destiny letter

Fang Cun lowered his head and his eyes fell on the child's tender face.

"Xiaoyi, let's go play in the yard for a while, okay?"

The tone is gentle and warm like the drizzle in March in the south of the Yangtze River.

Xiaoyi nodded and slowly ran towards the yard.

Fang Cun stood in place, his eyes sweeping over the headless puppet on the ground with a complicated expression.

On the side, Yuan Feng in the formation said in a cold tone: "Xie Lingyan was injured by me, they can't get far."

Fang Cun narrowed his eyes and glanced sideways into the barrier: "Xie Lingyan, what do you think?"

Yuan Feng had no expression on his face, and his tone was indifferent: "You are not as good as me in martial arts, and not as good as you in magic. However, if you can reach this level by practicing both martial arts and magic, it will be very troublesome."

After hearing this, Fang Cun shrugged and made a surrender gesture: "Alright, leave me alone. Be more careful next time. I will never let you get trapped in the formation again. Is that okay?"

Fang Cun lightly touched the outer wall of the barrier with his fingertips: "Wait a moment. It takes half an incense stick to unlock the Heavenly Rank Formation. After half an incense stick, we will meet at Zhen Ximen."

Fang Cun withdrew his hand and turned his gaze to the door. He bent down and picked up the child: "Let's go buy some candy."

··

On the street, the afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded, the lights on both sides of the street began to light up, and people were bustling about.

The child held the candy in his hand and licked the candy wrapper: "Brother Miracle Doctor, you should try it too."

"Candy is for good children. Brother doesn't need it anymore."

The sun slowly sets on the horizon.

Sparse and——

At the end of the street, smoke and dust rose up! Three figures in black cloaks passed through the crowd like ghosts.

There was a commotion among the crowd.

People subconsciously wanted to escape, but the next moment, everyone's bodies were out of control.

They stared with wide eyes, looking at their hands and feet in horror, only to find that they seemed to be controlled by invisible strings and involuntarily rushed towards the direction of the black cloak.

Screams and cries rang out one after another, and the smell of blood spread like a tide.

However, all this seems to have nothing to do with the instigator.

Fang Cun held the young man in his arms and walked forward slowly and leisurely.

It seems that the streets at this moment are still the familiar bustling world.

The transparent barrier was silently opened, and the blood and wailing were blocked outside the barrier as thin as a cicada's wing.

The child lay on Fang Cun's shoulder, and there was a hint of confusion in his childish voice.

"Big brother, why hasn't Dad come to pick me up yet?"

Fang Cun handed the candy to the little guy's lips, his tone calm as if he was just casually chatting about a trivial matter -

"Maybe he's helping his big brother fight the bad guys."

Dusk is falling, but the blood color has not faded.

At the end of the street, an extremely absurd scene is unfolding silently.

People cried and wailed, but rushed towards the dark ghosts of hell without fear.

Like a lost soul, like a believer going to die.

The cries and shouts for help gradually faded away, and finally only endless silence filled the air.

Blood flowed everywhere, the streets became rivers, walls were broken and the silence was piercing.

Hell on earth.

···

On the Huadiao official road, the horses and men galloping by raised a cloud of dust, which flew like the wind and made a sound like thunder.

Seeing Ren Xuan and his group from afar, Jiang En, the leader, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He urged his horse forward and said, "General! Are you all okay?!"

Ren Xuan nodded, raised his hand to rein in the reins, and said in a steady tone: "Let's go to the camp first."

The night is still long and the wind is urging us on.

In front of the gate, the guard sentry quickly noticed the approaching cavalry and blocked them with his spear.

The horse's head paused, and its hooves raised dust.

Ren Xuan pulled out a green token from his bosom with one hand: "Tell your general to come out and see me immediately!"

The sentry took a closer look and his expression changed suddenly. He did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly turned around and went back into the camp.

A moment later, Yue Anshan, the general of Fengtai Camp, walked out of the camp quickly.

Yue Anshan saw from afar that the person coming was Ren Xuan, and his steps suddenly stopped.

