The peaks in southern Xinjiang are completely different from the mountains in the Central Plains. They are less beautiful and quiet, and more majestic and steep.
Under the night, the rolling mountains stand tall and crisscrossed. Looking from a distance, they actually reveal a sense of solemnity.
Gui Li stood with his hands behind his hands and looked up. After two lower mountains and a relatively flat wilderness, four tall peaks suddenly stood on the ground, interlocking with each other, forming a valley. Among these four tall peaks
Behind, under the vast darkness of night, are countless shadows, which are the boundless 100,000 mountains on the southern border.
Among the four peaks at the front is the world-famous Incense Valley.
The night was deep that night, with the moon hanging high, and a few stars shining faintly in the sky. Under the cold clear light, there seemed to be mist in the valley in the distance, floating lightly, and it looked like light.
The mist is veiled, and the beauty is a bit mysterious.
Gui Li frowned and looked away.
It was already the third day. Since that night three days ago, he and Jin Ping'er from the Hehuan sect of the Demon Cult suddenly discovered that Fenxiang Valley seemed to be secretly colluding with the Southern Barbarians in the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Southern Xinjiang, so they decided to secretly investigate Fenxiang Valley.
The three words "Fengxiang Valley" are naturally heard like thunder here in the southern border area. The two of them easily knew the location of Fenxiang Valley. But when it came time to actually enter in secret, they found that things turned out to be quite troublesome.
Fenxiang Valley occupies a very large area, so it should not be difficult to sneak into it. This is indeed the case. With their own skills, the two of them easily escaped the ordinary disciples of Fenxiang Valley who were on guard day and night, but how did they know that every time they arrived at Fenxiang Valley?
The valley was relatively deep into the place. No matter how the two of them hid their figures, an inexplicable clear ringing sound would suddenly sound nearby, immediately attracting countless people from the Fenxiang Valley disciples to search carefully, including extraordinary experts.
Gui Li and Jin Ping'er were both alert people. They saw the opportunity early several times and retreated in time. However, no matter how careful they were, they still could not avoid the inexplicable ringing. After several days, they still could not penetrate deep into the Incense Valley.
There seemed to be a sense of vigilance inside, and more manpower had been deployed to patrol day and night.
Gui Li thought for a long time, but still couldn't figure out how the Fenxiang Valley knew their whereabouts without knowing it beforehand. It seemed that there was indeed a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the Fenxiang Valley, one of the three major sects of righteousness in the world.
At this moment, Xiao Hui, who had been lying quietly on his shoulder, suddenly moved, and a low voice came from behind:
"ah!"
Gui Li turned around and saw a fire burning in a small clearing in the forest. Jin Ping'er was sitting in front, holding a wooden stick in his hand, with a washed hare on the stick being barbecued. See you now
She frowned and looked at the wooden stick in her hand, looking quite depressed.
Gui Li walked over.
In the past three days, he and Jin Ping'er had tried several times to sneak into Fenxiang Valley, but they all ended in failure. On weekdays, the relationship between the two of them was also quite subtle. On the surface, they were in peace, but secretly they were on guard against each other. They both knew that the other party was deeply scheming.
, ruthless people, no one knows whether the other party will suddenly kill him.
Walking closer to the bonfire, Xiao Hui on his shoulder screamed and jumped to the ground. Gui Li looked at Jin Ping'er and couldn't help but be startled. He saw her looking helplessly at the wooden stick in her hand.
One of the rabbit legs on the skewer was burnt.
The two of them wandered around the Fenxiang Valley for a few days. In such a mountainous place, there were naturally few villages and inns around it. After eating dry food for a few days, Gui Li was fine, but Jin Ping'er was a little unbearable. It was a good night to watch
I saw a hare running by, caught it, and lit a fire for a change. Anyway, they were in a place far away from Fenxiang Valley, so they weren't afraid of being discovered.
But now it seems that although Jin Ping'er is a high-ranking person, he has no experience in such outdoor barbecues in the past. After several times, he didn't master the technique well, and the food was roasted black. This time, seeing Gui Li standing in front, Xiao Xiao
Hui squatted on the ground, with one person, one monkey, and four eyes focused on the burnt rabbit leg. Jin Ping'er's face turned red, and he slowly retracted the stick and left the fire.
