Outside the city of Hara and Lin, in the purple twilight sky, a large spark appeared in the distance, falling to the horizon. Xiang Shu followed Che Luofeng to the stone tower on the high ground behind the palace. Outside the stone pagoda, there is a half-withered tree. According to legend, it was planted here by Wei Qing himself when he conquered Longcheng five hundred years ago.
"Received my letter?" Xiang said.
Che Luofeng just stood silently, Xiang Shu leaned in front of the tree trunk and looked at the distant horizon.
"Who is that Han Chinese?" Che Luofeng suddenly asked.
"You should be more concerned about Zhou Zhen's whereabouts than his origin." Xiang Shu's handsome face was shrouded in the last light at sunset, and soon, the sky was full of stars, and the stars shone on the high ground of Longcheng Palace. two people.
Che Luofeng glanced at Xiang Shu and said quickly, "Where is he? Who told you this news? We only found out that the dead of the Akle tribe wanted revenge. Zhou Zhen has never appeared, never has!"
"There will be a chance." Xiang Shu said indifferently, leaving the big tree and was about to walk towards Che Luofeng when he suddenly moved, as if he vaguely remembered something. On one side, there is a feeling of deja vu. Countless chaotic memory fragments seemed to flood into Xiang Shu's mind in an instant, causing him to stand quietly without saying a word.
"An answer." Finally, Che Luofeng couldn't hold back any longer, and opened his mouth to Xiang Shu.
Xiang Shu raised his hand and motioned to Che Luofeng not to interrupt himself.
"No, I am not."
As if there was a voice, softly said from behind the tree: "I just happen to be the one you think... suitable... "
Xiang Shu turned around and came to the tree, but the back of the tree was empty.
Xiang Shu's eyes showed a bit of confusion.
"An Answer?" Che Luofeng walked over quickly and asked suspiciously.
Xiang Shu pressed the tree trunk with one hand, lowered his head slightly, frowned deeply, and then looked up at Che Luofeng with a little helplessness in his eyes.
"What's wrong with you?" Che Luofeng asked strangely.
Inside the palace bedroom.
King Akler murmured, "Many years ago... Shuluwen was my answer."
When Chen Xing heard this, he was stunned.
"You...you..." Chen Xing said, "Is it so close?"
King Akler let out a hot breath, and Chen Xing changed the wet towel for him. King Akler's words were intermittent, mixed with many ancient Hun languages. Chen Xing could only understand the general meaning. : Many years ago, King Akler and King Tiele also made an oath to live and die together. However, with the changes of aquatic plants on the prairie and the ups and downs of the relationship between Tiele and the Huns, the two tribes gradually became estranged over time, and Shuluwen and King Akle gradually forgot about this. .
Maybe everyone remembered it, but no one took the initiative to mention it.
But every time Shuluwen went to the north to inspect, he would take the warriors to visit the Akle camp for a few days, and the two met.
"He likes the Han people," King Ackler murmured. "His son Shulukong is very similar to Lao Tzu. They all want to be with Han people who are literate, kind-hearted, and can read, write, draw and play. The Han people in the south of the 'qin', the Han people who can recite poetry and praise the beauty of the stars and mountains on the prairie..."
"… a lifetime together."
Chen Xing listened quietly, and then said, "So he fell in love with Xiang Yuyan."
"Well..." King Ackler said slowly, "he fell in love with that Han girl at first sight. And Shulukong when he was a child, just like his father, he likes the south, wants to go to Jiangnan, go to him The mother's hometown, to find the Han Chinese who was destined for him, that child doesn't want to be a big danyu, and they all say that the place where you Han people live is like the secret realm of immortals, a paradise with blooming flowers and small bridges and flowing water..."
Chen Xing laughed, put a damp cloth on King Akle, and said, "In the future, you will have the opportunity to take your wife and children to our hometown as a guest."
