The snow has been falling all day and shows no sign of stopping. This made Ling Huan worried.
In the corridor, she looked at the mottled snow shadows outside the paper window. Occasionally, one or two powerful grains of snow hit the window paper with a "snap", as if trying to pierce it through.
"Why don't you stop..."
Han Chang stood behind her and said, "There's no point in being anxious. It's better to have a good rest first."
"How can this make me feel at ease? If I stay stuck here, I'm worried that my family will--"
"They won't risk coming out in such heavy snow. If they can't find you, they won't let others in."
"I'm afraid that if we seal the mountain, we won't be able to leave for a while, so we'll give them more time..."
"It's okay. Haven't you heard the saying, 'There must be a road before the car reaches the mountain'?" He patted her shoulder.
Ling Huan sighed and stopped talking. For the sake of comfort, she couldn't help but appreciate it. Xie Zhe stood at the door of the room from a distance and looked at the two people, tense and alert, not daring to relax for a moment. This journey has always been as tense as it is now, and I'm afraid it might cause problems when we get there. And there is no guarantee that when he doesn't relax, who knows what kind of medicine is sold in this monster gourd. He has seen too many insidious and cunning bad guys. Although he knows that there are good monsters, he cannot completely trust this "big man" he has just met.
Zhongli Hanshang didn't know how to comfort her. The later the time goes on, the slimmer the hope of departure becomes. The snow shows no sign of slowing down, and judging from the current trend, it won't stop until night. Naturally, it was impossible to walk at night, and the snow became even heavier the next day. The two of them stared blankly at the falling snowflakes and listened to the whistling of the wind. The wind is sometimes very strong, like a pair of huge hands grabbing the window frame from the outside and trying to tear it down.
Xie Zhe was not in a hurry at first, but now he was a little worried. He was just thinking about what happened next, when a figure suddenly flashed in front of his eyes. He thought that the only people who could take some time to breathe were those of them who were crowded in the small room. He didn't expect that anyone else would come to this cold corridor. Taking a closer look, it was a strange woman. Compared to the early winter, the clothes she wore were a bit thin, but no one knew that the snow had come so suddenly, and by comparison, her outfit made people feel cold.
She also came to the window. The two people by the window turned around and naturally stepped aside a crack, allowing her to see the crazy and disorderly snow shadow outside the paper window. Both of them couldn't help but secretly take a few more glances at her, because her dress... was a bit special, and she looked like a charlatan at first glance. Most of the black clothing on her body is made of leather, and it is the kind of specially treated, tough armor that is almost the same as soft armor. The fabric is blue. Although it is dark blue, it is a bit bright. The material should not simply reflect light like silk. Maybe the dye itself is dazzling to the eyes. It's like...looking directly at the cloudless dark blue sky over the grassland.
And she was armed.
Two knives, one on the left and the other in the scabbard. The location is so obvious that it’s hard to ignore. The boots made a crunching sound on the old ground. The soles should be very thick, and there might be a dagger hidden inside. Her clothes are neither thick nor many, but the design is exquisite, which always makes people feel like thorns wrapped in gauze, hiding mysteries everywhere. And even this danger is deliberately revealed.
The woman wears a smart high ponytail, but it's a bit strange. Because the upper end of the braid is still very thick, the lower end suddenly becomes sparse and thin, as if half of the hair has been cut off from here.
She makes people feel so cold, but it is different from the wind and snow outside the window, but makes people feel chilled from the inside out.
"...Why don't you, sister Linghua, go back to your room to rest first?" Han Chang said, "I don't need to sleep. The room is small, so why don't you and Xie split your time. We'll call you when the time comes."
Ling Huan turned his head away from the stranger and looked at Han Shang with a bit of worry in his eyes: "Are you really not sleeping?"
"Well, no need."
The woman suddenly spoke.
"My room is for you."
Her voice was soft but clear. This made the two of them stunned, and even Xie Zhe, who was holding his arms, let go of his arms, adjusted his stance, and took the opportunity to get closer. Hanshang and Linghua looked at her blankly, not sure if she was speaking to them. But there was no one else around. After being frozen for a long time, Ling Huan whispered:
"This, this is inappropriate...then what should you do?"
"I'm leaving. I've given you the rent, you can use it as you like."
"Let's go?" Ling Huan glanced sideways, "Where are you going in such a cold weather? The roads are blocked by heavy snow, so I'm afraid it's not safe. And aren't your clothes a bit..."
It's extremely cold.
"It doesn't matter."
Her eyes were still on the paper window, as if her eyes were piercing through it, leading to a place farther away.
"but--"
"I gotta go."
After saying that, the woman turned around and went downstairs. Ling Huan felt incredible, glanced at the other two people, chased him to the stairs and looked down. She saw the door to the lobby being pushed open, and white light and howling wind and snow rolled in. She could feel a chill even upstairs. The door was closed, and the candle that was almost blown out at that moment climbed up tremblingly from the candlestick on the table.
"Isn't she cold?" Ling Huan felt like she was still shivering. She rubbed her arms and walked back from the stairs.
