DWGL _ Chapter - 25

Chapter 25: Guilai Village

The Big Fire

Late at night, Duan Bai Yue lies on his bed with his legs crossed, staring at the top of the bed.

A large spider lies on his pillow, innocent, innocent, and innocent.

In the next room, Chu Yuan tossed and turned, so he picked up a book on the table to pass the time - it was a book that Si Xi had brought back when he bought dim sum. It said that it was the secret history of Xinan Wang, which was so good that everyone liked it and there was a queue to buy it.

When he opened the first page, there was a large painting that turned Xinan Wang's Mansion into a den of a hundred insects, with not only spiders but also all kinds of snakes, insects and poisonous ants. Duan Bai Yue was painted as a scorpion-tailed demon, naked and tearing a leg of lamb, with a fierce face.

Closing the book with a “snap", Emperor Chu felt that he needed the order to eliminate the folk customs and let the people see what they should see.

……

Both of them spent the night tossing and turning. The next morning, Chu Yuan heard Si Xi talking outside. After a while, the courtyard door creaked and it was Duan Bai Yue's voice.

Chu Yuan got out of bed in his clothes, Si Xi came in to wait for the washing and asked cautiously by the way, Xinan Wang had already bought breakfast, and whether he wanted to eat it or let the station do it separately.

Chu Yuan wiped his face with a veil, pushed the door out, and saw Duan Bai Yue sitting on the stone platform under the porch with a knife in his arms. A large food box was placed in front of him and still steaming.

"Do you want to eat?" Seeing him come out, Duan Bai Yue asked, "Roasted lamb leg with cakes, it is said that the owner of the restaurant specially invited the chef from the western region."

The leg of lamb is ...... Chu Yuan remembered the painting last night again.

"What's wrong?" Seeing that he was standing still Duan Bai Yue asked.

Chu Yuan pursed his mouth and smiled: "Eat.”

Duan Bai Yue had some doubts about his eyebrows, so happy?

Chu Yuan had already entered the house.

Eunuch Si Xi followed behind and winked at Xinan Wang again and again. The emperor looked very happy, but don't take out the spider again. He looked panicked.

The golden and crispy pancakes and the roasted lamb sprinkled with chili powder are too greasy for most people to eat in the morning, and Chu Yuan has always had a light taste. But this time he was not picky, and he still had an appetite for eating.

As an imperial son who grew up in the palace, his manners were naturally regular. He managed to eat the baked pancakes, which were oily in other people's hands, in a very polite manner, without a single sound residue.

Duan Bai Yue felt that even if he didn't eat it, it would be nice just to watch.

Chu Yuan drank the last spoonful of soup and his whole body warmed up.

Duan Bai Yue asked, "What should we do about the gold mountain outside the city?"

Eunuch Si Xi was shaking his head outside. Xinan Wang was also like that, why was he discussing business right after eating?

"Hm?" Chu Yuan wiped his mouth.

"Lan Ji will be leaving in three days, and before then, she will definitely find a way to empty Xu Zhiqiu's private treasury." Duan Bai Yue said, "Even if she returns to the Tian Sha Sect, we can still seize it if we want to, but if we can keep her from leaving the city at all, that would be the best thing. There are too many things to do, so we can save one."

Chu Yuan nodded: "That's not difficult, I had thought of that too. The cliffs are surrounded by rare trees, which the government paid a lot of money to cultivate from the South China Sea, and have not yet grown into a climate. Xu Zhiqiu has reported it as a political achievement a few times before, so if I want to go and see it, it's not a surprise." When the time comes to bring more soldiers and horses, I think even if Lan Ji has the guts, she will not dare to snatch it from under the eyes of the court.

"Good, then let's do so." Duan Bai Yue said, "I will also find out the whereabouts of those old men and the old man Mu Chi as soon as possible."

"Disguise as Wei Ziyi again?" Chu Yuan looked like he was playing with his cup of tea, his tone casual.

"Naturally not." Duan Bai Yue said, "Wei Ziyi's purpose is only to get the money, now that Lan Ji has promised to share the pie, if I go to the door every three days to look for her, it will be easy for people to notice the difference."

