As he spoke, Xiao Gui had already stood up again, and walked forward with the crossbow machine.

Zhang Xiaojing neither dared to pull the hanging knife, nor did he dare to retreat, and was forced to retreat step by step.

Soon there was a "bang" on the back and it was pressed against the door frame.

On the 14th day of the seventh month of the 23rd year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty, at noon.

Anxi Protectorate, thirty miles north of the city, Fengsui Fort.

There was not a trace of clouds, nor a trace of wind, only a round of scorching sun shining high in the sky, unscrupulously throwing infinite heat on this land. The whole desert is fumigated like a cage, and the sand grains are hot, but no matter what, it can't steam away the rich smell of blood and corpses floating in the air.

The dragon flag hung on the half-split flagpole, and it had long been smoked by wolves so that it was impossible to see the color. The ruined battlements were littered with corpses, including cavalry from the Turkic Turkic cavalry tribe and *. There was no one to collect their bodies, because there was almost no one left.

There were only a dozen or so soldiers who were really still panting. Their robes and armor were dirty, and even their hair was half-discreet, and they looked like barbarians. The men lay in the shadows of the half-ruined watchtowers, trying to avoid direct sunlight, and only one of them was still rummaging for something in the pile of corpses outside.

Zhang Xiaojing leaned over and picked up a ring-headed knife, found that the knife had collapsed, shook his head and threw it away, and found another spear, but the handle of the spear was held by a * deceased, and it couldn't be broken no matter what. Zhang Xiaojing had no choice but to unload the tip of the spear, put it in his arms, and scanned his eyes to see if there was a suitable wooden pole.

"I said, why don't you rest quickly, what are you still out there?" Wen Wuji hid in the shadow of a broken wall, shouting hoarsely.

"The blades are all curled, if you don't find something to add, you can't use your teeth when the fight starts, right?" Zhang Xiaojing refused to come back and continued to rummage through the corpses. Wen Wuji and a few other veterans lying in the shadows all laughed: "Come on." Is there a weapon or not, and how much difference can it make? ”

They had been defending for nine days, and the Eighth Guard, which was full of 300 people, was now only thirteen dead, and even the captain was killed in battle. The next time the Turks attack, I'm afraid no one will be able to survive. At such times, people become open-minded.

"Zhang Datou, if you still have the strength, it is better to find mint leaves for me, my hand is a little unstable."

At the top of the tower, a lean, hook-nosed leaning archer shouted. He was re-tying a bowstring to a bow, and his jaw had cracked from pulling so many times. Zhang Xiaojing raised his head: "Xiao Gui, how many have you killed?" ”

"Twenty-three."

"Kill enough twenty-five, I'll roll one for you myself."

"Can't you give it to me first? I'm afraid you'll not survive until then. Xiao Gui scolded.

"Wait until I get you out of the dead man's mouth."

Zhang Xiaojing raised his head to see the height of the sun. At noon, the Turks generally do not launch an offensive, and they have no time to go. These people have at least one hour to live. So he wiped his sweat and looked down again.

After a while, he returned to the shadows with two spears, three short knives, and an arrow, and threw them on the ground, lying down to gasp. Wen Wuji threw him a water bladder, Zhang Xiaojing poured it into his mouth, and only four or five drops of water flowed out, sticking to the tip of his tongue, like elixir. The people around subconsciously licked their chapped lips, but unfortunately there was no trickle left in their pockets.

"This wolf smoke has been burning for a day and a night, even if the reinforcements of the Metropolitan Protectorate have climbed, they have climbed there, right?" A soldier said. Wen Wuji squinted his eyes and said, "It's hard to say, the Turks' movements this time are not small, maybe the city is also fighting." ”

There was silence in the shadows, and everyone understood what that meant. Once the city is at an impasse, this side will definitely not be able to hold out the rescue. Wen Wuji looked around, and suddenly sighed: "We have come all the way to the Western Regions, and it is estimated that we will not be able to go back." The brothers said okay, the survivors have to be responsible for collecting the corpses and sending them back to their hometowns. ”

Zhang Xiaojing leaned against the broken wall and said, "You want to be beautiful." Lao Wang had to be sent back to Hedong, Lao Fan had to be sent back to Jiannan, as well as Gan Xiaowei, Liu Wenban, Song Sixteen, and Du Boluo...... There are too many people to send home, and I won't be able to arrange you for a few years. Salt the corpse earlier and wait slowly. ”

Wen Wuji approached the pile of broken weapons, picked them up one by one and examined them: "Actually, it doesn't matter if I go back or not, I should be loyal to the country." Whoever of you survives, remember to marry my daughter, so that she will not be alone. ”

"What can you look like when you give birth to a daughter? I'd rather fight the Turks to the death. ”

Another soldier shouted, causing a flimsy laugh. The word death seemed to have been numbed by the scorching sun, and everyone talked about it easily, like a group of young scholars stepping into spring.

Wen Wuji sighed twice: "Hey, you don't know, our Wen family's ancestral fragrance blending skills are all in her hands." I heard that in Chang'an, a rue incense can be sold for fifty yuan, and the two of you open a shop, which is to hold the golden mountain. ”

"Have you been to Chang'an City? What does that look like? I heard that the palace is bigger than this desert. ”

"! Where to find such a big roof? But I've heard that there are one hundred and eight squares in the city! The place is huge! Wen Wuji said proudly.

Everyone exclaimed, the turtle is only a dozen squares, and they can't imagine that Chang'an is so big. Someone was leisurely fascinated: "If you survive, you should really go to Chang'an to see the world of flowers." It's best to catch up with your daughter to open an incense shop, let's all go to congratulate you, and take a few good incense envelopes by the way, and see if you bastard dare to collect money. ”

Wen Wuji laughed: "Don't accept it, don't accept it, you all come, and send a cup of Xinfeng wine to you rabbit cubs to taste." The brothers of our eighth regiment have a good gathering in Chang'an. ”

"I'm going to Qinglou, I haven't touched a woman yet!"

"I want to buy a box of Huadian for my mother, she has never even bought gouache in her life!"

"If I eat one day in each workshop, I can eat one hundred and eight days in a row!"

"Go to Chang'an! Go to Chang'an! Go to Chang'an! The crowd spoke happily, striking stones with their scabbards and making a noise.

Zhang Xiaojing's heart was sour, and he suddenly spoke: "I heard that you might as well go first, go back and take care of your daughter, you are not alone here." The others also spoke up and told him to go back. Speaking of which, someone suddenly said in passing: "Before the Turks come, let's just withdraw." ”

Everyone stopped talking at once, this idea lingered in the hearts of many people for a long time, but no one dared to say it. On this topic, someone finally pierced the window paper. At present, the reinforcements are delayed, but the enemy is gathering more and more, and the few remaining people, whether they defend or not, in fact, there is no difference.

Unexpectedly, Wen Wuji's face sank, and he said sharply: "Who said that?" Stand out! "Nobody took it. Wen Wuji thrust the arrow into the ground: "The military order we received was to defend Fengsui City." If you don't act cheaply, you don't act with a camera, you just stick to it. If the people are not finished, and the city is lost, is this considered a dead defense? ”

"No one is greedy for life or afraid of death. But it's all on this......" Zhang Xiaojing plucked up the courage to try to defend himself.

Wen Wuji raised his arm and waved it behind him: "Let's retreat, behind us is the Swap City, as well as the sand goose, the turtle, and the entire Anxi Protectorate." Everyone thinks so, is this battle still fought? It's not like you haven't seen how fierce the Turks are! Zhang Xiaojing was about to say something, he turned around angrily: "Anyway, if you want to withdraw, I'll stay here, this is the land of Datang!" I'm not going anywhere! ”

He stretched out his right fist and slammed it his left shoulder. This is the call sign salute of the 8th Regiment, which means "Nine deaths without regrets". Everyone looked stunned and made the same gesture, which made Zhang Xiaojing quite embarrassed.

Xiao Gui shouted lazily on the roof of the building: "I said, why are you arguing with you, can you send someone to send a bundle of arrows up?" He sent a step in time, and Zhang Xiaojing hurriedly pulled out the arrow that Wen Wuji had inserted on the ground and sent it to the watchtower.

