Chapter 262: Avenue to the South
The sky, which had been gloomy for many days, finally began to rain heavily. In the second half of the night after the battle ended, the wind was strong and the rain was heavy. It seemed that God wanted to pour out the depression that had been pent up for many days.

Standing in the bamboo building, I felt as if the whole world had sunk into a swamp. Raindrops were hitting everywhere. Thunders were exploding from time to time in the distant sky, as if they were going to cleanse the world with thunder, silencing all the mountains and birds.

Thus, the small village, where nearly a hundred people were killed or injured in just a few days, silently endured this baptism of heaven and earth. The bloody smell that enveloped the entire village dissipated, and the dirty blood mixed in the soil was washed out by the heavy rain and dispersed in the blink of an eye.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Xiao Yan leaned against the window of the bamboo building, put one hand on the window railing, and looked towards the east. There was a sea of ​​clouds, the sun was rising over the mountains, and smoke was slowly drifting in the forest.

The morning light after the rain slants on the Xiangke River flowing on the east side, with blue sky, green mountains and clear water.

Just when the rain has passed and the sky has cleared up, the thousands of peaks are covered with green waves, which is truly refreshing.

This bamboo building next to the Zangke River is the best decorated and furnished one in the village. Although Xiao Yan tried his best to persuade the old village chief not to work so hard, they could not understand each other's words and were talking at cross purposes. Finally, after difficult communication, the old village chief mobilized a large number of people to clean up the bamboo building overnight and drove out the original owner.

But even so, the owner of the bamboo house was flattered. It seemed that it was an honor for Xiao Yan to stay in their bamboo house. Even when there were empty rooms in the house, the owner and his family still politely avoided them and moved to their neighbor's house.

"Hey."

There was a knock on the door. Xiao Yan turned around and saw Ji Ruxue standing at the door with a frown on her face. It was obvious that she had just woken up. She was biting a hairband in the corner of her mouth. She had her hands casually gathered behind her head, and was skillfully tying her long black hair into a ponytail.

Although he only rested for more than an hour, he still looked heroic and the scenery was unique.

However, she frowned and glanced at the wine gourd in Xiao Yan's hand, then said unhappily, "Drinking so early in the morning, have you really become a drunkard?"

Xiao Yan smiled casually. In fact, he just opened the cork of the gourd and took a sniff. He was not fond of drinking, but he was just being pretentious.

He casually put the wine gourd aside and said with a smile: "The sword immortals in the stories are all like this, wearing white clothes, carrying a long sword on their backs, hanging a wine gourd on their waists, wandering around the world, taking revenge and taking revenge. Killing one person every ten steps, leaving no trace in a thousand miles. Isn't it cool and happy to act like this?"

Ji Ruxue glared at him, snorted and crossed her arms, "Then why don't you wear white?"

Xiao Yan blinked: "This is not easy to wash."

Ji Ruxue had a stern face, but she couldn't help laughing. She was simply speechless about Xiao Yan's shamelessness.

You know, she was responsible for Xiao Yan's food, clothing, housing and transportation along the way. She also rubbed Xiao Yan's clothes clean with her hands and then used her internal energy to dry them. When he said this, it seemed like he was very considerate.

However, Ji Ruxue was willing to accept this thoughtfulness.

She walked into the room, her casually tied ponytail swaying gently, attracting Xiao Yan's smiling gaze.

"What's going to happen next?" Ji Ruxue also leaned against the window and asked, "I'm afraid six or seven of the people we treated last night won't survive, and some of the seriously injured are not optimistic. Are we going to stay here for a long time?"

Xiao Yan pondered, "It is true that I can stay for a few days, but it is not mainly for saving people. My internal energy can only keep the seriously injured alive. Whether they can survive depends entirely on subsequent care. For those who have been drained of their essence and blood, it is no longer something that can be saved by medical skills or internal energy. I can only rely on external objects..."

