The strange story of Huai'an Inn

Chong Liu had a dream. In the dream, he saw the vast mountains covered with white snow, extending to the end of the world like a raging sea in a storm.The sharp cliffs pierced the sky like canine teeth, and the ice and snow reflected unpredictable light in the golden sunlight.

Among these steep and steep mountains, there are long roaring rivers and lush and prosperous jungles.Even though there is no flat and fertile land like the Central Plains, the birds, animals, fruits and mushrooms among the forests are enough to breed alert, agile and strong human beings from generation to generation.They adore the mountains that eternity overlooks them, and are in awe of all the forces of nature.

Gradually, they dug caves in the mountains and cast magnificent and magnificent pavilion city-states on the steep cliffs.They have their own unique cultural history, and different tribes sometimes fight each other, and sometimes blend with each other.

The Central Plains people don't know this, they simply and rudely gave a unified name to all these tribes: Tianguren.

Due to the limited terrain, the Tiangu people were unable to develop farming like the Central Plains people, and they rarely communicated with the outside world.They continue to exploit the limited natural gifts of their own land. Gradually, the woodland in the mountains is getting less and less, and many hunters can't catch a deer in a month.They had no choice but to start cutting down trees, digging ore from the mountains, and sending it to the Central Plains in exchange for food and daily necessities.

I don’t know that hundreds of years ago, a certain emperor of the former Central Plains saw that Tiangu people did not have a decent army, and they were all living in small tribes, but they had so much wood and mines in their hands, so they became greedy and sent troops to the north to try Invasion of innocent people's land.That was the darkest and most tragic memory in the history of Tiangu people. More than half of the top ten tribes were wiped out, and the remaining tribes could not unite against the well-trained Central Plains soldiers.

It was at this time that a great witch accidentally found a cave in the mine, and some twisted and strange characters were carved on the walls of the cave.When he saw those words, he had a strange dream that night.

In the dream, a man with a black body and a handsome face was wearing a gorgeous golden robe, his body was covered with exotic jewels, and he had a charming and friendly smile on his face.He told Dawu that he was the God of Chaos, and that as long as Dawu did what he asked, everyone would be saved.

The great witch performed a sacrificial ceremony on the edge of the jungle where the survivors lived, killing ten virgins, including his only son, as sacrifices to the God of Chaos.

After that, something horrible but strange happened.The Central Plains soldiers had already surrounded the surviving Tiangu people, and they were about to wipe them all out.Suddenly, all the trees, flowers, plants and even the ground under their feet seemed to come alive.Some soldiers were hung in the air with their necks broken by vines, some inhaled the spores released by the mushrooms, and clusters of grape-like tumors began to grow rapidly on their bodies, and some were directly sucked in by the earth, and their screams could even be heard The sound of bones being crushed.

None of the 50 troops sent by the former emperor of the Central Plains returned.

After that, the entire Tiangu people believed in the God of Chaos and regarded the Great Witch as the head of many tribes.They hollowed out one after another of the mountains, built towering and cold dark temples inside, and cast tall obsidian statues.

There are often bursts of rumbling and mysterious drums in the mountains. The strange rhythm makes the mountains tremble and the trees tremble.The sound of the drums is accompanied by the screams of the Tiangu people, and it is difficult to tell whether it is singing or screaming. After a long time, outsiders no longer dare to set foot in the territory of the Tiangu people. There are even rumors that any foreigner who sets foot on Anyone who enters their land will be haunted by evil spirits and will not die well.

The selection of the successors of the great witches in the past was to find those prodigies who had dreamed of the God of Chaos from among the children who were a few years old.These children will be sent to the Temple of Chaos to learn and grow, and finally pass the test of becoming a wizard.Anyone who passes it can become a wizard, but only those children who have obtained the "Seal of Fu Xing" can become great witches and the next leader of Tianguren.

All of this seemed to be a long scroll slowly unfolding in front of Chong Liu.He looked at the entire tribe from the beginning of chaos to their submission to the God of Chaos, as if the knowledge was originally in his mind.

One picture after another passed before his eyes, and suddenly stopped on a picture with a dim color but a sense of immediacy.

Chong Liu seemed to be standing in a stone palace, surrounded by many giant bat-like sculptures.A series of massive, sloping columns stretched out of sight overhead.

And in front of him, stood an extremely huge drum, and in front of the drum stood a man in a black robe, with his back turned to him, looking at the drum carefully.

The drum was painted blood-like bright red, as if it would emit an ominous bloody light against the dark background.

Chong Liu took a few steps forward, the closer he got, the clearer he could see.The surface of the drum seems to be made of leather splicing, and small pieces are sewn densely. If you don't look carefully, you may think it is a whole piece of leather.

The man wore a heavy mask on his head, decorated with crow feathers, mixed with his equally black hair, it was almost impossible to tell where the crow feathers were and where the hair was.He stretched out his pale hand and touched the drum surface as if he cherished it very much.

Chongliu knew that this person was Tiangu's current great witch.The previous incidents of Huangyi Ji, Wusheng Daoist being manipulated, and the South China Sea's filth... were all written by him.

