Long Dailan opened her eyes and saw a clear blue sky outside the window, and sparse white clouds were idly painted on the canopy. Scattered snowflakes fell softly in the sky, as if the wind could not be felt. This reminded her of the fluttering catkins that her father had seen when she took him to the garden to enjoy the flowers in the late spring, and she and her sisters cheered to catch those seeds and flowers from the air and hold them in the palms of their hands with a pair of immature hands. The scenes in her memory were warm and beautiful, but they were long gone from her, and now the palms of her hands were full of pain and torment.

Last night she had another dream, as usual, a nightmare. She dreamed that the child in her womb was born, a chubby little man, and she tried to sit up from the bed, trying to take the child in her arms and take a good look at it, kiss his little face, and suddenly a group of fierce and vicious soldiers in full armor rushed in and snatched the child from her arms, and let her fall to the ground and cry sadly, but they still walked away. The backs of the soldiers were all draped in cloaks embroidered with gold circles and ears of wheat.

She stroked her abdomen, and my baby was still there. It was just a dream. She struggled to look up, a little dizzy. Yu Jian was sitting on the edge of the fireplace, his head bowed and wiping his sword with an oilcloth, the dragon marks were exquisitely sharp and radiant.

"When?" she remembered going upstairs after dinner last night, closing the window and getting ready for bed, the fire warm for her to dream* wounds. She fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed, and she didn't know how long she slept.

"Dragon time. You slept soundly. Yu Jian gave her a big smile, which made her feel some relief. But there is no sweet taste in dreams. He picked up a white porcelain bowl from the fireplace and walked towards her, "Ginger soup, drink it while it's hot." ”

She tried to sit up, but found that she was weak and had no strength, he came over, helped her, touched her body, and cringed a little. He served the soup in a white porcelain spoon embroidered with blue patterns, but did not bring it to her mouth. "Can you do it yourself? Do you want me to help you?" ”

Seeing that he looked a little uncomfortable, she couldn't help but laugh. She suddenly felt as if she hadn't felt happy in a long time. It was the first time in her adult life that she had spent a night in a room with a man other than her husband. She should be embarrassed because this is not a normal thing, even if this man is her teacher, her closest friend. This kind of thing should not have happened to her, who had received the best education in the kingdom and knew proper manners. But now she felt relaxed. Even though my heart is still painful, and the pain is so painful that the whole person is about to be shattered, but calmly.

She heard herself say, "Yes, you help me." ”

It's incredible.

Yu Jian was obviously relaxed, his movements were light and slow, and he sent the soup to her mouth one by one, carefully not letting it splash on her body until the whole bowl was drunk.

"Have you decided where we're going?" Yu Jian put the soup bowl on the wooden cabinet in front of the bed.

"I remember you had a plan. ”

"But that requires your approval. ”

"I approved. She laughed. Again.

"Then I'll ask the cook to cook something for you, you ate too little yesterday, you can't be like this all the time, you're not the only one hungry." There was joy on his face.

The walls and floor of the guest room were made of wood, and she suddenly noticed some cracks in the wall and floor next to the fireplace, which didn't seem to be the case when she came in yesterday. Although this room is a little damp and needs to be opened to dissipate the musty smell, it is not shabby. She wanted to ask something, but he closed the door and went downstairs.

The couch was empty, the blanket he slept on was gone, and the big package he had on his back. While she was asleep, something seemed to have happened.

When she got dressed and went downstairs, breakfast was already on the table, two large bowls of boiled noodles, covered with a poached egg, and a bowl of radish soup. Yu Jian glanced at her, signaling safety, and she started eating.

The innkeeper still looked like he was ignoring her, he glanced at her, then at Yu Jian, and then pretended to look down at the account book, and the corners of his eyes were raised from time to time to look around. Presumably this is another suspicious man.

She felt hungry and ate a little wolfing. This is not a lady. But thinking of the word lady, she couldn't help laughing at herself in her heart, she was no longer a noble princess, just a fugitive, a superfluous person who was ignored by her uncle and aunt and her husband's family, why should she be a lady gentlely? She found that Yu Jian was staring in the direction of the boss from time to time, he ate very slowly, and seemed to be a little anxious. So she ate the noodles as fast as she could, and drank the soup. Yu Jian still had half a bowl left, but he put down his chopsticks, took out a golden circle, and knocked it on the table: "Boss, are all the things I want ready?"

The boss came over, pinched the gold circle, put it in his hand and rubbed it: "Of course." That's a simple thing. He pointed to the corner by the door: "It's all there, not a lot, but I've given it to you as much as I can, and we'll use it ourselves." ”

"These are not worth a penny. Yu Jian walked over and shook off the sack, and she saw charcoal inside.

"You said yes, I'll give it to you as much as I can, and you pay me a golden yuan!" the boss protested sharply.

"Well, it's yours. Yu Jian lifted the sack, turned back to her and said, "Let's go, everything is loaded into the car." ”

Long Dailan followed Yu Jian out of the hotel and walked to the stable. Their carriage was ready to set off, and to her surprise, there was an extra driver on board. The coachman was tall and strong, with thick beard, and at first glance he was not a southerner, but a northern man who sold his strength in the ice and snow. But although the ordinary northern man was not very afraid of the cold, and few of them wore less and thinner than him, he wore a faded thin cotton jacket, in which a woolen vest could be seen, and he did not wear a hat on his head, but only wrapped ear tips around his ears.

