Uncle-Master, Please Help Us

No wonder he was depressed, he was just stripped naked, he came naked, he left naked, there was no woman in the hall, it was not shameful, he could draw on his body with a brush, and put it in a steamer... it was a little too much!

The most important thing is that I have seen someone who painted green dragons and white tigers on their chests, and this is the first time I have seen them draw donkeys and turtles!

What's wrong, I don't deserve a dragon!

"This... is to save you!" His face turned red, and Elder Qi hurriedly told what happened before.

"You mean...that little uncle of Immortal Zhenzong painted on me by means of arranging bans and engraving formations?" Confused, the master of the Poison Master Hall showed a ghostly expression.

I've never heard of such a thing.

Elder Qi nodded.

The head of the Poison Master Hall looked at the others, and everyone answered solemnly. After a while, an elder finally couldn't help it: "Hall master, how about... you should put on your clothes first, keep shaking, some feel dizzy!"

"..."

It was only then that I realized that I hadn't even put on any clothes yet. The head of the Poison Master Hall, with a frenzy, a set of clothes appeared on his body, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "Where's the poison I've accumulated for hundreds of years?"

"It's all over there..." Everyone pointed.

Hurriedly coming to the front, the Master of the Poison Master Hall grabbed it casually, his face turned pale: "It's all gone?"

The gourds and bottles in front of him are mostly empty, and the highly poisonous poison that has been collected and prepared for many years has been completely consumed, leaving nothing left.

"Yes...Little Uncle and that turtle are too good to drink..."

Elder Qi blushed.

Su Yin only tasted more than 20 kinds, and then went to paint the seals and formations. The tortoise had this opportunity and moved very quickly.

"Drink poison like wine?"

His eyes turned black, and the master of the Poison Master Hall felt that his world view had completely collapsed.

For a long time, he felt that the highly poisonous poison he had prepared was omnipotent and no one could resist it. As a result... in front of a real master, it was as sweet as fine wine. The more he drank it, the more he wanted to drink it.

What is this!

"Forget it, it's a fluke to be able to survive... I don't know where that little uncle is? I'm going to thank you personally..."

After the depression passed, the head of the Poison Master Hall also reacted.

The poison is gone, but it can still be prepared, and the people are gone, and there is really nothing.

"Hallmaster Fei suddenly summoned the leaders of the sects to hold the suzerain assembly, so...he left immediately!" Elder Qi said.

"So fast?" The Hall Master of Poison Master was stunned.

Now that the notice has been issued, saying that it will start in five days, it is impossible to change it at will, otherwise, how can we convince the public if the order is changed day and night?

"It's the Forbidden Hall and the Formation Hall, something happened..."

Veteran General Qi was radiant and the alarm bell sounded before, and he said it again, saying: "We suspect...the problem with the two of them may have something to do with the patterns drawn on your body!"

The master of the Poison Master Hall looked down at the donkey and the tortoise on his chest again, and fell into deep thought for a long time.

Could it be...these two things, what is the profound meaning?

While meditating, an elder hurriedly came to the front: "Master, elders, it's not good, the Lingyuan troll has sensed that there is a problem with the ban, and a large-scale invasion..."

"Go and have a look!"

Knowing that it was not time to study the patterns, the hall master led many elders hurriedly to the depths of the Poison Master Hall, and soon came to a block.

When everyone entered it, they saw countless dark trolls flying over with a roar, with bloody and killing eyes in their eyes.

"Poison!"

Knowing that in the face of this kind of attack, there is no other way but to kill him hard, and there is no nonsense, the master of Poison Master let out a loud shout.

call!

Elders, sprinkle poison, venom, and poisonous powder... In an instant, the poisonous gas filled the sky.

However, these trolls rushed over without fear, wave after wave, and soon, everyone's reserves were exhausted, and many people were seriously injured.

"what to do?"

Seeing that the other party went crazy and didn't have the slightest intention of retreating, Elder Qi turned pale.

"You guys back off, find a way to defend the ban, I'll hold it back..." Taking a deep breath, Poison Master Tang said.

"Master, you just woke up and your body hasn't recovered yet..." Everyone was full of anxiety.

"In this situation, what's the use of recovering? If you can't resist, everyone will die!"

