Long Dailan woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing. She slept groggily for several hours, but she didn't sleep well, she remembered that it was Yu Jian who helped her to a rattan chair, and then she was called to wake up and eat something in a trance, and she was still dizzy when she woke up.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Yu Jian lying on the table in front of her, asleep. She felt a little cold, the stove was already dark at night, she used her chopsticks to turn over the ashes in the stove, there was still some residual warmth, and she could see sporadic sparks. There was a faint fragrance in the room, and the source was a pot of pale blue flowers in the corner, of a strange shape, which she had never seen before.

She got up lightly, and walked to the window, which was pushed by the window, and the latticework was covered with thick brown paper, and she pulled up a small slit, and the cold wind poured into the room, and the sky outside was gray, and the snow seemed to be lighter, and she did not hear the howling of the cold wind.

Neither the rooster crow nor her movements woke Yu Jian. She couldn't help but feel sour, and put a robe on him, so let him sleep more. She was sad and tired, and so was she.

She poured a glass of water from the teapot on the table, rinsed her mouth briefly, and went out the back door of the tavern, and saw two people exercising in the snow outside, one was the boss's son, who had brought chicken soup into the room yesterday, and was a short man in his forties. The other is a handsome young man with fair skin. The two of them practiced the introductory boxing technique of dragon diving, and she had already practiced it well when she was in Jinbao.

"Big brother, the stove is dark, please make a fire. ”

The stout man was refreshed, and immediately went to the room to get firewood. The handsome young man stared at her rudely, and his eyes seemed to be on fire. She was a little embarrassed to look at her, so she turned and went into the room.

When the stove was lit again, Long Dailan asked the boss's son, "May I ask the eldest brother, the young man outside, could it be your younger brother?"

"How can I have such a young brother, madam, you are laughing. That's Xiaohua, the youngest son of Lao Zhang next door, who is only nineteen years old this year. Our two families have known each other for many years, and we have a good relationship, this child likes to box, and he gets up early when he lives at home, and often practices with me. He only came back in the middle of the night last night, he didn't sleep for a few hours, and he was in good spirits, what a young man!"

She nodded, asking no more. Sitting back by the stove, he stared at the sleeping Yu Jian. After a while, the boss's son came in with a bowl of noodles and put it on the table, "Madam, this is the noodles under the chicken broth, and I also put two eggs." Looking at you like this, it seems that you are pregnant, but it's a pity that there are no good things in our small place. Eat it while it's hot. What else is needed, just mention it to me. ”

She hurriedly said, "Thank you so much." Big brother, you are such a kind person. You have a stove here with hot noodles and I couldn't have asked for more. ”

The boss's son said, "You don't have to thank me, I know that my dad took a lot of money from your husband, and this is what I should do." ”

Hearing the word "husband", her face was dry, and she didn't say anything, picking up chopsticks and eating noodles.

After that, she sat like this, and the boss didn't see her, but his son came from time to time to add firewood and pour hot water into the teapot on the table. The tavern didn't see any other guests, and after almost an hour, Yu Jian finally woke up.

When he saw her, he smiled with joy. The two were so close apart that she looked at him quietly, feeling a sense of peace in her heart. "You're awake. ”

"How long have I been sleeping, and there are no roosters here?"

"It's supposed to be dragon time, and you've been asleep for three hours. I hope you'll get a lot of sleep, you're so tired these days. I was woken up by a rooster crowing. ”

He sighed, "I slept so hard. I can't remember the last time I missed a rooster. It seems that with you by my side, I can sleep soundly. ”

He hadn't played such a joke with her. If it had been before, she would have felt that such a thing was inappropriate and should not be between the two of them, after all, she was a married woman, but now she felt that it was normal. Before they knew it, the distance between them was already closer, closer than ever.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? She didn't know, but she just thought it wasn't bad. She has been through so much, he is by her side, she has traveled through the three northern provinces, and he has protected her safe and sound. There is no second person in heaven or on earth who can do this.

"Without further ado, let's go to Old Man Huang earlier. Yu Jian pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Old man Huang?"

"It's the man who runs a pharmacy in this village. She remembered that that was exactly what they were trying to do.

When they were about to leave, the boss's son came in through the back door, and he actually held a bowl of noodles in his hand: "I heard the sound of talking, and I knew that you woke up and were cooking, so I cooked some noodles, and I cooked them after a while, so you can eat them while they are hot." ”

Yu Jian took the face, and Long Dailan poured him a glass of water and motioned for him to rinse his mouth. Yu Jian ate the bowl of noodles with a few chopsticks, and the two got up and prepared to leave. As soon as she stood up, she felt that her legs were weak and she had no strength.

