This is still woodland, but the vegetation is sparser. The vegetation was all downcast and desolate, just like them. Jun Aoyan walked to a mountain wall and looked up. It was not too steep here, and there were plants on the hillside that could be used to help. But she didn't know where she could go after climbing over the not high mountain. She turned her head and accidentally caught a glimpse of Liu Shenghan, who was bending down and stretching out his hands between two small trees not far away, as if he was describing something there.
"Shenghan? What are you doing?"
Jun Aoyan asked while moving closer to her. Others were also attracted by her sudden voice and turned around one after another. Liu Shenghan freed up his hand and waved towards her: "The direction of the spiritual power here is not quite right. I may have some clues."
"What's the clue?" Qi Huan asked, "Are you painting?"
"It's not a painting... it's just erasing the 'ink' on it. There is a door here."
"Door?"
As she spoke, the blank space gradually revealed a different outline. They gathered around Liu Shenghan and watched helplessly as a structure similar to a fence appeared there. Liu Shenghan pushed gently, and the fence door opened. She took two tentative steps and found a path under her feet, which looked like she could enter.
Mingming curiously walked around to the other side and exclaimed loudly: "What's going on? Where have you been? I can't see you here!"
"It's probably some kind of barrier, right?" Qi Huan cheered up and marveled, "There should be some kind of cave inside here, but from the outside, you really can't see it at all."
Although I don’t know where this road leads, in this desolate forest, it is a breakthrough for making progress. Needless to say, several people filed in one after another, and Jun Aoyan, the last one to come in, closed the door behind him. Liu Shenghan waited by the door and added a few strokes there, making the painting look as ordinary as before.
Looking up again, the scenery has been turned upside down. It looked like an ordinary quiet village, and the place where they stopped seemed to be the entrance to the village. Looking back, I couldn't see the wild forest outside at all. The neat path seemed to have been specially repaired by someone, and was surrounded by a large sea of bamboo. Looking far into the distance, one could see that the forest road forked and twisted a hundred meters away, vaguely leading to many small buildings hidden in the bamboo forest. Smoke rising from the swaying bamboo shadows, and the quiet and peaceful atmosphere made this small village even more strange.
"What is this place?"
I don’t know who asked the doubts in everyone’s mind. Of course, no one among them could answer. Mingming couldn't wait to urge: "Let's go quickly, go into the village and ask someone, don't you know?"
After that, he was already jumping up and down and walked inside first. The remaining four people followed without any objection and walked towards the forest along the road at their feet. Green bamboo stands on both sides of the path, full of vitality, which makes people feel relaxed unconsciously. Occasionally, you can hear the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs in the village, conveying the warmth of human fireworks to the tired travelers.
After walking around the bamboo forest several times, before approaching the vague houses, they suddenly saw someone walking towards them.
The man had his hands empty and was obviously watching them, a little wary but not hostile. As he got closer, he could see a faint smile on his face, showing his polite detachment towards strangers. This kind of normal unfamiliarity was contrary to the warmth with ulterior motives, which made them feel a little relieved.
From a distance, we can see that the person is wearing white clothes with his hands behind his back, but the sleeves are too short, which is a bit strange. When they got a little closer, they discovered that his hands were hanging naturally at his sides, and that the clothes were also long-sleeved, but the opposite color was jet black. This man has thick eyebrows and big eyes, is dignified and dignified, and has a very elegant temperament in his movements, unlike ordinary mountain people.
When they stood opposite each other, he bowed his hands politely to the group: "It's snowing, what do you call them?"
They reported their names one by one, and Xue Mo also greeted them one by one, with a calm expression. Only when he saw Mingming, a bit of surprise flashed on his face. After greetings, he said hesitantly:
"Our village is a bit remote, and there is a barrier outside the village. I wonder how the guests arrived here?"
"We are not locals." Liu Shenghan said truthfully. "We were not familiar with the road. We lost our way in the mountainous area and fumbled through the spiritual veins to arrive here. We happened to find the strange spiritual power, and out of curiosity, we opened the door. Please don’t be offended.”
Following her words, Xue Mo's expression seemed to relax a little. He said something like "It's okay, don't worry", and then asked them where they wanted to go and why they got lost in the mountains - did they know that this was the territory of Garuda, the bird god?
Liu Shenghan answered one by one, using some Spring and Autumn style, and only told him that his group actually didn't know where to go. They wanted to find a way out and go out first. As for the Bird God, they also met each other, but they didn't get along very well and their relationship was a bit tense. What is more helpless is that they have left something important with Master Shenniao, and they are worried about what to do. I found that there was a unique cave here, so I tried to come in, hoping to find a place to rest and discuss the itinerary.
The completely different atmosphere from the outside world made everyone feel at ease. Only Bai Ya still stared at Xue Mo warily. The latter didn't mind. He nodded frequently while listening to Liu Shenghan's words, and finally pondered for a moment.
