Chapter 296: Unity

Lingming Mountain is two hundred miles to the west.

There is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and rivers.

The Lingming Branch in the city is the largest and strongest force in the surrounding area.

And the name of the owner of the courtyard, Lu Zhi, is a gold-lettered signboard here, which is better than the city guard.

Late at night, warm as spring in the room.

Elder Lingming Chu Wei untied the tie on the neckline of the big cockline, picked up the decanting soup on the table and drank it all.

The salty and sour taste slid down his throat, and suddenly a stream of heat rose from his abdomen, and soon swam all over his limbs, and even a layer of sweat appeared faintly on his forehead.

It's a really good feeling.

It's a lot more sober.

Chu Wei sighed and changed to a more comfortable sitting position.

There is no way, the master of the Lu courtyard is too enthusiastic, and a reception dinner starts at dusk and eats until midnight.

Even if he drank a lot, he couldn't stand the strength of the medicine and wine, and many people took turns to salute, and by the time he finally finished the show, he was already six or seven points drunk.

There was a soft squeak.

The door was gently pushed open.

The candlelight danced slightly, and a faint fragrance followed.

The two slender and beautiful girls put down the wooden bucket, helped him take off his shoes and socks, and each held one foot into the water and gently rubbed and pressed it.

As soon as Chu Wei raised his hand, he subconsciously wanted to excuse himself.

But now the wine has not subsided, and my head is still a little dizzy.

Coupled with the lingering fragrance on the tip of the nose, it is indeed intoxicating, and it is difficult to say no words.

So he just opened his mouth, and then he lay down on the wide, comfortable back chair in drunkenness, and fell asleep as if he were too drunk.

Chu Eave's eyes were half-open and half-closed, and he looked at the withered wood grain on the beams as a decoration with some distraction, and was a little stunned for a while.

He is the elder of the inner gate of Lingming Mountain, and Lu Zhi is the master of the outer gate branch.

Purely from the perspective of his status in the door, he is at least one step higher than the other party.

But it's not like I don't know, but it's a shock.

Looking at the small life that Master Lu lives every day, he is much more comfortable than him on the mountain.

Over the years, he has no distractions, bent on penance, and has crossed the two major passes of the six turns of qi and blood and internal training of the internal organs, thinking that he can make persistent efforts to overcome all the tortures of mystical delusions in one fell swoop, and enter the realm of the grandmaster of heaven and man.

It's a pity that providence is unpredictable and creates people.

It has been several years since I opened the door of Xuangan, but I have not been able to grasp the looming opportunity after all, and then further achieve the Lingming Grandmaster.

And Lu Zhi, who entered the mountain gate with him, although he did not show excellent cultivation talent, but with the ability to meet the source left and right and speculate in the camp, he was promoted from the outer disciple all the way until he sat in the position of the master of a local courtyard.

Although Lu Zhi's style of dealing with people is not liked by him, being able to get to this point also shows that the other party does have outstanding skills in this regard.

At least when he gets along with this person, it will make him feel quite comfortable.

Chu Wei enjoyed the meticulous service under his feet, felt the hot water, and sighed with emotion inexplicably.

Unable to break the barrier of sympathy between heaven and man, and often endure the erosion of delusions, at this time, when he experienced the life of the master of the outer gate, he suddenly felt a little depressed.

"Master, do you want to add some hot water?"

A soft voice sounded, interrupting Chu Wei's thoughts.

He slowly opened his eyes, and his mood had regained clarity and clarity, and there were no more turbulences.

"No, you can go out."

"Master, Master Lu said ......"

One of the girls wanted to say something, but was directly interrupted by Chu Wei.

"I said no, you should go out."

Chu Wei's voice turned cold, without a trace of emotion.

Although he and Lu Zhi get along fairly well on a daily basis, fundamentally speaking, the two sides are not all the way, and the relationship is not good to this extent.

What's more, now that the mountain gate is in turmoil, the elder Daozi who participated in the big competition does not see anyone in life or death, and the mountain lord's body also has problems, so he must be cautious every step when he goes out, and there can be no carelessness and mistakes.

Chu Wei sighed secretly, and was about to get up from the back chair, but suddenly there was a cold and piercing feeling, which came from the hot water bucket under his feet.

At this moment, there were two soft pops.

