- Six years ago, winter. When the temperature drops below zero, ice crystals begin to form on the red eaves of the palace tower, which are raindrops that once hung on the eaves. Some people say that in every drop of frozen water, there is the world and you.

Under the pure sky, there are light and delicate white snowflakes, boundless, endless, and a cold wind blows, which is a song and dance of ice and snow. In the winter of that year, the snow was unusually heavy. Xianyang Palace, which rarely snows, is also covered with snow, frozen into a world covered in silver.

Bian Que, who had just turned seventeen, was wrapped in a long white cotton jacket and stepped on an inch of snow. At that time, he was very young, and his soft hair was still completely jet-black. After walking through the snow, Bian Que stepped on the palace road, and after a while, he went to the largest palace in the Wei Palace. It was Xu Fu's dormitory in the imperial city, the Blood King's Palace. During that period of imperial physician coercion and chaos, the entire Wei Palace domain of Xianyang Palace City was Xu Fu's private domain.

Bian Que pushed open the corner of the palace door, and the warm wind of the charcoal fire immediately blew in his face. In the center of the spacious palace, there is a furnace with a burning fire, which is burned with the charcoal that only the emperor can use. In the side pavilion of the Blood King Palace, the tall Xu Fu was still wearing a long red-striped black robe, standing beside a wide table, contemplating with a serious expression.

Bian Que carefully closed the palace door, and then walked in with light steps, "Master, good morning." Bian Que's voice was very soft, and his eyes kept paying attention to Xu Fu's expression, as if he was worried about disturbing his quiet. Well. Xu Fu just replied softly, without even moving his gaze. On the table in front of Xu Fu, there were twenty ancient gray stone slabs. Each slab was half a foot long and an inch thick, with varying degrees of minor damage. The surface of the stone is marked with mottled marks and fine cracks, and it is clear that it is old and difficult to estimate.

But the most important thing is that these stone slabs are engraved with neat and cumbersome ancient characters, like mysterious stone tablets that record something. Xu Fu was staring at the dark red pupils in his eyes, staring silently at the ancient texts on the twenty stone tablets. "Master, haven't you slept all night?" Bian Que glanced at Xu Fu's slightly withered face and asked worriedly.

"Can't sleep." Xu Funing frowned and sighed deeply. Then he blinked vigorously, finally turning his tired gaze to look out the window at the fluttering snow. "It's been more than half a year since I got these slates, and I still haven't been able to see the strange ...... inside" Speaking of this, Xu Fu's expression became more and more gloomy, "If you delay like this, everything will be in vain." ”

"Wouldn't that be the mistake of us? Maybe these slate tablets are not really ancient demon dao classics......" Bian Que hid these words in his heart for a long time, and finally couldn't help but say it. After all, Xu Fu has been specializing in these slate slabs for more than half a year, and if there is still no clear harvest, there must be something wrong with it.

"Impossible." Xu Fu said in a strong voice, denying it without hesitation, "These stone slabs are all found from under the Xuan River, and they are completely consistent with the clues. "And the ancient words on these stone tablets are indeed the information of the ancient demon path." "But the only strange thing is that these ancient texts only record the origin and description of the ancient demon path, and there is indeed not a word mentioning the secret methods, seals and spells of the ancient demon path."

"And without those key principles and knowledge, everything is meaningless!" That's right, as Xu Fu said. These twenty stone tablets of unknown age are the twenty inscriptions that record the mysteries of the ancient demon path in the legend. And these slabs were all found from the bottom of the Xuan River!

Seven months earlier, in the spring, Xu Fu had forcibly blown up the embankment and drained the Xuan River, disregarding the safety of Chenhe Town, causing a flood of the Xuan River that shocked the whole country. The purpose is to obtain the twenty stone tablets hidden under the Xuan River, obtain the legendary classics, and practice the ancient demon path that has been extinct for thousands of years!

But things obviously didn't go as smoothly as he planned. Although he succeeded in obtaining twenty stone tablets inscribed with ancient texts, after countless people, including himself, translated them, they still did not find any knowledge about the cultivation of the ancient demon path from the ancient texts of the twenty stone tablets.

The ancient texts that have written twenty stone tablets are all describing all kinds of godlike and earth-shattering ancient demon paths, and even record the preparation materials required for each demon path - but there is no such thing as the most crucial information such as secret methods, seals, and spells. So Xu Fu got the classics, and it was useless. More than half a year has passed, and he has exhausted all kinds of methods, found all kinds of strange people, and tried to decipher the secrets of the slate classics. But nothing came of it.

