Chapter 226: Entering the Game (I)

As evening approached, a cool breeze entered the hall.

A black-haired young man who was meditating suddenly opened his eyes. A cold look flashed across his eyes hidden between layers of gauze, and then he stared indifferently at the short man with a painted face who was slightly bending over and entering the hall in front of him.

"What are you doing here?"

The black-haired boy's voice sounded very familiar.

The so-called painted-faced little man just cleared his throat and sang in an operatic voice with his painted fingers: "I am selecting actors from all over the world for Li Yazi, passing through Yuzhou, and I have come to pay a visit to Your Highness~"

The black-haired young man sneered, naturally put away his hands on his knees, stood up from the high platform with his hands behind his back, walked over slowly, and said: "Mirror Heart Demon, do you know what I hate most about you?"

The little man with the painted face, who was the Mirror Heart Demon himself, was not annoyed when he heard this. Instead, he just bowed and smiled apologetically, then pretended to be terrified and said, "My little slave, I really don't know what I did to displease His Highness."

The black-haired young man sneered at first, and then said sarcastically: "That's how you act, saying one thing to one person and another to another. It's really disgusting! You clearly look down on me, but you insist on pretending to be respectful to me all the time as that person ordered you to do. Don't you know how ridiculous it is?"

The Mirror Heart Demon looked surprised, crossed his arms and saluted, "Your Highness, you really misunderstood. In my heart, Your Highness is the most respected person in the world, how dare I overstep my authority... If I am busy with the affairs of the State of Jin and have not paid you a visit for a long time, and if that annoys you, I apologize to Your Highness here."

The black-haired young man was naturally numb to the perfect emotional changes of Jing Xinmo. Not to mention the multiple identities this guy had had over the past decade, the mere fact that he had always been the number one actor beside Li Cunxu showed that he had reached the pinnacle in understanding people's hearts, and it was easy for him to coax him.

But the black-haired boy didn't appreciate it. He just snorted coldly, exuding a cold aura that was incompatible with his peers. He said in a deep voice: "Why did he send you here?"

Mirror Heart Demon laughed along and followed closely behind him, saying, "Your Highness is very observant. Although I did pass by Yuzhou, I just happened to bring the Marshal's order."

The former was disdainful, knowing that he had seen through the hypocritical attitude of the inner demon in the mirror, so he just walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back.

"explain."

"Your Highness has experienced all these years, and I have seen everything. After these six years, Your Highness is no different from that person. All you need is an opportunity to make it come true. And now, that opportunity is right in front of you."

The black-haired boy paused, his eyes, which had been trying to remain cold, narrowed uncontrollably, and his tone changed slightly: "What do you mean?"

Jing Xin Mo could hear the urgency in his voice, which was barely concealed. He couldn't help laughing in his heart, but he remained respectful on the surface. He pinched his flower fingers and pointed forward: "Your Highness, you should know that the only difference between you and that person is this dragon blood. Apart from the dragon blood, you are no different from that person. If you have the dragon blood, then you are not the real one, then who is?"

"How could I not know!?"

The black-haired young man couldn't help but frown, and fiercely brushed the hem of his clothes, snorted with his hands behind his back, "In the past six years, that kid's shadow has never been as real as me. If there is dragon blood, will he still value that kid?"

"Of course it is so." Mirror Heart Demon praised hurriedly.

"Don't talk nonsense, what is the opportunity?"

"Don't be anxious, Your Highness. Although there is an opportunity, you must seize it. For such a big thing, we must take it slow. Let's do it one by one."

The Mirror Heart Demon accompanied the black-haired boy out of the hall and suddenly clapped his hands.

The next moment, in the endless darkness before one's eyes, candles suddenly began to light up one after another, spreading outward until they covered the entire endless corridor.

On both sides of the corridor, golden flames were blazing in the mouths of furnaces that looked like cauldrons. On the stone walls, eternal lamps were arranged in sequence, and the lights swayed in the cool breeze, seemingly dazzling the eyes.

