The weather is sometimes cool and sometimes warm. It's still a while before spring really arrives, but they are always heading north, and the colder days are getting more and more. The intermittent cold wind reminds people that the tail of winter is still lingering on this land.
Xie Zhe and the others were living quite well these days. Ling Huan is more lively than usual, and she talks a lot to Xue Miyin. At first, Miyin ignored him, but in fact he listened and would answer a few more times later. Ling Huan has always had a wish, which is to touch the invisible cat, but unfortunately he has never been able to do so. Both the cat's owner and Xie Zhe said that the cat liked Ling Quan for some reason. To explain it from the simplest perspective, this animal is the most intelligent and can best identify truly kind people. It knows who will treat it well, even if the other person cannot see it.
"I also have a lot of cats at home," said Ling Hu, who was riding a horse, "but they always want to run out, and no one likes to stay in the yard. Sometimes they come back, and sometimes they don't. Although my family The yard is very big, and there is always a lot of food for them. At first, a few were lost, and my family would buy a few more, but because they ran around so frequently, no one took care of them in the end. I like them very much, but rarely have them. Who wants to let me touch you?"
When she said this, Amiao was sitting on her lap, but she didn't feel anything. The spirit body is very light, lighter than cotton.
"Cats like freedom and a wider world." Miyin, who was riding the horse in front, looked back at Amiao, then turned to look ahead, "No matter how big the courtyard is, it is just a cage for them."
"But your cat keeps following you around like a puppy."
"It's not my cat...at least I never thought of it that way."
Xie Zhe, who was on the other horse, looked at her with a slightly surprised expression.
"But it's been following you?"
"This doesn't prove that it is my thing..." Miyin frowned, not knowing how to explain, "A Miao is not an object, I regard it as a friend - you can laugh if you want. Maybe it was spent money. The thing can be said to be my own, but although I spent a lot of money on Amiao during his lifetime, he only followed me if he wanted to. I admit that the name I gave at the beginning was... to commemorate the friend I thought was dead. It It's like accompanying me on behalf of a friend. Now, I have long regarded it as an independent individual. It has its own ideas, and no one can force it on it. It has its own wishes about who it is and what attitude it has. If you spend a lot of money to buy a dog, or if you are given a benefit to keep a dog as a housekeeper, it is natural for you to bark at outsiders. I spend money on Amiao because I am happy, just like...you will compare who spends more among your companions. One penny is lost, is one penny less spent?"
Xie Zhe and Han Zhang suddenly felt a little embarrassed. They knew that they had received too much of Ye Lingyu's glory along the way and were embarrassed to speak.
On the contrary, Ling Huan said: "No."
"But there's nothing funny about it," Han Shan said. "It's surprising that you think so. In today's world, people always regard animals as private property as a matter of course - although this is indeed the case to a certain extent."
Xie Zhe asked casually: "Is he the friend you mentioned before?"
"Well...she was still very young at that time, but she has grown up now. In my memory, she was only six years old. She looked about the same age as Shen Yiran." Although she was on a horse, she still gestured at her waist casually. "Not much has changed now."
"Alas, Mrs. Shen left just as she said... We didn't even say goodbye to her properly." Ling Huan was very sorry.
"Jianghu people are so free and uninhibited, which is good." Xie Zhe said.
"But after so many years, it's incredible that you can still recognize your friend. They say that women have undergone a transformation, and she may not have any shadow of her childhood."
"It must be her," Xue Miyin said firmly, "She is exactly the same as before."
"That's really amazing."
"Yes. We encountered an accident that year and she disappeared. The sister who adopted me saved me at that time and promised to help me find her. She said she found her, but my friend had already died, so she She was buried there. But she was actually not dead." Xue Miyin tightened her grip on the reins and dug her nails into her palms. "She could have been rescued...but that woman refused to save her."
Everyone was quiet for a while, no one dared to speak first. In the wide fields, there is only the rhythmic sound of horses' hooves. Ye Lingyu pondered for a while and tried to say:
"Well, could it be that she was too weak at that time, and the sister... thought she was in trouble and didn't check her properly? But she recovered after resting for a while?"
"If it were anyone else, I would think so. But she - that woman, if she wants to be saved, she can definitely be saved."
