"Are you really going to do this?" Ding Xiaoyu stood under the bare ginkgo tree at the entrance of Xijia Village and asked Xiyue who was in a daze. The pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info tree is still engraved with a few ancient characters of the northern country engraved by the young merchant of the northern country (actually Tolie).

Xiyue looked at the old ginkgo trunk blankly and said, "Mother has written to Uncle Feng, saying that she has rushed to Xiyang City to reinforce my father. I don't know what trouble my father has encountered, and Uncle Feng is busy preparing for the construction of Tadpole Island Castle, and I am the only one who has nothing to do. ”

"Moreover, I've been thinking about one thing lately," Yuzuki bit her lip and continued, "Should I go and find my biological mother?" ”

"Of course I went to find it! Anyway, it's also biological! Ding Xiaoyu replied very simply, and after speaking, she put a hand on Xiyue's shoulder to show comfort.

"If you really decide to look for it, I will definitely support you and am willing to accompany you! It's exciting to think of being able to walk side by side with you to the unknown world to find loved ones! ”

"But my mother is very good to me, isn't she?"

"Oh, you're not going to go secretly! Don't let her know, hee-hee! ”

"I also told Granny Si Ran about this, and she also replied the same, and she was willing to accompany me, and was willing to persuade Uncle Feng Qi."

"That's great! I've always wanted to learn some witchcraft from Granny Siran! Xiao Yu still said excitedly.

The sun was shining on the treetops, and it was a rare windless day. While talking, the two came to the Qinglong River, where the sun's rays shone on the sea-wide river, and several heavily loaded sailboats were coming upstream, which turned out to be a large amount of building materials that Crystal City had funded for Xijia Village. There was a group of people on the shore, artisans from Crystal City who had just disembarked and were ready to head to Tadpole Island. A large group of people gathered in a circle on the edge of the pier, I don't know what they were looking at, and there were more than a dozen guards from Xijia Village on the shore to maintain order.

"What's going on?" Ding Xiaoyu asked curiously, after all, there are few such lively things in Xijia Village.

At this time, a person who looked like the captain of the guard came over and said, "Are the two young ladies also coming to see the octopus?" ”

"What octopus? But it doesn't hurt to take a look! Ding Xiaoyu's curiosity was greatly aroused. The two of them joined the crowd of onlookers along with the guards. Sure enough, there was an octopus more than ten meters long next to the pier, the octopus is a sea creature, swimming upstream along the freshwater Qinglong River, undoubtedly suicide.

"What a poor octopus," said a woman who looked like a country in the Far West beside Xiyue, as if she knew the origin of this octopus, and continued: "I saw a bigger octopus being placed on a small fishing boat in the direction of Crystal City a few days ago, and I saw with my own eyes that it must be twice as long as this fish, and that fish must be the mother of this fish!" This fish is here in search of its mother! Risking your life, so pitiful! ”

Hearing this, Yuzuki looked at the octopus's eyes, those dead eyes, and she felt that the octopus was saying, "Mother! Mother! ……”

She bit her lip hard, feeling her nose stiffen a little. So, he took Ding Xiaoyu's hand and walked towards the village.

"Hey, why don't you look at it!"

"Follow me to my own mother, there must be something like this strange thing!" Xiyue said, wiping away the tears that could not be suppressed.

Seeing Xiyue's tears, Ding Xiaoyu knew that Xiyue had made up her mind to find her mother, and she couldn't help but get excited and asked, "You really decided!" ”

"Of course! Am I not even as good as an octopus? ”

When he was about to reach the gate of Xijia Village, Feng Qi hurriedly walked out of the door, and after seeing Xiyue and Ding Xiaoyu, he quickened his pace and shouted, "Miss, don't you let you go out of the village gate casually?" Fast! Come with me to the House of Elders, there's something urgent! As he spoke, a group of guards behind him ran out of the door, quickly lined up on both sides of the road from the front of the village to the pier, nervously guarded, and the crowd on the pier fled in all directions like frightened ants. The bell on the old ginkgo tree at the door rang, it hadn't been like this in years.

Xiyue knew that something might really be wrong, so she immediately took Xiao Yu's hand, followed Feng Qi, and ran towards the Elders' House. The flow of people from the surrounding alleys began to converge towards the village square. Xiyue can't take care of these anymore, so go to the elders' house as soon as possible, and maybe get the news about her parents.

