While Qinchuan, eight hundred miles away in the Guanzhong area, was still enjoying the golden autumn charm, snowflakes were already falling in the polar ridge at the northernmost point of the Fuxia Dynasty.
Here, in addition to the endless forest, there is also endless forest. This mountain range extends from the pasture plateau with rich water and grass to the northeast. This land of about 50,000 acres is sparsely populated and is the most primitive paradise for countless rare and exotic animals.
Winter in the north always comes extremely early. It is only the beginning of October. The hunters who have lived here for generations have followed the calendar of their ancestors and begun to organize the last large-scale hunting in the mountains this year to prepare sufficient winter food for the coming long winter. .
From ancient times to the present, human activities have only spread across the outermost areas of the Polar Ridges, and have never entered the depths of the forest sea. Because after going about five hundred kilometers from the forest farm, what thrives here are no longer ordinary beasts, but monsters.
Monsters are born with the method of cultivation, and they can completely inherit the bloodline of their mother. They continue to advance by absorbing the essence of the sun and the moon, devouring the spiritual roots of heaven and earth, and hunting other monsters and devouring their inner elixirs, constantly activating the genes hidden in their blood, and finally getting closer to their ancestors.
In the stories passed down from generation to generation, in the deepest part of the forest, there is a divine dragon that survived from the prehistoric era. It is it that sets the rules for all the monsters in the polar ridge, and they are not allowed to go beyond the 500 kilometers outside. The boundary leaves the outer forest farm as a habitat for humans. Therefore, the world has always been in awe of the legendary Dragon God. Every time they organize a hunt in the mountains to collect medicine, a sacrificial ceremony will be held.
Of course, for thousands of years, people will continue to venture deep into the heart of the Polar Ridge, simply because there are too many treasures in that untouched place. The magical medicine that conquers the world, the immortal corpses left behind by ancient beasts, the criss-crossing rare mineral veins buried deep underground... As long as you can find them, you will have wealth that cannot be spent in several lifetimes.
But without exception, those who entered the depths of the forest never came back. It is said that a hundred years ago, a monk at the peak of spiritual weakness entered the depths of the Polar Ridge, hoping to find a treasure that could help him resist the catastrophe, but from there After that, there was no trace of him in the world. Some people say that he fell into the dragon's lair at the core of the forest sea, while others say that he was beaten by the dragon god to the point where he fell into a state of decline and spent his entire life guarding the forest for him...
"You three, it's going to be winter soon. The wild beasts in the mountains and forests are all so hungry that their eyes are glowing green. It's really too dangerous, especially for you, little brother, with two female dependents. It's better not to enter. It’s a mountain.”
A team of tribal hunters is loading boxes of food, weapons and other supplies onto the carriage. This trip into the mountains will take at least ten and a half days. These nearly a hundred hunters formed a long queue. At the end of the queue, a young hunter politely wanted to refuse the request of the three people in front of him to go into the mountain together.
"Brother, please don't worry. We are a fur trader in Chang'an City. It's almost winter, so the ladies have entrusted me to come and investigate on the spot. If there is any good leather, , I will purchase it directly, and this will be regarded as our deposit."
While Qingya introduced his identity to the hunter, he took out two ingots of gold from his sleeve and put it in the man's hand.
Twenty taels of gold was enough to catch up with the results of a small-scale hunt. Naturally, he couldn't help but be tempted, so he naturally agreed to the request of Qingya and the others to join the gang.
Several wizards and shamans were dancing to worship the Dragon God. The language of the sacrifices was their tribe's own language. Qingya didn't understand a word and could only read through the dragon robe worn by the big shaman at the front. shaped mask, inferring that this should be a ritual to pray to the dragon for harvest.
"Sister Qiu, there is an elder in your family who is a mountain god here. Can you tell him to take us to Mo's house directly?" Hua Qing'er innocently pulled Qiu Chiyu's sleeves while watching the sacrificial dance. said.
"What are you thinking about? Little girl, it has been thousands of years since the dragons came to this world. They have long lost the concept of the clan. Besides, not all dragons identify with their own clan. Some dragons may start fighting when they meet. Here." Qiu Chiyu explained to Hua Qing'er while touching her head.
Wasn't it because his ancestors were defeated in the struggle that they were forced to set foot on land?
The three of them sat on a cart pulled by mules, following the rear of the team, and drove slowly toward the forest farm.
Tiny snowflakes fell from time to time in the sky. Most of the hunters here were young men, led by several older hunters with rich experience in the mountains. Among them, Qingya also saw a few girls. .
