The Road ◉‿◉
After Tang San left, Long Tian sat in the courtyard for another half an hour.
Morning light streamed into the courtyard from the east, casting the shadow of the withered pomegranate tree from the base of the wall all the way to the well. Yu Jin waited a while under the eaves, leaning against the doorframe. When he stood up, he broke a dry biscuit in half and handed it to Long Tian. Long Tian took it, took a bite, and suddenly said, "The western section of the post road, the road he mentioned before he left—we're packing now, we're leaving today."
Yu Jin tucked the other half of the cake into his pocket, turned, and went inside to pack his bags. His movements were faster than ever before, as if he had known this trip would happen all along and was just waiting for the words "We're leaving today" to land.
There wasn't much. Long Tian mentally reviewed the sea chart again, confirming that the direction of the dotted line didn't need to be rechecked on the ground. Yu Jin packed the water bag and dry rations, then placed the dark gray bead against his collarbone. As Long Tian stepped out of the courtyard gate, he glanced back at the courtyard—the branches of the withered pomegranate tree still stretched out in the morning light, the dampness on the well platform had dried, and the low stone bench under the eaves still retained a faint warmth. He withdrew his gaze and stepped over the threshold.
The entrance to the post road in the west of the city was hidden behind an old wall covered with wild vines. The road surface was indeed covered with grass, but the grass stalks were not high, and a narrow line was occasionally trodden out by passing feet. Long Tian and Yu Jin walked along that narrow line for two days. The road surface changed from paved bricks to gravel, and from gravel to compacted soil. The vegetation on both sides gradually transitioned from man-made roadside trees to mixed wild shrubs. On the afternoon of the third day, the road split into two at a fork - the left road extended along the foot of the mountain, and the right road went into a narrow valley surrounded by dense forest.
The starting segment of the dotted line on the nautical chart aligned with the direction of the narrow valley on land. Without hesitation, Long Tian turned onto the right-hand path. The tree canopies on both sides of the valley almost closed overhead, filtering the light into a uniform dark green. The air was more humid and cooler than outside. The soil was composed of a loose layer of humus and fine gravel. As he walked, he could feel his feet continuously rising; the slope was gentle but never flattened, like continuously ascending a wide, gentle slope.
As the Dragon Shadow flew through the narrow valley, it automatically adjusted the angle of its wing membranes, narrowing its broad wingspan to fit the width of the valley. Its luminous layer, bathed in dark green light, took on a different texture than when it was in the open; the gray-gold color deepened, like a light source processed by a filter. Yu Jin walked behind, the light from the dark gray beads automatically increasing in brightness in the shadows, illuminating a visible outline of the road ahead.
There were no road signs at the end of the narrow valley, but the path suddenly opened up after crossing a low stone embankment. The view ahead abruptly shifted from the dark green, enclosed space to an open area covered by low hills and drought-resistant gray-green shrubs. Only when the line of sight stretched far into the distance did the faint outline of a mountain reappear. The wind blew from the direction of the open area, dry and warm, carrying an ancient, dusty scent different from the sea breeze.
Long Tian stood on the low stone embankment for a moment. The Dragon Shadow behind him slowly rose to a higher position than usual, its wings fully spread, and all four eyes simultaneously looked towards the open space ahead. The vertical line on his forehead remained closed, but the edges of the cracks on its surface shone slightly in the sunlight, like a lamp that had been waiting in the dark for some time finally illuminating a space that could provide sustained light. The wind blew continuously from that direction, making different rustling sounds as it brushed against the fabric on Long Tian's shoulders and the ends of Yu Jin on his forehead, like two different textures trembling in their own forms under the force of the same gust of wind. It continued to extend towards the faint ridgeline in the distance, carrying them through bushes, gravel, and dry grass stems, before being swept up into the distant sky by the wind at the edge of the open space.