Who do you think you are?
There was no contempt or contempt in Xie Yun's voice. On the contrary, it was very calm and matter-of-factly.
However, it was precisely because of this that Xie Yun felt a deeper and clearer stab of pain from the bottom of her heart.
"As expected of you." Unexpectedly, Jing Ling didn't fly into a rage. He only slightly raised his chin.
He was tall to begin with, so when he raised his head, he seemed to be looking down at Xie Yun from above.
"Indeed, in Yun Shi's eyes, I'm nothing. But if I were you, I would never say this when I'm alone and powerless to protect myself."
Xie Yun said indifferently, "How do you know I'm alone here?"
Before she finished speaking, the grass and trees nearby swayed and branches swayed. In the darkness, the sound of iron scraping against each other could be heard. It seemed that many people had suddenly appeared and surrounded this mountain path.
The disciples of the major sects behind them all sensed this and immediately looked around in astonishment. "What?" "What's going on?"
However, before they could figure out the situation, they suddenly heard Jing Ling sneer and ask, "What if I'm not the only one who wants to stop you?"
As he said this, he raised his hand to his lips and whistled loudly —
Whoosh —!
In the darkness of the night, dozens of black figures suddenly appeared around the hillside and the four corners of the rocks. They were fully armed and had bows and arrows in their hands. From above, they tightly surrounded this group of people. Zhou Yu cried out involuntarily, "Shengui Sect!"
Jing Ling said coldly, "Before coming to the Casting Sword Village, I really didn't expect to meet you here. For the past two years, everyone has been paying attention to your movements. But you didn't leave the capital without an imperial decree, so no one could do anything about it.
After I recognized you, I immediately used an eagle to inform the Sect Leader. Now, these people are all from the Huainan region to protect you. "
Xie Yun asked, "Protect you?"
"No, protect you."
"Me?"
Jing Ling leaned close to Xie Yun's ear and said softly, "Anyone who captures a precious spoil of war has to guard it closely and bring it back, isn't that right?"
Xie Yun closed her eyes and nodded slightly. After a while, she finally opened her eyes and said, "So, you and I will definitely have a fierce battle here today."
When he said this, his voice was very strange. The first word was still the soft and gentle tone that was hard to distinguish between men and women. Then, it became heavier and heavier. By the time he said the last word, it had become a deep, clear, and extremely magnetic voice.
Her voice was actually very charming, but no one would think that the meaning behind her words was also very pleasant.
However, Jing Ling shook his head and sneered. "Let me tell you one more thing. Yun Shi, think about it yourself."
"— — Yuwen Hu has already led 500 personal guards from Chang An to the south by imperial decree. They will arrive in Suhang in a few days."
"I heard that you were sent to Mobei for a few years because you ruthlessly schemed against Yuwen Hu in the palace, causing him to lose face and almost lose his life.
Then guess how happy Yuwen Hu will be to meet an old friend like you in a foreign land when he comes to Casting Sword Village and finds that you are empty-handed and have lost all your internal strength? "
"I …"
Xie Yun was about to open her mouth when she suddenly stopped. She suddenly looked up at the dark forest in the distance, and a trace of inconspicuous surprise flashed across her eyes.
Then, lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder roared past. A pillar of light that connected the heavens and the earth suddenly flashed above everyone's head.
Boom! Boom!
Two huge explosions shook the heavens and the earth, and even the mountain rocks under everyone's feet shook!
Everyone instantly grabbed onto the trees and rocks. Before they could stand firm, they saw a bright fire suddenly erupt in a certain direction where the lightning flashed!
"No … Not good!" Chen Haiping said involuntarily, "It's the villa at the back of the mountain!"
At the bottom of the steep cliff.
Dan Chaoshen staggered as he stood on a rock that was slightly higher than the rest. He shouted, "Young Manor Master!"
The wind blew and the grass moved, but there was no response.
He had already reached the bottom of the cliff. Fu Wenjie must be nearby, but it was almost impossible to see his own fingers. When he jumped down, he didn't have time to bring a lantern, so he couldn't find his shadow for a while.
Shan Chao took a deep breath. There was a burning smell of blood in his lungs.
When he jumped down just now, he also fell. The fall was too fierce, so he must have suffered internal injuries.
But now was not the time to stop and rest. He had to find Fu Wenjie before the rain became heavier. Otherwise, even if he was still alive, he wouldn't be able to survive the cold autumn rain.
