As sunset approached, a golden fire cloud dyed the sky red.
At the top of Mingyue Peak, the setting sun reflected half of the steep cliff red, presenting a magnificent and beautiful scene.
Under the setting sun, Hongqinju looks even more magnificent.
Liu Ruyan and Chu Menghua came to the butterfly garden on the mountain behind Mingyue Peak.
This is an oval garden located in the back hill of Hongqinju. It is the season when spring flowers bloom and eagles fly.
The garden is full of all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, which are so beautiful that they attract colorful butterflies to dance.
When Chu Menghua saw the strange flowers and plants in the garden, her eyes immediately lit up. She especially loves all kinds of colorful wild flowers.
When she was just born, the layman Nanshan saw that she was born with beautiful features and was thinking about what a good name should be given to her. His wife loved flowers and would often go to the wild to pick some bright flowers and put them in vases to make the room warm and unique.
She held the baby Dream Flower in her arms and held the colorful flowers in front of her eyes. Xiao Menghua suddenly stared at the flowers intently, smiled, and stretched out her hands to grab them.
The Nanshan layman on the side was worried about what name he should give his daughter. Suddenly he saw the warm scene and an idea came to his mind. He thought: My daughter jumped with excitement when she saw the flowers. Obviously she likes these flowers very much. Why not just name your daughter Menghua. He discussed it with his wife, and the couple both thought the name Menghua sounded nice, so they named their daughter Chu Menghua.
Just like her name, Chu Menghua especially loves all kinds of colorful flowers. She can't take her eyes away when she sees those beautiful wild flowers growing freely.
At this moment, she was as excited as a butterfly. In the fragrant butterfly garden, she looked around the flowers and smelled them. She closed her eyes from time to time and breathed in the rich fragrance of flowers floating in the wind. In that frown and smile, the delicate and delicate attitude of the girl who loves beauty is fully revealed.
Liu Ruyan looked at her intoxicated posture and seemed to be infected by her girlish romance, with a warm smile showing in the corner of her eyes. He really envied his junior sister's girlish heart, being able to live such a free and carefree life!
If only I could be as heartless as her and not have any worries!
At this moment, she was immersed in the poetic world in her heart, enjoying the tranquility and beauty to her heart's content!
How could such a girl with such a beautiful girlish heart not be liked?
It was as if the terrible misfortune she had experienced a few days ago had not affected her state of mind at all. She still lives happily and freely, like a flower blooming quietly, like a butterfly flying freely!
This butterfly garden is not very big, but it is criss-crossed with many forked paths, like a complex maze. If you enter the hinterland of the garden, the forked paths are winding and winding, making it difficult to find the correct exit. If you are not careful, you can easily get lost.
Clusters of small flower forests are as dense as spider webs. Distributed in a chessboard-like garden. Xu Feng had warned her and Leng Yue many times that they could only play in the border area of the Butterfly Garden and never go deep into the hinterland of the garden. Otherwise, you may encounter danger at any time.
This seems to be an exquisitely laid out formation. Once trapped in it, it will be extremely difficult to escape.
Chu Menghua was so excited that she danced among the flowers and grass. For some reason, she became very happy at the moment. Maybe it was because her brother Liu was by her side!
That day, Liu Ruyan and Xu Feng met the two sisters under the leadership of Empress Luoxia. When Liu Ruyan saw that her junior sisters were injured and pale, she couldn't help but feel worried. Seeing them falling asleep, she stayed by their side.
When Chu Menghua slowly opened her eyes, two blurry figures appeared in front of her. Gradually it became clearer, and then she vaguely recognized that the two figures in front of her were actually Uncle Xu and Brother Liu.
She immediately woke up from the panic and shock. Suddenly, she felt excited and joyful, and she called out excitedly: Brother Liu! Uncle Xu!
She never dreamed that Brother Liu, whom she had not seen for two months, would suddenly appear in front of her. And in such a completely unfamiliar and scary place!
When she was injured and comatose, she slept for a long time. When Empress Luoxia rescued them, she saw that they were too frightened, so she immediately clicked on their sleeping points, hoping that they would rest quietly so that they could temporarily forget the thrilling scene of falling off the cliff. .
Later, she had a vague dream while sleeping.
She dreamed of her dead mother, smiling and waving to her in the bright light. Calling her name one after another, when she ran towards her mother enthusiastically, her mother's figure gradually disappeared. Her mother's face, eyes, hair, hands...until they completely disappeared...
