Chapter 57:
She is a really strange woman.
You can't guess your age just by looking at her appearance. She's not too young, and she doesn't look old either. She is about the same height as Liu Shenghan, and her eyes are very bright and light. Half of the people in Jiutian Kingdom don't have eyes as dark as theirs. Here, a small number of people have curly hair, so this woman's long, fluffy curly hair is not unusual, but the color is just wrong. Under the setting sun, her hair was a warm orange-red color. I don't know if it was caused by the lingering clouds or it was just like this. The top of the head is covered with a red cloth, but it is not as red as a wedding hijab. Her clothes were plain black with gold embroidery.
Is it a monster?
It is indeed suspicious to suddenly appear behind others without making any noise and without anyone noticing. But none of Bai Ya and the others noticed any trace of evil spirit in her body. Or maybe she has deep inner strength and extraordinary light skills?
"Ah, you are..."
Liu Shenghan seemed to have remembered something and just opened his mouth, but was interrupted by the woman. She raised her hand to stop her, then pointed in the direction of the woman in front of her and said:
"She's leaving."
Her voice is soft but pleasant. From this ordinary tone, several people did not notice any emotion, they just stated the facts. Bai Ya raised the knife and wanted to say something else, but Liu Shenghan pressed his arm down and shook his head, as if he wanted to say "it doesn't have to be like this." The woman had indeed walked some distance, and they hesitantly caught up with her, looking back at her frequently. Along the way, she didn't say another word, nor did she follow them closely. But she didn't leave, she just kept her distance from them.
"Her footsteps made no sound." Jun Aoyan said, "Can you hear it?"
The others didn't answer, probably in acquiescence. Originally, they might have talked about something on the way, but the atmosphere became inexplicably heavy, leaving them unable to say a word. They couldn't hear her movements, nor could they detect her breath. On the contrary, they gave people the uneasy feeling that their every move was being watched. How long had she been following them? Since when?
The woman brought out new bedding for them. The bedding is very clean and the cotton is newly beaten, but I don’t know how long it has been in the box. The place where she lives is large, with a small yard and many empty rooms. The woman let them live wherever they wanted, no need to be polite.
They were crowded into a room, which seemed a little cramped. The four men were at this end of the table, and the woman sat opposite. Everything about her was so natural, as if she had really been following them from the beginning.
In the silence, only the candlelight flickered.
If he continues to remain silent like this, I'm afraid Bai Ya will draw his sword and start interrogating the "prisoners" at any time. In order to avoid this embarrassing situation, Qi Huan spoke in advance. he asked:
"Girl, what's your... name?"
"Lingge."
It's okay, it's better than not saying anything and just staring. There is no need to ask any more questions. Just state your name and surname directly, which saves you the trouble of asking too many questions. But I didn't get much useful information, so I had to keep asking.
"When did you follow us?"
The woman who called herself Ling Ge looked slightly sideways. Her long hair was still a faint warm color under the candlelight. Before she spoke, Liu Shenghan answered the question for her:
"Since the Song Shen Kingdom."
"How did you know?" they asked her.
"She was one of the singers in the palace. She played a string instrument. I don't know what it was called. She was not with His Majesty or the Imperial Advisor, so I shouldn't have remembered her. But at that time, her hair was among the crowd. It was very eye-catching, so I looked at it a few more times.”
Bai Ya frowned and his face became darker: "Are you from the National Preceptor?"
"No." Ling Ge said simply.
"No matter how free the palace is, it won't be able to come and leave whenever it wants. We set off on the same day. If you apply for leave from the higher authorities, I'm afraid it will take a long time to get approval, and you may not be able to catch up with our carriages. You He should have left directly..." Qi Huan quickly analyzed, "You also said that you are not from the National Preceptor, how could you run out so quickly? You can still maintain a similar speed to us. Could it be that you are His Majesty's? people?"
Ling Ge shook his head again, raised his eyebrows slightly, and showed a strange smile. This smile was not obvious, it was fleeting, and it just made those who saw it feel uncomfortable. She paused and said:
"I am not a member of the National Preceptor, but I obey her orders."
"Talk." Bai Ya said coldly.
"You are too slow." She was probably mocking, "I thought you were so smart. I guessed that you would have found my trace halfway, but you didn't. If the woman hadn't mentioned it, you would have been afraid I will never be found."
No matter how nice the voice sounds, it is still unpleasant to say these words. This is more comfortable than the Imperial Master - you can't detect the evil spirit in the tone. At most, there is a bit of quick-tongued malice, but for the time being, it is not evil at all.
Jun Aoyan became sensitive: "Why did the Imperial Master send you here? To follow us?"
