The master said not to judge people by their appearance

This busy work lasted for three full hours, until the afternoon when the stillborn baby was considered to be born.

Xie Yuzhen was resting on the bed, while the others sat around in another room, looking at the corpses of the four babies wrapped in cotton cloth.

No, this is not a baby at all. The limbs have some human shapes, but more are like beasts, and there are more than one kind of beasts. It seems that many kinds of wild beasts are put together and combined, with strange shapes and extremely weird.

When Mu Qingyun thought that Xie Yuzhen had been carrying such a thing in her stomach for the past three months, she was terrified. The more he looked at it, the more frightened he became, and he wanted to take out the cotton bag and burn it.

Xie Yunlan stopped him: "No, this is evidence that the concept of longevity cultivates demon fetuses."

There is also a clay doll next to the stillbirth, which is the one that Xie Yuzhen returned from Changsheng Guanshuan three months ago. Shen Fan has confirmed that there is a remnant of evil spirit on it, and the evil fetus in Xie Yuzhen's belly came from this.

Mu Qingyun put down the demon fetus, he clenched his fist and hit the ground heavily, angrily said: "Wait for me to report to His Majesty, to expose Li Henian's tricks of this demon!"

"No." Xie Yunlan stopped him again.

"Why?" Mu Qingyun asked, "We already have evidence, and if we present this demon fetus to His Majesty, the truth will be revealed!"

"The demon fetus can only prove that there is indeed a monster in Beijing." Xie Yunlan said, "How do you prove that this demon fetus comes from the concept of longevity?"

Mu Qingyun opened his mouth and wanted to answer, but he suddenly realized that the evidence was not good.

But Wang Tai hadn't reacted yet, and interjected, "Isn't the demonic aura on this clay doll proof?"

"Then can you see the evil spirit?" Xie Yunlan asked, looking at Shen Fan at the same time.

Shen Fan understood what he meant, and replied: "There is no way, after three months, the demonic aura on the clay doll has faded away, even people who are born with keen spiritual sense and can see ghosts and gods may not be able to detect it. no."

"The demon fetus comes from the concept of longevity. Only the master can prove it. If you didn't believe him so much before, will your majesty believe it?" Xie Yunlan asked Mu Qingyun.

Mu Qingyun thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Emperor Jianwu loved and trusted Li Henian very much. Although Shen Fan already had some fame, it was still not enough. He said that Li Henian was a monster. He was afraid that Li Henian would bite back at that time, and Shen Fan would have to be charged with creating a monster fetus to harm the people. on the head.

"Taking a step back, His Majesty will believe us, so what? Send troops to encircle and suppress the Temple of Longevity?" Xie Yunlan pondered, "According to Li Henian's current control over the capital, I am afraid that he will already be there before the army reaches the Temple of Longevity. I received the news, Master, you said that Li Henian's arrangement is about to be completed, so is it possible for him to start all this in advance, such as giving birth to those unbred demon fetuses in the city?"

Shen Fan thought for a while and said, "It's ok, but the monster's physical body may be a little weak, but that's only relatively speaking, they will still be much stronger than ordinary people."

"How many demon fetuses can a woman give birth to?" Xie Yunlan asked again. The female corpses should have been three before, but Xie Yuzhen had four in her stomach.

"Not necessarily." Shen Fan said, "Depending on one's physique, five, six, seven or eight are possible."

"Based on five or six, judging by the number of missing women, there should be one or two hundred demon fetuses born in Beijing, and the defenders in Beijing can handle it, but if all the unborn demon fetuses are born... "Xie Yunlan looked solemn and did not continue.

"Can we get rid of the demon fetuses in the stomachs of other women who have gone to the Temple of Longevity to seek children, just like how we exorcised the demon fetuses for the young lady?" Wang Tai asked.

"No." Shen Fan said, "Too many."

"We don't have that much time." Xie Yunlan also said, "And how do you find these women who are going to the Temple of Longevity to seek children? There must be a lot of fanfare, and if we move, Li Henian will also move, and those longevity tablets with unknown functions are also impossible for us. Find them one by one and destroy them in advance, the movement is too great."

