Hu Qing patted Yuan Xianger's shoulder lightly: "Ah Xiang, what's wrong with you?"
Yuan Xianger woke up from her trance when she saw Hu Qing.
"Aqing, I had a dream about an old man. He told me that he was Hebo of Lianghe Town."
Yuan Xianger recounted the situation in the dream roughly.
"You are being entrusted with a dream. Strange, Lianghe Town is not far away, why didn't he come in person." Hu Qing sat down beside her, stretched out his hand and twisted the Nanhong pendant on Yuan Xianger's neck, "Axiang, you use If you have experienced my magical instruments, you should have some experience. Humans’ spiritual power is very fragile compared to demons, and they are easily affected and even controlled by demons. Your Pisces Array can only protect the physical body, so you must be more careful with spiritual spells.”
Yuan Xianger recalled her experience of being pulled into the illusion by Bai Penny and Xiaofeng, "Yes, many demons are indeed powerful and powerful in the control of spiritual power. Xiaofeng can even use spiritual power to build a complete and real world, allowing me to It's almost impossible to get out of it."
"You don't need to be arrogant," Hu Qing smiled and put a basin of washed clothes on the clothesline to dry, "You can beat a monster like Xiaofeng who uses the ability of pupils to illusory as his innate ability. It's great."
The clothes hanging on the clothesline swayed in the wind, casting mottled and flying shadows on the stone table.
Yuan Xianger touched the stone table on which she had been lying since she was a child. The touch of the stone was cold and cold, and there was a sense of communication and connection with herself. Yuan Xianger exercised her spiritual power, and the stone patterns on the table began to flow, faintly showing it. small world.
It was thanks to the help of Master that he was able to overcome the wind. If Master was at home and heard He Bo begging to come to the door, he would not sit idly by.
Yuan Xianger reached out to help Hu Qing put on and dry clothes together, "I'll go to Lianghe Town to have a look. Maybe there's something really embarrassing."
Lianghe Town and Queqiu Town are adjacent to each other, and the distance is not far. If you take an ox cart, you can go back and forth in a day. Last time, Yuan Xianger had been there once because of the beast.
When she went out, she met the neighbor's Erhua.
Erhua's father made a living by killing pigs and opened a pork shop in the market, and his family was considered to be well-off. Hearing that Yuan Xianger was going to Lianghe Town, Erhua turned around and brought a pair of pigs into the water, two knives and three layers of meat, and asked Yuan Xianger to bring her the eldest sister who was married to Lianghe Town.
"Sister Dahua is married to a good family, why do you need to bring this?" Yuan Xianger teased her.
Dahua, Erhua's family, although their parents also tried their best to give birth to several younger brothers, but they did not treat the two girls in the family harshly. For the sake of her daughter's happiness, she chose a family to study for Dahua, attached a dowry, and got married at a high altitude. I heard that her husband is still a scholar.
This is a rare and good marriage for the merchants who kill pigs and sell meat. When they talk about marriage, they do not know how many neighbors will envy them.
"You can bring it to eldest sister for me." Erhua stuffed Yuan Xianger with the packaged pork, "You haven't been married yet, and the elders in your family are pampering you, how do you know the hard work of being a daughter-in-law."
Yuan Xianger held Nanhe, who had turned into a wolf, in her arms, got on an ox cart carrying passengers, and walked slowly to Lianghe Town.
Looking at the sparkling river along the way, Yuan Xianger couldn't help chatting with the uncle who was driving the car to inquire about the situation in Lianghe Town.
"Our two river towns, Yuanshui and Youshui meet at the door of the house. In the past, there was a flood every three or five times. I remember when I was young, the town used to send brides to the river gods for peace. The seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl put on her wedding dress, put it on a wooden board and pushed it to the middle of the river."
The uncle who was driving the car was in his 40s and 50s. He ran a lot on the road, he was well-informed, he liked to chat, and he could say a few words about everything. All the people who talked about this episode listened to it.
"Can the bride go back to her mother's house?" a seven- or eight-year-old girl in the car asked ignorantly.
Her mother held her mouth and shook her head gently, "Don't talk about gods."
"Damn, I've dedicated it to the river god, how can I still live in this world." The driver uncle spit on the ground, "At that time, the crowd watching the lively by the river will be on the third floor and the third floor, and the bride's family will all It's a poor family who took the money, but they still can't bear it, so they can't help crying and crying. Sometimes the bride refuses and struggles so hard that she has to be tied up. It's really pitiful."
"I don't seem to have heard of it for years." A passenger in the car asked.
