Of Mountains and Rivers

"Wait, where was that girl just now?"

"What's the girl, the girl is not here at all, I have already told her to leave that cave."

"What does it mean to leave the cave? Can you speak human language?"

Chu Huan: "Oh, it's just a feeling, I can't tell you clearly."

Yuan Ping followed him and wailed, "No, can you do it? Patriarch, what the hell is the savior you found? Can you get someone more reliable?"

Several people fled in a hurry, without having time to see what happened behind them.

After they left, they saw that the surrounding shadows were still trying to entangle the statue-like girl, but failed several times.

She kept her original posture without even moving a strand of hair, but a thin light suddenly flowed out from under the palm of her hand on the ground. It's... like bean sprouts soaked in water, sprouting and growing in a zigzag way, growing independently.

Chu Huan and the others ran away in one breath this time. Later, Chu Huan was completely numb to the concept of time and distance.

I also met other sporadic people on the road. They seemed to be trapped in some kind of extreme fear environment like the girl. They ran all the way, and the horrified horns sounded in Chu Huan's ears one after another, so shrill. Make him wonder if these people are crazy.

But when Chu Huan tried to repeat the old trick, for some unknown reason, he could no longer establish a two-way connection with them, so he had to run for his life while passing these people quickly.

"Could it be that this thing is going to be chased all the way to Shen Xing Island?" Chu Huan thought a little desperately.

Counting the lost and obstacles, it would take about a year and a half to reach Shen Xing Island. Chu Huan suspected that they would run until their legs were broken like the flat film people who had been poisoned by dead flowers.

Chu Huan compares himself to a hunter, and maybe sometimes he is a little deliberate in the middle process and early preparations, but he has always chased others to fight, and he is really not proficient in being chased and beaten.

What's more, the thing chasing him couldn't be hit or touched, and he had nowhere to fall with the long knife in his arms, and he was really depressed.

Chu Huan: "Running endlessly, we are simply Forrest Gump No. [-], [-], [-], and [-]!"

Nanshan was still sullen for some reason, and didn't answer.

Ruger asked, "Who is Forrest Gump?"

Yuan Ping replied loudly: "A fool!"

Chu Huan: "..."

His chest was full of sadness and desolation.

This miserable situation lasted until they crossed a river.

The river itself was nothing unusual. Like the countless mountains and rivers in the sinking land, it had lost its vitality and stood lifeless, but when Chu Huan saw it, his heart suddenly "thumped".

He knew that his sixth sense of not knowing whether it was a blessing or a curse came again, so he turned around in a strange way.

Chu Huan saw that Yin Ya, who had been chasing him closely for some reason, was unable to cross the river for some reason, and swelled unwillingly on the other side of the narrow river, like two snakes spewing letters.

The poisonous snake on Ruger's shoulder, Little Green, seemed to have finally found its opponent, and raised its upper body high, making a move to attack—of course, it is a handsome snake who knows the current affairs, and knows that this place is not a place for it to show off, so it just He made a gesture and "hissed" for a long time, but his tail was still tightly wrapped around Luge's body, without any out-of-the-ordinary actual movements.

A few people were finally able to stop and take a breath - not being tired doesn't mean that the cardiopulmonary function can keep up.

Chu Huan almost wanted to sit down on the ground, but at a glance, Yuan Ping had already done so. In order to reflect his tall image, he insisted on walking upright, swayed twice to Nanshan, and asked : "Leader, do you think it is afraid of water or things on our side?"

With a sullen face, Nanshan said with prudence, "It's not water."

Chu Huan looked at his expression and leaned closer, completely ignoring the two light bulbs behind him, and put his arms around Nanshan's shoulders, pretending to be innocent and asked: "What's the matter? Although the girl just now was still a statue, she It has become a luminous statue, I think our attempt in this regard has twists and turns, but overall it is successful, don’t you think?”

Nanshan's jaw tensed, probably because he didn't feel it.

Nanshan seemed to want to bear it, but he was born without such a deep city, so he couldn't help but ask: "Do you always talk to girls like this?"

Chu Huan: "..."

The "married man" remained silent, weighing in his heart whether this issue was a "principle issue" or an "insignificant" issue. "Good friend" Yuan Ping was the first to answer on his behalf: "That's right, the Patriarch of Nanshan, also on the other side of the river. Otherwise, why would he have the nickname Peacock?"

Chu Huan: "..."

He took a deep look at Yuan Ping, thinking about which auspicious day would be suitable for him to kill and eat meat.

"Well... this, this is actually..." Chu Huan was racking his brains to explain something, suddenly, his eyes fell on the patriarch's scepter, and his eyes suddenly froze, "Wait, Nanshan, you patriarch Will the scepter still shrink? Why is it shorter?"

He was still glib at the beginning of the first half of the sentence, but suddenly became serious in the second half of the sentence, and several people were taken aback.

