Several violent earthquakes have transformed the world like a sea of change.
What were once high mountains have become valleys, and what were once rivers have filled in and become plains.
The dark night seemed endless, and the weak sunlight wailed high in the sky.
Outside the city, there are stretches of beautiful mountains and rivers. The green rivers and mountains of the past are dry and cracked, turning into patches of uninhabited desert.
The eleventh year of the celestial calendar.
March.
In the dim sky, it is difficult to distinguish between day and night, and the dim light reflects the yellow color in the eyes.
The cold wind carried the yellow sand and rolled it towards the earth like a knife, leaving devastation everywhere.
A homeless man wearing a bamboo hat and a raincoat came out of the yellow sand in the sky covered in dust.
A rusty billboard crumbled by the roadside, which read:
"Welcome to the century-old capital - Akagi!"
The man tightened his hat, his thick beard covered with yellow sand. He paused for a long time in front of the decayed street sign, frantically touching his waist, and finally took out an antique-colored cigarette stick, lit it with trembling hands, and puffed deeply into the clouds.
"Chi...cheng."
The closer we get to Chicheng, the yellow sand seems to have actively avoided it, and the wind is getting smaller and smaller.
The man shook the gravel off his body, looked up at the towering city wall, and sighed.
It’s changing with each passing day.
"Do you have an ID?"
The two guards carried ferocious tubes on their backs, with crystals called "stardust" inlaid on top of the weapons. They stepped forward and asked the man for a pass.
This seems to be a new weapon called the "Star Gun" that is combined with Stardust technology.
It can shoot out hidden weapons with a bang.
The man nodded. This thing was useless, after all, he could avoid it.
“Whoop whoop whoop whoop!”
Next to the guard squatted two cute big yellow dogs, sticking out their tongues and breathing hot air at the man.
"ID card?"
The guard politely raised his palm to the man and pointed in one direction: "If you don't have an ID card, please turn right and walk straight along the city wall for thirty feet. There is a refugee admission and management office, referred to as the 'Refugee Treatment Office', where you can verify your identity. After experts from the Disaster Prevention Bureau come to verify your identity and assess the 'danger level', and after you have registered with the Ministry of Household Affairs, you can apply for a temporary ID card to enter the city."
"Ah???" The man took off his hat in disbelief and took out the "Chang Shie" covered with a layer of dust from his waist. The mirror surface of Chang Shie was dark and no longer as beautiful as it used to be. The man held up Chang Shie and said with a smile: "You two little brothers have misunderstood. I used to be a member of the Disaster Prevention Bureau and a subordinate of King Chi. Does King Chi know? We have been living in seclusion outside for many years. Now that we are back, this is Qing's identity certificate."
"Phew!" The two guards couldn't help but chuckle. They didn't feel embarrassed about celebrating the thirteenth day. They happily took out two cards with vivid photos and text on them: "This old man, this is the ID card." .”
"..."
"Besides, since the disappearance of the Red King, countless people have used the name of the Red King to deceive and deceive throughout the year. At first, we were all stunned and thought it was true. Later, we found out that it was all because of the Red King. The reputation of the Red King is too great, and everyone knows to use the reputation of the Red King to cheat food and drink. After a long time, we can no longer believe it. If you really are, go to the "Liu Management Office" and wait for a while, and wait for experts from the Disaster Prevention Bureau to come and identify One discernment.”
Qing Shisan understood. He touched his beard. His slovenly appearance was regarded as an old man who wanted to go into the city to eat and drink under the name of the Red King.
Qing Shisan put away the outdated "Chang Shihua" in embarrassment and glanced at the wall. This wall is so short, who can stop it? Qing Shisan murmured in his heart, but asked honestly: "Then, how long do we have to wait?"
"About three working days. By the way, it will be based on the clock in the ward."
Huhhhhhhhhhhh.
The two big yellow dogs stared at Qing Shisan with bright eyes.
Kind eyes.
"All right."
Qing Shisan put on his bamboo hat and walked in the direction pointed by the guard.
After walking a hundred steps, Qing Shisan tapped his cigarette stick on the wall.
"What kind of thing can trap me, Qing Shisan?"
When Qing Shisan entered the city, hustle and bustle and fireworks rushed towards his face. Although the streets were no longer as classical as they used to be, the houses were still the same and the people were still the same people. A complex emotion that was both strange and familiar filled his heart.
"Ten years, ten years."
Qing Shisan took off his bamboo hat, hung it on his back, closed his eyes, and opened his arms toward the city, as if he wanted to embrace the city's fireworks into his arms.
Huhhhhhhhhhhh.
Soon, a group of big yellow dogs surrounded him.
"ah?"
A second later, hundreds of dogs were running wildly on the street chasing Qing Shisan.
"Hao Cao Cao! After ten years, it's so popular in this city to keep dogs!"
The sight of hundreds of dogs running wild attracted people to watch. Some were eating melons, some were gnawing melon seeds, and some were waving flags.
