The slightly cracked bluestone ancient road glows with a faint cold light. A fresh, earthy scent began to float in the air. In the narrow ancient road, a plain white figure slowly emerged in the rain.

Her white fingers held a paper umbrella, which was the color of extreme plainness, with a sorrow as if she had just returned from a funeral. She was wearing a plain green cheongsam, with delicate eyes hanging slightly, and there was no flaw in her charming.

The ink-colored soft shoes were slightly splashed by the rain, she lifted the umbrella and looked at the rain-soaked yellow paper on the wall, the ink-colored strong handwriting had been blurred by the water, but she could still make out it.

Looking for the most skilled locksmiths, the talented ones will be rewarded by the General's Mansion.

A concise sentence, in just one day, it quickly spread in this town.

General's Mansion, a place that many people dream of. As everyone knows, in this sensitive and fragile period, the General's Mansion is undoubtedly burdened with people's inseparable expectations for the old days.

But in this troubled world, there is no such thing as a locksmith anymore.

"Lockpicker? What nonsense. ”

She faintly withdrew her gaze and turned to look at the person who had been standing next to her for some time.

The visitor was dressed in a bronzed brocade with dark patterns, a black placket embroidered with golden lotus flowers, and long inky hair pulled up casually with an ivory carved wooden hairpin. The eyes under the slender eyebrows are like a pool of thick ink that cannot be dissolved.

He was elegantly holding an ancient bamboo umbrella, and his whole body exuded a misty and elegant atmosphere. He looked at her, with a hint of a smile in the corner of his eyes, "In Xia Ruan Jing, although he is a little presumptuous, he has something to ask for the girl." ”

She closed her eyes coldly, and said lightly, "I'm afraid that the little woman can't do anything about your request, so you should go to someone else." ”

"But in this favor, only a girl in this world can help." He pursed his thin lips with a smile, but there was an extremely sharp light in his eyes, "I wonder if Miss Hai Ying can agree?" ”

She raised the paper umbrella slightly, revealing her thin chin, and he was stunned, but still smiled, his eyes rippling with a gentle wave.

Hai Hotaru lowered her head, hiding the surprise in her eyes without a trace, and her tone was moist with a light rain, like a white lotus slowly blooming in the rain, "I know, please tell me." ”

"I want you to open a lock." The corners of his mouth curled indifferently, and his jade-like face was like an immortal who was not stained with wind and dust.

Her steps paused, closed her eyes, and refused without hesitation, "It's a pity that my Hai clan has disappeared into the world more than ten years ago and will not come back to the mountain. ”

His expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected this result for a long time, "But, if it were you, as the heir of the Hai clan, you would definitely be able to open it." ”

Her tone was as cold as ever, "If you are from the General's Mansion, then it's a pity, we civilians just want to live in peace." ”

"General's Mansion?" She heard sharp words come out of his mouth: "It's just a bunch of foolish and delusional rabble." ”

Her eyebrows raised as if suspicious, and she looked at him with a smile between her eyebrows

Approached her a little mysteriously, "Do you know the lock spirit?" ”

"Lock Lingzi......" Her expression froze slightly, but then she lowered her eyebrows and smiled, "That lock turned into a human, it's just a legend, could it be that Childe came to me because he took it seriously?" ”

He smiled dumbly, raised his arm and said to her, "Could it be that the girl thinks that she is just imitating the ancients?" In this world, it seems that he has long forgotten about the lock spirit. ”

The sound of rain is dashing, and the vast distant mountains are misty. I don't know where to play the mournful flute, floating in the air with the dark fragrance, the sound of the flute is melancholy and whispering, sighing that the return date is lonely. He stood in the rain alley, holding the quaint bamboo umbrella, the drizzle moistened his long figure, and the lines were misty as if they did not exist in the mortal world, he had been silent, and his slender eyebrows and eyes seemed to contain endless sadness.

After a while, she slowly spoke, "Who knows the truth and falsehood, I don't believe in ghosts, but I don't deny their existence." ”

His eyebrows and eyes suddenly lit up, shining like stars, "Do you want to believe me?" ”

She turned away silently, and the light rain hid her thin and elegant figure. He watched her fade away silently, standing in place for a long time.

Three days later.

There was already a slight light in the sky, but it still couldn't hide the night that the green mountains were looking forward to. Dawn is approaching, and the damp air that has gathered overnight on the roadside slowly condenses into dewdrops, rushing towards people with a slight chill.

Hai Ying carried a simple lantern and stepped on the stone steps slowly, she was still the plain green cheongsam, her eyebrows and eyes were exquisite, but they were as clear as spring water.

It seemed like a long, long walk, through the meadows, through the jungle, from flat to bumpy, from road to roadless, until she came to a place where she stopped.

It was very dark and hidden, and she leaned down and walked slowly, there was an open clearing and a stone cliff, and the stone door was full of hideous thorns and dead grass, but the long bronze lock was still as bright as new, and firmly held the stone door shut.