In fact, it was not the first time that Chu Huan had the feeling that "the scepter has become shorter". It was just that the last time it was not so obvious. He just thought he was dazzled. It is equivalent to the loss of a pair of high heels, anyone who is not too blind or sloppy can see it.

But isn't this scepter handed down from ancient times to the present?Shouldn't it have been burned for 800 years?

Why is it short?

Hearing this, Nanshan immediately stretched out his hand to measure it, and then he didn't care about Mingmei's jealousy, and quickly said, "It's half a finger short."

Luge sighed: "I'm afraid the fever will get shorter and shorter."

Is there any more news than "the umbrella in the desperate situation is actually a consumable item"?

Chu Huan: "For...why?"

"In the words of the elders of the mountain guards, the patriarch's scepter burns 'anger'." Luge put his finger on the scepter lightly, and he closed his eyes, as if quietly listening to the "beep" of the burning wood. Boo" sound.

Nanshan said in a deep voice: "The last time Mutai surrounded the mountains, I lit it once."

"That's right, it may have become shorter since then," Ruger said, "At that time, the fall was approaching, and after the mountain gate was closed, this world would not even have enough vitality on the holy mountain. Of course, the scepter would be consumed." itself, let it burn shorter and shorter."

Yuan Ping shuddered: "Then...then if we still can't find a way out of the trapped ground, we can only watch it burn out?"

Ruger nodded.

"..." Yuan Ping, "Then what?"

Chu Huan: "Then everyone will die together. Why don't you ask? Ask! But according to the current situation, if there is no change and the burning speed of the scepter is uniform, then we should still have time. It doesn't matter, don't nervous."

Nanshan sighed: "No matter what, let's speed up."

Originally, I was in a cloud of fog and fear, and now I was imposed a time limit!

Chu Huan visually measured the speed at which the scepter was burning, and suddenly felt that a knife was hanging above his head, which might fall off at any time, and "clicked" them collectively.

Be it the mountain guards, the gatekeepers, or the venomous snakes, even if each of them looks so coquettish, they all seem so small in such a world surrounded by shadows, like a few little mice struggling to survive.

Chu Huan moved his ankle joints, and he used a lot of strength. There was a "crack", and it was quite painful. He was relieved for a while at once--there is a sense of security when there is pain, which means that his femur has not yet planned to unknowingly. Turn the skin over to expose the flesh.

The few people only rested for less than two sentences, and immediately continued to walk forward without stopping. Gradually, the surrounding shadows calmed down, and a coolness rose from the ground.

Chu Huan shivered, and Nanshan immediately noticed it: "Cold?"

Chu Huan shook his head silently—he wears the most clothes here, so I'm really embarrassed to say it's cold.

"I seem to see a cottage," Ruger suddenly interjected, "There should be someone ahead, are you ready?"

"Meeting people" is now a double-edged sword for them, especially the kind that can communicate.

No one can tell whether it is good or bad.

"I feel like we are like a group of people lighting fires everywhere." Chu Huan said, "Do you think there is such a possibility that if the fires are lit too much, even if our own torches are extinguished, the legendary place of death will be destroyed?" Is it burning?"

This is Chu Huan's closest interpretation of the word "fire".

No one can answer his question, Chu Huan is the one who can establish communication in a deadly place with difficulty, and they can only follow him to find out.

Going a little further, Chu Huan saw clearly the cottage that Luge pointed out just now, and he couldn't help but let out a long breath: "Wangshan ran to death—"

Although the village is visible, it actually has to climb over a mountain. On the mountain is a quiet and dense forest, but the forest here seems to be different from other mountain forests. The trees are almost equidistant, and there are heavy traces of artificial planting.

Chu Huan couldn't help asking: "Is there any tree planting here?"

"That's the place where the dead are buried, similar to the cemetery on the other side of the river." Yuan Ping said, "After death, people return to ecology. Those that can be used as medicine can be used as medicine, and those that can be fertilized are fertilized. In some places, dead clan members are buried on the hillside. Go up and plant fruit trees."

Maybe it's because there is nothing more spooky than the fallen place itself. In comparison, everything else, including those murderous shadows, seems mild. Anyway, Chu Huan walked through the enlarged wall of ashes, not at all. What is the discomfort of stepping on someone's house number? The funeral customs of Nanshan and the others are like this. They always make people feel respectful, but not heavy.

Residents who live here give fruit to their little ones, and they will probably say something casually: "This is what your grandma planted for you."

It's kind of interesting when you think about it.

Chu Huan couldn't help but casually said to Nanshan: "The cemetery over there is 20 square meters, and it has to be equal. I guess you can't make this money by selling bacon for a lifetime. I think if I die in the future, you will take me too." Plant a tree."

Nanshan's face changed: "What nonsense!"

Chu Huan reached out and pulled, pretending to zip his mouth.

