The two looked at each other for a long time before Chen Qiuniang asked, "Why did you stop again?" ”

She thought he would reply, "I'm tired, I want to rest," but a smile slowly rippled on his lips, and finally he burst into a shallow dimple of laughter, and said, "It's here." ”

"Arrived?" Chen Qiuniang looked up and only saw the corner of the spiraling staircase, which was still extending. But because of the corner, she couldn't see behind it.

"Well, here you go." He was quite excited and stretched out his hand to Chen Qiuniang. 's excited appearance, I don't want the unfathomable Zhang Ergongzi in Pingsuli at all.

Chen Qiuniang tightened her cloak and walked quickly to his position, and sure enough, she saw that the stairs had reached the end, and at the end of that was a stone wall, and it seemed that there was no gap at all. However, Chen Qiuniang is not worried at all, this is built by the people of Zhangfu, who are the supremacy of science and technology, and there must be a way out. Sure enough, Zhang Ci walked over and touched the wall, and the stone wall suddenly shrank to the side, feeling like a science fiction movie, and it instantly made people feel tall.

"Let's go, let's enjoy the moon." Zhang Ci greeted her happily, and then walked out with a food box and lantern.

Chen Qiuniang saw the moonlight outside as early as when the stone wall was opened, and she thought that she had really reached the top of the mountain. She saw Zhang Ci walk out, and also walked out of the stone gate. Beyond the stone gate, there is not a mountain top, but a stone screen. A fierce mountain wind swirled in from behind the screen, carrying the chill from high in the mountains.

No wonder Zhang Ci wanted her to wear this cloak, it turned out that even on dog days, the night in the mountains was so cold.

"Qiu Niang, hurry up." Zhang Ci poked his head out from behind the screen and beckoned her to follow.

She answered, and hurriedly stepped over the stone screen. As soon as she stepped over, she was dumbfounded, and she couldn't move at all. Although Zhang Ci talked about admiring the moon on the top of the mountain before, she also thought that on the top of the mountain, her legs and feet might be weak. But after all, she can comfort herself, not to mention that the top of the mountain is also hundreds of square meters, as long as she doesn't go to the edge of the cliff, she shouldn't be afraid of heights.

Yes, Chen Qiuniang has a slight fear of heights. And she never expected that the entrance to the top of the mountain was not to open a door in the middle of the mountain top and go straight up, but when she was about to reach the top of the mountain, the stone steps extended out of the stone gate and extended beyond the mountain. The stone steps that extend out of the mountain and hover are much narrower than those inside, less than a meter wide by the eye.

Although there were only a few steps and a protective railing, she was so frightened that her legs and feet weakened just by looking at the fog below.

Zhang Ci was completely immersed in happiness, and said happily: "There are still a few steps to the top of the mountain, and when you look at the scenery at the top of the mountain, you will have the feeling of seeing all the mountains at a glance, and you will feel very close to the moon." ”

"Hmm. I feel it now. Chen Qiuniang looked up at the moon that seemed to be hanging in front of her, and wanted to forcibly move her steps, but she couldn't do anything.

"Let's go." He urged again.

Chen Qiuniang pursed her lips, didn't speak, didn't move, and only felt too embarrassed in her heart. She is not afraid of heaven and earth in her life, and sometimes she is even an outlaw, but she is afraid of heights.

Zhang Ci stood on the stone steps on the cliff and looked at him. Under the moonlight and lanterns, the handsome man's expression turned from full of anticipation to doubt.

"I-" Chen Qiuniang's legs and feet were weak, and she thought of falling to the ground.

"You're afraid of heights." Zhang Ci's tone was firm, and his expression changed from doubt to sudden realization, and then he said in annoyance, "I'm sorry, I was too excited to pay attention to your feelings." You stay where you are, wait for me. ”

Chen Qiuniang shook her head and said, "It's okay." You go up first, I'll brew the courage to come, and I'll come later. And I'm not particularly afraid of heights. ”

"Don't move, wait for me." He said, and then quickly headed to the top of the mountain with the food box and lantern.

