Chapter 346 Jiao enters the sea (Part 1)
Not seen for seven years, Qu Zhu was hidden in an ancient scabbard like a sword.
Pei Ye didn't know where he had been over the years. When he first saw him, he almost didn't recognize that it was the man.
Almost all his aloofness was gone, and his extremeness was hidden under his skin. Like a naturally sharp blade, he finally saw countless impenetrable things in the world. After seven years of searching, he still couldn't find a way out.
But in this stone-like silence, the determination to do something seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.
When Qu Zhu came to this tomb that had been away for seven years, dusk was about to close.
Pei Ye still remembered the scene just now. The young man knelt down on the ground crying and pressed handfuls of soil on the ground. Fresh yellow money and paper flowers rushed into the sky in the heat, and the lively joy and sorrow filled the entire mountain. .
Today, only the quiet and dim sky hangs down from the west. There are traces of wind and rain on the stone monument that was erected at an unknown time. Dark green cypresses stand next to the monument, and weeds that have withered for several years are lushly clustered below.
Qu Zhu stood with the same tranquility, as if he had become a part of this painting. After a long time, he knelt down on one leg, took out a stack of yellow paper from his arms, and struck the flint with his hand while blocking the wind.
The man burned all the paper money in folds. When the fire went out, the sky was completely dark. The last beating spark was lost in the night, Qu Zhu turned around, and footsteps sounded from down the slope.
Qu Zhoufu looks more vicissitudes of life than Qu Zhu.
But Pei Ye was startled for a moment before he realized that this was not a result of sophistication, but a real change in appearance.
He is indeed getting older faster.
Qu Zhoufu took a breath for two seconds, as if he had not seen him, and walked directly to the grave, holding a sickle and bending down to cut away the new year's grass.
Qu Zhu stood aside and watched, saying: "Maybe I will never come back, but if I come back, I will take action."
Qu Zhoufu paused for a moment and continued.
"I used to practice swordsmanship, break formations, refine weapons, and learn swordsmanship." Qu Zhu seemed to be muttering to himself. "Every path was far and bumpy, and I walked on it as if I were walking on flat ground. If I couldn't overcome the hurdle, I would persevere in climbing until I I really learned the second chapter of "Snowfall" and thought I had conquered the most difficult thing in the world."
"Now I know," Qu Zhu lowered his head and looked at Qu Zhoufu's back, "As long as you work hard, you will be able to move forward. There is nothing simpler in the world than practicing cultivation."
Qu Zhoufu didn't respond.
"Over the years, I have been staying in the remote city where the master took us to the end of the escape." Qu Zhudao, "The governor there is called Yu Chaocai, and he is a very admirable elder. He appreciates me very much, and I put him there. The place to stay has been improved a lot”
Qu Zhoufu stood up and said calmly: "Why haven't you entered Xuanmen yet?"
"Cultivation is not the key." Qu Zhu looked at the empty space, "Array and sword are. I am looking for a solution, but the deeper I go, the more I find that what I have learned in the past is shallow."
"But those things that are deeper and higher need to stand on the corresponding height."
"Seeing them, can you unlock the Star Tomb?"
"." Qu Zhu was completely silent. This sentence seemed to bite the heaviest part of his heart. He looked at the cypress branches trembling in the night wind without saying a word, and said after a long time, "I actually can't think of the solution at all." Way to drive it.”
"In the past seven years, I have dismantled this ancient formation countless times, taking out every formation to figure it out. There are no omissions or mistakes." Qu Zhu whispered, "I am absolutely sure that this is what I unveiled back then. Correct full picture.”
"But it's just different." The man looked into Qu Zhoufu's eyes, his voice low and hoarse, "Did you know, I even spent two years making a small version, which can indeed make a piece of gold and iron engraved and refined Complete the task of guarding but it’s just different.”
"No matter how many times I try, the artifacts produced by this array will always be cold and dead."
Qu Zhoufu looked at him quietly.
"I dismantled everything to the tiniest and most basic level, but I still can't find it." Qu Zhu pursed his lips, "I can only classify all the behaviors of the star bugs that day that could not find support in the formation as A kind of 'living quality'. It cannot be disassembled and does not know where it came from. It exists far above the formation in billions of bronzes thousands of years ago."
