Night falls.
Sheng Xuanyuan dug a hole in the open space in the forest and lit a fire. "I have to make do with it in the wild tonight. Now insects and snakes are starting to appear. I feel wronged to you."
Qiong Yi tilted her head and replied: "Nothing wrong. A pampered young master like you can adapt to it, let alone me." She spread a coarse blanket on the ground and sprinkled some anthelmintics around. He hugged his knees and sat on the blanket. He took out the white steamed buns from the package and baked them by the fire. When the surface was slightly browned, he handed one to him and stuffed the other into his mouth: "Here!"
Sheng Xuanyuan took the steamed bun and listened to her murmur: "I am not a spoiled person. Ever since we agreed on our relationship and made an engagement, you always seemed to want to hold me and hide me. I am such a comfortable person." , and it’s not suitable for hiding a beauty in a golden house.”
"Yes." He responded, "I can't hold you captive."
After pausing for a moment, he added: "I don't want to give it up either."
Hearing this, Qiong Yi pinched his face with a smile, and Sheng Xuanyuan said with some emotion: "Qiong Yi, except for being sneaky, you don't seem to be afraid of anything."
"Well, not really." After taking a bite of the steamed bun, she flexed her fingers and said, "I'm afraid of many things. I was afraid of being scolded when I was a child, I was afraid of pain when I learned martial arts and practiced swordplay when I was young, I was afraid of hardship when eating, and I was afraid of death when I was alive..." Then she asked He: "What about you? I've never seen you afraid of anything."
Sheng Xuanyuan replied: "I'm just afraid of 'losing'."
Qiong Yi smiled and said, "Everyone is afraid of this."
Sheng Xuanyuan also smiled, "So, you can't leave me."
"Don't leave, don't leave." Qiong Yi agreed without hesitation, leaning on his shoulder to watch the dancing flames.
"Qiong Yi, I have to wait until Haishi tonight." Sheng Xuanyuan returned to the topic: "At that time, the Yin Qi is the strongest and the ghost Qi is the thickest. Use this time to clear out some ghost Qi, so as to identify the people who have been broken. Exact location."
Qiong also nodded: "Okay. I will stay away when the time comes."
*
Yan Tingshen sprinkled a circle of insect repellent powder on the ground and said to Su Ye, "Let's live like this tonight."
Su Ye entered the circle and sat down cross-legged: "Okay."
The two of them squinted and rested for a moment. Su Ye suddenly asked: "Brother Yan, you have known Sheng Xuanyuan for a long time. Based on your understanding of him, will he remember what I said that night?"
Yan Ting knew that Su Ye was still very upset about the unreasonable mischief he made before heading north, so he replied: "Although Xuan Yuan is young, he is extremely talented, calm and responsible in his work, and he will get the lighter and the heavier." It's very clear." He paused and said, "So, he won't hate you because of your lapse in words. Don't worry."
Su Ye took a long breath.
"What about you?" Yan Ting asked him deeply.
Su Ye raised his eyebrows: "Me? I was so angry before that I forgot about Luo Yao's ghost seal and the responsibility he had always shouldered. What I said to him was really hurtful and unbridled. ..." Sighing, Su Ye leaned back with his hands and looked at a bit of the night sky that was exposed by the dense branches and leaves. "Actually, I have always admired him. If you put that kind of responsibility on others, you will be overwhelmed. , but he dared to take it and do it."
"He and I are different. Completely different." Su Ye clenched his fists: "I have known him for decades and have been close friends with each other. It is probably because I longed to become this kind of person from the bottom of my heart."
"Why don't you tell him?"
Su Ye took a deep look at Yan Ting and turned around: "How can it be so easy to say..."
Su Ye could only think about apologizing for what he said wrongly. If he really put it into his mouth and asked him to say it, he wouldn't be able to spit out a single word after a few sticks.
*
"By the way, you and Su Ye haven't reconciled yet. If you don't talk about it, won't there always be a gap?" Qiong Yi suddenly thought of this and was a little confused.
Sheng Xuanyuan shook his head, "I can't say."
"Why can't I say it? When I quarrel with my junior brothers and sisters, whoever is at fault should apologize. If you forgive me, you should also tell the other party."
"I've known him for a long time, and that agreement happened a long time ago. It's not something we can explain in just a few words." Sheng Xuanyuan lowered his eyelashes and sighed.
"Since we make friends at a young age, this friendship is even more precious." Qiong also said: "Su Ye is a very good person, even if he is a bit impatient sometimes, you know that."
After a long silence, Sheng Xuanyuan whispered: "...Yes, I know. He has always been the person I aspire to be. He is very similar to you, Qiong Yi. He is casual and straightforward, values love and justice, and always pursues himself. What I want to do is completely different from 'me'."
*
"Okay, it's really hard to understand." Yan Tingshen spread his hands helplessly.
*
"When there is a gap between friends, keeping it secret is the stupidest way!" Qiong Yi grabbed his arm: "After the seal here is loosened and the four of us meet again, you must have a good relationship with him. Let’s talk.”
Sheng Xuanyuan pondered silently, and finally said: "Okay."
*
"Otherwise." Su Ye stood up: "I'd better apologize to him and make it clear!"
"Huh? Are you going now?" Yan Ting stood up and Su Ye sat down again: "Of course we will meet next time."
Yan Ting smiled deeply and responded: "Okay."
Silence returned to the forest, with a little chirping of insects and the rustling of the treetops in the wind being the few sounds at night. Qiong Yi and Sheng Xuanyuan were sitting cross-legged in meditation, meditating and running their skills until Haishi arrived. On the other side, Yan Tingshen and Su Ye planned to rest early and continue on their way the next day.