The stone screen where Chen Qiuniang was sitting was no more than two minutes away from the top of the mountain, and Zhang Ci would soon return. Because the moonlight was very good, he left the lantern and the food box at the top of the mountain, came to her alone, stretched out his hand to her, and said, "Qiu Niang, come, I'll take you over." ”

Chen Qiuniang looked at the hand, the fingers were thin and slender, and the lines were clear.

"Come, I'll take you there." He said. The voice was soft and almost dreamy.

"Hmm." She struggled to stand up straight and put her hand in it.

She originally thought that Zhang Ci would lead her over, but unexpectedly, the moment she handed her hand to him, he gently pulled her into his arms. Chen Qiuniang fell into his arms all of a sudden, only to feel that the elegant lavender with his breath suddenly diffused around him, and his arms were so warm.

"Childe, self-respect." She panicked, just shouted, instinctively wanted to push away, and remembered that this was the top of the mountain, a few steps away was a cliff, if she was not careful, she might fall off the cliff and break her bones.

"It's fine." Zhang Ci replied with these two words, and the next moment he hugged her horizontally and said, "You must have suffered a lot, right?" ”

Chen Qiuniang didn't answer, but just said: "Childe, you let me go, I want to overcome my fear of heights by myself." I want to practice. ”

"Why practice?" Zhang Ci asked, smiling, his eyes dark and bright.

"Your weaknesses must be overcome. Otherwise, how can he protect himself if he encounters such a danger in the future? Chen Qiuniang replied.

He sighed and whispered, "You're not a man, you don't have to be so strong. I will protect you. ”

His voice was soft, sounding a little unreal in the fierce mountain wind. Chen Qiuniang's whole heart was in chaos, and the whole person was panicked. She is afraid of such a ** and deeper emotional investment, because every time she invests a point, she may waver, give up her original ideals, and go to live a chaotic life of swords, guns, swords, and halberds. She doesn't like those days, she doesn't like the life of intrigue, and she doesn't like a life that is too complicated. She just wants to try her best to be simple and live an ordinary life. Despite the trouble she is with and who she's currently getting into trouble, she's been trying her best to get rid of a qiē. And her plans have always gone smoothly, because so far, she herself is under control.

However, now that the man in front of her has behaved differently, she is afraid that her defense line will completely collapse with him, and she will never recover.

"No, the only thing one can rely on is himself." She stubbornly said, "Please let my son go." ”

"Shut up and don't me off." Zhang Ci's tone cooled down, and the whole person had already stepped into the mountain steps with Chen Qiuniang in his arms.

Chen Qiuniang didn't dare to look at the mountain, so she simply closed her eyes and grabbed Zhang Ci's big tightly. After a while, Zhang Ci put her down, tidied up the cloak for her, and said, "Okay, you can open your eyes." ”

Chen Qiuniang slowly opened her eyes and found that she had reached the top of the mountain. The top of this mountain is about 300 square meters, and there is a complex pavilion on the top of the mountain, with stone tables and stone benches in the pavilion, as well as a stone bed. Zhang Ci's food box was placed on the stone table, and the red lantern hung next to it.

The two walked into the pavilion and took their seats, Zhang Ci opened the food box, there were some delicate snacks and fruits, and a pot of rice wine.

"Prepared temporarily, not very good food. I know you're a mouthful, so make do with it. He laughs.

"Where am I talking? I can bend and stretch. She muttered, feeling really hungry, and picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite.

Zhang Ci watched her eat with a smile while holding a wine glass. Chen Qiuniang was embarrassed, so she lowered her head in a panic and continued to eat, praising this pastry as a way to hide her embarrassment.

"Eat more if it's delicious. Just hugged you and felt like you were skinny like that. For most of the past six months, I know you've suffered. The wounds on your body hurt, right? He asked.

Chen Qiuniang heard the pity in his tone, and her heart was panicked, afraid that if something happened further, she would collapse the defense line and collapse completely.

