[Lu Xiaofeng Sword III] The Emei faction is playing a big game of chess

"Today is the No. 12 day when Luoyang was besieged. The legendary reinforcements have not even seen a shadow. There are rumors everywhere in the city that Luoyang City cannot be defended. There are even rumors that Master Li Wei, who is staying behind in Luoyang, wants to go to Ann. Lushan surrendered. The last time I met Mr. Li in Tiance Mansion, I don't think he is that kind of person..."

The girl in pink hugged her knees and leaned on the cold stone tablet, untied the two swords around her waist and put them in her hands, and looked up at the high sky of Luoyang City, "However, even if he wants to surrender, with you Commander Li and Tiance The government is here, so he can't surrender, right?"

A cloud drifted across the sky, blocking the sunlight, and the chilly wind blew past her long strands of hair that were hanging down.

"I knew you were here."

Someone sat down beside her, and a magnetic and pleasant voice came from beside her.Ye Zhiran turned her head, and the young man in a purple military jacket sat on the bluestone floor slightly with his knees bent, with one hand on his knee, with a relaxed and unrestrained posture.The soft hem of the clothes slid down his slender legs, and the silver ornaments around his waist reflected dazzling light in the sun.

Ye Zhiran blinked her eyes, looked at the young man who was sitting next to her and squinted slightly to look at the clouds in the sky, and suddenly said, "I've always wanted to ask..."

The handsome five-poison boy looked back at her.

"Why don't you wear a national suit?"

Han Xiao's expression became very subtle in an instant, "You..." He scanned the girl around him up and down, focusing on her chest, "Do you really want to see me wearing a national costume?"

Ye Zhiran's face turned black, "I don't think about it at all, thank you! And... where are your eyes looking!"

"Heh..." The young man in purple wore a nice smile on his thin lips, and lazily leaned back on the ground with one hand, "Little sister, you are still young. I will show you the clothes when you grow up. "

"I even said no!"

…………

"Speaking of which, I don't seem to know your name yet?"

The girl in pink raised her hand to straighten her disheveled hair. She paused, raised her head and glanced at him, and said seriously, "My name is Ye Zhiran." She reached out and patted the stone tablet behind her, "This is my home." My childhood sweetheart, Li Chengye."

The young man in purple set his eyes on the huge stone tablet, scanned the rows of densely packed names, and finally found the name in the middle right.He nodded slightly, looked at the name and smiled, "Hello, your girl is very cute."

Ye Zhiran nodded in satisfaction, and then heard the unscrupulous man next to him continue, "So you don't mind if I abduct her back to Miaojiang?"

"...He, very, mind, mind!" Ye Zhiran glared at him.

"Heh..." The purple-clothed five-poison youth rubbed her hair, messing it up again.Broken hair hanging down blocked her eyes from glaring at him viciously.The voice from the top of the head was very gentle, with a rare seriousness, "Hey, my name is Han Xiao, remember it."

"I didn't remember!" Miss Ye angrily sang against him.

"Oh, don't be so ruthless. I don't want to have no one who remembers my name after I die..." For a moment, Ye Zhiran felt that his voice was far away, with a personality that didn't match Han Xiao. lonely.The hand that was pulling her hair stopped, and she quickly raised her hand to hold his wrist that was still messing around her head.He raised his head and looked straight into his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Han Xiao fiddled with the small fan-shaped headdress on her head with some interest, and said in a casual tone, "What 'what do you mean'?"

"What you just said! After death..."

"I'm older than you, of course I will die earlier than you." The purple-clothed youth curled his lips indifferently, put down his hands and stood up.

"Okay, I have to go. The city is a bit chaotic recently. A little girl like you is easily abducted. Go back early..."

Ye Zhiran sat silently watching his slender figure go further and further away, she suddenly had a premonition that, maybe, he would never come back again.At that moment, she suddenly wanted to call him back.She opened her mouth, but in the end she still didn't speak.

Blinking her eyes, the girl in pink remembered vaguely that he didn't bring her candied haws today.

…………

"The city has become more and more chaotic these days. Sister Xueyang almost didn't let me go out this morning. After all, I am also Aunt Gongsun's direct disciple, why do you underestimate me so much!"

"Since I saw Han Xiao here last time, I don't seem to have met him again. Where do you think he went? Why do I always have an ominous premonition?"

"My premonition has been very accurate since I was a child, and it was the same when you had an accident last time. This time... I think it should have gone wrong, what do you think?"

When they went back, Ye Zhiran saw the Qixiu sister she met before. Her face was much haggard, but she was in good spirits.The right arm was bandaged and appeared to be injured.

