Outside the Seys, the fortress of Mori.

Bu Yangying remembered that he hadn't eaten dinner yet, and he was thinking about where to find Nalan Invincible, when he suddenly heard a frightened cry: "Wolf!" He ran down the hall, his boots sinking into the mud in the direction from which the sound came.

A woman from Maury had her back against a wall splashed with mud, "Don't come here," she screamed at Shiro, "Don't come here!"

The snow wolf has a rabbit in its mouth, and there is a bloody dead rabbit lying in front of him. "Help me get rid of it, sir. When she saw him, she began to cry out.

"It won't hurt you. Bu Yangying understood the problem at a glance: a small wooden fence box, the slats were broken, and the wet grass was scattered all over the ground. "It must be hungry and hasn't found its prey for a long time. ”

Bu Yangying whistled, and the snow wolf immediately swallowed the rabbit in a few bites, chewing on broken bones between his teeth, and walked gently to his side.

The woman glared at them nervously. Bu Yangying realized how young she was, estimated to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, because of the rain, her black hair was messily pasted on her haggard face, and her bare feet were muddy until her ankles. Beneath the patchwork of animal skins, her body showed signs of pregnancy.

"Are you Maury's daughter?" asked Bu Yangying.

She put a hand on her stomach. "It was, and now it is, his wife," the girl walked along the wall, carefully avoiding the wolf, and then knelt sadly in front of the broken rabbit cage, "I'm here to feed the rabbit." Our sheep have been slaughtered today. ”

"We, the Guardians, will make it up to you. Bu Yangying didn't have a copper plate on his body, otherwise he would have poured out immediately. But this place is far from the Seven Kingdoms, and I don't know if a copper plate or silver coin or gold coin will be useful here. "I'll tell Lord Yan Beixing tomorrow. ”

She wiped her hands with her skirt. "My lord—"

"I'm not an adult, you can call me Buyangying. ”

"By the way, we can't talk to you. The girl suddenly remembered.

"Why ......?" asked Bu Yangying, but it was too late. She jumped up and ran away.

Bu Yangying had no choice but to give up and beckoned Bai Shan to find Nalan Invincible.

The well-fed and well-fed snow wolf is a master of finding people, leading his shadow through the muddy courtyard, and then galloping away like an arrow shot by a crossbow.

Under a protruding rock formation, which is more or less able to shelter a little rain, Nalan Invincible is feeding the letter duck. With every step he took, his boots creaked.

"My feet are soaked," Nalan Invincible recounts miserably, "and when I dismounted, I accidentally stepped into the pit, and the water reached my knees. ”

"Take off your boots and dry your socks first. I'm going to get some dry firewood. If this rock formation can shelter a little rain, we can make a fire. ”

"Aren't you in the hall to accompany Lord Yan Beixing?" asked Nalan Invincible.

"No, I'm afraid you're the one who's going. Lord Yan Beixing has asked you to draw a map, and Mauri can help us point out the location of the king of Saibei. ”

"Oh. Nalan was not too surprised, probably because he didn't want to see Maury, even though there was a warm fire and hot drinks.

"Well, he'll allow you to go when you're full. Alright, get your feet dry. Bu Yangying threw down the uneaten rabbit that the snow wolf had bitten to death, and then collected the dead branches, digging deep into the accumulated branches and leaves on the ground for dry branches and leaves underneath. Then he carefully brushed away the moist pine needles until he was sure that he would start a fire.

Even with such careful selection, it still took a long time to spark a spark. He took off his cloak and covered it over the rocks to protect the small smoking flame. In the end, the two finally had a warm little space.

When Bu Yangying knelt down to skin the rabbit, Nalan Invincible had already taken off his boots. "I think there must be moss between my toes. He moved his toes in confusion and declared sadly. "This rabbit looks good, blood...... No matter, I don't care......" he said, turning his head, "Uh, still a little ......"

Bu Yangying forked the rabbit and found two stones to lean against the fire, and set their dinner on it.

The rabbit is small and skinny, but it is like a king's feast here. The other rangers looked at him with envy, and even Bai Flash looked up greedily, sniffing around, the firelight flickering in his red eyes.

