From the beginning, Xingling didn't have the slightest bit of memory about his father.Grandfather said that father relied on picking herbs to survive.
Before he was born, he died in an accident on the cliff.Apart from that, there was no other news about her father.It was Grandpa who took her to read, study, study medicine, and buy things from the town market.Grandpa's medical skills were superb, and he occupied the upper hand in the only two medical establishments in the town.
Most of the people in the surroundings suffered from some minor illnesses, and most of them came to visit Grandpa to take a look.But when it came to some big illnesses, Grandpa never looked at them.Xingling used to be very curious.
From what he knew about Grandpa's medical skills, Grandpa could cure many big illnesses, but Grandpa repeatedly refused.Because of this, even though Grandfather had a good reputation, if there were some serious illnesses, the commoners would still go to the nearby cities for consultation.Therefore, although Grandfather's reputation was good, it didn't spread far.Now that he thought about it, it was probably because Grandfather didn't want to spread his reputation too far, so he attracted the attention of the demons, so he kept such a low profile.It was precisely because Grandpa only looked at small illnesses that his income wasn't high.
He didn't have a good life, so he needed his mother to work outside to supplement his family's expenses.It was also from her memory that her mother didn't stay at home all the time and worked around for a living.In Xing Ling's fragmented memories, her mother had gone to Zhaoyuan City to do textile work and had done it for less than three years.
After resigning, she stayed at home for the past summer and opened a small restaurant in Qingyang Town.
However, she had done it for a few months and had closed it down due to her bad management.That was probably four years ago.Four years ago, when she was 11 years old, her mother went to Fuling City to work.Her mother would come back once every two or three months.
She would bring some delicious sweets and rare playthings from Fuling City and stay for about two days before going back.Every time she came back, when her mother saw her, there was a thick smile on her face.
She would press her left cheek to her right cheek.This moment of warmth, Xing Ling always remembered it very clearly.Mother said that she was a shopkeeper at the largest wine shop in Fuling City and had a lot of money.
So, as long as Xing Ling liked something, she could buy it and give it to Xing Ling.Xingling didn't know which tavern his mother was in.
He memorized the words 'The biggest tavern in Fuling City' and quickly walked forward.In the dark forest, the sound of hurried footsteps traveled around like raindrops.The crowd of people quickly moved along the narrow forest path.The leader was a middle-aged man clad in red robes, with the words 'Governor' engraved on his back.The eyes of the magistrate were originally filled with a sense of immortal demeanor, but at this moment, they were completely covered up by anxiety and panic.
Sweat dripped down from his forehead, and he tightly knitted his brows, as if he was facing a great enemy.The speed at which the magistrate walked was simply too fast.
The well-trained soldiers behind him had even begun to trot about.
Only then could they barely catch up to him.All of a sudden, the magistrate stopped.The soldiers behind clearly did not expect this to happen.
They continued to move forwards according to the inertia.
The soldiers in front collided with the magistrate, causing them to fall.The strange thing was that the weight of several soldiers combined was almost a thousand jin.
However, when they collided with the magistrate, it was as if nothing had happened."Governor, this."The leading soldier, Zhong Li, stood up and patted the dust off his body in confusion.The magistrate turned his head and looked at the trees on the side.
His right cheek muscles twitched and he said, "Here."Hearing that, everyone turned around and saw a deep gorge next to the aisle.Several soldiers rushed forward and leapt inside.A short while later, the soldiers lifted a corpse together.The corpse looked withered and decayed, as if it had been dead for a long time.Yuankui looked closer, and the hatred in his eyes intensified.
This was the old doctor Zhangzhen, who had been attacked by him during the day in the square.
The other person was a soul cultivator.Zhong Li saw that the Lord magistrate's body was slightly twitching, and his tightly clenched hands and nails were embedded into his skin!"You three, bring this old man back to the magistrate and follow me!
He should still have a child in his teens alive!"Yuankui's voice was like a bell.After two consecutive days of trekking, Xing Ling stood under the main gate of Fuling City.These past few days had been much more bitter than the last ten years.Because his body was penniless, he could only sleep on the roadside at night.
The ones sleeping next to him were some beggars wearing tattered clothes.The beggar was also surprised by himself.
Perhaps they had never seen such a young beggar before.For three days, almost every time she closed her eyes, her grandfather's face appeared in her mind.She tossed and turned until late into the night before falling asleep.
It wasn't easy for her to fall asleep, so she would wake up soon.At this moment, Xingling hesitated as he looked at the carriages and the soldiers standing guard on either side of the gate.The clothes on his body were already tattered beyond recognition, dirty mud covered his entire body, and his disheveled hair had little bugs crawling down.If he had seen such a child in Qingyang Town before, he would definitely have given some money or food.However, he never expected that after just a few days of unforeseen events, he would fall into this field.Hesitating for a moment in the grass before the main gate, he decided to walk forward.Coincidentally, at this moment, there were a lot of people under the city gate.