Xiao Gui took the arrow and aimed at it with his eyes: "This one is not too straight, you can pick up the arrow." Seeing that Zhang Xiaojing didn't speak, he scolded again: "Zhang Datou, you are really a pig's brain, you know that you have that stinky temper, do you still deliberately provoke it?" Zhang Xiaojing took the arrow and said unconvinced: "It's not me who withdraws!" I was trying to persuade him to go. His wife died early, how old are the children in the family? ”

"Horse leather shrouds dying on the battlefield in battle, that is the duty of a soldier. Can this flag not fall before we die, even if it is to live up to Jun's grace, what do you want to do so much? ”

He said it easily, but the meaning expressed was the same as Wen Wuji, this is the land of the Tang Dynasty and will never be withdrawn. Zhang Xiaojing stared at him: "Look at you who are usually lazy and lazy, you actually said such a thing - you are not afraid of death?" ”

Xiao Gui raised his head, leaned his back against the flagpole and looked useless: "I'm more afraid of not having mint leaves to chew." ”

"Okay, okay, I've searched all the way, and there's nothing left!"

Xiao Gui gave up the request, and continued to stretch his bowstring cross-legged. Zhang Xiaojing sighed with his arrows: "I have no father, no mother, no children and no daughters, and I don't care if I die." But Lao Wen obviously has a daughter, I remember that you still have a sister in Guangwu, right? Why don't you leave? ”

"It's better to die here than to die in your hometown." Xiao Gui said slowly, "Each of us has to ......take responsibility for our own choices," his head suddenly tilted a little to the left, "...... responsibility".

In the next moment, a long arrow grazed Xiao Gui's ear and was firmly nailed into the crack of the stone wall.

"It's coming!" Xiao Gui jumped up from the ground and stood next to the female wall with a longbow. Zhang Xiaojing hurriedly warned the people below, Wen Wuji and the others got up one after another, picked up their weapons and gathered over here.

Unexpectedly, the Turks actually made a move in advance, and it seems that they are also very anxious about the delay in opening the situation under Fengsui City. Xiao Gui had a very good eyesight, put his hands on the pergola, and saw that there were more than 30 cavalry cavalry galloping towards this side, and the yellow sand was raised behind him, not to mention that there were one or two hundred cavalry.

"Big head, come and help me!" Xiao Gui got up from the front of the female wall and stood straight in a standard shooting position.

Zhang Xiaojing held a knife and a shield, firmly guarding his side. Xiao Gui shook the bowstring in his hand, and the arrows were not missed, and immediately three cavalrymen fell from their horses. The other horsemen quickly dispersed and counterattacked with bows. However, the range was too far, and the bow flew in front of Xiao Gui, and the force had slowed down, and it was blocked by Zhang Xiaojing one by one.

Xiao Gui practiced good archery skills, and stood on a high place, which was farther than the Turks who were skilled in archery and horses. But he had to stay upright, uncovered, and had to be protected by someone else. Wen Wuji also flew up, blocking Xiao Gui's side with Zhang Xiaojing, preparing for a more intensive attack. Others clinged to the bottom of the watchtower.

* Now there are only a dozen people, and it is impossible to expect them to hold the entire Beacon Fort. So they shrank their line to this corner fort on the southeast side. This corner fort is the commanding height of the whole city, Xiao Gui is condescending, maintaining a deterrent effect on the whole city, and the others are around him and under the fort to prevent the enemy from approaching.

As long as Xiao Gui's bowstring was still ringing, the Turks could not enter the city with peace of mind.

This is the most helpless tactical option, and it is also the only effective way for the remnants of the army.

After losing seven or eight knights, the main force finally rushed to the edge of the fort. The Turkic knights leaped over the crumbling stone wall and swooped down on the fort. They had already figured out the tactics of * in the previous few times, and knew that the high confrontation with the Hornfort with a bow and arrow would only increase the casualties, so this time they wore thick armor and rushed towards the passage in front of the Hornfort, asking for a draw.

Xiao Gui opened his bow again and again, and soon his arm began to show signs of cramps—the previous battle consumed too much physical strength. His forehead was bruised, and he gritted his teeth and fired another arrow, this time only in the foot of a Turkic soldier. This was a danger signal, and Xiao Gui had to stop and rest for a while. Zhang Xiaojing and Wen Wuji stood on the high platform, expressionless as they resisted more and more arrows for him.

Taking advantage of this, the Turks swarmed up and rushed up the slope next to the corner fort. Suddenly, two pieces of broken wall fell from a height, smashing five or six people in front of them into a bloody blur. Then a dozen or so ragged* men swooped down silently from all corners, first striking their left shoulders with their right fists, and then fighting the Turks.

Their movements are not as dexterous as those of the Turks, but their style of play is completely deadly. If you don't have a knife, you bite it with your teeth; If you have no legs, you can hold them with your hands so as to create opportunities for your companions. When everyone was fighting, they would shout hoarsely: "Go to Chang'an!" Go to Chang'an! Go to Chang'an! Soon the cries rang out one after another, resounding throughout the Beacon Castle.

The offensive of the Turks was miraculously suppressed again in the midst of this cry.

But this time the price was also extremely high, with five* more lying in pools of blood, and the other survivors barely moving.

"The Eighth Regiment, Nine Deaths Without Regrets!"

Xiao Gui shouted, and quickly shot the last arrow, and a Turkic soldier on the opposite side rolled down the city. He saw another Turk crowding into the city, about thirty of them, and knew that the final hour had finally come.

Wen Wuji and Zhang Xiaojing glanced at each other and nodded at the same time. The two quickly removed a stone slab, revealing a hole leading to the watchtower. Underneath that hole was a huge wooden barrel.

Xiao Gui snapped the big bow and snapped it, and then jumped down. The barrel was filled with the last bit of fierce thunder, which they had specially prepared for the last minute, and only Xiao Gui of the entire Eighth Regiment would fiddle with this dangerous thing.

"Thirty snaps of fingers!"

Xiao Gui said calmly, this is the shortest operation time to detonate a fierce fire thunder. Wen Wuji and Zhang Xiaojing nodded, turned around and picked up the shield and knife, they didn't calculate how long they could last, anyway, they would rest until death.

The Turks began to climb the watchtowers like ants. The wounded downstairs used their last strength to get up, hoping to delay the enemy for even a snap of their fingers. The Turks mercilessly killed them, threw them off, and continued to climb. They have only one goal, and that is the Datang Dragon Banner that is an eyesore.

It's a pity that between them and the Dragon Banner, there are still two figures.

Zhang Xiaojing no longer has much physical strength, and he is supporting himself with one breath. His expression began to daz, and his arm movements stiffened. The sound of a breaking wind came, but Zhang Xiaojing's reaction was a beat slower, and he didn't immediately judge the direction of the attack.

"Be careful!" Wen Wuji next to him shouted and kicked him away, so that he avoided this fatal arrow. At the same time, a Turkic soldier had already climbed the watchtower, and slashed it with a sharp broad-bladed saber, the knife cut through the flesh, cut the bones, and cut off Wen Wuji's right leg at once.

Hearing Wuji's miserable scream, he used his last strength to hug the Turkic soldier and push it hard, and the two of them fell downstairs like this. Zhang Xiaojing was shocked, walked quickly to look, and saw two people hugging and falling on the gravel pile, motionless, I don't know whose * flowed out, dyed a yellow stone surface.

Zhang Xiaojing only felt a "Teng" sound in his mind, and a stream of crimson heat surged all over his body. He let out a low roar, threw away his shield, and left only a knife in his hand, his pupils were bloody, and his movements were like madness. The three soldiers who had just climbed upstairs were frightened by this sudden outburst and were slashed in the neck by Zhang Xiaojing one by one. Three blood waterfalls erupted from the headless torso, splashing Zhang Xiaojing's body.

"Soon, fifteen fingers left." Xiao Gui shouted in the cave, his hands moving.

However, the knife in Zhang Xiaojing's hand completely collapsed, and the brief outburst just now had serious sequelae. Now that he had run out of oil and dried up, he could only lean on the flagpole of the dragon flag, wheezing and paralyzing and waiting for death. Several Turkic soldiers climbed up again and lunged at him in a fan.

At that moment, a jet-black stone grease flew through the cave and smeared the Turkic soldiers. Immediately, Xiao Gui quickly jumped out of the hole and threw the lit moxa wool at them, and these people suddenly let out a sharp scream, turning into several humanoid torches and falling from the roof of the building.

