In the extremely dark environment, light came out bit by bit.
It was a flickering candlelight.
A light orange halo spreads out from the edge of the candlelight, like a faint mist, shrouding this ordinary house. The house is an ordinary wooden structure. The dark brown wood veneer is a bit old, but the cobwebs on it have been swept away. It was clean. On the table, a bamboo table cover covered the leftovers. A seven or eight-year-old girl was lying on the table, swinging her legs, looking at the boy sitting on the threshold chewing fruit, her eyes filled with resentment.
Ning Jiujiu knew clearly at a glance that he was her brother.
Her mother was laying a bamboo mat at the door, talking to her brother, who listened absently.
My father was chopping firewood on the side. He looked strong and not old.
Although this family was not very well-off, they probably lived a good life in the peaceful era.
But before Ning Jiujiu had time to sort out the relationship between Ning Xiaoling's family, disaster struck immediately.
The little girl didn't lie to him, saying that it was the most critical moment, it was the most critical moment.
An unknown gust of wind passed by his side like an arrow, and the candle went out. Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from outside the door like the floor was being overturned. Drums were beating in his ears, and then the screams of women and children rang out. Voice.
Ning Xiaoling was also shocked. She shouted her father's name, but she opened her mouth but no sound came out.
The strong wind was like an invisible hand, knocking her to the ground.
"The mountain demon... it's the mountain demon... the mountain demon broke in!"
Someone shouted outside, and the doors closed quickly with a banging sound. On the street, a group of beasts that looked like wild wolves, with their bodies covered with black flames, rushed out and kept banging against the doors. .
Monsters and monsters in the world don't make trouble every day or two, and this is still the case in the city. Those small towns next to the barren mountains and wild ridges, if they encounter a few waves of mountain monsters wreaking havoc, there will be no one left.
In the eyes of these mountain monsters, this city is like a fence that traps their prey and carries out hunting from time to time.
Most of them are formed by the condensed wild ghosts in the mountains. Those wild ghosts attach themselves to living animals, depriving them of their intelligence, but at the same time stimulating their blood, causing their bodies to expand several times, making them extremely ferocious. horrible.
Ning Xiaoling heard the shouts. In the darkness, she heard a series of rapid knocks on the door, and then what sounded like her mother's screams. She shouted her parents' names several times, but there was no response. Then, she heard My brother's cry.
Ning Xiaoling ran to his side and asked, "Where is mother?"
The younger brother cried loudly: "Mom is still outside..."
Ning Xiaoling was shocked. It was dark just now, but her brother ran directly back into the house and closed the door based on intuition.
She remembered the scream just now and felt chills all over. She raised her hand and slapped him hard on the face. The little boy was hit to the ground all of a sudden. He said with a cry: "I am doing this too." I'm saving your life, why are you pretending? Why didn't you open the door just now when your mother knocked on the door?"
Ning Xiaoling only felt cold all over, and there was darkness all around. She couldn't see the little boy's face clearly, and she just felt that her consciousness had turned into a pot of porridge. All kinds of emotions were sourly mixed together at the moment of darkness, and they completely exploded at this moment. .
The little boy covered his mouth and ran towards the stove.
Legend has it that the stove is protected by the Kitchen God, and ghosts and evil spirits generally dare not approach it.
Ning Xiaoling stretched out her hand in panic and touched the wooden door. The moment she touched the door bolt, she remembered her mother's screams and felt her blood surge. She impulsively pulled out the door bolt and rushed forward. Got out.
The little boy shouted from behind: "Are you crazy? Close the door quickly, I don't want to die with you, a loser!"
In fact, the moment Ning Xiaoling opened the door, she regretted it.
She vaguely saw a pool of flesh and blood on the ground, but she didn't dare to identify it and felt dizzy.
There was no moon in the sky, and those magicians who caught monsters didn't know where they were. The smell of blood came to her nose, and waves of monster wind cut her face like knives. The fear of death suddenly overshadowed family affection. Her legs became weak and she staggered. , her body fell down, and she felt her hands touch something sticky and warm.
She didn't dare to think about what it was, her mouth was half open, and she couldn't even scream instinctively.
A dark shadow rushed behind her, seemingly unaware that there was a petite girl here, and stepped directly over her body.
Fortunately, it was not an adult mountain monster, otherwise Ning Xiaoling's back would have been broken at this moment, but even this little mountain monster still made her heart tremble, her throat sweetened, and blood spurted out.
Relying on instinct, Ning Xiaoling struggled to get up and wanted to run back into the house, but the foot just stepped on her to pieces. Her body was as heavy as lead. She couldn't tell the direction and ran towards the street. past.
After running for a few steps, she realized that she had taken the wrong step, and it was too late to look back.
She kept running and suddenly heard something. It was the sound of silk and bamboo. She suspected that she had heard it wrong. How could someone still play silk and bamboo on a day when mountain monsters were attacking the city
She kept running, following the sound. There was a tall door in her sight, and the sound came from inside. She wanted to go up the steps, but accidentally tripped and fell. There was a loud bang against the door.
While she was dizzy, the door suddenly opened, and the light fell on her. She felt a soft look staring at her with a bit of surprise.
"Why is it you?" The girl's voice said: "Come in with me."
Ning Xiaoling was held by a white and tender hand, and walked into the door in a daze. The moment the door closed, all the darkness seemed to be isolated behind her. In front of her eyes was the lantern tower that was like burning fire, and the twists and turns of the courtyard. The maids walked around holding lanterns, and the sound of silk and bamboo was like the gurgling stream under the bridge. Lotus scarlet lanterns passed along the water, and the reflections in the water were countless soft and prosperous color blocks.