She was so frightened that she howled hysterically: Mom, don’t leave me, Mom, come back quickly! do not go! …
She moaned in her sleep, talking in her sleep over and over again, and her body trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Empress Luoxia had no choice but to use a hot towel to wipe the sweat on her face due to excessive fright. Her forehead was covered with cold sweat, flowing down one by one.
She hadn't seen her father and brother Liu for two months. She occasionally missed them and thought of the happy times she had with them. Thinking about it, you can't help but smile.
Although she had a lot of fun at Uncle Xu's place, and she was accompanied by sister Leng Yue, who she liked well, she would not feel lonely. Although she and Leng Yue have very different personalities, this does not prevent them from becoming good sisters who talk about everything.
Liu Ruyan followed her, looking around casually. Before coming, he was looking forward to coming to Cuihua Mountain, and he would definitely have a good wander around. But now, when he was really standing in this place, he had no intention of watching.
In the past few days, strange and strange things happened inexplicably. First, the two sisters disappeared and fell off a cliff. Later, they were lucky enough to be rescued by the mysterious and beautiful Empress Luoxia, who actually lived in seclusion in a dark and deep place. In the cave, and later on, I encountered those two weirdos who came to seek revenge... What did these strange things that happened one after another seem to be foreshadowing?
Maybe, something even more terrifying will happen next!
He was thinking about these strange things in his mind, and he always had an ominous premonition. What exactly it was, he couldn't figure out.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became, and he couldn't figure it out. I can't help but feel deeply worried for Uncle Xu's family, and I just hope that their family will be safe. Now, he just wants to leave here as soon as possible and return to his master, the sooner the better.
Just as his thoughts were surging, Chu Menghua was in the flowers in front, waving to him excitedly and shouting: "Brother Liu, come here quickly, take a look, there is a strange flower here!" She was excited Dancing with joy, as if he had discovered some treasure.
Liu Ruyan walked over quickly and looked at her in surprise: "Junior sister, what did you find?"
Chu Menghua said excitedly: "Look, what kind of flower is this?" She squatted among the flowers and stared at the bouquet of flowers, her eyes shining with surprise and excitement.
Liu Ruyan also squatted down and observed the flower carefully. It was a white flower. The flower was shaped like an upside-down trumpet. The petals were huge, the roots were entangled, but the flower stem looked low. The branches, leaves and petals are swaying gently in the breeze, which looks very strange, and there is a mysterious atmosphere in the beauty.
Chu Menghua and Xu Lengyue often visit this butterfly garden and have seen all kinds of flowers and plants, but this is the first time they have seen such a strange flower.
She was very excited and couldn't help but want to reach out and pick the flowers. Just when her hand was about to touch the flowers, she was suddenly stopped by Liu Ruyan: "Don't move!"
There was an extremely frightened look in his eyes as he studied the white flowers at close range. Chu Menghua was startled by his sudden shout, her gestures suddenly stopped, and she stood there in shock, looking at Liu Ruyan in surprise.
Liu Ruyan then said slowly: "Be careful, this flower is poisonous! Junior sister, take a closer look, what does this flower look like?"
"Hey, this flower looks like a trumpet, so strange!" She exclaimed in surprise and stared at the flower carefully.
"Yes, do you know what kind of flower this is?" He looked at Chu Menghua with a solemn expression.
"I don't know, I've never seen this kind of flower." She shook her head.
"When I was a child, my master and I once went to the mountains and forests to collect herbs, and we saw this kind of flower in the woods. I thought it looked beautiful at the time, and like you, I wanted to pick it, but my master suddenly stopped me."
He looked at the strange white flower: "Master told me that this flower is called Manzhu Shahua. It is a flower of the underworld that is said to grow in hell. It is beautiful but extremely poisonous, so it must not be touched. As long as it touches a few petals, branches and leaves, it will be poisoned. The area it touches will gradually turn black and fester, and it will be unbearably itchy. It will not only poison people, but also confuse people's minds. People will gradually become trance-like and forget the past."
"Ah? How could this happen? This is just an ordinary flower. Is it really so scary?" Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth opened wide.
