After midnight

On the empty street, a boy and a cute little girl were walking hurriedly, and no one would pay attention to them for a second. They walked with their heads down, heading towards a wider street.

Last night, they relied on the dim light of the mobile phone they brought with them to find a place to stay. It was a small house that had been abandoned not long ago. The house was still tidy, but most of the furniture was gone.

"Brother Ling..." Xiao Su called him timidly.

The place they are in now is not a place they are familiar with. It was too late last night and they were exhausted. Today, Su Ziling took a look at the surrounding houses and buildings and comforted Xiao Su: "Don't be afraid, we will soon know where this place is."

After turning another corner, the crowd ahead was getting bigger. Su Ziling took Xiao Su into the restaurant that looked the largest. The restaurant's name was majestic and domineering, engraved in regular script on a large red horizontal plaque. Su Ziling remembered it at a glance. The restaurant was called "Heaven and Earth".

So far, Su Ziling can only think of the simplest method of collecting intelligence.

"Ever since Song Hongtian murdered Lin Nuan's parents on her wedding day, things have been uneasy. Even Prime Minister Jiu was helpless and had to watch as the Lu and Lin families joined forces with the revolutionary army and started a war under the banner of clearing power. I think we should have a good fight with Song Hongtian, but it's always us ordinary people who suffer."

"Yes, yes, the current situation is too tense. What do you think we should do in Beiguan now? We are not far from Jiudu!"

Too much information was revealed in just a few words. Su Ziling was so stunned that he could not react. Lin Nuan's parents died on her wedding day? Killed by Song Hongtian? Where is this place? Beiguan?

"Brother Ling? What's wrong with you?" Xiao Su asked him. The vegetables that Su Ziling had just picked up fell onto the table, but he just stood there with his chopsticks raised.

"Oh, nothing." Su Ziling tried his best to make himself look better.

An Yan must know everything, about Lin Nuan and what is going to happen. Su Ziling took a few more bites of food and suddenly felt it was tasteless.

"Brother Ling!" Xiao Su looked at him worriedly. She didn't know what happened, and she had never heard of any of the names that person mentioned, but she knew something bad had happened.

Su Ziling smiled at Xiao Su and cheered up. The man just said that this is Beiguan. Isn't it not far from Jiudu and Xindu? Beiguan? Based on the Jiuguo map that Su Ziling had in his mind, it seemed that it was not far away. However, this little information was still too little.

"Hey, big brother. The food in this restaurant is pretty good~" Su Ziling walked over, picked up the teapot, and added water for the big brothers who were just talking about these things.

The man who was chatting at the beginning didn't know what Su Ziling's intention was, but he continued talking, "Yeah, it's good, the garlic prawns are really delicious."

"Yes, it's really delicious. We ordered it too." Su Ziling glanced at the empty plate with only residual juice left and said, "It's like this, big brother. My sister and I want to go to Xindu, but you know, it's a special time now. Is there a safer way?"

"Hi~" The man glanced at Xiao Su who was sitting there eating obediently, and said with an expression that I thought was something wrong: "To get to Xindu, you still have to go through Jiudu. It's very convenient to hang a window. If you walk step by step from Beiguan, I don't know how long it will take to get there."

"Yes." The man sitting opposite him continued, "Our Beiguan is the closest to Jiudu in the north. As for the northern checkpoint, it only takes a few days to reach Jiudu, and then you can take a direct window from the east district to Xindu in a few hours."

"I see. Thank you both, brothers."

"Why are you going to Xindu at this time?"

"To visit relatives."

"Oh~ It's better not to run around at this time. I heard the inspection is very strict."

"Yes, then big brother, we will leave first. You guys enjoy your meal and drink." Su Ziling nodded to show his gratitude.

Su Ziling went to pay the bill with the few nine coins in his hand, which were left by Yin before they parted in the pavilion. After paying the bill, he took Xiao Su away from Beiguan. Setting out on the road again, Su Ziling couldn't help but touch the letter paper in his pocket through his clothes. Through this, he could contact Yin and even Anyan, but he decided to go to Xindu on his own.

The journey from Beiguan to Jiudu was smooth, and there were many places to stop and rest along the way. However, they had no other means of transportation except walking there, which was not very convenient.

Su Ziling and Xiao Su were tired from walking, so they sat on a stone bench by the roadside to rest. At this moment, a person suddenly appeared from a distance and passed by them quickly.

"what is that?"

"'Specialized Movement', I heard that you can use the ability to move quickly to transport things, Brother Ling."

"Well, let's keep going. If we walk faster, we should be there tomorrow."

"Okay, Brother Ling." This was the second day of their journey, and they were already very close to Jiudu. By then, they must come up with a good way to get through. As expected, the next morning, they could see the buildings of Jiudu not far away.

