◎I felt uneasy for no apparent reason.◎
A few words that Lin Qingyan accidentally heard outside the tent that evening made her make a decision.
When the group arrived at the town outside the Great Wall at the foot of Mingguang Mountain, Lin Qingyan took the lead and persuaded An Jiu to stay in the town.
The Demon Cult has been entrenched in the Western Regions for hundreds of years. After so many years of operation, it has become a considerable foundation. Therefore, at the foot of Mingguang Mountain where the Demon Cult's headquarters is stationed, a town outside the Great Wall like the Golden Snake Town has been formed.
However, this town is not as prosperous as Golden Snake Town, and most of the people who settle here are civilians, unlike Golden Snake Town where many wandering knights come and go.
The area outside the Great Wall is bitterly cold, and because it is close to the border, it is often plundered by the Tatars. People living outside the Great Wall always have to worry that the Huns and Tatar cavalry will break into their houses in the middle of the night, steal their food, and slaughter them at will.
Although there is a notorious demon cult living on Mingguang Mountain, the people of the demon cult will not massacre the village at will. These martial artists usually do not provoke them, so they are no scarier than the Tatars. At most, they will kill one or two people.
Besides, Mingguang Town was under the jurisdiction of the Demon Cult. The Tatars did not dare to come here, and the civilians living here could guarantee their lives and safety. Gradually, more and more people came here.
Apart from civilians, the largest group of people in Mingguang Town are merchants.
The most profitable businesses in the world are salt, iron, tea and silk.
Salt and iron were controlled by the government, and the only things that allowed ordinary merchants to get a share of the pie were tea and silk.
The place where these two things can be sold at the highest price is also the frontier. Therefore, in recent years, the most frequent visitors to Mingguang Town are merchants from all over the country. The most popular trading places are inns.
An Jiu was placed in an inn, alone, while the others prepared to go up the mountain first.
The reason Lin Qingyan persuaded her to stay was to wait for Pei Ji to come and then go up the mountain together.
"Don't you think I'm a burden to you?" Upon hearing her say that, the red-dressed girl's first reaction was to question.
Lin Qingyan almost swore to the heavens, "Of course not. If we thought you were a burden, why would we bring you here? We haven't seen Xian Wuming along the way, so he should not be following you anymore. We have arrived at Mingguang Mountain now, and the only thing left is to go up the mountain. Why don't we go first to eliminate the danger, and then wait for you and Pei Ji to come up together? Besides, you haven't seen Pei Ji for so long, it would be a good idea to talk to him, right?"
No, Xian Wuming has been following me.
An Jiu silently retorted in his heart.
When the girl heard the first part, she looked unbelieving and indignant, but later on, she didn't know what she thought about, and she agreed reluctantly.
"Okay, then I'll wait for Pei Ji here, and then go up." After a pause, the girl pursed her lips and added as if to cover up, "I, I don't want to wait for him, I'm just kind enough to lead him the way."
Lin Qingyan smiled and nodded: "Yes, I know, I understand."
Meeting her understanding gaze, the girl in red's ears suddenly turned red and she quickly ran away.
She stopped making a fuss, and not only Lin Qingyan but also He Ziqing breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Lin Qingyan kept saying that An Jiu was not a burden, in fact, their move to settle her down at the foot of the mountain really showed that they did not want to take her up the mountain.
Miss An is weak and has no martial arts skills. It is not a good idea to take her up the mountain. This trip is extremely dangerous, so it is better to stabilize her and let her fall behind. I am afraid that by the time she takes Pei Ji up the mountain, they will have dealt with the evildoers of the Demon Sect.
All the talented people from the Central Plains martial arts world have come out this time, almost all the famous masters have been invited, and everyone is confident about destroying the demon cave.
It is very likely that they would have finished the job before Pei Ji arrived.
When the group set out, it was just dawn in the morning and the Demon Cult was at the top of Mingguang Mountain. They still had to climb over many dangerous mountain paths and cliffs before they could reach their final destination. They would inevitably encounter various obstacles along the way, and everyone's expressions were extremely solemn.