"This is not an ordinary flower. You see, it looks strange. It is completely different from other flowers. It is full of poison. If you accidentally touch it, you will be poisoned and die. So, if you see it, you must stay away! "
"Since this is a flower that blooms in hell, how come it blooms here?" Chu Menghua blinked her eyes and said in confusion.
"Hey, it's just a rumor that it's the flower of hell. Do you think it really blooms in hell!" Liu Ruyan couldn't help being amused by her innocent and childish words.
As Chu Menghua spoke, she suddenly showed a trace of sadness: "I haven't seen dad for two months. I don't know how he is. Is his cough getting better?"
Liu Ruyan looked at her, half-smiling, and suddenly sighed: "I knew you would miss us. My little junior sister has finally grown up and is no longer the wild girl she used to be."
Chu Menghua rolled her eyes at him mischievously: "Who will miss you? I won't miss you. I'm worried about daddy's lung disease."
Liu Ruyan sighed again and said quietly: "Oh, I originally took you back to celebrate the master's birthday, but I didn't expect to encounter so many strange things here. Tomorrow is the master's birthday, and we couldn't make it back. , Master will definitely be unhappy." He frowned with worry on his face.
Chu Menghua pouted and said: "I also want to see my father soon and celebrate his birthday with him, but that day Leng Yue and I were picking a herb that grew on the edge of the cliff. Leng Yue accidentally slipped under her feet and suddenly fell. , my body was entangled by the vines on the edge of the cliff, so I reached out to pull her. Unexpectedly, my feet were unstable and I slipped out. We were all frightened, thinking that we were dead this time, but we didn’t expect that we would fall. We were caught in a rock crevice on the cliff. If it hadn't been for the big tree blocking us, we would never have seen each other again." When she mentioned the scene of falling off the cliff that day, she was still frightened.
Liu Ruyan frowned and said anxiously: "Do you know, that day I came to Hongqin Residence, but I didn't see you for a long time, so I felt puzzled. Unexpectedly, I waited for the news of your disappearance, and I was anxious to death. "He looked at Chu Menghua tenderly and pitifully.
Chu Menghua suddenly blushed, turned her head, turned her back to him, and asked quietly: "Brother Liu, are you really worried about me? If I really die one day, will you cry for me in pain? ?" She lowered her head, the blush on her face getting thicker, half shy and half expecting.
Twenty-eight years is the age when a woman is most beautiful and passionate. The delicate and beautiful appearance of her newly awakened lover is charming and very endearing.
Liu Ruyan was startled when he heard the words, and his heart moved, and then he smiled again and joked: "Sister Hua, why do you say this suddenly? We grew up together, and you will always be my good sister. If you are in danger, brother I will definitely be the first to rush out to protect you." He comforted her softly.
In fact, he has long understood Huamei's feelings for him. He knows that Huamei secretly likes him in his heart, but he only regards her as his sister. There was just a deep brother-sister relationship between him and her. Obviously Chu Menghua didn't think so.
Chu Menghua pursed her lips, smiled anxiously, and said, "Oh, do you just think of me as your sister?" She lowered her head, a look of loneliness and disappointment flashing across her face.
"You are my good sister, my forever sister!" He looked at her.
Chu Menghua closed her eyes gently and looked up, not looking at him, as if she didn't dare to look at him.
She suddenly ran away and stopped next to a big tree. She looked up at the towering cliffs in the distance. The brilliance of the setting sun is shining on the tops of the peaks, casting golden light across the sky.
When Liu Ruyan saw this, her heart trembled, and she hurriedly followed. He stopped behind her and asked in confusion: "Hua Mei, what's wrong with you?"
Her thin clothes were fluttering in the mountain breeze, her long hair was fluttering, and her thin shoulders were shaking slightly. She did not look back, but said lightly: "It's nothing, it's nothing."
She seemed to not want Liu Ruyan to see the sadness on her face. She bit her lips gently, trying to say something, but she couldn't.
Liu Ruyan said with concern: "Hua Mei, what are you thinking about? Just say what you have to say?" He looked at her back, feeling a pity in his heart.
"Brother Liu, it's nothing, it's really nothing. I was just thinking about my father. I suddenly wanted to go home and go back to my father." She said quietly without looking back.
"Yeah, let's go home tomorrow. Master often talks about you, and he misses you very much."
"Brother Liu, do you think I'm useless?" She suddenly felt inferior.
