In Zheng Xiu's memory, the Cicada Valley, located in the extreme west of the desert, was a desolate scene of desert yellow sand before encountering "that incident".

The blood-red sunset, the dry land, the withered vegetation, and the yellow and clear sand dunes constitute all of Zheng Xiu's impressions of this land.

It's just that when Zheng Xiu and his family stepped out of the Bund of the 13th Celebration, there were lively shouts and fireworks in the distance, which made Zheng Xiu walk out of the Bund with the illusion of being in a different world.

The valley of the cicada was not destroyed by "that accident".

The valley is lined with green trees, and the canyon that should have been weathered rock and soil is covered with turquoise moss. Streams of water cascade down from the top of the mountain, along the crevices in the rocks, and finally in front of the valley of the cicadas, a trickle of water converges into a crystal clear lake.

The blue sky is reflected on the surface of the lake, and from a distance, it looks like a mirror, embedded in the earth.

"Chirp chirp—"

Flocks of unknown birds nest and sing on the mountain, and flowers of all colors compete with each other in the mountains, exuding an elegant fragrance.

Zheng Xiu stood in amazement in front of this valley of birds and flowers, and when he looked back, the former "Green River" had really become a "Green River", a continuous oasis, like a river, with green grass and the river bending and extending to the depths of the desert.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Zheng Xiu would have found it hard to believe that the yellow sand desert in the past had been "transformed" into a large oasis with a pleasant temperature two hundred years later.

Qing 13 was surprised and said: "Qing once heard that after crossing the desert, there was another cave, but I never expected that this place would be so prosperous." ”

Seeing the beautiful scenery, Yue Linglong should have been in a very good mood, but when she saw Zheng Xiu's dejected expression, her eyebrows frowned slightly, and the joy on her face became depressed and depressed in a blink of an eye.

Zheng Xiu walked along the canyon blankly.

The Cicada Valley is adjacent to the Western Regions and Daqian, the two countries are handed over, and the travelers are in a hurry, and no one notices the three "outsiders".

Just out of the canyon, the eyes suddenly opened, the mountain peak that was once called "Sunset Mountain" in the distance is now full of green, a waterfall flows straight down from the top of the mountain, the sun shines, and two rounds of seven-colored rainbow bridges rise on the side of the waterfall.

"It's beautiful."

Oases, rainbows, waterfalls, mountain shades, tourists, camels.

This may be what Yue Linglong imagined, the "paradise" should look like.

Many people rode camels down the straight streets, and not far away there was a wide open space in which camels of different coats were lying on their stomachs, spitting foam, or grinding their ears and temples.

Zheng Xiu walked over.

His memory conjures up images of two camels.

……

"Well, I picked two of the best camels."

"I want this."

"Why?"

"Uh...... for the head is the mother's. ”

"Your reason...... Coincidentally, I also like to ride a male camel. A beautiful face with two crooked crescent eyes, smiled happily: "Then, Ben decided happily." ”

"Huh? O_o？ ”

"Your name is Xiaohe, and my name is Xiaomo."

"I can ride Xiaohe, you can't ride Xiaomo!"

"Do you want to care? I want to call Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo Xiao Mo run faster! Frame! ”

……

"This master, looking at the face of the face, are you from the east? Do you want to buy camels? ”

A dark-skinned camel farmer stepped forward to greet him.

Zheng Xiu shook his head and walked in silence.

He walked faster and faster.

Muttering as he walked:

"Once upon a time, the road was all sand."

"There's a house over here, and there's a well in the house."

"In this building next to it, there lives a big brother, his name is Sunland."

"Here...... There is a gallery. ”

Zheng Xiu walked with his eyes open at first.

As he walked, Zheng Xiu closed his eyes.

It was as if he was back in the painting, back to two hundred years ago.

In the painting, he is Gongsun Mo, who has a story with a woman named "Xie Luohe".

But the Shelo River once said...... What did you say?

Will she become an enigma to herself?

Why?