Shan Chao pressed one hand on his abdomen and panted for a moment. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he suddenly found that there seemed to be a figure lying quietly in the grass in front of him.
"Young Suzerain!"
He quickly stepped forward and flipped over the figure. It was indeed Fu Wenjie's silhouette, but his face was covered with blood and mud. He must have suffered a lot of injuries during the fall.
Moreover, his breathing and pulse were very weak. If he came half an hour later, it would be difficult for him to survive.
Dan Chao gritted his teeth and sent his qi into Fu Wenjie's chest. A warm current slowly entered his body, and after a moment, he felt that the young manor master's heartbeat had stabilized slightly. He finally sighed in relief.
How do I get up?
Dan Chao raised his head and glanced at the cliff.
Then his eyebrows twitched. He seemed to have sensed something ominous in the dark and dense night.
— — Whoosh!
Lightning flashed across the sky, and the Casting Sword Village in the distance was illuminated.
At that moment, a long shadow came from behind him. The shadow held something high in its hand — —
Shan Chao's pupils shrank. Like a cheetah, he turned around and threw a punch!
However, it was already too late.
With a loud bang, he felt as if the back of his head had hit something. Even his brain was about to fly out of his skull. Then his vision turned black!
He didn't even have time to see who the attacker was. He was caught off guard and fell into the abyss of dark consciousness.
… … Who am I?
Where am I?
Punches fell like raindrops. Curses, beatings, and the sharp cries of the children around him were distant and unclear.
This is … …
Young Shan Chao curled up desperately under the punches and kicks. He tightly hugged the dirty Hu biscuit in his arms. His chest, back, and legs were in intense pain.
His stomach was burning with hunger. His body was covered with blood and dirt. He was even more battered than the skinny stray dogs that were kicked by people on the roadside.
I'm going to die, he thought in a hazy state.
I'm going to die.
The tent was suddenly opened. The sound of people and horses in the market outside became clear. The slave master shouted a few words in Hu from afar.
"Hey!
Hey!
Stop fighting! "
"Ku Ba, tell him to go over!"
"Stop fighting!" The surroundings quieted down. The hoarse voice of a Hu person sounded.
"Someone wants to buy him."
A thin figure appeared at the entrance, casting a long shadow in the light belt that extended in from outside. He then walked into the tent and stopped.
A pair of gray leather boots appeared in front of Little Dan Chao. They were stained with a lot of dust and had copper rivets. They looked very sturdy.
He reflexively shrunk back.
He knew that such sturdy shoes would hurt a lot when they hit him.
But there was no movement for a long time. There was no cursing, no kicking, and the pair of leather boots didn't seem to have any intention of moving.
"… …"
Little Dan Chao finally struggled to raise his head. Through his blurred vision due to blood and tears, he tried his best to look up.
A man stood quietly against the light. His tall and straight figure was wrapped in a slightly yellowish coarse cloth cloak. Behind his back was a long sword wrapped in circles of old cloth. Around him, there seemed to be a lingering aura of a long journey. He lowered his head and looked at Meng Qi.
A silver mask was on this person's face, covering most of his face above the tip of his nose. But from the soft outline of his jaw, it could be seen that he was still very young.
Little Dan Chao dragged his scarred body and shrank back. His face was full of vigilance. Doubt, fear, and a trace of hope appeared in his eyes.
The person finally exhaled slightly. He casually threw a cloth bag on the ground in front of the slave master. A few strings of copper coins rolled out from the bag.
Then he bent down and stretched out his hand to Shan Chao — —
It was a hand with five slightly open fingers and a palm facing up. Although there were thick sword calluses, it was slender, powerful, and good-looking.
"I'm going to buy you."
Behind the mask, his dark and focused eyes looked at Shan Chao and said,
"Come with me."
·
In the depths of the desert, there were sparse people. The wind swept from the distant horizon, flying over the continuous sand dunes, large bushes of poplar, and even further away, the underground river that appeared and disappeared.
Their home was here.
The mud brick house was surrounded by an open space surrounded by stones. It was counted as a yard. Around the yard grew unknown shrubs and weeds.
The wind blew through the thick felt of the roof, making a crackling sound.
There was the sound of water outside the house. A moment later, the young man lifted the shabby curtain and walked in. He handed Shan Chao a bowl of water and a few Hu cakes.
"Eat."
The Hu cakes were soft and had a faint golden color.