Chu Yuan asked again, "Or do you want to disguise yourself as someone else?"

Duan Bai Yue laughed: "Why do I have to disguise myself all the time?"

Chu Yuan thought to himself, naturally it will be easy, depending on how happy you were last night.

"Last night, Lan Ji said that at the beginning of next month, there will be a hundred tricky celebrations in Tian Sha Sect, and from the sound of it, as a sect leader, she must rush back." Duan Bai Yue said, "She can't stay in the city for long, and if she has to leave, even if she can't take gold with her for the time being, she will definitely take those old people with her."

Chu Yuan asked, "Do you want help?"

"The people of Xinan Mansion should be more than capable of dealing with the Demon Cult." Duan Bai Yue said, "It's not too late to investigate Xu Zhiqiu after rescuing those old people."

Chu Yuan said, "Hmm."

"In the next few days, I'm afraid I'll have to keep an eye on the Yan Hui Inn." Duan Bai Yue added, "Although Lan Ji is not so bold as to attack the court, she should be more vigilant when she goes to the mountains."

Chu Yuan continued, "Ok."

Duan Bai Yue smiled, "I'm leaving then."

Chu Yuan nodded his head and saw him all the way out of the courtyard before he asked Si Xi to send Xiang Lie in.

After leaving the station, Duan Bai Yue went back to his inn first. Duan Nian was eating breakfast with his head buried at the table, and he almost choked on noodles after seeing him enter the door. Is Wang Ye evil? Why buy such an ugly new set of clothes to wear, goose yellow and willow green?

Duan Bai Yue looked calm and slapped him with a palm.

Duan Nian hugged his head, feeling very innocent.

In the mansion, Xu Zhiqiu had recently gotten angry, and his mouth was full of big bubbles. This time, he was getting angry at the next person. Suddenly, he heard the butler pass the legend that the emperor had arrived, and he hurriedly changed into his official uniform and went to greet him.

"Xu Aiqing didn't look very good." Chu Yuan took care of it slowly, skimming the foam of the covered bowl of tea.

“Back to Your Majesty, the lower officials have indeed been a little weak in the past few days." Xu Zhiqiu said, “I have already seen a physician and prescribed a few medicines."

“Aiqing is such a pillar of the country, you have to take care of your body." Chu Yuan put down the tea bowl, “I have been in this Dayan City for a while. Last night, I suddenly remembered that Aiqing once said that there is a new wood forest from the South China Sea on the mountain outside the city. The growth is gratifying. I wonder if it is still there now?"

“Yes." Xu Zhiqiu said, “They have all grown up a lot, and they will be able to become a forest in a few years."

“In the imperial garden, it is difficult for a Nanpi to move north to survive, but I didn't expect that southernwood species could really be grown here." Chu Yuan said, “I have nothing to do today. I wonder if Aiqing would like to go and have a look with me?"

“Naturally, naturally." Xu Zhiqiu agreed again and again, “The next official will go to prepare."

When the emperor goes on a tour, he will naturally be very impressive, so at noon, the people saw a vast army of imperial guards leaving the city, a procession so long that they could not be seen. At first, they thought something big had happened, but later they said they were going to the mountains to check the growth of the forest.

Xu Zhiqiu followed behind in his sedan chair, sighing in frustration. He wasn't afraid that the treasury would be discovered, after all, the mechanism was so well designed that Lan Ji wouldn't have been stupid enough to go digging for gold when she knew there were so many imperial troops in the mountains. He only regrets that he was too lustful and careless to fall for the devil's demon girl and that he was robbed of such a huge sum of money and worked for so many years in vain.

But fortunately, Qiufeng Village is still there, and the Wu family carriage shop is still there, so as soon as the city subsides again, we will be able to turn Guimu Xia into money again.

The trees in the mountains are in their buds, and the soft green color of the trees is a delight to the eyes. In a large clearing that had been specially carved out, the trees brought in from the Southern Ocean were really growing strong and vibrant.

Chu Yuan was pleased: "Xu Aiqing is really a talented person."