With a sigh, the head of the Poison Master Hall said: "Okay, don't smear the ink, everyone obeys the order and retreat immediately!"

After scolding, he didn't say any more, and rushed towards the troll.

Boom boom boom!

Countless forces gathered together, and the master of the Poison Master Hall was beaten to vomit blood in an instant, and the clothes on his chest were also torn apart.

"Hall Master..."

Seeing that the other party is not afraid of life and death for them, everyone's eyes are red.

"Fight hard, even if they die, I still want them to look good. Everyone rush in with me and let them know that there is no coward in Poison Master Hall..."

Tears flowed out, Elder Qi yelled loudly, and was about to rush in again, when he saw several elders around him, all looked at him dumbfounded, and frowned: "What's wrong?"

"Elder Qi, look for yourself..."

Full of puzzlement, Elder Qi hurriedly looked in the direction of the hall master, and also stayed on the spot.

I saw the troll holding a weapon stabbing madly at the upper body of the hall master, I thought he would be unable to resist, but a ray of light flashed from the turtle pattern on his chest, and immediately blocked the opponent's attack, tightly Then the donkey pattern roared, transformed from its chest, and rushed towards the Lingyuan troll.

Crackling!

The troll exploded instantly, leaving no room for resistance.

"this……"

Rubbing his eyes vigorously, Elder Qi couldn't believe it.

The texture of the brush painting has such an effect?

Not only him, but the hall master of Poison Master surrounded by trolls was also completely stunned and continued to move forward.

Bang bang bang bang!

The spider web pattern on the body surface played a role, like a ban, keeping countless trolls out.

"Aww!"

After a while, there was a roar from behind the troll, and the rushing phantom retreated quickly, and quickly disappeared without a trace.

"Master, you alone drove away the troll invasion?"

After fleeing with the troll, everyone still didn't react.

"..." The master of the Poison Master Hall was also in a daze, looking down at the ink and lines all over his body, completely puzzled.

Every time you fight against the abyss troll, you need to spend countless costs, and don't know how many lives you have to sacrifice to complete it... When did it become so simple?

As soon as you take off your clothes, the battle is over...

Why is the painting style so weird?

Seeing that the abyss troll had indeed escaped and had no intention of coming back, the master of the Poison Master Hall heaved a sigh of relief and went back to the room. Just as he was about to ask about Wen Lu again, he saw an elder hurriedly approaching him.

"Master, the Zhenwen hall on the opposite side can't hold on any longer. I want to ask, do we still have any medicine here? Can you help me..."

"The medicine is gone, I'll go there myself!"

After pondering for a while, the Hall Master of Poison Master waved his hand.

His poison was all drunk, so he could only go to battle himself, and he just happened to try it. Was the previous scene just a coincidence?

After finishing speaking, he flew straight in the direction of Zhenwentang.

...

In mid-air, Su Yin flew towards the direction of the Presbyterian Hall.

The donkey and tortoise on the opponent's chest are exactly the formation patterns he drew, the purpose is to protect the opponent from being steamed. Anyway, this thing is heavy on the meaning and not heavy on the shape. If Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf are mentioned, no one recognizes them. The donkey and turtle are the images Not a lot.

When I was learning to paint in the forbidden area, I often drew them both, and I was more familiar with them.

"It's not in vain this time, there are a few more auras!"

Looking at Dantian, Su Yin smiled slightly.

I painted on the chest of the Poison Master Hall Master just now, and at the same time fit the five professional skills of painting, medicine, poison master, pattern and ban. At the beginning, they didn't appear.

Thinking about it, it was the hall master who woke up.

Five different auras drilled into the dantian and slowly walked along the meridians. Once fused, the strength will definitely increase again!

Sure enough, there are many opportunities to come out, and I have been staying in the hermit, how can I get in touch with so many professions? Got so much Reiki?

Satisfied in my heart, I was calculating how long it would take for the spiritual energy to enter the dantian, when a shout sounded behind me.

"Uncle, wait for me..."

Turning his head to look, he saw Mo Qingcheng flying towards Yujian, dressed in a green robe, his beard and long hair fluttering in the wind, he looked like a fairy, much better looking than him riding on the bed.

"Sect Master Mo!" Su Yin cupped her fists.

"Little uncle came early, you know... what happened, the alliance suddenly brought forward the date of the suzerain meeting?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Mo Qingcheng looked over suspiciously.

