Bai Xiaowen was realizing the harvest of this reading, when suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the quiet room.

"What's the matter?" Bai Xiaowen could also sense the other party through the door panel, it was Dong Zhao, the long history.

Dong Zhao's voice had a hint of urgency: "Lord, it's not good." General Ma Lao, died in the pavilion!"

Bai Xiaowen got up abruptly and pulled the door open.

Seeing Dong Zhao head-on, there was a hint of suppressed uneasiness on his face.

Bai Xiaowen asked, "When is the news?"

"Just half an hour ago. Daoist Langyazi and Doctor Zhang have confirmed it. Dong Zhao peeked at Bai Xiaowen's expression, saw Bai Xiaowen's face calm, and his mind calmed down a little, and said slowly.

"Does the Xiliang Envoy know?"

"Your Majesty has given an order, and the sergeants of the pavilion have been brought in and the news has been blocked. Dong Zhao said.

"Where are Langyazi and Zhang Zhongjing?"

"Wait outside the Inner House Gate. ”

"Let them in. ”

Dong Zhao heard Bai Xiaowen say the word "please", and knew in his heart that Bai Xiaowen had no intention of holding the two accountable. He quickly withdrew and went to summon Ge Xuan and Zhang Zhongjing.

After Bai Xiaowen changed his clothes, he saw the two of them in the main hall of the Great Sima Mansion.

Zhang Zhongjing's face was ordinary, but Ge Xuan's face had a hint of shame.

Bai Xiaowen asked, "You don't need to panic. Captain Langyazi, what is the process of the matter?"

Ge Xuan said: "Poor Dao is also puzzled. Old General Ma Teng's spell could have been lifted, but just after the poor Dao was made into a pill and fed it, the spell in General Ma Teng's body suddenly went retrograde, causing qi and blood disorders, and his injuries were greatly aggravated!"

Zhang Zhongjing said: "I don't know much about Taoism, and when I probed General Ma Teng's pulse, it was indeed after taking Jindan, the qi and blood suddenly rioted, and the meridians in the body were cracked in many places, and the vomiting blood did not stop. At this point, there is nothing that can be done in the future. ”

Ge Xuan sighed and said, "It was my fault, I took this matter without authorization due to lack of ability, which led to the death of General Ma Teng and made Gongzi resentful of Xiliang." ”

Bai Xiaowen squinted his eyes and said: "Dao Chang doesn't have to blame himself, life and death are fateful, and Ma Teng's death may also be providential." A monk should have a clear conscience. ”

Ge Xuan shook his head and said, "I am not ashamed of Ma Teng, only of my son." ”

Because Ge Xuan and Bai Xiaowen are friends, he calls Bai Xiaowen and does not respect Da Sima, but calls him Gongzi as before.

Bai Xiaowen then ordered someone to report the funeral news to the Xiliang envoy, and then asked Ge Xuan: "Before diagnosing and treating Ma Teng, the Taoist chief once said: If the practitioner strikes again, it may lead to the failure of the treatment. Did you foresee this?"

Ge Xuan shook his head and said:

"Normally, even if the caster strikes again and the treatment fails, it will not cause General Ma Teng to die directly. If the other party has the ability to directly curse and kill Ma Teng, why not directly curse and kill? This is one of them.

"Second, directly curse and kill a general, the cultivation of this prayer technique, I'm afraid it has already caught up with Zhang Jiao. Looking at the world, apart from a few of my elders, who else has this ability? Zhang Lu absolutely does not have it. ”

Bai Xiaowen said: "Maybe it's a person who has buried the countryside and is a person with advanced cultivation. ”

Ge Xuan said: "Generally, Daomen masters who have cultivated like this pay attention to accumulating merits, and they will not do such cruel and vicious things. Besides, it is difficult for Ma Teng to come into contact with such a character, let alone settle grudges. ”

Bai Xiaowen sighed: "It seems that the world is in turmoil, after Zhang Jiao's death, there are other cultivators who have caused trouble in the world and cursed Ma Teng to death, just to blame me, provoke discord between the Xiliang army and the imperial court, and profit from it." This time, the responsibility does not lie with the Taoist. If the Xiliang Army resents, let them resent me. ”

Ge Xuan sighed and said: "I have already formed a cause and effect, if I retreat, how can I make progress in my cultivation? ”

Bai Xiaowen was overjoyed and said: "With the help of the Taoist, why worry about the demons?"

