Unspeakable and strange

The turning point that the Queen Mother and the others were looking forward to did not come. As the days went by, King Xi's condition became more serious.

The whole court was ready to report the funeral, and the Taimiao was even preparing for the funeral of King Xi and the succession ceremony of the new King Xi.Just wait for the death knell to sound, and everything can proceed in an orderly manner.

The Queen Mother often called Yan Ning over, held his hand, asked him how he was doing, tried to pretend to be close to him, taught him the etiquette of the ruler of a country, and taught him the principles of governing the country.The queen's attitude towards him has also eased a lot. From time to time, she will reward him with some food and food, and act out the love of a loving mother and filial piety, but she can't hide the look of disgust behind her. And sweets can't be digested.

Yan Ning served in the Xuanhua Palace all day long. Some people praised him for his filial piety, while others laughed at him for his hypocrisy.

The heavy hall door is tightly closed all day long, and the sleeping hall is filled with a strong and bitter smell of medicine, as well as the smell of decay when someone is dying.

"Have you decided to go?" Nangong Huaijin asked.

Yan Ning lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Well, I also hope that my father gets well."

"If King Xi recovers, Mrs. Yin and the others will never tolerate you, and they will definitely cultivate a more suitable prince when they breathe. Why do you bother to make wedding clothes for others?"

Yan Ning looked at Xi Wang Qinghui's sickly face on the sickbed, and the skinny limbs protruding under the brocade quilt, which was quite different from the image of his vigorous, cruel and arbitrary father in his impression.When a person dies, he becomes as docile as a lamb.

"But cultivation takes time, and that's enough." Yan Ning said, wiping away the saliva overflowing unconsciously from his father's mouth with a brocade handkerchief, "The timing is not right now, if my father dies now, I will not be able to sit securely on this throne. The only one who supports me in the court is the Queen Mother. How can the guards in the Forbidden Palace compare to the soldiers and horses of my uncles? Even if those uncles are not rebellious by luck, I am just a puppet of the Queen Mother's show. You have to listen to their instructions and look at their eyes, what's the point of such a King Xi?"

Nangong Huaijin didn't expect this seemingly dull puppet prince to have such deep thoughts, he was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and said, "I was wrong, His Highness is more thoughtful than me, His Highness just decides. "

Yan Ning was still a little uneasy, and asked hesitantly, "It's just that your calculations are really correct?"

Nangong Huaijin said solemnly, "Your Highness must not have any doubts. Only if His Highness believes it will it be true. If there is any wavering, it will not happen."

"As the saying goes, everything depends on human effort. If Your Highness has the determination and destiny, you might as well go for it desperately. If you win, everyone will be happy. If you lose, it depends on whether His Highness thinks it is worth it."

Yan Ning pondered for a moment before laughing, "Yeah, since I don't have anything and am alone, why should I be afraid of losing?"

In order to pray for King Xi, the state of Xi set up a grand ceremony for Luotian, which was presided over by the prince, who chanted scriptures and worshiped for 49 days. The people who rescued the state of Xi were on the mountains in the north.

It sounds absurd to go to an inaccessible sacred mountain to search for immortals and ask for medicine.However, the whole country of Xi was superstitious about divination and offering sacrifices, and was in awe of ghosts and gods. Yan Ning's visit was predicted by the priest of Qin Tianjian. human wall.

On that day, a vision appeared in the sky, and a dazzling golden star appeared in the sky during the daytime. The people worshiped as if seeing a miracle, saying that the prince's trip would bring back the hope of revival of the Xi Kingdom.So the guard of honor was magnificent, and the emerald flowers shook all the way, and they drove out of the city gate with the eager eyes of the people in the city.

Yan Ning was silent in the car, the carriage was rolling, and the bustle outside Luanjia seemed to have nothing to do with him. The wind in the wilderness beat the yellow curtain and red silk hanging from the carriage. Not sure.

In early spring, warblers fly and grass grows, and the earth blooms.

When the guard of honor arrived at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain, there were a few families at the foot of the mountain, living a peaceful life of men farming and women weaving. When they first saw such an impressive team, they were too bewildered to look up.