The two girls, one on the left and one on the right, fell limply on the ground.

"This is, the return of the delusion?"

"No, it's not a delusion, it's an enemy attack!"

Chu Wei's heart jumped suddenly, as if a powder keg had been ignited, and it exploded with a bang.

He stepped on the crumble barrel and stood up.

Qi and blood really accelerated, and even set off a whirlwind in the room.

The two girls lay motionless on the ground, their lives and deaths unknown.

But that's not his focus.

What really shocked Chu Wei was that on the surface of the two of them, a layer of hoarfrost was clearly visible covering them, quickly devouring their vitality and vitality.

In just three or two breaths, the woman who was still delicate and bright just now had turned into two cold and stiff corpses.

There were also water stains spreading on the floor, which had also condensed into ice, reflecting a chilling glow in the orange candlelight.

With his cultivation level, stepping on the ground barefoot, he could actually feel the biting coldness, as if he was about to freeze all his true strength and blood.

Swish!

Chu Eaves suddenly bloomed in front of him.

The bedroom, the girl, the candlelight, all disappeared at this moment.

In its place is boundless darkness.

and the divine light that rises from the depths of darkness.

"This feeling of déjà vu ......"

"If I'm not mistaken, it seems to be the spiritual will of the Great Brahma Born Heaven?"

His brows furrowed, and his heart was full of doubts, "However, this is not the Northern Wilderness, but the Great Zhou Realm, how can such a strong Brahma spiritual intent be manifested?" ”

Suddenly, a miserable white arm poked out from the golden light.

The next moment, his eyes were occupied by dense arms.

"It's over, the other party turned out to be at the Grandmaster level!"

Chu Wei didn't have time to react at all, and he was enveloped by an arm cover, losing all his ability to resist.

The terrifying feeling of falling down suddenly came.

His mind was left with a blank space of fear.

I don't know how long later.

Maybe it's just a moment.

Chu Wei suddenly came back to his senses, and there was no swarming white arm in front of him, and the golden light rising in the darkness was gone, and he returned to the bedroom where the candlelight was still there.

The feeling of being down-to-earth and dissipating delusions is so beautiful that it even gives him a strange illusion of being born to die.

But in the next moment, the feeling of extreme cold suddenly returned, once again pulling Chu Wei into the abyss of terror and despair.

It was extremely cold, but he felt a warmth instead, slowly soothing his almost completely frozen body.

Chu Wei felt extremely sleepy, and just wanted to lie down and fall asleep directly.

But he understands very well that he must not close his eyes at this moment, and once he closes them, he may never be able to open them again in this life.

It was not easy to persevere, but the more he did, the more he had to struggle desperately, stay awake, and try to make death a little farther away from him, a little later.

"To be able to meet Elder Chu today can be regarded as a fate between you and me."

Suddenly, the man's voice as warm as jade slowly sounded and reached Chu Wei's ears.

With this sound, the coldness that seemed to freeze the soul quickly dissipated.

Chu Wei felt that his body was being re-energized, and he pulled himself out of the abyss of death little by little.

He subconsciously turned his head and saw a handsome young man, sitting on a wooden chair a few steps away, looking over with a smile on his face.

"I am Huangchen, there is something I want to ask Elder Chu to help."

The young man spoke slowly, his voice soft, like a spring breeze blowing across the earth, bringing a lush vitality.

But listening to what this person said, Chu Wei's heart was like ashes, and the whole person was wrapped in a despair that was so dense that it couldn't be dissolved.

"Things are actually very simple, at least it is not difficult to do it as Elder Chu, it just depends on whether you want to do it or not."

After finishing speaking, a smile appeared on Huang Chen's face, "When all the dust settles, Elder Chu will return to the Northern Wilderness with me, not only can I join the Golden Tent to enjoy the wealth and glory, but I can also enter the holy mountain to see Brahma."

When the time comes, don't say that it is the sympathetic achievement of heaven and man, even if you step into the anode realm above the cathode, it is not impossible. ”

Speaking of this, his voice suddenly turned cold, "Whether to obey my orders or die in fear and despair, Elder Chu needs to follow his heart and make a right choice. ”

Chu Wei's face was miserable, and he was silent for a long time.

Before you know it, the temperature in the room is slowly lowering again.