"In that case, come with me. My home is quite big and can accommodate you all to spend the night together." He smiled tolerantly at Bai Ya, "Of course, you can also turn back the way you came and look for it on your own. Accommodation. However, it is somewhat dangerous at night in the mountains, so you should pay more attention to safety."
Bai Ya looked away and said nothing. Liu Shenghan tugged at the corner of his clothes.
"You are kind and willing to give us a place to stay temporarily. We are naturally grateful. Thank you for leading the way."
"It's easy to say, you're welcome."
Xue Mo led them through the bamboo forest while briefly introducing the village to them. According to him, this village is called Bamboo Village. This village is worthy of its name. Not only are bamboos planted everywhere, but even the small buildings hidden in the forest are originally made of bamboo. Or rather, those buildings are all made of bamboo. They are very different from the houses in ordinary villages. They are more like some small buildings in the southwest of their hometown. A few bamboo pillars underneath support the houses in the air. Looking at the bamboo forest, the huts look like they are floating in the air.
There are several villagers busy beside each small building. Some are cleaning up the debris accumulated under the house, while others have built a circle with a fence and raised chickens under the house and are feeding them at the moment. They also saw an older woman standing at the door with her hands on her hips and shouting in a long tone. From what they heard, it seemed that the child was naughty and had gone somewhere to play.
To their surprise, when almost everyone saw them, they would temporarily stop what they were doing and say hello to Xue Mo loudly, their tone of voice filled with kindness. Perhaps because of Xue Mo's popularity, the villagers looked at outsiders like them with strange eyes, but they were open and pure without any malice.
"Is this...a paradise?" Qi Huan murmured, and finally corrected himself, "No, a paradise?"
Xue Mo glanced at him with a smile.
"It doesn't count. If I have to say it, it's probably the Pure Land in Troubled Times."
His home is deep in the village. It is a hanging building that is more magnificent than the ones they just saw on the road. However, there seemed to be no trace of other people's lives in this house. Only Xue Mo greeted them to come in and sat together in the hall.
"It's hard work for you to travel a long distance. There are some words that I wouldn't bother you to answer while standing on the road outside the village."
"You are so kind to us. If you have any questions, just ask us and we will answer you."
"Now that you say that, I feel relieved. Miss Liu, you seemed to be quite worried when you answered the question. Could you please tell me the specific experience in detail? Where did you come from, why did you come, what was lost? What important object is it? Besides..." He paused briefly, "What's the conflict between you and Lord Bird God? Although it's not polite to expel guests, as the guardian of this village, if I can't figure it out, Because of your background, we cannot confirm whether you are safe for us, so I have no choice but to ask you to leave. Please forgive me."
"Guardian?"
To everyone's surprise, Bai Ya suddenly became angry. He looked at Xue Mo with a sullen face, even if it was not malicious, he was still completely wary.
"Or a patron saint, or something else? No matter what it is, you are not the guardian 'person'."
He emphasized the word "human" very strongly.
Jun Aoyan was stunned: "You are...how can you tell? Are you really..."
"Young Master Bai is right." Unexpectedly, instead of being angry, Xue Mo admitted openly, "I am indeed not a human being. But you don't need to panic. You should have seen it for yourselves along the way. . These villagers are indeed real human beings."
It was Bai Ya who asked. He nodded in agreement.
"Do they look like they are being oppressed and bullied?"
"No way." Mingming interrupted, "They look much happier than the people in our village. And they all seem to like you."
Xue Mo smiled at the child.
"So, you can also see that Zhucun is different from the territory ruled by the Bird God, and I have different ideas from the other monsters here. When you come here, you should also know the rules of the Bird God outside. It's natural to feel resentful. But Zhucun and I are not like those monsters, so you don't need to vent your anger on me."
Bai Ya let out a breath and relaxed his expression slightly.
"We will tell you where we came from. But in turn, I also hope... to know more about you."
"Sure, that's fair."
Bai Ya roughly explained the origins and intentions of several people, and also revealed to him the friction with Master Shenniao. Xue Mo kept his promise and readily introduced his origins to them. From the conversation, they learned that he was indeed not a human being, but a rare monster.
"Iron-eating beast?" Liu Shenghan looked surprised.
"Yes, iron-eating beasts - I understand that our clan is not common... I think there are still many of my clan members alive in the vast world. But in this Nine Heavens Kingdom, we were originally few in number. Until now, this whole There is only this small bamboo forest left in the mountainous area. I am the only one left with the iron-eating beast here."
Xue Mo seemed to be talking casually, with a somewhat sad tone. After all, he hasn't mentioned his past in a long time.
Recommended: The Witch Doctor Awakens to read on your mobile phone.
