After a while, Princess Zhaoning came to the attic of the mansion.
She was sitting on an official chair, wearing a spotless men's gown and her hair tied up in a high bun. Although her face was tired and her eyes were slightly red, her waist was straight.
On the floor in front of her, complex formation patterns were carved.
With a flash of golden light, several translucent figures formed by the convergence of light appeared in the sky above the formation, all wearing black gauze hats and Qiyao uniforms.
"Meet Your Highness the Princess" These figures all bowed to Princess Zhaoning.
Seeing that everyone she was looking for had gathered, Princess Zhaoning went straight to the point and said, "The traitor Gu Xu has been exposed near Jinyang Mansion. You guys are cultivators from Hedong Province The most senior person, I need you to immediately put down what you are doing and carry out the task of arresting Gu Xu."
Several officials from the Exorcism Department nodded and said that everything will be obeyed by Her Royal Highness the Princess.
They had long heard that Gu Xu was a criminal who had been ordered to be captured by His Majesty the Emperor, who had been living in the palace for a long time. Any official who dared to slack off in this matter would surely face the Emperor's wrath.
Princess Zhaoning stood up and walked to the wall.
There is a huge, slightly yellowed map taped to the wall.
She stretched out her slender fingers and pointed on the map and said, "Pu Qianhu, Shen Qianhu, you two will lead people to set off immediately to Tianmen Pass, Shiling Pass and Chitang Pass. Organize local monks to intercept the fugitive Gu Xu. "
Tianmen Pass, Shiling Pass and Chitang Pass are known as the "Three Passes of Jinyang". The terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they choke the entrance and exit of Hedong Province. It controls the northbound traffic of Jinyang and is described in ancient books as "standing on the spine of the world and serving as the throat of the river".
If Gu Xu wanted to leave Daqi, whether he was going to Youzhou to join Zhao Changying, or fleeing to the northwest barbarian territory, he would definitely pass through the "Three Passes of Jinyang" without taking a detour.
The Daqi Dynasty attached great importance to the "Three Passes of Jinyang" and was no less important than the Dachu Dynasty. Multiple defensive formations including "Grand Formation".
In other words, the monks cannot fly across the "Three Passes of Jinyang" with weapons. They can only pass by land, and they must also hold a pass "Lu Yin" issued by the imperial court.
After hearing Princess Zhaoning’s instructions, the two people whose names were read nodded in agreement.
"Shang Qianhu, rush to Shouyang County as soon as possible, lead people to set up an ambush, arrange space-blocking formations in advance, and check the directions of every passerby," Princess Zhaoning then ordered He said, "If Gu Xu did not go to Jinyang Sanguan, but chose to take a long detour to the east, then he would definitely pass by near Shouyang.
"Que Qianhu, you go to Jinyang At Malingguan in the south of Yang, lead your cultivators to block all the twenty-four passes under your jurisdiction. Similarly, set up formations to check the identity of every passerby.
“Gu Xu has always been scheming.Maybe he didn't play his cards according to common sense and chose to escape south. We must prepare in advance. "
"Yes, Your Highness. "Qianhu Que Juchang of Liaozhou Prefecture and Qianhu Shangwei of Fenzhou Prefecture hold their fists in the air.
Finally, Princess Zhaoning's eyes fell on the only female official, Zhu Qiuyi, the commander-in-chief of Hedong Province.
p>
This woman with a simple appearance and quiet temperament is a powerful monk whose strength is close to the peak of the sixth realm. She masters a magical power called "Zhufeng" and possesses a magic weapon called "Memory". , has solved many major cases, making many criminals and ghosts frightened.
"General Zhu, your cultivation level is the highest among all the people present," Princess Zhaoning ordered, "According to the news, The place where Gu Xu was last seen was Mengshan Mountain to the west of Jinyang City. I need you to get there as quickly as possible, use your magical powers and magic weapons to discover as many clues as possible and trace Gu Xu's escape path.
"If others discover Gu Xu's whereabouts, you will also need to deal with him."
"Your Highness, I have heard that Gu Xu has a magic weapon that can travel through time and space." Space magic," Hedong Commander-in-Chief Zhu Qiuyi lowered his head and said in a calm voice, "With my magical power, I may not be able to catch up with him."
"No, you can catch up. ," Princess Zhaoning smiled faintly and shook her head, "Gu Xu's magic can travel hundreds of miles in an instant, allowing him to reach Qingyao Mountain from Luo Jing City in the blink of an eye.
"But from Luo Jing. Several days have passed since the capital city was destroyed. Gu Xu still stayed within the borders of Daqi and did not run too far away.
"This proves that Gu Xu cannot travel through space without restriction. Casting such a spell consumes a lot of his real energy."
Zhu Qiuyi nodded, Thoughtfully, "Then I'll give it a try."