"No, why do you think so? Girl, are you worried?" He was a little anxious and didn't know how to comfort her.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. It's getting late. Let's go back quickly, otherwise Uncle Xu will have to worry again." She finally turned around and smiled at Liu Ruyan.
Looking at the wild flowers around her swaying in the wind, she squatted down, picked a handful from the flowers, held it in her hand, closed her eyes and smelled it beautifully.
Liu Ruyan looked at her with a smile, and suddenly found that the flower girl was becoming more and more beautiful, and the pure and innocent girl's feelings only belonged to her in front of her.
The setting sun has sunk under the Western Mountain, twilight has fallen, the mountain wind is still blowing, and there is a hint of coldness and loneliness between heaven and earth.
Liu Ruyan suddenly said: "Sister Hua, are you cold?"
Chu Menghua smiled and shook her head: "It's not cold." She looked at the darkening sky, "Let's go, let's go quickly!"
Liu Ruyan took off his gown and put it on for her. She was already weak and her injuries were not healed. If she got cold again, it would be even more troublesome.
Facing Liu Ruyan's care, her girlish heart, which was ready to move, felt a little secretive joy. Feeling warm in her heart, she raised her head and smiled at Brother Liu.
The two of them walked through the mountain path beside the garden and walked straight to Hongqin Residence.
Not long after, we came to the plank road outside the courtyard of Hongqinju. Stepping on the wooden plank road, there is a "thumping" sound under your feet.
When passing the mural beside the plank road, Liu Ruyan suddenly stopped. The lanterns on both sides of the plank road have been lit, and the orange light shines on the murals, showing a strange and bizarre scene. Those weird and weird pictures look even more ferocious and terrifying in the halo.
That day, Liu Ruyan passed by here while going up the mountain, and was attracted by these exquisitely carved and wonderful patterns. I thought to myself that the exquisite carving skills of the painter were truly extraordinary. It would be a joy to have the opportunity to meet the person who created it.
He looked at the murals and said to Chu Menghua: "Sister Hua, can you see what these murals mean?"
Chu Menghua stared at these strange-looking murals and suddenly smiled and said: "Aren't these murals just paintings of the twelve zodiac signs? Oh, there are also pictures of ladies flying into the sky and some weird martial arts moves in front of them. These patterns are very It's beautiful, but you can't see anything special about it?" She frowned and looked at it carefully, then turned to look at Liu Ruyan in confusion.
Liu Ruyan said slowly: "This is not an ordinary mural, but a set of extremely profound martial arts moves. However, I can't see what martial arts are hidden in it!" He looked at the mural with a twinkle in his eye. Moving with strange colors.
Chu Menghua looked at it for a while, but didn't see any mystery. She sighed and said, "Oh, I can't understand these pictures. They are dazzling and give me a headache. Okay, Brother Liu, let's not Look, go back quickly! Uncle Xu won't see us later, so we should be anxious again." She pulled Liu Ruyan and was about to leave.
At this moment, a servant came running towards them from a distance. When he saw the two of them, he greeted them loudly: "Young Master Liu, Miss Chu, so you are here! The master is waiting for you to go back for dinner!"
He quickly came to the front, bowed to the two of them, and said with a smile: "The wine and food are ready, just waiting for you two. Come with me, you two."
After that, he walked in front and led the two of them along the plank road, entered the courtyard, and walked straight to the east wing.
From a distance, they saw Xu Feng, Shangguan Hongqin, Xu Lengyue and Ma Guanshi all standing at the door.
When Xu Feng saw the two coming, he said with a smile: "Nephew Liu Xian went to the butterfly garden, right? How about it, uncle's back garden is not bad, right?" He looked at the two with a kind face.
At this time, Leng Yue on the side intervened and said: "We were just worried that you couldn't find the way out! However, with my sister accompanying you, you won't be lonely. How about you guys having fun? Are you happy?" She joked towards Chu Menghua.
Shangguan Hongqin rolled her eyes at Leng Yue and said with a smile: "Look at you, you stupid girl, you are making fun of your sister and Mr. Liu! You are still like this in front of the guests!" Shangguan Hongqin looked at Leng Yue lovingly, but He couldn't help but criticize her.
Liu Ruyan sighed and said with some embarrassment: "It's all my nephew's fault for making my uncle and aunt worry. My nephew was thinking that we would go back tomorrow, so he asked Hua Mei to take me there. Move around.”
