Night fell against the light of the fire, and the singing insects that relied on the night began to be unscrupulous. Indistinct wolf howls came from the mountains in the distance, and the smell of night became stronger and stronger.
"There should be a lot of rain at night this season, but I haven't seen any rain since I've been here for almost a week. Do you think it's because I brought good luck?"
Rain is not a good thing in such a humid place, at least not for people who live in the forest like the forest rangers.
Li Mo stood up and looked at the indigo night sky, where the stars were shining brightly: "It seems it won't rain tomorrow."
"I'm not kidding you," the old man muttered.
Li Mo wrapped himself in a blanket and huddled back in front of the bonfire, looking like a scoundrel who wouldn't leave. "If you plan to go back with me, then I'll think about it."
"But I can't," replied the old man.
"Still want to find the dragon?" Li Mo asked.
The old man said nothing, just silence, and after the silence...
"Hahahahaha!"
The old man slapped his legs and laughed loudly.
"What's so funny?" Li Mo didn't understand what he meant.
"You brat, do you really believe there are any dragons? It's so funny, hahaha!"
Tears burst out of laughter from the corners of her eyes, and her laughter floated far away in the night wind.
"Varied......"
Li Mo frowned, stood up from the ground, and yelled at the old man: "You are the one who lost your temper at others without permission, pulled their collars and yelled nonsense, saying that I was not qualified to deny the existence of dragons, and talked at length. What kind of fairy tale ends up saying that there are no dragons? Do you think this is funny!?"
"Whether there is a dragon or not, you know very well from the beginning."
"..."
Li Mo thought the old man was strange.
This is not the first time that stubborn, rough, bad-tempered old guy wants to drive him away like this. If he wants him to go back, he can already hear calluses growing on his ears, but this time it is exactly the opposite of the old man's usual vicious and rough tone. .
It was terrifyingly gentle, like coaxing a child, and like begging him. It penetrated his ears better than those words that belittled him.
"You know, right?" the old man asked again.
"..."
It's not like this.
It was very simple and trouble-free to answer like this, but Li Mo's answer was just silence after all. He couldn't argue. It was natural that it would hurt if he was poked in a sore spot, and the more he explained, the paler he would become.
"You know." The old man still said the same thing, but it had become affirmative.
The sharp and terrifying look in the old man's eyes made Li Mo look away. He could only smile weakly at the old man and then shrug.
"You are a smart man, but I am not a complete idiot, old man. I can still see that." The old man laughed again.
"Then what's the reason for you to stay here?" Li Mo frowned and asked with a harsh laugh: "You don't care about your daughter, there are no dragons here, why do you want to stay in such a worthless place? place?"
"Reason? Is it necessary to ask that kind of thing? It's just that we need a ranger here, so I'm here, that's all." The old man answered.
"Can we find a new ranger?"
"Is it really that simple? Who wants to come to a place like this? Who wants to stay in a place like this forever?"
The old man smiled, closed his eyes, and listened to the wind.
"It's too small here. Maybe I can't finish it in a day or two, but I can finish it one day. But it's different outside. It's full of lights and greenery, and it's vast. Everyone is born a dragon, and dragons can climb clouds and ride mist. When the sky changes and it rains, only the vast universe can allow him to roam freely. No one wants to be locked up in such a small forest. Just like my daughter said, people like me who are locked up here are exhausted. I have accomplished nothing and achieved nothing in my life, but the world that dragons can create is much more wonderful than mine."
"Then old man, why are you willing to be imprisoned? You are a bloody person. Although I am not qualified to say 'I know you very well', I think you must be the kind of person who can grind your teeth even if you grind them straight." Someone who can break the cage even if he is full of blood.”
"Hahaha, boy, you really think highly of me. However, I never expected to hear praise from you. Old man, I have gained half of the face I have lost all my life. It would be great if I had wine tonight. .”
The old man raised his eyebrows and laughed heartily.
The old man today is very unusual. I have never seen him smile like this since he came to Li Mo. But Li Mo feels that compared to the petty and arrogant look, this cheerful look is the real look of the old general. He is just the first I showed this look to myself for the first time.
"You haven't answered my question yet." Li Mo quietly waited for the old man to have the last laugh before asking.
"Really? You really like to ask stupid questions. I really don't understand whether you are a smart person or a fool."
The old man took out the paint-peeled kettle and used the lid as a water glass. He raised his head and took a sip like wine. He also made a heroic cry. Maybe he actually tasted the wine in his mouth.
He wiped his mouth dry and continued: "Because old man, I am no longer a dragon. A person who commits a crime is no longer a dragon. He is a sinner. This has been the case since the day he escaped from the battlefield. The sinner should be locked up. "
"Then if you say that, you and I should be equally guilty." Li Mo said.
"Do you think I'm talking about the time I lost the battle and killed three thousand brothers? If you think so, then you are really an idiot. Old man, I'm talking about the time I escaped the entire battlefield through my injuries and fled to I have been hiding in this forest for once in my life.”
The old man raised his glass to the sky in tribute to the brother he was talking about who had passed away. He would do this every time this happened, but this time the wine was a little weak.
Li Mo looked at the starry sky reflected in the cup that the old man put down. Perhaps the stars in the cup were the stars transformed by the soldiers back then. They responded to their beloved general just like they did back then. Perhaps they were just like this at the moment. Like an old man, he complained that the wine tonight was too weak.
"How could that happen? You are a hero, not a deserter." Li Mo said.
"Maybe she is the only one who thinks I am a hero." The old man thought of his daughter again.
"And me." Li Mo pointed at himself and said, "How come this conversation seems to have happened once?"
"Hahaha, kid, you don't have to comfort me. I know how despicable and shameful I am."
I had this conversation once, but the answer was different from last time.
"And don't sympathize with me. This forest is a very comfortable cage for me. Old man, I have never disliked this place for a moment." The old man borrowed the words.
"Is it because of the dragon?" Li Mo asked.
"Is there something wrong with your mind? Didn't I tell you that there are no dragons?" the old man replied.
"But you don't seem to be lying to me. Those stories can't be made up. At least there are real traces. At least... you really believe it, old man."
"But don't you think your idea is unreasonable? Some people say that there is no dragon, and at the same time they look for the shadow of a dragon everywhere. Do you think I am a fool?" the old man asked.
"That's reasonable." Li Mo replied: "...Ah, I didn't scold you."
"..."
Another silence, followed by another...
"Hahahahaha!"
The old man patted his legs, laughed loudly, and even patted Li Mo's shoulder: "I thought you were a good kid from the beginning. You understand everything quickly. Not bad. Old man, I like smart kids. It’s not like my silly daughter who doesn’t understand anything.”
"It hurts so much. My shoulder is about to fall apart. Do you think my bones can be used as clothes hangers?" Li Mo cursed loudly after his shoulder was so painful from being slapped.
"Hey, brat." The old man put down the water glass in his hand and said to Li Mo, "I have a story, I wonder if you are willing to hear it."
Li Mo didn't know why the old man changed the topic so suddenly, but he still nodded: "It won't be long, so let's listen."
"I don't know how long I can tell it. After all, it's an old story. I've never told anyone, not even my daughter."
"Then why are you willing to tell me?" Li Mo asked.
"It's just that I suddenly became interested. It's possible that I lost interest in the middle of talking. Even so, are you willing to listen?" the old man asked.
"..."
There was no reply, Li Mo just nodded.
