Sui Zaihua took the two Kongtong disciples and walked into the depths of the night, but the fire candles in the vast darkness disturbed the vision, and the three of them disappeared into the darkness.

All the way forward, the wind and snow in the dark night did not stop at all, the sky was dark, and it was difficult to distinguish in all directions, this was indeed a danger that could not be survived by mortals, but the two pathfinder disciples were both six lives, their ears and eyes were clear, and their true qi kept out the cold, and it was indeed too low to fall if they stumbled.

When they turned back and could no longer see the spark in the camp, the trio saw the first mark they had left behind.

A huge dead tree, with two thick branches cut off and thrown on the ground, in a fork shape, very eye-catching. This is a symbol of the agreed stop, several people stepped forward, and sure enough, the bark of a tree as high as one person was violently removed, and the large and deep inscription was left on it:

"It's dark and snowy, and the road ahead is dangerous, so please set up camp here for a night. The big sky is narrower in the snow, we will go forward first, if we can't do it, we can go around this mountain in the west tomorrow morning. ”

It seems that these two experienced guide disciples are in line with the judgment of the convoy, and they also suggested that they stop in front of the Great Tianlan for the night, but they went forward first.

"Well, 'Da Tianlan' is extremely long and narrow, if you find that you can't move forward halfway, you can only turn back the way you came, so you have to go through the whole way before you can decide whether to enter the valley." The Kongtong disciple beside him breathed a sigh of relief, "The two senior brothers don't want to delay tomorrow's time, and plan to get the results after leaving tonight." ”

Sui Zaihua looked up: "This kind of weather is indeed at risk of avalanches, and the young man of your family is thoughtful and careful, and I really admire it." ”

The two hurriedly waved their hands and said with a lively smile: "Senior Brother Ge also likes to run mountains on weekdays, and he rushed to this errand - in our entire peak, only his shoes have been repeatedly broken, and the clothes makers are suspicious that he will take them out and sell them, and he will not send him new ones recently." ”

Another person learned in style: "I don't hesitate to do it, my mother can't run for three or five months, Xu Chao, write a letter to me, and let my mother send it to me!" ”

Sui Zaihua smiled, looked for a high branch and jumped up to look, the wind and snow were vast, and the two of them were nowhere to be seen. But when I looked down, there was another pair of footprints left next to this branch, which were not new or old, and they were indeed not Kongtong's standard boots.

Sui Zaihua jumped down and continued to move forward, arriving at the mouth of the Great Tianlan Valley, the snow on the huge rock next to him was completely wiped away, and someone left a Kongtong mountain talisman in his hand.

This is the meaning of reporting the whereabouts, and when I come back tomorrow morning, most of the results have already been written here, and several people have stopped here, intending to return here.

Sui Zaihua looked west: "If this road doesn't work, how can we go west?" ”

One person pointed down: "Go down through that shallow col, cut down a few trees in front, you can go up the West Mountain Path, it will be difficult to walk for about half an hour, and it will be good in the back - anyway, the two senior brothers will go to see it first, and draw a way out for us." ”

Sui Zaihua nodded, thanked them again for their hard work, and several people returned.

The snow stopped during the night, but when the light faded from dark to cold gray, the snow filled the mountains again.

The camp was busy, clearing the snow and packing up the bags, and another cow that had not been cared for froze to death.

"Master Qu! The porridge boiled last night was delicious, and today's labor is expensive! ”

The Grandmaster of the Mansion was joking in the midst of labor, and scolded with a smile at this time: "That's because Lord Qu added a full eight catties of his own jerky to you yesterday, don't you have to inch in!" ”

Qu Zhu smiled and walked over carrying a heavy silk bag, causing a cheer.

Under the performance of their duties, the whole convoy finally moved forward again in an orderly manner, and when Sui Zaihua came back from the front, Qu Zhu was already leaning on the ox cart.

"What are you doing, and I didn't catch up with the porridge." Qu Zhu handed over a strip of jerky.

"Ate two boxes of shortbread over there." Sui Zaihua waved his hand and got into the ox cart.

The carriage and horses swayed, and the two of them thought about things separately, more quietly than talking.

"What does the goshawk eat at this time?" Sui Zaihua looked at the black dots in the sky, which seemed to be the same as yesterday's.

