Chapter 162: The Ruins Are Desolate (8000)

The state government office does look very luxurious. Compared with other places, it seems very lavish.

Xu Bai also knew the person standing at the door. To be more precise, he was very familiar with him.

It was broad daylight, and the sun was shining brightly. Although it was close to winter, the winter sun still added a bit of warmth. Under the sun, there was a person who was shining with the sun, reflecting a burst of light from time to time.

The light was reflected from the top of this person's head, which was bald and hairless.

"Donor Xu!" The monk in ordinary clothes walked quickly with a joyful look on his face.

His strength was as deep as the sea, and it seemed that he had increased to the third level.

Xu Bai smiled: "Wuhua."

This monk was none other than Wuhua, who had been away for a long time.

Unexpectedly, after such a long separation, Wuhua's strength has increased rapidly. Just from his unpredictable aura, it can be seen.

In front of Xu Bai, Wuhua was just an ordinary person, not like the monk he had met before, with a sense of solemnity.

Once you enter the world, you must find a way to get out of it. Now it seems that Wuhua has taken the first step and is completely no different from ordinary people.

Wuhua walked closer and said excitedly: "I just happened to be going to Lingyunzhou to do some business. I happened to pass by here. I learned that Xu Shizhu was here, so I couldn't wait to rush over and wanted to meet Xu Shizhu."

The excitement on his face was really excitement. After all, the relationship between them was different. When they were in Sheng County that day, they were born and died together. He, Xu Bai and Liu Xu did go through such a period of time together.

Especially Xu Bai. In Wuhua's mind, Xu Bai is a very Buddhist person, and he is devoted to Buddhism. Except for this lack of Buddha nature, everything else is perfect.

"Lingyunzhou?" Xu Bai wanted to try to chat a few more words, but after hearing what Wuhua said, he was stunned on the spot.

This is his next destination. Wuhua is going there too?

Thinking of this, he temporarily gave up the idea of ​​reminiscing about the past and asked his doubts.

Wuhua was also very shocked. He really just came here to reminisce about the past and didn't know where Xu Bai was going next, so he couldn't hide the surprise on his face.

The two stood there and talked for a while, and Xu Bai finally understood what Wuhua was like.

Now, Wuhua is already Si Zheng, which is a big step up from before, and the things he is in charge of are also correspondingly wider.

This time he came because a big thing happened in Lingyunzhou, so he had to rush over to deal with it without stopping, and he passed by this place, so he came to see Xu Bai by the way.

After Xu Bai roughly understood the situation, he touched his chin and said, "How about going together?"

Anyway, it's on the way, and the relationship between the two is unusual, so there's nothing wrong with going together.

When Wuhua heard that Xu Bai was going to go to the place he was going to, he had this idea in mind, but he hadn't proposed it yet. Now that Xu Bai proposed it, of course he agreed.

Ye Zi watched from the side without saying anything, just standing quietly aside. She knew that this person should be the young master's friend, so she also fully played the role of a maid.

"Master Xu, since we are leaving, let's hurry up without delay!" Wuhua said.

He is still the same as before, doing things in a hurry, and his personality has not changed much. If there is a way, he will do it immediately.

Xu Bai looked at the gate, but did not see the governor at the door. He had known about this situation for a long time. He guessed that he was another pedantic scholar who looked down on those who were born in the rivers and lakes.

Look, there was no one going out to greet them. At least some people would do some things for the occasion, but it is obvious that even the occasion was not done here.

"This is the way of the world. Many scholars are like this. Don't worry about it." Wuhua saw what Xu Bai was thinking and explained.

Xu Bai certainly wouldn't care. Everyone has their own principles and thoughts, and he would not easily interfere.

Just don't mess with him. If you insist on applying those so-called principles and ideas to him, he will be cruel and ruthless.

"Let's go, let's set off now." Xu Bai said.

The things here have been almost solved. The reason why we have to stay here for a while is because we want to make more progress. Now the bronze coffin lid is finished. Wuhua happened to come again. It's just right to go with him. When we reach the next place, we can have an extra helper.

