Yanshan is in the southwest of Yancheng, and Zhishui River flows through the south of the mountain, dividing the two cities of Yancheng and Zhiyang. Speaking of which, this mountain is named after a legend:
Three hundred years ago, Yanshan was still called "Stone Mountain".
One day, a hunter saw a pair of wild geese flying side by side while hunting in Yanshan Mountain. The winter geese are the most plump. The hunter wiped his saliva, drew his bow and shot an arrow at one of the geese, and shot it down the mountain top steadily.
The wild geese screamed and fell, and the hunter went to the top of the mountain to pick them up. But when she reached the top of the mountain, she saw an incredible scene.
At that moment, one wild goose was pierced by an arrow and fell dying in a pool of blood. The other wild goose did not escape, but lingered around the body of its partner, whining endlessly, and soon died of exhaustion.
That night, the hunter cut open two geese, only to find that the one that was not hit by the arrow had several heart veins split open and blood flowing in the body. The hunter couldn't help but burst into tears.
In gratitude to the wild geese, she buried two wild geese and built tombs for them on the top of the mountain.
When someone in later generations heard about this, they went up to the mountain to erect a tombstone and carved an inscription - "Sentimental Shuangyan Mountain" was written on the stone tablet. As time went by, it was rumored to be "Yanshan".
The legend of Yanshan is poignant and graceful, but the story of Yanshan Inn is different. The inn is located at the foot of Yanshan Mountain and beside the Zhishui River. Although the scenery surrounding the inn is beautiful, it cannot stop its reputation in the martial arts world.
According to rumors, the owner of Yanshan Inn is a retired master who knows everything. Anyone who covets the treasures of the inn will disappear silently before taking action, and the body will be buried under the inn; some people also say that the inn The owner is a blind wealthy businessman who lost his loved one after being involved in a dispute between rivers and lakes, so he spent a lot of money to hunt down all the evildoers in the rivers and lakes, and the bodies of the wanted people will definitely appear in Yanshan Inn; some even say that the owner of the inn He was just a child of seven or eight years old. He was born into a wealthy family. He could speak and write right from birth. He had the experience of a man in his seventies or eighties. Yanshan Inn was the place where he died before his reincarnation...
There are various legends and different opinions. The only thing that can be confirmed is that Yanshan Inn is indeed a gloomy and terrifying place, and the owner of the inn is an even more terrifying person.
Not only that, the only road leading to Yanshan Inn is a floating bridge on the water. This floating bridge is only made of thousands of wire ropes. It is soft and light. It is like a transparent floating ladder on the water, neither sinking nor falling. This floating bridge is in the hands of the inn owner and is the only way to enter the inn. Unless one has the ultimate light skill to cross Zhishui River, otherwise, the only way to enter the inn is to look at the host's face.
But in the world today, there are no more than ten people who can cross Zhishui River with the help of Qinggong.
Among these ten people, Xu Zhuchen is one.
Han Ling sat on the hospital bed, brushing his fingers over the scarlet letter, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.
If he relied on Xu Zhuchen's power, he could naturally cross Zhishui without having to negotiate with the inn owner. But his current status is sensitive, and if he reveals the truth to Zhuchen, there is no guarantee what will happen. Han Ling sighed imperceptibly and rejected the plan.
But without the identity of "Han Ling", it would be absolutely impossible for him to ask Xu Zhuchen to take him across Zhishui, even if Xu Zhuchen beat him into a vegetative state today.
The Zhi River is dangerous. The topography of the upper and lower reaches is very different. The river is also very wide. The reefs and sharp rocks in the river are as different as canine teeth. If you miss the light skill, you may be buried in the belly of the fish. Although Han Ling had two internal forces close to him, he still knew in his heart that he would never be able to cross the river alone. If this road fails, we can only consider another way.
With this thought in mind, Han Ling took out a piece of carbon wrapped in cloth from his lapel and wrote a few words on the paper:
"How to cross the river"
He looked at the page and waited quietly for a while. Several beautiful red calligraphy characters gradually appeared on the page, as if someone was writing.
"On May 16th, distinguished guests are coming. The guests of honor are having a great time, and the floating bridge appears."
Han Ling looked at the pages and laughed silently. The person at the other end of the page seemed to notice that he was in a good mood, and added a few words at the bottom:
"I hope to see you again and cherish it."
The word "treasure" written on the opposite side symbolizes the end of this conversation. Han Ling put away the books, wrapped the carbon blocks, and lay back on the bed. The heavy burden in my heart was suddenly lifted, and the fatigue on my body became very difficult to ignore for a while. Han Ling yawned and quickly fell asleep.
Separated by a wall, Xu Zhuchen unloaded the last box of luggage in the next room, and casually sat on the bed and untied his hair. She had always been too lazy to tidy up, and she couldn't live here for long, so she opened a box and took out some clothes, water bottles and other daily necessities.
While packing clothes in this compartment, my elbow accidentally knocked over a box. The box rolled onto the ground, and Xu Zhuchen tripped it with her foot. The box was stopped by her, and rolled a few more times before stopping. Several rolls of stuff in the box fell everywhere.
Xu Zhuchen put down a long gown and reached out to pick up something on the ground.
Scattered on the floor are several scrolls of fairly good paper, most of which have not been framed. Only one piece has been framed and tied with many strips of snow-white rope. That was Xu Zhuchen's handiwork.
A hint of melancholy appeared on Xu Zhuchen's usually cheerful and cheerful face. She gently stroked the scroll as if stroking the long hair of a lover.
