.There is no rooster crow for thousands of miles, and the bones are exposed in the wild!
Only after entering Jingnan did Qin Yun deeply understand the meaning of these two sentences.
He grew up in the north of Yanyun. Although he stayed in the mountain village before the age of fifteen and rarely strayed far away, whether he went to Dajing Town, Qianchao City or Xuanwu City later, everything he saw and heard was that of a big city.
With Yan's strength and prosperity, even though the Wu clan in the north was always a serious concern, the lives of ordinary people remained stable.
But in Jingnan, the southernmost tip of the empire, it was exactly like the chaotic scenes recorded in books.
The long-disrepaired official road is full of weeds. If there were no traces left by the wheels, it would be difficult to distinguish it from the surrounding wilderness. There are still some farmland and farms on both sides of the road, but as far as you can see, they are all there.
It is a withered and yellow plant, and not a single person can be seen.
Abandoned inns can also be seen along the way. Skeletons of humans or beasts are exposed from time to time in the grass beside the road. The whiteness is so white that it makes people feel chilly. Many crows stand on the bare tree branches and make noisy noises.
Qin Yun occasionally met pedestrians and business travelers, but they were all in a hurry and extremely cautious. No one was traveling alone like him.
After crossing the border and running on the road for most of the day, Qin Yun turned to the southeast.
The capital of Jingnan County is in the east, where it is said to be relatively densely populated, while Lingyang City is in the southernmost part.
This vast territory was the spoils of Dayan's expansion hundreds of years ago. It once had a period of prosperity and prosperity. However, with the decline of the empire's strength and the threat of the North Wind Witch Clan, Dayan's glory is here.
Gradually fade away.
However, as the most important shield in the south, Dayan was not short-sighted enough to give it up. Jingnan was one of the few major counties in the south that was not granted to the princes, and the empire stationed elite legions here.
The sky was gradually getting dark, the cold wind was blowing across the wilderness, and freezing rain was falling in the sky, mixed with fine hailstones. Such weather made people want to curse.
Qin Yun didn't care that he had true energy to protect his body. However, the black horse under his crotch suffered a lot, especially when the hail became bigger and bigger and hit it, which made this sacred war horse feel very uncomfortable.
.
Qin Yun patted its neck lovingly. He looked around to see if he could find a sheltered place to camp. Even he was not willing to sleep in the wilderness on a cold winter rainy night.
Suddenly, he found a large-scale building vaguely standing at the foot of the mountain about half a mile away in front of him. Although it was too dark to see what it was, it was definitely an unexpected surprise for Qin Yun.
"Run quickly, let's go to the front to rest!"
He squeezed the horse's belly with both legs, without using a whip at all. The human-like Wu Hao horse immediately spread its hooves and accelerated forward, breaking through the barrier of the rain curtain like lightning.
Half a mile was only a breath away, and Qin Yun soon saw clearly the true appearance of the building at the foot of the mountain. It was an ancient and dilapidated temple.
Taoism is flourishing in the vast nine states. Confucianism and Buddhism, which were once parallel to Taoism, are already weak. Especially Buddhism is now insignificant. It is said that it only has a complete inheritance in Mobei and Xihai.
This ancient temple should have a history of hundreds or even thousands of years. Its history can be seen from the towering trees standing inside and the stone pagodas next to it. However, it is a pity that the original tall and solid temple walls have been damaged to a disgraceful appearance.
It looked like it had been looted numerous times.
The main hall standing in the center was barely complete. Of course, it was only compared to the collapsed other halls around it. When Qin Yun rode into the ancient temple, he found an orange-red firelight coming from the opened main entrance of the main hall.
Beside the main hall, there are still more than a dozen trucks and carriages and a large number of horses parked. There is no doubt that someone has arrived here first.
"Who is it?"
The sound of horse hooves trampling on the stone slabs alarmed the people inside, and two strong figures immediately jumped out of the hall. They were still holding bright steel swords in their hands.
Qin Yun pulled the reins to stop the black horse and said loudly: "I'm passing by here and want to find a place to shelter from the rain for the night. Please make it convenient."
Seeing that Qin Yun was alone and young, he didn't look like a gangster. He just hesitated and said, "Come in! We are also passing merchants. It's good to warm up by the fire and sleep here."
"Thank you very much!" Qin Yun bowed his hands in thanks.
He turned over and jumped off the horse. He first led the black horse aside, found a place that could protect it from wind and rain, tied it up, and then took out dry food from his backpack to feed it.
Along the way, Qin Yun developed some feelings for this gentle and humane horse. After feeding the last handful of soybeans, he clapped his hands, picked up his luggage, and walked towards the main hall.
The doors and windows of the main hall have long been in dilapidated condition, but except for the main entrance, other damaged and leaky places have been blocked with stone, wood and clay statues. The inside of the spacious main hall is undoubtedly much warmer than the outside.
There were quite a few people staying there at night, and they were obviously divided into several groups.
