"That's the truth, but you can't do things like this. If you show your cowardice at this joint, isn't that a failure?" Hu Bayi naturally understood this, but he still got up and pulled the two guys next to him over.
This time Chen Ziyan did not stop him. He still cared more about Hu Bayi's feelings. Since his brother felt that this was inappropriate, he could just do what he wanted.
This is just a trivial matter, there is no need to argue about it.
Wang Kaixuan and Da Jinya were two idiots, but they knew what was going on. Seeing Hu Ba's serious expression, they sat down next to him like a good boy.
Within a few minutes, several people heard a sound of footsteps in the distance. Knowing that this must be the arrival of the real owner, they all looked in the direction of the door.
Da da da--
The sound of well-proportioned and powerful footsteps gradually approached, and soon two figures appeared at the door.
Walking in front is a beautiful woman who looks to be about forty years old. A printed cheongsam wraps her plump figure. Her youthful splendor can be vaguely seen between her eyebrows. The cold woman from before followed respectfully.
behind.
Chen Ziyan had already stood up when the other party appeared.
Although her appearance did not match her age, he knew that this woman must be Huo Xiangu.
As for why she looks so young, it probably has something to do with maintenance.
But this is not something that is difficult to accept. Let’s not talk about the Huo family’s own inheritance. They have been engaged in the business of robbing tombs for many years. Who knows what the Huo family has found in the tombs. Maybe there is something to delay aging.
What about the method?
Huo Xiangu's eyes swept over several people in the room, and finally landed on Chen Ziyan: "I guess this is Mr. Chen from Panjiayuan, right?"
Chen Ziyan smiled bitterly and replied: "Master Huo has promoted me."
This title is somewhat flattering.
Not to mention Huo Xiangu's status in the world, her age alone makes it inappropriate to address Chen Ziyan like this.
There is no conflict between them. Chen Ziyan will not put on airs in front of his seniors.
"Then I'll call you Boss Chen." Faced with Chen Ziyan's polite humility, Huo Xiangu smiled and said to several people: "You're welcome, let's sit down and chat."
After everyone sat down again, Huo Xiangu looked at Chen Ziyan and asked: "Boss Chen, are you curious as to why he is so anxious to invite you here?"
"Some." Chen Ziyan nodded lightly.
This was indeed one of the doubts in his heart.
While responding, he glanced at Huo Xiangu without any trace.
For the other party to ask such a straightforward question undoubtedly meant that the matter was more serious than he expected.
After receiving Chen Ziyan's reply, Huo Xiangu did not rush to tell the reason, but calmly glanced at Hu Bayi and others next to her.
Although she didn't say a word, Chen Ziyan could understand what she meant and knew that the other party was asking whether these guys were trustworthy.
Regarding such a question, Chen Ziyan did not hesitate at all and nodded again.
These few people around him are the team members that he is extremely optimistic about, and he also knows their character, so they are naturally trustworthy.
After receiving Chen Ziyan's response, Huo Xiangu nodded slightly, and then continued: "I can answer Boss Chen's doubts, but I hope that before that, Boss Chen can answer my question truthfully."
When Chen Ziyan heard this, he knew that this should be Huo Xiangu's purpose, and asked, "I wonder what Master Huo wants to know?"
He also wanted to know what Huo Xiangu wanted to know from him in such a hurry.
Huo Xiangu raised her head and stared into Chen Ziyan's eyes, and asked slowly: "I want to know if Boss Chen noticed anything wrong when he went to the Qinling Mountains?"
Um?
Hearing this question, Chen Ziyan subconsciously narrowed his eyes.
His trip to the Qinling Mountains may have been like nothing else, but there was nothing wrong with it. It could be said that everything in that place was weird.
Could it be that you want to inquire about the bronze door?
After looking at each other for a moment with Huo Xiangu, Chen Ziyan suddenly had this idea flash in his mind.
