The lights on Wutong Street are gorgeous, and you can hear the sounds of orioles changing cups and chandeliers everywhere.
And among the houses behind the building complex, a ghostly black shadow moved from the darkness, but in a moment it came to the dark alley behind Jinping Tower.
Wearing a bamboo hat and night clothes, Ye Jingtang leaned against the wall and listened carefully. After distinguishing himself from the noisy chatter for a long time, he captured a conversation:
"In terms of luck, His Royal Highness is the lucky one, so what does this mean to me..."
"Oh~ Mr. Xu, please don't be modest. You have won a lot of money from His Highness today. If you don't host another party tomorrow, His Highness will not let you go..."
"That's natural..."
…
The sound was located in a window on the east side of the second floor of the main building. Seeing this, Night Terror Hall jumped up and climbed up the tall building like a gecko swimming on the wall. It hung upside down under the eaves and prepared to enter the main building.
But at this moment, something strange happened in the distance.
Ye Jingtang frowned and hid quietly under the eaves, looking at the yard behind the wall from the corner of his eye.
The yard is the carriage house of Jinping Tower. There are many horses and a few carts parked, and some servants are looking after them. In the dead of night, people are leaning on chairs and taking a nap.
There is a wall between the main building and the carriage house. The carriages and horses enter and exit from the side of the main building and go to Wutong Street in front. VIPs also get on and off the side door.
At this time, an old man with a goatee walked out of the main building carrying a cane. His footsteps were silent and he looked like he was quite skilled in martial arts.
Ye Jingtang was not sure of the other party's identity, so he hung upside down under the eaves silently, watching the old man with the goatee from the corner of his eye.
The old man with a goatee walked straight through the yard with a cane, walked out from the back door, came to the dark back alley, leaned near the courtyard door, and began to carefully search the surrounding dark places.
When Ye Jingtang saw this scene, he understood that the old man had indeed noticed a suspicious person approaching, and it was most likely related to the bird just now.
He left quietly at this time. Although he could do it silently, the other party was alert but could not find the suspicious person. He must be wary, and it may be more difficult to investigate next.
Thinking of this, Ye Jingtang did not leave, but wandered along the wall and came to a lighted window, peeking in furtively like a gentleman on the beam.
It didn't take long for Fang Shijie, who was looking for traces of the uninvited guest below, to find the man in black clothes and hat outside the far window. He frowned slightly, then silently touched the area nearby, his legs slightly bent.
boom--
The next moment, there was a soft thunderous sound in the dark alley.
Fang Shijie, who was carrying a crutch in one hand, stepped hard with both feet, and his whole body rose up into the sky. He was the last to arrive first, and in an instant he was under the eaves. The crutch in his hand stabbed the man in black clothes and hat hanging under the eaves.
With just this look, Ye Jingtang could tell that the old man with the goatee was good at martial arts, but with the level he was currently showing, he was no match for him.
But if the Night Terror Hall showed its true level, it would be no less than embroidering the word "Contemporary Swordsman" on the back of the Night Walking Clothes. For this reason, just like an ordinary snitch, he trembled in shock, then hooked the cornice's right foot and yanked the body
He pulled it slightly to the side, allowing the crutch to barely pass under his armpit.
Cha——
Fang Shijie struck out with one strike, only piercing a hole in the sleeve robe on the inner side of the opponent's right arm. His eyes were obviously surprised, and his hand movements were not slow at all. He gently twisted the crutch and slapped it to the side!
Bang——
A huge force came from Ye Jingtang's side, and he was knocked down into the alleyway. He rolled around on the ground and then flipped up, running wildly out of the alleyway.
thump--
Tap tap tap...
"Don't leave!"
When Fang Shijie saw this scene, he knew that the man in black and wearing a hat was a thief who came to steal the prince's son in the middle of the night. However, he did not dare to neglect him until he found out his identity. When he saw that the man in black and wearing a hat wanted to escape, he immediately stepped on the wall and jumped out of the air.
Moving sideways, he was chasing behind him again in an instant.
Sa——
Ye Jingtang heard the sound of breaking wind and quickly approached, feeling a little helpless, and then his escape steps suddenly accelerated, and his right hand grasped the hilt of the sword behind his back.
Choking——
A cold light flashed in the dark alley!
