Chapter 209 The Lost Jianghu (6200-word chapter, please vote for me!)
Author: Bachelor in White
Chapter 209 The Lost Jianghu (6200-word chapter, please vote for me!)
The three of them cursed each other as "the dog emperor".
But in fact, Zheng Xiu, Fan Yao, and Xie Yunliu all knew that the Daqian Dynasty was in turmoil, and this was the most correct thing for the new emperor to do.
There is nothing wrong with defending the country called Daqian at the minimum cost.
Even Fan Yao, Xie Yunliu, and a thousand soldiers heading west were all victims of this move.
After Zheng Xiu settled Xie Yunliu and more than a hundred soldiers in place.
Xie Yunliu later told Zheng Xiu that after he became General Pingxi, he had met Chu Chengfeng and Bai Xiaosheng.
Chu Chengfeng is no longer what he used to be. His words are domineering and his ambition to conquer the world cannot be concealed.
However, Bai Xiaosheng gave him a piece of news for free: the Northern Barbarians were colluding with the Shache Kingdom, and the Shache Kingdom was mobilizing its army and wanted to invade Dagan from the west. Dagan was in danger.
The "jianghu" that Xie Yunliu was familiar with had long existed in name only, and things and people had changed. After he and Bai Xiaosheng had a drink, they reunited with Fan Yao and embarked on the road of no return to the west.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
Every day, the sky is cloudless, the wind and sand are silent, the air in the distance is distorted, and the sun is hot.
Every time I take a breath, it feels like the air around me is filled with lead, stuffy and heavy.
The soldiers were walking around the town wearing only armor, and soon they were covered in hot sweat.
Many soldiers simply took off their armor, and under General Xie's military orders, assisted the Lieri tribe with only a hundred people, hoping to complete the feat of guarding the border.
Zheng Xiu, who was familiar with the desert climate, speculated that a sandstorm that was rare in several years was brewing in the desert.
One night.
After meal.
Zheng Xiu noticed that Fan Yao was missing, so he looked around for Fan Yao.
The lady pointed to the distance.
Under the bright moon, the silver light is shining. A lonely figure is raising a glass to the moon on the eaves.
At this time, Fan Yao no longer had the usual sullenness and confidence. Under the moonlight, he felt as if he had experienced the prosperity of the world and the tranquility of the heat.
For a moment, Zheng Xiu seemed to see the former monk in Fan Yao.
Ha~
Zheng Xiu shook his head and chuckled.
They are essentially the same person.
But, it cracked.
Zheng Xiu made a big hand out of sand. He stepped on it calmly, letting the sand support him, and climbed up to the roof easily.
Fan Yao drank a drink and listened to Zheng Xiu's footsteps on the mud tiles. Without looking back, he asked calmly: "Come to kill me?"
Zheng Xiu smiled: "We won't wait until now."
Fan Yao nodded calmly: "Yes."
Zheng Xiu sat next to Fan Yao, "Can I ask something?"
"It's better...to ask another question."
Fan Yao smiled slightly.
"Sure." Zheng Xiu agreed readily. He never suffered a loss and asked first, "What kind of place is the incomplete building?"
Fan Yao turned around and glanced at Zheng Xiu. He was very curious as to why Zheng Xiu would ask a question about the outside world in this ghost place where hypocrisy is hard to distinguish. Fan Yao didn't seem to want to hide anything now. He paused for a moment and replied: " A place where countless poor people gather."
Zheng Xiu frowned. Fan Yao didn't seem to be going to use this casual answer and continued: "You should know Ye Weiyang, the Night Lord?"
Zheng Xiu nodded.
"Under the palace, there is a huge secret room, which once contained many... gifted people. In order to 'sew' new crow farmers, the Night Lord, there, we just used it to piece together the 'crow keeper' The flesh and blood of the arakkoa, nothing more."
"Sewing?"