It turns out that this so-called main hall, this so-called corridor, and this so-called eternal lamp that stretches as far as the eye can see are all located in a luxurious underground palace with a huge scale, complete layout, and numerous terraces and pavilions!
And in the corridor before him, under the eternally burning lamps, dozens of blue-robed bad guys with Tang swords on their backs, wearing conical hats and armor on their faces were standing with their chests folded, and they were just staring at Jing Xinmo and the black-haired young man calmly.

The black-haired boy was stunned, but he finally showed the surprise that a young man should have. His calm appearance that had remained unchanged all the time was gone, and he even took a step back: "Mirror Heart Demon..."

Mirror Heart Demon just raised his eyebrows, smiled, said nothing, and then clapped his hands again.

In an instant, all the bad guys knelt on one knee, standing in a straight line as if they were one person.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."

Almost at the same time, goose bumps suddenly appeared on the back of the black-haired boy. He turned around and looked at Jing Xinmo, who just smiled faintly and nodded at him.

The moment he got the affirmative answer, the black-haired boy's fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, and even his voice trembled a little: "He... Marshal, Marshal, he wants to..."

"Your Highness, can't you see it?" Mirror Heart Demon bowed and said, "These slaves' comrades have only obeyed the orders of the Marshal for a hundred years. They are called 'Tian Kui' and have lived in the Valley of Hidden Arms for generations. They will not come out unless it is necessary for the revival of the world... Your Highness, your chance has come."

The black-haired boy swallowed his saliva. After listening to the words of the Mirror Heart Demon, he finally calmed down. Then he put his hands behind his back, licked his lips, and finally looked at the bad guys codenamed Tiankui in the corridor. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice and said, "No need to be polite, everyone."

Almost at the same time, everyone stood up without saying thank you.

But even so, it was enough to make the black-haired boy excited. He paced back and forth, unable to suppress his excitement: "They all listen to me?"

"Of course, I will listen to your Highness." Mirror Heart Demon clasped his hands and smiled respectfully, "These are all the help for your Highness to accomplish great things. The commander ordered me to come here for this matter."

The black-haired boy rolled his eyes, put his hand on the mirror demon's shoulder, walked a little closer, and said, "Then what do you mean by dragon blood?"

"There is no rush for dragon blood. When the time comes, Your Highness will be able to obtain it. Before that, I would like to ask Your Highness a few questions..."

"Say it."

"Your Highness, have you ever heard of the Raojiang Gu technique, and..." Mirror Heart Demon said, "The Blood-Crying Record?"

The black-haired young man couldn't help but frown and said, "I have heard a little bit about Raojiang Gu Shu, but this so-called Blood-Crying Record is the first time I've heard of it."

"It doesn't matter if you don't know. One of them will explain it to Your Highness later." Mirror Heart Demon was still polite and said, "Secondly, what is Your Highness' impression of Yang Shuzi?"

"Uncle Yang?" The black-haired young man frowned again, then looked at him with disdain and sneered, "You are the master of that kid? Ha, what a short-sighted person. He is a descendant of the royal family, but he didn't teach him martial arts. Instead, he asked him to collect herbs and learn medicine. How ridiculous! He is just a country bumpkin."

Mirror Heart Demon listened quietly with a smile on his face, then bowed and said: "But it is this person who is the great enemy of Your Highness."

"Of course he is my archenemy." The black-haired young man spoke in a normal tone, but his eyes were calm: "He is the master of that boy. If I fight with that boy in the future, he will definitely not tolerate me."

"Then why not get rid of it?"

"Except..." The black-haired boy frowned and asked, "Now?"

"Of course not now." Mirror Heart Demon still had a smile on his face: "But it will not be far away. The Marshal means that Your Highness may be able to replace the one who is accompanying him."

What does this mean?
The black-haired boy subconsciously wanted to ask again, but frowned and suppressed his thought, and then said: "This Uncle Yang has been with that kid for many years, and he also has a junior sister. How can I replace him?"

