Lost on the way back to the guild
Rainbow Bridge was still bustling with noise. Old Lin was organizing the list of new recruits for the gang when he suddenly heard the boss cough.
"cough cough cough"
I looked up and followed the trail of smoke.
A man in black leaned against the stone railing of the Rainbow Bridge. He had short, neat hair and a pair of weary eyes beneath his deep-set brows. The cigarette between his fingers flickered.
He seemed shrouded in a thin mist, completely out of place with the surrounding noise.
The eldest brother had already excitedly gone over.
"Young hero, would you be interested in joining our guild?"
The man slowly exhaled a smoke ring.
"A gang? What do they do?"
"It's a casual guild where everyone chats and runs dungeons."
The eldest brother grinned so wide his eyes disappeared, and his colorful clothes fluttered in the wind.
The man in black remained silent for a moment, then swiped his fingertips across the flying V-shaped light screen a few times, seemingly checking something.
He suddenly nodded, and cigarette ash fell softly onto the bluestone slab.
"Drunken Breeze."
He extended his hand with distinct knuckles.
"I hope you'll take good care of me, boss."
Looking at his little sprout logo, I knew that this was another newcomer to the world.
However... what our guild has the least shortage of is Little Sprouts.
As dusk settled, mist began to spread through the forest.
The group followed their leader through the dense forest, the dry branches under their feet making a soft cracking sound.
"Boss."
When Zui Qingfeng stepped on the same clump of mushrooms for the third time, he finally couldn't help but speak.
Are you sure you haven't gone to the wrong place?
The eldest brother walked at the front with his hands behind his back, his colorful clothes covered in grass clippings. He didn't even turn his head when he heard this.
"I have cultivated myself here for many years; I can find the way even with my eyes closed."
When Lao Lin saw the crooked old locust tree for the seventh time, he finally confirmed that we were indeed going in circles.
But looking at the eldest brother's straight back, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to expose him.
Drunk Breeze took out his pipe, its embers flickering in the darkening woods.
"I've been in several gangs,"
He exhaled a smoke ring.
"Some people scam for equipment, some scam for silver, but some lead new members astray and get lost in their own back mountain..."
"We're here!" the leader suddenly shouted in a strong voice.
Everyone's spirits lifted, only to find themselves facing a steep cliff. The evening breeze swept through the deep valley, lifting the eldest brother's rainbow-colored clothes.
Zui Qingfeng's pipe fell to the ground with a "thud".
The eldest brother turned around calmly, the moonlight gilding him with a silver edge.
"Look, this is the training ground for our sect's ultimate martial art, 'Phoenix Flight'."
He pointed to several protruding rocks on the cliff face.
"By stepping on these footholds, we can..."
"So you can just be reincarnated directly, right?"
The fisherman peered out from the edge of the cliff.
There's not even a pool of water at the bottom!
Chen Ze suddenly drew his sword, its gleaming blade pressed against the leader's back.
"Lead the way, or feed the wolves."
The eldest brother chuckled dryly twice.
What are you doing here?
The fish-fryer innocently shrugged.
"I saw you were hiring, but I ended up getting lost while following you."
"I have no choice but to follow you."
The eldest brother, with a somber expression, finally pulled a rusty compass from his sleeve.
"Actually... what was just now was a test of everyone's character..."
Zui Qingfeng silently picked up the pipe and tapped it on the sole of his boot.
"Is it too late to leave the guild now?"
"It's too late."
The eldest brother's voice suddenly turned deep, and his colorful sleeves fluttered in the twilight without any wind.
He turned and stared at Zui Qingfeng, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
"In this desolate wilderness, if you dare to leave the gang..."
Before the words were finished, a clear and melodious zither tune suddenly pierced through the forest mist and drifted over.
The sound of the zither seemed both near and far, sometimes like a clear spring gurgling over rocks, and sometimes like the sound of pine trees rustling in the wind, appearing particularly ethereal in the gradually darkening mountain forest.
The boss's ears suddenly twitched, perking up like an alert rabbit.
He unconsciously started walking, stumbling forward in the direction of the music.
The colorful hem of her garment swept across the bushes, gathering fine grass seeds and dewdrops.
The others looked at each other, then had no choice but to follow.
