In winter, the cold wind is blowing, on the desolate snowfield, two black dots are slowly advancing, and in the sky, the white sun is scattering the sun, and it seems to climb to the highest point of the sky as if fleeing.

It has been ten years since I left Liangdu City, and I have been safe and sound all the way, and now I am still half a day away from the next city.

Because it was winter, there were snow-capped mountains and forests, white plains, white horizons, and white sky domes all along the way.

I didn't see the different scenery I was looking forward to, and Mo Bai himself became a beautiful and eye-catching scenery in the eyes of others.

At lunchtime, Mo Bai got out of the carriage and took care of the pale Mo Ying.

The puppet dragon man stood in front of Mo Ying and Mo Bai, blocking the greedy wolf's crazy gaze for the two.

Gongsun Changquan was eating dry food mixed with pickles, and his eyes glanced at the carriage behind him from time to time, but the cloak of the puppet dragon man was too big to be able to see half of his true face.

"Master, aren't you tired of watching?"

Gongsun Changquan retracted his eyes stupidly, glared at the servant viciously, scolded and pinched: "It's all your fault, you peep at people every day, and now it's like a wolf!" ”

"I ......"

"What are you, eat your meal," Gongsun Changquan interrupted him, "After eating, continue on your way!" ”

“……”

The journey to Kyoto was long, and Mobai spent most of his time sitting in a carriage doing nothing.

Mo Ying was a little uncomfortable with the bumps of the carriage, whenever her head was dizzy and couldn't stand it, she would lean on Mo Bai and fall asleep.

In the carriage, Zhao Qingsong looked at the ink warbler who was sleeping on Mo Bai's legs, and sighed and said, "I didn't expect Miss Mo to get motion sickness." ”

Mo Bai gently rubbed the acupuncture points on Mo Ying's brain, hoping that she would feel better in her sleep.

People who have never sat before will indeed feel uncomfortable for the first time, let alone this kind of short distance to adapt to relaxation and go directly on a long journey.

But now it's been ten years, from the rugged mountain road to the gradual plain, the bumps on the road are not very serious, and the ink warbler has not yet adapted, and is still very dizzy.

Probably there is really no rich life.

All Mo Bai could do was to shield her senses as much as possible, so that she wouldn't feel the bumps when she was sleeping.

Fingers ran over Mo Ying's hair, Mo Bai helped her comb her hair, after that snow mountain hot spring bath, Mo Ying's skin faded yellow, looking white and smooth.

Delicate eyebrows, small nose, cherry mouth, cute earlobes, the girl's own appearance is very online, and the apricot eyes that are not mixed with filth are even clearer and thorough, but the living conditions are not good, so the face is yellow and thin.

Now, it's still very thin, like a bamboo pole.

Obviously she is still developing, but her body has not grown much, as if time has stopped in her, and she no longer has the slightest arc increase.

"Mr. Mo really takes good care of Miss Mo." Zhao Qingsong's face reminisced, and he said with a smile: "Obviously, before I came out, I was still taken care of by Miss Mo in everything. ”

Have it? Mo Bai tilted his head.

The sleeping ink warbler snorted softly, as if in a nightmare, and her eyebrows furrowed together. Mo Bai gently stroked her eyebrows, soothing the restlessness, and smoothed her eyebrows.

……

The cold wind is blowing, and the sky is frozen.

Outside the inn, a little girl in cotton clothes sat on the steps, drooling from the corners of her mouth, and her chin was full of air-dried saliva marks. Her eyes were dull and her expression was glazed, and she looked at the pedestrians coming and going on the street, not knowing what she was thinking.

"Go and go!"

The shopkeeper ran out with a broom and scolded and pinched, he waved the broom, and the broom swept over the side of the little girl, but it didn't hit her.

The shopkeeper looked fierce, his eyes were full of disgust, and he expelled: "Go aside, block the business!" ”

The little girl's sluggish face suddenly panicked, she didn't slap her ass clean when she stood up, and she snorted the saliva at the corner of her mouth, "Ahh

A trace of pain flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes, and he relentlessly broomed, "Don't block business here!" ”

The little girl fled in fear, hid in the alley of the neighborhood, and waited until the shopkeeper looked around and returned to the store with a broom, and quietly touched it back, sat on the steps, and continued to look at the street in a daze.

