As Hai Dongqing and Ren Qi went deeper into the dense forest, after pushing aside the heavy branches and leaves, the cry of the ape became clearer and sharper, as if they were right ahead. The two looked at each other with a rather solemn expression on their faces. Ren Qi held the short-edged machete that opened the way in one hand and the long sword in the other hand, staring ahead, wary of possible enemies ahead. Hai Dongqing followed behind him and gently placed the arrow feathers on the bow string with his slender fingers, suppressing his breathing and steps. The two of them were no longer in the mood for small talk at this time, and even necessary communication would become a flaw that exposed their positions. Therefore, both of them suppressed the noise, except for the rustling sound when the branches and leaves were moved. This made them just like the ghosts of travelers who died in the Changbai Mountains, wandering helplessly somewhere. People are wandering in the woods, looking for the next traveler on the same road. Just as he was thinking this, Hai Dongqing heard a low, melodious chant, which was even more gloomy and terrifying than they were at this moment. "Picking weeds and picking weeds, the weeds will stop. When I say I'm going home, I'm going back, but I won't stop even if I'm old..." It seemed to be an ancient folk song, but it also sounded like some kind of eulogy. It only made people feel uncomfortable listening to it, shrouded in a vague melancholy. Ren Qi also heard the sound. He stood still in front and raised his hand to signal Hai Dongqing to stop too and stop and watch.
"Picking weeds and weeds, the weeds are soft and soft. When I say I'm going home, my heart is still worried..." The content of the ballad seemed to be quite long, and the more Hai Dongqing listened, the more sadness in his heart deepened, and it also made him feel tight and chilly. Ren Qi felt the change coming from behind, and he turned his head and glanced at Hai Dongqing. "Didn't you study the Book of Songs when you were a child?" "What Jing? I Jing?" Hai Dongqing asked. "never mind." Ren Qi turned his head back and blew out a burst of white air from his nostrils. "This ballad comes from Xiaoya in the Book of Songs and is called "Plucking Wei". It is already a pre-Qin ballad." "Oh……" Haidongqing nodded mechanically and asked him: "What is this deer call? What is it talking about?" Suddenly remembering that Hai Dongqing really didn't go to school, Ren Qi paused and began to explain: "There are thousands of poems in the Book of Songs, divided into styles, elegance... forget it, you don't understand even if I tell you. " "Yes." Hai Dongqing did not show off, but nodded honestly, "I really don't understand." "I know." After glancing at him, Ren Qi continued to explain. ""Plucking Wei" was something I memorized when I was a child in school. It tells the story of the difficult living conditions of the soldiers on the frontier, as well as their strong longing for their hometown." "I see." Hai Dongqing nodded as if he understood, "I didn't expect you to have such ability." "how?"
Ren Qi snorted, "Do you think I only know how to kill people? Let me tell you, the most important thing to kill is wisdom, courage and skill come second." Hai Dongqing didn't seem to hear, he just asked: "Then the person in front of us now is a veteran stationed in Changbai Mountain?" “Whoever raps is what he raps?” Ren Qi was quite disdainful, "Scholars talk about Sheji all day long, and they talk about sacrificing their lives for righteousness. If you catch them on the tiger bench and give them a whip, they can't even spy on women taking a bath when they were children." Everything will be told!" Hai Dongqing's face turned red and he murmured, "I've been in Changbai Mountain for so long, but I haven't heard that there are soldiers and horses from the imperial court stationed here." "It's not that it has never happened before. It is said that more than 20 years ago, the royal family went to Changbai Mountain for a secret prayer. At that time, there was a troop of soldiers and horses as the vanguard and guard, and they camped on Changbai Mountain along the way, almost surrounding the entire mountain. Get up, not even a bird can fly in.” "Huh? Why haven't I heard of it?" "Nonsense, if you know it, how can it be called a secret?" Leaving behind the surprised Hai Dongqing, Ren Qi continued to walk forward. The source of the song was getting closer and closer, and gradually, a vague figure appeared in the trees in front of Ren Qi, which did not look like a human being. Taking a deep breath, Ren Qi put the machete behind him and put his