One of the Twelve Kingdoms

The seaside under the night is hazy and humid.A giant wolf with black and white stripes plunged headlong into the sea, swam up to the shore the next moment, threw the seabird in its beak on the ground, then shook the wet hair dry with a few swipes, and grabbed the prey Run away to eat.

The blue mermaid is sitting on the reef, and the waves are beating up and down, rolling white foam. She looks at the unicorn who subdued herself and became the envoy, her eyes like glass beads reveal sadness.

"Taisuke, you need to rest."

Xun Qi sat by the water, quietly looking at the reflection in the water.My face looked weak and pale in the running water, and the ugly bruises were more clear and terrifying than the day before.

His body is deteriorating and dying step by step, together with his king and country.

Yan Qi wasn't sure if it was because of his weak body that he couldn't accurately know the lord's aura, or because the distance between them was still far away.

"Taifu." The mermaid was hesitant to speak, and Yan Qi stood up and walked to her side, "Duhu, are you worried about the Lord?"

The mermaid hesitantly hummed, "If the king doesn't want to go back, what will you do?"

Xun Qi stood up, her face tensed slightly, as if she was strengthening some kind of will.He came to the mermaid, and a round sea bead rolled its yellow eyes at them under the sea.

Duhu said: "It said that it found Wang's trace two days ago, and it went to Dai State on a merchant ship."

Yan Qi nodded, "Jiao Wu." He called out the order to finish hunting in the distance, "Go on."

He mounted his mount, the waves swelled in his golden eyes.

He is the half body of King Qiao.The fairies of Penglai had told him so since he was born.However, if the king doesn't want to be a king, then does the unicorn still have meaning?His king rejected him with blood and threats, as if he were forcing him with something worse than death.

But is there anything more terrifying than death in the world?

The kind Qilin can't think of an answer. The only thing he knows clearly is that he must find the king as soon as possible, so that the desperate red and black will not swallow the life of the king and himself, and sweep every corner of Qiaoguo.

……

Joshya appeared to be drunk that night.They sat in the snow where the wind was howling, eating delicious barbecue and drinking strong wine.Even licking the skin with bright tongues of flame felt only a belated sting.

"Is there water? Who has water?"

He remembered asking that at first, and then hearing a burst of laughter, Odoo shook his glaring jug and said, "That's all we have, kid."

The pungent smell of wine could choke people even through the cork, Joshua quickly turned away and waved his hands: "No, I don't drink this."

The fact is that Joshya is a bit of a traditionalist, or abiding by the law, having only had soft drinks a few times at school parties during his adult life.He also didn't like those occasions, loud, crazy, unscrupulous, everyone wanted to release the energy of their lives in one night.He thinks that only poets, musicians and artists have the right to find inspiration and collision of ideas in psychedelic drugs, and he knows that he cannot find his future in those.

Maybe he could seriously think about it in alcohol now.

"Come on, reserved girl, since you're here, you should try it." The sailors teased kindly, "This is the shochu brought over by the mountain guest in the past. Just hearing the name will make you feel hot all over."

"You should really go to live in Moscow." Joshua muttered and took a sip, the cool liquid turned into a hot flame on the coating of his tongue and burned his throat all the way, even his stomach was almost on fire.

Joshua woke up in the middle of the night, and the fireball that had been tormenting him in his stomach seemed to finally show signs of extinguishing.He rubbed his eyes, brightened the bonfire, and pushed the white tiger.

"What about the rest?"

The white tiger yawned, flashing its sharp teeth.His voice was still sleepy: "They are looking for jade."

"Why now?" Joshua asked in surprise, then what are they doing during the day?

"Because jade stones are all in mountain springs, it is easier to find them when there is moonlight."

Joshua suddenly regained his energy, quickly put on his shoes and urged the white tiger who was still lying on the ground: "Let's go too, hurry up."

The white tiger arched its body and stretched, and the animal pupils, which were more favorable than those in human form, wandered around: "They are far away."

Joshua had already run out, beckoning to him energetically: "Come on!"

Baihu sighed helplessly, then shook his body and followed.

"We are like nightingales, singing from night to dawn, working tirelessly until the light shines on the earth."

Joshua hummed a song and touched the stone from time to time, as if the wine hadn't sobered up yet.

However, not to mention the singing of birds, there is only the sound of insects, and there is no rustling of grass leaves around them, as if there are no other creatures in Dai Kingdom except humans and demons.

Joshua's repeated hums gradually flowed into some kind of smart murmur.

"It's a mountain spring." Baihu said.They moved towards the source of the sound, and Joshua muttered, "Ah, isn't the spring water frozen in this weather? It's amazing, is it a hot spring? By the way, are your jades grown? Sprinkle the seeds down." Just popping out by itself? Like growing vegetables? No, your vegetables don't grow...ah, I don't get it at all."