Wuhua also brought a fast horse, tied to a tree not far away. After hearing Xu Bai's agreement, he pulled the fast horse down and prepared to leave with Xu Bai.

Xu Bai didn't waste time. The two didn't say much. They rode on fast horses and left.

Ye Zi and him rode on one horse, the fourth-grade puppet rode on one horse, and Wuhua also rode on one horse alone.

Without staying for a long time or packing up, everyone left on fast horses soon.

Silence returned to here, and after Xu Bai left, he did not stop but walked towards the next destination as fast as he could. The wilderness was very dark and quiet, and no other sounds could be heard except the sound of Xu Bai's horse's hooves.

The distance between the two places is still very far, and it takes a certain amount of time to get there.

During this period, the two also talked from time to time, and the most important thing was about Wuhua.

After all, they had not seen each other for such a long time, and when they met by chance, it seemed as if there were endless things to say. Xu Bai also gradually understood why Wuhua improved so quickly. Since he returned to the temple last time, he found his former teacher.

The teacher answered many questions for Wuhua, and Wuhua finally knew his weaknesses in his constant comprehension. Let’s not talk about feelings for the time being. He has not seen through things like desire.

So since what happened that day, Wuhua has been addicted to various places, and his strength is also rapidly improving, but he is still far from the final exit from the world.

"If I can get out of it completely, maybe I can be stronger, or reach a higher level. I am still a little bit incapable now." Wuhua said.

Xu Bai smiled as he rode his horse, "It's already pretty good to have your strength in my young life."

This sentence has no other meaning, it's just pure praise, and it's also true. Being able to reach the third rank among the younger generation is indeed worth bragging about.

Wuhua sighed and looked at Xu Bai with a very resentful look.

Xu Bai was terrified by the look and almost fell off his horse.

Before he could say anything, Wuhua spoke.

"Compared to Master Xu, I'm really far behind. Master Xu has no roots and no wings, but he can reach this point now. It really makes me feel ashamed!"

This is also the truth, without any lies. Wuhua said it from the heart. After all, he has seen too many miracles in Xu Bai.

"You, I didn't expect you to learn to lie in such a short time. Isn't it said that monks don't lie?"

"Of course, I never lie. The speed of Xu's strength is incredible. I don't know how many eyes are watching in the capital now." Wuhua is an excellent horseman. He said while riding a horse without affecting his speed.

Xu Bai thought secretly.

In fact, he had expected this result a long time ago. After all, when he promised the emperor, he had already thought of what the result would be.

But for him, it didn't matter much. Anyway, this step would come sooner or later. With the golden finger, it would be even more difficult to avoid exposing himself and greatly speed up the realm.

"Let's not talk about this. Tell me what you have next?" Xu Bai asked.

When it comes to this, Wuhua's expression immediately becomes very serious, and he said solemnly.

"A bloodbath has occurred in Lingyun Prefecture, and it is an extremely tragic bloodbath."

"The Gao family in Lingyun Prefecture is a martial artist, but what was unexpected was that all these people disappeared overnight, or to be more precise, disappeared."

"Only dense bloodstains were found on the wall, from which it can be inferred that someone must have been murdered."

Gao family, martial artist, bloodbath.

Xu Bai didn't know these things, and of course he couldn't figure out any clues. He thought for a while, suddenly raised his hand, and condensed a golden compass in the air.

Since he didn't know, he would calculate it. Anyway, he had the ability, and it wouldn't hurt to calculate it.

After this scene appeared, the most surprised person was Wuhua. He stayed on the horse and was almost thrown off by the horse.

"Master Xu, why did you cultivate so many abilities? I told you that day that if you practiced like this, you would have been amazing by now." Wuhua's face was very bitter.

He really didn't expect that Xu Bai even had the ability to calculate. This was something he didn't expect. After all, he had told Xu Bai about the disadvantages of practicing too much, and thought Xu Bai would listen to him, but he didn't expect that not only did he not listen to him, but he got deeper and deeper into it.

