When the convoy reached a point where the castle was no longer visible, Xiao Chen, who had been lost in thought, jumped off his flatbed truck, ran to the car where Luo Ling was, and jumped on.
Luo Ling sat in the car with her legs folded, her face a little pale. She no longer had the aggressive look she had before. She leaned lazily against the pile of goods and smiled, "We've passed another level. They haven't caught up with us yet, so we should be out of danger."
Xiao Chen did not answer. He looked at Luo Ling's smiling face and felt a knot in his heart. He asked in a deep voice, "I hope you can give me an explanation. What exactly was the white whip of light just now? Why didn't I know you had such ability in advance?"
"Don't be so serious, it's just a little secret. This is one of the abilities of this ring. It can absorb energy and turn it into strips of light that cannot be blocked by matter, acting directly on people's nerves." Luo Ling seemed a little frightened by Xiao Chen's appearance. "Although it's not a powerful function, the light whip scared those guys away. Isn't that great?"
"Not good." Xiao Chen paused for a moment, "Because you hid it from me."
"Oh, I just didn't get to say it... Don't make a fuss."
"What a fuss? Do you know that because you didn't tell me this secret, I couldn't judge the strength of the team, and I almost took the risk of using the 'Psychic Blast' scroll? Do you know that if my mental power is a little wrong, it can turn people around into idiots or even blow their heads off? Do you know that because you kept this 'little' secret, we almost got into a very dangerous situation?"
"Are you here to accuse me?" Luo Ling's tone also turned cold.
"I... no." Xiao Chen shook his head, but still looked at the other party firmly, "I just think that there shouldn't be such a secret between us."
"Heh." Luo Ling sneered, "What makes you feel so good about yourself? Do you think my world should be open to you without reservation?"
"We have supported each other since the first day we arrived in this world. We have experienced things that no one else has experienced. We have discovered many secrets, including this ring. We have a tacit understanding that no one else has..."
"Stop talking. Some things are fate, but not responsibility. You didn't share all your experience in learning magic with Chen Hansheng, right? Then why should I tell you everything without reservation?" Luo Ling's eyes swept over the sleeves of her robe and pulled the cuffs up a little to cover up a few blood spots.
"You... you know this is totally different."
"The difference is that you are being too sentimental. Please get out of the car. You are too heavy and my car can't carry you." Luo Ling turned her head to look at the roadside and ignored Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen wanted to say something several times, but in the end he didn't open his mouth. The Luo Ling in front of him made him feel very strange, as if she was far away and unreachable.
Finally, he could only jump out of the car and return to his own car silently.
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The bonfire shone on the mottled stone wall, outlining many huge swaying shadows. Those shadows twisted and jumped violently with the cheerful singing not far away, as if they wanted to paint the joyful smell in the air onto the wall.
Xiao Chen leaned against a wheel, staring blankly at the dancing shadows, not knowing what he was thinking.
Footsteps were heard, and a shadow slowly shrank and darkened on the wall, moving towards Xiao Chen.
"Xiao Chen, where are you hiding? The villagers here are so hospitable, and the bards are really amazing, even more exciting than the bonfire party I attended in Inner Mongolia. You really should come out and watch the girls dancing in the village, otherwise you will miss out."
"I'm still a little tired, you guys go and eat." Xiao Chen's voice was a little soft, and if you didn't listen carefully, it would be easily drowned out by the singing, giving people a sickly feeling.
Following the sound, Chen Hansheng found Xiao Chen sitting in the shadow of the flatbed truck and gently kicked him. Seeing that he didn't move, he bent down and sat next to him, "Hey, you guy."
He held half a greasy roast chicken in his hand and handed it to Xiao Chen: "Eat some, it's my cooking, everyone who has eaten it says it's good."
"No need." Xiao Chen didn't even look at the roast chicken and continued to stare at the stone wall in a daze.
Chen Hansheng stuffed the chicken into Xiao Chen's hand without saying anything. Unexpectedly, Xiao Chen refused to take it. With a push and a push, the roasted chicken fell to the ground.
"You..." Xiao Chen glanced at Chen Hansheng, with a look of guilt and resentment in his eyes.
"I sacrificed half a chicken just to get you to look at me straight in the eye. You are really angry." Chen Hansheng was not unhappy and said to Xiao Chen in a joking tone.
Xiao Chen looked at the roasted chicken on the ground, picked it up without saying a word, and started to eat it without even shaking off the dirt.
"I originally thought that you were very mature despite your young age, unlike those students. I didn't expect that you were still a child after all." Chen Hansheng said with a smile, "As a man, you should be more generous. Otherwise, what's the difference between you and a woman?"
Seeing that Xiao Chen still remained silent, Chen Hansheng rubbed his brows and said, "How long are you and Luo Ling going to play the game of 'ignoring you'? Since you got rid of those scumbags this afternoon, you haven't paid any attention to her."
"It's just the same."
