After Ji Zong and Li Mu separated, he did not stop, along the rugged road, walked to the southeast, all the way to the stars and the moon, did not stop, and to the east to see the white, a little tired, he wanted to find a place to rest, about one night's journey, has been more than 200 miles, expected to be in front of the suburbs, there are towns, can not help but be energetic, riding horses and galloping.

Sure enough, after a while, the trees on both sides gradually thinned, and the sound of birds and beasts faded away, until they crossed the bamboo forest, but when they saw the river blocking the way, their eyes suddenly opened up, and they already saw the city tower standing in front of them. Ji Zong couldn't help but be happy in his heart, glanced at both sides, found a small bridge over the river, and got off his horse and paced. When we crossed the river, we found the main road next to the river, and walked leisurely in the direction of the city. Although it was early in the morning when it rained and dewed, three or five people had already come out of the city, and the north and south chose the road, and each went in a hurry. Ji Zong walked along the road, and only waited for a few people to pass by, and he was already under the city tower. Ji Zong stopped and raised his head, but saw that there were two big characters engraved on the city gate, which was Anyang City.

As early as the Yin Shang period, Anyang is the capital of Yinxu, after the change of dynasties, the years change, Anyang has been devastated by the war several times, directly attacked Wei Zhao by Qin, changed Ning Xinzhong to Anyang, the first name of Anyang, under the jurisdiction of Qin, before and after only a few decades. Ji Zong knew what had happened, and saw that there were no soldiers on both sides of the city gate, and the citizens were almost free to enter and exit, and after a short stop, they entered the city.

At this time, although it was a chaotic year, Anyang City was a prosperous scene, Ji Zong entered the city, but saw that the streets in the city were open, the north and south were staggered, the houses were closely arranged, the east and west were densely covered, but in a few hours, the crowd was hurried, shuttling out, among which the peddlers were pawns, shouting and shouting, and the craftsmen of the iron shop were side by side. The world is in turmoil, the smoke of gunpowder is everywhere, for several months, everywhere Ji Zong goes, are full of devastation, dilapidated, not as happy as Anyang, into the eyes are all prosperous.

Ji Zong led the horse to move with the flow of people, and had to walk three or five lines, but seeing the crowd gathering in front of him, talking about it, Ji Zong was slightly puzzled, and separated the crowd, but he sat firmly in it, holding a xylophone in his hand, singing softly. I saw that the man had white hair, a long beard fluttering, dressed in gray cloth clothes, and his hair was tied with a crescent moon and silver needles, I don't know how old he was, he had a fairy style, but he was snuggled up to a little girl, about five or six years old, with bright eyes and a good appearance. In front of the two of them, a scroll of paintings was spread out on the ground, and at first glance, the paintings were full of mountains and rivers, dotted with flowers, birds, and trees, undulating and undulating, very beautiful, but the paper was yellowed, and it was obviously very old. A few big characters on the ground next to the painting: "The little girl is seriously ill, if she is rescued by a nobleman, she is willing to give her treasures!" Ji Zong looked at the girl carefully, her face was haggard, her body was weak and weak, and she knew that the yin qi had entered the body, deep into the inner abdomen, if it were not for the gods to descend to earth, it was really a lack of skills to return to the sky, the poor little girl was innocent, smiling and smiling, and did not know that her life was hanging by a thread. Ji Zong sighed, and unconsciously met the old man, only feeling the light pressing, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, almost retreated two steps, and looked at the old man head-on, still stroking the qin, Ji Zong was inexplicable. Just thinking about it, smell the rich fragrance of vegetables, the belly is already round, retreat to the road, find the inn at the corner, the green flag is embroidered with "like home", fluttering in the wind, walk quickly.

Before he arrived, a housekeeper greeted him with a smile: "Is the guest staying in the hotel or is it sharp?"

Ji Zong said: "Just eat." ”

The housekeeper lowered his waist and stretched out his hand, and pleased, "Okay, please come in the guest officer." Ji Zong agreed a little, instructed the little maid to take care of the horses, and then followed the little two into the store and went upstairs. Xiao Er arranged for Ji Zong to sit down by the window, poured tea, and asked, "What is the guest officer coming?"

Ji Zongdao: "What are the signature dishes?"

