At this moment, the moon has reached its last quarter and it is already midnight.
Liu Ruyan and Xu Feng were pacing back and forth by the fire and had been talking to each other for a long time.
The coldness of the night was getting worse and the firewood on the ground had been burned out. Liu Ruyan went outside the courtyard to pick up some dead branches and added them to the fire, and the fire gradually became stronger again.
The more they talked, the more awake they became, and they didn't feel sleepy at all. It's just that they are increasingly unable to figure out the complexity of this matter.
The whole thing is full of mysteries, and the more I think about it, the weirder and weirder it becomes. Even before Liu Ruyan left, she met Lei Zhentian, who claimed to be the master's old friend who was passing by. At that time, he and the master regarded each other as brothers and had a very happy conversation. It was obvious that the two people must have a close friendship. Therefore, Liu Ruyan Yan didn't have any wariness about him at that time, and he seemed to be a loyal and honest person, and he didn't seem to have any evil intentions. Logically speaking, there is no reason why he would have any ulterior motives to harm his master.
But knowing people, knowing faces, but not knowing hearts, you can’t just take everything at face value, especially for those who travel around the world, it is even more difficult to see their true face. There are many people who do one thing in front of others and another behind their backs.
And Liu Ruyan only left home the day after he arrived. As for what happened after he left, it is never known.
The truth of all this may only be clear after finding Chu Yunfei!
The night is deep, the mountain wind is biting, and a wisp of cool mist has risen between the mountains and fields.
Everyone in the house is still sleeping.
Leng Yue seemed to feel a bit of coolness drifting in from the window. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was wearing a long gown. She glanced at the people who were still sleeping beside her, and her heart moved, and she suddenly understood this. This long gown must have been put on by my mother for herself.
At this moment, the chill was getting stronger. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, stood up and gently put her gown on her mother's body.
At this moment, Shangguan Hongqin seemed to feel the figure in front of him shaking, and seemed to be frightened by the cold air. He slowly opened his eyes, and suddenly saw Leng Yue squatting beside him, looking at him steadily, and he couldn't help but feel startled. She asked in surprise: "Yue'er, it's you! What time is it now?"
Leng Yue raised her head and looked out the window, and said faintly: "Mom, it looks like it's almost dawn! Mom, are you cold? Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
When Shangguan Hongqin saw the long gown draped on her body, she expected that Leng Yue had put it on her body. Her heart suddenly warmed up and she said with a smile, "Mom, you're not cold. But you, your body is already weak. Please put on your clothes quickly." Don’t get caught in the cold!”
She stood up slowly, put the gown on Leng Yue, and tied a knot under her neck to secure the gown.
She suddenly fell into a trance and asked anxiously: "Hey, where are your father and Brother Liu? Why haven't you seen them?"
Leng Yue looked out the window and frowned: "Mom, there is no one in the yard. I wonder where they went?"
At this time, wisps of cold morning mist drifted in from the window, and the chill suddenly hit them, making the two of them shiver involuntarily.
Everyone was disturbed by the cold, and gradually woke up and opened their eyes one after another.
Menghua's sleepy eyes saw that she suddenly had an extra piece of clothing on her body. She raised her eyes and looked at Shangguan Hongqin and Leng Yue in front of her, and said in surprise: "Hey, you are all awake? What's going on? My head hurts so much. !" She rubbed her eyes and stroked her chaotic head.
She glanced at the people around her and struggled to stand up. The sky outside the window had become lighter. It seemed that the long night was about to pass and the sky would light up.
At this time, everyone stood up one after another, and just spent the night together.
Menghua didn't see the shadows of Liu Ruyan and Xu Feng, so she hurriedly asked: "Where are Brother Liu and Uncle Xu? Why didn't you see them?"
Leng Yue was also quite surprised. She frowned and said, "I haven't seen them since I woke up. I don't know where they went. Last night, they seemed to have been staying in the yard after we came in to rest. Could it be that they stayed outside all night?" "
Everyone hadn't eaten all night, and now they felt even more hungry.
Shangguan Hongqin saw Leng Yue's pale face and thought she had accidentally contracted the cold again, so she asked anxiously: "Yue'er, mother, you don't look well, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Leng Yue shook her head and said with a faint smile: "No, Mom, I'm fine! Let's go outside to see Daddy and Brother Liu!"
Chunlan fiddled with her clothes and smoothed her messy hair. This was the first time in her life that she spent the night outside, and she was with a group of people she had just met and was not very familiar with, and in such a completely unfamiliar thatched cottage on a barren mountain. She just felt something strange in her heart, giving birth to a timid yet fresh and wonderful experience.
Suddenly he recalled the horrific scene he saw last night, but it seemed as if he had had an evil dream. The horrific scene she saw last night reappeared in her mind, leaving her with lingering fear.
She turned to look at Menghua, who was still in a state of despair, and felt a touch of sadness in her heart. She said to Menghua, "Hua sister, are you okay? How are you feeling?"
After one night, Menghua's emotions had calmed down a lot. At this moment, she seemed extremely strong and calm. She only had one belief in her heart: she must find a way to find her father's whereabouts and find out what happened here?
She only hoped that her father was still safe and sound and that his life was not in danger. She could only pray for him silently in her heart.
Menghua said faintly: "I dreamed of daddy last night!" She looked sad. "I saw him standing in the wilderness, covered in blood, walking toward me. He kept calling my name. I tried my best to fight him. I ran towards him, but when I got in front of him, he suddenly fell to the ground. There was a lot of blood on his body, and the bright red blood couldn't be stopped... Do you think Daddy is really dead? I'm so scared. I'm so scared!" Her voice was trembling, her face showed fear, she covered her face with her hands, and started sobbing again.