Little Dan Chao had never eaten soft Hu cakes. He smelled the fishy smell of the mutton and swallowed his saliva. He asked, "Why do you want to buy me?"
The child's voice was particularly hoarse because of his injuries. As long as he made a sound, his throat would fill with the smell of dried blood.
The young man sat in the corner of the house. After a long time, he said, "No reason."
Shan Chao vigilantly said, "I am …"
"You don't need to know."
"… Then what kind of person are you?"
The young man finally turned his head to look at him. His gaze was very distant, as if he could see through Shan Chao's small figure and look even further away.
After a long time, he opened his mouth. His voice was very calm.
"You don't need to know."
Little Dan Chao had a new owner, but he did not show any signs of being beaten.
At night, the young man fetched water and let Shan Chao strip naked. He used a wet cloth to carefully scrub his dirty body under the oil lamp.
Every time he touched a bruised, purple-black, or bloody wound, Shan Chao could not help but gasp. His gasp mixed with the cold wind in the desert outside the window.
The young man finished wiping and put down the cloth. He blew out the oil lamp and said, "Go to sleep."
The crescent moon in the desert was big and bright. It shone through the window into the room. Even the fine cracks on the dilapidated walls could be seen clearly.
Little Dan Chao poked his head out from the kang bed and looked at the young man lying on the floor.
He did not even take off his mask when he slept. The side of his face was shrouded in shadow, and his chest rose and fell rhythmically.
The long sword wrapped in rags was placed next to the pillow. His palm was resting on the scabbard, as if it would wake up at any moment.
Shan Chao held his breath and watched for a while. Then he quietly got off the kang bed and walked around the mattress like a thief. He walked past the young man and opened the door.
The desert in the middle of the night was silvery white under the moonlight. In the distance was a vast sea of stars. The Milky Way stretched across the horizon. A cold and slightly fishy smell came from the wind.
Should he run?
The burning sensation in his stomach from years of hunger was still lingering. His injured back and legs were still aching faintly.
Little Dan Chao lowered his head and panted for a moment. Finally, he could not bear it and gently closed the door.
He limped around the mattress and climbed back onto the kang bed. He opened his eyes and looked at the thick darkness of the night. He heard the steady breathing of the young man beside him.
Little Dan Chao closed his eyes. He was nervous, alert, and unable to resist the drowsiness. He quickly fell into a deep sleep.
·
The wounds on his body healed day by day. They congealed and formed scabs. The edges of the scabs had turned white.
Shan Chao had been waiting for the day when he would be called to work. However, it did not happen.
The young man went out early every day. He rode horses, hunted, and traded for things in the shabby market where the Hu people gathered at the edge of the desert. He brought back bread and salt.
Sometimes there was goat milk and dried meat in his bag. However, he rarely touched them. It seemed that he did not like the fishy smell.
He carved all kinds of small things from animal bones. Once, Shan Chao saw a grayish-white, withered claw hanging by the window. He carefully touched it and asked, "What is this?"
The young man lifted the curtain and walked into the room. He took off the bow and quiver on his back and did not raise his head.
"An eagle."
Shan Chao had seen an eagle before.
The eagle spread its strong wings and flew across the blue sky like an arrow. It flew into the unknown distance. In the end, it only left a small black dot in his eyes.
He secretly took off the eagle's claw and hung it around his neck. He hid it under his clothes, sticking it close to his chest.
Perhaps the young man did not notice it. Perhaps he did and did not care.
During dinner, he glanced at the empty window and did not say anything.
Late that night, Shan Chao sneaked out of the house again. He stood in the small courtyard and faced the whistling wind from the depths of the desert.
The heart of the little boy's bony chest beat loudly. He reached out and pressed his hand to his chest. The eagle's claw was hard on his palm.
He hesitated for a long time. In the distance, the sand dunes stretched endlessly under the moonlight.
"That is Antares," a voice said from behind him.
Shan Chao turned around. A young man in a grayish-white cloak was standing at the door of the mud hut. He looked up at the bright Milky Way in the night sky.
"… …"
Shan Chao also looked up. For a moment, no one spoke in the small courtyard. Only the unchanging sea of stars shone quietly above their heads.
"… … What about that piece?"
"Bullfighting Light Flame."
"Those two pieces are … …"
"Dubhe and Alkaid."
In the deathly still sea of sand under the stars, the sound of wandering wolves and wailing could be heard in the distance.
Shan Chao lowered his head and silently pinched his palm. The young man turned and pushed open the creaking wooden door.
