Guannai Road, left bank of Meishui River, Huangshi City.

Thin raindrops fell from the sky, and the gloomy sky suddenly spit out a dazzling, pale fire, cracks spread, and angry thunder came.

In the moment of light, the rain curtain pulled up by the strong wind was like a rolling curtain, sweeping over the undulating roof tiles and eaves in the city.

It was already dark, and on the deserted East Street, a figure walked slowly.

The muscles are knotted and the hair is as messy as fire.

But what is a little strange is that the raindrops seem to deliberately avoid this person, and only turn into curling and rising smoke around his body.

In front of an inn, the red-haired man stopped.

The door is closed and there is no one in the hall.

The red-haired man looked up at the guest room on the second floor, grinned, and flew up.

With a "bang", the wooden window exploded, and rainwater, broken wood, and the man's extremely strong figure all fell into the room.

At this time, there was a flash of white light outside the window, followed by rolling thunder.

The light and shadow intertwined, but the red-haired man frowned.

Because he only saw a stooped old woman and a young man holding a short knife beside the bed.

The old woman's eyes were very bright, which did not match her age.

The head of the staff was slightly raised, as if stepping on the power of wind and rain, it touched the ground.

"Boom——!"

The thunder sounded again.

……

……

Northwest of Huangshi City, a ruined temple in the mountains was shining with orange-red firelight.

Outside, the rain was pouring through the forest, making crackling sounds. Inside, two figures were sitting next to the campfire, and no one spoke.

In the side hall not far away, a horse did not eat grass silently like its companions. Instead, it looked at one of them with its big black eyes and snorted hard.

It seems that he is venting his dissatisfaction with walking in the rain in the middle of the night.

Horses don’t like rain, or in other words, no one likes it at this moment.

The firewood was a little damp, and the flames jumped on it, making a popping sound and a few sparks.

The girl's thoughts seemed to be pulled back, and she turned to look at the young man next to her - the latter was carving a short piece of wood very seriously.

"Has there been a substitution this time?" Mu Xiyun seemed to have noticed something strange about the short piece of wood.

Lin Xiao smiled, his eyes fell on the slightly arrogant statue, and he whittled away with the dagger in his hand, but did not stop.

"Well, let's change it. Anyway, as long as the meaning is reached, it's enough for me to know who it is."

The girl's eyelashes sank, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with a trace of envy. "It's great to have a few people I don't want to forget..."

Lin Xiao stopped his hand and turned to look over. "Don't you have one?"

Mu Xiyun shook his head. "There are only two kinds of people in front of me, the people who greet me and the people I want to greet, there is nothing else."

Lin Xiao looked at the girl in front of him, who looked like the clouds and snow in the distant mountains. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to start.

Comfort? Obviously, I’m afraid they don’t need it. Sympathy? The question is, how can you sympathize with others if you don’t know what the future holds?

When the words came to my lips, I could only say: "Then you should be like me and find an excuse to pass the time."

Mu Xiyun turned to look at him, as if remembering something, he turned his hand over, and an object appeared on his palm, and said softly: "It's not nothing."

Lin Xiao looked at the brass-colored object reflected in the firelight for a moment, and then cast a look.

Mu Xiyun didn't object, he just extended his hand and handed it over.

"I'm offended." Lin Xiao first complained, put away the dagger and short piece of wood, used his true energy to shake off the sawdust, and then carefully took it in his hand.

Upon closer inspection, it turns out to be an eight-sided machine lock.

The size of half a fist, the whole body is smooth, neither gold nor silver, nor stone nor wood. Seven sides are secretly engraved with patterns, and one side is forged with animal buttons. The locks are crisscrossed and interlocked with each other, obviously to restore the patterns into a magic circle.

Only then can it be opened smoothly.

Lin Xiao took it in his hand, turned it over and over, and noticed the light at the intersection of the corners of the face, and couldn't help but say: "This object is quite old."

Mu Xiyun nodded. "When I was seven years old, a senior from the Immortal Sect gave it to me."

Lin Xiao was startled. He didn't want to know how old he was, so he just said, "You haven't been able to open it yet?"

Mu Xiyun replied: "I couldn't open it."

Lin Xiao raised his head slightly and tried to press the lock bar and turn it a few times.

I don’t know what the structure of this machine lock is, but it is extremely smooth without any obstruction.

After a little exploration of his spiritual sense, he found that there were hidden spiritual power fluctuations. It was indeed not a secular handiwork, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Exquisite crystal shape, exquisite workmanship..."

Mu Xiyun smiled but said nothing.