The brightly lit attic looked particularly bright in the beautiful lights, as if taking away all the colors in the world. People were coming and going in the building. In the half-open window, the dancing figure of the singer was graceful and beautiful.
Ning Xiaoling's eyes widened, suspecting that she had fallen into a dream, and she couldn't help but shed tears.
"What's wrong?" the little girl holding her asked her.
Ning Xiaoling was stunned for a long time, then moved her steps and said: "There are not... mountain monsters outside... they... kill people, how can you still..."
Her voice stuttered, and it was difficult to organize the words into appropriate sentences.
The girl in the luxurious clothes smiled and said: "This is the Jinxiu Garden. There are monks in the garden. Those mountain monsters are all incompetent little monsters and they dare not pass by here."
"Incompetent little monster..." Ning Xiaoling murmured and repeated, her blood-stained hands secretly wiped the corners of her clothes, her face turned horrifyingly white.
She thought of her parents' screams and the pieces of meat on the ground, and wondered how could this be just a little monster
She raised her head, not daring to look at the lantern tower in front of her where people were singing and dancing. It seemed like the city was full of demons and corpses were everywhere, but it had no impact on this place. It was a disaster for ordinary people, never theirs.
She wanted to retreat in fear, but she felt that the people coming and going in that building were all devils.
"What's wrong?" the little girl asked her.
Ning Xiaoling knew this lady from the noble family. She had met her several times on the way to carry water. This lady was very kind-hearted and once asked a servant to buy buns for herself to eat.
Ning Xiaoling asked: "Why did you open the door for me?"
The lady of your family said: "The mountain demon doesn't dare to come near here. I just went downstairs and happened to hear the banging on the door, so I came to take a look. It's really dangerous outside now. You can stay here all night."
Ning Xiaoling said in a daze: "Then... where are the others?"
The lady from your noble family sighed and said: "There are endless mountain monsters to kill. They hide in the mountains, and ordinary monks have a narrow escape."
Ning Xiaoling asked: "So... where are those legendary immortals?"
The lady from your family said sarcastically: "Only immortals don't care about life and death in the world."
Just like they don't care about the life and death of ordinary people.
Ning Xiaoling felt something was wrong, and felt that it was always like this, just like she didn't care about the life and death of birds and animals, or the life and death of mayflies and ants.
"How is your family?" asked your lady.
Ning Xiaoling felt sour in her heart and tears fell down again.
The noble lady sighed softly: "Then go find an empty room and stay one night."
While speaking, the noble lady let go of her hand and walked towards the brightly lit singing building.
She stood there, at the junction of light and darkness, like a child who had lost her toy, helpless and confused.
She wanted to turn around and run away, but she didn't dare to enter the dark night. Finally, she walked to a dark corner, slowly squatted down, hugged her knees, and buried her head in. It was still early spring at night. She was shivering constantly due to the cold, and her body gradually became stiff.
There was singing in my ears over and over again.
"Rouge Xuan,
Jinxiu Garden,
Pear trees are piled with snow and peach blossoms bloom.
Look at the lantern banquet in the small building tonight,
All good times and beautiful families.
…
…
When I am waiting for my son, there is a jade toad hanging in the sky.
Then go to Baiyun Temple..."
Over and over again, the singing sounds as clear and faint as a murmur in a dream.
As she listened, she carried it on her back, her body seemed to be lifted by the wind, and she climbed to the White Cloud Immortal Temple on the Jade Toad on the other side.
She wasn't woken up until the cockcrow.
"Why are you sleeping here?" She saw the angry face of the noble lady again, "That's all, I'll send someone to take you back."
Ning Xiaoling suddenly shook her head vigorously: "I... I know the way myself."
At dawn, she suddenly woke up and ran towards the door as if she was running away.
There were heavy casualties on many streets outside. The soldiers in the city had been fighting with the mountain monster all night. On the road, there were corpses of soldiers and mountain monsters. The ground was in a mess.
But now that the war seemed to have ended, many men in armor began to clean the streets one after another.
"Whose child are you? Why are you still outside? Where have you been all night?" She suddenly heard the scolding of the soldiers behind her.
Ning Xiaoling responded, then quickly ran towards home.
While running, she vaguely heard a soldier's complaint: "Those cultivators, just come here and kill them. Isn't it like killing chickens? But they are unwilling to take action. Alas, so many people have to die in vain every time." Man, if you practice Taoism, you really have to practice it on a dog..."
"A cultivator..." Ning Xiaoling was a little dizzy and suddenly remembered the couplet outside the gate of Jinxiu Garden. She was illiterate and only heard the second half of the sentence read.
Live the same life as heaven and others.
Live as long as heaven…
She ran back home, and as soon as her feet crossed the threshold, a cold wind hit her face.
"Brother?" She looked at the trembling figure in the corner and shouted uncertainly.
The figure turned his head, but it turned out to be a face full of hair and a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks.
This is a fish that slips through the night killing scene.
Ning Xiaoling let out a scream and wanted to retreat, but she felt like something was binding her, and she couldn't use any strength at all.
The little mountain demon's green eyes stared at him, and then with a cold light, it let out a sharp cry and pounced towards him.
…
…
(Thanks to book friend Ning Jiujiu for the reward! Today’s post will be updated.)