An Jiu stood by the window on the second floor of the inn and watched them leave.
She noticed that when these people left, many people in the streets and alleys were watching secretly. When they saw them going up the mountain, they all quickly slipped away.
An Jiu knew without thinking that this was the person who reported the news to the mountain.
They came with great momentum and did not try to hide their whereabouts. They could almost be described as acting in an above-board manner, so it was inevitable that they would be discovered.
Moreover, this is the territory of the Demon Cult, so it is normal to have spies from the Demon Cult.
The only thing that An Jiu found a little abnormal was that she didn't expect that the Demon Cult didn't take any action and just let them go up the mountain.
When An Jiu heard He Ziqing and the others discussing how to act, they all felt that they would encounter an ambush when entering Mingguang Town, and they all prepared for a fierce battle. However, nothing happened when they entered the town.
It was because of this that Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing both felt that there must be an ambush on the mountain, so they tried to find a way to let An Jiu stay.
Of course, they didn't tell Anjiu these words, Anjiu overheard them herself. Those people thought Anjiu was just an ordinary girl, so they didn't guard against her and didn't avoid her during discussions.
I remember that before we set off, someone suggested that we just wait for Pei Ji to come and then go up the mountain together.
Just as the person who mocked An Jiu said that day, Pei Ji's medical skills are superb and might come in handy.
But it was ultimately rejected.
The leader was a very respected elder of the Huashan Sect. Bishui Jian called him Uncle Master. He was a master of the same generation as You Qianhe. His martial arts skills were also well-deserved as a master of his generation. He was called Master Li.
Li Zhenren said, "My Huashan sect has planted spies in the demon sect. It is said that the demon sect's saintly maidens of this generation are not well-trained and have not dared to come out of the mountain yet, so there is no need to be afraid. Now that we have arrived at the foot of the mountain, if we delay any longer, they might get the news and escape in advance. We should attack them by surprise and quickly go up the mountain to kill them by surprise."
After that, he took out a map and said, "This is the route into the mountain. As long as you follow this road, there will be no danger. Everyone, follow me up the mountain quickly and don't delay."
Seeing this scene, how could everyone not understand that Huashan had obviously long wanted to defeat the Demon Cult.
Once the senior made a move, everyone had no more objections and immediately agreed to go into the mountain as soon as possible.
Mingguang Mountain is not only a mountain, but also the highest mountain in a mountain range.
To get to the Demon Cult's headquarters on Mingguang Mountain, one has to climb over several hills, pass through a valley, and finally reach the headquarters.
If there was no one to lead the way or if there was no map to show the way, it would be impossible for ordinary people to find the headquarters. Fortunately, the group was well prepared and managed to travel most of the way safely.
Just as Master Li said, although the journey was desolate and dangerous, we did not encounter any ambushes.
Everyone walked to the last valley marked on the map. As long as they crossed this valley, they would reach the real Mingguang Mountain.
"Hey, there are people in this valley!"
"Be careful, don't act rashly, observe first."
As soon as everyone stepped into the valley, they discovered some movement in the valley and could hear faint voices.
The group carefully concealed their tracks, hid and observed the movements in the valley.
Only then did I realize that this valley is surrounded by greenery and has a warm and humid climate, making it a rare and quiet place.
The land and mountains outside the northwest frontier are basically all barren. Whether it is the mountains they have climbed over or the Mingguang Town they passed before, there is not a single green spot to be seen. All that can be seen is bare yellow sand and earth and rocks, without a trace of green.
But this valley looks like a piece of emerald green gem dropped from heaven by a god who passed by here, embellishing the desolate scenery and giving people a refreshing feeling at the first sight.
What is even more amazing is that this valley has been opened up by humans and planted with flowers all over the valley.
The valley was flat, and I didn't know what kind of flower it was, but it had five petals, all of completely different colors, red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple, just like a rainbow.
Let's call it the colorful flower. The colorful flowers bloomed into a whole sea of flowers, just like a colorful carpet in the valley.