Fang Shijie had just chased behind Ye Jingtang, but before he could stab him, he saw the man in black wearing a hat running away in the alley. He pulled out the sword hanging on his back and waved his hand forward.
This scene looks like he is fleeing with his troops and running away without any intention of turning back to fight. However, Fang Shijie has extensive experience and can tell at a glance that this is Zezhou Yunshui Jiantan's extremely destructive move of "turning back and looking at the moon", which is a surprise!
Fang Shijie immediately pulled his crutch horizontally to block the door of his heart!
At this time, Ye Jingtang used the cover of his body to slap the three-foot green sharp edge on his left shoulder. The slender blade bent into a half-moon arc and went around the body, and the tip of the sword accurately pointed at the centripetal door.
Ding--
There was a crisp sound of gold and iron clashing.
Fang Shijie blocked the extremely cunning sword edge, held the end of the crutch with his left hand, pulled it horizontally, and pulled out a slender sword blade that was no more than two fingers wide from between the crutches.
Cha——
The thin sword carried a deep cold light and slashed towards Ye Jingtang's neck. With his right hand, he raised the crutch to the upper right to block the right hand's slashing sword after "Looking Back at the Moon".
But what Fang Shijie didn't expect was that his opponent didn't follow common sense. After turning his head and looking at the moon, his stature was so short that he avoided the beheading sword. He first swept his right leg back to attack the lower body, and then struck the lower body with his sword.
Walk around and sweep to the back, then slash diagonally to the ribs!
Fang Shijie was stunned and recognized that this was the "White Snake Sweeping the Tail" of Tiannan Qixuanmen.
When he misjudged his opponent's moves, even though Fang Shijie's skill was far superior to this person, he also showed a three-point rush. He forced the move back, jumped his legs in the air to avoid the leg sweep, pressed down on the right crutch to catch the sword's edge, and spun around with his left hand.
Directly thrust the slender sword blade backwards into Ye Jingtang's spine.
But the next moment, Fang Shijie was shocked to find that the man in black in front of him had a three-foot green blade in his hand that touched the crutch without any force. Then he rotated his wrist and made a fan-shaped arc behind his back with the long sword at an astonishing speed.
Like a peacock spreading its tail, it swept away the slender sword blade. It was the Pingtian Sect's spreading sword.
Ding--
There was a crisp sound of gold and iron clashing.
Fang Shijie's eyes were filled with surprise, but that was all.
Although he had only been three breaths old when he bumped into this person, Fang Shijie's past experiences in the world still allowed Fang Shijie to figure out this person's path, and knew that the next sword must be the "flower in the waves" of Qianhe Villa, stabbing straight into the throat.
After all, judging from the current postures and positions of the two of them, this sword is the most suitable. As for the school, it doesn't matter what he learned from it, because this snitch is obviously a handyman, stealing the outer moves of various major sects, etc.
Use whatever is easy to use, there is no routine at all.
For this reason, Fang Shijie reacted very quickly. This time, he responded according to the idea of Wang Ba Sword. He held the crutch in his right hand and raised it, and put the thin sword in his left hand on the crook and stabbed forward to prevent the waves in the Dragon Qi Sword.
Fang Shijie's martial arts attainments are genuine, and he has indeed calculated Ye Jingtang's sword skills correctly.
But it is a pity that the only sword techniques available to Ye Jing Tang Hui are the Dragon Qi Sword and Ning'er's Open Screen Sword, and the others are all the sword techniques from the Zajia outsiders that Benben has sent over the past few days.
Sun Wuji was in the capital, and Ye Jingtang had just learned the Dragon Qi Sword from someone. If he used it at this time, his secret might be exposed. For this reason, he gave up the most suitable move and chose the immortal guide from the Wushan School, leaning forward and pressing down.
One hand tattoo.
Sa——
As a result, after this move was executed, two top warriors with extremely high attainments were stunned!
Relying on his astonishing experience and swordsmanship skills, Fang Shijie instantly figured out the ways to draw Ye Jingtang's sword, and chose to 'stab on the rack' before he could.
Due to some reasons, Ye Jingtang had to give up reasonable moves and chose the special twisting sword move of "pressing the body and stabbing down".
As a result, the weapons of both sides did not touch each other at all. Fang Shijie did not guard against anything and even put his sword on his crutches.