Xiao Gui stumbled to Zhang Xiaojing's side and leaned towards the flagpole. He tilted his head and smiled when he saw dozens of Turkic soldiers downstairs climbing up one after another.

"And seven more snaps of the fingers. With so many people accompanied, it's enough. ”

He took out a rotten mint leaf from his bosom and tried to put it in his mouth, but his fingers suddenly spasmed violently, and he couldn't hold it at all. Zhang Xiaojing reluctantly raised his arm and helped him stuff it into his mouth:

"Where did you find that?" Zhang Xiaojing asked.

"Under the barrel of fierce fire and thunder, I said it earlier, you bastard didn't look for it carefully." Xiao Gui scolded, chewed a few times, and spit it out, "A smell of stinky oil!" ”

Zhang Xiaojing closed his eyes: "It's a pity." Our eighth regiment can't get together in Chang'an. ”

"The underworld is also very good, and the brothers are all ...... Hey, help me. ”

Xiao Gui opened the bow too many times, and his arm was so painful that he couldn't lift it. Zhang Xiaojing bent his right arm up and put it on his left shoulder. Xiao Gui clenched his fists, tapped his shoulder lightly, and grinned: "Nine deaths without regrets." ”

"Nine deaths without regrets." Zhang Xiaojing also saluted.

Beneath them, the primer of the fiery thunder was whirring and burning. The Turks continued to climb up the tower. The two men were back to back, quietly waiting for the final moment to come.

Suddenly, Xiao Gui's ears moved. He frowned, and straightened up. Zhang Xiaojing didn't watch out, and suddenly fell into the air. Xiao Gui quickly raised his neck and looked towards the south of the Beacon Fort.

In the distance, there seemed to be a sandstorm raised. Xiao Gui suddenly shouted: "It's Gaidu Protection, it's Gaidu Protection!" His eyes were excellent, and he could see a large fluttering scroll looming in the dust. In the entire Western Regions, there is no one who does not know this flag.

The main force of the Anzai Metropolitan Protectorate has finally arrived!

Xiao Gui was so excited that he completely forgot about his current situation. Zhang Xiaojing shouted: "Be careful! "Stand in front of Xiao Gui. A Turkic soldier who climbed to the top of the building viciously slashed down with a long knife, and it was right to slash Zhang Xiaojing's left eye, and blood burst out when he landed, and the eyeball was almost cut in half.

Zhang Xiaojing's face was covered with blood, like a ghost. He didn't cover the wound, but just pestered the Turkic soldier and shouted for Xiao Gui to leave. Now that Gai Jiayun has arrived, there is still one last ray of life. At least one of the two can live.

Xiao Gui glanced at the entrance of the cave, and there was less than four flicks of time before the explosion of the fierce fire and thunder. He snapped off the flagpole of the dragon flag, held half of the pole, and stabbed into the body of the Turkic soldier like a spear, and then he grabbed Zhang Xiaojing's belt, tore off the dragon flag and wrapped the two of them, and jumped towards the endless desert outside the corner tower without hesitation.

The two * soldiers drew an arc in mid-air, and the corner of the dragon flag floated in the wind, and almost at the same time, the fierce fire and thunder in the corner tower finally woke up completely.

This is a fierce fire thunder that Xiao Gui personally deployed, and there will never be a risk of dumb fire. The blazing light and heat burst out in an instant, and even the scorching sun in the sky was eclipsed. The entire turret collapsed with the sound of explosions, and in the huge smoke and dust, countless pieces of broken bricks and stones scattered in all directions, swallowing all the Turkic soldiers in the vicinity in one go.

The strong shock wave pushed Xiao Gui and Zhang Xiaojing in mid-air a little farther away. Their bodies fell heavily on the soft yellow sand. Then the broken dragon flag fell to the ground......

On the fifteenth day of the first month of the third year of Tianbao, Zizheng.

Chang'an, underground of Xingqing Palace.

"Xiao Gui?!"

Zhang Xiaojing let out a deep roar from his throat, and the crossbow machine shook involuntarily. He never expected that Long Bo, who had been pursuing it so hard, would be a comrade who was born and died in the past.

This unexpected turn of events overwhelmed him.

"Our eighth regiment finally met in Chang'an, but I never thought it would be such a reunion." Xiao Gui, who was alias Long Bo, lay on the ground, letting the crossbow machine hold against his temple, but his expression showed the relief of reuniting old friends.

Zhang Xiaojing didn't take back the crossbow machine, but pressed it tighter: "How could it be you?!" How could it be you?! ”

"Why can't it be me?" Xiao Gui asked rhetorically.

Zhang Xiaojing's lips trembled slightly, and his heart was like numbness. He knew that what he should do now was to shoot this vicious criminal to death with an arrow, and then go to stop the conspiracy on the headlight tower, but his fingers couldn't pull the hanging knife - these were comrades-in-arms who could trust each other's backs back to each other back then!

Zhang Xiaojing didn't quite understand why the Xiao Gui who stubbornly guarded the dragon flag back then turned into a brutal Long Bo? Isn't the very thing he wants to destroy that he has tried so hard to protect? What really happened to him?

"You...... Where have you been all these years? This is the question that Zhang Xiaojing is most eager to know.

On that day, Gai Jiayun's army arrived at Beacon Fort and routed the besieging Tirish army. After cleaning up the battlefield afterwards, they found that Zhang Xiaojing and Xiao Gui broke a few ribs, but their breath was still there, and they also found Wen Wuji dying in the cracks of the stones. When he fell from the corner tower, he was cushioned by the Turkic soldiers, and then rolled into the gap between the stones, miraculously dodging the fire and thunder and the debris attack.

The three remaining members of the Eighth Regiment were first sent back to the city of Swap and then transferred to the Anzai Prefecture for treatment. The military was very satisfied with their efforts and praised and rewarded them lavishly.

Wen Wuji lost a leg and couldn't stay in the army, so he folded the reward into a volume of Chang'an household registration, which was a wish; Zhang Xiaojing was worried that Wen Wuji would have no one to take care of, so he used his status as a meritorious flying cavalry lieutenant to find an errand in the military department for the selection of foot archers, and also went to Chang'an. As for Xiao Gui, he did not accept Zhang Xiaojing and Wen Wuji's invitation, but disarmed and went to Guangwu. Since then, Zhang Xiaojing and Wen Wuji have never heard from him again.

Until today.

The dragon's head canal pushed six huge water wheels to rotate continuously, and a low humming sound echoed in the empty dungeon. The torch that fell to the ground was finally extinguished, and the two people in the darkness were still motionless, like two opposite Weng Zhong next to the tomb.

After being silent for a long time, Xiao Gui's voice sounded in the dark: "After we separated in Qiuzi, I went to Guangwu to join my sister. I brought many rewards, and a copy of the catcher's confession, full of hope that I would live a good life from now on. But when I got home, I found that the house was in ruins. After many inquiries, I learned that a local county in Guangwu coveted his sister's beauty and insulted her to death. The county was afraid that the family would make a big fuss, so he bribed the scoundrel and set a fire and burned his brother-in-law and two nephews to death at home. I was going to sue the officials, but I was falsely accused, saying that I was a horse bandit, and the rewards I brought back were all robbed by bandits, and my body was ruined. ”

He said very calmly, as if he was talking about someone else's business, but the hatred of Na Sensen was already deep in it. Zhang Xiaojing didn't say a word, but his breathing was much heavier.

"I was expecting the Lanzhou Governor's Office to help me prove my innocence, but instead of verifying, they sent me to prison. I spent more than a year in prison, where I was used as a stand-in for a death row inmate, and I was executed in the middle of the night, only to find a flaw, kill the executioner, and flee overnight. I stole a strong bow from the arsenal and shot more than a dozen officials, large and small, including the county officials, and the Guangwu County government was empty. I couldn't get a foothold in the area, so I went into exile with a bow. ”

"Exile" is easy to say, but it contains infinite bitterness. The fortification between the counties of Datang Prefecture is very strict, and ordinary people are not allowed to cross Guanjin without public inspection, and they are not qualified to stay in hotels. The exiles can only go out by day and night, forever frightened, and never see the light of day.

Xiao Gui could feel that although the crossbow machine was still on his temple, the killing intent on it was almost none. He smiled, reached out and gently pushed it away, and slowly sat up.