"I really don't know, and you know that I have only been here for less than two hours, and I don't know much about many things!" Su Yin smiled awkwardly: "What about you? Do you have any inside information?"

It's only been a little over two hours since Zhenxianzong flew here. To the alliance and to the Great Yanzhou, he is just a newcomer!

"I don't know too well, but according to my guess... it should be related to the warning bells of the Banning Hall and the Formation Hall!" Mo Qingcheng expressed his guess.

"Warning bell?"

"The eight halls of the alliance guard the eight exits of Lingyuan. As long as there is a problem with one of them, the alarm bell will be rung. It is regarded as a warning and a call for help! The two halls are ringing at the same time... It hasn't happened in thousands of years!"

Moqing City Road.

The Lingyuan troll knows that there are bans and guards outside. Under normal circumstances, they just try their best to maintain a balance of combat power and rarely attack wildly.

Therefore, the warning bell seldom rings, at least not once in the hundred years since he became suzerain.

Now it suddenly rang, and it was still two halls at the same time, so you don't need to think about it to know that something big has happened.

"Go and have a look..." Su Yin nodded.

The flying speed was very fast, and soon the mountain peak where the Presbyterian Church was located appeared in sight.

The control bed board fell. At this time, outside the main hall, there were many people standing. Along the path of the ban, it wound into a long dragon. From the sky, I saw that none of them were weak. .

The emperor Bai Zhanqing of the Dayan royal family, the suzerain of Heyang sect Hong Qing, the suzerain of Lieyun sect Chu Song, the suzerain of Shanqing sect Lu Qingzhi...

Those who can come to the suzerain conference are not only the first-rate sects, but also the second-rate and third-rate sects. If you add them together, the number is huge, and there are hundreds of densely packed sects.

After falling down, Su Yin looked towards the main hall in front of him.

Brilliant atmosphere, engraved with formations and bans all around, blending with the whole mountain, giving people a vicissitudes of life and ancient flavor.

The Hall of Elders, the most powerful hall of the alliance, is also the strongest place in the entire Great Yanzhou. Just from the appearance, it is completely different from other places.

"I don't have long eyes, go in line behind!"

Putting away the bed board, Su Yin was about to enter the team, when he saw a middle-aged man who had just fallen down, rushing to the front with a displeased expression on his face.

There are too many second-rate and third-rate sects, and many people don't know each other. Moreover, most of the first-rate sects are in the front, and those who can be in the end don't need to think about it. , young and young, this one has nothing to be afraid of.

"good!"

Not angry, Su Yin nodded and walked back with the tortoise.

Mo Qingcheng also flew down at this time. Seeing this guy, he even scolded the junior uncle, and immediately showed displeasure. Just as he was about to scold him, he saw the latter shook his head.

It's just a queue, go in half a minute early and half a minute late, there's no need to quarrel, it's meaningless to make such a big noise as soon as you arrive, it's better to keep a low profile.

Seeing his humility, Mo Qingcheng didn't say any more, and stopped right behind, becoming the last one.

The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction and smiled slightly: "It's still sensible, I don't know which sect you are from? Tell me, I will cover you from now on..."

With a slight smile, Su Yin was about to answer, when there was another sob in the air, and a figure flew over.

Also an old acquaintance, the suzerain of Tiangangmen!

Because of the Green Scaled Python incident, he was seriously injured, and asked the elder to go back to find someone, but he rushed over. He thought that the meeting would be held in five days, and a new suzerain could be elected by then, but he didn't expect to be in such a hurry...

In desperation, he had no choice but to come here with injuries.

"This is... the suzerain of Tiangang Sect!"

As if recognizing it, the eyes of the middle-aged man shone brightly, and he kept trembling with excitement: "I have seen it from afar, the strong person in the inheritance realm, he even encouraged me..."

His face turned red, and he hurriedly greeted Su Yin and the other two: "Sect Master Shen Baiyi of Baiyin Sect, I have met Sect Master Xu!"

"White Yin Sect? A third-rate sect?"

The Sect Master of Tiangang Sect was stunned for a moment.

There are ten first-rate sects in Great Yanzhou, more than thirty second-rate sects, and more than a hundred third-rate sects. Let alone remember, I have never seen this sect before, but I have only heard of this sect occasionally.