At the edge of the blanket, where the other end of the valley connects to Mingguang Mountain, there stands a small wooden house.
The voices they heard were made by two girls standing in front of the cabin.
They should indeed be girls, wearing girls' clothes, with slender figures and soft voices. But the strange thing is that their faces are covered with wrinkles and grooves that only old people have.
"Is the mute servant awake yet? Hurry up and water the flowers. If you delay the Saint's business, she will be furious."
The girl shouted into the house.
A figure slowly walked out of the room. It was a hunchbacked old man who walked slowly and unsteadily. He was holding a wooden bucket in his hand, with his head lowered. His old face was half hidden by his gray and messy hair, and his expression was dull.
He said nothing, obviously a mute. He slowly walked to a nearby mountain spring, fetched some water and used it to water the flower field.
After instructing the mute servant, the two girls walked to the flower field and began picking flowers.
They picked the flowers very slowly and carefully, as if they were not picking flowers but something extremely precious. After each of them picked a handful of flowers, the two of them carried the flowers along the mountain path and went up the mountain.
"Listening to the conversation between the two, this valley is probably where the evil witch from the cult grows poisonous flowers and plants. That witch learned poison techniques, and these flowers may also be poisonous. Everyone, be careful and don't touch those flowers." A martial arts elder reminded.
They were all well-known people who had been in the martial arts world for a long time. They were not inexperienced rookies, so they would not act rashly. After hearing this, they perked up and bypassed the colorful flower sea in the center of the valley, passed through the nearby forests, and went directly to Mingguang Mountain.
When the group finally reached the top of Minguang Mountain, An Jiu finally waited for Pei Ji.
At this time, the morning sun rose from the east, and the morning glow filled the entire eastern sky, also dyeing the clothes of the young man in white riding on the camel with a layer of crimson blood.
It is difficult for horses to travel in the desert, so camels are more commonly used for travel. Pei Ji naturally followed the local customs.
An Jiu saw him entering the city from afar, his eyes lit up, and he quickly ran down from the second floor, almost falling down the stairs.
However, when she reached the first floor, she suddenly reacted and slowed down her pace.
By the time she arrived at the door, the girl in red had returned to her usual arrogant look with her chin slightly raised. Apart from the slight blush on her cheeks that had not yet faded, there was nothing unusual about her.
As soon as she stood at the door, the man on the camel over there immediately saw her, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Why is Miss An here?" Ah Qi came to the door with the camel. Pei Ji asked gently before he got off the ground.
Judging from his expression, he seemed surprised to see her here.
An Jiu secretly complained, hasn't he been following her? How could he not know that she was not with the main group?
On the surface, he pretended to be dissatisfied and said, "Lin Qingyan and the others asked me to wait for you here. Now that you are here, let's go up the mountain quickly!"
As she spoke, she glanced over him, and deliberately lingered on his pale face for a while, frowning and saying, "You haven't rested well in the past half month? If you're not feeling well, why are you joining in the fun? Aren't you a burden to us?"
The girl said this with great self-confidence, and seemed to have no awareness at all of the fact that she was a burden.
Pei Ji looked at her with a half-smile and said calmly, "I think I am more useful than Miss An."
The girl raised her eyebrows, "You!"
She pointed at him as if she wanted to say something, but after a long pause, she couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.
"How about me?" The young man in white shook his folding fan and said with a smile.
An Jiu stamped her feet, snorted coldly, and said, "I won't bother with a cripple."
She turned her head away angrily and never looked at him again.
Seeing the girl going to lead the horse without even looking at him, Pei Ji stopped waving his fan and looked at her back with a deep and indiscernible gaze.
When he first met her as Pei Ji, he felt very complicated.
If she hadn't betrayed him, he wouldn't have had to follow her all the way here, and he wouldn't have had to endure all the torture along the way.
The absorbed internal energy still tortured him from time to time, not to mention the sudden onset of the poison the day before, which was also extremely thrilling.
The source of all this is An Jiu's betrayal.
