[Xianjian + Ancient Sword Colleague] Being a master is also a kind of practice

The larks chirped and fluttered up from the branches and leaves, and the twigs protruding obliquely from the rest were shaking.The flower branches trembled lightly, only the clusters of flowers on the branches turned red and flying, with beeps and butterflies dancing between them, it was indescribably beautiful.

A pink and white petal swayed and slowly fell, and the girl lying under the tree did not move between her eyebrows.The sun was fine, and fine golden bouquets were cast among the leaves.The breeze is warm, blowing the grass and sending bursts of warmth.Ruan Ci only felt itching between his eyebrows, slowly opened his eyes, sat up from the grass in a daze, looked around blankly, and found that he was in a forest, the red sun was westward, and it was almost dusk.

"Little sister, did you sleep well?"

Hearing a warm voice from behind, Ruan Ci was startled, and hurriedly looked back.Facing her eyes was a vast expanse of shades of red, she looked up, and saw a thirteen or fourteen-year-old young man in red clothes standing tall and tall, standing in the grass one step away behind her.

With just one glance, Ruan Ci was a little dazed.In front of my eyes, only the pair of slightly slender eyebrows and eyes in the large area of ​​deep red and the soft jade color are left, just like the ink color in the ink plum picture that my father likes most, but it is more open than the one on the rice paper. Two o'clock black is more intense.

The young man in Zhu Yi seemed to smile, and leaned over and said, "Chaohu Lake has been foggy recently, so don't play in the middle of the lake anymore."

Ruan Ci came back to his senses, and retorted with slightly red cheeks: "T-I'm not just playing! On the lake... there is a strange whirlpool on the lake, and our boat was swept away. I didn't pay attention... That's right, mother, And Ji's mother, and the big brother who punted the boat—" Recalling the thrilling scene before falling into the water, she suddenly got up in a panic, her words were filled with tears, she couldn't help but grabbed the boy's clothes, and looked around for inquiries.

Ruan Ci was in tears when the young man in Zhu Yi saw his words, frowned slightly, and comforted him: "Little sister, don't cry, I didn't see anyone else in the water when I rescued you, I hope your family is safe." Looking at the sun, he said, "It's just that it was early morning when I brought you to the woods, but now it's already evening... little sister sleeps very peacefully."

Ruan Ci felt relieved, and couldn't help but chuckle: "I was thinking about getting home last night, so I didn't sleep well because I was so happy... You have a little sister in your mouth, are you very big?" She laughed through tears, eyes still With a puddle of water, she looked even more pitiful and cute. The young man in red looked at her and smiled again.

At this time, Ruan Ci knew that he was rescued by the big brother in red. He was grateful in his heart, tugged at the corner of the boy's clothes and said with a smile, "Hey, although my father often said that the name of the daughter's family should not be casually told to others, but Since you saved me, I will tell you quietly...my surname is Ruan, my mother calls me Ah Ci, so you can call me that too!"

The young man in Zhu Yi pursed his lips, and imitated her tone with a smile: "Since you told me your surname Gao, then I will tell you my name quietly... My surname is Shen, and Auntie calls me Bai." Ling is the 'Bai Ling' of Bai Lingzhou, the big island in the middle of the lake."

Ruan Ci recalled the terrified tone of the punting boy when he mentioned the "strange island" in the middle of the lake, and thought: So that strange island is called Bailingzhou, which sounds nice... This brother Shen knows it well. clear.

Although she is young, she has gone out with her parents several times, but she also knows some worldly skills.Daddy often said that he would repay his kindness, and this red-clothed elder brother Shen has done her a great favor by saving her. Ruan Ci thought about it, and imitated the tone of the opera: "Brother Shen has a lot for Ruan Ci. If you save your life, you will be repaid even if you are a cow or a horse in the future, but I don’t know where you live, so you can come to thank you?”

Shen Bailing smiled, shook his head and said: "You are young, where did you learn the strange words? I just happened to pass by and sent you to the shore of the lake, so why did you get involved with cattle and horses... It's not early, you should be early Go home, your parents will be very anxious if you think about it."

