Marshall looked at him in surprise: "What are you talking about? Isn't your home in Ito City?"
Xiao Tianjian smiled mockingly: "That's just a place for me to live. I love freedom and can't live in one place for a long time."
Marshall didn't know what to say, so he had to go back to the original question: "Have you forgotten that you promised Mingna that you would not abandon her again? If you leave, the child will be very sad."
Xiao Tianjian frowned, remembering that he did indeed say such words at the beginning, but it was just to coax the child. How could he really stay with his granddaughter for the rest of his life? He looked up at Marshall and was about to say something. When he saw the reproachful look on the other person's face, he suddenly felt unhappy: "This has nothing to do with you. You just need to do things well at home." Don't think I haven't done anything. I saw the look in your eyes when you stared at Meili's portrait, you are just a housekeeper, I am Minna's grandfather!
He quickly got up and left the house. Remembering that the child seemed to have gone towards the woods just now, he had better coax her back earlier.
Marshall was stunned when he heard this, his eyes were filled with sadness. After a long time, he sighed.
Mingna hid in the woods again. This time she climbed not the big tree she loved most before, but another tree. She didn't want to be found.
Grandpa turned out to be lying to her. He said he would never leave her again, but he was actually lying. Just like mom and dad, they said they would come back soon, but they didn't come back after being away for so long. Now even grandpa has to leave her behind. Is she so unlovable? Fortunately, she still has Grandpa Marshall, at least Grandpa Marshall will not abandon her.
She raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face. She was no longer a child and couldn't cry. If someone saw her, they would laugh at her. But why can't those tears be wiped away
Suddenly, a few birds flew up on the edge of the woods. She stopped and heard someone entering the woods. Could it be that they were looking for her? Biting her lip, she held her breath, not wanting anyone to find her.
But her efforts were of little use. Xiao Tianjian soon found her traces, climbed up the tree, and said to her with a smile: "Little girl, you have forgotten the smell of sweat on your body." He also said proudly. Wink.
Ming Na was furious and kicked her over. Xiao Tianjian was frightened. His body swayed and he stabilized himself. He quickly grabbed her feet: "Are you so angry? Stop making trouble. It's very dangerous." It's dangerous." The little girl has been practicing her legs and feet for nearly two months, and her strength has improved.
Mingna didn't listen. She struggled to pull her foot back and kicked him again. Xiao Tianjian wanted to stabilize his body while paying attention to his granddaughter's safety. He said a lot of good things. Seeing that Ming Na was still making trouble, he became a little angry: "Don't be ridiculous! This is not a joke. Do you want to plot something against her?" Your grandpa?!" With one movement of his finger, he hit Ming Na's acupuncture point. Ming Na's feet went soft and she couldn't move.
She burst into tears: "Grandpa is a bad guy! Grandpa is a bad guy! Liar! Don't keep your word! Bullying children..." She cursed again and again, which frightened Xiao Tianjian. He had no choice but to untie her acupuncture points. , hugged her feet, and coaxed in a good voice: "Good Mingna, don't cry, don't be angry, grandpa wants to tell you I'm sorry."
"Then don't leave, stay with us."
Xiao Tianjian smiled bitterly: "How is that possible? I went to see my friend because I had something to do. I had made an appointment a long time ago. If it weren't for you, I would have met him now. I have been to Matt Port. It's okay to stay with you for a few days. Question, but I can’t stay in Ito for too long, let alone live with you.”
"Why?" Mingna asked, wiping away tears.
Xiao Tianjian smiled: "Children don't understand adult matters, so don't ask. Anyway, I never live in one place for more than five years. At most, I promise you that I will visit you and your father every year in the future. How about that?" "
Ming Na flatly refused: "No! You still want to teach me swordsmanship and Qinggong. You said you would tell me, and you still owe me a lot of gifts. How can you not keep your word?!"
