"Wang Changshi." Zhi Shouzhen came back to his senses, stepped over the high threshold with his hind legs, and walked towards Wang Yifu, who was holding a lantern and standing outside the side door of the Hou Mansion. His mind couldn't help but be in a trance. Someone seemed to be calling him just now, but it was vague and vague.
, like thousands of layers of clouds and mist. When you listen carefully, there is no sound.
"Your Majesty, the convoy to the Summer Resort is ready, will you leave immediately?" Wang Yifu stood in the shadow outside the light, was silent for a while, and asked in a low voice.
The Blue and White Alley is shrouded in harmony and tranquility, with tired birds sleeping in their nests on the flower trees. The night is warm, and faint songs and lights float from the direction of the Qinhuai River.
"Where did the Yu Clan's hunting delegation go?" Zhikarizhen glanced at the guards standing around, walked to the car, stroked his sword and asked.
A trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed in Wang Yifu's eyes, and he slowly opened the car door: "They should be in Liyang County at this time. Based on their travel speed, they can reach Jiankang in the future."
"Let's set off, I'll be back in a month." Zhi Kaizhen stepped onto the carriage and lowered the curtain, blocking Wang Yifu's sad gaze.
The sound of water was gurgling, and in a luxurious building by the Qinhuai River, Prince Qiao Yuyi wore a high crown, standing against the railing, quietly looking at the car driving away.
"You really saw him through." Gao Qingyue held the wine bottle in her hand and walked slowly to Wang Ziqiao, her moon-white middle coat fluttering, bright and dust-free, like the bright moon hanging in the sky.
"He is good at calculating. He only wants to get what he wants rather than get what he wants straight away. With such a temperament, he will never get involved in this troubled water. Of course he will try to avoid it." Wang Ziqiao looked indifferent, "It's just a matter of course."
How can we allow him to have a smooth chess piece every step of the way?"
Gao Qingyue smiled slightly, raised the bottle and drank it all: "This is your warning to him, lest this chess piece thinks it has climbed the big tree of Taishang Shenxiao Sect, gets carried away and spoils our affairs.
."
The carriage turned around the alley wall, drove out of sight of the two of them, and headed straight for the entrance of Qinghua Alley.
A white shadow came from a distance like a sharp arrow, jumped into the carriage, and jumped onto Ikarima's lap. It was so cute.
"There's something wrong outside!" Mengmengda shook her fine white fur, "On the road leading to the city gate, several groups of people appeared. They were all young men from aristocratic families and children from poor families. They seemed to be guarding there specially.
Shouldn't I be waiting for you?"
"Stop the car!" Zhi Kaizhen's expression changed slightly, he raised the car curtain and shouted.
The motorcade slowly stopped, and a guard leader came over and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, is there something wrong?"
"Wait a moment." Zhikarizhen stepped out of the carriage, looked at the dim streets shrouded in night, and said nothing. He always acted cautiously, and before leaving, he specially asked Mengmeng to explore the road first, just in case. p>
"The famous genius swordsman of the human race, as soon as he heard that the Yu clan had entered the capital, he was so frightened that he ran away." Mengmeng lay on Zhikarima's shoulder and blinked her ruby-like eyes, "This is really explosive news! If word gets out,
, your reputation is over."
Could it be that Mr. Pan set him up? No! Zhi Shouzhen thought to himself that his trip was extremely secretive and should not be leaked out, unless it was Wang Yifu or the inner ghost in the Hou Mansion... Prince Qiao? p>
"Someone wants to make a bad name for you!" Mengmengda said with certainty, "Once you are stopped by those aristocratic families, who will believe that you are going out to escape the summer heat? It will cause uproar in the city, and not only will you be despised by all the people, but also
The path will be blocked. After all, you are just a pre-recorded disciple and have not officially entered the school yet. The Taishang Shenxiao Sect can give up on you at any time. Wow, this mastermind behind the scenes is so insidious!"
Zhikarizhen raised his head and looked in the distance out of the city, his eyes dim.
