Songhai City, mountains and forests outside the city.
The entire west side of Songhai City is covered with mountains, which is very long - of course, it is only long for Songhai City itself. In fact, it is only more than ten miles long, which is worse than the real large mountain ranges that often stretch for hundreds or thousands of miles.
Far away.
It is said that it is a chain of mountains, but it can actually be regarded as a mountain, a short and long mountain.
Of course, the slope of this mountain can be imagined. It is very gentle and can be climbed at will.
However, no one would enter such a large mound-shaped mountain for the purpose of enjoying the scenery. Generally, only woodcutters and hunters would frequent it.
The number and frequency of entry and exit of the latter are even smaller. After all, in such a big mountain, the number of prey is only so much.
In recent days, the number of people entering and exiting this hill has become even rarer.
As for the reason... it is the rumor that has appeared in the city recently, saying that a ferocious beast has appeared in the mountains and forests.
Many people who want to enter the mountain are frightened and dare not enter.
Fortunately, the people of Songhai mainly rely on commerce and maritime affairs to make money, and there are only a few supporters who can easily change careers, so this rumor did not cause unnecessary harm.
At this time, the sun had just set in the west, the sky was bright, and the rumored beast was lurking in the dense mountain forest.
It has to be said that its body shape and appearance are worthy of the rumors in the city. It is stronger than an elephant, the sharp teeth inadvertently exposed at the corners of its mouth, and its pitch-black color, all telling others about its horror and badness.
Provoke.
The expression on his face is almost meaningless. At first glance, it gives people a docile feeling, and he seems to be enjoying himself.
This is a black panther, a black panther without a trace of color on its body, but its body is just a tiny bit larger than an ordinary leopard.
And the docility and enjoyment it showed at this time was naturally because someone was stroking it, just like its close feline relatives.
At its feet, a small figure stood there, raising his hand and purring the soft black hair under its neck.
This person is naturally Shi Lan, the boy from Youjian Inn, who is also the princess of the Shushan tribe.
At this time, she was no longer dressed like a waitress, her black hair was all spread out, and her whole body from her neck to her feet was wrapped in close-fitting black gauze clothes, with a blue-rimmed and black-bottomed one on the outside.
She was wearing a short coat and skirt, and a long shawl-like cloak or scarf-like thing behind her body was swaying gently in the wind. Her legs, feet and arms were all tied with blue ties, probably for fixation.
The clothes look neater at the same time.
The overall appearance is that of a heroic and aloof beautiful girl, no longer the gloomy and neutral appearance before.
Sure enough, people depend on their clothes.
Shi Lan was petting the huge leopard named Xiao Hei and said, "Xiao Hei, many people in the city already know about you. You must hide it and don't be seen again."
Xiao Hei lazily turned his head, staring at his master with his big innocent eyes, and let out a soft cry, as if to say that he was innocent.
If that's what it really means, that's actually not bad.
The birth of rumors always only requires the spread of a few people.
Although the legend of Xiao Hei has been spreading in the city, in fact, only three or five people, or even one or two people, have actually seen it - even if it was just a glimpse from a distance.
In this situation, no matter how well Xiao Hei hides, it's useless.
Shi Lan's cold eyes stared at her 'little' pet, seemingly understanding the other person's innocence, but she still emphasized again, "Remember to hide."
There is no way. If the rumors continue to spread, it is difficult to say whether they will pose a threat to Xiao Hei. She wants to protect her pets, but she has no ability to stop the rumors, so she can only start from her own side.
Regardless of whether it's useful or not, she can't do nothing.
Xiao Hei barked again, somewhat reluctantly, probably in response to his master.
Shi Lan was a little helpless at the cat owner's attitude, but she just shook her head, didn't talk about it anymore, and turned to talk about her own affairs:
"Xiao Hei, I saw that person again today..."
"Senior Xiaoyaozi said that he is very dangerous, and... he, like the people of the Yin and Yang family, all obey the orders of the empire, Shushan... A Niang... the great elder... they are all because of the empire..."
"I subconsciously avoided him and didn't let him see me."
"I'm a little worried. I don't know what he is here for, and I don't know..."
Shi Lan didn't finish the last sentence. She just stared blankly at the shadows in the forest, wondering what she was thinking.
"Little princess, do you think you are smart or not?"
A gentle man's voice suddenly reached Shi Lan's ears, instantly pulling her back from her daze.
Shi Lan immediately looked at the direction where the sound came from. It was actually behind her and directly in front of Xiao Hei.
At the same time, Xiao Hei also stood up, his limbs slightly bent, his head lowered, his eyes staring straight ahead, making a warning gesture in danger.
When Shi Lan saw the speaker clearly, she was stunned again and said blankly, "It's you..."
After saying these two words, she repeated it in a startled voice as if waking up from a dream, "It's you!"
After the words fell, Shi Lan raised his hands in a defensive posture, with his back close to his pet.
Gu Xun laughed when he saw this, raised his hand and pressed it softly, signaling her to relax, "Don't be so afraid, I said I won't hurt you."
Shi Lan did not obey, but asked coldly, "Are you following me?"
Gu Xun shook his head with a smile, "No."
"I just couldn't find you in the city, and I thought about the rumors of giant beasts in the city. I guessed that you were probably in the mountains, so I came over to look for you."
"Well... I'm lucky, it didn't take long to find you."
Shi Lan heard this and asked again, "Are you here to arrest me?"
"Think about the first thing I asked you." Gu Xun reminded Shi Lan with a smile.
Smart or not smart?
Gu Xun's words reminded Shi Lan of the questions he heard before - he was just scared and didn't pay attention to any problems.
But when I think about it, Shi Lan still doesn’t understand what Gu Xun means.
Why did I suddenly start questioning my brain?
Seeing this, Gu Xun explained kindly, "Whether I want to catch you or rely on you to fish out all the survivors of the Shushan tribe, I should not appear in front of you at this time."
"For the former, I can catch you at the inn."
"For the latter, it's too early to take action now."
Shi Lan remained silent, staring at Gu Xun with a pair of cold and bright eyes.
Seeing this, Gu Xun raised his eyebrows. He didn't care about the little girl's coldness and said to himself:
"Of course, I definitely didn't say that because of your stupid question."
"I'm curious as to why you forget to eat but not to fight."
"It's our first... let's call it our first meeting. You should still remember that it was a dark and windy night, and I was still able to spot you at a glance even though you were well hidden. So how did you figure out that I was in the inn today?
