321: Shura's Second Test, the Deep CaveThe captain of the guard took a few steps forward and said sternly, "We are soldiers. How can we do anything shameful?""Hongyang City is under martial law. No one is allowed to enter or leave the city without a pass. Remember, this applies to everyone! Even if you are the Duke's son!"
With Ning Tianchen around, no one was worried about this.
Without waiting for Ning Tianchen to speak, Chen Huayu and Oscar volunteered, "Boss (Tianchen), we know what to do, just leave it to us."
After saying that, the two of them got out of the car.
Needless to say, Ning Tianchen could guess what the two would do next, and he shook his head and sighed helplessly.
These two people are destined to learn a lesson for their recklessness.
Ning Rongrong blinked and couldn't help asking, "Brother Tianchen, did you hand over the documents to them?"
Ning Tianchen shook his head.
With a chuckle, Yudie couldn't help laughing and said, "So what did they understand? Go down and get beaten?"
"Maybe they have other ways." Zhu Zhuqing, who is usually taciturn, added with a chuckle.
The two people outside the car walked towards the captain of the guard with smiles on their faces.
The captain of the guard had no idea where these people came from, and when he saw the two approaching, he instinctively took a step back.
At the same time, the city guards who were on guard beside him took a step forward with spears in hand, narrowing the encirclement.
Oscar and the other two quickly raised their hands, still with smiles on their faces, "Oh, don't get me wrong, we don't mean any harm."
Seeing that the other party did not make any further moves, Oscar continued: "We came from Tiandou City to do some business in the southern part of the empire. It's getting late today, and we want to enter Hongyang City to rest for a night, that's all."
Oscar winked at Chen Huayu as he spoke. The latter understood and took out a bag of gold soul coins from his soul guide with a smile.
"Brothers, this is a gift to you for drinks. Please be flexible. We are just passing by and have no other intentions."
The captain of the guards looked stern, waved his spear, and shouted sternly: "Enemy spies, capture them!"
The two were stunned at first, not understanding why the other's train of thought was so strange.
You know, the guards in other cities are eager to collect huge entrance fees to enrich their own pockets. How could the guards in Hongyang City be so honest?
But even so, just bribing the guards cannot be equated with being a spy for the enemy country.
However, what they didn't know was that at this moment, the Hongyang City Guard had already been replaced by veterans who had fought on the battlefield for many years, and there was also a supervisory team watching not far away. How could the guard captain possibly accept their bribes?
Besides, it is wartime now. Bribing soldiers with money, no matter how big or small the amount is, will be considered as an imperial spy. If you accept the money, you will be treated as an accomplice. Who dares to take it easily?
In the carriage, Ning Tianchen was not surprised to see this situation.
"Tianchen, do you have the clearance documents?" Feng Xiaotian couldn't help but ask, "If not, we will inevitably clash with these soldiers."
Outside the car, Oscar said quickly: "You misunderstood, we are from Tiandou City, not spies from the Empire."
The captain of the guard had a murderous look on his face and didn't listen to his words!
When the soldiers' spears were about to reach the necks of the two men, Ning Tianchen lifted the curtain and threw the customs clearance document to the captain of the guard.
The captain of the guard saw the words on the document and shouted, "Let them go!"
The soldiers obeyed the order and put away their spears in unison, standing in front of them.
The captain of the guard glanced at the carriage, and immediately arranged for a soldier to return the document to Ning Tianchen.
Without further ado, at his instruction, the city gate slowly opened, allowing Ning Tianchen and others to pass.
"Finally we're saved." Oscar breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He didn't understand why Ning Tianchen's bribery of money always worked wonders when it came to bribing others, but it didn't work for him.
"Get in the car." Ning Rongrong urged.
The carriage drove into the city and the city gate behind it closed again.
Inside the car, Chen Huayu asked with an embarrassed look on his face: "Boss, was it because we bribed too little just now? Why didn't it work?"
"Do you think everyone is a good-for-nothing?" The one who spoke was Yudie. She sneered and said, "The guards here are all soldiers who have fought on the battlefield. They are not ordinary guards."