"Squeak, squeak..." Suddenly, there was a strange sound, but the monkey Xiao Hui grinned, lying on the ground, his tail was raised very high, swaying around, making a fist with his right hand, and kept beating the ground, as if to endure
Unable to stop himself, he actually made an incredible move.
Jin Ping'er and Gui Li were both startled at the same time. After a moment, they both came to their senses. Jin Ping'er was shocked, but a look of anger flashed across his face. However, Gui Li didn't know that the monkey was following him and would rarely leave.
Once, where did he learn this inexplicable ability to make fun of people? He glanced at Jin Ping'er, coughed, and kicked out with his left foot, kicking out the gray-haired monkey that kept beating the ground.
The little gray rolled away like a gourd, but the sound of "squeaking" came from far away.
Gui Li and Jin Ping'er looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the place couldn't help but feel a little awkward. Gui Li looked at the wooden stick in Jin Ping'er's hand, then moved a stone from the side, sat on it, and said to Jin Ping'er: "Give it to me.
.”
Jin Ping'er was stunned when he heard this, and saw that Gui Li's face was pale. He stretched out his hand to take the wooden stick in his hand, first tore off the burnt part, and then put it back on the fire, slowly turning it over and grilling. This time he started grilling.
, naturally very different from Jin Ping'er, only the tongue of fire was seen, the wooden stick was gently turned over, and after a while, a vague aroma gradually spread out.
Jin Ping'er raised his eyes and glanced at Gui Li, and saw that under the firelight, his usually slightly pale face turned rosy at this moment. In his deep black eyes, two small groups of stars were reflected.
burning flame.
A man who is concentrating on barbecue for himself...
There was sudden silence in the air, and no one spoke anymore. Jin Ping'er slowly withdrew his gaze, picked up a few dead branches from his hand, and put them into the fire. The flames gradually burned up, submerging the dead branches, and from time to time there was a sound.
The crackling sound of dead branches bursting.
There seemed to be a night wind blowing through the forest tops in the distance, and there was a gentle rustling sound of the branches and leaves, which fell on my heart.
Xiao Hui didn't know when he ran back again, with a few more wild fruits in his hand. It seemed that he had just run into the woods to pick them. He walked to the fire, looked around, and sat down on Guili.
At his feet, he brought the wild fruit to his mouth, opened his mouth and chewed it. At the same time, his long tail swayed, and finally it was gently wrapped around Gui Li's feet.
After a long time in silence like this, the fragrance in the air became stronger and stronger. Grease gradually emerged from the body of the hare above the fire, slowly dripping down. It looked shiny and made people's index fingers tickle just by looking at it.
, Jin Ping'er couldn't help but take a few more glances.
After a while, Gui Li looked at the rabbit carefully, put back the wooden stick, held it in one hand, and stretched the other hand to his waist. After a while, he took out several small bottles and jars, and sprinkled some powder-like substances from the middle.
Something got onto the rabbit.
Jin Ping'er was startled and said, "What is this?"
Gui Li smiled, and Jin Ping'er saw it in his eyes, and somehow felt that he was a bit bitter. Gui Li said lightly: "It's some salt seasoning. It's a habit of mine. I carry it with me wherever I go."
After that, he handed the wooden stick in his hand to Jin Ping'er.
Jin Ping'er hesitated for a moment, but didn't reach out to pick it up.
Gui Li's eyes flashed, he smiled calmly, reached out and tore off a piece of rabbit meat, put it in his mouth and ate it.
Jin Ping'er's face turned red, but in the firelight, a charming look flashed between her brows, which was touching. After a moment, she stretched out her hand to take the stick and whispered: "Thank you, sir."
Gui Li said nothing, turned his head, took a wild fruit from Xiao Hui's hand, put it to his mouth, took a bite slowly, and started eating.
"ah!"
Suddenly, there was another soft cry from Jin Ping'er, which seemed to be a little painful. Gui Li and Monkey Xiao Hui looked up at her at the same time, only to see Jin Ping'er's white hand covering her mouth, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed, hidden.