He knocked on the wine gourd and said, "For example, their Gu from Raojiang, and whether it is effective or not, also depends on the person who can control it. Other than that, this is all we can do, as long as we have a clear conscience."

Ji Ruxue nodded. She was not the kind of pedantic person, nor would she be so stubborn on one thing. Of course, except for Xiao Yan and Qi Guo, the latter was something she was willing to protect with her life and the place where she grew up, while the former had unknowingly become someone she especially cherished. This kind of cherishment might make her willing to give up everything.

She understood what Xiao Yan meant. He wanted her not to let this affect her mood. Saving people was a good intention, but if she got too obsessed with it, it would be bad.

Xiao Yan continued, "If there are no other main roads, this village may be the first stop from Raojiang to Qianzhong in the north, and it is also the only way to pass news to the Central Plains. It is quite interesting."

He analyzed: "If what Chi Meng said is true, there are signs that villages in various places in the south have been invaded by corpse monsters. This is obviously not a sudden incident. Combined with the dead bodies we saw in the mountains when we came here, we may be able to judge that someone deliberately wants to cut off the news of Raojiang and Central Plains..."

Ji Ruxue just nodded and didn't interrupt.

Xiao Yan's thoughts were very clear. He analyzed it now, as if he was speaking to himself: "So, let's assume that the mastermind behind this is a big shot in Raojiang. Why did he block the news from reaching the Central Plains, but wantonly allow this massacre to continue across half of Raojiang?"

"To stir up people's hearts?" Ji Ruxue pondered aloud.

"That's right." Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Raojiang is located in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Although it seems isolated from the outside world, the villagers of Raojiang and the outside world at the border are mostly ordinary people. They don't know each other well, but they don't know each other too well either.

If the news of this corpse monster causing trouble in Raojiang spreads to Qianzhong, the villages and towns adjacent to Raojiang will surely panic, and it is very likely that the news will spread to the provincial capital, and it is not impossible that it will attract the attention of the King of Shu. If I were the King of Shu, or even just a commander of a provincial town, I would definitely be enthusiastic to hand over the information, and then send troops to Raojiang to save hundreds of thousands of people in Raojiang from the water and fire. Maybe I can directly build a city and station troops in Raojiang, which can not only win the hearts of the people, but also gain tens of thousands of people and tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, which is really great."

He took a sip of wine and continued, "But this is not the biggest problem. It may not be considered by the planner. After all, if Shu Kingdom really wants to send troops, the Poison Cave will not be very easy to deal with. It's just a battle. But the problem is that this kind of thing can't happen now, or in other words, at this time, the Central Plains forces can't interfere in Yu Raojiang."

Ji Ruxue thought about it, and although she had some ideas, she still asked carefully: "Why?"

"East." Xiao Yan pointed eastward and said, "If the Central Plains forces intervene, then the Nanping Kingdom, which also has a small part of its territory in the Shiwan Mountains, will not be swallowed up by Raojiang in one go."

Ji Ruxue suddenly understood, and she subconsciously said, "Is this the reason why the Chu army dared to march south to Shaozhou?"

Xiao Yan smiled, neither nodding nor shaking his head, but just thinking: "Not bad in general, but compared to Nanping King Liu Yin, Chu King Ma Yin is indeed a more worthy southern prince to win over. He governs 28 states of Jinghu, naturally suppressing Nanping State. His strength is also second to none among the southern princes. If we want to set up a plan, Chu State is the first choice."

Ji Ruxue was stunned and frowned, "So, someone wants Raojiang to join forces with Chu to swallow up Nanping?"

But immediately, she was even more puzzled, frowning: "But hasn't Raojiang always claimed to be a recluse? Why would he take the initiative to provoke a war? Moreover, he went to so much trouble to stir up people's hearts and put the blame on Nanping State. In the end, he only made wedding dresses for Chu State? What is the purpose..."

Xiao Yan smiled and pointed at the bamboo building opposite: "Just ask and you'll know."