Su Ye closed his eyes for a long time without feeling sleepy. He tossed and turned, but couldn't help but talk: "Brother Yan, are you asleep?"
"……Fell asleep."
Su Ye choked and asked again: "What are your plans for the future?"
"My future?" Yan Tingshen opened his eyes, "I will be admitted to the governor's office under the five clans."
"I thought you would go back to the Yan family to work as a page boy." Su Ye said casually, "No wonder you still have so many books in your luggage."
He thought for a while: "So, I haven't heard you talk about family affairs very much."
"Because I didn't stay in the Yan family for long, and I wasn't happy. I left the master only four or five years ago and was called back to the Yan family to be a disciple."
"Master? Do you still have a master?" Su Ye became curious: "I never heard you talk about it."
"Yes. He is a lone visitor in the deep mountains of Zhai Village. He is a noble man and avoids the world. Very few people have heard of his origin. I learned my sword skills from him, but my master taught me sword skills. But I said I wanted to practice swordsmanship. After practicing for a long time, it has become a special sword skill that I have now." Yan Ting folded his hands deeply and smiled warmly: "I was born very humble, with a mother and no father. My mother-in-law is the Yan family. The head of the family has a servant with the same surname as his concubine. I don’t have a father, and I don’t know who this person is. To be honest, he has no blood relationship with the Yan family. He just took his mother’s surname, which sounds like he is related to this family. There is no connection."
"I have been a servant since I was a child. Later, um... I was young and ignorant. I was not willing to accept the fate of a slave, and I was not willing to be bullied and humiliated. I got into trouble. When I was resold at a low price, I managed to run away and met my master. Master saved my mother-in-law and I, and we lived a peaceful life in the deep mountains. Until my mother-in-law became seriously ill later, the Yan family sent people to look for me, saying that there were few people in the family, and my biological father might be the head of the family. , was willing to adopt me and teach me my skills, so I returned to the Yan family under the persuasion of my master."
Su Ye was a little sad, but Yan Tingshen said calmly: "I don't need this kind of 'father', and I have never thought about staying in the Yan family for a long time."
"Then which clan do you want to take the exam for the governor's office?" Su Ye asked: "How about taking the exam for my clan? My family has very good conditions for the governor's office and the guardianship. With your strength in Qingfeng Ji, you can return to the top of the list. , I will definitely be able to hold a big position!"
Yan Tingshen said jokingly: "Based on our friendship, I will take your test. Can you open a back door?"
"No way, no way! The most important thing in taking the exam is fairness and justice, even if you are my brother."
Yan Ting laughed deeply: "It's just a joke. Yichuan Feng Shui nourishes people. If I didn't fancy the position of governor of the Su family, why would I have to work so hard to get the top spot in the Qingfeng Listening Examination, just to show my respect to the Su family?" Just ask for a nomination certificate.”
Su Ye felt relieved: "That's good. I'm waiting for the day you pass the exam."
"Tsk." Yan Ting closed his eyes deeply and changed his words: "No way. When you become the clan leader, won't my elder brother become your subordinate and listen to your orders? I need to reconsider it, Guangyang's The customs and customs are not bad either.”
"Huh? How can I treat you badly as a clan leader? Besides, that will be more than ten years later. My father is still in good health!"
"yes."
"..."
*
Haishi has arrived.
Sheng Xuanyuan opened his eyes. The fire at his feet was about to burn out, leaving only a pile of ashes. He looked around the woods, but saw no ghosts wandering around. He combined his index and middle fingers with one hand to form a sword gesture, and made a seal with the other hand flat on his chest. The blue energy overflowed and surrounded him. He closed his eyes and His spiritual consciousness sensed the movement of the ghost's breath, and he stood still for nearly a stick of incense.
Qiong had also withdrawn her consciousness from Yun Gong and concentrated her mind. When she saw Sheng Xuanyuan detecting the ghost's aura, she quietly stood aside to protect him. After a long time, Sheng Xuanyuan opened his eyes: "In the northwest."
He said to Qiong Yi: "Don't move here, I'll go back as soon as I can." After saying that, he moved towards the direction he explored and moved away with Qinggong.
Even if he wanted to take her there, Qiong Yi didn't want to follow him, so she sat down and waited for him to come back.
Sheng Xuanyuan looked for it with the help of a wisp of ghost energy he captured, and he saw two or three mindless ghosts wandering around in the forest. He raised his sword to kill the ghosts. Under the sword energy, the ghosts turned into dust and dispersed. . He searched the place where the ghost wandered several times, but still couldn't find the gap in the seal or the nail to suppress the evil.
"It's strange, the evil-suppressing point isn't here?" Sheng Xuan said resentfully, and then thought: "That's right, the few wandering ghosts probably didn't escape from the gap. If I had known there would be such a strange phenomenon, I should have nailed it Write down the secret map in advance, and it will be really troublesome to follow the ghost's breath and find it without knowing its source."
After patrolling this area for a long time, Sheng Xuanyuan turned back to find Qiong Yi after confirming that there was no more sneakiness.
It was already the third watch at night, and Qiong was also a little sleepy and was taking a nap leaning against a tree. When she saw him coming back, she waved and asked, "Have you found it?"
Sheng Xuanyuan shook his head: "It's just a wandering ghost."
"Have a good rest and cheer up again tomorrow."
Sitting down against the tree, he opened his arms and said to her: "Go to sleep."
Qiong Yi suddenly moved into his arms.