"Uh... I'm just leaving for a month or two temporarily, and I'll be back soon. I'm going to accompany you to Port Matt to find your mother. I promise I'll make up for it by then, okay? Be a good boy. Na, look, you have to keep what you promise others, right? I promised to go see my friends, how can I break my promise? "
"You also promised not to leave me behind!"
Xiao Tianjian felt a headache and missed his eldest grandson's honesty and obedience. Although Bevin's character is getting older and more boring, at least he can do whatever he is told and is not as difficult as this little girl.
No matter how much he coaxed her, Ming Na refused to forgive him. In the end, she even said, "You can leave if you want. I still have Grandpa Marshall anyway!"
When Xiao Tianjian heard this, he felt unhappy. He didn't know why he felt this way, but when he thought about the cowardly Marshall growing up with his son and granddaughter, who was probably more important than himself in the children's minds, he felt that his dignity had been violated. . He then thought about it and came up with an idea: "Why don't you come with me? Just think of it as an outing. His house is very fun. After seeing my friends, come back here and go to Matter Harbor." During this period of time, we need to deepen the relationship with our granddaughter and let her know who is her real grandfather. Anyway, he has been taking care of the children for the past six years and does not care about taking care of the children for a few more months.
Ming Na heard this and was very happy at first, but she was a little hesitant: "What about Grandpa Marshall?"
Xiao Tianjian smiled: "Old Marshall still has a lot of things to do. He can relax without you. I think he will not object." A cold light flashed in his eyes.
Marshall did not object, but it was not because he was busy. Now with the help of people from the Xiao Family Trading Company and sufficient time, making preparations for leaving Qedon was not a problem at all for Marshall, who had been trained as a butler since childhood. He agreed with Ming Na to go out with Xiao Tianjian, more for the sake of Anlong's family.
From Anlong's letter and a few words from the employees of the trading company, he heard about Anlong's bad relationship with his brother in Ito City. In addition, he had witnessed Dora's little scheme for many years. He felt that if Mingna Traveling with his grandfather for a period of time, even if it cannot be compared with Bei Wen who studied martial arts with Xiao Tianjian for six years, it can still add brilliance to the faces of Anlong and Dora. What's more, they were just going to the nearby Tulei Mountains to visit friends, and they would stay for a month or two at most before returning. With Xiao Tianjian's wisdom, skill, and experience in raising children (?), there was no need to worry about Mingna being in danger.
So, Ming Na's plan to travel with her grandfather was decided.
Two days later in the morning, as soon as Mingna walked out of the door with a small bag on her back, she was pulled aside by Marshall and carefully warned: "Child, remember to listen to grandpa on the way. Going out is different from being at home. If you are naughty at home, Earl The adult will spend time teaching you, but outside, he will not leave you alone, so you have to be good and don't cause trouble to the adult or make him angry."
If you make him angry, you won't take her out next time. Thinking of this, Mingna nodded solemnly: "I understand. Grandpa Marshall also needs to take good care of himself."
Marshall was stunned for a moment, his eyes a little moist: "Okay, kid..."
"It's getting late, let's go quickly." Xiao Tianjian picked up the child's collar with a cold face, put her on the horse, turned around and said calmly: "I'll leave the house to you." Then he got on the horse and raised his whip. OK. Minna shouted goodbye to Marshall, but her voice was quickly lost in the sound of horse hooves.
=====================I am the dividing line officially on the road =====================
Xiao Tianjian's friend lives in Tulei Mountain, which is actually the same mountain range as Meiton, but to go to his house, he has to go to Meiton.
Mingna had heard about the border city of Mayton many times from her parents or Marshall and Winnie, but she had never been there, so everything she saw was new. This place is more than twice the size of Qedon. It is said to be a city, but in fact it is more like a large town. From the grassland at the foot of the mountain to the hillside, there are many houses scattered here and there. Among them, the market at the foot of the mountain is the busiest. With it as the center, various shops, residences and other buildings are scattered in all directions.