Then I heard Lin Xiao ask: "I'd like to ask, what is inside?"

"That senior's words contained my instructions and prophecies." Mu Xiyun looked as usual, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

When Lin Xiao heard this, he lowered his head and glanced at the lock, and then said, "Do you believe it?"

Mu Xiyun looked at the bonfire and smiled. "I believed it at first, then gradually I didn't believe it, and now I believe it again..."

"Why?" Lin Xiao asked puzzledly.

Just listen to the girl speaking softly: "I was young at that time. I believed deeply in gods and Buddhas. I always had some strange thoughts and believed in destiny. Over the years, I saw more people and saw more things. I couldn't get the lock on my head again and again.

It can be opened, broken, and cannot be broken. I thought it was just a fairy magic, a trick to amuse children, so I didn’t believe it..."

Lin Xiao listened and took up the conversation: "Then why do you believe it now?"

The girl turned to look at Lin Xiao with a calm tone. "If you can't open it, isn't it your life?"

Lin Xiao was startled when he heard this, and Mu Xiyun's eyes seemed to sparkle with a hint of stubbornness mixed with perseverance.

"No solution, no determination, maybe this is my fate..."

Lin Xiao hurriedly interrupted: "This is a serious statement. It is just a boredom relief thing created by a member of the Immortal Sect using a magic circle mechanism. How can it involve the word fate? It cannot be believed to be true."

Mu Xiyun shook his head and smiled, but did not answer the question. Instead, he said, "You used a trick to escape from the shell of a golden cicada. You took me to escape at night and set off alone. Is it going to be dangerous for Mammy and Zhuo Qinghe?"

When Lin Xiao heard this, he glanced at Mu Xiyun. "Probably not."

Said again.

"Since the enemy is hidden and we are clear, and we were definitely caught on the plum river, it would be unwise to continue walking by water. It would be better for you and me to go on the road quietly, with a smaller goal."

"As for Zhuo Qinghe, there is no need to worry. After all, the other party is coming for you, so there is no need to kill and waste time. Besides, although they are slightly inferior in cultivation and cannot defeat the enemy, if they just want to save their lives,

Running away shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Mu Xiyun nodded slightly and was about to say more, but Lin Xiao suddenly frowned slightly and looked outside the temple door.

Subconsciously, I turned my head to look and saw a figure appearing silently in the rain curtain outside. It walked slowly, but also seemed to be moving very fast. As soon as I raised my feet, I stepped into the temple gate.

"What this fellow Taoist said is that you might as well think about your own safety first before talking about anything else..."

As he spoke, he stopped about a foot away from Lin Xiao and the two of them. Regardless of the expression on the other side, he looked at the broken statue above him, bowed and bowed, then raised his head, the firelight reflected on his face, making it look even more yellow.

The yellow-faced young man looked at Lin Xiao and clasped his fists with a smile. "I, Wei Rongxuan, have met the Master of Five Paths and the young lady."

Mu Xiyun's face turned cold and he remained silent.

Lin Xiao quietly closed the machine lock and returned the greeting. "You're welcome, fellow Taoist." Then he looked at the other person and asked, "Sit down?"

Wei Rongxuan nodded slightly and sat down across the bonfire across from Lin Xiao without any courtesy.

Throwing two pieces of firewood into the fire, Lin Xiao said with a relaxed expression: "It's a friendly way. I didn't expect that as soon as my front legs came out, my back legs would follow immediately. I really admire you."

Wei Rongxuan smiled silently. "I'm different from Mr. Huo in doing things. He relies on strength, and I rely on people. To put it bluntly, all the four gates and eight guards in Huangshi City have my hidden stakes. I want to leave, but I'm afraid.

It’s not that simple.”

Lin Xiao nodded, seeming to agree. "It seems that there is no way to do anything good tonight..."

Unexpectedly, Wei Rongxuan immediately raised his hand and shook it lightly. "Hey, the master is surprised by what he said!"

As he spoke, he raised his eyes and glanced at the ruined temple, and continued: "It is a good place for monks to use weapons. For the sake of Buddha, I want to show the way to the master, but I don't know whether the master will leave...

…”

Before Lin Xiao could say anything, Mu Xiyun, who was sitting beside him, turned his eyes and said, "Young Master Wei, you might as well tell me. I'm also curious, what is my life worth?"

Lin Xiao and Wei Rongxuan both turned to look at the delicate and fragile princess, and saw the latter stroking her hands, smiling, and nodding.

"Young lady is really very human. Okay, can you just tell me?"

"Master, please."
To be continued...