"Thank you," King Ackler said slowly, "you took care of Shulukong when he was in the south. I don't know why, I always feel that I used to know you, you are a kind child. Shulukong will definitely find him. It took a long time to find you, and in our Huns' parlance, this is 'destined'."
Chen Xing: "…"
Harrah and Lin Harem are under the trees in the high places.
Xiang Shu let out a breath, and suddenly felt a little tired, but Che Luofeng said persistently, "I've been waiting for you these days. I thought you would stay in the south and won't come back."
Xiang Shu regained his senses, glanced at Che Luofeng, and replied to him with a poem from the grassland:
"Meeting is short, parting is eternal. The wind will stop and the snow will melt."
When he heard this, Che Luofeng's expression changed suddenly, because the next sentence was "In the far south, where the peach blossoms bloom, is my gentle hometown", Xiang Shu wanted to tell Che Luofeng that the origin of Destiny is not necessary, no matter how good friends come and go, it is common for them to come and go.
"So that's your 'destined'," Che Luofeng said sadly, "it's your gentle hometown."
"What is destined?" Xiang Shu patted the trunk of the tree and shook off the leaves.
Che Luofeng said, "I remember, I always remember. You said that year that you want to go to your mother's place."
"Is there?" Xiang Shujun's face actually had an indiscernible tinge of redness, remembering that summer, when he learned that Zhou Zhen and Che Luofeng were together, Che Luofeng asked him when he got married.
That afternoon.
They were fishing on the banks of the Salawusu River, to which Xiang Shu replied, "I will always wait for the person I'm destined to arrive."
"Do you know what he is like again?" Che Luofeng asked him dissatisfiedly at that time.
"Maybe it's a Han Chinese, maybe it's a foreigner like us." Xiang Shu stared at the calm, sparkling water, the river shone with sunlight like a vast dream, "It doesn't matter where you come from or where you want to go. She is like my mother, kind-hearted, has read many books, knows many things, and has seen many injustices in the world, but she is like a spring breeze, like a peach blossom, and a warm person."
Che Luofeng said with a sullen face: "After all, I still like the Han people. An Da, you just heard too many stories and you want something from the Han people. When I become the patriarch and take the iron cavalry to the south, what do you think? Whatever you want, I'll get it for you."
"You don't understand, that's my destiny." Xiang Shu said lightly, and finally got up and left, leaving Zhou Zhen and Che Luofeng who were still on the riverbank.
Harrah and Lin Harem under the tree.
Xiang Shu was immersed in his memories until Che Luofeng's voice sounded again, and Fang pulled him back to reality.
Che Luofeng looked at Xiang Shu in confusion and sadness, and said, "It's that kid, you came back from the south and brought that Han Chinese with you, that's what you're looking for."
"He found me." Xiang Shu wanted to tell Che Luofeng that without Chen Xing, he would have died in a dark dungeon, where there were no peach blossoms and no spring breeze, but after thinking about it, he didn't say it in the end. , only passing through the days of going south, and finally said: "Fate, you are right, An A, Chen Xing is the kind of person I like, no, it's the 'that person' I like."
Che Luofeng said: "Oh? Have you found your ideal? Are you going to marry him? He might not agree. Otherwise, why are you still worrying about gains and losses? An A, I remember from childhood, as long as you want anything you want , you will try your best to get it, I don't think he has promised you?"
Xiang Shu was startled and frowned. He didn't expect Che Luofeng's eyes to be so sharp, and he could see through his anxiety at a glance.
"Does this have anything to do with you?" Xiang Shu was a little annoyed by Che Luofeng's words, and suddenly remembered the voice behind the tree.
"I just happen to be the guy you think, the right guy, who you think you should marry. You don't get it, you should give this ring to one—let your heart pound when you see him , I always want to find a reason to talk to him more, when I see him with others..."
Xiang Shu didn't know why, every time he felt anxious and wanted to confess to Chen Xing desperately, this sentence would ring in his ears inexplicably, as if he had rejected him in advance.