Wang Tai: "Then what should we do?"

Can't move, can't move, it's a dilemma.

Xie Yunlan didn't answer, he pondered for a moment, and asked Shen Fan: "What's so special about being possessed by a heart demon? What powerful magical powers are there?"

"The inner demon itself is very weak, but when it possesses a person, the power of the possessed person will be used by it, and the desire in the person's heart will also contribute to its magic power, and they will complement each other, mutual benefit and symbiosis Together, they become powerful monsters." Shen Fan said, "But Li Henian himself is just a mortal, and in half a year, he should be able to control some demonic energy and order monsters at this moment, but he does not have the power to move mountains and fill seas. "

Xie Yunlan: "Can you deal with him?"

Shen Fan: "Soul fire can restrain his demonic energy, but if I want to kill the demon, someone needs to help me restrain his human body, and directly burn his soul with soul fire."

Xie Yunlan: "Then if he forcibly gave birth to those unbred demon fetuses, can you stop them?"

"If those demon fetuses are not nearby, it's fine." Shen Fan said, "He wants to give birth to unborn demon fetuses by relying on devil energy, as long as he prevents his devil energy from being transmitted outward, it can be done."

After Xie Yunlan finished asking, he pondered for a moment, then suddenly dipped his finger in some tea and began to paint on the table.

Shen Fan and Wang Tai didn't know what he was drawing, but Mu Qingyun could tell that it was a topographical map near the capital, and his expression changed when he saw the route Xie Yunlan had outlined: "Brother, do you want to... "

"That's right." Xie Yunlan affirmed, "Since last night's corpse was taken away in time, Li Henian must have known our movements well. He knew that we already knew about the monster, but he didn't send another monster to silence us. Instead of holding back, he probably wants to wait until everything is ready before acting, we can't give him time, we must be quick if we want to break the situation!"

Xie Yunlan said in a deep voice: "It's not too late, Qingyun, you take three thousand elite soldiers, take the road from Feiyingjian, bypass the Weishui River tonight, climb Yanhui Mountain from here, surround the Changsheng Temple, remember to dress lightly, and don't show your signs .”

As he spoke, he gestured with his fingers on the topographic map of the tea painting: "After the army secretly surrounded the Temple of Longevity, Master and I quietly entered the temple and attacked Li Henian. You lead the troops outside to respond, and play by ear."

"What do you think?" Xie Yunlan asked everyone.

This plan was carefully considered by Xie Yunlan. Both the number of people and the chosen marching route were just right, able to deal with those born demon fetuses, and would not make it difficult to hide their tracks due to the large number of people. Li Henian could be caught off guard.

Neither Shen Fan nor Wang Tai had any objections, but Mu Qingyun was very hesitant: "However, without His Majesty's order, mobilizing the imperial army without His Majesty's order, and committing a conspiracy of rebellion, this will punish the nine clans!"

"Naturally, we can no longer stick to the rules in extreme times. If His Majesty is notified of this matter in advance, His Majesty may not agree to it. At the same time, the news may also be leaked. Then we will miss the only chance to kill Li Henian!" Xie Yunlan looked at Mu Qingyun, " You have also seen the demon fetus, if all these monsters are born, the capital will become a demon city! The enemy is in front of you, don't hesitate any longer!"

Mu Qingyun stared at the demon corpse in the cotton cloth for a long time, and finally made up his mind and agreed.

that night.

The moonlight caressed the earth like flowing water, and the birds returned to their nests. There was silence in the mountains and forests, except for the sound of gurgling water in the valley, day and night.

There was a group of soldiers speeding through the mountains and forests in the dark. There were thousands of them in number, but the movements they made were extremely small. Except for the unavoidable sound of splashes when wading through the water, the entire army was almost silent.

Mu Qingyun led the team at the front. He marched along the route negotiated during the day, crossed Feiyingjian, bypassed the Weishui River, and finally arrived at the place agreed with Xie Yunlan. He raised his right hand and made a fist with five fingers. Behind him were well-trained soldiers They stopped immediately.

A person stepped out from the shadow ahead, it was Xie Yunlan.

