Chapter 432 if line - Crocodile Teeth
The Black Mountain Restaurant is grand and beautiful.
Even the woodshed in the backyard is much more spacious than other taverns.
Right now, half of the space in the woodshed was filled with dry firewood, and the other half was occupied by several people tied up.
Several people had their hands and feet tied with ropes and all fainted on the ground, with some anger still on their faces.
Only the young man in the middle looked relaxed, as if he had just fallen asleep, not worried about his situation at all.
When Dayu sent a message to Mipo saying that he had captured A Luying and was willing to return the criminal to Mipo, Anaro was very excited and decided to come to Chang'an with Una.
Every day and night after Aluying defected, Ana Luo was thinking about how to cut off Aluying's flesh and skin bit by bit, and avenge his father in the most cruel way.
He was young and impatient, and could not wait for Una to escort A Luying back to Mi Po across thousands of miles, so he came in person.
He wanted to kill the traitor the first time he saw A Luying.
And he did just that.
He stabbed the dagger into A Luying's neck, and when he felt the warm blood flowing into his hand, he finally let out his resentment.
When he killed someone, Dayu was present.
The faces of the civil officials of Dayu turned pale; they had never seen such a bloody scene.
Ana Luo found it funny, these reactions were as if the Dayu court did not kill people.
It is obvious that Emperor Dayu and his civil officials can decide life and death with just their words.
He just did it himself.
Having avenged his great hatred, Ana Luo did not want to stay any longer, but Una said that he still had to coordinate with Dayu's Honglu Temple to discuss future diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Need to stay two more days.
Una said to Anaro, "Your Majesty, this time I came to Dayu, in addition to seeking revenge, I also wanted to see more of Dayu's prosperity and learn how Dayu governed the country."
Una always praises how great Dayu is.
Anaro had not taken it seriously before, but when he arrived in Chang'an this time and saw how prosperous the city was, he realized that what Una said was not an exaggeration.
Today, Una went to meet the people from the Honglu Temple, so Ana Luo took a few people to stroll around the streets.
He walked around the streets for a long time and was no longer as surprised by the wealth and fantasy of the capital as he had been in the previous two days.
But he was surprised to notice that there were many ordinary people around the stalls, in the shops, in the teahouses...
Not only the princes and nobles, but even the common people could live in such harmony.
This is something Mi Po can't do now.
Many of Mi Po's people were unable to afford clothes or food, let alone drink tea or buy things.
When Ana Luo was a little tired from walking around, he saw the flag of the Black Mountain Restaurant waving in front of him.
They had heard on the road that when they came to Chang'an, they must try the delicious food and wine at the Black Mountain Restaurant.
Now that he was there, Ana Luo naturally wanted to give it a try.
Although it was not yet dinner time, the restaurant was doing good business and all the private rooms were full.
Ana Luo and his guards found a seat in the lobby and sat down, and asked the waiter to bring up the restaurant's signature dishes and fine wines.
The food is good and the wine is good too.
But something went wrong.
There were more and more people in the lobby, and the sounds of cups and plates clashing, drinking and playing drinking games, and talking became louder and louder, making the surrounding environment noisy.
Ana Luo and his group were halfway through their meal when they heard a conversation coming from a table not far away:
"Mi Po arrived in the capital two days ago. You pass by the city gate every day. Have you ever met her?"
"I saw them, I saw them. They all looked like black charcoal, and I don't know how many layers of mud were on their bodies..."
"He looks so scary, like the Dark Impermanence coming from underground."
"I heard that the Mi Po people have pig noses and wolf mouths, and they are ready to eat people when they open their mouths..."
"Haven't you heard? Yesterday they killed Mi Po's traitor, cut him into pieces, and then ate him alive, tsk tsk..."
Ana Luo and the others who traveled with him on this trip had all learned the Dayu language. Even if they couldn't fully understand some of the words, they could still hear the derogatory meaning in them.
Bang!
Ana Luo slammed the table, and the two guards immediately stood up and pulled the guests at that table over.
The guests who were drinking and chatting were startled, and before they could react, they were dragged in front of Analo.
When they saw that Ana Luo and the others had dark skin and were wearing foreign clothing, they immediately started to speculate:
"You, you are Mi Po..."
Anaro drew his dagger.
The dagger was not unsheathed, and the scabbard was shining coldly.
Ana Luo pressed his tongue against the upper right jaw, flicked his fingers, and the scabbard was pressed against the bottom of the guest's nose:
"Open your eyes and see clearly what we look like. If you keep talking nonsense, I will cut off your nose and feed it to wild dogs."
