In the darkness, Han Zhan put down his feet on Qi Tai's desk and said lazily: "I don't think you should take out your thirty-cent jar of sour wine and show it to your eyes. Why don't you stay in the kitchen to cook or give it to flowers?"

The craftsman watered the flowers. When I came here, I brought a jar of wine from Huiquanfang. If you want to drink, just drink this." After saying that, he put the jar of wine in front of Qi Tai. When two bowls came, he drank one bowl first and wiped it.

Wiping the corner of his mouth, he praised: "Good wine!" Then he asked with satisfaction: "Didn't you come to me with winks at the East Palace just for a drink? Tell me, what's the matter?"

Qi Tai did not answer Han Zhan's question immediately, but poured Han Zhan down and drank the wine in one breath, then filled up the two bowls, and then said: "There is a word often mentioned in our Confucianism - loyalty, how can you

understand?"

"That's not simple. Be loyal to the emperor and the court!"

"Okay, so now the emperor wants you to kill me, what will you do?" Qi Tai asked.

Han Zhan looked at Qi Tai carefully for a long time and then said: "You won't do anything, right? Test my tone in advance? I will definitely find a way to save you."

"So you are not loyal to the emperor and the court, you are loyal to your friends, and your loyalty is your righteousness. In fact, there are two types of people who are loyal to the court, one is sincere, and the other is actually just for themselves. To put it bluntly

The only thing is to be loyal to yourself." Han Zhan was confused after listening to Qi Tai's long speech, and he said after a while: "Just say what you want to ask, don't beat around the bush!"

Qi Tai smiled and said: "Is Liu Jiaqi not dead?"

"yes!"

"Why didn't you report me?"

"I'm afraid that if you report this to the emperor, you will end up cheating the princess and your friends."

Qi Tai handed the wine bowl to Han Zhan and said: "Since you are loyal to me, you should trust me. To tell you the truth, I am loyal to the future emperor Zhu Yunwen, not the current emperor, although there seems to be no difference between the two at present.

.It’s just that Zhu Yunwen has no opinion and is cowardly, but he needs my help. If I report the princess, it will be detrimental to him. Besides, Shen Zhuixing and Chen Tianding are the people I want to win over."

"Not only can I use Chen Tianding to contain King Xiang, I can also use him to contain Wulin Baidao. Today, Baidao has been controlled by the Loyalty Alliance, and the leader of the Loyalty Alliance is the Divine Sword Sect."

Han Zhan asked in confusion: "Isn't the Divine Sword Sect a member of the emperor?"

"Yes, but the Shenjian Sect is not the prince's people, nor our people. The most important thing about hiring people is that you can only use people who are loyal to you or loyal to some common ideals. The most important thing you can't use is the kind of people who are only loyal to yourself."

Han Zhan nodded and said: "Well, I have learned a lot! What type of person is Shen Zhuixing?"

"He is the kind of person who is loyal to his feelings and ideals, so I want you to win him over and use him for our use. This person will have great influence in the martial arts or the court in the future. That is a story for later, but it is just for now.

There is a matter that needs his help to investigate and resolve."

Han Zhan said: "Master Qi, you have so many talented people, do you still need to find an outsider to help you?"

Qitai explained: "Do you still remember the half-dead Japanese pirate you brought back from the seaside last time?"

"You mean that Japanese pirate named Yokono?"

"Yes, it was him. Before he died, he confessed a plan he overheard, the Cuckoo Plan. This plan has been implemented for many years. Japan has placed many people at various levels in our Ming Dynasty, in the marketplace and in the martial arts.

, especially in the officialdom. So our people can’t investigate because I don’t have many people I can trust. Even if there are, for example, if I ask you to investigate, the other party will know as long as you mobilize official resources. These spies planted by the other party have infiltrated China since they were young.

Therefore it cannot be traced."

Han Zhan nodded and said: "That's the truth, but I can't find him, and I can't go to Dongting to ask Chen Tianding, right? Besides, I still have to protect the princess."

"You don't have to look for him, he will look for you!"

Han Zhan said: "What's the plan?"

"Lan Yue! Because Lan Yue is still in prison."

"Are these two unrelated people related?"

"It's related, and it's very deep. The person who failed in the last prison robbery attempt and killed countless Divine Sword Sect disciples and Yulin Guards with a Longyuan Sword was Shen Zhuixing."

After hearing this, Han Zhan opened his mouth for a long time and did not close it: "Master Qi, if you don't report such important information to the emperor, you have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and will bring disaster to the whole family!"

Qi Tai patiently enlightened Han Zhan: "That's why I redefined the word 'loyalty'. It's just that mechanical reporting without considering the consequences is 'foolish loyalty'. It harms others and oneself, which is the most undesirable."

"Then Master Qi, what you are doing now is 'zhizhong'?"

Qi Tai waved his hand: "We've gone too far, back to the topic. Shen Zhuixing will definitely ask the princess to ask the princess through you to find out how the court will deal with Lan Yue. In front of him in Tianlao, he definitely has no choice, but once he leaves, it will be different. With his martial arts skills and connections, he might be able to succeed."

"But once Lan Yue is rescued, the emperor will definitely conduct a strict investigation, and then there will be another bloody storm."