As he ran, Qing Shisan realized that something was wrong. The eyes of passers-by on the street seemed to be familiar with the scene of "a hundred dogs running", and they looked like they were just watching the fun.
Ah, are many people being chased and bitten by dogs?
"Uuuuuu——"
Sirens sounded over the city.
Blue stardust spotlights flickered.
The alarm sounded: "There is an extraordinary being invading Akagi!"
"Attention everyone, there are extraordinary beings invading Akagi!"
"The door is unknown!"
"Unknown ability!"
"The danger level is unknown!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Swift shadows swept out from all directions and ran on the roof.
Sensing the strange smells from all around, Qing Shisan's eyes narrowed at first, then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, with a somewhat nostalgic look in his eyes. He stood in the middle of the street, blowing out smoke from the pipe, and his figure gradually dissipated in the smoke.
call!
Hundreds of dogs pounced on Qing Shisan's gradually becoming illusory figure, lowering their heads to smell on the ground, staring blankly.
After walking a group of dogs, Qing Shisan had enough fun and walked along the street in his memory, looking for the Red Prince's Mansion.
After searching for a few times, Qing Shisan crouched in the shadows: "It's strange, why can't I find it? Even if no one lives in the master's house, how could the second mother be the emperor and preserve it as a scenic spot? .”
After squatting on the wall and taking several strokes, Qing Shisan reappeared on the street and was once again surrounded by dogs.
This time, there was a middle-aged man leading the dog. He was wearing a black uniform and had a badge on his chest with the word "xiao" and the number printed below: five, six, seven.
"I don't mean anything else. I just want to ask for directions."
Qing Shisan glanced at the other person's name tag, guessed the other person's identity, and waved to him.
"You, you, 伱..." Unexpectedly, when the middle-aged man saw Qing Shisan's sloppy and iconic appearance, his eyes widened: "Could you be... Qing Shisan, Lord Qing?"
Qing Shisan tilted his head, searching hard for the memory of his death.
"It's me! Wu Liu Qi! I used to belong to the Akatsuki! I'm your direct subordinate!"
After Wu Liuqi finished speaking, he whispered a few words at the collar. Soon the alarms and lights in the city disappeared, and the farce returned to calm.
"How did you become a dog owner?"
Qing Shisan asked curiously.
"Master Qing is joking." Wuliuqi touched his head: "I have no other skills. The 'Weeper' can empathize with other creatures, so I raised many dogs. The five senses of dogs are much sharper than ordinary people. After training, After that, can you easily tell the difference between extraordinary people and ordinary people?"
"Extraordinary?" Qing Shisan looked puzzled.
"Mr. Qing, could it be that he has been living a life without fighting against the world these years?" Wu Liuqi was surprised.
"That is, in the past ten years, my wife and I have been obsessed with reading and educating people, and we have been busy with our children. We have been fishing at sea for a living, but we have rarely had contact with people."
"What? Can you still catch fish at the beach?" The more Wuliuqi heard, the more shocked she became. It wasn't that the fish on the beach were dying in pieces. The sea was full of fish carcasses. Many fishermen couldn't survive and asked one after another. Migrate inland?
"It's becoming less and less, but there are still in the deep sea." Qing Shisan took a puff of cigarette, blinked, and said with a smile: "Qing's ability is a bit special. I dare not say that he can do anything in the sky or on the earth. He can row a small boat. It's easy to go to the far sea and spear a few sharks and come back. Big fish live longer. Just add some blood as bait and spear a few sharks. My wife is good at tinkering with these. She can make dried fish with powder and make them edible for a long time. "
"..."
Wuliuqi wiped the cold sweat from his head.
Akagi's daily invasion crisis is lifted.
Qing Shisan learned about the recent situation from Wu Liuqi.
Not long after the disappearance of the Red Prince, the Red Prince's Mansion also disappeared from the city like steam overnight. The huge Red Prince's Mansion was only left with a bare open space, and later the empress built other buildings on it.
As Zhu and the seven members of the Disaster Prevention Bureau left one after another, the Disaster Prevention Bureau became the seventh department in addition to the six departments and was under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.
The star shower ten years ago allowed more people to glimpse the door and awaken all kinds of strange powers. In the past ten years, the Disaster Prevention Bureau has taken on more and more cases related to the door thaumaturges, and found that these people who awakened supernatural powers were not working in some related jobs as before, and they even awakened without following the rules of the door. Over time, the Disaster Prevention Bureau called people who awakened to magical powers after bathing in the star rain as Chaoshengzhe, which means "people who are beyond ordinary people."
The abilities of extraordinary beings are all kinds of strange and strange, and cannot be measured by the previous concepts of magic and magic. Because of his ability as a "mourner", Wu Liuqi raised thousands of dogs and patrolled the city, responsible for detecting "lawless supernatural beings".
"So the dog is the real body of the guard?"
Qing Shisan secretly thought that this was the case. No wonder the two big yellow dogs at the door were staring at him with lustful eyes. It turned out that he was stared at by the dogs before entering the city.