So Xu Fu, who had classics in his hand but did nothing, was unhappy all day long, became more and more melancholy, and even began to lose sleep all night. "I really don't know what the problem is?" Xu Funing frowned and sighed angrily. He had been sleepless for twelve days since last month, with black shadows floating around the sockets of both dark red eyes.

"No matter what, Master, you have to rest more and take care of your health." Bian Que stared at the increasingly haggard look on Xu Fu's face, and still said worriedly. "The secrets of the ancient demon path classics can be solved slowly, and there is no need to rush this weak body. But in fact, he couldn't even drink the medicine, just for the sake of his body, he had to endure the bitterness and drink it.

So the weak Bian Que opened his eyes vigorously and looked at the master who came to him with the medicine. Then, with the help of Xu Fu, he frowned and forcibly drank a whole bowl of medicine again. But as soon as the medicinal soup was in his stomach, Bian Que felt a violent tumbling in his stomach, and then his esophagus shook, and he immediately vomited out all the medicinal liquid. As a result, the black medicinal soup splashed on the mattress and Xu Fu's robe, and the rich smell of medicine immediately overflowed the surrounding air.

"It's okay, Bian Que. You okay? Xu Fu subconsciously released the magic blue energy to shake away the medicinal soup that had splashed on his body, and then immediately frowned and looked at Bian Que nervously. Master...... I might ...... No......" Bian Que leaned on Xu Fu's big hand, trembling in an extremely weak voice, and said. His face was already extremely difficult to see, and the temperature of his body had become very low, as if he was really close to the brink of death, and it was difficult to recover his breath again.

And Xu Fu slowly lay Bian Que's body back on the bed, covered him with an edelweiss futon, and then held his hand and said. "Don't talk nonsense! You'll be fine. "But...... But...... I think ......" Bian Que's weak voice kept trembling, obviously no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't finish a complete sentence.

"Okay, I got it. I'll rest, you go back. After his breath calmed down a little, Xu Fu frowned and said to Bian Que in a deep voice. Well, then I'll go back to my room. Master, rest more. After Bian Que reminded Xu Fu again, he nodded and prepared to turn around and go back.

But at the moment of turning around, Bian Que's eyes suddenly drifted, and his mind fluttered, and then he felt a strong sense of dizziness, lightheadedness, and his body seemed to be about to fall. At this time, a big hand reached over and immediately supported Bian Que's weak body and did not let him fall.

After his body consciousness was numb for a moment, Bian Que came to his senses slightly. When he opened his eyes, he found that he had fallen into Xu Fu's hands, and it turned out that just now, it was the master who helped him in time. "Thank you, Master......" Bian Que whispered, standing up straight. Xu Fu stared at him coldly and reprimanded in a deep voice.

"Are you embarrassed to remind me to pay attention to my body? It seems that your body is not as good as mine, an elderly person with insomnia. In the face of Xu Fu's rebuke, Bian Que just lowered his head silently, and it was difficult to say anything. Recently, for unknown reasons, his physical condition has begun to become a little weak, and he often has some temporary conditions of dizziness and numbness. However, after he repeatedly examined his body with the way of medical demons, he didn't know what the root of the disease was.

And Xu Fu turned around and walked into the alchemy room connected to the side pavilion, and after a while, he walked out with a bowl of black medicinal soup. "This is a decoction that needs to be boiled with a hundred years of medicinal ginseng, drink it." Xu Fu said in a deep voice and handed the decoction to Bian Que's hand.

"Hmm." Bian Que nodded, took the decoction and drank it without hesitation. Although the temperature is a little cold, the medicine of a hundred years of ginseng is a great tonic after all, and after drinking it, a pleasant warm current suddenly rises between Bian Que's abdominal cavity. "I told you that you have been weak since you were a child, and when I am not there, I will boil more tonic medicine and drink it myself. Anyway, there are so many precious medicinal materials in the imperial treasury, you can take them if you want, and don't save them for them. After watching Bian Que drink the medicine, Xu Fu's eyes flickered slightly, but he still said in a reprimanding tone.