There was a look of pain. But she suddenly noticed that Gui Li and Xiao Hui were looking over, their faces turned red, and they said after a while: "I accidentally got burned..." After that, her voice gradually became quieter.
Gui Li listened, and the corner of his mouth moved, but the expression on his face did not change. However, Xiao Hui at his feet suddenly made a sound, "squeaking", grinned, and chewed half of the food on his right hand.
The wild fruit also fell to the ground, and he immediately punched the ground with his fists, seemingly trying to do that weird action again.
Jin Ping'er's eyes narrowed, feeling ashamed and angry, but before she could react, and before the monkey Xiao Hui's hand hit the ground, Gui Li had already kicked Xiao Hui out like a gourd rolling on the ground.
.
After a while, Gui Li said calmly: "The beast is ignorant, don't be surprised."
Jin Ping'er glanced at him, calmed down, nodded and smiled, then blew gently on the barbecued rabbit at hand, and then used her white onion-like fingers to tear off a small piece of meat from the top and put it in.
He chewed it in his mouth.
With this entrance, Jin Ping'er was immediately refreshed. In an instant, he felt that the fragrance seemed to have spirituality, flowing through his whole body. His body seemed to be a little lighter, and his mouth was filled with saliva. The taste was actually the most delicious he had ever seen.
.The skin on the outside is crispy but not burnt, thin and crispy; the meat on the inside is smooth and tender, coupled with the seasonings that I don’t know how to mix, the deliciousness is as refreshing as the heart and spleen. I can’t stop tasting it.
, I almost lost my mind because I never expected that this delicious food was made by the man in front of me.
Even though Jin Ping'er had a profound spiritual practice and a determined mind, he had a huge appetite at the moment and tore off piece after piece. After a while, he had already eaten a rabbit leg, and then he felt a little full and stopped. Then he stopped.
Smiling, he looked at Gui Li and said, "Young Master is so skilled. An ordinary rabbit can be grilled so deliciously by you!"
At this time, the monkey Xiao Hui had already run back and was lying next to Gui Li. His pair of extremely flexible monkey eyes turned around, looking at Gui Li for a while and then at Jin Ping'er.
Gui Li said calmly: "It's a small trick that makes the girl laugh."
Jin Ping'er smiled sweetly, her features were charming, her eyes were as full as water, and she said softly: "I have never eaten such delicious rabbit in my life!"
Gui Li smiled indifferently and was about to say something, but his body suddenly shook and his eyes were confused.
This sentence, this voice, this full smile, suddenly started to stir in his mind. The night was dim and the night wind was cold, but there was a sudden pain in his heart, rolling like an angry sea wave.
Once upon a time, I actually heard these words.
That was a time that was buried in the past many years ago, but it came to my mind inadvertently.
The clear stream, the sparkling waves, the smiles, the gentle sound of the wind...
On Kongsang Mountain, behind the cliff, two people who had just escaped from death were surrounding a fire, also having a barbecue.
The smiling figure in aqua clothes suddenly flooded him and occupied all the space in his mind. He actually shook uncontrollably.
Baguio…
"It's delicious. The most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my life is the rabbit you are roasting now."
Those words from back then echoed faintly in my mind, slowly turning into a thorn, turning into a needle, piercing my heart.
…
"Young Master, Young Master?" A slightly surprised voice sounded in his ears, bringing Gui Li back to reality.
Jin Ping'er didn't know when he stood up. He still held the wooden stick in his left hand, but for some reason, his right hand shrank into his sleeve.
Gui Li's eyes narrowed, he took a deep breath, calmed down, and immediately said: "I'm fine."
Jin Ping'er looked at him deeply, the look in her eyes changed, and she said softly: "Sir, why are you looking so pale? What's the matter?"
Gui Li looked directly into her eyes, smiled suddenly, and said, "What can happen to me?"
Jin Ping'er looked at him, the vague glint in her eyes slowly retracted, the charming look on her brows resurfaced, and she said with a smile: "I hope the young master is fine."
