Chapter 2 2. Visitors in the city
Li Xian followed the river away from the village.
Its golden eyes were closed, and its huge red body swam against the mud at the bottom of the river, stirring the water. These subtle traces of fluctuations are difficult for humans to detect, but the fish and shrimps living in nature knew that a guest had arrived in this area. They did not flee, but took their time to make way for Li Xi'an.
At this time, there was a woman washing clothes at the mouth of the village river. Fortunately, the river had expanded a lot decades ago. Li Xi'an's figure was hidden at the bottom of the river, making it difficult for people to find her. The woman who was washing clothes could not imagine that there was a huge thing swimming slowly under the red basin where she placed her clothes at this moment.
The corner of the hillside far away from the village is covered with dense woods and overgrown weeds. This is the end of the river. The red winding body quietly climbs up the bank, and the unusually huge body weighs down the bushes.
The scales clasped together layer by layer, and the sound of gold and iron resounded in this unseen corner.
The big snake walked to the ground, but it didn't even startle the birds. The chaffinches perched on the trees just glanced at the ground and made no other movements, as if they were used to it.
Li Xi'an's speed on land is not weaker than in water.
In a blink of an eye, the only trace of the snake's presence was the suppressed bushes.
Towering ancient mountains, among the vast sea of clouds. It travels in the mountains, like swimming in a painting. The red horses are winding in the mountains, dotted with evergreens, as if they have become a vein of the mountains.
Its habitat is far away from human habitation and located very deep in the green mountains.
Along the way, there was naturally no shortage of gazes from other animals, but they only stared and did not even make any move to escape from the predators. This was not the case before. This scene similar to a young deer blocking the way of a big snake appeared after that calamity.
All the creatures in this green mountain turn a blind eye to the big snake. When it swims by, it is seen as a river, and when it sits cross-legged and still, it is seen as a mountain. There are even wolves hunting in front of it without fear of it. That's why it sneaked into the human village with peace of mind. However, the dogs raised in the old man's yard were very afraid of its existence, which surprised it a little.
Perhaps it's because the animals being raised don't belong in this mountain, they belong to humans.
The red shadow reaches its habitat.
The speed was so fast that the golden pupils were stretched into arcs of light.
This is a lake, and under a towering tree on the island in the middle of the lake is the land where it has lived for two hundred years. Li Xi'an dived into the lake, and it released its wildness without having to hide its figure. Its huge body danced wildly in the water, stirring up layers of huge waves. He straightened his arrow and swung it, like a red arrow breaking through the mirror lake water, rushing straight towards the lake island. If the ancients saw this scene, they would probably call him the Dragon King!
The island is not big, and the ground is covered with a thin layer of green grass. The snake body swims across, taking away the dust on the grass. This land is often dust-free.
Li Xi'an climbed up the old tree. The tree looked like a camphor tree, with a thick and straight trunk. It looked like it might be 50 meters or higher. The branches and leaves are green all year round, stretching in mid-air like clouds descending on the mountains. As the snake climbed, the rustling sound of scales and rough bark filled the island.
The red behemoth was hidden in the dense canopy of trees.
The branches of the ancient tree bear Li Xi'an's weight, and the leaves fall rustlingly. A few rays of sunlight shine through the gaps on the snake's scales, making the snake's scales crystal clear and as delicate and beautiful as blood jade.
The ferocious snake head was lying on a slightly thick branch, lowering his head slightly, thinking about something.
Li Xi'an actually didn't know what he was. Maybe he was a monster. Maybe the ancient myths and legends really existed, and it was one of them.
It has not encountered a monster similar to it in more than two hundred years, so this green mountain should naturally become its hunting ground.
Snake bodies are not suitable for fighting on land. Tigers, leopards and jackals often have quite a lot of room to fight against clumsy pythons, but these are not problems under the suppression of absolute power. Li Xi'an has been running rampant in this mountain for a hundred years. Originally, snakes were born in comfort, let alone a big lord like him. Li Xi'an's life as a snake for hundreds of years was much more interesting than life.