Ye Zhiran raised her hand to greet her, then stood on the side of the street talking for a while, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a group of people walking towards this side carrying something.A strong smell of blood came over her face, and she became silent instantly, letting sister Qixiu beside her pull her aside.A thick white cloth was covering the stretcher, and the red liquid flowed down the corners of the cloth to the ground.Such scenes have become commonplace in Luoyang City these days, and every time she sees them, she feels a dull pain in her heart.

Ye Zhiran lowered her head, and a few pieces of purple clothes passed in front of her, the patterns were somewhat familiar.When the team carrying the corpse passed in front of her, a blue porcelain bottle jingled and rolled down from the stretcher, hitting the gravel at her feet.Ye Zhiran stared at the porcelain vase at her feet and frowned slightly, then suddenly remembered something, and raised her head abruptly.

The bell of "Ding Dong" cut through the air, and a silver waist ornament slipped out from under the white cloth covering the corpse with the undulation of the stretcher, drawing a silver arc of light in the sun.The moment Ye Zhiran saw the silver ornament, it seemed that Ye Zhiran heard a thunderclap beside her ears, and her mind went blank.

"Hey, little sister, why are you standing here in a daze?"

"I said, why don't you go back with me? My brother will definitely treat you very well."

"Little sister, we meet again."

"Don't worry, I won't give you something that's been out for a few days..."

"I knew you were here."

"My name is Han Xiao, please remember."

"I don't want to die without anyone remembering my name..."

"Han Xiao...Han Xiao!" Ye Zhiran broke away from Qixiu who was beside her to hold her hand, and staggered towards the group of people who were walking further and further away.After walking a few steps, he was grabbed again.

"Let me go...Han Xiao, Han Xiao!" She struggled like crazy in the hands of the people behind her, her eyes widened as she watched the group of people carrying the stretcher disappear around the corner of the street, tearing There was a stream all over his face.She was still struggling, when the back of her neck suddenly hurt, and her eyes quickly darkened.

"General Cao..." Qixiu in pink looked at the girl lying in the arms of female general Tiance, with a trace of understanding and pain in her eyes.Judging by her performance, the one who just passed by... should be someone she knows... She thought of herself who just heard the news and rushed here.

Cao Xueyang looked at the little girl with tears in her arms, sighed, and picked her up by the waist, "I'll take her back first."

"Yes." Miss Qixiu nodded, "I'll go see her at night."

Cao Xueyang nodded slightly, then turned and left.

It was already evening when Ye Zhiran woke up.

As the sun was setting, she sat on the bed and stared blankly at the setting sun, which was as red as blood, splashing into the room through the window.

Han Xiao died.

The big brother Wudu who suddenly appeared in front of her with a sweet and sour candied haws smile also disappeared forever just like his sudden appearance.Except for a name, there is no trace left...

This is not the first time.From the day An Lushan led the army to besiege the city, people died every day in Luoyang city.No, even earlier, Li Chengye's death was just the beginning, and the people around her disappeared one by one, turning into those cold and lifeless names on the stone tablet in the east of the city.Death announcements followed one after another, and she also became more and more numb from the heartache at the beginning, until she finally collapsed.

Han Xiao's death was the last straw that broke her down.

The door was pushed open with a "squeak", Ye Zhiran looked at Cao Xueyang who came in with a bowl of porridge, was startled, got out of bed and walked over.

"Sister Xueyang, let me come."

The girl took the porridge and began to eat seriously.I don't have any appetite at all, I can only try my best to stuff food into my stomach, and the result is that I feel a little nauseous.Gently pressing her palm against her stomach, Ye Zhiran sat quietly by the bed, watching the servants of Tiance Mansion come in and take away the things.

"Uncomfortable stomach?" Cao Xueyang sat down beside her.

Ye Zhiran blinked her eyes, raised her head, and showed a cute smile, "No, I just ate a little faster just now. Sister Xueyang, go get busy, I'm fine."

The female general in red sighed and rubbed her heart.The long black hair was not pulled up, but was casually draped over her slender shoulders. Against the white clothes on her body, the girl sitting by the bed looked extremely thin and weak.

Cao Xueyang was silent for a moment, then said after deliberating, "Today that... is someone you know?"

"...Yeah." Ye Zhiran nodded silently.

After contemplating for a while, Cao Xueyang said softly, "The group of people who were sent to the mourning hall in Nancheng today haven't had time to be cremated yet."

Ye Zhiran suddenly raised her head.

"If you want...you can go and see him now..."

…………

The evening wind howled in the night, her long hair was blown up by the wind as she moved rapidly, and the girl in white stepped on the Qixiu top-level Qinggong waterside pavilion and flitted across the empty street.

