Zha Gong's evolutionary path

In the shadows crouched a figure with long hair hanging down to his hunched ankles.Across the prison door made of ice edges, Ying Moyan couldn't see the expression on his face clearly.

"Ban Xu." He called him softly as if he was afraid of the cold, and gathered the cloak around him again.

The chill came out from all directions in this ice cell, like a snake jumping at the crack, attacking him one by one.He was more chilly than usual, and subconsciously protected his lower abdomen with his palms.

When their names were called, the people in the cell became dull for a moment, and suddenly the sound of shackles trembled.

A face with the same patriarch in appearance but tougher features appeared in front of Ying Moyan.

The man didn't seem to care about the biting cold, lying on the cell door, his voice was hoarse and unpleasant: "It's really you. How many years? You finally came."

There was green stubble on his chin, and his face was rough and indifferent away from the crowd.Looking at Ying Moyan with frenzied eyes, it's like a beast that chooses an opportunity to devour people.

His hands were tightly clenched on the prison bars made of ice edges, his palms were blue and purple from the cold, and he didn't seem to realize that he wanted to swallow the man in front of him, including his belt and bones.

Impatiently, he looked Ying Moyan from head to toe carefully, more carefully than a dealer who selects female animals in the livestock market.

Watching and watching, his eyes gradually condensed and fell on the blood mark on his forehead, and he didn't let it go for a long time.

The expression on his face changed from ecstasy to gloom, and he said coldly.

"Who do you already have a mark on?"

Ying Moyan met his staring gaze with a calm expression.

Said: "I will fulfill the promise I made to you."

The man laughed: "Promise? I don't want any promises from you. You gave your heart to others, and if you can't give it to me, what's the point of me going out?"

The sharp eyes stared at him tightly, and the rough and unpleasant voice, which lacked communication, became more sharp because of the addition of inexplicable emotions, "It was the man you brought to southern Xinjiang to find me last time. ? Called Lin Gongru?"

Ying Moyan said: "I will be imprisoned here for the rest of my life without seeing the light of day. Zhuo Ling will not exterminate the clan for a day, and you will not be able to leave this prison for a day. What is the difference between being alive and dead like this?"

Ban Xu looked at him through the cell door and asked, "Is it him?"

His childhood playmate paused for a moment, but still refused to answer him directly, and his tone was a bit hasty.

"... Back then, the Emperor of Heaven was determined to take you down and kill you as an example. If you don't let me catch you, let me take you back to Zhuoling. I'm afraid that you will die that day, and accompany the burial of the southern border rebel. I promise I will let you go on the day when I return to the Hui family again, and now is the time for me to fulfill my promise."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, and a dark light jumped out of his fingertips, which gradually grew from a small point to the prison door.

The cold prison door began to produce atomized smoke.

His body is different, and he is far from being as handy as before. After a long time of effort, he only melted about [-]% of the ice door.

He didn't dare to stimulate his true energy too much, so he had to endure a little bit of patience, and a thin sweat appeared on his handsome face.

Ban Xu had no expression on his face, watching him cast his magic power like watching a three-year-old child playing, and slowly sneered for a long time.

"Don't make a mistake. I fell into the trap of General Lao Shizi because I saw you and felt soft-hearted for a moment. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today. Maybe it's unknown if I broke up with that mermaid."

He laughed mockingly, with the corners of his mouth raised, his expression revealing a bit of disdain, "When will I, Ban Xu, need you to rescue me?"

As the sound fell, the shackles on the soles of the feet fell with a bang, and he kicked them away and smashed them into the corner.

He took a big step, and pressed his palms on the prison door in front of him, wisps of white air emerged from his palms.

The prison door began to twist and deform violently, and then completely collapsed, shattering into countless pieces in an uproar, turning the ground into a pool of crystal clear cold water.

Ban Xu stepped out of the prison door where he had been imprisoned for hundreds of years, shook off the dust from his body, and grabbed Ying Moyan's wrist before he could retreat in time.

The rattling voice asked him: "You come to Zhuo Ling, and finish the ceremony with the person who gave you the seal, where is he now?"