There are no city walls in Mayton, and the only defensive fortress is the former lord's castle. It is not big and has little use in wars. Moreover, the place is now somewhat deserted because there is no lord. The entire city, or rather the town, relies to a large extent on the Tule Mountains behind it to protect itself.
A stream flows down from the Turre Mountains, forming a large lake south of Merton, and then flows out in the southeast, joining another small river near the dock to form the Babi River, and its mouth is the Port of Matter. The lake and river are also part of the Mayton defense project.
It was midsummer at this time, and Mayton was full of green grass and lush flowers and trees. Under the sun, the clouds in the sky were floating quietly, and hundreds of white sheep were walking and grazing quietly on the ground. The breeze blew by, and a few small flowers occasionally appeared in the green.
Ming Na sat in her grandfather's arms and rode her horse to the grassland outside Mayton. As soon as she saw this scene, she immediately slid off the horse, screamed and threw herself on the grass, startling a few butterflies. She could feel how soft and thick the grass was under her feet, and how cool and pleasant the wind blowing in front of her. She lay down happily on the ground, looked back at her grandpa, and saw that he was just looking at her with a smile and did not stop her. , and simply rolled around, feeling that sleeping on this grass was more comfortable than the bed at home.
The sheep not far away made a bleating sound. Minna heard the sound and went away. She saw that they were just grazing quietly, paying no attention to her own thoughts. She rolled her eyes, got up, and suddenly walked toward the sheep. The group rushed over, causing the white animals to scatter in all directions. One of them was hugged by her before he could get away, and he was bleating anxiously, but she just hugged the sheep's soft body as if it were a big pillow.
The cry of the sheep woke up the owner who was dozing nearby. When he saw this scene, he didn't mean to blame him, he just laughed. Ming Na let go of the sheep with some embarrassment and hid behind Xiao Tianjian. The latter bowed as accomplice, then picked up her granddaughter with a smile, got on the horse, and went to the market.
The market is very lively. There are sixty or seventy shops alone, more than twice as many as Qedun. They sell not only local specialties, but also goods from Noga and goods shipped from the south. Ming Na walked down the street holding her grandfather's clothes, looking left and right, her eyes almost too busy. Unfortunately, Xiao Tianjian didn't give her any time to go shopping. What they wanted to do now was to find an inn.
The inns here are very different from those Ming Na had seen in Qedun and the dock. They are not the kind of short and simple houses. They are all small buildings, ranging from two to three floors. They found a hotel with light yellow walls, red roof, milky white doors and windows, and a backyard, and opened a room.
When Ming Na entered the room, she felt that it was bigger than her parents' bedroom. There were all tables, chairs, beds and cabinets in the room. Both beds were covered with white sheets, which seemed very soft and comfortable. It was her first time staying in a hotel, and she felt it was very fresh. She cheered and rushed towards the bed, but Xiao Tianjian said helplessly: "You were rolling on the ground just now, come down quickly."
Mingna giggled a few times, climbed to the window again, looked out, her eyes suddenly lit up: "Grandpa, it's a lake! It's a lake!" She opened the window and leaned out, but soon Xiao Tianjian grabbed her collar and pulled her back: "You don't want your life?! This is the second floor!" Mingna stuck out her tongue and shrank her neck, but she still couldn't help but look through the window in the direction of the lake.
Seeing that she liked it, Xiao Tianjian tidied things up and took her to the lake to have dinner. Their meal was grilled fish. Xiao Tianjian went into the water himself, using his extraordinary eyesight and the speed of his hands to quickly catch fish one after another. Ming Na was playing with the water next to her, and she was so excited that she wanted to catch a piece of it, but at such a young age, how could she have that ability? So Xiao Tianjian taught her to use a branch to spear fish, but her eyesight was not good enough and her skills were slow. It took her a long time to spear fish, but Xiao Tianjian caught it quickly while the fish was injured, and Ming Na harvested half of it. fish.