"I think it comes from that bead." Qu Zhu stared motionlessly at the highest cliff, "This makes sense. The thing it guards gives it the life to observe everything; in turn, it Guarding the outside of that thing without missing a beat. A ring like this without any gaps is worthy of being the place where immortals bury their stars! If I want to break through this formation, I have to start with that bead, but if I want to touch that bead, I have to first Fuck it open——"
"Give up, senior brother."
"." Qu Zhu stopped and looked back blankly.
"Let go of your obsession." Qu Zhoufu looked at him and whispered calmly, "It's been a long time. I still remember when I was young, except for swords, you were a genius who knew everything. It makes people jealous when you come out. Everyone has imagined how wonderful your life will be."
"That's why Master doesn't want to leave you at Hushan Jianmen."
"."
"But then, you neglected your practice and your sword skills, and you pounced on something from thousands of years ago like a man possessed." Qu Zhoufu looked at him quietly, "Now you can't figure it out, and you threw seven years of time into In the official world, why do you think there will be results? Even if you are really in a high position, what if you are really in a high position? Since the immortals set up barriers back then, can a mortal really break through them? "
"."
"Qu Wuhui, you have been confused and confused for so many years and have accomplished nothing. You are already thirty years old."
Qu Zhu lowered his head, and the embarrassed figure squatting in straw sandals under the rain eaves seemed to overlap with him again.
"Otherwise, we will have to meet each other with bloodshed next time." Qu Zhoufu turned his head, and the last trace of orange in the sky disappeared.
Qu Zhu once again showed the cold and tense expression with his lips pursed downward, and there was once again a trace of the sharpness from before.
But after all, he was past that age. He did not say those words again. He only lowered his head and smiled, looked at the horizon and sighed softly: "I already know what to do, Zhou Fu. There are some invisible lines, and you can rely on yourself." It can't be passed through. If you don't have the magical power of the Eight Immortals to cross the sea, you will be just another Master Yu in this lifetime."
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Qingjing Lake Bottom.
The bones have decayed over the years, the skin and flesh have turned into dust and mud, the bones and internal organs are exposed miserably, and the torn robes have been stuck together.
There was nothing clearly identifiable on either the robe or the sword. Wu Dong used his sword to pick up a piece of silk scarf around his neck. It was about two feet in size. It was not broken off from the robe, but formed into a piece of its own.
"Masked."
Whether it was because he couldn't do it or because he felt it was unnecessary, Jin Yuzhai didn't take off the square silk scarf until he was trapped and died here. Now that it has been taken off, no one can recognize it.
Wudong leaned down, and there was a bag hanging on his left waist. It was obviously a magical weapon, and the silk threads on the bag's body would not decay over the years. When he opened the bag and looked at it, he found that everything in it was well preserved. There were no holes and he looked through it. Most of them were ordinary things. Only a jade pen and a short piece of paper were taken out by him.
Wudong raised the jade pen in front of him: ".A magic weapon?"
Sui Zaihua took it and handed it back after a moment: "Yes, a pen that does not require ink."
Wudong turned over the note and frowned inexplicably when he looked at the words on it.
"He came back a month later." Seeing that there was nothing extra, Sui Zaihua began to help gather the bones, "We are a group of people, Mr. Yu, me, Qu Zhu, and the accompanying officials and convoys, a total of thirty-eight people. In the winter of twenty years ago, I embarked on the journey south."
“That’s probably where it all comes together.”
In the early winter of the Renxu year, the first snow fell on Shaolong. The snow fell heavily and quickly. In one night, the Baili Kongtong was completely covered with snow.
The mighty convoy was stuck in a slippery and dangerous terrain. They walked out of the tent early in the morning and a few skilled people went up the mountain to take a look. It turned out that the previously planned route was no longer possible.
The two Kongtong disciples who led the way suggested to go to Kongtong to take shelter first, but it was snowing and cold, and Yu Chaocai was worried that the snow would freeze after two days of avoiding it, and he would be completely trapped by then. Although the two Kongtong disciples said that they could stay there all winter, the term of office was clear, and Yu Chaocai was serious about his official duties, so they decided to leave the mountain while the snow was soft, and everything would be fine when they reached the plains.