The next second, Yue Anshan showed impatience. He reached out and took off the heavy iron helmet on his head, and threw it to his deputy, cursing: "Damn it, I thought it was the prince who came."

Yue Anshan stepped out of the camp, angrily saying, "Just come here, kid, why are you showing off?"

Ren Xuan ignored him, just turned his eyes slightly and gave him a wink.

Yue Anshan's eyes paused.

The next second, without any hesitation, Yue Anshan clasped his hands together, knelt on one knee, and said in a low voice: "Master Lu, I am sorry for the rudeness."

Lu Xiyun looked hurried. He waved his hand, not wanting to say more. He spoke directly, "General Yue, I have so many things to do that I don't have time to elaborate. For the next three days, Ren Xuan will handle the affairs of your camp."

Yue Anshan was stunned and wanted to retort that military affairs could not be changed without permission.

But on second thought, what's the point of refutation... Lu Xiyun asking for a military order is as easy as drinking water, right?

Yue Anshan gritted his teeth and replied in a muffled voice, "I obey your orders."

Lu Xiyun hurried into the camp.

Ren Xuan watched the figure disappear, and when he caught a glimpse of Yue Anshan's deflated look, he couldn't help but laugh secretly.

He took a step forward and pulled Yue Anshan up from the ground, with a schadenfreude on his face. "Hey, Old Yue, what's the relationship between us? What's the difference between you and me? We can discuss military affairs properly!"

Yue Anshan glared at Ren Xuan with an expression that said, "Get out of here!"

Ren Xuan ignored him and turned his head to wave to the deputy general beside him: "Open the four gates and put the whole city on alert. Also, find a few reliable doctors for Prince Lu."

Yue Anshan was stunned when he heard this, frowned and looked at Ren Xuan: "Lu Xiyun was injured?"

Ren Xuan pushed Yue Anshan in annoyance and said, "Stop cursing at me."

Yue Anshan was increasingly puzzled. "Then why did you make such a big fuss? Also, why are you hanging out with Lu Xiyun? Where's His Highness?"

Ren Xuan sighed lightly and shook his head: "You've been targeted, but I guess those Yanshi aren't crazy enough to dare to touch you here."

Upon hearing this, Yue Anshan cheered up and immediately patted his chest, saying proudly, "Don't worry! Not even a mosquito can get into my camp!"

Ren Xuan didn't bother to deal with his confidence. He pulled the person aside and lowered his voice: "The one who just followed Lu Xiyun in was Xie Lingyan. Our prince doesn't like this person. Think of a way to leave him out. It doesn't matter if it's a military stronghold where outsiders are prohibited from entering. Find a chance to point a finger at Master Lu."

Upon hearing this, Yue Anshan glanced at him with a look of disdain: "Forget it."

Yue Anshan crossed his arms and asked, "Why don't you go and persuade them yourself?"

Yue Anshan: "Last time you instigated me to persuade Lu Xiyun not to leave the four southern continents, His Highness fined me two years' salary!"

Yue Anshan had an expression that said, "Get lost! Don't even think about hurting me again!" He sneered, "Don't I know you?"

Ren Xuan sighed, feeling very disappointed. "How can you not know what's good for you? His Highness loves you. If he really wants to punish you, can he only deduct two years' salary?"

Yue Anshan sneered, not buying it at all: "Then why don't you go and persuade His Highness to take care of you too?"

Ren Xuan heard this and shook his head slowly, his tone carrying a hint of pity, as if to say, "I have great wisdom, but you don't understand it." "Hey, you... you are not worthy of being my advisor."

Yue Anshan almost laughed out of anger at his words, but Ren Xuan had already put his hands behind his back, sighed pretentiously, and entered the camp.

Inside the tent, the air was thick with the aroma of medicine.

Lu Xiyun was treating Xie Lingyan's wound.

The sword wound on Xie Lingyan's left shoulder was not deep, only penetrating an inch, but the area around the wound was strangely burnt, as if the skin and flesh had been roasted by flames, and the charred marks were still slowly spreading.

Fortunately, Lu Xiyun's body was of the cold nature, which was why he was able to suppress the spread of the burns.

