He Zhizhou was given a bowl of sobering soup and woke up with an earth-shattering wail.
He blacked out right after drinking Jiuzhou Chungui and now couldn't remember anything. When he opened his eyes, he saw several unfamiliar faces with different expressions, including Ningning and Pei Ji, whom he knew.
"Zhou."
Ning Ning's expression was very complicated. He Zhizhou had never seen her so cautious before, as if he was a baby who needed to be well cared for and would break into pieces if he wasn't careful. "Do you remember what happened last night and today?"
He shook his head blankly.
There was a faint scent of incense lingering around his nose, which was the smell he had once encountered in a brothel.
Looking around, he saw vermilion carved wooden chairs, pink and white gauze curtains embroidered with butterflies, and an extremely ambiguous warm smoke. As for the girls who surrounded him, each of them had beautiful features and charming looks, and at first glance, it seemed as if they had entered the Pansi Cave.
He Zhizhou’s eyes went dark.
No way. No way.
With so many girls, how could he be such a beast? Looking at this situation, even if all the spirit stones on him were squeezed dry, he definitely wouldn't be able to pay the price!
"Don't worry, you didn't do anything to them."
Ningning saw what he was thinking at a glance and quickly spoke up to dispel He Zhizhou's doubts and fears.
This should have been a good thing, but she used a tone like she was attending a funeral. It didn't seem like she was coming to pick him up at the brothel, but rather like she was attending a memorial service for comrade He Zhizhou: "There is a girl here who wrote down what happened last night. Do you... want to take a look?"
He Zhizhou's thoughts were still a little fuzzy, and he tried hard to think with his small brain that was born with malformation and acquired deformity. Since he hadn't done anything shameful to the girls, then of course there was nothing to be afraid of.
Could he possibly persecute himself?
He nodded without thinking too much, and one of the young girls hesitated and handed him a mirror.
Through the use of vision, the scene of prosperity and joy in Nuanyu Pavilion was instantly projected onto the mirror.
Deep in the flowers at night, shadowy figures were visible. Women coming and going were elegantly dressed with seductive eyes. The sounds of conversation, shouting and carriages were all swallowed up by the tide of laughter. Under the flickering firelight, the outlines of the mahogany carvings on the eaves were reflected.
Among the crowds coming and going, it wasn't long before two extremely familiar figures appeared.
It was He Zhizhou and Tian Xianzi.
Ningning and Pei Ji should have watched this video. At this moment, they were silent and stared at the mirror.
"My two lords."
They were both handsome and attracted a lot of girls' attention as soon as they entered the door. One of them came forward with a smile to greet them, and shyly covered his lips with a round fan: "Gentlemen, you are here to visit us. Do you have any girls you like?"
The person asking the question may be serious, but the person listening may not be.
He Zhizhou, who was outside the mirror, watched his past self and burst into tears. He said to the girl in great sorrow, "Sister, we are not here to pay for our services. Please take us in and let me be the courtesan here!"
He Zhizhou was confused and looked at Ningning with horror.
The latter shook his head with pity, indicating that there were more to come.
"Sir, are you drunk?"
The woman's eyes twitched. She smelled the increasingly strong smell of alcohol on them and took a few steps back in fear: "What's the point of you two grown men staying in Nuanyu Pavilion?"
"I was also forced to do so."
He Zhizhou wiped away the tears from his eyes with his sleeves, sobbed and glanced at Tian Xianzi beside him: "Have you seen my second uncle? It's a pity that he has contracted the late stage of smallpox at such a young age. I can do anything to earn money for his medical treatment - Come on! Second uncle!"
The last three words were spoken in a low growl, a bit like a wicked mother-in-law making things difficult for her daughter-in-law.
Tian Xianzi was still in a daze and was frightened for a moment. After looking at him blankly, he actually cooperated very well and began to shiver all over, rolling his eyes and twitching continuously.
Outside the mirror, He Zhizhou's little heart was also twitching.
——Help! In order to become an oiran, he actually forced Uncle Tianxian to do such a thing!
Fortunately, the uncle himself was not here to see this video, otherwise the Xuanxu Sword Sect’s dinner tonight would probably be stir-fried He Zhizhou’s meat.
wrong.
Maybe he had seen it before?
The woman in the mirror had never encountered such an outrageous thing. When she heard the word "smallpox", she was immediately frightened and continued to step back.
In a panic, I heard He Zhizhou continue: "If it was just this one disease, maybe I could sell everything I had to treat him, but who would have thought that my second uncle would suffer from hysteria not long after!"