"I couldn't help it for a while, so I practiced a little more. It's okay." Xu Bai smiled.

Wuhua's head was full of black lines. It's not a big deal.

But he knew that these things didn't work after persuading, and there was no way to continue persuading. After all, he also knew Xu Bai's temper. He was really soft and didn't take hard.

Xu Bai casually perfunctory, and then he didn't say anything more. He used Wuhua as a clue and began to tell fortunes.

After about half an incense stick of time, Xu Bai waved away the golden compass in front of him and frowned tightly.

Wuhua was slightly stunned and asked, "Master Xu, have you calculated something interesting?"

He noticed Xu Bai's abnormality and was a little confused, so he asked directly.

Xu Bai said, "It seems that I have to participate in this matter."

Just now he calculated and suddenly found that this matter was related to him, but he didn't calculate the subtleties, only knew that it was related to him.

But he only needed to speculate a little to know the reason.

It was related to him, and he happened to be on the way to the capital, so it could only be those who assassinated him.

In this case, this is a breakthrough point. What he didn't expect was that he already had a clue before he arrived in Lingyunzhou. It was really unexpected.

Wuhua saw that Xu Bai was talking mysteriously and didn't point out the reason, so he didn't ask much.

But he was sure of one thing, that with Xu Bai's participation in this matter, he could be much more relaxed.

If someone else came to help, Wuhua wouldn't be so comfortable, after all, just changing someone to help him might not work.

But Xu Bai was different. He knew who Xu Bai was better than anyone else, and he also knew that Xu Bai's strength was far from being as simple as it seemed on the surface.

For Xu Bai, fighting across levels was as easy as drinking water, so Wuhua also put down the stone in his heart and felt a lot more relaxed.

Wuhua subconsciously asked: "Master Xu, is this a business?"

Xu Bai shook his head and teased: "If you want to treat it as a business, I don't mind."

Wuhua quickly waved his hand to show that he was joking.

In this way, the two chatted while rushing towards the final destination. Unfortunately, the journey was too long. The two were supposed to rest at the Yinyi on the way, but they did not rest for long before they set off.

Unexpectedly, not long after they set off again, something unusual happened in the sky. Now they were walking on the night road, but dark clouds were gradually appearing in the farthest horizon, occupying the entire sky.

The rumbling thunder was endless, as stuffy as a steamer, with a feeling of a mountain rain.

"It looks like it's going to rain heavily." Ye Zi raised his slender neck, looked at the dark clouds in the sky, and said, "Young Master, we have to find a place to shelter from the rain."

The heavy rain actually did not have much impact on the people present. After all, everyone was a master, but most of the mountains were mud. If it rained, the mountain road would become very slippery and not suitable for horses to walk.

People were fine, but if the horses were broken, they could only rely on their two legs to travel.

It's not a one-time rush. Sometimes it's better to proceed step by step. Xu Bai and others didn't think much and soon found a dilapidated small temple in a mountain forest, just enough to take shelter from the rain.

The small temple was already dilapidated. It was located in the deep mountains and old forests. It looked unrepaired and full of decay.

Fortunately, there were still a few tiles on the roof, which could serve as a place to take shelter from the rain.

There was a clay Buddha statue in the small temple, which was unmaintained and covered with thick dust.

As soon as Xu Bai stepped into the temple, a rainstorm hit, making a loud noise in the woods, accompanied by dull thunder, which made people feel depressed.

"It looks like the rain will last for a while." Wuhua looked at the sky not far away and said.

Xu Bai took the dry food from Ye Zi and handed it to Wuhua, saying, "It's a rare free time."

These days, we have been rushing around and haven't rested for long. Now the rain is expected to last for a while, just right to take a break.

"That's right." Wuhua touched his bald head, walked to a place to sit cross-legged, and took out another book to read.

While reading, he was also taking notes.

Xu Bai almost had an occupational disease, and subconsciously glanced to see if there was a progress bar. Unfortunately, no new progress bar was generated.

