…
Late at night, Xia Fan leaned on the bedside and looked at a metal object he found next to the track.
It looks like a bronze product, about one finger long and two fingers wide. After erasing the green patina, you can still vaguely see the characters engraved on it - but the shape of the characters is difficult to decipher, and it seems to be different from the current characters of Daqi Kingdom. Big difference.
And that track...
Wooden rails are not a rare thing. People have long come up with the idea of using straight wood to replace the uneven road surface, which can be run by just adding rolling logs. The problem is that the wood's ability to withstand pressure is always limited, and it is easily damaged by insects, so such special roads have never been able to become mainstream. No one is willing to spend a lot of financial and material resources to build a road that needs to be repaired and rotated every few months, unless it is absolutely necessary or there is an urgent need.
Therefore, wooden rails generally appear on mountains. After all, if there is no quarry nearby, it is not realistic to build a smooth and durable bluestone road on the hillside.
Qingshan Town is just a remote town built on the mountainside
No, these two things are enough to prove that Qingshan is not a remote place. Many people have come and gone here.
The examiner obviously withheld key information.
What is the reason that makes Qingshan look like this
"Squeak."
There was a soft sound from the window overhead.
Xia Fan put away the bronze piece and looked at the black shadow at the window, "I thought you wouldn't come today."
It was the fox demon who appeared there. The faint moonlight shone in from behind her, illuminating her pointed ears.
"Beef, I ate it."
"I know."
"Then you should understand that I accepted your plea." She changed from squatting to sitting down and crossed her legs. "You may be used to being dishonest, but I am not."
Uh... is it actually a plea? Also, it would be nice if the moonlight were brighter.
"But it's almost midnight now. Are you trying to stay up until I fall asleep so you can have a midnight snack?"
"Bai Zao?" The fox demon frowned in confusion. Although she seemed unable to understand, she seemed to know that it was not a good thing to say. "I am free to come when I want, and you didn't decide the time in advance. Besides, I am also very busy. , If it weren't for the sake of bullshit..." She suddenly stopped, "Anyway, you can't blame me if you fall asleep. I have fulfilled my promise anyway."
"That makes sense." Xia Fan didn't want to worry about these details anymore. After all, time was precious. As for what the other party said was very busy, it was not necessarily a lie - she obviously had not forgotten her original intention of coming to Qingshan Town, "You gave a lot of people nightmares today, right? Of course, if you think this will help me in the exam, You can pretend I didn’t ask.”
"Less than yesterday." The fox demon said bluntly, "If people have other emotions, the contagiousness of dreams will decrease. But tonight their emotions are increasing."
"What kind of emotion?"
“Anxiety and hate.”
Xia Fan's heart skipped a beat. Was this affected by the exam environment? The money must be calculated carefully, the spiritual fire is never enough for the candidates to score, and the order established by the family... It seems natural that dissatisfaction will spread.
"By the way," he thought for a moment and took out the bronze piece he found on the back mountain. "Do you know what this is?"
The other party glanced at me with no interest, "I don't know. Why do you think a fox demon understands human things better than you?"
"Perhaps it's because you have lived for hundreds or even thousands of years?"
"Haha..." She grinned first, and then laughed, "Hahahaha..." That laughter obviously had nothing to do with kindness, but was full of sarcasm. "If you demons can live for that long, do you think you will be the ones who dominate the world?"
"Uh, isn't that right?"
"Although Qi can extend life span, it only brings demons and ordinary people to the same level. Even alchemists cannot compare with it. Only ignorant people in the countryside can spread rumors that demons live longer."
This answer greatly exceeded Xia Fan's expectations. It meant that the average lifespan of a demon was only fifty or sixty years old. It took a hundred years of cultivation to develop spiritual wisdom, and a thousand years of cultivation to eventually transform into a human being. These were probably all rumors
"Then...how were you born?" He asked the question he wanted to know most.
"What's the meaning?"
"That is to say, when did you find out that you became a demon?"
"Of course from the beginning." She shook her ears dissatisfied, "You don't think that I was just an ordinary fox when I was born, do you? There is energy first and then spirit. The same is true for people. Didn't your master teach you You?"
"Teaching means teaching...but is there any connection between these two things?"
"Idiot!" The fox demon showed an expression that said a child cannot be taught. "Having Qi first and then spirit means that what kind of Qi is condensed will produce what kind of spirit. Do you understand! The reason why you can sense Qi, It has been decided as early as pregnancy. The same goes for all other things. At the place of conception, Qi will attach. Some are ordinary and some are extraordinary. The ordinary ones are all living beings, while the extraordinary ones are like you and me. This process is unpredictable. It cannot be changed, this is "nature"! "
Xia Fan opened his mouth wide.