It is clear that Chen Xing is the perfect lover that has existed in his heart since childhood, and that he will spend his whole life with him through fire and water. This thought always lingered, as if warning him at any time, Chen Xing would definitely not accept it, and maybe he would use the same words to reject him mercilessly.
He couldn't help but try again and again, but he never got a response. They had only known each other for half a year, but Xiang Shu seemed to feel that he had been rejected by Chen Xing for a lifetime. This feeling really made him very frustrated.
Che Luofeng said: "Forget about the Han man, if he likes you, he will naturally tell you. You just want to live in the south, don't you? I'll go with you, Zhou Zhen is dead! I don't want to see him again! I will call the clansmen, leave Hala and Lin with you, let's go to the south, go to Jiankang! Go to Jiangnan! Ask their emperor to give up the place where he lives, and let you be the emperor of the Han people!"
Xiang Shu suddenly grabbed Che Luofeng's collar: "An answer!"
Che Luofeng gasped for breath, Xiang Shu threatened in a low voice, "Zhou Zhen was once your lover! You must face it yourself! Whether he is dead or alive, you must give your clan an explanation!"
However, Che Luofeng pushed Xiang Shu away, almost angrily said: "He has become what he is now! He is no longer him, he is not even a human being!"
Xiang Shu said angrily: "You have to see him too! Send him away with your own hands!"
There was panic in Che Luofeng's eyes, and suddenly a voice sounded from behind the tree.
"that… "
Chen Xing said nervously: "I..."
Xiang Shu and Che Luofeng immediately separated, pretending that nothing had happened to each other. After Che Luofeng was stunned for a while, he regained his senses, and his anger was instantly ignited.
"Han people, are you eavesdropping on us?" Che Luofeng put one hand on the handle of the knife.
Xiang Shu stood in front of Chen Xing and Che Luofeng imperceptibly, raised his eyebrows and motioned to Chen Xing.
"I just want to tell you that King Ackler is much better." Chen Xing said immediately, "I didn't hear anything, I just came."
"I can testify," said Na Tiao, who was walking Chen Xing's dog on a leash, "he did come here."
Item description: "… "
Chen Xing said again: "King Akler has something to tell you."
Xiang Shu then glanced at Che Luofeng and followed Chen Xing calmly. In the deep bedroom of the palace, King Akler had regained his sanity and explained the incident intermittently. Sure enough, it's about Yudo. Nearly half a month ago, the Akle people discovered the traces of the living corpse heading south, and the direction of travel was exactly from the Karosha to the place where the Akle people camped, Lake Balikun.
King Ackler was ready to fight, and he led the guards of his clan to defend closely. He discovered that the leader of the army was the eldest son, Yuduo, who was buried in the Karosha Mountain after his death!
But the target of that gangster was not himself. Yuta just glanced at his father from a distance, and then led the group to Balikun Lake. King Ackler immediately ordered the whole family to leave the lake and retreat to a highland several miles away. He rushed to the lake in person, and discovered that Zhou Zhen was casting a spell, which triggered a shocking scene.
"Have you seen him?" Xiang Shu clenched King Akler's hand.
King Akler nodded, and Zhou Zhen used a rattle to summon thousands of bones in the lake. The pale skeletons of cattle and sheep bones, elephant bones, leopard bones, and birds are like lake waves, one after another, rushing up to the lake layer by layer, becoming an army of white bones.
Chen Xing immediately remembered the bones that Zhou Zhen resurrected when he was in Hala and Lin last time. That pile of bones turned out to be summoned from the lake! No wonder! In the cemetery in Yinshan, you can't find so many bone materials at all!
And just behind Zhou Zhen, there is an altar, on the altar there are things like a hill covered with animal skins.
Yuduo tried to rush to the island and attacked Zhou Zhen, but was repelled by the White Bone Legion due to too few troops. Zhou Zhen looked at that and seemed to want to catch Yudo. King Ackler finally couldn't hold back any longer and joined the war to rescue his son.