Qi Tai sneered: "As far as I know, Lan Yue is just a living dead man now, and the emperor won't care if he is rescued. But you don't need to tell Shen Zhuixing about it. Of course, you will still save him if you tell him." of."

"What should I do then?"

"I will find ways to find out the news recently and will tell you when the time comes. You can help him at the appropriate time to gain his trust so that you can use it for me."

Dongting Lake, Junshan Island. Late at night.

Shen Zhuixing, who couldn't sleep at night, stood by the lake and looked up at the stars for a long time. Hearing the rustling footsteps behind him, Shen Zhuixing didn't need to look back to recognize that it was Linglong'er.

"Today is a happy day for your good friend, the young leader of the Dongting Clan. Why are you not in a high mood?" Linglong'er asked slowly.

"Look, the brightest one is the North Star, and the spoon-shaped one not far away is the Big Dipper. I didn't move at all before, but it was the Blue Moon that taught me a lot of things, and it was also he who gave me a new understanding of life. I hope that the more joyful I am now, the more I will think of him. Am I an inappropriate person?"

"No, you are a friend and lover worth cherishing for a lifetime!" The last two words sounded like flies and were almost inaudible.

Shen Zhui

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Linglong'er responded.

"On the occasion of Brother Tianding's wedding, it's not appropriate to disturb him. How about we go out quietly tonight?"

Linglonger smiled, held the bundle in both hands and said, "Yes. I have packed everything. I am just waiting for your words!"

Shen Zhuixing was moved when he saw it and said, "I'm so lucky to have such a caring friend like you!"

Linglong'er had a bitter expression on her face after hearing this.

The two of them found the helpers who were guarding the island and sent them to the shore in a small boat. At the same time, Linglong'er took out the letter that she had prepared and ordered it to be delivered to Chen Tianding. Shen Zhuixing was heartbroken when he saw that Linglong'er was so attentive and considerate and had made all the arrangements. .

It was the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, and the weather was neither cold nor hot. The moon was shining brightly on this night, and Shen Zhuixing was holding a torch and walking on the mountain trail. The two of them talked and laughed, and they were in a good mood. They had walked this trail during the day before. Once, I expected to be able to walk on the main road at dawn. There was a mule and horse inn on the official road not far away, where I could not only rest, but also buy horses to travel.

After walking a little further, the two of them had entered the mountainous area. At this time, the originally bright starry sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds, suddenly dim, and the night was deep. After walking a little further, a heavy fog drifted in front of them. Although they had a torch in their hand, they could not see Not too far away. At this moment, the sound of ringing bells came from the depths of the distant mist. Linglong'er was very curious. When Shen Zhuixing heard this, he hurriedly pulled Linglong'er aside and told her not to go out. If you are afraid of the sound, it is best to close your eyes.

Linglong'er was very curious, why did she close her eyes, and even opened her eyes wide to watch.

I saw a person walking in front of me in the mist. I couldn't see his face clearly. He only saw a pair of straw sandals on his feet, a green cloth gown on his body, a black belt around his waist, a green cloth hat on his head, and a gong in his hand. There is a pack of talismans hidden in the waistband. He holds a small gong in his left hand and a soul-catching bell in his right hand. Behind him is a group of people who are most peculiar. They are tied to each other by straw ropes about every seven or eight feet, and their hands are straight forward without moving. The ground is stretched out, each person wears a tall blanket hat on their head, and there are several yellow papers with talismans written on their foreheads hanging down on their faces. The most peculiar thing is the way these people walk, with their legs and feet straight, jumping up and down. , but didn’t make a sound.

Linglong'er had never heard of such a scene, but when she saw the strange and terrifying behavior of this group of people, she leaned closely against Shen Zhuixing. It seemed that only the heat from Shen Zhuixing's body could drive away the yin energy.

It turns out that in the Chenxi, Yuanling, Luxi and Xupu areas of Xiangxi where Shen Zhuixing lived in seclusion in his early years, corpse exorcists from the Cult of Cult often used magic to exorcise corpses at midnight, bringing the corpses of people who died in foreign lands back to their hometowns and letting them be buried. An. Shen Zhuixing had only heard about it, but this was indeed the first time he saw it.

The most taboo thing when driving corpses is to encounter unexpected noises or strangers watching, which can easily lead to "shocked corpses" and "deceptive corpses". Therefore, corpse chasers will ring the "soul-catching bell" to warn night walkers to avoid early. But tonight's situation is special. , when Shen Zhuixing wanted to avoid it, he found that there was only one path, so he could only avoid it on the side.

Seeing such a group of gloomy "things" jumping and walking around, Linglong'er used to be fearless, but for some reason, she became more and more panicked, her heartbeat accelerated, and she seemed to be able to hear the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. Linglong'er hurriedly looked at Shen Zhuixing for help. Shen Zhuixing couldn't explain at this time. He just put his finger on his lips, made a silent gesture, and gave a comforting smile. Linglong'er then slowly Calm down.

At this time, when such a strange team had already jumped halfway, an accident happened!

Linglong'er noticed a chill on her left leg, and then the coolness seemed to be alive and wrapped around her legs to her waist. When it came to her eyes, a red letter appeared, and she made a slight "squeaking" sound. There was a noise. A long thing with a triangular head appeared in front of Linglong!
Chapter completed!