In front of the mourning hall in the south of the city, a few handymen in gray clothes were still arranging the stretchers piled up outside the door. They were all taken aback when they saw the girl with loose long hair rushing towards them like a gust of wind.

"...I'm here to find someone, the group of people sent over today is here..."

The middle-aged handyman nodded clearly, and pointed to the room to the south.They have encountered this kind of thing many times, and they all want to see their relatives and friends for the last time before cremation.

The battle on the front line is getting more and more severe. Maybe at some point, Luoyang City will be destroyed.It was already an effort to get back the corpses of his comrades-in-arms, and there was no one to gather and bury them one by one.Even though it was winter, the corpse couldn't just be left like this. Cremation was the only way.In this way, after the relatives and friends of the soldiers who died in battle came, they could claim their ashes and bury them.

The dark room was a bit gloomy, and the moonlight outside the window only illuminated a small piece of the edge of the wall through the window.In the room, a large number of corpses were placed together. Although it was winter, there was no rancid smell yet, but a strong smell of blood filled the entire space, and the smell in the room was not pleasant.

Ye Zhiran walked through rows of crude bedsteads, and finally stopped in front of a coffin covered with a white cloth on the right side.The cloth seen during the day was still covered, and a corner of the cloth had been soaked with blood, presenting a mass of thick black in the weak light in the room.

Ye Zhiran stretched out her fingers tremblingly, and when the fingertips touched the rough cloth covering the corpse, they immediately retracted like an electric shock.

She opened her mouth, her voice was hoarse, "Hey, you lied to me, right?"

"It is said that you are one of the most outstanding disciples of the generation of the Five Poison Sect. You are very powerful, right? A very powerful person will not die so easily..."

"Are you up, this joke is not funny at all..."

"You asked me to remember your name, and I will remember it. Just listen to me this time, okay?"

"Didn't you still say you want to take me back to Miaojiang? Let me tell you that my sister is Ye Zhiqing. She is the most beautiful beauty in the entire Tang Dynasty. I look so similar to her. I will definitely be a great beauty when I grow up." If you don't get up again, if I run away with others in the future, you will lose money...I mean it, you will lose a lot..."

"I haven't eaten candied haws for several days, and I don't have any appetite for dinner today. When you get up, let's go to the old man next door to buy candied haws, okay?"

"You said you would take me back to Miaojiang to see the Butterfly Spring. Last time Cheng Ye promised me to take me there, but he broke his promise. You can't be bad like him...Although you are bad enough, but only this Absolutely nothing to learn..."

"Can you talk to me? It's cold here..."

"Han Xiao... don't... be like that idiot Li Chengye..."

…………

The sky was full of swords and blood, and the sound of shouting and killing almost pierced the eardrums. Amid the rapid sound of military drums, blood spattered, and soldiers guarding the city and disciples in various costumes kept falling down.This is what Ye Zhiran saw in his eyes when he stepped onto the city gate.This shocking scene, like the Shura battlefield, made her feet go weak, and she almost fell down.Before she could get used to it, she saw a rebel who had just climbed up to the top of the city holding a long knife with a ferocious expression and rushed towards a general of Tiance Mansion.With a fixed gaze, Ye Zhiran brushed her waist with her fingers, and Ye Zhiran reflexively drew her sword and charged forward.

"Thank you...be careful!"

Before she could stand still, the pink-clothed girl was grabbed by the leader Tiance she had just rescued and pulled her into her arms, and quickly turned around. A stream of arrows brushed past her arm and nailed into the city wall behind her. inside.

"Thank you..." Ye Zhiran raised her head and smiled at him, Tiance next to her saw her face, her eyes fixed.

"You...are you still underage?"

The girl in pink nodded slightly in a daze, and saw General Tiance's complexion suddenly turned ugly, "Who the hell brought you, a child, to the battlefield?!"

"...I want to come by myself."

Tiance immediately frowned, and angrily said, "Nonsense! Is this a place where you can play?!"

"I..." Ye Zhiran opened her mouth and was about to defend herself, when a cold light suddenly flashed from the corner of her eye. "Be careful!" She immediately grabbed Tiance who was beside her and took a step back, swiftly swiping her long sword down, cutting off several flying arrows lazily.

"Damn it!" General Tiance turned his head and looked around the city wall. There were more and more rebels climbing up, and the west part of the city wall was almost occupied.He frowned tightly, and roared angrily, "Where are the Tiance officers and soldiers?! Press on me, quickly press on me, and drive these bastards out!"

"You, go back immediately!"

"I do not want!"