There were twenty or thirty people occupying the left side of the hall, looking like a group of merchants and guards. They gathered in front of a bonfire, eating dry food, drinking wine, talking and laughing in low voices.
There are two groups of people on the right side. The one on the inside should be a family - a gray-haired old man, a gentle scholar and his beautiful and dignified wife, two cute children who look like twins, a maid and a maid.
Three followers.
Near the gate of the palace, there were five young people, two women, three men, about the same age as Qin Yun. They were wearing elegant clothes and carrying long swords and bags on their backs, and they talked and laughed loudest.
Qin Yun noticed that in the innermost corner of the hall, there was a slovenly old Taoist sitting cross-legged next to the Buddha statue. His eyes were closed and his lips were moving as if he was reciting scriptures silently. He looked extremely calm without saying a word.
There was a bonfire half as tall as a man piled in the center of the hall. The split wood burned with a crackling sound, and the bright firelight and heat warmed everyone.
Compared to the freezing rain and hail outside, this place is simply heaven!
It's just that Qin Yun came late, and all the good seats in the hall were occupied by others, so he stopped at the door to see where it would be more suitable for him to stay, as he didn't want to disturb others.
He was observing others, and others were also observing him. The five young people were mostly curious, while the merchant guards were a little wary, but the family members generally didn't pay much attention.
There was a middle-aged man inside the merchant, who spent a particularly long time observing Qin Yun. His eyes lingered on Qin Yun's coat for a moment, with a look of deep thought on his face.
"Little friend, if you don't mind, come over to our place and squeeze in!"
While Qin Yun was hesitating, an old voice suddenly came from inside.
The white-haired old man stretched out his hand to wave him over and said, "I still have a place here."
The other party was sincere and well-intentioned, and there was indeed some extra room inside, so Qin Yun did not refuse and walked over happily: "Thank you for your kindness, old man!"
This old man has a pale face, wears a white robe and cotton armor, has piercing eyes, and holds a volume of books in his hand. He looks very elegant, but there is a hint of perseverance between his brows.
He motioned to his servants to make room for Qin Yun by the campfire, and said with a smile: "Since we are destined to meet each other, there is no need to be polite."
Qin Yun said a few polite words and sat down.
The two beautiful children seemed a little timid and hid in the arms of their parents. They just stuck out their little heads and looked at Qin Yun, their eyes full of curiosity.
"They are my granddaughter and grandson." The old man explained with a smile: "Follow your parents and follow me to Lingyang."
The scholar and the young woman nodded and smiled at Qin Yun, appearing very kind. The latter even picked up a cup and poured a bowl of broth for Qin Yun: "Little brother, drink a bowl of hot soup to warm yourself up. This is my home-made soup."
material."
Qin Yun took the soup bowl and said gratefully: "Thank you, sister-in-law!"
He didn't show any pretentiousness and drank it all in one breath.
The broth is mellow and rich, and I don’t know what ingredients are added to it. After entering the stomach, a warm current spreads through the body, making people feel warm and comfortable.
Qin Yun couldn't help but be moved, and couldn't help but praise: "Sister-in-law is good at her craftsmanship!"
The young woman pursed her lips and smiled softly. Her two children were no longer afraid of Qin Yun and soon continued to play.
"My little friend, the world is not peaceful." The old man asked, "Are you going to Lingyang alone?"
"Yes!" Qin Yun nodded: "I went to Lingyang for business in the name of Master, and I happened to be traveling on the same road as the old man."
The two sat and talked. From the conversation, Qin Yun learned that the other person's surname was Xu, who was originally from Yanjing. Due to changes in his family, he had to move to Lingyang. The family walked nearly two miles on the road.
moon.
Qin Yun saw that the old man and his son and wife were just ordinary people, but they did not look like ordinary people in terms of temperament and conversation. They should have come from a scholarly family and an official family.
On the other hand, his two servants are agile and move silently, and have at least the strength of the fourth and fifth levels of Qi Refining.
Such a person must have had no choice but to leave Yanjing and rush all the way to the southern border with his family.
Qin Yun didn't ask too many questions. After all, every family had sutras that were difficult to recite. It was not polite to ask questions.
The old man surnamed Xu has extensive knowledge and experience. During the long and arduous journey, it was rare to meet someone like Qin Yun who was willing to listen, so his conversation was particularly strong and he was able to talk to Qin Yun exceptionally well.
He talked about the general trend of the world, mixed with anecdotes from Kyushu, most of which Qin Yun could not read in books, so he listened with great interest, and other people in the hall were also entertained.
Speaking of being intoxicated, Qin Yun saw that his mouth was a little dry, so he took out the wine gourd from his luggage and handed it over: "Old man Xu, do you want to drink? This wine is not bad and can quench your thirst!"
He originally brought a total of three gourds of original Fenjiu, but when he came out of Tokugawa Castle, he encountered Yan Qing and had two gourds killed. He was reluctant to drink the last gourd, so he kept it with him. (This site.)