She stretched out her white, delicate fingers, and her fingertips touched the cold lock.

"You're still here, I've been waiting for you."

The low voice seemed to come from another world, and she followed the sound to look at the tree on the side, and saw him sleeping on his side on the tree with his arms on his pillow, his long hair fluttering in the wind in the hazy night, like a butterfly flying in the morning.

"I need to know that you want to open yourself up for reasons to do this." She walked under the tree, raised her eyes, and looked at him.

He opened his eyes, sat up, met her cold gaze, and his eyes were softly bent, "Because I'm lonely." ”

This lock has been forgotten for a long time.

For hundreds of years, he continued to absorb aura and transform into a human form.

And it is precisely because of dependence that there is expectation.

"A lot of times, I always ask myself what is the reason for my human form, but the more I ask myself, the more scared I am to know." He looked into the distance, his black eyes glazed by the rising sun

"I wanted to just go to sleep, but waking up is also a change in the world." But ......"

His misty eyes suddenly turned grim, he turned over and jumped down from the tree, his clear and handsome face instantly became solemn and cold, and he desperately pulled her into his arms and quickly turned to the back of the tree.

He looked at her questioning eyes with a little apologies and whispered, "Someone is coming." ”

Sure enough, there was a rustling sound of grass and trees under the mountain, and it didn't take long for it to come here clearly, the footsteps were not messy, Hai Ying couldn't help frowning, the green mountains stretched for hundreds of miles, the forest was deep and secluded, and the traces of people were rare, not to mention that this was an extremely secret place, except for the Hai clan, almost no one could find it here for hundreds of years. What are these people......

The five armored generals climbed up breathlessly, and after seeing the stone gate, they couldn't help but have their eyes lit up, and they flew to the front of the stone gate, their eyes were ecstatic, but they didn't dare to take a step forward, and they all looked timidly at a soldier led by them.

The soldiers at the head were wearing dark green military uniforms that were different from everyone else, and their tailors were extremely slender, Fang Jun's face had a hint of unruly domineering, he looked at Shimen fixedly, and finally hooked his thin lips.

"Ah, finally found it! Right here! Sure enough, the general is very bold! The others finally let go of their scruples and began to ramble on compliments.

"Quick, let him come!"

A soldier shouted impatiently, "You should hurry up!" We don't have that much time! ”

"Ah...... The little one is coming, please wait, the people are old, and the legs and feet are not good......" A hoarse old voice came from below, accompanied by an intermittent coughing sound.

Hai Ying's eyes suddenly swooped, and her slightly pursed lips turned pale.

"What's wrong?" He was keenly aware of her abnormality, Hai Hotaru squeezed his arm tightly, looked at the old man who slowly appeared from below, and his voice trembled "Grandpa......"

The leader of the soldiers said to the old man, "You came here voluntarily in place of your granddaughter, your Hai clan has been the best locksmith for generations, and now that the situation is turbulent, it is time to take it out and serve the country." I hope you understand my painstaking efforts. If you don't, I'll only be able to find your granddaughter, you know what I'm trying to say. ”

"Yes, the villain understands."

The old man was already old and sick, but he still walked to the stone door, looked at the chain, caressed, took out the tools and tried them in turn, and after a long time he sighed deeply, and said regretfully, "It's a pity, I can't do anything." ”

"What?!" The people began to explode angrily, and lifted the old man's thin body, "You are the best locksmith, can't you even open it?!" ”

The old man coughed bitterly, and said breathlessly, "This lock is specially made...... Now there is no one in the world to open it......"

"Rubbish!"

They violently pushed the old man away, and gritted his teeth around the stone gate, "I don't believe in evil, how difficult it is to open this broken lock, can't you smash it open!" ”

After hearing this, Hai Hotaru wanted to break free of Ruan Jing

Ruan Jing shook his head and said with a smile, "It's okay, I'll be fine." ”

"But...... But......" She watched with some impatience as they picked up the stones, her eyes full of worry.

"It's okay, it's just human." He still smiled very gently, slowly hugged her thin body, buried his head in her hair, and whispered in a low voice as if with a vow, "Everything is with me... Leave it all to me......"

The faint voice was as warm as a breeze, making her involuntarily fall into that tenderness and gradually lose consciousness.

She didn't know when she woke up, and in her familiar bed, she felt like she had a long dream.

After being stunned for a while, she jumped out of bed as if she had just woken up from a dream and opened the door in a panic.

"Grandpa, grandpa......" She searched around until she saw grandpa still sitting in the study.

"Grandpa......" she straightened her hair and walked towards him.

Grandpa didn't seem to hear her voice, still quietly holding the brush, leaning back in the chair, looking calm and peaceful, as if he was asleep.

"Grandpa......?" She whispered softly, but there was still a suffocating silence.

(End of chapter)

(Education 123 Literature Network)