As soon as Lu Qian heard her mention Nangong Xue, he immediately thought about her insinuating about the 'scars on the corpse' earlier today. If someone paid attention to it, found evidence and spread the news, not only he would lose his position as the Sect Leader, he was afraid his life would be in danger as well. And then the Kongtong Sect's Sect Leader would be able to shirk all responsibility. With a trembling voice he said, "Miss Chu, when you were digging the trap, you were in the forest the whole time, did you see anything?"
The more flustered he was, the more playful Chu Menglin became. She pretended to think hard to provoke him. "If I was in a good mood, I saw something," she said with a laugh, "If I was in a bad mood, I didn't see anything. Who can say for sure?" Actually, as soon as she finished digging the trap, she returned to the cave to wait. As for how the Kongtong Sect's Sect Leader tricked He Zhengxian into coming here, how he drugged him and hung him on a tree, she did not know anything. She was deliberately mystifying things to entertain Lu Qian. Lu Qian believed her, "Good Meimei, Good Jiejie," he begged, "How can you be in a good mood?"
Chu Menglin said, "I have a good idea, but nobody appreciates it, nobody praises me, of course I am in a bad mood." "Isn't that easy?" Lu Qian said. "Let me praise you!" Rolling up his sleeves, as if he was telling a story, he said, "You know astronomy above, you know geography below, you are erudite, your knowledge is profound, your wit surpasses others …"
Chu Menglin was impatient, she shouted, "Stop! I want you to praise me, but you only use the same few words. Whenever you see someone, you flatter them without the least bit of sincerity. I … "Listening to Jiang Liechen's discussion of the situation, she pointed out the pros and cons, hitting the nail on the head. She imitated his tone, trying to make him understand that she was not a stupid girl with long hair and short knowledge. But he ignored her, so she said," Shao Zhu Daren, if you say a few nice words, if you make Miss happy, I will be magnanimous and call a truce with you. What do you say? "
Lu Qian hastily cast a hopeful look toward Jiang Liechen, as if he was hoping that Jiang Liechen would lower his status and also praise Chu Menglin with a few words of 'extensive knowledge, extensive memory, exceptionally intelligent'.
Jiang Liechen had never given Chu Menglin a reward before. He immediately said, "You're just an armchair strategist and full of nonsense. Sect Leader Lu, it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on others. I advise you not to ask for some dispensable testimony. In a game of chess between masters, one must not waste one's moves. When it is necessary to abandon the pawn to save the chariot, it is also a wise move. If that old Taoist of Kunlun really gets rid of you now, he will be able to take over the Kunlun faction and expand his influence. He will also be able to rebuild his reputation in the Wulin world. He is not someone easy to deal with. "
Although Lu Qian often boasted that he was brave and fearless, disregarding life and death, he was actually most afraid of death. "Jiang Shao Zhu," he begged, "Please show Xiaoren a way to survive."
Ji Qiannian could see that Jiang Liechen was dissatisfied with Chu Menglin's conduct. Thinking herself clever, she said, "Sect Leader Lu, Miss Chu's actions are all fake. I will take the trouble to accompany you on a trip to the Sword Discourse Forest. After you retrieve the secret manual, give it to me. I will not disappoint Jiang Shao Zhu. Shall we go? "Her eyes repeatedly looked toward Jiang Liechen, hoping that he would say something to persuade her to stay. Jiang Liechen coldly said, "You should have left early on." With a cold laugh Chu Menglin said, "Gongs and drums listen to the sound, words listen to the sound. Why don't you send her off?" Ji Qiannian understood that she was being sarcastic; she tactfully withdrew from the room.
As soon as Ji Qiannian and Lu Qian left the inn, they first went to the blacksmith shop and bought several blunt weapons. Without any delay, they went all over the city looking for a mule cart. But this was a time of turmoil and chaos; there was a saying that 'the sky is high and the Emperor is far away'. The local officials often refused to obey orders and secretly oppressed the common people. Bandits appeared in the wilderness, robbers ran amok. Merchants often traveled in groups. As soon as the cart driver heard where they were going, he would rather give up the several taels of silver than risk losing everything to do this business. The two of them searched everywhere but to no avail. They had no choice but to settle for the next best thing, which was to buy a fine horse to ride together.
