"You won't let me eat," Gu Mang said word by word and proclaimed, "I. Am. Hungry!"
A blaze suddenly burst out. Gu Mang waved his hand and projected down the incantation—— Murong Lian’s pupil instantly contracted!
Quicker than words could tell, in this imminent peril, a sandy soil enchantment rose steeply from the ground. and the upsurging waves of air suddenly knocked Murong Lian over, it also blocked the heavy flames coming from Gu Mang.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Murong Lian choked as he climbed up from the ground in a sorry state. He ruthlessly wiped away the handful of dust on his face and immediately turned around to see that Mo Xi was standing not far away, controlling this defensive enchantment.
"..." Murong Lian brushed away the dirt on his body and gloomily said, "Did you deliberately trip me?"
Mo Xi said: "Go to the back, you're not his opponent."
Murong Lian moved his thin lips and was about to speak when he suddenly heard an ominous cracking sound. The thick defensive wall was split up into pieces in an instant. A black bayonet burst out in between the falling of the silt, breaking through the last translucent layer of the enchantment and was heading straight for Murong Lian!
This bayonet was——
Mo Xi’s heart went cold.
This was... This was what Gu Mang had summoned from the battleship of Dongting Lake that year. The demon weapon of the Country of Lian that stabbed him in his heart!
But the demon weapon was just like the divine weapon, they needed to be recited with incantation by Gu Mang for them to be summoned!! According to reason, after Gu Mang lost his memory, he should no longer be able to summon this blade, let alone break the spiritual core. Why was he able to now...?!
Before he had time to think it over, the bayonet had already smashed his shield and was slashing at him like lightning.
Mo Xui was familiar with Gu Mang’s way of fighting. He suddenly turned his head and shouted to Murong Lian, "Dodge to the left!"
Murong Lian was stumped for a moment in the first place, this bayonet was tossed to the left. Normally, he ought to dodge to the right. Why did Mo Xi ask him to dodge to the left?
In this flash of hesitation, there was no longer enough time to dodge. The bayonet protruded straight to the left, but at the last moment, it suddenly turned sharply to the right like a cunning snake. Looking at how Murong Lian was going to be hurt by it, Mo Xi came in a wink of an eye and pushed Murong Lian away.
The bayonet pierced into the ribs, hot blood splashed across!!
The crowd one by one changed expression: “Xihe Jun!”
“Xihe Jun, how are you?!”
Mo Xi simply could not hear the voices of anyone else into his ears.
He gasped a mouthful of air and rested his hand on the handle of the bayonet. With sudden exertion, he pulled the bayonet out, and blood flowed drip by drip, trickling down immediately.
He raised his pitch black eyes and looked a distance away. In between the flying sands and rocks, Gu Mang was still bursting with strong spiritual flow. The wind of the battlefield from years ago seemed to be scraping at his ears. It was accompanied by Gu Mang's brutal expression and the dagger dripping blood in his hands.
At that time, Gu Mang said to him －－
"As a general, as a soldier, you are living for the interest of others, you must not be too fond of the past."
"You and I are brothers, this is the last thing I can teach you."
All of a sudden, Mo Xi could not help laughing. In the end, his laughter was only filled with deep hatred. Ha ha ha, in the past he had almost died under the hands of Gu Mang once, now what was this wound in his ribs?! Mo Xi clenched his teeth. He stood tall and straight.
The hollow of his palms was surging with fierce red roaring waves, and he walked step by step toward Gu Mang.
Gu Mang clearly sensed the vicious current of his body, and when Mo Xi was approaching, the spiritual flow around him burst again. But Mo Xi merely waved his hands and his light array exploded into tatters.
The practitioners who fought alongside were shocked: "Ah! Too, too formidable..."
“Mo family’s lineage is really too strong..."
There were also some that muttered, "But if Xihe Jun can fight so well, how was it that he was stabbed in the heart by Gu Mang that year?"
Hearing the last sentence, Murong Lian squinted his eyes slightly and looked thoughtfully at the two men who were opposing each other.
On this side of the room, Gu Mang wanted to attack again, but even before the incantation spell was finished, he heard Mo Xi shouted in anger, "Shuai Ran! Come!!
A scarlet snake whip burst into the air upon the shout.
The bridge of Mo Xi’s nose puckered up and his face changed akin to a leopard. He shouted indignantly: "Gu Mang! Do you really think I'll never hit you in all my life?!!”
When the voice fell, Shuai Ran advanced toward Gu Mang like lightning—— Fireworks splattered everywhere as the snake whip tore open the snowstorm, whipping down fiercely!
Gu Mang had no time to dodge and his shoulder was struck by the whip. Blood burst out in a flash. Looking at his wounds, his violent and chaotic mind first seemed to be a little more sober. He shook his head, and subconsciously stepped back.