"That little injury, where can it be worse than the injury on the second son's body." She searched and found a decent sentence to answer.

Zhang Ci smiled bitterly, drank the wine in his hand, and said: "Mine is made by fate, and I have no choice but to bear it." And you, you don't have to bear it, you can only hate your daddy. ”

"God has punished him. The second son should not talk about him. Chen Qiuniang didn't want to talk too much about herself, so she immediately changed the subject.

Zhang Ci said "um", drank by himself, drank many glasses in a row, and then said slowly: "Qiu Niang, with you, I always forget that you are only nine years old." I always forget your age. ”

What did he mean by that? is a confession, or is it a test of whether she is a traverser. After all, there is a traversal element in the ancestor of the Zhang family, how did the traversing predecessor who seems to be a ** scholar say it to his children and grandchildren, and whether he said it or not, it is really impossible to judge. As the patriarch, this Zhang Ci may know something about the crossing.

"Oh, a lot of people say I'm taller and look like twelve or thirteen." Chen Qiuniang hurriedly pretended not to understand and replied.

"You." Zhang Ci was obviously a little helpless, shook his head with a smile, and said dotingly, "I know what I mean, and I still answer randomly." ”

"Well, I'm sorry." Chen Qiuniang really muttered with embarrassment.

Zhang Ci smiled happily when he saw her. Chen Qiuniang looked at her smile and felt very comfortable in her heart, and at the same time thought of his fate, she felt very sad and distressed, so she looked at him like that.

He smiled and looked at her, then shook his head gently and said, "I'm fine, those are fine." Don't be upset. ”

"Y-, you know what I'm thinking?" Chen Qiuniang was very surprised.

Zhang Ci nodded lightly and said, "Your eyes are like the way my mother looks at me." Full of distress and sadness. So, like her, you are feeling sorry for my fate and feeling sorry for me. ”

Chen Qiuniang looked at him in surprise, the tears in her eyes rolled down at once, and she bit her lip gently.

He stood up, crossed the stone table, wiped her tears with a hand towel, and comforted: "Truly, everyone has their own destiny, and this fate is not necessarily the worst for me. ”

"Hmm." Chen Qiuniang nodded. The matter of fate is too mysterious, no one can say for sure whether their fate is good or bad, and no one can say for sure that the road without choice must be a glorious and happy road. For fate, what is needed is to face and accept, turn danger into relief, and make your life wonderful.

"But—" He paused, and said with a smile, "Qiu Niang, you are the only person in this world who cares about my fate like this, except for my mother." Thank you. ”

"I-" Chen Qiuniang felt sad, she didn't do anything. In the face of him, even if it was the first time they met, his life hung by a thread, and she had a lot of calculations to save him. Now, for the sake of her own freedom and a better life, she almost hides her ears and steals the bell to get to know him deeply, nor does she rely on her little cleverness to help him. She was leaving him, leaving him completely.

In the face of his thank you, she was ashamed in her heart, and she actually looked at him, speechless.

Zhang Ci didn't care, and continued to talk about his life experience.

It turned out that he was not a member of the state, nor was he the son of Zhang Yongde. He is not a descendant of the Zhang family. His father is just a family of Zhangfushu, his father is just a scholar and has no power to tie chickens, and his mother is the daughter of a farmer. The peasant girl rescued the down-and-out scholar, and the two fell in love and got married. This is the bridge in any book of talented and beautiful people, but the difference is that although this scholar is down, he comes from a prominent and weird family. All the births of children in this family are registered and tested by the family, and if they are confirmed as candidates for the patriarch, the children are left their parents and sent to the homes of their direct children to be raised.

"When I was very young, I was sent to Bingzhou to be raised, and I became the second son of the commander. But I also know my background since I was a child, when I inherited the patriarchal position, I went back to Shuzhong, and I saw my mother, a soft and kind woman, and the way she looked at me was that kind of distress and sadness, as well as self-blame. At that time, my biological father had passed away, and my mother was living alone in her hometown of Tongdu. And that time, it was goodbye. Because I am the patriarch, I have too many enemies, and I cannot have weaknesses. Biological mothers can also be weaknesses. So, she killed herself. It wasn't until years later that my grandmother sued me. I'm really unfilial—" Zhang Ci still drank cup after cup, telling those past events that he had probably never told anyone about, and then bowed his head and whimpered.

