The carriage traveled for another day and arrived at Moyu Land.
If it is said that the Lin family is the master of Kunlun Mountain, then Moyu is the territory of the Xie family.
After walking on the mountain road for a few days, a broad avenue finally appeared, and the surrounding desolate mountains and forests receded, gradually becoming populated.
Entering the city, the speed of the carriage slowed down. Lin Rufei opened the curtain and looked at the shops and people walking by the road.
Moyu City has prosperous business and many merchants in the past. It is the westernmost commercial center on Yaoguang Continent. Lin Rufei saw a lot of strange things on the street that she had never seen before, and the two maids couldn't take their eyes off it, especially the younger Yu Rui, who had already started to swallow her saliva.
The Xie Mansion was located in the middle of the whole street. At the entrance sat two tall and majestic stone lions. Floating flowers went to call the door. Lin Rufei stood by and waited, only to find that the two stone lions were slightly eccentric. Turning his head, he looked at himself.
"Yeah, why did the stone move?" Yurui exclaimed.
Lin Rufei observed for a moment, then smiled: "This should not be a stone, but a stone beast."
"Stone beast?" Yurui was unclear.
"Well, the auspicious beast in the town house." Lin Rufei said, "It looks similar to a stone on weekdays, but it can resist some demons."
The two were talking when the door of Xie's house opened, and the floating flower explained the purpose of the visit, but the gatekeeper showed hesitation and looked at the three of them.
Among the three, Lin Rufei was obviously the most conspicuous one. His expression was indifferent, he was wearing a spring outfit with a pattern of golden threads and flowing clouds on a white background, a jade ring finger on his right thumb, and a sachet with an incomprehensible pattern hanging from his waist. He looked handsome but pale, as if his body It doesn't look very good, but the most striking thing on this face is the pair of black eyes that are lighter than ordinary people. When the gatekeeper saw these eyes, he seemed to remember something, and immediately said: "May I ask it's Lin Si? son?"
"Exactly." Lin Rufei said.
"Please, please—" the gatekeeper hurriedly said, and then instructed another person to help Fu Hua lead the carriage in.
It turned out that after Lin Rufei and the Xie family met on the mountain road that day, someone came back with news. A distinguished guest is coming, and the Xie family is ready to receive it.
It's just that Lin Rufei noticed that something was wrong in the atmosphere of the mansion as soon as she entered the Xie Mansion. The huge Xie mansion could not see a few figures. Even if someone walked by, they would look terrified. When they saw Lin Rufei and the other strangers, their expressions were as if they had seen a ghost.
The gatekeeper took Lin Rufei and the three to the wing, saying that the head of the Xie family went out to do some business at this time, and only came back at night, let them rest for a while, and then come back to invite them.
Lin Rufei thanked him, hesitated for a moment, and asked if Third Young Master Xie could be at home.
The gatekeeper heard Lin Rufei's question, his expression froze, and sighed, "I am there, it's just..."
Lin Rufei said, "Just what?"
The gatekeeper said: "Just still being punished in the ancestral hall."
Lin Rufei said, "Punished? What did he do wrong?"
The gatekeeper smiled bitterly: "I'm sorry, Young Master Lin, this is not something our servants can talk about. If you want to ask, just ask the master directly, or wait a few days, and the third son should come out in a few days. ."
Lin Rufei didn't make it hard for him and let him go.
"I always feel that the Xie Mansion is weird." After putting away their luggage, Fu Hua and Yu Rui also came to Lin Rufei's room. The two maids apparently also felt that the atmosphere in the mansion was strange and muttered, "It's very strange."
"That's not right." Lin Rufei sat on the chair with a cup of hot tea in his hand. He took the cup and took a sip, and said in a low voice, "The eldest son of the Xie family passed away suddenly, and the entire Xie family has no funeral. , not even hanging a white lantern."