No matter what the decision was, it was actually only related to the many uncultivated people accompanying them. Sui Zaihua and Qu Zhu were leaning on the open-air bullock cart. No matter how big the snow was, they could easily carry Yu Chaocai in and out. What's more, the ones with the highest cultivation level in this trip are not them, but a grandmaster sent by the government to escort them.
After the snowy day, several more experts came to Kongtong. It was not that they were worried about any bloodshed, but that even if one of the servants accompanying the Gongtai Shaoqing fell and injured his leg in this area, he would inevitably look awkward. Dong stood aside and watched. Therefore, regardless of manpower resources, Kongtong strives to take good care of this group of people.
This was the time when the convoy was closest to Kongtong. After everything was ready, they did not stop and the group moved forward at full speed. As night fell, the snow fell more and more rapidly, and they had entered the truly wild depths of Kongtong. Got it.
"Have you ever been to such a deep mountain?" the person next to me asked.
Sui Zaihua turned around and saw Qu Zhuzheng looking into the sky, with only half of the back of his head visible.
"First time." Sui Zaihua said.
Even in Fenghuai, most people who ask this question will give the same answer. This is really the most vast hinterland of Da Kongtong. The surrounding mountains resemble towering giants, high cliffs, ancient trees, wild owls and wild branches. Everything is... It is free and uninhabited.
"Look, is that a tiger cave?" Qu Zhu suddenly raised his hand and pointed with a smile. On the other side of the valley, he saw a dark hole on the cliff opening on the stone wall. Under the cover of the cang trees, what lay there was deep and dim. If it weren't for At this time, it is covered with snow, so it must not be visible.
"Tiger doesn't live on the cliff, this should be the 'Hidden Dragon Cave'." These words stirred up some memories in Sui Zaihua, "The one I've heard of, further ahead, is the 'Datianlan', a deep valley It’s a dangerous cliff, and it’s hard to set up camp in front of us regardless of whether we advance or retreat, so I’ll definitely stop here tonight.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the carriages and horses in front had stopped, a whistle came to the rear, and the cattle and horses stopped one after another.
"Your Majesty has an order! Find an open space to camp and rest for now!"
Qu Zhu was still looking up at the sky. Sui Zaihua looked casually and saw an eagle shadow hovering in the sky. Qu Zhu turned around, smiled and got out of the car: "I'm starving, I'll help clean up."
Sui Zaihua nodded: "I can support it alone."
Sui Zaihua unloaded the tent from the oxcart, which consisted of three layers of silk, felt, and leather. Sui Zaihua laid it out layer by layer, and the entire camp took shape.
Nowadays, about half of the team is composed of people with advanced skills. With this ratio, there is almost no sense of burden. Soon the flames started to rise, and a pot of warming porridge was cooked over there.
Soon the porridge was cooked and everyone gathered around. Sui Zaihua was not in a hurry to grab the first bowl, but against the crowd, Qu Zhu had already walked over with two bowls.
Sui Zaihua smiled and took it, and suddenly a somewhat urgent call came from beside him: "Sir Sui! Yu Shaoqing is calling you over urgently."
Sui Zaihua was startled for a moment, then put down the porridge and came to the main tent. Yu Chaocai was standing outside the door with several Kongtong disciples, nodding from time to time while listening to their explanations.
"Zaihua." The old man raised his hand in greeting.
"Master Yu."
"Several young heroes said that they had sent out whistles before, but the two leading disciples never found them. They suspected that they had lost their way and were about to pick them up together." The old man's voice was as solid and reliable as ever, "I miss you. Go with them, and if there are any difficulties, we will coordinate together."
"Oh, easy to say." Sui Zaihua cupped his fists.
It turned out that after the snow started, the newly chosen route was really slippery and covered with snow. Therefore, two Kongtong disciples who were familiar with the terrain went ahead to explore the route and left safe and feasible signs for the group.
Now that we are no longer moving forward, we should naturally call the people back, but the people have not come back since the whistle was blown, so the Kongtong people are worried about this.
"It's probably because the snow is too messy and I accidentally got sidetracked. It's a trivial matter."