He hurriedly held him up and said, "You didn't sleep comfortably on this wicker chair, and after you woke up, you sat for a long time, and you will be better when you can move your muscles and bones." ”

The owner's son gave them directions. This plum blossom village is a small village, and there are only about 20 houses in the count, but they are relatively separated from each other. This kind of place is not to mention the hotel, it is already very good to have a tavern, this tavern is for a few acquaintances and old friends in the village to get together and relax after the farm work, if you want to make money from outsiders, it is not easy, most of the time I am afraid that the boss pours himself a drink.

She only felt that her body was weak and she had to walk hard, Yu Jian said while supporting her: "Most of the people who open pharmacies know how to use medical skills." I'll show him later. ”

Old man Huang's pharmacy is indeed not far from the tavern, just turn a corner, the pharmacy and a few families on the side are particularly separated, behind the mountain is leaning against the mountain, a path passes through the door of the pharmacy, submerged into the steep slope up the mountain. Beyond the top of the mountain, you can see the top of the needle tree on the other side of the mountain, which is actually a verdant green, and there is no snow season at all, which is very strange. Presumably it was the mysterious Whispering Forest.

There is no signboard at the entrance of the pharmacy, and there is a garden at the entrance, planted with some unknown flowers and plants, some of which bloom in the cold. Standing at the door, she could smell the unique smell of medicine coming from the room, which was very pungent. It's no wonder that this pharmacy is far away from other people's homes, and the smell is not to everyone's liking.

Yu Jian knocked on the door, but there was no response, and he repeated it several times, still like this. He pushed the door down with all his might, and the wooden door creaked open as he pushed it open. The light in the room was dim, and there was no candle in sight, and the door was a row of old light brown wooden cabinets, extending in, and the rows of drawers above the cabinets, with numbers on them, and the iron bars were rusty and dilapidated, and if it weren't for the dust, she would have felt that this was an abandoned house that had been abandoned for a long time. The smell of medicine was even stronger, and the owner of the pharmacy seemed to be boiling medicine, and there was a slight "zizi" sound from inside.

"Boss Huang, let's buy some medicine. Yu Jian shouted.

No one answered.

There were rows of wooden cabinets in it, and they went around several rows, and the inside was even darker, and they saw a large cauldron at the end, and a black figure stood on the side, holding a stick in both hands, and pounding it in the pot.

"Boss Huang?" Yu Jian held her hand and stopped.

The man stopped, and his voice was harsh, as if he hadn't spoken in years. "I don't sell medicine here. Who asked you to come in?"

Pharmacies don't sell medicine? Yu Jian asked, "Isn't this a pharmacy?"

"Who told you this was a drugstore?" the man continued to wave his pestle, his tone sounding impatient.

Yu Jian seemed to hesitate, the person in front of him was obviously wearing clothes with a hood, and the light was very dim, so he couldn't see what it looked like, the person they were looking for was a bald head, and his head might be ugly. But the owner of the tavern said that there was only one pharmacy in the village, so where else could it be?

Yu Jian said: "We come from far away and go to a certain place. We were told that we had to come to you on this trip. ”

"It doesn't matter to me where you're going. I'm looking for the wrong person. Let's go. The man coldly ordered the eviction of the guests, not wanting to say a word to them.

As soon as he said this, Yu Jian made up his mind, and he took out the bronze key given by Archie from his arms, "Someone gave me a key, saying that as long as you see this key, you will help us." ”

The man stopped pounding the medicine and stood motionless, like a statue, and after a long time, the unpleasant voice sounded again: "What kind of key?"

"Very old copper key. ”

The man took a few steps towards Yu Jian and stretched out his hand: "Give me the key." ”

The man lit an oil lamp, and the dimly lit space was instantly filled with light. Only then did Long Dailan see clearly that the room where the medicine was boiled was surrounded by cabinets, and the shelves on the walls were densely filled with all kinds of jars and jars, red, white, gray, black and yellow, all kinds of colors, which seemed to be divided into categories and had their own uses. The man was covered in a gray robe, with a hood buttoned over his head, and his body was hunched, and he looked to be quite old, but the pestle he held in his hand was very thick, and it was obviously not light. The pestle was inserted in a black iron pot, and the pot was bubbling, and a pot of black medicinal juice was boiling, which looked very viscous, and the pungent smell continued to emanate from it.