When Lu Qian came, his mind was filled with thoughts, but he was not in a hurry. Now he was anxious to return home; he wished he could grow wings and fly straight to the Sword Discourse Forest. Along the way, he rarely spoke. Sometimes Ji Qiannian was bored and tried to make him laugh, but he always evaded her with sporadic short sentences. They reached the forest in the middle of the night. Fortunately, there was no one around. The heroes had all left. The sky was covered with dark clouds. The weather in summer was the most changeable. It seemed that a heavy rain was about to fall.
Lu Qian had a guilty conscience. He saw ghostly shadows everywhere. The branches were like bony tentacles. The wind blew the leaves. The rustling sound was mixed with the cries of unknown birds. It sounded more like the wailing of ghosts and the howling of wolves. In his panic, he added to the chaos. It took him a while to find a mark on the tree. It was a mark that he had made when he was digging the trap. Lu Qian knelt down and kowtowed. His mouth was devout as he recited, "God is merciful and enlightened the netherworld. Ten directions announce the subtleties of life, the talisman will pardon the spring and rescue the three bitter roads, leaving the Blood Lake Court, sinking the souls of the masses … "This was a Taoist prayer for the dead.
Ji Qiannian could not help but urge, "Sect Leader Lu, you have to move faster. If you delay any longer, the sky will be bright!" Lu Qian continued with tears in his eyes, "… Sword trees and saber mountains, turn into flower beds. Pardon all kinds of sins, be liberated. Forgive the long night of the netherworld, be reborn. The unfilial disciple Lu Qian respectfully recites … Although I did not kill Shishu with my own hands, he died an unnatural death because of me. When the masters were alive, I did not show filial piety. After Shishu passed away, I destroyed his body! I am really the most rebellious disciple! "
Ji Qiannian said disdainfully, "Alright, have you sung enough? You said it with affection and righteousness. Your Shishu was stabbed through the heart by you. Is it not enough to destroy him? Now we are just cremating him to refine his body and bones. "
Lu Qian got up and pulled Ji Qiannian to the side. He lowered his voice and said, "Lower your voice. In front of Shishu, I have to put on a show to prevent his resentful spirit from lingering and pestering me in the future. I would rather believe in the existence of the resentful spirit than not. " Ji Qiannian stepped back a few steps. He turned his gaze and said, "You are making my hair stand on end. I don't want to be involved with him. You dig it yourself. "He did not hear Lu Qian's reply. He only heard the sound of the pickaxe hitting the ground.
After an unknown period of time, he felt the cold wind blowing on his body. There was a faint light in the sky, but it was still dark inside. Then a bright thunderbolt tore through the blue dome of heaven. The ground exploded with a sudden clap of thunder, shaking the heaven and earth. Lu Qian cried out in alarm following the thunder. Ji Qiannian was half angry and half amused. He said, "Sect Leader Lu, are you still a man? How could he be so frightened by the mere sound of thunder? Look carefully, it is just a lightning. It is not your Shishu showing his anger and calling for thunder to strike you. "
After waiting for a while and not receiving any response, he said with slight anger, "Did you hear me?" Only then did he see Lu Qian's lifeless eyes. Following his gaze, there was another flash of lightning. The rows of blood-stained spikes in the trap were clearly reflected, looking like the fangs of a rodent. In this atmosphere he could not help but feel a bit nervous. He asked, "Where is your Shishu? Don't tell me he is a zombie? "
Lu Qian said, "I … I don't know. I only dug this out." Ji Qiannian noticed that he was holding a jar in his hand. The surface was extremely damaged. The red paint was peeling off. She did not know which era it was from. Wanting to lighten the atmosphere, he laughed and said, "What is this? There might not be a demon sealed inside … "Lu Qian did not answer. He handed her a crumpled piece of paper. Ji Qiannian took it and unfolded it. On it was written," Sect Leader Lu, Shao An, I present He Zhengxian's ashes here. You do not need to thank me. "He asked curiously," Who is so kind? Can you recognize the handwriting? "
Lu Qian shook his head and said, "I have never written a letter to anyone. I am not familiar with handwriting." Ji Qiannian said, "That's all right. No matter what, this person has helped you a lot. You can relax for a while." Lu Qian forced a smile and said, "As long as he is not a hindrance, it is very good. My intuition tells me that there is a conspiracy behind this. There must be some other evil intention …" Ji Qiannian laughed and said, "I can see that you have done a lot of things with a guilty conscience. You often think about harming others and think that others want to harm you too."
