Wei Changtian put Xuantian Sword into its scabbard, opened the door and walked out of the room.
Chen Bo, who had been waiting outside, immediately came over and asked softly:
"Sir, is that death row prisoner already dead? This villain is so disturbing..."
"There's no rush yet."
Shaking his head, Wei Changtian interrupted: "Master Chen, you can find thirty...no, forty more death row prisoners."
"Forty?"
Chen Bo was a little shocked: "Master, you want so much..."
"how?"
Wei Changtian frowned: "Not that many?"
"Yes, there is..."
"Go and do it if you have it, and don't ask questions that shouldn't be asked."
"Yes! I'll do it now, sir!"
"Okay, I'll wait here."
"Sir, wait a moment! I will send the prisoner here in a quarter of an hour at most!"
Sensing Wei Changtian's displeasure, Chen Bo immediately left in a hurry, while the former still stood at the door of the darkroom, leaning against the wall and sighing softly.
"Boy, if I insist on asking for your longevity this time, would you be willing to give it to me?"
"Jie, Jie, Jie! But do you really mean it? You were not like this the last time I saw you."
"..."
What Remnant Soul said just now kept echoing in his mind, and Wei Changtian began to examine his answer again.
Trading his thirty-year lifespan for Li Wutong's safety...
Since when did you become so "selfless"?
If Remnant Soul was not just assuming, but actually proposed this condition, would he agree to it?
meeting?
Won't?
After calming down, Wei Changtian suddenly lost his determination and even felt that if he asked himself to answer again, he would probably give a different answer.
He scratched his head, his expression gradually becoming anxious.
In fact, this is just a very simple value judgment issue. The two sides of the equal sign are "my life span of thirty years" and "Li Wutong's life" respectively.
But such a simple judgment made Wei Changtian more and more confused the more he thought about it.
He is not looking for trouble.
Because as more and more people gather around him, he will be more likely to encounter similar choices in the future.
Unlike Xu Qingwan, who is the only one in the class, Li Wutong's status in his heart is basically the same as Yang Liushi, Lu Jingyao, Liang Qin, Chu Xianping and others.
Therefore, Wei Changtian needs to figure out the bottom line of what he can "pay" for these people.
After all, he still had time to think carefully this time, but there was no guarantee that next time he would have to make a decision in a split second.
Wei Changtian didn't want to regret it at that time, nor did he want to act impulsively, so he wanted to make a "plan" in advance... But this "red line" was too vague, and he could never find it clearly.
well......
He slowly exhaled a breath and shook his head helplessly.
Wei Changtian, who was thinking hard to no avail, was about to give up "self-torture", but at this moment he suddenly remembered the words of Lao Zhangtou——
If you can't see clearly, you can only trust your heart.
"Boom!!"
Like a thunderclap in his ears, at this moment, Wei Changtian suddenly understood Lao Zhangtou's intention.
Perhaps, I was too "rational" before.
Everything is measured by the value scale of "worth it or not", and any behavior is intended to maximize the so-called "benefits".
This way of thinking seems to be okay at first glance.
But what you need to know is that no one can really calculate every "account" clearly.
Are those things you think are “worthy” or “not worthy” really their true value?
"..."
Breathing gradually became rapid, and then slowly returned to steady.
Wei Changtian just stood upright, but his frowning brows finally relaxed.
Now he suddenly felt like——
That is, I will never hesitate or worry about similar things in the future.
Because only one's heart can trust the meaning of this sentence... He finally understood.
...
A quarter of an hour later.
Chen Bo led a few servants to escort forty death row prisoners into the dark room, and then watched the iron door in front of him slam shut.
"Sir, Mr. Wei, this is..."
A young jailer couldn't help but be curious and wanted to ask Wei Changtian what he wanted to do.
But before he could finish speaking, Chen Bo interrupted him directly:
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."
"Sir, please calm down, it's the villain who talks too much."
The jailer quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake: "I'm just worried about Mr. Wei's safety. After all, some of these death row prisoners are cultivators..."
"Okay, why are you so worried?"
Chen Bo glanced at him: "This group of trash, even if there are a hundred more of them, they won't be able to match Mr. Wei."
"Yes, yes, the villain knows his mistake."
The jailer did not dare to say anything more, and just asked in a low voice: "Sir, shall we wait here, or shall we come back later to take the prisoner back?"
"Take him back?"
Chen Bo glanced at the iron gate in front of him and shook his head thoughtfully.
"I'm afraid I won't have to take him back."
"Ah? Sir, what do you mean by this?"
"It's nothing, you can go, it's enough for me to stay here."
"yes......"
"..."
Just as the jailers hurriedly left outside the darkroom, there was an eerie silence inside the darkroom.
The pungent smell of blood filled the air, and forty corpses lay scattered on the ground, no longer alive.
There were no wounds on each corpse, but most of them had withered skin and pale hair. They looked completely different from when they came in.
Chen Bo's guess was correct. These forty death row prisoners did not need to be sent back.
You may even need to bring in a few more.
Because I don’t know if it’s because the health conditions of these death row inmates are generally poor, the remaining natural life span of the forty people in total is less than a thousand years.
"Senior, how much is left?"
Pushing aside a few corpses at will, Wei Changtian bent down and squatted in front of Xuantian Sword suspended in mid-air: "It should be almost done, right?"
"about there!"
After absorbing so much longevity energy at once, Remnant Soul's voice sounded very excited: "Nine hundred and ninety-six, four years to go!"
"Oh, I got it."
Wei Changtian curled his lips, stood up and prepared to ask Chen Bo to get another death row prisoner.
But at this moment, the harsh villain's classic laughter suddenly sounded behind him.
"Jie Jie Jie!"
"Boy, I want you to give me the last four years of longevity!"
"Um?"
Wei Changtian suddenly stopped and turned around, his expression turned cold for a moment: "Senior, do you want to go back on your word?"
"Jiejie, Jiejie! I have never been a gentleman!"
Canhun's tone seemed a little proud: "If you are not willing to give it, then we will give up what we agreed before!"
"What? It's only been four years, but you can't bear to do this?"
"..."
Staring at Xuantian Sword, Wei Changtian narrowed his eyes: "Then what if I give it to you but you still don't keep your promise?"
"You can rest assured, I'm not so shameless."
Canhun smiled and said: "Besides, the Xuantian Sword is in your hands now, and I still count on you... Well, in short, I will never lie to you this time!"
rely on me?
What do you need from me?
Naturally, Wei Changtian did not miss this part of the sentence, but he did not ask immediately. He just took a step closer and nodded calmly.
"Okay, then I'll give you these four years."
"Uh-huh?"
Wei Changtian easily agreed to the new conditions, but Remnant Soul seemed very surprised by his attitude.
"Boy, you, are you really willing?"
"certainly."
Wei Changtian casually pulled out the Shadow Leaking Sword: "Just use my blood to fill the lines on the sword, right?"
"..."
"never mind."
Canhun's voice was a little confused and a little discouraged: "I just wanted to try you again."
"It's only been four years, and I've treated you like a kid who has taken advantage of me."
"Okay, you don't want this."
Wei Changtian's expression remained calm, as if he really didn't care about his four-year lifespan.
"In that case, can senior give orders to Kui Long's people?"
"Okay, you can go out and come back after a stick of incense."
"good."
Wei Changtian knew that Canhun didn't want him to see how he sent the message, so he simply turned around and left the darkroom.
And shortly after he left, the lines on Xuantian Sword began to flash regularly.
Long, short, long, long...
Judging from the frequency of flickering, this method of communication is very similar to the "simple telegraph code" compiled by Wei Changtian himself. It is obvious that it is also a "telegraph code" that uses a combination of long and short signals to transmit information.
As such a mysterious and ancient organization, it is normal for Kuilong to have its own set of "communication codes".
After all, many major forces in this world have "secret codes" established using similar principles, and most of them are confidential. Without a "code comparison table", there is no possibility of deciphering them.
Therefore, even if Wei Changtian saw this scene with his own eyes, he would not know what it meant.
However, if he were a senior telegraph operator from his previous life in the 1990s, he might feel familiar.
Because the "coding" used by Kui Long was actually the "Chinese Chinese Character Standard Code" that was widely used at that time.
...
...
Half an hour later, Wei Changtian, who had gone in and out again, finally settled his worries.
Remnant Soul has already sent an order to five second-level masters affiliated with Kui Long, asking them to rush to Fengyuan immediately, and then quietly take Li Wutong to Shuzhou when the time is right.
The names of these five people were unknown. They didn't say where they were at the moment, and Wei Changtian didn't ask.
Anyway, as long as things can be done, it doesn't matter even if the other party is Li Huaizhong.
Of course, this is definitely impossible.
After all, members of the Kuilong Ban are involved in secular power struggles, so there is a high probability that these people are still "charlatans" like Wu Tianqing.