Xiao Tianjian's skill at grilling fish was excellent, and he also knew how to use the juice from nearby fruits or grass to make the fish more delicious. Ming Na almost swallowed her tongue and said it was so satisfying. Xiao Tianjian smiled and said: "I have a lot of knowledge about food. If you are interested, grandpa will teach you slowly, lest you always think that roasted chicken legs and orange cake are the most delicious things in the world."
Mingna kept nodding, licking her fingers, skewering a raw fish with a branch, and wanted to learn to bake it. Xiao Tianjian was grilling his own and giving instructions. Although the fish that Ming Na grilled in the end was burnt on the outside and still raw inside, it was still barely edible.
They originally had an early meal, but ended up eating until dark. The grandfather and grandson walked around the market with bulging bellies before returning to the inn where they spent the night.
Ming Na was so excited that she kept bouncing around after taking a shower, running around in the store, and listening to the chats of other residents. Xiao Tianjian had no choice but to force her back and repeatedly asked her to go to bed. Mingna twisted for a long time, remembering Marshall's instructions, and then she lay down on the bed obediently. But as soon as the lights went out, she opened her eyes wide again, recalled the place where she played today, and hid under the quilt and laughed secretly.
At dawn the next day, they set out to climb the mountain. At first they took the broad mountain road that was often used by merchants, but they turned onto a trail midway, and soon they were far away from the main road, and the trees became denser and denser. Ming Na kept following Xiao Tianjian. Gradually, she felt out of breath and her legs were tired. Not long after passing halfway up the mountain, she finally couldn't hold on any longer.
Xiao Tianjian had no choice but to carry his granddaughter on his back. He pointed to a dense forest on the left and said, "Did you see the forest over there? It's a big place with poisonous fog all year round. People will die if they breathe it in. But every year in early May, there are three The fog in the forest will become very thin during the day. When the time comes, just hold this in your mouth..." He turned his wrist, and a round green leaf appeared in his palm, "This is a kind of algae at the bottom of Lake Mayton. After drying it and holding it in your mouth, you can pass through the woods without incident. I always go to my friend's house from here, but unfortunately it's late this year and we can't get through there, so we have to take another road."
Minna asked curiously: "Where is that road?"
Xiao Tianjian smiled: "You'll find out later, it's very exciting."
Ming Na blinked, very interested to know what kind of stimulation method, but no matter how she asked, Xiao Tianjian just smiled and refused to answer, so she had to give up and stay on his back, admiring the mountain scenery from left to right.
Xiao Tianjian's foot strength and lightness skills were more than ten times stronger than the little girl's, and he reached the top of the mountain in less than two hours. The mountain breeze blows, and the clouds and fog gradually disperse. Ming Na shuddered, but took a breath and couldn't help but sigh: "It's so big..."
In front of her eyes was the entire Tulay Mountains, stretching for hundreds of miles from northeast to southwest, with no end in sight. Countless peaks of different sizes and heights stood there, some of them soaring into the night sky, surrounded by floating clouds. It blocks the view and makes it impossible to see the situation at the bottom of the valley.
Xiao Tianjian took a deep breath: "It is indeed very big, and very high, so no one can ever invade Mayton, and the people there will be able to enjoy a peaceful life for hundreds of years. But... where there are no mountains to block things, things will be different It's completely different." He looked to the northeast, where there was a high mountain peak, and he knew that going over there was the end of the natural barrier of Mount Tule.
Ming Na half understood what she heard, but she had a bigger question at this time: "Grandpa, didn't you say that we have to go to your friend's house by another way? But where is the road here? You couldn't have gone wrong. Are you ready?" Indeed, this was the top of the mountain, and she could only see the cliff in front of her and the way she came.
Xiao Tianjian looked away and smiled: "Yes, there is indeed a road here."
(A certain L was so touched to have such a result on the first day. I will step up my coding and try to get the extra episode up as soon as possible while updating normally~~~)