Immediately, Bai Xiaowen wanted to seal Ge Xuan as the duty of sacrificing wine, but Ge Xuan insisted on refusing and could only give up.

Xiliang juniors, such as Ma Dai, Ma Xiu, Ma Yunlu and others, saw Ma Teng's corpse, and they all cried bitterly.

Bai Xiaowen asked Zhang Zhongjing to explain the cause of Ma Teng's death. The envoys of Xiliang had different attitudes: Ma Dai was suspicious, and Ma Xiu was more suspicious.

After all, in their hearts, they all regard Zhang Lu as the first target of suspicion.

Now Bai Xiaowen told them that Zhang Lu didn't have this ability, and that someone else with advanced Taoism prayed for a spell, which led to Ma Teng's death. It is still difficult for the grief-stricken Ma juniors to quickly change their preconceived ideas and believe Bai Xiaowen's words.

Ma Yunlu believed in Bai Xiaowen quite a bit, almost gritted his silver teeth, clenched his fists and said: "If I find the demon who killed my father, I will definitely cut him with a thousand knives!"

Bai Xiaowen said: "The old general Ma Teng unfortunately died early, and the government and the opposition deeply regret it. I will ask the Son of Heaven to posthumously present General Ma Teng as a former general and Marquis of Huaili, and his title and military position can be inherited by his eldest son, Ma Chao. It is hoped that the Xiliang army will be able to fight hard and be loyal to the imperial court. ”

After Ma Dai came back to his senses, he bowed to Bai Xiaowen: "Thank you, Da Sima, I will definitely inform the eldest brother of these golden and jade words." Now that my uncle has passed away, we need to return to our hometown for burial as soon as possible. ”

Bai Xiaowen nodded and said, "Then I won't keep you." ”

The Ma clan then took their leave.

Before parting, Ma Yunlu glanced back at Bai Xiaowen and saw that the latter had turned back to the inner hall.

Ma Teng's new funeral, Ma Yunlu was in a sad mood, so he naturally lost the girl's feelings, and escorted Ma Teng's coffin back to Chang'an with Ma Dai and others.

Speaking of the land of Sanfu, because Ma Teng was killed, Bai Xiaowen was not embarrassed to mention the matter of taking it back. Because he knows that things won't be that simple. The people who are hidden behind the scenes, cursing Ma Teng to death is only the first step, and there must be a follow-up hand next.

Changan.

In front of Ma Chao, a middle-aged scribe with a slightly fat figure entered to meet him.

"In Jian Yong, Xiazhuo County, on the orders of the lord General Hanzuo and the emperor's uncle Liu Bei, I came to meet General Ma Lao. ”

Ma Chao said: "Come and make an excuse, please get up." My father is not in Chang'an, Uncle Liu Huang's kindness, I thank my father on behalf of me. ”

After Jian Yong got up, his eyes swept around, and he said strangely: "I heard that General Ma was injured by the demon's spell and was bedridden. My lord Uncle Liu Huang, who is also a minister of the edict, empathizes with him and is worried, so he is specially ordered to come to visit. Why didn't General Ma recuperate in Chang'an?"

When Ma Chao heard this, he said: "The rice thief Zhang Lu has harmed my father a lot! Because I heard that the great Sima Yuan Xi, who is also a cultivator, exterminated Zhang Jiao and has a profound Taoism, so I ordered my younger brothers and sisters to escort my father's car to Yedu for medical treatment. ”

When Jian Yong heard this, he fell to his feet and sighed: "Little general, you can be said to be sending sheep into the tiger's mouth!"