Qiao's ancestral hall was burned down and turned into ashes, not only the ancestral hall that had existed for many years was gone, but when the ancestral hall turned into a sea of fire and turned into ruins, it seemed that the sacred and undesecrated temple in the hearts of the villagers of Qiaojia Village collapsed, and the invisible mantra that constrained their thoughts, souls, words and deeds disappeared.

Qiao Baocai, as the village chief of Qiaojia Village and the patriarch of the Qiao clan, when he saw that the Qiao ancestral hall was engulfed in flames, when he did not let the fire go out through shouts and anger, on the contrary, the fire became bigger and bigger, he held the crutches tightly, and the crutches were tightly on the ground, trying his best to make him stand firm, but his expression could not hide the disappointment and helplessness in his heart, it seemed that everyone burned down not only an ancestral hall, but also his once convincing spirit, authority and arbitrary and domineering.

The ancestral hall is gone, the villagers are scattered, they no longer care about what Qiao Xiaojing has done in the provincial capital, they no longer care about what punishment the mother-killing mud baby will receive, and how to live alone in the future, they don't care about Qiao Baocai, who dare not say that he has the ability to call the wind and rain in Qiaojia Village, but he is also an invincible Qiao Baocai, they don't care whether he is dead or alive, and they don't care about his joys, sorrows, and sorrows......

And Qiao Baocai's heart seemed to be fully discharged, and he no longer asked why Qiao Xiaojing was outside the ancestral hall when he was on fire, nor did he ask how big the sin of killing his mother was, nor did he ask why his son Qiao Shuangxi would advance and retreat with Qiao Xiaojing, he didn't seem to be paying attention to anything, in other words, it seemed that there was nothing that could arouse his interest.

Qiao Xiaojing, Qiao Shuangxi, and Niwa were dressed in the heavy night, with the sound of horns ringing in their ears, and embarked on the way back, everything seemed so tragic, so urgent, but so quiet.

The mountains and rivers are secluded, and the wind sweeps the mountains and rivers to make a whirring sound, just like the sound of a rhinoceros horn blown on the ancient battlefield.

Descending the hillside, Qiao Xiaojing and the three of them soon came to a deep valley, and from a distance, they saw three black shadows moving constantly, like notes on a staff drawn with thick lines.

The three of them were silent, one foot deep and one shallow foot through the valley, and in the middle of the night the sky revealed a faint moonlight, and this moonlight flowed from under their feet, spreading over the uneven valleys and ravines, half desolate and half quiet.

I don't know how long they walked, but when the mountains and ravines appeared in front of them with a damp cool air, the sky was already slightly bright. With the help of this light, they could see very closely, the earth and rocks on the ground could be clearly seen, and they could also see far away, although the mountain in the distance had not yet revealed its delicate edges and corners, as if wrapped in a black veil, but the way up the mountain was ahead.

"Over that mountain," Qiao Xiaojing pointed to the mountain in front of her, and said to Qiao Shuangxi and Niwa, "You can see the county seat, I don't want to take a detour, let's take a shortcut, although the mountain road is difficult." ”

"Sister, listen to you, go up the mountain, I'm not afraid!" The mud baby bypassed Qiao Shuangxi and trotted to Qiao Xiaojing's side.

Qiao Shuangxi didn't make a sound, looked at the distant mountains, and nodded slightly.

Soon Qiao Xiaojing, Niwa and Qiao Shuangxi came to the foot of the mountain, they did not stop, and climbed up the mountain as if they were walking in the valley. The surrounding area of this mountain is uninhabited, and there are very few people passing through this place, they all walk along the bottom of the mountain, and there is no road to go through the mountain, but in order to avoid detours, they can only climb with difficulty, gritting their teeth and persevering.

Finally came to the halfway up the mountain, the sky was already bright, Qiao Xiaojing, Niwa and Qiao Shuangxi all stopped, they all looked back behind them, and saw that the rocks and ditches at the foot of the mountain were so far away and so small, and saw that the road had disappeared in the ravine, a pale yellow, Qiao Xiaojing couldn't help but sigh: "There is a person living in the mountain, it is like a hundred years." ”

"This is the state of mind of people, I really don't know if there are also people's state of mind in the mountains and deep valleys? This place is really lonely and desolate! If it weren't for the yearning in our hearts, who would run to this kind of place for the sake of enjoying the mountains and rivers, but the mountains and ravines have taken root here for many years, the wind and the sun are blowing, the rain and the frost are really incredible!" Qiao Shuangxi is like an old man.

"What's wrong here?" the mud baby didn't agree with Qiao Shuangxi's point of view, he stretched out his arms and sighed with a smile, "To paraphrase a passage from the villain's book, but not the original words, the endless mountains are like jumping notes, and the winding ravines are long dragons dancing on the notes. Take a good look, how spectacular, how magical, how beautiful!"

"The wind blows, it's cool, let's climb the mountain a lot easier, with the help of this cool energy, let's hurry up and cross the mountains, the sun will rise in a while, and it will be difficult to climb the mountain." Qiao Xiaojing took a deep breath.