___________

Not long after Nuo Fei led Lin Gongru, the children hiding in the dark surrounded him and surrounded the foreign man in the center.

Nuofei was not surprised, and said to Lin Gongru, "They have no malicious intentions", then avoided it, and left with a smile.

The general Tianhu who was also not good at dealing with children was left behind. Relying on his height and long legs, he propped up an adult face and smiled kindly at the children surrounding him.

He thought about when he was in the lower world, when he was in contact with mortal children, only games and food could please them.

I don't know if the children of the Zhuoling clan who are born of men will have the same preferences as those in the lower realm, so I have to try to ask a question that seems safer.

"What do you like to eat? I'll bring it to you next time I come over."

The child who said he knew him, who seemed to be about 7 or 8 years old, stood closest to him, raised his head, and looked at him curiously with his round eyes.

Hearing his question, he laughed a little, with a "very childish" expression on his small face, and squinted at him.

Lin Gongru felt that he looked familiar, thought for a moment, and then froze.

He stretched out his hand to compare the child's size, and said in amazement: "Aren't there pottery wind chimes hanging under the eaves of your house, which Ying Moyan made for you?"

If I remember correctly, this child, when he came hundreds of years ago, seemed to be... 3 years old

"After so many years, why do you still..."

didn't grow to his waist

This question, as well as the movement of reaching out to compare the child's size, seemed to have hit the child's sore spot, and his face immediately darkened.

The children around him who were shorter than him and looked younger also immediately pulled down their cheerful expressions.

All of them pursed their lips, frowned, and stared at him without speaking.

Lin Gongru's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly realized that she seemed to have chosen a topic that would kill her, so she quickly swallowed the remaining half of what she hadn't asked.

Speaking of which, Zhuo Ling was originally a recluse from the world. Since there is a completely different way of reproduction, it is very possible that the speed and time required for the growth of these children are not very similar to those of other ethnic groups.

Maybe there is some kind of custom or taboo that is inconvenient to announce to foreigners.

The child frowned and stared at him for a long time, at least he remembered the affection he held in his arms and held high.

Xiao Zui curled his face for a long time before answering him with a straight face: "Yes, he made that wind chime for me by himself, and I'm the one he likes the most in the clan."

What does "most favored" mean, doesn't it generally mean "he loves me the most"?

In order not to drag down the remaining goodwill to the brink, General Lin hurriedly ignored the doubts in his heart, and abruptly changed the subject.

With a sincere and lingering smile on his face: "Hey, what, I came here with Ying Moyan last time. I was in a hurry and didn't have a chance to go shopping. I finally came here again today. I wonder if you would like to be a guide and take me with you. How about going to look around? Everyone is close and close."

Several children glanced at each other, the anger just now seemed to have not subsided, and suddenly they had an idea.

By coincidence, they showed a sinister smile.

"Okay."

They asked him in unison: "Since you are Ying Moyan's man, do you want to visit the holy spring?"

One look at the expression shows that there are other mysteries, plotting something wrong.

But Lin Gongru is already in the danger of being hated, even if there is a sea of ​​fire ahead, he has to make a breakthrough.

Then he replied with the same smile: "I am very happy."

____________

The name "Holy Spring" is supposed to be related to water.

Led by a few children, Lin Gongru walked through their ethnic settlements, away from the houses and human settlements, but the distance became more and more remote, and a large dry beach gradually appeared in front of him.

There is no trace of water around the tidal flat, but if you look closely, it is actually composed of pebbles of various colors and sizes.

Looking into the distance, there is a long scene of yellow sand, as if you have walked into the desert; if you look further away, your eyes are full of wind and sand, and you can't see anything.

Those children stopped in front of this pebble beach, kicking the smooth stones under their feet playfully, winking and smiling.

"There is the Holy Spring."

The familiar child who took the lead among them, later Lin Gongru learned that his name was extremely beautiful, Xiaxi.

Pointing to the vast desert within sight, "Everyone sees a different holy spring, and no one can go in together. Ying Moyan is the most outstanding one among us. If you want to get Ying Moyan, you must first get it." Shengquan agrees. How about it, do you dare to go in alone?"