Chu Menghua smiled and said: "As long as I stay with Brother Liu, nothing will happen. My uncle also told me before that I was not allowed to enter the deep jungle of the Butterfly Garden, so we just walked on the border of the Butterfly Garden for a while."
Xu Feng stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Okay, let's not stand here anymore, please come in and have dinner!"
Everyone immediately sat down and started eating happily. Everyone toasted to each other and chatted happily, and the atmosphere was so cheerful.
During the dinner, Xu Feng frequently raised his glass and thanked Liu Ruyan for his help. When he got excited, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh. As he talked, I somehow felt some sentimental emotions.
After three rounds of wine, Liu Ruyan was already a little tipsy. He was not very good at drinking. He had already drank a lot at the celebration banquet at noon. Now that he was drinking again, he felt a surge of alcohol and his mind was a little confused.
Upon seeing this, Shangguan Hongqin hurriedly tried to comfort her: "Nephew Liu, don't just focus on drinking. Eat more food. It's really rare to see your uncle and nephew drinking so much today. If my nephew has free time in the future, I welcome you." Come and play.”
Liu Ruyan gradually showed her drunken state, feeling light-headed and dizzy for a while. Hearing what her mother-in-law said, she nodded with a smile.
Although he was half drunk, his mind was still clear.
Looking at the warm scene in front of him, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness in his heart.
He has had such warmth before. When he was a child, the family was like this now, happily sitting together to eat together, and the family table was filled with laughter and laughter.
At that time, both myself and my sister were still young, and we never took our meals seriously. My mother always had to feed them first before she could eat...
He suddenly remembered the beautiful past memories of his childhood: his father holding him, his mother holding his sister, and the family of four happily going on a spring outing.
Dad performed fencing and riding skills for us in the wilderness, and his wonderful performances often won our applause.
My parents were so young at that time, and they were so loving. I have never seen them quarreling. They are so affectionate and affectionate that they stay together and fly together. It is really enviable to others!
My father and mother loved music and poetry. They often drank tea in front of the flowers and played music under the moonlight. They also liked to recite poems and write poems after dinner, just like a pair of gods and concubines who love each other.
However, the good times did not last long, and such beautiful times could not last forever. Since that night, a group of vicious people broke into the house...
He sat there in a daze, his eyes dull, and scenes from the past came to mind, including happiness, suffering and sorrow. Suddenly, a trace of sadness and confusion appeared in his intoxicated eyes.
He thought of his missing relatives, father, mother and little sister. Their images flashed before his eyes again, as if they were by his side and never far away.
Thinking of this, he seemed to suddenly wake up, with a look of loneliness and sadness on his face.
When he thought of them, his eyes turned red, and he felt a surge of sadness in his heart, as if tears were about to burst out of his eyes. But how could he shed tears here? How could a dignified man of seven feet shed tears easily! He could only hold back his tears.
Everyone saw him suddenly sluggish and silent, thinking that he had drunk too much and was showing such abnormal emotions.
Xu Feng was extremely excited and raised his glasses to everyone. After a while, five empty wine bottles were placed under the table.
Shangguan Hongqin seemed to see the pain in his heart and asked with concern: "Is nephew Liu Xian worried about something? Why is he so depressed? Can you tell me and see if my aunt can share your worries?"
Liu Ruyan raised the glass and drank it down, waved her hands, and said vaguely: "No, it's nothing, I, I am happy today, really, very happy, thank you uncle and aunt for your hospitality!"
After that, he poured another glass for himself and was about to raise the glass when he was grabbed by Chu Menghua who was on the side. She said anxiously: "Oh, Brother Liu, you are already drunk. You can't drink anymore!" He held the wine glass in Liu Ruyan's hand to prevent him from drinking any more.
Liu Ruyan brushed her hand away, smiled, and said: "I'm not drunk, who said I was? I won't get drunk even if I drink another three hundred glasses! You, why don't you let me drink? Don't stop me, let me drink!" Just as he was about to drink it, Chu Menghua snatched it away, raised his head and drank it all.
When she drank it, she felt her throat tighten, and a burning, spicy taste surged up, making her cough repeatedly.
She didn't know how to drink, but when she saw that Liu Ruyan was very drunk, she was afraid that he would be hurt if he drank again, so she hurriedly drank for him.
When everyone saw this, they were all surprised. Unexpectedly, this seemingly weak girl actually has a heroic side.
