Shimmer Forest

"...Speaking of it." As if he didn't hear what he said, Su Jingran's smile suddenly turned cold: "You really have grown up."

"...Hey? What do you mean?" Frightened by the ambiguous smile, he retreated instinctively and asked suspiciously.

"Have you learned to seduce people?" Su Jingran continued to laugh, and accidentally crushed the cup with a little force in his hand: "Put him in the arms of that brat Wu Hao, huh?"

"Hey? Hey?" Su Jin was taken aback. He didn't expect his father to come back at that time. Even though he was as calm as he was, he blushed to the base of his neck and explained in a panic: "No, no, that I just want to draw out the mountain god!"

It's rare to see his son so flustered, Su Jingran thought it was amused, and he was provocative again: "How do you know that the mountain god will definitely come out, and you are so confident in your own charm?"

"I always thought it was Wang Xiaoer's fault. He and I were the only ones in the whole village who were not affected. It's too abnormal." Knowing that he didn't really misunderstand, Su Jin sighed helplessly and calmed down again: "And he always appears in my line of sight, but he hides it really well. So I guess, if I do something to seduce him, he should show his fox tail."

"After all, he did something so carefully, and I gave myself to others so easily, he will definitely not be balanced." Su Jin paused, his eyes gradually dimmed: "But I really didn't expect , so he is the mountain god."

Seeing his sadness, Su Jingran got up and patted him on the shoulder: "These few days, play with Wu Hao to your heart's content."

After a pause, he knelt down, looked into the other person's eyes, and asked cautiously, "You...are you really not going to tell him?"

Su Jin froze for a moment, realized that he was talking about the mountain god sacrifice, and nodded firmly: "There is no need for him to carry so many heavy things with me."

Su Jingran nodded and didn't say anything more.

No sleep for one night.

In the next few days, the two continued their normal lives as if nothing had happened.Su Jin and Wu Hao ran and played all over the mountains and plains, and occasionally went fishing by the river; while Su Jingran, an idler, picked Uncle Wu's working time to make trouble, and whenever Uncle Wu was so angry that he blew his beard and stared at him, he would gloat by the sidelines.Uncle Wu even began to feel that the strangeness he noticed before was just an illusion.

The good time always passes quickly, and before you know it, it will soon be the day before parting.

While the two children were out to play, Su Jingran sat at home, cleaning the glowing dagger preoccupied.Uncle Wu, who came to deliver the fish, saw such a scene at the first sight when he entered the door. He was so frightened that he froze on the spot: "Are you going to kill someone?"

Su Jingran paused for a moment while wiping the knife, and when he looked up at him, he returned to his usual appearance: "Isn't it too wasteful to use such a good treasure to kill someone?"

"Tch, it's just a broken knife." Uncle Wu glanced at it disdainfully, threw the fish into the iron basin at the door, and scraped off the scales of the fish: "You have nothing to do with it recently. , I thought you were going to kill someone because you didn't like anyone!"

"But, look at how thin you are, no one can beat you!" Uncle Wu didn't lift his head, and scraped the fish scales neatly, ignoring the scales flying to his face: "I remember when you were a child, you would lift your arm with a bucket. You got dislocated, and in the end I took you to the hospital and brought you water back home."

"...All this time, I am grateful to you for taking care of me." Su Jingran stuffed the dagger back into his pocket, staring at the broad back with wistful eyes.The figure was bathed in the golden sunlight, extraordinarily vague and ethereal.He seemed to have returned to when he was very young, and they played in every corner of the forest just like these two children now.Whenever he was exhausted, the other party's generous back would support him and carry him back home from the place where he played.No matter how far the road is, rain or shine.

Unfortunately, that period of time is really never going back.

"So polite? It's really not like you." Uncle Wu looked back at him in a little surprise. Seeing the other party's smile, his ears turned red, and he turned his gaze back.

"...I'm sorry." He stared at the back, apologetic and sad, and spoke softly.

I love this village, I love you, but I cannot sacrifice my only son.So sorry.

"Huh? What did you say?" Uncle Wu didn't hear his words clearly, he fiddled with the fish in his hand and asked casually.