On the Zhuque Bridge in front of the city gate, Ji Kang was pacing back and forth with his Yao Qin on his back. His reflection in the Qinhuai River was distorted into fragments by the water waves from time to time.
"Brother Ji, why should you bother with such rumors?" Shan Tao stood at the bridge and looked at his friend, helplessly shaking his head. He wore a folded scarf, a mustache, a slender face, and a calm and magnanimous gaze. "Rumors?" Ji Kang suddenly stopped and flicked his robe sleeves. The strong wind shook the bridge railings with a "bang" sound. "I asked the school captain on duty at the city gate, and he personally admitted that the convoy of the Yongning Marquis Mansion
He's leaving the city tonight! Is this still a rumor? Yuan An, that bastard, is clearly afraid that the Yu Clan will cause trouble for him, so he absconded out of fear of the enemy!"
His voice was stern: "Ji is blind, thinking that he is a talent that can be made, but unexpectedly, he is a bully and afraid of the strong!"
"Brother Ji's words are a bit exaggerated." Shan Tao frowned slightly, "Even if Yuan An is like this, it is not a sin. Today, the Yu clan is powerful, so he avoids its sharp edges and saves him for future use.
Why not?"
Ji Kang raised his thick eyebrows and pointed at Shan Tao unceremoniously: "Shan Tao, what you said is ridiculous! A man can only do something if he doesn't do something. You must know that swords can be broken, heads can be severed, but the integrity of our human race cannot be
Break!"
"Is it possible for a wise man to strike an egg against a stone?"
"When the sea is flowing, a hero will show his true colors. Isn't this the meaning of your practice?"
"Practice focuses on the end, not the moment."
"Without a moment, where is the end?"
The two sides were arguing, and suddenly the noise of carriages and horses was heard in the distance, and a group of aristocratic families surrounded the convoy of the Yongning Marquis Mansion, appearing in their sight.
"Sure enough, he's here! When I call him, I'll give this weakling a good scolding!" Ji Kang hurriedly ran away, but Shan Tao quickly grabbed him. With a "squeak", half of Ji Kang's sleeves were torn off.
, people have rushed down the Zhuque Bridge.
"Wait a minute!" Ji Kang stopped in front of the car, with a stern look on his face and his sleeves flying fiercely, "I wonder what the young Marquis of Yongning did when he left the city late at night?"
A group of disciples from aristocratic families looked at Ji Kang with awkward expressions, and one of them said sarcastically: "Master Jijiu, this... I'm afraid this is a misunderstanding." Official Ji Kang paid homage to the Imperial Academy to sacrifice wine, and the disciples from the aristocratic family used this honorific title.
"Misunderstanding?"
"Little Marquis, he...he..."
"What is he? He says everything to others, why is he so hesitant?"
"Yuan An...is not in the convoy."
Ji Kang was stunned when he heard this, and the leader of the guards of the Hou Mansion came up to him and saluted: "Master Jijiu, the young Marquis is going to the villa in Caishiji next month to cool off. We have been ordered to go first, and we have to make a lot of preparations. I don't know. Something went wrong, and you repeatedly stopped and made things difficult for me, and even forcibly searched the carriage." He looked angrily, "This is not in line with the rules!"
Ji Kang was stunned for a long time and murmured: "Then why Yuan An left the house for...?"
"The young Marquis and the Miss Xie family have an appointment tonight to travel to Qinhuai." The leader of the guards said with a cold face, "This is the private matter of the young Marquis. I don't need to explain it to you, right?"
The orchid boat slid out silently against the soft waves of the summer night, like a light dragonfly skimming the waves.
Zhi Shouzhen knelt in the bow of the boat, holding a sword in front of his knees. Xie Yongxu sat in the stern of the boat, holding an oar in both hands, his slender waist slightly tilted back, the wood pulp turning, drawing a wonderful arc, and the dark blue river water flowed to both sides. They parted leisurely, creating tiny ripples, like smooth silk wrinkled by the night wind.
In the distance, there are tall buildings with lanterns and lively singing and dancing. Here, there are shadows of trees, insects chirping and wind. The bright moon is reflected on the water half lit by lights and half dark, showing a pure and pure circle.