Ye Jingtang looked back and struck a sword, and was shocked to find that the old man with a goatee who had shown good swordsmanship just now had his legs in the air and the door was wide open, and he was holding the sword with his crotch!!
?!
When Ye Jingtang saw the opponent's posture, he knew that this was definitely an old master of swordsmanship. With just a few moves, he could correctly predict the sword moves he should use next. This experience and reaction were considered to be the best. The only flaw was
It's just bad luck that I overreacted again.
Fang Shijie above, his eyes showed surprise and shock, which probably means - you are a fool who can't beat you, right? Who can use a sword like you?
But it was too late to think about this now. When Fang Shijie saw that he was about to be hit by a sword in his crotch, his speed suddenly increased a lot. He kicked the wall on the side with all his strength with his left foot. He moved sideways in the air and hit the wall on the right.
Boom——
But Ye Jingtang stabbed the air with his sword, and he could see that the old man with the goatee was hiding his strength, and his muscle explosiveness was a bit off. He didn't look like a swordsman who followed a light and elegant path at all.
Because there had been some movement, it was difficult to stay in the Night Terror Hall for long. After writing this down, he sheathed his sword and flew up, jumped out of the wall, and after a few ups and downs, he disappeared into the buildings.
Crash--
The two sides exchanged four or five moves, but within a few breaths, the handyman in the stable was awakened by the sudden movement and stood up to check.
Fang Shijie smashed the wall and landed in the courtyard. He turned his wrist lightly and sheathed his sword, with a bit of anger in his eyes.
However, Fang Shijie confirmed that it was a blind thief and stopped chasing him. He flicked his sleeves and returned to the second floor.
The three people in the room were looking away from the window.
When Fang Shijie came back, Zhong Sunyan gently stroked his beard and said with a strange look:
"It's really not a joke to beat my teacher to death with random punches. Fang Lao's swordsmanship is really pleasing to the eye, but it's a pity that he met a half-hearted person. As long as this person has a slightly normal mind, he won't be able to get out of the alley today."
Teng Tianyou thought about it for a moment and commented: "It's not necessarily a random fight. This person's swordsmanship is quite satisfactory, but what he has learned is really mixed, and the moves are connected smoothly. He changed the way in the middle of the fight. Maybe he saw that Fang Lao has seen through it."
He deliberately used this move to attack the lower plate and counterattack..."
Dongfang Shuoyue thought for a while: "This person uses the Zajia sword and takes the wrong direction every time. It is indeed possible, but the possibility is not high. I don't need to 'pick flowers from the waves'. I guess he has not learned. Qianhe Villa is famous for chivalry, and the world is famous for it.
Regardless of whether people are good or evil, most people give Qianhe Villa face, and bandits are allowed to rob the road. It is not unreasonable that gangsters and thieves would not steal Qianhe Villa."
Fang Shijie didn't even bother to recall the messy discussion just now, and said:
"The sword in this man's hand is the sword of Liu Shilang's second son. I saw it when I came here in the afternoon. I guess it is a knight-errant passing through the capital, having fun on Wutong Street, who dislikes Liu Shilang or falls in love with this sword.
I just stole the sword and stole it all the way from Longyin Tower. He is a thief, so there is no need to waste time on this person."
The few people didn't say much when they saw this and continued to talk about business...
——
The long night is not over yet.
There was no sound in the imperial city. Some palace maids and eunuchs had already gotten up and were preparing breakfast in the royal dining room.
In the Fushou Palace located in the northwest of the imperial city, due to the Empress Dowager's habit of getting up late when she had a long night of sleepless nights, the serving maids were able to squint for a while, but there was no movement so far.
In the dormitory, Hongyu was resting in a cubicle, and in the dormitory with a phoenix bed, two faint breaths came out.
In the bedroom near the garden, the window was open, and the night breeze carried a faint scent of cinnamon; beside the window, where a picture of a hawker buying chickens originally hung, was replaced by a picture of a crowd of people on Junshan Terrace.
Xuanji was wearing white pajamas, lying flat on the outside of the bed, looking at the paintings on the wall, taking a sip from the wine gourd from time to time, her eyes were already blurry, and her mind was recalling scenes from the past.
Xuanji Zhenzhen has a free and easy nature. When she first stayed in Yuxu Mountain, she traveled all over the mountains and plains. But since her apprentice ascended the throne and assigned her a task, she has completely become a wanderer.