Su Ziling looked from afar, recalling the Jiudu in his memory. With the central garden in the middle as the boundary, Jiudu was strictly divided into four blocks with different characteristics. Needless to say, the West District was opposite to the West City. In order to commemorate the West City, most of the prominent nobles were here. The Lulin Song family formed a tripod in this area. Jiumen, the mysterious national government, was also located in it.

The East District has a strong cultural atmosphere and the largest library in Jiuguo. It is An Yan's home. The South District is adjacent to Jiunan Park and has pleasant scenery. The remaining North District naturally dominates the economy.

But what Su Ziling didn't know was that the two hanging windows from Jiudu to Xindu were both built by Xindu. One of the two hanging windows is in the north district and the other is in the east district. The one in the north district is an economic channel, strictly controlled by the Jiudu government and the revolutionary army of Xindu. The one in the east district is a civilian channel, and anyone with a pass can pass through. But only a few people can get the pass.

Su Ziling didn't know this yet. His most important task at the moment was how to sneak into Jiudu without anyone noticing. He turned his head to look at Xiao Su who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder, looked forward, and took a step forward.

Jiudu has a city gate, and if you want to enter Jiudu, you must register. Su Ziling looked at the people sitting under the wall, licked his lips, and felt a little uneasy.

"Name, home address, what do you do in Jiu?"

"Wang Changze, lives at No. 3, 16th Road, Jiudu South District. I just came back from Beiguan, and I brought my cousin back to play for a few days."

The man in front of me skillfully opened the notebook, his eyes following his finger down until he stopped at a certain page. He pointed at that line with his finger and muttered quietly: "There is indeed a person named Wang Changze, the age is right, and the address is also correct."

"Okay, now that you're back just stay here quietly." The man suddenly closed the notebook and looked up and said.

Xiao Su blinked her wet eyes and looked innocently and shyly at the person who had just questioned them.

"Yes, yes, I will definitely keep it in mind." Su Ziling nodded obediently.

"Cousin, when will we get home? I'm hungry."

"It's almost there, we'll be home soon."

The two chatted and walked smoothly for more than ten meters. Su Ziling couldn't help but look back. Fortunately, it was not as troublesome as he had imagined.

"Xiao Su, you are so smart." Su Ziling praised her, and Xiao Su stuck out her tongue happily.

It must be said that Jiudu is worthy of being the capital. The sandalwood-decorated inn is ancient and quaint, and is no less beautiful than the luxuriously decorated hotels. The wide streets are clean and flat, and extend in all directions. The central park further ahead is so large and has so many varieties of flowers planted that it is really rare.

Xiao Su let Su Ziling lead her, showing her curiosity about her country's capital without hesitation. Her eyes lingered on the flowers, circling around.

"Brother Ling, aren't we heading towards the East District?" After crossing the central garden, Su Ziling's steps became more and more hurried, but they were heading south.

"Yeah, Xiao Su. Can you accompany Brother Ling to a place first?"

"Okay." Xiao Su was a little confused, and for some reason, a little scared.

After walking for about 20 minutes, when passing an intersection, Su Ziling's hurried steps suddenly became a little timid. He held Xiao Su's hand tightly, and Xiao Su also became nervous.

They walked through the deserted streets together, and when they passed the No. 3 Courtyard on 16th Road, the door was locked. They walked deeper, and the alley, which was already deserted, became even more desolate.

The courtyard at No. 8, 16th Road, South District, had been abandoned for a long time. Under the empty house, there was overgrown weeds more than one meter high, and the thick wooden boards had long been corroded by termites, revealing cracked black holes.

Su Ziling let go of Xiao Su's hand, pushed aside the weeds and walked inside. The yellow soil in the yard was as dry as a desert. He took two steps forward and stopped. He stood there quietly, letting the blue sky above his head envelop his thin figure. His shoulders slumped, stained with lingering loneliness.

"Brother Ling!" Xiao Su had never seen Su Ziling like this before, so she shouted subconsciously.

Su Ziling turned his back to her, looked up at the dilapidated eaves and said, "Xiao Su, do you know? This used to be my home."

Xiao Su's eyes widened. This was simply unbelievable. Su Ziling raised his head and sighed, and said to himself: "Forget it, what's the point of coming now?"

"Let's go, Xiao Su." Su Ziling turned around and took Xiao Su's hand again and left.

Su Ziling's tone was somewhat relieved, and he did not look back. He was now rushing to Xindu, not only to find An Yan, but also to see his brother as soon as possible.

What is a hanging window? How can I get a pass? Su Ziling pondered. But when they arrived at the East District Hanging Window Station, the door was locked and the sun was setting. Helplessly, they had to stay another night.

