The lower reaches of the stream were hills, meandering along. Faintly, a distant plain could be seen. Nothing seemed to have changed from when they had first arrived, but Chen Chang Sheng knew that something was definitely wrong with this world.
Just as he was silently looking at this world, Zhuang Huan Yu prepared to leave.
"It's best if you don't leave by yourself."
Chen Chang Sheng turned around, looked at him and said seriously, "The gray string has failed, something must have happened. It's best if we investigate clearly, otherwise I'm worried that something might go wrong."
Zhuang Huan Yu stopped, slightly raised his eyebrows and said, "Sunday only opens for a hundred days, every moment inside is precious, don't tell me you want me to waste time on such a small matter?"
Chen Chang Sheng said, "You've already spent time watching the battle, why do you care about spending a bit more?"
"Fine." Zhuang Huan Yu looked at him and said, "If something really did go wrong, then of course we have to go to the garden gate to investigate. We're at least several dozen li away from the garden gate, who's going?"
Just as he had said before, every moment in the Garden of Zhou was incomparably precious to the cultivators that entered the garden. Going from the riverside where they were to the gate of the garden and back, even if they used up all their true essence, would still require at least an hour of time. Who would be willing to waste so much time on something like this?
Qi Jian seemed to be somewhat moved and was about to say something, but Liang Xiaoxiao shook his head at the side. He thought of the heavy responsibility his master had entrusted to him, so he could only remain silent.
The riverside was very quiet, no one responded. Zhuang Huan Yu looked at Chen Chang Sheng and said with slight mockery, "You see, no one is willing to go. Since it was your idea, why don't you go?"
Chen Chang Sheng did not directly answer him, but looked at the heavily injured master of Clear Void Monastery.
Qi Jian understood his meaning and said, "I'll go."
Then he looked at Liang Xiaoxiao and said something in a low voice, his attitude was very firm.
"Fine. I think you can look in the forest, but it's best if you don't go too far. "
Chen Chang Sheng was very clear that these disciples that entered the Garden of Zhou were like that senior from Holy Maiden Peak, most of them had missions from their sects.
After saying this, he walked down the stream. Zhexiu did not say anything and followed behind him.
Arriving at the bend at the bottom of the stream, Chen Changsheng confirmed that the people on the riverbank could not see him, then said to Zhexiu: "I'm going into the forest for a while, wait for me here."
Zhexiu did not know what he wanted to do, nor did he want to pry into his secrets, so he indifferently nodded his head.
After entering the quiet forest and climbing up the mountain, Chen Chang Sheng stopped and looked at the grassland that was burning under the sun and the mountain that extended into the depths of the grassland. His right hand grasped the hilt of the short sword at his waist and said in a low voice, "Can you help me and go check out the gate of the garden?"
At some point, the Black Dragon had landed on his shoulder. As it gazed at the mountain in the distance, a strange light appeared in its eyes. It felt somewhat perplexed, as if there was something there that was attracting it.
"I have a feeling that the gate to the garden is closed and we can't contact the outside world. So it doesn't matter if I go or you go. Just be careful on the road and don't let anyone see you."
Chen Chang Sheng turned his head, looked at the Black Dragon on his shoulder and earnestly requested.
The Black Dragon retracted its gaze from the mountain and squeaked twice at him.
Somewhat vexed, Chen Chang Sheng said, "I have things that you don't even care for. This sword was given to me by my senior brother, so I can't give it to you."
The Black Dragon coldly looked at him, its meaning very clear. You're not willing to pay any price, yet you still dare to ask me to do something?
Chen Chang Sheng thought it over, then said, "How about this, I'll agree to one of your requests … you know, I'm currently the Principal of the Orthodox Academy. In the future, I might be able to get my hands on many strange treasures."
The Black Dragon's slitted eyes slightly narrowed, apparently very satisfied with this answer.
A cool breeze suddenly blew through the forest, accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of the air being torn apart. The Black Dragon transformed into a blur and instantly pierced through the air.
… …
… …
In a short while, Chen Chang Sheng walked out of the forest. He looked at Zhexiu with a grave expression and said, "The gate to the garden is closed."
Zhexiu slightly raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, nor did he ask how Chen Chang Sheng had found out about the situation of the garden gate in such a short amount of time.
Returning to the riverbank, the other people had many questions about how Chen Chang Sheng had so quickly confirmed the news. Zhuang Huanyu's indifferent face revealed a hint of ridicule, and Liang Xiaoxiao directly asked, "If you say it's closed, then it's closed?"
Chen Chang Sheng did not explain, saying, "If you believe it, then believe it."
Without waiting for Liang Xiaoxiao and Zhuang Huanyu to continue asking questions, he crouched down and continued to treat the injuries of the master of the Clear Void Monastery.