Ji Ruxue looked in the direction of his finger, and sure enough, a moment after Xiao Yan spoke, the window of the bamboo building opposite was suddenly pushed open, and a purple-haired girl, rubbing her eyes as if she was not awake yet, poked her head out sleepily.

It was Chi Meng.

The girl immediately saw Xiao Yan and the other man smiling opposite her. She was stunned at first, as if she was surprised that they could get up so early.

But soon, she was all smiles, and then, from a distance of only ten steps, she cupped her hands in front of her mouth to make a trumpet shape and shouted loudly: "Little Guoguo, little sister, good morning!"

Ji Ruxue smiled faintly and nodded, but Xiao Yan was amused and playful. He deliberately imitated Chi Meng, but lowered his voice a lot and whispered: "You are disturbing the people..."

Chi Meng was startled and quickly covered his mouth, but when he saw the morning light on the skyline shining on the roof of the bamboo building, he reacted belatedly. Then he stomped his feet subconsciously, closed the window and hid himself in embarrassment, looking a little shy, a rare sight.

Xiao Yan laughed loudly. Ji Ruxue glared at him unhappily, then asked in a low voice: "Are you attracted to that girl?" Xiao Yan shook his head and said: "When you have a beautiful woman, you will never miss her again."

Ji Ruxue snorted and laughed. Although she didn't take it seriously, she still felt sweet inside. She turned her back to prevent Xiao Yan from seeing the smile on her face. At the same time, she was afraid that Xiao Yan would feel that she was restricting him, so she added in a low voice: "If you like me, then you like me. It's nothing."

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled, then he put his arm around the girl's shoulders and walked downstairs: "Okay, okay, I know my Xue'er is generous."

"Humph."

The girl didn't feel sad. She just felt that being able to make Xiao Yan care about her was the best thing in the world.

------

Amidst the respectful calls of "Master Xiao" in poor Central Plains dialect, Xiao Yan refused the banquet carefully prepared by the old village chief and him, saying that the village had just suffered a severe blow and there was no need to worry about the two of them. Moreover, they would stay in the village for the next three to five days, and it would not be too late to celebrate with the whole village after the village was tidy up and the people were gathered together and the wounded, women and children were settled.

The old village chief couldn't help shedding tears after hearing these words. In fact, he had taken great pains to entertain the two and the saint Chi Meng. In addition to thanking them for saving the village, he also wanted to keep the three for a few more days. The corpse monster was too terrifying and could live without a head. Although they were luckily rescued this time, the village had lost nearly a hundred young and strong men and could not afford the next calamity. Not only was the corpse monster's method of harming people too cruel, but also the villagers' morale had already collapsed.

Xiao Yan and the other person stayed in the village for a few more days, mainly to help the villagers regain their confidence. As long as people's hearts remain firm, it will be more effective than anything else.

Therefore, with Xiao Yan's opinion, the people of Zangke Village were relieved. Although they were asked not to work too hard, the villagers still spontaneously killed chickens and sheep just to entertain the three benefactors.

Fortunately, it was already winter and every household had some surplus food. Xiao Yan had no choice but to accept this enthusiasm with a wry smile. All he could do was to try his best to properly treat the wounded who could be saved.

……

"If I'm not mistaken, this insect is called the Ten Thousand Spiders Gu, which is my father's unique skill."

In the bamboo building, Chi Meng held the big bowl and finished half a bowl of noodles in one breath. But maybe he felt embarrassed looking at Xiao Yan's smiling eyes, or maybe he felt that six bowls were enough, so he burped a little, wiped his mouth, and pointed at the purple-black spider corpse on the table and spoke.

This was one of the remains that she made the snow-white toad vomit out. She picked out the most complete one, which made the toad very angry. Now it is hiding in Chi Meng's wine-red gourd and refuses to come out.

