The mountains and rivers are quiet and broad

Imperial Palace, Apocalypse Tower.

"Report to the national teacher, there are a few stars falling over there." The boy in the Tianqi building led Zhou Zhou forward, pointing to a certain place in the building.

Zhou Zhou took a look and nodded slightly, "Got it..."

The little boy withdrew respectfully.

Zhou Zhou, as a national teacher, actually doesn’t come to the Tianqi Building very often. He stays in Chen Maona most of the time, and the stargazers in the Tianqi Building will monitor him. In detail, he is not a big national teacher. Responsible.

The Apocalypse Building is located in the south of the imperial palace, in a depth that ordinary people cannot reach. The outside of this four-story building is guarded layer by layer, and the guards are strict.

No one in the building is allowed to go out, and no one from the outside world can come in.There is only one person who can come and go freely - the national teacher.

The sky is not seen in Tianqi Building all year round. The four-storey pavilion is inclined and spirals upwards. The building is hollow, but there is a huge white stone hanging there, emitting a faint white light. If you carefully distinguish it, you can see that there are two fish patterns on the white stone.

There are many small stones around the white stone, big and small, slowly rotating around the white stone, some moving fast, and some walking slowly - just like the movement of planetesimals in the sky, it seems that there is a universe hidden in the small apocalypse building.

Zhou Zhou looked at the two stars mentioned by Xiaotong. They haven't fallen yet, but are falling slowly.

Zhou Zhou looked at it for a long time before leaving Tianqi Building. As soon as he went out, Eunuch Kang was already waiting outside.

"how?"

"Seeing that you haven't returned for a long time, the emperor sent this old servant to come and see."

Zhou Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "How long have I been in?"

"Returning to the teacher, it has been a day and a night."

Zhou Zhou's eyes darkened, which was why he didn't want to come to Tianqi Building.The white stone inside distorted the time in the building, so he didn't let anyone in or out, just to keep the secret.Before entering the building for a stick of incense, it took half a day outside, but now, it took a day and a night.

The time in Tianqi building is getting faster and faster.

"Go back to the Hall of Harmony."

"Promise." Eunuch Kang waved, and the palace servants who had been waiting for a long time hurried forward with Buyu, "Get up—"

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Chen Mao got impatient.As soon as Zhou Zhou entered, he met Chen Mao's unhappy face.

Zhou Zhou laughed: "What? Who made you unhappy?"

"How did you go so long?"

Zhou Zhou stepped forward to embrace Chen Mao, but Chen Mao avoided him. "It turned out that the minister made the emperor unhappy, and the minister apologized to the emperor." Zhou Zhou pretended to bow and apologize, "I didn't pay attention to the time."

Chen Mao was upset, and threw the folder in his hand to the ground. Since Zhou Zhou said last time that "heavenly secrets should not be revealed", he always felt flustered and irritable.

"What's the matter?"

Zhou Zhou picked up the booklet and put it on the table, sat next to Chen Mao, and turned his head to look at him.

"It's nothing." Chen Mao didn't know why he lost his temper. He opened the booklet, deliberately avoided looking at Zhou Zhou, and asked him, "Have you eaten?"

"No."

Closing the booklet with a snap, Chen Mao felt even more angry: "Didn't eat all day and all night?"

"Yeah." Zhou Zhou hesitated and said, "I'm not hungry either..."

"Eunuch Kang!" Chen Mao immediately called someone to prepare a meal.

Zhou Zhou really couldn't understand Chen Mao's unhappy look, so he put him in his arms, "Tell me, what's wrong?" Zhou Zhou looked at Chen Mao seriously, "You don't seem to be unhappy , seems to be wronged."

Leaning in Zhou Zhou's arms, Chen Mao gradually calmed down, no longer irritated, and no longer harming those scriptures, "Don't go to Tianqi Tower. I won't let you go again."

"Okay." Zhou Zhou replied without hesitation.

Knowing that Zhou Zhou was just coaxing him, Chen Mao stopped talking. He leaned into Zhou Zhou's arms for a while, picked up the memorial that he had tortured earlier, opened it to Zhou Zhou, and read it himself: "Zhao Kexin, the governor of Chuzhou City , On April 24th and April 26th, Jianghu demon sect attacked Wushan Temple twice, and only one person survived in the whole temple, and the abbot holding the law who wandered away escaped unharmed."

Turning over to another section of the memorial, "King Ren sent people to guard on the first night, and fought hand in hand with the crowd to kill 88 members of the Demon Sect." Chen Mao then read: "Half of the 88 people were beggars, and only 17 people were verified for their identities. people."

"The Wushan Temple is completely destroyed?" Zhou Zhou asked in surprise.

Chen Mao motioned him not to speak, picked up another memorial, and read: "On April 28th and 29th, all the beggars in Chuzhou City and surrounding towns died suddenly."

Zhou Zhou didn't speak, waiting for Chen Mao to continue.

Chen Mao pointed to a certain place in the memorial and said, "There was a rumor in the city of Chuzhou half a month ago: "A fierce star was born, causing disasters and chaos. When entering Chuzhou, gods and Buddhas are unstoppable." "Chen Mao turned his head to look at Zhou Zhou, and asked seriously: "Who is this "bad star"?" "

--split line--

Ten days have passed since the night at Wushan Temple.Xu Qingfeng stays in the courtyard every day for no other reason, Chen Ke doesn't let him go out——

Several things have happened in Chuzhou City since that day, and now people in Chuzhou City are in panic, Zhao Kexin comes to report every day, the situation is getting more and more complicated, and Chen Ke is also very upset.

On the second day after returning from Wushan, that is, the night after Xu Qingfeng's high fever subsided, Tian Wen came here covered in blood.