"At the meeting held by Tiangangmen, your old man asked me to practice hard..."

Nodding excitedly, Shen Baiyi bowed like a prawn and waved his big hand: "Sect Master Xu, you can go ahead of me, a little sect master like me, just follow behind..."

Sect Master Xu nodded and followed behind.

With a look of honor and excitement, Shen Baiyi came in front of Su Yin and Mo Qingcheng, frowning: "If you don't go back, can you bear the crime of blocking the powerhouse of the first-class sect? Sect Master Xu, don't worry, they They are all sect masters of small sects, unlike me, who have the opportunity to meet a master like you..."

Just as he was complimenting with excitement, he saw Sect Master Xu's face suddenly turned pale and trembling beside him.

"Sect Master Xu..."

Full of doubts, before Shen Baiyi finished speaking, his face hurt and he was slapped away by the opponent.

"go away!"

Sect Master Xu felt that he was about to cry, so he flew away from the other party, tremblingly came to the two behind him, and bowed to the end.

"Mo, Sect Master Mo, little, little uncle..."

I thought that the ones in the back were just ordinary third-rate sects, or even weaker existences, but I never dreamed that... one is the master of the first sect in Yanzhou, Mo Qingcheng, and the other is a young master who is in the limelight...

To join their team...

That's not the way to die!

"Xu Shaoqing, you are so arrogant!" Mo Qingcheng snorted coldly, full of displeasure.

The little uncle is broad-minded, so he can ignore it, but he can't bear it!

Qing Yunzong has been the overlord of Great Yanzhou for thousands of years. The majestic suzerain is respected wherever he goes. When has he ever been wronged like this.

"I, I..." Suzerain Xu Shaoqing was sweating profusely and trembling.

He didn't expect that this Shen Baiyi wanted to pretend to please him, but in the end, he pretended to be on these two heads.

"Okay, it's not a big deal, you can just stand in front!" Seeing that Sect Master Xu's slap attracted many people to watch, Su Yin frowned and said.

"I……"

Xu Shaoqing's face was pale.

During the day, a boat crashed and killed a flood dragon with a seventh-level inheritance. His methods were strong and ruthless, and Mo Qingcheng was far inferior. .

If I had known that I would meet this person as soon as I came here, I wouldn't have come even if the Tiangang Sect was downgraded...

"It's better... you should go to the front, I, I dare not..." Xu Shaoqing said hastily.

"Little uncle asked you to row, you just row, why so much nonsense?" Mo Qingcheng frowned.

"Yes..." Only then did Xu Shaoqing turn his head tremblingly. At this time, Shen Baiyi also got up from the ground, looking at the master of the inheritance realm who was too scared to speak, his face turned pale with fright.

At this moment, even if they don't know the identities of these two people, they can understand that it must not be easy.

"Little uncle, so you are here, and Sect Master Mo is also here, you should take my place! I will just stay behind..."

A laugh sounded, and Hong Qing, the lord of the Heyang Sect, walked over from the front.

"You only have one position, how could you let them both go at the same time? We are all sects that abide by the rules, how about this, let me have my position too, to cooperate with Sect Master Hong, there are just two of them..."

Chu Song, the Patriarch of Lieyun Sect, also came to him.

"Your positions are too far back. You should belong to the royal family of Dayan. You are at the front, little uncle. You are welcome..." Bai Zhanqing also smiled.

"..."

Seeing the bosses appearing in front of him, scrambling to give way, Shen Baiyi's eyes darkened.

Even if he doesn't know Hong Qing and Chu Song, Bai Zhanqing, His Majesty the Emperor, wears a crown on his head...it's impossible not to recognize him!

For a moment, Shen Baiyi wanted to die, but at this moment, no matter how stupid he was, he knew who these two were.

One is the little martial uncle who makes a lot of noise in the Great Yan Imperial City as soon as he arrives, and the other is the suzerain of the Qingyun Sect...

His majesty the emperor, they all ran over to give up their seats, but he himself jumped in line. How could he be so embarrassing? No wonder Sect Master Xu is so frightened, anyone would be afraid...

Shaking non-stop, unable to utter a word, just standing there numbly.

Seeing that more and more people came with these people, Su Yin felt helpless.