The soldiers guarding the city would only check when they saw some bags on them, while some empty hands would be released directly.Xing Ling deliberately squeezed into the middle of the crowd, burying her head and walking step by step.When they reached the bottom of the city gates and were only a few steps away from the city gates, an inexplicable joy surged in Xing Ling's heart.Suddenly, a hand grabbed onto his collar.The panicked Xing Ling turned around and saw the guard on the right looking at her with a serious and ferocious expression.
He shouted, "Little brat, why are you sneaking around?!""Ah, this..."Xingling was horrified and started to eat.Seeing him like this, the guard pushed Xing Ling's right hand that was holding the collar forward, as if pushing a dog away."Smelly beggar, get lost."Hearing this disgusted voice, Xing Ling's body fell and she stood up and ran to the side.At this moment, his body was already extremely weak.
When he walked on the path, he felt powerless and almost fell to the ground in the next second, unable to get up.Xing Ling suddenly saw a haystack piled up on the side of the city road and hurriedly walked over.At noon, dazzling sunlight shone down.
The weak Xing Ling lay on a haystack, her head aching, but she didn't sleep at all."Uncle, may I ask which is the biggest wine shop in Fuling City?" Someone happened to pass by.
Xingling quickly grabbed the corner of the person's clothes and asked.The passerby glanced at Xing Ling and left.Xingling looked down at himself.
Lanlv's clothes and the wounds all over his body really resembled beggars.Xing Ling stood up with all her might and continued to question every passerby.At this moment, in her heart, finding her mother was the only goal.
It seemed that only by doing so would she be able to survive."Governor, should we inform the other magistrates to join forces to arrest this 'Zhang Xingling'?"A guard wearing black armor stood at the foot of the stairs, cupping his hands together as he spoke to Yuankui.Yuankui had his back to the soldiers.
He faced the wall and remained silent.Yesterday, in order to capture Zhangzhen's grandson, that brat Zhang Xingling, he had spent a whole day, but in the end, he had to return empty-handed.Yuankui and the others had already reached the edge of Zhaoyuan City.
If they went any further, they wouldn't be in the city anymore.There weren't any traces of Zhang Xingling's tracks on the way.
He didn't seem to have left on a normal route, and it was still hard to determine the exact direction.However, based on the location where Zhangzhen's corpse was found, there were only four cities nearby, which might be their escape destination.The four cities were: Return to the Sun, Treasure Source, Che Tian, Fuling.At this moment, Yuankui stood silently by the side of the dead body in the darkness."Zhongli."Zhong Li looked up at the magistrate."These sixteen guards of yours should have seen this child in the plaza of Qingyang Town, right?
At least they have some impression of him, right?""Yes, Magistrate.
""You can divide yourselves into four groups.
You will be stationed in these four cities and secretly search.
You must not reveal your identity."This reply clearly caused Zhong Li, who was leading the team below, to be somewhat surprised.
"But, this..."According to the current Tang Dynasty's rules, if a criminal escaped to another place, he only needed to write down the cause and reason of the crime with a piece of paper.
Then, he would apply for an inter-city search.
Normally, the magistrate of the city would pass.However, this time, it was clearly to hunt down the criminals who had poisoned 2,000 people, so they could ask for the cooperation of the various city magistrates to hunt them down.
Why did they have to hide their names and secretly search?"Don't ask so much!" Yuankui seemed to have realized Zhong Li's hesitation.
He didn't even give Zhong Li a chance to question him."From now on, I will appoint you as the head manager of the military department of Zhaoyuan City.
You only need to obey my orders and the others will be at your command.
If this matter is completed, I will promote you as Vice Magistrate and take over my position in the future."As soon as Zhong Li heard this, the question immediately vanished from his mind and his heart surged.Zhongli knew that he had come from a poor background and relied on his brute force to enter the military headquarters of Zhaoyuan City.
Now that he had such an opportunity to raise his strength, he was naturally overjoyed."Yes!" Zhong Li responded.
He immediately turned to the guards behind him and shouted."Listen to my orders.

What the magistrate said just now cannot be leaked in the slightest, otherwise you will be killed without mercy!""Yes!"The guards behind them seemed to be somewhat slow-witted.
Just now, the guards who were still on equal footing suddenly turned into 'Chief Stewards'."Let's go dress up and head to the four cities in batches.
We'll disguise ourselves as commoners and secretly search for them." Zhong Li's tone was high and stern, as if he was a commanding officer with a heroic aura.The sixteen guards in the secret chamber all retreated accordingly.Yuankui stood on the stairs.
When he heard the last guard leave, he heard the sound of the stone door closing and slowly turned his head.The dim lights set off the room as usual, making it even darker.He stared intently at Zhangzhen's body.
He was placed on the stone table next to the wall, his haggard face as pale as a log."It's been so many years.
I've been looking for you all, the descendant of Ganluo, and I've been looking for such a hard time.