"By the way, when performing the mission, remember to bring the messenger jade talisman and the sky-breaking bead with you," Princess Zhaoning paused for a moment. He also said, "If the situation changes, report it to me immediately, and I will make further arrangements.
"All consumable magic weapons and formation materials you use during the mission, including sky-piercing All items, including pearls, can be reimbursed to the court. ”
After receiving the order, the figures of several officials quickly disappeared into the room.
Princess Zhaoning still stood there, looking at the map on the wall, somewhat lost in thought. .
She has blocked all possible ways from all directions, making Gu Xu a turtle in a jar.
"Where can you escape now?" His fingertips moved lightly on the map, and he said silently in his heart.
Gu Xu held the astrolabe in his hand, like a ghost, and walked quickly in the mountains.
Since his whereabouts were revealed by Sima Chang. After discovering it, he started running away without hesitation.
He did not dare to fly to a conspicuous high altitude, but only dared to fly quietly at low altitude under the shade of trees.
p>
After flying for more than ten miles and far away from the jurisdiction of Jinyang, he arrivedThen he fell back to the ground and rested for a while.
At this moment, his true energy has returned to fullness, enough to build a space channel again.
"Where should I escape?"
As he thought, he took out the copper coins in his pocket and planned to find a safe route through divination.
At this moment, when he muttered the names of "Tai Shang Haotian" and "Emperor Zi Wei" in a low voice like before, he only felt it was quite ironic.
They are clearly sworn enemies.
However, they appear in pairs on the altar and appear in various mantras and prayers.
Gu Xu also finally understood why his divination results were never wrong.
Because the object of others' prayers is gods, and the object of his prayers is himself, there is no possibility of being interfered with.
"Is Tianmen Pass safe?"
"Is Chitang Pass safe?"
"Is Maling Pass safe?"
"Huangyuling Pass Is it safe?"
"Is Jingxing safe?"
""
After asking questions more than ten times in a row, Gu Xu finally had a relatively safe route in his mind. The route first goes southeast, bypassing Shouyang County, going straight to Douquan Ridge, then turning northeast to avoid the 24th Maling Pass, leaving Hedong Province from Jingxing and heading to Youzhou.
Although they took a long detour, they happened to avoid the heavy defense lines set up by Princess Zhaoning.
It is like finding a narrow gap in the dragnet.
He took a deep breath, his eyes turned into a deep indigo blue, and the "astrolabe" also glowed with silvery white light.
Soon, black ripples appeared in the air, and a space passage quickly formed in front of him.
He wiped the sweat from his temples and stepped inside.
The surrounding scenery instantly turned into blurry blocks of color, as if falling into a rotating kaleidoscope.
After receiving the order from Princess Zhaoning, Hedong Commander-in-Chief Zhu Qiuyi immediately crushed a "sky-breaking bead" and came to Mengshan from his residence in an instant.
She took out a small white porcelain bottle from her sleeve, placed it on the ground, and then silently recited the incantation.
Soon, a faint
colored smoke rose from the bottle.
The smoke floated into the air, sketching a three-dimensional and dynamic picture.
This small white porcelain bottle is called "Memory". As the name suggests, it is a magic weapon that can recall scenes from the past.
It can reproduce what happened within six hours in the form of smoke.
With the help of "Reminiscence", Zhu Qiuyi saw the "Reggae" with its teeth and claws showing its fierce look, saw the bruised little official Sima Chang, saw the majestic golden-red sea of fire, and also saw Gu Xu and him. The mask blew to the ground.
Her mood suddenly became complicated.
She didn’t expect that a fugitive wanted across the country would beBecause he rescued people, his whereabouts were exposed.
But she was on task and didn’t think too much.
Soon, Gu Xu in the smoke image picked up the mask, put it on again, and then walked quickly towards the depths of the dense forest.
Zhu Qiuyi immediately picked up the small porcelain bottle and flew into the air, chasing Gu Xu's image.
After flying for more than ten miles, Gu Xu’s image finally stopped.
He paused for a moment, tossed the coin for a while, then built a space passage, walked in, and disappeared.
Zhu Qiuyi sighed softly and put away "Reminiscing".
"Reminiscence" can only recall what happened at the same place, but it cannot know the destination of Gu Xu's space shuttle, let alone tell her Gu Xu's subsequent escape route.
"Your Highness," she took out the jade talisman and sent a message to Princess Zhaoning, "I followed Gu Xu's footsteps all the way from Mengshan to Fangshan. He built a space in Fangshan Passage. But the power of recall is limited. I have no way of knowing where he went." After a while, Princess Zhaoning responded, "I know."
"Report. Your Highness, there are no suspicious persons passing by near Tianmen Pass."
"Your Highness, Wei Chen has not found any trace of Gu Xu in the Shouyang area yet."
"Your Highness, Maling. There is nothing unusual around Guan."