Obviously, all the memories are very clear, and they remember it very clearly, but there are some causes and effects, Zheng Xiu can't figure it out, and he always feels that there is something wrong in it.

Zheng Xiu walked in the streets with his eyes closed, and he found that the layout of this place was exactly the same as the "story" he experienced, and even the location of the street had not changed.

Corner.

When Zheng Xiu said the word "gallery", he opened his eyes and looked up.

The lacquer on the plaque has long been peeled off, and the wind and frost can be seen, but the words on it are still clearly legible. Where is the gallery here, the plaque clearly reads: Dragon Gate Inn.

The courtyard wall of the Dragon Gate Inn is still made of loess, but the color of the loess on it is like a patch, which is obviously different. It seems that later generations deliberately used loess to repair and repair in order to maintain the style of the year.

It's just that as the valley of the cicada becomes an oasis, the loess is crawling with green vines, and clusters of nameless red fruits are bearing on them, drooping down heavily.

People come and go.

Zheng Xiu held a kitten with orange fur and stood in front of the inn, as quiet as a painting.

"This guest officer, do you want to stay in the hotel?"

At this time, a dark-skinned and tall man inside, with a puff fan in his hand, walked out of it, glanced at Zheng Xiu thoughtfully, and asked enthusiastically.

Zheng Xiu nodded and walked in.

On the first floor of the inn, there are three or two square tables, and there are few tea customers.

On the wall, a longbow wrapped in animal skin hangs.

Zheng Xiu's breath stagnated, walked under the longbow, and watched quietly.

After a while, Zheng Xiu walked to the back of the counter as if he had entered a no-man's land, sat down with his eyes closed, and stared straight at the entrance of the inn.

The man watched as the guest sat in his place, his mouth opened, but he didn't say anything, shrugged his shoulders, and sat down in the tea guest's seat.

The atmosphere was slightly weird.

Zheng Xiu, who was originally a guest, sat in the position of the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper, who was originally the shopkeeper, sat in the position of the guest.

Yue Linglong and Qing Shisan, who entered later, didn't dare to disturb Zheng Xiu, the two of them had different eyes and thoughts.

"Stay."

Zheng Xiu suddenly decided.

But what made Zheng Xiu feel extremely embarrassed was next.

They didn't bring any money.

"You didn't bring it?" Zheng Xiu glared at Qing Thirteen.

"I don't have any money."

Qing 13 replied confidently.

Across the counter, Zheng Xiu and Qing Thirteen stared at each other.

"Concubine ......" Yue Linglong pitifully took off a bracelet from her sleeve: "This is Linglong's dowry, can it be used?" ”

"Haha-"

The man looked at the strange three travelers, and couldn't help laughing and waving his hand: "Forget it, it's the off-season of the trade route, and there are a lot of empty rooms. ”

Qing 13 thanked him repeatedly.

On the night of check-in, taking advantage of the dusk, Zheng Xiu took the kitten and Qing Thirteen, planning to go to Sunset Mountain.

Yue Linglong wanted to go along, but Zheng Xiu pressed his wife in the store on the grounds of "dangerous road up the mountain".

The innkeeper is called "Brother Dao", if Zheng Xiu is not wrong in his speculation, they still use the surname "Ri", he should be called "Ridao", a good name.

Noticing that the two were going to travel, Brother Dao casually asked about Zheng Xiu and Qing Shisan's itinerary.

"Sunset Mountain?" Unexpectedly, after hearing Zheng Xiu's destination, Brother Dao scratched his head in confusion: "You may have found the wrong place, it is not called Sunset Mountain." ”

Zheng Xiu asked quietly, "What's it called?" ”

"That mountain is called Mo Mountain."

"Moshan."

"Gongsun Mo's Mo?"