The House of Elders stands on a prominent piece of land closest to Tadpole Island in the village, surrounded on three sides by water. It is the most magnificent building in Xijia Village, and its design is extremely exquisite. The House of Elders is a conjoined building of seven towers, with a basement under the tower that can store food, weapons, and a special water drawing tower near the tadpole lake. There are also many rooms in the tower, and when the village encounters an emergency, the whole village can come in and take shelter. In the middle is the square, where you can train the village guards in normal times. Of course, the seven elders of the House of Elders have absolute dominion over the House of Elders, and the seven towers, one for each of them, each have their own closed door, and can close the closed door and become independent. This way, if one tower is captured by the enemy, the other towers can continue to resist. The tower closest to the lake is the Council Tower, which is the most difficult to capture because it is the innerth, and is generally guarded by the oldest and most prestigious elders.

When Xiyue, Xiaoyu and Feng Qi arrived at the Elders' House, the elders were still chattering and arguing at the door of the Elders' House, until they saw Feng Qi leading the two girls to come, and it was not until they ended the commotion, it turned out that they were arguing about whether they should leave and evacuate from Xijia Village. It turned out that the Crystal City and the imperial court were tense, and Xijia Village could become a front-line battlefield at any time. If the war ends are evacuated together, it will be too late, but once evacuated, Xijia Village has a large population, and how to withdraw and where to evacuate is a problem.

"Let's go to the council hall and deliberate again!" Feng Qi suggested.

Passing through the gate of the Elders' House and the central square, everyone gathered in the council chamber, and the seven elders began to make noise again.

"It's all quiet! Be quiet! "Great Elder Fan Zhuo spoke, Fan Zhuo has an elegant appearance, a natural leadership temperament, and is the oldest and most prestigious, so everyone listened to him and quickly calmed down.

"Do you let the women and children evacuate first, or do you all hide in the castle on Tadpole Island, or do you ...... Let's talk about it! Fan Zhuo asked unhurriedly, still revealing that nobility and calmness in his words.

Xiyue and Xiaoyu sat in the corner of the conference hall, looking at the noisy scene, and felt very funny. Feng Qi sat behind them without saying a word, holding a parchment map, lost in thought.

"Feng Qi, do you have any good suggestions?" Seeing that the elders were arguing and not yielding a result, Fan Zhuo decided to listen to Feng Qi's suggestion, after all, Feng Qi was currently the actual head of the entire Xijia Village and knew more about the affairs of the village.

"Xilong has instructed before that if there is no news of him for a long time, Xijia Village must quickly take precautions." Feng Qi reminded.

"There has been no news of Xilong for two months recently, only a few days ago, Mrs. Xi's flying pigeon passed a message saying that Xilong was in trouble, but she didn't mention that she was in trouble, whether we need to evacuate Xijia Village." Fan Zhuo said.

"My suggestion is that all the women and children be evacuated to Snake Mountain, south of Xijia Village, where one of our shelters is located. The rest of the capable people stayed in Xijia Village, and continued to build the Tadpole Island project while taking precautions, so that in case of trouble, they could also resist with the castle fortifications of Tadpole Island. ”

"Then who will our opponent be, and will it be that serious?" Fan Zhuo then asked uneasily.

"We don't have enough information in our hands right now, I just suggest this, after all, it is not easy to let the women and children evacuate Xijia Village and resettle them!"

"Alright, I'll discuss it with the elders again!"

So, Feng Qi, Xiyue, and Ding Xiaoyu persevered for nearly an hour in the noise of the Elders' House, and the elders of the Elders' House finally reached an agreement - agreeing with Feng Qi's suggestion!

"Uncle Feng, what is Snake Mountain?" As soon as Xiyue and Feng Qi left the Elders' House, Xiyue couldn't help but ask.

"It was a secret base where your father assisted the Lion King in his fight against the enemy, and it was later transformed into a temporary refuge in our Xijia Village. After all, the people of Xijia Village have very special identities, they are all fleeing people, and there are more or less enemies, 'Three Holes of the Cunning Rabbit'! Feng Qi explained.

……

Three days later, in the morning, at the entrance of Xijia Village.

After checking that the materials of each car were complete, Feng Qi began to clear the personnel.

In front of it were five horses and four-wheeled black caravans, loaded with magical materials and weapons classified according to the five elements of water, wood, metal, fire, and earth: the water car was in charge of the great doctor Shanping and the two twelve-thirteen-year-old apprentices Shan Yu and Shan Xue; The wooden car sat Master Fang Yun and two little Shani clouds and clouds, as well as Cheng Susu, a ten-year-old girl adopted by Feng Qi; The gold car is responsible for the wind ride of the Qingxu Taoist Temple and the two small Taoist priests who ride the mountain and the river; The fire car is in charge of the "****" Zhao Du and the three young men Fan Guang, Fan Ming, and Fan Chao; Si Ran, the earth car witch, is also in charge of Xiyue and Ding Xiaoyu, while Ding Xiaoyu's parents, Ding Cheng and Shaofeng, stay in Xijia Village and continue to manage Demon Lane. These five vehicles are the last five magic combat vehicles in Xijia Village, in order to ensure the safety of these women, the elderly, and children, Feng Qi specially transferred all the elite mobile forces of Xijia Village, which also includes the thirty most elite cavalry guards in Xijia Village.

