ask willow

"It seems that we can't enter the city before dark, and there are still three or four hours away from the nearest town. Tonight, we can only rest in the woods ahead."

It would take four or five days to reach Baicaozhuang from Licheng, where Wenjian Gate is located, even if it is a fast horse. Song Ran chose the shortest distance and rode a good horse, but he still felt anxious and wished he could fly over with both wings.

"It's okay." Wen Yan looked around, there were few people here, and there might be some poisonous insects and beasts living in the woods ahead, but with the abilities of the three of them, there was no need to worry.

The three of them rode their horses into the forest and found a relatively open place. There was a stream not far from here, which was very convenient.They tied the horses to the tree trunk, and then tidied it up again, gathered some broken wood and dead branches, made a pile, and lit a fire.

The three of them sat around the fire and took out the dry food they carried to satisfy their hunger. They had been exhausted for several days and had no intention of hunting wild game.

After hastily eating some dry food, Wen Yan took out a pill and threw it into the fire, and a faint fragrance immediately dissipated.

Song Ran was a little surprised, "This is..."

Wen Yan explained: "I'm afraid there are many poisonous insects in the forest. This medicine can repel insects and prevent you from being bitten at night."

"I see."

As the night deepened, Song Ran was exhausted from running back and forth for days, so she wrapped up her clothes and rested.

Liu Zhongyi sat cross-legged against a tree, with the dagger under his palm, without any sleepiness.Seeing this, Wen Yan asked, "Aren't you resting?"

Liu Zhongyi lowered his eyes slightly, without moving his expression: "Subordinates are supposed to watch the night for the owner."

He traveled this time with the identity of Wen Yan's personal bodyguard, which made it easier for him to follow Wen Yan, and when Wen Yan of the Sword Asking Sect investigates, he can stay close at every step without arousing suspicion.

Wen Yan couldn't help laughing when he heard this, turned his face and glanced at Song Ran who had fallen asleep, his sleeves flicked, and the fine powder was sent to the man's nose with the wind, only to hear his breathing gradually sinking.

"He was in a deep sleep, you don't have to pretend."

Liu Zhongyi raised his eyebrows lightly, "If the owner prescribes medicine like this, there will be some danger later..."

"If you can make him sleep, you will naturally wake him up." Wen Yan didn't care.

Liu Zhongyi pursed his lips slightly, and said: "There is no one watching the night in the wilderness, I can't sleep, you can rest."

Wen Yan looked at his expressionless face for a while, and said, "You've changed your face."

"En." Liu Zhongyi nodded.

Wen Yan thought about it carefully, but found that he really couldn't remember clearly: "Why do you have to change your face, I seem to have... can't remember what you look like."

"It's better not to remember." Liu Zhongyi's voice was calm and without any resentment, "I'm a killer, if everyone remembers my appearance, wouldn't it be suicide?"

"That's right," Wen Yan nodded slightly, "But, in your eyes, am I also an outsider?"

"It wasn't before, but it is now," Liu Zhongyi replied honestly, without any intention of hiding anything, "Besides, am I an outsider in the eyes of the owner? A few days ago, you were worried that I would be bad for Baicaozhuang. Although we have the same purpose now, But at best, it can only be regarded as a temporary ally, the owner doesn't need to spend any more time with me, if I have any news, I won't hide it."

Wen Yan was so refuted by him that he couldn't answer, so he was stunned and remained silent.

Liu Zhongyi raised his eyes, looked at him, and said in a low voice: "If you are worried that I will complain to him about the past five years after you find your brother, you don't have to. The owner of the villa has not treated me badly in the past five years, Baicaozhuang It’s a nice hideaway for me too.”

Wen Yan sighed lightly, but actually smiled, and said, "You really think a lot."

Liu Zhongyi lowered his eyes and stopped talking.

"Actually, I might not be able to find him this time. Even if I did, I didn't expect him to come back." Wen Yan said in a deep voice, "Five years is enough for many things to change beyond recognition, and even I feel very tired."

Liu Zhongyi suddenly looked at him: "You blame him?"

