Southern Xinjiang
The bright moon hangs high in the sky, its brilliance is like blazing, and its gleaming light falls silently on the ground, like a shy girl's veil, blocking most of the stars that shine slightly like broken jade. Far away on the edge of the sky, the sky is gray, covering the surrounding areas. On a street that was no longer noisy during the day, Zhang Xiaofan and Lu Xueqi walked side by side.
The moonlight was like water, pouring softly on them, with the unique coolness of the night, reflecting the two indifferent faces. After dark, there are almost no people coming and going during the day on the street. Even on both sides of the road, there are only a few inn lanterns with weak candlelight, which seems to be guiding the night as it gradually becomes quiet. People who wander around the world stop for a while and find a place to live.
Lu Xueqi glanced at him beside her, her long eyelashes flickered, and a layer of gentleness appeared on her beautiful face. The night breeze blows, and the snow-white gauze clothes flutter gently in the night, like a silent carnival of neon clothes, reflecting the elegant and fairy-like figure of the owner, blooming with a touching and unique elegance.
On the cold street, several passers-by would pass by from time to time. As they passed by, they couldn't help but look at the silent man and woman a few more times, especially the beautiful woman in white, which attracted more eyes. .
The two of them turned a blind eye to these unnecessary glances and walked into an inn named "Zuimengju". As soon as you enter, the typical southern Xinjiang style decoration is displayed in front of you. The materials in the store are all made of local forest trees. Although it is not big, it is clean and quiet. Several simple square tables were placed quietly in the lobby. Although it was a bit late, there were still some people sitting on several tables drinking and chatting, which was quite lively.
Under the flickering candlelight, a young man hurriedly walked out of the counter. With a warm expression and an attentive smile, he greeted Zhang Xiaofan and Lu Xueqi: "Two guests, do you want to be a top guest or stay at the hotel?" Zhang Xiaofan smiled gently at him and said: "Stay at the hotel. "Oh, please stay upstairs. You two will follow me." The young man greeted warmly, turned around and led the way upstairs.
"Waiter, why is your store called 'Zuimengju'?" Zhang Xiaofan asked with a smile while walking up the stairs. The waiter smiled and replied: "Sir, it seems you are not locals." Zhang Xiaofan said "hmm". "The wine we brew is famous for its strong aroma and excellent taste. Everyone will feel drunk after drinking it, so our shopkeeper named it this way." The waiter chuckled.
"I see." Zhang Xiaofan said calmly. The waiter opened a bamboo door and greeted Zhang Xiaofan and Lu Xueqi: "Sir, this is your room. It is far away from the street and is the cleanest." "Okay. , thank you!" Zhang Xiaofan looked at him with a smile, and then said: "Can you please bring some food and two pots of your good wine."
After that, Zhang Xiaofan handed a piece of silver to the waiter, "Okay, just wait a moment. I'll be here in a moment." The waiter said enthusiastically, then bowed slightly to Zhang Xiaofan and Lu Xueqi, and walked down to get ready.
The waiter left, and the candlelight flickered in the room, spreading tranquility and light. Zhang Xiaofan closed the door and turned around to see Lu Xueqi still standing there, the bright candlelight shining on her beautiful face, making her look softer and more charming.
The night was so silent. It was as if he was hiding his breath because of this beautiful woman. Zhang Xiaofan smiled slightly, walked up to her, and said softly: "Let's take a rest after dinner." She put the sword on the table and said, "Hmm..."
Soon, meals and wine were delivered. But after the waiter walked out of the door, he turned back and said, "Sir, I just forgot to mention that if there is nothing important, it is best not to go out at night." Zhang Xiaofan asked in confusion: "Why?" The waiter continued Said: "Going west from here is the boundary of Fenxiang Valley. In the past few months, they have been arresting nearby residents. It is said that they are practicing some evil magic. Moreover, at midnight, someone saw a huge and The monster with its whole body on fire is haunting the nearby woods, it’s scary.”
Lu Xueqi said: "No wonder we saw so few people on the street on the way here. We must be afraid of the monster, right?" The waiter was stunned for a moment. He did not expect that this beautiful woman who had never spoken would talk to him. Forgot to react. After a while, he came back to his senses. His face was a little unnatural because of his lack of concentration. His eyes glanced at Lu Xueqi. He didn't dare to look directly at her, so he had to turn his gaze to Zhang Xiaofan and said, "It's fine during the day, but when it comes At night, it will run out and harm people's lives. Not long ago, three people in our city lost their lives because of this, so you see, the doors in the city are basically locked at night..."
Zhang Xiaofan glanced at Lu Xueqi, then turned to the waiter, smiled faintly, and said: "I know, thank you." The waiter touched his head, laughed twice, as if he was a little embarrassed, and said: "You're welcome, then I will I won’t disturb you two, please use it with ease.”
After that, he bowed to Zhang Xiaofan and Lu Xueqi, opened the door and left. The soft sound, in this moment of silence, was like a small stone thrown into the calm lake water, gradually sinking and disappearing. But I don’t know what kind of ripples it will cause in the hearts of the men around me.
The night is getting darker, and the bright moon quietly sinks from the middle of the sky to the horizon along the same trajectory that has not changed for thousands of years. The scattered lights in this small southern town began to die out little by little. But at this time when the lights were out and people were resting, there was a muffled sound in the mountains not far away, and even the earth shook slightly. In this quiet night, it seemed like a terrifying earthquake, and I woke up. The dreams of countless people. No ordinary people in the city dared to run out of their homes at this time to find out. However, the door of every house seems to be tighter.
After dinner, Lu Xueqi came to the window and opened it. What came into view was the silent and cold street, shrouded in the dark night. The bright full moon hanging in the sky had hidden its figure at some point and withdrew. A sprinkling of light that spreads across the world. A pair of warm hands hugged his waist tightly, Zhang Xiaofan said: "Just thinking about what the waiter said about the monster?" "Xiaofan, do you think it was Fenxiang Valley who did it?" Lu Xueqi asked. Zhang Xiaofan affirmed: "No need to guess, it must be them."
Night, darker. It seems that everything that is happening deep in the mountain is hidden deep in the darkness. This lonely town sleeps peacefully in the long silent night. However, he seemed so helpless at this moment, shuddering slightly amidst such weird muffled sounds and shaking, facing all the haze of this late night alone.