After he finished speaking, he gave him another fierce glance. Tian Xianzi was willing to be a good servant to others. He continued to twitch all over as if he had been electrocuted, while he was crying and laughing with lifeless eyes and muttering to himself. It was very scary.
He Zhizhou no longer dared to look down and huddled on the stool, trembling.
At the same time, I heard my own voice in the mirror: "Not only that, he was also diagnosed with gastroenteritis, pharyngitis and severe postpartum depression yesterday - my second uncle! If you hadn't dropped out of school to support my studies, how could I have grown up to be like this now!"
This time even He Zhizhou himself couldn't help but complain.
——Get out! Your uncle must be regretting it so much that you look like this! And what is that “severe postpartum depression”? Are you sick! ! !
Tian Xianzi in the picture showed an embarrassed look, his expression froze, and when he looked at him blankly, he met He Zhizhou's vicious and cruel gaze.
He Zhizhou finally understood why he felt that his eyes looked very familiar.
Isn't this the expression on the face of the vicious concubine in the palace fighting drama when she feeds the little white flower cannon fodder with deadly poison?
Tian Xianzi felt so wronged that he even spoke in a soft voice: "I can't..."
He Zhizhou narrowed his eyes, his eyes were fierce and fierce, and he growled like an old bull from his throat: "Hmm——?!"
What a not human being.
A tear silently slid down from the corner of my eye.
He watched himself in the mirror become more and more hideous and hateful. Uncle Tianxian looked pitiful and had no way to escape. The people around them were attracted by them, and many of them turned their heads curiously.
Under the ferocious threat of He Zhizhou, Tian Xianzi fell backwards with red eyes and the blood spitting out of his mouth was as sad and beautiful as a dream.
He had a strong spirit of craftsmanship and adhered to the principle of never making false claims. He slapped himself on the chest with sword energy, and in full view of everyone, he ushered in a performance belonging to the Xuanxu Sword School.
The young man in white fell heavily to the ground, the blood at the corner of his lips was so clear. After a brief pause in the picture, Tian Xianzi began to tremble wildly.
That is no longer a posture that humans can imagine.
At first he just lay on the ground shivering with his limbs shaking. Not long after, he seemed to be having a hysterical attack. He began to mutter incoherently and cry and laugh alternately. He looked like he was wearing a mask of pain and was extremely horrifying.
And when he stretched out his hands, this shocking scene reached its climax.
But Tian Xianzi was seen shivering and talking to herself in a little girl's voice, covering her stomach with her trembling left hand, bending her body into the shape of a shrimp, and strangling her throat with her right hand. Her eyes were wide open, and she occasionally let out a few hoarse, sharp coughs: "Uh--"
This scene was so bizarre that several girls screamed in fear. He Zhizhou beside him cried so loudly and shouted sincerely, "Second Uncle! I will definitely become an oiran and cure you! You must hold on!"
What a touching story of a kind teacher and filial piety to his students, comparable to a world-famous painting. I suggest naming it: Zhizhou’s Repayment of Gratitude.
There was an uproar in the crowd. I wonder if anyone recognized that the brother lying on the ground twitching was the famous Elder Tianxian of the Xuanxu Sword Sect.
The girl who initially received the two men was frightened to the point of turning pale and not daring to move.
In the chaos, a woman in a red dress suddenly came forward. After asking about the whole story, she said hesitantly, "These two may be drunk and unconscious... It's not easy to act like this, so let's do a good deed and let them stay for now."
The scene ends here.
He Zhizhou was about to stuff his entire fist into his mouth. He trembled for a long time before he tentatively asked, "My handsome, elegant, noble, and arrogant master Tianxian, the number one swordsman, does he know about this?"
Ning Ning shook her head, looking at him as if she were a dead person: "He seems to be still drunk. I don't know if Master will remember this. You're on your own."
She paused, and then continued: "Not only that, you also took Miss Hongyu's coat, disguised yourself as her, and hid in the guest's bed--"
He Zhizhou: ...
He Zhizhou: "Can you leave me alone? Have some shame."
=====
He Zhizhou suffered some psychological trauma. After crying and apologizing to the girls in Nuanyu Pavilion, he locked himself in the room and carefully thought about what expression he should use to face his uncle Tian Xianzi later.
Ningning sighed and patted his shoulder: "At times like this, just smile."
She wanted to stay in Nuanyu Pavilion to continue inquiring about Luan Niang, so she was in no hurry to leave; and there were not many guests in the Deep Hundred Flowers during the day, so the girls had plenty of time, so they found a room and started chattering again.