Gui Li suddenly felt upset in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. Just as he was about to say something, Xiao Hui, who had been quiet beside him, suddenly moved and looked back.
Gui Li and Jin Ping'er felt something at the same time. They stood up and looked to the south. In the southern sky, over the peaceful Fenxiang Valley surrounded by mountains, suddenly there was a loud roar and a red light rising into the sky.
It rose up and lit up the sky before slowly falling.
Gui Li and Jin Ping'er's eyes lit up at the same time.
※※※
In the Incense Valley, the lights that were originally extinguished due to the depth of night were all lit up one by one.
Voices from far or near, mixed with low and angry curses that slightly disturbed sleep, gradually began to sound. But in this gradually getting louder noise, angry shouts were mixed with strange sounds like the roar of wild beasts.
, came in from the entrance of Incense Valley.
After a while, the sound of fighting could be heard. At the same time, the clear ringing of bells and the sound of alarm bells echoed over the valley at the same time. At this late night, a foreign enemy unexpectedly forcibly invaded the Incense Valley.
After arriving silently, Gui Li and Jin Ping'er, who were hiding on another mountain, were secretly surprised when they looked at the lights at the entrance of Fenxiang Valley and the figures rushing towards the entrance from Fenxiang Valley from time to time.
Who on earth dares to so blatantly offend Fenxiang Valley, which is known as one of the leaders of the righteous path in the world? Even if they are the two outstanding masters of the new generation of Demon Cult, facing the masters hiding dragons and crouching tigers in Fenxiang Valley, they only consider
Can you sneak in secretly?
When they first arrived, Jin Ping'er couldn't help but asked softly: "Is it your Ghost King Sect?"
Gui Li naturally denied it, but after much thought, he couldn't imagine what other force in the world was so arrogant and bold except the Demon Cult?
Seeing the noisy people in Fenxiang Valley in the night, after a while, there are still figures heading towards the entrance of the valley. Looking at this situation, the situation there has not calmed down, but is getting worse.
Gui Li and Jin Ping'er both frowned slightly, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity after all. Gui Li then whispered to Jin Ping'er beside him: "Let's go in."
Jin Ping'er nodded, but she glanced at Gui Li and said, "I'm very interested in what's going on at the entrance to the valley. Why don't we take advantage of the chaos and go take a look?"
Gui Li pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "You go ahead, I'll go into the depths of Fenxiang Valley and take a look."
Jin Ping'er seemed stunned in the darkness, and then said: "That's fine, then be careful."
Gui Li was slightly surprised. The word "be careful" suddenly appeared from Jin Ping'er's mouth. It seemed a bit strange. However, Jin Ping'er met his gaze and just smiled. Suddenly, his body turned into a faint stream of light and made no sound.
The ground slid down the ridge and disappeared into the darkness a moment later.
Gui Li frowned, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.
※※※
Although the history of the establishment of the Fenxiang Valley sect is not as good as that of the Qingyun Sect and the Demon Sect, it has been operating here for more than 800 years. Ghost Li sneaked in quietly in the shadow of the night, and what greeted him was a series of well-proportioned palaces and pavilions.
.Looking at the architectural style, it is quite similar to that in the Central Plains. However, in subtle places, such as the corners of the window lintels and eaves, we can see some beast carvings from time to time, but they are not found in the Central Plains. Obviously, in the past eight hundred years, Fenxiang Valley has also been influenced by
It was influenced by the rugged local customs in the southern border area.
There was still a lot of noise at the entrance of the valley, and the alarm bells that usually bothered Gui Li and Jin Ping'er were also ringing non-stop. The place he was carefully hiding at the moment was in the shadow behind a big rock at the foot of the mountain.
.The last time I sneaked in secretly, I took a few steps forward here, and suddenly the inexplicable clear ringing sounded.
At this moment, I can only hear the ringing of bells in the distance. There is an open space three feet in front of the big stone, and then there is an ordinary house, which seems to be the residence of the disciples of Fenxiang Valley.
Gui Li took a deep breath, stood up straight in the shadow, and looked around. It was quiet around here. Compared with the noise in the distance, it was even quieter. As for the Fenxiang Valley disciples in that room, it seemed that
He has also been summoned to the entrance of the valley.