Finally, he lowered his head and let out a long sigh, "What His Highness said, I will do as I am told." ”

Huang Chen stroked his palms and smiled, "Okay, Elder Chu is sensible, knows how to advance and retreat, and at the right time, he made the right choice.

It's not like the Lord of the Lu Courtyard just now, who would rather be tortured and die miserably than bathe in the divine light given by the Great Brahma. ”

Lu Zhi, who is accustomed to seeing the wind and steering the rudder and being the grass on the wall, is so tough and fierce that he can even throw away his life?

When Chu Wei heard this, he was stunned.

He was so confused for a while that he didn't even know when the prince of the Northern Wilderness in the house would leave.

Only two bodies of the girl seemed to be asleep, reminding him that what had just happened was not a dream, but an inescapable fact.

The cold wind howled and the dark clouds gathered.

"Your Highness just let this person go, aren't you worried about him going back on his word in the future?"

In the deep night, a woman's voice quietly sounded.

Akuchen stopped, looked up at the dark night sky, his eyes were calm and peaceful, "Let him fall into despair first, and then give him a glimmer of hope, and those who are not strong-willed will be pried open by me in their hearts and planted the seeds called surrender."

As long as he is afraid of death, as long as he still has a choice of life in the face of death, he can only retreat again and again, until he completely abandons the identity of the elder of Lingming Mountain, betrays the sect and takes refuge in the Golden Tent, there is no second possibility. ”

Snowflakes fell at this moment, and soon enveloped the entire world.

In the darkness, the woman sighed faintly, "Originally, in the eyes of the slave maid, it should be the sleek and sophisticated Master Lu who would disarm and surrender, but it turned out to be completely unexpected, it was this righteous Elder Chu who knelt down. ”

"A man shall not be a man, nor shall the sea be measured."

Huang Chen smiled slightly, "I told you before that you can't look at people and do things on the surface, but you have to go deep into the source and go straight to the source, but you have never kept it in mind. ”

He reached out and grabbed a snowflake and watched it slowly melt between his fingers, "Sure enough, as Barren Miao said, the south is a rich land with smooth wind and rain, and even the wind and snow give people a soft and soft feeling." ”

Smack.

A drop of snow falls.

The wind and snow suddenly froze.

Huang Chen lowered his eyes, and his voice became cold at this moment, "Although Huang Miao is a little stupid, she is the princess of the entire Northern Wilderness after all, and she is the sister who can say a few words to me."

Now he is dead in an unknown way, a wisp of fragrant soul is ethereal, and I don't know if I can find the guide sign to return to the Great Brahma Birth Heaven. ”

"This matter, whether it is for me or for her, there must be an explanation."

"Your Highness, rest assured, Yeluan and his wife have gone to Qizhou Mansion on the orders of His Highness, and they will definitely find out about this matter."

…………

………………

In the capital city of Qizhou, the sky is slightly dark.

As dusk approached, the cold wind gradually rose, and the clouds were thick.

The sunny day, which lasted for a while, had to make way for the snowstorm.

In the courtyard where he lived alone, Wei Tao knotted the fist seal of the Yuan fetus, and his mind entered the empty light.

"Compared with other cultivation techniques, the Mixed Yuan Hammer is more important to the artistic conception."

"If you can realize the Tao when the sun sets, you may be able to reach the level of thundering the nine heavens and shaking the nine lands with a hammer at night."

He carefully savored what Lord Ning Dao said, and slowly took a step forward.

Winter!

When the first snowflakes fell, it was like a muffled heartbeat that swung open from a clenched fist.

Then the sound of thunder was intertwined, intertwined with the sound of wind and snow outside the house, and blended seamlessly.

Red Line Fist, Infinite Whip, Turtle and Snake Plate, a set of boxing methods were made by the Imperial Envoy, and finally all fell into the Yuan Fetal Fist Seal.

Wei Tao's movements became faster and faster, until he turned into a cloud of unclear shadows.

After reaching the limit, it gradually slows down and slows down, and finally stops motionless in the void.

Little by little, time passed.

It was as if he had become a statue.

Only a pair of eyes shined, like two bright lights.

"I really can't empathize with the Dao Master's Mixed Yuan Hammer artistic conception."

However, the Taoist Master also said that this is his summary of the bits and pieces of his practice for decades, and finally the true meaning of the Mixed Yuan Hammer was initially formed.

