Chapter 430: Ghost Face

No, no, there is something wrong here!

How did Wang Yang weaken the Prince of Badong's trust in him step by step?

He lost favor because he failed several times, but wasn't his failure accidental? Like the Jingzhou incident, who could—

The blade approached, the cold light was dazzling. Li Jingxuan had no time to think carefully!

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!! You tell the Army Supervisor! I am willing to defect to the Army Supervisor! From now on, I will only be loyal to the Army Supervisor! You tell him, I know he will definitely reach that step sooner or later! No, no! I don't know! I don't know! I mean, I, I am willing to assist the Army Supervisor in achieving great—assist the Army Supervisor! If the Army Supervisor knows I want to defect! He definitely won't kill me! You report it! Report it! You can kill me after you report it!"

Li Jingxuan lost his composure, and in his urgency, he expressed his loyalty, but halfway through, he felt he had committed a great taboo and hurriedly changed his words, speaking incoherently.

He Ji's sword stopped in mid-air, he squatted down and looked into Li Jingxuan's eyes:

"The Army Supervisor has an order: if Mr. Li says he wants to defect, you can tell him one sentence."

Li Jingxuan's eyes lit up, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, and he said repeatedly:

"You say, you say! I will listen to whatever the Army Supervisor orders!"

He Ji leaned over and whispered in his ear:

"The Army Supervisor said: Mr. Li's heart is dangerous and reaching, his ambition is high and his actions are biased. He likes to create trouble and easily causes chaos. His talent is a pity, but his heart is hard to trust. If you use him, you will create trouble; if you abandon him, you will leave trouble. Yang, cannot be used for the time being."

Li Jingxuan was lost.

Pfft!

He Ji stabbed Li Jingxuan in the chest with a sword!

Li Jingxuan shook violently, blood foam flowed down the corners of his mouth, and a gurgling sound came from his throat, but he was still desperately trying to speak:

"I... I have millions of coins... buried... buried in..."

Everyone on the ship opened their eyes wide and pricked up their ears.

Only He Ji didn't even listen, turned his wrist, pulled out the sword, and then stabbed it in again!

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

Stabbed three times in a row!

Li Jingxuan stopped moving.

The ship was silent for a while.

Several subordinates didn't dare to say anything, only a young man jumped out, his face full of pain, stamping his feet anxiously:

"Brother-in-law, you should have listened before killing!!! Millions!!! That's millions!!!! How could you—"

He Ji pulled Li Jingxuan's clothes corner and wiped the blood on the sword unhurriedly:

"You believe whatever you hear. He said millions, so it's millions?"

The young man was crying without tears:

"He said he had millions before! Brother-in-law, you stabbed it all away!!"

He Ji snorted in his nose:

"You really believe whatever you hear! I don't know him? When he was in Jingzhou City, he was so poor that his carriage was rented, and he hadn't paid the carriage company for half a year. He has a fart of wealth! What can't a person make up to survive?"

"Ah? Is that so..."

While the young man was regretful, he felt much better...

It's just that he didn't know that the renting and owing money were all made up by He Ji.

He Ji didn't know if Li Jingxuan had money or not, but when he received the order to leave the camp, a musician subordinate under his battalion had passed on two sentences from Wang Yang.

One was what he just told Li Jingxuan. He asked the subordinate several times on the road, and recited it over and over in his heart for a long time before remembering it.

The other was much easier to remember—the opportunity is given to you, how to choose is up to you.

He had decided how to choose as early as when he was in Jingzhou!

So let alone Li Jingxuan saying he was a captain of the Palace Division without any proof, even if he had proof, he would have to die here today!

As for burying millions of coins, that was probably Li Jingxuan's nonsense, but he was afraid that others would hear any changes, and he was also afraid that he would hear it himself, and there would be any changes...

He Ji stood up and ordered his men:

"Chop off his head and throw the body into the river..."

Li Jingxuan was not completely dead yet. In his dying moments, he had two things on his mind and died with his eyes open.

One was that the words about burying money were actually a poisonous plan to harm these people, but he didn't finish speaking, otherwise he could have dragged these people to be buried with him.

Second, what does the word "temporarily" in Wang Yang's "cannot be used for the time being" mean?