"We mentioned before that although Luan Niang had never been to school, she could suddenly write and recite poetry - there's more to her strangeness!"
The cat-eyed girl blinked her eyes and swung her legs in the chair. "I am a few years younger than her. When I came here, I was still young, so I only had to learn etiquette and didn't have to be busy entertaining guests. Therefore, I had much more free time than others. I was bored all day, so I would go to see what the other sisters were doing from time to time. I didn't expect to accidentally discover a secret about her."
Her tone was mysterious, and not only Ningning, but also several girls in the Nuanyu Pavilion beside her showed curiosity and urged her to continue.
The cat-eyed girl pursed her lips and smiled, deliberately lowering her voice: "Luan Niang, she seems to be communicating with someone."
"Communication?"
"Yes! It means calling a carrier pigeon at night, putting the letter on it, and then the pigeon will pass it to another person."
She snorted and laughed, "It was the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep so I stood by the window to look at the scenery. I didn't expect to see a carrier pigeon flying into her room. She was like a guilty thief, afraid of being seen by others."
"So Luan Niang has known how to write since then."
Ning Ning asked her curiously, "Why don't you use the communication talisman?"
This time the other girl chuckled: "Miss Ningning, activating the talisman requires spiritual energy. We have never learned immortal arts, so we naturally don't know how to use it."
"I wonder if the young lady has ever heard a rumor in Luan City?"
Someone else spoke up softly, "Legend has it that if you use souls as bargaining chips and blood as a medium, and make a wish to the phoenix, your wish will come true. Doesn't sacrificing souls correspond exactly to 'Taoists cannot summon souls'?"
This is a legend Ningning has never heard of.
In her mind, the phoenix has always been an auspicious animal that symbolizes well-being, and has nothing to do with such a cruel sacrifice. Moreover, if all the wishes of everyone can be realized in this way...
That would be too easy.
"The city lord had married a wife before."
Seeing that she was half-believing and half-doubting, the cat-eyed girl continued, "You would never have thought that Luan Niang's personality changed drastically, I caught her delivering a letter in the middle of the night, and the previous city lord's wife suddenly fell seriously ill... all at the same time."
Ning Ning was stunned, and then she stopped laughing and said in a deep voice: "The reason why she knew the method of sacrifice must be because she was instigated by the messenger. First, she let the real wife of the city lord die suddenly, and then slowly transformed herself into the city lord's favorite appearance, setting traps step by step to get close to him - if you think about it this way, isn't it done in one go?"
In this case, who was secretly communicating with her became the biggest mystery in the whole incident.
But what is his purpose in helping Luan Niang? Were the subsequent cases of missing girls also committed by these two?
Ning Ning thought about it but couldn't find any clues, so she had to put this person aside for the time being and concentrate on asking for clues about Luan Niang: "You talked about her 'change of temperament', I wonder where this came from?"
"Let me put it this way. She grew up in the red-light district and was an ordinary prostitute. She would greet customers whenever she got one, and would tell lies to people and to ghosts. We are all like this. We just do it to survive. There is nothing to say."
The cat-eyed girl said, "But since a certain day, she suddenly became a little strange. I can't tell what happened, but I feel like she has become a different person. She always stands aside gloomily, and I don't know what she is thinking."
"Yes, yes, yes! She seems to have become more aloof and cold day by day, somehow."
The braided girl lay on the table. Even if she just raised her eyebrows slightly, she already had a charming charm that could captivate the soul: "The former Luan Niang was no different from us. Ever since she started to get close to the city lord, she didn't like to laugh or talk. At best, she smiled at him vaguely. After only meeting him two or three times, she completely seduced the city lord's soul."
She thought for a while and concluded, "It's like she knows what kind of woman the city lord likes, and she has completely transformed herself into that type."
This sentence was extremely appropriate, causing several girls present to nod in agreement.
Only one person frowned and said softly to Ningning, "Miss Ningning, don't listen to their nonsense. Luan Niang and I grew up together, and I know her best. She is definitely not a sinister person and would never do such a shameful thing."
It turned out to be Miss Hongyu.
"She has always fought hard. Once she has made up her mind, she will never let go. In the past, she wanted to collect enough ransom to leave Baihuashen, so she tried her best to attract customers. If she wanted to marry the city lord, then it would make sense for her to study calligraphy and poetry for him and change herself into the person he likes. How could it have anything to do with gods and ghosts?"