“You stop for me!”
Gu Mang: “...”
"Where else can you go." A hoarse voice sounded, and Shuai Ran bound Gu Mang! Yet, Mo Xi loosened the hand that covered his wound. His hands were covered with blood, and then he suddenly pinched at Gu Mang’s neck.
Mo Xi angrily proclaimed: “You are not foolish at all!”
"You can still summon this demon weapon! You remember the incantation. You're still used to the way you used to fight. You remember everything clearly!"
Gu Mang was strangled by him and he could not speak. His pale face slowly rising to a deep red and his fingers moved with difficulty.
Mo Xi clenched his teeth and said, "Speak! What on earth do you intend to do when you come back to Chong Hua?!
“...”
Gu Mang lifted up his arm, trembling over Mo Xi’s fingers covering his neck. Blue eyes met black eyes, black eyes had an endless fire, while blue eyes were moist - Gu Mang could not breathe, he was afraid that he would be strangled to death forcibly.
“I…”
Mo Xi spoke with fury: “Speak!”
The expressions of the people around him were alarmed and they were afraid to speak more. But just then, a sudden rush of hooves approached from a distance. Someone shouted:
“Xihe Jun! Be merciful!”
With a "Yu -" sound, the arrival of the palace female officer reigned at the spiritual horse.
She jumped down and knelt in the snow, breathing out a burst of white air: "Xihe Jun, please show mercy!"
Then she saluted to both Mo Xi and Murong Lian:
"Wangshu Jun, Xihe Jun, Junshang knows about this situation, and had sent this subordinate to come and arrest this perpetrator of repeated offenses, Gu Mang!"
Mo Xi’s eyes absolutely held no others, any words fell deaf to his ears.
In the end, it was Murong Lian who looked back and inquired, "What? Where are you going to take him?"
"Reporting back to Wangshu Jun, Jun Shang has ordered me to take him directly into the Zhonghua Palace. Upon hearing about this, Junshang has summoned the most outstanding medical officers in the country and they are at present in the palace, waiting for Gu Mang's second consultation.”
Upon saying this, she took a glance at Mo Xi's hand that was clutching Gu Mang, and immediately added a sentence: "This is a serious matter at hand. You must not initiate any killing!"
Mo Xi did not even look at her, he still continued to stare at Gu Mang fiercely: "..."
Knowing that his temperament was fierce and ruthless, the female officer couldn't help reminding him fearing that he might take actions on impulse, "Xihe Jun!"
Mo Xi was still silent as if he was trying to suppress something at his utmost. After a long time, he suddenly loosened his fingers. Gu Mung fell to his knees in the snow, and he turned around, looking at the gradually dreary and fuzzy sight of snow in front of him.
At last the female officer breathed a sigh of relief and saluted again, "Many thanks to Xihe Jun’s understanding."
In the snow, Mo Xi put his back to the crowd and stood with his hands behind his back without saying a word.
But when the female official went to get Gu Mang who fell kneeling in the snow, Mo Xi turned his face slightly and his voice was low: "Hold your steps."
"What is Xihe Jun's command?"
"I'll go with you," said Mo Xi.
"..." The female official was shocked and said, "In the Shennong Tai, there must not be too many high-level practicers present in order to avoid spiritual fluctuations. Even if you go, you can only stay outside the palace hall..."
"All right." Mo Xi still did not look back. The tone of his voice was terrifyingly stiff as he articulated his word bit by bit, "Then I will wait outside!"
Since he had already said so, the female officer could not say anything more. Gu Mang was taken back to the Imperial Palace by the female officer, and Mo Xi also followed.
About an hour later, a snow owl was suddenly released from the palace, and all the important key participants were urgently summoned to hear the discussion.
At the moment, it was late at night, and almost all the important ministers were dragged from their beds by this edict. The most unfortunate one was Elder Yu of Chengtian Tai, who was enjoying himself in a brothel in the north of the city. At the critical moment, a fat bird suddenly smashed a hole through the window. The fat bird cried out, "Wa wa wa! Junshang has an order! Junshang has an order! Please go to the Throne Room as soon as possible to hear Gu Mang's case!"
Elder Yu immediately withered. He cursed and grimly stood up as he dressed, "Wasn’t his case closed already?! How come something happened again!"
"Oh my, do not be angry, my lord." The woman was half exposed with an amorous feeling as she rose from her couch and dressed him. "Since Junsheng urgently called, he must have his reason."
"His fart that there is a reason! It’s late in the night and he doesn't want people to rest!"
The woman stretched out her soft hand and rested it on his lips. She grinned lethargically. "These remarks must not be said irresponsibly, my lord. Beware of ears in the wall."