He lay on the table and whimpered, the sound of a wounded beast. Chen Qiuniang only felt that a knife had slashed through her heart. She hesitated for a moment, but finally got up and walked over to stand beside him, took him in her arms, and said, "As a mother, it is very happy to be able to do something for your child. When your mother left, she must have been very willing, and she must have carried endless blessings to you. ”

Zhang Ci lay in her arms, his shoulders trembling violently, and he still whimpered. Chen Qiuniang could only hug him tightly. The mountain wind around her swayed the candles in the lanterns, and she could not say anything, and the man who let this tragic fate weep to her heart's content in the high school that the eagle could not necessarily reach. Because she wanted to think he had to vent, or he would go crazy.

After whimpering for a while, he hoarsely said in a hoarse voice, "Qiu Niang, do you know? In the harsh training I grew up, it also included killing my favorite rabbits with my own hands, strangling my favorite cats, and watering my favorite flowers with boiling water. Kill my brother who grew up with me, and be indifferent to others threatening me with people I care about. ”

Chen Qiuniang was shocked at this moment, she only knew that the selection of the patriarch by the Zhang Mansion must be very weird, but she didn't know that it was disgusting to such a point.

"What's the point of this? What's the point of a clan leader if he can't protect his family? Chen Qiuniang became excited and said, "What is the point of that firearm or something?" It's better to break up this huge family and live their own ordinary lives. This kind of technology that surpasses everyone is better than ruining. You too, what do you do. ”

"It's to keep more people and keep this family." Zhang Ci was much calmer than just now, he struggled out of Chen Qiuniang's arms, the whole person had regained his calmness, and while raising his wide sleeves to drink, he also wiped his tears.

"Fang is my rudeness. Please don't be surprised. Chen Qiuniang bowed his head.

"Qiu Niang, don't always call me childish, I remember I asked you to call me Youqi." Zhang Ci put down the wine glass, and his face was full of smiles. Chen Qiuniang was a little puzzled before whimpering with someone else, and she had a dream of Nan Ke just now.

She didn't speak, just silently returned to her seat, pretending to continue eating to hide the embarrassment of each other.

Zhang Ci also drank silently, and for a while, neither of them spoke. Only the sound of the wind circling and screaming between the stone forests around him was very cautious. When there is a moon in the sky, it seems to hang on the top of the mountain in front of it, so close to each other. The moon is clear, and the moonlight is like water, pouring down.

"I've had many nights on the top of this mountain, lying on that stone bed and watching the moon, and it will be peaceful, but at the same time it will feel hollow. For a moment, I can't remember who I am or what I'm doing. So over time, I used to come here and watch the moon quietly until the sun rose. Because only in the high altitude away from the crowd, on the top of the mountain that ordinary people cannot reach, can I feel at peace in my heart, so that I can not think about those boring things. Here I can dream my own dreams and tell people I like. Here, in my dreams, there will be a real life that belongs to me and I want. Zhang Ci said slowly, leaning against the pillar of the pavilion with a wine glass, and looked at her from a distance.

He said that only here can he tell the people he likes about his heart.

This sentence is euphemistic, but is it a confession? Because at this moment, isn't he telling her everything he has? What kind of decision did this man make?

Chen Qiuniang was a little puzzled, so she sat on the stone bench and looked at him quietly.

At this moment, the moonlight flows, dyed with frost in the four wilds, and the surrounding mountains and forests are like strange and terrifying scenes in a dream. But because of the handsome and compassionate man in front of him, this scene suddenly became extremely romantic.

Chen Qiuniang looked at him, and suddenly felt that this scene seemed to break through the eternal gaze, as if somewhere, there was already such a look, such an acquaintance. RS