Novoland: Eagle Flag Chapter 2: Sword fifteen

August fourteenth.

There is a wind pond, and the deep and gloomy Tongying has turned dark green by the end of summer. Himeno stood under the eaves, enjoying the cool breeze.

He didn't have much time to see Xi Yan, even less in Fengtang. Most of them are Xiyuan. This time it was Xi Yan's sudden call, which made him a little worried, wondering if the recent chaos in the imperial army in the East Palace had reached the general's ears.

"Come in." Xi Yan's voice came from the room.

Ji Ye stepped into the middle hall and saw Xi Yan who was sitting in front of the desk reading official documents. Xi Yan didn't look at him, and casually pointed to the chair in front of him, telling him to sit down.

"I came to you today, do you know why?" Xi Yan's voice was flat, and there was no expression on his face.

"I don't know." Ji Ye shook his head, feeling even more guilty. Fighting alone might be enough to revoke his military registration. Donggong Ziliuying has always been a paradise for the children of the aristocratic family, but he is a commoner with no background.

"You are the imperial guard stationed in the East Palace, so of course I am asking you to inquire about the defense of the East Palace!" Xi Yan shook his head while writing like a fly.

"Oh!" Himeno heaved a sigh of relief.

"How many people are there in the East Palace Imperial Army?"

"There are 380 in total, and there are 500 brave cavalry stationed in the ancestral tomb, adding up to 880."

"Well," Xi Yan nodded, "how about the discipline of the five hundred cavalry stationed at the ancestral tomb?"

"This..." Ji Ye hesitated. The Imperial Army of the Eastern Palace was far away from the Imperial Army's camp and could not reach Xiyan's hands. His dandyism is better, but it is still a mass of black ink, and he also finds it difficult to say yes to him.

"It seems that nothing is getting better." Xi Yan didn't see any anger, "The news of the haunting of the ancestral mausoleum was spread in Nanhuai City a few days ago. Is it the Xiaoqi who leaked it, or the Ziliu Camp? People?"

"This..." Ji Ye was still speechless.

The East Palace is far away on the outskirts of the city, next to the ancestral tomb. It is an old custom in the Tang Dynasty to order the prince to guard the ancestral tomb. Perhaps it was too remote, but the news of the East Palace's haunting never stopped. At first, Baili Yu refused to live in the East Palace even if he died. Baili Jinghong had no choice but to ask the family to send a group of girls to accompany him. However, apart from the large number of people in Bailiyu's two maple gardens, the East Palace is still a desolate place. In the dead of night, not to mention the maids, the eunuchs dare not move around.

"The ancestral mausoleum is also the ancestral temple of the Baili family. It is best not to spread such rumors to the ears of the king. So I think the Xiaoqi stationed in the ancestral mausoleum should be replaced. I have already transferred some from the imperial army. Capable manpower will be arranged in the next few days. The commander of Xiaoqi is also the guerrilla general Youyin, right?"

"Yes!"

"You take my handwriting and ask You Yin to arrange these people to guard the ancestral mausoleum, and there are such absurd rumors," Xi Yan looked up at Ji Ye, "Five hundred warriors together with You Yin I will remove them all!"

"Yes!"

Xi Yan printed his seal on the completed letter and handed it to Ji Ye: "Go."

Ji Ye accepted it, and wanted to quit, when suddenly he heard Xi Yan say faintly behind his back: "You can play, but don't be too crazy, especially don't kidnap the heir of the Golden Tentacle to run around. Young master, the Qingying Guards of the Imperial Army fought in the street for a female actress from a library and a dignified guerrilla general, and I really admire you."

Jimo didn't dare to say anything, he shrank his head, pretending he didn't hear, and disappeared in a flash.

Xi Yan raised his head behind him and smiled: "The future owner of Hanzhou in Beilu is really willing to follow this kid around here and there."

"Uncle." Xiyuan came into the room.

"Did you have dinner so early?" Xi Yan looked out the window at the setting sun.

"No..." Xiyuan's expression became a little nervous, "There are guests."

"Is there a guest? Who would know that I'm back?" Xi Yan frowned slightly.

He stopped suddenly, the tall and thin old man didn't wait for the notification, stepped into the nave slowly, and stood by the door calmly.

"Go down," Xi Yan waved at his nephew, then turned to the old man, "Why is Mr. Yi rushing here?"

"For that sword."