Although the maze of Longling is full of mysteries, the most valuable thing is undoubtedly the bronze door.
Apart from this, Chen Ziyan really couldn't think of other possibilities for the moment.
But what puzzled him was that if it was really for the Bronze Gate, how did Huo Xiangu know about it?
To know the true situation of this matter, only a few of them knew it. There was no reason for it to be leaked, and it was in such a short period of time.
With such doubts in his mind, Chen Ziyan tried to speak: "Master Huo should also know that there are many things in the underground that are difficult to explain since ancient times, so please give me a direction, otherwise I will not know where to start."
He didn't need Huo Xiangu to point him out. He only needed to give a general direction and he could judge whether his speculation was correct.
"For example, there are those who are following you in the dark in Gulan County you are passing through." Huo Xiangu didn't try to be mysterious. After hearing this, she directly gave two directions.
But the clue she gave left Chen Ziyan confused.
Because this seems to be a little different from what he thought.
He also thought that Huo Xiangu knew about the existence of the Bronze Gate through some way, but he didn't want to have anything to do with the Bronze Gate at all. The focus was on Gulan County and those people who were secretly there.
However, after thinking about it for a while, Chen Ziyan discovered that Gulan County was probably not important, and the real core was those who followed him in the dark.
But no matter how he thought, he could not connect those people with Huo Xiangu.
Perhaps seeing Chen Ziyan's confusion, Huo Xiangu said again: "To be more specific, did those who followed them do anything wrong after they got underground, such as some unreasonable behavior?"
Not only Chen Ziyan was testing, but Huo Xiangu was doing the same. Despite the frankness of her words, she was testing whether Chen Ziyan knew the inside story hidden inside.
If Chen Ziyan knew everything but pretended to be stupid, she would have to think about her next words.
After all, this matter was of great importance. If she was not careful, the entire Nine Sects might be overturned. She had no choice but to be careless.
Chen Ziyan frowned slightly, and he began to recall the details of his trip to Longling, trying to find out what happened to Huo Xiangu.
Through the urgency in Huo Xiangu's words, he knew that these words were by no means aimless.
Not only Chen Ziyan fell into memories, but Hu Bayi and Wang Kaixuan beside him were also searching in their memories.
Although they had only a half-understanding, they could still hear the key points of the matter.
The first thing Chen Ziyan thought of was Shen Rong, but he soon gave up this idea because everything Shen Rong showed was normal and there was nothing wrong with him.
At this moment, Wang Kaixuan seemed to have thought of something, and raised his head to tell Chen Ziyan and the others what he had discovered.
But just when he raised his head, he remembered that there were outsiders here, and quickly swallowed back the words that came to his lips, deliberately scratching his head and head, trying to cover up his subconscious reaction just now.
Although Wang Kaixuan didn't know whether what he thought of was valuable, Fatty, who always preferred to kill the wrong person rather than let go, thought it would be better not to say it out loud. He planned to quietly tell Chen Ziyan and the others later so that they could study it and decide whether to say it or not. .
After all, eighty percent of the value of information depends on its confidentiality.
But who is Huo Xiangu? She has experienced more things than Wang Kaixuan has ever seen. She noticed something was wrong as early as the moment he raised his head.
So Huo Xiangu directly asked Wang Kaixuan: "It seems that this little brother has remembered something. Why don't you tell me and let everyone listen."
Huo Xiangu's words suddenly interrupted other people's thoughts, and several people in the living room turned their attention to Wang Kaixuan.
When Wang Kaixuan was asked by Huo Xiangu, he knew that his trick had been seen through, so he looked directly at Chen Ziyan and Hu Bayi. The meaning in his eyes was clear that he wanted to ask for their opinions.
As soon as Chen Ziyan and Hu Ba saw him like this, they knew that what Huo Xiangu said was true. After the two looked at each other, Chen Ziyan nodded gently to Wang Kaixuan: "Fat man, if you find anything, just tell me."