During these days in Beijing, he wore either official uniforms or loose casual clothes, but at the moment he was wearing a neat military gown. The close-fitting clothes outlined his tall and slender figure, and his whole aura changed. , not as peaceful as usual, he was as sharp as a sword drawn out of its sheath.

"Brother, where is Master? Why are you alone?" Mu Qingyun stepped forward and looked behind Xie Yunlan, as if there was no one there.

"He..." Speaking of this, Xie Yunlan got a headache, "He said he was tired from walking, and Wang Tai was waiting for him to rest at the back, so I came here first."

Mu Qingyun: "..."

For this night attack on Changsheng Temple, the first priority was concealment. Therefore, no one on Mu Qingyun's side or Xie Yunlan's side rode horses. The ten miles from the capital to here were all on foot. Xie Yunlan and Wang Tai walked together. I don't feel tired, it's common to travel hundreds of miles when marching and fighting, but Shen Fan feels that he is exhausted and needs a good rest.

"How is your side?" Xie Yunlan asked.

"It's not a big problem, it's just..." Mu Qingyun was still a little worried, "Although I used the excuse of night training to transfer these 3000 people out, we were nowhere to be seen in the nearby training grounds. Found it wrong."

The composition of the forbidden army is complicated, and it is divided into many large and small factions. Mu Qingyun has only been in command of this forbidden army for half a year. He has only subdued some of them, and the other part is still not convinced by him, such as his lieutenant general, who has always been at odds with him On weekdays, the lieutenant general would trip him up whenever he saw an opportunity. If the other party found out that he was missing with [-] soldiers and horses at night, he would have to inform Jingzhong immediately that he was suspected of treason.

"It's only a matter of time if you can hide it for a while." Xie Yunlan said, "When you find evidence of evil intentions by raising monsters in the Temple of Longevity, what happened tonight will not be a crime, but a merit!"

Mu Qingyun: "Forget it, Li Henian almost harmed Yuzhen, so he will fight that monster tonight!"

Xie Yunlan nodded: "It's not too late, you take someone to arrange it now, according to the formation we discussed earlier, don't move rashly after the arrangement is complete, wait for my signal."

Mu Qingyun led his troops away, Xie Yunlan didn't delay, and immediately went back to look for Shen Fan.

Shen Fan was still sitting at the position where Xie Yunlan left, and Wang Tai pinched his shoulders and beat his legs like a dog, and said while pinching, "Master, have you rested enough? Can you go?"

Shen Fan shook his head, and said, "It would be great if there was a sedan chair."

Where can I find a sedan chair for him in the wilderness?Xie Yunlan's brows twitched when he heard this, and he couldn't do it, he had to count on him for tonight's matter, and this guy was so vengeful that he couldn't be cruel.

He tried his best to be as pleasant as possible and said: "Master, Qingyun's side is almost ready, there is no time to delay, otherwise things will change, we have to hurry up, the safety of the people in the city depends on us."

Shen Fan sighed and compromised: "Okay."

He stood up with the help of Xie Yunlan's extended hand, forced himself to walk for a while, and then leaned on Xie Yunlan's half-pull and half-pull, and finally boarded Yanhui Mountain.

The Temple of Longevity was already in sight, Xie Yunlan stopped on a slope behind the Temple of Longevity, and said to Wang Tai, "Go and meet Qingyun, wait for my signal."

"Ah?" Wang Tai said, "Master Hou, won't you let me go with you?"

"You're too big to be spotted easily." Xie Yunlan said ruthlessly.

Wang Tai: "..."

He left aggrieved.

Only him and Shen Fan were left, Xie Yunlan said: "Wait for me here."

Shen Fan let out a "hmm".

Xie Yunlan climbed up the slope. The Temple of Longevity was rebuilt on the basis of the original palace. The walls of the courtyard are so tall that it is almost impossible for ordinary people to climb over without using tools. The wall is as flexible as a vigorous leopard.

He observed on the wall for a while, and then quietly fell into the courtyard. After a while, a small door at the back of the Changsheng Temple opened with a creak.