"Well, the corpse stitcher's unique thaumaturgy can be used to sew up corpses, but he used it on each living person. Twenty years... oh, I should say about two hundred years later, during the war, the corpse stitcher
There are countless craftsmen. After sewing, the remaining 'us' become incomplete people. But the funny thing is that this kind of 'incompleteness' allowed us to glimpse a new door after escaping from that place, which is independence.
A small path beyond the main road - a side door."
"So that's it." Zheng Xiu was shocked and suddenly realized. He finally understood why the disabled building was full of disabled people. It turned out to be this reason.
"But why did the Night Lord sew a 'crowman'?"
Fan Yao smiled slightly but did not answer.
Zheng Xiu was stunned for a moment, then shut up and stretched out his hand to signal: "Please."
Fan Yao thought for a while: "Based on the magical skills you have performed, you are indeed a 'painter'? But I have met several world-famous painters. With all due respect, you are definitely not any of them I have met.
"
"Is this a question?"
"Calculate."
Zheng Xiu replied: "Now I am indeed a painter, but I am unknown."
"That's it." Fan Yao was satisfied with the answer, nodded, and took the initiative to answer Zheng Xiu's second question: "I don't know why the Night Lord is obsessed with sewing a 'crow-raiser', but the first crow-raiser is still
Living in a dilapidated building, he cannot speak or understand human language, just like a real...crow. In my personal opinion, the existence of the 'crow farmer' is to raise more for him.
The raven, the raven, is the 'eye' of the Night Lord."
Eye?
Zheng Xiu subconsciously glanced in the direction of Sunset Mountain.
The Lord of the Night is Zhu, and Zhu is the sun chaser. He lived many years ago, and he saw the "scorching sun" at the end of his chase. What does he need so many "eyes" for?
Zheng Xiu and Fan Yao then asked and answered questions even more quickly.
Zheng Xiu: "Are you an ascetic?"
Fan Yao: "Yes. Who are you?"
Zheng Xiu: "An ordinary small wealthy businessman, not worth mentioning. Who is your poster?"
Fan Yao: "Hey, Wei Chen. Do you know my inner demon?"
Zheng Xiu: "Well, I don't know. My friend, how can I unravel the magic of the crow farmer?"
Fan Yao: "Eating the eyes of a crow-keeper who has not lost his sight can cure the 'death spell', provided that the person who is affected by the spell has not completely died. Oh? You were hit?"
Zheng Xiu: "...it didn't hit the target completely. What magic technique did you use to catch Xie Luohe's arrow?"
Fan Yao: "Oh. It's not thaumaturgy, but the real martial arts of Lou Mengkong, the Yin and Yang Reversal Sutra. To learn this skill, you must first go to the palace. Do you want to learn it?"
Zheng Xiu: "Not interested. You know the situation here, why did you take so much trouble to destroy the 'Wulin'?"
Fan Yao: "I'm looking for you. Bai Xiaosheng didn't want to tell me, and he refused to tell me whether he was alive or dead, so I told him. If he didn't tell me for a day, I would kill a martial artist. Gradually, no one among the people dared to claim to be a martial artist.
Man, that's ridiculous. Do you still want to go out?"
The quick Q&A between the two came to an abrupt end.
Zheng Xiu opened his mouth, but fell silent for a moment.
He hesitated.
"I understand." Fan Yao smiled helplessly: "In ten years, I have lost my original intention."
Zheng Xiu turned his head and looked in the direction of "home".
There is a home there, with a bed, a table, a chair, a well, a cat, and... his wife.
Fan Yao stood up, faced the bright moon, turned his back to Zheng Xiu, and said softly: "Five years ago, I was still looking for you, wanting to ask you if you knew how to escape. But one day, Fan suddenly woke up, and here Fan
I have lived for fifty years. Fifty years have gone by in a blink of an eye. Things and people around me have changed. Everything in the past has gradually become strange and indifferent. What is true? What is false? I can no longer remember. I am Fan Yao after all.