But its peaceful and peaceful mentality changed a few decades ago, and it emerged from the disaster and merged into the mountains. Many creatures no longer regard it as a part of the food chain. Looking at it is no different from looking at the mountain itself. Since then, it has had a vague feeling that something is going to happen in this world, and this feeling has become stronger and stronger in recent days.
What could happen? it thought.
The golden eyes slowly closed, and he couldn't think of anything after thinking about it, which made Li Xi'an feel a little sleepy.
No matter what happens, it is itself a variable.
Variables are not afraid of variables. At worst, it will rise from the ancient trees and level the mountains again.
Go to sleep now.
The big snake's body tightened a little and fell into a deep sleep.
........."Rumble──" Not far from the entrance of the village, a strange middle-aged man got off the tractor. The meticulous suit he wore was stained with dust after all.
After greeting the tractor master, he left.
The middle-aged man raised his feet and looked at the mud stuck under his black leather shoes. Pain flashed in his eyes, but he quickly adjusted his expression, wiped the dust off his body, and walked towards the entrance of the village with his head held high.
"Who are you, young man? You look quite unfamiliar." Mrs. Murakuchi noticed the man and her eyes lingered on the black suit for a few more times.
The middle-aged man smiled.
"I am Zhiqiang, but Aunt Mei doesn't recognize me?"
"Zhiqiang?" The aunt frowned and scanned the man's body, looking at the middle-aged man's face several times before she relaxed, "Zhiqiang is so promising, I almost can't recognize him."
"No, no." Lin Zhiqiang waved his hand, "Aunt Mei, I will go to the village first. I will treat you to dinner another day!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" the aunt scolded, but her eyes were full of smiles.
The people in the village are familiar with each other, and they show no other emotions except some surprise when seeing the arrival of strangers. In the early years, many young people in the village went to big cities, and it was not unusual for one of them to come back occasionally to visit the elderly at home.
The village is very small. After turning a few corners, we arrived in front of our former home.
At this time, the smile on Lin Zhiqiang's face had disappeared without a trace, and there was a trace of sternness on the middle-aged, slightly greasy face.
The index finger was missing from the right hand that opened the door, and the cut was hideous, as if it had been cut off bit by bit by fine saw teeth.
He had nowhere to go, otherwise he wouldn't have come back.
Due to the gambling debts he owed, he should have died in the casino. Fortunately, the old man's fascinating stories told in the early years saved his life.
Recently, the owner of the casino has been looking for some folklore, and it would be best if there are clues involving supernatural creatures. So he tried his best to tell the owner the stories that the old man kept nagging about every day, such as big snakes, temples, and floods. He made them as exaggerated as they wanted. The master promised to let him return to the village and find some useful materials. Lin Zhiqiang had never thought about taking the opportunity to fly away, but he didn't dare. The master in the shadow of the imperial capital had a wild nickname, King Gu.
The King of Hell tells you to die at the third watch, who dares to keep you until the fifth watch?
Lin Zhiqiang can only pray that the old man does have something magical at home. Make that King of Hell happy and spare his life.
He took a deep breath and opened the door. He didn't want the old man to see any flaws.
"Creak──" The old wooden door made a harsh sound.
Lin Zhiqiang walked into the house, as if he had walked from day to night, and the coldness penetrated his bones.
The curtains on both sides covered the windows tightly, not even a ray of sunlight from outside could penetrate. The air was filled with dust and filled with a strange fragrance. It was so quiet inside that he could even hear his own breathing clearly.
The strange scene cast a veil of fear in his heart.
"Old man! Old man?" he shouted, trying to eliminate the fear in his heart.
No one responded.
He ran to the yard, thinking that the old man might be feeding chickens and ducks in the backyard and didn't hear the shouting. The middle-aged man hurriedly opened the back door of the house and was stunned when he came to the yard.
The chickens and ducks were huddled in the cage, the big black dog was lying on the ground, and there was uneaten feed beside it. They were motionless and showed no reaction to Lin Zhiqiang's arrival. The sunlight shining on his face had no warmth, and it was as cold as his heart at this time.
Everything in this house seemed dead.
His eyes scanned the backyard and suddenly saw something.
Let the cry get stuck in your throat.
(End of chapter)