"There's barely anything to eat." Qu Zhu raised his head and said, "Unless someone is cooking dried porridge down there." ”

Sui Zaihua smiled: "When you arrive in Fucheng, which official uniform does Brother Wuhui like?" ”

"It's all the same." Qu Zhu still raised his head and chuckled, "Being an official under an adult, staying up is to work hard for twenty or thirty years, and there is always a young supervisor of the Instrument Department." ”

Sui Zaihua always felt that the tone of this sentence was "that is, a young eunuch of the instrument department", he smiled: "Actually, it is not necessarily under the command of adults, your sword skills are exquisite, and the instrument array is also rare, seeing that you want to step into the Xuanmen, you can go to cultivation-related positions, and you also have a visible future." ”

Qu Candle glanced at him: "Seeing that you should be faster to step into the Xuanmen." This is the path that Brother Zaihua drew for himself, right? ”

Sui Zaihua nodded: "There is a subtle and necessary connection between the ceremonial platform, the sword cultivation academy, the instrument superintendent, and the immortal platform, and there is room to move upwards in this connection." ”

Qu Zhu smiled: "I won't take away people's favors." ”

It was almost noon during the conversation, the sky was still dark and unspeakable, and finally arrived at the mouth of Tianlan Valley, the convoy stopped again, and something was being discussed in front.

Sui Zaihua remembered yesterday's mark, got out of the car and walked over, the rock was indeed cleared of snow by Xinxin, the rock skin was worn off a layer, and yesterday's Kongtong mark was gone, and a "before" mark was engraved on it.

Obviously, the two leading disciples walked through this long valley last night and came back to carve a symbol that could move forward.

It's just that

"You walked to the front, didn't you see Senior Brother Ge?"

"No, there's just a symbol here, and I think it's probably going forward again."

In the choice of such a fork in the road, the two guiding disciples either haven't finished exploring and coming back, since they have finished exploring, they should wait here to explain the situation, not to mention that they haven't returned last night.

But there is really no half figure here, and the marks are very clear.

"I didn't leave a footprint."

"If there are footprints on this kind of snow, I will punish them for their light work when I go back—the snow is always falling, and the situation in the valley may change at any time, so I think they will continue to explore." Su Xuchun is the elder of Kongtong who led this time, "Xu Yuan, Zhao Feiyang, you go forward to chase after it, and if you catch them, you will replace them back, these two people should also be tired." ”

The two disciples took the order and left.

Su Xuchun turned around and said apologetically: "The disciples in the sect don't know the severity, and they can't stop as soon as they have a chance to perform, so I'll delay you." ”

"What's this! Let's just move forward. There was a strong man standing next to him, he was carrying a sword on his back, only a single coat in the snow, and his arms were exposed, it was the grandmaster Ji Changcun sent by the government, "Lord Yu, what do you think?" ”

The old man shook his head and smiled: "I'm a burden to everyone, I don't understand anything, Lord Ji and Deacon Su decided to do it." ”

In the end, some road matters are really nothing, if it weren't for the three leaders being polite to each other, there would not be even half an hour to stop here, and the convoy continued to move forward, Sui Zaihua subconsciously glanced to the west, and did not return, just followed in front.

The convoy was in the valley.

"Da Tianlan" is indeed a spectacle worthy of this name.

The extremely high canyon seems to be able to touch the sky, and the distance between the two cliffs is only twenty or thirty horses.

Looking up, a line of long sky hangs on it, if it is in a clear sky, it is like a line of blue waves.

It's a pity that at this time, the wind and snow were messy, and what could be seen clearly was really limited, so the convoy walked sparklingly, and after about two miles, I finally saw the next mark.

It is still a mountain talisman of Kongtong, engraved on the rocks that have swept away the snow, representing that the road ahead is smooth and the path is correct.

But Sui Zaihua paused a little here. After serving for a long time, and being in the same office as Qu Candle, it is inevitable that there are some attainments in the pen and ink - the subtle outline of this symbol is obviously different from the previous one.

However, it was indeed the two of them who explored the way, and Sui Zaihua didn't care too much, retracted his gaze and continued to move forward.

Only the wind and snow were left to cover it up little by little.

On this winter day twenty years ago, there were too many specious little anomalies in this convoy, but in such a disturbing wind and snow, too much chaos itself constituted a sense of security, everyone's senses were dulled, and the small things only passed in front of them, and no one cared.

Until an anomaly that had to be faced with it appeared in front of him.

At this time, the sky was getting dark again, and the Kongtong Sect people who were sent out to find the two guiding disciples never returned.

