The days passed quickly. Although winter has entered, when I was in the church a few days ago, it felt like it was still autumn. However, after riding a horse through several counties, the temperature was completely different. The temperature here was It seems much colder.
Winter dusk always comes quickly. Looking at the orange and blue sunset in the sky, everyone can't help but slow down. However, the sun seemed to be in a hurry to get off work. It just used its residual heat for a moment and fell into the western mountains.
Therefore, the wind in the valley carries a strong coolness, blowing on everyone without favoritism.
After walking through a large piece of grass, there are short fences built by fences, and roads are paved with small stones on the ground.
The sky got darker and darker as we walked, but luckily the street lamps were lit for a while. There were not many people in the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley, but there were quite a lot of lamps lit.
As soon as Fu Cheng had this idea, Lan Zhao spoke.
"Some herbs need to be picked at night. It's hard to see the road clearly when it's foggy at night. To prevent mistakes, we also paved the road with pebbles." Lan Zhao said, as if he was specifically explaining what was on his mind.
Ruan Xianbei gathered up his clothes due to the wind, thinking that he should add a coat later.
"At night? Aren't you afraid?" Fu Cheng asked curiously.
Lan Zhao smiled at him and said: "I knew it when I was a child, and it will be fine as soon as I get used to it. Every plant and tree here is our family, there is nothing to be afraid of."
"When I was a kid, I didn't have anything to play with. I just picked more herbs and knew more herbs than anyone else. There were large areas here and there for young disciples to play. But there were times when I was lazy and unhappy. I often hid in tree holes. Sometimes I fall asleep after crying. If the pine can't find me, I go to find the master, thinking that I have been bitten by a wolf." When she talks about this, her tone is full of tenderness. Think about it, even the grass and trees They are all disciples of Wanhua Valley who are loved and cared for as family members. This place should bring them great happiness.
The Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers is very large, almost like an original ecological park with particularly good greening. However, it should be said that the greening in this era is very original and grows wildly without development.
They didn't go far, but they saw several pheasants and rabbits here, as well as squirrels and a bunch of birds.
There was no one in the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley yet. The housing estate in front was brightly lit, and the silhouettes were obviously occupied by people. However, the whole group of them had walked here without encountering a single disciple. Ruan Xianbei felt very strange.
"Zhaozhao, are you always like this?" Ruan Xianbei asked after looking around the surroundings.
Looking at her expression, Lan Zhao probably guessed what she was thinking, and explained: "Well, most people can't enter the barrier, and the important things are not here. We don't have many people, so we don't have many people in the front mountain, only in the back mountain." Disciples patrol."
"I see there are a lot of small animals in the front mountain..." Ruan Xianbei somehow thought of a wildlife park, which was like a free range.
"The feng shui here is very good. It was originally a piece of land under the circle of the ancestor. The ancestor said that it is enough for us to occupy their territory for our own use. We are not allowed to kill all the creatures here. They are not aggressive, so they are not too aggressive. Just take care of them and feed them occasionally. When the weather gets cold, they probably come out to find food for the winter."
Fu Cheng became interested and asked: "What else is there? Are there any big insects like Suanni? I can help you get rid of them!"
Lan Zhao was amused by his question and said: "There are no big insects or Suan Ni, but there are some sheep and deer. I bought the sheep before and raised them myself. Deer are relatively rare, but they are all in the back mountains and they don't come down very often." .There is a lake in the back mountain, and I have seen cranes before."
Fu Cheng leaned forward and lay on the horse, and put his head over to ask her: "What crane, what crane? I heard from the elders that if you see a crane, you will become an immortal. Isn't there a saying... Oh Go back to the west with a crane!"
As a symbol of longevity, the crane is an auspicious spiritual bird that is often accompanied by gods in storybooks. However, this kind of opportunity is rare, and everyone became interested when they heard about it.
"One type has a slender body and milky white feathers. The face is partially yellow-green, the beak is black, the mouth cleft and the base of the lower beak are light yellow, the shins and feet are black, and the toes are yellow-green."
"Wow! Sister Lan Zhao, you remember it so clearly."
"Because I have never seen it before, I asked Master to check the ancient books, so I remember it very clearly."
When Ruan Xianbei heard this, he thought this seemed to be an egret. Would the egret pass by here during the winter?
"I have also seen a kind of crane, which is bigger than the one just now. It has slender legs and is mostly white. Its neck and tail are black, and only the top of its head is vermilion. Master said this is the king of cranes. Over the years, I have I’ve only seen him once.”