, or Lou Mengkong. Life is short, how many fifty years are there? I have lived here as Lou Mengkong for a lifetime, enjoying all the glory, wealth, delicacies, and no regrets. It’s true, so why not?
Why fear?"
"And you,"
Lou Mengkong gave a long laugh, and floated away into the distance like a wild goose. His voice came back: "How can you be sure that you are Gongsun Mo, or who you think you are?"
"The time of life, the wonderful play in the pavilions, is it a big dream or a vain one?"
"Since I have lived here for fifty years, what's the harm in living my whole life as a dream of the building?"
When Zheng Xiu returned home, the house was dark.
Two eerie green eyes stared at him in the darkness.
"Meow~"
With a meow, Xie Luohe, who was hiding behind the door, hugged Zheng Xiu from behind.
"What did you say?"
Xie Luohe asked.
"Can't you hear me?"
Xie Luohe was silent for a moment and shook his head: "I don't want to hear it."
"He said that everything before him was just a big dream. But I couldn't believe him."
Zheng Xiu smiled.
Xie Luohe's embrace suddenly tightened, and she saw through her husband's thoughts.
Zheng Xiu paused for a moment, knowing that his thoughts could not be hidden from his wife, so he sighed softly: "Even so, I will accompany you to the end of this dream."
"Yeah." Xie Luohe smiled in the darkness: "Okay."
Ten days later.
"Coming."
To the west of Richan Valley, beyond the horizon, the black army formed a line between heaven and earth, pressing towards Richan Valley in a mighty manner, stretching as far as the eye can see.
When Ri Ding spread the news throughout the tribe, the Lie Sun tribe was filled with sorrow.
It is roughly estimated that after one month, the ambitious "Brake King" gathered an army of thirty-six countries, numbering tens of thousands.
"Obviously, a certain death situation."
Fan Yao said firmly.
Zheng Xiu shook his head: "Not necessarily. The path of Richan Valley is narrow and can only accommodate ten people shoulder to shoulder. No matter how many there are, we will stick to the entrance of the valley and fight with a bow formation. With the help of the terrain, we should be able to withstand one or two. If this is not possible, we will retreat into the desert.
With the Lie Sun Tribe’s familiarity with the desert, they may not be able to devour an army of ten thousand people.”
Xie Yunliu shook his head with a grimace: "Brother-in-law, you have never been on the battlefield, so you don't know how terrifying an army of ten thousand people is. Just defend the mouth of the valley. In the open area of the desert, the fine sand is weak, and the camels here are weak. They are no better than the war camels in the Western Regions."
He caught up with me in no time. The army of ten thousand people rode on war camels and charged forward. Even if my archery skills are incredible, I couldn't stop the might of the army of ten thousand people."
Xie Luohe said nothing.
Ri Di gritted his teeth: "We will defend Ri Chan Valley! Boss Mo, Mr. Xie, when it comes time to stop us, you two can escape back to the Central Plains on camels. There is no need to worry about us!"
Zheng Xiu was stunned. Listening to Ri Di's tone, he was obviously mentally prepared to live and die with Ri Chan Valley. But he couldn't figure out why Ri Di was so stubborn and would rather die with the whole clan than retreat to the Central Plains.
"Why?"
Ri Di showed a difficult smile: "This is our root!"
After discussion, Japan and Earth began to prepare for the war before the Western Region army attacked.
…
An army of ten thousand people entered Richan Town three days later.
The leader was not Aturu, but a strange general. He first used rockets dipped in boiling oil to shoot randomly at Sun Cicada Valley from a distance.
A wave of rockets came down, forcing Zheng Xiu and others to hide behind rocks.
But everyone in the Rieyang tribe has mastered Xie's bow skills, and arrows can turn. Strange arrows were shot from Sunchan Valley, but they were all blocked by the strange "fan shield" of the Western Region.