"I just installed more people, and there is no more detailed news yet."

"No need, I have it!" Yi Tianzhan walked to the table. He seemed to be holding something between his fingers, and it was firmly placed on a page of letter paper, but Xi Yan couldn't see it, and could only hear the slight "crack" sound of that thing rubbing against the paper. He understood completely in his heart, and didn't say anything, just looked out of the window and let out a long sigh of relief.

Ying Tianzhan glanced at him: "You already knew about her existence, didn't you?"

"Is she dead?" Xi Yan asked in a low voice.

"Not yet, I spared her this time, but if you want her to live longer," Yi Tianzhan's voice was as cold as ice, "go talk to her."

"Three cups come out with a ruler sword, and the drum strikes to startle the dragon; the green mountain melts with green blood, and the alone roars in the water and clouds!"

Mr. Xingmu hit the table, and his fingers swept over the long strings. He stood up straight, without looking back, he opened the curtain and walked behind the stage. The sounds of Xingmu and Qin are still endless, like the clear rain after thunder, endlessly curling up.

There was a moment of silence upstairs and downstairs, then thunderous applause suddenly sounded, mixed with cheers and whistles.

"Look at my three-foot sword, and startle Qianlong with a drum! Good!" In the private seat with a veil hanging on the second floor, someone shouted loudly.

A servant held a tray full of silver pennies and scattered them onto the stage. The silver light danced all over the floor and jingled on the floor. The audience became more jubilant, and people stood up one after another.

In the boundless hilarity, the gold-woven soft shoes silently stepped up the stairs. The woman lowered her head, walked along the aisle to the innermost empty seat and sat down. A burst of watery floral fragrance drifted across the aisle, causing people in the private seats to poke their heads out one after another, only to see the light purple skirt that dragged the floor disappearing at the end.

This is a small pavilion made of white sarongs, which can seat three or four people, but now she is the only one.

"You are late, and you missed a brilliant episode." A man's voice came from behind the veil on the right hand.

"Really? It's the first time I've come to this kind of place, and I didn't expect it to be so lively. Why aren't you in a restaurant this time?"

"It's about Romance, things that rough people in the market like, heroes and beauties, life and death, it's very lively. The female officials in the palace use ice brocade for dressing and ambergris for spices, probably have no chance Seeing this kind of scene, if you only come to Nanhuai once and don't listen to a romance, it's useless. I'm afraid you won't have a chance before you have time to see it."

The woman's hands slipped into her sleeves silently: "I don't understand what the general means."

"Have you seen the Cangming Eagle?"

"See you."

"If you want to kill the Cangming Eagle with spider silk, I advise you not to take risks."

"Well. Did he ask you to send me a message?"

"What he wants to say is very simple. I think you all know that I am here to persuade you to leave."

"Leave?"

"Why You Changji chose you to guard this sword, I don't know. However," Xi Yan paused, "You are not a celestial exorcist, and you are not even a warrior. Maybe there will be one person left in every generation Guard that sword, but this person should not be you."

"Who is that? Are you? You who killed him."

Xi Yan was silent for a while, and smiled wryly in a low voice.

"For what? Just because he saved you, so you have affection for him?"

"Why... how should I put it... I just recalled his voice, so after so many years, I wanted to go back to the mountains in the north, but I couldn't get out of Nanhuai City. The human heart can never be learned Things, including your own heart. The general just wants that sword, why bother to explore it so hard?"

Xi Yan was silent for a long time: "If you are my enemy, then for many years, you are the only enemy I can't see through."

"So you haven't done anything yet, have you?"

Xi Yan sighed: "You can't hold it. Your spider silk can't kill the Cangming Eagle, and I'm not his opponent. You have guarded that sword for fourteen years, and it will never end." Do you want to do this all your life?"

"Forever..." the woman said softly.

She was silent for a while: "Looking at the flowers in the garden, I often think that I am like those flowers in the garden, but in fact they only bloom once in my life. When I bloomed, I happened to meet my husband in Basong , That's my whole life. Actually, I don't care about the sword, or the secrets of the heavenly drive, I just trust him alone."

"Aren't you tired of this **** day?"

"The general is joking, it is a man like the general who started the bloodbath, right?"