"She is the Six Paths of Impermanence."
With that said, Xie Zhe walked over from there. Han Chang nodded and said nothing more. Ling Huan was slightly stunned and quickly asked: "Really? How did you see it? I have never seen the Six Paths of Impermanence. I didn't expect..."
Xie Zhe explained: "In each of her eyes, there is a three-sun moon. Only a few people and monsters can see it."
"Oh... that's right." Ye Linghua looked a little disappointed, "I've heard about it, but I didn't expect it to be like this. Alas, I thought I was lucky enough to see it."
Han Chang smiled and said that it was not a matter of luck. They all knew that Ling Huan was just an ordinary wealthy daughter who didn't know the dangers of the world and ran out in a hurry, which was really thoughtless. But educating her is not their business. For these two... let's call them two kindhearted people, as long as they ensure that nothing unexpected happens when they are with her, they will have a clear conscience.
"The Six Paths of Impermanence are always so busy." Xie Zhe said: "Day and night, the wind comes and the rain comes. Hundreds of years ago, when there were not many people, they were quite relaxed. Now that the world is different, they rarely have a chance to breathe. .There are always too many people, everywhere.”
"That's true. Looking at you, you seem to know the impermanence of the six paths very well."
Han Chang teased, but Xie Zhe didn't show mercy and ignored him. Maybe he felt bored, so he turned around and asked Ling Huan:
"How did you know about the impermanence? I thought rich kids like you would only read mainstream poetry and books..."
"Ah, I also heard what Yin Huan said. She is very interested in these things. Moreover, I heard that our ancestors of the Ye family obtained prosperity for future generations by trading with Lord Gaoyue... I also heard that with my own efforts There is a connection. It is said that every time someone goes to the Death Shadow Pavilion for help, the face of the pavilion owner is different. Sometimes it is a man, sometimes it is a little girl; sometimes it is deep and melancholy, sometimes it is lively and unruly. Some people say , her appearance is related to her mood, or to the identity and personality of the visitor. In fact, I know that those are just her subordinates, and the real master of the pavilion is Yu Yumingxu Gao Yuejun. However, she rarely shows her true face to others. I want to see her, as long as I see her..."
Xie Zhe nodded.
"You know a lot. I thought you were just like everyone else. You just heard some rumors and believed them to be true. But since your ancestor got help from her, why did you sneak out? Tell your family well. Is it possible for them? Will they oppose you?"
"I mentioned it, but they just... didn't agree. They even changed their expressions and told me not to mention it again. I really had no choice, so I thought of sneaking out quietly. No, I was still trapped by the heavy snow."
"Since you said that your family is prosperous now - did you pay an unbearable price?"
"nor……"
Han Chang stretched out his arm and suddenly raised it from bottom to top in front of the two people to attract their attention. Then, he raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Xie Zhe with a strange expression.
"You don't know, right? In recent years, the reputation of the Shadow Pavilion has not been very good."
"I know there are some bad rumors, but I have not listened carefully. They are just rumors." He looked a little disdainful. "The thing I want to take was entrusted to the Death Shadow Pavilion by an upright man. , I don’t think there will be a mistake.”
"Do you view the relationship between people too simply? You are still an Onmyoji, so you have never seen the world? You cannot generalize about good or bad. The truth behind many things cannot be revealed to you in just a few words. For example, death What happened to the Shadow Pavilion - have you heard of it? They are always keen on all kinds of forbidden arts in the world. Fortunately, they are still working under the hands of Yama, which can be regarded as committing crimes against the wind. But in so many years, they have never been beaten, you Do you know why?"
"You just want to say that they are colluding, and the officials are protecting each other, and the people are not allowed to light the lamps."
"Tsk, then you are wrong." Han Shan raised his head, "Although I can't say that I have no doubts about this, the fact is that all their research cleverly stepped on that adult's bottom line. It seems that These are very dangerous topics, but the actual operation avoids all kinds of risks of being punished. It is like juggling and dancing on a rope between the cliffs, but never fails."
After listening to it, Ling Hu agreed with this statement.
"Yes... my family said the same thing. They said that the Shadow Pavilion is not what it used to be. It has become more and more aggressive because it has never been suppressed. What's more, in recent years, there has been no fair transaction for a long time. The stories people heard , mostly about how I was given hope at a tragic time, but was cruelly deprived of it and put into an even worse situation. Rumor has it that they have some kind of more terrible plan now, so my family doesn’t allow me to mention it again. But I think, only there You can help me. If they don’t go, I will.”
"Nonsense." Xie Zhe said coldly, "In recent years, people have become more and more interested in taking shortcuts. Not all shortcuts are like ladders to heaven. There are always abyss on both sides of them. Reward and dedication are naturally mutual. Those who are balanced, such as your Ye family, are just provided with an opportunity. Today's prosperity is due to the efforts of your future generations. Only when you always think about getting something for nothing will you tell your own tragedy everywhere and never stop. The real Those who benefit are just living their lives honestly."
After hearing these words, Ling Huan was a little happy.
"If it is really as Mr. Xie said, I will be relieved."
