The sudden change in painting style made Zheng Xiuqing frown and hit his head.
"fool."
Seeing this, Xie Luohe couldn't help but smile and cursed: "This town was left by our predecessors."
"Predecessors?"
In Xie Luohe's narration, Zheng Xiu understood the origin of the building in front of him.
They are still the same people who opened up the "Green River" back then.
After they opened up the "Green River" trade route, they arrived at Richan Valley and settled here for a while.
They brought Daqian culture here, including writing, clothing, traditions and rituals. This is why the Lie Sun tribe, which has its own unique dialect, can speak the language of Daqian.
Finely polished stone paved the streets with smooth streets.
The oasis of Taoyuan has become a small town.
Streets, roads, alleys, and wells are all in order.
People were hurrying on the streets. Some were dark-skinned, some were blond, and some were wearing animal skins around their waists. Residents of the Sun tribe were patrolling the town in groups, holding spears.
They are businessmen from the Western Regions, with unique exotic customs.
The group of pioneers who opened up the trade route established Richan Valley, a trading town bordering Daqian and other countries in the Western Region.
The prosperity of Cicada Valley today is far less than it used to be, but Zheng Xiu can still take a peek and imagine the bustling and crowded appearance of Cicada Valley in the previous dynasty.
There is a stone monument in the center of the town.
The stele is about two feet high, square and solemn. There is a pure gold "golden cicada" sculpture at the top. Behind the golden cicada is a pattern of a scorching sun.
Sun Cicada Monument, a landmark in the town.
When Zheng Xiu passed by, his eyes inadvertently rested on the golden cicada, and he was stunned.
At this time.
The two tribal girls ran panting from the corner of the street to the elder, saying something as if they were taking credit.
The old man showed respect and said to Xie Luohe: "Xie Gong, your room is clean."
The old man may not have spoken Daqian's language for a long time. His speech was intermittently, but his meaning was understandable.
The old man didn't even look at Zheng Xiu from the beginning to the end.
They seemed to really regard Zheng Xiu as a "prisoner" of Xieluohe.
Turning left and right, the great elder of Lieri tribe arranged a room for Xieluohe.
It is an exquisite bungalow with a small courtyard.
Dry firewood was piled in the corner, and there was a well inside.
There were piles of hay beside the wall.
No one had lived in the house for an unknown period of time, and the beams were covered with spider webs. At first, Zheng Xiu thought the place was simple, but when he saw the well, he suddenly realized that water is a rare resource in the desert. There is a well in the room, which is considered a "luxury house" in Richan Valley.
"Why is there only one room?"
When Zheng Xiu saw it, his heart skipped a beat.
Xie Luohe twisted his hair and explained calmly: "According to the customs of Lieri tribe, captives are not allowed to walk privately in Richan Valley. They can only stay in the same room with the 'master', otherwise they will be locked up."
This is unfortunate. Zheng Xiu was very happy when he heard this and raised his hand: "I choose to be locked up!"
Xie Luohe was suddenly startled, and then she remembered that "locking you up" seemed to be a reward for this guy. Xie Luohe glared at Zheng Xiu fiercely and said with murderous intent: "They locked you up with those girls just now. , are you willing to reward them with you as a 'trophy'?"
Zheng Xiu thought for a while.
He shook his head and said, "I'm not a casual person."
"That's it."
That's settled.
A man and a woman alone live in the same room.
Thinking about it carefully, Zheng Xiu recalled that all the way across the desert, he and Xie Luohe were wrapped in the same bed. It didn't seem to be a big deal, just get used to it.
It was dusk when they arrived at Richan Valley.
The great elder ordered someone to bring brand new clothes. Zheng Xiu touched the material of the clothes and found that it was thick and tough, as if it was made of mulberry and hemp. But the travel and traveling all the way reduced Zheng Xiu's material requirements to a minimum. He didn't say anything more and changed his clothes.
The light gray linen clothes were embroidered with fancy patterns. After standing at the door for a while, Xie Luohe walked out barefoot in a long skirt. She wore a golden garland on her head, with bird bone ornaments strung under the garland.
Zheng Xiu looked down and then looked at Xie Luohe's... Why did it look like a couple's outfit?
But Zheng Xiu didn't take it seriously in such a trivial matter. He secretly approached Xie Luo He and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he whispered in Xie Luo He's ear and asked, "Don't forget about the mural."
"It doesn't matter," Xie Luohe waved his hand: "Remember it."
Zheng Xiu nodded.
A grand welcoming ceremony was held in the town in the evening.
Welcome to the Shelo River.
Arm-thick logs were built into a bonfire that was a foot high, making the night as bright as day. From a distance, it looked like a fire scene.
Many tribal women in cool clothes danced hand in hand around the bonfire.
Next to the bonfire, there are several fire piles with a whole wild boar and wild sheep on top.
Tribal residents hollowed out the horns of sheep to make wine cups. Hundreds of horn cups were hung on the shelves. A strong man sweating all over stood on a high place, beating the drum, and lifting the wine jar to the shelf as he beat. Pour the wine, filling the croissant cup and spilling the wine all over the floor.