He looked at Wuhua and seemed very excited, and asked: "What are you reading again, and why are you blushing?"

Wuhua said: "These are some of my experiences in the world. When I have nothing to do, I will take it out and review the content in order to consolidate my current state."

Experience?

Xu Bai showed a strange smile on his face.

He knew how Wuhua entered the world. The so-called entering the world was to wander around Chunyu Pavilion. Under such circumstances, he certainly knew what the content of the experience left behind was.

Unexpectedly, Wuhua actually had this habit. When he had nothing to do, he would take out the things he had visited Chunyu Pavilion to look at.

Wuhua certainly didn't know what Xu Bai was thinking, and he was still concentrating on watching it, as if he had been fascinated.

Ye Zi poured a glass of water for Xu Bai.

The fourth-grade puppet took out the heavy sword method under Xu Bai's command and handed it to Xu Bai.

Now, the progress bar is almost halfway through, but unfortunately, it is still a long way from perfection.

Xu Bai did not give up this rest time. In his opinion, this time is the most comfortable time to grind the progress bar. No one disturbs him and there are no worries.

There are still fifteen books of the Nameless Sword Scripture that have not been finished. He has to hurry up and finish the Nameless Sword Scripture as soon as possible.

However, according to his current speed, Xu Bai estimated that even if he arrived in the capital, these books would not be able to make the progress bar perfect.

Unless something unexpected happens in the middle, there is still such a possibility.

"Is this considered planting a flag for myself?" Xu Bai thought.

Ye Zi sat next to Xu Bai, leaned her head on Xu Bai's shoulder, hugged her knees with her hands, closed her eyes and thought.

I don't know why, after being with the young master for a long time, the more she did that kind of thing, the more her strength increased.

Ye Zi certainly didn't know that Xu Bai had the body-strengthening and collecting skills. She just felt that her life was becoming more and more relaxed.

There was heavy rain outside the temple, accompanied by thunder, while the temple was a quiet environment, forming a strong contrast.

Just as everyone was doing their own things, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded, and more than a dozen people from the martial arts world came in from outside the temple.

In such heavy rainy weather, the people from the martial arts world who were walking outside also needed to take shelter from the rain, and this temple naturally became a place to take shelter from the rain. These people from the martial arts world carried their own different weapons and looked dusty.

The leader thought that there was no one in the temple, but he didn't expect that after they walked in, they saw Xu Bai and the other two, and they were also stunned for a moment.

People who walked in the martial arts world naturally knew the rules of the martial arts world. They stopped not far from the door and did not choose to get close.

For such unfamiliar contacts, getting close would be bad, so they didn't say much and rested there.

Xu Bai just raised his eyes and looked at it, and didn't look at it more, and continued to work on the progress bar in his hand.

There was nothing unusual. They were just ordinary people in the martial arts world, and they did not show any abnormal behavior to him.

It was just a coincidence. Everyone gathered together to avoid the rain.

These people in the martial arts world were also very particular. One person went out, and soon, he came back with some firewood and started a fire in the temple.

The fire at night showed some popularity.

The temple was no longer quiet, and the group of people in the martial arts world began to whisper to each other.

Xu Bai and others were all masters, so they naturally heard the conversation.

"We're about to reach Lingyun Prefecture, so everyone must cheer up."

"Hey, of course, we finally have a chance to repay a favor."

"The Gao family is very righteous in Lingyun Prefecture, and they have made many friends in the martial arts world. I don't know why they suddenly sent a letter to everyone they know, asking us to gather there."

"Who cares? We received favors from the Gao family back then, and we've always owed them a favor, so now we can repay them."

...

Xu Bai listened to it, touched his chin, and thought secretly.

They didn't know each other, but when these people mentioned the Gao family, Xu Bai became interested.

He roughly sorted out what these people said and got some useful information.

First of all, they received favors from the Gao family, and from their words, they could hear that the Gao family had many friends and had many ways in the martial arts world.