"Where did you find the driver?"

Yu Jian opened the carriage door and smiled at her: "You will gradually get used to my service for you." ”

When she entered the carriage, she found a man in a white cloak sitting in the innermost part, with a white hood covering his face, and he looked like a very tall person. The tips of the boots under the black leather pants were blood-red, and they stood out even in the darkness of the carriage. "Who are you?"

The man held out his big hand to her and made a "please" motion.

She looked back at Yu Jian, who nodded to her, got into the car before her, and then took her hand and pulled her up. He closed the door and the wheels began to roll. The body is stable and there are almost no bumps.

This stranger seems to be Yu Jian's friend, and he is really tall. She searched her memory, and it was hard to find anyone that tall - except for the little giant. Thinking of the little giant, her heart tingled, and tears were about to flow again.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person, I'm a friend. "The stranger's voice is vicissitudes and gentle.

"You forgot to introduce your friends. Long Dailan looked at Yu Jian with disgust, he was still holding her hand. His palms are warm and strong.

"He has a lot of names, and I don't know which one to start with. Yu Jian's expression became a little unfathomable, and he didn't know what he was selling.

"Since it's a friend, shouldn't I tell my name?" she struggled slightly, and Yu Jian immediately let go of his hand.

"The name doesn't matter. At the moment, it is insignificant. "The man straightened his legs, really long. The tips of the boots were as red as blood.

"So what's important?"

"Directions. The man said softly. Long Dailan could even feel it from the words, he was smiling under the hood.

He knows about us. "Where are we going?"

"From here, there are three paths to take, each in one direction. Some lead to the dawn, while others only connect to the boundless darkness. As a sign of sincerity, I would like to make a sincere suggestion to you, Her Royal Highness, the eldest princess of the Xianglong Kingdom, to help you avoid the darkness. He spoke politely and unhurriedly, and his voice was very beautiful.

He knew more than she thought, and of course it was all Yu Jian told him. Yu Jian had never mentioned that he had such a tall friend, and he even shared so many things with him, so this stranger was worthy of trust. "Listen up. ”

"Insisting on going north to the Golden Castle or elsewhere will cause you problems. And the south is even more dangerous, and there are people who want to tie your heads to the gates of Dragon City. Your only direction is to the west. "The tall man rests his elbows on his knees and props his head on his head, and his posture is very relaxed. "But if the Chief Guard is going to Iron Tree Village, he will fall headlong into the trap laid by the southerners. Therefore, it is also necessary to be very cautious when heading west. ”

"You're like a roundworm in my belly, you can read minds. Yu Jian's face sank. It seems that things are not as she thinks, Dahan is strange and eccentric. The title of "Chief Guard" shows that he and Yu Jian are probably not very close friends.

"Ah, that skill is too advanced for me to learn. Hopefully one day I can, how convenient that would be. Dahan laughed, and the laughter was hearty and infectious. "A lot of people want to go back to their hometowns when they're in crisis. Especially those who have been away from home for many years. You were born in Iron Tree Village, which was a big city in the days of the city-state, and I can still remember what it looked like. ”

This is ridiculous! She looked at the strange man in surprise: "Have you ever seen Iron Tree City?"

Iron Tree City had been burned down during the city-state era, leaving only ruins, and instead of a castle, the descendants had built a small village, without tall walls and strong fortresses, bustling bazaars and lively warehouses. The glory of antiquity has long since gone with the wind. How could he possibly have seen a city a thousand years ago?

"Please forgive me for my gaffes, Your Highness Princess. I don't want to frighten you in any way, and for so many years, I barely talk to boxers, and I should have been more cautious with my words. But you shouldn't hide anything from your friends, otherwise you may not accept my next suggestions. A large hand swept over his face, and the hood was pulled off the back of his head, revealing his face.

He really didn't look like he had been in the days of the city-state, because his face was only forty years old at most, and his eyes, in particular, were as bright as crystal, which were all the bones of a thousand-year-old man? The blood-red hair, which had been combed back from his forehead, had been tied into countless slender braids, sprinkled on the back of his head and on the sides, and silver ribbons were tied around the braids. The skin on the face is rough as a rock and looks weather-beaten. There was a pale red beard on his lips and chin, and a smile on his lips.

Long Dailan saw this face for the first time. But since she was a child, she had heard countless descriptions of this face. There are all kinds of descriptions, all kinds of stories, legends and anecdotes, each of which ends up associating the face with a terrifying name. A name that allows boxers' children to wake up from their dreams.

Drinker Agaza.

Yu Jian is right, he has many names. The Heroic Master of the Blood Drinking Camp, the Bloodhair, the Drinker, the Immortal, the Demon of the Abyss, and the Immortal.

She never dreamed of meeting this legendary figure known as the Devil. She was dumbfounded, her breathing paused, completely stunned. If this demon said that he had seen Iron Tree City, or even that he had lived through the entire city-state era, she would believe it.

Those stories, legends, anecdotes are true, not exaggerated. He is an immortal, an immortal man, with a long life and an ageless face.