General Tiance, who was about to rush forward, stopped and stared back at her, "This is a battlefield! It's not a place for you to play!"

"I know this is a battlefield! But I'm not an ordinary person without the power to restrain a chicken. I'm a direct disciple of Aunt Gongsun, and my swordsmanship can be ranked first in the entire Qixiufang. Why do you have to chase me away? go back?!

Tiance in red took a deep breath, turned his head and said impatiently, "Listen to me! I don't care how good your martial arts are, or how profound your swordsmanship is. Even if your swordsmanship can beat us Li Commander chooses to dismount, and you have to go back! As long as we adults are still here, I will never let a child like you go to the battlefield! I am a great Tang Dynasty, and I have not yet been reduced to the point where I need underage children to help guard. The size of the city! That Qixiu over there, take her down!"

Ye Zhiran stared and was about to speak, when a slender figure flashed beside her.The sister Qixiu whom I met in the city before stretched out her hand to grab her, and said apologetically, "General Li, I'm sorry, I'll take her down right away." Then, ignoring Ye Zhiran's struggle, she dragged her down the tower.

"Let me go! Why don't you let me go up?" She no longer wants to stay behind forever as before and watch her relatives and friends turn into cold corpses being carried down from the tower. That powerless remorse almost drowned her whole body.If she really doesn't know martial arts, it doesn't matter if she doesn't have the power to restrain a chicken, but she clearly holds the top swordsmanship of the entire Tang Dynasty!

"I'm not an ordinary child, why must I stay behind? My martial arts are obviously better than your sister, aren't you?!"

Qixiu, who was pulling her, was slightly taken aback, and fell silent.Ye Zhiran's struggling movements paused slightly, and she realized that she had said something wrong in a hurry, so she calmed down in embarrassment.

"...Sister, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that..."

"I know..." Qixiu in pink raised her head, smiled and patted her head. "I know, Zhiran, you don't mean that... Besides, what you said is actually correct, Zhiran, your martial arts are indeed better than your sister..."

"Sister Su..."

"My master is Sister Xiao. In fact, speaking of it, I still want to call Zhiran you little uncle." As if thinking of the home by the Slender West Lake, Qixiu in pink's eyes softened, "You may not know , In fact, when I was in Qixiufang, I heard your name..."

"Zhiran..." She lowered her head, stared into the eyes of the young girl beside her, with a serious expression on her face, "You are the most talented disciple of our Qixiufang sect since the establishment of the school. Several uncles may not be able to compare with you. You are my hope for the future of Qixiufang, and you must not die on this battlefield!"

"Zhiran, you have to live well, live through this troubled world, and continue the inheritance of my Qixiufang in the Tang Dynasty for a long time..."

…………

On December [-], the Anlushan rebels entered the city from the four gates of Luoyang, the Eastern Capital fell, and the city of Luoyang was destroyed.

"We will hold off the Anlushan rebels at the north gate for a while longer, and these children will be handed over to you. You must take them out!" Outside Luoyang City, Li Chengen, head of Tiance Mansion, patted the shoulders of his generals, " These children are the future hope of our Great Tang Jianghu, and we must not let them be compromised here!"

"Yes! The final general is willing to issue a military order! Even if I die, they will never be in any danger!" The military master in the armor of the country knelt down on one knee and replied loudly.

Ye Zhiran was wearing a gray cloak and standing among a dozen teenagers and girls. She was also one of those "Future Hopes" who "absolutely have nothing to lose".I didn't know before that it turned out that she was far more than one child from the various sects who sneaked out of the sect's residence in disregard of the orders of the elders to pay homage to friends in Luoyang.Should she say that Tiance has friends all over the world, or should she say that my great Tang Jianghu is really harmonious everywhere?

Those who can sneak out under the strict guard of the elders at home must have extraordinary martial arts talents.These brats are all geniuses of various sects, and several of them are core disciples of the inner sect, and are even trained as the next head of the sect.Well, Ye Zhiran was included.

Back then when Luoyang was besieged, these future stars were all trapped in the Eastern Capital, which made His Excellency Li Chengen, head of Tiance Mansion, more than a little troubled.Now that Luoyang City is broken, the army of Tiance Mansion is about to confront the An Lushan rebels head-on, it will be very dangerous for these children to stay in the army, so he can only arrange for his generals to send them all out.

And the person who led the team this time happened to be known by Ye Zhiran, the General Li who stopped her on the city wall and prevented her from going to the battlefield.