Just want to keep a low profile...why is it so difficult?

Forget it, since you can't hide it, there's no point in continuing to be hypocritical.

Shaking his head, he and Mo Qingcheng strode forward. It didn't take long to reach the front, and walked into the main hall of the Elder Hall. Knowing his arrival, Hall Master Fei Ting also greeted him.

The hall is very spacious, with four to five hundred square meters. Several elders are standing in it, with anxious and worried faces on their faces.

Su Yin, Mo Qingcheng and the others were arranged in the front seats, and after waiting for more than ten minutes, seeing that all suzerains had sat down, the voice of hall master Fei Ting sounded slowly.

"You must have heard the alarm bell just now!" Everyone nodded at the same time.

"Six days ago, there was an accident in the sky, and a huge word 'holy' appeared. Afterwards, the Lingyuan troll seemed to have received some order, and suddenly went mad to attack and block, causing serious damage to the eight halls of the alliance...Know it to continue , may persist for less than half a month, it will collapse, so we urgently called everyone to discuss countermeasures!"

Looking around, Fei Ting's voice was heavy: "I thought that the meeting in five days would be enough to be in a hurry, but who knows... just tonight, something happened in the forbidden hall. Disappeared, Zhenwen Hall, also appeared turmoil, countless Lingyuan trolls, once again besieged the eight seals. The alliance has reached a critical moment of survival..."

"You are all the masters of a sect, the controllers of many forces in Great Yanzhou. I called you here to discuss a countermeasure. Now, it is no longer a matter of a sect or an alliance. Once the troll successfully escapes, Great Yanzhou will inevitably reduced to hell on earth..."

"this……"

"Crazy attack?"

"The Eight Great Halls, each of which is comparable to a first-class sect, you can't resist, how can we resist?"

...

Everyone turned pale.

The original intention and role of the alliance, almost everyone present knows the reason. Even if they don’t know, someone nearby will soon popularize it. Such a powerful organization, with the help of bans, can’t resist... This wave of attacks is too scary!

"Leader Fei just told us to do what we need to do...we obey the alliance's deployment!"

Knowing that after such a discussion, there must be nothing to say, Mo Qingcheng said.

"That's right, Hall Master Fei can do what he says, and what we can do must be undeniable!"

"What needs to be done, we will help!"

There are several sects to cater to.

"Since Sect Master Mo and several Sect Masters have said this, I will not talk nonsense. Now I hope to transfer 30 inheritances, 100 Grandmasters, 500 Shrines, and 2,000 Huafans from many sects, and disperse them to the Eight Great Masters. Hall, let's fight the enemy together!"

After pondering for a while, Fei Ting said.

"Transfer?" A suzerain with a dark complexion frowned and said, "It's not that you don't want to be transferred, but...by what standards?"

"Yeah, some people have more people, some people have less, so it is easy to cause imbalance..." Someone interrupted.

It is very dangerous to stop the Lingyuan troll. Even if the person who is transferred there does not die, if he is seriously injured, what will his sect do?

With the decline of power, it will inevitably be annexed by other sects.

For the sake of the mainland, many people are willing to sacrifice, but... they don't want their sect to be destroyed.

"It's very simple. The sect that can produce three inheritance-level powerhouses, or ten master-level powerhouses, will be given a first-class spiritual vein! The sect that can produce 10 god-level powerhouses will be given a second-class spiritual vein! These There are no strong ones, and those who are willing to send out 50 Huafan strong ones will be given a third-class spirit vein!"

Fei Ting said.

"This..." Everyone was shocked.

In the previous sect conferences, all the spirit veins were obtained through competition and competition, but now, as long as people are sent to fight, they will be given directly... It is indeed very attractive.

"At the price of spiritual veins, many sects have no way to refuse. There is another problem, that is... none of us have any experience in fighting trolls. Some weak members of the alliance, rushing in, may not have a big impact on the battle situation!"

Bai Zhanqing said.

As the emperor of Dayan, he knows more detailed news than many sects. Lingyuan trolls are weird and unpredictable. If you have never fought against them, you can easily defeat them if you have the strength!

Those who have led the army know that when confronting the enemy, it is not possible to change the situation with a few more masters. On the contrary, many people cannot achieve the unity of government and orders, and cannot better adapt to the battlefield. Instead, they will become pig teammates and drag everyone down. Thus, the overall combat effectiveness is not enhanced, but weakened!