Xie Yunlan waved to Shen Fan from behind the door, and when Shen Fan walked in front of him, he whispered: "Follow me closely, don't make a sound."

Shen Fan nodded obediently.

The Temple of Longevity is not an important place where outsiders are strictly forbidden to enter. During the day, there are strong incense, and there are tourists inside and outside the temple. At night, it is very empty. Only some Taoist priests live here, and almost all of them have returned to their rooms at this moment.

Therefore, the infiltration of the two went very smoothly, there was not even a patrolling person, but Xie Yunlan still did not dare to take it lightly, he asked in a low voice: "Where are those monsters hiding?"

"I don't know." Shen Fan also whispered, "I don't feel any evil spirit or demon... um."

Xie Yunlan suddenly covered Shen Fan's mouth, and at the same time hugged Shen Fan, and pressed against the wall. He turned his head to look at the outer courtyard, and heard the sound of footsteps.

The sound of footsteps was still some distance away, but Xie Yunlan's facial senses were keen, and he was able to detect it early on, and was able to hide the sound in advance, but Shen Fan was not very cooperative, and he seemed to want to say something when he shook his hand.

Xie Yunlan naturally wouldn't let go, he hugged Shen Fan even tighter, almost wrapping Shen Fan in his arms, Shen Fan stopped struggling and seemed to give up.

After a while, the owner of the footsteps appeared in Xie Yunlan's field of vision. It was a Taoist priest who came out to fetch water.

It's not a demon, Xie Yunlan relaxed a little, but at the same time he was thinking, where are the hundreds of demon fetuses that have been born? The enemies hidden in the shadows always make people uneasy, because you don't know when they will appear , and from what direction will the attack be launched.

Forget it, go straight to Huanglong, the demon fetus is hard to find, but Li Henian is easy to find. He is ordered to pray for blessings and needs to retreat for seven to seven 49 days. Although Li Henian doesn't really pray for blessings, he always has to do it Yes, he must be in the side hall on the left side of the Temple of Longevity now.Get rid of Li Henian, and the monsters will have no leader, so there is nothing to fear.

Xie Yunlan wanted to explain her plan to Shen Fan, only to find out that Shen Fan was still in his arms, motionless, so obedient he forgot.

As he let go, he thought to himself, the more he looked, the more he felt that Shen Fan looked like a little princess. He only heard that women would have body fragrance, but when he held Shen Fan in his arms just now, he also smelled a faint fragrance. The smell of sweat was completely different.

It smells good.

"What did you want to say just now?" Xie Yunlan's inner thoughts couldn't be discerned on the surface at all, and he still looked serious.

"It's not important anymore." Shen Fan glanced at him.

"What is it?" Xie Yunlan asked.

"I want to say," Shen Fan glanced at him again, faintly, like a silent accusation, "it's not a demon, so don't be nervous."

In return for his kind consolation, Xie Yunlan roughly covered his mouth.

Seeing this look, Xie Yunlan not only felt no guilt, but wanted to pinch Shen Fan's face.No, it's not the time, he restrained himself, and got down to business: "Li Henian is in the side hall over there, I will sneak up on him later, if he wants to use the magic energy to give birth to those unborn demon fetuses, I will leave it to you to stop it gone."

"Okay." Shen Fan nodded.

On the way to the side hall, they didn't meet anyone, or even a demon. The entire Changsheng Temple was loosely guarded as if there was nothing abnormal here, but the more so, Xie Yunlan became more cautious.

The main hall of Changsheng Temple has already extinguished the candles, but the side halls are still brightly lit. Candles and incense are burning day and night, and the smoke is misty. Occasionally, when the wind blows the prayer flags, I see a hazy shadow, which is Li Henian sitting in the center of the candlelight and praying for blessings.

In the eyes of outsiders, Li Henian is so powerful that even the emperor believes in it, but in terms of appearance alone, he is just a middle-aged man in his early 30s. If he hadn't claimed that he had lived to be [-] years old in the purple-gold Taoist robe that was bestowed on him, we wouldn't have seen anything special about him at all.

