In the deserted city, the wooden house sitting under the sky was completely silent. Suddenly, a back door of the wooden house opened, and Meng Tian took the lamp and walked inside.
There is a gravel road under the feet, and it looks like a steep cliff next to it, with thorns without a road. Three black figures, one step deeper and one step shallower, are struggling to advance among the thorns on the cliff. The outside is as empty as the inside, and the pale lights make
People feel that light is cold. The three of them searched the dark corners with high nervousness, but could not see anything.
The slope gets higher and higher, but the temperature gets lower and lower.
Every time they rounded a corner, there seemed to be less and less oxygen.
There seemed to be rising steam in the moist air, and the space as far as the eye could see was a small area where weak firelight could shine in the moisture.
After walking for about an hour, they came to a low-lying hill. There was water in the hill, and the firelight could not enter it. They were forced to stand on the edge and look deeper into the distance. Only then did they realize that this time
The trek was much farther than expected. When they were walking in the water, the water was waist deep, they found that the road divided into two, one leading further away, where the light was vaguely reflected, and the other was like a wall of darkness.
The wall was completely suffocating darkness. After thinking for a moment, Meng Tian pushed the other two people decisively towards the path with light.
After a while, the majestic friction sound of the waterfall rang in their ears. As they walked closer, the sound became more wild and energetic. What stood in front of the three people was a wide waterfall that isolated the cave from the outside world.
The faint light that penetrated through, was like bathing in the hazy glow, which made the eyes a little confused, but the smell that came out was extremely cold.
Meng Tian and Luo Zhihu stood at the entrance of the curtain. They looked back and saw Kong Hua behind them, who was a few steps away from them and stopped moving. The worry on his face could be faintly seen. They had no time to think, even at this time.
They had to jump out of the dragon's den. After looking at each other, the two of them strode forward majestically and jumped into the water almost at the same time.
Suffocating, biting, cold, the world is in a state of drowsiness, wanting to end all the suffering in everyone's life.
The eyes were imprisoned in a cloud of turbidity, as hazy as a storm curtain in the deep sea.
Time was frozen, and even the space was frozen for a few minutes. The person who had been buried in the deep water opened his eyes, and the dim light shone from the water surface, illuminating the dark silhouette of Kong Hua, and Qin Ying behind the water surface.
The large area of the mountain Wuqiu.
Meng Tian and Luo Zhihu emerged from the water. The expressions on their faces seemed to be moved by this familiar scene. They took a deep breath. Meng Tian walked towards the shore and said, "We're here. The conspiracy we said has been revealed."
It’s time.”
"Where's Kong Hua? Didn't he jump down?"
"This is his own choice, I can't take care of him anymore."
There was no undulating terrain outside the broad plain. Looking further west, they could vaguely see a long black line, which was the training ground at dawn. Walking through Wuqiu, from Lijiu
As we drove quickly westward from the bridge, there were no patrolling troops along the road for dozens of miles. There were only traces of marches and equipment, and the sound of horns in the distance.
"Something terrible happened while we were away," Luo Zhihu said: "There is no general in the army at the moment, and the situation is extremely urgent. General Meng must take charge of the army immediately to turn the tide.
But Meng Tian's face was not as anxious as expected. From Luo Zhihu's resolute face, there was no trace of the mental torture he had suffered in the past few hours, or the sadness he felt towards others.
Meng Tian asked him in a confident tone: "Can you still not trust the Meng family army? Even if something happens to the general and Mount Tai collapses, the army will not easily lose its position and be disintegrated. There is still one thing waiting for us to do now.
, you and I split up to find Nangong Yan."
Meng Tian's tone was calm, but even though he said this, he couldn't help but look to the west of the camp. The mountains over there were much higher than here, and they seemed to be looking down at them with a hostile attitude. Those hills
There are green domes on the top, and some have upright rocks, like jagged teeth protruding from the green gums, and at the foot of the mountain is his destination, the Qinying Armory.
The fog surrounded the entire mountain top, and there was a heavy atmosphere all around. The soundless wilderness made people feel uneasy. The birds that used to be so vibrant now no longer gathered on the mountain top, and everything became unusually bleak.
The weather was like the twelfth lunar month of winter, and the biting and cold air was filled with mist. Meng Tian seemed to be on an isolated island in the sea of mist. He stood at the door of the armory. The place he could see seemed too bleak, and there was no one in front of him.
