At dawn, on East Foothills of Tiantou City's official road, Huangdou Academy's motorcade had already moved.
Qin Ming stood at the front, holding a list of supplies in his hand and sketching them item by item.
The wheels rolled over the gravel, making a rumble sound, heading in the direction of Spirit City.
Chen Jieqi was riding on a horse and did not enter the carriage.
Dugu Yan was leaning against the side of the car, arms folded across his chest, and his hair flying in the wind.
Ye Lingling sat quietly, with a herbal atlas on his lap. He turned over one page, then another, without reading anything.
Yu Tianheng squatted on the side of the road, drawing something on the ground with a branch, and then painted it out.
Yu Feng and Osler were fighting for position on the roof of the car, but Dugu Yan glared down at them.
Two brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo broke a wheat cake in half, stuffed half into their mouths and half into the baggage.
No one spoke loudly, the sound of wheels, horses' hooves, and wind all mixed together, like some kind of deep breathing.
In Soul Ring, Sheng Hui stood up.
"The boy's breath has become weak."
Chen Jieqi held the reins tightly and did not answer.
At the same moment, Shrek Academy is at the door.
Flender was standing on the steps, Zhao Wuji was leaning against the doorpost, arms folded across his chest, and Grandmaster did not appear.
Tang San was the first to walk out of the door. He had a new pair of shoes, but his walking posture remained the same.
Every step was hard, like nailing something into the ground.
Xiao Wu followed him, with no hair rope in his hand.
The old mark on her wrist was still there, but it had faded very little.
She looked at Tang San's back, neither speeding up nor slowing down.
Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, Ma Hongjun came out in turn.
No one spoke, only the muffled sound of walking.
Two carriages were parked on the side of the road. They were simpler than Huangdou. The curtains were made of coarse cloth and were gently swayed by the morning breeze.
Tang San got on the first bus and sat in the deepest part, leaning against the wall of the car with his knees touching his knees.
Xiao Wu got on the same bus and sat opposite him.
There was an arm's length between the two of them, and the air was like solidified glue.
Dai Mubai wanted to say something, but looked into Tang San's eyes and swallowed it back.
He got on the second one and the wheels started to move.
The outline of Heaven Dou City became smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, and finally disappeared into the morning fog.
The first day of the journey, in the evening.
Huangdou camped in the forest next to the official road. The bonfire was lit, and the light of the fire was blown around by the wind.
Dugu Yan was sitting by the fire, holding a glass of warm water in his hand but not drinking it.
Ye Lingling handed her a piece of dry food. She took it, broke it in half, and handed it back.
Yu Tianheng was still looking at the map, and his finger drew a line in the direction of Spirit City.
I drew another line, finally folded the map and stuffed it into Soul Tool.
Chen Jieqi was sitting on the edge where the firelight could not reach, leaning against a tree, turning the copper key in his hand.
He had polished off the stone powder in the tooth grooves of the key, and the copper surface was shiny, like a blurry mirror.
"What are you waiting for?" Sheng Hui's voice.
"Wait for a while, not sure." Chen Jieqi said.
"What are you waiting for?"
Chen Jieqi put the key away and looked at Dugu Yan's side face across the bonfire.
She did not look at him, but was stirring the coals in the fire with branches.
"Wait until one person decides," he said,
"Whether he's going to explode or burn."
Sheng Hui did not answer the call.
Soul Ring Deep in the depths, the silver-white mane moved slightly, like the wind blowing over the top of the grass.
The second day of the journey, Shrek team.
The carriage was very stuffy, and the sunlight filtered in through the gaps in the coarse curtains, casting a white streak on the floor, swaying slightly with the bumps of the wheels.
Tang San closed his eyes, but did not fall asleep.
His breathing was so light that Xiao Wu opposite had to listen carefully to confirm that he was still there.
Dai Mubai was sitting at the entrance of the carriage, with his back to them, unconsciously stroking a Gold Soul Coin in his hand.
Oscar handed over a Sausage, Dai Mubai took it, took a bite, and chewed it for a long time before swallowing it.
"Mistress," Dai Mubai suddenly spoke, his voice broken by the sound of wheels.
"How far have you mastered your hammer?"
Tang San Open your eyes.
There were bloodshot eyes in the whites, but his eyes were very clear, as clear as a frozen lake.