"Go back to the house and sleep," he said without turning his head.
·
The brief conversation in the middle of the night seemed to have never happened. No one mentioned it again.
Shan Chao cautiously and vigilantly observed, like a wolf cub who had suffered many injuries and was full of vigilance. However, he could no longer peek at the calm face of the young man under the mask.
The young man took good care of Shan Chao — a formulaic, cold, and distant care.
He gave him food and drink. He did not ask any questions. He rarely spoke. There was almost no conversation.
At dusk, he would sit on the roof and look at the burning sunset in the distance. The afterglow dyed the desert layer by layer like golden water. It was boundless for thousands of miles, drowning his lonely and thin figure in the long river of light.
Who is this person?
Shan Chao thought.
Where did he come from?
When did he leave?
Will he suddenly leave one day, just like when he appeared, completely abandoning him in the depths of this vast and uninhabited world?
Shan Chao's wounds finally healed little by little.
After the wind season passed, the scabs on his back and legs fell off. Only countless scars were left on his dark and rough skin. Some were deep, some were shallow, and some were of different shapes. They silently commemorated the countless years of starvation and displacement.
One night, he woke up to go to the toilet. When he came back, he saw the young man lying on his side on the mattress. The sword in his hand was unsheathed for some reason. The sword's edge glowed with a pale blue light under the moonlight.
It was a light that Little Dan Chao had never seen before in his life. It was beautiful and clear, but also extremely cold and terrifying. It was more terrifying than any iron weapon he could imagine, including the terrible iron pincers and fire tongs in the hands of slave masters, and the bloody iron chains that pierced the scapulas of adult slaves. Even his spine felt a tingling chill.
He stood on the edge of the mattress for a while, his eyes unblinking and his chest slightly panting.
After a long time, he finally could not hold back. He slowly squatted down and stretched out his hand, wanting to gently touch the pure blue body of the sword.
At this moment, the young man closed his eyes and grabbed his wrist. Like lightning, he heavily flipped him over!
"Ah!"
Shan Chao was caught off guard. His back fell to the ground, and then his body sank. The young man turned over and sat on top of him. The long sword was unsheathed and firmly pressed against his throat!
All of this happened in a flash. Before Shan Chao could recover from the pain, the breath of death had already enveloped his whole body.
It was really the first time in his life that he had been so close to death.
If the young man had been half an inch closer, the sword would have easily cut his trachea and his entire neck would have been broken like tofu.
Shan Chao's whole body trembled like a sieve. He saw the young man open his eyes under the moonlight.
"…"
The two of them, one high and one low, looked at each other for a long time. In the darkness, it was so quiet that they could not hear each other's breathing.
"… Don't do this next time," the young man finally said. He raised his hand and sheathed his sword. There was still a trace of hoarseness in his voice.
"You'll get yourself killed."
·
Little Dan Chao finally decided to escape. He knew that there must be a village not far from here, but he knew that he could not choose the cold desert night. It would be best if he could escape in the afternoon.
The young man hunted a sand fox and dug out its innards. He hung the meat behind the house to dry and sold its fur to the market to sell for salt.
He left in the afternoon. Shan Chao waited until the horse footprints at the door were blown away by the wind. Only then did he take out the water and dry food that he had secretly hidden under the brick bed. He went to the back of the house and put the cured meat into a cloth bag. After a moment of hesitation, he hung half of the cloth bag back.
He left the small courtyard and walked to the sand dune to look back. The small mud house stood alone in the vast expanse of yellow sand, like a lonely boat in the middle of the sea.
Goodbye, he thought.
Thank you, stranger.
If it was said that every child had the experience of running away in their childhood, then for Shan Chao, it was the first time in his life that he had traveled a long distance.
That experience was so unforgettable that it was deeply engraved in his mind for several years after, until it was replaced by an even more desperate and desperate escape.
Under the scorching sun, the coarse sand quickly wore through his shoes and burned through the soles of his feet. Every step he took was excruciatingly painful.
Although the amount of water was accurately calculated, it was difficult for a child who did not know enough about the desert to fight the evaporation of large amounts of sweat. The exhaustion and lack of water caused his lips to crack and his vision to turn black. It was difficult to tell the direction.
Before sunset, he walked forward with perseverance and endured the hottest and driest part of the day.
Soon, dusk came and the desert was shrouded by the slowly rising moon. The extreme cold took away the last trace of heat in the sand.
Little Dan Chao stopped.
