The patter of raindrops fell, and the carriage slid to one side. They stepped on the water-logged oxcart to leave the previous village. They walked around for thirteen miles before finding a stone bridge across the river. The two people in the carriage were talking and laughing as if they were playing charades.
The big green bull who was pulling the cart looked back and let out a deep breath.
'Just tell me what you have to say. I'm still waiting to hear it. Are you tired?'
On the way to the car, Chen Yuan saw the middle-aged scholar holding a book in his hand. When he was speechless, he flipped through his hands and glanced slightly sideways.
"What book is Brother Hu reading?"
Amidst the slight bumps, the scholar touched the page and said with a smile: "There are stories about mountains and wild things, and the stories are quite interesting. For example, in the story I am reading below, the girl from the Fox family married a man to repay her kindness.
A poor man helps his family prosper. But Brother Chen is traveling around by car. Did he encounter anything strange? You might as well tell me and listen to it, so as to relieve your boredom along the way."
"Haha, I came out of Qingshan County and traveled only a few hundred miles. How could I have encountered so many strange things?"
This scholar is not simple at first sight. He is walking around alone with a baggage and has no skills. Chen Yuan does not believe it, but there is no trace of magic power on him, and there is no trace of evil spirit or yin energy at all.
Moreover, the other party does not seem to have any ill intentions.
"...But speaking of it, I encountered something that is embarrassing. A person who has done many evil things unexpectedly did evil for the sake of more people living. If you were Brother Hu, what would you do?"
The scholar frowned and thought carefully, then shook his head.
"It's hard to say, but his actions are evil, but his nature is essentially good. There is no absolute good or evil in the world."
"Well, so there are kind people among monsters? Have you seen Brother Hu?"
Hu Yong smiled and did not respond, looking at the green rain curtain outside, "Of course not. But evil is not the only thing. There are also people who yearn for people in the mountains. They practice hard and become human beings, walk around the world, and watch all kinds of fireworks.
If you use your energy to save people through magic, accumulate good deeds, and hope to achieve enlightenment and become an immortal, how can you destroy the enlightenment and achieve enlightenment yourself?"
"Of course, it is also like the evil bird last night, which is ferocious in nature, stirs up evil winds and eats people, thinking that people are the soul of all things, and eating them can enhance their spiritual practice. But how could they know that eating for a long time will lead to evil consequences."
After hearing what he said, Chen Yuan nodded: "Although it is an evil bird, it is better to say that it is not spiritually complete and still preys on it."
"oh?"
Hu Yong's eyes lit up, "Brother Chen has rarely spoken like this in my journey. It is ridiculous to say that the monsters in the mountains and rivers do many harmful things to people. However, everyone knows that it takes hundreds of years for a monster to transform into a human being. This can be said to be a spiritual practice.
How can difficulties disturb people for no reason?"
"How many miles did Brother Hu travel?"
"It's also hundreds of miles away."
The two looked at each other and then chuckled.
When we were approaching the county town ahead, the large rain clouds had gone away, and the drizzle had just gradually stopped. The scholar suddenly asked Chen Yuan to stop by the roadside, probably because he was planning to get off the bus here.
"The journey will be different from Brother Chen's after that. I will get off the car here and walk alone. I wonder where Brother Chen will go next?"
"I went to Luozhou at the invitation of a good friend."
Chen Yuan patted the carriage and said with a smile: "I stopped by the way to let the people in the Central Plains see my southern woodcarving opera."
"It seems that this is Brother Chen's practice." The scholar looked at the strange-looking carriage and laughed: "It's not peaceful over there and the road is dangerous. Brother Chen should take care of himself. If you are lucky, I can go to Luozhou. I hope you can.
Then I can watch Brother Chen perform."
"There will definitely be a chance! Brother Hu, say goodbye!" Chen Yuan bowed her hands to the scholar on the roadside.
With a smile on his face, Hu Yong raised his hands heavily and said, "Farewell."
The scholar watched the slightly bumpy bullock cart go away. The clouds in the sky dispersed, and the sun shone down. Reflecting his figure on the ground, there was a fluffy tail shadow, which swayed into five lines, and there was a faint fox cry.
.
"It was interesting to chat along the way. It's not as pedantic as the monks in Canglanjiang. If you don't have something important to do, I will definitely go to Luozhou with you."
