Ning Que woke up from the pain and his eyes were full of horror. He tore off his clothes and searched his chest nervously with his hands. He only felt his hands were slippery with sweat, but he did not feel the broken heart hanging outside his broken sternum. He could not help but pat his chest in fear. It took a long time for his rapid breathing to calm down again.
He looked at Sangsang who was sleeping soundly at his feet and the lovely sweat on the tip of the little girl's black nose. He suddenly felt that being alive was a very happy thing.
He was not going to tell Sangsang about the strange dream that brought him great fear. He was not going to tell anyone about it because he would feel very uncomfortable even if he only thought of a fragment of the dream. So he decided to forget about it.
The next day, the shabby horse carriage set off with a squeaking sound and continued southward along with the convoy of cavalries. It was about ten o 'clock in the morning when the procession stopped in a small town outside Chang' an. The messengers from the capital, the representatives of the court officials, and the princess's complicated guard of honor had been waiting for the princess's return in this small town since a few days ago.
Ning Que jumped off the shaft of the carriage and stood at the edge of the noisy procession. He looked towards the sky outside the town and could vaguely see the gray outline of the city. However, it was a little far away and he could not make the gray outline clearer even if he tried hard to pull the corner of his eyes. He could only guess in his heart that it should be Chang 'an.
The huge and complicated guard of honor slowly set off again. This time, no one asked the master and the servant to go together.
Ning Que and Sangsang stood by the roadside, looking at the luxurious and spacious carriage that slowly passed by them. Looking at the tightly closed window, he thought of the princess and the strong-headed little prince of the Barbarian Tribe inside, and the bonfire. He could not help but touch his face, and then he smiled.
When the fourth horse carriage passed by them, a corner of the curtain was lifted. Lyu Qingchen gently stroked his white beard and smiled at Ning Que who was standing by the road. Ning Que deeply bowed to the ground to return the greeting.
When the bodyguards and the grassland barbarians passed by Ning Que, they did not dismount from their horses but bowed to bid farewell with apologetic smiles on their faces. The imperial guard of honor was strict. Peng Guotao, the bodyguard leader, would have a bright future after returning to Chang 'an. However, he dared not act rashly in front of the officials of the court. As for the grassland barbarians, after they bid farewell to Ning Que with their hands folded in front of their chest, their expressions became much more relaxed and happy. Without the shadow of the wood-cutters of Shubi Lake around them, the prosperous days of Chang 'an in their imagination suddenly became lively and cheerful.
The cavalrymen from the Gushan Commandery, who were responsible for bringing up the rear, looked around vigilantly and held the reins with one hand. Their commander, Hua Shanyue, glanced at Ning Que and then sped up. It was as if Ning Que did not exist in his eyes at all. Perhaps he had really forgotten the existence of this insignificant person.
Ning Que should not care about the other's attitude. After entering Chang 'an, the other was the son of a noble family and the most outstanding figure in the younger generation of the Tang military. Now that he had been released from the military, he was just a commoner at the bottom. If he was lucky enough to enter the Academy, he would just be an inconspicuous brick in the imperial bureaucracy. No matter how he looked at it, he would no longer have anything to do with Hua Shanyue, who had once shown hostility and even killing intent.
But would he be willing to let his life pass like this? He would not, so he was very clear that he and this proud young general would meet again one day, and that day should not be too far away.
After the princess' carriage and the escorting cavalries left, the number of people in the town suddenly decreased by more than half. However, it became much livelier than before. The peddlers who did not dare to set up their stalls just now came out of nowhere. The stalls that were closed to avoid trouble also reopened their doors and began to seize the time to do business.
After selling the broken carriage at a broken price to a shop in the town that even accepted broken goods, Ning Que patted Sangsang's thin shoulder to comfort her. The old carriage and horse had been with them for many years in the City of Wei, and they would be reluctant to sell it like this. However, Chang 'an was right in front of them, and it was not appropriate to reminisce and be sentimental.
They did not choose the spacious official road that could accommodate eight carriages side by side. Instead, they strolled along the ridges beside the official road. The cauliflower in the field was in full bloom, the butterflies were slowly flapping their wings in the spring breeze, and the annoying bees were buzzing everywhere. The little handmaiden's tears gradually dried up. She held the lace of the parcel tightly with both hands and dragged the parcel that seemed to be bigger than her. She walked along the ridges and looked at it occasionally with a smile.
Under the sun, Ning Que took over the heavy parcel and chatted with the little handmaiden. Although he often did not get a response, he still enjoyed it. His eyes greedily swept over the farmland and the countryside. When he saw the farmers who were resting in the fields not far away, he waved his hand to greet them, and when he saw the butterflies flying in front of him, he was ready to pounce on them.
He left Chang 'an when he was very young. Since then, he had been living in the vast Min Mountain, the grassland, the Wilderness, and small border towns. There were only dangerous forests, boring grasslands, and omnipresent dangers around him. Now that he had returned to the center of the empire, he could not hide his joy and excitement when he saw these peaceful and beautiful sceneries and life.
About two or three hours later, a shadow suddenly spread from the stream and peach forest in front of them to the top of their heads. Ning Que thought that it was not night yet, and there was no sign of rain in the sky …
He looked up in confusion and saw a black city wall suddenly appearing in front of him. This city wall was so high that it seemed to have no end. It covered half of the sky and blocked the sun that had not yet set. Looking at it, he could vaguely see three black spots hovering in the sky above the city wall.
Looking to the left, he could not see the end of the city wall. Looking to the right, he could not see the end of the city wall either. This huge city was so huge that it could not be seen how wide it was. It stood silently between heaven and earth. Sangsang stared at the magnificent city in front of her and looked at the crowd on the road not far away. She asked, "Is this Chang 'an?"
The three black spots in the sky flew a little lower. It turned out that two eagles were practicing flying with their children. At this time, they were about to return to their nest, which was between the mottled city wall. The city wall had been washed by rain and weathered for thousands of years. The surface looked a little shabby, but the inside of the city wall was still indestructible.
The young eagle learned to fly and returned to its nest. Ning Que looked up at the world's most magnificent city with a sincere smile on his face. He had traveled outside for many years and finally came back today.
Chang 'an City, long time no see.
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