The further we went, the more desolate it felt. I asked Xie Yuancheng, and he said that this was a thousand-person abandoned tomb. If it wasn't desolate, then it must be haunted by monsters.
"So cold~" A gust of wind blew and I felt cold. It wasn't physical cold, but a chill that ran from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.
"Do you want to sit backwards? I told you not to come."
"If I don't come, I'll become the bad woman you're talking about who abandoned her husband when we meet in three days."
"Ying'er~ you really know me too well. These words will stay with me for decades."
"Isn't it a bit too cold here? I have a creepy feeling about it. Could someone have turned into a zombie?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Aren't you most afraid of crawlers? They're not here. There are only some lonely ghosts that have been sleeping for many years."
"Stop talking~" He must have done it on purpose. I kept my eyes closed the whole time. It was so scary here. I could feel someone standing in front of me even with my eyes closed.
"We're already out. It's just a small patch of wasteland. I wouldn't have come here if they weren't here."
"These people are really something, how did they find this place?"
"We need to avoid people, like us, which is why we took the wrong turn earlier. Otherwise, we would have arrived much sooner."
"Pah~ You know best why, don't come here playing the victim, it's all your fault!"
"Of course, since Ying'er spoils me so much, we should take our time. Anyway, their hiding place will take some time to get there."
"What kind of skilled and daring people are these? Hiding here is really putting a lot of people in a difficult position." Another gust of wind blew by, and I had a feeling that someone had been watching us from the wasteland since we came in.
I looked back and saw rows of neat graves on the other side. I couldn't bear to look anymore. "You still say there's nothing there? There's clearly a bunch of tombstones."
"A tombstone?" Xie Yuancheng pulled on the reins and turned back to look. "Where would there be a tombstone? Ying'er must have mistaken you."
"No way, they're all lined up right across from me, how could I be mistaken?" I covered my eyes with my hands, and if he dared to go back, I'd jump off my horse and wait on the ground.
"Really not? What color is it?"
"What colors could they be? They're all black, with gold lettering saying 'Tomb of So-and-so' on them~" I'm going to cover my ears. If he asks again, I'll be an idiot.
"Beep beep~" I thought he was leaving when I heard a sound and felt a breeze. I quickly opened my eyes, and it was indeed the same black-clad men I had seen in the Western Regions last time. Their movements were exactly the same as when they flew out, except this time they flew in.
I was stunned. There were clearly many tombstones, how could they all disappear overnight? I looked up at Xie Yuancheng, his face was very serious, and I didn't dare to ask any more questions.
I decided to just bear with it and see what those men in black could find. Just as I was straightening my clothes, the kingfisher flew out and headed towards the wasteland.
“The little bird flew in too.” I asked Xie Yuancheng if he wanted to go and see, but he shook his head. So I had to lean on him to rest.
Soon, I heard a lot of sounds coming from inside. I thought I had misheard. What were originally the sounds of dead trees turned into fresh, green trees in my eyes after a while.
"Could it be that the kingfisher has appeared? Its name is Diancui, so can it bring back spring to barren trees?" I asked Xie Yuancheng, a little foolishly, and he just laughed.
"How can you interpret it like that? We'll find out when it flies back. You two are whispering amongst yourselves, and you can even have a good talk about the bird."
"How...how did you know?" I pulled Xie Yuancheng's hand closer. He must be hiding something from me. It's as if he knows exactly what I'm thinking and doing.
"How could I not know? You read it out yourself when you were talking. I was so close by, if I pretended not to know, that would be lying to you."
"Well~" I feel there must be something I don't know. Maybe the shopkeeper said something to Xie Yuancheng, or maybe he has the ability to foresee things. Anyway, my husband and I work well together and have managed to turn bad luck into good so many times.
"Wah!" A loud cry rang out. Were these people all in cahoots, bringing children along to do their jobs? Weren't they afraid of getting caught?
"It was the same last time. Why do so many people like to bring their kids out?"
"You just heard their voices and assumed they were children. What if they were adults with similar voices?"
"What? How could the voice sound so similar?" I thought it was impossible. A child's voice is soft and sweet, and it sounds so childish. How could anyone imitate it so well?
"Ying'er, listen carefully and think about what Yu'er and the others sound like when they cry, then you can start doubting me~"
"I didn't doubt you at all; stop trying to portray yourself as a naive and innocent girl."
I listened intently, and it really was a bit different. When a child cries, it's a real wail; no matter how much they wail, tears will definitely fall, hence the gasping sounds. This cry only sounded similar; the sound wasn't full, and it was even a bit shrill. Surely no one would actually imitate a child's cry?
"When a child cries, tears stream down their face, while adults sometimes cry without tears. The sound is also different."
"Nice little ears, you haven't been following me around for nothing~" He flicked my ear again, and when I dodged to the side, he grabbed me and said I was naughty. When he gets naughty, he's much more formidable than me.
"Little Chengcheng~ If you twist my ear off, I'll get mad at you."
“Sometimes your ears won’t listen, so you should spank them. Twisting them occasionally would be even better.” I was speechless. I just let him pull on my ears; he wasn’t using much force anyway.
The sounds had faded, and when I listened again, all I could hear was the sound of fighting. The leaves of the trees that had turned lush and green were falling down in unison, like snow. The forest was covered in a blanket of green leaves.
The kingfisher flew back, and I held out my hand to let it stand. It chirped twice as soon as it opened its mouth. I asked it what was happening inside, and it said that there was a fight. It helped out and came back to take a nap in my pocket.
"They really did go to help. I guess it's just like I said, 'kingfisher feather inlay' is about bringing dead trees back to life."
"Yes, Ying'er is right to think that way~" He always goes along with me. When the kingfisher heard what I said, it obviously did two somersaults and then went into my pocket to rest.
As long as Xie Yuancheng agrees with me, I don't care about anything else, whether it's people or birds. I'll just keep waiting with him. The fighting sounds have subsided, and only then does Xie Yuancheng ride his horse over, followed by a group of men. Several cavalrymen have gone ahead to clear the way, looking quite dashing.
"You really know how to train people. Now I'm just like them, obeying your every word." I teased him, and he actually said I was coaxing him. "What's there to coax? This is how I treat you."
"Oh, I know, you're just being talkative today."
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