""
Princess Zhaoning held the messenger jade talisman tightly in her hand and frowned more and more as she listened to the ministers' reports.
She suddenly felt that Gu Xu was like a fish in the deep sea. He surfaced in Jinyang City, spit out a few bubbles, and then dived into the bottom of the sea, never to be heard from again.
In order to catch this fish, she cast an overwhelming net, but the fish was very likely to slip away quietly through the gaps in the fishing net when she was not paying attention.
She rubbed her dry eyes and couldn't help but secretly sigh. In the vast territory of Daqi, it is no less difficult to catch a fugitive who can conceal his identity, hide his whereabouts, and travel through space. Looking for a needle in a haystack.
Seeing a faint fish belly white appear on the eastern horizon, she pondered for a moment and asked the maid guarding the door, "Can you please bring Mr. Mu here for me?"
Zhao The full name of "Mr. Mu" in Princess Ning's mouth is "Mu Yunkai". He is a minister of the Daqi royal family. He has the sixth realm of cultivation and is proficient in divination.
Perhaps it is because there are so few monks who know how to do divination. This person is often arrogant and has high standards. Divide shelves.
Princess Zhaoning is too lazy to do things with him on weekdays.
After all, there is a strong saint in the Exorcist Department who is known as "knowing everything in the world".
But now, Luo Chuan, the head of the exorcism department, is seriously injured and bedridden, so naturally he cannot help her find Gu Xu's whereabouts.
She had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.
A moment later, a bloated old man with gray hair wearing a brocade robe, leaning on a gilt crutch, came to her under the guidance of the maid.
As he walked, the end of the crutch kept hitting the ground, making a harsh sound.
"I have met Your Highness."
After seeing Princess Zhaoning, he did not bow to salute, but simply nodded.
Princess Zhaoning is too lazy to argue with him on these trivial matters.
She asked the maid to bring up a chair and said politely, "Mr. Mu, please sit down."
Mu Yunkai was not like other officials who would pretend to decline. one time.
He sat down on the chair, crossed his legs, and then directly instructed the princess's maid to pour him a glass of water.
"Mr. Mu, there is something I need your help with"
"It's about the fugitive Gu Xu." Before Princess Zhaoning could finish speaking, Mu Yunkai laughed. With a smile, he interrupted her and said, "It's really interesting for a mere fourth-level monk to make a huge imperial court miserable."
"Mr. Mu, now is not the time to joke," Zhao Princess Ning restrained her smile and said in a solemn tone, "Tonight, the traitor Gu Xu appeared in Mengshan near Jinyang Mansion. After his whereabouts were exposed, he fled from Mengshan to Fangshan, and then built a space passage to go An unknown place.
“We need to use your divination skills to find the place where Gu Xu escaped as soon as possible. "
Seeing that the princess became serious, Mu Yunkai also sat up straight and said, "I can do divination. But I need as much information about Gu Xu as possible. "
Princess Zhaoning took down a stack of files from the nearby bookshelf, placed it in front of Mu Yunkai, and said, "Are these enough?"
Mu Yunkai lowered his head and answered. Said “Not enough. These are just his resume when he was an official in the imperial court, and they are the tip of the iceberg of his whole person. It is impossible to predict correct results by relying only on these things.
"I also need to know his birth date, his private personality and hobbies, and the way he conducts himself in the world. It would be better if I could find his personal belongings."
< p> "But in my impression, Luo Sishou never needs these things when doing divination." Princess Zhaoning frowned slightly, feeling a little confused.“Because his divination and mine are two different systems,” Mu Yunkai said with a smile. “His divination relies on the stars in the sky and uses the trajectory of the stars. To predict the rise and fall of mortal affairs.
“My divination relies on fate itself. With enough information, we can clear away the fog of destiny and get a glimpse of a person's future.
"Your Highness, it seems that you are still a little ignorant."
Princess Zhaoning did not pay attention to his sarcastic joke.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and began to recall all the details of her past interactions with Gu Xu, thinking aboutWhat kind of person he is in private.
Then she discovered that she had very little experience with Gu Xu in private.
She only remembered that on the night of the Lantern Festival, she disguised herself as a man and was with Gu Xu on the bank of Luoshui, evaluating the performance of each monk in the arena.
At that time, Gu Xu was handsome and high-spirited. His pair of deep eyes reflected the lights of the Lantern Festival, and he also glowed with confidence.
But more often than not, the distance between the two is far away.
She learned about what kind of person he was through official documents from the court, through archives, and through looking at each other from a distance in public.
But to this day, especially after he changed from the proud man of Qi to the imperial criminal, his image in her mind became increasingly vague and mysterious.
Princess Zhaoning was silent for a moment, then raised her head and said to Mu Yunkai, "Maybe we have to go to Qianhu Shilei's mansion in Laizhou Prefecture.
"His daughter , should be the person who knows Gu Xu best in the entire capital. ”
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