"Sir, will you stay here tonight?"

The two carriages outside the inn stopped, Gongsun Changquan looked up at the signboard hanging in front of the inn, and caught a glimpse of the little girl sitting on the steps not far away.

It's silly, but it's cute.

He turned around and asked Zhao Qingsong, who got out of the car: "Mr. Zhao, how about we stay here tonight?" ”

Zhao Qingsong also noticed the little girl who behaved strangely, didn't care much, and replied: "Lord Gongsun can arrange it." ”

"Huh? Xiaobai, we have arrived? ”

Mo Ying had just been woken up to recover her senses, her legs and feet were a little floating after getting out of the car, she couldn't control her balance, plus her head was a little dizzy, and her pace was twisted like a clumsy Yangge, as if she was going to fall down in the next moment.

Helpless, she could only rely on Mo Bai, panting sickly.

Mo Bai glanced at the signboard of the inn, this should be the place where they stayed tonight.

He replied, "Here it is." ”

Mo Ying covered her empty stomach and said in a broken thought: "Hungry, when will you eat?" ”

Zhao Qingsong happened to hear Mo Ying's words, turned his head to look at her, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, Miss Mo, when we settle down, it's dinner time." ”

Mo Ying leaned on Mo Bai's shoulder, and said in a weak voice, "Hmm...... Xiaobai, I want to eat baked cakes, hot. ”

Mo Bai nodded, and helped Mo Ying into the inn.

……

It was getting late, and on a cold winter day, the weather at dusk was particularly gloomy, and after sunset, the cold wind gusted on the dark streets, and the street market, which was alive one moment, fell into a gray dead silence the next.

Pedestrians are scarce and in a hurry.

Dolls and dragons walk through the market, and their wide cloaks attract many vendors and passers-by.

They cast a curious gaze, but unfortunately the effect of the hooded cloak was excellent, tight, and meticulous, so that they could not see a single face.

The puppet dragon man stopped in front of a baked cake shop.

"The stall is closed," the owner of the bakery waved his hand and said, "Today's baked cakes are finished." ”

The puppet dragon man reached out and pointed to the remaining dough on the table.

"Don't do it, close the stall!" The baked cake shop waved its hand.

It's very cold in winter, and it takes a quarter of an hour to earn a few pennies more, so it's better to close the stall and go home to roast the fire.

The puppet dragon man throws a golden leaf.

"Gold, gold?"

The owner of the baked cake shop looked at the gold leaf that fell in the palm of his hand with shocked eyes, put it to his mouth and bit it.

"Really, really?!" He immediately smiled: "This master, wait a minute, the baked cake will be good soon!" ”

The puppet dragon man stretched out his hand and raised two fingers.

"Two biscuits?"

The owner of the baked cake shop smiled happily, this piece of gold leaf was more than he earned in a day's work, and he laughed loudly: "Okay, wait a minute, I'll make it for you, it's hot!" ”

After buying the baked cakes, the puppet dragon man returned to the inn.

On the steps outside the inn, the little girl was snorting at the corners of her mouth, it was already dinner time, but she was still sitting there, staring blankly at the street.

As if smelling the fragrance of baked cakes, the little girl's godless gaze suddenly had a little brilliance, and she looked at the bag in the puppet dragon man's hand.

Take out a steaming piece of baked cake, tear it open in half with the puppet dragon man, and hand it to the larger half of the little girl.

The little girl looked at the half of the baked cake handed over, and her saliva stopped dripping on the ground.

She stood up, glanced at the puppet dragon man, and instead of reaching for the pancake as expected, she ran up the street and disappeared into an unknown alley.

The hand-out pancakes were put back into the bag, and under the hood, there was no expression on the face of the puppet dragonman.

……

After eating the baked cakes and drinking some clear soup, Mo Ying rested for a while before recovering a little.