"Got it, Master, I'll take care of myself." Bian Que looked down at Xu Fu and said softly. Although Master's words were full of rebuke, he could still appreciate Master's kindness to him when he listened to it. "Then I'll go back to my room, Master." After Bian Que put the bowl back in the alchemy room, he left the Blood King's Palace. Wrapped in a white jacket, stepping on the snow, he went back to his residence in the Wei Palace Domain.

Winter is getting deeper and the temperature is getting colder. The heavy snow did not stop until ten days later, when the snow on the ground was thicker, but Bian Que still insisted on coming to greet Xu Fu every morning and persuade him to take care of his health. After a long standoff, Xu Fu finally seemed to be unable to hold back the fatigue of his body, so he gave up the stalemate with the slate classics and began to rest. Seeing this, Bian Que was finally relieved, but in the process of caring for Xu Fu, he didn't realize that his body was getting worse and worse.

It wasn't until another ten days later that Bian Que, who was extremely weak, finally fell ill and fell out of bed, and he couldn't afford to get sick. At this time, Xu Fu, who had recovered well, had to worry about Bian Que's condition and the strange thing that happened, originally Bian Que was a person who had practiced the way of medicine and demons with Xu Fu, even if his body was weak, he also ate many precious medicinal materials to replenish his body. It stands to reason that people like him are the least likely to get sick, let alone to the point where they can't afford to get sick.

But the impossible just happened. And what's even more weird is that even Xu Fu, who has studied the way of medicine and demons for decades, himself can't judge what disease Bian Que is suffering from after personally diagnosing it! The only thing I know is that Bian Que, who is suffering from a strange disease, is constantly deteriorating, and there is no way to heal it. Because they don't even know the root of their disease.

So Xu Fu let go of other important matters and began to treat Bian Que's strange illness very seriously. He would boil medicinal soup for Bian Que three times a day to replenish his body, using all the noble medicinal materials in the imperial treasury that could only be used by the emperor as tribute. At the same time, he took care of Bian Que's physical condition every day, and insisted on taking Bian Que's pulse in the morning and evening to diagnose his physical condition.

But even so, Bian Que's health is getting worse and worse. And as the strange disease deepened, other terrible symptoms appeared. After a few days, Bian Que was not only unable to get out of bed, but even his physiological conditions such as diet and excretion were gradually affected.

In short, as time progressed, Bian Que's condition became more and more serious, and Xu Fu could never find a cure for it, no matter what he did, it was useless. So at the end of the month of the deep winter, Bian Que finally showed signs of dying. "Come, drink this bowl of medicine again." Xu Fu was still wearing a red-striped black robe, stretched out one hand, and came to the bedside with a bowl of medicinal soup with a strong atmosphere.

And Bian Que was covered with an edelweiss quilt, and the whole person lay quietly on the wide palace bed. His face was deadly silent, his skin was as pale as wall ash, his lips that were breathing slowly were not bloody, and even his eyes were half-blind all the time. After the disease reached the extreme, Bian Que's body became extremely weak. He had stopped eating for several days now, and he couldn't eat anything at all, relying entirely on the energy of the medicinal liquid to support his weak body.

But in fact, he couldn't even drink the medicine, just for the sake of his body, he had to endure the bitterness and drink it. So the weak Bian Que opened his eyes vigorously and looked at the master who came to him with the medicine. Then, with the help of Xu Fu, he frowned and forcibly drank a whole bowl of medicine again. But as soon as the medicinal soup was in his stomach, Bian Que felt a violent tumbling in his stomach, and then his esophagus shook, and he immediately vomited out all the medicinal liquid.

As a result, the black medicinal soup splashed on the mattress and Xu Fu's robe, and the rich smell of medicine immediately overflowed the surrounding air. "It's okay, Bian Que. You okay? Xu Fu subconsciously released the magic blue energy to disperse the medicinal soup that had splashed on his body, and then immediately frowned and looked at Bian Que nervously.

"Master...... I might ...... No......" Bian Que leaned on Xu Fu's big hand, trembling in an extremely weak voice, and said. His face was already extremely difficult to see, and the temperature of his body had become very low, as if he was really close to the brink of death, and it was difficult to recover his breath again. And Xu Fu slowly lay Bian Que's body back on the bed, covered him with an edelweiss futon, and then held his hand and said.

"Don't talk nonsense! You'll be fine. ”

"But...... But...... I think ......" Bian Que's weak voice kept trembling, obviously no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't finish a complete sentence. He just looked at Xu Fu with a gradually distracting gaze. Looking at his only relative.

(End of chapter)