“The emperor has a reputation. Weichen only purchased the seedlings, and the cultivation method depends on several forest guards in the mountains." Xu Zhiqiu said, “They have guarded the mountains and forests for a lifetime. After a long journey, these saplings have already fallen from their roots and leaves when they came. Thanks to their tireless care, they were able to survive."

“Oh?" Chu Yuan was interested, “I wonder where these forest guards are now? I would like to meet.”

Xu Zhiqiu hurriedly sent the officials to Houshan and invited the forest guards over. There were a total of seven people, all of whom looked to be old, but because they were active in the mountains all year round, their bones were very tough. Dayan City is a woodworking city, and to do work, there must be a mountain forest, and to be able to serve as a forest guard, one must be experienced. Chu Yuan had a chat with them and found that they were indeed quite knowledgeable in the method of seedling cultivation, so the dragon was pleased with them and not only gave them a reward immediately but also ordered the imperial forestry army to stay here and guard these elders to write a book outlining their experience.

Xu Zhiqiu did as he was told, and in his heart, he was a little happy. In this way, Lan Ji would not dare to come back, and although he could not get the money back, it would be a good thing to give her some trouble.

For a while, the hills outside the city were filled with imperial guards. People from the Tian Sha Sect went to see the city three times and asked the people for more information, but they all said that it would be at least a month before it was finished.

Lan Ji was furious at the news, but there was nothing she could do.

"Master." The maid said, "Why don't we leave the gold here for now, so that Xu Zhiqiu won't dare to do anything bad, and we can come back for it after the imperial army has left."

Lan Ji waved her hand impatiently, "Do as you say, and leave for the southwest in two days."

Duan Bai Yue heard this from outside the window and the corner of his mouth lifted gently.

Of course, to have a beginning and an end, he pretended to be Wei Ziyi again and asked when the silver would be given. Lan Ji was upset, naturally, she didn't have the mind to think about anything else, and she heard him say that it was money to close his mouth, only to feel that her brain was in pain, and she hurriedly drank a few glasses of wine with him, and then sent the person away perfunctorily. After going out, Duan Bai Yue was relieved and threatened Duan Nian not to tell anyone.

Duan Nian bowed his head and promised, but it took him a long time to hold back his laughter.

Two days later, Tian Sha Sect left with several large carts of containers, disguised as traders, and rushed back to the southwest to celebrate the Hundred Gu Day. The guards at the East City Gate were Xu Zhiqiu's men, so they were easily let out. Duan Bai Yue followed them silently, and two days later, in the evening, they stopped at the roadside and set up a fire, looking as if they were going to cook rice there. It was only after walking for about an incense stick that they stopped at a mass grave, and did not know where they had pressed the button, and saw a lonely grave slowly cracking open in moonlight.

Duan Bai Yue hid in the shadows and watched as they jumped in one by one and came out a few moments later. There was a group of old people behind them. All of them were gagged, but their hands and feet were not tied, so they thought they were too old to escape.

Duan Bai Yue counted them one by one, and there were exactly 26 of them, but still did not know where the old man was.

"Hurry up!" Caitian urged, "As long as you are obedient, you will be able to live in the future. If you try to cheat and escape, don't blame me for not being polite!"

The old men had been carpenters in the city all their lives and had never seen such a battle before. That night the old men were sleeping when they suddenly felt a sweet, greasy aroma and then became dizzy. They had not seen the sun for several days, and now that they were being threatened by the demon girl, they were already trembling and could not even walk steadily.

Although Caitian was fierce in her words and agitated in her heart, she did not dare to be as ruthless as she was with the ordinary prisoners, for after all, she had worked so hard to kidnap these old people and had to bring them back to the sect to be used as a mechanism, so she could not afford to make a mess.

The 20-odd men were all old enough to be injured if they had to fight hard, and Duan Bai Yue did not want to do anything until they found out where the old man was, so he just followed them all the way back to the camp.

At the other end of the camp, rice was already being cooked and the old men were given a cake and a bowl of soup, all squatting on the ground to eat. Duan Bai Yue flicked a pill into the bowl of one of them. The person was at least seventy years old and had difficulty swallowing, but was afraid of being beaten if he did not eat. Therefore, he relied on the soup to pour it down and drank a bowl of soup cleanly after a while.