The young man frowned, his tone filled with anxiety and anger: "Brother Xie, you can't always be like this! Why can't you include me?! Ren Xuan can handle those people outside by himself!"

Ren Xuan, who was standing aside, couldn't help but rub his nose when he heard this.

Master Lu, you are flattering me too much.

Xie Lingyan didn't answer immediately. He lowered his brows and remained silent for a while. Then his eyes slowly fell on Ren Xuan: "General Ren, do you seem to be familiar with the three people you met today?"

It's more than just familiarity. I've been entangled with this group of Yanshi for my entire life.

Ren Xuan nodded and spoke frankly, "Of the three people I met today, the one in green is Fang Cun, the leader of the Yanshi lineage. The one in red is Yuan Feng, a priest of the Yanshi lineage. As for the one in gray, I still don't know his name."

The main issue was the gray-robed Yanshi, despite his youth, held an incredibly high rank within the Yanshi clan. Those of Fang Cun's generation called him "Uncle Master." Those younger than Fang Cun called him "Grand-Uncle Master." Despite their lifetime of dealings, Ren Xuan had never heard of him.

But one thing is beyond doubt, Ren Xuan said seriously: "When these three people travel together, it is definitely not a small matter."

Ren Xuan pondered for a moment, clasped his fists, and bowed, his tone solemn: "Thank you, City Lord, and listen to what I have to say. Do not act alone for the next few days. Wait for Yinshu City to send someone to pick you up. The Yanshi are targeting you. They are in the open, and you are in the dark. You must be on guard."

Lu Xiyun immediately responded, "Yes, Brother Xie, just follow me first! I already know how to cure your illness. We can find a formation master to try it out someday."

Xie Lingyan raised her eyes slightly, her tone tinged with doubt: "Formation Master?"

Ren Xuan's heart skipped a beat, realizing that Lu Xiyun had taken Fang Cun's words seriously. Suddenly feeling somewhat distressed, he quickly interrupted, trying to change the subject: "Thank you, City Lord. I'd like to ask...how come you have a soul contract?"

With Xie Lingyan's strength, no one should be able to force him to set up such a thing.

Xie Lingyan smiled suddenly, without a word of reservation. "Back then, I was young and full of energy. When a foreign race approached, I drank with two or three good friends at the border and swore an oath to share life and death."

Xie Lingyan's voice was calm and nonchalant, "It's a shame that, in the end, no one touched this inscribed document. And now, I'm the only one left alive."

Ren Xuan's Adam's apple rolled slightly and his heart suddenly sank.

He frowned and couldn't help but whispered, "...This isn't a soul contract, it's a life contract, right?"

The soul contract is just a one-time transaction, it ends with the exchange, and there is a boundary between life and death.

And the fate note...is a fight to the death.

Its biggest hidden danger is that if the dying party does not voluntarily give up opening this engraving, the survivors will be dragged to death.

Ren Xuan exhaled slowly, his eyes involuntarily falling on the other person.

Xie Lingyan is still alive - then, those old friends who swore an oath to him must have given up the oath when they were on the verge of death.

Lu Xiyun has already figured it out.

The young man frowned slightly and asked tentatively, "Brother Xie, the border you mentioned...isn't it the western border?"

Xie Lingyan glanced at him and said "hmm" slowly.

Lu Xiyun: "The friend you mentioned... wouldn't include my second brother, right?"

Xie Lingyan's smile remained unchanged, and her tone was still slow: "Why, he is not allowed to have friends?"

In an instant, Lu Xiyun felt unwell.

Lu Xiyun stood up angrily, his hair standing on end. "Second brother, this is too much!"

"When I wanted to make a vow with a friend, he scolded me for being naive, saying such a vow involving life and death should not be taken lightly! And then he turned around and did it himself?"

"He's just letting the officials set things on fire!"

Lu Xiyun cursed and paced back and forth angrily, with an uncontrollable anger between his brows: "If I had known earlier, I should have stolen his books, hidden his sword, and robbed him of his wine when I was a child!"

Xie Lingyan listened to his accusations and laughed inexplicably: "You seem to have done all of these."