Xie Yongxu let go of his hand and let Lan Zhou drift away with the waves.
"Are you planning to leave Jiankang?" Her voice floated across the river, soft and charming, and as sharp as a sword.
Zhi Shouzhen looked at Xie Yongxu and was silent for a long time. He wanted to make up a reason to deny it, but when the words reached his lips and touched the woman's bright and pure eyes, they suddenly dispersed like waves of ebbing tide.
He invited her unexpectedly, and she came here. For this inexplicable trust, he didn't want to lie to her.
He lowered his eyelids and remained silent. In the end, he didn't answer anything.
"Because of you..." Xie Yongxu looked deeply at the young man.
Afraid? Zhi Kaizhen stared at Xie Yongxu's reflection on the water, waiting for her to finish the second half of her sentence.
"Don't want to cause trouble?" she asked softly.
Zhikarizhen's heart trembled, and the water seemed to sway in his eyes. "I thought you would think I was scared..." After a long time, he smiled.
"How could it be?" Xie Yongxu laughed, raised his head, and his bright smile lit up the river, "We are sword cultivators."
Zhikari nodded silently: "Yes, I don't want to cause trouble."
"I understand." Xie Yongxu nodded, stopped talking, and just looked at him quietly.
The orchid boat slowly slid into the disk-like moon shadow, stopped on it, and swayed gently.
The two people and the boat seemed to be embedded in the bright and bright moon, and the surroundings seemed to be getting darker and darker, and the sound of waves came and went.
"What have you been looking at me for?" Zhi Shouzhen felt a little uncomfortable being looked at by Xie Yongxu.
"Because you are beautiful." Xie Yongxu glanced at her beautiful eyes and said in a sweet voice, "The moonlight, the beautiful young man, and the passionate water of the Qinhuai River can slowly make you drunk."
Zhikarizhen was slightly startled and laughed dumbly: "Am I being teased?"
"Hey, isn't this an obvious thing?" Xie Yongxu raised her eyebrows lightly and raised her fingers at him, "Come on, give me a smile."
Zhi Shou had never seen Xie Yongxu acting so naughty before, so he couldn't help but smile, and Xie Yongxu also laughed.
"Your sword is very good, very good." After laughing for a while, Xie Yongxu said seriously, "It has skills, momentum, and Taoism. It is almost perfect."
Zhikarizhen's heart moved: "Almost?"
"Yuan An!" Xie Yongxu looked solemn, stared at him, and suddenly shouted softly, "Look at the sword!"
The reflection of the full moon suddenly shattered, and a ray of moonlight broke out of the water, condensing like a three-foot-high sharp edge, picking up a series of crystal clear water droplets, and slashed at Zhikarizhen at high speed.
"Choke——" Zhikarizhen stood up, unsheathed the broken sword, and the sword light flashed cleverly, accurately hitting the weakest point of the moonlight sword.
The sword of moonlight trembled slightly, like a broken phantom, but countless rays of moonlight swept up from the water surface one after another, layer upon layer, like a dream, and plunged Zhikarizhen into the dense sword light.
Zhikarizhen flicked his wrist, and just as he was about to unfold the broken sword, Xie Yongxu pinched his fingers, and the sharp edge of the sword light in the sky suddenly disappeared, turning into wisps of melting moonlight, floating in the water.
"The best way to break such a sword is to strike at me with one sword!" Xie Yongxu asked in a deep voice, "Why can't you? Why?"
"Because your sword has no determination!" She said slowly, "You have too many worries, too many troubles, too many thoughts, but you lack the determination to make a decision with one sword!"
Zhi Kaizhen sheathed his sword, sat down silently, and sighed softly for a long time: "Thank you, Yong Xu. I understand what you mean."
"It's very late, I should go." Xie Yongxu chuckled, tiptoed, and lightly swept out of the orchid boat. His figure fell down on the water and floated away.
Zhikarizhen lowered his head and looked at the reunited moon wheel on the water, stroking his sword and thinking for a long time.