Most of the things were smashed, and not much could be taken away. The old men at the scene helped to sort out the broken wood and medicine residue, and pushed it to the foot of the mountain at the mouth of the river.
The girl poured all the copper coins and broken silver in the small purse into her hand, and counted them again and again. After taking away seven copper coins, she handed the rest to the old men: Here!
The old men took the money, thanked them profusely, and praised them for their kindness.
The girl said nothing, helped her brother leave with a drooping face.
There were originally many villages upwards from Xiangjuan Mountain. Since Daqian established its capital in Yong'an, all the small and large villages on the major mountains in the south have been driven further south, leaving only a few ancient temples and temples.
There are two Taoist temples on the mountain of Xiangjuan Mountain, one is large and the other is small.
The brother and sister climbed up the mountain road to the small Taoist temple and entered through the gate at the back in the dark.
At the same time, in the backyard of Daguan across a mountain, a little girl led a horse down the stone path and stopped outside the courtyard gate at the back.
The little Taoist priest had just finished carrying water and raised his hand to wipe his sweat. Hearing the movement behind him, he turned back to look.
Under the dim light, the short girl walked in slowly with her horse. After seeing the little Taoist priest, she said: I am looking for Taoist Master Qingyuan, he is here.
Are you alone? The little Taoist asked.
There was also a horse. The girl gently pulled the reins in her hand.
The little Taoist priest carried the pole over, looked up at the horse, and then looked at the girl: What do you want from Taoist Master Qingyuan? He has been traveling in the mountains for eight months.
Eight months? Xia Zhaoyi frowned slightly, paused, and said, that’s it. According to the Taoist priest’s temperament, no one must know the date of his return.
The little Taoist priest was amused by her adult-like tone and said: What do you want from Master Qingyuan? Did you encounter any difficulties?
There was no difficulty at all. Xia Zhaoyi turned back to look at Qingyun and raised his hand to caress its neck, just to ask him to take care of the horse for me.
Looking after the horses?
It's inconvenient for me to take it into the city. I'm afraid it will be confiscated. This horse has been with me for several months and endured a lot of hardships, so I don't want to let it go. As he said that, Xia Zhaoyi looked at the little Taoist priest and asked, "What's your name?" , if you are willing to take good care of it for me, I will thank you.
My name is Zangyi. I don’t need any thanks. I just take care of the horse. The little Taoist said.
Xia Zhaoyi smiled, took off the small purse from her waist, walked over and handed it to the little Taoist priest.
The fragrance inside the purse is faint and reaches the tip of the nose. The fragrance is very strong but not strong when you are close to it, and you can hardly smell it when you are far away.
How wonderful, this is
As a gift to you, Xia Zhaoyi said with a smile, I made it with a few herbs and it won’t hinder your practice.
Qingyun lowered his head slightly at this time and gently rubbed Xia Zhaoyi's body.
Xia Zhaoyi touched its neck and said, "Little Taoist Priest, I will leave this horse to you."
If you don't think so, just call me a little Taoist priest.
Xia Zhaoyi nodded and handed over the reins in his hand.
Watching the little girl leave, the little Taoist priest turned to look at the horse and said confusedly: "Why does it seem a little strange? I'm going to adopt a horse?"
He raised his hand and smelled the small purse in his hand again.
It smells so good.
After coming out of the backyard, Xia Zhaoyi did not go down the mountain immediately.
She walked slowly along the stone path and detoured to another hill behind the Taoist Temple.
It was already late at night. She came down from the back mountain and landed on a cemetery.
There are many large and small tombstones, and the moonlight is as white as snow. Some tombs don't even have tombstones, only small and very small hills.
Xia Zhaoyi walked through, slowly passing one tomb after another, and finally stopped at the solitary tomb in the east.
Backing the hillside, the surroundings were silent. Apart from the pale moonlight, there were only one or two rotten pieces of paper left in the soil, and the old yellow cup in front of the grave.
The cups were originally a pair, one rolled in the soil and was half buried, while the other was missing.
This is the grave of the second brother’s best friend in the army. The soldier who used his body to block a spear attack for the second brother in his early years. Since he was an orphan, the second brother buried him here. From then on, he would come here every month to have a glass of wine.
, talk conversation.
Nowadays, the paint on the tombstone is almost fading, and it is dilapidated by wind and rain. No one has been taking care of it for a long time.
Xia Zhaoyi raised her hand to support the tombstone, closed her eyes, and tears suddenly rolled down her face.
The autumn night was cold and the mountain breeze was strong, penetrating through her thin clothes and penetrating her bones.
She was not someone who cried easily, and she had always been able to hold back. Now she was standing here with her head slightly lowered, sobbing softly, and completely collapsed.
The next day's sky light broke through the clouds, and Xia Zhaoyi leaned against the tombstone and opened her eyes.
The colorful clouds on the edge of the clouds are dyed with golden light, and the deep purple and blue gold powder form into patches, moving with the movement of the clouds.
She could see people at the foot of the mountain carrying burdens and baskets running for a living, and she could also see towns far away.
Brother Qi, Xia Zhaoyi spoke softly, what do you mean by glory and what is life and death?
The owner of the tomb did not answer, only the morning wind blew.
Some people died and were sacrificed in temples, some people died without even leaving a single page in the history of history, and some people died in vain because they were involved in changes in the court and power struggles.
Sacrifice. Xia Zhaoyi said quietly.
It is also very quiet on the mountain, except for the sound of the wind.
After a long silence, she raised her head, looked at the stars that had not dispersed in the sky, and let out a long breath: That's it.
Getting up from the ground, Xia Zhaoyi brushed off the loess on his clothes, picked up the fallen leaves in front of the grave, and said seriously: Brother Qi, I will come see you another day, I will go home first.
After saying that, he lowered his eyes and cupped his hands, the tiredness and fatigue on his face no longer existed.
Going down the mountain to the capital, there were more pedestrians along the road than in previous days.
Because we were hiking, our speed slowed down quite a bit. I could occasionally hear people chatting on the road. There were all kinds of news, including the chaos in the world, strange things, gossips about erotic affairs, or unjust, false, and wrongful convictions. Among them, the one I heard the most about was nothing more than this.
The word plague.
After leaving the Xiangjuan Mountain area and officially entering the Gyeonggi official road, pedestrians became less talkative.
At noon, she stopped at a tea shop on the roadside. She did not go in, but enjoyed the coolness under the shade of a tree behind the tea shop, gnawing on the small dry food in her hand while drinking water from her water bag.
Then we continued on our way and finally entered the outer city of Kyoto before the city gate closed at dusk.
The Mid-Autumn Festival just passed, August 18th.
Xia Zhaoyi walked eighty-eight steps after entering the city. After stopping, he turned his eyes to look at the long streets and lanes in the southeast, silently counting in his mind.
The universe is dead.
The hexagram number is variable and may not be correct, but it is definitely an ominous sign.
Xia Zhaoyi's heart was not disturbed at all. What was lost was Daqian's universe and had nothing to do with her.
As for the new overlord after the upheaval, as long as it is not Yi Shurong, it has nothing to do with her.
However, no matter in prosperous and troubled times, whether it is rising or falling, the ones who suffer are the soldiers who rush to the front lines and the people who struggle to survive.
Xia Zhaoyi withdrew his gaze, looked towards the north, and tightened the small baggage on his shoulders.
When she rushed to Beize from thousands of miles away, she had no intention of coming back alive, and she had no nostalgia or thought for the capital.
But now, after months of running around, her feet have stepped on this land again.
It’s not my hometown, but it shouldn’t be a stranger either.
