"So," Ning Ning stood up from the ground and took a last look at the unconscious mirror ghost, "after Qiao Yan's father died, the two tribes quickly started a war. The fox tribe should have fought with the whole tribe, and made the demon cultivator unable to resist and suffered heavy damage, so he had to hide in the water mirror array to survive."
- However, in order to severely damage the demon cultivator, the spirit fox must have suffered heavy losses. Not only did it consume all its spiritual power, but it was also taken advantage of by the demonic energy when it was extremely weak, and degenerated into its current appearance.
The water mirror array, yin and yang coexist.
Ning Ning had asked Qiao Yan about the formation. The little fox recalled for a moment and told her: "Spiritual energy is yang, and magic is yin. A decent person can use this formation to trap monsters in the mirror; if the demons use this technique, they will also put themselves in the water mirror, mostly to avoid enemy attacks, which is a way to save their lives."
The demons can only stay in the mirror on the yin side, so the real Sunburn Bow will not appear in this space.
"Qin Niang" knew this very well, but because she didn't have the jade pendant, she didn't know what the situation was in the secret room.
Maybe a fake bow and arrow will appear, and Qiao Yan will take it to the positive side and find out the truth;
or maybe there is nothing, and there is no reason to explain the whereabouts of the Burning Sun Bow, which will also arouse suspicion.
No matter which possibility it is, it is not a good thing for the demon cultivators, so they will try their best to prevent Qiao Yan from getting the jade pendant and persuade her to leave as soon as possible.
"Strange."
Ning Ning thought more and more, "Why do the demons care so much about Qiao Yan? There are so many people in the Spirit Fox lineage, why did they deliberately leave her behind?"
"Maybe it's not 'deliberately leave her behind'."
Pei Ji said coldly: "It's 'only her'."
Only her -
Ning Ning's heart moved.
After the war, the foxes and demons suffered heavy casualties. Those who managed to survive were severely injured and had no spiritual power. Not to mention that the demon cultivators used up their remaining strength to create such a huge mirror world.
Although this secret realm is fictional, the weak appearance of the people in the village is something that cannot be acted out no matter what.
They are completely unfamiliar with the entire secret realm, and they are so sick that they can't even walk. In such a desperate predicament, someone must take the responsibility of taking care of the entire tribe.
And Qiao Yan is the chosen person.
Or in other words, a tool to help them recover.
She grew up in the secret realm and knew the topography and distribution of spiritual plants very well. She had witnessed her father's death and had a high fever and was unconscious during the decisive battle. She knew nothing about what happened, which was exactly what they could use.
——Qiao Yan had said in person that her clan members were seriously injured and weak, and it was only by relying on the spiritual treasures she picked that they could barely hang on to their lives.
Thinking of it this way, it was really ironic. When
Qiao Yan woke up, all her family and friends were seriously injured and dying because of the so-called "formation". She is just a little girl in her teens. She works hard day and night for the fox lineage. She not only travels through mountains and rivers and searches for herbs to keep them alive, but she is also willing to risk her life to go to the West Mountain to get the jade pendant, vowing to get rid of the evil spirit in the mirror.
Little did she know that everything was a lie. The one she gave everything to protect was the enemy she hated to the core; the one she tried her best to get rid of was her beloved fellow tribesman.
"If they kept Qiao Yan to use her," Ning Ning lowered her voice, as if she could hear her own heartbeat, "then her neighbor's little brother, Xiao Zhao, who was still a baby during the war... wouldn't there be any reason for him to be kept?"
The demons would certainly not be merciful enough to raise a child, and there was only one possible explanation: the little boy was also the incarnation of a demon cultivator.
But thinking this way, a new problem inevitably arose.
Pei Ji obviously had the same idea as her. He lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice: "The other demon cultivators are still in an extremely weak state, but he can move freely, just like ordinary people. Maybe there is something wrong with him."
Ning Ning's heart beat fast subconsciously when she thought of the child's seemingly innocent smile. After a while, she seemed to think of something and pulled the sleeve of the boy beside her excitedly: "Pei Ji, do you remember what Qiao Yan said when she mentioned that child to us before?"
Pei Ji lowered his head, looked at her without saying a word, and waited patiently for the next sentence.
"She said, 'Xiao Zhao was extremely weak after the war, just like everyone else in the tribe. He almost lost his life several times. Fortunately, he was lucky enough to recover after taking some medicine.'"