Xiao Er responded: "Sweet and sour tenderloin, braised tender beef are all signature dishes." ”

Ji Zong said: "What about vegetarian dishes?"

Xiao Er said: "Mapo tofu, bamboo shoots and dried vegetables, what do the guest officers want?"

Ji Zong said: "Let's have a plate of braised beef, a bowl of braised noodles, and you don't need too much shredded meat." ”

Xiao Er said: "Received, do you drink alcohol, there is high-quality wine in the store." ”

Ji Zongdao: "What is the product name?"

The shopkeeper said: "Five grains and miscellaneous liquids, Du Kang Moutai." ”

Ji Zong said: "No need. ”

Xiao Er said: "The guest officer will wait for a while, and he will come immediately." "Turned around and arranged.

At this time, it was almost noon, the building was bustling and lively, Ji Zong looked out the window, the warm sun was shining, but the old man was still there, and there were many more onlookers than Fang Cai. Unconsciously sleepy, Ji Zong calmed down and glanced at the building, but it was a little deserted, just a few people drinking wine and eating meat at the table.

After a while, the food was served, Ji Zong tasted the saltiness with bamboo chopsticks, and Xiao Er asked, "How does it taste?"

Ji Zong was originally hungry, but he felt delicious, and he didn't have time to taste it, so he just raised his head and responded: "Very good." ”

Xiao Er smiled: "The guest officer is slow to use." Then he turned and departed.

Ji Zong said, "Wait a minute," he pointed to the crowd outside the window and asked, "Do you know what's going on?"

Xiao Er only glanced at it and asked rhetorically, "Hasn't the guest officer just been here?"

Ji Zong responded: "Exactly, it's here today." ”

Xiao Er said: "I won't tell you, the grandfather and grandson are also first-time guests." ”

Ji Zong said: "How do you say this?" Xiao Er cleared his throat and said slowly.

The little two said: "The guest officer must have been traveling outside for a long time, and he has a wide range of experience, so he naturally knows that today is not a peaceful world, and there are endless wars everywhere, all of which are dilapidated. Although Anyang was previously under the jurisdiction of Qin, it was also located in the border of Zhao, Wei and Han, leading to the places where all countries must pass, and all countries could not seize it, creating the neutral trend of Anyang. ”

Ji Zong didn't want the inn junior to have such a knowledge, and showed a slight look of surprise, only to hear the little second child continue: "In the early morning three days ago, the villain opened the door early in the morning to do business, and saw that the two of them were already waiting outside the door of the store, quite similar to today's scene, ragged, very desolate, the shop has always been willing to help others, so he beckoned this grandson to use the morning before leaving. Since then, the two of them have set up such a formation at the crossing over there, until now. ”

Ji Zong groaned: "That's the case. ”

Xiao Er said: "No, I want to come to the grandfather and grandson are also pitiful, and I don't know what disease the little girl has, a few days have been a lot of warlocks to see her sick, but they are helpless, and they left gloomily, seeing that she is so young, she is suffering from a terminal illness, alas!"

Ji Zong couldn't help but look at the old man, still stroking the qin and singing, but the little girl didn't know when to run to the side of the road, jumping back and forth, very cheerful, not at all aware that the demon was haunted, and her life was on the verge of death. Ji Zong felt sad and thought in his heart: "I was tired and hungry, and I only looked for the inn, but I didn't have to carefully ponder the girl's condition, and the teacher taught me to do more good deeds in the rivers and lakes. ”

Ji Zong looked out, but saw a person galloping immediately, and when he crossed the market, his body tilted slightly, and he was held in front of his chest, and the horse stepped on the dust, and went away with the wind in an instant. Everyone was stunned, and when they came back to themselves, they were in a mess, and then someone shouted, "There is a robber robbing someone, stop the man immediately." ”

When Ji Zong saw that person coming, he felt that the bad luck was pervasive, and he knew that the person who came was not good, so he got up and wanted to come. Wait until the man snatches the little girl, and after a while, even if he leaves. Ji Zong didn't have time to think about it, jumped down from the window, jumped on horseback, and inadvertently caught a glimpse of the old man in the crowd who was not panicked, and also looked at himself slightly, only to feel that his eyes revealed infinite deep meaning. Hearing the shouts of everyone, Ji Zong 'drove', rode away, and disappeared from everyone's sight with the black-robed figure.