"Huh? Second master, it turns out that there are people in the east who know Master Gongsun? ”

Zheng Xiu nodded: "I've heard of it." ”

"Master Gongsun is a great benefactor here, a living immortal, an old master! Two hundred years ago, the mountain had no name, and since the couple lived there, it has been called 'Moshan' at some point. ”

Brother Dao shook his head, his eyes were empty, and he smiled with a bit of smugness: "Speaking of my grandfather...... Hey? What about people? ”

Zheng Xiu and Qing 13 disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Zheng Xiu was a little anxious, he came here, he told himself that the purpose of his coming was to find traces of candles.

As soon as he heard that the mountain was no longer called "Sunset Mountain", Zheng Xiu vaguely understood something.

"'Before', because Candle crossed mountains and rivers, walked through the desert, and arrived here, he preached to the foolish people here and left legends, so that mountain became the Sunset Mountain."

"If it's not called Sunset Mountain, it means ......"

Zheng Xiu and Qing Thirteen were equipped with thaumaturgy and easily climbed the mountain.

With green trees and mosquitoes, Zheng Xiu has the illusion of walking in a tropical rainforest.

Walk to the place where there is a "mural" in memory, where there is a mural.

It is only the content recorded on the mural, not the legend of the "candle" chasing the "scorching sun". Instead, it depicts a talented and beautiful couple, with a cottage between the mountains and a small bungalow above the cottage. A cluster of flowers was planted in front of the bungalow. In front of the flowers, in the moonlight, men lay out their scrolls and paint, and women lie barefoot on the boulders, looking at the painting men with a smile.

Qing 13 was stunned and complained: "What a picture of affection and love for the concubine." ”

He felt the cold aged dog food slap coldly on his face.

Especially the red lotus root that Qing 13 has just lost his life, this taste is even more uncomfortable.

Zheng Xiu didn't talk, but looked at the woman in the mural with a dull gaze.

The woman's face is delicate, her eyebrows are heroic, the corners of her mouth are crooked, and her wicked smile is fixed on the mural. This gave Zheng Xiu a feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

"It's not her."

An inexplicable thought suddenly appeared in Zheng Xiu's mind. This woman, Zheng Xiu, recognized that he had experienced an encounter with her in the painting as Gongsun Mo, and her name was Xie Luohe.

Looking at that face, Zheng Xiu stared at it deadly. Not her. A strange word sounded in his ears again, like a whisper, and like footsteps with words, from behind Zheng Xiu, he quietly approached and whispered in his ear.

"Who?"

"Guess?"

"Guess you're paralyzed."

Qing Shisan's face was confused: "Who are you scolding?" ”

Zheng Xiu Muran: "I scolded this painting. ”

While speaking, Zheng Xiu went to the top of the mountain, where there were no remains of the "crow keeper", everything was different from before.

"There is indeed no trace of candles in this world."

"Candles have never been there."

"He didn't 'disappear' in the middle of the way, or entered the 'Changyan', but, from the beginning, there was no candle in this world."

"Or, there is him, but he is not an alien, so he will not have his journey to chase the 'scorching sun'."

Return to the inn.

Zheng Xiu touched here and sat there.

The one who sits the most is still the position of the shopkeeper.

He sat there, sitting and watching the people come and go, the sun rose and sunset.

"Take a sip?"

On the third day of staying, Brother Dao carried a pot of wine and sat next to Zheng Xiu.

Zheng Xiu shook his head and said no. Brother Dao grinned and took out two small bowls from behind him and filled them for Zheng Xiu.

"We feel like you want to take two sips."

"I can't drink enough."

Zheng Xiu did it.

Dizzy.

"This guest, let's look at you, you're here to find someone, right?"

Zheng Xiu was stunned when he heard this.

"You shouldn't have come to find Gongsun Mo, right?"

Brother Dao looked at Zheng Xiu's expression, and was happy, and pointed to the bow on the wall: "Then you have come to the right place, do you know what kind of place this used to be?" ”

Zheng Xiu didn't answer, and Brother Dao took the initiative to tell the story here:

"Two hundred years ago, this place was barren, and the people of this land were worried about where to find water every day, and they ate rotten flesh that was dry and smelly."

"One day, two hundred years ago, a couple came here."