Under this inexplicable and eerie silence, Gui Li slowly walked forward.
One step, two steps...
He walked very slowly, taking five steps. Everything around him was as normal.
But the look on Gui Li's face was even more solemn, because the last time he was here, he was discovered by the strange ringing sound when he took the sixth step.
The light in his eyes gradually brightened, and he slowly glanced around, only to see that there was still no change in the surrounding area.
After a while, he slowly took the sixth step.
"Dingxin..."
Almost at the same time as his feet hit the ground, the clear ringing of the bell suddenly rang in front of him, spreading far away in the silence.
Gui Li froze, and his heart was filled with shock and anger. The ghost sect in Fenxiang Valley was so powerful, but he couldn't find it. It was really weird.
But the situation tonight is naturally different from the previous days. Although Gui Li triggered some invisible mechanism and sounded the alarm bell, the noise and fighting in the distance were even more powerful, and the bell was drowned out in just a moment.
Gui Li made a quick decision, swept around, and then flew up, flying close to the ground behind the house in front of him, but the ringing bells around him were still ringing, which was really a headache.
At this moment, the monkey Xiao Hui who had been lying quietly on Gui Li's shoulder suddenly called out in a low voice. Gui Li was startled and turned to look at Xiao Hui on his shoulder.
Reflecting the faint moonlight in the night, in front of Gui Li in the shadow, a slight "click" sound suddenly came from Xiao Hui's body, and then the gray mark on his forehead seemed to darken in color.
Before Gui Li could react, Xiao Hui, who seemed to have something wrong, suddenly turned his head. A pair of monkey eyes gradually lit up with a strange and compelling golden light, but behind the golden color, there was also a hint of strange red.
.
"Squeak, squeak."
Xiao Hui's monkey hand suddenly pointed to the foundation in a remote corner of the house.
Gui Li took Xiao Hui down, looked at it carefully, and whispered: "What's wrong, Xiao Hui?"
"Squeak, squeak!"
Xiao Hui shouted softly, his hand still pointing in that direction, while the golden light in his eyes slowly faded away.
Gui Li frowned, then nodded, put it on his shoulder, and his body immediately floated over.
The dark corner of the foundation wall smelled faintly of moss. After Gui Li searched carefully, he soon discovered a small hole about a foot in size hidden in the foundation.
A flash of light flashed in his eyes, he stretched out his hand, and suddenly penetrated the cave entrance as fast as lightning. A moment later, a low cry suddenly came from the cave, and then it immediately fell silent. Almost at the same time, the ringing bells around him also suddenly
stop.
A smile appeared on Gui Li's lips, and he slowly pulled his hand out. After a moment, there was a strange beast in his palm. After struggling for a few times, it stopped moving.
This monster has gray skin all over its body. It is about three feet long, but its body is in a strange "bow" shape. Its back is high, its head and tail are drooped, and it has a pair of small black bean-like eyes set on its head. But the most bizarre thing is still this beast.
There is an unusually long nose, probably nearly half a foot long, almost one-third of the body length, with two thick nostrils at the front of the nose, which looks similar to the pigs kept in captivity in farmers' homes.
Gui Li was startled for a moment, then snorted and whispered softly: "No wonder I said I couldn't escape, it turns out there is such a 'grey dolphin' (Note 1)."
※※※
Note 1: The gray dolphin in "Strange Stories of Gods and Demons·Spiritual Beasts": has a long nose and big ears, no neck and a long tail. It has the roots of anteaters and cordyceps. It lies dormant during the day and emerges at night, or it is called an aardvark.
Also note: "Modern Animals Aardvark": Mammal, also called African anteater, with a strong body, about 140 cm in length, without incisors and canine teeth, like an anteater, it uses its long tongue to eat termites. It lives in Africa.
It is found in hilly or semi-steppe areas in the south and central part. It is very good at digging. It rests in caves during the day and comes out to look for food at night. It is very timid and has extremely sensitive hearing. It relies on its sense of smell to find food. Its sense of smell is ten times more sensitive than that of dogs.