Lu Qian said, "No, it was I who personally buried Shishu. But someone came after me. That night there were only four people, including me, Xueer, Menglin and the old thief of Kongtong. There is no harm in eliminating them one by one. Of course I would not leave a letter for myself. Menglin … she does not have the time. Xueer is even more impossible. That leaves the old thief of Kongtong. Now that I have been abandoned, I do not believe that he will still help me. "
Ji Qiannian comforted him and said, "Maybe it is not all of them, but someone else." Lu Qian said, "That is even more frightening. Think about it, he knew about this but did not expose it. He even destroyed the evidence that was used to pin me down. How can there be a person in this world who would not ask for a reward? But he did not mention any conditions … I am in the light and he is in the dark. It is impossible to guard against him. I … what should I do? "
Ji Qiannian shrugged and said, "Don't ask me. I am at most a spectator. You decide for yourself." Lu Qian made a fist with one hand and kept knocking on his head. Ji Qiannian was not willing to be left out and said, "Think about it from another angle. Isn't this a good thing? No matter how tragic the corpse is, once it's burned, it'll just be ashes. You can bring this earthen jar to Kunlun for a proper burial. Perhaps that person will lose his cool and take action. "
Lu Qian lightly grunted and said, "I can't say. I can only listen to you. I will immediately go back to Kunlun with my disciples." Ji Qiannian smiled and said, "You always want to be a king, but you can't make any decisions. You still have to rely on others." Lu Qian smiled awkwardly. Ji Qiannian continued, "This matter is over. Let us part here. I have to go to the palace to see Consort Yun. I wish you good luck."
Lu Qian anxiously said, "You … you won't accompany me to Kunlun? Didn't you say … "Ji Qiannian smiled and said," I only said that I will accompany you to the Sword Discourse Forest. Isn't this a promise? I can't accompany you all the time. What would happen if I did? " At first Lu Qian was in awe of Ji Qiannian, but after spending half a day with her, he felt that she was easy-going and humorous. She was not as crafty as Chu Menglin, so he had a good impression of her. Suddenly they were going to part, but he was reluctant. He stammered, "But … you want me to go alone? I am afraid … "
Ji Qiannian smiled and said, "Different situations call for different measures. What is there to be afraid of? You are so useless that even Chu Menglin will look down on you. Speaking of which, how are you guys progressing? How is the effect of the medicine I gave you? "
Lu Qian sighed and said, "I also believe that the medicine is' very effective '. But she didn't take it. The Daluo Jindan didn't work either. You saw her bitter and hateful face just now. She deliberately said those words to make the Hall Leader kill me. "Ji Qiannian was surprised and said," Why didn't she take it? Could it be that you were impatient and took it first? Ay, idiot. No matter how strong the fire is, it can't burn without firewood. "
Lu Qian said, "You think I don't understand reason? That day I was going to make tea for her, but my Shibo suddenly came out of nowhere. Then he took me to the Agarwood Courtyard to meet his old lover, Madame Hua … "Ji Qiannian smiled and said," What a romantic sin. Anyway, I am not familiar with He Zhengxian. I won't go to his funeral. You are slow, I will leave the horse to you! "Finished speaking, her dress flew and she floated away.
Lu Qian was startled and called out, "Hierarch Ji! Hierarch Ji? " Ji Qiannian … "But he didn't see any trace of Ji Qiannian. He stood there for a long time and pondered over the painful experience. He tied the jar to his waist and rode back to the city. He didn't like Ji Qiannian to be talkative, but it was better to have two people to share the anxiety. On the way back, there was a sudden downpour. Lu Qian didn't have a place to hide and was soaked.
When he reached the city, the sky was still dark. He had a hot potato in his pocket. He didn't dare to knock on the door and shout, so he slept in a corner. With a heavy burden on his mind, he couldn't sleep well. He had just dreamt of the many beauties in the imperial harem when he saw his Shibo standing in front of him with his face full of blood. He said, "You killed me, I want you to pay with your life!" He wanted to shout, "I didn't kill you! I didn't kill you! "But he couldn't make a sound. His Shibo's hands turned into white bones and he clutched his neck tightly. Just as he was about to fall asleep, someone kicked his waist and scolded, "Get lost, you are blocking my way. Don't you have money to stay in the inn? I … "Lu Qian looked up and felt that the person looked familiar. He couldn't remember who he was. That person opened his mouth and said," So it is Shishu Lu! Please forgive my rudeness! "
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