"...It's nothing." He responded casually, and turned his gaze out of the window.The sun was shining brightly outside, and a few wisps of white clouds were floating lazily in the sky. The blue sky was as clear as washing, filled with golden light: "Tomorrow... it will probably rain."

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At dawn the next day, Su Jin had already changed into her sacrificial attire and was waiting in the hall early.

It was a white Hanfu gown, with Su Jin's clean temperament, it looked extraordinarily tall and handsome.Seeing Su coming out in an orderly manner, he just smiled lightly and greeted him as usual: "Morning."

"Morning..." Su Jingran responded, twitching the corners of her lips, but couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing the golden girdle on the table, he picked it up, then squatted down, and slowly wrapped it around Su Jin's waist: "You...don't plan to say goodbye to them?"

"No." Su Jin replied lightly: "That will only make me more reluctant."

Su Jingran felt that he should say something to ease the atmosphere, but at this moment, his consciousness was filled with great sadness, and he couldn't find the words to utter.Just silently and gently, helping him wrap the waistband, hoping that time would also slow down because of his movements.

"By the way, father." After the waist seal was wrapped, Su Jin poured a cup of tea and handed it to him: "You have always liked the tea I made, and you haven't drunk it for a long time. Today... it's an identification Well, I'm afraid I won't be able to drink it again in the future."

The tea soup is clear and green, full of fragrance.The dense mist blocked the line of sight, making the pupils extraordinarily moist.Su Jingran took the tea cup, suppressed the hand that trembled slightly due to the pain, raised his head and drank the tea in one gulp.

"It's such a waste of money." Seemingly dissatisfied with his wholeness, Su Jin looked at him with his arms around his shoulders, frowning tightly: "Can't you have a good taste?"

There was a trace of reluctance in Su Jingran's eyes. He reached out and stroked Su Jin's hair without saying a word.

"Father, from now on, you don't have to wander around anymore." Su Jin looked up at him with a serious expression, "Please replace me and live in this village forever."

The tears I had been holding back all this time finally poured out when I heard these words.Su Jingran hugged him tightly, as if he wanted to embed him into his body: "Son, you can stay in the village forever. I can bear all this alone."

"I know what you want to do." Su Jin hugged his father's body back, and his voice was unexpectedly calm: "I knew it when I saw that dagger."

"Su Jin?" Su Jingran didn't expect him to express his intention so easily. Su Jingran felt something was wrong, put his hands on his shoulders, watched his appearance, and the intention could be read from his calm eyes. out something.

"If you try to kill the mountain god, it is tantamount to breaking the contract. Once you fail, the whole village will be doomed." Slowly narrating in a soft tone, he seemed to have nothing to do with him: "Even if you succeed, you will be destroyed because of the destruction." contract and be punished.”

Looking directly at the other party, he asked word by word: "Are you going to bet the whole village?"

"Then what can I do? Watching you fall into purgatory without being moved? If it were you, it would be impossible for you." Su Jingran held his arm, and in his eyes filled with tears, there was even a hint of love. Begging: "Just let me, bet this time."

"But I can't afford to gamble." Su Jin smiled softly, but the smile was so sad and helpless: "Whether you are good, Wu Hao is good, or Uncle Wu, I hope everyone is like this now, calm and stable." Living, this is my happiness."

"Su Jin?" Su Jingran still wanted to say something, the sudden sense of exhaustion gradually overwhelmed his consciousness, the world in front of him became overlapping, and he was almost overwhelmed by the huge drowsiness.As if he had noticed something, he held the other person's hand in a little panic, and asked in horror: "What... did you put in the tea?"

"Sleep well, because of my affairs, you haven't had a good rest for a long time." Su Jin continued to smile, and that smile became more and more blurred in the other party's eyes.He turned his gaze out of the window, looked at the burning sun, and said leisurely: "It's raining, I should go."

Let go of the other party's clenched hand, he turned around, his plain figure was full of sadness and determination.

Before his consciousness completely disappeared, Su Jingran heard his voice, which slowly dissipated in his ears along with the light dancing wind.

"Goodbye, father."