In the hotel, Su Ziling casually lay by the window. The night in Jiudu was really quiet, with only a few lights on in the distance. When the breeze blew over, Su Ziling squinted his eyes and couldn't help wondering, had he really returned to Jiudu?

After recovering his memory, he came to Jiudu again. This strange yet familiar feeling was really a bit strange. Since An Yan left, returned to Jiuguo and came to Jiudu again, Su Ziling had been on edge and had never relaxed. But now, he turned his head and looked at Xiao Su. Xiao Su, lying on the big bed in the room, breathed evenly and slept soundly.

We can reach Xindu tomorrow, Su Ziling closed the window.

The next morning, inside the Jiuxin Xuanchuang Station, rows of transparent objects were suspended 20 centimeters above the ground, moving forward in an orderly manner and at a constant speed.

Su Ziling was stunned. This was definitely a real ability! He suddenly developed a great interest in Xindu.

"Pass." The transit officer sat there with numb eyes.

When they arrived at the Hanging Window, the person at the front of the team followed instructions and took out a card from his pocket. The officer took it and glanced at it before returning it to him. The glass door of the Hanging Window had already been opened, and the person got on it and drove away from the Hanging Window.

"Excuse me, how do I buy this pass?" Su Ziling grabbed someone and asked.

"Pass card? See that window in front? It's closed, so you can't buy one today. But I heard that starting next month, Xindu will be selling all the passes and vigorously promoting hanging windows."

"Oh, I see. Thank you."

Su Ziling and Xiao Su came to one side, Xiao Su gently tugged at the corner of Su Ziling's clothes, Su Ziling lowered his head and smiled evilly. They slowly moved to the front.

The door of the hanging window slowly opened, and a man was about to step on it. Su Ziling pulled him, and when the man looked up in confusion, Su Ziling pushed him forward again, pulled Xiao Su up and rushed up.

"I'm sorry, man. I'll treat you to a meal in Xindu!" Su Ziling shouted at him.

The man rushed back with an angry look on his face, but the door of the hanging window was closed and the hanging window had slowly opened.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" The officer suddenly stood up, and the crowd immediately crowded to the front to watch. Their bodies collided with each other and they were crowded together.

"Who the hell are you? Get down here right now!" It was too late, the car had already driven out through the hanging window.

The officer of passage saw this and quickly stood up and chased after him, but he stopped after running for two steps and turned to maintain order. The hanging window has been set up to operate since its birth. It will only stop and open when it reaches the end.

He almost forgot about this, but fortunately, he just grabbed the hanging window, and it was not a big deal as long as there was no conflict or injury. He was going to Xindu, and the hanging window was designed and manufactured by the revolutionary army of Xindu.

Inside Jiuxin Station, Xu Xing witnessed the whole process. He stared at Su Ziling and Xiao Su and fell into deep thought.

Inside the window, Su Ziling and Xiao Su were sitting on a bench. No one was catching up with them, which made them feel relieved. After a short rest, they looked out the window and saw endless flat yellow land behind the tall cypress trees.

In order to take the earliest train, they got up very early. At this moment, the excitement and expectation in Su Ziling's heart had been worn away by the unchanging scenery outside the window. After walking in front of the window for a long time, there was still no end in sight, and he felt a little drowsy.

"Xiao Su, take a nap. I'll call you when we get there."

"Okay." Xiao Su had been feeling sleepy for a long time. Hearing this, she leaned on Su Ziling, closed her eyes and fell asleep soon after.

After a while, Su Ziling yawned tiredly and fell asleep without knowing when. The earth outside was still a little desolate.

"Brother Ling, look!"

Su Ziling was woken up by Xiao Su. He opened his eyes and saw tall buildings standing majestically in front of him. Su Ziling was surprised and imitated Xiao Su's behavior, sticking to the glass window of the hanging window and looking up.

This is a completely modern city. In Jiudu, he had never seen a building higher than seven stories. But Xindu is different. Xindu is an open, modern city. Su Ziling rode on the hanging window and approached the city little by little. He saw the hanging window slowly entering a huge gap, just like he entered the mouth of a beast.

After several hours of ups and downs, Su Ziling felt as if he was in another world. After getting off the train, he took Xiao Su and walked along the direction of the crowd. Xindu, he finally arrived.

"Zi Ling!"

Su Ziling identified the direction immediately and shouted in great surprise: "Brother!"

Yin finally waited for Su Ziling's return. Some people reunited, while others separated. In a small village a hundred miles southwest, which had been unknown for decades, a little boy of twelve or thirteen years old jumped into the lake alone and embarked on a new journey.