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The wind howled and the sand and dust filled the sky, and more than twenty huge black demon birds spread their wings and glided down the wind under the gloomy sky, and slowly descended towards the sky after a few circles.

On the inaccessible and desolate Gobi Desert, there stands a black cliff. There is a black stone castle at the top of the cliff, which seems to be connected to the high cliff at your feet.

The twenty or so black giant magic birds landed on a wide open field in the ancient castle, and the first to come down was an old man in a snow-white robe, and then more than 20 white-robed people, both old and young, male and female, jumped off the bird's back with the captives captured in the desert in the early hours of this morning.

Li Xiuning and Liu Wenjing walked side by side at the forefront, followed by eight or nine captives, including Lao Gou and the guards of the Tang Mission. Except for Liu Wenjing, who was a civil official, the others all had minor or serious injuries on their bodies, and those who did not appear in the group of captives had already returned to the desert and buried themselves in the sand.

Li Xiuning would involuntarily frown slightly with every step she took, her left rib was slashed by a knife, although it was bandaged with a simple dressing, as long as her body moved, she could still feel the piercing pain.

When the two sides were engaged, Li Xiuning had already learned through Tulip that it was the master of the Wuzang Gate who attacked the Tang Mission, and the leader was the white-robed old man Tang Ziwei, the hall master of the Dizang Palace.

The strength of the other party was too strong, and even with the help of Tulips, Old Dogs, Night Owls and others, the Datang Mission was still quickly defeated. Except for Tulip and Night Owl, who escaped by using the sand escape, the others were either killed or captured.

Li Xiuning originally thought that he and Liu Wenjing would definitely die, but who knew that Tang Ziwei was polite to them, not only did not kill the prisoners, but also ordered the people to hurry up and heal the people of the Tang Mission.

Probably for the convenience of movement, the people of Wuzangmen did not take away the horses of the Tang Mission, but only took the captives with the demon bird and quickly left the battlefield.

Along the way, Li Xiuning didn't have a chance to communicate with Liu Wenjing, and he didn't know whether Chai Shao was alive or dead. But as soon as he thought that he would do everything he could to hold Li Yifeng back and create an opportunity for the mission to escape, he knew that his husband was already very lucky.

If it weren't for the mission, if it weren't for the fact that she was the princess of the Tang Dynasty, she would have drawn her sword and killed herself, or she would not have left Chai Shao at all, leaving him alone to face the danger.

She endured her sorrow and followed Tang Ziwei slowly through a long and gloomy corridor.

Liu Wenjing and the others were isolated at the other end of the corridor, looking worriedly at Li Xiuning's delicate back and walking farther and farther.

At the end of the cloister are two closed black-lacquered gates, unguarded, and two wall lamps beside them, emitting a dim mist.

As the two stood at the end of the cloister, the two doors opened silently, blowing a cold wind from within.

The light inside was darker than that of the cloister, and all the scenery was hidden in the hazy darkness, as if it were a tomb that had not been opened for many years.

"Someone is waiting for you inside. Tang Ziwei went to the door and said to Li Xiuning, "Please come in." ”

Li Xiuning looked back, and could no longer see Liu Wenjing and the others. She turned her face to Tang Ziwei and bowed slightly, then adjusted her mood and calmly walked into the gloomy world behind the door.

She didn't know who the person behind the Daomen was, but it must be this person who kidnapped her and allowed her to live until now.

Chai Shao's life and death are uncertain, Liu Wenjing is on the other side of the corridor of dozens of zhang, and the fate of the mission and even the future of Datang will be borne by himself alone at this moment.

She raised her head and calmly stepped into the room. It was a huge stone chamber, with little decoration other than hundreds of pain-looking faces carved into the stone walls on all sides.

She was keenly aware that there was a strong violent and cold aura in this stone room, as if there were countless unjust souls floating silently in the darkness where they could not see their fingers.

Finally, at the far end of the stone room, Li Xiuning saw a black Dharma platform standing tall. The three-zhang high altar was empty, and only a stone seat was placed. The back of the stone seat is so high that it completely shrouds the person sitting upright in its shadow.

Li Xiuning's cultivation is not high, and over the years, she has helped her father, brother and husband to fight in the east and west, and the time for cultivation has become less and less, so her entry into the country is very limited. But the foundation she laid when she was young was still there, and her eyes stared slightly at the stone seat, which turned out to be an old woman with goosebumps.

Suddenly, the old woman's face disappeared into the darkness, and she could only see a vague outline of her face.

The two black doors behind Li Xiuning closed again, completely cutting off the light outside the stone room.

It was a completely enclosed stone room, perhaps more accustomed to sitting in the dark, with no lights in it.

"Your name is Li Xiuning, and you are Li Yuan's daughter?" her voice was a little sharp, and it sounded harsh and eerie in the dead silence of the stone room.

"I am. Li Xiuning stood slim under the Dharma platform, and her figure looked very small compared to the behemoth in front of her.

"I know what you're here for. The old woman spoke slowly, but with an unquestionable conceit and majesty, and said, "I can help you." ”

"What are you helping me for?" Li Xiuning's face did not show joy, the other party killed the guards of the mission, forced himself and the mission into a desperate situation, and uncharacteristically lured him to help, the purpose was obviously to obtain excess returns, and there must be a conspiracy hidden in it.