These people came here in a hurry because they received favors from the Gao family, and this time the Gao family suddenly sent them a letter asking them to gather in Lingyun Prefecture.

According to what they said, it was not only this group of people who came, but also others.

"It seems that they don't know that the entire Gao family is missing." Xu Bai thought to himself.

It's okay to think so. After all, it's normal to not have general information when you suddenly get the information and rush along the way. Who would care about other news on the way?

Wuhua coughed lightly and winked at Xu Bai, meaning that he should go over and take a look.

Xu Bai didn't care. Wuhua had his ideas, so he just did it.

Wuhua walked to the group of people and chanted a Buddhist name.

This group of people in the martial arts world were very surprised. They didn't know why Wuhua suddenly came to them.

The leader was sharp-eyed and saw the sign hanging on Wuhua's waist at a glance. It was the sign of the chief of the Jiantian Division.

The chief is different from the clerk. Although there is only a difference in level, there are too many things that can be managed.

The leader is a man of the martial arts world, and these people are also men of the martial arts world. In the end, they are still under the management of the Jiantian Division.

If they made any mistakes on weekdays, the Tianshi would come to them. Obviously, Wuhua suddenly came forward, which made the group of people a little stunned.

"Sir, I wonder what you want to see us for?" Although the leader was puzzled, he still asked in a humble manner.

If they made a mistake and were found, they might be panicked, but they didn't make any mistakes and they were not panicked at all when they were found.

Because they didn't know Wuhua's name, the leader just called him sir.

"It's really presumptuous for me to disturb you suddenly. Can you lend me your letter?" Wuhua said with his hands clasped together.

The leader was even more confused when he heard this and asked, "But what happened to the Gao family?"

Wuhua nodded and said, "The entire Gao family is missing, and there are only a lot of bloodstains on the wall, so I came to investigate this case. You may have clues, but you don't know it yourself."

While Wuhua was talking, Xu Bai raised his finger and turned the compass composed of golden light. After a while, he waved his sleeves and dissipated the compass.

This group of Jianghu people had no connection at all and could not calculate anything, which proved that they were not involved in this matter.

However, when Wuhua mentioned the letter, Xu Bai became interested.

When the Jianghu people heard this, they were obviously shocked.

The leader took out the letter in his hand without hesitation and handed it to Wuhua.

Since something happened, there was no way to say more. He just took the letter out honestly to avoid the fire from burning himself.

This is the way of the world. Sometimes they are heroic, but sometimes they can only seek to keep themselves out of trouble.

Wuhua took the letter in his hand, walked to Xu Bai, and opened the letter in front of Xu Bai.

Xu Bai took a rough look at it. The content on it was very simple, just asking them to gather in Lingyunzhou, without a purpose or reason, just simple content.

He used Feng Shui again and used the compass to calculate it. There was still no information, but he still found something different.

"The handwriting on it is very sloppy, and it is obvious that it was written in a panic."

"Yes, I can see that too." Wuhua nodded and said, "It seems that before this, he must have experienced something, and it was something that was enough to scare him, so he was so panicked."

Ye Zi interjected, "Not only is it fear, but he also foresaw the consequences of the matter, and the consequences should be terrifying enough, so he wanted to change the consequences, so he hurriedly wrote this letter."

Xu Bai nodded, and thought carefully in his mind.

At this time, the leader came over and felt that he still had to say something, at least to clear his suspicion.

"My lords, it's like this. The Gao family has made many friends in the world. This time, I guess he sent this letter to many people."

"Our group actually came from three different places. We met halfway and then got together."

The leader didn't know how to address Xu Bai and the others, but seeing that Wuhua was getting along with Xu Bai and the others, it was always right to address them as adults.

At this time, the rain outside had become slightly smaller, and gradually, it turned from light to nothing.

Xu Bai came to the door, looked at the gloomy weather outside, and said: "It seems that we have to hurry up, it's getting more and more interesting."