If he remembered correctly, Xie Kongcheng was the most valued junior of the Xie family. After his sudden death, he was buried in such a hurry overnight, and there was no trace of it in the entire Xie family.
"Forget it, wait for the evening." Lin Rufei felt a little tired after a few days of driving and horses. He said, "Rest now, and then we will talk about other things after handing over the invitation to the Xie Family Patriarch."
Floating Flower Yurui said ok and stepped back obediently.
Lin Rufei ate some food casually, then flipped through the books in the room and read it.
There was a breeze outside the window, and a man suddenly appeared beside Lin Rufei as usual, and said, "It's been hundreds of years, why is the Xie family still the same."
Lin Rufei was almost used to his elusive appearance, and without raising the head of the book, she casually said, "Old way? Senior came to Xie's house."
"I haven't been here." Gu Xuandu leaned lazily by the window, looking at the desolate scene in the courtyard, "But I've heard of one or two."
Lin Rufei snorted: "Then senior knows what happened to the Xie family?"
Gu Xuandu said: "I can guess some."
Lin Rufei blinked, and then raised her head curiously, "Can you say it easily?"
Gu Xuan is smiling but not smiling: "It's okay to say... just... "
Lin Rufei said, "Just what?"
"It's just that these things are dirty, and I feel dirty when I hear them." Gu Xuandu said.
Lin Rufei smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, the ears are not so clean."
Gu Xuandu stood up, walked to Lin Rufei's side in a few steps, bent down and approached Lin Rufei's cheek, and said in a low voice, "I see, aren't you very clean?"
The breath spit out on Lin Rufei's ears, causing it to itch a little. Lin Rufei wanted to avoid it by conditioned reflex, but Gu Xuandu straightened up and said, "Each one can be passed down for hundreds of years. Your family has some methods of their own, your Lin family is unparalleled in swordsmanship and sword-casting, and they thank the family and have their own way."
"What method?" Lin Rufei asked.
"Do you know how the Gu King was refined?" Gu Xuandu asked.
Lin Rufei instantly understood what Gu Xuandu meant, and it was a little inconceivable: "Isn't this way too hurtful?"
"What is Tianhe?" Gu Xuandu said, "For some people, the continuation of the family's prosperity is Tianhe." He said in a lazy tone, "Bone is buried under a high position, there are many dirty things, early Some habits are better."
Lin Rufei was silent. He had seen some of them in the book, but they were only written descriptions, and there was no shock from seeing them in real life. Besides, it was something that happened to his childhood playmate.
He turned a few pages of the book and felt a little bored in the house, so he picked up the cloak, put it on, and left the yard, wanting to go around Moyu Street.
When the gatekeeper saw that he was going out, he eagerly opened the door for him, and asked if he needed someone to accompany him. Lin Rufei rejected his offer, saying that she just wanted to walk alone.
Gu Xuandu followed Lin Rufei's side, but apart from Lin Rufei, no one could see it.
The Moyu street is flat and wide, but it has a different scene from Kunlun. Lin Rufei walked on the street and soon found some interesting things, such as the little man paintings drawn on the slate with sugar water, what was there? The crispy dough fried in the oil pan looked like something children liked, but Lin Rufei's eyes were bright, and she couldn't move.
The hawkers were very clever. When they saw an extravagant young man parked in front of their stall, they shouted loudly. There were also enthusiastic hawkers calling on Lin Rufei to try it first.
Lin Rufei couldn't hold back the temptation, she took out a few coins from the pocket at her cuff, bought some snacks and gadgets, and when she went to the stall selling sugar paintings, she even asked the peddler to paint a peach blossom.
"Hey, it's for you." Lin Rufei took the peach branch painted by sugar, found a place where no one was there, and handed it to Gu Xuandu beside her, "Can you hold it?" He didn't know that Gu Xuan could Do not touch the real thing.
