When Xiaodong woke up, it was just dawn. Last night, the senior brothers took turns to watch the night, Xiaodong agreed with him that the senior brother would keep watch for the first half of the night, and then he himself would keep watch for the second half of the night.
But the elder brother broke his promise again and never woke him up in the middle of the night, so Xiaodong slept soundly until morning.
Last night he was lying in his clothes, covered with a senior brother's cloak. A layer of hoarfrost formed on the surrounding grass blades, and the lakeside where they slept was foggy, and the breath they breathed turned into wisps of white smoke.
Everyone got up one after another, and practiced their sword skills in the open space by the lake.
They built a fire to heat up the water, ate some dry food, and once they returned to Liushan, the group continued on their way.
The more you walk, the higher the terrain. All you see along the way are towering giant trees. I don't know how long they have grown here. There is a layer of green moss growing on the trees. The crisp sound of birdsong can be heard in the forest. The creek appears and disappears from time to time, and the clear water overflows the smooth rocky beach, flowing tirelessly to the distance.
When the sun rose, the morning mist hadn't cleared away, and it was still a blue mist in the distance.
Li Fulin pointed casually: "Beifu City is ahead."
All the disciples who had never been here before were refreshed and looked forward as hard as they could in the direction he pointed.
The scorching sun of the newborn is so bright that they can't see anything clearly.
Mo Chen looked at Xiaodong's expectant and anxious look, and comforted him softly with a smile: "Don't worry, we should be there before dark."
Beifu City will no longer run with long legs.
Everyone understands this truth, but even Li Fulin couldn't help speeding up his pace.
His mood is extremely complicated.
He was born here and spent his childhood to adolescence here. At that time, he was also a well-known naughty young man, ignorant and always causing trouble.
That was probably the happiest and carefree time in most of his life.
Later, he worshiped his master and left Beifu City... The once prominent family also gradually declined in the internal strife. After many years of changes, only an empty house remained in Beifu City.
Li Fulin never went back.
It may be said that he is timid because of his closeness to his hometown, or he is afraid of seeing things right and wrong with his own eyes.
It seemed that if he didn't go back and witness the current situation of the old house with his own eyes, everything would still be as he remembered it.
That... is of course impossible.
Everything in the past is only left in his memory, and occasionally appears in his dreams. He sometimes returns there in his dreams, and in his dreams he seems to have returned to his childhood appearance, with thick doors, high stone walls, stone tanks with lotus flowers and fish...
Xiaodong asked Mo Chen curiously.
"Eldest brother, what is Beifu City like?"
Mo Chen said: "Beifu City is very large, with tall and thick walls, and the towers are covered with snow all the year round. From a distance, Beifu City looks like a city made of ice and snow. The summer here is very short, only two or three months. The rest of the time it's all freezing cold."
The others unknowingly lowered their voices and listened carefully to Mo Chen's narration.
It is also the first time for them to come to Beifu City. They have only heard of it before, and they are very curious. "
Beifu City is surrounded by mountains on all sides, which can block the cold wind. So although the city was built in the extreme north, it was warmer than other places. And because of the effect of the formation, many places in the city are lush with flowers and trees, which are particularly vibrant in a world of ice and snow. "
"Ordinary people are not used to living here. It's too cold, and the terrain is too dangerous. Most of the people living in the city are cultivated. There are many people here, and it's very lively."
"There is a jade street near the center of the city. The houses, streets, and bridges there are all carved with jade, layered upon layer. Standing on the high bridge, you can see people coming and going under the bridge."
Mo Chen's description fascinated those little bumpkins in Huiliu Mountain who had never seen the world.
It sounds like Beifu City is like the place where the legendary immortals live.
Hearing what Mo Chen said, Li Fulin unconsciously lost his mind again.
Of course, what the apprentice said is not wrong. Many people who come to Beifu City for the first time will notice these things.
But Beifu City is certainly not a paradise. The rules of survival here are actually quite cruel. After they live here, they will gradually feel it.
Li Fulin looked at the disciples who had trekked all the way, and their faces were more or less yearning.
Let them be happy first.
Those unpleasant things... It's not too late to talk about it slowly in the future.
According to the normal pace, they should have arrived when it got dark. Maybe it was because everyone couldn't wait, they walked faster than usual, before evening, they passed Feixia Ferry in front of Beifu City.
Feixia Ferry is not a ferry along the river, Xiaodong wondered why it was named so.
It was Li Fulin who explained the origin of the name to them.
"Look at this churning cloud, isn't it like flowing water?"
Everyone nodded.
It's really alike.
Because of the high terrain, Yun Haixiang had already been trampled under their feet. The churning clouds and mist are indeed like water waves.
From this point of view, it really looks like a ferry.
It's just that it's different from ordinary ferries.
There is no boat here that can ferry people to the other side of the sea of clouds.