Feng Xiaotian added: "The military has strict discipline and generally does not accept bribes. Even if they do accept bribes, it is done by all the soldiers. You just gave dozens of gold soul coins. If the captain of the guard accepted them, the upper echelons would bribe the upper echelons, and the soldiers would share some of the money. He would not even have a single gold soul coin in his hands."
"So, you should understand that he will not break military discipline for this little money."
Of course, if the amount is large enough, that may not be the case.
You know, many civilians choose to join the army, in addition to killing enemies on the battlefield to gain military merit, the main purpose is to plunder money from the enemy's land after defeating the enemy.
There are constant conflicts between the two empires of Tiandou and Xingluo. In addition to clashes at the national level, civilians of the two countries living in the border areas are in conflict almost every moment.
In the final analysis, it is because the armies of the two countries will choose to plunder each other's territory after defeating the enemy. If this bad habit is not changed, there will never be peace on the border.
After a pause, Ning Tianchen said unhappily, "The target of the bribe also depends on the person. Not everyone can be bribed. You two have only learned the basics. You should learn more in the future."
The two smiled awkwardly, sat in the corner of the carriage and said no more.
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of a building in the city.
From the outside, this place looks more like a chamber of commerce headquarters, but upon closer inspection, the door of the building is closed.
After getting out of the car, Ning Tianchen scanned the street.
The building is located at the intersection of two blocks, and standing at the upstairs window, you can have a panoramic view of the conditions of both streets.
Such a building is undoubtedly an excellent place to collect intelligence.
Ning Tianchen was certain in his heart that this was the base of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in Hongyang City.
They took out the key from the soul guide, opened the padlock, removed the heavy chain, and entered.
"It smells so musty." Ning Rongrong covered her nose with a handkerchief. She didn't like the smell here.
Ning Tianchen patted her shoulder and said, "This is the southern part of the empire, it's often cloudy and rainy, and no one has lived here for some time."
After a pause, he arranged: "Everyone, clean up here first. I'm afraid we will have to live here for many days in the future."
Chen Huayu was puzzled, "Boss, aren't we going directly to that secret place?"
Yu Die glared at him. "The information we know is from a few years ago. There are evil spirit masters around that secret place. After so much time, it is still unknown whether those evil spirit masters are still there."
"Now that we have a stable place to stay, we can gather intelligence tomorrow."
Ning Tianchen took over the conversation, "There is a practical problem now. Hongyang City is under martial law. Even if we have a pass, it is impossible for us to enter and leave the city multiple times."
After all, the troops stationed here do not know the senior military officials and do not have any acquaintances, so the other side is unlikely to tolerate their reckless behavior.
Moreover, the work of gathering intelligence is prone to arouse suspicion. If he is really regarded as a spy of the Xing Luo Empire, he will definitely be in great trouble.
Ning Rongrong sneezed and immediately suggested, "Let's stay here tonight and leave the city tomorrow morning. We'll find a safe place outside the city as a temporary base, and then go explore the secret realm."
"Okay." Everyone agreed with her suggestion.
…
As it grew darker, after cleaning up the room, everyone went into their respective rooms to rest under Ning Tianchen's arrangement.
In the room, Ning Tianchen sat cross-legged on the bed.
He was not resting, but practicing.
During this period, he was busy with affairs and had less time to practice, so that his soul power has just broken through the seventy-sixth level, and he still has a long way to go before breaking through to the Titled Douluo.
Late at night, he suddenly ended his training and opened his eyes. The blood-red Shura mark on his forehead was flashing with scarlet light.
The light sprinkled on every corner of the room, as if one was in a sea of blood.
After a pause, a majestic voice sounded in his mind.
"The second Shura test, go through layers of obstacles and enter the Wujian Deep Cave. The Wujian Deep Cave is extremely dangerous. You need to survive there and solve the puzzles left there. The time limit is half a year. After completing the test, you will be rewarded with a 10,000-year increase in the age of all your spirit rings and a 10% Shura affinity."
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"Fail the test, die!"
The voice in his mind ended, and Ning Tianchen immediately rushed out of the room.
At the same time, Ning Rongrong, who received the second test from the God of Light, also rushed out of the room.
The two looked at each other and knew each other's situation at a glance.
After a pause, Ning Tianchen led Ning Rongrong into the room and analyzed the assessment content.
Ning Tianchen spoke first, expressing his opinion, "This assessment is divided into three parts."