Ruan Ci reached out his hand and shook the corner of his clothes, and said: "Brother Shen, you go back to Shouyang City with me. Although my father's face looks like a bench, he is a very nice person. I will ask my father to thank you!"

Shen Bailing smiled slightly, shook her head and said, "No way. I...my mother doesn't like me going too far, and she doesn't allow me to go to people...well, to Shouyang City. It takes only a moment to go forward here. Dao, there are no ferocious beasts and villains in ordinary times, so you don't have to be afraid."

Ruan Ci pouted, and said: "I often sneak out of the city gate to play with those children in the city, so I'm not afraid!" After a pause, he continued, "Then tell me where you live? You don't want to go to Shouyang Go to the city, then I'll come to find you, okay? I'll bring you some good things, the cakes made by Ji's mother are delicious!"

Shen Bailing hesitated for a moment, and then replied: "Okay. Then I will wait for you here tomorrow. My family... Well, my family lives in the woods by the lake, and I am always near here on weekdays."

Then Ruan Ci reluctantly walked forward, and after walking for a while, she saw the official road. She stood in the middle of the road and looked back towards the way she came. Next, the young man in red seemed to have sensed it, and waved his sleeves from a distance.

The afterglow of the setting sun splashed wantonly, breaking into thousands of golden spots on Chaohu Lake.The red clouds are like brocades, dyeing the lake surface into a large area of ​​splendor.In the water of the lake, half a slender figure appeared at a distance of more than zhang from the shore, the lower half was submerged under the surface of the lake, and the vermilion robe was covered with a layer of gold, floating in the water as if without support, almost wanting to Blending with the reflected sunlight.

It was getting late, and the white mist gradually spread on the lake.A wisp of mist curled up on the young man's face, and those black jade-like pupils were rendered even more dark and lively by the white mist. It was Ruan Ci's "Brother Shen".

Shen Bailing stared at the western sky silently, until the red sun gradually disappeared behind the distant mountains before looking away.He floated in the water, knowing that there was nothing to support his feet, but he didn't sink, he just went up and down slightly with the waves of the lake, very calmly.

"Ruan Ci... Ah Ci, what a nice name." After a while, a smile flashed across his face, remembering that he was another girl half an hour ago, "Humans...humans are not like A Niang It's so scary, she still calls me...Brother Shen, heh."

After thinking about it for a while, the fog has gradually covered the entire lake, and the water has become colder.Only then did Shen Bailing exhale softly, hold his breath, and slowly sink his head and neck into the water.After a while, circles of ripples appeared on the spot, and there was no one on the lake.

At a depth of tens of feet in Chaohu Lake, the water of the lake is already deep blue, and the deeper it goes, it becomes a layer of dark green.A figure in the green slapped his legs like a fish swimming, and plunged headlong into the dark green layer in a familiar way.

After passing through the thick layer of green mist, the shadow of the lake, which was originally blocked by the water of Choubi Lake, suddenly became unimpeded, and glistened and slid down on the eaves of the rows of residential houses spread out at the bottom of the lake.

At the bottom of the lake, algae are overgrown, countless bronze statues of human faces stand in the sand, and there are many green and bronze three-legged tripods, and fish come and go, shuttling among them.This is Juchao Country, and it is also Shen Bailing's home.

Shen Bailing paddled on the water and swam towards the remote northeast of the ancient city. The hem of the red dress spread out behind him, like a sparrow's screen and a fish's tail.A few fishes followed him wagging their heads, leisurely pecking at his cheeks and exposed arms.Bailing didn't think it was disobedient, he grabbed Yu'er Xuxu and sent it to the side, with a slight smile on his face.

Suddenly there was a soft squeak, and the fish scattered in shock and disappeared suddenly.

But it turned out that someone in a nearby room pushed most of the casement open.I saw that the slender hand that was inside the window paused slightly, and then the face of the woman behind the window appeared, but her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes were full of autumn water, and her black hair was only pulled back casually, she was indeed a very beautiful woman woman.It's just that there was a trace of hostility between the eyebrows, and in an instant, the delicate face was covered with a layer of ice cold.

