(seven)
The Five Elements Destroying Magic Artifact in the photo has changed. The Five Elements runes on it have disappeared and been replaced by a kind of rune that Zhou Ziqiu cannot understand. The Five Elements gem in the center has also disappeared and has been replaced by a pattern of a crane about to take flight.
Knowing the meaning of the crane, Cui Yongle immediately returned the bronze plate to the hotel.
“I guess this might be similar to the situation in Changnan Village before, so I sent this ritual artifact to the hotel first.” Cui Yongle took a drag of his cigarette. “Do we not need this person to solve the problem, or has this person already arrived without our knowledge?”
One time could be called a coincidence, but to encounter it a second time in such a short period of time makes it hard not to think about the second possibility. But who have they encountered recently?
Suddenly, a name jumped into their minds—
"Wen Su?" Zhou Ziqiu asked uncertainly.
Cui Yongle threw his cigarette butt into the ashtray beside him and nodded: "He's the most likely candidate. I'll investigate him. You can look at the magic artifact when you get back to the hotel."
Zhou Ziqiu followed Cui Yongle's instructions, but then he remembered something and grabbed Cui Yongle's sleeve as he was about to leave: "Wait."
"What's wrong?"
"Send someone to dig up the willow tree next to the pond. I have a feeling there's something underneath it. We can also dredge up the bottom of the pond."
——
Zhou Ziqiu sat on the sofa in the hotel. On the coffee table in front of him was a magical artifact that Cui Yongle had sent back. No, it shouldn't be called a magical artifact anymore; it could only be called an ordinary copper plate. He picked up the copper plate and placed it on his lap. At this moment, the copper plate didn't feel as hot as it had been before; instead, it felt cool to the touch.
His fair, jade-like fingers stroked the crane's wings, and he could almost see how earnest the boy who carved the crane was back then. Zhou Ziqiu's expression softened for once, revealing a hint of melancholy.
He recognized this ritual implement.
He recognized him.
With a slight movement of his finger, he pressed on the raised pattern next to it. After pressing it several times, the crane on the artifact flapped its wings, and the area below it also sank in, revealing what was hidden inside. It was a precious pearl, a crystal-clear red gem containing something that looked like a crane taking flight.
Then, Zhou Ziqiu picked up the precious pearl containing the crane.
Suddenly, the surroundings turned dark. Although it was daytime, not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate into the room. In the black mist that gathered in front of Zhou Ziqiu, a black hand reached out and touched his face.
The hand moved gently, as graceful as water, and even the owner of the hand had gentle eyes and a smile on her face.
Zhou Ziqiu also raised his hand and touched this hand, staring intently at the face that suddenly appeared in front of him, his own face.
Zhou Qinghe smiled as Zhou Ziqiu stroked him, then reached out his other hand and hugged Zhou Ziqiu.
The black mist once again engulfed Zhou Ziqiu.
...
......
"What are you doing!"
A handsome young man dressed in white lifted the agate curtain hanging on the door and strode in. For some reason, there was no servant in the prince's room. Sensing something was wrong, he hurried to the bedroom and saw the little prince, who usually teared up at the slightest injury, cutting his finger with a dagger. He quickly stepped forward, took the dagger from his hand, and used a handkerchief to bandage the little prince's wound.
What are you doing!
Zhou Qinghe tried to snatch the dagger from Xie Xingzhou, but he was not only no match for Xie Xingzhou, he was also shorter than him. When Xie Xingzhou raised the dagger, he couldn't reach it. Enraged, he stomped on Xie Xingzhou's foot.
"Ouch! Why are you stepping on me? I didn't want you to get hurt! Why are you cutting yourself for no reason?"
Xie Xingzhou pretended to grimace in pain to amuse this little darling.
Zhou Qinghe pointed to the huge bronze plate placed to the side, with a small pit in the center, apparently for holding blood: "The Imperial Advisor said that Your Majesty is about to lead the army into battle. If there is blood from your closest relatives to pray for blessings, Your Majesty will be invincible. Just drip blood onto this bronze plate for seven consecutive days. It's just a few drops of blood, and Your Majesty will be able to win the battle."
Xie Xingzhou stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as if he had heard something very strange: "What nonsense is the Grand Preceptor talking about? How could such a thing exist? I have followed my father in the army for two years and have never heard of such a way of praying. Moreover, winning a battle is not something that can be achieved with your blood. You need enough food and elite soldiers."
“Of course I know, but I still want to do my part for my brother.” Zhou Qinghe’s tone was firm. “It’s just a few drops of blood, I can afford to do that.”
Xie Xingzhou's eyes darted around, and seeing that he couldn't stop Zhou Qinghe, he asked instead, "How long have you been dripping it?"
"Four days."
"My goodness, you're so good to the Crown Prince," Xie Xingzhou said sourly.
Zhou Qinghe smiled sweetly: "That's my imperial brother. But even if you told me to do it, I would still do it. If possible, I would like to go on the expedition with the army and contribute to our Great Zhou."
