The strange story of Huai'an Inn

After the inn was closed, Chongliu drove the carriage and carried the shopkeeper out of the city along the banks of the Bian River.Although the snow had stopped, there was still a lot of snow, and the carriage moved very slowly, shaking and bumping violently.

Chong Liu tightened his cotton coat, and breathed on his frozen hands.At this time, the curtain of the carriage behind him was lifted, and the shopkeeper stretched something out in front of Chong Liu.

Chong Liu saw that it was the sheepskin gloves that the shopkeeper was wearing when he went out.

"Boss, it's okay, you can wear it yourself!"

"You are driving a car outside, more than I need this." The shopkeeper said flatly, but his subordinates kept on grabbing Chong Liu's stiff and red hand that was not holding the rein, and carefully helped him put it on.The soft wool keeps the cold away from the chapped skin.

The glove seemed to still have the temperature of the shopkeeper's hand.

Chong Liu smiled and rolled his eyes, "It's really warm."

Zhu Helan couldn't help smiling, and switched to the other side, "Give me your hand, and I'll help you wear it."

Chong Liu hurriedly changed the reins to the other hand, and asked his master to take care of his right hand as well.Zhu Helan looked at the quiet port ahead, and said, "You can find a place to stop when you get out of the city. There should be no one on the official road tonight. We can take a shortcut earlier."

"okay!"

Out of the city, and walked some distance.Chong Liu still followed the old rules, looked around to make sure that no one was there before getting into the carriage.Zhu Helan went out as usual, put her hands on the ground for a while, said something in the horse's ear, and then came back to close the curtain.

The carriage staggered again and started to run, but the road was not as bumpy as before.Apparently a shortcut has been taken.

This seemed to be the first time in three months that Chong Liu was alone with the shopkeeper.Feeling a little nervous for some reason, he took off the sheepskin captain and played with the wool on it absent-mindedly, but his eyes kept running to the opposite shopkeeper with his hands in his hands and his eyes closed.

The boss looks a little tired... Shouldn't you bother him...

But... I finally had a chance to speak...

Finally, Chong Liu didn't hold back and opened his mouth, "Master, who are we going to meet this time? What do those people from Mingyuandao want to order?"

Zhu Helan opened his eyes, showing no sign of impatience, "Three of their merchant ships have disappeared in the past year, seriously affecting their business and reputation. So I plan to order some guide fish for them."

"Boss, have you ever been out at sea?"

Zhu Helan frowned, and said in disgust, "No... I'm afraid of water."

"Huh? Didn't expect you to have something to be afraid of! So you can't swim?"

Zhu Helan raised his eyebrows and said, "Why, is it strange that you can't swim?"

"It's weird! Especially since you've lived for so long..." As soon as the words came out, Chongliu realized that this was tantamount to talking about the shopkeeper in disguise...

Sure enough, the boss turned black and threatened, "Why, do you think I'm old?"

"No! You look like you are in your early twenties!"

Zhu Helan was amused by his hurried explanation, "You have such a sweet mouth, do you want to raise your salary?"

Chong Liuzhitian swore that what he said was from the heart, seeing that the atmosphere had eased, he finally relaxed a bit. "However... Master, I have always been curious, how did you start raising that locust tree? How long have you been raising it?"

Zhu Helan hesitated for a moment, probably considering whether to tell him.But it didn't take long to think about it. He squinted his eyes and tried to count the time, but soon gave up, "I can't figure it out... When I first saw it, it was just an egg."

"Eggs?! Sophora trees grow out of eggs?"

"Don't forget, it's not a real locust tree. It's one of the ten eggs left in our world by the mother of all things." Zhu Helan paused, leaning back on the carriage, his eyes blurred , Recalling the past that has begun to blur, "If I remember correctly, I passed the test and was selected as the priest of the Mother Goddess of All Things when I was 21 years old. At that time, there were ten Zhu Tong who became priests like me. , I'm the last one."

So Zhu Helan narrated a past that was so far away that it was hard for Chong Liu to imagine.

Zhu Helan was born in Gushe, an ancient tribe that has disappeared in the long history.At that time, Zilu Mountain was not called Zilu Mountain, but Gushe Mountain.

Gushe was once one of the wealthiest tribes in the Bianhe River Basin.

At that time, the Central Plains did not have a unified and powerful dynasty, and people did not know how to farm. Food came from the mountains, rivers and land, and from the prey and fruits bestowed by the gods.

The universe was so vast and mysterious to people at that time, and most of the mountains and seas had not been discovered, but were passed on by word of mouth by witches from different tribes like legends.People are full of amazement at the flowers and trees, and are full of awe at the wind, thunder, rain and snow.

The Gushe tribe believes in a "Mother Goddess" who is feared by other tribes.

Unlike the goddess of terror, the Queen Mother of the West, who is believed by several nearby tribes, the Goddess of All Things left many relics near Gushe Mountain, and there are even fragments of inscriptions buried in caves by civilizations that once existed in this world.The previous great witches in the clan were the only ones who could understand the fragments of inscriptions. He told everyone that the Mother Goddess of All Things once enveloped the entire world and gave birth to the first seeds of life.

But then there was a terrible war among the gods that nearly destroyed the entire world, and the All-Mother was banished from the world along with half the other gods.

The remaining gods are called Taoist gods, and they are the origin of all kinds of gods in our current folk beliefs.And those who are expelled from this world are called unclean gods.

