Return to the Mountains

If the flood comes, the surrounding houses will also be affected... The houses made of mud cannot withstand the erosion of the flood and will definitely be burned down.

Forget it, Lan Xin took a deep breath and put all these thoughts out of her mind. This is not something she should care about now. Even if other people’s homes were destroyed, what does it have to do with her.

She just wanted to jump down quickly, hoping that it wouldn't take too long to catch up with Sheng Lang on the Naihe Bridge so that he wouldn't be too lonely.

The strong wind made my cheeks hurt like a knife, and I couldn't tell whether it was rain or something else on my face.

Lan Xin took another small step, her toes just parallel to the stone surface at the edge of the cliff. The next second, she took a step forward without any hesitation, and fell down like a floating leaf.

Her eyes were open. Normally, even looking down from a high place would make her feel dizzy and anxious, but now she was extremely sober as she threw herself into the vortex.

There were various trees growing on the edge of the cliff, as well as naturally formed protruding rocks. The outer edges of the rocks were sharp, leaving many scars on her body. After the wounds were rubbed, she only felt a large area of ​​numbness, but did not feel much pain.

Everything around me was passing by quickly. First I felt like I was passing through a large area of ​​mist, and then I was surrounded by deep river water.

The feeling of suffocation came from all directions, but Lan Xin did not struggle. She let herself drift with the current, watching the blood continuously flowing out of the wound. The pink color was quickly diluted and dissipated by the entire river.

Even though I had seen the vastness of the river, I didn't know it was so deep. I fell for a long time but still couldn't see the bottom.

Moreover, the scene was a little different from what I had imagined. It was not completely dark. Instead, my vision was not too obstructed and I could see weeds and fish floating in the water a few meters away.

Lan Xin looked for a while and didn't notice that her blood had already drifted far away along the water flow, nor did she realize that she had been out of breath for a long time.

After continuing to fall for a while, she discovered a huge creature at the bottom of the river.

They were huge in size and clustered together like small hills. At first, I thought they were huge rocks buried for many years, but then I found that they seemed to be breathing and were alive.

The coiled body looked like some kind of giant snake, and the tip of the tail wrapped around the outermost circle swept lightly across the water surface a few times, creating several very strong whirlpools.

As we got closer, we could begin to see the scales covering the beast's surface, and from different angles we could make out the dim light it emitted.

The scales were covered with scars of varying sizes, as if they had been attacked by something.

Lan Xin actually couldn't swim, but subconsciously she didn't want to get close to this creature that seemed to be dying, so she tried her best to flap her wings to get away.

But these had no effect in the river where the water flowed in an unknown direction. She fell almost straight down and was placed steadily in a certain part of the body of the giant snake.

The moment they touched, she could feel the slight undulations on the scales. She placed her palm over them and slowly stroked the blood stains on the scales, as if she could empathize with them.

Lan Xin didn't feel scared at the moment, she just felt sorry for the beast. It must have taken years to grow into such a shape in the river, but no matter how dominant it was underwater, it could only wait for death to come.

Although they had nothing to do with each other, in this situation, she still inexplicably thought of Zhao Sheng who had been struggling on the sickbed for many days. It seemed that there was really no difference between them.

Well, since I can't get away, at least my bones won't be alone in the river after I die.

After thinking about this, Lan Xin suddenly realized that her original intention to commit suicide had not actually come true. From the moment she fell into the water to now, a considerable amount of time had passed.

She was even breathing normally, with bubbles of air floating in the river from her mouth and nose.

Just as he was wondering, a huge head emerged from the circling body. The giant beast opened its narrow and turbid eyes, revealing despair and sadness in its heart.

Lan Xin tightened her grip and heard a voice in her mind: "Human, you still have unfinished business. It's not time for you to die yet."

She looked around in confusion, and after a while, she realized that the sound must have come from the big snake in front of her.

But in fact, if you look closely, its appearance is very different from the common water snakes we see. Could it be because of its larger body?

"Are you talking to me?" She couldn't open her mouth in the water, but she found that they could communicate with each other through consciousness.

"I failed in my tribulation and was about to vanish into thin air, but you appeared at this moment, offering a glimmer of hope. If you are willing to sign a contract with me, I can guarantee that I will be able to fulfill your wish."

A wish? Lan Xin had originally wanted to die, but now she was reminded of it, and she didn't know what other wishes she had left. She paused, and for a moment she didn't know how to start.