The speed of that person was extremely fast, and Ji Zong tried his best to catch up, but he was always far away, barely being left behind. The two of you chased after me, and gradually abandoned the road and entered the jungle of thorns. After a stalemate for a long time, Ji Zong was anxious, so he wanted to leave his body and flew forward to pounce on the man. Just the figure moved slightly, and seeing the corner of the man's clothes, it was the sharp bend in the road in front of him, and the man and horse leaned sideways and went around. Ji Zong pounced into the air, waited until he sat back on horseback, and then turned and galloped, but there was no trace of the man. Ji Zong immediately stared, looked around left and right, and still couldn't find the man's hair. was stationed in the gods, listening to the breeze in his ears, and his heart knew that it was not good, so he was busy leaning over to protect his arms to stop the block, only to feel that his arms were numb, and he was hit hard in the chest, and he fainted.

I don't know how many times, Ji Zong finally woke up, opened his eyes and looked at the gray sky in front of him, a bright moon in the sky, a few stars, and sighed to himself: It's a good moonlit night, and I want to get up. It's just that the body shook slightly, only to feel the tightness in the chest, the pain in the head, busy with the heartstrings, half up and half sitting for a long time, leaning against the tree, the pain is suspended. Ji Zong recalled that in order to rescue a little girl, he chased the man in black, and then entered the mountains and forests and was attacked by people, but he didn't know where he was now. I remember the strength of the person who secretly attacked him, he was by no means an idle person, I am afraid that his skills are above him, the girl was taken captive, and she did not know where to go, but she was afraid that she would be more than lucky. Ji Zong was worried and worried, but there was nothing he could do.

Ji Zong looked up at the bright moon, still bright, and couldn't help but think of his deceased parents, raising his mentor, his brother Li Mu, and the little girl who was arrested.

When Ji Zong woke up again, a ray of light came into his eyes, and the warm sun shone on the earth, and it was actually the next morning. Ji Zong recalled the past and secretly blamed himself: "That girl's life and death are uncertain, and her whereabouts are unknown, but I can't restrain my body and mind, and I have delayed so many hours. When I got up, I found that my clothes and pants were wet again, after all, the humidity in the mountains and forests was too heavy, so I managed to get together all night. Fortunately, he was well rested and full of energy, Ji Zong stretched his waist, saw a few jujube plum wild fruits in the distance, and thought: "I'll eat some wild fruits indiscriminately to satisfy my hunger, and then go to find the little girl"!

The autumn breeze is slightly drunk, there is a hint of coolness in the early morning in the forest, Ji Zong walked a few steps quickly, jumped on a few treetops, lit back and forth a few times, picked a lot of fruits in a moment, there are hawthorns, plums, plums, apricots, peaches, durians, grapes, structures, mulberries and so on more than a dozen, Ji Zong smiled bitterly: I fell into this field to find so many wild fruits, tasted a few, the taste was very sweet, and it was swept away, my stomach was slightly swollen, and I was full. I could hear a few chirping sounds in the trees, and when I looked at them, they turned out to be several monkeys, I don't know what kind they were, and when they appeared here, jumping back and forth between the branches, and then they all scattered in an instant.

Ji Zong jumped on the top of a big tree, and looked at it from a distance, there were some mountains and trees, and the mountains and forests were dense, and there was no end in sight, and there were no people. Ji Zongsi said: "It's been a long time, but I don't know where to search for those two. Jumping back to the ground, I remember that the black-robed man took the little girl and fled all the way north, and made up his mind to walk north for the time being. After choosing a path, Ji Zong skimmed a branch, patted off the bushes and thorns at his feet, and walked slowly.

It was difficult to walk in the forest, and I couldn't find the way to come, so I had to search indiscriminately by feeling, and the mountains and fields were overgrown with weeds, and it took a while to walk out a few steps. Ji Zong had no choice but to make a decree and look for it. Walking so slowly for half an hour, Ji Zong was exhausted, so he wanted to stop, and when he heard a roar, he was overjoyed, so familiar with the call, he knew that it was his mount, and he saw the horse facing him there.

