The capital city is huge, with high-profile houses and sparsely populated muddy old streets.
Youji Street on the north side of the West Market is a livestock market. When it rains, sewage flows across the street and emits a foul smell. Most of the people who can walk here are low-level traders, and most of the people living in the surrounding houses are poor families.
Towards midnight, the rain became heavier.
Deep in a side alley of Youji Street, an oil lamp lit up, its dim yellow light illuminating the windows of the abandoned courtyard.
The thin figure wearing a bamboo hat placed the oil lamp on the window sill, took off the bamboo hat, and carefully observed the movement outside. The light illuminated his ordinary face, and he looked like an ordinary man living here.
The man's name is Guo Yuanlong, but no one in Jianghu knows his real name. He is usually called by his nickname - Wingless Owl.
As Shang Jianli said, everyone has a story, the only difference is that some are well known and some are unknown.
If Guo Yuanlong's life is unfolded, it can be regarded as exciting. He was born in a wealthy family in Yanzhou. He was fond of gambling since he was a child. After losing all his family property, he "returned from the lost way" and began to make a living by stealing.
Although he was a bad player at the gambling table, Guo Yuanlong was extremely talented in the 'thief' business. He became a famous local habitual thief at the age of seventeen or eighteen. Because of his nimble skills, he was spotted by a 'senior' in the world.
, accepted as a disciple.
Then Guo Yuanlong began to have great luck. After learning good Qinggong, he traveled around various sects in Yanzhou, stealing secret books, weapons, and rare treasures, and never failed.
He once took the risk of sneaking into Yanshan Jieyun Palace, not because he really wanted to attack Lu Jieyun, the overlord of Yanzhou, but simply because he wanted to sneak in and steal two useful martial arts secret books.
As a result, I was lucky enough to stumble upon Lu Jieyun's secluded place by accident. Lu Jieyun was not at home yet, so I got a book of martial arts practice tips without any effort.
Lu Jieyun's Qinggong is unparalleled in the world. He has been trying to break through his own limits. When he has insights, he jots them down and slowly ponders them. Ordinary people may not be able to understand them if they get them.
Guo Yuanlong considers himself to be very talented, and so far he has only mastered 30-50% of what he has recorded in his experience. But even so, his Qinggong is already outstanding among others. Walking an ordinary martial artist is like walking a dog. This name has spread throughout the world and has become well-known.
The King of Thieves in Yanzhou, 'The Wingless Owl'.
In the minds of Jianghu people, stealing Lu Jieyun's martial arts experience is already Guo Yuanlong's most powerful achievement, but this is not the case.
Under the candlelight, Guo Yuanlong took out an object from his arms and unfolded the black cloth wrapped in it. Inside was a piece of gold paper.
Gold paper is not made of gold, and Guo Yuanlong still doesn't know the material. He only knows that it is extremely tough, can be bent but cannot be folded, is not afraid of water, fire, swords, and guns, and is difficult to break with any means.
The gold paper is as big as a book page, with a picture engraved on it. The content is "A dragon turtle with a dragon head and a turtle body, carrying three people sitting on a high mountain." The picture shines with golden light in the dim candlelight, like a dream, and the pattern is like a living thing.
This piece of gold paper was discovered by Guo Yuanlong in the secret compartment of Prince Yan's study after sneaking into Prince Yan's house. At first, he saw it was indestructible and thought it was an ordinary treasure. However, after Prince Yan stole it, there was no movement at all.
King Yan's reaction, coupled with the specialness of the gold paper, immediately made Guo Yuanlong guess the true identity of the gold paper - "The Singing Dragon Picture"!
The "Crying Dragon Picture" was the first to be obtained by the founding monarch in history, so since ancient times there has been a saying that "whoever gets the Picture of the Ming Dragon will conquer the world". Throughout the dynasties, the "Crying Dragon Picture" has been a forbidden object, and no one except the emperor
Dare to hide it privately.
The concept of the vassal king collecting this object is no different from the concept of hiding the "Dragon Robe Jade Seal" privately. It is no wonder that King Yan would keep a low profile after losing something.
After Guo Yuanlong got this golden paper, his life ideals changed immediately. He no longer paid attention to the worldly world. In his heart, he only had the three old monsters on the mountain and the higher goal of 'immortality and immortality'.
According to rumors circulating in the world, "The Singing Dragon Picture" has nine pages, and each page records a supreme secret technique. The previous dynasty was said to have gathered more than half of them, but after the country was destroyed, many heroes came to Beijing to rob it, and the founding emperor of the Wei Dynasty only recovered one.
Zhang, and the others were all lost in the marketplace.
Guo Yuanlong made many inquiries and learned that the picture in his hand was the 'Dragon Elephant Picture' in the "Singing Dragon Picture". It is said that if you learn to learn it, you can gain spiritual power comparable to that of the Dragon Elephant.
Although the 'Dragon Elephant Picture' is far less famous than the 'Immortality Picture', 'Bathing in Fire Picture' and other divine objects, the overbearing effect of 'shaking the immortals and Buddhas with mortal power' still far exceeds all the secrets of martial arts in the world.