Before the Mother Goddess of All Things left, she left many methods of manipulating filth and ten eggs containing her own power in this world.As long as one of these ten eggs can grow up, she can be welcomed back.They believe that as long as the Goddess of All Things returns, they will be able to wipe out the brutal tribes around them who are constantly invading Gushe's territory, burning, killing and looting, and they will have endless meat and fruits, without worrying about the threat of starvation and death.

The fifth generation of witches finally dug out the ten "eggs" in the depths of Gushe Mountain, but according to those inscriptions, these ten eggs need special people to take care of them. The ideas conveyed must be able to withstand the erosion of all kinds of filth without losing their nature.

Zhu Helan's name at that time was not Zhu Helan, but a simple word: Lan.He was selected by the great witch in the tribe since he was a child, and together with 49 other Zhutong selected from the entire tribe, he was selected as the possible candidate for the future priest of the mother goddess of all things.He remembered that he had gone through countless terrible "trials". Many of his companions died during the trials, or they were more terrifying than death-the irreversible distortion occurred and were killed by witches. .

But he made it through.Among the ten eggs, one chose him and had a spiritual connection with him.

Zhu Helan still remembers the first time he perceived the dreams conveyed to him by the still sleeping locust tree, those distant collective memories that made his mind explode, those scenes and colors that he could not understand... His will was insane and The thin, gossamer-like dividing line of reason kept wandering, and finally returned to reality.

Among the more than 20 people who interacted with the ten eggs, only ten were not crazy.And ten of them are the final "winners".

It's just that neither of them knew that it was just the beginning of their long life of endless loneliness.

Of the ten eggs, only four successfully hatched in the end.And only two grew into saplings.In the end, he is the only tree left alive.

Chong Liu's mouth was about to drop to the ground when he heard it, "Boss...you...you didn't live in Tianliang City in the prehistoric times..."

The corner of Zhu Helan's mouth twitched, "Is this your focus?"

"Also, you haven't learned how to swim in such a long time?"

"Swimming is a difficult hurdle, isn't it... Why do you want to learn if there is no need for it?"

"This is a basic survival skill, Master!"

Zhu Helan rolled his eyes, seeming very disdainful.

Chong Liu is still hard to imagine, what is it like to live alone for so long?Watching relatives and friends die one by one, watching the people around me getting closer but knowing that they are just passers-by in my long life, watching all the unforgettable experiences and memories gradually fade away, watching the vicissitudes of life, and no more surprises... …

Always a spectator, always left behind.

Eternal solitude...a hell from which there is no escape.

Chong Liu suddenly realized that he himself would probably be a small chord in the shopkeeper's long life.After thousands of years, when countless waiters come and go, the shopkeeper may even completely forget about him.

After all, the shopkeeper can no longer remember the appearance and names of his own parents.

A deep helplessness and sadness suddenly spread in Chong Liu's chest like a black tide.

The person he wants to get close to has such a deep and fundamental distance from him, just like the distance between the sun and the moon.

Chong Liu wanted to hide his feelings, so he provoked another question, "Master... If the mother god of all things is the god of filth... According to your big witch's prophecy, wouldn't it be equivalent to a door being opened when the locust tree grows up?" ? Then why did we waste so much effort to prevent Huang Yishen from opening the door?"

"Because the locust tree may never grow up." Zhu Helan sighed, "It has been in this state for more than 300 years. And I have stopped feeding it blood from people other than me, so its growth will be slower."

"You don't want it to grow up?"

Zhu Helan shook his head and smiled wryly, "I thought about it a long time ago, but gradually I stopped thinking about it. It's the same. Maybe it's because we stopped thinking about it and reconciled with the order of this world, so we can survive until now. It was not swallowed by Dao Qi."

Chong Liu lowered his head and thought for a while, then sighed, "But if it doesn't grow up, you will be trapped here forever, right?"

Seeing his sad face, Zhu Helan was surprised.Is this little running hall feeling bad for himself?

The heart that had been hardened in the past three months began to soften again.

"Immortality is the pursuit of many people, isn't it good?" Zhu Helan smiled, her tone was relaxed, she tilted her head and followed the eyes of Chong Liu who was trying to hide her expression, "Tsk, why are you still feeling sentimental? "

"I haven't! I just think you've lived here for so long and haven't been to far places. That's too miserable." "Who said I haven't been? There are shortcuts, I have been to many places long ago. It’s just that when I get older, I get lazy.”

"Haven't you ever been out at sea? If there is a chance, we should also take a boat and go to Nanyang or the east to see what is on the other side of the sea. I can also teach you how to swim!" Zhu Helan valued Liu's words His eyes glowed, he was very excited, and then he imagined himself splashing in the water...it was really horrible.He laughed loudly, "You want me to go into the water, in my next life."

At this time, the carriage stopped and the destination had already arrived.Before opening the curtains, Chong Liu could already hear the sound of waves.

"Huh? I just finished talking about learning to swim, why did I hear the sound of waves?" Chong Liu said, and opened the curtain to look out.

They really faced a dark sea trembling quietly under the moonlight.Along the coast, a stretch of snow-covered villages and towns spread, as if they were frost condensed by the moonlight.

"The blacksmith who can make guide fish has to be found near the fishing port." Zhu Helan said, jumping out of the car.His feet sank into the snow and creaked.