After Ji Zong woke up from being knocked unconscious, he couldn't find the mount under his crotch, and he guessed that he had been lost, and he was gloomy at that time. Since seeing Li Mu, Li Mu gave the horse to himself, Ji Zong got along with it day and night, he already had a deep feeling, he didn't want to lose it by accident, and met here, he was excited for a while, moved inexplicably, and suddenly his tiredness disappeared, and he shook his spirit, jumped in front of the horse, stroked the horse and said: "Horse, where are you going, I am so bitter to find you." The horse seemed to sense, and with the sideways head of the horse, it let out a low moan.

Ji Zong said: "Now that we are lost in the wilderness, we can't find the wicked, and we can't go back to the original place, I'm afraid that we won't be able to get out of this forest for a while and a half, and we will be trapped here!" Ji Zong was surprised: Could it be that he knows the road? Ji Zong followed his beloved horse around the two big trees, pushed aside a few bushes, and then turned a corner, and suddenly opened up in front of him, and the road was in the center when he came. Ji Zongxi said: What a good horse! Ji Zongxi thought: The future is slim, and it is not known whether the black-robed man and girl can be found, and it is not a way to go on for a long time, so it is better to go back to the city and discuss with everyone before making a decision! He turned his horse and left.

Ji Zong rode back according to the original road, but the more he walked, the more confused he became, although he only cared about chasing his life when he entered the mountain, and did not pay too much attention to the scenery on both sides of the road, but he had a general impression, but everything in front of him at this moment was very unfamiliar, and there was no trace of similarity. Ji Zong had an ominous premonition in his heart.

I don't know how long I walked, Ji Zong rode a horse for a while, and led the horse for a while, as if there was an endless road ahead, and it would never be finished, and Ji Zong secretly said that he had already embarked on the road. Ji Zong once heard his teacher say: There is a kind of impositivity in the world, which can make confused people fall into it by mistake and never get out. Ji Zong said secretly: Could it be that I have strayed into this?

Ji Zong went back and forth along the road looking for an exit, trying his best but unable to solve the puzzle, convinced that he had entered this kind of method, his heart felt desolate, this kind of magic is unpredictable, mysterious and profound, even if the teacher is out of the horse, he may not be able to retreat with his whole body, not to mention his own slight Taoism, how can he get out, thinking that he will be trapped in this forever, and he will never see his teacher and brother again, and his mood can not be calm for a long time.

In this way, Ji Zong sat on the back of the horse and was distracted, letting the horse roam, I don't know how long it was, how far he walked, Ji Zong woke up like a dream, looked up at the mountain peak in front of him, a river at the foot of the mountain, and he was already on a plain. Although it is vast and infinite as far as the eye can see, it is like an endless world, like an invisible and huge barrier, enveloping all living beings, and no one can escape.

Since then, Ji Zong has been trapped here, but also lived, in order to survive, build a small thatched hut by the cave to live in, drink the water of the stream, eat is the mountain delicacies. Winter goes to spring, the sun rises and sets, Ji Zong has counted it for eleven years.

It is ten years like a day, on this day, Ji Zong as usual to graze by the river, with a homemade bow and arrow to hunt in the mountains and forests, has captured an elk, still locked a gray rabbit in chase, the hare is agile, things are running around, Ji Zong is optimistic about the opportunity, ambush under the ivy tree, put on a good posture, half a bowstring aim, just wait to shoot. But seeing that the rabbit jumped suddenly, avoided Ji Zong's field of vision, and disappeared into the grass. It was the arrow on the string, and it had to be sent, Ji Zong shot out with a whoosh, right in the middle of a tree trunk in the distance. Ji Zong missed the opportunity, felt a little lost in his heart, got up and jumped up a few times, and went to the grass to look for the rabbit. Ji Zong searched left and right, how could there be a rabbit shadow, he had already escaped, he didn't want the water in the barren grass to get wet, and soaked his shoes and pants, Ji Zong felt a little disappointed, but he was helpless.

When he raised his eyes, he caught a glimpse of the arrow still stuck in the trunk of the tree in front of him, about five or six zhang away, Ji Zong thought to himself: It is not in vain to retrieve it. Take a few steps that way, and you're already under this big tree.