Then, according to his old man's method of taking his god and removing his form, what I really need to do is not to imitate, but to truly realize my own things. ”

Wei Tao gathered his thoughts and pushed open the door.

Looking at the heavy snow outside, his mood seemed to be affected by it, and it became thick and boundless.

"The wind and clouds are moving, sweeping for thousands of miles, everything is shrouded and covered, and everything is in the depths of the dark wind and snow."

"Mixed Yuan Hammer, Mixed is Mix, Yuan is Yuan One, then for me, it is to mix and unify, and then hammer the enemy to death."

"Sun Xiyue forgets to give up, I am fused and devoured, just like this heavy snow, as long as it enters me, it will be all mine."

Rumble!

Suddenly, a large area of wind and snow came to a standstill.

And with a soft sound of winter, it flew and danced.

Towards the figure in the courtyard frantically converged.

Under the darkness of the night, a huge whirlpool is formed.

And in the center of the whirlpool, the black lotus bloomed silently, the turtle cultivator snake floated, and the vajra virtual image was located in the center.

The next moment, the red line blood lotus appeared on the surface of the virtual image, and the two middle lines of Ren Du lit up, and the five directions of the floating slaughter, the Demon Elephant Xuangong, and the Void Guarding Spirit Seal were all integrated into it.

After a dozen breaths.

It's the soft sound of winter again.

The virtual image vanished, and the funnel-shaped vortex exploded.

Heavy snow was still falling, filling the night sky as black as ink.

Wei Tao slowly exhaled a breath of burning breath, pulled his legs out of the snow that was more than two feet away, and turned his head to look into the darkness on one side.

"Why is there such a thick snow in the yard, I'll go back to the house to rest, and Master Shang asked them to come and clean it up."

"This snow was sucked in by the gentleman."

Shang Bian responded with a smile, beckoning the disciples of the Tsing Yi Society on duty to clean up and pile up to the wall.

"I sucked it?"

Wei Tao was slightly stunned, and then nodded thoughtfully, "Just now I felt something in my heart, and I had a little understanding of the true meaning of the Dao Master's Mixed Yuan Hammer, although I haven't really walked out of my own path, but I have gained something." ”

He put his hands behind his back and walked slowly towards the house.

Leave a straight mark behind you.

There was a soft squeak.

Wei Tao opened the door, but did not enter the house.

Instead, he stood still under the porch in front of the room, turning his head to look out of the courtyard.

"Sir?"

Shang Bian felt the change in the atmosphere, and hurriedly approached and asked.

"Fucheng has been a little unpeaceful lately."

"Such a blatant release of breath and attracting Brahma's spiritual intent, didn't you take me, the master of the Esoteric Sect, in his eyes?"

Wei Tao sighed and closed the door that had just been opened, "Master Shang, don't clean up, take everyone to protect the house, if any warrior dares to approach, no matter the reason, kill him." ”

The Qiu family's mansion.

Since Miss Feng Er's accident, the entire mansion has been directly confiscated.

It was then sold at a price well below the market price.

The buyer is from the north of Qizhou, and he still asked for some connections to get this house with a good location and a large area.

After doing a few rituals to ward off evil spirits and exorcise ghosts, the family hurriedly moved in, and it was considered that they had their own place to settle in Fucheng, and they no longer had to suffer all kinds of inconveniences under the fence.

After nightfall, dark clouds converge and the north wind gradually rises.

The sunny days that had lasted for a while were no longer there, and they were finally replaced by the wind and snow flying in the sky.

Chao Yuan snuggled up to the stove outside, and ate slowly with a few side dishes, and before he knew it, he was already seven or eight points drunk.

The cold wind was howling outside, as if someone was whining and crying.

The lanterns under the porch kept shaking, and distorted black shadows shone in the courtyard.

Chao Yuanwai did not react to this.

He took a sip of wine and then a mouthful of meat, and his face was full of joy and contentment.

He knew that there had been deaths in this mansion, and that no one in the Qiu family had survived, and it was definitely a tragedy that had been slaughtered.

But so what?

The paper money was also burned, and the rituals were done.

Soft and hard, two-pronged, what else do you want him to do?

Compared with the so-called murderous house, it is only right that you can save more money.