Ruan Xianbei raised his eyebrows, the red-crowned crane is a rare and protected animal! Look! She just came to the zoo!
"Sister Lan Zhao, is the sister Songxun you mentioned the Valley Master? She must be very powerful as the Valley Master at such a young age, right?"
"Because the master is out, Song Xun is taking care of it temporarily. She is also very nice."
As they talked and got closer and closer to the house, they all dismounted and led their horses on foot. Someone ran out and saw their footsteps before turning back to the house.
Song Xun was busy arranging people to transplant herbs inside. There had been several winter rains a few days ago. During this period, more and more herbs were withering and dying. They died while being transplanted, leaving only a large area of the herb garden. The pitiful few herbs persisted in the wind and rain. The disciples in Wanhua Valley were very busy, fighting against the unknown disaster, but the remaining herbs probably wouldn't last long. The weather is good today, Song Xun must hurry up. Time to get things done.
All the disciples in Wanhua Valley were called to help. Song Xun was so busy that he completely forgot about the possible arrival of Lan Zhao and the others today. At this moment, he heard his junior sister say something in a panic. A stranger broke in somehow, and then she suddenly remembered this matter. How could she forget such an important thing?
"Oh, it's Lan Zhao, Lan Zhao is back! You guys clean up here, move these to the greenhouse, and put the ones over there in the pavilion. Xin Lian went to make a pot of tea to entertain the guests. The room in the backyard Have you cleaned everything up? It's getting dark, be careful not to drop it." Song Xun saw that the front hall was full of flower pots and herbs to be transplanted. After receiving the order, the junior brothers and sisters began to rush around again. She gave a few instructions, wiped her hands, and went out to greet people.
Just as Lan Zhao was about to call out to the disciple, he saw her running back. After a while, another person hurriedly ran out from inside.
"It's Song Xun." Lan Zhao said with a smile. She could still recognize Song Xun's figure at a glance.
"Lan Zhao Lan Zhao! You're back!" Song Xun trotted over with a beaming smile, and saw the people behind her again.
"Miss Ruan, hello Senior Brother Shen, who is this young master?" Song Xun knew Shen Xuan and Ruan Xianbei. After greeting them, he looked at Fu Cheng. Like Lan Zhao, she had never met him at the martial arts club. So naturally I don’t know him either.
"Hello, Sister Valley Master, Xuanyue Sword Sect Fu Cheng." Fu Cheng said with cupped hands.
This child looks relatively young, but since the Xuanyue Sword Sect sent him here, he must be something special. Song Xun quickly waved his hand and smiled politely: "Don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously, I'm just temporarily acting as the Valley Master's agent for the master. Position, whatever you call them is the same as calling me."
Fu Cheng grinned and shouted obediently: "Sister Songxun."
"It's been a hard journey, let's go in and talk. Xin Lian! Ask your junior brother to come out and lead the horse!" Song Xun said in a loud voice, holding Lan Zhaodu's hand and walking side by side with her, "It rained a few days ago and it's finally sunny today. , I dug some soil from outside and quickly planted it with herbs. I have hardly stopped from morning to now. I forgot that it was time for you to arrive... By the way, let me see how your face is doing? Why are you still wearing a veil? Is it okay?"
Xin Lian was making tea when she heard her senior sister calling her name outside. She ordered her two junior brothers to go out to fetch their horses while she continued to make tea.
In the days after Lan Zhao left, Xin Lian became Song Xun's right-hand man. Even though Song Xun, so many senior brothers, always only called her by one name, she could only follow her senior sister to work hard every day. I don't know the north, south, east or west. Slowly, she discovered that there were too many things for Senior Sister Song Xun, and it would be impossible to handle them all if each one had to be handled in detail. She could only tell Xin Lian to find someone to arrange it herself, which would save time and convenience.
Lan Zhao just nodded and smiled when he heard her talking. When he saw her questioning face, he said: "Alright, I'll rest later and let you see. We came back on horseback. Ruan Ruan said it's best to put it on and I'll put it on." Put it on. Don't ask me, tell me how the situation is?"
"Not too optimistic, mainly because it's troublesome to find the reason." Speaking of this, the smile on Song Xun's face faded and his tone became much more serious.
"It doesn't matter." Lan Zhao comforted her and said, "Senior Brother Shen is here and we will definitely be able to solve this problem."
"Well, I hope. Let's go, drink some tea first and then eat. The house in the backyard is ready."
