Qingling followed Mo Qian and Chenyue and brought Yuan Qing and Li Zhong back to Chongwu.

When they left, the three of them went together, but when they returned, she was the only one alone.

Although Li Zhong's life was saved, he was hit in the back of the head by Mo Nanqi and his consciousness was greatly damaged, so he never woke up. Mo Qian spent his divine power every day to repair for him, and only then did he recover little by little.

Yuan Qing was buried by the Tianyuan Pond.

According to Chongwu's custom, his resting place has no coffin, no grave, no monument and no text, and on the second day after his burial, a tall Du Ying tree grows from the ground, with lush branches and leaves, red and green.

Qing Ling sat under the tree, leaning against the trunk of the tree, looking at the sparkling Tianyuan Pond in silence.

I don't know how long I sat like this, but suddenly I heard footsteps approaching.

She looked up, unconscious.

Xuanxi robe, wooden hairpin tied hair, and calm and chic posture between actions, just as he was tricked by himself and Li Zhong to come to Tianyuan Chi to be the sparring partner of the third senior brother, but he pretended not to know, and stood with a smile.

The two sat and stood and looked at each other wordlessly for a moment.

Qing Ling remembered the hasty parting last time, remembered his consistent friendship with Mu Han, and slowly stood up, "What are you doing?" ”

Luo Yao shook the wine pot and wine cup he was carrying, "Come and pay homage to Senior Brother." ”

Qing Ling silently paced to the side and gave way to the open space under the tree.

Luo Yao knelt on the ground with his robe, poured wine for the memorial, and drank three cups with himself.

"I and the fourth senior brother, counting, there is only one side of the relationship at the Gan Yuan Conference. But when I first came to Chongwu, I lived in my brother's residence for two months, and I had the privilege of reading the manuscripts of the poems in the house, which can be said to be a long-term friendship and deep admiration. ”

Yuan Qing Su loves poetry and words, and the residence where he lives is surrounded by green bamboos outdoors and four walls of books indoors, which is quite literati artistic conception. In his spare time, he also writes some poetry manuscripts by himself.

Qing Ling was reminded of the past by Luo Yao's words, and the corners of his eyes couldn't stand the heat and humidity.

She turned her mind and recalled the relationship between Yuan Qing and Luo Yao, but it was indeed only the time at the Ganyuan Conference. At that time, Luo Yao concealed his identity, deliberately hid his strength, and deceived several senior brothers. If it weren't for that, maybe the person who won the championship in the end would be the fourth senior brother Yuanqing!

Thinking of this, she said angrily: "If you want to worship, show some sincerity, don't pretend to say something inconsequential!" ”

Luo Yao glanced at Qing Ling, and then turned to Du Yingshu and said, "Then thank you Senior Brother for saving Senior Sister." ”

After speaking, the chief bowed down.

Qing Ling couldn't cry or laugh, and he couldn't stop Luo Yao, who was making a big salute, so he had to stare at him dryly on the side.

The two sat down under the tree again, Luo Yao poured a glass of wine and handed it to Qing Ling, who hesitated for a moment, then took it and drank it up.

She stared at Luo Yao, "Why did you come to Chongwu?" ”

Could it be that what happened in the leaves spread to Daze so quickly?

Luo Yao retrieved the wine cup, filled it with wine, and sipped it slowly, "I went to Lingxiao City with my father's edict, passing through Chongwu, I just wanted to stop by to see you...... and Master and Senior Brother, but I heard about the fourth senior brother. ”

Qing Ling half-lowered his eyes, "Senior Brother Chenyue told you everything that happened?" ”

Luo Yao nodded, "Hmm." ”

Qing Ling's chest was slightly stuffy, and he didn't know what to say again.

In the face of her master and brother, she seemed to have a thousand words in her throat, full of heavy guilt. She would rather they scold her and punish her severely, but the master was just silent, and the senior brother only touched her head comfortingly and said, "Little Liu, don't blame yourself, it's not your fault. ”

Luo Yao looked at Qing Ling, and after a long time, he slowly spoke: "I told you early on that your character is not suitable for getting involved in the battle of the royal family. But since you have decided to take this path, you should make yourself more ruthless. ”

Qing Ling was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Luo Yao, "Why are you ruthless?" Am I not ruthless enough? ”

Luo Yao played with the empty lamp in his hand, "If it were me, I would definitely not save the family of the fifth senior brother." ”

Qing Ling sneered, "Naturally you won't." You Daze Baili clan, famous for protecting your life. Besides, how much affection can you have with the fifth senior brother? ”

Luo Yao smiled, "Whether you believe it or not, I will still take care of the friendship of the same family." It's just that I know my bottom line, and I know how far I can give up, so as not to abuse sympathy and put myself in danger for the sake of irrelevant people. ”

He raised his eyes, and the luster of the glass and amber shone clearly, reflecting the shadow of the green spirit.

"For the sake of a lowly palace maid, you are willing to bear the punishment of the whip of hatred. How can a thoughtful man like the queen fail to see this weakness in your character? They can't touch the people closest to you, but they can do something to their loved ones. Today it is the family of the fifth senior brother, and tomorrow it may be a friend of the senior brother, a nephew of the second senior brother, or even a ...... A guard beside Prince Muchen. Dare to ask Senior Sister, can you save so many people? ”

Qing Ling's gaze was fixed on Luo Yao, and his lips closed silently a few times, and finally closed tightly.

Previously, Mu Chen had also said that her mind was too simple. And she herself understands that after all, she has little experience and knowledge before, and she can't see through complex human hearts and strategies, let alone hide her thoughts and feelings. So she studied little by little, learning to judge hidden feelings from appearances, learning to hide her emotions, learning to plan and calculate, acting falsely in front of others, and thinking about the layout behind others.