He should hate this woman, but when he thought of her, he had a strange, unfamiliar feeling.
In short, it is definitely not hatred.
Perhaps it was unwillingness, perhaps it was the possessiveness of all things, or perhaps it was something else.
When he was Xian Wuming, he didn't have to control his emotions. He could vent them to her without restraint and watch her suffer and feel resentful.
But now he is Pei Ji.
Pei Ji, the genius doctor who was gentle and considerate to others and treated her with great care.
When Pei Ji saw the girl in red standing at the door to greet him just now, he was unable to react for a moment and almost showed a "immortal without life" look to her.
Fortunately, even when he reacted, he didn't reveal any clues.
He was trying his best to restrain himself at this moment, not to reveal his identity in front of her, or to knock her out and take her away.
It's not the right time yet.
The reason why Pei Ji appeared here was not only to capture her and take her back to Qiansha Pavilion, he also wanted to meet Hua Mei.
The woman who destroyed his family and poisoned him.
Pei Ji had long thought about meeting her, and since Pei Zhou's cause of death was unknown, he also had some guesses that Pei Zhou might be here.
Based on Pei Ji's understanding of his adopted father, in his impression, Pei Zhou was not someone who would die quietly outside. The cause of his death back then was most likely false.
The place where Pei Zhou is most likely to appear is not the Demon Cult.
Pei Ji's mind was in a state of confusion. When he came to his senses, he saw the girl in front of him looking back at him. There was a sparkling light in her beautiful eyes, but her expression was arrogant: "Hey, come this way, remember to follow me closely, I remember the way."
She didn't seem all that unhappy to see him.
This thought flashed through his mind, and the next moment Pei Ji sneered in his heart.
What does it have to do with him whether she is happy or not.
Anyway, after dealing with that woman Hua Mei, he would bring her back to Qiansha Pavilion.
There was a bone-chilling coldness under the man's lowered eyes.
The two men entered the mountain. Unlike the previous group who walked on foot, one of them rode a camel and the other rode a horse. Only Ah Qi followed beside them, and their targets were very obvious.
Fortunately, they didn't run into anyone along the way. The route map obtained by Huashan Sect was very hidden, and the two of them successfully walked to the valley full of flowers.
"Wow, this valley is so beautiful." An Jiu exclaimed, dismounted and moved closer to the sea of flowers.
Pei Ji's smile disappeared, and he said coldly: "This is not an ordinary flower, this is a five-colored sky star flower, it is highly poisonous."
An Jiu shuddered. She was just about to pick a flower, but when she heard the words, she quickly withdrew her hand and quickly stepped back.
"Why didn't you remind me earlier!" After recovering from her shock, the eldest lady turned around and glared at him.
The young man in white riding on the camel curled his thin lips slightly, with a hint of apology in his smile: "Sorry, it's too late."
An Jiu glared at him fiercely and angrily cursed: "You did it on purpose, just to see me make a fool of myself, you cripple!"
She hadn't called him a cripple for a long time. This response was due to her extreme anger.
Logically, he should be angry.
But for some reason, seeing the girl looking at him with eyes that seemed to be spitting fire and her little face flushed with anger, Pei Ji felt a long-lost joy in his heart.
In fact, he still couldn't control himself. Unlike before, he didn't wear the gentle mask and wanted to stab her from time to time.
Look at her being angry, look at her being indignant, look at her glaring at him angrily, with both eyes fixed on him.
A sense of satisfaction arises naturally.
But it shouldn’t matter. After all, it won’t be long before she will never see Pei Ji again.
The two of them walked through the flower sea valley and onto the mountain path of Mingguang Mountain.
The mountain path was winding, and after walking for a while, the two saw many corpses lying along the way. Some had unfamiliar faces, while there were also a few people from the Central Plains who were familiar to An Jiu. Overall, there were more strangers.
It should be the guard guarding the mountain path.
The higher we went, the more corpses there were. The narrow mountain path was covered with blood that had hardly solidified yet, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
The path of Mingguang Mountain was too steep, so An Jiu abandoned her horse and could only climb the mountain on her own. After this period of training, she was now physically stronger and could hold on.