"Master, do you want to continue the journey tonight?" Caitian asked.

"Let's go for another hour." Lan Ji said, "There are fewer people in the mountains."

Caitian nodded in agreement and asked the people to pack up their things and drive three more carriages to let the old men go in groups.

"Ah!" There was a shout from the crowd.

"What are you shouting for?" Caitian's eyebrows rose and she raised her palm to strike the man.

An old man covered his chest and fell to the ground in spasms, his face white and panting heavily, as if he was suffering from a heart attack, and before long his eyes closed and he died.

Caitian kicked the old man twice, but he was silent, so she asked what to do.

Lan Ji had a headache: “Throw it back to the grave, bury it deeper, don't be discovered.” After all, it should be the person who burned to death in the good hall, but he can't appear on the side of the road again.

The Tian Sha Sect killed a lot of people, but they still buried people first. Several maids worked together to plan a big pit, buried the old man tightly, and then turned and left.

The torches along the way were getting farther and farther away. In the darkness and silence, Duan Nian took the people to plough the soil, wrapped the old man in a cloak and brought him back to the city. The poison from Xinan Mansion can make people fake death for three days, and they will wake up after taking the antidote.

Watching his companions die, the rest of the old people felt even more depressed, sitting in the carriage with their heads down, without saying a word. Lan Ji was very satisfied with this. As long as people are not dead or crazy, it is also a good thing to be quiet-if they are all talking like an old man Mu Chi, and yelling from time to time, it is a headache.

Duan Nian waved his whip and the horse galloped along the mountain road, taking only a day to return the old man to the inn in Dayan City, and handing a letter to Si Xi. After another half an hour, Commander Xiang himself came to the door and received everyone at the courier house.

The physician was waiting with the medicine box in his arms early. The old man had already taken the antidote, rubbed his body with hot water and drank hot soup, and woke up in no time. But when he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see a group of people beside his bed and almost fainted again.

Eunuch Si Xi hurriedly went forward to hold him in place, and after a few days of persuasion, he was calmed down.

"The emperor?" The old man was shocked and trembled in disbelief.

"Yes, it's the emperor." Si Xi said, "Don't be afraid, old man."

"Your Majesty." The old man was in tears, and despite his weakness, he was about to kneel, covering his chest and coughing repeatedly. Xiang Lie hurriedly held him up and brought a cup of hot tea to him.

"No need to be polite." Chu Yuan sat on the edge of the bed, "What has happened in the past few days, old man, just tell me, and I will make a decision for you."

The old man's name was Chu Fu, an old craftsman in this city, who had no children and had been living in the Hall of Goodness. He was old but not deaf or blind, and he thought clearly. After drinking a few bowls of hot soup, he also calmed down and roughly recalled the events he had experienced in the past few days.

“Thousand loops?" Chu Yuan frowned.

"Yes." Chu Fu said, "After we woke up, someone came to ask who could make the Thousand loops, and everyone shook their heads at first, but she said we were being treacherous."

"Does the old man really not know what this is?" Chu Yuan asked.

Chu Fu nodded: "The old men in this city usually make some benches, tables and chairs, and even if they do, they are all commonly concealed weapons. The government does not allow them, no one buys them, and there are few drawings. What is this Thousand Loops, let alone making it, the guys have never even heard of it."

"If you don't know how to make it, why did the Demon Cult take you away?" Chu Yuan frowned.

"When we said we wouldn't, they drew their swords and tried to kill people, and someone was frightened, they said they could try." Chu Fu said, "So everyone nodded along in a confused way, trying to save their lives first. Besides, I heard that they had captured Mu Chi, so they might really be able to do it."

"Mu Chi?" Chu Yuan asked again.

"Yes, he is." Chu Fu nodded, "Mu Chi is different from the others, he doesn't do tables, chairs and stools, he knows kung fu, he's only interested in concealed weapons, he's been studying mechanisms all his life, the concealed weapons in the Nine Mysterious Machines are from him."

"Did those people ever tell you where Old Man Mu Chi is now?" Chu Yuan asked.

Chu Fu said, " Not really, they only said that they would see him in a few days."

