Chapter 72 Tongbai delivers the letter
Two months later.
Tongbaizhou, Guangyang County, Zhangfu.
A large and slender egret stood on the roof of the building, its long black beak pecking at the white ice on the green tiles, and again and again, the lingering sound was filled with circles of cold white. , spreading in all directions, filled with a frightening chill.
Such a sound was heard by the young boy in Tsing Yi who came over. Even though he was wearing a thick cotton coat, for some reason, he still felt an indescribable and bone-chilling feeling rising from his back. Can't help but shiver.
The chill seemed to seep into my bones, and it was colder than the wind outside.
When Zhou Qing pushed the door open and came out, the egret stopped pecking at the ice, then let out a soft cry, spread its wings, fell straight to the ground, and followed behind.
“Lead the way.”
Zhou Qing glanced at him and spoke in a calm voice.
“Yes.”
The young boy in Tsing Yi agreed and turned around. Out of the corner of his eye, he happened to catch a glimpse of a puddle of water that had appeared at Zhou Qing's feet. He couldn't help but think of the origin of this so-called "distinguished guest" and suddenly shuddered. He didn't dare to Look more and lead the way.
Two people and an egret came out of the front yard, passed the hanging flower gate, then passed the hand verandah, and finally entered the west garden. As soon as we entered, there were more than a dozen red plum trees reflecting the snow light, a rouge color, full of character and spirit.
A middle-aged scribe is sitting in the octagonal pavilion, with a white face and no beard, and a calm and natural expression.
The middle-aged scribe, the second master of the Zhang family, saw Zhou Qing and the egret behind him. He frowned inconspicuously and raised his hand to pick up a letter from the stone table in the pavilion. Then he handed it to the maid in front of him and asked her to send it over.
“Reply.”
Zhou Qing took it and looked at it, nodded, thought about it, put it in his sleeve and put it away.
Seeing Zhou Qing put the letter away, the second master of the Zhang family pointed at the copper kettle in the pavilion that kept gurgling. Hot steam came out from the spout, condensing but not dissipating. Ruo Baiyan asked, "It's too cold. Can you drink a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up?"
What kind of person is Zhou Qing? Why couldn't he hear such an obvious perfunctory invitation, so he decisively rejected it? , said: "I have something to do when I go back, so I can't stay for a long time."
The second master of the Zhang family really didn't want to have more contact with people like Zhou Qing. When he heard what Zhou Qing said, he immediately followed the trend and took advantage of the situation to see off the guests, with falsehood. Regretfully, he said: "In that case, let's do it next time."
Next time, there will be no next time.
Zhou Qing knew this very well and didn't care. He gave a long laugh, and together with the egret, one person and one bird, left Zhang's mansion and walked out.
On the street outside, the snow has not melted away yet, and there are patches in the east and west. Most of the shops and restaurants along the street had their doors ajar, and there were almost no customers. There were only two or three waiters huddled in front of the stove, complaining in low voices.
Not only have floods been raging in recent years, but winters have become colder every year. How can we live like this?
Neither the gentlemen in the county government nor the gods in the city seem to be very effective!
Zhou Qing listened to the occasional gossip with a calm expression on his face, but secretly remembered it in his heart. He walked slowly along the street, and when he reached the city gate, he waved for a carriage. .
"Sir, do you want to take a ride?"
The driver came over quickly with a smile on his face.
"Rocky Bay."
Zhou Qing lifted the curtain and got on the carriage steadily. The egret followed closely behind and jumped onto the roof of the carriage. With a shake of his hand, He threw a piece of broken silver and said: "Hurry up."
"Me,"
The coachman crushed the weight of silver and immediately swallowed what he was about to say. The smile on his face became brighter, he nodded and bowed, and said: "I am familiar with this road, I just want you to see it carefully."
Zhou Qing nodded. , put down the car curtain, sat in the car, closed his eyes and meditated.
“Let’s go.”
The coachman took over a big job and was in a happy mood. He whipped his horse whip in a showy manner, making a crisp sound, and the wheels moved forward across the city. Door, out of the city.
The further away from the city, the sparsely populated.
Large expanses of fields stretch as far as the eye can see, and strong winds blow and whine. From time to time, one or two birds flew over and screamed shrilly.
I don’t know how long ago, the horse neighed, the carriage stopped, and the coachman shouted inside, "Master, we are here."
Hearing the sound, Zhou Qing opened his eyes, I opened the curtain and saw that the river was wide and mighty in front of me. But at this season, the river was covered with a thick layer of ice. The sparse sunlight fell down, and when it touched the ice, gold and white rubbed together, and sparkling colors spread. Opening up, there is something shocking. Zhou Qing jumped out of the car. At the same time, the egret standing on the top of the carriage kicked off its calf and landed on the ice. Then it raised its neck and faintly saw countless patterns on its long beak like wheels. Non-stop, back and forth.
