But at this moment, a group of strangers arrived in Little Rock, which had long been deserted.
Wang Peiran looked at the city gates wide open, but the city was full of lifeless silence. He almost suspected that he and his party had gone to the wrong place.
He stretched out his thick arms and grabbed the strong man next to him.
"Are you sure this is Little Rock? You personally went to the city to inquire about it a month ago?"
The strong man's big face wrinkled up as if he had a toothache, and he quickly answered.
"That's right, when I came here the place was still bustling with people. There were as many motorcades coming and going as crucian carp crossing the river. It was very lively... Hiss, leader, please be gentle!"
Wang Peiran smiled apologetically, embarrassedly letting go of his paws and taking the lead to walk into the city gate.
By this time, the flood had long receded, leaving only messes and debris in the city, as well as criss-crossing cracks on the ground.
The group carefully avoided the bottomless cracks. Looking at the obvious water marks on the remaining buildings, Wang Peiran looked puzzled.
It has never been said that there will be floods in the Panshi Defense Line area, and there has been a rare lack of heavy rain these days, but what is going on in Little Rock City?
Little Rock is not a big city, so Wang Peiran and his people quickly found the Qianjia Waterfall, which looked like an explosion site. The situation here was even more terrible, and even the water in the small lake had drained away.
Countless dead fish and stinky shrimps piled up at the bottom of the lake, exuding a disgusting and weird smell.
Wang Peiran's eyebrows were furrowed. To be able to cause such a brutal fight, the two parties involved were obviously of high level.
He made a gesture to disperse and search, and the others dispersed accordingly.
After a while, everyone gathered at Wang Peiran again, and a strong man with a simple and honest face said carelessly.
"This place has been flooded. I also found a three-foot-long fish on the street next to it. Oh dear, this big swallow...ah, this is a great place. The fish can grow so big!"
Seeing others nodding in agreement, the corners of Wang Peiran's mouth twitched slightly.
He let out a long sigh of relief, and was too lazy to get along with these people. He made up his mind that anyone who relied on these fools again would be a pig!
"Okay, it's obvious that a long time has passed since this battle. I'm afraid there's no hope of finding any clues from the scene. I decided to try the sect's Qi and Blood Retrieval Technique. What do you think?"
The others act like they should have done it a long time ago. Isn't it just a waste of blood? Isn't that a big deal?
Wang Peiran carefully took out a strange thing like a big spoon from his chest, and then started collecting blood from each strong man like he was begging at the door.
When he arrived at the honest and strong man, he still asked with a concerned expression.
"Is that enough? Do you want some more? I'm very strong?"
Wang Peiran resisted the urge to slap someone because he saw that this senior fellow from Juding Peak really wanted to do this.
These brothers are really angry and funny. Once they agreed to cooperate, they really didn't cause any trouble these days.
"There is no need for the second artillery. Our formation is precious and tight. It requires the energy and blood of all the brothers to use it to exert its maximum power."
Erpao, a simple and strong man, looked at his smiling expression and felt embarrassed to touch his bald head and laugh a few times.
Wang Peiran didn't bother to argue with these people whose muscles had grown into their brains. After collecting all the energy and blood, he threw the spoon array onto the small lake.
There was a soft buzzing sound, and the spoon suspended in mid-air shone brightly. Seven bright star points outlined a complicated pattern and enveloped the bottom of the lake below.
After a while, the pattern transformed into a gorgeous scene of gurgling waterfalls and waterfalls falling from a huge statue like a hill.
But Wang Peiran looked solemn, and in his eyes he saw a twisted stream of water like a crystal snake, diving into the bottomless dark river below.
As soon as the screen turned, a tall black figure was flying quickly from a distance, and his figure was vaguely familiar.
But before Wang Peiran could see clearly, a black hand with sharp claws suddenly occupied the entire screen, as if it was about to rush out.
The spoon that was spinning like a fish in the air suddenly whined and fell like a stone.
Wang Peiran reached out to take the array plate and looked up and down distressedly, for fear of bumping into it.
The people around them were no longer in the mood to joke. They were all awestruck at what that scene just meant. Only those whose spiritual consciousness cultivation was at least a lot higher than everyone here would make the formation so embarrassing.
Wang Peiran carefully put away the spoon, and when he saw everyone's appearance, he felt extremely happy and laughed out loud.
"What, you know you're scared? We are just a bunch of rookies who have just left the sect, why do we dare to look down on everyone in the world?
Although the number of cultivators in Dayan is not large, and the quality is even lower, but they are trying to exorcise evil spirits, are they easy to mess with? If they were really easy to mess with, the sect would need Jin to send 50,000 troops to support them in the rear?"
These words must have been hidden in his heart for a long time. Wang Peiran said it now with great ease.
After severely reprimanding these arrogant people, he slapped them in the face and gave them a sweet date.
"But don't worry too much. We are not here to fight. As long as we can find some clues about that person, we can go back and make a deal. So everything is based on our own safety. Do you understand?"
The sweet dates made everyone smile with joy, and they immediately praised the leader for his wisdom.
Wang Peiran stared at these fools for a moment, completely gave up hope of rescue, waved his hand and rushed out of the city, heading towards Panshi City...
When the scene of the spoon array appeared, Xu Luo, who was slowly advancing along the straight road, suddenly felt chilled all over.
He subconsciously visualized the demonic ape's true form, and the chill disappeared without a trace in an instant, almost making people wonder if it was an illusion.