It was a big battle between the 魃 army and the white bone army. The only mortal who witnessed this encounter was King Akler. The scene was extremely strange.
Yuduo took the opportunity to temporarily escape the battlefield, and then Zhou Zhen abandoned the altar on the island and pursued it himself. King Akler was seriously injured and tried his best to go to Harah and Forest, and finally fell into a coma in the wilderness.
"Save Yudo," King Ackler pleaded.
Xiang Shu frowned and replied, "The scouts have been dispatched and are searching along the wasteland."
King Ackler nodded and fell into a deep sleep. Chen Xing knew that the drowsiness this time was a medical attack, so the two let him rest. Xiang Shu explained to the guards and returned to the dormitory with Chen Xing.
It was already dark, and after dinner, Chen Xing couldn't sit still when he saw Xiang Shu, and he was also a little anxious.
"What is Zhou Zhen guarding?" Xiang Shu asked with a frown.
Chen Xing was also at a loss. According to King Ackler's description, what Zhou Zhen was guarding must be very important. It was about 10 feet long and six or seven feet high. It was placed on the altar like a hill, and it might be the corpse of some animal. ? But now that Prince Ye has an army of animal bones under his command, what is Zhou Zhen still preparing
"Maybe it's the remains of a monster," Chen Xing guessed, "mostly used to deal with Hala and Lin."
Xiang Shu got up, and Chen Xing hurriedly said: "You sit down first, I know you are worried about the clan, but now the dark lights are blind, where can I find them?"
"What kind of monster?" Xiang Shu looked at Chen Xing.
"I don't know..." Chen Xing frowned, "Xiao Shan and Sima Wei left in the same direction as the Akler tribe, maybe they can find out something. Xiang Shu, your tribe needs you, now absolutely , Never leave Hala and Lin, don't go anywhere, promise me."
The last time Che Luofeng was enchanted, Chen Xing was lingering and suspicious, but as long as Lu Ying was still safe, he would rather not go anywhere and wait for Zhou Zhen to come to attack the city. After experiencing the chaos in Chang'an, Wang Ziye urgently needed to replenish the new army. The hundreds of thousands of brave and skilled Hu cavalrymen in the city were simply superior supplementary materials for the army.
Xiang Shu suddenly felt something when he heard this, and stared at Chen Xing.
Chen Xing: "?"
Chen Xing didn't even notice, and analyzed: "From the description, this guy is not too big. Maybe Zhou Zhen dug up the bones from the burial place of some monsters. Now, there must be many monsters in the northern land... But what I can say for sure is that our opponent is not a dragon, and a dragon can't be this small."
Xiang Shu was distraught and said "um", Chen Xing was already a little sleepy. When they returned to the city, the weather had cooled down visibly to the naked eye, and the temperature dropped very fast in autumn, and the wind passed through the palace along the palace. There was actually a bit of a biting chill.
"Sleep," said Xiang.
There was only one room cleaned out in the palace, and no one had lived in it for nearly a hundred years. Chen Xing and Xiang Shu were used to living in a tent, so they took off their clothes and lay down on the simple floor.
"Go to sleep too," Chen Xing said. "You are the most tired along the way. After arriving at Hala and Lin, you did so many things non-stop."
After Xiang Shu entered the Chile Chuan, his energy became extremely tense, and he gradually loosened up after entering the city. Yesterday, he called various ministries for a meeting. After a busy night, he fell asleep leaning against the corner of the palace. Take a good rest. So he also took off his clothes and went over and lay beside Chen Xing.
"It will be very cold at night," Xiang said. "The cold wave is coming, and the quilt has to be folded."
So Chen Xing folded the two quilts together and slept closer to Xiang Shu, and suddenly found that they all slept together except when they went to Chang'an. Maybe the Hu people don't mind it, but according to the habits of the Han people, it must be the people who are friends with bamboo horses and who are very friendly to do such things.
