak! Were you emitting harmful gas just now? "
Lord Ingot's teeth bared even wider.
Meng Fuyao glared at the shameless fat rat that was recklessly emitting harmful gas. Lord Ingot pretended not to see it, turned around, and flicked his butt.
A long roll of paper suddenly hung down from the back of its tail and unfurled itself in the air. The words on the paper were small and elegant. It read:
"Climbing walls, visiting houses, and basking in the moonlight. Nothing is better than this in life."
Meng Fuyao tore off the paper and looked at it again. She could not help but laugh.
She hurriedly added a few words and waved it in front of Lord Ingot. Lord Ingot stuck his head out to take a look and despised her shameless act. He then turned his butt away and waited for her to fasten the paper back. Meng Fuyao quickly put the paper back, flicked the rat's nose, and leaped onto the roof with a big laugh.
On the roof, a certain someone was lazily basking in the moonlight. He used his arm as a pillow and played with a white jade cup with the other hand.
The night breeze was sweet and fragrant. It was the scent of autumn cassia seeds mixed with new chrysanthemums. Looking down from the green eaves, she saw a row of cassia trees in the courtyard. The grain-sized yellow flowers rested in the night, but they could not bear to waste their beauty, so they spread their fragrance everywhere. Occasionally, some of the flowers would be carried by the wind and fall on Yuan Zhaoxu's cheeks, making his skin even more radiant.
Yuan Zhaoxu's loose, light-colored robe fluttered in the wind. He was born with a graceful and elegant temperament, and his silence carried a sense of relaxation. Meng Fuyao stood quietly on the eaves, looking at him from afar. She recalled that night in the cave behind the Xuanyuan Empress, when she was in a sorry state and saw a figure dancing in the moonlight through the cave entrance.
Meng Fuyao smiled in the wind, a smile as small as an osmanthus flower. It disappeared in a flash.
Suddenly, she stomped her feet heavily and strode over. She grabbed the wine pot beside Yuan Zhaoxu and gulped it down, stuffing the note into Yuan Zhaoxu's hand.
Yuan Zhaoxu opened it and smiled.
"Digging graves, robbing tombs, blowing out lamps … nothing could be more tragic than this."
Meng Fuyao gulped down the wine, thinking about the frightening night in the tomb and Fatty's howls as he protected his chrysanthemum. It had been so many years since they last met, and she wondered if the time and space of the Five Continents was parallel to her own world. She wondered how her mother was now …
Her heart ached at the thought, as if something was stuck in her throat. She hurriedly gulped it down.
Yuan Zhaoxu asked in a low voice, "You've dug graves before?"
Meng Fuyao turned her head and smiled. "Hmm, you could say that. I often meet the bones of the dead."
Yuan Zhaoxu's voice was deep in thought. "Is it difficult for you to make a living? The tombs of the nobles in the Five Continents are full of traps. How did a girl like you dig them? "
Meng Fuyao was shocked. She knew that he was drunk, but she couldn't say everything. She quickly changed the topic. "Hey, why did you help me?"
There was a moment of silence.
Meng Fuyao didn't rush him. She looked up at the bright moon in the sky. The moonlight was calm and clear, but it looked a little cold.
"I saw that scene," Yuan Zhaoxu said vaguely, but both of them knew what he was referring to. "But what really made me take action was the moment you appeared from the bottom of the cliff. The expression on your face."
There was a moment of silence. Yuan Zhaoxu smiled and raised his glass. In the clear liquid, he saw the girl's eyes. They were sharp, cold, and carried with them the vicissitudes of life that didn't belong to her age.
Such vicissitudes … so subtle and yet so deep. It was so incongruous on such a young and delicate face, causing one's heart to feel a slight pain.
At that moment, he was even surprised that he would feel a slight pain from a stranger's gaze.
"Oh …" Meng Fuyao's reply came after a long time. Her voice sounded a little strange. "Thank you, then. I will repay your kindness one day."
She had to drink four mouthfuls of wine before she could finish her sentence.
Yuan Zhaoxu's hand, which had been twirling the glass, paused for a moment before resuming its twirling. His graceful face was expressionless, and even his tone didn't change. "Hmm, alright."
Meng Fuyao, who had been waiting anxiously for his reply, was startled. She couldn't help but turn her head. 'That's it? That's it? '
She turned her head back with such force that she could hear her neck bones cracking. I can't let him see my shock, or what would become of me? '
'This … is for the best.'
Meng Fuyao smiled and took big gulps of wine.
Halfway through the flask, her hand was suddenly pressed down. "Stop drinking," Yuan Zhaoxu said in a low voice.
Meng Fuyao tilted her head. "Hmm?"
Her long hair was messy in the wind, and her cheeks were slightly red from the alcohol. Her usually bright and clear eyes were now misty, making her look like she was shrouded in smoke and mist. Yuan Zhaoxu looked at her with ripples in his eyes.
Then, he regained his composure and smiled. "Look."
Meng Fuyao turned her head in a daze and saw the direction Yuan Zhaoxu had pointed. On the street outside the inn, several riders were galloping at high speed.
The riders broke through the darkness like an arrow and disappeared at the end of the street in the blink of an eye.
Meng Fuyao leaned on the eaves and asked in a low voice, "Who are they?"
"Qi Xunyi's Secret Service. They specialize in communicating with various forces and passing orders."
"You're from the Limitless Kingdom. How do you know about this?" Meng Fuyao turned to look at Yuan Zhaoxu, her gaze fluctuating in the dark.
"I'm the advisor of the Limitless Kingdom's Crown Prince in Shangyang Palace. I specialize in intelligence."
"The Limitless Kingdom's Crown Prince?" Meng Fuyao laughed. "Ever since I came to the Five Continents, I've heard this name so much that my ears are numb. What Prince Descends from the Heavens, peerless prodigy, peerless elegance, celestial intelligence … Is he even human?"
At this point, her heart skipped a beat, as if she had vaguely thought of something. But the thought disappeared in a flash, too fast for her to capture.
Yuan Zhaoxu smiled and answered concisely, "He's human."
He paused, his tone suddenly turning solemn. "Fuyao, the Yan Capital is about to fall into chaos. I may not be able to be with you after we enter the capital. Are you sure you can protect yourself?"
Meng Fuyao turned to look at Yuan Zhaoxu. He rarely looked so serious, but she could not give up on the trip to the Yan Capital. Every country would send envoys to celebrate the Taiyuan Emperor's birthday. High officials and nobles would gather, so it was a good opportunity to obtain a pass. Some envoys had to cross borders, such as Fufeng. If they wanted to reach Taiyuan, they had to pass through Limitless Kingdom. If they were lucky, they could take advantage of this opportunity to obtain a pass from every country.
"I've never thought of relying on you for the rest of my life." Meng Fuyao patted the dust off her clothes and walked away. "Don't worry, I can handle it."
She left without fear. Behind her, Yuan Zhaoxu stared at her back for a long time, his eyes deep in thought.
Further away in the sky, a thin line of red flickered faintly, signifying the dawn.
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