Xie Yunlan used to think that Li Henian was a charlatan who bluffs and deceives, but now that he thinks about it, he underestimated him. Although Li Henian is not a god who can live to be [-] years old, he is an out-and-out devil. Speaking of disturbing Chao Gang, the matter of cultivating demon fetuses with living people is even more frenzied. The law of heaven does not tolerate it.

Xie Yunlan tightly grasped the sword at his waist, and slowly pulled it out. This sword has been with him for many years in the South and North, and killed countless enemies. Unabated.

The slight sound of the sharp blade passing through the scabbard was completely hidden under the sound of chanting, but the growing killing intent was hard to conceal. Li Henian, who was chanting, seemed to have sensed it, and suddenly turned his head back, just as he saw That Senhan sword light stabbing straight at him!

Li Henian's expression changed drastically. He is a cultivator and also has some kung fu skills, so at this critical moment, he rolled on the spot in time and avoided Xie Yunlan's fatal blow.

"Xuanwuhou?!" He saw Xie Yunlan's face clearly at the same time.

Xie Yunlan didn't answer, the demon's ability was unpredictable, and after preparing for such a long time, he couldn't give the opponent a chance to use it, so he missed a single blow, and immediately changed his move, sweeping the sword blade, and slashed towards Li Henian's waist.

Li Henian took the copper candlestick beside him to block it, and then immediately backed away, ignoring his usual superior demeanor. He used his hands and feet in a panic at the moment, and shouted at the same time: "Come on! Come on! Xuanwuhou's assassination... …Well!"

Xie Yunlan cut the candlestick used to block the sword into two pieces, and using a skillful force, he lifted the cut piece of candlestick towards Li Henian with his sword, hitting the mouth that kept shouting.

He didn't hold back at all, Li Henian's lips and teeth were numb from the hit, trembling and unable to speak, he raised his hand to wipe the blood on his hand, he was terrified, and realized that Xuanwuhou was determined to kill him, so he ran out in a hurry Go, lift the banner cloth and pull it hard, and put it on Xie Yunlan's head, trying to delay for a while.

But Xie Yunlan was unstoppable, he swung his sword and cut open the banner cloth, sensing Li Henian's intention to flee, took off the scabbard at his waist and threw it forward, hitting Li Henian's knee.

Li Henian couldn't bear the pain, so he knelt on the ground with a "plop", gritted his teeth and tried to get up again, but it was too late, Xie Yunlan had already chased him, kicked him to the ground, and then kicked him to the ground with his knees Pressing his chest, ignoring Li Henian's ambiguous begging for mercy, his eyes were filled with murderous intent like a sword blade. Flipping his wrist, the blade was about to pierce Li Henian's throat.

"Wait a minute." Another voice suddenly sounded in the hall.

Xie Yunlan stopped moving, looked at Shen Fan, and asked the reason with his eyes.

Such scourges as inner demons should naturally be eradicated early, why call for a stop?

Shen Fan looked at the candle in his hand, and then at Li Henian's shadow illuminated by the candle, no different from ordinary people.

He said, "The demons are not on him."

Xie Yunlan's expression changed: "It's not on him?!"

He looked down at Li Henian who was trembling with the edge of his sword against his throat, and realized that Shen Fan was right, Li Henian was indeed weak and did not seem to be possessed by a demon, so where is the demon?and what happened tonight...

Xie Yunlan's thoughts turned, he had a premonition that something was wrong, he slapped Li Henian unconscious, and was about to stand up and take Shen Fan away, but suddenly he heard the dense footsteps outside the hall, not the Taoist priests in the temple, these footsteps were heavy and orderly, Like a soldier in armor.

Maybe it was Mu Qingyun who heard the noise and came to support him, but Xie Yunlan had an intuition that it was not Mu Qingyun at the moment. His ominous premonition was unprecedentedly strong. He dragged Shen Fan and walked towards the back door of the side hall, but he opened the door and greeted him The one holding torches surrounded the officers and soldiers on the inner three floors and the outer three floors.

The leading general took a step forward and shouted: "Xuanwuhou assassinated the national division, suspected of treason, take it down quickly!"