"What is there to be scared of? I'm just talking casually in front of you." Elder Yu rolled his eyes. "Now this Junsheng is just doing whatever he wants. It's not once or twice that he called us in the middle of the night. He's young and energetic, but he didn’t think of how our weary old bodies could not stand such a tumult?"
The woman said softly, "What is my lord saying? Every round of your’s was so ferocious with me and you made me so overwhelmingly happy. If you're old, then what am I?”
This statement could not be more false, as if it was not the Elder Yu who had just withered away. But it was quite useful for Elder Yu. He grinned with a “Heh heh” and pinched her powdered cheek and smelled the fragrance on her neck. Then he said, "I’m going. Darling, I'll come back to you tomorrow."
The woman giggled as she sent him out of the door. Naturally, she made sufficient gesture of reluctancy. But as soon as the door was closed, her face was immediately drawn down and she said, "Old fool, your soft gun looks like a dead toad soaked in dung water. If it weren't for your money, Lao Niang would not be bothered to serve you."
After saying that, she immediately went to the back of the screen to wash fresh. She changed into a clean dress and then sat down at the dressing table to start dressing herself up again.
She has stayed in this brothel for many years, and she was no longer young and beautiful. However, she did her work well and was willing to endure. No matter how nauseating the guests was, she would try her best to serve them and never showed any discomfort to the guests, so many older guests still loved to request for her name.
"Those young girls thoughts are too loose. Even if they don’t say anything, it could be seen in their gaze. Is it still Yu Niang that is good ah. Genuine and sincere.”
Every time she heard Elder Yu saying this to her, she laughed in her heart.
She was not genuine and sincere but having mingled in this place for more than ten years, her face has been wearing heavy makeup that could not be removed, and has developed a full range of techniques. An exchange of flirtatious glances and smiles, even if her heart was feeling disgusted to the extreme, she would never let anyone see a seam of emotions from her.
Otherwise, what would she take to compete with those tender bodies?
She faced the bronze mirror and carefully touched up the colored lips kissed by Elder Yu with a piece of lip paper. She put on the thick red and sat waiting for the second guest to push the door tonight.
She didn't wait too long before the sandalwood door creaked open.
Yu Niang hurriedly offered the warmest smile she had and looked up to greet the visitor with a charming smile: "My lord, you..." The voice stopped abruptly when it saw the guest’s face, and when it reached the end, its bright red lips opened and suddenly uttered a sad cry, "Ah-!!"
At the front of the door was a man dripping blood all over!
The man was covered with bandages and his eyes had wisps of blood crawling all over. His hands were covered in scarlet, and his left fingernail was poked with a sticky eyeball. He looked at her and said hoarsely:"Don't shout."
After speaking, the man then came in slowly. He raised his hand and stuffed the eyeball into his mouth. He chewed it twice and swallowed it into his stomach.
After eating this eyeball, as if he seemed to have gotten some kind of panacea, his face revealed an exceedingly comfortable expression. He licked his lips and turned his eyes unhurriedly to look at the pale lady and said:"Give me a pot of tea."
“...”
Seeing that Yu Niang did not respond, his tone became more impatient: "Give me a pot of tea!"
Why are you still requesting for tea!
Yu Niang was so scared senseless that she fell down from the embroidery stool and trembled all over like she was sifting chaff. She wanted to retreat backward, but her hands and feet were cold and completely ignored her command. She could only shiver.
After trembling for a spell, she screamed frantically and staggered to get up and run out of the room: "Help! Help me - ghost... There's a ghost!
She remembered Elder Yu who had just left. Now she genuine felt from her heart that Elder Yu was tall, powerful and fierce. She quickly hysterically called, "Elder! Elder Yu!!!!”
She slammed open the door and stumbled out.
Surprisingly enough, the man who ate the eyeball did not move at all, as if he was indifferent to her escaping away. He opened his blood-stained lips, showing his white teeth and his cold smile.
"Elder --! Ah ah ah!!!!”
Yu Niang ran to the side of the steps and saw the following situation below. Her legs went soft and she fell down with a crash. Nevertheless, she could not get up again.
From the first floor... To the wooden stairs... she didn’t know when it was all filled with corpses...
Only the middle of the hall of the brothel had three or four prostitutes encircled. They were all frightened and huddled together. Their beautiful faces were full of tears.
And the key participants of Chengtian Tai Elder Yu was dead on a table downstairs and only two bloody holes were left of his eyes.
Yu Niang shook her head repeatedly: "... No... No..."
Why were the imperial guards unaware of this despite such a big scene being made?
Why did she not hear the screams of the people outside her room where there was only a layer of wall separating her from the outside?
As if he had seen through what she was thinking, a voice behind her said slowly and methodically, "There is more than just Zhonghua country in the world that has its own secret arts. I have many more methods to prevent others from hearing any sound.”
The footsteps were aggressive.
