The Buddha is actually me

Chapter 88: Zhuge's Death, the Yin Army Passing Through

"So, not only did you see the Heavenly Lord, but you also went to Huangquan and saw the other Heavenly Stems?"

Zhang Jiuyang nodded.

"And you have successfully gained the recognition of most of the Heavenly Stems. As long as you pass the test of the eighth Heavenly Stem, Xin, you can replace Blind Lin and become the ninth Heavenly Stem?"

Zhang Jiuyang nodded again.

Yue Ling was silent.

She didn't expect that after just one month of not seeing each other, Zhang Jiuyang would do such a big thing.

Although he had only just entered the underworld, he had already brought out a lot of useful information.

For example, Huangquan is in the underworld, and the Ten Heavenly Stems refer to the members of Huangquan. Each one of them is a terrible and strange evil spirit, or perhaps it is a horror legend that has been circulating throughout Kyushu.

What surprised her even more was that Zhang Jiuyang also noticed some very crucial details.

For example, Yi, one of the ten heavenly stems, once whispered a Buddhist name while speaking.

This reminded her of a file she had just read not long ago.

The Demon and Buddha Conjoined Case!
And Ding, he seems to like eating hearts very much from his conversation. So let's make a bold assumption, could the evil ghost heart-cutting case that happened in the Charity Bureau that year be related to him?

All of a sudden, many unsolved cases seemed to have a clue.

And that hot-tempered Geng actually expressed his admiration for Zhang Jiuyang in private.

Yue Ling looked at the young man in white clothes and with long hair in front of her with a complicated look.

He said he wanted to help me, but I didn't expect that in just one month, he would go deep into the tiger's den and obtain so much valuable information.

"Haha, it's nothing actually. I was so awesome at the time. When the sky fire started, they were all stunned!"

Zhang Jiuyang scratched his head and smiled casually, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.

Yue Ling couldn't laugh, because she knew how dangerous it was. Zhang Jiuyang was walking on the edge of a knife and risking his life.

"Undress."

She suddenly said coldly.

Zhang Jiuyang was stunned. What kind of operation was this?
"Take off your shirt, quick!"

Zhang Jiuyang smiled bitterly and said, "General Yue, that's not right, Marquis Minglie, I didn't mean to send you the book "The Carnal Prayer Mat" on purpose, but Ah Li made a mistake, so I don't have to bear the consequences--"

There was a clanging sound of a knife.

The dragon bird's sword flashed by.

Zhang Jiuyang's shirt fell down, revealing his abdominal muscles, which were smooth and not bloated, full of masculinity.

However, the skin was covered with burns, which was shocking.

"It just looks serious. It has gotten much better since last night..."

Zhang Jiuyang coughed and grabbed his belt tightly, fearing that Yue Ling would draw his sword and he would run naked again.

Yue Ling looked at the burns, her eyes were filled with ripples. She was silent for a long time. She said nothing, but took out the ointment from her arms and gently applied it to Zhang Jiuyang.

My fingers were cool and the ointment was also very cool, which seemed to relieve a lot of the stinging sensation on my skin.

Neither of them spoke, but the murderous atmosphere quietly dissipated.

From the study window, a pair of big, dark and lively eyes quietly watched this harmonious scene, revealing a gratified smile.

A-Li is about to have a complete family~
……

"Ten days later at midnight, go to the Xishikou execution ground in Luotian County, Qingzhou, watch an execution, and then grab the head of the second person to be beheaded..."

Yue Ling pondered over this so-called assessment task with a serious look on his face.

Zhang Jiuyang had already put on his shirt. Hearing this, he said, "In fact, even if you didn't come today, I would have sent Qingji to deliver the letter to you."

"The seventh Heavenly Stem Geng secretly reminded me that the old eunuch was the most vengeful and would never let go of any grudge. This mission must be very dangerous, and he would like me to die in it."

Zhang Jiuyang gave the hoarse and sharp-voiced Xin the nickname of Old Eunuch, which made communication and memory easier.

"I was just bluffing in Huangquan. This time, we must do it with real weapons. If I don't find help, this paper tiger of mine will definitely burst with one poke."

In the face of the crisis, he was not panicked. Instead, he was in a mood to make fun of himself and looked very relaxed.

Compared with the fear he showed when facing Yunniang, he was almost like two different people.

Yue Ling seemed even more nervous than him. After a long silence, she said, "Zhang Jiuyang, have you really thought it over?"

Without waiting for Zhang Jiuyang to speak, she continued, "There are two most dangerous places in this mission. The first is Luotian County."

"You may not know that a tragedy occurred in Luotian County more than 20 years ago. Nearly one-third of the county's 1,400 people died."

"Did Huang Quan do it?"

Zhang Jiuyang asked with a flash of his eyes.

Yue Ling shook his head and said coldly: "It's the Yin soldiers passing through the border."

The Yin soldiers are crossing the border...

"According to the records, that night there was a sudden commotion in Luotian County, and many people were awakened from their dreams, seeing the ghost soldiers passing through the county."

"Some brave people tried to set off firecrackers to drive them away, but few of those who saw the ghost soldiers passing through that night survived, and most died tragically in their homes."

A chill arose in Zhang Jiuyang's heart.

He remembered that Lao Gao had also told him about a similar case, but it was more serious than the one in Luotian County and happened in a city in Yongzhou.

At that time, the people in the city beat drums and gongs in an attempt to scare away the evil spirits. As a result, the entire city was massacred the next day and no one survived.

It can be seen that the ferocity of these ghost soldiers is no less than those evil spirits.

What puzzled Zhang Jiuyang the most was that these ghost soldiers did not restrain souls, and every time they appeared they were always in a big fuss. What was the purpose of this?
"Yellow Spring alone is already a major concern for us. As for these ghost soldiers who have existed for who knows how many years, our Imperial Observatory is indeed incapable of dealing with them."

There was a hint of unwillingness in Yue Ling's voice.

With her personality, she would repay evil with evil, but as for these evil soldiers, she could only pretend she didn't see them.

How frustrating!

"Has your Imperial Observatory never fought against the Yin soldiers?"

Zhang Jiuyang always felt that the Imperial Observatory had been established for 600 years, so it couldn't be that it only knew so little about the Yin soldiers?
Sure enough, Yue Ling hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and said, "In the 21st year of Qianyuan, the entire city of Yongzhou was massacred by ghost soldiers. At that time, State Master Zhuge was furious and took the Nine Provinces Cauldron to fight his way into the netherworld. He returned 49 days later, and his black hair had turned white."

"Since then, there has been no incident of ghost soldiers crossing the border and killing people. It was only in the past hundred years that they slowly began to appear."

Zhang Jiuyang was shocked. Master Zhuge actually went into the underworld himself?

Although there were no specific details about the battle, he still felt a sense of fear.

Zhuge Qixing was the first supervisor of Daqian and the strongest supervisor of the Imperial Observatory in 600 years. His extraordinary talent can be seen from Blind Lin.

Six hundred years have passed, but Blind Lin still turns pale at the mention of a dead person and regards a dead person as his lifelong enemy.

The underworld is even more mysterious. There are definitely not only ghost soldiers in it, but also many terrifying and strange creatures. Those ghost soldiers are just pawns under their command.

Although Zhang Jiuyang had been to Huangquan once, he had never seen any ghost soldiers. It felt like he had just wandered around the edge of the underworld and had not gone deep.

The strongest man in the world declared war on the mysterious existence in the underworld. He returned after forty-nine days. No one knows the outcome of this battle, but we can guess a thing or two from the outcome.

Zhuge Qixing's black hair turned white, which probably shortened his lifespan. This might also be the reason why he died suddenly at the age of 72.

As for the underworld, there has been no movement for hundreds of years, and no ghost soldiers have come out.

Zhang Jiuyang felt as if he had touched upon some great secret, and asked tentatively, "Did Imperial Master Zhuge...really die of old age?" Yue Ling glanced at him and said calmly, "That's what the history books say, but the files of the Imperial Observatory may have another answer."

really!

Zhang Jiuyang was about to ask further questions but was interrupted by Yue Ling.

"You don't need to ask, because I don't know either. The files recording the death of the Imperial Master cannot be accessed with my current status. Only His Majesty and the successive supervisors are qualified to read them."

Zhang Jiuyang's heart moved.

Although only the emperor and the supervisors could see it, it was unusual in itself to include Zhuge Qixing's death in the file.

Because it could be recorded in the files of the Imperial Observatory, it meant that it was very likely a case, a major unsolved case that led to the mysterious death of Master Zhuge!

"I've gone off topic. I've said all this just to tell you that Luotian County is really very dangerous. Anything related to the Yin soldiers is never simple."

"Well... the old eunuch must have had bad intentions in choosing this place."

Zhang Jiuyang nodded and said with a smile: "This is the first dangerous place, what about the second one?"

Yue Ling said seriously: "It's the execution ground."

"I don't know what's so special about this Xishikou execution ground yet, but one thing is certain..."

She said word by word: "According to Daqian law, executions will never be carried out at midnight!"

Zhang Jiuyang didn't say anything. He had actually anticipated this.

Generally, beheadings are carried out at 15:30, because the human shadow is the shortest at this time, which represents the peak of Yang energy between heaven and earth, and the soul of the prisoner will not turn into a ghost after death.

Even if the worst happens, they will choose daytime. How could they choose midnight when the yin energy is so strong?

But the old eunuch insisted on asking him to watch the execution at midnight.

No matter how weird you think.

"Zhang Jiuyang, I have told you all the dangers. It is not that easy to enter the underworld. The senior from the Imperial Observatory was also a rare talent, but he still died tragically during the assessment..."

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "You can choose not to go."

"I said, although you are my peripheral, I will not force you to carry out the mission. You have the right to refuse."

Zhang Jiuyang shook his head and laughed at himself.

“Do I have a way out?”

"Blind Lin gave me this token just to make me fall into hell and follow his old path..."

After a pause, a murderous smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were full of hostility. It seemed that Master Ling's hatred of evil had some influence on him.

"Since he is so reluctant to leave these brothers, I will send them to see him one by one. This can be regarded as my filial piety to my 'Master'."

But Yue Ling, who was always decisive, seemed a little hesitant at this time.

"Zhang Jiuyang, to be honest, I don't have the confidence to protect you. What if you..."

"I believe you."

Zhang Jiuyang looked at her and smiled, saying, "You can't just show off your Dragon Sparrow Sword in front of me."

Yue Ling was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "What a clumsy way of provoking me."

"Just tell me if it's useful?"

She touched the Dragon Sparrow Sword at her waist, her eyes became sharper, her tall body was like a towering tree, and her aura was as powerful as a rainbow.

"Luotian County is not far from here, so we still have plenty of time. From today on, I will give you special training."

"Zhang Jiuyang, in order to make you stronger as quickly as possible, I will not hold back any longer, maybe..."

"It will hurt a little bit."

……

Three days later.

Zhang Jiuyang was shirtless, holding the Demon-Slaying Sword in his hand, breathing heavily, sweating profusely, and even his vision was a little blurred as he stared at the terrifying figure.

Ali stood by and looked at Brother Jiu with heartache.

Zhang Jiuyang's body was covered in bruises, and his face and nose were even swollen. It was obvious that he had been beaten a lot.

Yue Ling is tall and slender, wearing silver armor and a red robe, holding an unsheathed Dragon Sparrow Sword. Her heroic eyes are calm, like a famous general commanding the battlefield.

"Your sword is still too slow. There are still flaws in the coordination with the breathing method, and your prediction of the enemy's actions is not enough. You must know that when fighting against evil spirits, a little slowness means death."

"Come again!"

Zhang Jiuyang took heavy steps and used the "Passing by Like a Fleet" move from the Liuhe Sword Technique. This move was the lightest and most agile, like a spring breeze and rain, and he slashed towards the gap in Yue Ling's armor.

"Too slow—"

Yue Ling frowned slightly. The Dragon Sparrow Sword easily blocked this fleeting move. Just as he was about to give some advice, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Zhang Jiuyang suddenly raised his eyes, and his breathing method changed from light and agile to fierce and deep.

The fifth move, which is also the one he is most proficient in... the mantis stalks the bird!

Leaning forward, Zhang Jiuyang's speed suddenly increased. His sword skills were fierce and dangerous, like a sudden rise in the sky, but the connection with the previous move was smooth and flawless.

It's just like an antelope hanging its horns, so imaginative and unrestrained.

The improvement of this sword skill surprised Yue Ling.

She held the scabbard with her left hand and the hilt with her right hand. She leaned her shoulders forward, stepped forward and drew the sword. Her breathing was like a storm and thunder, strong and powerful.

Twelve Formations of Breaking the Formation, with Sword Power!
There was a clanging sound of a knife.

The figures of the two people passed each other.

Pfft!
Zhang Jiuyang's figure fell into the pond and floated on the water. His eyes gradually lost focus and he felt dizzy. Before he lost consciousness, an idea popped into his mind.

On purpose, she definitely did it on purpose!
Just to avenge the Sex and Zen Incident!
So tired, so painful...

Little Qingji swam desperately in the water, using his less than four-inch body to support his master to prevent him from choking on the water.

"Master... gurgle gurgle..."

"You're so heavy... Gurgle Gurgle..."

Yue Ling smiled slightly upon seeing this, and looked at Zhang Jiuyang with a strange look in her eyes.

During these three days, she didn't practice anything else but one thing, which was actual combat!

It was also during these three days that she witnessed Zhang Jiuyang's perseverance and progress.

He really worked very hard and even though he cried out in pain, he would get up quickly every time he fell. He was indomitable and became more courageous as he faced more setbacks. Every time he got up, he would make progress compared to before.

It took three days of hard training to force her to draw her sword.

In time, I believe he will become a sword master who shocks the world.

Yue Ling personally carried it out of the pond and couldn't help but smile when she felt the heavy breathing on her shoulder.

"Have a good sleep. Don't worry about the evil spirits disturbing you. I will help you guard the door."

……

(End of this chapter)