His thinking was intermittent, and the light in front of his eyes dimmed bit by bit. The sound of wind, footsteps, and voices all went further and further away, becoming more and more blurred, like being separated by a thick water curtain.

At the moment the last ray of light disappeared, a ghost face mask appeared in front of him.

That strange man's voice sounded in his ear again, as clear as before:

"Profit lies in the fourth prince, merit rises in Western Chu. Once you gain power, you can master the situation."

—Liar.

This is a,

Liar...

In a manor on the outskirts of the capital, in the deep courtyard of the inner house, a person wearing a ghost face mask is dancing in the hall.

This is a ghost dance popular between Qing and Ji in the north, accompanied by copper clappers and short drums, with a simple style.

When ordinary people dance it, the steps are mostly stagnant and less elegant, and the momentum is heavy but lacks rhyme.

But when this person dances it, skill is hidden in simplicity, and elegance is seen outside simplicity. Every time his feet paused, he stepped exactly on the drum beat. Although the vigorous ancient meaning has not diminished, the turning of his body and the flying of his sleeves add a few points of elegance. It is as if he is not a fierce ghost who kills people at night, but a fairy charm who comes with the wind and covers the clouds.

More than a dozen maids stood still in the room, looking straight ahead. Occasionally, a few little maids held melons, fruits, and tea and walked around, but none of them stole a look at the ghost dance in the hall.

Only an old lady with silver hair and brocade clothes sat on the soft couch, with a jade-handled fan by her knee, picking plum preserves from a glass bowl while watching the ghost dance, watching with great interest.

The ghost-faced dancer danced with heart, and after a short flute sound, he began to sing:

"Flowers are full, walking in the middle, when returning, I don't hear of life and death—"

The old lady frowned, but didn't interrupt, just shook her head slightly and said to herself:

"The dance steps are the Junju steps of Beihai County, but the lyrics are from Nanfeng in Jiangzhou. The lyrics and dance are not harmonious, what a pity..."

I don't know if the dancer had excellent hearing and heard the old lady's words; or if he was observant and clever, his feet paused, his sleeves shook, and the musicians on both sides were all experts, so they didn't need to discuss with each other, and directly changed the sound and rhythm with the dance.

Under the slow urging of the flute, the dancer sang while dancing:

"The dead tree is green again today, Wu Ping seeks to return. Hearing that this tree was killed, it has regained its brilliance—"

The old lady nodded first. But after listening for a while, she sighed lightly again:

"The Yue tune is too heavy."

The ghost-faced dancer retracted his sleeves, his body suddenly slowed down, his steps slowed down, the copper clappers stopped, and only the short drums tapped lightly.

The dancer walked a few steady steps, then stepped up again, and sang again:

"Sitting by the Peacock Tower, hearing the Phoenix Drum from afar. Down from Zoutou Mountain, as if seeing Liang and Lu—"

The old lady's brows finally relaxed, revealing a smile, and the fan shook lightly:

"The song is harmonious!"

The ghost-faced dancer sang a song, and a burst of copper bells rang on the side of the hall, and a person wearing a Celestial Master mask turned out. Holding a peach wood sword, stepping on the steps, he sang as soon as he entered:

"I am the teacher of heaven and earth, driving away like wind and rain. My left hand holds the Green Dragon, my right hand occupies the White Tiger. Go to the top of Mount Tai, and see the Yellow Old Lord! Order to drive away evil spirits, teach me to kill ghost words!"

At this point, the Celestial Master turned around suddenly, the wooden sword came out, pointing directly at the ghost-faced person.

The ghost-faced person wanted to dance again, but being pointed at by the wooden sword, as if suddenly forced by an invisible energy, he staggered back!

The two fought against each other, and the ghost-faced person gradually fell into a disadvantage, but refused to admit defeat, pouncing repeatedly, resisting stubbornly!

He even took out a mirror from his sleeve, which seemed to have great demon power, shining so that the Celestial Master covered his face and avoided it, not daring to face its edge directly!

This kind of intense fighting scene was the ghost-faced person's own ingenious creation, which could not be seen anywhere in the capital, and combined with the copper clappers and short drums, it made the atmosphere in the hall tense, and the old lady forgot to eat her plums.