"About 30 years ago, suddenly dozens of people in the town dreamed of an old man with a white beard, a man with a face and a tail, saying that they were river gods, so everyone was not allowed to sacrifice human beings. , The residents of the town abandoned the old customs, built a river temple, and erected two golden statues of river gods to worship in the temple. Sure enough, the weather has been smooth and rainy over the years, and there have been many fewer floods. "
"I know, I know. I have seen the river temple at my grandmother's house. There is a golden gourd on the roof." The little girl on the ox cart couldn't help saying excitedly.
Yuan Xiang'er continued to inquire, "Is there any major incident in Lianghe Town recently? Demons and strongmen haunt?"
"Haha, you little girl are afraid of going out alone, what's the use of holding such a small dog? Don't worry, the law and order of our Lianghe Town is notoriously good. Uncle will bring you the most lively place. The Zishi Street will let you down."
The uncle who was driving the car really took them to the bustling and lively neighborhood.
At the intersection of the street is the River Temple, a landmark building in Lianghe Town.
Probably because the weather has been good for many years, there are not many worshippers in the temple, Yuan Xianger stepped into the River Temple in the light of cigarettes.
There are two statues enshrined in the temple. One of them is the God of Youshui River that Yuan Xianger saw in his dream. The other, with a face and body, wearing a sharp armour, is majestic and burly, is the legendary Yuanshui Water God.
Yuan Xianger burned three sticks of incense and inserted it into the incense burner in front of the shrine. The faces of the gods in the shrine are dull, and they cannot feel any place where spiritual power can communicate.
What was the embarrassment, even the River God couldn't solve it, he couldn't even speak clearly, he could only dream in a hurry, and he didn't even show his true body.
Yuan Xianger strolled around the temple for half a lap, but had nothing to gain, so she had to leave the temple.
This street is called Zishi Street. The ground paved with purple-red river stones has been around for hundreds of years, and it is thickly covered with the marks of time. A group of children on the street played games belonging to children, and the tender laughter echoed in the long alley. There are hawkers selling candied haws, sugar paintings, noodles and other snacks that children love at the roadside.
Among human children, one or two goblins in human form are sometimes seen mixing with human children to play and play.
Yuan Xianger likes the liveliness of the market like this, holding Nan He while walking and watching. For the sake of being unobtrusive and convenient, Nan He has transformed into a puppy all the way, letting Yuan Xianger walk with her arms.
"Last time I came with Huxian, and I didn't have time to go shopping. This time we have a good time and buy more delicious food to bring back." Yuan Xianger walked towards the place where Dahua's mother-in-law's house was located.
A middle-aged man with a pot belly approached, and a concubine beside him supported his arm and waited to walk. The man was complacent, rubbing his belly and walking with a smile on his face. But he didn't know that there was a bloody monster lying on his shoulder. The moment he passed by, the monster turned his head and stretched his neck to look at Yuan Xianger.
"Can you see me? I feel like you just saw me."
Yuan Xianger walked forward with a blank expression.
The monster craned its neck to look at her for a long time, then retracted and followed the man.
Yuan Xianger stopped and took a breath. She doesn't like these monsters that are born of resentment in the world. They are difficult to deal with, unable to communicate, and their appearance is terrifying.
"Are there too many monsters in Lianghe Town? It's better for us in Queqiu. Except for two or three harmless goblins, there are basically no such messy monsters."
Queqiu is peaceful and calm, like a paradise. It's because there was a master in charge, and things that harm the world dare not enter at will.
At this moment, Yuan Xianger's right hand side is a lively street, and his left hand side is a dark alley.
Yuan Xiang'er stroked the hair on Nan He's back, and suddenly realized that the little wolf in her hand was not quite right. The muscles under the hair were obviously tense. Even when he ruffled his hair, they were still tight like pieces of iron.
"What's the matter, Xiao Nan?" Yuan Xiang'er lifted Nan He up.
The silver-white wolf hooked his feet, stretched his body and did not speak.
"What's wrong?" Yuan Xiang'er shook him. When Nan He grew up, he was strong and agile, and very beautiful. But in fact, Yuan Xianger still likes his furry appearance the most in his heart, and often finds excuses to make him look like this, so that he can be hugged in his arms and rubbed arbitrarily.
"It's not the first time I've come here." Nan He finally said.
"I know, last time I came here with Dixie."
"Not last time either."
Yuan Xiang'er's smile faded, Nan He had only been to the world once before meeting her.
She held Nan He in her arms and rubbed his ears lightly.
"I sneaked out of Sirius Mountain and came to this town, where I saw a group of human children playing. That was the first time I saw a human being."
The innocent Xiao Nan He has turned into a little human boy.
A human boy found him peeping on the side, "Hey, where did you come from? Can you play shuttlecock? Do you want to play together?"