hand on the sword. The green sword was pushed gently by him, and a cold light flashed. call out! The sound of breaking wind suddenly rose, Ren Qi drew his sword and stabbed forward, breaking the branches and leaves, and collided with the oncoming cold light. Sonorous! The two iron tools shook each other, sending violent and powerful tremors back to Ren Qi's hands. The forest trees were destroyed by the conflict between the two swords, and a large area of branches and leaves were scattered, while also revealing gaps. In the gap, Ren Qixian saw clearly what the sword looked like. It was a strange-shaped sword. It looked like many pieces of iron made of different materials. Craftsmen with different skills and even techniques from many different places were used in its manufacture, so that this famous sword glowed with cold light. It looks like it was built by a child using building blocks. However, this does not prevent this sword from being sharp, tough, and terrifying. Looking down along the tip of the sword and beyond the blade, Ren Qi quickly saw the swordsman's face. It was a handsome face with sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, and a nose that seemed to be hanging with fear. However, at this moment, it was slightly cold and ferocious because of the overwhelming anger. "Ren Qi, did you draw a sword against me? Did you really betray us? Aren't we comrades who fought side by side and loved each other? Ren Qi!" Ren Qi took back his sword and rolled his eyes to the sky. "If I really want to kill you, this sword will not suddenly change direction and slant two inches, but will just pierce your heart." "Who do you think I am?" Yin Xiu also put the mocking wind sword back on his back and rubbed his wrist, "Why didn't you say that if it weren't for my kindness, you would have been lying down at this time?" "you are right." Ren Qi had no intention of quarreling with him, but just nodded and said: "A master like you didn't kill me simply because you didn't want to. Otherwise, even my nine lives wouldn't be enough for you to kill me."
When Yin Xiu heard this, she turned around with satisfaction and waved behind her. Then Ma Xiaoyu and Liu Banxian walked out one after another. Both of them were quite surprised to meet Ren Qi and Hai Dongqing again. "I just said that you are lucky people and have your own destiny, Brother Gao Shou, and you too, Brother Orion." Liu Banxian said happily. Ma Xiaoyu originally had some joy in her eyes, but after seeing Hai Dongqing's face, the light of joy dimmed a lot. Feeling the concern in Ma Xiaoyu's eyes, Hai Dongqing just turned away reluctantly and pretended not to see it. Yin Xiu didn't notice the eye contact between the two, he was just asking Ren Qi. "So you are also here to find that big monkey?" "It's not a big monkey, it's a white ape, and there's more than one." "More than one? You mean there is more than one such powerful beast?" Liu Banxian was a little surprised. "Is it very powerful? I have already killed two." Ren Qi turned his neck with a rather proud expression. "Fortunately, I have you." Yin Xiu patted him on the shoulder. "What do you mean?" Ren Qi asked confused. "I mean, you can handle everything else. With a master like you here, the rest of us can just stand aside and cheer." "It's best if we don't need you." Ren Qi glared at him, "Tell me, what is the origin of that ape?" "I'm the same as you, I don't know at all." Yin Xiu spread her hands, "We were walking up the valley, and we heard this strange noise later, as if chanting Buddha's name, and then we came here." "Reciting Buddha's name?" Ren Qi frowned, "You didn't go to school when you were a child?" Yin Xiu shook his head. He went to school and was not in the same class as Ren Qi. Of course he had never heard anything that was not taught in the textbooks. "What about you? Have you heard of the Book of Songs or something?" Ren Qi asked Ma Xiaoyu again. Ma Xiaoyu shook his head, "I have studied the Tao Te Ching and the Book of Changes. As for the Book of Songs, nursery rhymes, and tongue twisters, do they count?" Ren Qi sighed and looked at Liu Banxian again, "What about you, Book of Songs?" "I read "Horse Sutra" and "Financial Economics" every day. I also read "Jade Girl's Heart Sutra", "Tough Guy" and "Sheep Girl" every issue. As for what you are talking about..." "Okay, that's enough." At this moment, Ren Qi felt that his stumbling and intermittent school life for several years had made him the most educated person among these people to some extent. He couldn't help but shook his head and repeated the explanation about "Plucking Wei" that he had just told Hai Dongqing.