The sunlight made the scholar squint his eyes. He murmured this sentence, turned around and walked in another direction with his baggage. In an instant, his figure gradually faded.
…
The warm sun shone on the old city wall. Chen Yuan drove an ox cart into the city and performed two plays before leaving and heading north. Nothing happened again.
Two days later, we arrived at the border of Hezhou, which was almost close to the hinterland of the Central Plains. Along the way, the fields gradually became deserted, and many villages and towns had very few people. After crossing the border, when we arrived at Hezhou, the roads were ragged and people were dragging their families.
There are many more people with mouths.
Chen Yuan inquired about the fleeing people and learned that 30,000 Yuejie Hu troops marched through Qizhou, crossed the Rui River, bypassed the defense lines on the north bank of the Rui River, and attacked the capital Luozhou from east to west. They even burned, killed, and looted many people along the way.
The villages were leveled, the women and children were kidnapped and sent to the army, and the men were tied up and pushed to attack the city to defend themselves against arrows.
The wind blew across the field, raising vast amounts of dust. Chen Yuan stood on the bullock cart. In his field of vision, there were many such figures crowding over from various roads in the north, looking toward the south with panicked expressions.
He got out of the car and led the old cow as he walked against the crowd. When someone saw Chen Yuan heading north, they couldn't help but shout to him: "You can't go, the barbarians are coming to kill you."
Others echoed: "Yeah, go back quickly. Go south."
Chen Yuan had never experienced such a scene before. As he passed through the crowd, panicked, panicked and frightened faces passed by him one by one.
After walking along this official road for who knows how long, I can see a town in the distance, but it is no longer as prosperous as I imagined. Black smoke rises from the houses in the town, and someone's figure escapes from inside in panic, sitting down
The old man on the roadside was motionless, and all the flesh and blood had been cut off from his lower body and legs.
"ah--"
There was a scream, and a white figure rushed out of the house. The stripped woman seemed to have seen Chen Yuan, opened her mouth and shouted, and stumbled towards this direction with bare feet. Behind her were several thick-bearded men.
The barbarians caught up with him.
"save……"
Before the woman could say anything, she threw herself on the ground in front of Chen Yuan's sight. There was an arrow stuck in her back, and the bright red blood was slowly flowing over her white back and flowing to the ground.
Chen Yuan stared blankly at the silent woman on the ground, her heart felt like it was being picked, and she felt a little painful.
Opposite view.
The seven barbarians also saw Chen Yuan and the old ox pulling him. They laughed loudly and returned to the town. After a while, they rushed here on horseback and raised their swords.
'Yuejie Hu people...'
Chen Yuan's gaze still stayed on the woman, and he narrowed his eyes. At this time, the sound of horse hooves came, and the barbarians laughed harshly. Then, the moment they slashed the blade in their hands, the blade seemed to hit something.
It flew away from the hand, and the galloping war horse immediately let out a shrill neigh, rolled and fell to the ground and slid a foot away.
"I just want to send some gifts to the Tianshi Mansion... 30,000, right... it's just you."
Chen Yuan's eyes flashed with red threads, and when he saw the remaining six, they suddenly grinned, revealing their white teeth.
…
call out!
The whistle arrows flying into the sky resounded.
A Yuejie horse team was galloping on the road with the sound of hooves rumbling. When they heard the whistle arrow, they turned their horses' heads and ran towards the distant town in the direction of the sound.
There had just been a robbery there, and many women and children were taken away, as well as some men who thought they were brave.
Could it be that the people who were cleaning up over there encountered a troublesome Jin army?
The leader of the Hu people thought this way, but after crossing the corner at the edge of the town, his vision expanded, his pupils shrank obviously, and he stopped his horse.
In front of the field of vision, there are several fallen war horses, and several tribesmen are kneeling on the ground like devout believers, with red threads rising from their bodies.
Within a few breaths, the originally strong tribesman shriveled up quickly, and his robes fell loosely off the ground, leaving only a skinny body that remained in a kneeling position and died.
"You like to eat people, don't you?"
Chen Yuan slowly opened his eyes and smiled ferociously.
Behind him, the carriage opened with a roar, and dozens of small figures flew out with bright red wooden eyes, floating behind Chen Yuan, and lined up in a dense row.
"Eat them!"
Chen Yuan opened her mouth slightly and squeezed out a sound.
next moment.
Dozens of puppets flew over with their claws and teeth bared.