Chang'an: Qinglian Sword Song

Chapter 33 Three Ghost City
The darkness is like a waterfall, swallowing everything.

The attacker was stunned for a moment, recalling a terrifying legend, and then screamed in horror.

"Be quiet!" Li Bai kicked him angrily, but the attacker's cries were even harsher: "It's antlers! He's coming! He's coming!

"Forgive me, don't kill me, I didn't say anything!"

The assailant lay prone on the car, not daring to move any more, but kept yelling for mercy, tears streaming down his face.

At that moment, there seemed to be a hideous outline emerging from the dancing darkness, with killing intent rushing towards him.

Li Bai only felt a chill suddenly rising from his heart, and without thinking about it, he drew his sword and slashed, only to hear successive harsh voices in the air.

Several sharp blades appeared in front of him and were defeated by the sword.

left!

The sword energy surged and swept across, but there was an inconceivable sound of piercing the air behind him.

Like an invisible ghost wandering in the darkness, that invisible shadow sneered, hovered in the wind, and launched an attack from four directions in an instant.

Four directions!

Which is true?
No, both are true!
The magical pen swiped and swept across, and the sword energy spread around, defeating the sharp blade hidden in the wind, but then there was a piercing laughter from the top of the head.

In the gap between the Xiche and the tunnel, in the narrow area that requires people to bend down, the antlers come and go freely and continue to attack from all directions.

Is it really human?
Li Bai couldn't believe it. In the darkness of nothingness, he even suspected that the monster that attacked him was really a monster. He couldn't see or touch it, but it had dozens of arms.

one person?Or two people?or more...

He couldn't even guess what weapon collided with his own blade, a short knife?long sword?gun?spear?Or a sledgehammer?

In absolute darkness, he had fallen into the opponent's domain.

Come to the hunting ground of monsters!
"Li Bai, you should know when enough is enough."

A hoarse voice sounded, shifting from left to right: "Wu Yougong's kindness is limited."

"I hope his dogs are unlimited." Li Bai retorted: "Besides your loyal lackey, how many good dogs does he have?"

"Stubborn!"

Sparks flashed from mid-air, the collision of blade and iron.

Li Bai could hardly stabilize his figure, and the long sword in his hand was buzzing and trembling.But there was an exceptionally incongruous feeling rising from his heart, as if something had been overlooked by him, a fatal omission had been overlooked by him!
But before he had time to think about it, he felt the evil wind blowing towards his face.

Like a hallucination, a hideous silhouette emerged from the dancing darkness, and then quickly disappeared.The stench of blood was close at hand.

The long sword fell, and the sword energy swayed.

"You should be afraid, Li Bai." Someone whispered in his ear, "Because fear keeps you alive."

The invisible rope suddenly closed between the necks.

Li Bai growled.

The cyan sword energy slashed towards the surroundings, trying to tear the shrinking rope, but the feedback from the blade was empty, as if he hadn't cut anything.

Only the high-pitched honking of sirens.

At the end of the tunnel, that light magnified rapidly, engulfing everything.

Under the dazzling sun, the strong wind was blowing towards us. Just outside the tunnel, the shadow guards of Dali Temple had already occupied a high place, ready to fight.

The sound of countless crossbows being wound up can be heard endlessly.

The artillery attack in the East City is already a sensational case. It is not surprising that Dali Temple responded so quickly, let alone the appearance of antlers just now.

"Quickly, quickly, block the two ends, and search inside!" Li Yuanfang shouted and directed: "Bring on the lantern, and don't let go of any corner!"

The shadow guards filed in and rushed into the darkness.

But there were no traces of demons in the darkness.

On the roof of Xi's car, muddy blood froth gushed out of the attacker's mouth, and he gradually lost his breath.

When Li Bai opened him, he saw his blood-stained back and the dagger carved with an antler emblem stabbing out from the carriage.