As the sun set, the clouds and mist near and far were dyed a layer of golden red, and even the people standing on the edge of the cliff in Huiliu Mountain seemed to be wrapped in this beautiful gauze. As soon as the wind blows, this graceful veil changes shape and color, and it is so beautiful.
Senior Sister Linglong said softly: "Is this where the word Feixia comes from?"
Everyone stopped and watched here for a long time, until the sun was blocked by the mountain peaks, and then moved forward again.
In front is Beifu City.
With the senior brother's reminder in advance, everyone knows that Beifu City is a big city.
But if you know it, you know it, the moment they really saw Beifu City, they were all speechless.
This city is so majestic and majestic, its walls are so high that even birds cannot pass them.
It does not seem to be built by human power.
Perhaps only immortals, and only the unpredictable power of gods and ghosts, can have such a spectacle of good fortune.
The words Beifu are engraved on the top of the city gate. These are ancient characters. Xiaodong doesn't know many of them. Fortunately, these two characters are not difficult.
Even if you don't know each other, you can guess what these two words are.
Their behavior seemed very stupid, but the people who entered and exited by the city gate were not surprised by their behavior.
Most people who come here for the first time are like this.
Li Fulin felt a lot of emotion in his heart, and led his disciples through the city gate.
It was getting dark.
Probably because of the high terrain, the stars are very clear and bright, as if they can be picked by reaching out.
People walking on the road are dressed differently from other places. The two men walking towards them were wearing thick gowns with fur decorations on the collar and cuffs, and similarly styled fur caps on their heads. Seeing Xiaodong looking at his hat, Mo Chen said softly, "We have similar ones in our luggage, I'll find them later and wear them for you."
Xiaodong hurriedly said, "Brother, I'm not cold."
He just looked rare.
He really didn't feel cold either.
The houses on both sides, pedestrians, everything here makes him feel novel.
This is Beifu City...
Along the way, he was thinking about what Beifu City would look like. Now that he has entered the city, he still has no sense of reality.
Looking at the appearance of other people, they are all similar to Xiaodong.
No one asked, they couldn't help lowering their voices, and even their footsteps became lighter.
Is this Beifu City
Have they really entered the city
There was a car coming from behind, Huiliushan and his group evaded to the side of the road and let the car pass first.
The horse that pulls the cart is extraordinarily tall and handsome, and looks like nothing ordinary. The whole body is painted in blue, and the decoration is luxurious.
Seeing this car passing by, many people wondered in their hearts, who would take such a car
It should be a very capable and remarkable person, right
Xiaodong clenched the senior brother's hand.
I don't know why he felt a little uneasy.
It's too big and too strange here.
And it was getting dark now. In a strange place, and at such a time, he didn't know where he would spend the night tonight, so he felt a little hesitant.
Li Fulin led them to turn around several times and walked a long way.
When he stopped, Xiaodong was sweating all over his body.
I can't tell if it's because I'm tired or because I'm flustered.
They stopped in front of a house. There were no people walking around here, and it was very quiet. The gate of the house in front of me is closed, and it looks like it has been dusty for a long time.
Li Fulin stood in front of the door in silence for a moment, then stretched out his hand and gently pushed the door open.
The closed door, which seemed so thick, slowly opened inward.
Is this the master's hometown
Xiaodong glanced at Master.
Before coming here, he also thought about what Master's hometown looked like, but he didn't expect it to be like this.
Master is an open-minded person who loves to talk and laugh. Xiaodong always thought that the place where Master was born and raised should be a very comfortable countryside.
The high walls of the deep courtyard in front of him don't seem to match the master's aura...so much.
"Go in." Li Fulin's voice was also a little low: "I haven't lived here for a long time, so I need to clean it up."
Together with his seniors, Xiaodong passed the high threshold.
Master is right.
It's true that no one has lived here for a long time.
Not that it's particularly dirty here, there's a lot of dust.
It's just that it's too quiet here, so quiet that people can hear their own heartbeat.
There was a dark silence everywhere.
Jiang Fan and the others took out the fluorite to illuminate it.
Li Fulin led them around what should be the main courtyard, and walked into a courtyard along the narrow path.
Li Fulin watched the disciples light up the stone lamps, open the doors and windows, and sweep the dust off the ground. Some people brought water in from outside.
After tidying up a bit, I finally got to spend the night together tonight.
Master is not in a good mood, and most of you can see this.
Perhaps the master remembered the old memories of his relatives and the time spent here in the past.
Afraid of disturbing the master, all the disciples tiptoed around, no one was talking too much at this time.
Because the other houses were not cleaned up, everyone huddled in this courtyard for the night.
Jiang Fan leaned against the wall to meditate, and saw the carvings on the pillars beside him, thinking, Master's family must have been quite prominent and wealthy back then, just look at this pillar. (to be continued)