The white-haired old man glanced at Tang Seng and asked in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Who are you?"

"The old man, the poor monk is a monk who went to the West Heaven to worship the Buddha and seek scriptures from the Tang Dynasty in the east. Tang Seng clasped his hands together and said softly.

"The monk who seeks scriptures in the west?" the old man looked slightly surprised. He glanced at Zhu Bajie and the others standing behind Tang Seng, and a look of horror flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"These are ......"

"Don't be afraid, the old man, these are all apprentices of the poor monks. Although they look a little ugly, they are actually good people. Tang Seng said with a smile.

The white-haired old man nodded slightly, then turned around and whispered a few words to the people behind him.

After a while, the old man said to Tang Seng: "Since you are from Middle Earth, you might as well go to the old decrepit house to rest your feet, and by the way, you can also have a good meal." ”

As soon as he heard that there was food to eat, Zhu Bajie, who was originally shrunk behind everyone, suddenly had his eyes lit up. I saw him walk forward with an excited face and say, "There's something to eat? That's great! My old pig is dying of hunger!"

"Bajie!"

Tang Seng frowned and motioned for him to pay attention to politeness.

The white-haired old man haha: "It's okay, masters, please come with me." ”

"Thank you, old man. ”

Led by the white-haired old man, the group crossed the street and soon came to a stone house. Compared to the stone houses they had seen earlier, the one in front of them was obviously a circle larger than them.

But what surprised everyone even more was the furnishings in the stone house. The furniture here is all stonework. The stone beds, stone benches, and even wine glasses and chopsticks are made of stone.

"I said, old man, why are all the furniture in your house made of stone?" Sun Wukong jumped lightly and jumped directly onto a stone chair in the corner.

The white-haired old man smiled, but he didn't mind the disrespect in the other party's tone.

"It's not our family like this, but everyone in the entire ancient city of Xihu is like this. ”

"Oh, why is that?" Sun Wukong wondered.

"Yes, I see that there are a lot of big trees outside the city, wouldn't it be better to cut some to make some furniture?" Zhu Bajie said.

"You don't know anything. ”

At this time, the middle-aged man who had been supporting the old man suddenly said: "We have been respecting bluestone since ancient times. Whether it's building a house or building furniture, priority is given to bluestone in the city. However, in recent years, some people have tried to make something wood, which is not very new. ”

Tang Seng nodded and understood.

"Brother Meng, go and let your servants prepare the meal. The white-haired old man said to the middle-aged man.

"Yes, father. ”

The middle-aged man replied respectfully, and then walked towards the backyard.

After the middle-aged man left, Tang Seng asked in a low voice, "Old man, does Ling Lang also live in this ancient city?"

The white-haired old man smiled faintly and said, "Brother Meng is not an old man. When the old man was suffering from a strange disease, if it wasn't for the child's constant care, the old man would have been a pile of dry bones. ”

Everyone was amazed when they heard this. Sun Wukong said: "I can't see that he is quite filial to you." ”

The old man sighed softly, and his expression suddenly became a little sad.

"Don't hide it from your masters, the old decay can be regarded as having some prestige in this ancient city. Every grass and tree in this city carries all the feelings of old decay. It's a pity ......"

"Old man, is something happening?" Hearing this, Tang Seng frowned slightly.

The old man was silent for a long time before he said, "The elder doesn't know, the current city is already different from the past. ”

"Oh, why is that?"

The white-haired old man looked up at the street outside the door and said lightly: "As early as three months ago, a crack more than a foot long suddenly appeared on the stone walls around the ancient city. At first, everyone thought that it might be caused by perennial wind and sand, so they didn't pay attention to it. However, a few days later, the original rift was several times longer. ”

Everyone looked at each other, and their faces showed surprise.

Tang Seng asked, "Then are these really caused by wind and sand?"

The white-haired old man shook his head, and was about to explain that a figure came from behind.

"I'll tell you. ”

The person who came was the adopted son of the old man who had left earlier, Meng Ge.

Meng Ge walked up to the white-haired old man and whispered something in his ear. The latter nodded slightly after hearing this, and then got up and said to everyone: "Masters, the old man is in poor health and cannot accompany you for the time being. ”

After speaking, the old man walked slowly towards the inner hall with the support of his subordinates.

"I'm sorry everyone, but my father is not in good health and can't sit outside for a long time. Meng Ge looked at everyone and said apologetically.

"As for what my father said, it actually happened half a year ago. It's just that the cracks in the walls are not very noticeable. ”

"What is the cause of that?" asked Ruan Jiu.

Meng Ge pondered for a moment and said, "The specific reason is still not very clear. If my prediction is correct, the entire city will sink into the ground within half a year. ”

"What?!"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes, including Ruan Jiu, widened in surprise.

"What did you just say?"

Zhu Bajie thought that he had misheard, so he asked again.

Meng Ge sighed helplessly: "Although this sounds incredible, it is the truth. As you see, there are only a handful of people who still live in the city. Most of the people who could escape within half a year have fled. The rest are some old people who don't want to leave, and people like me who still have a special affection for the ancient city. ”

"How could there be such a thing...... It's also horrible. Zhu Bajie couldn't help but shudder.

Sun Wukong, who had been listening carefully beside him, asked at this time: "How did you know that the city would sink? Is it just your own guess?"

Meng Ge sighed: "You may not know when you first come to the city, in fact, the entire city has sunk nearly three feet deeper than before. ”

Three feet deep!

Ruan Jiu couldn't help but gasp. Three-foot ...... That's about a full meter.

Half a year, I saw a drop of more than one meter, which is indeed too terrifying.

"Amitabha Buddha ......"

Tang Seng clasped his hands together and recited the Buddha's name softly.

"When we learned the truth, everyone lived every day with extreme caution. Because no one knows when the city under their feet will suddenly disappear into the vast land. Meng Ge closed his eyes slightly and said lightly.

"So your father also knows about it?" asked Sun Wukong.

Meng Ge nodded: "Father does know. After all, this kind of thing is no secret in the city of Migration. ”

Ruan Jiu thought for a moment and asked, "Since you already know that the city will sink, why do you choose to stay here?" Is it just for that little bit of affection in your heart?"