"Forty-five," he said.
Dai Mubai was stunned for a moment.
Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, forty-five moves, eighteen more moves than in the exchange competition.
But he didn't ask how he practiced, he just nodded.
"Oh," he said.
Then the car became quiet again. Oscar handed over the second Sausage,
Tang San took it and ate it without saying thank you.
It's not that I'm not grateful, it's that I forgot.
Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the wall of the car on the other side, watching all this.
She didn't speak, just leaned closer to Dai Mubai.
Xiao Wu looked at Tang San's profile.
The sun shone in through the gap in the curtains on his side, making half of his face white, while the other half was hidden in shadow.
She remembered that a long time ago, on the roof of the Nuoding Academy, the sun shone on him like this,
At that time, he would laugh, stretch out his hand and say, "Xiao Wu, do you think that cloud looks like a rabbit?"
Now he doesn't look at the clouds anymore.
He looked at the white mark on the floor of the carriage, watched it shake, watched it break.
On the third day of the journey, at night.
Shrek is camping in the wasteland next to the official road.
The bonfire was not burning brightly, the firewood was wet, and the smoke was so strong that it hurt people's eyes.
Tang San offered to stay vigil.
Dai Mubai wanted to say "I'll accompany you", but Tang San glanced at him,
There was no rejection or invitation in that look, just a glance.
Dai Mubai lay down.
Tang San was sitting on the edge of the camp, with his back to the campfire and his face to the darkness.
The iron leaves on my wrist suddenly felt hot.
It's not warm, it's hot, like a piece of coal just taken out of the fire.
The heat made his skin tight and he almost wanted to tear it off.
He looked down and saw that the Haotian lines on the iron leaves were cracking, and scarlet oozed from the gaps, like blood oozing from a wound.
"The leaves your father gave you," the voice came,
Not from his mind, but from the cracks in the iron leaves, like someone speaking against his bones,
"Can't hold me down."
Tang San's fingers tightened.
"But it can suppress you," the voice continued, with an almost gentle cruelty,
"Only you."
Tang San didn't answer, he looked back at the camp.
Xiao Wu was sleeping in a tent. The curtain of the tent was not closed tightly, exposing half of her face.
His brows were furrowed, as if he had dreamed of something bad.
He stood up and moved very lightly, so lightly that the bonfire did not shake.
Without hesitation, he walked into the darkness.
The footsteps stepped on the withered grass, making a soft cracking sound, like bones breaking on the ground.
The iron leaves burned hotter and hotter on his wrists, scarlet gushed out from the cracks,
Wrapped around his arm, it was like a vine, like a blood vessel, like some kind of ancient contract.
"Follow me," the voice said,
"Or explode here, take your pick."
Tang San did not look back, he disappeared deep into the forest.
The bonfire was still burning and the smoke was still floating, but no one noticed that he was gone.
Early morning, Shrek camp.
Xiao Wu was the first to wake up. She walked out of the tent and her eyes fell on the vigil position. There was no one there.
Only a few broken pieces of iron fell from the embers of the bonfire, black, with incomplete Haotian patterns carved on them.
She walked over, knelt down, and picked up a piece.
The iron piece was still warm and the edge was sharp, cutting her fingertips.
The blood dripped on the embers, making a slight "chi" sound.
She didn't shout, she just stood there, holding the piece of iron in her hand, looking into the depths of the forest.
The morning mist poured out from the cracks in the trees, like a closing mouth.
Dai Mubai came out, saw her back, and shouted, "Xiao Wu?"
Xiao Wu didn't look back. She put the scrap of iron in her pocket and turned towards the carriage.
"He's gone," she said.
The voice was very flat, as flat as a pool of stagnant water.
Dai Mubai was stunned in place.
Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun came out one after another and looked at the empty vigil position.
I looked at the footprints on the ground heading into the forest. They were very deep, and the dead grass was crushed with every step.
"Looking for it?" Oscar asked.
Xiao Wu is already on the carriage.
She picked up Tang San's luggage from the seat, held it in her arms, and held it tightly.
"Not looking for it," she said,
"He will come back on his own."
She buried her face in her backpack, and the fabric smelled of him, sweat, rust,
There is also a very faint, indescribable fishy sweetness.