Although having important information is equivalent to taking the initiative, it is also a matter of scoring. At the moment, they don't even know what is going on, so it seems a bit early to consider this.
After receiving Chen Ziyan's signal, Wang Kaixuan directly stated his discovery: "I suddenly remembered that when we were in the underground passage, didn't we find footprints once?"
After all, this fat guy still has some reservations.
People who have experienced what he said will immediately understand what is going on, but people who have not experienced that incident at that time may not understand it very well.
Chen Ziyan and Hu Bayi were undoubtedly the former, so they immediately understood what Wang Kaixuan was talking about.
It's really a weird thing to say, but the owners of those footsteps have never appeared since then, as if they disappeared out of thin air, so they didn't pay attention, thinking that those people were going along the underground passage. elsewhere.
But thinking about it now, I find that this inference is a bit untenable. Rather than saying that those people left along the underground passage, it would be more accurate to say that they had their own purpose at all.
This is a little strange.
According to the information Chen Ziyan knew, the group of people who followed him secretly should have gone for them.
At that time, he had no time to think about it, so he just thought about it more. But now that he reviewed the matter, he immediately found that everything about this matter was weird.
According to the explanation given by Shen Rong, not long after they descended to the underground passage, the number of people traveling with them suddenly decreased. In fact, only two groups of people arrived at the Tang Tomb.
When Chen Ziyan and others were collecting the black cockroaches, they noticed someone watching in the dark, but apart from some footprints, they found nothing else.
All of this seems to have little connection, but there is an obscure thread in it, secretly connecting everything together.
Hu Bayi also said: "Now that I think about it, there might really be something fishy in this."
Wang Kaixuan nodded in agreement: "Yes, I felt that there was something wrong with this matter at that time."
In fact, Wang Kaixuan didn't think too much about it at all. He just thought about it and instinctively felt that this would be a breakthrough point.
But... this does not affect him in showing off at all.
Huo Xiangu didn't pay attention to Wang Kaixuan's boasting. After listening to his words, she thought for a while and then whispered to herself: "You really went there!"
"I said, Mr. Huo, we have told you everything we know. Do we have to reciprocate as courtesy?" Wang Kaixuan said immediately after hearing this.
He never made a loss-making business, and now that he had given him a bargaining chip, he wanted to get his reward back, and Huo Xiangu's low voice just gave him a reason to have an attack.
When Huo Xiangu heard what he said, she raised her head and looked at a few people. She didn't know what she was thinking. After a while, she looked at Chen Ziyan and asked: "It may not be a good thing to be involved in this matter. Do you really want to know?"
She suddenly felt that in this situation, an outsider should join in, so that it would be beneficial whether it was muddying the water or helping the Huo family get out of the quagmire.
Even if it is really impossible to do something, you can still find a way out for your descendants.
And Chen Ziyan, this emerging small gang, is a good choice.
So she changed her original mind and planned to change her perfunctory rhetoric.
Huo Xiangu also knew that Chen Ziyan was not a good person, so she did not set a trap for him directly, but decided to use negotiation.
Although it was said to be a negotiation, Huo Xiangu knew in her heart that few people in their field could face such temptation and remain indifferent.
The fact was just as she expected. Chen Ziyan didn't even hesitate and said directly: "I hope Master Huo can clear up the confusion."
He naturally knew that this matter was not simple, but he knew one thing more clearly, that is, the more the incident was shrouded in fog, the more dazzling the secret hidden behind it.
The water in this world is very deep, so he wants to know what is going on. No matter whether he is advancing or retreating, it will be better than Monk Zhang Er who is confused now.
For this reason, it doesn't matter even if you bear a little backlash.
Seeing Chen Ziyan's firm gaze, Huo Xiangu knew that he had already figured out the issue, so she said nothing more.
She did not answer the question directly, but first asked a seemingly irrelevant question: "Does Boss Chen know who is in the old nine sects?"