Her face and mood became worse. Even after a long time, she still brooded over the incident. Xie Zhe said nothing, while Han Chang scratched his head and said to her:
"Well, I don't like to persuade others to be generous. After all, no one is the person involved and should not comment on the pain the person has experienced. Although according to convention, I should say like most people: 'She saved your life. After raising you for so long, how can you care so much about repaying kindness with enmity? 'You care, there must be a more detailed reason. It doesn't matter, just say what you want to say, and don't say if you don't want to. The most important thing in the world is to relax, no matter what It’s boring to have to ask questions and explain everything.”
"Thanks."
As expected, Xue Miyin didn't say any more, but she thanked her. For her, these two simple words were hard-won and carried a lot of weight. Probably, there really is something unspeakable that I don't want to mention.
They had no contact with any towns or villages and had been wandering around in the wilderness watching flowers. Along the way, we encountered no danger. Occasionally, there are corpses of wild beasts, but only bones are left. Hanshang said that there might be some sick animals running out. If the corpse is attacked and eaten by other living creatures, it may also be infected. So they didn't hunt these days, they just dug some wild vegetables, found some fruits, and ate dry food. Even clean water must be boiled before drinking.
However, the city we are about to encounter ahead cannot be avoided. It is a very important city, with a large area and extending in all directions. Only one side is the wasteland where they are located. As for why it is not expanded here, firstly, the soil here is shallow and gravel will be encountered soon, which is not conducive to digging and building houses; firstly, the functions of a city are limited, and if the shape is too strange, the traffic will be very difficult. It’s inconvenient, and the farther away you are, the harder it is to manage. The shape of a city is usually either square or round. Where can I extend an extra leg?
This city is Wanlong City. On the map, it is one of the largest cities and the capital of the province. In addition to having a suitable climate, abundant supplies, and being located at a transportation hub, it also has important military significance. Although there are few ore veins in this city, metal ores from all over the place will be continuously transported here, because the casting level here is absolutely first-rate. It was also one of the most important armories of the imperial court. This continent has experienced two dynasty changes in five hundred years, and the names of many places and official positions have been adjusted, but the name of Wanlong City has never changed. As for the origin, there are also different opinions. First of all, the word "绾" refers to coiling into a knot, secondly it refers to the light crimson color, and thirdly, there are also outrageous sayings that it refers to the number "ten thousand". However, no matter what it means, it is a description, and the real focus is on the word "dragon". Except for the capital, there are few places that dare to have the word "dragon" on it, but there has been no change here. Perhaps it has something to do with the habits over the years. A small place will be changed if it is said to be changed, but here it is of great significance.
"I heard that the reason for the dragons in Wanlong City is that in the distant ancient times, many people died during natural disasters. Some people prayed to God day and night for help, and 10,000 dragons showed their magical powers and helped this place avert danger. This is true. ?"
"Pfft, nonsense." Han Chang chuckled, "Do you know how big a real dragon is? There are ten thousand of them. The city is not big enough for a bigger dragon. Maybe it means...a light crimson dragon. ?”
Xie Zhe said, "Really? I heard that when the government was building roads, they dug out huge stones with special shapes. People kept digging along the lines of the stones, but they couldn't get to the end. There is a virtuous and respected Yin Yang. The teacher said that this is the corpse of an entrenched dragon buried deep in the ground. It is it that guards the city and ensures good weather and good harvests."
Xue Miyin said: "Hey, I heard that it was when a farmer was hoeing the field..."
"That's too shallow."
"Too……"
While they were talking, they had arrived at the root of the city from a place where they could see the city wall from a distance. Perhaps as a precaution, the soldiers guarding the city were half-covered with black veils. After all, as far as they knew, the plague was not spread through mouth droplets. But their armor is also very professional, covering almost every part of the body, like an iron can, and no one can eat it. That's all for now. I wonder how they will be able to endure this in summer.
Wanlong City still allows people to enter and exit, perhaps because the disease has not spread here yet. They have strict censorship on outsiders. Everyone who came from other places and went around to the south gate of the city was inspected one by one. However, there were not many people and there was no long queue. Listening closer, they realized that everyone was coming from the west and east. Because there was already a long queue there.
In people's discussions, they also heard that the reason why there are so many people now is because there is news that a blockade is coming in Wanlong City. Although no epidemic has broken out internally, there are too many people pouring into the city from other places. Everyone must have come here for the supplies and the protection of the so-called Dragon God. While they were discussing, Han Chang suddenly said:
"Did you know? Thousands of years ago, the dragon in the extreme south was called one of the Eight Evil Gods."
"How come? Isn't the dragon always a symbol of auspiciousness?" Ling Huan asked.