"We should climb the mountain as soon as possible, climb to the top of the mountain as soon as possible, and when the sun comes out, we will go all the way downhill. Niwa agreed with Qiao Xiaojing's statement, wiped the sweat on her face, brushed the hair stuck on her face upward, and began to climb up the mountain.

After about another hour, after uninterrupted efforts, Qiao Xiaojing, Niwa and Qiao Shuangxi finally defeated the mountain under their feet and finally stood on the highest point of this mountain.

The wind on the top of the mountain was very strong, and their clothes were rustling and their hair was messy, but they still enjoyed the wind on the top of the mountain, which instantly dispelled the fatigue caused by climbing the mountain, and made them feel refreshed and relaxed.

"Standing here, I also have a feeling of 'being at the top of the mountain, looking at the mountains', it seems that the realm has changed. Qiao Xiaojing is like a child with her eyes closed, stretching out her arms to embrace the magic of nature affectionately, bathing in the strong cool breeze.

"Okay poetess, let's hurry, don't get a cold for a while. In fact, what Qiao Shuangxi is really worried about is not that he is susceptible to cold, but that he is worried about his comrades-in-arms in the city, especially those who have gone out of Qiaojia Village with noses and cigarette bags.

"You've just climbed the mountain, and before you have a good rest, you're going to leave again. "The mud baby is still a child after all.

"Let's go, get down this hill, follow the road, and it won't be long before you'll be on the road into the city. When Qiao Xiaojing said this, the scene of being escorted back to the village by the villagers that day suddenly came to mind......

Descending the mountain is indeed much faster than going up, and soon the three of them came to the avenue, but the mud baby suddenly said to Shuangxi: "I seem to hear someone shouting, do you hear it?"

Qiao Shuangxi and Qiao Xiaojing were silent, looking around, neither hearing the shouting nor seeing the figure.

"Maybe I heard it, it's early in the morning, how can there be people in this place?" said the mud baby lightly.

The three of them no longer cared whether they were shouting or not, but just rushed forward.

"I feel like someone is calling us, did you hear that?" Qiao Shuangxi stopped and listened intently, but the wind was too strong and the ears were whistling, so it was difficult to listen carefully.

Qiao Xiaojing and the mud baby also stopped, looking around and trying to listen to the sound outside the wind.

"I seem to hear it, too, as if someone is actually shouting. Qiao Xiaojing also heard the shouting this time.

Strangely, the voice disappeared, and they didn't see anyone. So, Qiao Xiaojing decided to stop hurrying for the time being, find a place to hide first, and see what she would find.

A few minutes later, Qiao Xiaojing and the others faintly heard the sound of footsteps, and the footsteps became more and more obvious and more and more urgent, but due to the curvature of the mountain road, they could not see who the footsteps were for the time being.

Qiao Xiaojing and the others hid behind the mound of dirt on the side of the road, poked their heads out, stared at the voice, and soon saw a young man dressed as a peasant in the countryside, running over in a panic. The man ran over the mound and looked ahead, slowing his pace, followed by a restless look on his face.

"Where have you gone, faster than a horse?" the young man lamented in disappointment, looking ahead.

"Why don't I test it and see where he comes from?" Qiao Shuangxi thought he would meet this young man.

"He's supposed to be alone, and you should be able to handle it. This person is dressed, behaves in words and deeds, does not look like a bad person, you have to control your emotions and understand the situation first. Qiao Xiaojing agreed that Qiao Shuangxi would meet this young man.

"Hey, little brother, are you looking for someone?" Qiao Shuangxi suddenly appeared behind the young man.

"I, I, I'm passing, I'm just lost. The young man was taken aback by Qiao Shuangxi's sudden appearance.

"No, you're obviously chasing three people, why don't you dare to admit it?" Qiao Shuangxi glanced at him with disdain.

"You're mistaken, I'm not chasing anyone. Passing by here, the mountains and ravines are deep, and I just want to inquire about it. The young man became much calmer, and after he finished speaking, he smiled at Qiao Xiaojing, and wanted to walk down the mountain.

"Wait, I can see very clearly, you must be chasing two men and a woman. Ah Zi further probed.

"I'm sorry, I'm still on my way, I don't know what you're talking about. The young man looked and spoke very naturally.

"I think the person you're looking for must be a woman, just coming from that valley, and I happen to be on the same road as her. Qiao Xiaojing felt that the young man in front of him should be looking for Qiao Xiaojing, there might be something important, so he made his words clearer, he knew that if this person was weird, three people against one, they were the one who won the big side.

The young man hesitated for a moment, looked around, and found that Qiao Shuangxi was the only one, and suddenly shook his head.

"Did you see that we were missing two?" Qiao Xiaojing smiled and walked out from behind the mound.

"It's really you!" said the young man with a smile as he pulled something out of the seam of his trousers, "I still wonder what I am, I saw you early, and chased after you on horseback, and you walked and chased farther and farther!"

As soon as the words fell, the young man took out a letter from the crack of his pants, exchanged a few words, and handed it to Qiao Xiaojing.