"Your Highness, don't worry about this matter. The Marshal will make proper arrangements. And Yang Shuzi is not in Qingcheng Mountain now, but in the Central Plains." Jing Xin Mo explained: "What Your Highness needs to do is to perform a good play according to the Marshal's intentions."

"I understand." The black-haired boy nodded without asking any more questions, put his hands behind his back, and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Marshal. I won't let him down."

The Mirror Heart Demon bowed again and said, "The Marshal said that once you complete these tasks one by one, Your Highness will be able to obtain the dragon blood as you wish. And by then——

Your Highness is the Marshal's most precious thing."

The black-haired young man paused, and then without saying a word, he slowly pulled off the layers of gauze on his face, held it in his hands and stared at it for a long time, before he raised his head, revealing a handsome face under the firelight.

There was also a glow of fire in his eyes, burning continuously.

"There is only one Li Xingyun in this world——

That's me...

It can only be me! "

...After a long time, the underground palace returned to silence and fell into the dark corridor again. Mirror Heart Demon was alone with a lantern, just silently looking at the deserted hall. He pondered for a long time, and suddenly sighed inexplicably, as if he was advising an old friend.

"Why bother."

------

Go south through Yuzhou and Qianzhong, and you will enter Lingxi.

The Hundred Thousand Mountains of Raojiang are located here.

Looking towards this place from the border of Qianzhong, you can see from afar thousands of peaks lying in the southeast. The peaks are majestic and tall, with towering ancient trees, steep cliffs, caves hidden in between, and many rare birds and animals, exotic flowers and famous medicines.

In the mountains, the water flows gently and the breeze blows on your face, refreshing your heart.

Once you enter the mountains, the climate is unusual. Sometimes it is surrounded by clouds and mist, the forest is dark, and there is a drizzle; sometimes the clouds disperse and the sky is clear, with colorful clouds, the forest is clean, and hundreds of birds are singing.

The so-called 'land beyond the civilized world' is bounded by the Ten Thousand Mountains. Once you enter the mountains, you are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains. Since the world strife, this place has become more and more mysterious. The art of insect poisoning is famous throughout the southwest, attracting countless people seeking a teacher. However, most people cannot even get through the Ten Thousand Mountains, let alone find the place where Raojiang is, and often return empty-handed.

But even so, since the collapse of the Central Plains, although Shu has been relatively stable, more and more people have yearned for Raojiang, and it has even reached the point where they are flocking to it.

Among these people, some are seeking to escape from the world, some are looking for poison, and some are seeking the girl from Raojiang who is said to be good at using love poison.

However, this "barbaric land" does not seem to be very welcoming to people from the Central Plains.

The meaning of the word "barbaric" had quietly changed during a period of time that the people in the Central Plains were unaware of.

……

The bamboo houses on stilts are scattered in an orderly manner, with gravel paths leading to all directions. Young men riding cows, wearing blue homespun clothes and a blue headscarf, pass by, staggering and playing the flute.

Between the stilt houses on both sides, there is a young girl from Jiangnan wearing a silver crown. She sticks her head out of the bamboo house and chats with her idol who passes by downstairs, laughing and making silver bell-like laughter from time to time.

And Alang downstairs would often clumsily show off the insect skills he had just learned from the elders, attracting swarms of bees to collect nectar and dance around the girl. Looking at the girl's appearance, it was known that Alang's insect skills were rarely unsuccessful. She herself could even use her own insect skills to cause the swarms of bees to suddenly change direction and buzz towards Alang downstairs, causing the latter to panic and dodge.

This kind of unique little interest may be unique to Raojiang.

From this, we can see that among the huge bamboo buildings that cover the entire mountain, everyone seems to know how to use insect magic, and no one seems to mind someone performing this magic that can easily affect innocent people in the crowd.

Because, this is Raojiang, the den of all poisons.

It is the source of all the insect and witchcraft in the world, and a mysterious place that everyone who practices insect and witchcraft yearns for.

The art of insect poisoning is just an innate skill that the people here have since birth. It is a common occurrence and is absolutely normal.

However, no matter how normal it is, ordinary people's insect poisoning techniques obviously have no chance of touching the true mystery...