A few days later. Chu Yuan rubbed his chin; it seems that he has not yet been brought out of this Yan Yun Prefecture.

......

One person died before leaving, and the rest of the people looked very sick. Caitian said worriedly: "I'm afraid it's going to be slower.” If a few more people died, it would be even harder to break the Thousand Loops.

“The road is long, no matter how slow the journey is, I'm afraid it won't be as slow as the speed at which these old people die." Lan Ji leaned back in the carriage, “I will write a letter, you go to Guilai Village, tell Qi Zuimeng, and say that Tian Sha Sect is in trouble and that he needs to stay with us for a few days."

“Yes!" Caitian took the order, and then tentatively, “What should I do with the people I caught before?"

"Naturally, we will bring them back to the village." Lan Ji said lazily, "After all, the reason for capturing them is to break the mechanism, so there is no need to go back to the southwest, just find a quiet place. If we leave 20 days for the journey, we shouldn't miss the Hundred Gu Day."

Caitian nodded her head and turned to go out to make preparations.

Guilai Village, Qi Zuimeng

Duan Bai Yue raised his eyebrows, but he didn't expect that this person was actually related to the Tian Sha Sect, and it sounded quite trustworthy.

Guilai Village is not regarded as an orthodox martial arts sect, but it is quite famous in Jianghu, just because the owner Qi Zuimeng brewed a good wine, which is hard to find even with money. Xinan Wang's Mansion had also bought a few altars, because Duan Yao's worm liked it very much, soaking in it every day and not coming out.

Since Chu Yuan wanted the old man, Mu Chi, Duan Bai Yue would naturally do everything possible to bring people out. Therefore, he was extremely patient and waited with the Tian Sha Sect camped in the same place for three full days before receiving Qi Zuimeng's reply.

“It's really a businessman." Lan Ji Tsk Tsk, "Knowing that this sect is in trouble, the lion opened his mouth wide, but his appetite is not small."

“What does the other party want?" Caitian asked.

Lan Ji said, "The Bodhi Heart Sutra."

Duan Bai Yue heard this secretly, and his expression was shocked.

Caitian laughed, "If you want the Bodhi Sutra, why don't you go to the half-human, half-ghost Nan Mo Xie and ask us for it?"

"If we can catch Xiao Wang Ye of Xinan Mansion in the future, we can throw him in for a couple of days' interrogation." Lan Ji waved her hand, "It's not a big deal."

"Then when do we leave for Guilai Village?" Caitian asked.

"Immediately." Lan Ji looked disgusted, "We've rushed for so many days, our bodies are going to stink."

The village was not far from where they were staying, so they could get there in half a day.

Qi Zuimeng seemed to know that Lan Ji would inevitably agree to his terms and was waiting under the mountain. Because of the need to make wine, the villa is also very large, and there are wine jars everywhere. Even if people who are not strong enough to drink go in and smell it, they are afraid that they will get drunk.

Duan Bai Yue followed in easily and saw Lan Ji and Qi Zuimeng enter the house together, thinking that they were going to discuss something big, but it didn't take long for lewd words to come from inside the house, sounding extremely happy.

……

Xinan Wang felt some bad luck.

The old people were placed in a small courtyard, guarded by people all around. After Caitian settled everyone down, she hastily ate some steamed buns to cushion her stomach, and before waiting for dinner, she went into the house to sleep before dawn, looking like she had something to do at night.

Indeed, at midnight, she was seen leaving Guilai Village alone and following the path down the mountain.

Duan Bai Yue raised the corner of his mouth, and after waiting for so long, he finally waited for the old man Mu Chi to appear.

The fast horse galloped all the way, and for Duan Bai Yue's light work, it was not difficult to follow quietly. An hour later, Caitian turned over and dismounted, reached out and grabbed a vine on the cliff, and climbed up dexterously.

Duan Bai Yue didn't expect that Lan Ji would hide the old man Mu Chi in such a secret place.

The two of them climbed the cliff one after the other, but their expressions changed.

Not far away, a wooden house was burning fiercely, and the fire was raging, dyeing half of the sky red.

—— ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ ——ㄚ

Note: ...

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