Red Lotus (1)
Ye Qingcang did not mind traveling with Han Fei.
Just as Han Fei did not mind traveling with him.
They all have trouble.
They were both fully aware of each other's troubles.
One problem is the trouble from the Net.
One problem comes from the darkness of Night Curtain.
Although the Night Curtain is nothing in the face of the Net, Han Fei can only fight against the Night Curtain within the rules of the game, while Ye Qingcang can give full play to his abilities in the infinite space without rules.
Therefore, the level of difficulty is actually the same.
Therefore, there's no question of who dislikes whom.
The pot calling the kettle black.
After thinking about it carefully, I think I'll pass.
They left the tavern.
We emerged from the woods.
The desolate scene gradually came into view.
The two horses walked slowly along the official road, passing through a small village.
Not too fast, not too slow.
leisurely.
Just like their respective owners.
Han Fei swayed precariously on horseback, a wine jug in his left hand and a skewer of grilled fish in his right. He gazed at the delicious-looking fish with astonishment, and after a long while, took a bite and couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Ye, I'm starting to believe what that shopkeeper said... to be able to conjure things out of thin air with a thought. Honestly, are you some kind of deity descended to earth?"
"You believe in this too?"
Ye Qingcang smiled and asked in return.
Han Fei laughed as well.
Sometimes, being too smart isn't a good thing.
The fun of guessing has been greatly reduced.
However, Han Fei possessed sufficient, even exceptionally high, emotional intelligence. Even when faced with a situation where he couldn't respond, he wouldn't let the atmosphere become awkward. And when it came to responding, he was even more adept. "That depends on the definition of a deity... The deities in the eyes of ordinary people are completely different from those in the eyes of the powerful and wealthy. I just don't know whether you are a deity in the eyes of ordinary people or in the eyes of the powerful and wealthy... Moreover, there are true and false deities in this world. True deities are few and far between, while false deities are everywhere. Truth and falsehood intertwine; who knows which is truly real?"
They chatted idly like this.
Before we knew it, we had entered the village.
The crows at the edge of the village were startled into flight.
This, in turn, startled the other crows in the village.
Layer upon layer of them rose up, swirling and howling like a harbinger of death, like Covering the Sky clouds blotting out the sky, scrutinizing the strange group of three people, two horses, and a cart as they entered the desolate little village.
The sound of horses' hooves seemed incredibly jarring at that moment.
It also seemed particularly powerless.
However, these cawing crows did not intend to attack people or vehicles. After circling in the air for a while, they suddenly seemed to be stimulated by something, splitting apart and scattering in all directions. The original formation was immediately disrupted, and many crows also landed and hid in various corners of the village. As time went by, more and more crows appeared, only occasionally cawing, as if to indicate that they were still alive.
Seeing this, Han Fei breathed a sigh of relief.
He patted his chest playfully.
He joked, "I thought they were eyeing the grilled fish in my hand..."
Startled Salamander silently pressed her thumb.
He pressed the Jing Ni Sword, which was only half an inch out of its sheath, back into its scabbard.
He left after accomplishing his task, concealing his identity and name.
She had no intention of helping Han Fei.
He had no intention of helping Ye Qingcang.
But the cawing of these crows was just too annoying.
To give one's ears a moment of peace, it's perfectly reasonable to Intimidation this intelligent bird with Killing Intent.
And then there was this little incident.
Han Fei also spoke much less frequently.
I don't know if it was because I didn't want to disturb the crows anymore, or if I wasn't in the mood.
In Ye Qingcang's opinion, the latter was more likely, because any patriot would not be in a good mood if they saw one of their country's villages desolate and almost deserted.
Especially...
"Um?"
From afar, two ragged children, seemingly siblings, stood by the roadside, sharing a small handful of beans. Upon seeing a stranger approach, the slightly older girl instinctively pulled the smaller boy into her arms and looked at him and his tall horse with terrified eyes. Han Fei was unusually silent, and his eyes flickered involuntarily.
He squeezed the horse's belly tightly with both legs.
The white horse obediently stopped.
Of course, the Earth Stone Warhorse beside it continued to walk silently, maintaining its original pace, pulling the trailer forward step by step, even though its creator was watching the people on the scene with great interest, waiting for the plot to unfold.
"How do I get to Xinzheng?"
Han Fei asked a question he already knew the answer to.
His eyes had regained their calm.
His thoughts are hard to fathom.
"Follow this path."
"Just keep walking forward."
The girl, who looked about six or seven years old, timidly raised her hand, pointed ahead, and then quickly pressed down on the head of the boy who looked only three or four years old. Her eyes were filled with longing, but she still lowered her head and dared not look at the grilled fish again.
Unexpectedly, the grilled fish was handed to me!
"This is the reward for giving directions."
"Take it."
Seeing the girl standing there blankly, not knowing what to do.
Han Fei changed his target with a calm expression.
She shoved the half-eaten piece of grilled fish into the little boy's hand.
Then, he casually patted the horse's back.
The white horse beneath him immediately understood its master's meaning.
They quickened their pace slightly.
They caught up with the carriage that hadn't gone far.
That is, the trailer pulled by earth and stone horses where Ye Qingcang sat down.
Han Fei was also able to see Ye Qingcang again.
He shrugged.
He joked self-deprecatingly, "It's just a toll..."
"Do even immortals need to pay tolls?"
Ye Qingcang teased him in a humorous, but somewhat nonsensical, tone.
Han Fei was momentarily stunned.
He even instinctively retorted, "Brother Ye, I'm not a god. Paying tolls is perfectly normal. You're not making fun of me, are you?"
"At least in the eyes of those two children."
"You are a god."
"A true immortal."
"The kind of person who's always there for you."
Ye Qingcang had taken a long and roundabout route, and only now did he finally reveal his true intentions.
Han Fei instantly grasped its meaning.
However, for Han Fei, he would rather not be such a deity.
"Immortals and gods have had many surnames since ancient times."
"It illuminates all kinds of people in the world."
"Ordinary people seek peace and stability, while merchants seek sudden wealth."
"Officials seek a better future, emperors seek immortality."
"If you want to be a certain kind of person and fulfill the wishes of that kind of person, you will become a god in their eyes, and whether it's true or not doesn't matter."
After Ye Qingcang finished speaking, he suddenly turned around and looked at Han Fei.
Their eyes met.
There are almost no secrets to hide.
He said, slowly and deliberately, "Brother Han, I wonder what kind of immortal you intend to become... or rather, what are your future aspirations?"
"To be honest..." Han Fei didn't look away, maintaining eye contact with Ye Qingcang, but habitually added with a self-deprecating laugh, "I'm a soft-hearted person, and also quite greedy. I can't stand seeing others suffer... so I want it all!"
"Do you want them all?"
Ye Qingcang smiled.
He repeated Han Fei's answer.
He immediately replied, "It's good... but this path will be very difficult!"
"Which road isn't difficult to travel?"
Han Fei pointed to the ground beneath his feet.
Then he pointed ahead.
He said meaningfully, "We can't just stop here because it's difficult to walk, can we?"