Anyway, he has lived for so many years, and he has seen a lot of people who have been frozen to death and starved to death, and he really has never seen someone who was haunted by a powerful ghost and died.

Moreover, the Qiu family secretly communicates with the Northern Wilderness alien race, even if they are lit with a sky lantern, they deserve it.

Not to mention that they haven't turned into ghosts, even if they really turn into ghosts to take revenge, he is not a vegetarian after going out for so many years, and he must pick up a knife and axe......

Suddenly, there was a soft squeak.

interrupted the drunken hazy thoughts of the Chao Yuanwai.

Immediately after, the door was pushed open.

The cold wind poured in with snowflakes, and in an instant, a large area of the floor was covered with a layer of white.

The candles in the house dimmed, and the conservatory seemed to be turned into an ice cellar in an instant.

Chao Yuan's outer spirit shuddered.

Trembling and looking out the door.

He saw only two dark figures, one tall and one short, standing silently in the middle of the courtyard.

Outside, the wind howled and the snow was falling.

But around these two people, there was no sound, not the slightest invasion.

It seems that the wind and snow are their pets, and without the permission of the owner, they will never dare to cross the thunder pond by half a step.

"You, who are you?"

The outside of the Chao staff was pale, but there was no knife and axe at hand, so he could only hold the tongs on the side of the stove.

"Is this the Qiu family?"

The shorter black shadow spoke, and the voice was graceful, and it was a woman when she heard it.

Chao Yuan muttered, "There is no one in the Qiu family, and now it is the Chao family." ”

"Qiu family, where have they gone?" The woman asked again.

"They colluded with the alien races of the Northern Wilderness, and they were all killed."

Chao Yuan's throat swelled, and he didn't even know what he was saying.

"I don't like to hear what you say."

The woman sighed faintly, "And in our eyes, you are the Southern Barbarian alien race." ”

"Sister Luan, what nonsense is talking about with him as an ordinary person, hurry up and kill him and then go to other places to investigate and inquire."

The tall man next to him suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and cold, like a cold wind.

The woman nodded, and slowly raised her fair and delicate palm.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the wind howled, and the snowflakes were lined up in a straight passage.

The starting point is in the woman's raised palm, and the end falls on Chao Yuanwai's chest.

Chao Yuan sat still outside, and his heart could not tolerate any other emotions except fear and despair.

Rumble!

The doors were shattered and sawdust was flying.

"I'm not dead yet?"

Chao Yuan came back to his senses suddenly, looked at the figure that appeared in the door at some point, and subconsciously grabbed a piece of braised meat, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"In this case, you are still in the mood to drink wine and eat meat, but I admire the determination."

The man in front of him put down the arm he had just raised, looked through the broken wooden door, looked at the tall and short figure standing still in the wind and snow, and couldn't help but let out a low sigh.

Chao Yuan sighed outside and almost cried, "If you go back to the benefactor who saved your life, the villain also wants to escape, but his legs are sore and weak, and he can't get up from the ground at all." ”

"Then you ask for more blessings, I don't have to be the opponent of these two Northern Wilderness martial artists......"

Before he could finish his sentence, the tall man had already broken through the snow and came to him.

In the darkness of the wind and snow, there was a sudden thunderous explosion.

The two figures collided in one place, and most of the room disappeared directly.

The smoke and dust of the canopy rose and spread rapidly outward as the shock wave spread outward, enveloping the entire courtyard in an instant.

"Who the hell are you?" A hoarse and dry voice rang out from the back of the house.

The tall man in black clothes and black robes gently dusted off the contaminated dust, and a peaceful smile appeared on his face, "I am Yeluan, she is my wife Chiluan, you can call us Yeluan." ”

As he spoke, he walked step by step to the depths of the ruins, "You can fight with me, you still have some strength."

However, based on the level of cultivation you have shown, it still makes me a little suspicious, and it seems that it is impossible to take the life of His Highness Huang Miao under the protection of Mama Lei.

Our husband and wife have been ordered to investigate the cause of the Golden Horde's death, and if you know anything inside, we may be able to spare your life. ”

There was a dead silence after the broken wall, and no response was heard.

"Don't know or don't want to say?"

Ye Shu sighed, "You must know that we rarely have a good heart, so I still advise you to cherish this hard-won opportunity." ”

At this moment, the wind and snow flying in the sky suddenly stagnated, and then returned to normal.