But this person doesn't have three heads and six arms, his stature is similar to him, and he is not much stronger than him. Judging from his body, he should not be too old.

Knowing that he was in a dream, Chong Liu curiously turned to the side of Da Wu and watched his movements carefully.

But he didn't expect that the next moment the big witch suddenly turned his head slowly towards him.A pair of empty and bottomless eyes met his eyes directly through the hole in the mask.

Chong Liu was shocked, but he couldn't move.

impossible?This is a dream, isn't it?

"I saw you." The big witch said softly, but there was still a light smile in his voice, which made him look more and more cold.

Chong Liu woke up from his dream in a panic, sweating profusely and panting heavily.The bewitching sound of the drum was still ringing in his ears, thump, thump... as if extending from a dream to reality.

"Liu'er, what's the matter?" The shopkeeper tightened his arms resting on Zhong Liu's waist in a daze, and opened his dazed eyes.

Chong Liu blinked, then remembered what happened last night...

In an instant, the panic left in the dream just now was pushed to the sky.

At this time, the two people under the quilt were close to each other, but there was no barrier of fabric... The body temperature of the two people melted the whole winter snow.

Chong Liu couldn't believe it.Could it be that that was not a dream just now, but now it is a dream?

No... It's not a dream... After all, the soreness that makes people blush is real.

The shopkeeper's long eyelashes, which were close at hand, slapped twice, opening them more and more.A pair of charming Hang Seng's eyes were filled with watery morning light, "Liu'er, good morning."

Chong Liu smiled foolishly, his cheeks flushed.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhu Helan asked worriedly, "Liu'er, are you okay? Was I too...excited last night? Is there anything uncomfortable?"

"...I'm not that delicate, old Zhu..."

"Tsk, he was called He Lan last night, how come raw rice and cooked rice become Lao Zhu?" The shopkeeper wrinkled his nose in dissatisfaction.

Chong Liu smiled and kicked someone under the blanket.Zhu Helan immediately grabbed his ankle, "Hey, are you going to murder your husband early in the morning?"

"Stop making trouble! What time is it?"

"It's okay, the inn will not be open today on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

"But I'm hungry..."

Zhu Helan propped himself up and kissed him on the forehead, "Then you wait here, I'll go to the kitchen to get something to eat."

Chong Liu couldn't believe that there was such a good thing, so the treasurer Zhu personally brought him breakfast to eat in the room? !

However, Zhu Helan actually got up, put on his clothes neatly, put on his outer robe, and went out.Chong Liu hugged the quilt and sat on the bed in a daze, feeling warm all over his body, especially his chest, which was so warm that it was about to overflow.

With a meow, Cihuamao got in from nowhere, jumped onto the bed, and crawled into his arms to keep warm.Chong Liu stroked the cat and continued to be in a daze, feeling a faint sense of uneasiness in the comfort.

Can he really have such a happy feeling?Can it be long?

His eyes fell on his clothes, and he suddenly remembered something.He picked up his coat from the ground, rummaged in his pockets, and found a small item.At the same time, his finger touched another cold object.

He takes things out.

A small blue ball, covered with tentacle-like textures on the surface, constantly exuding the coldness of the deep sea.

His elder brother was sleeping in this little bead, eternally lonely, never even seeing the sun.

But he can get all the happiness...

How close and how similar he is to him, but one after the other, the fate is completely different.Thinking of it this way, anxiety, panic, and even guilt grew stronger.It's as if he doesn't deserve these too good things.

While in a trance, he heard the sound of the door, and hurriedly put the beads away.Zhu Helan came with a plate, on which were several plates of exquisite pastries, sweet candies, cheese, and hot tea soup.

Zhu Helan said while taking off her coat and going to bed with a plate, "Xiao Shun saw me bring you breakfast in the kitchen, her eyes almost popped out."

Chong Liu laughed loudly, "From now on, I will be half the shopkeeper, and they are all under my control!"

"You're about to show off before you officially pass the door." Zhu Helan picked up a drop crisp and stuffed it into Chong Liu's mouth.Chong Liu took it with his mouth, and licked the cheese off the shopkeeper's fingertips by the way.

The shopkeeper's eyes suddenly darkened, "Liu'er, you are playing with fire."

Chong Liu blinked innocently, "What did I do?"

"..."

So the hot breakfast was put aside, and when it was taken back to bed, the hot tea was cold.

Chong Liu lay lazily on the bed, feeling like he didn't want to move a finger.I touched under the pillow with my hand, and felt the thing I found out from the clothes just now.

"By the way, I have already repaired this, and I will give it to you!"

Zhu Helan took a look, isn't this the ingenious lark that he bought at the night market in Chongming City?

"You haven't lost it all the time?" Zhu Helan took it in shock, put the bird in his palm, and twisted the clockwork. It moved its beak and moved around nimbly.

Chongliu grinned, "I promised to give it to you, how can I say nothing."

Zhu Helan held the delicate lark with great care, her eyes curled up with a smile.She lost a little bit of her usual sophistication, but she seemed a little naive.

"Liu'er, I will cherish your dowry."

Chong Liu immediately threw the crystal dates on the plate at him.