Guan Hongfeng hurriedly led people to Wushan Temple, and brought back the news that Wushan Temple was completely wiped out.

Tian Wen was already very calm, even indifferent, Xu Qingfeng was very worried when he saw that Tian Wen, who was still a child, looked unlovable and disillusioned.

Guan Hongfeng went up the mountain to take care of the funeral, and Tian Wen followed him. In just a few days, the boy grew up rapidly.

Two days later, all the beggars in the city of Chuzhou died suddenly, which was unusual, and then the beggars outside the city and Lin County also died on the streets.

Rumors and rumors spread everywhere, but one after another, Lin County did not dispose of those corpses in time. Now there are many cases in the city of high fevers that persist and then die of illness. Chuzhou is in the panic of the plague.

"Can the plague be verified?"

"Report to the lord, it has been verified." Zhao Kexin said: "It's not that the plague is spreading, it's just that people get sick because of disharmony at different ages, loss of temper and coldness, and people feel surly, and the sickness will be easily infected."

"Since this is the case, it's better to clarify as soon as possible. The people are panic-stricken, and people's hearts are easily scattered." Xu Qingfeng said, with so many things happening, the people will definitely check with the previous rumors, and maybe more rumors will arise.

"Yes." Chen Ke nodded in agreement.

Zhao Kexin said respectfully: "Wang Ye and Mr. Xu mean to open the city gate?"

After the relationship between Chen Ke and Xu Qingfeng became clear, they went in and out together every day. Although Xu Qingfeng was thin-skinned and insisted on calling Chen Ke "Prince", everyone in the courtyard knew it well.Eunuch Quan can also treat him indifferently now, and concentrate on serving the two masters.

Every day when Zhao Kexin came to talk about business affairs, Chen Ke would not avoid Xu Qingfeng. He would come whenever he wanted, listen to what he wanted, and leave when he was bored.

But Xu Qingfeng sat quietly aside most of the time, expressing his views occasionally.

Leaving aside the relationship between King Ren and Mr. Xu, Zhao Kexin still admires King Ren very much, and was also impressed by Xu Qingfeng's words.

Because Xu Qingfeng can always point out the problem to the point, and his way of seeing the problem is very thorough.

But every time he came back to the courtyard, Zhao Kexin felt the air was sweet and sour, especially when King Ren looked at Young Master Xu, or when Young Master Xu deliberately avoided King Ren's gaze, but his ears couldn't help but turn red.

"Open the city gate." Xu Qingfeng advocated: "The longer the city gate is closed, the more uneasy the people will be. Previously, they were worried about the spread of the plague and had to block Chuzhou City. Now that it has been confirmed that this is a rumor, if the city gate is opened, the rumor will not attack. Self-destruct."

Chen Ke nodded in agreement again.

Zhao Kexin suddenly didn't know how to face Renwang squarely.

"Those demon cultists in Wushan, do you have any clues?"

"Returning to the prince, there are indeed some clues." Zhao Kexin said with a cold expression: "These people are very cunning. They don't use Chuzhou City or other nearby towns as their bases, but keep moving around, and they disguise themselves..."

"No, it's not like someone hiding from the government after taking so much trouble."

"What does the prince mean?"

"What identities are most of them disguised as?" Chen Ke asked instead without answering.

"Beggars." After a little thought, Zhao Kexin also understood: "They disguised themselves as beggars for their purpose, for example... looking for someone?"

"Very likely." Xu Qingfeng continued: "This can also explain why all beggars need to die."

"Your officer understands! Go and find out yourself."

After Zhao Kexin left, there were only Xu Qingfeng and Chen Ke in the study.Although they had been together for many days, Xu Qingfeng still felt shy when Chen Ke looked at him unscrupulously, so he also stood up: "I'll ask Tianwen."

When the two get along, Chen Ke only wants to be at ease, so Xu Qingfeng is asked not to always call himself a "criminal minister", but to say "I".

It would be better if you call him "Brother" instead of "Prince", but Xu Qingfeng's skin is too thin, and he "blushes" when he is called, and Chen Ke doesn't want Xu Qingfeng's appearance to be seen in the daytime.

But now there are no outsiders.

Chen Ke pulled Xu Qingfeng over and pressed him on the couch, "What do you want him for?"

"Don't do anything." Xu Qingfeng's cheeks flushed, even though he communicated with each other, Xu Qingfeng couldn't help blushing. He had never realized that his skin was so thin before.

"If you are free, you might as well spend more time with Bengong."

Xu Qingfeng blushed even more as he thought of something, shook his head, and reached out to push Chen Ke.

Feeling Xu Qingfeng's hand on his chest, Chen Ke smiled, then coughed, "Take you out for a walk."

Xu Qingfeng's eyes lit up when he heard the words, staring at Chen Ke, excitedly said: "Really?"

Xu Qingfeng was originally an eighteen-year-old man, a good man with ambitions in all directions, he should have traveled all over the world, but he was detained by Chen Ke in the courtyard every day, and he was already bored to death.

"Really." Chen Ke replied.

No one knew Xu Qingfeng better than Chen Ke, even though Xu Qingfeng didn't say what happened that night in the Xu Mansion, nor did he talk about what he experienced after the Xu Mansion was destroyed.

But Chen Ke knew that Xu Qingfeng had hatred and resentment in his heart, and he would always torture him when he dreamed back at midnight.

"But isn't martial law still in place outside?" Xu Qingfeng hesitated. He heard from Guan Hongfeng that Chuzhou City had been depressed a lot in recent days.

Chen Ke thought for a while and said, "Then go tomorrow?"

The city gate will open tomorrow.Xu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction, his eyes curled up in a smile, like two crescent moons. "Tomorrow..."

"Okay." Chen Ke agreed.