The hand that the man reached for the key was thin and wrinkled, like a cracked old bark. He took the key and put it under the oil lamp and looked at it carefully, and by the light she could see the small half of his face, the skin of which was also like his hand, and the folds of his face, and the old man did not know how old he was, but seemed to be older than any old man she had ever seen.

I only heard a peculiar laugh from the old man's mouth, and instead of hearing pleasure, it was full of mockery: "I didn't expect that after so many years, I would still see the evidence of the apostles." Very good, very good. He turned to Yu Jian: "Since you brought it, then I will comply with your request." You're going through the Whispering Forest?"

Archie only says it's a key, but it doesn't sound that simple.

Yu Jian nodded and said, "There is an old man." ”

Old man Huang said coldly: "There is nothing to work for, this is my fate." You have to think clearly then, it's a murderous forest, and it's too late to regret it. ”

"We don't regret it. Yu Jian pointed at her and said, "She is very weak and pregnant with a child, so the old man will see what medicine to prescribe for her." ”

"She's going with you too?"

"Yes. ”

"Hmph. The key was given to me by you, not by her. I can only let the person with the key in, I don't care about the rest. ”

"If she can't go, there's no point in me going. The key was hers, and I was just protecting her. ”

"The key was clearly taken from you. ”

She didn't expect the old man to be so entangled, so she had to say, "The person who gave us the key has made it very clear that you will guide the two of us through the forest together." ”

"Who is she?" Old Man Huang ignored her and asked Yu Jian.

"We're family, you can't break us apart. She was a little angry. Hearing this, Yu Jian's hand holding her arm trembled slightly.

Old man Huang laughed dryly: "Don't take my old man for a fool. I can see at a glance what your relationship is. ”

Archie didn't tell us that the old man was so troublesome. "We were originally a family, who wants to lie to you?"

Old man Huang stood leaning on the thick medicine pestle, looking at his rickety body, she suddenly remembered Xia Ye. But the old man in front of him was by no means as loving and peaceful as Xia Lao.

"This is a pitifully small village, and several villages from Yinggang Town are similar to this, so the wanted notice for Red Rock City has not been sent here, and the picture on the wanted notice is clear. Otherwise, do you think the people here won't recognize you?"

Yu Jian suddenly changed color and stood in front of her: "What do you mean?"

"Hehe, why are you so nervous?" Old Man Huang tapped the ground with a pestle, making a few muffled sounds. "My old man has lived for so long, and what he hates most is that others treat me as a fool! You have to be smart, just be honest and make your words clear, and don't have any fancy intestines. ”

She noticed that beads of sweat were already oozing from Yu Jian's cheeks, and he looked very nervous and seemed to be still trembling. "We've made it clear, what do you want?"

Old Man Huang snorted coldly, extinguished the oil lamp, and walked out with a medicine pestle, Yu Jian made a vigilant posture to prevent him from suddenly attacking, but Old Man Huang didn't do anything when he passed by them.

"You're not honest, and I don't like to talk to people who aren't honest. ”

Although this is the edge of the Whispering Forest, it is still the territory of the boxers, and the dragon god is valid here. She then said in a deep voice, "The spirit dragon is above! What we said is true, and there is no deception. ”

When Old Man Huang heard this, Huo Ran turned around and said sharply, "You dare to swear in the name of my god?"

She sneered: "I am the son of the spirit dragon, why don't you dare?"

Old Man Huang said angrily: "You dare to swear in front of the spirit dragon that you have never done anything unclean, and you have not betrayed the dragon's bloodline?"

Hearing this, she also felt a surge of anger rushing up, "Spirit Dragon is on top! I have never violated the Spirit Dragon Doctrine in my life, if I violate one of them, teach me that I will never sleep in the earth realm!"

She couldn't see Old Man Huang's eyes, but she could feel the cold stare of the pair of sharp eyes under the hood.

"Good. You swore an oath. Old man Huang turned around and continued to walk outside. "If you dare to swear, I will believe you. Come with me. ”

The two looked at each other and followed him. She felt that Yu Jian couldn't seem to calm down, which was very different from her usual calmness.

Old man Huang turned his back to them and said, "Unbelievable, you can get this key." The person who handed over the key to you must have great trust and love for you. The old man is only testing you a little. This is my fate, and I cannot disobey it, but I will obey it. ”

The old man mentioned "fate" again, and she didn't understand what it meant, so she had to keep silent, for fear that the strange old man would come up with some tricks.