She thought that now she could calmly deal with all kinds of personnel in Lingxiao City, but she didn't know that the real fatal injury was actually the kindness in her nature......

Sunlight shines through the foliage at the top of the tree, casting dappled light and shadow. The breeze was light, the air was filled with the fragrance of grass and earth, and the sound of ripples spread out on the Tengen Pond.

Qing Ling looked away, lowered his head and picked up a fallen leaf on the ground, rubbing it between his fingers.

After a while, she asked softly, "What did my father summon you and the imperial marquis to Lingxiao City for?" ”

I have been exhausted in the past few days, and I have not looked at the correspondence that has been exchanged, and I don't know what is happening in the capital.

Luo Yao said: "At present, the death of the country is a foregone conclusion. Chaoyan's army moving south was already unstoppable, and it was only a matter of time before Yuzhong and Zhong Qi were destroyed. Further down, there are nine hills. ”

He paused, and the expression on his handsome face seemed to be smiling, "Your Majesty has destroyed the heart of Jiuqiu, and it cannot be shaken." But the reason why he doesn't want to offend Daze is also obvious. Chaoyan has fought several times, and the national strength has been greatly consumed. Although the Mo Nan clan and the Fang Shan clan have their own forces, they can't really help Chaoyan in terms of finance and taxation. Since the Baili clan announced its submission to Chaoyan, nearly forty percent of Chaoyan's annual taxes come from Daze. ”

He stared at Qing Ling, "Do you think Your Majesty is going to take my father's money and send troops to fight my mother, should you discuss with us?" ”

Qing Ling subconsciously bent the corners of his mouth, but his smile was a little bitter.

"What are you going to do?"

Luo Yao poured a sip of wine and drank it slowly, "In terms of force, we can't fight Chaoyan, what can we do?" ”

Qing Ling pondered his tone, couldn't figure out the truth for a while, pondered for a moment, and said, "Since you know that your father is determined to win Jiuqiu, it's best to make a decision as soon as possible." Although you Daze are rich, your business also depends on the Central Plains after all. Didn't I ask Ah Jing to write a letter to persuade you, and let you persuade your mother to take the initiative to ask for peace? Have you thought about it carefully? ”

Luo Yao's hand moved, staring at the wine cup with lowered eyes, "You asked Ah Jing to write to me?" ”

Qing Ling realized that she might have said the wrong thing, and hurriedly explained: "Ah Jing is really worried about you, and it was naturally her idea to write to you, I just mentioned my thoughts." ”

"If you have an idea, why don't you write to me personally?"

"I ......"

Qing Ling felt that Luo Yao's question was a little inexplicable. Could it be that his proposal caused a dispute between him and Ajing, or did it take up most of the space of the letter and hinder the transmission of the content of the romance?

She exhaled and said solemnly, "Then I'll tell you in person now." The person that my father was bent on dealing with was Luo Heng, the national teacher of Jiuqiu who led the troops to attack Chaoyan, not your mother. Luo Heng has done so many evil things and killed so many innocent Protoss people, even if he becomes a prisoner of Chaoyan, he can only be regarded as deserved! And I heard that Luo Heng is actually not your own uncle, and your mother really doesn't have to gamble the lives of all the people in Jiuqiu for him. ”

Luo Yao was silent for a while, "Although he is not my mother's own brother, but the Jiuqiu Luo clan has been passed down to this day, and there are only two of them left, and my mother will not abandon him no matter what." Besides, this matter cannot be solved by handing over to my uncle. What His Majesty wants is the submission of the entire demon clan, but he can't give the demon clan the same power as the god clan. Once Jiuqiu belongs to Chaoyan, even if the people of the demon clan continue to stay in their homeland, they can only be reduced to second-class, or even third-class Chaoyan people, and they will be discriminated against and oppressed by the gods for a lifetime. ”

Qing Ling's heart moved, and he stopped talking.

Luo Yao looked at Qing Ling suddenly, his eyes burning, "I explained the situation in Jiuqiu so bluntly, I also want to ask you, if one day, I choose to fight for Jiuqiu and become Chaoyan's enemy, ...... What will happen to me? ”

Qing Ling looked at him for a long time, as if he wanted to see into the depths of his heart from those strange and beautiful eyes.

At the end, she smiled, "What you asked is just hypothetical. I have a serious question for you. ”

She stood up, walked under the Du Ying tree, and reached out to hold the trunk.

"I swear in front of the fourth senior brother today that in this life, at any cost and by all means, I will also ruin Chaoyan Muhan's reputation!"

She turned her head and looked at Luo Yao, "Baili Shizi, what are you going to do now?" ”

Luo Yao looked up at Qing Ling quietly, and after a while, he hooked the corners of his lips, "I said a long time ago that our Daze Baili clan is just a businessman." ”

He slowly got up and put away the flask.

"Senior sister, I still say the same thing, this path is not suitable for you."

The voice fell, and the man turned away.

Qing Ling stood silently, and a complex expression of self-deprecation and loneliness slowly appeared on his face.

She leaned against the trunk of the tree and pressed her face against the bark.

"Fourth Senior Brother, when you left, you said to me that you want me to let go of the obsession in my heart and be a truly free person...... You actually know everything, don't you? ”

There was silence all around, except for the gentle murmur of the breeze blowing through the leaves.

She lowered her eyes and wept with a smile, "But I'm no longer just for Mu Chen...... Because today, in addition to love, I have also learned to hate. ”