"Why don't you come to Chang'an to find us?" Zhang Xiaojing asked.

"What can I do with you? Exile with me? Xiao Gui smiled, "Later, I couldn't gain a foothold in the Central Plains, so I went to a garrison city near Lingwu, hid there, and survived to this day." ”

Hearing the word "guarding", Zhang Xiaojing had some understanding. It is a place of chaos and lawlessness, and there are many people like Xiao Gui who carry murder cases. With his archery skills, it's easy to get out of the picture.

No wonder the attack on Chang'an also involved Shou Lang, it turns out that the two have long been related.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaojing's eyebrows jumped, realizing that he was a little deviated, and raised the crossbow machine again: "Then you explain, in the current situation, what are you crazy about?" ”

"That's what I'm asking you, right? What are you mad about? Xiao Gui's voice became gloomy, "What happened to me?" What happened to Wen Wuji? You were put on death row, and by whom? Why did you come to this point and still be willing to be a court eagle dog? ”

Zhang Xiaojing waved his crossbow: "This is different!" ”

"What's the difference? The temperament of the imperial court has never changed. Xiao Gui sneered, "Don't talk about far things, look at yourself now, you finally solved the Turkic Wolf Guard, what is the result?" In the end, it is not wanted by the whole city, and there is no way out. We fought bloodily for the imperial court, but how did they treat us? Ten years of soldiers in the Western Regions, nine years of Chang'an Shuai, what did you get? ”

Zhang Xiaojing was silent, he had nothing to refute, this was a clear fact. Xiao Gui said: "That's why I want to ask you, what's wrong with your brain, why do you try your best to maintain such a bastard who makes you bruised?" ”

Zhang Xiaojing opened his mouth and said: "The court is at fault, but this is a matter between me and the court. For the sake of your own personal vendetta, you actually colluded with your former enemies, what did this make the brothers of the Eighth Regiment who died in Beacon Fort think? ”

Xiao Gui smiled disdainfully: "Turks? They don't deserve to collude, those idiots are just pawns. I pushed them to the forefront, just digging a big hole for the Khan to make him die a little faster. Speaking of this, Xiao Gui suddenly let out a long sigh: "When I was in Guangwu, I really wanted everyone to die for my own personal revenge." But what I'm doing now is beyond those narrow hatreds. ”

"Huh?" Zhang Xiaojing frowned.

"I have been in exile in the Central Plains for so long, and I have been guarding the city for many years, and I finally found out that the Tang Dynasty, which our eighth regiment swore to guard, was already sick. Who are the people who live in the city? The merchants who were extorted and ruined, the slaves and maids who fled from the abuse, the farmers who were bent by the renters, the officials who were bullied by the superiors, and the Hu people who had no money to return to their hometowns...... Do you know why so many people follow me? They are all elite veterans, some are from Zhichong Mansion, some are from the Metropolitan Protectorate, and some are even from martial arts. They almost all have the same story as me, after giving everything for the court, they end up finding that they have been stabbed in the back by the person they are guarding. ”

Xiao Gui's eyes became scorching in the darkness: "If a person has such an encounter, maybe it is bad luck; Five people have such an experience, which can be said to be just a traitor; But a hundred, five hundred people have similar experiences, which means that this court is already sick! The disease is not curable! As far as the eye can see, there is a prosperous scene, singing and dancing, but in fact, its roots have rotten. It needs to be washed with fire and blood to keep everyone awake. ”

Zhang Xiaojing stared at this former comrade, wondering if he was crazy.

Xiao Gui said more and more excitedly: "This mission, Shou Lang can't do it, they just want to make a living." So I went around and gathered these unfairly treated veterans. We are like grasshoppers, one person is insignificant, but when we get together, we have the power to shake the whole situation! ”

"You ...... What do you want to do? ”

Xiao Gui raised his head and shouted loudly to the top of the dungeon: "I want those big people to understand the power of grasshoppers, and let them know that not all insects and ants can be bullied at will. I didn't break the oath of our Eighth Regiment, I'm still loyal to this Datang, but the way of allegiance is different - I'm a mayfly, a bitter medicine. ”

Hearing this, he waved his arms vigorously in the dark, as if to show the people on the ground. Zhang Xiaojing roared: "Burning Chang'an City and hurting innocent people, this is your way of allegiance?" ”

Xiao Gui suddenly laughed: "No, no, burn Chang'an City, that's the ambition of the Turks, I can't do such a big topic." My goal is only this building. His fingers drew a circle in mid-air, "There is only this Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower." ”

"Do you know how much this building costs? Four million! It's just for the sake of the three days of lights and the prosperous face of the Son of Heaven. You don't know how many additional taxes and forced labor will be levied in various places for this building, and how many people will be bankrupt and ruined! So I'm going to turn it into the brightest and most extravagant torch in Chang'an, so that everyone can see how the Tang Dynasty court burns money. ”

As he spoke, Xiao Gui had already stood up again, and walked forward with the crossbow machine. Zhang Xiaojing neither dared to pull the hanging knife nor retreat, so he was forced to retreat step by step, and soon his back "banged" on the door frame. Looking at the momentum of the two, they thought that it was Xiao Gui who held the weapon.

The tip of Xiao Gui's nose almost hit Zhang Xiaojing's face: "Do you know that I have been dormant for nine years, why did I only do it today?" It's not because you're ...... with Wen Wuji."

The corners of Zhang Xiaojing's eyes twitched, and he didn't know why he said that.

"I also have ears and eyes in Chang'an City, and I know the tragedy of Wenji incense shop. Since then, I have quickened the preparation of the plan to get justice for you. It just so happened that the Turkic khan intended to take revenge on the Tang Dynasty and contact Shou Lang. Shou Lang has always dared not be an enemy of the government and refused. So I took the initiative to contact the Turkic khans and used their hands to devise this plan. ”

Only then did Zhang Xiaojing understand why the Turks knew how to use fierce fire thunder. Xiao Gui was in Beacon Fort back then, and he was the premier fire and thunder expert. Thinking of the crisis he was busy with today, tracing back to the source was actually because of himself, Zhang Xiaojing seemed to hear fate laughing in his ear for a moment.

Xiao Gui took half a step back, causing Ling Ren's momentum to weaken slightly, and his tone became softer: "Think about it carefully, what is the closest thing to the Lantern Tower?" It is the diligent government building of Xingqing Palace, and above it is the Son of Heaven and the civil and military officials who are feasting. The Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower exploded, and the unlucky ones were only these silverfish that hurt you - how about it? Big head, come and help me? ”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaojing's entire body stiffened in an instant. He had heard this phrase countless times in the Beacon Castle, but he had not heard it for many years, but now it represented a completely different meaning.

What frightened Zhang Xiaojing even more was not how terrifying Xiao Gui's conspiracy was, but that he found that he couldn't find a reason to refuse.

Zhang Xiaojing originally harbored hatred for the imperial court, and those who killed Wen Wuji are still at large. The reason why he agreed to Li Mi to investigate this matter was completely because of the people of the city. But now the old comrades-in-arms have said that Quelehodo is only aimed at these princes and ministers, and it is just right to take revenge, without hurting the innocent, and then let the Turks suffer the consequences, how perfect.

What's more, now even Jing'an Division is gone. Li Mi, Tan Qi, Yao Runeng, Xu Bin, and Yi Si are either unknown or imprisoned, and all those related to him have been excluded and suspected, and no one supports him anymore.

He couldn't find a reason to refuse, and he couldn't find a reason to keep going.

Zhang Xiaojing closed his eyes, and the crossbow machine fell to the ground with a thud. He regretted that he had agreed to Li Mi's request, and he knew that it was better to stay on death row honestly. Xiao Gui stared at his old comrade-in-arms, and did not rush to ask, but took a step back and let his own heaven and man fight.

After a long time, Zhang Xiaojing slowly opened his eyes, and his tone was a little dry: "I'll join." ”

Xiao Gui's eyes lit up: "Okay!" Just waiting for your sentence! The robes of our eighth regiment can be together again this time. He hugged Zhang Xiaojing excitedly, just like when he was in Beacon Castle, he smiled heartily: "Zhang Datou, let's join forces to create a miracle again." ”

Zhang Xiaojing stiffly allowed him to pat his shoulder, but his face remained tense, and there was no smile in his folds.