"I hated you back then, and thought that if it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have left, but after so long, I gradually realized that it wasn't just because of you that he would leave." Wen Yan shook his head slightly, "If it was only because of you, We got married, he should have come back long ago. I want to wait for an answer, and if I wait too long, I'm afraid I won't even know my own mind. It's like you, now...do you still like me? "

"I don't like it." Liu Zhongyi looked away. He just wanted to avoid his sight, but from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the tree shadow not far away, which didn't seem like a natural wind movement.As soon as he raised his hand, the three silver needles shot away quickly, and sure enough, he saw the shadow change again, and there was a soft sound of branches and leaves in the wind.

Liu Zhongyi immediately got up and chased after him, only to see a black shadow passing by, and a hidden weapon directly hit the front door.Liu Zhongyi turned around to avoid it, but also slowed down because of this, the black shadow merged into the dark forest, only the sound of walking through the branches and leaves was heard.

"Don't chase." Wen Yan called to stop him, "That man is very skilled in martial arts, and he doesn't seem to be hostile."

Liu Zhongyi nodded slightly, "It is true that there is no murderous intent."

It just seems a little familiar.

He flew up to the tree and pulled out the hidden weapon that the man hit just now. It was just the most common dart without any marks, and it could be made by any blacksmith.

After waiting for him to come down, Wen Yan took the dart to check it out, and said, "It's not poisonous."

"Well, you rest."

Liu Zhongyi sat down by the fire again, put the dagger on his knees, closed his eyes and listened to the movement in the forest.However, apart from the swaying of the branches and leaves brought by the night wind piercing through the forest, there was no abnormal sound.

Wen Yan had no choice but to respond: "Then I'll get up in the middle of the night to replace you."

Liu Zhongyi didn't answer, Wen Yan took it as a default, found some clothes to cover, and closed his eyes to rest.

The night was quiet, and no one came to bother me anymore.

In the middle of the night, Wen Yan really got up, patted Liu Zhongyi to let him go to rest, Liu Zhongyi didn't refuse, and quietly found a comfortable position to sleep.

Wen Yan took out the refreshing pill and took it to drive away the remaining drowsiness. He glanced at Liu Zhongyi who was sleeping beside him, and gently covered him with the clothes that were originally covering him.Liu Zhongyi seemed to be aware of it, his eyelashes trembled slightly, but he didn't open his eyes.

On the second day, the three of them left early and continued on their way, and finally arrived at the Sword Asking Gate at nightfall.

Song Ran led them directly into the sect's meeting hall, and the current sect master of Wenjianmen, Yi Zhaoyong, greeted them personally.Yi Zhaoyong is in his forties, with a resolute face and a tall figure, but he has been worried a lot these days, his brows and eyes are full of tiredness.

When Song Ran saw him, he immediately saluted according to the rules of the sect, and Wen Yan clasped his fists and said, "Master Yi, I'm at Baicao Village Wen Yan."

Yi Zhaoyong returned the salute and said: "Master Wen is willing to come to help, I am very grateful, the journey is exhausting, do you want to eat something first and rest for a night?"

Before he finished speaking, a purple-clothed girl broke in suddenly, and said in a hurry: "Father, go and see Eldest Brother, he—"

"Ru'er!" Yi Zhaoyong scolded softly, "Don't be so rude."

Yi Ru was so anxious that tears were about to fall, she argued, "But... I don't want Senior Brother to die..."

Wen Yan saw that Yi Zhaoyong also showed an expression of unbearable pain, and said, "Miss Yi is talking about a poisoned person?"

"Yes... Eldest Brother, he was poisoned, and many people who were poisoned in the door died... I'm afraid..." Yi Ru held back tears and replied, "He just vomited blood again, and now..."

"Miss Yi, don't worry," Wen Yan comforted, "Take me to have a look."

Yi Zhaoyong said gratefully: "Then I would like to thank Mr. Wen."

Yi Ru probably guessed the identity of the person in front of him from the address, nodded repeatedly, and led them out.

At this moment, Yi Zhaoyong suddenly noticed the man in black who was following Wen Yan, logically speaking, he shouldn't have missed it just now, unless this man has been deliberately restraining his breath.Thinking about this, he couldn't help wondering: "This is...?"