The rock wall opened up on both sides, and the vision suddenly became clear.Under the bright starry night, the clear spring water winds among the rocks and converges into a small lake.The hazy moonlight poured from between the pinnacles, like a layer of halo and mist covering the emerald green lake.

Joshua felt as if he had broken into an illusion, perhaps inadvertently scaring away the elf who was still playing here the last second.

"It's so beautiful, look, it's glowing." He breathed lightly, as if afraid of disturbing the beautiful light and air.He looked at the calm lake, the light blue color was like a piece of smooth silk satin or moist jade.

"Baihu, you are right, jade will shine." Joshya was ecstatic as if he had discovered a great treasure. Baihu knew that this young man who had not met for a long time would occasionally go crazy, but this time he felt the same way.This place is so beautiful that it will make people forget the suffering and endless tears that are being suffered beyond the mountains.

They stood there as if they were stunned, and Joshua suddenly proposed, "How about we go down?"

Baihu hesitated for a moment, and Joshya took off his shirt: "Come on, you don't even need to take off your clothes, you didn't struggle so much when you were drinking just now."

The white tiger was almost pulled into the water by Joshua. He gasped in panic, and just about to shout that I can't swim, his foot stepped on the bottom of the lake.

"It's really shallow." He sighed with relief.

Joshua has not bathed for a long time, although the lake water is cold, he still soaks firmly.

He was really a pale and thin boy.

Baihu has never seen anyone whiter than him, any color is so light and brilliant, as if he has been living in ice and snow, and when he calms down, he is like a falling snowflake.

They are so addicted to it that they seem to have forgotten the purpose of coming.

Joshua lowered his head, and the sand and rocks at the bottom of the lake seemed to have not passed through the barrier of water.

"Nothing."

"I just heard about it..." Bai Hu smiled embarrassedly: "It is said that experienced people can tell where there is jade and where there are ordinary stones as long as they walk around in the water."

Joshya did not propose to step on the bottom of the lake together this time. He said, "How about we play a game? Let me ask you a question, and you just need to answer yes or no." He thought for a while, "Have you ever lied? "

"Have."

"Have you ever written a love poem?"

"No."

"Ever dated a girl?"

"No."

Joshua said with an expression of being absent, "Okay, it's your turn."

Bai Hu thought for a long time before choking out a sentence: "Are you happy?"

"Yes." Joshua rolled his eyes, "What's the problem? Come on."

"Uh... is your leg okay?"

"Baihu..." Joshua felt that he had misunderstood the point, "This is not a question at all, you have to ask...well, things that are not easy to know but you want to know."

Bai Hu struggled for a while, and asked, "Do you miss home?"

"...Think about it." Joshua sighed, "Let's choose something else, choose one of the two, this time you will come first."

He explained the rules, and then the white tiger started.

"Black and white."

"White."

"Flowers and leaves."

"flower."

"Sky and Sea."

"Sky."

The problems were innocuous at first, but gradually they started to get involved.

"Responsibility and emotion."

Joshua thought for a while: "Emotion."

"Life and ideals."

"ideal."

"King and Queen."

"queen."

After answering, both of them couldn't help laughing, and Bai Hu asked, "Do you want to be queen more?"

"That's right." Joshua said half-truthfully.

"Then you have to find a king first." The white tiger continued to ask, "Tiger and lion?"

"Tiger." Joshya looked at him, "Did you know? In our place, the tiger is the king of the forest."

"Really?" Baihu smiled, and suddenly he seemed to understand other meanings. He looked at Joshua in confusion and questioningly, and the latter affirmed his thoughts without any concealment: "That's it, I..."

Suddenly something lightly landed on the shore, and a figure came out from the shadows, revealing a familiar face under the snow-white cloak.

"Lord."

"Yuqi..." Joshya looked at the person in surprise, and the latter walked towards him, "Please come back to Qiao Country with me."

Joshua knew that Gong Qi would come sooner or later.He subconsciously looked at Baihu, who also looked at him in surprise: "Joe, are you the King of Gong?"

"My lord." Xiong Qi took off his cloak, the mottled marks on his face were hideous and terrifying, he begged earnestly and sadly: "Please return to your duties."

Joshya almost jumped up and fled to the other side of the lake.The white tiger was also standing beside him, bending down slightly.

Yan Qi silently watched their movements, and the next moment his clothes fell down instantly, a light golden unicorn jumped up like a ray of light to the opposite bank, bent its forelegs obediently to his king, knelt down deeply, and used all his all silent requests.

Joshya stayed where she was, that beautiful unicorn-like creature like a noble shackle, and on the other side was true freedom.

"I don't want to be king..." There was deep fear in his eyes, as if he had to do something terrible.

Bai Hu looked at him, then slowly stood up straight.He already knew Joshya's choice.

The golden unicorn took him away.

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