Ji Zong recognized that this was a fig tree, the trunk was as big as a car cover, I was afraid that there were tens of thousands of years of rings, towering trees abound in the mountains and forests, Ji Zong was used to it these years, and it was not surprising, so he reached out to pull out the arrow, did not want to embed it too deep, did not reach the arrow, Ji Zong used force for a while, but it didn't work, so he increased his strength, pulled violently, and the long arrow came out, Ji Zong stumbled, and almost fell. Stabilized his body, and then looked at the wounds on the tree, there was a bubbling red liquid, Ji Zong walked in, and touched his fingers, red as blood.

Ji Zong was taken aback, he had never seen such a thing as blood juice coming out of the tree, and he was in a trance for a while, only to feel that the world was so big, there was no wonder to comfort himself, maybe this big tree had taken root here for ten thousand years, and it had life spirituality, or the yin qi gathered here to gather the essence of the sun and the moon. Ji Zong came back to his senses and saw that the liquid was still flowing, and it did not stop for a long time, and the juice flowed down the markings to the land, infiltrating a piece and revealing its shape. When Ji Zong looked at it, he could vaguely see that something was wriggling in the soil, but it was only a slight movement, and it stopped instantly, and Ji Zong wondered in his heart: Could it be that there is a foreign object hiding underneath? Peeling off the surface layer of floating soil, something has already been revealed, although Ji Zong can't recognize it, he is pleasantly surprised in his heart, and carefully digs it out from the surroundings.

It's just half a pillar of incense, the soil has gone half a foot deep, and everything in the soil is revealed, Ji Zong put it on his hand and looked at it: two gray-white palm-high objects that seem to be soft but are actually tough, but they are a little humanoid, and their bodies are elongated with a little fibrous roots. Ji Zong was a little confused, and after careful examination, he recognized that it was ginseng. Ji Zong looks at its texture and color, these two ginseng are only afraid of millions of years of longevity, no wonder the appearance of the human shape now, the right thing to accidentally show clues, was discovered by Ji Zong, and it can be regarded as creation.

Ji Zong went up the mountain to hunt, but he didn't want to get these two 10,000-year-old ginseng seeds, but he didn't expect it, and immediately pondered: Although the girl's illness has not been diagnosed, it is known that yin qi enters the body, and the vitality is greatly damaged. After a long sigh, he folded the flowers and leaves and wrapped the ginseng, found and captured the wild deer, and went down the mountain together.

In the past ten years, Ji Zong has been trying to leave this empty place all the time, exhausted all kinds of methods, and found all the ways out, but with little success, he couldn't get out of his body, and gradually got used to living like this.

That night, Ji Zong made a fire and roasted venison, drank deer blood, meditated and practiced, and finally had nothing to do, so he lay down on the bamboo bed in the cave, intending to sleep. But he was irritable in his heart, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, on a whim, he had no sleep, and when he saw the bright moon outside the cave reflected in the afterglow, he brushed the tiger skin cover on his body, and actually got up and walked out. It was another full moon night, the moon shone on the earth, everything was clear, the horses stood alone in the meadow, and a few wild beasts howled in the distant mountains, but for a moment they returned to silence, and everything seemed so peaceful. Ji Zong looked up at the sky, it seemed that this moment was eternal, finally time flowed, and his heart finally felt calm, so he walked back to the cave, saw the leaves on the low table at the entrance of the cave, rolled it open to see and touch the ginseng, only felt that the hand was sticky, taking advantage of the moonlight, it turned out that the finger was a small cut, and a little blood flowed, it is estimated that the bamboo piece on the side of the bed scraped his fingers when he got up, Ji Zonghan sucked in his mouth for a while, and did not take it to heart, entered the hole and kicked the straw sandals on his feet, and fell asleep.

The world is finally peaceful, the king loves the people like a son, the people live and work in peace and contentment, Ji Zong reunites with his parents, the family is happy, the husband and the woman weave, listen to the call of the mother, Ji Zong gallops away, throws himself into the arms of his mother, enjoys the warm and gentle palm on the cheek and gently strokes it, smells the faint smell of grass, opens his eyes, a large ugly face comes into view, Ji Zong hurriedly stretched out his head to push it, and scolded in his mouth: "It's you scoundrel again, lick me with your tongue, it's really disgusting!" The horse seemed accustomed to it, and did not care, and his head shook and turned his body sideways. Ji Zong was confused, fortunately a grain of warm sun shines, gets up and walks to the entrance of the cave, stretches his waist, yawns, squints at the morning sun, scoops a bucket of water to wash his face, rinses his mouth, and finally wakes up.