Entering the front hall, Song Xun greeted a few people to sit down and drink tea. The disciples in the front hall had removed most of the flower pots on the floor and were cleaning up the rest.
There were five of them in total, but Yun Zhi still stood behind Ruan Xianbei, determined not to sit or eat with her.
Song Xun gave a simple and clear explanation of the current situation in Wanhua Valley. They had collected soil from outside and transplanted the herbs relatively smoothly in the past few days. At least the condition of the transplanted herbs had not continued to deteriorate, but now they seemed to be alive. They were in such an embarrassing situation that they could neither survive nor die. If this inexplicable problem could not be solved, they might have to move to another day.
The Ten Thousand Flowers Valley covers an area of more than forty acres, with more than ten acres enclosed for planting medicinal herbs. There are also countless other medicinal herbs that grow naturally and wildly, as well as rare medicinal herbs that require a growing environment.
"Replace wine with tea, I'll trouble you all this time." Song Xun picked up the tea cup and said.
Everyone returned the favor with glasses.
Dinner in Wanhua Valley consisted of simple dishes. Lan Zhao thought about the wide variety of daily dishes in the Demon Cult and was worried that Ruan Xianbei would not be able to eat well, so he secretly asked her if he wanted to send her a midnight snack alone later. Ruan Xianbei said It's okay. I don't choose. It's very casual.
After using Fan Songxun, someone took them to a room in the courtyard to rest. From left to right were Ruan Xianbei, Shen Xuan, and Fu Cheng.
"It's getting late today. Senior Sister Song asked the senior brothers and sisters to have a good rest. If you need anything, just call us." The two disciples who led them said, "My name is Mu Shuang, and his name is Mu Ji."
The three of them went back to their rooms without much communication. When Ruan Xianbei came in, he smiled at Shen Xuan and said, "Senior Brother Shen, I miss you so much after not seeing each other for a long time."
Yun Zhi followed Ruan Xianbei into the room without squinting, closed the door and said, "Saint, please pay more attention."
Ruan Xianbei sat down on the chair and rolled his eyes at Yun Zhi: "Shen Xuan and I are destined."
"But Mr. Shen doesn't pay attention to you. If he has someone he likes -"
Ruan Xianbei interrupted her, "It's impossible, even if there is, he must be dead."
"Okay, okay, just don't look back until you hit the south wall." Yun Zhi said while checking if there was anything wrong with this room. Although they were against the reputation of Tianyu Sect, once their identities were leaked by Lan Zhao, they would be Falling into a very dangerous situation.
"No problem, that window can be opened to the back." Yun Zhi checked around and said, reaching out to push the window open.
"If we don't do anything bad, don't always think about how to escape. Lan Zhao won't tell." Ruan Xianbei believed in Lan Zhao very much. If she didn't trust herself, she wouldn't have been deceived into the Yayoi Cult without knowing anything.
The disciples from Wanhua Valley brought hot water, and Yun Zhi made the bed again. Ruan Xianbei came out after taking a bath and asked Yun Zhi to wash it quickly. He put on a coat and sat at the table to drink water.
"Zhizhi——" Ruan Xianbei turned his head, and a little squirrel stood on the windowsill for some reason.
Maybe it was because it was too cold outside and the room was relatively warm. The animals here were not afraid of people. It took two tentative steps inside and jumped in confidently when it saw that there was no danger.
"Senior sister." Someone knocked on the door gently.
"Who?" Ruan Xianbei asked.
"Senior Sister Lan Zhao asked me to bring you some snacks." The low voice of the girl outside came in.
"Here we come." Ruan Xianbei opened the door and saw a short and thin girl who looked to be in her early teens. She was holding a plate of snacks. When she opened the door and looked up, she immediately lowered her head and looked obedient.
Are there any disciples as young as Wanhua Valley? Is it a little stunted?
Ruan Xianbei saw her hands shaking as she held the plate. Thinking of her naughty little bunnies, he quickly took the cake from the girl's hand.
"Okay, thank you. Go get some rest. Go to bed early to stay healthy." After Ruan Xianbei said that, he closed the door.
The dinner in Wanhua Valley was indeed not full, so guests were welcome to do as they pleased. She originally thought about making something for herself, but she didn't expect that Lan Zhao would be sent over. The plate was still warm, and it might have been made not long ago. , Ruan Xianbei put the pastries in his hands on the table and prepared to eat them together when Yun Zhi came out.