The soldiers and craftsmen were incredibly quiet during the current war situation.
The position of the narrow door makes it difficult to ignore it. It is a long shadow invading the stage inside the cave. It is like a landmark, or a guard, more like a warning finger. This scene can't help but make people feel
It was so uneasy that one wanted to deliberately avoid the huge mechanical iron door, but Meng Tian still walked into the center of the armory.
In the complete silence, there was a dull sound of falling to the ground suddenly in the armory. Meng Tian turned his head in shock and saw two familiar people.
Nangong Yan was holding a sword with cold eyes.
There was Gong Shuyang lying at his feet, his face pale and his breath gone.
Two shadows intertwined, like ghosts emerging from an ancient building.
In the distance behind him were the blacksmiths whose heads were missing.
Meng Tian suddenly had an illusion, as if it was not Gong Shuyang who fell in front of Nangong Yan, but himself. Over the long years, he suddenly felt that the subordinate who fought alongside him all day long had become a stranger, as if he was far away in the horizon.
The slight whitening appeared, and before his vision could be clearly seen, a dagger flew across his chest, and the person holding the dagger was his most trusted subordinate.
"Why?" Meng Tian asked.
Nangong Yan did not expect that Meng Tian would suddenly barge in, and his eyes widened in surprise. His throat was choked and he was speechless for a while.
Rows of towering pillars stand on the roof of the cave, casting no shadows under the direct flames. Although the vertical and horizontal shapes are not special, they are reminiscent of the intricate blood vessels in the human body.
The rocky ground was a bit cold, as if even the fire could not warm it.
"General Meng, so you are here." Cold wind rushed in through the door of the agency, piercing the shins like needles. Luo Zhihu rushed over and said: "The situation in the city is urgent, but my subordinates did not find Nangong Yan. It is really strange.
"
The herds of mechanical beasts standing side by side on the open land were like a shadow world wandering by giants. When Luo Zhihu chased in, he happened to see this scene. Meng Tian and Nangong Yan faced each other with swords, and Luo Zhihu looked at each other.
The three people looked at each other like this, with emotions surging in their hearts. They didn't say anything. Finally, Luo Zhihu spoke first: "General Nangong, I'm very confused. The war is about to break out. Why are these machine beasts not only not activated, but even the people who control them?"
Did the members of the Gongshu family also fall in front of you?"
Nangong Yan sneered: "Just say what you want to say, no need to beat around the bush."
"Now that things have happened, it's time to pay a heavy price for your own treason."
"Treason?" Nangong Yan put away his smile and looked at Meng Tian. He saw Meng Tian's cold eyes, pale face, looking at him lifelessly, his lips as tight as a sharp line, and then, Nangong Yan said: "General Meng
, I have already said that the person under my feet was really an accident. I wanted to give the order to activate the mechanism beast, but he was already seriously injured before I came in. When he saw me, he attacked me frantically. I had no choice but to kill him.
killed him".
Luo Zhihu started to laugh: "It's really ridiculous. That man was attacked twice. Judging from his injuries, he almost didn't have a chance to defend himself. If he could be quickly subdued from the front, he must be the most familiar and unexpected opponent.
Will suddenly attack my own people, and here, at this time, is there someone else who is the biggest suspect?"
"Yes, there is no one else. Although he died in my hands, I am not a so-called spy. Do you still have evidence to prove that I am a spy?"
Meng Tian remained calm, and Luo Zhihu continued: "You killed the soldiers of the archery team and led them to the hidden woods as an on-duty patrol, but you killed the soldiers under your own command to hide the truth from others. In order to confuse the investigation.
Direction, when I rescued Kong Hua in the forest, I discovered that the assassin could escape from my arrow. He must be someone who is familiar with my attack routine, General Nangong. There are not many such people in the army. Later,
You have brought the core of the killing to the old man in the stable to make a fuss. However, the legend of black flames introduced by the old man himself is not a sudden accident. It is an inevitable event that you have already planned. You must have spent a lot of time.
I carefully investigated the life experience of the people in the army. It happened that the old man became your best pawn to use the topic to create rumors, and then spread the rumors in the army. Therefore, the black flame incident became the main starting point of the investigation, which in turn made Meng Meng
As you expected, the general easily found out the information and military address of the old city of Yucheng, paving the way for our ultimate goal of being trapped in Yuncheng."