From bottom to top, through the heart!
In the agony of dying, the assailant desperately grabbed Li Bai's hand and opened his mouth, trying to say something with difficulty, but he could only cough violently.

Only a pale wooden mask slipped out from under the torn skirt, and fell into the blood.

The attacker glanced at the mask and lost his breath.

"Check all the passengers." Di Renjie ordered, "seal the scene and deploy people to maintain order."

But it won't work.

Li Bai had a premonition that the antlers had already escaped.

Once again, that guy succeeded!
On the roof of Xi's car, Di Renjie lowered his head, looked at the white mask in the pool of blood, his expression became gloomy, and he snorted coldly.

"It's these ghosts again..."

"Any clues?" Li Bai asked.

"No, no."

Di Renjie put the mask into the box, and answered blankly.

Li Bai: "You are lying."

"This is for your own good." Di Renjie closed the box and raised his head to order: "Yuan Fang, take this guy to write the transcript, and then send him home."

No matter Li Bai asked, he refused to say anything.

After sending Li Bai away, Yuan Fang walked around beside Di Renjie curiously when she came back, wanting to speak but then stopping, stopping and then wanting to speak.

"What's wrong?" Di Renjie looked back.

"Why did you shut him out this time?" Yuan Fang lowered her voice and looked cautious: "Could it be that he is also suspected, I knew..."

Snapped!
Di Renjie knocked his head angrily: "It's just troublesome, every time that guy gets involved, things will become troublesome.

If there is really anything, let's talk about it after the Bozhu election is over. "

"Huh?" Yuan Fang was curious: "Master Di actually cares about this?"

Di Renjie didn't answer, and went back to investigate the scene.

It's just that every time I look back at the blood stains left on Xi's car, I feel uneasy.

Where is it, he ignored it.

But where is it?
After a long thought, he suddenly opened his eyes: "Let's go, Yuan Fang."

"Is there a clue?" Yuan Fang's eyes lit up, "Where are we going?"

"Archives."

"Can I ask for leave..."

In an instant, thinking of the endless overtime work with the dossier, the mixed-blood demon boy's face turned gray.

He would rather fight another [-] rounds with the demons and goblins of the Green Shirt Gang...

"White mask?"

After Li Bai came home and heard the whole process from him, Xun Qing jumped up from the chair in fright, turned around the table several times, and asked seriously: "Are you sure you read it right?"

Li Bai nodded.

Xun Qing actually took out a pen and paper again, quickly sketched, chatting with a few strokes, and even outlined the specific appearance of that mask: "Is it like this?"

Li Bai was stunned, "How do you know?"

"..."

After chatting for a long time, Xun Qing said awkwardly: "Because I also have a similar one... Wait, I mean many people have this thing, not just me!"

Li Bai pressed the hilt of his sword, and asked seriously: "Be clear, what do you mean?"

"Ghost market, ghost market, don't you know?"

Xun Qing frantically defended: "It's not the ones in the east and west markets, but the largest illegal market in Chang'an City—anything you can think of, as long as you are willing to spend money, you can't buy it anywhere. No. Not only the organ cores, but even the things used by the royal family can be freed up."

"You got involved too?" Li Bai frowned.

"Otherwise how do you make money?"

Xun Qing smiled wryly and shook his head: "Since Yu Heng's annual examination fees and textbooks are so large, it is enough for a family of three to save for a whole year without food or drink. If I don't earn it myself, I can still ask Mr. Lu with shamelessness?
But all the mechanism masters from poor families have something to do with it. After all, there is no place in Chang'an City where you can sell things without the qualifications of mechanism masters. "

Originally, he thought it was strange to see something like a cannon cart in Chang'an City.

But after Xun Qing knew that the attacker might come from a ghost market, he suddenly felt that maybe that ghost place could really get these messy things.

The things sold there are all shady stolen goods, contraband and even illegal institutions.There, no one is stupid enough to report their own name and real face, and they are all aliases.