Several guests who were forced to kneel before him were already sweating profusely and their faces were pale. When they heard Anaro say that he would cut off his nose, they screamed in fear:
“Help!”
"The Mi Po people are going to kill people——!"
"Express Officer—"
But this is the Black Mountain Restaurant, why do we need to wait for the soldiers? The shopkeeper and the waiter rushed over directly.
Bai Xun shouted, "Who's causing trouble?!"
Ana Luo kicked aside a few guests who were about to faint from fear, raised his eyebrows and smiled:
"Is this how Dayu's restaurant entertains guests?"
He waved his hand and all the guards rushed forward.
And so, the two sides started fighting.
The restaurant was instantly in chaos, and guests upstairs and downstairs all stretched their necks to watch the fun.
The guards that Ana Luo brought with him were all top-notch warriors of Mi Po, and they were not as easy to deal with as the street rogues. The fight between the two sides was quite fierce.
The flying broken pieces of porcelain almost hit the onlookers.
The guests who came to drink had no choice but to flee the restaurant and stand outside, watching the fun with relish while keeping a safe distance.
But I didn't stay there for too long, as the door of the restaurant was closed.
Ana Luo and others were also locked up in the woodshed.
After being tied up, Anaro and his group clearly stated that they were the kings of Mipo.
He was not anxious after being caught, but was amazed that he could meet so many masters by just eating in a random restaurant in Dayu.
Dayu is indeed a hidden dragon and crouching tiger.
Ana Luo was not in a hurry because he knew that if the people in the restaurant went to inquire, they would definitely confirm his identity.
Even if the people at the restaurant didn't ask about it, Una would come to find him after hearing about such a big commotion.
Since this concerns the diplomatic relations between the two countries, these people will not do anything to him.
Ana Luo rushed all the way from Mipo to Chang'an without a good night's sleep. After killing A Luying with his own hands yesterday, he was too excited and did not sleep well last night.
I walked around for half the day today and had a fight. Now I'm so tired that I feel sleepy.
When he closed his eyes to sleep, he found that the guards around him had fallen down one by one.
Ana Luo's mouth curled up.
It turned out that it wasn't sleepiness, but the drug that had taken effect.
As he thought this, he fell to the ground.
Ana Luo also fainted.
He was in a daze and had a dream in which he returned to Mipo and walked in a humid forest.
He was hunting in the forest and killed a tiger. Just as he was about to go and see the prey, it suddenly started to rain heavily.
Dense raindrops hit his forehead.
He didn't know what was wrong with the raindrops, they were as hard as pebbles and hit his forehead so hard it hurt.
Ana Luo quickly hid under the broad leaves of the banana tree to avoid the rain, but the raindrops actually penetrated the leaves and hit him between the eyebrows...
"Oh--"
Ana Luo frowned and groaned, waking up in pain.
Squeak——
A stream of water hit Anara right between his eyebrows.
His whole face was wet and he immediately became much more sober.
"You're awake!" A childish voice came from above.
Ana Luo looked in the direction of the voice and saw a child's head sticking out from the window of the woodshed.
It was a girl with a pair of big eyes as bright as stars, and she was holding a big water bag in her hand.
Obviously, she was just spraying water at him with the water bag.
Ana Luo remembered that when he was arrested before, he saw this little girl come in and call for her mother, and she was probably the daughter of the hotel owner.
"Little devil, you were the one who used water to spit at me?" Ana Luo made a fierce face, deliberately scaring Zhizhi, "When I get out, I'm going to throw you into the river to feed the fish."
Zhizhi held the water bag, shook his head and sighed:
"You can't say that. Didn't your family teach you that? When you're kidnapped, you have to say nice things and negotiate well to get released. If you provoke the kidnappers, you'll be in trouble."
Anaro found it quite interesting that she was not frightened and spoke in a mature manner:
"Are you not afraid at all?"
Zhizhi: "Of course I'm not afraid. Even if you throw me into the river, I can swim back. I'm a good swimmer, and I can even catch fish in the river."
Ana Luo snorted, "Do you know who I am?"
Zhizhi: "You said your name is Anala, and you also said you are the King of Mipo."
Ana Luo: "Then why don't you let me go?"
Zhizhi: "Who knows if what you said is true? My mother and the others have gone to find someone, and someone will be here to verify your identity soon."
Ana Luo: "Then why are you splashing water on me?"
Zhizhi held the water bag, put her face against the window and asked, "Are you thirsty?"
Anaro swallowed against his dry throat.
Well, now that I’m asked this, I feel a little thirsty.