Turning on the horse, the horse's hooves were raised high, and amidst hissing and howling, Ye Zhiran turned her head and glanced at the towering head of Luoyang City.The flag of Tiance Mansion had been taken down there, staring at the word "An" fluttering in the wind, the eyes of the girl in pink dimmed.Dongdu, Li Chengye, girl, I will definitely come back!

…………

General surnamed Li led them to break through from the south gate. At this time, the 35 troops from Anlu Mountain had already entered Luoyang.After the fall of the Eastern Capital, the dangerous checkpoints around Luoyang were useless, and later Yin Daxixun of Henan surrendered to Anlu Mountain.In just [-] days, a large area of ​​land north of the Yellow River fell into the hands of An Lushan.

The setting sun was like blood, Ye Zhiran quietly hid behind a tall tree, her eyes swept over the wound on the military master's waist that was beginning to ooze blood again, her eyes were filled with worry.They are now retreating into a dense forest.The area by the river fell too quickly. After they broke out from Luoyang, they were caught up by the rebels from Anlu Mountain and stopped north of the Yellow River before they could cross the river.After Henan Yin Daxi Xun surrendered in hope of the wind, more and more rebels came to pursue them.More and more people died in the battle of the Tiance officers and soldiers who accompanied them to protect them and the Luoyang defenders.The pride that vowed to fight back to Luoyang at the beginning gradually faded in the confrontation with the rebels and the loss of one's own soldiers.The original heart is not extinguished, but no matter how lofty and lofty ambitions must bow to reality.

Now the Yellow River is in front of them, but they seem to be unable to cross it...

"General Li, we can't cross the river, can we?"

Li Cheng spat out the blade of grass in his mouth, squinted at her, and pressed her head, "What are you thinking about so much, kid? I said I would send you back, and I will do it!"

"Brother Li, don't lie to us anymore. Of the [-] soldiers who came out of Luoyang City, there are only a dozen left now, and the number of rebels patrolling along the Yellow River increased again yesterday...Brother Li, we are not children anymore!"

General Tiance's hand on her head paused slightly, and fell silent.

The little Taoist priest Chunyang who was sitting cross-legged in meditation and the young man with a sword who was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed looked up.Wanhua's little loli held the hand of the senior sister beside her, a little at a loss.The little Shaolin monk put his palms together and softly said "Amitabha." Mingjiao loli lowered his head while holding the knife in his hand.

"Hey, Brother Li, we... might die here, right..."

"Tch, if you really want to die, I'd rather go out and have a fight with those bastards before we die together! Killing one is enough money, and killing two will make you money! What do you think of the hidden sword over there?" Hong Yi Lie Lie The young general Tiance plunged the spear in his hand into the soil with a bang, and squinted at the little yellow chicken under the tree.

"Hmph..." The sword-hiding boy casually pulled out the heavy sword behind him, "Master, since I came out, I never thought about going back alive! I've had enough of hiding these days! Why don't you go out and fight?" It's a joyous game!"

Chunyang in white clothes lowered his head and chuckled, "The immeasurable god, the country is in danger. When a man is born in this world, he should hold a three-foot sword to drive away the young and rebellious. He is not afraid of life, why is he afraid of death?"

The Wanhua girl touched the head of her junior sister next to her, "When I first came out of Wanhua Valley, I thought that this day would come. I am used to seeing life and death in Wanhua Valley, and now it is finally my turn. At most, I will die once. Never been afraid, junior sister, are you afraid?"

The teenage boy blinked his big watery eyes and said firmly, "I'm not afraid!"

"Amitabha, Hengqing swears here today that he will betray Buddhism and stop killing with killing!"

"Brother Li, my sons and daughters of the Tang Dynasty, if they want to die, they can only die on the battlefield." Ye Zhiran raised her head, smiled and looked at the Tiance general beside her, "Give the order, let's rush out. There is still a road ahead not far away." It’s a village, if we don’t take action, the people there will suffer.”

"You..." General Tiance paused, his eyes swept over the group of young girls one by one with complicated eyes, "There are at least five thousand tiger and wolf divisions in Anlu Mountain ahead, there is no possibility of survival after this, you really don't want to fear?"

"Brother Li, why are you talking nonsense? If you don't leave, those bastards will go far away!"

"Oh... that's all." Looking at the disdainful eyes of the boys and girls around him, General Tiance laughed lightly, raised his spear and shouted loudly, "Where is my general Tiance!"

"exist!"

"Follow me on the horse and fight the enemy... to the death!"

"Yes!"

Smoke billowed, amidst the neighing of soldiers and horses, a whisper of a Mingjiao girl dissipated in the cold wind.

"Burn my body, the raging holy fire. Pity me and the world, there are so many sorrows..."

The author has something to say: So, this chapter is really cruel...