The mountain is very high, and the peaks and ridges are clustered together. You can't see the end at a glance. The mountainside is already shrouded in clouds and mist, and there is no human habitation.

Residents said that there are poisonous snakes, beasts and miasmas on it, the river is surging, and the mountain is so steep that it cannot be climbed by humans.Seeing Yanning going up the mountain alone, everyone said it was a fool's dream, and he could only die in vain.As for the gods, they have lived here for so long, let alone gods, they have never even seen a monster.

The residents roared with laughter, wondering which family's noble son had a sudden whim to make such a big commotion.

The attendant at the side was also worried, and whispered to Yan Ning, "People in this world have never seen any gods. Even if there are gods, they can be obtained by kneeling or prostrating. Your Highness must not risk your life. According to what this servant sees, it is better to send two guards to go to the mountain to explore first, if you really get something, it will not be too late for your Highness to go up."

Yan Ning shook his head, thinking about Huai Jin's words, maybe praying to gods and worshiping Buddha is all because of obsession in his heart, whether he believes it or not.He had also seen several sick old palace servants in the cold palace who chanted scriptures and prayed devoutly every day, although it was difficult for them to die well in the end.But in the chaotic moment of fate, people will involuntarily place a pious expectation in the dark.It's as if the best yearning of human beings has not been verified in reality, but that yearning does not die because of it. 1

If even he himself does not believe in this longing, who would be willing to verify it for him?

The foot of the mountain is fairly flat, and there are often hunters going up the mountain to hunt, stepping on a small path, but it becomes more and more difficult as you go up, although there are guards cutting the way for him along the way, but the mountain is steep, and several times it sticks to the rock wall While walking, there is only a thin line of footsteps, and there are dangers everywhere.Not to mention prostrating all the way, chanting piously, and even walking in places where it is difficult, the group will soon be exhausted.

The eunuch who accompanied him up the mountain wobbled his feet, clutching the tree trunk, trembling, his feet were covered with slippery moss, and he couldn't even stand firmly.He was still saying that His Highness be careful, but he couldn't walk up.

He said with a mournful face, "Your Highness, this slave is really dying. If you go up again, you will have to give up your life here. I beg Your Highness to spare Xiao Shunzi's life for the sake of serving you for so many years." With tears and snot on his face, he almost stopped kneeling on the ground because he was afraid of slipping down.

Those guards were also very embarrassed. Although they had martial arts foundation, they walked in the front, and when they opened the way, their bodies and faces were covered with injuries.One was bitten by a poisonous snake just as he went up the mountain. He didn't care at first, but within two steps, his ankle was swollen and his lips were black and purple. The three are more cautious along the way, and the slightest disturbance is like a frightened bird.

They had only climbed a mountain for a little while, and they were already hurt and crying, so embarrassed.Looking up, the lone peak protrudes into the clouds, and the dense forest is deep and terrifying.Yan Ning hesitated for a moment, and then asked one of the guards to take Xiao Shunzi down, and the rest of the guards who were willing to accompany him could go up with him, and if they felt unable to support themselves, they could go down the mountain by themselves.

In the end, the youngest guard sent Xiao Shunzi down the mountain, and the other two volunteered to accompany Yanning up.

Continuing upwards, the snowflakes falling from the top of the mountain melt away here, and the landing is moist and watery.

I don’t know how long I walked, the sun was hanging high above my head, and the water and food I brought accidentally fell off the cliff when climbing the mountain. Several people were tired and thirsty, so they sat under the tree to rest. It was green and tasted a bit sour, but the spring water was sweet, and finally regained some strength.

Walking like this, it seems that a day and a night have passed.At night, the temperature in the mountain forest was extremely low, and there were worries about wild animals. Two guards took turns to guard the bonfire. Yan Ning slept against the rock for a while, but was still shivering from the cold. After a night like this, Yan Ning On the second day, he developed a fever, and when he went on the road again, he was in a trance and his face was pale.

I kowtowed and kowtowed again and again, the wound on the top of my head just scabbed and cracked, and the blood finally solidified and began to flow again.The knees were stuck on the rough stones, black and blue, and there was no good skin for a long time.His legs were so heavy that he couldn't even lift them up, the cold wind poured into his throat, and even a cough was fishy and sweet.However, in just two days, he was already broken and haggard, and the red robe on his body was dirty.