Mo Bai stood by the window, looking at the brightly lit city and was silent.

"Xiaobai, how long will it take to get to the capital?"

Mo Ying covered her forehead and walked to Mo Bai's side, the cold wind outside the window was biting, and her spirit suddenly trembled, her head was no longer dizzy, and her legs were not weak.

She shrank up and hugged her arms, hiding behind Mo Bai, "It's so cold, Xiaobai, aren't you cold?" ”

Mo Bai closed the wooden window, insulating the cold wind outside, and inside the house, the pale yellow candles were swaying.

It gets dark early in winter, but it's not bedtime yet, and the ink warbler is basically sleeping during the day, so it will definitely not be able to sleep at this time.

Zhao Qingsong arranged two rooms for them, but for safety, the three of them basically squeezed one room at a time.

Mo Ying didn't want to live separately from Mo Bai, the environment was unfamiliar, and she was afraid that it would be more comfortable to leave Mo Bai by her side, and besides, she was a little ashamed to talk about it in her heart.

As for the puppet dragon man, standing at the door and standby, it doesn't occupy a bed at all, so the three of them live in the same room and don't feel crowded at all.

Turning around and pulling Mo Ying back to the table and sitting down, Mo Bai said slowly: "Mr. said, it will take eight days at the earliest." ”

"Eight days, ......" Mo Ying's face was slightly pale, and when she thought of having to sit in the carriage for eight days, inexplicable dizziness suddenly appeared, her stomach turned over and over, and the baked cakes she had just eaten seemed to be about to come out.

Mo Bai approached her, put his fingertips on her eyebrows, and said softly, "Don't think about it." ”

Mo Ying's complexion gradually softened, and she opened her big eyes that were a little confused, staring at the handsome beauty that was close at hand.

I feel that Xiaobai has become handsome.

Is it a problem with the eyebrows?

I used to think it was soft and soft.

Right now...... It's hard up.

Time grinds and the night is dark.

"I'm sleeping inside."

Mo Ying, who was accustomed to the inside of the bed, consciously took off her shoes and went to bed, shrunk on the inside of the wooden bed, she blinked her eyes and looked at Mo Bai, who took off her coat and shoes, and lay on the outside of the bed.

Mo Bai didn't close his eyes, and Mo Ying kept staring at him.

I used to sleep upside down, but now I can't sleep, like an old mother, I don't close my eyes until Mobai sleeps.

Nothing was said all night.

Early in the morning of the second day.

The period from getting up to having breakfast is the best time of the day for Mo Ying.

Full of energy.

When leaving the inn, Mo Bai saw the little girl with saliva on the corner of her mouth again, she was sitting on the steps with her hands on her cheeks, looking at the street intently.

……

It's very boring to hurry, so every time he arrives in a city, Zhao Qingsong will ask some gonzo to make a seasoning for the boring carriage time.

"Young Master Mo, have you noticed the little girl outside the inn?" Zhao Qingsong's tone was slightly heavy.

Mo Bai realized that the matter about the little girl was different from the cheerful and interesting topics in the past.

He nodded and listened to Zhao Qingsong say slowly.

The little girl's name is Yueyue, originally a lively and cheerful child, the family was poor, and she couldn't afford to go to school, and she was sold to an inn by her family before she was three years old, and she worked as a part-time worker.

The little girl's smile is like a spring daisy, which is very popular with the guests, and many guests come to the inn just to see the little girl's warm smile.

And Yueyue's favorite thing to do on weekdays is to sit on the steps outside the inn when there are no guests, staring at the crowded street in a daze.

The innkeeper understood that Yueyue was waiting for her family to pick her up, and he didn't want to break the child's expectations, so he simply didn't care about it.

But who knows, the accident happened like this.

Yueyue was stupid, and she was poisoned by the guests.

The other party is a regular guest of the inn, often come to the inn to see the moon and the moon, after a long time, see the little girl born delicate, is a beauty embryo, the heart moved a crooked mind.

He handed the medicated baked cake to Yueyue, because he was a regular customer, Yueyue was defenseless and fell into the trap.