Xie Xingzhou reached out and pinched Zhou Qinghe's nose. The two had grown up together since childhood, and there was no difference in their social status. Xie Xingzhou did not think that Zhou Qinghe was any higher than him, and Zhou Qinghe would not put on airs like a prince in front of him: "You should take care of your health first before talking about going to war. I will personally lead you then. Also, lend me this first, I will take it back and ask my father."
“Okay.” Zhou Qinghe smiled.
The scene shifts to Xie Xingzhou bringing the bronze plate to Zhou Qinghe. Xie Xingzhou's expression is not good, but even so, he still manages to put on a smile when he sees Zhou Qinghe.
!Hiyuuichi Shirt Hiyuuichi Bar Shirt Takeru!
"Xingzhou!" Zhou Qinghe had long been tired of reading, and just then Xie Xingzhou arrived, so he put down his book, walked to Xie Xingzhou's side, and looked curiously at the bronze plate in his hand. He was surprised to find that the pit that was originally used to hold blood was gone, and it had been replaced by a crane about to take flight. The young man's carving skills were extraordinary, and the crane on the bronze plate was lifelike.
"Come and see, I modified this at home."
Xie Xingzhou pressed his hand against the pattern on the edge of the bronze plate a few times. After a series of rubbing sounds, a small crack appeared on the surface of the bronze plate. Zhou Qinghe exclaimed, "Xingzhou, you're amazing!"
Xie Xingzhou smiled, took out a precious pearl from his sleeve, and gently rotated it in the sunlight. When it was rotated to a suitable angle, he pulled Zhou Qinghe's hand to show it to him. Zhou Qinghe was even more surprised after seeing the crane inside the pearl: "Where did you find this? What a beautiful pearl."
"I bought it from a shady dealer in the East Market." Seeing that Zhou Qinghe liked it very much, Xie Xingzhou said smugly. He had just wandered around the East Market out of boredom and accidentally saw it. Thinking that Zhou Qinghe would like it, he bought it at a high price. "It's yours."
Zhou Qinghe accepted it with a smile, then remembered something and took out something he had made in his spare time and handed it to Xie Xingzhou. It was a small boat that was carved very ugly.
"What is this?" Xie Xingzhou frowned, examining the object in his hand. "Is this... a boat?"
Zhou Qinghe nodded: "I carved it myself. It doesn't look very much like it, but I really tried my best."
You can tell what it is just by looking at its shape, but the knife skills are a bit amateurish. Nevertheless, Xie Xingzhou accepted it with a smile.
"It's okay, I like it very much."
The scene abruptly vanished, leaving only a person silently shedding tears, muttering a name in broken sentences: Xingzhou.
Meanwhile, a person who was unconscious in the ward was also having a dream.
Wen Su looked down at himself, not understanding why he was suddenly dressed in ancient costume, and who this person in front of him was? And why was there something poking him in his chest? He wanted to reach out and take it out, but why couldn't he control his body?
Why did you do this? You're his brother! He trusted you so much!
A roar drew Wen Su's attention back to himself. Wen Su heard "himself" shouting the question, his emotions running high. The man in front of him seemed somewhat moved, but he still hardened his expression: "Xie Xingzhou, I have been more than kind to the Xie family. I have protected your Xie family until now out of respect for Qinghe. Don't be ungrateful. It is none of your business what I do."
Xie Xingzhou? Qinghe?
Wen Su raised an eyebrow, then heard "himself" sneer again, and asked in return, "So should I thank you for sparing my life? What, now that you've revealed your true colors, you're going to kill your own brother! You used such evil magic, are you trying to condemn him to eternal damnation?"
The man's eyes suddenly turned fierce, and he drew the sword from his waist and stabbed it viciously into the chest of the person in front of him. Watching the person fall to the ground in shock, he opened his lips and said, "You know too much."
Wen Su felt a sharp pain in his chest. He wanted to look at his chest, but he could only fall to the ground with Xie Xingzhou.
"Yes, I know too much, so I changed that bronze plate. You can forget about killing him."
Xie Xingzhou's lung was punctured, and he spoke in a weak voice, but he still smiled at the man in front of him, as if he was happy that the man's trick had been ruined.
The man laughed: "I know your tricks, but you can't stop me."
"Ah He, run!"
This was the last thing Wen Su heard Xie Xingzhou say before he died.
Moreover, Wen Su felt his body gradually separating from Xie Xingzhou's. Before Xie Xingzhou disappeared, he reached out and removed the thing that had been bothering him. In the bleak autumn air, what Wen Su held in his hand was a badly carved boat, its surface stained crimson with the blood from the boy's chest. —"Boss! You're awake!"
The fat man looked at Wen Su, who sat up in bed, with surprise, but then saw that he had tears in his eyes and was clutching his chest. He immediately cried out in alarm, "Boss, you, you, you're crying! Are you having heart problems? I'll call the doctor right away!"
Hearing the fat man's commotion, Wen Su looked up, raised his hand from his chest and touched his face, only to find his hand was wet.
"...Huh?"
Why did he cry?
Was it Xie Xingzhou's resentment and sorrow before his death that infected him? 18:57:07
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