The three supported each other and walked up with difficulty.The mountain seemed endless, without end.

Where is the fairy, on the top of the mountain?Do they know that there are such devout beliefs and desperate prayers of mortals?Has the hard-hearted heart ever wavered for a moment?Did Zhuang Yan Baoxiang ever feel unbearable?Since he vowed to go through all the hardships, isn't he the one who is full of gods and Buddhas?

Yan Ning's eyelashes were wet with sweat.Even if it's for selfish desires, it's not considered righteous, but can you get some mercy with this stubborn body?

As they were walking, a strong wind suddenly blew up on the flat ground. The three of them were blinded by the wind, sand and rocks. They were so painful that they burst into tears and couldn't move forward for half a step.

When the strong wind subsided, a tiger howled in the forest, and the sound resounded all over the field, shaking the mountains and causing the birds and beasts to scatter.

The three of them were frightened, and within a short while, they saw a huge white-fronted tiger jumping out of the Zhenzhen dense forest. It stepped on bluestones, its eyes were like copper bells, and it was as big as a bull. The fishy smell shook the ground.

The two guards were stunned by the foul wind, they froze on the spot, unable to move, the hand holding the sword trembled involuntarily, almost unable to hold it.In the end, he finally came to his senses, gritted his teeth and stepped forward, stopping in front of Yan Ning, "Your Highness, hurry up, we are here to deal with it."

Yan Ning's whole body was stiff, but she couldn't move for a while.

Seeing his appearance, one of them immediately turned his head and shouted to the other, "Take Your Highness away!"

The man had already planned to fight the tiger to the death, but when he heard this, he said in astonishment, "Boss, what should you do?"

While speaking, the tiger had the tendency to pounce on it.The person known as the leader was on full alert, staring closely at the fierce beast, and roaring at the top of his voice, "Protect Your Highness, hurry up!"

Another guard wiped away tears, grabbed Yan Ning's hand and fled in the other direction.

After running a few steps, Yan Ning only heard the scream of a tiger accompanied by the scream of a man. Yan Ning turned her head, and saw that the man had been bitten to death by the tiger, and his body was torn to pieces.

Seeing the tiger roaring approaching, the guard holding his hand gritted his teeth and let go of his hand, pushing Yan Ning forward, "Your Highness, run, don't look back!" After saying that, he charged towards the tiger with his long sword.

The sound of sharp teeth piercing into flesh is terrifying.

Yan Ning's eyes were full of diffuse blood red, he rushed into the dense forest, only knew to run forward desperately, stood up and continued to run after being tripped countless times, his heart beat like a beating drum, his mind was blank, and his ears It was the sound of howling wind, and the branches whipped bloodstains on his face.

He didn't know how long he ran, but he tripped over a tree stump and fell to the ground. He was exhausted and could no longer exert any strength.All the bones in his body were trembling, and his fingers were too weak to lift.

His complexion was as white as paper, and his whole body was bruised, but he still didn't know how to admit defeat and admit his mistakes, and he didn't know that he shouldn't force what he couldn't get.He just stared at the blood stained on his body, it was shockingly red.How can we get nothing, how can we let them die in vain?

When the surroundings returned to silence, he curled up and cultivated enough energy in place, then stood up and dragged his sick body, and returned to the endless mountain road.He has gone through all kinds of difficulties and dangers, and escaped from death, but he has only reached the mountainside, which is just covered by floating clouds, and there are still endless roads to go on the top.

Whether it was morning or evening, he walked a little bit, crawled when he couldn't walk, and moved a little bit when he couldn't crawl, until the last bit of strength was gone.

When he was full of despair, someone finally passed by in the air against the wind, and he saw it from a distance, and he didn't know what kind of compassion was moved, and the cloud fell in front of him.

Yan Ning raised her head.

The jade bone is graceful, Xiao Xiao is solemn, with wide sleeves and wide belt, and the white clothes are clean.

It really looks like a bright moon and a clear breeze, blowing away the fog in the forest.

The man asked, "What do you want here?"

He thought drowsily, how good it is, it turns out that the gods and Buddhas all over the sky finally took pity on him.