Nightshade stopped without warning.

He slowly turned around and looked into the darkness to the side.

"Mr. Ye is right, the death of Mama Lei and the Desolate Empress really has nothing to do with him."

"Beibei seniors take the master here to stay away, just leave it to me to deal with here."

As the voice sounded, the darkness surged like ink, and little by little it flowed to the front.

I only hear his voice, but I don't see his people.

Only the darkness that seemed to be like a substance occupied all the sight in front of him.

The night was stunned, only to feel a cool air rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and the whole person was like an ice cellar, and his whole body was full of cold to the bone.

Another voice sounded in the darkness, "I'm interested in you husband and wife, and I want to ask you two a few questions." ”

Ye Shu put his left arm behind his back and made a gesture covertly, with a smile on his face at the same time, "I wonder what Your Excellency wants to ask?" ”

Not far behind him, Chiluan didn't react, standing there motionless.

Ye Xi tried to maintain a smile, but her heart was very anxious, and her back was already dripping with cold sweat, soaking a large piece of clothing.

"Looking at Mr. and Mrs. Night's performance, it seems that they are not very willing to cooperate."

The darkness quietly dispersed, and Wei Tao slowly walked out of the wind and snow, "But you'd better figure it out, even if you don't want to cooperate, then you have to force yourself to cooperate, if you really can't force it, there is only a dead end left."

When I say that, you two should understand. ”

Ye Yu inhaled deeply, and then slowly exhaled, "Your Excellency, despite your questions, you will definitely know everything, and you will say everything......

Rumble!

He didn't finish a word.

The whole person swelled and grew rapidly.

Two diametrically opposed aura of power suddenly erupted from his body.

One is rigid and the other is soft, and it is distinct.

Ye Yao's left hand behind him trembled slightly, releasing a soft energy, and flew backwards with Chiluan.

Its speed is so fast that it is even comparable to the power of a grandmaster warrior.

On the right hand on the front, the muscles were exposed, and the Dao Dao was protruding, as if absorbing the flesh and blood of the entire upper body, and it skyrocketed to an extremely terrifying level in an instant.

Rumble!

At the moment when Chiluan flew up, Yeshu slapped his right hand forward.

Starting from the fingers, to the arm that swelled to the extreme, to the right half of the body, it exploded one after another without warning.

The majestic power and flesh and bones shot forward together, instantly enveloping all the space in front of him.

Wei Tao frowned slightly, and a little surprise flashed in his eyes.

He felt the violent and bloody power rushing towards his face, and he didn't retreat, didn't dodge, didn't dodge, and smashed forward with his fist.

Rumble!

In an instant, the wind and snow rolled up, and a large area of ruins and broken walls were swept away.

All the flesh and bones were crushed into slag and evenly spread on the ground, exuding a rich fishy sweet smell.

Wei Tao frowned slightly, and pulled out a few broken bones embedded in his fingers.

Then he slowly lowered his head, stared at the still dead half of the body in front of him, and sighed, "I gave you a chance to live, but unfortunately you had to throw it away." ”

"I can't betray Brahma."

Ye Shu gritted his teeth and smiled, "As long as Chiluan can go, even if I die, I will have no regrets." ”

Rumble!

At that moment, a rumbling thunder exploded in the distance.

Pass through the dark wind and snow.

"Even if you sacrifice your life, you want to save that woman."

Wei Tao gently rubbed away the little scraps on his hands and shook his head slowly, "It's a pity that she is a fool, she can't maintain a calm state of mind when danger comes, and she wasted all your scheming." ”

"Chiluan, she ......" Yeyu wanted to turn her head to look, but she couldn't move her neck.

"Don't worry, she has been caught up by Beibei, and it is impossible to leave."

The sparkle in Ye Yu's eyes gradually disappeared, and finally he stared at the only remaining eye, "His Royal Highness Huangchen will definitely avenge me, and I will wait in the Great Brahma to see how you fall into the Yellow Springs Underworld." ”

"Arachen, this is the second time I've heard this name."

Wei Tao exhaled lightly with a scorching breath, "Don't worry, when I see him, I will definitely send him down to accompany you, so that you can continue the unfinished friendship between master and servant." ”