Xi Yan was silent for a moment: "Last year, I bought a house in Autumn Leaf City, right by Qingye Lake. It's not a big house, but it's all unpainted pine wood, white cotton paper doors and windows. The wooden floor is built on a half-foot-high frame, which is not affected by the earth’s atmosphere, and is very dry in winter and summer. There is also a large window facing the lake. When you open it, you can see the jujube forest outside, and then the endless lake. Qingye Lake, you know, the lake is deep blue in the morning, and light blue when the sun rises at noon. Are you interested in living there?"

"As long as I tell you where Cangyun's Ancient Toothed Sword is, you can send me back to the north, and you don't have to come back here for the rest of your life, right?"

"I will prepare a new document for you. Jinbei Kingdom is like a foreign land to the emperor of Tianqi. No one will know your origin. Aren't you born to float in the air like clouds? No matter whether it is Tianluo or Tianqi, no one should tie your feet."

The woman laughed. She smiled, like a late spring rain hitting the flowers on the tree, every bit of it is spring love: "The general bought a house for me, helped me get out of here, and live in the bitter cold place in northern Shanxi. I don't know." Will you be free in the future, when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, you can come and see me, how about staying a few days?"

"Probably not."

"In the past, some people said that they would take me away from here. Could it be that the general is a ruthless person and wants me to go away alone?" The woman still laughed.

Xi Yan was not angry either: "Those flowers in the garden only bloom once in a lifetime, you just said it yourself."

The woman stopped smiling and lowered her head: "Even if I am willing, what about You Yin?"

"Give up, don't you understand, that child is not like his father at all, he doesn't have the courage of his father. And he is not your child, he is already Baili Jinghong's. In the hands, there will never be a real sky drive growing up."

The woman smiled coldly: "So what about the real Tianqu, it was the real Tianqu who issued the order to kill my husband, and Baili Jinghong took his son in."

"I don't know why Baili Jinghong took in You Changji's son, but as far as I know, Baili Jinghong is by no means a kind and kind monarch. You are living in a tiger's den to survive."

"Tiger's den... Where in the world is not a tiger's den?"

Xi Yan was silent for a while, then sighed softly: "Let's go, forget everything, you should be free."

The woman's body trembled slightly, and she fell silent.

For a long time, she whispered: "I will think about it carefully, and I will tell you when I think about it."

"There is not much time left. The Cangming Eagle has already decided to act. We have set the date for the fourth day of September. That night there will be a black oiled carriage waiting at Huangyue at the east entrance of Ziliang Street. Fangkou, the Cangming Eagle and I will be there."

"How can the two of you go east..." The woman stopped suddenly when she said this.

"The Ancestral Mausoleum of the Eastern Palace, is it?" Xi Yan's voice came leisurely from Qingsha, "Actually, whether it's me or Cangming Eagle, I have already confirmed the location of the sword, the dragon blood bone As long as the curse seal is still there, ordinary people don’t want to step into the sword circle of the curse seal. There is no secret master who can remove it in Xiatang. "

"Okay. Why is it the fourth day of September? The third day is your birthday."

"I still want to get drunk once on my birthday night. In this life, there are only a hundred birthdays that can be celebrated. It's a pity to miss it." Xi Yan smiled, "I'll wait for your news."

The woman stopped talking, got up and walked out of the private seat.

She walked to the side of the stairs and heard a voice behind her: "Shun Qing."

"Is there anything else you can do, General?" She stopped without looking back.

"I just suddenly felt that I was so familiar with your back. Thinking carefully, every time we have an appointment, I will go to see your back," Xi Yan shook his head and smiled, "So I want to see it Look back."

The woman looked down at her toes for a long, long time, then walked downstairs slowly, but finally did not look back.

The hustle and bustle in the library continued, and a section of "Legend of the Startled Dragon" came to the most exciting part. The curtain was lifted, and the guest in black came out. The street was empty and there were no pedestrians, and the man led the guest's dark horse. The guest got on the horse, and the black horse carried him, and slowly disappeared on the other side of the side street. He sipped the rice wine in the jar, lowered his head, and seemed to be thinking about something.

When the wind came, Kazuki's flowers fell one after another, and landed on the woman's head and skirt, as if they were dyed, and would never fall again. The woman's hand slid out of her sleeve, with a short silver blade between her fingers, and the curly blade had a cold arc. She stared at the ray of light on the edge of the blade, and then looked towards the end of the small street, the figure from her back was no longer there.

"Xi Yan, it's my turn to look at your back," she said softly to herself, "This way we're finally even."