"Yeah, the time is too short. If the time is long enough, it will be fine to train intensively for three months. I don't think it's appropriate to go directly to the battlefield according to Master Fei's tone..."

Mo Qingcheng said the same.

"I have considered what you said in advance. Naturally, I will not let these people go to the battlefield, but... let them be firmly banned!"

Fei Ting interrupted the two of them, and said: "As long as the ban can be stabilized, the Lingyuan troll will be killed by people from our alliance..."

"If it's just a solid ban, it's okay..."

Bai Zhanqing and Mo Qingcheng looked at each other and nodded.

Listening to their discussion, Su Yin didn't interrupt, not because she didn't want to interrupt, but because... she didn't know what to say.

His real strength is only the ninth level of the grandmaster, and the Immortal Zhenzong now... can't even get ten gods. Speaking carefully, he is not even as good as a second-rate sect...

Even if you want to interrupt, you have no confidence!

Just when he was making soy sauce with peace of mind, Hall Master Fei Ting's voice sounded: "Little Martial Uncle...do you have any good suggestions?"

Su Yin was taken aback for a moment, only then did she realize that everyone in the room had focused their gazes.

His little uncle made a lot of noise. Even if he didn't understand it, he must understand that it is not easy to see Sect Master Mo, Bai Zhanqing, and Fei Ting showing such kindness.

"Can I... have any suggestions!"

Seeing so many people's eyes, Su Yin was a little embarrassed: "Since the Lingyuan trolls are so terrifying, it's just to find a way to force them back..."

"If it's easy to force back, it won't be so troublesome..."

Seeing that he spoke easily, Fei Ting gave a wry smile, and was about to continue talking when he saw an elder hurried in.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing him appear, Fei Ting's pupils shrank.

This elder was sent to resist the troll's attack, and he came back so soon, did he... have failed?

If this is the case, even if other sects can send masters, it will definitely be too late...

"Report to the hall master..." The elder stopped, with disbelief in his eyes: "We, we won, and the abyss trolls who came to attack all retreated!"

"Return?"

Fei Ting stood up abruptly, and was stunned: "There is a problem in the forbidden mountain. For them, it is definitely the best time to attack. How can they retreat?"

He really couldn't believe it.

The two sides have been in a stalemate for thousands of years, and they are both looking for mistakes in the other side. Now that there is such a big change in the alliance, it is definitely the best time to invade. How could the Lingyuan troll leave like this?

It's unbelievable!

Everyone in the room also looked at it together, feeling incredible.

"It's... the Hall Master Xuan Ye of the Poison Master Hall!" The elder was full of excitement: "He saved the mouth of the Eight Great Halls by himself..."

"Master Xuan Ye? He, didn't he fall into a coma because of his poisonous gas?" Fei Ting was stunned.

It was just said that this guy was hopeless, he was about to die, how did he save Ba Datang in the blink of an eye? Even in his heyday, he didn't have such strength!

"I don't know the exact reason. I haven't had time to ask. I only know that not only has he recovered, but somehow he has also learned a unique trick... Once he performed it, the abyss trolls retreated one after another, and they couldn't resist his charge at all!"

The elder said.

Fei Ting couldn't believe it: "What kind of trick can scare the troll away?"

He has fought against this kind of life for many years, and he knows it very well. He is not afraid of death, he is not afraid of anything, and he can flee in fright with a single trick... And it is still eight forbidden areas, all of which are defeated, it is too heaven-defying!

"As soon as he arrived, he rushed into the group of trolls. I didn't see it clearly, but I saw the movement..." The elder pondered.

"What's the action?" Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Fei Ting was about to die of anxiety.

"Yes..." Taking a deep breath, the elder looked over with a solemn face: "It's undressing, take off when you see the troll, naked! Then...the troll ran away!"

"???"

Scare away trolls by taking off your clothes?

What the hell?

The room fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, dumbfounded.

(Send a hand-painted drawing of the Three Beasts and the Great Demon King of Bliss drawn by a reader, which feels a little stronger than mine. Well, everyone can like and comment. I will see if I can post all the Easter Egg Chapter event coins given away this month. . )