"Does everyone have a bottle of aphrodisiac pills?" Yan Qing asked in disbelief.
The young man felt insulted when he heard the surprise in his words, and said angrily, "Yes, we are all men, why are you pretending? Don't be embarrassed, this is a good thing, brothers all understand."
After saying that, he winked at Yan Qing.
Yan Qing: “…” I know nothing! I don’t need to know anything!
Noticing the gaze of Xie Shiyi next to him, Yan Qing wanted to tear the man's mouth. In order not to be questioned about his ability, Yan Qing could only politely refuse: "Thank you, brother, but you should keep this kind of thing for yourself. My fiancée and I are very harmonious, and I don't need it now."
The young man sneered, rolled his eyes at him, and then set his sights on Xie Shiyi.
Yan Qing was afraid that Xie Shiyi would hear such dirty words, so he dragged Xie Shiyi away and said, "He doesn't need it either!"
The young man behind him was furious: "Sooner or later you will come to me for help!"
When Yan Qing and Xie Shiyi went around to another street, they finally came to their senses: "The Barrier City has now become a Dysfunction City? He must be dreaming. I will never use that thing in my life."
There was an ancient bridge in front of him. Under the bridge, black-sailed boats were drifting away. Peach blossoms were blooming beside the bridge. A few petals fell on Yan Qing's hair. Xie Shiyi reached out and brushed the petals away for him. With a smile in his eyes, he asked softly, "How do you know it won't work if you don't try it?"
Yan Qing twitched his lips: "Why? You want to use it?"
Xie Shiyi said casually: "I want to 'try'."
Yan Qing: “?”
Xie Shiyi took a step forward and stood at the bridgehead, and immediately a boatman came up to him and asked where he was going. After telling them the direction of the Su family, the boatman took the money and greeted them with a smile: "Going to the Su family? You two are in a good time now. If the Su family's wife's child is born smoothly, the head of the Su family will definitely host a banquet for the whole city. You can stay and have a meal."
Yan Qing was stunned and asked, "Child? Madam Su is pregnant?"
The boatman said, "Yes, the baby has been pregnant for nine months, and it's just the last step." The old man sighed and said, "The city of barriers now has a new baby."
Yan Qing thought about the information he had gathered along the way and asked curiously, "No wonder there is not a single child on the street. Is it because the women in the Barrier City are all weak and sickly and bedridden?"
The old man smiled but did not say anything. His cloudy eyes hidden under his wrinkles gave Yan Qing a deep look.
The old man said: "The city lord will definitely be there. It's a great event. What a great event."
He talked to himself, completely ignoring Yan Qing's question. Yan Qing didn't feel awkward at all, and even smiled as if nothing had happened: "The city lord will also be there, that's really a happy event."
The City Lord's Mansion of the City of Zhancheng occupies almost one-quarter of the entire city. It was built on the ruins of the five great families. It is difficult to enter and exit the City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord has been in seclusion for many years. Everything in the city is under the responsibility of the head of the Su family. When Yan Qing handed the letter to the guards of the Su Mansion, the guards looked them up and down, and then whispered something to their companions.
Immediately, a woman came running towards them. This was the first woman Yan Qing had seen in the barrier city today. She had pale silver hair tied up low, and wore a black robe. Her face was full of wrinkles, but her eyes were as dark and sinister as a venomous snake. She frowned and said, "I am here to give the lady a longevity lock. Follow me."
The Su Mansion was magnificently built, with carved beams and painted buildings and many rockeries. The woman took them along a small path. After walking through the path, they came to a very quiet place, with bamboos and quietness. There was a plump and beautiful woman by the window with a half-closed curtain.
She was half leaning on the couch, with a blanket covering her stomach, and reading a book carefully in her hands.
Because Yan Qing and Xie Shiyi were both men, the old woman asked them that only one of them could go in. Since the incident started with Yan Qing, of course Yan Qing was the one who went in.
"Madam, I'm here to give you the longevity lock on behalf of the boss of Linxian City."
Mrs. Su raised her head. She was plump and had some flesh on her face. During pregnancy, her face was a little pale, and her smile was graceful and gentle. "Thank you, it's a great trouble." Mrs. Su put down the book and took the longevity lock from Yan Qing. Her fingers slowly brushed over the lines on it, and her eyes turned red as she smiled.
Yan Qing noticed this and said with a smile, "Madam, the words on the longevity lock were specially written by the boss and he also took it to a temple for blessing, wishing you and your baby to live a long and safe life."
Mrs. Su whispered, "That's thoughtful."
Seeing that she was not in good condition, Yan Qing suggested: "Madam, why don't you go out and bask in the sun? I see that you don't look well. You can walk around a little during pregnancy. This will be good for you and the baby."
Madam Su held the longevity lock in her hand, tilted her head to look at the bamboo forest outside the window, and said softly: "Thank you, but my husband asked me to recuperate in this pavilion. I have been here for ten months. I will just have to endure the last period of time."
Yan Qing immediately praised, "Wow, Madam and Lord Su are indeed a loving couple."
Madam Su suddenly said apologetically, "Entry into the city is easy but exit is difficult. If you want to leave the city, you need my husband's order. But my husband is in the city lord's mansion and I don't know when he will come back. You should stay at the Su Mansion for a while. I'll ask grandma to arrange accommodation for you."