Ji Changcun smelled this dangerous aura first, and solemnly stopped the team here.

The liveliness of the two leading disciples was a minor episode in this errand trip, but the disappearance of the four disciples immediately touched his threshold of danger.

The man solemnly crossed his sword and cautiously observed his surroundings.

"What's wrong?" Yu Chaocai asked.

"There are some anomalies, don't worry - try not to show up." Ji Changcun said in a deep voice, "But please prepare the official seal, in case there is a change, please drip blood on it." ”

"Okay."

"Ran Ming!" Ji Changcun called his cronies, who were capable swordsmen, "You go forward to explore, whistle in five breaths, and turn back in three miles." ”

"Yes!"

"Deacon Su, tell your disciples to be vigilant."

"Okay." Su Xuchun nodded, still a little apologetic, "Don't worry too much, these people in this sect are really not sensitive to time."

This deacon really felt that his disciple was dizzy and misguided, and he was more ashamed than vigilant, after all, this was a vast and deep mountain for the team, but he always felt that he was still outside the door of his house.

Ji Changcun nodded without saying much, still looking up at the sky, and suddenly stared at a black dot circling.

At this moment, that Ran Ming swept up from the snow in front of him, stepped on the rocks protruding from the side cliff, doubled his body in turn, and disappeared into the wind and snow in front of him.

Sui Zaihua, who had been silent, suddenly stared in front of this scene, abandoned his horse and swept onto the stone.

For those who are on the snow, such a place is indeed an excellent place to exert force, even if it is subconscious, the person who travels will borrow it once. He lowered his head, and sure enough, there were old footprints on it.

However, Sui Zaihua's face was tense.

Except for Ran Ming and him, only a shallow trace was barely recognizable - two pairs of footprints, in the direction they came.

This morning, after the two disciples explored the long valley, they returned to the footprints of the valley mouth.

They returned to Taniguchi and laid the symbol. but did not enter the valley again.

And what made his heart and lungs tighten even more was that Sui Zaihua suddenly turned around and fell back into the team: "Where is the disciple of Kongtong?" Who knows what kind of boots the guiding disciple surnamed Ge is wearing? ”

There was a moment of silence in the team, and after a while, someone said: "My lord, he has always worn the shoes sent by his family on weekdays, but today he said that he would welcome distinguished guests. I borrowed a pair of boots to wear. ”

The footprints he saw in the treetops last night hit Sui Zaihua's brainstrings, and he grabbed Ji Changcun to explain the reason.

"I looked back, and I suspected that the two of them were going the other way."

"It's too dangerous." Su Xuchun's face turned slightly pale, "Stay together, I'll send a letter to Kongtong." ”

"We have to know what's going on." Sui Zaihua Road.

Ji Changcun nodded with his eyebrows, the long sword was already out of its sheath.

Sui Zaihua swept back.

The carriage and horse were no longer in sight, and in the wind and snow, Sui Zaihua's whole person was already tense. Under the snow, in the wind, on the cliffs, behind the rocks. He was on full alert to every place where people might be hiding, but nothing happened, as if everything was just their suspicions.

Finally he returned to Taniguchi, and he looked at the symbol again after grinding a layer and sure enough, it was the same as the handwriting carved two miles away.

Sui Zaihua immediately turned his head, to the west, the trees were faint in the col, and there was no trace of anyone.

Sui Zaihua swept down, and stopped at the first moment of entering the forest.

On the few trees in front of him, there was a fairly new sword mark, and not much snow had fallen into it.

It was not caused by a fight, but a passerby who marked a knife on it when passing by, Sui Zaihua looked ahead, cut down this row of trees, and could reach the flat road around the mountain in front.

Two guides. I chose this path.

Sui Zaihua pursed his lower lip, hesitated between turning back and moving forward, but continued to chase forward.

The footprints of two pairs of standard boots appeared in view.

It's not a trace of a vertical leap, but a standing, just when they just came out of this forest, their owners stood here on their toes for a while, Sui Zaihua raised his eyes to know why, two directions, one side is wider and the snow is thicker, the other side is close to the snow thin, Sui Zaihua looked along the footprints, they still chose the more secure former, carved a striking mark here.

But what really made Sui Zaihua grasp the hilt of the sword again was the back of the two pairs of footprints, and those footprints appeared here again.

The shades of old and new are the same as the two pairs in front. While the two disciples in front of him were discussing the route, he stood quietly behind them.

Sui Zaihua continued to follow the guidance, and this time he didn't go too long.

