In the realm of cultivation, countless cultivators cultivated what was called Dao Heart. Wei Sushen suddenly felt that compared with himself, it was not worth mentioning. Facing Fang Shan, he was cultivating the Holy Heart.
Fang Shan foolishly continued to exchange secret signals with him: "You shine too."
Wei Sushen was about to speak when he saw the other party make a gesture to silence him: "Did you hear any sound?"
Wei Sushen nodded slightly, as if something was swimming through the grass.
The question was soon answered when a scream was heard from not far away: "There's a snake!"
"Not good." Fang Shan shouted, "Stay together and don't move."
But it was too late. Many of them had once been ordinary people, and when faced with danger, they ran faster than rabbits. The people who had gathered together instantly scattered in all directions like stars in the sky. Fang Shan picked up a few and threw them back to the team. The guards in the dark were unable to show themselves, and their numbers were limited, so they could only follow a few people.
Wang Li counted the number of people and found that there were still five people missing.
Fang Shan and Wei Sushen acted separately, and one of them caught a slowly swimming green snake in the grass. The snake was also in a dazed state, struggling slightly stiffly in his palm. It was very likely that it was caught by someone to deliberately cause a disturbance.
After searching the forest for a while, he did not dare to go too far. The enemy was in the dark and he was in the light. In the distance, he saw two people stumbling back together.
If we were not in the inn tonight, no matter how powerful the other party was, it would be impossible for him to make someone disappear out of thin air in such a short time.
Fang Shan flew to the tallest tree, looked around, and his sight fixed on a pile of weeds... and among the rocks was a curled up body.
He lowered his breathing to the lowest level, flew away, and stopped a few feet away.
After a moment, he confirmed that his body was not moving with breathing, and then he walked slowly.
Under the dim moonlight, the people on the ground were frozen in the last moment before death: their eyes were wide open in horror, as if they had seen an extremely terrifying scene.
Fang Shan sighed, helped him close his eyes, and turned him over. There was a bloody hole in his chest, and his heart had been crushed. To avoid causing more commotion, he was buried nearby in a depression behind a rock.
Suddenly, Fang Shan turned his head sharply, drew his sword, and shouted coldly, "Who?"
"Yes, it's me." A delicate voice was mixed with fear. Meng Xunmei tried her best to suppress her trembling and appeared from behind a tree.
Fang Shan frowned slightly: "Why are you here?"
Meng Xunmei took several deep breaths, and after calming down, she said, "I saw a few people stray from the group when they were escaping. I was worried about accidents, so I followed them."
Judging from her condition, it was obvious that she had seen something. Fang Shan did not interrupt her and waited for her to continue.
Meng Xunmei's face turned pale. "Not long after, a dark shadow appeared and killed the man with one knife. He also kept using the dagger to destroy the dead man's heart."
Fang Shan: "Is the opponent's martial arts skills very high?"
Meng Xunmei nodded: "At least he knows the art of concealing his breath. I don't even know when he will appear."
Fang Shan's voice was slightly dull: "What were you doing at that time?"
Meng Xunmei said with a hint of shame: "He hid himself."
She had been well protected by her master since she was a child. Although her martial arts skills were not satisfactory, she had never really hurt anyone. The moment she saw the blood splattering, her legs felt like they were filled with lead and she couldn't rush forward at all.
When I came to my senses, I found myself hiding behind a tree.
Fang Shan didn't criticize him, but only asked, "What does the murderer look like?"
"He was very short," Meng Xunmei recalled. "His skin was sagging, like a hunched old man in his sixties or seventies."
After a pause, he said softly, "Anyway, I haven't seen this person in the team."
Fang Shan nodded, a gleam in his eyes: "Go back first."
After waiting for a while, the two people who had run away returned to the team. The sound of discussion came one after another. King Li tapped the scabbard with his fingers impatiently, and the team became much quieter in an instant.
Fang Shan carefully scrutinized every face in the group, as if hoping to discover something, only to see Wei Sushen secretly pointing him in a certain direction. Subconsciously, he followed his gaze and saw a tall man with regular features and a reliable appearance that easily attracted people's favor.
Wei Sushen then pointed him in the opposite direction. There sat a very young man, of ordinary appearance, dressed in white. He possessed a unique aura, one that could be overlooked in a crowd, yet once noticed, it was difficult to look away. He resembled a willow tree, quite captivating.