She was the oldest among the girls. Although the others were not convinced, out of respect for Hongyu herself, they all puffed their cheeks and said nothing, listening to her continue in a gentle voice:
"We were born poor, so if we say we don't want to live a good life, that would be a lie. Even if Luan Niang deliberately changed herself into another appearance in order to get closer to the city lord, I don't think there is anything shameful about that."
"Sister Hongyu, are you still speaking for her?"
The cat-eyed girl snorted coldly: "She has never interacted with us since she married into the City Lord's Mansion. The last time we met her at the Lantern Festival, the woman clearly saw you, but she looked at you as if you were a stranger - this is clearly not right!"
Hongyu touched her head and said, "It's understandable that she doesn't recognize us. Although I feel disappointed and angry, I don't want you to pin the blame on innocent people out of personal likes and dislikes."
Although she said so, judging from the clues Ningning has already obtained, the truth behind the disappearance of the girl in Luancheng is very likely related to Luan Niang.
But if we want to find out… where should we start?
Ningning's mind was a mess, with no beginning or end. As she was thinking silently, she suddenly heard the half-closed wooden door of the room being pushed open. He Zhizhou's desperate voice came to her ears: "Ningning, help! My money... my money is all gone!"
=====
He Zhizhou's purse was empty.
He had obtained treasures in the pagoda before, and this time he picked a lot of spiritual plants in the secret realm. He happily sold them and got a bag full of cute little spiritual stones.
However, when he finally sobered up from his drunkenness, he was filled with despair after persecuting his uncle. In order to make himself happier, he wanted to take out the spirit stones in his purse and examine them carefully, but he found that there was not a single grain of ash left.
There was no happiness at all, and I felt even more desperate.
Just like the heroine in a romance novel is the hero's destiny, those stones are also the destiny of the poor little guy He Zhizhou. Thanks to him, Ningning and Pei Ji entered the Criminal Court in Luancheng for the first time.
There is not much difference between the Criminal Court and the Police Station. After the case was reported by the masses, the surveillance cameras were used very quickly, that is, the images of the city recorded by the phoenix statue.
According to the criminal justice envoy who received them, thanks to the magic set up by the city lord, in recent days no one in Luan City can lock their doors at night and no one picks up things on the streets. To be able to lose all his belongings under such circumstances is considered a talent.
The picture kept wandering in the depths of the flowers in the middle of the night. After an unknown amount of time, two extremely familiar shadows finally appeared in the mysterious mirror.
It’s still him and Tianxianzi.
He Zhizhou thought of the tragedy in Nuanyu Pavilion again and almost lost his balance.
Tian Xianzi in the mirror was standing blankly on the side of the road, with a strange man standing in front of him. The man held a lush potted plant in his hand, smiling: "This is our ancestral money tree. As long as you give me money, I can turn it into double the spiritual stones."
As he spoke, he took out three low-grade spirit stones, shook them behind the potted plant, and then spread out his fingers, and they actually became six.
——Because there is still a lot of it hidden in the basin.
This is an extremely idiotic street scam. Any normal person would never fall for it.
It’s a pity that Tianxianzi was not a normal person at that time.
“So amazing, so magical!”
Tian Xianzi clapped his hands stupidly, grinning foolishly at the man's constant instigation, and took out a pitiful 100 spirit stones from his purse: "This is all the money I have, please!"
Although the swindler could see that this was a drunk fool, he never expected that he was actually a poor man who was so poor that he could only pick his feet. His smile froze for a moment and he was hesitant to speak.
However, although one hundred is little, it is still money. Just as the man took them in his hand, he suddenly heard He Zhizhou's righteous roar from not far away:
"Uncle Master, what are you doing?"
He Zhizhou outside the mirror was so happy that his mouth was crooked. He slapped his thigh and said, "See! It's worthy of me. I can stay sober even after being drunk!"
Then he was seen in the picture throwing his head back and laughing loudly, then he stood shakily in front of the man and made a three with his fingers: "The money tree is so magical, how can one hundred spirit stones be enough! I'll bet more!"
The tea that He Zhizhou had just drunk was spurted out. He took a deep breath and heard his own voice amid the thumping of his heart: "Add more money! Three! Thousand! Ten Thousand!"
After saying that, he grabbed Tian Xianzi's wrist, tears welling up in his eyes with excitement: "That's great, Uncle Master! We have encountered all the miracles in the world! We are so lucky!"
He Zhizhou: ...
He Zhizhou couldn't catch his breath and rolled off the chair with his eyes rolled up, completely unaware that all his assets added up did not even add up to a fraction of thirty million.