That thing called the shuttlecock is a toy made of a pile of bird feathers tied to copper coins, which can be kicked up and down on the feet. Nan He learned quickly, and he quickly became a leader in kicking the shuttlecock. The colorful feather shuttlecocks jumped on his ankles, shoulders, and knees, as if being pulled. Attracted a group of children onlookers and applauded, and counted him in unison.
He was really happy at that moment. He is the youngest wolf among his siblings, and his brothers and sisters don't even bother to take him to fight.
The liveliness of the world and the new friends made him feel extremely happy.
After the game was over, the children took out some pocket money and gathered around the vendors selling snacks. Those crystal clear candies made Nan He swallow, but he didn't know where to get the coins to exchange these delicacies.
"Here, I'll give you one." The boy who first greeted him held a pair of bamboo sticks in his hand. He stirred up a ball of golden-yellow sticky maltose on the bamboo stick, divided it into two balls, and handed it to Nanhe.
"Take it, sweet."
"Ah, for me? Thanks."
"Thank you, we are friends, we will come here tomorrow to play."
Come here tomorrow. Nan He smiled and walked back, holding a ball of amber maltose in his hand, thinking happily.
…
"Is it in this alley?" Yuan Xiang'er asked him.
Nan He was silent and did not speak. He transformed into a tall and handsome man, standing at the entrance of the alley.
A long time has passed, and I have grown up, but this alley is almost as dirty and dark as it was a hundred years ago, and even the cracks in the floor tiles seem to have not changed.
He could almost see himself being crushed in the magic circle, his limbs broken, the piece of golden candy fell into the mud, and was trampled under his feet at will, he didn't even have time to taste what the friend said sweetness.
A hand with blood stained between his nails reached out and lifted him up, fiddling with him, hehehe smiled,
"Sirius, look what I caught? Such a young Sirius."
"Whether it's peeling and refining medicine, or being an apostle, it's all made, and it makes a lot of money, hahaha."
At that time, he had so much hatred and resentment in his heart that he even wanted to kill all the human beings in this world.
A soft hand touched his cheek, Nan He struggled a bit, woke up, and realized that Yuan Xianger was comforting him.
"It's nothing, what happened a hundred years ago. I've already forgotten." He leaned against the cold brick wall and breathed quietly, showing Yuan Xiang'er a little smile.
"That's the first time you've seen humans. Those people are so hateful. If I were you, I might have hated humans to death."
"Fortunately, I met you for the second time."
"Ah, I didn't seem to be very kind to you back then."
Yuan Xiang'er couldn't remember how she got along with Nan He at first. At the very beginning, the most impressive thing was a pinch of hard little tail and the boss who was puffed up against her ass.
"You were very kind to me, put me in a basket, and once again brought me into the lively market of mankind, gave me sweet-scented osmanthus candy, and drew me a magic circle that would be very comfortable to lie in."
If I hadn't met you, I might still hate human beings, or I might have been immersed in killing every day, sinking into a blind bloodthirsty avenger.
The man took his wrist and kissed his lips. Nan He took a half step back, his back was already touching the cold wall.
"Ah Xiang... um."
He wanted to talk. Although the entrance of the hutong was dim, there were many people on the street, close at hand, and it was lively and noisy.
Yuan Xianger's wrist swayed, and the light from the sky-shading ring lit up a transparent aperture, which contained the figures, bodies, and the gradually overflowing fragrance of the two in a completely transparent little world.
The streets are surrounded by people. Although those people can't see it, their presence still makes Nan He tense. The more tense he is, the stronger the stimulation he feels.
"Ah Xiang, don't be here..."
He said don't be here, but his scalp was numb from the sweet aroma overflowing from his body, and he soon completely forgot everything, sinking into the ultimate happiness.
This deep alley was originally an indelible painful memory in his life, but from today onwards, happy memories have covered the deep nicks and replaced the eternal pain.
When Yuan Xiang'er and Nan He found Dahua's husband's house, it was almost dusk.
Dahua was surprised and happy to greet her outside the courtyard gate.
"Ah Xiang, why are you here? Look at you, you didn't come back when I got married, and you are willing to come to see me now." Dahua complained and rejoiced, and greeted her at home.
This is a courtyard with blue bricks and white walls. It has been around for many years. The white walls are mottled and the red paint is peeling off. The orange-red setting sun poured down in half of the yard, and there were many people in the yard, all of them stood up and nodded to the guests who entered the house.
Yuan Xianger stopped at the threshold and almost wanted to go back. Behind those smiling figures, there stood a figure with a huge head and a narrow body, dressed in a robe.
The monster's huge face has thin eyebrows and small eyes, and also wears a low-grade official hat. He is also bowing his head and saluting with everyone.
(Want me to eat him?) Nan He's voice echoed in her head.
(No no, he has no ill intentions, he is usually a spirit body that ancestors stayed at home to protect their descendants. I was just taken aback by him, his head is too big.)