"I was born in a river, and it took me a thousand years to cultivate and become a dragon. I knew I would face this calamity, but I didn't expect to fail at the last moment. I thought I would never have another chance to cross the river, but when I was on the verge of death, I smelled your blood. Your appearance at this time was undoubtedly an opportunity for me, and it was because of this that I was able to wake up."

The dragon continued, "If you're willing, we can sign a contract here. Don't you hate the people living in Lan City who didn't stand up in times of crisis? Just lend me your life and become one with me. Then you will possess unimaginable supreme power."

"I'll lend it to you, but I want to die anyway." Lan Xin didn't understand why it wanted to negotiate with her. Even if it was a seriously injured monster, she wouldn't be able to match it. It just wanted to take her life.

But these words undoubtedly reminded her. Could it be that she really thought this way in her heart? She had been feeling unfair for Zhao Shengming since a long time ago and wanted to make those people pay the price?

"Everything has its destiny. If I want to regain my former abilities, I can't force your life. I can only do it if you are willing."

Lan Xin asked, "What price should I pay?" She really felt that she should live a little longer.

"You saved me, which is already a token of my gratitude. If you are willing, we can share this power and coexist in this world forever. We can go wherever you want and do whatever you want. How about this, cooperation?"

There was a hint of temptation in the dragon's dull voice, and Lan Xin lowered her eyes.

When she first learned that Zhao Sheng was injured, she felt sad at first, but later, after hearing the whole story from the people, she began to speak up for him.

It's just that I'm powerless and haven't gained anything for him. I've done my best to take care of him and prevent him from suffering too much.

But now it’s different. There is another choice in front of her, and she really has the ability to do something for Zhao Sheng.

"I promise you, but you must also ensure Shenglang's safety."

"Don't worry, he is being buried now. His body will definitely not be damaged after his death."

After saying this, a black jade-like scale slowly floated up from the dragon's belly, with golden light flickering on its surface. Lan Xin watched the scale getting closer and closer, and then merged into her forehead.

This was a very novel experience. She could feel endless power flowing into her body. She felt that the river water around her began to become as comfortable and pleasant as the warm sunshine, and she could see farther.

Every part of the river can be seen clearly, and even through the river bank, you can see the mountains, forests and vegetation in the distance.

Then sleepiness came over her head, and Lan Xin bent down and lay on the dragon's body. The contract officially came into effect, and both of them fell into a deep sleep, waiting for a new life.

When I woke up again, it was already twenty years later.

Lan Xin took control of this new body and returned to Lancheng. She saw that the people were living a more prosperous life than before, and the border had been peaceful for several years without war.

She walked along the long street, taking in everything in front of her, thinking that this was what Zhao Sheng had once told her, that he wanted to see what Lancheng could truly become.

If the city gate could have been closed earlier, Shenglang would not have had any regrets.

Most of these people who live in comfort don’t even know that there was someone who did his best for their safety. It’s time for people to remember this.

*

Zhu Nanjing looked at Lan Xin, whose expression was becoming increasingly fierce, and tried to dissuade her, saying, "In that incident, the enemy troops who infiltrated in disguise were despicable, but the civilians were also deceived. They weren't the ones who did anything wrong."

"You said they were not wrong?" Lan Xin was furious, and the raindrops were getting heavier. "But if it weren't for them, how could everything that happened later happen?"

It is difficult to judge right from wrong until today, but the only thing that remains unchanged is that Zhao Sheng truly lost his life.

Ding Can opened the bamboo umbrella, which not only blocked the rain in the small area where they were, but also formed a natural barrier, preventing even the evil spirits raging around them from getting close.

This magical weapon was forged by her master. Even if it is not infused with spiritual power, it can automatically activate the defense mechanism when it encounters danger.

"Madam Lan Xin, if you truly hate the people of Lan City to the core, why do you only choose to kill one person at a time? And why do you only appear once a month? Aren't you just trying to draw everyone's attention to you so they can remember everything about Zhao Sheng?"

"And just now, even though we were clearly discovered, you chose not to attack in the city, but instead chose to lead us to a deserted place like the mountains in the suburbs. Isn't it because you didn't want to cause too much bloodshed?"

Lan Xin frowned, "Don't speculate. I just want to see everyone living in constant fear, feeling the fear of not knowing when a sword will fall from their heads. Living too comfortably is never a good thing."