Xiaofeng Miao shivered and stood on Xie Luohe's shoulder. Xie Luohe held a long bow in his hand and bit his lower lip without taking any action.
Xie Yunliu, wearing iron armor, stood in a military formation with a hundred troops and guarded the valley. It was difficult to stand still.
Zheng Xiu cut his wrist, blood gushed out, and he drew countless ghosts directly on the rock wall.
"Monsters, demons...soul-capturing!"
The moment Zheng Xiu completed the painting, countless illusory ghosts roared and swarmed into the army. The color of the sky and the earth changed in an instant. Tens of thousands of people in the army of the Western Regions were shocked to look at the sky at the same time. The sad ghosts passed through their bodies, and those who had been tricked fell down one after another.
Seeing this, Fan Yao's eyes flashed with light.
"Sorcery! Sorcery! He knows sorcery!"
Some people in the army in the Western Regions were trembling with fear.
Zheng Xiu used this hand to take away a small piece in the blink of an eye. Seeing this, the generals of the Western Regions waved their flags and the army retreated.
"Win...win?"
Sun and Earth were shocked.
"No." Zheng Xiu's face turned pale and he stared into the distance. He saw that the retreating Western Region army had not completely retreated. Instead, they stood up their shields in the dilapidated town and maintained their formation, defending but not attacking.
After a long stalemate, at dusk, Xie Yunliu finally couldn't bear it anymore and launched a charge.
"kill!"
However, the camels under their command were only used for daily transportation and were not used on the battlefield. Seeing Xie Luohe launching a charge, the opposite side waved the flag again, and the rumble of war drums sounded. The frightened camels suddenly refused to obey orders and disrupted the formation of the hundred-man divine warrior army.
After disrupting the camels, he fired a hail of arrows at the hundred-man army facing Xie Yunliu. Xie Yunliu gritted his teeth and flew up, with a long sword like a dragon in the air. The air flow rolled up and hit a wave. His heroic posture was comparable to that of Xie Luohe who was attacking with all his strength.
However, even though Xie Yunliu was so brave, he could not withstand the rain of arrows by himself. During the retreat, six people were killed and more than ten injured, and the hundred-man army retreated into the valley in dejection.
After the army of the Western Regions was stationed in Richan Town, they were not in a hurry to attack. The opposing generals seemed to know that the terrain of Richan Valley was dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack.
However, the empty streets of the town are very suitable for large armies to attack. Xie Yunliu's army of a hundred people lost their mounts, and the infantry could not play a big role on the battlefield where the enemy's formation was stable, and they could only stay in the valley in a dilemma.
There was a moment of stalemate.
This stalemate lasted another ten days.
Sunrise and sunset.
Since yesterday, thick gray clouds have been floating far outside the desert, as if there is a huge lid over the desert, pressing down on the sky.
The Lie Sun Tribe is now clearly facing two problems.
First, the desert wind and sand are coming. Normally, Sun Cicada Valley serves as a natural barrier, so they are naturally not afraid of wind and sand. But once Ri Cicada Valley is breached, and a sandstorm hits behind them, they really have no way out.
The second is supplies. In terms of water sources, although they can send people to the nearest oasis to replenish them, in terms of food, they are already stretched thin and it is difficult to continue to maintain it.
The Western Region Army sent troops to harass from time to time. Once the resistance from the Lie Sun tribe became fierce, they immediately retreated and never hesitated to fight. Now this war has fallen into a strange situation. The side with fewer people would rather die than surrender, while the side with more people is extremely cowardly.
"They want to kill us."
While keeping an eye on the movements of the Western Region Army, Xie Yunliu expressed his thoughts with a straight face during the night discussion.
Zheng Xiu, Sun Di, Xie Luohe and Fan Yao looked at each other.
At the same time, he looked at Xie Yunliu in surprise.
Fan Yao was surprised: "You... just saw it?"
Zheng Xiu was helpless: "Isn't it obvious?"
