Rumble-rumble——
In the middle of the night, bursts of thunder resounded within the vast Wushan Mountain Range that stretched for thousands of li.
The snow-white bird, like a white ghost, silently passed through the treetops of the deep mountains and old forests. After flying half a li, it landed on a branch to take shelter from the rain, watching the figures in the forest running past leisurely.
Guan Yujia had been shot through the shoulder and also suffered internal injuries. He couldn't return to Tiehe Villa. Currently, the only way out for him was to reach Fulong Cave as soon as possible and obtain a "Daliang Pearl" to treat his injuries.
Fulong Cave was located in the west of Wu Prefecture, while their current position was in the central area of Wu Prefecture. It wouldn't be easy for Guan Yujia, who was severely injured, to cross hundreds of li of deep mountains and old forests on foot.
After running dozens of li in the mountains and completely getting rid of the pursuers behind, Guan Yujia took refuge in a cave, swallowed some medicine for injuries, and began to recuperate.
The bird had been flying through the rain all night and couldn't go without food and water. It landed near the cave. After confirming that the target customer wouldn't leave in a short time, it searched for food in the surrounding mountains and forests.
As a domesticated raptor, the bird had always eaten whatever Ye Jingtang ate since it was a child. It wouldn't touch the things that Ye Jingtang didn't eat. The food it could find in the mountains and forests was nothing more than wild chickens, mountain rabbits, or small fish.
After searching for a long time in the mountains and fields but failing to find a suitable prey, the bird flew high into the sky and surveyed the surrounding mountains and fields, hoping to find a village or town with lights to get a meal.
As a result, instead of finding a village, it discovered a faint glimmer of fire in the distant mountains.
"Jiji?"
The bird glided through the night sky, passed through the forest all the way, and came near a mountain stream. It poked its head out from the bushes to take a look.
On both sides of the mountain stream were ancient trees and rocks. On the cliff wall beside a pond, there was an inward凹陷 groove washed out by the flood. There were big trees above, and below was a cobblestone beach.
At this moment, there was a campfire on the cobblestone beach, and two shiny, fat fish were being roasted on wooden sticks.
On a smooth boulder not far away, a woman in a snow-white long dress was sitting. Her long sword was inserted into the stone beside her, and in her left hand, she held a wine gourd and was tilting her head back to drink.
"Jiji!"
The bird had seen this fairy-like sister who had run away from Young Master Tang's bed yesterday morning and then tripped outside the window. Its eyes lit up. It originally wanted to find an opportunity to get a meal, but upon closer inspection, something was wrong.
By the mountain stream, True Person Xuanji was tilting her head back to drink the "Lienü Chou" wine. Her demeanor was as graceful as a fairy, looking like a forest fairy born from the green mountains.
Not far from True Person Xuanji, a figure dressed in black was tied up and sitting on a stone. The person was wearing a black scarf covering the face, with only a pair of eyes showing. The person angrily said:
"Evil woman, how many times have I told you that I don't have the Minglong Diagram. You've sneak attacked me several times without following the rules of martial ethics..."
True Person Xuanji put down the wine gourd and handed it to the person in black:
"Do you want a drink?"
The person in black glared and turned their head away:
"I don't have time to chat nonsense with you, evil woman. I have important matters to attend to these two days. Let me go and finish my business, and I'll tell you the news about the Minglong Diagram later. If you keep pestering me and mess up my affairs..."
True Person Xuanji came over and sat down. She wanted to pull off the face scarf of the person in black but was glared at fiercely, so she gave up and asked:
"King Wu shouldn't have the Minglong Diagram in his hands. You've been running around for half a year, and I haven't seen you steal anything. What exactly are you looking for?"
"Will you let me go if I tell you?"
True Person Xuanji shrugged slightly: "It depends on whether what you say is true and how serious the situation is."
The person in black was silent for a moment and then explained softly:
"I'm from the various tribes of the Western Sea in Beiliang. The Beiliang court regards the tribes of the Western Sea as barbarians. Every year, each tribe has to pay a large number of horses, medicinal herbs, and silver as tribute. If they can't pay, the court will send troops to arrest people and make them do hard labor..."
"The tribes of the Western Sea are not to be trifled with. They almost swallowed half of the territories of Dayan and Beiliang before..."
"If you don't attack us, would we attack you? Whether it's Dayan, Dawei, or Beiliang, whoever rules the country makes us pay tribute as much as possible. My hometown is by Tianlang Lake. But now, if any of my clan members even takes a look at the lake, they will be regarded as rebels and killed on the spot. Our ancestors and descendants have been bullied. Don't we have the right to resist when we have the opportunity?"
True Person Xuanji took a sip of wine: "That's true. But what does this have to do with you coming to Wu Prefecture?"
"There used to be a powerful wizard among the tribes of the Western Sea who prepared a kind of secret medicine that could make people be reborn. But the person was killed by the Beiliang court, and the medicine and the prescription were also snatched by the Beiliang court.
"I've been running all over Beiliang just to find those things back and figure out a way to restore the medicine, so as to prevent my clan members from being slaves for generations... That prescription was originally in the hands of the Beiliang court, but it was stolen by the imperial physician Zhang Jinglin. Now Zhang Jinglin is under King Wu's command..."