She didn't suspect that the old woman was talking about it, since the other party was able to drive Tang Ziwei, the master of the Dizang Hall without a hidden gate, it was not surprising that he could call for wind and rain in the Turks.

"Because I need a commitment from Li Yuan. The old woman replied: "You should be very aware of the current situation, Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande have joined forces, if the Turkic army goes south at the right time, Li Yuan will face a desperate situation of being attacked on his back." But I can persuade Jieli Khan not to help each other, and even contain Dou Jiande's soldiers and horses from the north if necessary, so that he cannot do his best to rescue Wang Shichong. ”

Li Xiuning smiled slightly and said nothing, but there was a storm in his heart - who is this old woman?

"More than 30 years ago, when I was a yellow-haired girl, I was ordered by my father to marry Mobei and became the Khotun ...... of Qiming Khan."

As soon as the old woman said this, Li Xiuning's delicate body couldn't help but shock: "You are Princess Yicheng of the Great Sui?"

The stone room suddenly sounded the screaming laughter of an old woman like a night owl, like a cold and bone-chilling poisonous snake burrowing into Li Xiuning's ears for a long time.

"Princess Da Sui, Da Sui is dead, and now I am only the Kedun of Jieli Khan, the ancestor of the Hidden Sect. ”

Her laughter hid endless resentment and endless sadness, which made Li Xiuning shudder when she heard it.

"I want Li Yuan to promise to be a vassal to the Turks, to respect the old man as the mother of the Tang Dynasty, to make my nephew Yang Zhengdao the king of Sui, and to dedicate the land of Hebei and Shandong as a fief. ”

Princess Yicheng doesn't look like a normal person talking at all, and she is arrogant and demanding, as if Li Xiuning standing in front of her is not a princess of the Tang Dynasty, but one of her domestic slaves or maids.

Li Xiuning waited for her to finish, then slowly shook her head and said, "Since Her Royal Highness the Princess has long understood that the Great Sui is dead and the country cannot be restored, how can you expect my father to agree to your conditions?"

Princess Yicheng sneered: "Could it be that Li Yuan has forgotten that not long ago, Jieli Khan also raised 100,000 troops to reach the city of Chang'an?"

Li Xiuning replied without humility or arrogance: "I only remember that Jieli Khan and his brother Li Shimin made a bloody covenant on the banks of the Weishui River, and the Tang Turks were as close as a family and would never offend each other!"

Princess Yicheng chattered and laughed in the dark, and said, "Are you really naïve or fake? For a man who has the world in mind, the poisonous oath he has made is no different from the used piece of paper, and it is all something that is thrown away when he runs out!"

Li Xiuning said: "Although I am a woman, I also know the importance of the word Xinyi. The brothers of the generation of heroes are faithful and righteous, and Jieli Khan is the honor of a country, how can the covenant they make can be changed when they say it? Could it be that Her Royal Highness the princess thinks that the major events in the world are like a child's play in the boudoir of a woman's family, and she can do whatever she wants?

Princess Yicheng's eyes were fixed on Li Xiuning, but she saw the unyielding and stubbornness in the other party's expression.

She found that she hated Li Xiuning very much, and had the idea of gouging out the two eyeballs of this girl, but asked quietly: "This is your idea, it can't represent Li Yuan." ”

Li Xiuning smiled and did not argue. Now that the attitude has been expressed, the negotiations between the two sides have entered a dead end, and saying too much can only further provoke the other side.

No matter how difficult the situation may be, she must try to survive the humiliation and fight to meet the Khan.

"You can go. If there is a tacit understanding, Princess Yicheng obviously wants to end this conversation as well.

Li Xiuning saluted Princess Yicheng Yingying, who was perched on the stone seat, and turned to walk towards the closed black door.

Of course, all she could get out of was the two tomb gates in front of her, but she might never be able to get out of this castle again.

Princess Yicheng watched Li Xiuning walk out of the stone room, and the crazy and cold look on her face disappeared at once.

A person turned out from behind the tall stone seat and said slowly, "This is the expected result. ”

Princess Yicheng said lightly: "It's okay, there is also Liu Wenjing." He's a lot more sensible than this stupid girl. ”

The man shook his head and said, "Your Highness, you are playing with fire. I have just returned from the Central Plains and know the situation there very well. Whether it is Wang Shichong or Dou Jiande, they can't fight Li Yuan. Everyone in the world thought that Li Yuan was a pig, but he was lucky enough to give birth to a few wolf-like sons. But our ancestors have already told us......"

He smiled and said, "How can a tiger have a dog father? Li Yuan is a real generation of heroes! Even if he agrees to your conditions, he will definitely violate the yang and the yin." ”

Princess Yicheng said coldly: "I know your abacus, but no matter who it is, if you dare to sabotage my plan to restore the country, even if he is my son, he will be killed!"

"Your son...... Am I really your son?" The man standing in front of the stone seat smiled meaningfully, and said to Princess Yicheng: "When you dare to admit that I am your son in public, I will immediately go and kill Jieli, and make you the most noble and supreme woman in the desert and grassland." But I've been waiting for that day for a long time, haven't I, Mother?"

Princess Yicheng looked at the burly Turkic man with a purple-red face in front of her, and a smile suddenly appeared on the corner of her lips and said, "Be patient, you will wait until that day, my son." But first, you must promise me to marry her immediately!"