In this way, everyone finally understood a little bit about the possible source of the mysterious sound hidden in the woods. But this is actually not very helpful, because no matter whether the other person is a human or a ghost, a veteran or a scholar, you have to see it in person to confirm. Because hearing is false and seeing is believing, even if you know who the other person may be, it is not an important thing at the moment. Fortunately, the voice seemed very bold and full of energy. The chaos caused by Yin Xiu's misunderstanding did not seem to affect the singing of the voice. Yin Xiu had confirmed that under a mountain stream somewhere, covered by green trees, the voice was still singing. "I used to go, Yangliu Yiyi. Now I come to think, rain and snow. The road is slow, thirsty and hungry. My heart is sad, I don't know I am sad!" When Ren Qi heard the last sentence, they had already reached the bottom of the mountain stream. They pushed aside the messy and rough vegetation and found a rather tall figure sitting on the stone. He put one hand in the water and let the stream wash away it. . The other hand seems to be holding something similar to a bamboo slip, lowering its head to read. But in such darkness, even the outlines of people and objects can only be vaguely discerned. Can anyone really read in such a situation? Soon, as those eyes that glowed with cyan green light turned around, Yin Xiu and the others suddenly understood: Of course people can't help it, but if the other party is a monster, then everything makes sense. brush! Yin Xiu lit a piece of talisman paper on fire and held it in his hand as a torch. The green light was immediately suppressed, and what appeared under the fire was a white ape with mottled, messy fur, "only" as tall as a person. The ape's face was covered with a strange bronze mask, stained with rust, which almost covered the entire face, leaving only a small gap in the mouth, into which something the size of an egg could be stuffed. Not surprised or nervous about the sudden visit of Yin Xiu and others, the ape just continued to hold the bamboo slips and sit on the stone. Yin Xiu could see that the bamboo slips had long been in tatters, and the hemp ropes connecting the pieces of wooden slips had long been broken. Even the wooden slips themselves had become moldy and black due to being in a humid environment for a long time, and some of them had even rotted. A few pieces are missing. To a normal person, this is no longer a book, but a pile of rags. However, the white ape seemed to enjoy watching it. He was not pretending, but he could actually see things and taste them from above. Yin Xiu and the other five did not take the first step, nor did they ask questions. Instead, they stood aside and watched the ape continue to read the tattered bamboo slips. After a while, it seemed that he had finally finished reading. The ape turned towards them and made a heavy metal collision sound, which seemed harsh and noisy in the cave. Yin Xiu raised the fire higher, and Ma Xiaoyu also lit a piece of talisman paper to increase the light. Then several people saw that there were thick iron chains tied under the ape's feet. The other end of the iron chain went straight into the bottom of the pool. The forearm-thick chain was covered with rust and moss, and it seemed that it had not been dragged for a long time. The speed and movement of the white ape's body turned extremely slowly, as if due to the influence of the heavy iron chain. It took a while before he finally turned around and exhaled a white breath. It opened its mouth and seemed to be talking, but it only made some whimpering sounds. Seeing that Yin Xiu and others didn't respond, it swallowed its throat a few more times, and finally the sound in its throat became clearer. "Intruders, do you know that this is a forbidden area? Anyone who enters here will be sentenced to death?" "You mean this mountain stream?" Yin Xiu asked. "No, it's the depths of Changbai Mountain. Anyone who enters the depths of Changbai Mountain will be punished." "Don't bluff people."
Hai Dongqing said: "When I was hunting before, I often went into the depths of the Changbai Mountains. Even some hunters and ginseng collectors often went into the mountains and turned back in the past years. Why didn't I see them suffer any death penalty?" Although he knew that the person in front of him was probably a monster, Hai Dongqing only regarded the ape as an ordinary beast and showed no fear at all. The ape glanced at him, then lowered his eyelids. "There are many kinds of capital punishment, some of which involve death by being pulled by a horse, chopped with a knife, or thrown into a fire pit to be roasted. There are also cases of capital punishment that do not cause a person to die, but only make him do repetitive labor in a certain place, or they may never see the light of day and are only imprisoned somewhere, with neither death nor hope. " "Isn't that just like you?" Yin Xiu said suddenly. "like me?" The ape suddenly laughed, and the sound was like thunder. "It's completely different, because I'm not a human being, I'm just a monkey, just the monkey king of the Changbai Mountains." (End of Chapter)