All around them were sand dunes that stretched as far as the eye could see. As far as the eye could see, the heavens and earth were desolate, and everything was gray and white.
The wind smoothed out his footprints. The path was smooth and there were no traces, as if he had never left any evidence of his existence.
"… …" Shan Chao's lips moved as if he wanted to murmur the name of the young man, but no sound came out.
His voice was very hoarse.
And he did not know the name of that person.
Shan Chao sat on the ground, opened the leather bag and drank the last mouthful of water. Then he threw the leather bag away and lay on the cold sand with his face facing the sky.
The Milky Way in autumn crossed the sky and was especially clear and bright in the desert. It transformed into a surging tide of stars.
Heaven and earth were like the first swaddling clothes of life. They gently wrapped the little boy's body that was full of scars. Gentle, cruel, and vast, they brought the last trace of his consciousness to the eternal abyss.
There would be no more hunger there.
There would no longer be endless fear and hopeless loneliness.
"… … Bullfight, the three hearts … …"
In that similar night, the young man wrapped in a coarse cloak looked up at the sky and pointed to the vast sea of stars.
"Dubhe, Alioth, Alkaid … …"
Little Dan Chao suddenly grabbed the sand and flipped over with difficulty.
He staggered two steps and fell down. After a while, he slowly got up and looked in the direction he came from.
At that moment, his unfocused pupils suddenly contracted.
On a nearby sand dune, the young man's clothes fluttered in the wind. His thin figure was elongated under the moonlight.
He stretched out his hand to Shan Chao. In his palm lay an eagle claw. His voice was low and calm.
"You left something behind."
"… …"
The two of them looked at each other. An indescribable emotion suddenly rose from the bottom of Little Dan Chao's heart and rushed to his throat.
But he was so thirsty that he could not even shed a single tear. His chest could only let out a hoarse and unpleasant gasp. He used an unknown source of strength to get up from the ground.
"… … Are you here to kill me?"
The young man shook his head.
"Then what are you doing here?"
The wind blew a sharp whistle. In the distance, a pack of wolves howled. They wandered back and forth, gradually moving in the direction of the rising moon.
"… … I'm here to take you back, Shan Chao." The young man finally said.
"You have a place to go. I'm the one who will take you back."
Little Dan Chao's eyes gradually became filled with shock, doubt, and bewilderment. But the young man's face behind the mask did not have a trace of expression.
They looked at each other for a long time. The gradually rising crescent moon changed the angle of their shadows. Finally, Shan Chao spoke in a hoarse and trembling voice.
"You … … Who are you?"
The young man lowered his eyelids and reached out to take off his mask.
At that moment, the emotions in Little Dan Chao's eyes were immediately replaced by another kind of surprise.
The young man looked up at him. His eyes were deep and calm. His face was handsome and calm.
At that moment, there was no one in the world who was more handsome than him. The silver light of the stars and moon reflected in the desert. It was as if the whole world was dyed with a gentle and faint halo. All the pain and despair floated into the distance.
"My surname is Xie. My name is Yun."
"Yun from the First Star Beacon Fire Shuo Yun."
"A teacher for a day is a father for life. From now on, I'm your teacher."
Under the starry sky, there were long winding footprints in the desert. Xie Yun carried the eleven year old Shan Chao and walked towards the simple stone hut in the distance.
There was a warm oil lamp. The wick crackled softly and shone in the dark night.
"Teacher … …"
"Yes?"
"Where do you think we should go?"
Xie Yun turned her head and looked towards the south. After a while, she looked away and sighed softly.
"That day will come … …" She did not answer the question. White smoke drifted from her lips and silently disappeared into the cold autumn night of the Northern Desert.
·
At the same time, at the bottom of the steep cliff of the Casting Sword Village.
Lightning once again lit up the sky. Earth-shattering thunder exploded. The heavy rain finally poured down from the night sky.
"… … Huu … … Huu … …"
In the heavy rain, Shan Chao closed his eyes tightly. His muscles were so tense that they were almost spasming. His ten finger joints were bursting with terrifying blue veins.
The next moment, he suddenly stood up and reflexively pulled out his sword. The Seven Star Long Yuan burst out a shocking roar!
Whoosh!
The snowy light cut through the curtain of rain. The sword roared out and crashed into the surrounding rocks!
"Xie … …" Shan Chao's head was in a mess. He pressed hard on his forehead and unconsciously spat out two words between his teeth, "Xie Yun … …"