After listening carefully, True Person Xuanji nodded thoughtfully:
"I see... How about this? You give me the Minglong Diagram, and I'll help you capture that person. What do you think?"
The person in black hesitated for a moment and asked:
"Are you sure?"
"I need the Minglong Diagram to save my disciple's life. As long as you give it to me, what's so difficult about helping you capture a person?"
The person in black hesitated for a moment: "Considering that you don't seem to be an extremely vicious person, I'll trust you this time. The Minglong Diagram is in my chest. You must return it to me after you use it. If you dare to deceive me, may I be struck by lightning!"
True Person Xuanji showed a smile and put her hand into the person in black's clothes:
"It would have been better if you had done this earlier. Hehe~ Your chest is quite big..."
Suddenly, her words stopped.
The serious look in the person in black's eyes instantly turned into cunning. The person quickly rolled aside:
"I've told you I don't have the Minglong Diagram, but you just don't believe me. You'd better not move. This is a strange poison that I use to save my life. If you move around, you will really die. Don't blame me for not warning you."
True Person Xuanji looked at the little powder on her fair palm and showed a hint of helplessness in her eyes:
"If you do this again, next time I'll use my sword to strip your clothes off first."
The person in black sprang up like a carp, quickly breaking free from the ropes on their hands:
"There won't be a next time. Now you swear that you'll leave immediately and never bother me again. Then I'll give you the antidote. Otherwise, you will surely die."
True Person Xuanji took down the wine gourd and took a small sip:
"I don't believe this can poison me to death."
"Even if it can't poison you to death, you, evil woman, will still have internal injuries for the rest of your life. I'll ask you one last time. Will you swear?"
True Person Xuanji waved her hand slightly and said casually: "Hurry up and run. I can catch up with you in at most half an hour. Then you'll be in for it."
The person in black looked annoyed, gave a cold snort, and turned around to run.
However, after running a few steps, the person in black looked back again. They thought that no matter how powerful this evil woman was, she was still in a very dangerous situation.
Gritting her teeth secretly, she turned back, pulled out a round pendant from her collar, and threw it to True Person Xuanji:
"You evil woman, if you still have a bit of conscience, stop here. If I meet you next time, I won't show mercy..."
True Person Xuanji picked up the pendant, opened it, took out the small pill inside, and threw it into her mouth:
"Your medicines are all like children's playthings. None of them are powerful..."
The person in black looked astonished: "Aren't you afraid to take the antidote?"
"I'm not stupid. Why should I endure the poison when there's an antidote? Hurry up and run. I'll catch up with you in at most half a quarter of an hour now."
"You!"
The person in black was so angry that her eyebrows stood upright. First, she took out a dagger, then thought about it and took out a medicine bottle, opened it, and threw it at True Person Xuanji.
True Person Xuanji picked up the medicine bottle, brought it to her nose, and smelled it. She looked a bit surprised:
"What kind of medicine is this? It smells quite powerful."
"It's Yinhuang Fragrance. Didn't you want a powerful medicine? You asked for this. I don't have the antidote. If you can't find a man to relieve your desire within two hours, you'll explode and die. If you can withstand it, I'll take your surname!"
True Person Xuanji blinked her peach blossom eyes, raised her slender jade hand, and made the gesture of an orchid finger:
"What kind of poison is this? I can relieve myself with my own hand, or I can catch you and rub against you..."
"Bah——You evil woman! I... I bah!"
The person in black was also so angry with this extremely intelligent but having no bottom line evil woman that she turned around and ran into the forest.
True Person Xuanji watched the person in black leave and asked from a distance:
"Do you really not know the whereabouts of the Mingshen Diagram?"
"I've already told you I don't know. I was born with sharp eyes and ears. Why are you so stubborn, evil woman..."
As she spoke, her figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Seeing this, a bit of helplessness finally appeared on True Person Xuanji's calm face.
Just after being silent for a moment, True Person Xuanji's peripheral vision moved, and she looked towards the campfire not far away.
She saw a chubby white-headed eagle spreading its wings and sneaking towards the grilled fish by the fire like a thief. When it found her looking over, it quickly stood up straight and chirped "Jiji~" twice, looking very spiritual.
When True Person Xuanji was at the inn, she didn't notice the bird that quietly peeked out from the adjacent window. She didn't recognize it and thought it was a rare and precious animal in the mountains. She smiled and said:
"Eat it."
"Jiji~"
The bird swooshed over to the grilled fish, grabbed one of the grilled fish, and flew towards the forest. Along the way, it chirped "Gugu Jiji..." which probably meant - Don't be afraid, Fairy Sister. The bird is going to call someone to save you...
True Person Xuanji naturally couldn't understand bird language. After it became quiet around her, she sat cross-legged on the boulder, closed her eyes...
——
Shasha-sha~~
In the second half of the night, the heavy rain turned into a light drizzle.
In the crack of the stone cliff, Ye Jingtang was lying on the blanket, using the package as a pillow. He had closed his eyes and fallen asleep, with his hands still wrapped around a slender waist.
