Chapter 536 Choosing a Grave Site
"Yan Lang, there are only thirty days left. Will I die on the road? That would be too tragic..."
The carriage left the small village and continued on its escape journey.
All the entrances and exits of the town were searched by soldiers of the Tianwei Army, and even the mountains and forests were tracked by hunting dogs.
Yun Chen and Yan Lang could only choose the most remote and difficult path. The road was bumpy and they didn't dare to stop to rest. They couldn't get close to the town, so Yun Chen couldn't wash up.
In order to prevent being discovered by pursuers, no one dared to light a fire in the convoy, and Yun Chen couldn't even have a hot meal or hot water to eat or drink.
In addition, the attacks of the Soul-Devouring Pill became more and more frequent, the journey was arduous, the body was in pain, the mental torture... everything made Yun Chen miserable.
After running for seven or eight days.
Huo Gannian seemed to have finally realized that the more rigorous the search, the more difficult it would be for Yun Chen to escape.
The soldiers of the Tianwei Army began to withdraw one after another, and the cities and villages gradually returned to their former tranquility.
There were no longer any pursuing troops searching in a tight net, and there were even large packages in the style of imperial packaging everywhere, scattered around the roads that Yun Chen was most likely to pass through.
Yan Lang ordered the guards to open one and take a look. They were all clothes that Yun Chen could wear, from underwear to outer robes, cloaks, thin blankets, and various wound medicines...
In addition, there was a food box filled with Yun Chen's favorite cakes, a bag of small change, and a Huo Gang token, which seemed to be a gift of supplies to Yun Chen.
The Huo Gang had been fined and confiscated before, but now, along with the world, it has returned to Huo Gannian's hands.
The token allowed Yun Chen to spend money at any bank of the Huo Gang, and the supply packages also ensured Yun Chen had enough food and drink.
Looking at the package, not to mention Yun Chen, even Yan Lang could deeply feel Huo Gannian's almost humble compromise.
If the person who escaped was a criminal, he could mobilize the entire country's strength and capture him without giving him any chance to breathe.
But since it was Yun Chen who was running, he had to hinder him everywhere and be careful at all times.
If I catch her, I’m afraid of hurting her. If I don’t catch her, I’m afraid I’ll never see her again.
He was conflicted and broken.
Rumor has it that the emperor lost a lot of weight in just a few days. Although he was still trying hard to preside over the government, his expression became increasingly gloomy and he no longer had a smile on his face.
The palace maids and eunuchs often saw him enter the palace where Yun Chen had lived before alone, and sit in that desolate bedroom for the whole night.
People had the illusion that they saw the late emperor again.
When the Empress left the palace and passed away due to illness, wasn't that what the late Emperor did too, weeping every night and regretting until his death?
It turns out that even the supreme power like the imperial power cannot escape the cycle of fate.
The dragon throne was just a dead object that could not speak or move, but it broke up one couple after another.
"I understand, Yun Chen. The reason why you can forgive everyone but not him is because everything he did was not for the people of the world, but for his own selfish rights, right?" Yan Lang said.
Yun Chen was stunned for a moment and forced a smile.
Yanlang is both right and wrong.
She had asked herself countless late nights, what was it about Huo Gannian that she resented the most and could not forgive?
Was it because he sacrificed so many of his close friends and relatives in order to seize power?
Or has he been treating her like a piece of delicious meat, dangling her in front of Yan Shijiu for so many years, tempting him to work hard to promote the cause of unifying the Three Kingdoms?
In fact, she couldn't explain it clearly, but whenever she thought about everything he had done and the price everyone had to pay for the harm, not for the dawn of the world, but all for the desire for power, she felt particularly unbearable.
But even so, she still proved her heart with her decisive escape.
Endure the remaining dozens of days to fulfill the reputation of a great emperor.
"In this world, not everything can be explained clearly and has a result." Yun Chen stopped staring at the direction of Kyoto City, and smiled palely at Yan Lang:
"There are still twenty-two days left, and I'll be completely free soon. But if I just keep running and enduring on the road, it will be really sad... Yanlang, I don't want to die on the road, please help me choose a good place to be buried."
Yan Lang lowered his eyes and nodded without saying anything.
The two of them took out the map of the Three Kingdoms and began to seriously discuss choosing a burial site for Yun Chen as if they were discussing national affairs.
There were no searches inside and outside the city now, but Yan Lang and Yun Chen still walked carefully, not daring to show off or touch the supply packages.
The convoy was still traveling on remote roads and only stopped when it came across a market village, but it was much better now and Yun Chen no longer had to suffer any extra pain.
The two sat next to a stall selling noodle soup, spread the map on the table, and discussed intently.
