"Pretending... Seal you?" I don't understand the god of Zhongshan in front of me.

"Yes, he said that he pretended to catch me with a chain, and then took me to the altar, and put a few useless charms on the altar, and told me to hover above it while he was chanting, and when the wind was strong, he would stop, and he could tell that the people who could not see me had successfully sealed me. Candle Yin said.

"Is this demon slayer helping you?" Tsubaki asked, "Could it be that you just want to add one more successful seal to your demon slayer career?"

"That's what I thought before," said Candle Yin, "but considering that it wasn't a big deal, it would be nice to leave in time if I felt that the situation was wrong, so I did as he said, and got into the chain, walked to the altar, and circled not only to form a huge wind, and sure enough, the people who watched believed that I had been sealed on the altar, and one by one they first thanked the demons, and then apologized to me, and finally left one by one, and the matter was over." ”

Tsubaki and I looked at each other, and she had the same question in her eyes as I did.

"Aren't you been—" As soon as I opened my mouth, I was covered by Xiao Zhao, who jumped up, and she shook her head at me with a determined expression.

Candle Yin didn't notice Xiaozhao's abnormal behavior, just immersed in his own memories.

"I thought that this demon slayer would leave after the sealing performance," said Candle Yin, "but instead of leaving, he stayed in Zhongshan, and built a small house not far from the altar, although he had to go out from time to time to help people get rid of demons, but most of the time he stayed by my side, greeting me every day, telling me what he saw outside, he was a very interesting person." ”

"Why did this person do this?" asked Xiao Zhao this time.

"I don't know, one day I asked him, why do you live in such a deserted place, guess what he said?" Candle Yin blinked mischievously when he said this, "He said, because he knows that Zhongshan has a lonely mountain god, who always likes to run out at night and forget to come back, just to take a look at the lights of ten thousand homes, although this god is a god, but he has no ability, and his heart is soft, if he doesn't get it, he will be captured by a demon exterminator, then Zhongshan's life will be affected." ”

Xiao Zhao silently did not speak.

"He actually said that I, the mountain god, have no ability!" said Candle Yin, "Do you think he has no one in sight?" I was not happy when I heard it, and immediately showed him the skill of making the seed sprout and blossom in an instant. But he was not surprised at all, and he had the audacity to hit me on the head with his hand, saying that even if I had this skill, I would be targeted by many demon exterminators, Zhongshan was a treasure trove of medicinal materials, and greedy people would use me to change the cycle of life in the mountain, and Zhongshan would soon be exhausted. ”

Candle Yin can say so much to me when we meet for the first time, and I feel that the demon slayer is really prescient.

"So, he's here to protect you?" Tsubaki asked.

Candle Yin nodded, "At first, I thought he was exaggerating, but later I found out that there are really a lot of people who are worried about Zhongshan herbs, and many demon exterminators are also colluding with them, but fortunately, he has taken the trouble to remind me again and again, and help me repel those guys who come to harass." When there was nothing to do, he chatted with me, told me where the lights were most beautiful at night, and even secretly went to see the night view with me. Haha, now that I think about it, he's really a powerful demon slayer, and I've always relied on others, and this is the first time someone wants to protect me. At this, it laughed happily.

That's right, it's the same as the smile in the mirror.

"Didn't he say when he first learned about your existence?" asked again, and I saw her eyes red.

The sky gradually darkened, and the lights were lit not far away, and there was a singing sound that seemed to be absent.

I suddenly understood the purpose of Xiao Zhao bringing me here.

"When I first asked him, he never said it, but that didn't stop us from becoming good friends, he helped me manage Zhongshan, protected the life here from invading, and also helped me communicate with the people what I perceived, such as to prevent locust plagues, which family's fields were sick but the farmers didn't find out, and people quickly began to trust him," Candle Yin's smiling face faded away with the memory, "But happy times are always short, aren't they?"

This time, none of us spoke.

"He lived to be seventy years old, which is not short in human beings, right? He was in good health until he died, and I should be happy for him, right?" Candle Yin seemed to ask himself, "On the day he left, he told me that the reason why he came to me was because I once met him who was lost in the night, and he also liked the stars and lights at night, but he accidentally went too far and lost his way home, and he said that from the moment I brought him home, he swore to be by my side one day." ”

"What did you tell him that night to make him make this decision?" said Xiao Zhao asked a slightly strange question.

"It took me a long time to remember that night," said Candleshade, "and I asked him that night why a little kid could run so far at night, and he said that because he could see things that no one else could see, no one could understand him, except the stars. ”

"Stars?" Tsubaki asked.

"Well, the stars. He said that the reason why the stars twinkle is because when he is powerless, he is as lonely as he is every time he is not understood. "And I told him that the star twinkles not only because it is lonely, but because it is only by twinkling that one can find another one that shines at a similar frequency to himself." ”

And before he died, he gave you an answer again. Xiaozhao jumped off the altar and cleared the weeds beside the altar.