However, Chi Meng ignored it completely and just forced a smile: "You all know that my father is the Gu King Chi Li, but I can be sure that my father's Ten Thousand Spider Gu is not like this. The Ten Thousand Spider Gu he refined is usually white in color and has a gentler nature. Although it also has the function of turning corpses into puppets, my father usually doesn't use it. He said that it is too damaging to one's virtue. The dead are the greatest and should be buried in peace. Unless necessary, even if a person committed a heinous crime during his lifetime, he will not be turned into a puppet and controlled by others..."

When Chi Meng talked about the Gu King, he became very talkative, but he was not nagging. He felt very happy after he finished talking, but he was still a little puzzled: "But Dad is the only one who knows this special skill. Because it is bad for one's virtue, he didn't even teach me. Apart from him, I have never seen anyone else who can do it. And this Ten Thousand Poison Cave seems to be more powerful... more powerful, more brutal..."

She kept emphasizing "more powerful" and said, "As for sucking human blood, my father explained to me before that the Ten Thousand Spider Gu needs external objects to replenish itself because it controls the actions of corpses. The blood absorbed by the corpse monsters is actually replenished by the Ten Thousand Spider Gu. But it doesn't necessarily have to be human blood. My father usually uses chicken blood and sheep blood instead..."

After saying that, she angrily slammed the table and said, "Who on earth is so cruel?"

Ji Ruxue listened beside him without interrupting, just looking at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan tapped the table slowly, and said with a smile: "What if that person wanted to use this to frame the Gu King?"

The two girls were both shocked.

Then, while Ji Ruxue was still frowning in thought, Chi Meng had already slammed the table and stood up, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, saying, "Poisonous bastard! It must be him, it must be him!"

As she said that, she packed up the small gourd directly, and without wasting a moment, she spoke to Xiao Yan and the others: "Sister Xiao Guoguo, I have to go home for an emergency. Next time I have a chance, I will definitely go to Zhongyuan to find you. The country remains unchanged, green...green..."

As she was speaking passionately, she suddenly got stuck and stood there in a daze.

Ji Ruxue pursed her lips and smiled: "Green water flows forever, will we meet again later?"

"Yes!" Chi Meng looked at Ji Ruxue gratefully, and then said seriously: "The green water flows forever, and we will meet again! I will miss you after I go back!"

Xiao Yan and Ji Ruxue exchanged a glance at each other, then couldn't help laughing and said, "What a coincidence, we are going to the Ten Thousand Poison Cave. Miss Chi Meng, can you bring two burdens with you?"

Chi Meng was startled when he heard this, and then suddenly clapped his hands with his fists. His slightly disappointed mood became happy again, his eyes shining: "Bring it! You must bring it!"

With Xiao Yan, the great swordsman, why not chop off the poisonous turtle's head with one sword! ?
Ji Ruxue was also infected and smiled.

Although Xiao Yan was also laughing, there was a hint of coldness beneath his smile.

Not surprisingly, he had already figured out who the person behind this was...

------

The cold wind was howling and heavy snow was falling in Fengxiang.

The whole city was white.

Among the pavilions and waterside terraces, on the tallest attic, the stunning woman who should have been wearing a red dress and a phoenix crown was wearing nothing but red makeup. She was dressed in white and just leaned on the railing, gazing at the white sky and earth with an expressionless face.

At her feet were wine jugs scattered all over the ground, covered with snow, already freezing cold.

A very low sound came from behind, it was the maid's greeting.

"Greetings to King Qi..."

But the woman did not look back, because she knew that this was not someone calling her.

After a moment, a handsome and upright man walked up to the attic with his hands behind his back. He was dressed in a royal robe and looked extremely heroic and imposing.

But he did not enter the room. He just stood outside the door for a moment, silent, and then left quietly.

The woman still had no expression on her face, but she just held the last pot of wine high up, only to find that there was not a drop of wine left.

She sneered, threw it away, and lost interest.

(End of this chapter)