"You've already eaten your portion. Bu Yangying had no choice but to remind the snow wolf.

"Is this Maury really as savage as the Rangers legendary?" asked Nalan Invincible. The rabbit is half-baked, but it tastes great. "What's it like in his fortress?"

"A garbage heap with a roof and a brazier, you will know with your own eyes that what I am saying is true. Bu Yangying told Nalan Invincible what he had seen in Mori's Fortress.

A rabbit was eaten by two or three of them, and it was completely dark.

Nalan Invincible licked his fingers and said meaningfully, "This rabbit is really good." I really want another leg of lamb, I want a whole leg, I eat it alone, sprinkled with all kinds of condiments. Do you see any sheep in there?"

"There are sheepfolds, but there are no sheep.

"And how does he feed his people?"

"I don't understand, I don't see any other men here, only Murray himself, his wife, and a few little girls. Our Ranger was killed, and I don't know how he held on to it? His defenses were nothing but an earthen embankment. Alright, it's time for you to go to the lobby and draw, can you find your way?"

"It's okay to find a way, as long as you don't get stuck in a pit. Nalan Invincible struggled to put on his boots, took out a quill and parchment, and squeezed into the darkness, raindrops falling on his hat.

White Flash rested his head on his front paws and snuggled up to sleep by the fire. Bu Yangying stretched out and lay down next to him, secretly grateful for the warmth of the fire. Although he was still wet and cold, he was much better than before.

When he woke up, he saw his breath misting in the cold morning air.

As soon as I got up, my bones ached.

The white flash was gone, and the fire had long since been extinguished. Buyangying pulled back the cloak that hung on the rocks, and found it hard and icy.

Bu Yangying walked out of his "camp" and stood in the crystal forest.

A faint pink morning light shone on the branches, leaves, and rocks. Every leaf seems to be carved out of jadeite, and every drop of dew becomes a brilliant diamond. Even the sewage puddle emits a bright brown glow.

In a glittering forest, the brothers' black tent is wrapped in a perfect layer of ice sculptures.

In this way, there is magic beyond the walls.

"Lord Buyangying?" someone called to him softly, gently and meekly. Bu Yangying turned around.

Yesterday I met the woman who fed the rabbit grass squatting on the big rock that had shielded him from the wind and rain all night, wrapped in a big black cloak, which was so big that it almost submerged her.

Bu Yangying recognized it, this was Nalan's invincible cloak, why was she wearing an invincible cloak?

"The fat boy said he could find you here, my lord. The girl said.

"I'm really sorry that the rabbit was eaten by us. "Bu Yangying has a sense of guilt.

"One of the adults in the hall gave Mo Yi a double-edged plate axe, worth a hundred rabbits. She clutched her bulging belly tightly with her hands. "Is it true? I heard that you are the king's brother?"

"We are not brothers," Bu Yangying had to admit, "I am a member of the Buyang family, and my brother Bu Yangfei is the current king of the North. By the way, what are you looking for me to do?"

"It's the fat man, called Invincible, and he told me to come to you. He also told me to put on his cloak so that I wouldn't be discovered. ”

"You do this, not afraid that Maury will be angry, he should not let you talk to us. ”

"Father drank too much wine you brought last night, and he will probably sleep for half a day. Her rapid, tense breathing frosted in the air. "It is said that the king will administer justice and protect the weak. She said as she clumsily climbed down the rock.

The rock surface was covered with thin ice and slippery, and her feet slipped suddenly, but fortunately, Bu Yangying caught it in time and helped her land safely.

She knelt on the frozen ground, "My lord, I beg you to ......"

"Don't ask for anything. Go back to your hall, you shouldn't be here. We were ordered not to speak to the women of Mori. ”

"You don't have to talk to me, sir. Just ask me to beat me up when you leave, that's all I ask you. ”

Bu Yangying remembered that including Mori, he really didn't say that he was not allowed to take one. However, this is not an easy task.

"I can be your wife if you want. My father, he already has eighteen, and it doesn't matter if there is one less. ”

"We're your father's guests. ”

"You're not," she said, "I'm not stupid, you've never eaten at his table, you've never slept by his fire." You do not enjoy any rights as his guest, so you have no obligation to him, and I have come to you. For the sake of this child, I have to leave. ”

"But I don't even know your name?"