He suddenly discovered that the braised beef with half a pound of broken silver was really worth it.
The cheap master also mentioned the "Qi Ling Theory", but it was far less detailed and specific.
He now knows that a demon does not need training or chance. The reason why she is a demon is because she was born that way.
"Then... can demons have offspring with humans?" Xia Fan asked the second question he wanted to know.
The other party's eyes obviously changed.
"Ahem, I just want to study it in depth, I have no other intention," he added quickly.
The fox demon stared at him for a while, then said unhappily, "Your folk rumors are not wrong about this. Although they are rare, there are still exceptions occasionally..."
It means... ok? Xia Fan asked, "Why do you rarely show up?"
"Aren't you talking nonsense? If you are not a pervert or have a psychological problem, who would be willing to marry a demon?" She was furious. "A demon can't completely hide its own characteristics. It either has scales or a tail. In your eyes, Aren’t they just as ugly as wild beasts! Of course, don’t think how nice people are, they are naked and look awkward no matter how you look at them!”
Uh... Is this the generation gap of the times
Xia Fan subconsciously touched his chin. Would it be more pleasing to the eye to have a beard in the future
"That's enough. You said it was just a chat. I think you are deliberately looking for trouble. Anyway, I've already been here, so it doesn't count as a breach of contract. That's it, farewell!"
After saying that, she jumped up and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Xia Fan repeated his old trick.
The demon fox's body froze again, and there seemed to be anger surging in his gaze.
"Today's reward has not been given to you yet."
Xia Fan took out the cloth bag wrapped in beef and handed it over. "I don't know what the chat you imagined is like, but I just want to know more about you. I hope you can forgive me if I am offended."
The other party didn't answer, but stared at him, and after a moment he said, "...Why do you want to know about demons?"
"Don't you often say that there are many prejudices between humans and monsters? The root of prejudice is lack of understanding. I think as long as we keep in touch, this layer of prejudice may not be eliminated."
"There are many kinds of demons, including demons that eat people. Do you think you can make people no longer afraid of demons? Can you make alchemists stop killing demons?"
"No, but at least it can make them no longer afraid of demons that don't eat people. As for the alchemist... isn't that what I am?"
"Huh," the other party sneered, but the anger in his eyes was a little less, "You haven't passed the military examination yet."
"So do you want to help me?"
"Dreaming." She refused decisively, "This is the first time I have seen someone like you."
"Even demons are divided into many types, and there are only more humans. Is it any wonder?"
For some reason, after hearing these words, the fox demon's movements suddenly slowed down, and his golden pupils seemed to have lost focus, as if they were caught in some kind of memory.
After a moment, she leaned down and took away the bag, "It turns out you can say one or two reasonable words."
"More than that." Xia Fan spread his hands and said, "If you want to weaken your enemies by reducing the number of alchemists, it is feasible but inefficient. And if I eliminate prejudice through understanding and then popularize it among the alchemists, isn't it fundamental? Solved this problem? In other words, we are kindred spirits in some respects.”
"Who is a comrade with you? I will not join the ranks of the alchemists. Besides, where do you think the Privy Council is? And you want to change it on your own?" The fox demon showed his fangs at the corners of his mouth, as if he was mocking, It's like a warning, "If you have this idea, I suggest you quit the exam now. The Privy Council is far scarier than you think. Once you have any unrealistic illusions, it will only kill you." No burial place!”
Why does her tone... seem to know a lot about the Privy Council? Xia Fan was keenly aware of something strange - as a demon, this was totally unreasonable. Even among Daqi people, few knew the inside story of the Privy Council House.
"By the way, who is your master? I don't think most people can teach a monster who is as reasonable, knowledgeable and polite as you."
She suddenly fell silent, "I don't have a master."
"No? Then who taught you this?"
"It has nothing to do with you." The fox demon suddenly became impatient. She swung her tail and jumped off the window sill, "I accepted the reward, but there will be no next time. You should focus on studying for the military examination. "
"Hey, wait," Xia Fan jumped up on the table and looked out, but there was no shadow of the other party in the night.
Are you actually walking so fast? He could only lower his voice and shouted, "I will prepare braised beef tomorrow. Remember to pick it up if you are finished!"
However, Xia Fan had a vague feeling in his heart that the other party might be serious this time.
She won't come back to chat.