Xiao Gui leaned over and picked up the crossbow machine, threw it back to Zhang Xiaojing without any scruples, and made a gesture to let him follow. The two of them left the Water Palace, walked up a narrow staircase, about twenty steps, lifted a wooden cover, and came to the bottom floor of the Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower.

Those who are high must have a good foundation. The entire Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower is more than 150 feet high, even if it is made of bamboo, the overall weight is still very considerable, and it must be dragged by a thick root. Therefore, Mao Shun simply built the bottom floor of this lamp tower into a wide eaves Xuanguan, more than 20 vertical and horizontal, the eaves are all cloud-shaped, looking at it from afar, it is like auspicious clouds holding up the lamp tower, and it is more immortal.

They climbed up from the Water Power Palace, just in time to enter the apse of this auspicious cloud mystery. At this time, the hall was full of unicorn arms unloaded from the carriage, and more than a dozen people were busy with their heads down. As soon as they saw Xiao Gui coming in, they didn't stop, and continued to do things in an orderly manner. As for Zhang Xiaojing, they didn't even look at it.

I'm afraid that the Long Wu Army outside doesn't know that the grasshopper has quietly controlled the entire Dadeng Tower. This is no longer a spectacle that can bring glory to Chang'an, but an unprecedented killing weapon.

There must be a view. In the middle of the apse of the Xuanguan, there are eight small tripods according to the direction of the eight trigrams. They were originally meant to be decorative, but now they are used as heating appliances. In each tripod, there are dozens of unicorn arms. Charcoal was burning at the bottom of the roof, and people kept picking up a small Xiaoice bottle and inserting it into the bamboo tube.

Needless to say, Zhang Xiaojing immediately guessed that this was the Que Lehodo he had been pursuing, and the final heating process was being done here. The ice bottle is actually a thin-necked glass bottle, shaped like an awl, with an icicle inserted in it, and a scale on the outside of the bottle. Stick it out of the bamboo tube and look at the speed at which the icicles melt to determine whether the stone has reached the required temperature.

Zhang Xiaojing didn't expect that they would even prepare this kind of artifact. Xiao Gui noticed his eyes: "This is used by Taoist priests for alchemy, and I stole it." The fierce fire and thunder are untamable, and if you don't control the temperature a little better, you will explode if you are not careful. He excitedly stretched out his arm and pointed to the bottom of the roof: "Do you know where this charcoal comes from?" ”

Zhang Xiaojing glanced at it, the charcoal was snow-white, and he saw only firelight, but no smoke. Xiao Gui said: "This is a charcoal seller on Nanshan. The old man's charcoal was as white as silver, full of firepower, and there was very little smoke. He used to pull a few carts to the city every year to sell, but the buyers in the palace often took half a horse of red yarn and a zhang of silk and forcibly exchanged a cart - more than 1,000 catties. So when the old man heard that we were going to do something big, he took the initiative to help us burn it, but he didn't ask for any money. It can be seen that the major event we want to do is really the will of the people. ”

Zhang Xiaojing was silent, just staring at the charcoal fire. Xiao Gui said: "Okay, okay, I know you can't turn your mind for a while." Let's go visit Li Sicheng first. ”

He led Zhang Xiaojing to the second floor of Xuanguan, where there were several Lingguan Palaces, all of which were used to pray for blessings and the occasion, and they were very simple in their layout. Constantly people take out the unicorn arm that has been heated to the required level, and climb into the light tower through the passage here for the final installation.

Xiao Gui pushed open the door of one of the pavilions, and Zhang Xiaojing saw that there was a person standing inside, with a straight sword eyebrow, it was Li Yu. He was also smuggled into the lighthouse, looking embarrassed, but still struggling to maintain the last of his dignity.

"Li Sicheng, let's see who is visiting you?" Xiao Gui shouted cordially and hugged Zhang Xiaojing's shoulders.

When Li Mi heard this, he looked this way, he was stunned at first, raised his two eyebrows, and sneered: "Okay!" Good! ”

Zhang Xiaojing's face was expressionless, neither dodging nor justifying, just staring at him, motionless. Xiao Gui said with a smile: "It's a coincidence, I didn't expect that the captain of Jing'an Division was actually my old comrade-in-arms back then." At the time of the Beacon Castle, it was the two of us who rolled out of the pile of the dead. ”

"Huh?" Li Mi was stunned.

"Not bad. There were three survivors in the Eighth Regiment, and I was still called Xiao Gui at that time. Oh, and by the way, there's another survivor named Wen Wuji. Where is he, I think Si Cheng also knows. ”

With Li Mi's intelligence, he immediately guessed the cause and effect. He looked at Zhang Xiaojing's eyes, and they became extremely cold, but in that coldness, there was a little bit of despair.

A robe that was born and died, and an organization that repeatedly suppressed suspicion, it is self-evident which side Zhang Xiaojing will choose.

Zhang Xiaojing avoided Li Yu's eyes, raised his arm, and gently dusted his fingers in his eye sockets. This is not a subconscious habitual action, but to be less awkward. Xiao Gui looked at Li Mi, then at Zhang Xiaojing, and grinned: "Li Sicheng has a good eye, and he picked my brother at a glance." If I hadn't been a bit of a fluke, maybe I would have been messed up by him! It's a pity that you are stupid and can't believe it to the end. ”

Li Mi didn't say a word. Xiao Gui stuffed his crossbow machine into Zhang Xiaojing's hand, and said easily: "Big head, in order to celebrate our reunion, plug in a dogwood?" ”

"Dogwood?" When Zhang Xiaojing heard this word, his face changed. This is not the custom of wearing dogwood during the Double Ninth Festival, but an idiom in the Western Regions army. The cornus fruit is purple-red when ripe, and the meaning of dogwood is to see blood.

Xiao Gui smiled, and his chin swayed towards Li Mi.

He meant it clearly. Half an hour ago, Zhang Xiaojing was still a hostile lieutenant of Jing'an, but now he has changed his camp, and in order to convince people, he must accept a petition for his name - the head of Jing'an Sicheng Li Mi, which is very suitable.

Killing one's boss will have no turning back, so that he can truly gain the trust of the grasshoppers.

Xiao Gui stared at Zhang Xiaojing, with a smile on his face, but there was a few traces of unkindness in his eyes. Whether this brother who lives and dies depends on how to solve this problem. Several guards beside him were eyeing each other, ready to draw their swords at any time.

There was a moment of silence in the Lingguan Pavilion. Li Mi raised his head and stared at Zhang Xiaojing like this, neither pleading nor reprimanding. Zhang Xiaojing didn't move, he stood silently opposite Li Yu, his one eye squinted slightly, and it was difficult for others to peek into his inner activities at this time.

Seeing that he was slow to move, the guards slowly touched their hands to their waists. Hearing only a click, Zhang Xiaojing raised his right arm and put the crossbow machine on Li Yu's temple, his fingers tightly hooked the hanging knife.

"Li Sicheng, I'm sorry, I also have no choice." Zhang Xiaojing said, his tone was calm, and he didn't see any fluctuations.

"The overall situation is important, what is the crime." Li Yu closed his eyes. He smiled bitterly in his heart, but he didn't expect that the conversation between the two of them in the Temple of Mercy about "killing one person and saving a hundred" would come true a few hours later. Unexpectedly, he actually became the innocent person who was pushed out to sacrifice to the river god.

Zhang Xiaojing's face was expressionless, and he did not hesitate to buckle the hanging knife.

With a pop, Li Mi's head seemed to have been hit by a giant hammer, and he swung violently in the opposite direction, and his whole body fell to the ground in a comical posture, motionless.

Si Cheng of Jing'an Division was shot to death by Lieutenant Jing'an Si in the Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower.

Zhang Xiaojing lowered the crossbow machine and closed his eyes, knowing that from this moment on, he would have no turning back. In order to save Chang'an, he did not regret making this choice, but it was wrong after all. Every time he should do something wrong, it will make the burden in his heart heavy.

The room was quiet for a while, and Zhang Xiaojing suddenly opened his eyes and felt that something was wrong.

No, that's not the reaction of a crossbow bolt through the brain. He looked at the crossbow machine in his hand, turned his gaze to Li Mi, who was lying on the ground, and found that there was a purple-black blood stasis on his temple. Zhang Xiaojing's gaze swept towards the ground, and his pupils couldn't help shrinking.