In the past ten years, she has been to the northernmost part of the sky, where there are endless snowfields with almost no living creatures; she has taken a boat deep into the East China Sea, where she has seen the largest fish and the most spectacular waves in the world; she has also ridden a horse
Camels walked in the sand sea in the westernmost part, listening to the songs brought by the wind in the yellow sand.
She had seen scenery that the world had never seen before, and thought that there was nothing in the world that could arouse her interest. But when she came back this time, she inexplicably met someone who she could subconsciously recall when she dreamed about it at midnight...
Xuanji, the real person, was lying on the pillow, wandering for thousands of miles, not knowing what he was thinking. Half asleep and half awake, his ears suddenly twitched slightly, and he heard the subtle sound of wings breaking through the air from outside the palace.
Huhu~~
Master Xuanji suddenly woke up, sat up from the bed slowly, put a white skirt on her body, and came to the edge of the window to look around. She saw a big bird landing on the top of the verandah in the distance, looking around and looking at her.
Wave your wings and wave.
Then a stern figure in night clothes appeared from above the verandah. After noticing her standing in front of the window, he sneakily approached her.
Master Xuanji tilted her head slightly, and sat on the window sill with her toes tapping. She picked up a strand of black hair and twirled it around her fingertips. Her eyes seemed to be smiling but not smiling, and she was charming:
"Young Master Ye, you dress up like this in the middle of the night and go to your daughter's boudoir. Do you want to be a flower picker? Whose flowers are you going to pick?"
Ye Jingtang still wore a bamboo hat, but pulled off his face towel, and carrying a sword in his hand, he passed through the white stone platform and quickly came to the window:
"Fairy Lu, don't be ridiculous, I have something to discuss with you."
Master Xuanji looked carefully and suddenly found a gap in Ye Jingtang's sleeve robe, which seemed to have been pierced by a weapon. The anger on his face immediately subsided, he rolled his slender legs lightly, jumped from the window, and landed in front of Ye Jingtang.
Pulling the sleeves of the robe and looking at it:
"Are you injured?"
Because the originally demonic Yu Jie's voice suddenly turned into a serious and cold ethereal fairy voice, as if she was a different person, which made Ye Jingtang stunned for a moment.
However, Ye Jingtang didn't have the intention to pay attention to this. He looked at his robe:
"I just went to check something, and I met an expert with a cane and sword. After a few moves, I was afraid of exposing my identity, so I let him poke me on purpose. It's okay."
Tear ~
Master Xuanji tore open the hole with her fingers and checked the inside of her arm. She saw that there was a black and blue mark on the inside of her arm that had been poked with a blunt instrument. It was not serious, so she breathed a sigh of relief and let the dozing bird sleep on the window sill.
Jingtang walked towards the side hall and asked:
"What news are you looking for?"
After Ye Jingtang received the news from Ning'er, he originally planned to investigate it by himself, lest the court would react too much when it found out, causing the leader of Pingtian to find out that Ning'er and he were helping the court to rescue the siege.
However, Prince Yan's security was tighter than he thought. Honghualou could not find out the exact details, so he had to start with the court. If he asked Yuhu or Da Benben, the other party would definitely be confused about the source of the information, and he could not explain it.
, only Zhenren Xuanji is different.
Master Xuanji knew that he was the favored minister of the empress, a traitor and a good friend, and the identity of the young master of Honghua Mansion. He also knew Ning'er's background for a long time, so he would not tell lies if he really guessed the source of the information.
Moreover, this matter concerns the Empress, and Xuanji is the Empress' personal bodyguard. If there is a hidden danger but no precautions are taken, it would be beneficial to tell her if something goes wrong.
After Ye Jingtang thought about the words for a while, he opened his mouth and said:
"It seems that there are forces in Yanzhou conspiring to make a big move, and the target is the Holy Emperor. I was ambushed in Longxi Lane a few days ago. It may be this group of people behind the scenes... I just checked the official records of Yanzhou
On the list, I found that Crown Prince Yan had the biggest background, so I started the investigation from him. It turned out that the guards around Crown Prince Yan were more alert than I thought, and nothing was found..."
Master Xuanji came to the tea pavilion in the side hall, asked Ye Jingtang to sit down on the soft couch, thought about it for a while, and said doubtfully:
"Where did you get the news?"