"..."
"Master Chen, please find a few reliable people to tidy up the inside."
Stepping outside, Wei Changtian said to Chen Bo casually: "Tell them, no matter what they see, they are not allowed to tell anyone."
"I understand."
Chen Bo looked confused, nodded, and then talked about another thing: "By the way, sir, someone came to the palace just now, saying that His Majesty wanted to see you."
"Huh? Have you ever told me why?"
"It is said that Dali's envoy quietly arrived in Shuzhou City today and is now in the palace."
Chen Bo answered truthfully: "Accompanying him are the chief assistant of Kuixing Academy and... Shen Ran."
Shen Ran almost single-handedly humiliated the entire Daning poetry circle at the Chunlong Poetry Festival half a year ago, so Chen Bo naturally knew about such a number one figure, and even knew that he had had a "confrontation" with Wei Changtian.
So now when this name is mentioned again, Chen Bo can't help but feel a little nervous.
However, Wei Changtian's reaction was somewhat beyond his expectation.
"Oh? Shen Ran is here too?"
Wei Changtian was just stunned for a moment, and seemed to have no other feelings except a little surprise: "Then why did your Majesty call me into the palace?"
"It seems that the chief assistant of Kuixing Academy wants to see you."
Chen Bo was afraid that Wei Changtian would not know the details of this person, so he immediately added: "Master, this person's name is Gui Pei'an. He is a second-grade scholar in literature and Taoism. It can be said that no one in Dali knows it. He is even known by Dali.
Daning was honored as a saint by many scribes from the Three Kingdoms."
Gui Pei'an, a second-grade scholar and a saint.
Remembering a few key pieces of information, Wei Changtian nodded.
"Okay, I get it."
"To put it simply, Gui Pei'an has a distinguished literary name, and his strength is second grade, right?"
"yes."
Chen Bo asked in a low voice: "Master, do you want to prepare a car to enter the palace?"
"Um."
Wei Changtian didn't hesitate much.
Although it can be expected that once he sees Gui Pei'an, he will most likely have to answer a bunch of confusing questions.
But since a second-grade saint has come all the way here, it would be too disrespectful to not see him.
More importantly, Wei Changtian also wanted to talk to Shen Ran.
Ning Yongnian and Bai Youheng, two sons of heaven, can "get" them together, so why not find a son of heaven as a helper... There's nothing wrong with that, right?
...
At dusk, Wei Changtian walked into the palace under the glow of the setting sun and went directly to Ning Yuke's study.
Although it is called a study, it is actually a large hall named "Fengming".
"The common people have met Your Majesty."
With a smile on his lips, Ning Yuke, who was sitting at the front, cupped his hands. Wei Changtian turned his head and looked at the people sitting on the left and right sides.
In addition to the two civil servants from Shu, there are three others left, who are undoubtedly Dali's "envoy group" this time.
A genuine envoy wearing official Dali uniform.
A white-haired old man dressed in white robes and with the appearance of a fairy.
And Shen Ran, whose temperament is completely different from that at the Chunlong Poetry Meeting.
His eyes lingered on them for a moment, and Wei Changtian bowed his hands to the three of them politely.
"Lord Li, I will be the chief assistant, Mr. Shen, I will be with Wei Changtian."
"Hahaha, Mr. Wei, I have long admired your name..."
The envoy surnamed Li immediately stood up with a smile and returned the greeting, and was inevitably greeted with another wave of politeness.
Gui Pei'an, on the other hand, waited until the two of them finished talking and then stood up slowly with Shen Ran's help.
"Young Master Wei, I have long heard that you have the grace of a jade tree in the wind, that you are unparalleled in martial arts, and that you are a talented poet in seven steps. Only now that I have seen you do I know...the rumors among the people are not all false. "
Damn it?
Is this old man so good at praising others?
There is no doubt that the first words Gui Pei'an spoke made Wei Changtian "unexpected."
He had always thought that the world-famous scholars must be boring old academics, but he didn't expect that this person's mouth would be so sweet.
Good guy, this is too comprehensive a boast!
"Ahem, thank you for your praise."
With a dry cough, Wei Changtian was just about to return a few compliments in return.
But before he could say something like "You are famous all over the world, sir", Gui Pei'an suddenly shook his head again.
"Oh, it's just... Mr. Wei, don't blame me for speaking so straightforwardly."
"Actually, after I saw you just now, I felt a little disappointed."