"Hmph! The analysis is very clear and logical, but you forgot the most basic point."
"oh?"
Nangong Yan continued: "I am originally from the Central Plains. I am inferior to one person in the army and above ten thousand people. Fame and wealth are no longer tempting to people like me. Why do you think I have to become a spy for a foreign country?"
Luo Zhihu stopped choking for a moment. He stood there, meditating, thinking that Nangong Yan had made great achievements in the military and was famous far and wide. With life like this, there was no reason to cooperate with foreign countries for money and power, so even if he
You have no choice but to take the enemy's route, but you shouldn't take such risks.
Could it be that he had received some kind of threat from the Huns? That he had to take risks and put the entire army on fire in order to survive?
No! Shouldn’t it be like this?
The Nangong Yan standing in front of him showed no fear at all. He had always been persevering and arrogant in the bloody storm. Such a person's heart was strong and determined to the point of life and death. How could he be threatened and surrendered? "Could it be you?"
Your ambition is so great that you want to control the main military and political power of the empire, so you do this. I think you must have reached some kind of agreement with the Huns. Once you overthrow General Meng, you will be helped to take charge of the entire army."
Nangong Yan raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you really think so?"
Luo Zhihu's determined face changed slightly, and he asked doubtfully: "Are these not enough to be your motivation?"
Nangong Yan's eyebrows rose even more, he raised the corners of his mouth, smiled contemptuously, said nothing, and looked at Meng Tian again.
Meng Tian looked serious and concluded: "Nangongyan has followed me for many years. He doesn't love power. I know this."
"Ha! That's right, General Meng still understands me."
Luo Zhihu was puzzled and said stiffly: "What is that for?"
"Because he is from the Nangong family." Suddenly, another voice sounded at the door.
"Kong Hua?" Luo Zhihu called out, his tone was infinitely surprised. This frail military doctor finally jumped out, but why did he suddenly say the words Nangong Family, and what is the relationship with Nangong Yan?
association.
Kong Hua, who appeared in front of everyone, was wearing a gray gown with a particularly profound expression. He said: "Everyone has a gray side in their heart. I have been paying attention to General Nangong since General Meng ordered me to investigate the poisoning incident.
Although I didn't find any special behavior, when I inquired about his life experience, in that history that had been hidden for too long, I unexpectedly discovered that Nangong is really a very special surname."
Nangong Yan raised his head and listened, as if it was something that had nothing to do with him, but the sword in his hand gradually began to tighten.
Kong Hua continued: "You don't care about General Meng's rights, status, and everything the empire has granted him. Apart from these, what you are obsessed with should be the grudges of your family and country, right?"
"Nang...Gong?"
Meng Tian frowned and thought about these two words carefully.
Suddenly, Luo Zhihu shouted: "General Meng, be careful."
Meng Tian, who was immersed in memories and thoughts, suddenly came back to his senses. Hearing a harsh sound breaking through the air, Meng Tian reacted instantly, but Nangong Yan's sword had already taken a step forward. The two sharp swords crossed each other and Nangong Jian's
The peak of the sword brushed past the Cangyun armor in Meng Tian's plain clothes, and Meng Tian's sword hit Nangong Yan's vitals directly. With a roar, Nangong Yan's body fell to his knees in front of Meng Tian.
In the empty armory, the situation was changing rapidly. When Meng Tian put away his sword and turned around, another incredible thing had happened. A shining dagger had pierced Luo Zhihu's back.
The fire in which the weapons were forged was still dancing, and the stars covering it were like flickering fireflies, creating a strange beauty.
A thin smile appeared on his face, which was made even whiter by the gray clothes. The corners of his mouth were slightly hooked, and his narrow eyes were full of light.
A mouthful of blood spurted out from Luo Zhihu's mouth. When the arrow in his palm turned back, the assassin behind him flashed past at an extremely fast speed.
At this time, both Meng Tian and Luo Zhihu clearly saw that Kong Hua was good at martial arts and was extremely skilled in assassination. He found the right opening where the enemy thought he had won and struck.
"Sure enough, the person who designed to blind me from the beginning was not Nangong Yan, but you."