The ghost-faced person bared his fangs and brandished his claws, approaching step by step, wanting to harm the Celestial Master! The Celestial Master turned around, and the mask didn't know when it had been changed to a fierce ghost phase! It was more ferocious than the ghost face on the ghost-faced person's face!

The old lady "Yi"ed, and the fan fell to the ground.

The maid hurriedly picked it up and put it back in the old lady's hand, but the old lady forgot to take it, only watching the play.

After the Celestial Master changed his mask, his momentum changed suddenly, no longer the appearance of a fairy-like wind and bone, but like a fierce ghost descending to the world, with fierce flames soaring to the sky! He stepped forward and sang loudly:

"I am the ghost king who eliminates all disasters for heaven and earth, and transforms into a human world! Three lists and six spells in one month, divine power stands and disappears everywhere!"

The last sentence doesn't need to be sung, but read aloud:

"Celestial Master's divine spell, hurry, hurry, like the law, cut!"

Then he swung a sword! The drum beat!

The old lady stared and watched, only to see the ghost-faced person scream, clutching his chest, his body tilted, and he fell to the ground.

The Celestial Master retracted his sword, took off his mask, and knelt to the old lady:

"The ghosts have been eliminated, and the house is peaceful. May the old lady be blessed with longevity and health, and everything will be taboo-free!"

The old lady laughed from ear to ear and clapped her hands in praise!

The maids immediately followed suit! The atmosphere was lively.

The old lady called for a reward, and soon a maid brought up a tray of copper coins.

The person playing the Celestial Master hurriedly kowtowed to thank him for the reward!

The ghost-faced dancer also climbed up, knelt and kowtowed, his voice aggrieved:

"Old lady, please be clear, the little ghost was wandering outside the blue sky and had never done evil. Today, I just entered your mansion by mistake, and was cut by a sword. The old lady is merciful, so please reward me, the little ghost, together!"

The old lady laughed:

"You have already been cut to pieces by the Celestial Master, what reward do you want..."

The ghost-faced person knelt and reported:

"I dare not hide it from the old lady, the little ghost had already been cut to pieces, but hearing that the old lady had a reward, a remnant soul floated back..."

The old lady was amused and laughed, saying repeatedly:

"Reward! Reward! Reward this one too!"

The ghost-faced person took the money tray, and the old lady said:

"Little ghost, take off your mask and let me see."

The ghost-faced person took off his mask, revealing a handsome face full of sweat. It was Wang Rong, a direct descendant of the Langya Wang family, known as the first talent of the Great Qi, and served as the Secretary of the Secretariat (a deputy director of the Central Office, deputy ministerial level).

The old lady looked him up and down and nodded:

"Indeed divine, but still worse than my A-Rong."

The air in the room went quiet.

Wang Rong looked as usual and bowed:

"The old lady is praising me. How can I compare to Wang Zhongshu?"

The old lady looked confused:

"Wang Zhongshu..."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she put down the fan:

"No! I have to send hot soup to A-Rong!"

As she said this, she supported the side of the couch and was about to get up, but the maids hurriedly tried to stop her.

The old lady was anxious:

"The Qingzhou school is cold, A-Rong can't do without hot soup! Quick! Quick, prepare the carriage!"

The old lady insisted on going, and everyone couldn't stop her.

Wang Rong was not in a hurry, took half a step forward, and smiled:

"Why did the lady forget? It was sent over early in the morning, and the young master has already drunk it."

The old lady asked the people around her in amazement:

"Is that so?"

Everyone agreed.

The old lady finally felt relieved.

Wang Rong stood aside and whispered to order the meal, but the old lady was "sharp-eared and bright-eyed" and immediately scolded:

"A-Rong hasn't come back, what meal are you ordering!"

Then she asked Wang Rong:

"By the way, who are you? You look a bit unfamiliar..."

————

Note: The three songs Wang Rong sang at the beginning are all ancient ghost songs, each with its own story. Interested students can read "Strange Records" written by Liu Jingshu of the Liu Song Dynasty. The Celestial Master's singing later was adapted from "The Supreme Orthodox Curse Ghost Scripture." ===== CHAPTER 431 =====