"I think she wanted to explain to you at first, but you didn't give her face at all. Of course she has a temper. After all, she saved you and our team, right? From the beginning to now, she hasn't done anything to let us down, right? Why make such a fuss?"
"Old Chen, have you ever been cheated by someone you trusted?" Xiao Chen said, "If you have, then you should understand my feelings. If not, you don't have to persuade me."
"I've been through a lot. Do you think I was born to sell steamed buns, sesame cakes and roujiamo?" Chen Hansheng sighed. "After I retired from the army, I also started a business with others. When I was prosperous, there were countless people who called me Mr. Chen. Alas... A hero doesn't brag about his past achievements. If my partner hadn't betrayed me, would I have ended up in jail? And be deserted by everyone? To tell you the truth, when I traveled through time, I had only been out for more than a month, and I didn't know what to do the next day."
Xiao Chen was somewhat moved and asked, "Then do you wish to kill that person?"
"When I was in there, all I thought about before going to bed every night was how to kill him after I got out. I had several reliable plans. But when I really got out, I felt that it was meaningless."
Chen Hansheng looked into Xiao Chen's eyes seriously and said, "You must be thinking that Lao Chen is a coward and useless man pretending to be a saint, or he just made up a story to persuade me. But, that's what I really think. Although I am not well educated, I still like to think about things and summarize them myself.
When I was about to be released, I suddenly thought one day, I have been in prison for three years, my family's wealth has been lost and I am in debt, what has this life given me? Did it turn me into an idiot with only revenge in my mind? Do I have to spend the rest of my life looking for that loser? It's not worth it, my life is my own, I have lost three years for nothing, I can't waste more time. Others cheated me, others hurt me, do I have to let myself live a bad life? No! The good life is mine, the good mood is also mine, I don't want to make myself worse and worse because of others. "
"Old Chen, you are a wise man." Xiao Chen nodded. "I... I just suddenly realized that trust is such a cheap thing."
"But you are a little confused. Did Luo Ling lie to you? You said she didn't trust you, but do you trust her? Why don't you believe that she has her own reasons for doing this? Why did you question her in front of so many people?"
"I... I think..."
Chen Hansheng stood up, looked down at Xiao Chen, and said, "You should think carefully about what you really think in your heart."
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When Xiao Chen returned to the campfire near the village, Galdo was playing a lively dance music. Twenty or so girls of all ages in the village were dancing in circles around the campfire to the lively melody.
"Sir, the people of Phoenix Village like us. We brought new and exotic goods and bards. Today is like the Festival of Grace for them. Almost all the young people in the village have come out." Xi Luo saw Xiao Chen coming and greeted him with a glass of wine.
Xiao Chen nodded and continued to watch the girls dancing. This dance was simple, mainly involving hand gestures, spinning around the fire, both rotating and revolving. It seemed monotonous, but it was very pleasing to the eye.
However, when a girl turned in front of Xiao Chen, he was surprised to find that it was Luo Ling who had changed into the local traditional "conch skirt". The conch skirt was embroidered with patterns like the spiral lines of conch shells. Once it turned, it looked like whirlpools, dazzling.
Among all the dazzling colors, Luo Ling was the most dazzling one. Her long black hair and skirt swirled together, as if to draw the audience's attention. Her beautiful and upright figure was like a swan among a group of ducks, and her swaying arms were like willows in the summer breeze. She was sweating a little, which also made her more beautiful. The beads of sweat on her forehead looked like crystal gems under the light of the fire.
She was the only protagonist here. The young men in the village all stared at her intently and cheered for her loudly. Li Tianrui, Chen Hansheng and other friends also whistled and clapped to the beat.
She was beautiful and wild, emitting light and heat, just like the sun. Xiao Chen thought about this and suddenly realized that he didn't know her at all, and didn't even know that her dancing could illuminate the whole audience.
The Luo Ling he knew and met was calm, wise, and strong, but was this just one of many aspects of her character? Why did he ask for so much when he knew so little about her
He and Luo Ling had actually spent very little time together, but he felt as if they had known each other for a long time, and there had always been a very deep and close tacit understanding growing between them. This tacit understanding made him feel that she was the person he could trust most in the world.
Thinking about it more carefully, he didn't trust Luo Ling so much as rely on her. Her gentle and tenacious support gave him the courage to do anything.
Xiao Chen felt like a child abandoned by his mother in the dark today, falling into despair and panic. However, it was obvious that she was not so dependent on him. When Xiao Chen curled up in the corner, she was dancing, so lively and so indifferent.
When the song ended, the girls dispersed to their friends around them like birds returning to their nests. Luo Ling, surrounded by several girls, also walked off the stage.
Xiao Chen involuntarily rushed forward and blocked her way: "I was impulsive, just pretend nothing happened."
Luo Ling stared at him for a few seconds, took the ring off her middle finger, put it in his hand, and said in a calm tone: "Did anything happen? Here, take the 'secret' you want."