But the surroundings are too quiet, if they don't speak, they can only think wildly, and the shadow of suppressing something just around the corner can drive people crazy in a short time, so Chu Huan didn't stay quiet for a few seconds, and then sighed again Said: "I really think it's very warm here, we can't do it - there are too many people, there are tens of millions of people running around in the same city every day, there is really no way, we can only move the cemetery to a distance. The city is far away, and it is not convenient to come and go once, and it feels like they will be forgotten in a few years, unlike your place, where they seem to live together all the time."

Nan Shan thought about it, and asked, "There are sixty...ten million of you, and when that one dies, isn't it soon forgotten?"

"Soon." Chu Huan nodded, "After a few years, the relatives and friends who occasionally contacted in the same era will be gone, and this person will completely disappear from the world."

Nanshan couldn't understand it. For the first time, he had a little negative comment on the world "over the river" that he had always longed for—it seemed a little indifferent.

Chu Huan smiled: "Actually, it's nothing. The dead don't know anything anyway. Instead, they are the ones who live to the end. Their relatives and friends are gone, and they are sent to the end. Sometimes I wonder if I followed. torture."

Chu Huan was speaking unintentionally, but Yuan Ping was listening intentionally. Yuan Ping had a rare sharp look and gave Chu Huan a complicated look.

He really wanted to be like the patriarch of his own family, who would say "it's not easy for you" frankly, but couldn't say it awkwardly, just like he really wanted to admit to his face that Chu Huan was his good friend for life, but every time he opened his mouth, he always wanted to say something. Spray him in the same face.

Yuan Ping thought about it for a while, and thought that it had something to do with Chu Huan being too cheap. If it were Nanshan, these heart-to-heart words would be easier to export.

Yuan Ping struggled back and forth for a long while, but finally he only said with a half-sneer: "Do you still recall your glorious years?"

"There are no glorious years," Chu Huan smiled wryly, "only the 'steamer' years."

Chu Huan didn't like to talk about his past, but Nanshan wanted to hear it all the time, so he couldn't help asking Yuan Ping: "What are the extraordinary years?"

Yuan Ping regained his energy, as if he finally seized an opportunity, and tried every means to complain to Nanshan: "Patriarch, do you know how bad this guy in your family is? Let me tell you, he has been very despicable and shameless since he was a child. He is the head teacher's little spy. Until I was in middle school, I would always report to the teacher any classmates who smoked in the men’s restroom.”

Nan Shan raised his eyebrows and looked at him in surprise: "Did he do something wrong?"

Yuan Ping: "..."

Ruger: "What is smoking?"

Nanshan had seen it before, so he explained to him: "It's just rolling up a poisonous leaf and lighting it up to inhale the white smoke in it - since you know it's poisonous, why do you still touch it? It's for your own good not to let you touch it. "

Yuan Ping failed to sue and lost foreign aid, so he turned pitifully to his patriarch.

The upright patriarch Luge paused for a second, then said mercilessly: "He's right."

Chu Huan laughed like crazy.

At this time, Nanshan glanced at Chu Huan expressionlessly, and said quietly with the air of the head of the family: "But don't you smoke too?"

Chu Huan: "..."

He found that in the past, Nanshan would "hesitate to speak and stop", and he could be more tactful and reserved, but since "registering" and "stamping", Nanshan has become more rude to him, and the relationship between "insiders" and "outsiders" The treatment is really different.

Yuan Ping grinned at him and made a face at him. Suddenly, Yuan Ping's smile stopped, and he looked straight behind Chu Huan, his face gradually serious.

Sensing something was wrong, Chu Huan turned his head slowly.

He saw that the valley was full of people, men, women, old and young, in different shapes, with sad faces, like a group of reliefs fixed on the wall, dark and stiff.

Chu Huan's heart was beating up and down wildly, and he couldn't help taking a step forward, Nan Shan grabbed him: "Slow down."

The four of them walked around the side hillside, took a huge arc, and cautiously approached the group of people.

Generally speaking, no matter whether communication can be established or not, as long as Chu Huan meets people, he can hear noisy voices. However, until he is less than half a meter away from the leader, his ears are still completely silent.

"How is it?" Ruger asked in a low voice.

Chu Huan shook his head, becoming more serious: "Strange, I can't hear anything."

Nan Shan let him go, stopped the others behind him, took the scepter and held it in his hand, and walked slowly into this large group of strange people.

Chu Huan: "No, wait."

He had a bad feeling in his heart.

Chu Huan was flustered when he heard the sound before, but now he is even more flustered when he can't hear the sound.Perhaps the people he met before were all alone, but this time a large group of people caused some kind of psychological pressure on him. Chu Huan only felt that there seemed to be some kind of huge danger brewing in the crowd.

The four stood outside the crowd without daring to make a sound, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Huan suddenly heard a faint sound of a child crying, and in an instant his hairs blew up: "Withdraw, withdraw! Quickly withdraw!"

He couldn't explain why his hair stood on end, and sometimes the things that couldn't be explained were the scariest.