As soon as Shen Bailing saw the woman, she stopped involuntarily, and her clothes fell down slowly in frustration.He called out in a low voice: "Mother..."

The woman snorted coldly and said: "I've been here for half a day, what about the herbs you picked? You just can't get enough of it all day long!"

Shen Bailing hurriedly reached into his bosom, took out a purple plant, and said, "No, my son searched for a long time, but only found one... But this lilac looks very lively, and it's good for fragrant medicine."

While speaking, Shen Bailing had already entered the house. He moved a small bronze tripod, put lilacs in it, and carefully covered the tripod so that the fragrance would not overflow.After finishing all this, he was relieved, but when he looked back, he saw his mother, Shen Danqing, standing behind him, her face was ashen.

"...Aunt?" Shen Bailing asked in doubt.

Shen Danqing stared at him for a while, then said, "Tell me honestly, where did you go today besides collecting herbs?"

Shen Bailing was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head and said, "No, it's in the woods by the lake... I didn't see anyone." But he was kind by nature and would not lie.

Shen Danqing snorted again: "Hmph, I can't even tell a lie! He also said that he didn't see anyone... Why did he smell like a man when he didn't see you! Did you go to Shouyang City?" After talking, It's already stern.

Shen Bailing frowned and said, "No, Auntie won't let me go to a place where human races live, so I haven't been there once." Seeing that Shen Danqing was still angry, he had to tell the truth, "Today...just see you today A girl fell into the water, it was so pitiful, so we rescued her ashore."

"Save people?" Shen Danqing said angrily, "Why do you want to save them? You feel pitiful when you see that it is a child of the human race, but you know that the human race is used to pretending to please you, but in fact it is more poisonous than snakes and fiercer than tigers. When you are not prepared, I will stab a knife in your heart!

Shen Bailing knew that her mother really hated the human race, so she didn't dare to defend herself.

It turns out that Shen's mother and son are the two demons living in the Nest Demon Kingdom, but they didn't live here from the beginning.Shen Bailing once heard from the elder Hurricane who lives in Chaoguo that 19 years ago, a strange whirlpool appeared on Chaohu Lake like now. Unlike the human race, the monsters knew that the whirlpool was just a floating monster like Bailingzhou. The island passed by here, causing changes in the lake water. The vortex appeared every 19 years, and then disappeared after a few days. They have long been accustomed to it.It's just that at this time, many human races are accidentally drawn into the vortex, so the mature male demons living in the nest country spontaneously form a nest guard team to patrol under the lake and push the fallen human race back to the shore of the lake.

But that time in 19 years, a woman in red fell from the sky and fell into the middle of the lake.Huan Yue, the elder's nephew, rescued him. He thought it was a human race, but he didn't expect it to be a demon.Huan Yue pushed her onto the beach of Bailingzhou, only to find that the beautiful woman had a protruding abdomen and was pregnant.It is thought that after this drastic change, the fetal gas was moved, and the woman gave birth to a son after waking up. Because the child was born in Bailingzhou, she named her Bailing.From then on, the child settled down in Juchao Kingdom with his mother. Although he looks like a very human race, he grows very slowly like other little demons in the Demon Kingdom. After more than ten years, he still looks like a little boy.

Shen Danqing was seriously injured before falling into the lake. Although she didn't mention anything about the past, Shen Bailing vaguely guessed that her mother must have been injured by the human race, so she hated the human race deeply and never forgot it for many years.The serious injury and childbirth brought great damage to Shen Danqing's body. She has been ill for many years. Fortunately, Shen Bailing learned the skill of making fragrant medicine from her mother, and picked some herbs from time to time for her mother to take. It has supported these many years.

It's just that Shen Danqing has a eccentric temperament, not only he hates the human race, but he also doesn't allow his son to associate with the human race. Today, he just smelled a trace of humanity in Shen Bailing, and he was furious.But although she suppressed it in every possible way, Shen Bailing seemed to be born with a sense of closeness to the human race, and she yearned for life on earth.

At that moment, Shen Bailing was reprimanded by her mother and began to cook the few medicinal herbs that she picked from the woods during the day, but she kept in mind the promise of tomorrow with Ruan Ci. up.