After Liu Ruyan and Luo Xiangxue parted at the long street post crossing, they hurried to Hongqinju.
He must reach the "Black Valley" before dark, otherwise, it will be difficult to move after dark. The official road leading from Xianrenju Town to Cuihua Mountain is dilapidated and rugged. This road is almost a deserted place with no villages or shops. If you can't walk through this desolate land before dark, you will have to sleep in the wild overnight and wait until dawn before you can move on.
According to rumors, this deserted road is often haunted by robbers who hide in the mountains and forests on the roadside. When pedestrians pass by, they jump out and block the road to rob.
Those robbers were not people from the Jianghu, but gangsters from other places, or some fugitives from the court who were wanted by the government. They were sneaky, plundered, and dared to do any bad thing. But there is a special rule: they only steal and rob, but they will never kill indiscriminately. Every profession in the world has its own unique rules, and even robbers who rob homes have unwritten rules. It’s really incredible to say.
At this time, the sun was about to fall under the Western Mountain, only half of its face was exposed, and the top of the Western Mountain was reflected brilliantly! A gorgeous fire cloud covered the entire sky, like a dazzling feast. The mountains and fields under the sunset are gentle and peaceful!
Liu Ruyan galloped for five hours. Seeing that it was getting dark, it seemed that it was impossible to cross the "Black Valley" before dark. He thought about where to stay tonight. He had galloped for nearly eighty miles, and the horse was showing signs of fatigue, blowing and sneezing from its mouth.
"Black Valley" is a dangerous pass sandwiched between the mountainsides of two mountains. It is named because the terrain is narrow, steep and dangerous. Walking in the valley, the mountain path at your feet is less than one meter wide. Looking up, you can see an almost vertical mountain wall, which is smooth and moist. Mountain spring water seeps out from the rock wall all year round. On one side of the foot is a bottomless cliff, which cannot be overlooked. Walking there, you can’t help but feel frightened! What's even more frightening is that this place is an out-and-out "robber's den". Bandits often hide here and rob passers-by.
Seeing that the sky was about to get completely dark, Liu Ruyan thought to herself: About twenty miles ahead is the famous "Black Valley". I heard my master talk about this place before. The terrain is dangerous and bandits are often seen. When I go there, Need to be extremely careful. Remember not to enter the Black Valley at night. In addition to bandits taking the opportunity to rob, there are also some ferocious beasts that often appear there. Therefore, you must not enter rashly at night.
Recalling the advice his master had given him, he thought about it and decided to find a suitable place to camp nearby, spend the night in the open, and set off again after dawn.
He tied the white horse to a big tree trunk, then lit the fire fold he carried with him, and used the weak firelight to look around.
Surrounded by a wilderness, some tall and short embankments were covered with wild grass as tall as a person. When the night wind blows, the wild grass all over the slope makes a rustling sound, creating an indescribably desolate, weird and terrifying atmosphere.
He raised the fire fold and looked around carefully. Suddenly, the hoot of an owl came from nowhere. It was so shrill and shrill that it startled him suddenly.
Liu Ruyan looked around and finally found a relatively wide, flat piece of ground not far from where the horse was tied. Then, he went to Fujin to find some dead branches and leaves, and lit them with fire folds to create a pile of firewood. The firewood started to burn, and the firelight illuminated his face, making him look even more clear and handsome in the night.
He cleared the weeds around him and sat cross-legged on the ground. At this moment, he was filled with uneasiness. A man spent the night alone in the wilderness. The surrounding area was dark and eerily quiet. He deeply felt a huge sense of loneliness in his heart, which was like the boundless darkness that overwhelmed him and swallowed him up. At this moment, he suddenly remembered those years when he was a child - the time when he began to have vague memories:
He vaguely remembered that he had a happy home. He often enjoys the cool air in the yard on summer nights with his parents and sister. His father held his hand, his mother held his sister's hand, and the family played games in the backyard garden, catching fireflies... They often played until late at night... At such moments, the whole courtyard was filled with laughter and laughter... And at such times , it seems that it didn’t last long before it ended.