Tsubaki and I walked over, and a small tombstone stood there.

"When the stars of finding a partner shine together, they can light the way to the future for more people. Tsubaki whispered, "Ye Ke, today is that person's death day." ”

I know, and Tsubaki gets it.

"Lord Zhong Shanshen, do you remember everything?" Xiao Zhao said, "This year is the one hundred and seventh year since he left, I promised him to take you to see the lights of human beings every summer, but this year I can't wake you up, you have slept too deep for too long, I have no choice but to find a ghostwriter Ye Ke who is much stronger than me, he will definitely be able to wake you up." ”

Candle Yin looked at Xiaozhao, "But, I'm sealed, and I can't leave here." ”

"It's just a show," Tsubaki said, her eyes flushed, "what you just told us..."

"A play," Candle Yin muttered to herself, "but I can't leave here, and I promised to stay with him all the time." ”

"You're just... You're just in a dream now, and of course you can leave the altar," I said, "no, you can fly?"

Zhongshan God, you are not sealed by the spell of the demon slayer, but by your own reluctance to give up on the human race...

"Yes, Lord Mountain God, you are just in a dream, don't worry so much, fly up, and the fireworks not far away have been lit. "Xiaozhao is very clever and cooperates with me.

Tsubaki was already biting her lip and couldn't speak.

The god of Zhongshan, who was already old and forgetful, stepped on the ground with his foot in disbelief, and the red serpentine dragon rose into the air.

"Sure enough, it's in a dream..."Candle Yin was a little overjoyed, turned to the tombstone and said, "I'll go and see the lights for you, and come back to tell you about it, so that you won't be alone." ”

As soon as the words fell, the wind suddenly rose, Tsubaki and I lost our eyes, Xiaozhao was almost blown away, and when I opened my eyes, the serpentine dragon more than a meter long had turned into a giant dragon, stepping on auspicious clouds, hovering very high above our heads.

The god of Zhongshan, with a body like a snake, a face like a human, a body of thousands of miles, and a red body, is indeed a very majestic god.

"Thank you, Xiaozhao. "Thank you too, the ghostwriter named Ye Ke, and the moonlit cat." ”

After that, it stepped on the clouds, its posture was vigorous, and its face was full of smiles, and it flew towards the lights in front of it.

"Can you believe it? This is an old dragon with amnesia. Xiao Zhaozheng happily recorded this moment in the mirror.

"So, you already knew that Candleshade had forgotten that she wasn't sealed?" I asked, looking at the dragon flying away in the sky.

"Well, Zhong Shan God has a gentle personality and loves human beings, that is, because of this, I have been trapped for many years, my name was given to me by the demon exterminator, every year I will come here on the day of the demon exterminator's death, and play a play to help Zhong Shanshen remember the past, so that he can see his favorite ten thousand lights. Xiao Zhao said, "This can be regarded as the last wish of the demon exterminator, he has already told people that Zhongshan God is just an ordinary mountain god." ”

"You're all drama spirits. I laughed.

"But what's going on with the lights not far away?" asked Tsubaki, blowing her nose, "It feels like there's some big festival, and it's very lively." ”

"The local people and monsters also know that the god of Zhongshan has been asleep, so every year at the end of the summer night will hold a temple fair for a month, this month of night singing and lights are constantly burning, everyone will pray for the blessing of Zhongshan, so that once the god of Zhongshan wakes up, you can see its favorite lights of ten thousand homes. "Of course, for most people, it's just a bedtime story that has been passed down from generation to generation, and now it's a local festival." ”

The sky not far away is lit up by lights, and the dragon hovering in the sky will fall asleep again after a happy night, and tomorrow it will be believed that it was just a sweet dream last night, and it will be held back by the past and unable to leave the altar.

"It's a bit of a pity," Tsubaki said, "If this mountain god can wake up completely and remember the past, then he won't be trapped here." ”

"Some memories will only bring regret if you think about them," I said, "and sweet dreams should be happier for candle shades, after all, you may be able to see the people you want to see in your dreams, otherwise it will not always choose to sleep." ”

"But if you keep sleeping, Zhongshan will always be desolate. Tsubaki said.

"Not really," I turned Tsubaki's head in the direction of the mountain, "Look, doesn't the awakened Zhongshan also form the picture scroll of this night?"

That night, the originally desolate Zhongshan was draped in lush green at the moment when the candle was flying, and the life in the mountains and fields was re-energized, blooming colorful flowers under the twinkling starlight, and the warm and bright lights not far away overshadowed the light of the stars, the orange lights and songs continued all night long, and above the lights, a red dragon hovered in the sky, unwilling to leave for a long time.

It's as if you're listening to someone tell an interesting story.

(End of chapter)