If it weren't for the shopkeeper who happened to go out and bumped into him, Yueyue would have been abducted and sold into the Qinglou.

The guest saw that the matter was revealed, and ran away up the mountain overnight to become a thief, and although Yueyue was rescued, her brain was broken and she became a fool, and she only knew to sit on the steps in a daze every day.

"The regular customer who went up to the mountain to be a thief, the first time he did this kind of unconscionable deed, he drugged too violently and poisoned an innocent little girl!"

Zhao Qingsong had a straight face, and his voice was gloomy, with both the disgust of the person who drugged it, and the sympathy for Yueyue's pitiful experience.

He looked indignant, clenched his fists, his shoulders trembled, and he changed his words and said, "What happened was such a loss of conscience, and Master Mo knew how the local government handled it?" ”

Mo Bai tilted his head.

"Since you have been a thief, it is difficult to chase!" Zhao Qingsong suppressed his emotions, "The official residence is in power, protect one side, there are thieves in the mountains and do not suppress them, and the people do not ask if they have grievances!" ”

Halfway through speaking, his face turned red, and his clenched fists couldn't help but pound the wall of the car.

"Does Mo Gongzi also think that person has entered the mountains and become a thief, and the government is really difficult to catch?"

Mo Bai moved his mouth and didn't speak.

Zhao Qingsong sneered to himself: "The local official uniforms have violently collected taxes and taxes several times, saying that they are used to beg thieves, but in fact they all fell into the pockets of bureaucrats and squires!" ”

The more Zhao Qingsong spoke, the more excited he became, and the more he spoke, the more angry he became.

The sleeping Mo Ying felt a little noisy and snorted uncomfortably.

Zhao Qingsong realized that his voice was a little loud, lost his temper, took a deep breath, and calmed down for a long time.

"Nowadays, there are thieves all over the place, and things like this are getting closer to Kyoto, the more frequent they are, and what's more, the government and thieves collude together to expropriate, burn, kill and loot!"

Mo Bai listened to Zhao Qingsong's speech along the way and had a general understanding of the current Yanguo.

The highest position, chasing immortals and seeking the Tao, wasted the emperor's industry.

Let the ministers below intrigue with each other, openly scolding the hostile strength with black hearts, and secretly comparing the more powerful ones with black hearts.

And most of the money collected below has gone into the emperor's own pocket, how can he chase immortals and seek Taoism without money?

Just the expenses of those Taoist priests raised in the capital are a bottomless pit, not to mention that they often ask for priceless items for alchemy.

Yan Guo, from beginning to end, from top to bottom.

It's all rotten, it's rotten.

But not unsaved.

……

In the days that followed, everyone hastened their way to the capital, because the weather was getting colder and colder, and they had to arrive in the capital before the heavy snow closed the road.

Day and night, the speed is faster, but it is bitter for Mo Ying.

"Xiaobai, I'm dizzy...... ...... vomit"

"Xiaobai, I'm so tired, I feel that my body is not my own, can I stop? Just stop for a moment...... ...... vomit"

"I can't do it, I can't do it, Xiaobai...... Leave me alone...... ...... vomit"

Mo Ying looks like life is worse than death.

Mo Bai was very distressed to see it, and Zhao Qingsong couldn't bear to look at it directly, so he took the initiative to give the carriage to the two of them and went to Gongsun Changquan's side by himself.

In order to reduce Mo Ying's pain, Mo Bai simply knocked her unconscious, so that she would not feel dizzy when she fell asleep.

Mo Ying hadn't eaten well in the past few days, and she vomited from time to time and vomited her stomach empty, so Mo Bai had to give her some residual energy.

Just one throw to Mo Ying is enough for her not to draw energy from food for a long time.

The night was deep, and tonight was a difficult sunny day, with bright stars in the sky and visible to the naked eye.

Mo Bai observed the stars in the sky through the gap in the car curtain, and the sleeping ink warbler with her lap on her pillow looked serene.

At night, there is silence, only the horses' hooves do not stop.

……