Farewell to Wuliuqi, Qingshisan came to the old site of Chiwang Mansion.
He found that it was indeed what Wuliuqi said. No wonder he couldn't find the Chiwang Mansion after circling the streets for several times. It turned out that a "memorial hall" was built out of thin air on the former site of the Chiwang Mansion.
The memorial hall is open to everyone, and there are many dogs squatting there. Pedestrians seem to know the specialness of the dog in Chicheng, and they dare not act rashly under the dog's gaze. In the memorial hall, there are many old objects, including ancient books and scrolls recording the history of Daqian, and even previous imperial edicts. Even the "Edict of Yi Chu" when Er Niang ascended the throne has been framed and hung on the wall.
There is also a lifelike "Red King Statue" inside. I don't know whose handwriting it is. The carving is exquisite. The Red King has a handsome face and a majestic posture. The Red King maintains a posture of smiling and stroking the cat's head, with that calm and mysterious smile. , lifelike.
Next to the statue of the Red King, there is a notice that reads: The Red King and the Cat.
Qing Shisan sighed with emotion about the changes in the past ten years as he walked out of Daqian Memorial Hall. After taking a few steps, he realized something was wrong. He turned back suddenly and stretched out his hand to test.
A subtle sense of disharmony came from his hands, and after a moment Qing Shisan burst into laughter: "Ghost?"
Qing Shisan lowered his head and lit the cigarette. The smoke filled the air. After a moment, Qing Shisan disappeared in front of the memorial hall.
Passing through the "dark tent", a burst of laughter came from the orioles, and the fragrance of flowers curled up.
The long corridors are intertwined, the lotus flowers in the courtyard are green, and the pools are clear.
The familiar scene made Qing Shisan feel dazed. For a moment, he felt like he was back in the compound ten years ago, where he squatted on the wall and guarded day and night.
Several familiar figures walked toward Qing Shisan through the dark tent. Qing Shisan squinted and saw that they were familiar faces.
Zhizhi, Bobo, Pingping, and Lily, the four girls who bear the "orchid";
Pei Gaoya came out carrying a spatula and wearing an apron, full of cooking gas;
The dressmaker Xi'er is quickly knitting a scarf with her hands, showing her young ladylike charm;
The old miracle doctor and Jun Buxiao were squatting in a corner having a barbecue and grabbing a cooked chicken wing;
A monk sitting on a black lotus flying in the air;
She is wearing a woman's bun and is preparing dishes and chopsticks in the hall. There is almost no trace of time on her face. On the bright side, she is Mrs. Zheng's moonlight;
Jiang Gaoyi carrying big buckets and small buckets;
Gu Qiutang was sitting in a pond with many egg-laying dragonflies on his face but could not bear to move;
Even though she is in her thirties, she is still as petite and active as a girl. Her face is covered with a dense layer of scales and she has an exotic beauty.
The four girls secretly fight with each other with reed leaves and orchids in their mouths, the intimate and beautiful eldest sister Ye'er;
Yin Qingqing, who was busy following Yue Linglong like a maid;
Sitting in the corner is the reclusive Prince Daqian "Blind Chen Wei" with a scar on his face;
On the roof, where Qing Shisan's eyes were drawn, there were many masked brothers sitting in rows. Even though they were now fat, bald, and still covered, Qing Shisan recognized them. These were The brothers who were on duty with him in the yard;
There are also many figures wearing Disaster Prevention Bureau uniforms walking around the compound;
At this time, a graceful and luxurious figure that eclipsed the surroundings as soon as he appeared and attracted Qing Shisan's attention instantly came out of the inner room. The beautiful woman was slightly startled when she saw the scruffy man with a beard, and then smiled sweetly: "Brother Qing, you are finally here."
Qing Shisan pinched the beard on his face hard and pulled out a big handful. pain! Only then did he realize that what he was seeing was not a dream. He quickly walked to Zheng Erniang... no, in front of the current empress Wei Ruyi. He was dumbfounded: "Why are you all here? No, our Chi Prince's Mansion is now hidden in the ghost world. You are not the ferryman, so why come in?" of?"
Zhizhi heard Qing Shisan's shouting and wondered: "Brother Qing, didn't you receive the 'invitation letter'?"
"Got it!"
Zhizhi looked at the dusty Qing Shisan with strange eyes: "Brother Qing, on the back of the 'invitation letter' sent to us by the master, there is a line asking if we will go home immediately, yes or no, you point your finger and say 'yes'" ’, you can come in in a swish. We have been here for a while.”
Qing Shisan stared blankly for a moment, and then said calmly: "I saw it, I saw it, but you also know that our magic can travel thousands of miles in an instant, so why do we need a mere invitation? Haha."
I took out the "invitation letter" behind my back and took a look... Oh, there really is a "yes or no?"
As he spoke, Qing Shisan quietly tore the "invitation letter" into pieces and swallowed it.
(End of chapter)