The bandaged man came out of the shadows with a flower-and-bird peony-pattern teapot in his hand. He lifted his head and poured half into his mouth before he grinned and threw the pot away.
With a bang, it was shattered!
“You don't have to be afraid. I won't kill you for the time being." The man came slowly and grabbed her hair. He pulled her and slowly walked down the wooden steps before throwing her to the four or five surviving women. Then he pulled up a chair and sat down in front of them, looking at them one by one with his bloody eyes.
After a long silence, he suddenly said, "All of you slap each other's faces, I give you the time needed for an incense to burn."
After that, he raised his hand and slammed the door of the brothel shut.
Then he waved his hands again, and three of corpses, including Elder Yu, rose among the corpses all over the ground. They staggered toward the center of the hall.
Yu Niang was the only one among these girls who could still speak. The rest looked like their souls had disappeared.
"You... You... You... what exactly do you want..."
"You want to ask, what exactly do I want to do?"
The man continued her words and then he sneered, "Didn't I say that already? I’ll give you the time needed for an incense to burn. I want you to slap at each other's faces."
"Yes, after... What happens afterward?"
"Afterwards?" The man carelessly touched his chin and pondered. He was silent for a moment.
It was as if this simple question had stunned him.
By this time, the three corpses he had summoned had approached, and the eyeless Elder Yu reached out to pull at Yu Niang, who collapsed and screamed, "No! Don't touch me. Don't touch me!!!!
"You scared the lady?" The man walked slowly and looked at Elder Yu. "Old thing, why you are still groping people even when you are dead?"
Elder Yu raised his head and made a crackling sound as if he was explaining something to this man pitifully.
But the man just hummed two times before he raised his hand. A black gas suddenly flew out and hit the Elder on his forehead. The Elder was instantly paralyzed on the ground. He spasmed and convulsed before finally turning into a bubble of blood plasma.
"So long-winded, how irritating."
The other two bodies seemed to be aware of what happened. Their body stiffened and they moved with more caution. They walked slowly, and finally moved six chairs and carefully placed them beside the girls, before bowing.
The man said, "Please sit."
—— If he hadn't been bloodied and just committed so many crimes, his tone could be considered polite.
"Why, do you need help?"
Although the girls were frightened until their minds were distracted, every word of his was still heard in their mind. But their whole body seemed to be frozen and it took them a moment to get moving. They rushed to climb up and sat one by one on the chair. No matter what, they did not want to let the bandaged man or the two corpses touch them.
Yu Niang choked and said, "You, who are … you … you exactly?"
"No hurry." The man said, "I'll let you know when you do what I said and answer a few more questions."
After a pause, he said, "Oh, by the way, remind the girls not to expect anyone to come and save you. I put a spell of boundaries on the door, nobody will notice it for a while."
With that being said, he turned his head slowly and looked at the closed door of the brothel. Then he licked his lips, the redness in his eyes grew deeper and deeper, and finally, he grinned. "So, let's get started?"
As the man in bandages said, maybe it was because Fallen Blossom Court had already attracted the attention of the Imperial guards tonight, or perhaps it was because his secret arts were too real, that no one would know about such a thing that was happening in the north of the city for a while.
The city of Zhonghua was still quiet at present.
Each of the most important practitioners in charge of various positions came one after another to the imperial steps. Mo Xi had been waiting outside for a long time. After Murong Lian came, he chose a spot beside him and stood outside the throne room.
In the snowstorm, the profile of Mo Xi became more and more cold. Murong Lian glanced at him before he turned to look in front. He sneered softly.
"Xihe Jun, are you really going to wait in the heavy snow?"
Mo Xi did not make any sound, and he let the snow cover his shoulder in silence. Murong Lian paused for a moment and spoke again after not getting his reply.
"Speaking of it, let me ask you before you were so angry outside Fallen Blossom Court, is it because you think that Gu Mang was not actually silly?"
Mo Xi closed his eyes and a dark air climbed up onto his face: "..."
But Murong Lian was not in the least tactful, “But as far as I know you, I doubt that if nobody stopped you, would you really strangle him to death?”
"..."
"You towards him-"
Mo Xi suddenly turned his head and said angrily, "Murong Lian, are you done being annoying?!"
With the silence of the snowy night and the solemnity in front of the temple, the sudden fury of Xihe Jun shocked all the practitioners present. They all stretched their neck and looked over at them.
Murong Lian’s face was brushed away and his face burst to green and then white. He was just about to say something when Zhu Qidian opened the door. The officials came out and they bowed to these important ministers.
"To all these Shen Jun, please come in."
Murong Lian gritted his teeth and whispered, "You wait and see, the one surnamed Mo!"
Mo Xi moved forward in rage. The bayonet around his waist flickered and Murong Lian was left behind.
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