The Beacon of Kyushu

The layout on the fifth floor is relatively open. There are still tall bookcases on both sides, and there is a two- to three-foot path in the middle. At the end of the path, there is a low wooden table. On the table are a small statue of Guanyin and a lottery box made of red sandalwood.

Duan Sicong walked to the Guanyin statue, knelt down respectfully, and kowtowed three times. Then, he slowly straightened up, took the lottery tube on the table, and murmured in a low voice: "Master Guanyin, I am here. Duan Sicong, a believer and disciple, has been worried about state affairs recently and doesn't know how to make a decision. Please be kind to Master Guanyin and clear up my doubts." !”

After he finished speaking, he recited silently in his mind, and said: "If the disciples do not remove the defenders, Dali will be safe, and the lot will be drawn this time. If the defenders are withdrawn, they will be annexed by the Song Dynasty, and the lot will be drawn with the lower lot." "Amitabha, please bless Master Guanyin and make this fortune come true!"

Duan Sicong recited silently, then held the lotus tube with both hands and shook it up and down vigorously. Soon, a hexagram sign jumped out of the bucket and landed on the green brick floor with a "snap" sound. Duan Sicong hurriedly picked up the hexagram sign and saw that it was engraved with seven small characters: "Maogong, sixty-six signs", and hurriedly recalled the hexagram corresponding to this sign.

"Maogong, sixty-six lots, sixty-six lots..." Duan Sicong muttered it several times in a low voice, and his face suddenly became very ugly, obviously thinking of the hexagram, "The road is dangerous, horses and horses are short of people, and the troops are in a hurry, and the soldiers are trapped when they are lost." Quite. The beach is high, the waves are breaking, the sun is setting, the flowers are falling, and the sky is falling with frost!"

Duan Sicong stared at the fortune teller in his hand and muttered: "This fortune sign is a sign! Could it be...should I really do what Wan Shaoxia said and temporarily withdraw the defenders? But if Zhao Guangyi takes the opportunity to attack, I will How to protect yourself?”

As he spoke, he put the fortune-tick into the bucket again, and said silently in his mind again, "If the disciples withdraw the defenders, Dali will be safe. This time the lot will be drawn. If the disciples do not withdraw the defenders, they will be annexed by Qu Yue." Then the lottery will come out. Amitabha, please bless Master Guanyin again and make this lottery come true!"

Duan Sicong shook the lottery tube again, and in a blink of an eye, another fortune-tuck fell to the ground. He hurriedly picked up this time's hexagram sign again. When he saw that this time the hexagram sign said "Wugong, seventy-eight signs", he couldn't help but smile.

"Cold water is boiling before it boils. It's neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. There's no other way to do anything in the world than to be strong in all kinds of arts. This time it's a lucky draw, a lucky draw!" Duan Sicong said excitedly: " Perhaps God's will is that tomorrow's competition will just go through a process and give an explanation to the officials and the people, that's it."

The turbulent situation had disturbed Duan Sicong for several days. Now he finally had something to worry about, and he was naturally very happy. He stood up quickly and wanted to go back to the palace, but the window in front of him suddenly opened, and the cool night breeze blew in, making him shiver.

Duan Sicong was about to close the window, but suddenly he saw a black shadow leaping in from the window, which frightened him so much that he almost screamed, "You...are you a human or a ghost, what...are you going to do to me?"

The dark figure smiled slightly, and his tone was gentle, "Your Majesty, there is no need to panic. I have taken the liberty to come here tonight because I want to discuss something with you."

Duan Sicong looked at the person coming under the bright moonlight, and saw that the person was wearing a bamboo hat, covering most of his face, and was wearing a simple black cloth, with an ordinary iron sword hanging on his waist. The evening breeze blew by, blowing up his pale hair under his bamboo hat, adding a touch of chicness and domineering to a seemingly ordinary person like him.

"Master...Uncle Master, I admit it right!" Duan Sicong's expression became more excited than before, and his voice actually trembled faintly. The man in black cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty did not admit your mistake. I have not seen you for several years. It is really an honor for me that you still remember me."

Duan Sicong smiled and said: "Uncle Master, I heard that you have not been to Jinpeng Villa for several months, nor have you sold books in the bookstore in the city. I wonder where you went? If it is convenient, can you tell me so that I can open up? Vision.”

The man in black smiled lightly and said: "In the past, I was a young man who was arrogant and did such crazy and rebellious things, which made the Song Dynasty and Liao Dynasty hate me to this day. How could I dare to go anywhere else? I just wandered around Dali for a few months. , just to avoid old friends."

Duan Sicong nodded, "I see. I wonder if my uncle has heard that Tomorrow Wan Shaoxia will compete with Master Yin Zhuang of Chongsheng Temple in Chongsheng Temple?"

The man in black nodded and said, "I heard that I came here late at night for this very reason."

Duan Sicong asked in confusion: "Does Uncle Master think this is inappropriate?"

The man in black hesitated for a moment and then said: "I think it is not appropriate to send Master Yin Zhuang to fight. If your Majesty is trustworthy, I am willing to give Wan Shaoxia a try."

Duan Sicong said with some worry: "Uncle Master, although your martial arts may not be the best in the world, there are only five people who may be comparable to you in the world. If you were to come forward, you would fight a little beggar who just came out of the world. It would be unavoidable. Isn’t it overkill?”

"No, the reason why I want to take action is not to be competitive, nor to influence His Majesty's decision. The real reason is that Wan Shaoxia is the son of an old friend, and he left with me... no, with Murong Yanzhao's daughter. It's very close, so I intend to take this opportunity to test his skills. If your Majesty agrees, I will be very grateful. If your Majesty does not agree..." The man in black suddenly stopped talking, and his voice was so majestic that no one dared to disobey. Even as noble as the Emperor of Dali, he had no choice but to bow his head under such a tone.

"Master...Uncle Master..." Duan Sicong subconsciously took two steps back and then said with a smile: "Haha, since Uncle Master doesn't mind the hard work, how can I not agree? I will go to the temple in person tomorrow to witness this terrible event. A battle that will mark history!”

The man in black seemed quite satisfied with Duan Sicong's attitude, and smiled again, "Nephew Wan Shi, although Uncle Shi has never met you, he has heard many legends about you. I hope that in the battle tomorrow, we will not let you go. Uncle Shi is disappointed!" (End of Chapter)