Yan Lang said, "In twenty days, we can't travel very far. We can't go to places that are too far away."
Yun Chen felt a little regretful: "Youzhou is out of the question, and Xiangxiao Cliff is also out of the question. I can't see Luyu, and I can't be with my mother or my master."
"Ah... yes." Yan Lang sighed helplessly. Seeing Yun Chen's particularly disappointed look, he quickly pointed to a place on the map:
"Here? This is Butterfly Valley, with mountains, water, birdsong, and fragrant flowers. Every spring and summer, the entire valley is filled with fluttering butterflies. It's so beautiful. I went there before when I was looking for herbs."
Yun Chen raised his little face to the sky and thought seriously for a moment: "It's good, but it feels too lively. I'm old now and like quiet places."
"You're only twenty-six, okay?... Well, here, on Burial Moon Mountain, the peaks are steep and rugged, filled with miasma year-round. It's a desolate place where even birds dare not fly through. It's absolutely guaranteed to be quiet."
"It's okay... but are you sure I won't turn into a white-haired zombie if I'm buried in that damp place? It's quiet, but it's too cold. I'm afraid of being bitten by poisonous snakes, insects and ants."
"Then let's change it to Black Mirror Lake. Don't you love water the most and are the best at swimming? I can put you in flowers and a small boat and sink you directly to the bottom of the lake. Is that romantic?"
"I don't know if the waves are romantic or not, but the fish, shrimps and crabs in the lake are cheering: 'Yeah, the grain has been released, it's the New Year in advance!'"
After Yun Chen finished his teasing, a "puff" sound came from the next table.
Yun Chen and Yan Lang looked over when they heard the voice. They saw a tall and thin young Taoist priest in a dark blue Taoist robe. He was sitting at the table, eating meat and drinking wine with big mouthfuls. There was a faint smile on his face, and his behavior seemed... quite out of place.
Seeing Yun Chen and Yan Lang looking at him, the Taoist smiled:
"Please forgive me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. At first, when you two mentioned 'selecting a location,' I thought you were discussing where to travel. It wasn't until I heard you guys talk about choosing a burial site that I realized you were actually choosing one."
As the Taoist priest spoke, he picked up the wine and meat on the table and moved them to Yun Chen and Yan Lang's table. He then sat down next to Yun Chen in a familiar manner.
Several guards on the side were about to draw their swords and attack, but were stopped by Yan Lang with a gesture.
The Taoist priest was careless and pretended not to see anything. He came closer to Yun Chen and looked at him carefully for a while, then nodded and said:
"Well, you're dying soon, and it's time to choose a burial site. It's too late if you don't choose now. You only have twenty days to live at most, so you need to leave some time for making a coffin and digging a grave."
Yun Chen was a little stunned and didn't know how to answer.
Yan Lang frowned unhappily: "Are you being polite? You don't even know us, but you eavesdropped on our conversation. Now you come here and point fingers. What are you doing?"
The Taoist waved his hand, meaning that there was no need to worry about such trivial matters. He drank a large bowl of wine and said with a smile:
"Meeting is fate. I've traveled all over the world and have met many living people, as well as ghosts. This is the first time I've met someone who's about to die and wants to choose a grave for himself. It looks quite pitiful. Would you like me to give you some advice?"
Yan Lang didn't say anything, his expression clearly showing resistance.
Yun Chen thought this Taoist priest was quite interesting:
"Master, you can tell that I'm nearing the end of my life. Can you treat me?"
The Taoist priest took the meat bun from Yanlang's bowl and took a bite. "Yes, but not much."
Yun Chen was amused and asked again: "From what the Taoist priest said, do ghosts really exist in this world? Have you ever seen one?"
The Taoist priest laughed. "Demons, demons, ghosts, monsters, spirits, gods, and immortals. They are like mayflies, born in the morning and dying in the evening, unaware of the vastness of the universe. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they don't exist in the world."
Yun Chen nodded, not quite understanding. "Thank you, Taoist priest. If people have souls after death, then I won't be afraid. Twenty days later, I will wait for my father and mother to pick me up, just like when I was a child."
After Yun Chen finished speaking, the guards fell silent. Yan Lang had tears in his eyes, but he tried to hide it by looking away.
The Taoist priest suddenly felt that the meat bun in his hand no longer tasted good.
The atmosphere suddenly dropped to freezing point.
The Taoist thought seriously for a moment and said:
"Since I've heard about your difficulties, according to the rules of the Taoist sect, I have no reason not to help you. In this world, few people are lucky enough to choose their own burial site. You want to find a quiet place without noise, with beautiful scenery and not too damp to be buried. I know a good place."
"Where? I'm all ears."
"The place where heaven and earth open and close, where great life and great death occur—the elephant's tomb."
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