"First, we need to break through the evil spirit master's defenses and enter the Wujian Deep Cave."
"Second, we need to survive in the Wuxian Deep Cave for a period of time. I think this Wuxian Deep Cave should be the secret place we need to go to on this trip."
"The third part is also the one that confuses me the most. I don't know exactly what kind of mystery I need to solve."
Ning Rongrong agreed with his opinion.
The time to complete the three parts within half a year was quite tight. Especially for the decryption of the third part, they had no idea at all.
"Perhaps, once we enter, we will know what kind of puzzle we need to solve." Ning Tianchen added.
He was also a little unsure.
The time for the divine test is too tight and the cost of failure is too high.
After a moment of silence, Ning Rongrong slowly said, "Brother Tianchen, since that secret place is called the Infinite Deep Cave, it must be a cave, right? However, I asked my father, and the disciple who escaped from it said that it was a canyon, not a cave."
Ning Tianchen pondered for a moment and said, "There are two possibilities. First, the disciple encountered some kind of terrifying existence, which caused him to have mental problems and even forget his original experience."
"Secondly, the place that person entered was not the ruins itself. It is possible that it was the entrance to the Infernal Cave."
"No matter which one it is, this trip will be extremely dangerous for us. We know too little about the situation in the Wuxian Cave, and the risks involved are uncontrollable."
Ning Rongrong opened her mouth wide and her expression became solemn.
After a long while, she said, "Brother Tianchen, this trip is too dangerous. Why don't we let everyone go back? This is our assessment, and we shouldn't let everyone fall into danger."
Ning Tianchen shook his head, "This time, we must be selfish! The more people there are to decipher the third part, the greater the possibility of solving it. It is highly likely that half a year will not be enough for just the two of us."
"Of course, this may also be an opportunity for everyone. Being chosen by the gods for a test is very special in itself. Maybe everyone can also be tested by the gods."
Ning Rongrong's eyes flickered.
For others, this was indeed an excellent experience, and they could even pass the divine test. However, due to the special and confidential nature of the divine test, the two of them would never tell anyone else about it.
Ning Rongrong felt really bad for letting everyone enter such a dangerous place without knowing it.
Ning Tianchen held her in his arms and said softly, "When we entered the depths of the Arctic ice field, the dangers we faced were uncontrollable. Didn't we give up at that time?"
"I think that even if everyone knows the dangers ahead, they will still choose to go with us. Perhaps for everyone, this is the only chance to be exposed to the divine test, and we need to help everyone pass the test."
After some persuasion, Ning Rongrong's mentality gradually changed.
She leaned in Ning Tianchen's arms, feeling the long-lost warmth.
The next morning.
When Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong walked out of the room together, they happened to run into Chen Huayu!
"Oh~ Boss, you guys did that thing!" Chen Huayu deliberately dragged out his tone.
For a moment, it attracted the attention of others.
Ning Rongrong blushed and hid behind Ning Tianchen, not daring to look directly at everyone.
Ning Tianchen coughed lightly, "Ahem, what are you thinking about? We are discussing cultivation matters!"
"What kind of training is it?" Oscar asked with his eyebrows twitching in a mean manner.
Yudie covered her face and chuckled, "We are all not children anymore. If there is anything that is shameful, just admit it openly."
Ning Tianchen didn't know how to respond.
As for what exactly happened last night, I'm afraid only the two parties involved know.
Feng Xiaotian smiled lightly and changed the subject, "Hurry up and pack up, we still have a mission to complete. Also, when we leave the city, we can ask people in the city about the situation, so we won't be caught blind."
Ning Tianchen's eyes lit up.
The Wujian Cave must have existed for a long time. The locals have lived here for generations, so there is a high probability that there are legends about the Wujian Cave.
…
There were few pedestrians on the street because of the war, and there were many guards patrolling the city.
Ning Tianchen and his group were from outside the area, and the locals were wary of them, so it was not easy for them to find someone to inquire about the situation.
"How about we split up?" Oscar suggested.
"No."
Ning Tianchen and Feng Xiaotian responded at the same time.
"There are a lot of guards around watching us. If we separate and wander around, we'll be in big trouble."
The two empires are at war, so they'd better not cause trouble for the soldiers of the empire. (