The crossbow arrow that was shot didn't have an arrow.

* The shaft of the arrow is different from the shaft of the bow, the tip should be rounded, the front is wide and the back is narrow. Because * is generally used in narrow, tortuous close combat combinations, emphasizing power in bumpy environments. The crossbow arrow in front of him had no sharp iron head, only an oval wooden pole head. This thing can be extremely painful when hit on a person, but it will only cause blunt trauma, not fatal injuries.

Zhang Xiaojing looked at Xiao Gui suspiciously. Xiao Gui slapped his face, and his face was full of happy smiles: "Big head, congratulations, you have passed the test." ”

"What's going on?"

"I don't doubt the big head, but I have to give an explanation to my subordinates." Xiao Gui leaned over and picked up the shaft of the arrow, "I thought you would hesitate, but I didn't expect you to kill your boss without mercy, admire, admire." ”

His last doubts about Zhang Xiaojing finally disappeared. Whether a person really has murderous intentions or not, you can't hide it from his eyes. Zhang Xiaojing's eyes when he pulled the hanging knife just now were definitely full of murderous intent.

Zhang Xiaojing gasped softly, his right hand trembling: "Before you gave me the crossbow machine, you removed the arrow?" Xiao Gui smiled: "If you can pull the hanging knife, it is enough to show that you are attentive, and you don't have to really take Li Sicheng's dog's life." He is also useful, and he can't die here for the time being. ”

At this time, Li Mi coughed and tried to straighten his body, but it was too painful just now, his head was still dizzy, his expression was extremely painful, and blood flowed out of his nostrils. Xiao Gui picked up his hair: "Li Sicheng, thank you for finding a good brother for me." ”

"Zhang Xiaojing!"

A loud shout resounded throughout the Lingguan Pavilion. Li Mi dragged his nosebleed, and he had never been so angry: "I'm still not the Si Cheng of Jing'an Division?" You're still not a lieutenant? ”

"Yes." Zhang Xiaojing replied respectfully.

"The order I gave you is to stop the mayfly's plot! I never said I wanted to save my chief's life! Right? ”

"Yes."

"It's okay if you kill this official, but you have to save this Chang'an City! The culprit is on the side, why not do it? ”

Xiao Gui sneered from his nostrils, was Li Yu's head confused? What kind of official tone is there at this time! Zhang Xiaojing walked over slowly, took out the bronze medal on his waist, and respectfully inserted it back into Li Yu's waist:

"Li Sicheng, I now ask you to resign from the position of captain. In front of you, it is no longer Zhang Duwei of the Jing'an Division, but Zhang Datou of the Eighth Regiment who fought bloodily, a bad handsome who killed the county lieutenant and was put on death row, a spy who was captured by the right guard, a death row prisoner wanted by the whole city, and a veteran who wants justice from Chang'an! ”

Every time he reported his identity, his voice would be louder, and at the end of the day, he would almost shout.

Li Mi's face was pale, the reason why Zhang Xiaojing was imprisoned, and what happened in these few hours, he was all clear, and he knew better what kind of pressure and grievances he had to bear. Now Zhang Xiaojing's long-accumulated resentment finally broke out, and the monstrous ferocious momentum rushed in, making Li Yu almost unable to open his eyes.

But he couldn't refute it.

After spitting out these words, Zhang Xiaojing's shoulders fell, as if he had unloaded a thousand catties of burden. Xiao Gui smiled with relief on the side. In his opinion, Zhang Xiaojing's previous behavior was purely self-inflicted, obviously full of resentment towards the imperial court, but he wanted to run for a false name and righteousness, which was too entangled.

Now that Zhang Datou has spit out his previous concerns, and he has really killed his boss, Xiao Gui has finally put his mind at ease. He clenched his right fist and slammed it his left shoulder, Zhang Xiaojing also moved, and the two said in unison: "Nine deaths without regrets." ”

At that moment, the pomp and circumstance of the Eighth Regiment seemed to return to the eyes of the two of them. Xiao Gui's eyes were a little moist.

At this time, Li Mi reluctantly spoke: "Zhang Xiaojing, you promised me to capture the thief, do you have to break your word?" ”

"No, my answer at the time was that you chose the people, and I chose the road, and we all have to be responsible for our own choices."

When Li Mi heard this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly: "You are right, I looked away, and I should bear the consequences for my stupidity." ”

Zhang Xiaojing said: "You are not suitable for the position of Jing'an Sicheng, it is better to go back to cultivation." Worship Sanqing, beg for eleven yao, push the gossip horoscope, visit the four mountains and five mountains, everything is better than in Jing'an Si - but if Si Cheng wants to seek revenge on me, I'm afraid I will have to go to the eighteenth layer of hell. ”

Xiao Gui laughed: "Well said, people like us must go to hell after death." Big head, the name of your five Yamas, I don't know if it will work when the time comes. ”

"That's all I have to say, please consider it carefully." Zhang Xiaojing gave up.

Calling it "Lang Jun" means that Zhang Xiaojing has completely given up the identity of Jing'an Division, and the matter of Chang'an has nothing to do with him. Hearing this salutation, Li Mi finally gave up his efforts to persuade and hung his head silently.

Xiao Gui ordered Li Yu to be untied from the pillar, let the two guards escort him behind, and then beckoned Zhang Xiaojing to go up the lamp tower.

"Why did he go too?" Zhang Xiaojing was a little uncomfortable.

Xiao Gui said: "Didn't I say it just now, he is useful in other ways." ”

Zhang Xiaojing remembered that there was a suspicion before. The mayflies attacked the Jing'an Division Palace, why did they go to great lengths to kidnap Li Mi? Let him live, there must be a use, but what is this use?

Xiao Gui saw Zhang Xiaojing's doubts, laughed, and said Let's go, I'll take you to see something and understand.

A group of mermaids walked out of the Lingguan Pavilion. As soon as Zhang Xiaojing stepped out of the threshold, Xiao Gui's face suddenly changed, and he flew up and kicked Zhang Xiaojing's waist. Zhang Xiaojing didn't expect him to suddenly make a move on himself and fall to the ground. At the moment when he fell to the ground, a cold light swept across his scalp.

Wonjae is now in a huge contradiction. He half-leaned against a locust tree, staring at the blood-drenched gate, unable to make a sound for a long time.

The killing god slipped away under his nose and scared himself out of the water. But what he said before leaving made Yuan Zai care a lot.

"If you still have the slightest understanding, hurry to the front of Xingqing Palace as soon as possible, where all the grasshoppers are gathered."

Is this a trap, or is it a truth? Wonjae doesn't know. If it is false, it is unnecessary for Zhang Xiaojing to tell this lie; But if it is the truth, Zhang Xiaojing will be so kind? Take the initiative to give clues to his pursuers? Yuan Zai doesn't believe it.

He has always been proud of his keen eyes, but he was at a loss in the face of Zhang Xiaojing's mystery. He really wanted to just find a chrysanthemum, pull it off one by one, and let God decide.

At this time, the commander of the brigade army beside him came over and whispered, "Shall we rush in and arrest people?" ”

They just caught an apprentice who ran out of the yard, and they had already asked the details of the master, called Chao Fen, and behind it was the Japanese Chao Heng. There also appears to be a seriously wounded Persian in the courtyard. Zhang Xiaojing came here on purpose, there must be collusion with them, and it is always right to be arrested.

At least a dozen people lay down in this courtyard, which was an unprecedented loss, and they were eager to take revenge.

Won Jae shook his head at this suggestion. He didn't care about the face of the brigade Benjun, and he wasn't afraid of Chao Heng, he just felt that this matter was not as simple as he imagined.

The subordinates didn't know, but Yuan Zai knew best in his heart: Zhang Xiaojing was not a traitor, and this charge was just fabricated to facilitate someone to carry the black pot. It's okay to use it to rectify people, but if you really believe in this conclusion to infer the investigation of the case, it will be the opposite direction.

Poles apart?

Yuan Zai suddenly slapped the trunk of the locust tree, his eyes lit up, and he made a decision in an instant.

"Whole team, go to Xingqing Palace!"

The commander of the brigade was stunned, thinking that he had misheard the order.

"Go to Xingqing Palace!" Won Jae repeated it again, his tone categorical.