Xie Luohe was a little depressed: "They seem to be waiting for something."
Since the beginning of the war, Xie Luohe has not fired an arrow, for some unknown reason. He has always been taciturn, which is completely different from usual. Now he suddenly spoke, Zheng Xiu seemed to be inspired, and thought of a possibility: "Waiting for Atulu?"
Ridi asked in confusion: "He's not dead yet?"
Fan Yao asked: "Atulu? Who?"
Zheng Xiu twirled his beard and murmured to himself: "What are you waiting for him to do? No, it's very possible. Arturu said at that time 'the reincarnation of the Buddha', and it seems that people in the Western Regions call 'foreigners' the 'reincarnation of the Buddha'.
If Tulu is still alive, he will naturally know the power of the aliens. Their goal is not just Sun Chan Valley. They want to break through this place at the minimum cost and go straight into the Central Plains. After all, after Sun Chan Valley, they still have to face boundless enemies.
The desert, as well as the stubborn resistance that the Central Plains may encounter. If I were the King of Brakes, I would also find a way to win this place at the minimum cost."
When Fan Yao heard this, although Zheng Xiu didn't answer, he roughly knew that Artulu should be a stranger from the Western Regions. He had met Zheng Xiu and his wife, and he was probably disabled. Thinking of this,
Fan Yao showed a strange smile: "Using strangers to deal with strangers? Ha, it is very possible."
Several people looked at each other, and the more they thought about it, the more likely it was. But for a while, they couldn't think of a way to deal with it.
Either retreat or fight, but both will lead to a narrow escape.
Another ten days passed.
Ridi ordered people to cook several pots of leaf soup in the back, with a few thin slices of meat floating in it.
The gray clouds in the distance of the desert are closer.
The wind and sand were moving in the direction of Richan Valley.
There is still a stalemate inside and outside the valley, and both sides are hurting each other. If things continue like this, it will only be a matter of time before the Lie Sun tribe is exterminated.
But on the tenth day, something changed.
As if being chased by wind and sand, the group of people came from the Central Plains and arrived here.
Nowadays, the Lie Sun tribe is in turmoil. Sun Di and others immediately noticed that there was another strange team coming from the Central Plains and crossing the desert.
There were about a few hundred people in the team, walking on the backs of camels at the front with flags flying.
The flag has the word "Chu" written on it.
"Hahaha!"
When Xie Yunliu saw the flag, he twisted his bare head hard, chewed leaves in his mouth, cried and jumped on the spot, and waved to the distance.
"Lao Chu! Lao Chu! It's Lao Chu!"
After a while, the team crossing the desert arrived at the mouth of the valley in the east.
The first person lifted up his cloak. His dark skin was full of dust, his thick beard was twisted into a knot, and his dry hair was as messy as a chicken coop. Underneath his tired look, he had a pair of resolute and bright eyes.
At this moment, Chu Chengfeng still has the demeanor of the "Third Young Master" back then, looking like a beggar on the street.
Chu Chengfeng grinned, got off the camel, looked around at everyone, first hugged Xie Yunliu tightly, and then saw Zheng Xiu, his expression was stunned. He patted Xie Yunliu's bald head angrily, and said angrily: "Why didn't you tell me that Brother Gongsun was there?
here?"
Xie Yunliu said sheepishly: "This is a secret. We can't betray my brother-in-law, can we?"
"You fucking treat me like an outsider. If I had known it, I wouldn't have come!" Chu Chengfeng kicked Xie Yunliu away. He wanted to hug his brother Gongsun, who had been away for more than ten years, but Xie Luohe stood aside silently, his eyes calm.
Chu Chengfeng suddenly stopped, rolled his eyes, and held his hands towards Xie Luohe and Zheng Xiugong.