Behind the five-line carriages are ten two-wheeled carriages that can pull more than 30 people and five two-wheeled wagons that can pull various daily necessities. Xijia Village can be equipped with so many equipment and horses, which is the result of Xilong's painstaking management. But Xijia Village is in danger of collapsing. The contradictions between Crystal City and the capital are irreconcilable, and a war can happen at any time.

Once the war breaks out, although Xijia Village will not support either side, Xijia Village is an important strategic location, and the capital and Crystal City will definitely compete fiercely. Xijia Village uses the taxes of the imperial court as the cost of maintenance, while Xijia Village is the territory of Crystal City. The dilemma of Xilong has already decided to be neutral and focus on Xijia Village. What's more, it is an unwritten rule that exorcists do not participate in politics, and they should be followed.

More than 500 miles south of Xijia Village is the Snake Mountain Range, where the climate begins to be warm, and in summer, there are many snakes and insects.

The Snake Mountain Range and the Ten Thousand Cave Mountain Range to the north form a natural barrier to the Crystal Empire. The junction of the two mountain ranges is a collapse, which is the only gateway to the Silk Road in the Crystal Country. To the west of the pass is the territory of the Peacock King Kong Runsheng; South of the pass and east of Snake Mountain is the territory of She Dongxing, the snake king. Both princes used to be students of the Lion King.

Ding Xiaoyu, who couldn't stay still, had already pulled Xiyue and Feng Qi's daughter, Feng Susu, to go shopping in the east and make up in the west. finally came to Feng Qi's side.

"Don't we have anything to do now?" Ding Xiaoyu asked Feng Qi.

"Hehe, don't worry, I won't let you be idle!" Feng Qi tidied up Cheng Susu's clothes. Cheng Susu's mother died of illness a few years ago, and her brother Cheng Yang disappeared in an exorcism and has not been traced since. Feng Qi took Cheng Susu in and regarded him as his daughter and regarded him as the pearl of his palm.

"Do you see the pigeon cage on the last carriage, there are dozens of carrier pigeons in it, and your task is to protect and take care of these carrier pigeons, how about it?" Feng Qi pointed to the last carriage and said.

"No problem, Uncle Feng!" Ding Xiaoyu almost screamed, Xiyue also clapped her hands happily, and Cheng Susu had already gone to the carriage.

"Don't think it's easy, you have to take care of the pigeon's eating, drinking, pulling, scattering, and sleeping!" Feng Qi emphasized.

"Okay! - "A group of energetic shadows had already rushed to the last car.

It wasn't until almost noon that the convoy was reorganized and marched towards the Snake Mountain in the south. On the way, he had to pass through a dangerous death swamp, so Feng Qi decided to lead a few escorts who were familiar with the terrain at the front of the convoy. Of course, Feng Qi did not forget to send his plan to Pan Yu and Xilong with carrier pigeons, even though the carrier pigeons had been sent out a lot, and there was no response.

South of the Qinglong River, which belongs to the southern part of the Crystal Empire, even in winter, it does not feel particularly cold, but it often rains coldly. The convoy first walked along the edge of Tadpole Lake, and then turned to the southernmost part of Tadpole Lake, where a desolate street unfolded in front of them. Everyone returned to the north and looked in the direction of Tadpole Lake, where the tall castle fortifications on Tadpole Island were faintly visible.

The whole convoy was either old or small, and the road was rampant with robbers, and it was imperative to quickly reach the shelter in Snake Mountain. So everyone has been desperately rushing and not stopping in any town on the road. It was only in the middle of the night or when it was raining that everyone took turns resting in their respective cars, and as soon as the sky turned white or the rain stopped in the early morning, the convoy began to move forward. After more than ten days of wind and rain, the swamp of death soon appeared in front of the convoy.

The Death Swamp is a barrier in front of the Snake Mountain, because it is located in the south, it is warm and humid, and the swamp is overgrown with reeds, crocodiles, snakes and insects. However, there is a secret path paved with logs in the swamp, which was secretly built by the lion king who went to the southwest to quell the rebellion and requisitioned migrant workers to achieve the purpose of raiding.

The trail had been abandoned for many years, and some sections of the log had rotted, so the convoy had to move forward while repairing the road. Many carts got bogged down in the mud, and people had to get out of their cars to help push them. Fortunately, it was winter, crocodiles, snakes and insects did not appear, and there were a lot of white cranes, egrets, and wild ducks, which made a lot of joy for a large number of children led by Xiyue and Ding Xiaoyu, and Feng Qi had to send someone to watch these bouncing elves to prevent them from falling into the quagmire.