Qi Jian said, "I believe it."
Liang Xiaoxiao looked at him and slightly frowned, as if he did not understand why his junior brother had so much trust in Chen Chang Sheng, an opponent of the Mount Li Sword Sect.
"Second Brother said that if something happens in the Garden of Zhou, Chen Chang Sheng is the person he can trust the most," Qi Jian said.
Chen Chang Sheng was currently taking the pulse of the master of the Clear Void Monastery, his fingers slightly stiff.
When he had left the Mausoleum of Books, Gou Hanshi had asked him to take care of the disciples of Mount Li. At the time, he had thought that Gou Hanshi was just being polite, but he did not think that Gou Hanshi would actually really think this way. For some reason, he suddenly felt that his shoulders had become a little heavier, but his heart had become much more relaxed. This sort of feeling was very comfortable.
After confirming that the injuries of the master of the Clear Void Monastery would not worsen too quickly, he stood up and asked Zhexiu to prepare the tools for treatment. He said to Liang Xiaoxiao and the others, "I've confirmed that the laws of the Garden of Zhou have not been broken. It has only been disturbed by some sort of external power. Within a hundred days, the gate should open again, but I don't know when it will open."
Liang Xiaoxiao slightly frowned and said, "What sort of power can disturb a miniature world?"
Qi Jian thought it over, then said, "Either the power is strong enough, or the person who used this power has an extremely deep understanding of the Garden of Zhou."
Chen Chang Sheng nodded and said, "I believe it's the latter."
Ye Xiaolian opened her eyes and asked curiously, "Who could it be?"
Chen Chang Sheng and the others looked at each other, but did not say anything.
Several hundred human cultivators had entered the Garden of Zhou, so the person who wanted to do something was obviously the enemy of humanity.
The enemy of humanity was the demon race.
"We have to be careful."
Qi Jian looked at the plains below the river and said worriedly, "We have to think of a way to quickly notify the others."
They were not sure, or perhaps they had never imagined, that there would be demons that would infiltrate the Garden of Zhou. However, since the Garden of Zhou had changed and the gray strings had lost their effectiveness, in order to prevent the human cultivators from being too ruthless and causing irreparable losses, they had to spread the news that the Garden of Zhou had closed as quickly as possible.
However, the Garden of Zhou was just too vast. Several hundred human cultivators did not seem to be a small number, but when they were scattered within, they seemed extremely sparse. Moreover, since everyone's goal was to enter the Garden of Zhou to search for treasures, many people would presumably go into hiding. Under these circumstances, it was very rare for them to occasionally meet.
The reason why these people would meet by the river was because they all had their own ideas, ideas regarding the Sword Pool — regardless of whether it was the Orthodox Academy, the Mount Li Sword Sect, or the Heavenly Dao Academy, they had probably all left behind some records regarding the Sword Pool. As a result, they had all gone against the current and arrived here. They were all well aware of this point.
As for the master and disciple from the Clear Void Monastery, from the moment they entered the Garden of Zhou, they had been keeping an eye on this pair of martial sisters from Holy Maiden Peak. From a certain perspective, they truly were experienced and farsighted.
The world of the Garden of Zhou was vast, divided into three large regions by three mountain ranges. That famous plain that no one had ever dared to enter was located in the center. At the edge of the mountain ranges and hills, which was also the edge of the Garden of Zhou, there were several gardens. These gardens were rumored to be Zhou * * *'s residence in the past, so it was highly likely that he hid treasures there. As a result, when a normal cultivator entered the Garden of Zhou, they would first search those places.
Liang Xiaoxiao said to Qi Jian, "Going to those places is too far and too time-consuming."
He did not finish his sentence, but Qi Jian understood what he meant. In fact, everyone present also roughly understood what he meant.
It seemed that the Mount Li Sword Sect was extremely confident in the information related to the Sword Pool, or perhaps in the past few decades, the elders of Mount Li had analyzed a few things. Liang Xiaoxiao and Qi Jian were obviously in a hurry to leave.
In the Mausoleum of Books, Chen Changsheng had often treated Zhexiu, so Zhexiu was extremely familiar with that case. It did not take long for him to prepare all the items he needed.
Chen Changsheng did not care about what the two brothers from the Mount Li Sword Sect were thinking. Taking the items, he squatted down and began to formally treat the Clear Void Monastery master's wound.
The copper needles entered the body, and the master's bleeding had already stopped. What he needed to do now was to stitch up the wound.
Ye Xiaolian glanced at it from the side, and her face could not help but pale.
Even the hands of the young daoist from the Clear Void Monastery that were supporting his master began to tremble.
As cultivators, whether they were exchanging pointers within the sect or fighting in the world, they had naturally seen blood. However, they had rarely seen a metal needle pierce through a human's flesh.