After what happened just now, many people's sleepiness has been awakened.
After King Li had the area checked and some insect and snake repellent sprinkled, everyone gradually calmed down. A few of the more careless ones tilted their heads and fell asleep again.
Fang Shan's eyes rolled as he walked over to the man in white. "Brother, what's your name?"
The man in white glanced at him and said calmly, "Yun Hong."
The breeze blew his wide sleeves, and there was a faint medicinal fragrance. Fang Shan smiled and said, "Is Master Yun not feeling well?"
Yun Hong frowned, not knowing where this conclusion came from.
Fang Shan sniffed: "The smell of medicine."
Yun Hong didn't get flustered by the fact he pointed out. Instead, he nodded slightly and said, "I like being in contact with herbs."
Fang Shan directly addressed him as 'Brother Yun' to close the distance. "What position are you applying for in the palace?"
Yun Hong: "Tea Master."
Fang Shan asked a few more questions. Yun Hong's patience had run out. Just as he was about to send him away, Fang Shan stood up and walked in another direction.
He chatted with almost everyone nearby, and finally came to Wei Sushen. Before he opened his mouth to speak, he made a "tsk" sound.
Good looks are a natural advantage. Even if he is sitting casually, his slender figure makes him stand out.
Wei Sushen: "Those two are both very skilled."
Fang Shan had already met Yun Hong and asked him for information about another person.
"Zhao Fan is good at painting, warm-hearted, and very popular in the palace."
Fang Shan raised an eyebrow: "You understand it quite clearly."
Wei Sushen said expressionlessly, "I was originally competing for the position he held."
Fang Shan became interested: "Fortune teller?"
Wei Sushen nodded.
Fang Shan suddenly looked at Bai Yeshang. The latter's strength had almost recovered, but the residual poison had not yet been cleared and his internal energy was disordered. He gave the impression of being just an ordinary person who knew some martial arts.
The moment he was being watched, Bai Yeshang's shoulders couldn't help but tremble slightly, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.
Fang Shan patted his shoulder with a friendly expression. "A difficult task," he said, glancing at Zhao Fan's position. "Seduce him and test whether he has any problems."
Bai Yeshang moved back a little, away from the touch: "Why don't you go?"
Fang Shan quietly pointed at Yun Hong: "I have a goal."
In essence, Bai Yeshang is an upright young talent. Considering the overall situation, he finally agreed.
Fang Shan inquired about the deceased's information in detail, and suddenly a strange smile appeared on his face. He whispered a few words to Bai Yeshang, who looked at him in surprise and nodded.
After whispering, Fang Shan returned to his seat, hugged the small cushion, and took a comfortable nap.
Bai Yeshang had fallen asleep, but in the darkness he felt a pair of eyes staring at him. When he opened his eyes, he met Wei Sushen's dark gaze, and he felt a chill run down his spine. "What's wrong?"
Wei Sushen: "What did he say to you?"
Bai Yeshang said cautiously: "This should be private."
Wei Sushen chuckled softly, and Bai Yeshang then remembered that this man was also the leader of a demonic cult. He quickly whispered, "He wants me to leak a fake birthday, preferably during the Yin hour, in the year of the Ox."
Wei Sushen said, "So that's how it is," and closed his eyes again.
Bai Yeshang couldn't sleep at all. He felt like there were ants crawling in his heart. He felt that people who only said half of something were really hateful and despicable.
No matter how dark the thoughts in people's hearts are, the sun will still rise as usual the next day.
In the early morning, everyone woke up one after another. After King Li had people distribute dry food, he stood in front and talked with Fang Shan.
Bai Yeshang was extremely efficient. While the cook was coming over to mutter, he started discussing the other party's birth date. The cook gossiped about everyone he met, so he went on to chat with others without any hints.
After camping out last night, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they learned they would reach their destination this evening.
At noon, Li Wang passed by a small town and booked a small restaurant. After two days of eating dry food, he suddenly felt very comfortable when he ate hot meals.
Bai Yeshang's status naturally prevented him from sitting at the same table with Li Wang, so he sat downstairs and shared a table with others. Someone bumped into him midway, and soup spilled on his clothes. Bai Yeshang shook his head and asked the shopkeeper for the nearest tailor shop to change his clothes.
