After he returned to the house, he still felt a small drum beating in his heart, and he felt much less sleepy. However, although meditation can temporarily invigorate the spirit, you still have to fall asleep.
He entered the room and took a look at Lin Qiao, then forced himself to calm down and sit by the door to fall asleep. After more than ten breaths, he finally fell asleep.
When I woke up, I saw that it was already dark outside. He leaned against the wall and slowly stretched his numb hands and feet, feeling that his energy and energy were restored. I stood up and walked to the courtyard to look at the moon. I saw that it was still in the west. I must have slept for about three hours.
He let out a breath of cold air, stirred up the smoldering fire in the stove, and added a few more firewood. When he walked into the back room, he saw that Lin Qiao was still sleeping, and her breathing was somewhat nasal. She must have just caught a cold. Don't worry about this kind of thing. Eat and drink well. Ordinary people will recover in six or seven days. Lin Qiao has practiced, and maybe we can see each other tomorrow.
He looked at her side face for a while, which was slightly illuminated by the moonlight coming through the cracks in the window, then picked up the earthen pot and walked to the stream. First he took off his armor, took off his clothes and took a shower, then he did a few punches naked to dry himself, then he got a can of water and walked back.
On the way, I suddenly realized that I didn't have a nightmare this time. Although he had previously guessed that the whispers he heard in his nightmares were because he was "Beichen" and therefore listened to vague prayers, but now he could not hear those voices clearly, which became torture.
This time I didn't even have a dream, I just felt that I slept particularly comfortably. He sighed in his heart, wondering if it was because of Lin Qiao. During the day, when I saw her busy and listened to her singing, I felt very calm in my heart. Maybe if you calm down, you can sleep well.
He walked back to the shabby house, first filled the three bowls on the stove with water, then gently added the washed shepherd's purse into the jar, and then tore the wolf leg meat into small strips and added them in. Cook on stove. When the steam came out, the fat in the leg meat was stewed out. He warmed it by the stove first, and then put the small stone slab cut by the magic knife by the stream on the fire.
When the stone slab was also hot, I took some leg meat and rubbed a layer of oil on it, and then put the crucian carp and river shrimp on the stone slab to fry. When the fish skin turns golden and the river shrimps turn red, sprinkle some coarse salt and turn over carefully.
He stood by the stove, looking at the fire and listening to the soft crackling of grease, and suddenly thought that he might be able to be a cook incognito and create some homemade dishes - such as Tianlei Roast Chicken. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but shake my head and smile.
Then she heard Lin Qiao say: "What did Brother Li remember? So happy."
Li Bochen was startled. He turned around and saw Lin Qiao, wrapped in a big cloak and standing by the door, holding on to the door. There were two pressed red marks on her face, her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were sleepy. When I saw her in Jinghui Tower, I felt elegant and dignified. Now by the firelight, I felt delicate and bright again.
It was rare for him to look like this, so she saw it. Li Bochen said sarcastically: "...it's nothing."
Then he pointed to the bowl on the stove: "You can use this water to wash yourself...I warmed it. Tooth powder...oh, it's in the horse's bag——"
"I'll get it." Lin Qiao put on her big cloak and walked out, felt around in her baggage, found a small bamboo tube, and hurried back, "It's so cold!"
Li Bochen smiled and said, "It will be fine if you drink some hot soup later."
He put on his iron gloves and took the slab out of the fire. Then break two pieces of dry flour into pieces and soak them in the soup in the can.
Lin Qiao took off her cloak and rolled up her sleeves to wash her face on the broken stove on the other side. Li Bochen took a look and hesitated whether he should avoid it - he didn't think it mattered, but he didn't know what the folk customs of Li country were.
But I heard Lin Qiao say: "Brother Li, can you help me tuck my hair?"
She was so graceful and generous, Li Boxen said: "Okay."
He walked behind Lin Qiao, carefully gathered her long hair and held it in his palm. Lin Qiao leaned over and slowly washed her face with warm water in the bowl. Li Bochen saw the curve of her neck sliding all the way to her shoulders, and saw her small earlobes, so he took a gentle breath, exhaled slowly, and turned his face away.