Liu Zhongyi replied in a flat yet respectful voice: "I am the owner's personal guard."

Yi Zhaoyong nodded slightly upon hearing this.After all, Wen Yan is the owner of Baicao Village, if he didn't bring anyone, it wouldn't make sense.And if it's a guard, it's quite normal to restrain your breath or hide your whereabouts.

A group of people followed Yi Ru to a bedroom, and after entering, they saw a young man lying on the bed, his face was blue, his lips were gray, and a copper basin under the bed was full of coughed up blood, the color was also blackish, A thin layer has accumulated.The young man had already passed out, if not for the heaving of his chest, he would have looked like a dead man.

Wen Yan stepped forward to inspect it carefully for a while, resting his fingers on the young man's wrist, frowning slightly.

Yi Ru stood aside and said nervously, "How is it?"

Wen Yan stared at the blood stains in the copper basin, and said, "Miss Yi, can you tell me how Brother Zaiding was poisoned?"

Yi Ru glanced at Yi Zhaoyong, and seeing that he had no intention of stopping, he replied: "It was because I was injured by my grandfather in the mourning hall that day..."

"Where is the wound?"

"On the right arm."

Wen Yan rolled up the young man's sleeve, and sure enough, he saw three scratch marks on it, which seemed to be scratched by sharp nails. Although the bleeding had stopped, there was no sign of healing. It sounds creepy.

"This kind of poison is rare, and it is triggered by the body's corpse." Wen Yan withdrew his hand and said, "May I ask, can I take a look at the remains of Senior Yi Tianxing?"

Yi Zhaoyong sighed deeply, nodded, "Just, please be careful, Mr. Wen, I don't know if my late father will hurt someone again."

"Okay." Wen Yan found a porcelain bottle from the package, handed it to Yi Ru, and said, "Miss Yi, please give the pills in this bottle to the poisoned person first, so as to delay the poisoning, so that I have time Prepare an antidote."

Yi Ru took it, her eyes were red, "Thank you."

"There is no need to say thank you for what you do."

Except for Yi Ru, the others followed Yi Zhaoyong all the way to the mourning hall.

Outside the mourning hall were guarded by two disciples of the Sword Asking Sect, and the two white paper lanterns swayed faintly in the slightly cold night wind, giving them a somewhat eerie feeling.The mourning hall is also hung with white cloths, and white candles are burning on the case where the spirit tablets are placed, while the coffin in the center is painted in a dark color and looks extraordinarily cold.

A middle-aged man was guarding the mourning hall. When he saw them coming in, he greeted them and saluted them.

Yi Zhaoyong introduced them. This middle-aged man was named Luo Nan, an orphan rescued by Yi Tianxing more than ten years ago, and then followed Yi Tianxing to the beginning. For more than ten years, Yi Tianxing treated him like his own son , he also regards Yi Tianxing as his father.This time Yi Tianxing was killed, Luo Nan was unbearably sad, and insisted on staying in the mourning hall.

Yi Zhaoyong and Luo Nan opened the coffin to reveal the people inside.Wen Yan stepped forward to have a look, and saw that the old man lying in the coffin had white temples and a very thin figure, not the heroic appearance in the legends of the past.Because the corpses had violently injured people in the past few days, after being subdued, he had to temporarily lock his hands and feet with iron chains to avoid similar incidents from happening again.

Wen Yan whispered offended, put on deerskin gloves, and carefully examined the old man's body.Although he had been dead for many days, Yi Tianxing's body showed no signs of decay, and when he opened his clothes, he could see a huge blood hole in his chest, which was caused by forcibly digging out his heart.The inside of the corpse was black in color, most likely caused by a chronic poison.And the old man's eyes were wide open, as if retaining the disbelief before death.

Wen Yan frowned, and suddenly saw that the old man's eyes moved, the dilated pupils were dark, and he looked straight over——

"Go back!"

Before everyone could react, the man in the coffin sat up straight, and because his body was bound by iron chains, he couldn't move it for a while.Under the vigorous struggle, his flesh was almost broken by the iron chain, but in the next moment, the heavy iron chain was torn apart abruptly!