It is said that there is an immortal goddess in the heavenly fairy world, who is in charge of the prosperity and decline of flowers and trees for three sessions, and when he returned to the palace with the seeds of a hundred herbs one day, he accidentally left a fairy seed and left it in the nether, and he didn't know where it fell. That kind of seed has been developed for thousands of years, and it has been grown for thousands of years before it takes shape, and finally becomes Ganoderma lucidum, which is a fairy thing and has its own fairy power. Since that handsome horse entered here with Ji Zong, although he got along with Ji Zong day and night, he also had to spare time to be alone, and one day in the fifth year of entering the mountains and forests, he found this thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum fairy grass on the edge of a cliff, and ate it by chance, and he had spirituality and an immortal body. How did the horse learn about the favor of the gods, and he was reborn as a god horse at that time. Ji Zong later saw that the horse was debauched, and he noticed the abnormality slightly, but he was raised by the aura of the mountains and rivers, and he was strong and fit, but he didn't know the reason.

After Ji Zong washed, he finally felt a little cool, and found that he was still shirtless, wearing only a pair of rabbit fur shorts. At this time, although it was the spring season, the morning breeze was blowing, and it was still cold, Ji Zong turned around and wanted to go back to the cave to take on a drape. Looking back, Ji Zong caught a glimpse of the things on the table, and was taken aback: looking at those two objects, they were as long as an arm's length and as thick as a thigh. Ji Zong remembers that when he dug up the ginseng, it was only a small amount, and he didn't want to think that overnight, how the two ginseng became like this, it was really magical. The ginseng already has a mannequin at this moment: the gap between the two eyes has appeared, the ears have been outlined, the small mouth is slightly closed, the chest is slightly undulating, and the arms and soles of the feet are clearly grown. Ji Zong thought about it carefully, looked at the wound on his finger, recalled the scene of his first encounter, and said secretly: Isn't this ginseng born to grow into essence now, and drink my blood last night, and he can gradually transform and grow?

The two ginseng is indeed a beautiful thing, it is the essence of heaven and earth, there are no three souls and seven spirits, immortal and immortal, once you have to meet the blood spirit offering, it can gradually take shape and perfect, at the beginning of absorbing the sap of the 10,000-year-old flower tree to awaken the seal, and then there is the essence and blood of Ji Zong, it is to grow against the sky in an instant. Ji Zong is usually lonely and has nothing to do, but when he encounters this magical thing, he finally feels interesting, and since then he has been refining with essence blood every day. The two ginseng also cooperate with the knowledge, take the mountains and rivers as the furnace, absorb the essence of the sun and the moon, and the essence and blood of the lover are transformed, and the eyes will be opened on the second day, and the young teeth will grow on the third day, and the fourth day will walk upright, the fifth day will drink the water of the mountain spring, the sixth day will eat the flesh of the birds, and on the seventh day it will be able to open its mouth and speak, and grow seven inches a day, so that after seven days, it will finally be fully mature.

Ji Zong has been lonely and melancholy for many years, and he does not want to be able to cultivate two ginseng children, but he is also happy to see this, as if there is a ray of light in the darkness, and the future is bright, and then he will try his best to educate the two sons, and show his kindness to the best of his ability. Teach the second son to be filial piety and loyalty, courtesy, righteousness and honesty; teach the second son the three outlines and five constants, the way of the monarch and the minister; teach the second son the sophistication, ethics and morality; teach the second son astronomy and geography, I Ching gossip; teach the second son three tombs and five classics, eight ropes and nine hills; teach the second son to govern martial arts, the art of war; teach the second son the art of yin and yang, and the law of change. The second son was originally gifted and intelligent, but he was also diligent and studious, respecting teachers and teaching, Ji Zong saw it in his eyes, and he was finally happy in ordinary days.

On this day, the wind and the sun were beautiful, Ji Zong called his two sons to him, and when he saw it, he looked like this: a dignified seven-foot man, with fair skin, light body, and handsome appearance. Ji Zong was relieved and said, "Now that you are both perfect, you should also become famous." I didn't know where to start for a while, so I went with the flow, the slightly older one called to become famous, and the other called to establish a surname, and commanded, and the second son knelt down: "Thank you for the master's teachings and give me a name, and the disciple will always feel great grace."