After a while, Lin Qiao straightened up and said, "Okay, Brother Li."
Li Bochen quickly let go of his hair and walked to the stove. Lin Qiao then took off the pearls and hairpins on her head, tore a strip of cloth from the skirt of Luo's skirt with a sneer, gathered her long black waterfall-like hair with both hands, pulled it into a high ponytail, and used the cloth to The strips were wrapped around each other, and he looked sideways at Li Boxen and said, "Brother Li, is it possible for me to walk around the world with you like this?"
Her long hair was tied up, exposing her side face and slender neck. There was a smile on her face, and her eyes looked blurred in the firelight, but there was also a bit of excitement, just like a bird escaping from its cage.
Li Bochen felt a slight pain in his heart, but he only smiled and said: "It looks good like this."
Lin Qiao turned around with a smile, tied the cloth belt, put on the hairpin, wrapped it in a big cloak, took the other three pieces of pearls, walked to the courtyard, put them into the package on the horse, and said: "We have arrived at the next market town. , you can find a dealer to pawn these, I think I can get a few thousand dollars - Ha, Brother Li, I will be a child of the Jianghu in the future, so naturally I won’t need these, you don’t have to persuade me."
Li Bochen smiled and said, "Okay."
They used firewood to chop two pairs of chopsticks, ate fried fish and shrimp, and ate all the soup cakes in the can, feeling warm all over their bodies. Li Boxen said: "Miss Lin, it's time to leave."
Lin Qiao stood and looked at the shabby house for a while, then said softly: "It's really nice here."
…
When we set off, the bright moon was at its zenith and the air was cool and humid. But I had been staying by the fire for a long time, so I felt refreshed and quite comfortable.
Li Bochen explored the road to the west during the day, and the two of them walked in that direction. Linxi and Fengzhou are in the northwest. They can first go west to avoid the bandits in Sanguan City, and then turn north.
He led the horse, and Lin Qiao followed him. There was a rustling sound in the forest late at night, which was very scary. But Li Bochen scattered his Yin soldiers as he walked, scaring away all the nearby beasts. It took the two of them nearly an hour to get out of the forest and see the meadow in the distance. During the day, we had seen the golden earth and the blue sky, but now, the grass was reflected silver by the moonlight. In the silver field, the shining stream winds like a jade belt, which is another refreshing sight.
Lin Qiao sighed softly and said: "It turns out that Jianghu is so beautiful and the world is really vast. Brother Li, I feel that the past many years have been in vain."
Li Bochen hid his thoughts and didn't know how to respond to her words, so he led the horse slowly down the mountain and walked a few steps before saying: "It's beautiful, but it's also very dangerous."
Lin Qiao smiled and said, "I'm not afraid if I'm with you."
Li Bochen's heart skipped a beat, but he could only sigh secretly.
When the two of them reached the meadow, he finally plucked up the courage to speak and said, "Miss Lin..."
"Um?"
"Do you know where there is a bandit camp nearby? For those bandits who were in the city yesterday, their camp should be nearby, right?"
"Ah... I just heard about it. It is said that there is a Chongxiao Village sixty or seventy miles west of Sanguan. Brother Li, why do you ask this?"
Li Bochen was silent for a moment. The words came to his lips several times, but he couldn't say them anyway. Lin Qiao seemed to realize something, so she walked quietly with him for a while and whispered: "Brother Li, just say what you have to say."
Li Bochen took a deep breath: "I want to find a copycat."
He paused and saw that Lin Qiao was speechless, so he had to continue: "There should be a lot of money. You said you want to buy a small village... it shouldn't be a problem."
Lin Qiao was silent for a while and asked, "What next?"
"Then...I think the Li Kingdom is too chaotic. You can go to the Fish Kingdom or the Wei Kingdom...that's the south, and the weather is warm. Now there's going to be war in the north, and you can still live in peace there for many years."
After a while, Lin Qiao said: "Oh."
Her tone was calm, and she couldn't tell whether she was happy or unhappy. Li Bochen felt his heart beating, and he didn't know whether he hoped she would agree or not. After walking another dozen steps, Lin Qiao said: "Brother Li, thank you. But I don't want Zhuangzi anymore..."