Immediately, the corpse dragged the iron chain and swung it towards Wen Yan as if it was alive. The iron chain hit the opposite person directly.The corpse just paused due to the momentum, and there was a crisp cracking sound from the bones, but it didn't seem to be affected. Instead, it grabbed the iron chain and rushed towards Wen Yan.

"Master."

Wen Yan slightly looked away, only to see Liu Zhongyi reached the other side of the coffin at some point, reaching out to him.Wen Yan understood, and threw the iron chain in his hand across the air, Liu Zhongyi flew to catch it, pulled hard, and pulled the corpse.

The corpse was restrained by the pull of the iron chain, it didn't jump onto Wen Yan, but it still reached out to grab his chest.Wen Yan pinched his wrist and turned it outward, but he didn't seem to feel pain and was not affected at all, his palm twisted at a strange angle, trying to grab Wen Yan's arm.

Wen Yan moved his body and twisted his hand behind his back. At this moment, Liu Zhongyi threw back the other end of the iron chain. Wen Yan took it, pulled it hard, wrapped the arms of the corpse together, tied him behind his back, and pressed him down. On that coffin.

The corpse struggled for a while, then gradually became still again.

"offend."

Wen Yan said in a low voice, and put the tightly bound body back into the coffin.

"Master Wen..." Yi Zhaoyong didn't expect such a thing to happen again, and the timing was so coincidental, so he couldn't help but apologize: "Are you okay?"

Wen Yan shook his head, "When was the first time this happened?"

"It was the time when all the disciples of the sect came to the mourning hall to worship," Yi Zhaoyong replied sadly: "At that time, no one could have expected such a thing to happen, and they were so frightened that... so far... More than a dozen people died, and more than 30 people were poisoned, and no one could cure them, and more than 20 people died.”

"This poison is spread by this corpse. Anyone who is injured by this corpse or has a wound on his body will be poisoned," Wen Yan sighed: "With all due respect, the master of the sect should incinerate Senior Yi's body as soon as possible." .”

Yi Zhaoyong nodded, "I'll make arrangements now, but why would my late father..."

Wen Yan looked down at the old man in the coffin, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Sect Master, this is not a corpse change, it's just that Senior Yi has been planted with Gu."

"what?!"

"This is a very difficult kind of Gu, called Resurrection Soul. It doesn't really bring people back from the dead, but the person who raises the Gu can manipulate the body of the person who was caught by the Gu through the Gu insect after his death." Wen Yan paused for a while before continuing: "Besides, as far as I know, it takes at least five years and at most ten years to cultivate the returning soul Gu, otherwise it is impossible to completely control the corpse. And from what I saw just now, Senior Yi seems to have been The chronic poison in the body has accumulated over time, and the poison has spread throughout the body, even if no one is assassinated, I am afraid that the time will not be long."

"So..." Yi Zhaoyong couldn't help clenching his fists tightly, "The murderer is right in the door?!"

Wen Yan nodded, "I have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Wenjianmen, but there is also a distance limit for the Gu breeder to manipulate the Gu insects, so the murderer must be nearby now."

Yi Zhaoyong took a deep breath, "I really can't think of it... I asked Jianmen to act upright, but I don't know who is so resentful. The murderer has been lurking in the door for many years, but I... didn't notice it! More than 30 items Human life!"

"The deceased is dead," Wen Yan said, "I hope the sect master will not be too sad. The most important thing right now is to incinerate the body of Senior Yi, prepare the antidote, and find the murderer."

Yi Zhaoyong closed his eyes, "It's about... I don't know what Zhuang Zhu Wen needs to prepare the antidote?"

"Is there a pharmacy in the door?"

"Have."

"Let me stay alone in the pharmacy," Wen Yan thought for a while, "I also need a bowl of blood from the poisoned person."

"Okay, I'll let someone prepare it now," Yi Zhaoyong nodded wearily, "It's late at night, you're exhausted from the journey, do you want to rest first?"

Wen Yan shook his head: "No need, the pill I gave you may not last long, the most urgent thing is to prepare the antidote."

Yi Zhaoyong heard what he said, and thought of those disciples who were poisoned and dying, his eyes were slightly wet, and he cupped his fists and said, "I am very grateful!"