Lin Gongru looked at the brown and quiet desert, although it was unexpected that Zhuo Ling was hiding at the bottom of the waterfall, and there was still a desert scenery; but after traveling all over the world, he did not back down lightly, since he was pushed to the front by these children, he felt in his heart I have decided to make a breakthrough no matter what.

Immediately he raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile: "Your holy spring is not going to eat people, is it?"

Xiaxi put on the appearance of a little adult, and said deeply: "If you please it, it will let you come back safely."

"What if you can't discuss it?"

The child rolled his eyes and smiled: "You can beg for mercy. Then Ying Moyan will belong to us all again!"

"..."

His daughter-in-law, who had gone through all kinds of hardships to achieve a real fruit, was always missed by a group of little kids who didn't have full hair. Lin Gongru didn't know how he should feel.Let's talk about jealousy, jealousy is not at the same level; talk about helplessness, and feel itchy in the heart, just want to clean up whoever is owed.

Xiaxi urged him: "Go in now while there are no other clansmen around. It's not so busy to catch up with Shengquan, and I can still accompany you well." He added, "If you won't come back for a while, Ying Mo Yan over there, we will help you deal with it!"

Lin Gongru secretly asked, - I am not looking for flowers and asking Liu, what does it mean to deal with it...

Under the earnest and even attentive eyes of these children, General Lin sighed secretly, shook his head, and flew towards the vast desert within his vision.

When his figure completely disappeared, the children gathered together and sat down cross-legged on the beach without water.

Xiaxi started to yell excitedly: "Come on, everyone, guess what he will see when he goes in?"

__________

The wind and sand was not big at first, but as Lin Gongru aimlessly moved inward, it gradually became a force and began to dazzle the eyes.

The hot wind with yellow sand particles blew across his face, patting his head and face, leaving a layer of brown on his hair, shoulders, and clothes.

Without the sun, the visibility is not far from that of the daytime. There are only a few white and gray clouds floating leisurely above the head, as if they have nothing to do with the wind and sand below.

All that can be seen within the field of vision is yellow sand.

Lin Gongru slowed down, trying to figure out how big this "holy spring" is, where is the boundary, and how far is he from the exit at this moment.If you wander here without a clue, when will you be able to turn around.

Just as he was thinking about it, the sound of a shovel hitting the ground suddenly came from his ears.

The voice was very small at first, then gradually became louder, coming from somewhere not far away.

In this desert landscape, there is no distinction between north and south, and the boundary is unclear. Fortunately, there is the sound of the shovel hitting the ground as a guide.Lin Gongru was surprised, and moved closer following the voice.

A figure gradually emerged from the wind filled with yellow sand.

The man turned his back to him, dressed in plain clothes, with his head bowed, his long black hair hanging down to cover his face, and his facial features could not be seen clearly.

He didn't wear shoes and socks, and a pair of clean/naked/naked/smooth feet stepped on the hot sand, and he could faintly see blood stains from burns on the soles of his feet.Slowly and heavily raised the shovel in his hand, and pressed it heavily into the sand, shoveling out a piece of loess with sand and dust, which was the reason for the dull and heavy sound.

Through his raised arm, Lin Gongru saw a hole about a foot square in front of him. Beside the hole was a small object wrapped in white cloth.

He didn't know why at first, and stared blankly at the small package-like object that was only the size of an adult's palm; looking at it, his heart suddenly beat wildly for no reason, and his ears rumbled, as if the blood in his whole body was draining. rushed to the top of the head.

At this time, he was still about ten steps away from the man in plain clothes. The other party seemed not aware of his presence, and just focused on the pothole under his feet, and continued digging slowly.

Lin Gongru felt that his hands and feet became cold, he could hardly stand still in the wind and sand, and even couldn't help but want to back away.

But he still didn't retreat after all, he walked stiffly, and slowly approached the opponent, and when he was about to raise the shovel again, he grabbed his wrist.

The man turned his head blankly.

Lin Gongru met his eyes, and even his lips trembled slightly.He grabbed his wrist, wanted to take the heavy shovel from him, and said in a hoarse voice, "...I'll do it."

Ying Moyan looked at him with blank eyes, as if she didn't know who he was at all, and gently fought with him