Li Bochen didn't know how to respond to her words, so he remained silent.
Lin Qiao took a breath and said with a smile: "Forget it, you don't have to worry about me. In fact, I don't have other places to go."
She looked to the northwest, raised her hand and pointed: "Look there."
Li Bochen looked in the direction she pointed and saw some lights on the horizon.
"Actually, my uncle's house is over there."
Li Bochen was stunned for a moment, and suddenly realized that the direction she was pointing to was the Zhuangzi that the mother and daughter were talking about in the morning - was the owner of the manor her uncle? He subconsciously asked: "You mean the new Zhuangzi?"
"……right."
"Then how did they..."
Lin Qiao smiled: "In the past... I lived in poverty in the bustling city with no one to care about, and I had distant relatives hidden in the mountains. In recent years, I have some money in my hands, and I move around more. In fact, I can go there—— "
Li Bochen frowned and was about to speak, but Lin Qiao interrupted him: "Brother Li, you don't have to worry about me. Since I want to stay there, I can still find a way to get the money out of the bank. I think my uncle can do it." He will also be my biological uncle."
Li Bochen thought for a while and whispered: "Miss Lin, if you don't want to stay there, I can still find a way to build a village for you. Bandits do a lot of evil, and money is taken unfairly. It shouldn't be difficult for me to eliminate them." "
Lin Qiao sighed lowly: "Thank you very much. I know you are doing it for my own good...but I am already content. Yesterday was the happiest day in my life, and I have no regrets."
Li Bochen felt sad, but he could only say: "Okay. Miss Lin, I will take you there."
He asked Lin Qiao to get on the horse and led the horse to continue walking in the meadow. He felt that he was in a mess. After hearing Lin Qiao's reply, he didn't know whether he was relieved or disappointed, or a little bit of both. He thought to himself that Lin Qiao's uncle might really be a follower of others... But in this world, how many people are not? Lin Qiao still has money stored in Sanguan City's warehouse, and the bandit soldiers in the city won't be able to stay for long - in a few days, the town army will arrive, and those bandit soldiers are no match for them.
When the turmoil in the city is certain, there is no need for her to think of a solution, her uncle should be able to take care of the matter. Considering the money and the fact that they were related by blood, she shouldn't be too sad.
In fact, Lin Qiao is not a weak woman who can be manipulated by others. In the past few years, she must have seen enough of the world and people...
He sighed deeply in his heart, and neither of them spoke again.
After walking for nearly an hour, I finally saw the village from a distance - at the foot of a hill, only the courtyard wall had just been erected, and there were three two-story buildings that were only half-built in the courtyard. A lot of building materials were piled up in an empty field outside the main entrance, and some simple shacks were built. The people who came to help from the surrounding area should live there.
There was also a team of three servants walking slowly and patrolling holding torches and holding sticks. There are still lights in the courtyard, and I wonder if work is being started in batches inside.
After walking on the road leading to the manor, Lin Qiao said: "Brother Li, stop here."
Li Bochen was stunned: "Here?"
Lin Qiao dismounted: "I can just walk over by myself. You...you were seen in the city. Maybe the thieves are still looking for you. If you are watched by them again, you will be in trouble."
Li Bochen realized that she was right. If he had really killed some big shot, the thief would have found someone nearby for questioning. He wasn't afraid of any trouble, but if someone saw Lin Qiao appearing with him, it would implicate her.
As for the rest...the people in Jinghui Tower knew that Lin Qiao was traveling with them. But Ye Lu died in the courtyard, and he was still a demon. If those people in the building want to live a stable life, they shouldn't advertise it everywhere. Otherwise, if it is revealed that a demon has been lurking in the courtyard for several days, even if he is a member of the Kongming Society, the government will be happy to use this excuse to chew on a piece of fat.
As for the thieves on the street - when I asked Lin Qiao to lie on the horse, it was impossible for them to see Lin Qiao's face clearly. Thinking this way, she was indeed in no danger.
Looking at the size of the manor, her uncle should also be wealthy and well-established, and should have enough means to make her stay.