A cowardly and cowardly guy like Xun Qing would naturally not be able to touch the core, but as far as he knows, the real core of the ghost market is actually a group of faceless people who never take off their masks.

They call themselves ghosts, responsible for organizing and maintaining the order of the ghost market, and avoiding the search of Honglu Temple.The most famous thing is the white masks on their faces, without facial features, and they are empty.

"Above them is the king of ghosts who is really in charge of the ghost market. No one knows their identities, they can only be distinguished by the characteristics of their masks. I know of three, namely the red face, the yellow banner, and the mysterious Eye……"

Xun Qing said: "If you really want to know something, I'm afraid you can only start with these three people."

"Perhaps these three are already Wu Yougong's lackeys." Li Bai said coldly.

"impossible."

Xun Qing shook his head resolutely: "The reason why the ghost market can be trusted by so many shady people is because they can't offend anyone, and they don't rely on any side, even more neutral than the east market and the west market...

Once people know who they are as lackeys, or do things on behalf of others, the ghost market itself will be over. "

"Up to now, whether it is true or not, you can only know if you go there yourself."

After pondering for a while, Li Bai suddenly raised his head to look at Xun Qing: "Is your mask... still there?"

"Hey, wait, can't you?"

Xun Qing's face suddenly turned pale, and his whole body was shrouded in the shadow of Yunjianlou—that kind of near-death danger, he really didn't want to go through it again.

"Don't worry, you won't be involved, after all, you guys still have to choose Fangzhu."

Li Bai patted him on the shoulder calmly: "Leave it to me, maybe I'll hang Wu Yougong at the gate of Dali Temple tomorrow morning."

"I'm even more worried when you say that!"

Xun Qing was about to foresee a miserable future in which this guy owed more money to Dali Temple and could not pay!

Although he said no and resisted for a long time, when he went out at night, Xun Qing still followed behind Li Bai.

Along the way, they were still chattering: "Anyway, act according to my wink, and don't be impulsive. There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the ghost city, and you may encounter a difficult problem."

"Don't worry, Xun Qing."

Li Bai smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "You will be fine."

"I'm afraid something will happen to you!"

Xun Qing felt a burst of grief and indignation, and was finally speechless.

Taking the last rail car, they went to Huaiyuanfang, the most remote place in Chang'an City. In this city where the demon species gather, it can almost be called the most chaotic place in Chang'an.

Whether it is Xuanyong, Yunzhong, Haidu or even Jixia, there are all kinds of people, and the struggle is continuous every day at night. When there is no fire between local gangs, it is almost as uncomfortable as New Year's Eve.

The two settled in a dilapidated hotel.

There was a rancid smell lingering in the room, the walls were stained and the bedding was even more stinky.Li Bai was so uncomfortable that he could only stand in the room.

Instead, Xun Qing found a chair and sat down quite indifferently, and waited peacefully until the sound of the evening drum sounded.

All the squares and cities began to prepare to close one after another, and soon there will be a curfew between the squares and cities.

Just at this time, Li Bai heard low footsteps in the corridor outside.

Hearing the sound of wires hanging on the wall, Xun Qing immediately got up from his chair and waved to Li Bai: "Let's go."

The two put on their cloaks and hoods, Xun Qing also took out his green mask with facial makeup from his pocket, and put it on his face.

When they walked out of the room, they saw someone coming out of the room not far away.

Faces could not be seen clearly in dim light.

The other party didn't seem to care about them.

Follow the traces of the wire hanging on the wall and go down.

Li Bai followed the scratches of the wire, walked a few steps, found out that he went out of the hotel, and walked through the alleys. The intricate alleys were as quiet as cobwebs, immersed in the night.

Only low footsteps sounded from afar.

It's like walking towards an open hell step by step, feeling uncomfortable all over.

"In order to prevent the search of Honglu Temple, the entrance of the ghost market is in a different place each time. For those who come here, the deeper the hiding, the safer it is."

Xun Qing warned in a low voice: "After going in for a while, don't touch the water and food that others give you, I just accidentally..."