……

It is nearly the Mid-Autumn Festival in August. Even in Raojiang, people are celebrating this festival. Therefore, the whole Raojiang is filled with joy. Even the pillars of the Gu God, where insects are tested on living people, are thoughtfully tied with red lanterns.

However, in this festive atmosphere, a barefoot girl with long purple-red hair rushed through the crowd angrily, with one hand already grasping the wooden flute hanging around her waist, obviously ready to pull it out violently.

Moreover, this girl clearly walked straight into the crowd with an attitude of being the boss, but the young and old people walking in the crowd, on the contrary, just had a happy and respectful attitude, and saluted the girl with fair skin and a touch of bright red on her lower lip.

"I have seen the Saint..."

"Saint, please take a look at my new insect..."

But at this moment, the girl ignored everything and still stared with her big eyes. After glaring at several knife-wielding guards dressed in guard attire who wanted to say something but stopped, she suddenly pulled out the wooden flute from her waist, quickened her steps, and hit the back of the head of the white-haired young man who was blocked by several guards behind her and was instructing his subordinates how to arrange the square.

The young man was obviously hurt by the attack, but he seemed to know who attacked him, so he closed the book in his hand, rubbed the back of his head slightly, turned around and smiled amiably.

However, before he could say anything, the girl had already gritted her teeth and said fiercely: "You Chuan! What did your vicious bastard foster father ask my father to do again!"

The so-called You Chuan, that is, the handsome white-haired young man with a blue feather earring on his left ear, could only smile bitterly at this moment.

"How can I know clearly about the affairs between my foster father and King Vip..."

At the side, a knife-wielding guard with a silver collar around his neck also explained, "Yes, Saint, it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival. The Witch King left the Ten Thousand Poison Cave for the Central Plains for many days, and the Gu King also hurried to the southern border. The Mid-Autumn Festival affairs are all on the shoulders of the Young Sacrifice Officer. The Young Sacrifice Officer is indeed..."

"Shut up." You Chuan stopped the guard and said with a smile, "Chi Meng, in Raojiang territory, is there anything that can embarrass even the Gu King? You are overthinking."

"Humph."

The girl Chi Meng snorted softly, raised the wooden flute in her hand, and suddenly pointed at the guard who had spoken earlier: "Go away."

The latter was stunned for a moment, and without even looking at You Chuan's reaction, he immediately retreated away in shame.

Seeing this, You Chuan said gently: "Godfather..."

"No matter how much you trust your poisonous bastard foster father, Danshi--" Chi Meng's face fell again: "My father has not been in good health in the past two years. The witch doctor clearly told him to recuperate more. Why does the poisonous bastard always let my father go out to work? In this den of ten thousand poisons, is there no one to work without my father?"

You Chuan was shocked and hurried to explain.

The young girl Chi Meng had already pointed the flute at his face and snorted with laughter: "And you, you clearly knew that I was away for the past two days, why didn't you send someone to tell me!"

After saying that, she turned around and left.

"Forget it! There's no point in asking! You two vicious bastards, none of you are good!"

The former was already panicking, and was about to catch up to explain, but Chi Meng had already pointed the flute at him without turning back: "If you dare to follow me, you're dead!"

"When my father comes back, tell him that I'm going to the Central Plains to settle accounts with that poisonous turtle!"

The girl came and left in a hurry, and she couldn't suppress her anger, causing people around her to avoid her.

On the side, the guard approached cautiously, then looked at You Chuan who was frowning, and said with a smile: "Young priest, it's not a big deal. Saint Xu wants to go to the Central Plains to play in Shuzhong again. She is just looking for an excuse. It has happened so many times. It's nothing..."

"This time, it seems different." You Chuan still frowned, but suddenly walked towards the direction of the Wan Du Cave stronghold.

"King Gu, how are you feeling lately?"

"Uh...I don't know."

"How long did it take for my foster father to send someone back?"

"The day before yesterday."

"Go to Southern Xinjiang. I want to see the Gu King."

"But these things..."

"Let someone take over."

(End of this chapter)