The Gao family is related to him, this is what he calculated before, and now the Gao family is inexplicably missing, so it must be related to the assassin who assassinated him.

"You all go back, don't get involved in this matter." Wuhua followed Xu Bai and said to the group of people in the martial arts world.

It's already chaotic enough now, he doesn't want the situation to become more chaotic, so it's better to let these people go back.

The leader watched Xu Bai and the others walk away, gritted his teeth, and finally said: "Let's go, the farther away the better."

This situation is not something they can participate in, so it's better to leave.

At this time, a martial arts person said with his neck stiff: "But the Gao family was so good to us back then, and now that we see them in trouble, we leave. How can this be justified?"

As soon as this sentence came out, everyone present fell silent. People in the martial arts world pay attention to morality. They did want to leave before, but now that this martial arts person mentioned it, it would be not good if they left.

Everyone wants to save face.

Another Jianghu person quietly came to the door and prepared to leave.

Everyone looked over, not knowing why.

One person who knew him was even more puzzled and asked, "Aren't you usually the most loyal? You want to leave now?"

The Jianghu person who was about to leave took a breath, then turned around and looked at them with an idiotic look, saying, "You idiots, don't you think that we can solve the problem that even the Blood Slaughter Swordsman can't solve?"

Blood Slaughter Swordsman?

As soon as these four words came out, everyone present exclaimed.

They suddenly remembered that there was a man with a black knife on his waist just now, and even the chief of the Tianjian Division talked to him in a friendly manner.

It is rumored in the Jianghu that the Blood Slaughter Swordsman always carries a black knife. It seems that this person is the Blood Slaughter Swordsman.

The Jianghu person who was stiff-necked and said that he was loyal at first suddenly said nothing and quietly packed up his bag.

While packing, he was still mumbling.

"Forget it, the Blood Slaughterer is here, so let's not get involved."

Everyone was silent and followed his example, starting to pack up their things and leaving one by one soon. They all left in different directions, but the only thing in common was that they were far away from Lingyunzhou.

...

After Xu Bai and his companions left the temple, they headed all the way to Lingyunzhou.

This place was not too far from Lingyunzhou. After walking for a few days, they finally arrived at Lingyunzhou.

Compared with the previous Fenghuazhou, Lingyunzhou has a different performance, and the local customs and customs here have also changed greatly.

The most different thing is that compared with the previous Fenghuazhou, Lingyunzhou seems to be more prosperous.

It seems to be right. The closer to the emperor's feet, the richer it is. This is common sense.

"Should we find a place to rest first, or go and take a look directly?" Wuhua asked.

Xu Bai looked around and found that the people coming and going were all worried.

I think something happened to the Gao family. Hundreds of people disappeared here for no reason and the news spread. There is no wall that is impenetrable, so the people are naturally worried.

"Go check it out first."

Since we have a clue, we should go check it out first.

Xu Bai doesn't have procrastination, on the contrary, he has some obsessive-compulsive disorder. If he has a clue, he will feel uncomfortable if he doesn't check it out immediately.

Wu Hua nodded and walked in front.

As for how to find the Gao family, it is actually very simple. Just ask any common people on the road. After asking clearly, everyone did not stop and rushed to the destination.

When they arrived at the destination, they were stunned when they saw the empty mansion in front of them.

The door of the mansion was open, and there was nothing inside, which became extremely deserted.

Hundreds of people disappeared for no reason, and no one was left. When it was circulated among the people, it was also a taboo, so no common people passed by here, for fear of touching bad luck.

The few people did not hesitate to walk towards the Gao family and soon came to the empty yard.

"Hey, this governor is straightforward. He knew that I was coming, so he didn't even leave anyone to watch over me." Wuhua was slightly dissatisfied.

These days, some people become officials just for the sake of being officials. For something like this that is obviously the matter of the Tiansi, the governor would not care about it, so as not to bring trouble to himself.

Xu Bai did not answer, but raised his right hand and drew lightly in the air, and a golden compass emerged.

He always felt that he should be able to find clues here.