It's only about a hundred steps from here to the manor. There are fields on both sides of the road, with a few small trees standing sparsely. Li Bochen said: "Okay, Miss Lin, I will watch you walk over here."
After saying this, I remembered the pearls in the bag and turned around to get them. But Lin Qiao said: "Brother Li, no need, I'll leave those for you. When you travel around the world, you always have to have some emergencies. Also... just keep this in mind."
After hearing the last sentence, Li Bochen was silent for a moment, but did not put his hand in again. But after thinking about it, he took off the knife on the horse and turned around and handed it to her: "Then you keep this knife. This knife... can barely be regarded as a treasured sword. If your uncle likes it, you can give it to him."
Lin Qiao slowly took the knife and smiled in the night: "Okay. Brother Li... you go first. I'll watch you go."
After she said this, she looked at Li Bochen quietly. Li Bochen turned and stared at Zhuangzi for a while, not daring to look into her eyes. Afraid of seeing something again, I couldn't move my feet. After a while, he clasped his fists and said, "Miss Lin, I'm sorry. Take care."
Then he got on his horse, clamped his belly, and headed east along the road.
After slowly walking a few dozen steps, he started to gallop on his horse. He heard the howling wind in his ears and saw the mountains, forests and fields on both sides falling backwards. The road ahead was reflected by the bright moon, like a river, and the cold wind cut my face like a knife. He didn't know where he should go, but now he just felt uncomfortable with the tightness in his chest. He just wanted to run wildly and didn't want to think about anything anymore.
He ran wildly for more than half an hour. He didn't know where he arrived or when. He asked the horse to slow down a little and raised his head to look at the sky - the moon had turned eastward. Maybe in a while, the white fish belly could be seen on the horizon. . At this time, I looked behind me again and saw the mountains stretching and the stars shining brightly. I saw neither Sanguan nor Zhuangzi.
He let out a long sigh, stroked the horse's neck, and thought, forget it, that's it. Being alone has its advantages. The love between children... really makes people stupid.
When he was in that shabby house, he was making food by the stove, and he didn't even realize that Lin Qiao was standing by the door - if he met his opponent in this state, wouldn't his life be ruined? ? Although loneliness is painful, there is no need to worry about other things, it can make people clear-headed.
He thought slowly and carefully in his heart, then raised his hands and rubbed his face vigorously.
But the next moment, the reins suddenly stopped the horse——
Something's wrong!
Just now Lin Qiao said that her uncle had been living there, and she started to move around again after she had some money "over the years". But what the mother and daughter said yesterday was that the owner of the manor had recently moved in and was building a new house!
He was stunned for a moment, thoughts racing in his mind - and suddenly he remembered that Lin Qiao had turned around and looked around before talking about her uncle when she saw the lights. Is it possible...
"Hey!"
Li Bochen roared, turned the horse's head suddenly, and shouted: "Drive!"
The white horse immediately started galloping, but at this moment he just thought the horse was running too slowly and wished he could jump off and carry it on his back. He felt ashamed and angry, but he felt inexplicably and resolutely relieved. With all kinds of emotions intertwined, I couldn't help but shout again: "Brother Ma! Faster!"
After half an hour, I finally saw the meadow again. The sky in the east began to turn white, and the moon hung over the mountains, turning into a transparent silhouette. He stared straight ahead in the howling wind, gritting his teeth.
After the path turned another corner, I finally saw Zhuangzi from a distance - and a lone figure on the roadside.
His heart suddenly lost its breath, and somehow he reined in the horse again.
From a distance, I saw Lin Qiao sitting alone on a bluestone by the roadside, holding the knife in his arms and staring blankly at a small tree with new leaves opposite.
Li Bochen pinched the horse's belly, and the white horse slowly moved forward. Getting closer, Lin Qiao heard the sound of horse hooves and turned to look at him, but there was no expression on her face. Her eyelashes and hair were covered with night dew, and she had been sitting here for who knows how long.
Li Bochen walked up to her, turned to look at her for a while, and whispered: "Have you been sitting here?"
Lin Qiao slowly raised her face and smiled: "I haven't decided where to go yet."
Li Bochen stretched out a hand: "Then come with me."
"where to?"
"Jianghu."
"good."