It was only after turning a col to make sure that the convoy passing from the other side would not be visible, and the two disciples turned into corpses.

They were half-buried in the snow, and the red blood melted the snow and seeped in, and in a very short time they were frozen back to ice crystals, and then the snow covered them, creating a hazy and vivid picture.

Sui Zaihua stepped up with his sword, his footsteps paused, and his body suddenly tensed.

A black robe quietly appeared in front of him, like a ghost in the chaos, and half of his face was revealed under the cloak, which was a brightly colored scene.

"That's the first time I've met someone from Happy Death Building." Sui Zaihua said, Wudong sat cross-legged on the side, bowing his head and writing a letterhead.

Sui Zaihua took a lot of effort to fight it.

Not only was his whereabouts secretive, he fought fiercely, but also mastered a true qi technique to resist fire, and the first time Sui Zaihua stabbed the sword into his throat, the flames rose and burned the corpse.

Sui Zaihua wiped the blood from his lips, the burned skin was not soothed in such weather, but more stinging, he immediately gritted his teeth and ran back, through the dense forest, over the mountain pass, and re-entering the valley The wind and snow were still whistling to cover his ears and eyes, but still behind the heavy snow curtain, the fresh smell of blood had poured into his nose.

After running a few steps, the agitated and agitated Zhenxuan Erqi in front of him was already pounced on his face, and Sui Zaihua rushed over quickly, a tragic scene.

Without the fierce conflict and confrontation he imagined, there were actually only three enemies.

The two of them were similar in strength to the one they had just fought by themselves, Su Xuchun struggled to resist one person, and the other person moved left and right among the Kongtong disciples, and each sword would bring up a bloody light.

And what made his heart sink the most was the black robe at the end.

Like a chick in the middle of a chick, Sui Zaihua could barely catch his movements, and wherever he passed, no matter how mortal cultivators passed, they fell like wheat—Ran Ming, the eight-life monk who stopped in his path, fell with the coachman beside him in a sweep, without causing the slightest wave.

Sui Zaihua knew before this scene that it didn't matter if he chose to come back or not, he could neither save anyone nor escape from this massacre.

But he still has to do what he has to do.

The Xuan array supported by the official seal had already enveloped the entire area, and on the other side, Ji Changcun was obviously proficient in transport, and he condensed the Xuan Qi sword to meet the black robe, but he was repelled several zhang in one punch. Sui Zaihua retracted his gaze, first killed one person with Su Xuchun of the Sword Association, and then turned around and went to the main tent that collapsed at the other end.

Lord Yu was hidden under an overturned carriage for the first time, and when Sui Zaihua rushed over, the blood-stained Qu Zhu was turning the cart up.

Sui Zaihua rushed over and knelt down, Yu Chaocai held a dagger and lay on the ground, pressing the official seal with one hand, the old man's body was shivering with cold, and when he saw the two of them, his face turned pale: "You guys run and separate, leave me alone." ”

The man's lips twitched as he knelt in front of him, wondering how things could suddenly turn out like this.

The officials of the imperial court, who went to work in their own territory, were next to Kongtong, who was thirty in front of the sword gate in the world, and they did not carry any secret treasures, nor did they get involved in anything.

In addition to Lord Yu's upright character

But they also prepared a letter of assistance that could be sent in time, and they took a temporarily changed route, and in such a vast expanse, who could lock them in this valley in just half a day!

The man gritted his teeth and raised his head, and a scene in the fight suddenly came into view.

Under the blessing of the official seal, Ji Chang stabbed out a dazzling sword, and the black robe was pounced on by Su Xuchun with his life, and was pierced into the chest and abdomen by a sword. With one successful move, this Mansion Grandmaster burst out with unimaginable power in the next few moves, and under the continuous attack, the black robe was stabbed three times in a row!

But the next moment, Ji Changcun covered his abdomen stiffly, and cold sweat trickled down from his forehead in an instant!

The man's heart and lungs contracted violently, and he suddenly clenched the hilt of the sword, but a cold sword had pierced his chest from behind, and with blood, it stabbed into the throat of the old man in front of him.

Two pairs of incredulous eyes were in one place, and the pair on the other side, which looked like a dead tree and an old pool, dimmed faster.

He slowly turned his head and looked at the man with the sword. In the darkness of the night, blood slowly trickled down his colleague's forehead, and he suddenly realized that this face was so unfamiliar.

(End of chapter)