She untied the rope and unfolded the scroll.
There are only three colors on the scroll: black, white, and red. The black renders the vast landscape, and the white represents the snowflakes falling from the sky. Between the landscape and the wind and snow, Xu Zhuchen used red to outline a clear silhouette.
A woman's back.
The woman in the painting lowers her head slightly, her long black hair is rolled up, and her hair is dotted with red jewelry. She was holding a sword in her hand, her arm hidden under the red sleeves was straightened, the sword was lying flat, and a white snowflake was falling on it.
Xu Zhuchen stared at the woman in the painting, as if he had forgotten the passage of time. The sky darkens at dusk, and the setting sun shines warm yellow light on Xu Zhuchen's paintings.
She watched for a long time, until the night swallowed up the last ray of sunshine. The colors in the painting can only be distinguished as black and white in the night, as if the woman in red came to life, walked into the landscape, and merged with the black landscape.
Xu Zhuchen's eyes were a little dry, and he seemed about to shed tears for a moment. She hurriedly endured it, put the scroll away again, and lit the oil lamp on the table.
The night curtain hung by her window, swaying with the spring breeze. Xu Zhuchen held up the oil lamp and walked to the window and looked down.
This inn is located in the most prosperous area of Bizhou, facing north and south. Xu Zhuchen and Han Ling's rooms were side by side on the second floor, both facing north. There were some red and purple bougainvilleas blooming in front of the inn. Xu Zhuchen didn't like them because they felt they were too gaudy. On either side were the stables, clerk's quarters and kitchen. On the back side of the inn - Xu Zhuchen looked down - there was a rather charming small garden.
A small garden was built around the pond at the back door of the inn. It is spring. There are lush flowers and trees on both sides of the pond. There are butterflies and dragonflies flying leisurely in the middle. There is a path leading from the pond, covered by trees, providing a pleasant shade, and the steps are covered with moss.
At the end of the path is a small red-roofed pavilion with seats on all sides. There is a plaque hanging under the eaves of the pavilion, with green characters on a black background. It is difficult to see anything in the night.
Xu Zhuchen got into his temper, holding an oil lamp in one hand, walking towards the window edge, and flew to the pond.
She jumped down from the second floor without shaking the oil lamp in her hand.
The water in the pond was clear to the bottom, and a few small fish were swimming happily in the water. Xu Zhuchen brought the lamp closer to the water, and saw her own shadow reflected in the pond. She was dressed smartly in black and had white hair shawl, just like a fairy in a painting. She crossed her own shadow in the water and placed the palm of her right hand flat on the water.
The water in the pool was very cold, and the fish in the water were so frightened by her that they fled in all directions. Xu Zhuchen looked at the ripples on the water, and his own shadow shattered into pieces. She stood up with satisfaction and waved her hands.
Holding a lantern and stepping on the stone steps, Xu Zhuchen walked up step by step. In spring, most of the flowers have faded, but the bougainvillea is still blooming as brightly as it doesn’t know it’s annoying. Zhu Chen stepped on the scattered bougainvillea on the ground, and while walking up, he looked at the flowers and trees around him, as if he was just looking at the flowers.
Mosquitoes, rats, and ants are most common near the water at night. A few moths flew around the light in Xu Zhuchen's hand, but she didn't care and just walked up. There were mosquitoes flying around her, but they only watched from a distance and did not dare to get close.
Martial arts practitioners are quick on their feet, and she arrived at the pavilion in a short time. The pavilion is at the highest level, overlooking the pond and stone path. Xu Zhuchen was blowing the wind from all directions and saw a few weeping willows by the pond being blown to and fro, and said: "A pond of weeping willows are flowing in the wind."
A voice sounded softly beside her, and the voice naturally followed her words: "The path is full of falling flowers and I don't know how to worry."
Xu Zhuchen laughed and said, "What kind of limerick are you doing?"
The red shadow beside her didn't move, but Xu Zhuchen knew that she also smiled. Xu Zhuchen didn't turn his head, only looked at her with his peripheral vision, and said with a smile: "I'm dreaming again, right? You won't be by my side anymore, and I can't even imagine what you look like now."
She suddenly raised her head and looked at the red figure, but the woman in red suddenly appeared behind her like a ghost.
"Zhu Chen," the woman called her from behind, "come to me."
Xu Zhuchen turned around quickly, but the red figure did not hide, but dissipated in front of her eyes. She took a few steps forward, trying to catch the shadow, but suddenly stopped.
The shadow - the woman in red in her painting and in her heart - she saw her current appearance for the first time in her dream.
Not a silhouette of the past, not a blurry face, but a clear and handsome face. Xu Zhuchen stared at the disappearing face for a long time. She was convinced that that was what "she" would look like when she grew up.
Xu Zhuchen trembled all over and woke up from his dream. She sat in the pavilion and fell asleep at some point.
The appearance of "her" seemed to still be before Xu Zhuchen's eyes, and the call of "her" also echoed in Xu Zhuchen's ears. Xu Zhuchen pressed his temples, picked up the oil lamp that was blown out by the wind, stood up from the pavilion, and prepared to return to his room.
The moment she raised her head, Xu Zhuchen saw the only lighted room on the second floor.
Han Ling's room.
It's already very late, and as a patient, you should go to bed earlier. Xu Zhuchen's heart was filled with doubts, and doubts about her inner strength came to her mind again.
Suddenly, she saw an incredible scene.
In that room, the shadow of a huge, bearded man she had never seen before appeared.