The girls danced and sang, and glanced at the handsome Zheng Xiu from time to time, with regret and envy hidden in their eyes.
Being in a foreign land, Zheng Xiu was a little uncomfortable at first. But after a few glasses of strong wine, Zheng Xiu got drunk. Xie Luohe pulled him to the bonfire with a smile, and danced hand in hand with the others.
Zheng Xiu didn't know what he was dancing the whole time, and was led away by Xie Luohe. He only remembered that Xie Luohe's hands were as soft as bones, and his palms were wet and a little sweaty.
The banquet scene can only be described as "chaotic". After dancing for a while, singing for a while, and drinking a few cups, someone laughed and handed over a large leg of lamb. After eating, drinking and having fun like this until midnight, the desert residents were still very enthusiastic and had no intention of ending. The great elder ordered people to move out jars of stored wine, as if they wanted to drink until dawn.
A gust of breeze blew by, slightly waking Zheng Xiu up. Zheng Xiu noticed that during the banquet, there were men and women holding hands. The man was panting and the woman was shy and left in the middle of the banquet, maybe to go to the toilet or something.
Some people left and others joined, and the campfire was always crowded.
The moon is high in the sky, hidden behind clouds.
The stars are dim and the campfire is bright.
"let's go."
Xie Luohe, who was dancing with Zheng Xiu, suddenly pressed into Zheng Xiu's arms. His bulging pecs pressed against Zheng Xiu, making Zheng Xiu somewhat breathless. She leaned into Zheng Xiu's ear and smiled: "Here, shake it a few times and pretend to drink too much."
Xie Luohe's sudden intimacy made Zheng Xiu wonder whether Xie Luohe was intentional or careless. But the atmosphere was up, so Zheng Xiu didn't ask any questions, nodded silently, and let Xie Luohe lead him away.
Zheng Xiu was shaky and his acting was okay, but he looked like he had drunk too much.
When others saw it, the men and women laughed even more. Xie Luohe, as the protagonist tonight, is the focus of everyone. Xie Luohe laughed loudly, put Zheng Xiu on his shoulders, and left in a flash.
Zheng Xiu was carried by Xie Luohe like a pig waiting to be slaughtered, with a confused look on his face. As Xie Luohe led him away, Zheng Xiu vaguely heard thunderous clapping coming from behind.
Xieluohe's laughter is like a silver bell, clear and sweet, spreading throughout the city, wantonly and wildly.
Zheng Xiu is the only one who is getting more and more confused. Why don't you slap me with a hammer?
"What the hell are you doing?"
Zheng Xiu, who was being carried on his shoulders, couldn't help but ask.
"Take you to see the murals."
Xie Luohe replied.
"Do you have to do all these weird things? And it's so dark, how can you see it in broad daylight?"
"But at night, it's exciting."
Xie Luohe smiled.
When Zheng Xiu heard this, he was speechless.
Exciting indeed.
After blocking Zheng Xiu's words, Xie Luohe carried Zheng Xiu on his shoulders, and with a heavy weight, he passed through Richan Valley, entered the depths of the oasis, and climbed the mountain road in the dark at night when his eyesight was blind.
Zheng Xiu noticed that there were strange-shaped stone sculptures on both sides of the mountain road that Xieluohe followed.
"Yeah--Yeah---"
In the dark night, there are harsh crows from time to time.
"crow?"
The crow of crows instantly awakened Zheng Xiu's bad memories. He moved in his heart and patted Xie Luohe: "Put me down, there is a raven!"
"Raven?" When Xie Luohe heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then laughed: "Where do you think this place is? Where did the raven come from? That's the 'eagle crow'." She obviously knew what Zheng Xiu said about "Raven" What is "crow"? You can even understand what Zheng Xiu is worried about.
"Vulture Crow?"
It sounds like a cross between a vulture and a crow.
It doesn't matter whether the two species can interbreed, as long as they are not ravens.
Thinking of this, Zheng Xiu laughed at himself. Ever since he was attacked by the raven-keeper, his expression changed when he heard the raven. Two hundred years ago, Ye Weiyang was not born yet, so where did the raven come from.
After a few thoughts, Xie Luohe carried Zheng Xiu halfway up the mountain and put Zheng Xiu down.
On the mountainside called Sunset Mountain, at the end of the winding hiking trail, there is a flat open space. There are ancient stone pillars standing around the open space, and in the center is an altar-like decoration.
Behind the altar, the ancient murals had their colors peeled off, leaving only their shapes. Under the wind and sun, Zheng Xiu looked from a distance, focusing his eyes in the dark night, and could vaguely see that the patterns preserved on the mural were still intact.
"Is this the mural you were talking about?"
Zheng Xiu stepped forward to investigate.
Xie Luohe smiled and replied behind Zheng Xiu: "Yes."
"Isn't it possible?" Zheng Xiu suddenly figured out why Xie Luohe came up in this way during the banquet, and realized: "People outside the tribe are not allowed to come up here? It's like a forbidden area or something."