"Bai Xue, he called me Bai Xue, and said that it was snowing a lot outside when I was born. ”

"It's so beautiful," Bu Yangying remembered that Yang Lin had instructed him on how to respond when the young lady revealed her name. He couldn't help the girl, but politeness might make her happy, "Did Maury scare you?" ”

"I'm for my children, not myself. If I'm a girl in my belly, then it's all right, and when I grow up, Maury will marry her. But Huang Ye told me that this is a boy, and she has given birth to five children, so she is very accurate about these things. ”

"Boy, isn't boy good?" asked Bu Yangying, puzzled.

"No......" Bai Xue trembled in horror, and said something terrible. "He will dedicate the boy to God. When the white god of cold arrived, his father offered it. Recently, the comings of God have become more and more frequent, and at the beginning the father gave a lamb, and now there is not even a sheep, and then it will be the turn of the dog, and then ......" She lowered her eyes and stroked her belly.

"God, what god?" Bu Yangying suddenly remembered that there was not a single boy in Maury's fortress, let alone an adult man.

There is only one adult male here.

"The god of cold," said Shirayuki, "walks only at night, like a pale shadow." ”

In an instant, Buyang Shadow recalls that cold night in the penal colony, that night of fighting to the death with the dead. Thinking of Ma Tie's swollen face split in half, his blue eyes shone inhuman.

"What color are their eyes?" asked Bai Xue.

"Blue. Bright as a blue star. It's chilly. ”

Bai Xue had actually seen them, Bu Yangying realized. And Maury doesn't say a word about that.

"Will you take me away? ”

"But we don't go back to the high wall now, we have to go north. Follow the tracks of the King of the Outer Fortress, and the goblins, white shadows, ghosts, and the like that you mentioned, we're looking for them. Bai Xue, you have to understand that it is not safe for you to follow us. ”

Shirayuki's fear was clearly written on his face. "But you'll come back, and when you're done fighting, you'll pass through here. ”

"We 'might' pass by, if any of us survive. But that's up to Lord Yan Beixing, it's the person who sent the Moli plate axe, I'm just an attendant, and I can't make my own decisions. ”

"Don't," Bu Yangying could hear the extreme frustration in her voice, "I'm sorry to trouble you, my lord, I just wanted to...... They say that the king will keep the people safe, so I just want to ......" She looked away in despair and ran away, her invincible cloak fluttering behind her like a struggling black wing.

Bu Yang watched her leave, and the good mood brought by the hazy and fragile beauty of the morning dissipated.

At this time, the others also crawled out of their shelters, yawning and stretching.

The enchanted forest still fades, and the sparkling ice crystals turn to dew on the newborn autumn days.

Someone started a fire, and Buyangying smelled the smoke of firewood wafting in the forest,

A group of brothers sat around the fire, including the two brothers Black Bearded Fat Man and Ding Busan and Ding Busi.

Ding Busi handed Bu Yangying a few dry biscuits, and there was a pickled fish in them. He swallowed his food in two bites while listening to the black-bearded fat man boast about the three Mori women he slept with last night.

"You don't," Ding Busan said, "otherwise I would have seen it." ”

The black-bearded fat man slapped the other party's ear with the back of his hand, "As far as you can see, your eyes are like chicken eyes after dusk." ”

"Where is Nalan Invincible, did you sleep in the hall last night?" Bu Yangying didn't bother to joke with them, so he had to interrupt them.

"We don't know that, you know, we all sleep in the rain. Ding Busi said.

"I'll go and see what Lord Yan needs. Bu Yangying said.

Although the rain has stopped, the courtyard is still a country full of shallow pits and mud. The Guardian Brothers are packing up their tents and feeding the horses.

The Scout Cavalry was ready to go.

After daybreak, Maury's hall remained dim. Yan Beixing was sitting in Mori's place eating breakfast. Maury's new axe sits right next to the table, gilded ornaments glittering in the glimmer of the torch.

The new owner of the axe slept unconscious in the attic, and only the women got up en masse and were busy.

"How's the weather?" asked Yan Beixing.