After speaking halfway, he got stuck in embarrassment.

Under Li Bai's playful gaze, he murmured for a long time, and said in a low voice: "... I have suffered a lot."

Li Bai still has this experience in the world.

Have to guard against going out.

It can only be said that the tuition fee of Xun Qingjiao is quite a lot.

At the end of the track traced by the wire was the back door of the gate of an abandoned house. The figure guarding the back door saw the two people coming and raised his head, revealing a pale face under the faint moonlight.

mask!

Li Bai subconsciously patted the backpack on the back of his waist. In order to hide his identity, the saber had been hidden in Xun Qing's pile of tattered organs.

Sensing Li Bai's vigilance, the gatekeeper asked hoarsely, "A new face?"

"He's here for the first time, give him a face."

Xun Qing walked over, raised his head to reveal his mask, and handed the other party a banknote in pain.After the other party inspected the banknotes, he laughed and didn't say much, then turned over a mask of the same green color from his backpack and handed it over.

"Don't cause trouble after entering, or you will bear the consequences yourself."

Li Bai put the mask on his face indifferently, and stepped through the door.

Behind the narrow door, the lights were brightly lit, and the crowds coming from all directions were so dense that it was almost impossible to squeeze in.

There is no loud yelling and selling, only low inquiries and whispering voices.And everyone's face is a dull mask under the dim light, which makes people creepy.

Occasionally, the gaze behind the mask turns weird.

As soon as Li Bai walked into it, he saw a few dark corners looking at them. Some of them looked back disappointed after making sure that they had nothing to offer, while others became more vicious and greedy.

Li Bai looked back.

His eyes were cold.

It wasn't until those in the corners retracted that they looked forward.

This ghostly place is like a wilderness, wild beasts are rampant, even if the balance on the surface is maintained, there is another set of law of the jungle secretly.

Thanks to Xun Qing's cowardice, he ran away after earning a little money, otherwise Li Bai might have been abducted to some dark workshop with his almost non-existent vigilance...

Here, it seems that different people have different masks.It seems that colors are used to distinguish identities, and facial makeup is used to divide ranks, but no matter where you go, you can always detect the existence of one or two white masks in your sight.

Muddy eyes swept over everyone.

And Xun Qing, after a little identification of the direction, walked to the area where various organs were displayed, and asked directly to the vendors: "Is the dragonfly there? There are some hot goods."

As he spoke, he pointed to the rucksack on Li Bai's body: "Hurry up."

The vendor glanced at the two, handed over the business to the person beside him, and walked to the back.

Soon, a white mask came up, glanced at the two of them, and beckoned them to come with him.

After walking out of the side door, the surging crowd disappeared and gradually became deserted. It seemed that the two had entered the inner layer, and there were mountains of goods everywhere.

There are also foreign signs on the cargo boxes that have not been scraped off.

What is even more surprising is that there is actually a mutilated scarlet stone statue lying under the half-opened thick felt cloth.Someone took out a lantern to check the quality of the goods.The two people next to them were arguing in low voices, as if they couldn't agree on the price.

But when they sensed that someone was approaching, they immediately lowered their voices and cast guarded eyes.

"Look, that..."

While walking, Xun Qing pulled Li Bai and lowered his voice.

In the direction he pointed, in the open box, a huge scale like a stone plate was faintly exposed. It was glowing with purple light and exuded bursts of stench, but the strange thing was that even mosquitoes and flies did not dare to touch it. Approaching, just flying far away.

"The scales of the tyrant?"

Li Bai was slightly surprised: "You can get this in the ghost market?"

"Guest, the ghost market has everything."

Behind the open door, the receptionist in the shadows said, "Please come in, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Xun Qing was about to move forward, but was suddenly grabbed by Li Bai and pulled behind him.

Across the backpack, Li Bai had already pressed the hilt of his sword.

His eyes were cold.

(End of this chapter)