Although she is a girl, Qingya has no intention of looking down on them. She remembers that before going down the mountain, her master once told her that if she encounters old people, women and children acting alone in the rivers and lakes, she must not provoke them, because they Without a strong physique, if you can work hard in the world, you must be outstanding.
Similarly, these girls must have extraordinary strength to be successfully selected into the hunting team. Maybe one of them is a hidden great monk like Qiu Chiyu.
"Hello, three distant guests."
A bright voice came to the three people in Qingya, but it was a young girl wearing a deer felt hat who greeted them. Her eyes under the brim of her hat are clear and bright, with a ring of clear and clean lavender pupils, like an elf in the snowy sky, with the power to purify all impetuousness.
"My name is Tana Shushu, which means violet gem in the Fuxia language. Under the order of the great elder, I will protect the safety of the three guests during this trip."
As expected, Qingya's eyes looked at her, and they were even more dazzling than the gems on the princess's phoenix crown. But Qingya didn't look at her for too long. Before her eyes came into contact with him, Qingya looked away.
Seeing the hesitation of the three people, Tanashu Shu thought that the three people in front of him did not believe that he could protect them, so he immediately took off the long bow on his back, placed the bow with one hand and pulled the string with the other. She didn't use an arrow, only the silver light shone on her fingers, and a light arrow was placed on the bowstring.
She drew the bow and arrow until it was close to the full moon, and after charging it up, with a soft shout, a silver dragon-like arrow rushed straight behind, cutting in half a pine tree as thick as two people hugging each other.
"Don't underestimate me. I have the strength of the first level of Foundation Establishment, and I will definitely protect you."
She raised her chin proudly, like a proud peacock, full of confidence in herself.
"No, Miss Tana, we don't mean to underestimate you, we just think... we think the hat you are wearing is too cute."
"Is that so? This is an honor that only the bravest hunters in our tribe can obtain. It's very majestic, so it's not cute."
There is no generation gap among young people, and soon, the frank and straightforward Tana Shushu got along with the three of them.
As soon as we stepped into the forest, the originally bright skylight dimmed instantly. There were patches of tall larch trees that were green all year round. The tall tree crowns blocked the light from the sky layer by layer. From time to time, there were also There were handfuls of snow falling from the branches and hitting people's heads.
Fortunately, the newly fallen snowflakes are relatively loose. When they hit people's bodies, they only stir up dust-like snowflakes and do not feel any pain.
"The great Lord Dragon God bless you, may it not rain in the coming weather and be sunny every day. Your people here offer their most sincere prayers."
Tana Shushu crossed her hands and silently prayed to the Dragon God. This time she used Fuxia Mandarin, and Qingya understood it.
Once it rains, the deep rotten leaves and mud on the road will turn into a quagmire that makes it difficult to walk. The snow on the trees will also be contaminated with water droplets and then condense into solid ice. If it is smashed down like this again If so, it’s not just as simple as being hurt by the smash.
It seemed that the Dragon God heard her prayer, and even the wind in the forest blowing from all directions was much weaker at this time.
The team is still marching in an orderly manner. After a whole year of hunting, there are very few wild beasts in the outermost layer of the forest. They will only appear here again after waiting for the long winter to pass and the wild beasts to thrive again.
So now, they have to continue walking deeper into the forest. Although the risk will be higher, in direct proportion to the risk factor, their gains will be more.
Everyone knows that many people may stay in the forest forever during this trip, but for the survival and continuation of the tribe, they regard it as their own glory.
Qingya raised his head and saw layers of overlapping tree shadows. They densely covered the sky. As the cart moved forward, patches of white space in the sky continued to be exposed.
In the vast forest, where is the Mo family?
According to Qiu Chiyu, in order to avoid the troubles of the world, the Mo family moved to the endless polar ridges, hiding themselves in the forest and snow fields, isolated from the world, and devoted themselves to studying the art of mechanism, just for the sake of survival. Reproduce the glory of the ancestors.
Only when they donated weapons to the imperial court every year, would they send envoys to Chang'an to report the various research results of the past year to the emperor, and also apply for a research fund from the emperor.
For a family like the Mo family that did not listen to outside affairs, did not care about government affairs, and only served the royal family, the emperor naturally loved it very much, and the funds allocated to it were increasing year by year.
This is also what the emperor is most happy to see, the request made by his ministers. For the emperor, asking for money is the easiest thing to do. If he wants something else, he has to think about it.
In the Polar Ridge, the wheels of carts left several long ruts in the dense forest. What was waiting for me in this unknown world?