Yan Qing wanted it very much, but her face still showed a confused and shocked look, and she asked anxiously: "Easy in, strict out? Why? Madam, the boss didn't mention this when he asked me to deliver something."
Madam Su was probably the kindest person Yan Qing had ever seen in the Barrier City. She looked embarrassed and said softly, "I'm sorry, but when I came to the Barrier City, was there already this rule?"
Yan Qing: "Can't you go out at will?"
Madam Su shook her head and said, "Let alone the Barrier City, I can't even leave this Youhuang Pavilion casually."
Mrs. Su waved her hand, and the old woman who had been staring at him sinisterly like a black poisonous snake immediately stepped forward and took him out.
The old woman warned him, "Be careful when you talk to me, madam. If you dare to say anything nonsense, I will cut off your tongue."
Yan Qing blinked and said with a smile: "Grandma, I am just delivering something. You are so wary of me, aren't you a little paranoid?"
The old woman pushed him out of the bamboo forest, threw him a key, and said, "Pick any room in the west wing! This is not a place you should come to from now on!"
Yan Qing took the key: "Oh."
Xie Shiyi was standing among thousands of bamboos, reaching out to touch the "white spots" on the bamboo poles, with his eyelashes drooping, as if thinking about something.
Yan Qing came over: "Yaoyao, what did you find?"
Xie Shiyi said calmly: "There is a formation in this bamboo forest."
Yan Qing raised his hand and took a bamboo leaf. He stroked it for a long time, then looked up at the sky, where the light was penetrating through the leaves. He was curious: "It's like a barrier. What do you think it blocks?"
And they got the answer to this question the next day.
—The bamboo forest blocks out the rain.
It was raining in the city. Yan Qing chose the room in the west wing that was closest to the bamboo forest. Standing by the window, he could see the bamboo forest from afar.
The rain and fog were hazy, and the bamboos were rustling. The barrier city looked ordinary in the daytime, but when it rained, everything in the dark seemed to come out. It was damp, smelly, and cold.
The wind was full of the fragrance of the bamboo forest, but Yan Qing could still keenly detect the bloody smell in it, which was both light and strong. It was light because the smell was as thin as a gossamer in the rain, and it was strong because even if it was as thin as a gossamer, it was still frightening. I wonder how many young people's corpses and blood must have accumulated to produce such a bloody smell. Where Madam Su lived, the green bamboo forest seemed to be surrounded by a layer of white light, isolating the rain from the sky.
Yan Qing and Xie Shiyi analyzed everything about the barrier city and tried to connect them together.
"There are no newborns in the Barrier City, but where are the old children? Also, I still don't know what disease the women in the Barrier City have."
Forget about the City Lord's Mansion, he was even confused about what was happening outside the mansion.
At this moment, Yan Qing suddenly heard a scream. Someone ran over from outside the house crying and shouting, "Grandma Guan! Grandma Guan!"
He is a young man. He came to find the grandma beside Mrs. Su who didn't look like a good person.
"Grandma Guan, Grandma Guan! Save my child, save my child."
The man tripped over a stone in the garden and fell face first into a puddle.
Granny Guan in black, followed by a group of guards, walked out of the corridor with a gloomy look on her face. She scolded him coldly, "Why are you looking for me? Isn't there a midwife in Zhancheng? I'm busy with Madam Su's affairs now, so I don't have time to help you."
The man burst into tears and hugged Granny Guan's legs, saying, "No! Granny Guan, you must help me! If you don't help me! I won't be able to save my child! My wife is already seven months pregnant. I think this time it won't be a stillbirth. It must be alive. It's already seven months pregnant. Only you can deliver it!"
Granny Guan asked in a strange tone: "July?"
Man: "Yes, yes, yes! Granny Guan, you must help me. If this child is born, I will give you half of the benefits I get from the city lord!"
Granny Guan kicked him to the ground and said, "What do I need from you?" Granny Guan said, "Take me with you."
The man was overjoyed and crawled out of the mud: "Okay."
Yan Qing was stunned when he saw this scene. He put his hands on the window and jumped down in a carefree manner.
Xie Shiyi was sitting next to him and frowned almost imperceptibly.
Yan Qing was full of energy and said with a smile to him, "You stay here first, I'll go take a look."
Xie Shiyi Liuli was heartbroken, and although he had not mentioned his injuries, Yan Qing could tell from his many behaviors that Xie Shiyi's injuries were serious, so he did not want to trouble Xie Shiyi with such a small matter.
The umbrella I bought in Linxian City finally came in handy today.
The oil-paper red plum blossoms opened up in the heavy rain and fog. After Yan Qing saw them leave the house, he followed them to join in the fun.
It was obvious that the young man was not wealthy, and the house he lived in was a bungalow along the river.
"Granny Guan, this way, this way." He brought Granny Guan and a group of Su family guards into a room at the end of the street.
Yan Qing hid at the end of the team and smelled the strong smell of Chinese herbal medicine as soon as he entered. They were not allowed to enter the mistress's room, so only Granny Guan entered, leaving a group of men standing outside the yard.
Yan Qing was dressed like a servant in the Su residence. He put away his umbrella and pretended to congratulate him, saying, "Not bad, brother. You are going to get rich."
Unexpectedly, a tentative sentence based on the "benefits of the city lord" he said actually made the young man beam with joy and be complacent.
"Over the years, there have been dozens of stillbirths. It's rare to see a pregnancy that reaches the seventh month. It must be a live baby!"