The long beak fell, and the next moment, pieces of broken ice flew up on the ice. As the egret's long beak continued to fall, more and more broken ice splashed, and the holes in the ice became larger and larger, and wisps of cold air came out of the gaps.
After the cold, under the gap, the water was as bright as a mirror, and three sailors emerged. They were all wearing armor and holding spears, with big fish heads on their heads. They looked ferocious and terrifying.
When the coachman saw this scene, he was startled for a moment, then realized it, with a look of horror on his face, and shouted: "Monster."
Hundreds of years ago, monsters were legend. But recently, the country has been in turmoil and natural disasters have occurred frequently, and monsters have begun to become a story that people occasionally talk about. This time, I actually saw a real monster. How could I not be frightened and frightened?
The driver was frightened, drove the carriage away from the river embankment as quickly as possible, and soon disappeared.
“Let’s go.”
Zhou Qing glanced at the egret that was flying away, called out to the sailors, and the four of them followed the gap in the ice to the depths of the river.
The water in Rock Bay is freezing cold and the current is very fast. Even people with good water skills must be careful when entering the water at this time. However, Zhou Qing and the others rode the waves with ease.
Half an hour later, Zhou Qing suddenly felt his body sink, and a suction force came out. He did not resist and entered the underwater vortex.
After he stood firm, he had reached the bottom of the river.
It turns out that there is a concave surface here, with fine frost and sand covering the left and right sides. There are also scattered coral trees and colorful fish swimming around.
The bottom of the river, which should be dark, is filled with light.
In the center of the light, stands a water palace, surrounded by glazed lights in a circle, with pavilions and pavilions everywhere.
Two tiger-skinned shrimp soldiers stood in front of the gate of Shuifu. They were two feet tall, wearing black armor, and their eyes were like copper bells. They just stood in a loose posture, chatting together.
Seeing Zhou Qing appear, the two shrimp soldiers immediately stood up and said at the same time: "General Black Snake."
As the gatekeeper of Luanshiwan Water Mansion, he is the best at looking at people. Serve. They all have some backgrounds, and their eyes are also mixed. They know that the Black Snake General has risen rapidly recently and is powerful and domineering.
When dealing with such a person, it is best not to offend him.
Zhou Qing took a look and stepped across the threshold of the water palace. Suddenly, the color of glazed jade was blooming in front of his eyes. The light was surrounded by treasure wheels, suspended in the sky, and kept wandering in front of the pavilion and the treasure platform, lying across the sky. Above the half-covered door. Tiny bits of color fell down, and when they collided with the inspiration on the ground, they formed a fire of their own, which was particularly brilliant.
Luanshiwan Water Mansion, after generations of management, has become magnificent, with many splendors and treasures among the majestic and majestic buildings.
When you are in it, it seems like you are not in prison.
Zhou Qing's thoughts were turning, but his feet were not stopping. He continued to move forward along the bluestone road, passing through several portals, and reached the backyard.
At this time, a clam girl heard the commotion and came out. She had exquisite features and a beautiful face. She looked at Zhou Qing with a pair of big eyes, with the intention of blocking him.
This is the backyard where the female relatives of the River God in Luanshiwan are. No disturbance is allowed, lest they bump into the ladies.
Of course Zhou Qing knew this, so without waiting for Ben Nu to speak, he said directly: "There is a reply from the Zhang family. I will send it to the third lady."
"Ah,"
Hearing the reply, the clam girl gave a sweet cry. She knew that her wife was thinking about this matter recently, so she led Zhou Qing in without announcing it. She walked and talked, saying: "Please follow me, the lady is here. Waiting.”
When Zhou Qing arrived inside, he saw that the water pavilion had windows on all sides, and the windows on both sides were decorated with colorful golden clouds and dragon patterns. Wisps of bright light filtered through the gaps in the patterns. All the light seemed to converge on a cloud couch in the center of the water pavilion. On a very beautiful woman.
You can stand out in the backyard of Luanshiwan Water Mansion, and your appearance and temperament are first-class. Otherwise, how can you be so fascinated by the River God?
Zhou Qing stopped in front of the door, took out the letter, and handed it to the clam next to him.
Although the relationship between men and women in the Shui tribe is relatively open, and there are not many restrictions on human etiquette, since the other party was born in the Zhang family and is still a young lady, it is better to avoid suspicion if you want to save others.
Beng Nu was a little strange at such an action. She was startled for a moment before taking the letter that Zhou Qing put in front of her. She walked to the cloud bed in small steps, handed it over, and said in a low voice: "Mrs. , letter.”
Zhang Qiaoyun on the cloud couch stretched out her slender hand, took it, and opened it to take a look. She frowned with her beautiful thin eyebrows. After a while, she sighed quietly and looked at Zhou Qing at the door, with an inexplicable color flashing in her eyes. , lightly opened her red lips, and said: "This time, I have thanked you, General. I will bear this in mind."
"Madam, you are so polite."
Zhou Qing felt a sense of alienation and knew it well. He didn't care, he only said a few words and then left.
(End of this chapter)