Tracing the dead, opening the ghost gate
Lu Xiyun waved his hand, not wanting to bring it up again, and went straight to the point: "Forget it, let's talk about this later. Qin Shu said there might be a traitor in Yinshu City, so go and inform Brother Xie."
Ren Xuan and Bai Xiao exchanged a glance: "How does Your Highness know this?"
Lu Xiyun had a blank expression on his face. "I explained to him all night that this was an accident, but he just didn't believe it. He said that at this point in time, whether it was a coincidence or not, it couldn't be considered a coincidence."
Ren Xuan thought to himself, "6!" and couldn't help but hold his head with his hands. Damn, this dog emperor!
You are busy with official business and will not reply to my messages. Just do your job and mind your own business.
He could even serve as Lu Xiyun's advisor overnight? He was catching a traitor in Yinshu City from thousands of miles away, right?!
But there is a reason why this bastard Qin Shu can become the emperor.
Lu Xiyun got into trouble at this critical juncture. Even if there is a one in ten thousand chance that it was an inside job, it should be investigated.
Ren Xuan suddenly raised his eyes, his tone suddenly darkening: "Xiaoyi, who took you to East City the day before yesterday?"
Xiao Yi paused, and then the boy slowly spoke:
"Tang garrison."
···
The night was dark, and the bluestone slabs on the main street of Yinshu City were glowing with a cold white light.
Lu Xiyun kicked the gravel on the ground, his tone revealing a hint of dissatisfaction: "Brother Xie likes to hide things all day long. Nine out of ten times, he's thinking of some dangerous countermeasures again."
Ren Xuan glanced at him, half helpless and half comforting: "My Lord, you should be worried about yourself now. Take it easy and don't exhaust yourself first."
Bai Xiao, who was walking in front, suddenly slowed down and lowered his voice: "Hey, is that Tang Wuyong in front?"
Several people followed Bai Xiao's gaze.
On a fork in the road not far away, Tang Wuyong was walking hurriedly, followed by several guards.
In the night, the shadows of several people were stretched out by the street lights.
Bai Xiao's eyes darkened. He glanced at the direction of the fork in the road and whispered, "Let's follow and see."
Several people followed from a distance, and Tang Wuyong's figure finally stopped in front of an old mansion.
The vermilion gate has peeling and mottled paint.
The hanging plaque is vaguely visible in the night——
Xiao Mansion.
Seeing the plaque, Bai Xiao's pupils shrank slightly, and he blurted out: "This is my senior brother's family!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Xiao had already climbed over the wall with ease. The others looked at each other and quickly followed.
The night was dark in the courtyard. Everyone in the mansion wore white clothes and black belts and walked silently.
Turn around the corridor and come to the main hall.
In front of the incense table, there is an old spirit tablet, the paint is peeling off, and three words can be vaguely seen on it:
"Xiao Zizhang".
Bai Xiao stared at the name on the spirit tablet, frowning slightly: "Xiao Zizhang... this name sounds so familiar."
He rubbed his temples for a moment, then suddenly remembered, "Oh right! The eldest and second brothers mentioned this person when they were arguing!"
Lu Xiyun raised an eyebrow: "Tell me, who is it?"
Bai Xiao lowered his voice, his tone eerie, "Rumor has it that when the barbarians invaded the city a hundred years ago, Xiao Zizhang sacrificed 30,000 people, opened the Ghost Gate, and released the corpses into an army, defeating the barbarians."
He paused, his eyes darkening. "However, after that, Xiao Zizhang became like a demon, slaughtering people without ceasing. According to city history alone, he massacred over ten thousand people at least three times in his lifetime."
Bai Xiao shrank his neck and said, "When I was little, I was disobedient and my senior brother scared me, saying 'Xiao Zizhang is here to catch you'."
Ren Xuan frowned, "How could such a person be enshrined in a shrine?"