Xiang Shu glanced at Chen Xing and motioned for sleep. The air leaked from all sides of the room, and it had a biting meaning. Not long after Xiang Shu lay down, he glanced outside uneasily.
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and the humming sound of the wind was pushing and pulling the tightly closed windows and doors, and the lights in the hall flickered and dimmed. Compared with Fu Jian's luxurious palace, it was another scene.
"Life outside the Great Wall is hard," Xiang Shu said suddenly, "it's not as good as Chang'an, just make do."
Chen Xing stared at the dome reflected in the lights, the golden paint had long since faded, but he could vaguely see the glorious traces of the heyday in the former Longcheng Xiongnu Palace.
Chen Xing suddenly laughed, Xiang Shu turned his head and glanced at him strangely.
"Why," Chen Xing thought for a while and asked, "Did you choose Chilechuan instead of moving to Hala and Lin?"
Chen Xing remembered that the Shulu family had a lot of money. If they moved to Hala Helin and repaired the palace well, they would surely have a permanent residence and no longer have to live a nomadic life.
Xiang Shu replied: "Climate reasons."
Chen Xing let out an "ah", Xiang Shu moved uncomfortably inside the quilt, and after a while, he simply lay on his side, facing Chen Xing, Chen Xing's heart pounded, and he also turned sideways, leaning on his back. arm.
So the two faced each other, staring at each other.
Xiang Shu looked into Chen Xing's eyes, and said attentively: "For some years outside the Great Wall, it will be very cold, accompanied by snow disasters, the worst time is called 'Han Sui', and even seven or eight months of the year will not be able to work. grazing."
"Ah." Chen Xing was very surprised.
"A large number of cattle and sheep are frozen to death..." Xiang Shu adjusted his posture, and like Chen Xing, he also leaned on his arms, bent his knees, and touched Chen Xing unconsciously with his bare feet under the quilt. Xiang Shu's feet were large and very warm, and the scorching aura emanating from his whole body brought Chen Xing into this cold and freezing, warm sphere of influence.
"…The rivers are frozen, the glaciers and snow lines are falling," Xiang Shu said, "there are even fewer birds in the sky. In the coldest years, the geese don't even fly over the Great Wall."
"Is that so?" Chen Xing had no idea.
"So 80 years ago, Liu Yuan crossed the Great Wall and entered the gate to loot." Xiang Shu said, "The first Xiongnu people couldn't survive. Hala and Lin were on the tuyere of Guangyuan River again. Once the strong wind blows, it will be like today. Such a sudden cold is not suitable for long-term residence.”
Chen Xing said: "Only the Chile River, which faces the mountains on three sides, can resist the cold."
"Yeah." Xiang Shu said, "They all want to move south and enter the customs to rob you Han people."
Chen Xing looked at Xiang Shu quietly, and suddenly asked, "Do you want to go?"
"What do you think?" Xiang Shu was a little unhappy when he heard this, and asked rhetorically.
Chen Xing: "What I asked was 'do you want to go to the south', not 'do you want to rob'."
Item description: "… "
Chen Xing: "Of course I know you are not such a person."
He could feel that Xiang Shu also liked the south.
"I'll take you to Jiankang in the future," Chen Xing said. "It's different from the south you saw."
"Why are you so sure that I will go with you?" Xiang Shu asked casually, "The Lone King is a big danyu. With so many people to support, it's not like you can leave."
Chen Xing said, "You can come as a guest."
Xiang Shu: "Isn't your home in Jinyang?"
Chen Xing thought for a while, and when he was about to explain to him, Xiang Shu moved his left hand and showed him his little finger outside the quilt. Chen Xing smiled and hooked him.
Xiang Shu looked at Chen Xing's eyes and said, "Your eyes are black like my mother's."
"Aren't you?" Chen Xing said, "your eyes, ah! You have a little bit of gold in your eyes!"
Chen Xing seldom paid attention to it before, but at this time, the two were very close, and he found Xiang Shu's deep pupils with a subtle golden-brown color, which could not be noticed unless he looked closely.