I didn't expect you to be willing to commit suicide, so I have to keep it a secret.
I've finally grasped your style as a soul cultivator.""But fortunately, you still have a child.""Master, Zhang Xingling isn't Zhangzhen's child."Suddenly, a bewitching voice came from behind.
The voice was filled with charm and reverberated in the secret room for a long time.Judging from the sound alone, she was definitely an alluring beauty.Yuankui turned around and looked at the bewitching woman who suddenly appeared.
The corners of his mouth curved upwards.This was not an outsider, but his only disciple many years ago, charming."Chu Mei, what do you mean?" Yuankui asked with a calm and surprised tone."According to what I know, this Zhang Xingling is Zhangzhen's grandson.
And Zhangzhen's son, Zhang Xingling's father, has disappeared from sight many years ago.
His life or death is unknown.""Oh?""However, Zhang Xingling's mother, Zhaoyan, is still alive in this world." Qiuqiu smiled eerily, as if he had already seen through the mystery."So you're saying that Zhang Xingling might have gone to look for his mother?
Where's his mother?" Yuankui asked softly as he walked down the stairs."I asked around from Qingyang Town's neighbors.
I only know that it's in Fuling City, but I don't know exactly what I'm doing.""Okay, haha.
That's enough."Yuankui suddenly regained his ecstatic expression."Just now, I arranged for 16 bodyguards to split into four teams and search in private among the four cities.
The reason why I didn't dare to inform the various magistrates was because I was afraid that if something were to happen, we would be suppressed by the 'seal' and wouldn't dare to use any spells.
At that time, we could only let the soul cultivators do whatever they wanted."..."Yuankui turned to look at Zhangzhen's corpse.
A thick smile spread out from his eyes like a river:"As long as we act on our own, we won't use any spells until we have no other choice.
However, as long as we kill Zhong Li and the dozen or so soldiers before we use our spells, we naturally won't be able to draw out any 'restraint'."Yuankui laughed, as if everything had gone as he had imagined.However, in the entire conversation just now, Charm had been kneeling on the ground, clasping hands and remaining silent.Yuankui looked at Charm and frowned as he pondered something.
His tone suddenly became low and steady."Enchantress, since the day I met you, I taught you to learn the Soul Stealing Technique, allowing you to become a soul snatcher.
It has been a hundred years since I last met you, right?""Mm, I remember it very clearly.
""Mmm, it's been a hundred years.
Isn't it precisely at this moment that we can find the soul cultivator race and destroy the 'Restriction Medallion', and then destroy the seals of Nuwa, so that we can dominate the world?""Now that victory is in sight, my disciple is also very happy, hehe." His charming laughter was like a string."In the past, my disciple was a little capricious.
She didn't listen to my master's orders.
After learning the Soul Stealing Technique, she wandered around the world and deeply sensed the power of the 'Restriction'.""At this critical juncture, I learned that my master had found the whereabouts of the art spirit cultivator, and hastily returned.
I ask master to give me a chance to redeem myself.
As for capturing Zhang Xingling, I won't have to trouble you to leave.
I'll just hand him over to my disciple."Yuankui nodded his head in satisfaction and patted Chu Mei's shoulder."Good, good, good, haha.
Of course I'm happy to have this realization.""However, I have something to say to my disciple: a thousand years ago, Ganluo had swallowed the medicine of immortality and became an immortal body.
Although I can't find any traces of him now, and the world is only a legend about his descendants, I can't underestimate him.
After all, he was chosen by Nuwa, so he wouldn't be completely at ease handing over the token to his descendants.
He wouldn't care about it anymore."...""Ganluo is dead.""What?!" Yuankui exclaimed in shock."I've just taken a look around the Underworld.
Master taught me a powerful soul-seizing technique.
Nobody in the Underworld can do anything to me.
Furthermore, I can tell from the Life and Death Plot that Ganluo committed suicide many years ago.""Why did he commit suicide?
Didn't he take the Longevity Medicine?""Forbidden spells have been used for over a thousand years now, and their strength has been weakened.
In order to strengthen the seals, Gan Luo used his own life as a price to strengthen the seals.
Thus, even if he consumes the Longevity Medicine, he still cannot stop himself from committing suicide.""Haha!
Haha!
So the token should have been kept in the hands of his descendants, so that's how it is!"Yuankui laughed so hard that even his body trembled.
His voice seemed to have pierced through the thick walls and spread to the streets and alleys of Zhaoyuan City."Good.
Good!
Chu Mei, hurry up and capture Zhang Xingling.
Once everything is done, the world will belong to me.
I'll definitely give you a piece of land and make you feel free and at ease."Yuankui continued to smile.
It was as if the world was his.A hint of an imperceptible smirk appeared on the corner of his bewitching mouth, and his eyes looked somewhat like an oriole behind a mantis preying on a cicada."Yes, Sir Yuan Tiangang."Charm cupped her hands together, her body blooming like fireworks.
With a bang, she disappeared without a trace.