After a day of struggle in the swamp of death, the convoy traveled less than five miles. And this swampy path is at least fifty miles long. It soon gets dark, and the Death Swamp is often dangerous at night. The wolfworms, tigers and leopards of Snake Mountain begin to feed in the marshes, which can penetrate much of the swamp during the dry winter season.

Arriving at a flat and dry open field, Feng Qi ordered the convoy to stop and rest, and the escort team took turns patrolling in the open area.

All the wagons unloaded the horses, and the open field, which may have been the stockyard for the original road, still has a few huge remnants of tree stumps lying across the ground, just in time for tethering the horses.

"****" Zhao Du, a master of fire magic, quickly used his "specialty" to set up three furnaces in the middle of the open field. Although the three disciples of Zhao Du are not very old, they are all good cooks, and each of them is responsible for a stove, which jingles as a cook. There are all the cooking tools on the fire car, and the pots and pans are complete. After a while, the aroma of the food wafted out. More than 30 men, women, and children who got off the two-wheeled carriage were not idle. They helped to pick up some hay and branches nearby, and an old man actually caught a few fish in a small pond in the swamp.

When the meal was ready, it was first delivered to the thirty cavalry guards, because along the way they had to patrol and guard, help build roads, and take care of the old and young. Although the guards are strong and strong, more than ten days of wind and rain have also made these young men lose a lot of weight.

The meal was quickly finished, and everyone began to take turns resting, and there were enough tents on the van to sleep on. The horses were unloaded from the carts, fed enough forage, and tethered to tree stumps in the open field.

In the middle of the night, Feng Qi summoned a few old men to discuss around the fire, because the food he brought was almost eaten, but his trip in the swamp was repeatedly blocked. Everyone knows that the team must make their way through the Death Swamp as quickly as possible to a makeshift shelter in the Snake Mountain, where there is plenty of food and enough to be safe.

"But can it be like this, tomorrow we will escort men, women, and children on foot, leaving only a few people here, and slowly pull the carriage back. After all, it is imperative to put the villagers in a safe shelter as soon as possible! Feng Qi said when discussing with several old men.

Doctor Sanpei stroked his gray beard and said, "This is a good idea, who has a better advice?" ”

The rest shook their heads.

Seeing that there was no better way, Feng Qi decided to leave all the stables and ten guards here, and slowly continued to drive forward. The rest of the people all continued on foot along the trail of the Death Swamp.

The day after entering the Death Swamp, the weather was still sunny and dry. Feng Qi led the villagers of Xijia Village to set off. It had obviously not rained in the swamp for a long time, but it was good for the villagers, the road was relatively dry, and it was not muddy when hiking.

The morning march was smooth, at least twenty miles, about half of the total distance. But after entering the center of the swamp, the road began to be muddy, and Feng Qi led several guards to quickly explore the way, but to their disappointment, a river appeared in front of them to block the way. The wooden bridge on the river and mountain has long been washed away, the river is about five zhang wide, and the mud on both sides of the river is so muddy that it is difficult for people to pass, let alone the convoy behind it.

Feng Qi saw that he couldn't continue to march, so he asked everyone to find a dry place to eat and rest, and by the way, discuss what to do next.

"I wonder how much silk we have available?" Master Fang Yun asked.

"There is only one bundle, and Mrs. Xi went to Crystal City to buy silk, and she has never returned." Feng Qi replied.

Although Master Fang Yun was an authority on wood-based magic, there wasn't much wood around, and a bundle of silk was very reluctant. It is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice. We couldn't find a better way for a while.

"If Crystal City and the Imperial Court really fight, who do you support?" Ding Xiaoyu asked the setting moon behind him, the two of them were walking on the barren grass along the river, and before they knew it, they walked far away.

"I don't want them to fight! What's the point of strife? ”

"What if you have to fight?" Ding Xiaoyu insisted on asking.

"No one supports me, I will be far away from my parents and brother!"

"Oh, Xiaoyu, look, the river is so clear! If only Ash were here! Xiyue remembered the psychic dog Xiao Gray that Ding Xiaoyu gave her.

Ding Xiaoyu got angry when she heard about the dog.

"Those old guys in the House of Elders, why don't you let us bring any pets?"

"Maybe Xijia Village is understaffed, after all, Xijia Village is in a hurry to build the fortifications of Tadpole Island. There are not enough people, so I can only leave all my pets in Xijia Village and take care of the home! Yuzuki persuaded.

"Hey, by the way, Xiyue, have you noticed, since we came to this river, we haven't found any animals, and I can't find small animals to play psychic!"

"Sunset! What are you doing? Xiaoyu saw that Xiyue was looking at the other side of the river stupidly.

"Can you psychic with a pack of donkeys?" Xiyue asked......