Her fingertips were cold as she spoke, but her chest was boiling from the impact of her heart. As she got closer to the truth, Ning Ning's speech speed became faster and faster: "Since he was also weak because of the war, his condition should be similar to that of other demons. There are two possibilities for why he recovered so quickly."
Ning Ning made a "two" gesture to him, and probably felt eerie, so she quietly moved closer to Pei Ji:
"First, he is extremely powerful and can recover much faster than other magic cultivators. Second, he has a very high status. Other magic cultivators are willing to donate most of the medicinal herbs to him to help him recover. Regardless of which explanation it is, or both, it is not difficult to draw a conclusion - that person's identity must be extraordinary."
No matter how she calculated it, she could not have figured out that the boss behind the scenes would be that child.
"That's why they let Qiao Yan leave the secret realm."
Ning Ning's thoughts gradually became clear, and she continued to analyze: "When the spirit fox is attacked by the evil spirit, it will lose its mind and attack others without reason. The reason why the demons hide in the water mirror and dare not go out until now is that they are afraid of being attacked. Now that Xiao Zhao's strength has recovered by half, he only needs to wait for Qiao Yan to leave and then dismantle the water mirror formation, and then attack the fox tribe in one fell swoop. Not only will it be a scorching Rigong, all the spiritual energy in the secret realm will be theirs."
She was confused again: "In fact, at this point, Qiao Yan is no longer of much use, they can just kill her... Why did they go to so much trouble to persuade her to leave? Will those demon cultivators still be grateful to Qiao Yan?"
That's too unlike their style, this is not "The Devil Returns".
Pei Ji shook his head and replied in a deep voice: "I can't figure this out either."
Ning Ning listened to his clear voice passing through the evening breeze. She was still trying to think about the matter, but suddenly she took a breath, looked up and looked straight at Pei Ji: "Oh no, He Zhizhou and the others are still in the fox settlement!"
=====
The methods of the demon cultivators are strange and varied, often bloody and cruel. Most of them use other people's lives as the guide and souls as the core to sacrifice this and that. The poor people who were used as sacrifices could circle the earth twice.
The secret realm is closed all year round. The group of demon cultivators haven't seen strangers for a long time. In addition, they are extremely eager to restore their spiritual power. I don't know what they are thinking. They may attack them at any time.
In the secret realm, you can't fly with a sword, and it's too slow to rush on foot. In order to prevent accidents during this period, Ning Ning specially prepared two communication symbols before rushing back to the settlement, and sent them to He Zhizhou and Xu Ye respectively to tell them the truth of the matter.
As for Qiao Yan...
Ning Ning didn't know whether she should let her know everything. If she knew that the mirror ghost who was shot mercilessly was actually a fellow fox, the little girl would definitely collapse on the spot.
When the communication symbol arrived at He Zhizhou's room, Xu Ye happened to be beside him.
What's more, in addition to the two brothers in distress, there are two other shadows standing in the house, one tall and one short.
It is the boy Xiao Zhao, and Qiao Yan's crush sitting in the wheelchair.
He Zhizhou laughed in a long voice: "Oh - it turns out to be Master Yan Qing, what a good name!"
Ning Ning and Pei Ji went somewhere, and these two foxes suddenly came to visit him when he and Xu Ye were discussing kinetic energy acceleration under the pretext of chatting. It was
only then that He Zhizhou knew that Qiao Yan's childhood sweetheart was named Yan Qing.
Not long after, he received Ning Ning's communication symbol.
At that time, Xu Ye was busy pinching the ears of the fox child. He Zhizhou lazily leaned back in his chair and opened it. He thought it was an unimportant letter, but as soon as he read the first sentence, his eyes almost popped out -
[Except Qiao Yan, the foxes are all disguised as demons. Do not contact them.]
The impact of this sentence was too great. He Zhizhou resisted the urge to tremble and looked at Xu Ye who was happily touching his ears.
And Yan Qing and Xiao Zhao who were laughing weirdly.
He tried to take a deep breath and continued to read.
If the previous sentence was a heavy hammer that mercilessly hit him and made him dizzy, then the next sentence was a pot of rotten rice that was poured into his mouth without any explanation, almost scaring a good young man to vomit.
[Xiao Zhao's identity is not ordinary. He is very likely to be the leader of the demon cultivators, and his strength has been restored to a large extent. Remember to be careful. Pei Ji and I will be back soon.]
...This is a ghost story!
He Zhizhou raised his head and glanced at Xu Ye again, and heard him laugh happily and heartlessly: "Xiao Zhao is so cute! Hahaha look at these little ears——"
His eyes this time were different from the previous time. He had completely degenerated into the eyes of looking at a dead body.
"Xu Ye. Don't look at me, don't talk, just keep smiling and rubbing."
After reading the short letter, He Zhizhou tilted his head 45 degrees, trying hard not to let his tears fall, and then walked to Xu Ye's side and started to transmit the message: "Ning Ning sent a message saying that except for Qiao Yan, all these fox spirits are disguised as demons."
Xu Ye's expression froze for a moment, as if his face was severely poisoned after taking too much botulinum toxin, and then he heard He Zhizhou continue to transmit the message: "The brat you're messing with is probably the leader back then."
Xu Ye: ...
Xu Ye's current mood is like losing fifty qualifying matches in a row late at night. He wanted to order a takeout to comfort himself, but not only did he not get chopsticks, but he also ate half of it before realizing that the rice had turned moldy and a strange green color. He was upset and called his girlfriend to complain, but heard the voice of his good brother on the other end of the phone.
This is about the extent of the misery.
Xu Ye had a complicated expression. He looked at the big furry ears that he was holding in his hands and playing with casually, and then looked at Xiao Zhao's innocent face.
The little boy laughed brilliantly, and when he saw his expression change drastically, he giggled: "Big brother, what's wrong?"
Giggling, are you a hen that has turned into a spirit?
Although Xu Ye was a spoiled boy, he was still an orthodox disciple of the immortal sect. He immediately responded, "Nothing! I-I just feel like my stomach hurts a little."
That's right! He and He Zhizhou had no reasonable excuse to leave at this time. If they pretended to be unwell, they could go back to their rooms!
Xu Yifei quickly exchanged glances with He Zhizhou, and covered his stomach with a cry. His facial features twisted into a blooming chrysanthemum, and he stretched out his hand tremblingly: "Brother He, my old illness has relapsed... Quick, take me back to my room to get medicine!"
He Zhizhou understood, and carried out the basic qualities of a good actor in the 21st century to the end. He slapped his thigh fiercely: "Brother! I told you not to work too hard a long time ago, but you didn't listen!"
He turned his head to look at the other two people beside him, and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, my brother is not in good health. Let's go to his room to get medicine first, and then we will talk to you in detail."
"Oh?"
Unexpectedly, the fox-like young man sitting in the wheelchair smiled lightly and took out a small porcelain bottle from his arms: "Don't panic, both of you. This bottle contains a magical medicine for abdominal pain. Just take five pills and you will be reborn."
Xu Ye almost spit out blood on the spot. He cursed him countless times in his heart. Just when he was in despair, he suddenly saw He Zhizhou's right hand tremble violently.
The shaking that started from the right hand was like a small snake, gradually spreading to every bone in the body.
He Zhizhou's mouth and eyes were crooked and his eyes were dull. His hands and feet were trembling constantly, and his whole body was twitching. The whole person was like being struck by lightning, shaking and rolling his eyes.
That posture and eyes, like a mad wolf in the wind, even added his own voice, which was no different from the voice of a 90-year-old mortal master: "Medicine...Medicine..."
Xu Ye naturally understood what he meant immediately, and did not forget to cover his stomach and cried: "Brother He! Why are you sick too, Brother He! Don't worry, I will take you back to the room right away-"
Halfway through, he suddenly shut up in horror.
- Isn't this your room! Acting like a fool, idiot!
The proud disciples of Xuanxu Sword Sect and Wanjian Sect were acting in public, Yan Qing and Xiao Zhao in the secret realm were sneering, and the elders outside the Xuanjing looked at the two sects with sympathy. The attic was silent for a while, which was very awkward.
"Do you know the real purpose of our visit?"
Xiao Zhao smiled, and his fair face was still full of childishness and innocence. Seeing that the two of them stopped and said nothing, he knocked on the table with interest: "We just lack the materials for the sacrifice... If we want to restore our cultivation, the soul of the human cultivator is indispensable."
He actually pointed it out directly without any concealment.
Xu Ye was terrified, and felt his heart pounding wildly, almost jumping out of his throat.
Before, the two demon cultivators would still exchange a few polite words with them, but now they came straight to the point and were clear that they did not want to continue pretending and were planning to start fighting right away.
He and He Zhizhou were the first victims.
"You should have noticed something was wrong, right?"
Xiao Zhao stood up and took a step forward, raising the corner of his mouth meaningfully: "It's a pity it's too late. Let me introduce myself... I am the Demon Lord Qi Han."
Only at this moment did the surging demonic energy finally burst out from behind him. Under this extremely oppressive aura, Xu Ye couldn't help holding his breath, and at the same time he understood a fact -
this person's strength was beyond imagination, and he and He Zhizhou were probably not opponents.
"Why are you standing there, run!"
He Zhizhou's voice came to his ears, Xu Ye looked up in panic, and saw his outstretched hand at a glance.
Qi Han's voice had become that of a young man, and his figure was becoming taller and stronger. Hearing this, he sneered disdainfully: "Want to run? No way."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, trying to break the connection between the two people's hands. So all the elders outside the Xuan Jing witnessed this rare scene that only happens once in a thousand years.
It was like a fateful encounter, a connection of destiny. If five hundred glances in the previous life were exchanged for a single brush in this life, then he and He Zhizhou must have been two super twists entangled together in their previous lives.
Fate, wonderful.
When He Zhizhou was about to grab Xu Ye's arm, he turned his head and looked straight ahead, ready to move like a relay athlete;
and at the same time, the Demon Lord Qi Han stretched out his right hand, which happened to fall between the palms of the two people. For
a moment, their fingers intertwined, inseparable.
- Help! He Zhizhou grabbed the hand of the Demon Lord, and ran out with his tongue swishing!!!
The disciples of the Immortal Sect actually did this to the Demon Lord. Men would be silent when they saw it, and women would cry when they saw it. Outside the mysterious mirror, men were silent and women were crying, as if a mourning meeting had been held;
the two people who were inexplicably left in the room looked at each other, and the whole world was quiet.
Xu Ye: Huh?
Yan Qing·Gun version: Oh?
It took Xu Ye a long time to recover, and he looked at the pale-faced young man beside him: "That... I remember that you seem to have lost all your spiritual power and are powerless, right?"
Two. Level. Reversal.
Yan Qing sneered from the depths of his throat, which was indeed noble and arrogant, cold and unruly.
Then he bit his lip, a stream of bright red blood flowed out from his lips, he covered his stomach with a painful expression, and lay directly on the wooden table beside him, and began to twitch continuously: "Medicine... give me medicine... my stomach hurts, if I don't take it, I will die, die..."
- It seems that he has a strong learning ability. This is actually a combination of their previous experiences.
=====
"This, this, this," Lin Qian outside the Xuanjing was stunned, "What should I do? Although He Zhizhou is indeed a little bit of a person, he is still a disciple of the Xuanxu Sword Sect. If he continues like this, he will definitely die!" What
she said was true. He Zhizhou didn't realize that he had pulled the wrong person until now.
After all, in his perception, the possibility of pulling the wrong hand was close to zero, not to mention that besides Xu Ye, there was only a child and a weak patient present, neither of whom could run with him so vigorously.
And the demon king had never seen such a shameless operation before, and he didn't seem to react to what happened. He was dragged out of the house in a daze, and he didn't make any sound.
He Zhizhou ran like an old dog, his tongue hanging high, and his face was particularly ferocious; Qi Han behind him seemed to be dragged behind him, with visible shock and confusion in his eyes.
The two of them ran out of the posture of eloping, one in front and one behind, and ran to the farthest town to be the happiest people.
"It's okay, Xu Ye! Don't be afraid, those evil cultivators will not be able to hurt us!"
He Zhizhou ran while panting and comforting: "Boys like us who love to laugh are usually not too bad in luck."
In the past, Xu Ye would definitely respond to him seriously.
But this time, for some reason, the other party was just silent for a moment, then laughed softly, and said a terrifying line that He Zhizhou will never forget: "Look back and see who I am."
This didn't seem to be Xu Ye's voice.
He Zhizhou's heart skipped a beat, and he stopped hesitantly.
At the moment he turned around, a dying gasp like a flushed toilet came out of his throat. He, a laughing boy, really has a good luck.
Rather, it was an extraordinary difference that shocked heaven and earth, and was invincible in the universe. The word "too" was not enough to describe it.
His tears gushed out from his eye sockets at high pressure, piercing the atmosphere. The arc of the corners of his mouth pierced the center of the earth. He was silent for a while, and was most afraid of the sudden silence of the air.
The man in front of him had a completely unfamiliar and violent face, but his smile was damn sweet. A pair of triangular eyes were slightly raised, and he licked his lips and said sinisterly: "Laugh? Are you teaching me how to do things?"
He Zhizhou's facial features were distorted, and his mouth and eyes moved left and right between round and wavy shapes. It could be called a quantum pout. Schrödinger's facial features, even his laughter was particularly different: "嘤."