Zhizhi said, "Open your mouth and I'll give you some water."
Ana Luo sneered: "I'm not a beast, why would I want you to do this—"
Squeak——!
While Ana Luo was speaking, a stream of water rushed into his mouth.
Anaro: ...
The cool and sweet water flowed into my throat, and the discomfort in my throat was immediately relieved.
Anaro cleared his throat awkwardly:
"Ahem, since you brought me water, I can spare you after I get out."
Zhizhi: "Are you really a Mipo?"
Ana Luo pursed his lips and said, "Look at how dark we are, don't you know?"
Zhizhi still shook her head: "Of course not. Many people in Lingnan also get very tanned. The sun is so strong and we work in the fields every day. We are almost the same as you. How can you tell?"
Ana Luo was surprised: "Are you from Lingnan?"
Zhizhi: "I was born in Lingnan and have lived there for a long time. Our Lingnan is really beautiful, with lots of fruits and vegetables."
Analo lazily lay on the ground: "No matter how many there are, they are not as good as us, Mibota."
When Zhizhi heard this, he shouted, "We have lychees, melons, and bananas..."
Anaro: "We have that too."
Zhizhi: "We have peacocks!"
Anaro: "We have that too."
Zhizhi: "The trees where we live are green all year round!"
Ana Luo: "We do the same."
Zhizhi: “…You’re bragging.”
Ana Luo shook his shoulders and said, "I'm not bragging. Our Mipo is even hotter than your Lingnan. The lychees and bananas grow very big. There are many green peacocks in the forest. The trees there are tall and big, and the leaves are evergreen."
Zhizhi had heard that Mipo was indeed hotter than Lingnan, so she asked:
"So, does your food grow faster? Do you harvest more? Do your people no longer have to worry about starvation?"
This time, Ana Luo was silent.
He was silent for a moment before he said, "That's not true. Many people don't have enough to eat. We fought a long war and left a lot of farmland barren."
Zhizhi blurted out: "So you want to eat people?"
Ana Luo: "...These are all rumors you spread. We don't normally eat humans. Even eating crocodile meat is better than eating humans."
Zhizhi's focus changed in an instant:
"What kind of fish is a crocodile? Isn't it delicious?"
Ana Luo snorted, "You haven't seen one before? It's one of those fat, flat fish with four short legs, eyes on its head, and teeth like knife tips!"
Zhizhi thought for a moment and said, "I've heard people talk about earth dragons. They seem to be like this. Maybe I'll see one someday. My mom says I'm still young. When I grow up, I can go to many places and see new and interesting things."
Ana Luo: "You have to come to Mipo to see it. There are many crocodiles in Mipo. I have hunted them before."
Zhizhi's eyes fell on Ana Luo's hand:
"Is the scar on your hand from hunting crocodiles?"
The evening light illuminated the back of Ana Luo's hand.
The scars are crisscrossed and of varying depths.
Anaro clenched his fists and said, "It's a wound from the battle. Haven't you heard how brave Mi Po's new king was on the battlefield?"
Zhizhi: "But aren't you the son of King Mipo? Do you want to fight in the battle yourself?"
Ana Luo: "Of course we have to fight. Only if we dare to fight for our lives will our soldiers fight for us."
After he finished speaking, he sighed lightly and quickly:
"If there were no civil unrest, we Mipo would have lived well, and we would have many good things."
Zhizhi: “What else?”
Ana Luo smiled cunningly: "Next time you come to Mipo to play, I will let you see the beauty of Mipo with your own eyes."
Zhizhi: "But Mipo's place seems very dangerous, with lots of swamp miasma and insects."
Ana Luo: "You've been to Lingnan before, what are you afraid of?"
Zhizhi: “Oh, that’s true.”
In the evening, as the sun was about to set, the light turned orange-red, and even the woodshed was coated with a layer of red.
Pei Xuan hurried over after hearing the news.
She had seen Ana Luo when she was on duty the day before. When she heard Wu Yingniang say that a woman who looked like Ana Luo was caught in their restaurant, she hurried over to take a look.
At first glance, it was really Anaro.
Pei Xuan quickly told Wu Yingniang to release the person.
At the same time, Una also led people to investigate the Black Mountain Restaurant.
As Ana Luo and several guards came out of the woodshed, they saw Una rushing over.
Una's face was anxious: "Your Majesty——!"
As soon as Ana Luo saw Una's expression, he knew he was about to lecture him, so he immediately interrupted him:
"Oh, I know, I know. I was a little impulsive. Una, don't tell me. If you want to tell me, wait until we get back."