Luo Ning was too tired and lay on him. It wasn't clear whether she had fainted or fallen asleep. There were still faint tear marks at the corners of her eyes, looking like a flower that had been battered by the wind and rain, making one feel pity for her.
Ye Jingtang was much better than at the beginning, but his qi and blood hadn't calmed down yet, so he had all these chaotic dreams. Scenes of Ning'er, Benben, Third Lady, and even Miss Yuhu, the most memorable ones, appeared one after another. And then...
"Mn~"
Luo Ning slightly frowned in her deep sleep and let out a soft murmur.
Ye Jingtang immediately woke up. Opening his eyes, he found that he was pressing against Miss Luo. He felt a bit apologetic. He gently and carefully helped Ning'er lie down properly, covered her with clothes, put on his own clothes, and crawled out of the curtain.
It was probably around three or four o'clock in the morning. Under the vast sky, all was quiet. Only in the distant Tiehe Villa could one vaguely see the lights.
After taking a look, Ye Jingtang leaped up, climbed along the cliff wall, and came to a tree at the top of the cliff.
Although it was pitch black, he could still determine Third Lady's specific position from her breathing and movements.
Pei Xiangjun had been randomly looking around with the telescope. When she saw Ye Jingtang run up, she felt rather strange in her heart and said softly:
"Are you feeling better?"
Ye Jingtang came over and leaned against the same tree to take shelter from the rain:
"Much better. You can sleep for a while. I'll keep watch."
Pei Xiangjun held Ye Jingtang's wrist and took a look. She found that his qi and blood were still a bit surging and frowned:
"Why did you come up when you haven't been fully regulated yet? Keep at it."
Ye Jingtang hesitated for a moment and shook his head in response:
"Eating too much tonic medicine is not the same as taking aphrodisiac medicine. I'll probably have excessive qi and blood for a few days. It doesn't affect my consciousness or my skills. It's just that I have too much energy."
Pei Xiangjun blinked her eyes: "Is it that Ning'er can't take it? I knew she's only tough with words. Once it comes to the real thing, she'll be crying and begging for mercy within half a quarter of an hour..."
Ye Jingtang thought it was because he was too strong and couldn't blame Ning'er. But it wasn't appropriate to say these lewd words of boasting about himself, so he just smiled softly.
Outside, the rain was pouring down. It was silent on the cliff, with only two steady breaths.
The faint fragrance wafting from beside Ye Jingtang made him feel a bit distracted. After thinking about it, he sat up straight and put on an appearance of concentrating seriously.
Pei Xiangjun looked gentle and quiet. After being silent for a while, she tried to find something to talk about and said:
"I think Ning'er has a rather cold personality. You haven't known each other for long. Why did you get so close so quickly..."
"Third Lady gave me the wrong medicine. Ning'er would have only let me hug her at most. In order to relieve the effect of the medicine for me, she got that close so quickly..."
"I didn't give you that medicine. She bought it herself."
Pei Xiangjun remembered the last time when the seductive woman came to the door, quarreled, and took Jingtang away right in front of her. She felt a bit frustrated. She moved closer a bit and asked:
"Did she kiss you before giving you the antidote?"
Ye Jingtang found it a bit difficult to answer this question:
"Um... She did. On the day we killed the Wingless Owl, Ning'er was stabbed. I helped her detoxify. Seeing her with her eyes closed and full of grief and indignation, I couldn't hold back and secretly kissed her. As a result, Ning'er was so angry and wronged that she didn't cook for me all day. I've been very well-behaved since then...
"Later in Yun Prefecture, on the day we killed Zhou Huaili, we were a bit excited to meet again after a long separation. So I pestered her and made a bet with Ning'er. She lost the bet, so she let me kiss her for a long time..."
Pei Xiangjun nodded thoughtfully when she heard this rather romantic story:
"Do you have to kill someone to set the mood before you kiss?"
?
Ye Jingtang was immediately speechless. After thinking for a while, he said: "I didn't kill anyone today. I just beat Guan Yujia half to death..."
"Hmph～..."
The two of them chatted for a while. A faint sound came through the night rain. A big bird flew back at a lightning speed and landed on Ye Jingtang's shoulder. Then it grabbed Ye Jingtang's collar and pulled him outward:
"Jiji-jiji..."
Pei Xiangjun frowned when she saw the bird looking so anxious:
"Is something wrong?"
Ye Jingtang hugged the anxious bird and asked:
"What's the matter?"
The bird spread its wings and gestured: "Jiji..."
Ye Jingtang could roughly understand the meaning from the tone and movements - Hurry up and save someone. It's extremely urgent!
Ye Jingtang frowned. He knew that an important person he knew was in danger and asked:
"How far is it? How many enemies are there?"
"Jiji..."
The bird indicated that it was about more than thirty li away and there were no enemies.
?
No enemies...
Ye Jingtang wasn't sure who was in what kind of trouble, so he naturally didn't dare to delay. He stood up immediately and said:
"I'll go and take a look. Third Lady, you and Ning'er hide well. I'll