Until one night, many people with swords suddenly poured into the yard. At this moment, his father immediately closed the study door, took himself and his sister away from the secret door of the study, and took him to a stone room behind the cliff. Dad looked very nervous at the time and told him and his sister: Yan'er, Mei'er, stay here obediently, don't run around, let alone make any noise! Daddy has something important to do. He will come back to pick you up when it’s done! As soon as his father finished speaking, he and his sister suddenly fainted. It was Daddy who clicked on their sleeping holes.
When he woke up, he realized that he was not in the stone room, but in a completely unfamiliar place. A strange uncle appeared in front of him, looking at him with a smile. However, he never saw his sister again. He suddenly felt scared and burst into tears! He kept shouting to find his father, mother and sister!
However, since then, he has never seen his dearest and most beloved family members again...
Just as Liu Ruyan's thoughts were falling into distant and vague memories, suddenly, the white horse tied to the tree trunk let out a startling neigh, and then jumped up on the spot. This high-pitched neighing interrupted his long thoughts. He was startled and quickly jumped up and ran towards the white horse. When I came to the front, I saw a long snake coming from under the horse's hooves, holding its head high and spitting out a letter to the horse. Liu Ruyan took a closer look and saw that it was a thick venomous snake. He was shocked, and without thinking, he suddenly drew out his sword and struck the snake's head like lightning. With a flash of sword light, the venomous snake's head was instantly missing. Suddenly, he was startled and broke into a cold sweat. He stood there and exhaled a long breath: If it were one step later, the poisonous snake would bite the white horse. If the white horse was bitten by the poisonous snake, it would definitely be poisoned and die! That would be troublesome.
Liu Ruyan was stunned, trying to calm down her nervous mind. After a long time, he came back to his senses, reached out and stroked the horse's head, comforting the frightened white horse! Immediately, he used the fire fold to get close to the horse, carefully checked it, and made sure that the white horse was not injured, and then he felt relieved! I thought to myself: "What a risk! What a risk!"
Liu Ruyan looked up at the night sky. A crescent moon hung in the sky. The vast night sky was full of stars, twinkling like countless eyes looking at her! He was in a trance for a moment: "Father, mother, sister, where are you? Do you know how much I miss you? When and where can we be reunited as a family? How can I find you?"
Thinking of relatives whose whereabouts are unknown, and now, not even knowing whether they are dead or alive? He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in his heart! He raised his arms and let out a sharp cry: "Dad, mother, little sister, where are you? Where are you?" A line of clear tears slid down the face, emitting a pale light under the moonlight!
Tired of crying, he sat cross-legged next to the white horse and said silently in his heart: "No matter where the end of the world is, I will definitely find you! You must be good and wait for me, waiting for the day when our family will be reunited!" He was holding back in his heart. The longing, sadness, and grievance that I had suffered for twenty years were all vented at this moment! Maybe only in this way he felt better.
Unconsciously, a hint of fish belly white began to appear on the horizon. The long night was coming to an end and the sky would soon light up. The long lonely night is finally over!
He stood up, rubbed his eyes, went to the nearby grass, washed his face with dew, and suddenly felt energetic. At this time, the sky has turned from gray to bright white, and a red sun has climbed up among the distant mountain peaks, emitting thousands of golden rays, shining on the earth!
He straightened his sleeves and led the horse to a green grassland. The horse seemed to be very hungry, and started to eat with its head buried in big mouths. After the horse was full, he immediately got on the horse, clamped his feet under the horse's belly, and the white horse spread its four hooves again and started galloping.
He had not slept all night, and he missed his relatives and was overly sad. He also felt hungry in his belly. After running for a while, he reined in his horse, took out the steamed buns and roast chicken from his bag, and ate them with big mouthfuls.
At this moment, he could eat steamed buns and roast chicken, which he felt were the most delicious dishes in the world. After gnawing haphazardly, there was no more gurgling in his stomach. He wiped his lips with satisfaction, then got on his horse, shouted softly, and galloped away.
Unknowingly, the horse galloped for about twenty miles. Suddenly, two majestic mountains appeared in front of them, and a mountain road wound along the mountains. The steep mountain road winds through the mountains and ridges, looking extremely dangerous. The two mountains in front of you are like an airtight wall, giving people an indescribable sense of oppression. When you get closer, it seems as if they are about to collapse at any time.