"It's a little cold, but the rain has stopped. ”

"Alright, alright, go and get my saddle in place, I'm going to leave at once. ”

Bu Yangying found Nalan Invincible at the back of the house, who was standing in front of the broken rabbit cage talking to Bai Xue.

The woman helped him put back on his cloak, and when she turned around to find Bu Yangying, she hurriedly ran away.

Nalan Invincible gave Bu Yangying a hurt look, "I thought you would help her." ”

"How can I help?" said Bu Yangying scathingly, "wrap her in your cloak and take her with you?"

"I know," Nalan said guiltily, "but she's so scared, and I know what fear feels like, so I've promised her ......" he resigned.

"What did you promise her? Promise her that we would take her with us?"

Nalan's invincible fat face turned purple. "It's just that I'm taking her with me on the way back," he didn't dare to look into Bu Yangying's eyes, "She's about to give birth." And you know, I can't do that alone. ”

"Invincible, have you lost your mind? We don't even know if we can take this road or not. Even if we pass by here, do you think Lord Yan will allow us to steal Mori's wife?"

"I want to...... Maybe...... A way will be found when the time comes. ”

"Then you'd better hurry up. I'll take care of the horses. Bu Yangying strode away, angry and anxious. The invincible heart is really as big as his body.

But he couldn't continue to blame Nalan for being invincible. Although it is dishonorable to take away someone else's wife, there is nothing wrong with judging invincibility.

On the contrary, this timid and cowardly fat boy has more courage than himself at this time.

Once ready, the Guardian Brothers set out again as they crossed the gate that hung high from their skulls.

Bu Yangying, as usual, walked beside Yan Beixing and headed northwest.

Melting snow drops, like gentle rain, with a gentle rhythm.

To the north of the fort, the creek was overflowing, and the surface of the stream was covered with fallen leaves and branches, but fortunately, the scouts who had set out earlier had found the crossing.

"My lord," said Bu Yangying quietly as they descended into the jungle again, "there are no sheep or sons in the Mauri family. ”

Yan Beixing did not answer.

He threw his son into the forest. Bu Yangying continued.

There was a long silence. "yes. Yan Beixing finally opened his mouth.

"Did you know?"

"Someone told me a long time ago. The older Rangers know it, but they don't mention it. ”

"What ......?"

"Do you think I should stop him, or even kill him?" Yan Beixing sighed, "The gods that the savages serve are more cruel than you and my gods, and these children are sacrifices prepared by Moli...... Alas, it was his way of praying. ”

His wife's prayers were a far cry from his. Bu Yangying thought to himself.

"How do you know these things?" Yan Beixing asked him rhetorically, "Mori's wife told you?"

"Yes, my lord," Bu Yangying confessed, "but I can't tell you who said that. She was terrified and asked me for help. ”

"The world is so vast, there are people everywhere who ask for help. Some of them should perhaps summon up the courage to save themselves. At this moment, Maury was unconscious and sleeping in the attic, and the sharp axe we gave me was in the hall, and if I were his wife, I would seize the opportunity and finish him off. ”

Bu Yangying thought of Bai Xue, and thought of her sisters, there were eighteen of them, and Mauri was alone, but ......

"But we should also uphold justice. Bu Yangying said.

"Maury is a free man and is not subject to the Seven Kingdoms. You have a noble heart, but you have to learn this lesson: we can't shape the world the way we want it, that's not our purpose, it's our duty to fight. ”

What's the point of all the battles if justice can't be done. Bu Yangying thought so in his heart, but he didn't say it.

"The king of the Cypriots is gathering his men, and Maury has spoken to me a great deal last night, which has confirmed my fears. Yan Beixing said, "The situation is getting more and more complicated. ”

"Does he want to build a fortress, or does he want to organize an army?"

"Yes, that's the point, we've been living together peacefully for so many years, what does he want to do, and why does he do it? According to my analysis, the king of the outside world has only one purpose: to go south and sweep the seven kingdoms. ”

"What should we do?" asked Bu Yangying.

"Find him," Yan Beixing said categorically, "kill him." ”

With this mere 300 people, Bu Yangying thought sadly in his heart, going to fight against the entire Beiye flood and famine.

All this is like going to die.