Many people were traveling far away for the first time, so they decided to save their meal time and go shopping.
Fang Shan and Li Wang sat in the box. He quietly opened the window a crack and muttered, "There's going to be a good show."
Behind Bai Yeshang, there was a figure following not far away.
"Do you want to go catch mice now?"
Prince Li suddenly stood up and said, "Let's go together."
Compared to buying clothes, the street snacks and acrobatics are more attractive.
Before long, Zhao Fan was the only one left by Bai Yeshang's side.
Zhao Fan smiled and said, "I have a relative here. His family runs a tailor shop."
Bai Yeshang followed him and after walking around a few alleys, he wondered, "This is such a remote place, it doesn't look like a tailor shop."
Zhao Fan turned around, his kind smile gradually fading. "It's certainly not like that, but it's suitable for killing people and burying bodies."
Bai Yeshang took two steps back and said dryly, "This joke is not funny."
Zhao Fan approached him step by step. Bai Yeshang suddenly remembered Fang Shan's words to put on a complete show and wondered whether he should desperately call for help.
Just as he was about to shout at the top of his lungs, Zhao Fan's figure suddenly shrank several times and pounced towards him.
Bai Yeshang raised his palm to hit him, but the latter fell into the corner like a kite with a broken string.
Fang Shan and Li Wang walked out from behind him. Fang Shan looked like a gentleman, fanning himself with a fan. "In such a peaceful and prosperous age, why are there always people trying to stir up trouble?"
Zhao Fan's true appearance was that of a wretched old man in his sixties. Bai Yeshang was quite interested in this skill of disguising his collarbone, but unfortunately King Li was there, so he couldn't ask in detail.
Knowing he couldn't escape, Zhao Fan stood up, leaning against the wall. He said calmly, "We all have the same goal. Why must Your Highness kill us all?"
Prince Li raised his eyebrows and asked, "When did I become an accomplice with you?"
Zhao Fan sneered, "Among the people selected by the prince, many were born in yin years, yin months, and yin hours, possessing all five elements, and some even have the fate of Tianyi nobles. Isn't it just to set up the Taiyin Qimen formation and plunder the luck from others?"
Prince Li's eyes were complicated and had a strange expression.
Zhao Fan: "I have another formation that is more useful than Taiyin Qimen."
Fang Shan, who was standing aside, had a fierce look in his eyes. He knew that if he wanted to avoid being silenced, he had to take action first.
"Nonsense." After shouting coldly, he was about to take Zhao Fan's life.
But Prince Li stopped him: "Leave him alive."
Zhao Fan's meridians were sealed and he was unable to speak after being mute. King Li had him tied up and thrown into a separate carriage. It seemed as if everything was like gravel sinking into a lake, and the little ripples that were stirred up soon subsided.
As dusk approached, after passing two mountain peaks and passing through a narrow path, a different world appeared before everyone.
There are fields in the distance. A few middle-aged people are sitting on the ridge to rest, children are playing under the peach trees, and someone is making a fire to cook. The aroma of braised meat wafts in the wind.
King Li found a few guards to settle the newcomers. Zhao Fan was pulled out of the carriage. When he saw the Peach Blossom Spring that actually existed in the real world, he was shocked beyond words.
Prince Li didn't even look at him. He said to Fang Shan, "You were right. I do have ambitions." A hint of melancholy gradually crept into his tone. "But His Majesty and I grew up together and had a good relationship. Back then, saving him cost me my appearance and made me lose my right to inherit the throne."
Fang Shan thought of something and looked unhappy: "So the reason why the prince recruited the best people from all walks of life is..."
King Li: "Build a small world independent of the mortal world, where I am the master."
To put it bluntly, it's just a way to get a taste of being a local tyrant.
Fang Shan was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly untied Zhao Fan's collar and said, "What do you want to say?"
Zhao Fan was practically in a frenzy, pointing at Prince Li and cursing profusely. His plan had been well-thought-out, thinking even if he were discovered, Prince Li might actually appreciate his talent and even use him. But he had no idea that the other party had nothing to do with the formation and the plundering from the very beginning!
Fang Shan did not stop him. He glanced at King Li with a sidelong glance and curled his lips slightly... How bored must a person be to go to such great lengths to do such a thing?
The author has something to say: Fang Shan: Do you feel that I am normal compared to them?
Wei Sushen: ...Yes.
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