Cheongju Dongliu City, Fengyang Port.

Dongyuan Hou Fang Hui was wearing a crown robe, standing at the entrance of the port with his hands in his hands, Fang Changjing, the prince of the Dongyuan Hou Mansion, stood quietly on his right hand, on the left hand side was Zhuang Qi, a strategist in the palace, and then behind were twenty guards and soldiers in armor in two rows, standing silently without squinting. And in the midst of them, lying a large black box, I don't know what material, like leather, and like a layer of black lacquer, in the faint morning light like scales glowing faintly.

At this time, it was not yet dawn, everything was gray, and the surrounding scenery was not very clear, but the fish belly white on the horizon could be faintly seen on the sea in the distance. The scale of Fengyang Port is not very large in Dongliu City, and in such an early morning, there are not many people walking around the port, and the few shipwrights who load and unload goods are also sent away by Fang Hui.

The group seemed to be waiting for something. The space was so quiet that it seemed to be suffocating.

Finally, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard faintly not far away. The sound of horses' hooves came from far and near, and Fang Hui and his subordinates finally reacted. When the leading horse was only a few steps away from Fang Hui and the others, the black horse suddenly neighed, and the person stood up, and the momentum of progress was suddenly choked, and then the front hooves fell and stood firmly.

The hot breath from the horse almost sprayed in front of Fang Hui, but his face was expressionless, and everyone was led by Fang Hui, bowing his back slightly, and shaking his hands. As the Marquis of Dongyuan, Fang Hui actually saluted the visitors, which shows the prominence of his identity.

The person who came turned over and dismounted, and returned the salute with a smile. He was dressed in a dark blue crane with a high collar, as if he didn't want outsiders to see his face. He looked like a middle-aged man in his forties and fifties, his hair showed no traces of gray, and although the fatigue of the long journey could be seen on his face, there was no trace of sleepiness, but he was full of energy and ruddy. In addition to the horse on his side, more than a dozen people behind him dismounted and immediately followed him to return the salute. One of the men beside him slowly dismounted from his horse and saluted, looking weak.

"Master Hou came to greet him in person, Wei was flattered!" The middle-aged man's voice was thick and full of energy.

"Heroes like Grandpa Wei, we are waiting to be before and after the saddle. Fang Hui bowed slightly, his face full of humility.

The light in Grandpa Wei's eyes flashed, fleeting. "Hou Ye is really polite, the prestige of the Fang family in the east, no one knows who doesn't know, Hou Ye is a first-class character. They both burst out laughing.

"I don't know what I want, how is Master Hou preparing?" After laughing, Grandpa Wei suddenly said with a straight face.

"I've got everything ready, grandpa, please. Fang Hui made a gesture of please and pointed to the black box behind him. One of the closest soldiers stepped forward to open the box, making a "squeak" sound.

Grandpa Wei stepped forward to take a look, and Fang Hui was standing on the side, his smile unchanged.

Inside the box was an irregularly shaped sphere about two feet wide, swarthy and stone-like, and if you looked closely, you could see the criss-crossing cracks on the surface of the sphere, and a faint dark red glow in the depths. This red light is like breathing, and like a heart beating, sometimes bright and sometimes dark, and it is all together.

Looking at Grandpa Wei's satisfied expression, Fang Hui smiled and said: "This is what we found a few months ago on a merchant ship from the Luoheng Domain in the East China Sea, they don't know what this is, and the merchants on the ship don't know what it is, they only know that it was dug up from the Luoyan Volcano, and it was treated as ore, but not many people recognized it, and it was resold a few times between several islands, but it was cheaper for us." It's just that we don't know much about how to use it. ”

He bowed his head slightly, and Zhuang Qi behind him saluted, and said: "On the ancient scroll found in the Hou Mansion, there is a part of the rubbing book provided to us by the grandfather, which is to tell this legend about the 'Four Spirits Festival', and the rest of the content is obscure, and now I can only interpret a part of the ancient scroll in Dongliu City, mentioning a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago, so the Hou Ye thinks that this thing may be related to the Luoyan Volcano." ”

Grandpa Wei retracted his gaze, looked at Fang Hui with a smile and said, "Receiving such a big gift from Master Hou, Wei is a little reluctant to go. For this thing, Hou Ye must have spent a lot of effort, right?"

"Grandpa Wei is serious. Ben Hou didn't dare to take credit, but it did take some trouble to obtain this thing, and since the 'East China Sea Rebellion' decades ago, I have been looking for this thing in Dongliu City. ”

Grandpa Wei nodded: "That ancient scroll must have been obtained by Ling Zun in the East China Sea Rebellion, right?"