Seeing her in so much pain, everyone couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. They could only comfort her in every possible way with your words and mine.
Shangguan Hongqin stretched out his hand to straighten the flow on her forehead, gently hugged her into his arms, and said softly: "It's okay, Hua'er, this is just a nightmare. Dreams are all fake. Don't even think about it." There are too many, come on, let’s go out to find your Uncle Xu and Brother Liu, they will definitely find a way to find your father.”
Menghua bit her lip lightly, with tears in her eyes, and nodded towards her.
Shangguan Hongqin took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from her face.
Everyone followed Shangguan Hongqin to the yard.
The bonfire had been extinguished, its ashes flying in the morning breeze. The yard was empty, but Xu Feng and Liu Ruyan were nowhere to be seen.
Everyone was puzzled and looked at each other. Shangguan Hongqin looked around and said, "I didn't see them entering the house last night. Where will they go?"
Leng Yue thought thoughtfully and said, "Could they have gone to the forest?"
Shangguan Hongqin pondered for a moment and said, "Without further delay, let's go look for him separately!"
Menghua said anxiously: "You are not familiar with the terrain here. I think it's better for me to take the two eldest brothers to look for it! Don't wander around, just stay here and wait!"
Shangguan Hongqin sighed and nodded solemnly.
Leng Yue and Chun Lan looked at each other, and Leng Yue said, "Sister Hua, will Sister Chunlan and I also go with you?"
Menghua glanced at everyone and said with a smile: "You are not familiar with this place. If you accidentally get separated, we will have to go find you, so we should all stay here! I grew up in this mountain since I was a child, and this area is There is no place within a few miles that I can’t find! Don’t worry, everyone!”
Everyone thought about it and felt that what she said was reasonable, so they followed her arrangement and waited patiently in the courtyard.
Shangguan Hongqin looked anxious and said hurriedly: "That's all there is to it. Be more careful and go back quickly. If you find anything wrong, come back and let us know in time!"
Menghua took Zhang Shi and Wang Zhong and walked quickly towards the back mountain.
Menghua led the way, followed closely by the two of them. The three of them walked out of the courtyard and walked around a green vegetable garden. When passing by the spacious vegetable garden, I saw a piece of vegetables and fruits cultivated and planted by the Nanshan layman himself, including cucumbers, potatoes, eggplants, radishes, and several tall rows of green cane and sorghum. All kinds of vegetables and fruits were ripe. Swaying gently in the morning breeze. The fragrance of branches and leaves and the fishy smell of earth float in the wind.
Menghua looked at the harvested vegetable garden in front of her. She suddenly fell into a trance. The scene of her father hunched over working in the field appeared in front of her eyes. She seemed to see her father sweating profusely with a small hoe. He raised his head and looked up. She smiles!
She couldn't help but stop, looked at the vegetable garden, and murmured: "Dad! Stop working, come here and have a rest!"
When Zhang Shi and Wang Zhong saw her chanting slowly, they knew that she was in such a dazed manner because she missed her relatives so deeply. The two of them couldn't help but sigh and lament in their hearts, but they didn't know how to comfort her.
After a while, she came back to her senses and realized that what she had just seen was just an illusion, and there was a look of sadness and loneliness on her face.
She turned back to the two of them and said, "Let's go and have a look in the forest behind the mountain!"
The three of them walked along the mountain path behind the thatched cottage and headed straight for the hidden woods behind the mountain. The edge of the mountain road was covered with dense grass, and the grass was covered with dew. Their footsteps swept across the edge of the grass, and the trousers of the three of them were all wet.
The three of them walked forward quickly while looking around, shouting at the top of their voices to Liu Ruyan and Xu Feng.
"Uncle Xu, Brother Liu, where are you?..."
"Master, Young Master Liu! Master, Young Master Liu!..."
The three of them looked around anxiously and shouted loudly. The high-pitched and clear shouts floated in the wilderness and echoed in the valley for a long time.
I shouted for a while, but there was no response.
Everyone felt very puzzled: at midnight, they all went into the house to rest, but the two of them stayed by the fire chatting. Why did they disappear while chatting? Where will they go?
The three of them found a wide forest on the back mountain.
Menghua said to the two of them: "This forest is very big. If you are not familiar with the terrain here, just follow me and don't get separated. I think Uncle Xu and Liu Ruyan are probably here." In a forest."
The two nodded in agreement and followed her along the tree-lined path to search.
There are many pines and cypresses growing in this forest. There are hundreds of trunks of various sizes, with lush branches and leaves. Some trunks are thick and appear to be at least hundreds of years old.
At this moment, dawn broke in the east, the sky gradually became brighter, and a thin morning mist enveloped the mountains and forests. The air at dawn is extremely fresh, mixed with a bit of biting chill.
The three of them searched around in the forest, one foot deep and one foot shallow, one foot shallow and the other foot. While searching and looking, they shouted anxiously.
After searching for a while, there was still no sign of them, and no reply was heard. Menghua saw that it was not possible to search blindly like this. Maybe they were not in the forest, but went somewhere else.
Zhongnan Mountain is a vast area. If they were not in Wolong Valley, where would they go? Blindly searching in such a large area will undoubtedly lead to finding a needle in a haystack!
Menghua thought for a moment and said: "This forest is too big. I don't think it's an option to continue searching like this. Hey, that's all. We might as well go back and wait for them in the thatched cottage. Maybe they will have come back by this time!"
Seeing that there was no trace of them, the two had no choice but to follow Menghua's arrangements. Then, the three of them returned to the thatched cottage along the original road.