Zui Qingfeng silently took a drag of his cigarette, the embers drawing an orange arc in the twilight.
"This gang leader..."
"This happens all the time."
Old Lin interrupted him helplessly.
"It's nothing unusual."
After passing through a dense thicket of trees, the view suddenly opened up before us.
On a blue stone by the pool, two musicians dressed in black sat facing each other.
The man's slender fingers danced across the strings, while the woman's delicate fingers gently plucked and strummed. The music from the two guzheng intertwined and lingered, rippling in the night breeze.
nameless:
A thin mist swirled around the bluestone path, cool to the touch.
Who plucked the strings, startling two or three rows of roosting cranes?
Dewdrops cling to sleeves, rustling in the breeze.
A falling leaf is just like the way your clothes fluttered back then.
Deep in the bamboo forest, under the moonlight, brews aged frost.
The sorrow of half a lifetime cannot be fully expressed through the fingers.
If we meet again, do not ask about the old poems.
And you are still an unfinished chapter.
...
The last note of the zither slowly dissipated in the woods, its lingering melody rippling through the night like waves.
As if waking from a dream, everyone spontaneously burst into applause.
The eldest brother straightened Qi Cai's clothes, stepped forward, and bowed.
"Your musical skills are truly extraordinary; I am deeply impressed. We are from the Hundred Birds Gang; may we offer some guidance? This mountain forest..."
The woman in black covered her mouth and chuckled softly, the silver bell on her wrist jingling.
"Lost birds..."
She and the man exchanged a glance; the guzheng gleamed warmly in the moonlight.
The man stood up, the dark patterns on his robe flowing like water.
"Come with me."
The eldest brother asked again.
"What's your name?"
"Shiyun," the man said.
"The other one is Xi Jiang."
We followed the two men through the secluded path.
Moonlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on them.
The woman walked ahead, occasionally glancing back with a smile, while the man brought up the rear, his tall figure like a silent barrier.
We finally arrived at the guild before dark.
"Hey, finally back in the guild!"
The fried fish happily ran away.
The gang's gate creaked in the night, and Shiyun and Xijiang stood outside the threshold.
The moonlight gilded their black clothes with a silver edge. The eldest brother turned around, his colorful robes fluttering in the night breeze, and his smile seemed more genuine than usual.
"If you two don't mind, why don't you stay at our guild for a few days?"
Shiyun and Xijiang exchanged a glance. Xijiang nodded slightly, and Shiyun smiled and said, "Then we'll have to trouble you."
Zui Qingfeng leaned against the door frame, smoking, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.
"Boss, the guest rooms are old and dilapidated; I'm afraid we might neglect our distinguished guests."
"It's alright."
The eldest brother waved his hand.
"Make my room clear out for the two musicians, I'll squeeze in with Old Lin."
Just as Lao Lin was about to speak, Chen Ze said coldly.
"No need. The east wing is simple, but it can be tidied up and people can still live there." He finished speaking, turned around and left, his back as straight as a pine tree.
Pan-fried fish hopped and skipped over to Xi Jiang's side.
"Sister, you play the piano so well! Can you teach me?"
Xi Jiang gently patted her head.
"If the opportunity arises, of course."
Late at night, when Lao Lin was tidying up his eldest brother's room, he found him staring blankly at the account book.
In the candlelight, his usually radiant face showed signs of fatigue.
"Old Lin,"
He sighed.
How much silver is left in our gang's account?
Old Lin opened the ledger, and the numbers were shocking.
"Less than fifty taels left. If we can't pay the rent for the lodging this month, I'm afraid..."
The eldest brother slammed the ledger shut, the wind stirred up by his colorful sleeves nearly overturning the candlestick.
"I'll go to Hongqiao again tomorrow! If we hire more people, we'll find a way!"
"Boss."
Old Lin pressed down on his shoulder.
"Hiring isn't a long-term solution. The new guy, Zui Qingfeng, seems quite knowledgeable. How about we call everyone together tomorrow to discuss this?"
The eldest brother was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned and resumed his carefree demeanor.
"Okay! We'll have a big meeting tomorrow! Time for bed!"
After saying that, she lay sprawled out on my bed.
Old Lin shook his head and blew out the candle.
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, and the faint sound of a zither could be heard from afar, lingering and poignant...
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