"They are Gongsun Mo, and Xie Luohe."

Brother Dao lowered his voice: "Don't think we're bragging, that Gongsun Mo is not an ordinary person." ”

Zheng Xiu poured himself another bowl, tasted it in small sips, and remained silent: "What do you say?" ”

"The picture he painted, God!" Brother Dao smiled: "Did you see that oasis when you came in?" ”

Zheng Xiu nodded.

"Do you see the waterfall?"

Nod.

"The saffron."

Nod.

"The green tree."

Nod.

"The lake."

Nod.

Brother Dao's face flushed, and he excitedly gestured in front of Zheng Xiu: "He drew it!" ”

"This painting! Come true! ”

"Some people say that his paintings are too realistic, and they have deceived God! Thinking it was really an oasis, it started raining! Day by day, day by day, under the sky, it is falling, and this land is alive. ”

Zheng Xiu wondered: "Brother Dao, why are you so clear?" ”

"Hey!" Brother Dao stood up: "Do you know who we are?" ”

Zheng Xiu shook his head.

"Gongsun Dao!"

"Huh? Are you their descendant? ”

"Not exactly." Gongsun Dao sat back in place, his face was a little depressed: "In fact, our grandfather's generation is a child adopted by Gongsun Mo and Xie Luohe. ”

"When I was a child, I heard my grandfather say that Gongsun Mo and Xie Luohe had no heirs throughout their lives."

Inhumans can't have children?

Zheng Xiu thought of a possibility.

After all, the physique of an alien is different from that of an ordinary person.

"Before Gongsun was strange, he painted many paintings. Most of them are some murderous knights in the former martial arts. ”

"After he died, we sold all those paintings to the Western Regions. Do you know why Gongsun Mo has no reputation in Daqian? Because he told my grandfather before his death, saying that his paintings could not flow into the big dry, but could only be sold to the big dry. ”

"So, as soon as we heard that you were looking for Gongsun Mo, we figured out one thing."

The more Gongsun Dao spoke, the more excited he became, and as he spoke, he ran back into the house, and after a while, when he came out again, he was holding a tight wooden frame of a bag in his hand.

Zheng Xiu's heart popped, and he recognized at a glance that the tarpaulin was wrapped in a painting.

Gongsun Dao blew on the oilcloth bag, hula, and blew up a room of dust.

"In the past, when my grandfather told us that Gongsun Mo had many gods, we still didn't believe it. Until today, I have to believe that Gongsun Mo is really a god. ”

"What do you mean......"

"Gongsun Mo's paintings were all sold out, which fed our family. But there was only one painting, Gongsun Mo didn't finish it, he told my grandfather that in many, many years later, someone would come to pick it up. ”

Zheng Xiu's face was shocked, and a sense of absurdity surged into his heart. He didn't know what to reply, his eyes widened, and he watched Gongsun Dao carefully unwrap the oilcloth.

I don't know how many years the tarpaulin has been wrapped, and with a little force, the creases have weathered off, and the powder has fallen off.

"My grandfather said that Gongsun Mo said that the person who came to get the painting would bring an orange cat."

"He's looking for someone."

Gongsun Dao was stunned for a moment, his face was puzzled, as if he remembered something, and muttered to himself: "By the way, my grandfather said that Gongsun Mo said a very strange thing before he died." ”

"What?"

"'I've spent my whole life in a detour and a lot of twists and turns, and it's you and me!'. My grandfather said that Gongsun Mo said so before he died, but he still left with a smile. ”

As he spoke, Gongsun Dao dismantled the painting.

Inside, the paper is yellowed and the ink has faded.

Zheng Xiu was shocked, and a feeling of dizziness hit his heart.

Even though most of the ink color had faded, Zheng Xiu still could tell from that painting that what Gongsun Mo wanted to paint was a woman.

The woman is dressed in black, with a ponytail tied up, facing the outside of the painting.

The strange thing is that the part that should be the eyes, ears, mouth and nose is empty, as if the painting has not been finished.

(End of chapter)