"The military master, the actor, the fairy with a walking stick, the prodigal son of Yama, the smiling Buddha, and the beauty, the chess player, can reach the sky. I wonder if what I say is right?" Chen Ziyan said without thinking.
If he wants to talk about other things, he may have to recall it, after all, it has been more than 20 years, but this can be said easily, okay?
Huo Xiangu nodded lightly, and then said: "It's useless to talk about what happened in the past. Let's just talk about the incident in front of me. The cause of the matter is very complicated. Even I don't know much about it. But the current turmoil is nothing unexpected. It should be
It’s the handiwork of the Jie family.”
"Jie Jiuye?" Chen Ziyan frowned slightly.
But then a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind, and he remembered something very important, something that could be said to have kicked off the struggle.
The current period of time is still dominated by Jie Jiuye. If he guessed correctly, it should be the incident in Banai, Guangxi.
This is really a big deal!
After Chen Ziyan sighed silently, he began to sort out the memories in his mind. He remembered that this incident caused Master Xie Jiu to flee for a long time. Finally, with the help of the Wu family, he hid the things brought out from the ancient building of the Zhang family in Hangzhou.
.
It was precisely in this way that the two sides confronted each other invisibly, and thus began a struggle that lasted for decades.
But what Chen Ziyan didn't understand was that this incident started in Banai and ended in Hangzhou. How could it be related to him and others?
You must know that the place he went to is located in the remaining part of the Qinling Mountains, and will not appear on Jie Jiuye's escape route at all.
He probably understood what Huo Xiangu meant now, and he probably suspected that those people who mysteriously disappeared underground were the missing Jie Jiuye and his party.
But just like what he just thought, the two have nothing to do with each other.
Chen Ziyan, who couldn't figure out the connection here, planned to make some insinuations to see if he could get the answer from Huo Xiangu, so he pretended to be confused and asked: "But aren't the people following in the dark this time all from Liulichang?"
Were they sent? It seems that no one from the Nine Sects was involved."
"That's true on the surface..." Huo Xiangu hesitated for a moment and said, "But Jie Jiu's current situation is not very good. If he wants to get rid of his troubles, he will probably go to the depths of the Qinling Mountains, so you
Maybe there was an intersection because of that.”
In fact, Huo Xiangu was not sure whether Mr. Jie Jiu had been there, but she knew that the people who were chasing Jie Jiu were wandering in that area at this time, and this was enough to explain a lot of problems.
"Deep in the Qinling Mountains? What's there?" Chen Ziyan asked.
Huo Xiangu said slowly: "There is an evil tree there!"
When Chen Ziyan heard this answer, the first thing he thought of was the bronze sacred tree. If used properly, it would indeed be a weapon for counterattack in desperate situations.
He put himself into Jie Jiuye's situation, combined with the situation he knew, and finally came to a conclusion.
The other party probably used this bronze tree to successfully evade pursuit and escape to Hangzhou, where the Wu family is located.
Maybe when he was in Gulan County, the other party replaced some people who were unfavorable to him, in order to use the names of these people to go underground, and then escape through the underground passages that extend in all directions in Longling.
In this way, even if the pursuers arrive, it will take a lot of effort to find their whereabouts, and more time can be bought.
And when they arrive at the area where the Bronze Sacred Tree is, they can use the tree's ability to copy themselves and their group, thereby confusing the public.
After all, the situation they are facing now is an ambush from all sides. This method of breaking the situation can only be said to be a desperate move.
Thinking of the generation of Lao Jiumen that fell away one after another within a few years after this incident, leaving only Huo Xiangu and a few others, Chen Ziyan felt that they must have paid an extremely heavy price in the end to let the matter calm down temporarily.
.
Thinking of this, Chen Ziyan raised his eyes and glanced at Huo Xiangu. He now understood why this woman was so eager to see him.
Strictly speaking, this matter can really be said to be a matter of life and death for the nine sects.