Letting the Qingniu cart continue to move forward, Xu Luo jumped up and sat cross-legged on the ferocious ape statue on the roof of the cart, looking thoughtfully in the direction of Little Rock.
Due to his physical injuries, Xu Luo does not move forward very fast every day.
The rest of the journey was just as he had guessed before. The Imperial Guard was completely frightened by the bloody battle, and no one came to stop the sneak attack.
Until Panshi City came into view from a distance, a full month had passed since the Battle of Taohuawu.
To Xu Luo's expectation, Yan and Gao did not face any difficulties when they entered the city, but almost everyone was secretly monitored closely.
Of course, the news from Yan Gao is not without good news.
After returning the jade tablet to Yu Chi, although he did not take a clear stand on the side of the Exorcism Department, he secretly opened the door and even agreed to send Sha Qixi outside the city to meet Xu Luo.
The Qingshui River is still calm and sparkling, and the pier is bustling with people coming and going.
The only thing that has changed is that the members of the Pai Gang who used to be arrogant and domineering like crabs rarely show up these days.
Even if it pops up occasionally, it comes and goes in a hurry, as if some ferocious beast is chasing and biting its butt.
This kind of thing that everyone likes to hear and see is naturally worth talking about. At this moment, the tavern on the dock is full of idle people talking loudly:
"My cousin's third son's good brother-in-law got drunk yesterday and told the truth, saying that the heroes of the Imperial Guard were going to take action!"
"Fuck you, who doesn't know that Master Bing and the Pai Gang belong to the same family? This is retribution. God will take it if you don't take it. Just wait and see."
"If you ask me, these bastards still offend the River Goddess!"
…
As soon as Xu Luo walked in, his ears were filled with all kinds of speculations, noises, laughter and curses. This long-lost human fireworks made him feel inexplicably familiar.
He quietly walked to the window near the river and sat down, with the wooden cane casually placed beside him.
Seeing the unfamiliar face of Xu Luo, the discussion in the tavern suddenly became much quieter.
It wasn't until Xu Luo also ordered some sweet beans, braised pork and wine, and started eating and drinking leisurely, that the interest of the many idlers became high again.
Pai Gang?
Xu Luo looked at the calm river with fish jumping out of the water from time to time, his eyes were dark, and he didn't know what he was thinking!
It wasn't until a middle-aged man with a brown face sat down opposite him and threw a piece of braised pork into his mouth without any scruple that Xu Luo turned his eyes back.
"Why, the Imperial Guards Department has been short of food and clothing during this period. Even you, the captain, can't have enough to eat?"
How could Yu Chi, whose appearance had changed so much, not hear the sarcasm in his words? In the past, he would have argued with his reasoning, and maybe he would have made Xu Luo feel miserable.
But at this time, he felt that any excuse was a bit weak, so he had no choice but to smile bitterly and pop up a mute note.
Xu Luo's face softened slightly, and he let the fluctuations of runes envelope the two of them. He grabbed the wine bottle and poured him a glass of turbid water and wine.
"You were born in Little Rock, too?"
There was a trace of sadness in Yu Chi's eyes. He poured the bad wine down his throat and coughed several times before nodding slightly.
"I lived there for thirteen years. Six years ago I was recruited into the General's Office, and then I successfully became a clerical lieutenant in charge of intelligence information.
But this time, this time..."
Having said this, Yu Chi's body trembled slightly, and in addition to endless pain, there was also a trace of regret and despair in his eyes.
"But this time about Little Rock, I didn't receive any news, not even a reminder.
Otherwise, even if I risk my life, Qingli will never die, and the neighbors who watched me grow up may be able to escape."
He was a little excited, but Xu Luo didn't show any emotion on his face. Instead, he sneered in a sinister manner.
"What can you do even if you know? You can save one person, how can you save all the people? Even if you can really save them, do you dare to save them?"
These words pierced into Yu Chi's heart like a knife. His face flushed, and he opened his mouth to yell, but then he thought of something again, and his face turned blue and white.
Yes, what would have happened even if he had known it earlier? Would he still dare to disobey the order of the General's Mansion? Who does he think he is, Xu Luo?
As he thought about it, Yu Chi's face gradually turned pale as paper. He grabbed the wine bottle as if to vent his anger and poured it down his throat.
The low-quality wine flowed down his throat, as if it was on fire. He, who usually didn't drink, now just wanted to get completely drunk.
Strangely enough, his relationship with Xu Luo was by no means a good one, but in front of Xu Luo, he couldn't help but expose his truest and most vulnerable side.
Seeing his painful and decadent look, Xu Luo understood that there must be another reason behind it. He sighed inwardly and snatched the wine bottle.
"Let's get down to business first, where are you hiding Qi Xi?"
Although Yu Chi has a somewhat stubborn and simple temperament, he is very committed. When talking about the business of this trip, he rubbed his face hard and quickly regained his composure.
"In the Water Temple, that place is remote, and with the recent rumors going around, no one even goes to the Pai Gang gangsters, so they shouldn't be discovered."
As he spoke, he picked up the flask and poured a glass of wine into his mouth, but when it reached his lips, he hesitated to taste it first. The bitter taste in his mouth made him frown.
Xu Luo frowned, not wondering why he didn't bring the person directly. After all, there were many people around here who knew the child.
But in that case, why not meet directly at the Water Temple?