Chen Xing got closer, Xiang Shu's breathing quickened, and he lowered his eyes to Chen Xing's lips. After a while, Xiang Shu was a little embarrassed by Chen Xing's eyes. He closed his eyes, turned his head, and put his hand on himself. In front of his chest, he said, "Go to sleep."
Chen Xing moved towards Xiang Shu and leaned on his shoulder. Xiang Shu did not take the initiative to stretch his arms around him like before. But the wind outside the palace sounded like the sea breeze on the boat that day, and it made Chen Xing's mind rippling.
He wanted to lean in and kiss Xiang Shu's profile face. He almost tried his best to suppress the thought in his heart. All the past seemed like a big dream, but it was already a matter of his previous life. Chen Xing didn't know where Xiang Shu's feelings for him came from the last time, but what King Ackler said today left him in a great shock.
Xiang Shu is also like the former Tuoba Yan, longing for a Han lover? Then, on the day of the late autumn festival, if you said to reject Tuoba Yan, wouldn't it mean that you rejected Xiangshu
If time went back, Chen Xing would have told Xiang Shu plainly, that's not the case! He was even willing to kiss him at the risk of being beaten. As long as you kiss, you don't have to say anything, and leave the choice to Xiang Shu. But now, Chen Xing didn't dare to do anything, he just hated how he had become cowardly again.
"I had a lot of dreams." Xiang Shu suddenly said again, unaware of Chen Xing's thoughts.
"Huh?" Chen Xing just wanted to calm down, but when he got closer, Xiang Shu's words interrupted his thoughts.
Xiang Shu's eyes were not opened, his eyelashes were shimmering in the dim light, and he said, "The dream is not accurate, it seems to be a dream in a dungeon, but I remember it later, and it seems to be earlier, Can't remember, it's hard to say."
"What did you dream about?" Chen Xing asked.
"A lot." Xiang Shu opened his eyes, looked suspiciously at Chen Xing, and said, "I dreamed I didn't know why, chasing you, leaving Chilechuan, and when I came back, Chilechuan had been burnt down... "
Chen Xing: "!!!"
"I also dreamed of the ancient tree of love under the Chile River." Xiang Shu said, "The day after the late autumn festival, you were also in the Chile River, and it snowed."
Chen Xing's heart beat more and more strongly, and he remembered it! Can he remember it all? !
He didn't dare to interrupt Xiang Shu, and only let him remember. Maybe in this dark night when the cold wind was roaring, Xiang Shu would suddenly be enlightened and recall all kinds of past events!
But after a long while without listening to Xiang Shu's answer, Chen Xing cautiously asked, "What else?"
Xiang Shu said to himself, "I also dreamed of Tuoba Yan and handed you a ring. What's going on?"
Chen Xing thought that if you remember anything else, forget it, how come you have lived all your life, and you still don't forget to eat Tuoba Yan's vinegar
"I heard my mother talk about it when I was young," Xiang Shu thought for a while, then said, "In the northern land, there is a deer god who guards the dreams of the whole world. If you don't know if you can find it, you can ask clearly... That's all, there is a chance. talk later."
Chen Xing remembered that what Murong Chong recounted was also related to the "dream". When the memory is clear, people can recall the past, and when the memory is blurred, it turns into a dream. Maybe Lu Ying can really solve it
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and it was very comfortable to sleep with the sound of the wind. Chen Xing was tired for days, and soon fell unconscious, and Xiang Shu was also sound asleep. However, just before dawn, a loud noise woke the two of them up.
"Caught a spy!" shouted outside.
Xiang Shu sat up immediately, Chen Xing was sleepy, and a scout entered outside. Seeing that the two had just woken up, Xiang Shu was half naked, blocking Chen Xing who was behind him. So, we caught this guy in Chilechuan."
Then, Tuoba Yan, who was tied up with five flowers, was escorted in.