However, the effect of "Singing Dragon Picture" is overbearing, and the threshold is also not low, because it is completely different from the secular martial arts secret books. Guo Yuanlong studied it for several years after acquiring it, but only scratched the surface, and has not been able to gain access to it so far.
"The Singing Dragon Picture" is a secret method for ascending to immortality, so slow progress is inevitable. Guo Yuanlong did not rush it. While researching, he was also looking for the whereabouts of other "Singing Dragon Pictures".
Over the years, Guo Yuanlong searched all the study rooms and back houses of wealthy families, and even ventured to climb through the sword pavilion in Shuiyun Sword Pool, but unfortunately found nothing.
With no other connections, Guo Yuanlong came to the capital. He wanted to rummage through historical materials and search for clues from the 'Censorship Pavilion'. He also wanted to see if there was any chance of entering the imperial city to find the only treasure in the world that was treasured by the Wei royal family.
Know the whereabouts of the 'Jade Bone Qilin Pictures' one by one.
Night is the working time for thieves, and they usually don’t sleep.
But Guo Yuanlong heard the unusual news about "the wingless owl's mastery of stealing penis" today and realized that something was wrong.
I followed them all the way in the afternoon, but I haven't figured out the details of the pair of male and female thieves yet. For safety reasons, I didn't go out to work, so I temporarily changed my residence to hide. Taking advantage of the quiet night rain, I carefully consulted the "Dragon Elephant Picture" in my hand.
'.
But not long after Guo Yuanlong thought about it, his ears twitched and he heard a soft sound coming from the alley not far away:
call out--
The mechanism is activated, and the sound of silver needles breaking through the air is heard!
——
Boom——
A muffled thunder resounded through the majestic city under the rain curtain.
The raindrops were like soybeans, hitting the old tiles, making a crackling sound.
Ye Jingtang held a single sword in his hand, pressed against the wall of the alley, and slowly moved towards the abandoned courtyard deep inside.
Luo Ning walked in front and took off her curtain hat to avoid being bumped and alerting her prey.
This place is not as deserted as Shuanggui Lane, but it is safer.
There lived a butcher who sold dog meat in the alley. There were more than a dozen meat dogs waiting to be slaughtered in the yard. The slightest movement would cause the dogs to bark, so even the birds stayed at the entrance of the alley.
The two of them used the sound of rain to cover up all sounds, and slowly groped towards their target. When they arrived near the abandoned courtyard, they could faintly see the faint lights in the extremely dark night.
Luo Ning's eyes were focused, and she gently raised her delicate hand to indicate the lane on the side of the courtyard.
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang held his breath and turned to the side of the yard, splitting up to surround them to prevent the target from escaping.
But even though the two of them were so cautious, they still underestimated the vigilance of the 'wingless owl'.
Even if you temporarily settle here, the surroundings of the abandoned house have been carefully laid out, and all possible ways for the enemy to approach have been calculated.
Night Terror Hall turned into a side alley against the wall, and noticed a wooden stick leaning on it in the alley. Through the slight movement of the rain falling, I could sense the existence of the thin line, which was obviously a trap.
After observing carefully, Ye Jingtang paid attention to the wooden pole and wanted to go around the pit. Unexpectedly, he heard a step from below:
"Boom~"
The sound of the rope breaking due to force!
!
Ye Jingtang didn't expect that the other party would actually set up a light and dark mechanism. His heart sank and he jumped out without hesitation.
But the Wingless Owl is a veteran. If you arrange your hidden weapons according to the current environment, you will know how to dodge the coming people.
The moment the thin thread broke, several flying needles shot out from the darkness.
Whispering rustling——
The target of the hidden weapon is not the location of the Night Terror Hall, but a few steps forward or backward that may be moved.
The moment Luo Ning heard the movement, she already thought something was wrong. The soft sword slipped into her hand and leaned directly behind Ye Jingtang. The sword was as powerful as the wind, cutting off the silver needles that shot out from the rain.
Ding ding——
Ye Jingtang heard the sound of a silver needle piercing the air, and the sword had been unsheathed. He heard the sound and swiped the two swords, obviously shooting down all the flying hidden weapons.
But out of the corner of his eye, through the shattering of the raindrops, he noticed that an object had already arrived in front of him, silently and without making any movement.
Ye Jingtang was horrified, and it was too late to put away the knife, so he could only try his best to avoid the vital points.
Unexpectedly, before he could move, a slender arm would hold his shoulders and pull him to the side, forcing him to miss the hidden weapon that was so close at hand.
After all, Luo Ning's experience in the world of martial arts is more sophisticated. Her soft sword spreads like a peacock's tail, guarding her body tightly. After coming into contact with the silent black needle that even she didn't notice, she knew that she couldn't guard against a shameless thief with only a little experience in the martial arts world.
Although she had strong objections to Ye Jingtang taking advantage of her if something happened, Luo Ning still didn't hesitate at all when life and death was at stake. She opened the Ye Jingtang with all her strength and swept away the Wu Ying who shot from the darkness with her three-foot sword.
Black needle.
sough--
Ding--
In a hurry, I felt a little pain in my shoulder.
Luo Ning ignored it, tapped her left shoulder with her fingers to seal the air hole, and at the same time raised her sword and jumped into the courtyard wall...