Bai Xiao shook his head, his expression bewildered. "That shouldn't be the case. A hundred years ago, the 25th Lord of Yinshu City fought for three days and slew this man. Since then, the Xiao family has worn black belts in austerity for a hundred years to atone for their sins."
Before he finished speaking, the sound of fighting suddenly came from the main hall!
Several people were shocked and quickly rushed into the hall.
In front of the ancestral tablet, Tang Wuyong's face was filled with rage, his voice like thunder: "With the war imminent, you are offering sacrifices to such scum. What is your intention?! Such a beast is not worthy of incense! "
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards behind him rushed forward and smashed the incense table without saying a word.
The tablet tilted, the copper incense burner fell and shattered, the incense ash scattered everywhere, and a choking smell filled the air.
The white-robed steward in the hall showed no anger, but instead chuckled softly. The chuckle was a faint whisper at first, then burst out into a full-throated laugh, tinged with a hint of relief.
"As expected... If my Xiao family puts up a wooden sign, the Silver Guards will find us in less than half an incense stick." The steward looked at the shattered memorial tablet on the ground, his eyes dazed. "Captain Tang, the Silver Guards have been monitoring the Xiao family all along, right?"
Tang Wuyong obviously didn't understand what the other party meant and shouted angrily, "Who are you? Xiao Xian, what are you talking about?! What the hell is wrong with you tonight?"
Xiao Xian's voice was like a murmur to himself: "That person is right... As long as this name exists, Yinshu City will never tolerate us..."
Xiao Xian's eyes were filled with madness and ruthlessness, as if he had finally found an outlet for his accumulated resentment. "When the Art of Tracing Life and Controlling Spirits is useful to you, it's a skill; when it's useless to you, it's a source of disaster! Xiao Zizhang's sin alone has caused the Xiao family to bear the infamy for a hundred years, and you just take it for granted."
He stood up suddenly and laughed wildly: "We are the source of trouble?! - Very well! Today, the Xiao family will be the source of trouble!"
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Xian continued to speak confidently, strange light patterns began to appear on the floor tiles under his feet, and a chill suddenly spread.
Bai Xiao's eyes widened, his heart tightening. "He's performing the Resurrection Technique?! But the Resurrection Technique requires corpses... Where can these corpses come from?"
Before he finished speaking, his eyes fell on the broken memorial tablet in the hall, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Bai Xiao shuddered, a chill running down his spine. "Oh my god! Could the Xiao family still have this ancestor's remains?!"
Lu Xiyun crossed his arms and sneered, "They dig up their own ancestors' graves to appease their spirits. What a bunch of filial sons and grandsons."
Yue Anshan silently leaned closer to Ren Xuan and said in a low voice: "Our prince, you still have the mind to joke at this time, you are so careless that you can run a horse."
Ren Xuan raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
The spiritual fire ignited and the yellow paper flew.
The talisman paper in Xiao Xian's hand burned fiercely in the flames and turned into ashes.
But the ashes did not disperse with the wind. Instead, they slowly gathered in the air, surging and condensing, outlining a vague human figure.
As the talisman fire jumped, the shadow became more and more solid. Finally, a human figure appeared suspended in the night, silently, but it seemed to carry an oppressive force as big as a mountain, making people feel stuffy in the chest and breathless.
In the hall, Tang Wuyong's face was ashen, and his hand was shaking as he drew his sword. He forced himself to curse, "Madman! Damn, you Xiao family are a bunch of lunatics!"
The shadow that had not yet taken shape slowly raised an arm.
He grasped the void - with a loud "bang", Tang Wuyong was flipped over by an invisible force like a kite with a broken string, and fell heavily to the ground. His throat felt sweet and he suddenly spurted out a mouthful of blood.
The knife flashed suddenly.
Ren Xuan drew his sword, aiming for the shadow. But just as the blade was about to touch its target, an invisible force suddenly deflected the blade, sending him back several steps, his knuckles aching.
Ren Xuan steadied himself, narrowed his eyes, and without hesitation, swung his blade and went straight for Xiao Xian—
Your ancestors are almost spirits. If you are not afraid, why should I be afraid?
However, just as the blade was about to fall, a black-robed puppet appeared silently in front of Xiao Xian.
"Bang——"
The weapons clashed, and a sharp metallic roar exploded, causing Ren Xuan's arm to go numb.
Behind the puppet, a figure walked out leisurely, his steps calm, his tone as if this place was still a teahouse: "I really like this gift from Brother Xiao Xian. Your Excellency, be careful of your disrespectful behavior and beware of the consequences."
Ren Xuan's eyes fixed, and his hand holding the knife tightened slightly: "Fang Cun."
Bai Xiao suddenly took a step forward, his tone filled with uncontrollable anger: "Xiao Xian! Colluding with outsiders, what do you want to do!"
Xiao Xian sneered, his eyes filled with cruelty: "Outsiders? When did Yinshu City treat my Xiao family as their own?"
Fang Cun shook his head meaningfully. "Hey, the idea that admitting one's mistakes is the best way to improve is just a lie. If you admit your mistakes, they will naturally trample on you. It's been like this since ancient times."
Fang Cun raised the corner of his mouth with a hint of sarcasm: "Brother Xiao Xian, why bother to argue with him? The Yanshi lineage originated from the Xiao family. Brother Xiao and I are from the same family."
Ren Xuan sneered and glanced at the shadow: So this means that this thing is your ancestor?
Fang Cun's eyes wandered over the puppet, a hint of regret in his eyes. He sighed, "What a pity! I put a lot of effort into this puppet... But for Brother Xiao, I can only reluctantly let it go."
The puppet's body trembled slightly, showing signs of collapse.
The black robe covering it suddenly flew up, and the puppet under the black robe was instantly shattered.
The black robe fell again, covering the shadow that had not yet fully formed.
With a low humming sound, the shadow in the ashes merged with the black robe summoned by Fang Cun, and a brand new puppet suddenly appeared.
Bai Xiao's face turned pale instantly, as if he had seen a ghost. His tone was filled with horror: "Xiao Xian! Are you crazy? You actually used the Reincarnation Technique to pull out your ancestors, just to let this madman make a replica of your puppet?!"
Xiao Xian's expression was calm, even revealing a hint of indifference: "He's not an ancestor, he's a sinner. He committed the murder, and he's the one who should atone for the Xiao family's sins."
Fang Cun's lips curled up slightly, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes filled with playful contempt. "Brother Xiao, you're wrong. What crime did Senior Xiao commit? If there is one, it's simply that he failed to defeat City Lord Fang. If you win today, from now on in Yinshu City, it won't be the Xiao family who's at fault, it'll be them."
The wind and clouds were surging, and the fog was rising.
A huge black gate slowly rose from the soil, like a crack connecting yin and yang, so heavy and oppressive that it seemed to be able to swallow all living things.
Dense swarms of zombies surged out and rushed towards everyone like a tide.
Bai Xiao's back was covered in cold sweat, and his voice was trembling. "It's the 'Ghost Gate' that Senior Brother mentioned... Legend has it that Xiao Zizhang used it to release 20,000 corpses in one night!"
Fang Cun raised his palm slightly.
The black-robed puppet also moved, and the sharp blade in its palm suddenly condensed, a silver light flashed, and murderous aura surged.
The next moment, the sword light was like a streak of silk, breaking through the air and heading straight for everyone!
Yue Anshan kicked the ground and rushed out, blocking the front with his sword, and shouted: "Ren Xuan! Protect the prince!"
Ren Xuan nodded, turned the blade, and was ready to fight.
"Bang--"
There was a loud explosion, and the impact was incredibly strong.
The next second, the two of them were thrown far away with a bang and crashed into the courtyard wall, raising a cloud of dust.
Lu Xiyun looked at the two people lying on the ground and sighed deeply, his tone revealing helplessness: "You two should leave quickly. I will cover your retreat."
Yue Anshan: "..."
Ren Xuan: “…”
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