"Haha, you are not stupid this time." Xie Luohe covered his mouth and smiled: "Even if I am their benefactor, in the end I am still an outsider. They will not easily let me enter the forbidden area of their Lie Sun tribe."
"easily?"
Xie Luohe smiled and raised two fingers: "In my opinion, there are three simple ways to enter the tribe's forbidden area. One, marry a man from the tribe and become a member of the Lieyang tribe; two, kill them all; three, sneak up here .You said...which one should I choose?"
"understood."
After Zheng Xiu understood it, he began to observe the murals.
Xie Luohe already knew the contents of the mural and had no interest in it. Instead, she stared at Zheng Xiu, looking at Zheng Xiu's serious profile without saying a word as he concentrated on observing the murals.
"This mural talks about the birth of 'candle'."
In the mural, a baby is born from the mother's womb, and the mother dies in childbirth.
The second painting is a painting of many little people. The painting is divided into left and right sides. A group of people and the "candle" stand on both sides, clearly distinguishing each other.
Zheng Xiu murmured to himself while interpreting the mural: "This mural should be saying that Zhu has been out of touch with others since he was a child, or... different. This painting should be a subtle expression, 'Zhu'" He is a natural stranger.”
In the third mural, Zhu fights with a group of people and has his hand cut off.
The fourth mural depicts Zhu walking with his limbs intact, and a group of people looking at "Zhu" from a distance. The mural uses exaggerated curves to depict the expressions of "ordinary people" when they are afraid of "Zhu".
The painting style started to change in the fifth painting.
"Candle" is drawn together with a scorching sun.
"Zhu"'s eyes were fixed on the scorching sun.
The two eyes of "Zhu" turned into the shape of "scorching sun".
The painting style of that scorching sun is strange. I don’t know if it is intentional or the carving skills need to be improved. The scorching sun is not round, and the outline is crooked. They use some twisted lines like insects to depict the light wheel of the scorching sun.
The scorching sun seems a bit strange and gloomy in the expression on this mural.
Zheng Xiu took a deep breath, his brows furrowed from beginning to end, but he said nothing more and continued to look down.
In the next mural, the "candle" begins to chase the "scorching sun".
He crossed mountains.
Crossed the rivers.
There were corpses trampled underfoot.
Each mural seems to condense Zhu’s life.
He crossed the ocean.
He is educating the barbarian people.
He went up the mountain to collect herbs.
He opened a furnace to make elixirs.
In each mural, the image of the candle has different changes.
This was followed by the candle crossing the desert, and the scorching sun took up an increasing proportion of the mural.
"The candle is getting closer and closer to the mural."
Because everything recorded on the murals does not seem to be completely arranged in chronological order, it is extremely difficult for Zheng Xiu to interpret it.
One of the last few murals, Candle walking in the desert, hunched over, with a thick beard, ragged clothes, and leaning on a cane.
At the end of the series of murals, Zhu arrives at Sun Chan Valley.
He was attacked by desert dwellers.
But by the next mural they became friends.
A group of naked desert residents worshiped the "candle".
Zhu climbed up a mountain, and on the top of the pointed mountain was the strange "scorching sun".
Zheng Xiu's eyes moved to the penultimate mural.
Suddenly, Zheng Xiu's breathing stagnated.
The last mural was actually incomplete, but it gave Zheng Xiu a sudden feeling of nausea... an inexplicable nausea, as if the moment he saw the mural, he deeply understood the content of the mural.
In the mural, "Zhu" stands hunched on the top of the mountain, holding something in his hand. It is this "something" that is missing in the mural. According to legend, what he is holding in his hand should be a scorching sun.
What made Zheng Xiu feel uncomfortable was the performance in the final scene. In the mural, Zhu's head is painted unusually large, with many "scorching suns" densely drawn in his two eyes, while "Zhu's" mouth is grinning widely, cracking all the way to the base of his ears. This is an uncomfortable figure. Exaggerated smile.
Zhu's eyes were no longer normal eyes, like bee pupae full of holes. His body was melting, just like the "legend" Zheng Xiu had heard.
"The Sun Chaser once got too close to the scorching sun and was melted by the scorching sun he worshiped."
Xie Luohe stood behind Zheng Xiu at some point and said something strange in an indifferent tone.
Zheng Xiu turned his head, his pupils shrank, and looked at Xie Luohe: "What did you say?"
Xie Luohe smiled and pointed at the mural: "I'm talking about the content of the mural. It's very interesting, isn't it?"
Zheng Xiu was silent and moved his eyes to the last mural.
There is no "candle" on the mural, only an ancient coffin remains.
Thick crowds of heads were in mourning.
At the end of the story, Sunstrider dies.
Death from the scorching sun.
"Huh?" Zheng Xiu first saw the coffin and the dense crowd of mourners, but soon he saw three "pillars" standing around the painting.
There is no scorching sun in the sky.
"What are these three pillars?" Zheng Xiu frowned and said to himself.
"Maybe," Xie Luohe looked closer, thought for a moment, and shook his head: "Maybe it's just an ordinary pillar."
(End of chapter)