Pei Ji was lying on Ah Qi and was carried on his back.
An Jiu covered his nose all the way and dared not look around. When he saw the corpse, he quickly looked away.
After seeing so many murder scenes like this, she was afraid that she would vomit.
Suddenly, her wandering eyes fixed, she looked ahead and said nervously: "Pei Ji, there is someone ahead!"
Sure enough, not far ahead, there was a hunched figure walking step by step on the mountain path.
An Jiu was startled, thinking that it was a fish that slipped through the net that the previous group of people had not cleared out, but he heard Pei Ji say calmly: "He is an ordinary person without martial arts skills, don't be afraid."
An Jiu subconsciously said: "I'm not afraid!"
Pei Ji glanced at her casually, and the girl's frightened pale face came clearly into his sight.
He said nothing, but raised his lips slightly: "Tsk."
The girl immediately widened her eyes, her black eyeballs reflected his shadow, and her white cheeks puffed up like a frog.
"What are you laughing at! Ahhhh how dare you laugh at me!"
If it wasn't the wrong timing, she might have rushed up and punched him twice in anger.
Seeing this scene, the young man in white, with his elegant and handsome eyebrows like ink painting, unconsciously curved.
The three of them quickly caught up with the figure in front.
Hearing the noise coming from behind, the old man slowly stopped and turned to look over.
He was an old man with messy white hair, his head lowered, his back hunched into an arc. He was dressed in rags and his old face was very wooden.
An Jiu took a closer look at the other person and said warily, "He is not with us."
She has a good memory and remembers the appearance of everyone who came with her.
Since he is not with them, he must be a member of the Demon Cult.
Ah Qi stretched out his hand, just wanting to casually get rid of this person, but Pei Ji suddenly narrowed his eyes, his gaze fell on the old man's lowered face, and said lightly: "Let him go, judging from his appearance, he should not have done anything bad."
An Jiu didn't want to see the murder scene either. After hearing what he said, he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, the old man is so old, let's forget it."
Ah Qi withdrew his hand, and the three of them passed the old man who was standing silently on the side of the road with his head down and continued on their way.
An Jiu walked for a while and looked back. The old man must have been scared by them. Even after they left, he still stood by the roadside, staring at them.
Seeing her turn around, the old man lowered his head again.
Seeing this somewhat strange scene, An Jiu couldn't help but worry: "Is it really okay to let him go?"
Pei Ji said succinctly: "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
He smiled slightly, revealing an inexplicably meaningful tone.
At this point, they were not far from the Demon Cult's headquarters. The mountains and ridges along the way were no longer barren, and there were more and more houses and buildings between the cliffs, which were obviously the places where the followers lived.
Most of these places are now deserted, and even if there are a few, they are all dead bodies lying on the ground.
An Jiu's feet were sore from walking so much. In the past, she would have definitely complained, but unfortunately, she was in a heavy mood at the moment and couldn't say a word.
The plot of conquering the demon cult is described in detail in the original novel, after all, it is a climax of the whole book.
However, as An Jiu walked along, he realized that the plot had changed.
I don’t know if it was because of her time travel or the influence of Pei Ji’s rebirth, or both, but the book didn’t mention the valley full of flowers, nor the hunchbacked old man.
She remembered that this was the path that He Ziqing had taken in the book. The Demon Cult had deliberately led them along this path, and the Demon Cult's Saint was waiting for them at the end of the path.
In the book, Pei Ji did not come, and the Saint of the Demon Cult trapped them for a while with poison. But the heroine Lin Qingyan had the universal antidote given by Pei Ji, so they still managed to get through the negative copy of the Demon Cult without any danger, only losing a few people.
This allowed Qiansha Pavilion to finally reap the rewards.
The colorful star flower, the strange old man... thinking of these two subtle differences, An Jiu felt inexplicably uneasy.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2023-05-05 21:00:01~2023-05-06 21:08:12~
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