After sewing up the sword wound on the Clear Void Monastery master's chest and then using a clean cloth to bandage it, Chen Changsheng did not end his treatment. Instead, he began to use the needles to clear the meridians in his abdomen that had been injured by Liang Xiaoxiao's sword intent.
Seeing this scene, everyone's expression changed slightly, especially that Senior Tong from Holy Maiden Peak.
Holy Maiden Peak's South Stream Temple, as well as the capital's Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green, were the sects of the cultivation world most skilled in treatment. In the past thousand years, in the bitter war between humans and demons, the figures of women dressed in white could always be seen. They had played an extremely important role in this war.
She had not expected that she would be able to see such exquisite medical skills in the Garden of Zhou today, and Chen Changsheng had clearly not cultivated in the Orthodoxy's Sacred Light technique.
The riverbank was quiet, with only the gurgling of water and the occasional groan from the Clear Void Monastery master.
Everyone looked at Chen Changsheng, not daring to disturb him.
Zhuang Huanyu did not like this sort of scene. Slightly raising his brows, he nodded at Liang Xiaoxiao, then walked upstream into the forest.
Chen Changsheng saw this scene from the corner of his eyes, but he did not try to dissuade him.
After a short while, he confirmed that the injuries of the Clear Void Monastery master were not serious. He stood up, looked at Qi Jian and said, "I also have to go. I have to think of a way to find other people. Just like you are worried, they still don't know about the Garden of Zhou's closure. Once a dispute arises, they will definitely not leave a path of retreat and will be extremely vicious. If that happens, problems will arise, and people might even die. "
Liang Xiaoxiao's expression changed slightly, he felt that these words were directed at him, but he did not understand that Chen Changsheng was only speaking of the matter as it stood.
Qi Jian was somewhat embarrassed, and said, "We also have our reasons for leaving."
"Understood." Chen Changsheng looked at the pair from Holy Maiden Peak, and said, "Can I trouble you to look after them for a while? I should be able to rush back before midnight. "
Senior Tong was slightly taken aback, she did not think that he would make such a request, but after thinking it over, she agreed.
Previously she had been ambushed, but now she had to look after them. If she was not a disciple of Holy Maiden Peak, she really would not have been able to accept it.
Chen Changsheng smiled gratefully, then once again walked downstream with Zhexiu.
The sun shone brightly, dispersing much of the sinister atmosphere of the forest.
… …
… …
In the southeast of the Garden of Zhou, there was a garden built against a mountain. According to the rumors, this garden was built after the Zhou family became middle-aged, and because they liked the quiet and the chirping of birds, it was called the Mountainside Whispering Wood.
The Mountainside Whispering Wood was not the garden at the entrance of the Garden of Zhou, but it was closest to the gate.
Because every time cultivators entered the Garden of Zhou, the garden at the gate would first pass through that place, so it had long since been searched through countless times. It was impossible for later cultivators to pick up any leftovers, so this year, when cultivators entered the Garden of Zhou, many of them first went to the Mountainside Whispering Wood.
The chirping of birds in the mountains was like music, the silent flowing water in the garden, the winding corridors, the flying eaves, the painted walls, and the windows. According to the iron laws of human cultivation, besides magical artifacts and legacies, the Garden of Zhou's original furnishings were not allowed to be touched. As a result, even after several hundred years, this place still retained seventy percent of its tranquility and ninety percent of its nobility.
However, in a certain room in the depths of the garden, there was only fear and unease. The tranquility and nobility had long since been washed away by the stench of blood.
Ten-some cultivators surrounded the room, their complexions extremely unsightly.
A cultivator fell to the ground, his abdomen pierced by a sword, leaving a wound about five fingers wide. His left hand covered the wound, but he could not stop the blood from flowing out. It was even possible to see his intestines being squeezed out. He was already on the verge of death, and the gray string in his right hand had long since burned out, leaving behind only a little ash.
Another cultivator's complexion was pale as he incessantly said, "I didn't do it on purpose. I thought that Perching on the Tree would at most injure him. I didn't think that his true Qi would freeze in that moment and he wouldn't be able to raise his sword. I really didn't do it on purpose, and … even if the gray string burns, it's useless!"
The injured cultivator's abdomen had been pierced through and blood flowed freely. It seemed like he was on the verge of death. The surrounding cultivators grew more and more unsightly. What made them most uneasy was, why had the gray string lost its effect? Could it be that they could only watch as this person died?
At this moment, several women dressed in white ceremonial robes arrived at the Mountainside Whispering Wood. The garden resounded with shouts of pleasant surprise and greetings.
One woman did not enter the room. She stood on the covered bridge, silently gazing at the sun gradually descending into the plains. It seemed like she had discovered something.
… …
… …
(Try to finish the next chapter before eleven.)
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