Unfortunately, no matter how much he regretted at this moment, the scene in the mysterious mirror would not reverse or stop.
After being defrauded of 30 million yuan in one night by the money-making scam, Senior Brother He seemed to have aged 30 million years in an instant. He sat on the floor with a haggard look on his face. Suddenly, he heard Ning Ning's voice: "Wait - what you gave him doesn't seem to be a banknote."
He Zhizhou had a last moment of clarity and transformed himself into a stick man, jumping straight up from the ground.
I saw him in the mysterious mirror holding a pen and paper and writing and drawing. After he finished, he immediately handed it to the liar with a happy look on his face.
It was obvious at first glance that the piece of white paper was not a banknote. The man was still smiling impatiently, but when he glanced at it, his expression suddenly became strange.
"The spring breeze brings warmth, and thousands of households are laughing. Your friend gave you 30 million--"
As he recited, he began to tremble violently, his teeth chattered with anger, and his voice trembled non-stop: "You must be happy, you must be blessed, you must be healthy. With these 30 million, you will definitely have a prosperous New Year - I will bless you mother! How dare you, little brat, play tricks on me?!"
He Zhizhou cried with joy, experiencing the greatest joy and sorrow in life in just a short moment: "It's worthy of me!!!"
As soon as the man said the last sentence, Tian Xianzi, who was half dumbfounded beside him, drew his sword and frowned in the revolving sword light: "Who do you say is the brat?"
Although Tian Xianzi was drunk, the instinct to protect his child was still in his mind.
His cultivation was extremely high. Now, just by drawing his sword and pointing it at the man not far away, he was able to make the latter suddenly spit out blood under the layers of pressure, unable to stand, and fall directly to the ground.
Even a fool can see that these two people are from important backgrounds.
"You, you guys wait!"
The man knew he was in the wrong, and he was not as skilled as the other person. If a real fight broke out, not only would the 100 spirit stones he had cheated be gone, but he would also have to bear a large sum of medical expenses. If the situation was more serious, it would even become funeral expenses.
A real man can bend and stretch. He struggled to get up from the ground, stumbled back, and said the cruelest words in the most cowardly tone: "Two idiots! Don't let me run into them again!"
The liar just ran away.
The plot is full of twists and turns. Even He Zhizhou, the person involved, is confused. Where did his money go?
"You, you, you, what are you doing? Is this a place where you can just barge in?"
He was standing there in a daze, when he suddenly heard the gruff voice of the criminal envoy behind him, followed by an inexplicably familiar young man's voice: "I'm looking for someone - the one inside! Hey, Master He!"
The three of them turned around together and saw a young man in white clothes who was sweating profusely.
"I finally caught up with you! You are indeed a cultivator. How come you are walking so fast?"
He wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief and chuckled, "Mr. He, there is still one spot in the cemetery you bought last night that needs to be confirmed with your fingerprints, otherwise I won't be able to complete the task."
He Zhizhou was completely stunned: "Wait! What tomb, cemetery?"
"You bought it from me last night!"
The young man grinned: "Don't you remember? You bought more than a dozen cemeteries for yourself, saying that you wanted to turn the entire cultivation world into your grave!"
Let the entire world of cultivation become his grave.
He Zhizhou felt a pang in his heart.
"Well, well," the young man continued with a smile and a very professional tone, "you had already planned it last night. The head is placed in Beihuang City, the body is buried in Zhuluzhou, and the hands and feet are scattered in various border city-states in turn. In this way--"
As he spoke, he took out a map and connected the dots. It turned out to be a stick figure shape that covered the entire area:
"In this way, if we plant a few Hezhizhou in the spring, we can harvest tens of thousands of Hezhizhou in the fall. Once the Hezhizhou all over the country unite, a single spark can start a prairie fire, overthrow the feudal rule, and establish a great new socialist country. Although I don't understand what you mean, this is what you told me last night."
He Zhizhou: ...
Another tear fell from the corner of his fragile eye.
This is not buying a cemetery.
This is just a way to get yourself torn into pieces.
Ning Ning clicked her tongue and shook her head. She just wanted to give him a thumbs up: "As expected of you."
“That’s not the point.”
Only Pei Ji frowned and said in a deep voice: "Since there is something wrong with the City Lord's wife, and she specifically ordered us to drink the Nine Continents Spring Return that is not right...didn't you notice? Senior Sister Zheng, who should have been with Master and Senior Brother, was not found in the entire Baihua Deep when we looked through the video just now."
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