Gu Xuan didn't speak, he stretched out his hand to take it, crunched a few bites, and then swallowed it. Because he ate too fast, the dark sugar residue left some traces on his lips, Lin Rufei said He raised his hand and tapped the corner of his mouth, and said, "Here..."
Gu Xuan looked up at him.
"Here." Lin Rufei continued, "Yes..."
Before he could finish his words, Gu Xuandu's face came close, and his cold lips swept across the corner of his mouth like a feather, which startled Lin Rufei, and could not help but take two steps back. Pale face flushed: "What are you—what—"
Gu Xuan's eyes were full of innocence: "Otherwise, what do you mean?"
Lin Rufei was helpless: "I mean you have sugar residue on the corner of your mouth—"
Gu Xuandu snorted, stuck out his tongue and licked the corners of his mouth. He was already very beautiful, and when he made this action, he just took on a bit of color, and Lin Rufei couldn't help but look away, even just now. Forgot to investigate what happened, and therefore overlooked Gu Xuandu's smiling eyes.
Lin Rufei has lived for more than 20 years. Apart from his relatives, he has been in contact with the two maids, Fuhua Yurui, but he has never had any other thoughts about them.
At this time, being teased by Gu Xuandu, I felt a little embarrassed and a little embarrassed. I don't know if Gu Xuan was unintentional or deliberately teasing himself.
Gu Xuandu's attitude was the same as before, pointing to the dragon beard cake on the hawker stall and saying that this is delicious, remember to buy some back.
Lin Rufei bought two more boxes, and by the time the two of them finished walking down the street, Lin Rufei's hands were already full of large and small bags of snacks and all kinds of odd-shaped gadgets. It's not that I can't take it, but I can still buy a lot of things.
The sky was getting a little late, and Lin Rufei slowly swayed back to the Xie Mansion. Fuhua and Yurui were surprised when they saw Lin Rufei who had returned with a full load. They hurriedly took the things in his hand and said The son went out, why didn't he call them.
"I just want to go around alone." Lin Rufei said, "You don't have to be so nervous."
"Someone from the Xie family came over just now, saying that the master of the Xie family has already arranged a banquet. If the son comes back, he can go directly." Fu Hua said, "Is the son going now?"
Lin Rufei said, "Go."
This is sooner or later.
From this time to dusk, the entire Xie Mansion was shrouded in the dusky sunlight. Except for the servant who led Lin Rufei to the main hall, there was not a single figure in the huge Xie residence, and the silence was terrifying.
On the eaves, stood a few black birds, which looked a bit like crows, and didn't chirp. They just stared at the Xie residence from a condescending height, as if they were waiting for something.
On the way there, Lin Rufei casually asked the servant a few words, and the servant lowered his eyebrows and answered in a low voice. But any question about Xie Zhiyao could not be answered in his mouth, and even after hearing the name Xie Zhiyao, there was even a little panic on his face, as if Xie Zhiyao was named. Ominous thing.
"If there is anything you want to know, Young Master Lin, go and ask the master of the family." The servant said hurriedly, "There are some things that our servants can't talk about."
Lin Rufei nodded and said yes.
The Xie Mansion was very large, and walking inside seemed to be like entering an endless labyrinth. After walking for a long time, it did not reach the destination, and even passed through a beautiful garden in the meantime.
Spring's garden was supposed to be the most beautiful, but unfortunately the Xie family's garden was not well taken care of. The luxuriant weeds overgrown the planted flowers and trees.
The servant walked on it carefully, reminding Lin Rufei to slide carefully.
"How long will it take?" Lin Rufei asked.
"It's coming soon, it's just ahead." The servant said, "Just a few more steps and you'll be there."
After he finished speaking, he turned two more corners, and then Lin Rufei saw Patriarch Xie and his family who were sitting quietly waiting in a field of lights.
The author has something to say: Gu Xuandu: So sweet
Lin Rufei: Candy painting is very sweet
Gu Xuandu: I told you
Lin Rufei: …