"So be it. After all, you are strangers who have obtained the Poseidon's Treasure, so you need to be alert."
"It seems that the God of Songs already knows about this matter."
"Soon, every corner of Jiutian Land will know the news." She said quietly, "There are many people who covet the treasure of the Eight Gods, but you are the first person to really succeed. You were very greedy from the beginning, and you wanted to be with God’s equal.”
"We have no intention of becoming immortals or gods." Bai Ya sneered and said, "We are just looking for the fastest and most trouble-free way to achieve our goal."
"Are you really just looking for someone?"
"Nonsense. What do you have here worth coveting? You can't exchange it for money even if you take the treasure. It's useless."
Lingge took a deep breath, probably thinking about what to say next. She thought for a moment, spread her hands, and commented:
"If it is as you said, most people who achieve their goals do so unintentionally. In this case, we should also be careful."
"You also said that you are not a singer!"
"As for the god I believe in sincerely, it's not like I don't have one. But I'm not the God of Songs."
"Oh? Whose lackey are you?"
"You are very rude." Ling Ge narrowed his eyes, "I suddenly don't want to say anything anymore."
Qi Huan weighed it again and again and felt that compared with face and intelligence, the latter was of course more important. Being hungover is more painful than being teased. If face can be exchanged for news, it will not be a loss at all. So he smiled apologetically and leaned forward.
"Don't pay attention to him. This guy has such a bad temper. If you can follow us for so long without being noticed, you must have two brushes. There is no benefit for us to go against you. If you offend the god behind you, you will also suffer. I can’t walk around in circles.”
Probably, she is really a person who can speak to the gods. Although she didn't show any pride, she was in a better mood. She did not refute Qi Huan's statement and said bluntly:
"I am a descendant of Garuda, the bird god."
The four of them suddenly straightened their backs, as if they had caught a thread in a mess. Liu Shenghan carefully pulled it out and tried to smooth it out slowly.
"Then why did you become an actor in the Kingdom of Geshen? Is it the will of Lord Bird God?"
"I am a messenger between the two places." She said truthfully, "Lord Garuda told me that I could learn more vocal skills in Gechen Kingdom, so I came here. At first, I traveled frequently between the two places, but There are fewer and fewer travelers from outside, so I don’t have to travel back and forth all the time.”
"I thought there was some faster way to transmit sounds between gods..." Qi Huan whispered, "It turns out it's still human power."
"I can get there and back in three days."
"Hahaha, this girl is bragging."
Lingge didn't intend to argue with Qi Huan, he just sat there and stopped talking. Was she waiting for them to ask questions? Bai Ya was somewhat unhappy, feeling like he was being led around. So he said nothing. Anyway, someone will ask for him.
"So you are here to send a message to the Lord Bird God?" Liu Shenghan then asked, "Then, according to you, now that you have returned to the Lord Bird God, why do you want to show up in front of us? ?You know, if you never show up, we will always pretend that you don’t exist.”
Ling Ge smiled again. This was the second time she had smiled since her appearance, but with a special emotion similar to the first time. The meaning was stronger than before, and the laughter lasted longer.
"Lord Garuda and I are both afraid that you will die on the road before you see him."
"Miss Ling, you underestimate us too much." Jun Aoyan thought she was joking, "Although we are just four people, we each have our own strengths. We are all able to withstand hunger and heat, and are very strong. This journey has been Come on, if you really follow us, you should have seen that evil people, ferocious beasts, and so-called difficulties and dangers are nothing to us."
That smile never retreated from Lingge's face, which gave rise to a strange uneasiness. Because of the asymmetry of intelligence, even if it is deliberately mysterious, people dare not take it lightly.
Lingge nodded slightly, his eyes looking brighter in the candlelight.
"What's next?"
No one answered. If she is a follower or subordinate of the Bird God, she will naturally be very familiar with this area. It makes people feel unsure whether these words she said are bluffing or whether they are true. But if he kept asking like this, he seemed to be giving in.
Than Patience, in this long night seems a bit boring. Lingge seemed to have no intention of hiding it, so he continued talking on his own.
"Do you know why this village is so empty? There are no old people or children in the village?"
This was what they wanted to know from the beginning, and they originally planned to ask the woman. Now that she had spoken, they were prepared to listen. Whether it is true or false, we will make a judgment after it is finished.
"The elderly and children are very weak." She spoke slowly. "When encountering danger, it is the most difficult to escape. In any herd, the most vulnerable to attack are the elderly and the young."
"You mean...there are wild beasts nearby?"
"Boy, it's delicious."
she said suddenly.