He didn't know if Zhang Xiaojing's words were true, but his innate intuition told Yuan Zai that there were more variables on the side of Xingqing Palace.

Uncertainty means risk, and risk means opportunity.

Won Jae believes that tonight's luck has not completely left him, and it is worth betting.

The moment Zhang Xiaojing fell to the ground, Xiao Gui let out an angry roar: "Fish intestines!" What are you doing?! ”

Outside the Lingguan Pavilion, a dark figure slowly stood still, holding a narrow-bladed fish intestine short sword in his right hand, and his left hand hung down. Only then did Zhang Xiaojing know that Xiao Gui kicked himself away in order to avoid the killing sword. He is now in a trance, his sense of acuity has declined, if it weren't for Xiao Gui's action, I'm afraid he would have died inexplicably under the fish intestine sword.

"I said it, I will personally take Zhang Xiaojing's life." The fish intestine said in a hoarse voice.

Xiao Gui blocked in front of Zhang Xiaojing to prevent him from making another move: "Now that Zhang Xiaojing is his own person, you don't have to be his enemy anymore." ”

"How do you know he's not pretending to surrender?"

"I'll judge this matter!" Xiao Gui said angrily, "Even if you pretend to surrender, now that you are surrounded by our people, what are you afraid of?" ”

This explanation did not make the fish intestines somewhat restrained: "He humiliated me, broke my left arm, and must die." Xiao Gui had to emphasize again, and his language was stern: "I say it again, he is now his own person, and the previous grievances will be written off!" ”

Yu Gu shook his head: "It doesn't matter where he is, I just want him to die." ”

Outside the Lingguan Pavilion, the atmosphere suddenly became very strange. Zhang Xiaojing has just switched camps, and he is about to face an infighting.

"This is the ninth thing I want you to do! Don't touch him! Xiao Gui almost roared, he lifted the corner of his robe and picked up a string of red ropes, and there were two copper coins on the red ropes. He took one and threw it away. Yu Gu received the money in mid-air, and his voice was quite surprised: "You actually used this for an enemy?" ”

"Did you hear me? Don't touch him. Xiao Gui said.

"Okay, but remember, this constraint is no longer valid after you use up the last copper coin." "The last thing I'll do for you is his death." ”

Zhang Xiaojing stepped forward: "Yu intestine, I will give you a promise, wait until this is the case, you and I will have a fair duel, regardless of life and death." Yu Gu stared at Zhang Xiaojing's eyes: "How do I know that you will keep your promise?" ”

"You can only choose to believe."

Yu Gu was silent for a moment, he probably didn't feel that there was much chance of doing it here, and finally nodded: "Okay." ”

The figure of the fish intestine quickly disappeared into the darkness, and then left behind a sentence that floated from nowhere: "If you break your word, I will kill Wenran." ”

Xiao Gui frowned, and turned his head to Zhang Xiaojing full of apologies: "Big head, this bastard with fish intestines is different from others, and he doesn't listen to the tune." When the big things are done, I will take care of this matter and never embarrass you. ”

Zhang Xiaojing said quietly: "I can take care of myself, but Wen Wuji's daughter can't." Xiao Gui said hatefully: "If he dares to touch the smell, I will take care of him personally!" ”

They walked up the stairs from the Lingguan Pavilion, and along the way, Xiao Gui briefly introduced the origin of the fish intestines.

Yu Gu grew up in Shouyu City near Lingwu since he was a child, no one knows what his origin and background, only that whoever offends Yu Gu will be exposed to the wilderness the next day, with an extremely narrow wound in his throat. The local guard originally wanted to collect the fish intestines for his own use, but soon found that this guy was too difficult to control, and planned to get rid of it with his backhand. Unexpectedly, Yu Gu counterattacked first, and assassinated several high-ranking officials in a row, and even the leader was in danger of being unexpected. The high-level guards were furious and spread a big net to round up. The fish intestine was besieged to the point of death, but fortunately it was saved by Xiao Gui, and only then did he pick up a life.

Zhang Xiaojing thought to himself, no wonder the fish intestines were so skilled in pretending to be the fire master who guarded the catch, it turned out that the two had a long relationship. If the Keeper knew that the assassin they almost caught turned out to be a fish intestine, I am afraid that things will not be so simple.

Xiao Gui continued. After the fish intestine was saved, he did not be grateful to him, but gave him ten copper coins, strung them with rope, and said that he would do ten things for the grasshopper, and then they did not owe each other. So Xiao Gui said that he listened to the tune and didn't listen to the announcement, and it was not easy to control.

Now Xiao Gui has used up nine coins, and only the last copper coin remains.

"I'm so sorry you wasted one."

Xiao Gui said: "It doesn't matter, how can this be considered a waste." Besides, I only have one thing left, and I need to ask the fish intestines to do it. After that, there will be no need for him......" He grinded his teeth, showed a cruel smile, and then changed to a concerned expression:

"Big head, you have to be careful about the next road."

Zhang Xiaojing took a look, and it turned out that above the Lingguan Pavilion was the Xuanguan Pavilion. Above the top pavilion, they officially entered the bottom of the main body of the light tower. The scene in front of them made Zhang Xiaojing and Li Mi hold their breath.

Above his head was a majestic dome as complex as a spider's nest. The whole Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower is made of criss-crossing thick bamboo and wooden beams as the skeleton, and the outer cloth is covered with brocade colored silk and bamboo paper. Its interior is surprisingly large, with thick pine planks nestled between the beams, stacked on top of each other, forming a series of unreliable suspension bridges that spiral upward. There are also many ropes, cardinals, and roulette wheels hanging nearby, the purpose of which is unknown, and probably only a master like Mao Shun or Chao Fen can see the mystery of this.

They walked on the suspension bridge section by section, spiraling all the way up, until they reached a height of more than 70 feet. Suddenly, a gust of night wind blew through the skeleton of the lantern tower, and Zhang Xiaojing could feel that the entire lantern tower was shaking slightly, making a creaking sound.

The night wind blew a piece of skin outside, and Zhang Xiaojing looked north from the gap and found that the diligent government building was close at hand. He knew that the distance between the two was not far, but he didn't expect it to be so close. Just throw a dozen feet of well rope, which is enough to connect the two buildings.

Zhang Xiaojing's one-eyed eye can clearly see the details of the banquet in the building from this distance. The square crown on the heads of those guests, the crispy roast lamb golden brown on the table, the staggered bargains between the banquets, and countless colorful robes and skirts flashed in between. When some people were drunk, they left the table and stood by the railing, pointing towards the light tower.

"Everyone is waiting for the Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower to light up, it will be a grand spectacle that has never been seen in the ages. I bet ten dollars, and they must have had a lot of verses in their stomachs, waiting for the candles to be lit. ”

Xiao Gui teased and continued to move forward. Zhang Xiaojing retracted his gaze and suddenly found that Li Yu's face was not very good. His arms were firmly tied, and there was a strong man on the left and right to clamp him, and in this state he walked on the crumbling suspension bridge, it was difficult to control his balance, and he could fall at any time.

He was about to reach out to help, but Xiao Gui was relieved: "Don't worry, he'll be fine." worked so hard to make Li Sicheng so high, but it wasn't just to push it down and listen to the sound. Speaking of this, Xiao Gui stretched out his right hand and raised it high, and then suddenly fell, and his mouth was still simulating a voice: "Bang-bang!" ”

The group walked up dozens of feet, and finally arrived at the central area of the entire light tower, the Tianshu Layer.

This floor is a wide circular space, and the floor is actually a huge flat wooden wheel, which is almost the size of a school yard. In the middle of the bamboo wheel, a large bamboo pivot is erected high, connected to other parts, made of wood and bamboo, and the large gap is also inlaid with iron horns and copper rings.

Many mayfly craftsmen are climbing on the shelves, slashing and chiseling around this big wheel, replacing the unicorn arm. There was a small oil lamp lit beside them, and from a distance, the stars were dotted, as if the big wheel was inlaid with many precious stones.

Zhang Xiaojing didn't see why. But Li Mi looked up and saw four or five lamp houses with protruding outlines around him, and he immediately realized it.

This Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower, in terms of basic structure, is the same as the test product that Xiao Gui showed him. A large pivot wheel in the center, surrounded by a circle of independent small units, which rotate in mid-air as the pivot rotates. The difference is that the test is made of twelve grids of paper paste, while around this Taishang Xuanyuan Lantern Tower, there are twenty-four large lamp houses that are open on all sides, each of which has an independent set theme and a support center access, which can drive the lantern figurines to move on their own.

It is conceivable that when the whole lantern tower is on fire, the big wheel as high as the sky slowly rotates, and these twenty-four lantern houses rise and fall in mid-air, what a shocking and gorgeous scene it must be. The people of Chang'an, who like to be lively, are afraid that they will go crazy with excitement when they see all this.

An old man with a hunched back was squatting in front of Tianshu, motionless, reaching out from time to time to touch it, as if caressing his dying child.

Xiao Gui walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Master Mao, how are you preparing?" Mao Shun didn't raise his head: "As long as the transfer machine below and the water wheel are buckled, this general pivot will rotate, driving the twenty-four light rooms to rotate step by step." "He's in a bad mood, and anyone who learns that his masterpiece is going to be blown up isn't going to be in a good mood.

Zhang Xiaojing was taken aback: "This is Mao Shun?" He's one of you mayflies too? Xiao Gui said: "We are naturally thirsty for talent, but the master obviously attaches more importance to his family. Zhang Xiaojing was silent, most likely because the mayfly kidnapped Mao Shun's family and forced him to cooperate with him.

No wonder the mayflies mixed in so smoothly, and with Mao Shun as a guarantee, it must be smooth all the way.

"What the hell are you going to do?" Zhang Xiaojing finally couldn't help but ask.

Xiao Gui seems to have been waiting for this question for a long time. A man has painstakingly planned an amazing thing, and he wants to show it off to others no matter what. He pointed to the huge pivot and began to explain with great interest.

It turned out that the vital pillar of the Heavenly Pivot had been filled with stone grease. In the twenty-four lamprooms around it, a large number of stone grease pillars were placed in advance. Once the tower is in operation, the room will burn one after another. Those who watch the lanterns must mistakenly think that it is the effect of the lights, and they will not be suspicious. When all the twenty-four lamphouses are burned, the heat will be transferred to the central Tianshu pillar. The real prepared fierce fire thunder is hidden in the pillar. At that time, it will explode, and the sky will fall apart. The diligent government building that is close at hand must be wiped out.

After listening to this explanation, Zhang Xiaojing couldn't speak for a long time. It turns out that this is the true face of Que Lehodo, it has never been dormant and hidden, it is so big and standing in Chang'an City.

How imaginative and paranoid does this take to do this?

Xiao Gui was very satisfied with Zhang Xiaojing's reaction, he raised his head, and sighed in a tone of emotion: "Fei is so tortuous, just to let a son of heaven be destroyed by his favorite thing in the happiest and most proud moment." This is the most meaningful revenge. ”

Zhang Xiaojing looked at this old comrade-in-arms and wanted to say something, but finally closed his mouth silently.

"Oh, by the way, before that, there is one more thing to trouble Li Sicheng - you wait here for a while." Xiao Gui asked Zhang Xiaojing to stay in Tianshu, chat more with Master Mao, and then ripped Li Yu away.

Leaving the Tianshu floor, Xiao Gui took Li Mi to a lamp house on the periphery of the light tower. These houses are self-contained, open on all sides, allowing for easy viewing from different directions. It is connected to the main body of the light tower by a narrow passage.

The lantern house that Xiao Gui and Li Mi came to is called "Tang Tang", which is about brothers, friends and brothers, and there are several lantern figurines such as Zhao Xiao and Zhao Li. Xiao Gui pushed Li Mi in, and pushed him all the way to the edge of the lamp house, and Li Mi almost stepped on the air before stopping.

Li Mi looked down, and he couldn't see the ground clearly under his feet, at least dozens of feet high. His hands were tied, and it was very hard to control his balance only by his legs on this swaying lamp tower.

"Li Sicheng, thank you for your hard work." Xiao Gui grinned, revealing an unpredictable smile. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Li Bi closed his eyes, thinking that the other party had some means of torturing people. But after waiting for a long time, nothing happened. He opened it again and found that the two lamp houses adjacent to the Tangtang Lantern House were lit up one after another.

One room is Confucius asked Lao Tzu to show the way of cultural governance; One house is Li Weigong sweeping Yin Mountain to show his martial might. The lights and candles on both sides happened to reflect the Tangtang Lantern House in the center. The guests on the upper floor of the diligent government affairs saw that the lamp house was lit first, and mistakenly thought that it had begun, so they called friends and came to enjoy it together.

It lasted for twenty snaps of his fingers, Xiao Gui snapped his fingers again, and the candlelight in the two rooms went out together. The guests in the distance let out a sigh of disappointment, only to know that it was a test.

"Okay, Li Sicheng, your task is complete." Xiao Gui dragged him back from the edge of the lamp house. Li Mi didn't know what to do, so he had to keep silent.

When they returned to Tianshu again, Xiao Gui called a guard and ordered Li Yu to be escorted down the lamp tower and sent to the underground palace of the Water Power Palace, and then affectionately put his arm around Zhang Xiaojing's shoulders and took him to the other side of Tianshu. From beginning to end, Li Mi and Zhang Xiaojing didn't even have a chance to look at each other.

Li Mi was tied upside down, and was escorted away from Tianshu by the guard. They went down from the lamp tower in a circle along the suspension bridge, down to the Xuanguan, and then down to the underground palace under the Xuanguan. The six huge water wheels were still whirling in the dark. Soon, they will take over Master Mao's mechanism and bring the entire lantern tower back to life.

"It's ingenious." Li Mi observed the giant ship and couldn't help but sigh. Compared with the prosperity and extravagance of the surface lamp tower, he felt that this part hidden deep underground was the real subtlety.

The guard glanced at him sympathetically, this official didn't seem to know his fate, and he still had the leisure to enjoy the scenery? He pulled out the knife on his waist: "Li Sicheng, Master Long Bo wants me to give me a word and send Si Cheng's corpse to ascend to immortality." ”

Li Mi didn't move, he couldn't move, and his arms were still firmly tied behind his back. But Li Yu's expression was indifferent, and he seemed to have a premonition about this.

The guard smiled and said, "My daughter-in-law was abducted by a little white face like you. You're going to take that bunny today, and I'm going to kill as slowly as I can. His knife slowly stretched out to Li Mi's chest, wanting to pick the next piece of flesh first.

Suddenly, Lee moved. His arms jerked, and the rope fell apart. The young and weak official clenched a small iron file in his right hand and stabbed it into the guard's temple. The guard was suddenly attacked, and subconsciously flew up with a kick, kicking Li Mi down in the corner.

This near-death counterattack was full of force, and Li Mi felt that his internal organs were knocked apart, and a wisp of blood flowed out of the corner of his mouth. He gasped for a long time before he struggled to get up. The guard was already lying on the ground, dead of exhaustion, and on his left temple, only a small part of the handle of the iron file could be seen—the one just now was really deep enough.

With a bang, a bronze medal fell from Li Mi's body to the ground. This is the waist card that Zhang Xiaojing returned to Li Yu in the Lingguan Pavilion just now, and the small iron file was buckled inside and tucked into the belt together. No one noticed it except the two of them.

Li Mi leaned his back against the earthen wall, rubbing his sore wrists, and his heart was full of mixed feelings. In his mind, an abrupt sentence from Zhang Xiaojing unexpectedly appeared:

"You are not suitable for the position of Jing'an Sicheng, you might as well go back to cultivating. Worship Sanqing, beg for eleven yao, push the gossip horoscope, visit the four mountains and five mountains, everything is better than in Jing'an Si - but if Si Cheng wants to seek revenge on me, I'm afraid I will have to go to the eighteenth layer of hell. ”

Zhang Xiaojing is not a cultivator, as soon as he said it, Li Mi was keenly aware that there was a secret hidden in it. With his wisdom, he only had to think carefully to know that the key was numbers.

Three, eleven, eighth, four, five, eighteen

This is the order in "Tang Yun", and the people in Jing'an Division are very familiar with it. The third is to go to the voice, the eleventh team, and the eighth word is "retreat"; The fourth is into the sound, the fifth object, and the eighteenth character is "no".

Translated to two words.

This is Yao Runeng's mind, Tan Qi's mind, and Zhang Xiaojing's mind that has never changed:

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