"Exactly, it can be said that this matter has taken the efforts of two generations of our clan, and it is really significant. Tell Grandpa Wei the whole thing, not only because the rubbings in Grandpa's hands helped us improve the content of the ancient scrolls, but also because I admired Grandpa for his ambition and talent to conquer the world. Fang Hui bowed and bowed his head, so that Grandpa Wei couldn't see his gaze clearly, "I also hope that when Grandpa achieves a thousand years of hegemony, remember our agreement." ”

Grandpa Wei still had a smile on his face, but his eyes reflected a trace of coldness. However, Fang Hui lowered his head and didn't see it.

"Haha, Hou Ye looks down on Wei, but from today on, Dongliucheng is a friend of Yunzhou, entrusted by Hou Ye, Wei should do his best. But this favor, I'm afraid I can only wait until Wei comes back from Luoyan Volcano to pay it back. ”

......

Fang Hui commanded his subordinates and asked them to help carry Grandpa Wei's belongings onto a medium-sized merchant ship, including the pitch-black wooden box, the sky was already getting brighter, and they needed to set off before they could attract attention. Fang Hui, Fang Changjing, and Zhuang Qi stood on the dock, watching the group busy.

Thinking of the sentence that Grandpa Wei seemed to mean before he got on the boat and the look on his face, Fang Hui showed a sneer.

"This trip is long, and I hope that Hou Ye will take care of the affairs of Yunzhou. ”

Fang Hui looked at the Wei family who had already boarded the boat, and asked Fang Changjing next to him, "Do you know any of the entourages he brought?"

"I know one or two people, both of whom are famous strategists in Yunzhou. However, there are generals with names and surnames in Yunzhou, and even his four sons are not in this trip. Fang Changjing said respectfully.

"The sick man who followed him was called Bai Xishang. ”

"Exactly, it is said that although he is weak, he has presided over many battles in Yunzhou in recent years, and he has rarely been defeated. It can really be described as strategizing and winning thousands of miles away. Zhuang Qi replied, "It's just that Wei Zhuoxi brought him, and there should be no one in Yunzhou who can preside over the battle." ”

The corners of Fang Hui's mouth moved slightly, and he didn't speak.

Zhuang Qi said in a low voice: "It seems that Wei Zhuoxi is either very confident in his own strength, or he doesn't trust us. ”

Fang Hui frowned: "Don't believe the information we provide?"

"It shouldn't be, the 'Four Spirits Festival' is very important, if he is suspicious, he will definitely not personally risk going to Luoyan Volcano. It is rumored that Yunzhou Wei Zhuoxi has four sons under his knees, and there are many talents. The eldest son is good at governance, has been an auxiliary government for many years, and has the talent of governing the country; the second son is good at strategy, and has studied military books since he was a child, and has strategized; and the third son is good at fighting, although he is young, no one among his peers can match the right in first-hand marksmanship. Only the youngest son's qualifications are mediocre, which is inferior to his elder brother. ”

Fang Hui nodded and motioned for Zhuang Qi to continue. Zhuang Qi continued: "There are also Wei Zhuoxi's henchmen Zhang Xuan, Lin Li and others, plus a Bai Xishang, it is they who have helped Wei Zhuoxi to fight in the north and south in recent years, and he has been invincible, and Changzhou, which is adjacent to Yunzhou, has now almost all fallen. It's just that Wei Zhuoxi only brought one Bai Xishang on this voyage, which shows that he is not at ease about the situation on the mainland, needs others to stabilize the situation, and does not plan to start another war. Zhuang Qi said.

Fang Hui remembered Wei Zhuoxi's last sentence again, and a strange smile appeared on his face: "So, is he worried that we will take advantage of the chaos to stir up the situation?"

"Father, then when he comes back successfully, we won't ......" Fang Changjing stopped talking.

Fang Hui sneered: "Give him that thing, I will naturally keep a hand." Let him go, that ancient scroll is still in our hands, how can it be so easy for the 'Four Spirits Festival' to be completed." Without the scrolls in our hands, he would not have been able to complete the last step. He paused, and then said, "Since he is afraid of chaos, we can't easily go along with him." When he returns, the more chaotic Yunzhou is, the more indispensable we will be. ”

Zhuang Qi comprehended and nodded slightly.

"It's better to be careful, don't do anything on the surface, Yunzhou's anger, we can't afford it for the time being. Fang Hui looked at the merchant ships that had gradually sailed away from the dock, his expression solemn.