Wu Yingniang said to Analuo: "I am a humble woman who does not know you, Your Majesty. I am sorry for the offense. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."
She spoke calmly, and although she was apologizing, there was no fear on her face.
Anarodo glanced at Wu Yingniang and suddenly asked, "Are you willing to go back to Mipo with me? You are so beautiful. If you go back with me, I will definitely—"
"This is my mother!" Zhizhi put his hands on his hips and glared at Ana Luo.
"This is my second sister-in-law!" Pei Xuan's eyes were filled with anger.
The two men stood in front of Wu Yingniang.
Wu Yingniang just said coldly: "I already have a husband."
"Our Majesty was just joking." Una, who knew the whole story, came out to smooth things over. He kept winking at Anaro, asking him to stop talking nonsense.
Una felt that he was in a dilemma. He shouldn't have left Anaro.
Even after becoming king, this child is still so impulsive and childish.
Before leaving, Analo asked, "Where is my dagger?"
Zhizhi: "Are you talking about the dagger with a few earthworms drawn on it?"
Anaro: "...It's a seven-headed snake."
"Wait a moment, I'll get it." Zhizhi turned and ran.
After a while, she came running back with a dagger.
It was the sword that Anaro always carried with him, and the one he used to kill A Luying yesterday.
"The handle of the dagger was about to fall off, so we repaired it." Zhizhi handed the dagger to Ana Luo.
It’s not that the villagers of Heifei Mountain are kind-hearted, but they usually repair the things they loot from bad guys and keep them for future use, trying not to waste them.
Ana Luo didn't know the villagers' habits, and was obviously stunned when he saw the repaired dagger.
The dagger was well repaired, the handle was stable, the paint had been touched up where it had chipped, and the curled edge had been flattened.
Ana Luo's eyes moved slightly, and some emotions surged in his chest.
He took it, deliberately grinning his mouth into an exaggerated arc, showing his canine teeth:
"Hey, if you can't make it in Dayu anymore, come find me at Mipo. I'll forgive you and make you a better person."
Then he asked the attendant behind Una to take out a white pendant, bent down and said to Zhizhi:
"What's your name, kid?"
"My name is Zhizhi."
"Little squeak, this crocodile tooth is for you. If you come to Mipo next time, bring it to me in the palace. I will take you to see the largest crocodile in Mipo."
Ana Luo handed the pendant to Zhizhi.
Zhizhi took it and saw that the crocodile tooth was carved into the shape of a leaf.
She held the pendant in her palm: "Okay, it's a deal!"
The setting sun is falling, and the night is spreading across the sky.
All the shadows on the ground disappeared.
Anaro took Una away.
The night wind blew into Ana Luo's clothes, blowing his sleeves up like a pair of wings.
A few days later, the Mi Po people left.
When leaving, Ana Luo deliberately rode his horse and walked slowly through the streets of Chang'an City so that everyone could see his face clearly.
Many people saw that the Mi Po people looked similar to the Dayu people, except that their skin color was darker.
Winter is coming, and the Mi Po people are like a group of birds flying from the south and returning to the south.
…
Winter is coming, which means the New Year is coming.
Chinese New Year means that children are going to be one year older.
After the New Year, Zhizhi will be ten years old.
Chang'an City is particularly lively these days, with more people than last year.
Because the spring examination was coming up again the next year, many students came to Chang'an to take the exam.
There are men and women.
Although women from Dayu could enter academies and take examinations to become palace ladies-in-waiting in the past, during the reign of the previous emperor, Dayu's official school had not accepted any female students.
More than ten years ago, the emperor ordered the martial arts academy to recruit female students. A few years later, official schools also had places for female students.
However, there are fewer places available, so not many women can enroll.
Even the daughter of a high-ranking official has to go through numerous tests before she can enter.
It is even rarer for female students from ordinary families to be admitted.
Zhizhi had no intention of taking the entrance exam for the official academy. Firstly, she was already enjoying studying in the palace with Ning An and Cai Wei; secondly, even if she wasn't studying in the palace anymore, she would prefer to go to the martial arts academy.
Everyone in the world thinks differently.
Although girls like Zhizhi don't want to take the exam, many female students from all over Dayu are still eager to try.
In a small house in the southeast corner of the capital.
Inside the house, lights flickered.
A mother and daughter sat under the lamp.
The charcoal fire in the house was not warm, and both of them were wrapped in thick winter clothes.
A girl about ten years old was sitting at the table reading a book carefully.
A woman sat nearby mending clothes.
When the moon was high in the sky, the woman said:
"Wan'er, it's getting late. Let's wait until tomorrow."
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