Ye Jingtang said solemnly: "It's hard to explain the source clearly, but it's probably close to ten. Only you and I know the news. Remember not to tell anyone, and don't make a big show of it, so as not to alert others."
Master Xuanji is very smart. When he heard this, he understood that the source of information from Ye Jingtang was not very formal, so he didn't ask any more questions. He touched the back of Ye Jingtang and took the wound medicine that the warriors always prepared:
"Okay, as long as the information is true, I won't ask any more questions. What did you find out?"
Night Terror Hall recalled:
"The guards around Crown Prince Yan are extremely vigilant, and there seem to be birds and beasts acting as spies. I just went to Wutong Street, and I only paid attention to people but not to birds and beasts. In the end, I disturbed a bird, and then a man who kept him came out of Jinping Tower.
The old man with the goatee is very skilled in using a cane and a sword..."
Master Xuanji sat sideways in front of him and asked Ye Jingtang to lift his arm and gently touch the scar with his fingers:
"Goatee, crutch sword... It should be Fang Shijie, the guard of Prince Yan. His swordsmanship is really good. As for birds and beasts... there are countless dandy boys who raise birds and eagles, and there are also quite a few who can look after the house after they have raised them, but there are no
The little stupid bird is so smart."
Ye Jingtang chuckled and continued: "In the fight with Fang Shijie, I almost knocked him out when I hit him crookedly. When he stepped on the wall and dodged sideways, he had great explosive power and seemed to be hiding his strength. That's all the information that can be found.
, If you want to continue to investigate, you have to help find out the movements of Crown Prince Yan, manpower, you are trusting the horse and the reins, as soon as you think of it, it will come out...hiss--"
Before he finished speaking, his waist was twisted hard.
Xuanji's eyes were cold and charming, and she got a little closer:
"You're heartless, right? You came to my house late at night and asked me to treat your injuries, and you said I'm not in shape?"
Ye Jingtang raised his hand to take the medicine bottle and take it himself, but was rejected and could only say:
"That's not what I meant. You suddenly went to find out the details of Prince Yan, which is in line with your nagging style. Li Ren and His Majesty will not be surprised. I am different. I am very pragmatic. When it comes to investigating Prince Yan, Li Ren
You must know that I have secret information, but I can’t explain the source when asked.”
Master Xuanji snorted lightly and continued to apply the medicine for bruises on his arm:
"knew."
"You also have to investigate secretly, don't deploy people at will, let alone alert the snake."
"Yes, what benefits can you give me? Hmm?"
??
Ye Jingtang was stunned for a moment, raised his arms and turned around: "You and I both receive salary from the imperial court, and it is our duty to secretly protect the safety of His Majesty. You still ask me for benefits? The benefits you gave me are pretty much the same, and I am not His Majesty's personal bodyguard."
Guard."
Master Xuanji blinked his eyes and thought so, so he changed his words:
"Then what benefit do you want?"
"..."
Ye Jingtang didn't want to make a joke, but after thinking about it, he still asked tentatively:
"The inner martial arts of Yuxu Mountain are very good, can you teach me?"
?
Master Xuanji pressed her arm in disbelief:
"In the dead of night, I am alone, alone, with a beautiful woman by my side. I ask you what benefits you want. You actually want to learn martial arts?"
Ye Jingtang spread out his left hand: "I want other things, will Fairy Lu really give them to me?"
Master Xuanji blinked: "As long as it follows the rules and etiquette, I won't be stingy."
"Then give me a painting in the middle. It should be one foot high. It should preferably have horses, knives, and birds. Hmm... it should highlight the Jianghu spirit, domineering but not too rough. The artistic conception should be vast and remote, and it should also reflect the love between children.
long……"
???
Master Xuanji's peach blossom eyes twitched slightly, and she was stunned.
You don't have to pay a penny to have someone paint a ten-foot-high nave painting, and you still ask for so much. How dare you ask?
Why don't you let Li Ren draw?
But I just said that I would not be stingy, and this request is also in line with etiquette. It seems that it is too late to regret it now.
After Master Xuanji was silent for a while, he applied the medicine vigorously:
"Okay. But this is not a matter of three or two days. I will draw slowly and you will wait."
Although Ye Jingtang grinned from being rubbed, he still smiled and said: