Wait a minute, heroine

Time flew by and it was already three days later.

Night Jingtang rides a charcoal-red horse and rides under the stars and the moon in the vast sea of ​​sand. From time to time, he takes out his telescope and looks at the unchanging sand sea.

Because they knew the exact direction and wanted to be in a hurry, they didn't bring a carriage with them on this trip. More than 30 people, all lightly dressed and riding horses, galloped towards Crescent Bay.

At this time, She Long led his guards to protect Dongfang Liren and others. Although the Queen Mother looked weak, she had been a general since she was a child, and her riding skills were not bad. She rode a tall horse and even had some thoughts. Reading secretly.

Hua Qingzhi's legs and feet were inconvenient, so she couldn't ride a horse at all, and it was difficult to sit in Ye Jingtang's arms, so she felt a little embarrassed and sat in Da Benben's arms and was hugged.

Because Da Benben is very tall, a little shorter than Ye Jingtang, and the size of his clothes is amazing, he still keeps his head held high. Hua Qingzhi, who is relatively slender, is sitting sideways in her arms, turning her head to face the fat head dragon!

In slight comparison, it felt bigger than her face, and the pressure was simply ruthless.

Even though Hua Qingzhi had been sitting there for several days, she was still not used to it, so she could only stare at the sand sea intently, pretending to appreciate the scenery.

Dongfang Liren's manners have been upright since he was a child. He did not deliberately raise his head and chest to overwhelm others. After walking to a Populus euphratica forest, he said:

"It's more than thirty miles away. Do you want to stop and take a rest?"

Night Terror Hall was not tired, but the horses behind them could not withstand the day and night attacks. He was about to call She Long and others to rest, but he looked at Populus euphratica forest out of the corner of his eye.

Luo Ning and Sanniang had been behind, and now they came to the Populus euphratica forest to look around. They could see that there was a hole dug in the ground, which was more than one person deep into the ground. It was like the mouth of a well, but there was no trace of water in it, only a broken stone.

Ye Jingtang got off his horse and looked at the traces in the hole. He found that it was very new and could even be seen to have been dug with a hoe. He asked:

"You came back a few days ago and looked for water here?"

Pei Xiangjun shook his head: "The water we got from Crescent Bay should have been dug by others."

Luo Ning looked to the left and right, slightly confused: "There is no man's land for hundreds of miles, could it be a lost caravan?"

Ye Jingtang observed the surroundings. Because there had been sandstorms in recent days, there were no traces left on the ground. He thought for a while and said:

"Judging from the traces, they brought special digging tools, and there was more than one person. It doesn't look like a caravan..."

After only a few words of conversation, She Long and other detectives also gathered around the pit, looking around and whispering to each other.

To be on the safe side, Ye Jingtang took out the sleeping bird from the bamboo box hanging on the side of the horse and asked it to patrol high in the sky to see if there was anyone within a hundred miles. Then he ordered She Long:

"Send a few people to search nearby to see if there are any traces left. Others will rest on the spot for a quarter of an hour and wait until they reach Crescent Bay before setting up camp."

"promise."

She Long immediately took the order and arranged for four detectives to search the surrounding area, while the others dismounted and repaired around the Populus euphratica forest.

Ye Jingtang also took advantage of the break to wander around and investigate. Soon after, She Long brought people back and reported:

"There is horse manure under the sand. The hole must have been dug in the past two days. The team estimated that there were ten people going up, but the others were not seen."

Ye Jingtang didn't think there was any team in the desert that could threaten their safety, but to be on the safe side, he asked She Long to send two scouts out to clear the way ahead and continue setting off.

A distance of more than thirty miles is not considered close in the desert, but the elite black yamen accompanying them are all equipped with high-quality war horses that Dabenben spent great efforts to obtain from the Ministry of War. Their endurance and speed are far better than ordinary horses, and they cost no money. How long did it take to reach the destination of this trip.

Ye Jingtang walked up a sand dune and saw the lakeside not far away. He could feel that the oncoming breeze was no longer drying, and dots of green appeared in his field of vision.

The crescent-shaped lake between the sand and the sea was larger than he had imagined. It was more than two miles long from north to south and half a mile wide from east to west. The water in the lake was very calm, with only slight wrinkles caused by the breeze. The sea of ​​stars and the moon were reflected in it. , from a distance, it looks like a crystal gem embedded in the sea of ​​sand.

Although the scenery here is indeed not as majestic as Yunmengze, nor is it as graceful and beautiful as Jiangzhou, the scenery also depends on the situation of the tourists.

People who come to Crescent Bay must have been eating sand in the no-man's land of the desert in recent days. They can stare at a scorpion for a long time. Suddenly encountering such a big lake, it feels like "you have been single for a long time and look at a sow and you feel beautiful" , it’s really eye-catching.

Ye Jingtang stood on the sand dunes and looked at the Crescent Bay not far away. After taking a few breaths, he commented:

"I feel very beautiful. Look, there are a few sand foxes drinking water."

The Queen Mother has already driven her horse to the front. She looked up and her eyes lit up:

"I came here during the day last time. It was so hot that I couldn't breathe. I took a few glances and then left. I didn't expect that the scenery was pretty good at night..."

Ye Jingtang smiled, drove his horse down the sand dune, came to the crescent of the lake, and called the men to start setting up camp on the spot.

Dongfang Liren has been here once. Although the scenery is different at night, the difference is not very big after all. He just rested by the lake with Sanniang Ning'er.

Hua Qingzhi was much more interested because it was her first time here. She stood by the lake with the Queen Mother and watched the Night Terror Hall begin to work.

The purpose of Ye Jingtang's trip here is to find the stone tablet recorded by the First Emperor.

According to the records of Panlong Cave, the stone tablet was sunk into Tiantan. Tiantan was originally a large lake. After the great changes in the world and Liangchuan turned into a desert, it gradually shrank and became the small Crescent Bay today.

The scope of the search for this purpose is probably centered on Crescent Bay, and it has to be explored for several miles. It is still a very large amount of work.

The accompanying Heiya agents all carried long poles similar to Luoyang shovels. After setting up their sleeping tents, they divided into groups of two and began exploring in the desert.

Ye Jingtang, on the other hand, took off his clothes at the lakeside, plunged into the lake water, pierced the bottom of the lake with a probe rod, and searched in the water.

Although there are many helpers, after two thousand years, it is not clear how deep the stone monument is buried. If it is buried in a place with a thick sand layer and there are no architectural ruins around it, it will be impossible to detect if the probe is shorter than one inch. This method is obviously still relatively clumsy. .

The Night Terror Hall had been busy for a long time with no results. Instead, it was a slutty figure that made the Queen Mother and Hua Qingzhi blush.

Just after everyone was busy for a while, the sound of wings flapping came from the sky.

Ning'er, who was sitting in the camp, stood up and caught the bird with her arms, and asked:

"How's it going?"

"Chi chi chi..."

The birds spread their wings and started making various gestures.

Wow~

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang also emerged from the water, inserted the probe rod in the sand, came up to him with his upper body naked, looked at the bird's body language, and then translated:

"Eight miles to the southeast, sixteen horses and two men."

Dongfang Liren came out of the tent and was a little confused when he heard the voice:

"Two people and sixteen horses? Is this a horse dealer?"

Niaoniao was only conducting high-altitude reconnaissance. All it could see was the information on the surface, and it was naturally unable to respond to other information.

Ye Jingtang felt that the possibility of a horse dealer appearing in this no-man's land was very slim, so he thought for a while and said:

"The distance is not far. You guys rest first while I go over to check on the situation."

After saying that, he took the robe from Ning'er and flew towards the southeast...

——

There is no man's land near Crescent Bay, and late at night, it is like a dead yellow sea.

The cold moonlight shines in the sea of ​​sand. More than ten horses are parked behind a sand dune, and there is a dug hole next to it.

Two eunuchs taking care of the horses were sitting next to the entrance of the cave, holding dry food in their hands. They were talking with frowns:

"In my opinion, the imperial court was too sick to seek medical treatment. They traveled thousands of miles to find a stone tablet in this place where birds do not lay eggs. Even if the first emperor really left behind some secrets, so what? Martial arts, this thing, Whether you can practice well or not depends on the person. The talent of Ye Jingtang is there, and it is said that there are six pictures at hand. Even if the First Emperor himself comes over, I doubt that he may be able to suppress it..."

"Well, the national master is also a generational figure, and his talent is not half inferior to that of Ye Jingtang. Moreover, Ye Jingtang has deduced the seventh picture on his own. He is destined to die or not. We don't have to fight. As long as he keeps using it up, he will be able to do it sooner or later. Being dragged to death..."

…

At the same time, on the back slope of the sand dune not far from the two of them.

The birds that came quickly squatted in the yellow sand, quietly stuck out their round heads, tilted their heads and looked down.

Ye Jingtang lay next to him and listened carefully, his eyes looking quite surprised.

From the conversation, he could tell that these two people were from the Northern Liang court, but he couldn't figure out who was taking the lead. As for the purpose, it was very clear - these people, like him, came here to dig out stone tablets.

Judging from the time of their arrival, this is probably related to Li Si who escaped from the Wuma tribe. After all, the First Emperor left a handwriting at the exit of the military road, and Li Si was in charge of diplomacy. He was familiar with the history of the West Sea and could not be fluent in ancient texts. , as long as you understand it, you may find it.

And judging from the current situation, this group of people seems to have really dug up clues...

Seeing the unexpected gain, Ye Jingtang naturally did not hesitate. After observing for a moment and finding that there was no one else nearby, he took out two copper coins from his arms and flicked them with his fingers.

Dong Dong~

The two people who were talking didn't react at all. They tilted their necks at the same time and fell to the ground.

Sa~

Ye Jingtang fell in front of them silently, supported the two of them with both hands, put them gently on the ground, and then looked into the hole.

Below the hole is a building made of stone bricks, which is estimated to be more than three feet above the ground. It is very deep. It should have been buried underground at first, and it was not buried by the yellow sand afterwards.

Night Terror Hall originally thought it was a tunnel, but when he silently jumped into it, he found that the place he was in was narrow and depressing, and looked more like an ancient tomb.

Ye Jingtang looked around and listened carefully, but found that there was no sound nearby, and the more than ten people who had come in were missing.

Seeing this, he walked around the ancient tomb for a while, and finally came to a stone room. There is a stone tablet in the stone chamber, with dense handwriting engraved on it in ancient Liang script.

The tomb wall that was originally sealed behind the stone tablet has been opened, revealing a deep passage that leads to nowhere.

Ye Jingtang looked at the stone tablet for a few times. At this time, he just regretted that he had read less. He didn't know what was written, and he couldn't figure out where the aisle led. After thinking about it for a while, he turned back and ran towards the camp...

——

At the same time, at the other end of the aisle.

The large stone palace was built deep underground. The stone carvings of dragons on the walls are ancient and solemn. The overall look is like an imperial mausoleum that has been buried underground for thousands of years.

But in the middle of the hall, what is placed is not a golden coffin, but a huge stone tablet two feet high. There is an altar in front of it, and bronze sacrificial vessels that have been corroded by the years and cannot be seen in their original appearance.

Hua Junchen and others were scattered around the hall, observing the words and pictures on the stone walls.

Eunuch Ziliang and Li Si stood in the middle, looking up at the giant black stone tablet in front of them.

I don’t know what kind of material the stone tablet is made of. I don’t know how many years ago it was, but it still looks as bright as new. There is a picture carved on it.

The picture is of a 'Buddha with three heads and six arms'. The carving work is truly miraculous. The lines are so fine that they are only as thick as a hair, but they cover the entire two-foot-high stone tablet. You can even distinguish the detailed texture of the skin, just like a living person embedded in the black stone. generally.

But it is a pity that such an ingenious inscription was destroyed.

The lower two-thirds of the stele are intact, and no flaws can be seen. However, the shoulders of the Buddha statue are cut off by the stone stele. The Buddha's head cannot be seen at all, and there is no broken stele on the ground. It was obviously someone. It was taken.

Li Si stood in front of the stone tablet and observed it carefully for a long time, then asked:

"Is this a picture of a roaring dragon?"

Eunuch Ziliang had studied Ming Shen Tu in college and was not unfamiliar with Minglong Tu. At this time, he had carefully looked at the mural and shook his head gently:

"It's different from the Singing Dragon Picture, but it works the same way. If you think about it thoroughly, you should be able to achieve similar effects. It's a pity that the Buddha's head was destroyed and is incomplete."

After Eunuch Ziliang finished speaking, he squatted down and looked at the base of the stone tablet.

There are three paragraphs of text engraved on the base. The first two paragraphs are unknown, but the last line is in the text commonly used in the world today.

Eunuch Ziliang was not proficient in ancient Liang script and asked:

"What do you write in the first two lines?"

Li Siban squatted down for a moment to identify carefully:

"This first line must have been left by the First Emperor. It says - This is a way that goes against heaven and cannot flow into the world. Otherwise, the way of heaven will be unbalanced and you will be punished by the gods. It seems that the first emperor advised future generations not to spread it indiscriminately. .”

Several people who were looking around also gathered over at this time. Hua Junchen stood with his hands behind his hands and thought about it:

"After learning the Nine Singing Dragon Pictures, it is said that you will become immortal. If everyone learns it and everyone lives forever, the world will change from 'birth, old age, sickness and death' to 'only life and immortality'. Then the way of heaven is indeed out of balance."

Eunuch Ziliang nodded slightly and asked again:

"What's next?"

Li Si looked at it carefully: "Judging from the tone of this paragraph, it seems that Wu Taizu responded to the First Emperor, writing:

If God punishes me, he can also punish me.

There are very few people who have ascended to immortality in ancient and modern times. Since I have found the great path, how can I hide it from future generations?

In addition, if the ancient tunes are not played, then this stele will not be passed down. "

After hearing this, Hua Junchen's eyes showed surprise:

"As expected of Wu Taizu who ascended on a dragon, he is much crazier than the First Emperor."

Eunuch Ziliang had a little taste and commented:

"The First Emperor was a god-given magic, and he was in awe, so he didn't dare to pass it on to the world. But Wu Taizu should have realized the Tao on his own, did not take heaven and earth seriously, and refuted the First Emperor's views, so he created his own spread Pictures of the Singing Dragon to this day.”

Seeing this, Eunuch Yin and others began to discuss:

"No wonder before Wu Taizu rode the dragon, there was no such thing as immortality in the world. It turned out that our ancestors did not dare to say it in ancient times."

"Wu Taizu left the Minglong Tu, and it seems that no one can follow in his footsteps. There seems to be no difference between teaching it publicly and not spreading it to the outside world."

"Alas, it's up to the individual to lead the master to practice. No one can follow in his footsteps. It can only be said that the descendants like me are stupid in nature and cannot compare to these two outstanding people."

"It's no nonsense. From ancient times to the present, there is only one Wu Taizu who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the First Emperor. Who in the future would dare to compare with these two..."

…

While everyone was busy discussing, Li Si looked at the last paragraph, which read:

If a person is one foot tall, the Tao will be one foot tall.

Even if I am a bird in a cage, how can I dare to speak such destructive words? Seniors have misled me.

This line is written in contemporary script and everyone knows it, but the meaning is hard to understand.

Li Si thought about it and guessed:

"The person who left this sentence should have found the Minglong Picture and this stone tablet, but failed to become an immortal and is complaining here. I estimate that the destruction of the stone tablet and the disappearance of the last three pictures are all related to this person. "

Hua Junchen squatted down, raised his hand and touched the writing:

"Wu Taizu has been around for 1,200 years. You can't tell the year in this handwriting. It may be Fengguan City if it's close, but it's hard to verify if it's far away. What should we do now?"

Eunuch Ziliang raised his head and looked at the incomplete stone tablet:

"Although what is engraved on this stele is not a picture of a roaring dragon, the difference in effectiveness should not be big, and only part of it has been destroyed. If we can understand it, it should be of great use. As for the incomplete parts, we can only find a way to fix them. try to find."

Li Si nodded: "This Buddha statue is too complicated. It would take several years for the painting master to trace it. I still can't trace the depth of the carvings and make rubbings. I can only find a way to move it back."

Hua Junchen turned his head and looked at the two-foot-tall giant stone tablet, and slightly spread his hands:

"I'm afraid this stone tablet weighs tens of thousands of kilograms. Master Li, will you move it?"

Eunuch Ziliang knew that he couldn't take this thing with him, so he said:

"You all have great talents. Take the time to understand. Solid food can still last for seven days. No matter success or failure after seven days, we will quickly turn back and find a way to transport this monument back to the West Sea Protectorate."

Hua Junchen, Xu Tianying and others are actually top-notch in talent in the world, but they are weak compared to Ye Jingtang. When Eunuch Ziliang said this, he naturally did not miss the opportunity to learn magical powers, and immediately placed his hands in front of the stone tablet. Sit down and start observing.

But unfortunately, this stone tablet is much more obscure and difficult to understand than the Singing Dragon Picture.

More than ten people, headed by Eunuch Ziliang, sat cross-legged in front of the stone tablet seriously. They looked at it for an unknown amount of time, and their eyes were sore. Only Eunuch Ziliang, Xu Tianying, and Hua Junchen could touch the stone, but they felt like they were "painting first." Take a horse head, then draw the body and limbs, and a lifelike horse will come out. The details are all figured out by yourself.

Others simply looked away from their faults.

And after everyone had been studying in silence for an unknown amount of time, Eunuch Ziliang suddenly twitched his ears and raised his eyes to look upward.

Seeing this, the others also retracted their attention and looked upwards. As a result, they faintly heard a voice coming from above:

Boom~

Boom~

It sounded like an iron tool was poking through the sand to the dome of the stone palace. After finding that it couldn't be poked, the sound disappeared.

Eunuch Ziliang frowned, raised his hand to press the floor tiles, and carefully sensed it with the magical power of Ming Shen Tu, and found that there was slight movement on the surface, as if someone was digging the sand above...