"This commander... ahem, I won't change my name or surname in the lower line. The third young master of Plum Blossom Villa, the weapon chart ranking... Bah! There is no weapon chart for a long time. However, it is still known as 'Looking for blue falls in the world, a little plum on the Cangshan Mountain'
...Chu Chengfeng. How have you been all these years?"
These words suddenly reminded Zheng Xiu of the first time he met Chu Chengfeng.
After Chu Chengfeng, the group of people got off their camels and took off their cloaks.
There were actually many faces that Zheng Xiu was familiar with. Many of them, Zheng Xiu could not name, had met once at the martial arts competition in Dugu Villa.
Xiao Qinshou, who was also a prisoner, Chu Chengfeng's wife Wen Shishan, several knights who were beaten by Zheng Xiu in the martial arts competition, and the Iron Lady who used scissors on Zheng Xiu but was scissored from behind, and others who competed in light kung fu on the mountain road.
Brother Ximen and Brother Gu.
The Iron Lady has now put up her hair into a woman's bun. Looking at Xie Luohe and Zheng Xiu who looked like a couple of gods, she first showed regret and then smiled with relief. That scissor kick ten years ago silently left a faint trace in her heart.
The silhouette has been hidden for ten years, and now it is gone.
"Long time no see, brother Gongsun! You are really blessed!"
A little old man who was fatter than he was ten years ago and had white hair and beard suddenly jumped over and smiled slyly at Zheng Xiu, who was staring blankly.
"Jiang, Fatty Jiang."
Zheng Xiu didn't know them, but they knew Zheng Xiu.
Back then, Zheng Xiu participated in the martial arts competition with the vest of "Xiao Buping" and left a deep impression on them. Not to mention the invincible Xie Luohe.
"You're welcome and safe."
"Hey! This is a good meeting, and we are very happy. Today we meet in the world, let's have a drink and have a good time!"
"Ahem, Qingshan will not change... No, what should I say?"
"Hahaha! We have such a great country, how can we let this group of outsiders ruin it!"
“It’s been hot for half a month, and it’s finally cool here!”
The knights exchanged pleasantries one after another, saying the polite words that were popular in the arena back then. But now they are a little unfamiliar. Some people couldn't help but laugh out loud as they talked, as if they remembered the young people ten years ago.
Own.
The knights of the past have long since retired to the mountains and forests, and now they are full of the smoke and fire of the world. Some have become cooks, some are farmers, some have white hair, and some have become women.
They once dominated the martial arts world, but after they retired, they did not care about worldly affairs.
The imperial court was unfair to them, and the secret factory destroyed the martial arts world.
First, Zheng Xiu and Xie Luohe lived in seclusion here. Xie Yunliu came here because of his old sister. Chu Chengfeng rushed to the desert because of his relationship with Xie Yunliu. Bai Xiaosheng was worried about his old friend and relied on his own connections to gather the old masters in the world.
Together.
The last person walking silently in the team took off his bamboo hat, revealing a pale face.
Under the shabby cloak, he still wore a light blue gown, and a black scabbard hung on his waist. The man's hair was messy and casual, and there were two twisted fonts on his face like birthmarks.
"Cheng Xiao!"
With a pale face and a black scabbard, Cheng Xiao was the same as before. However, there were more words on his face and more wrinkles between his eyebrows. And his eyes were no longer empty and lifeless. When he saw Zheng Xiu, he smiled slightly, always feeling that Zheng Xiu
Xiu and Xie Luohe looked particularly friendly.
Without waiting for Zheng Xiu to ask, Cheng Xiao took the initiative and said: "My great revenge has been avenged. I will have no regrets in this life, so I will come to the desert to meet my old friends."
There were not many grudges or grudges. A simple thought brought Cheng Xiao here, free and easy.
Now in the desert, this group of knights who had aged and lost their grace reminded Zheng Xiu of a word.
——"Jianghu".
Although the world is small, there are always people there.
"hehe."
Deep in the crowd.
Fan Yao looked at the lively crowd, smiled low-key, looked pleased, and whispered.