Xu You Rong didn't understand. She thought, you are at most twenty years old, not much older than me, how can you understand life so clearly? And … to be able to use such simple words to clearly explain such complicated principles, how did the Snow Mountain Sect teach you? How do you usually live?
She said, "I have never seen a person as eloquent as you."
Chen Chang Sheng was a little surprised, he never thought he would receive such an evaluation. Ever since he was young, he lived with Senior Yu Ren. He rarely spoke and spent most of his time gesturing with his hands. After coming to the capital, many people thought he was a little taciturn, then when did he start to talk so much? Was it because he had to teach Luo Luo and Xuan Yuan Po in the Tradition Academy? Or was it because in this year, Tang Thirty Six, that troublesome rich kid, nagged beside his ear every day? Or … did it have something to do with who he was talking to?
Looking at the young girl's elegant face illuminated by the fire, he felt a little flustered for no reason, then he said, "I'm just talking nonsense."
Xu You Rong looked at him and asked seriously, "Why do you understand these principles?"
Chen Chang Sheng thought, that's because you lived in the plains, isolated from the world, no one could communicate with you.
Xu You Rong said, "To be able to see responsibilities, pressure and life so clearly, you can't do it without self-reflection day and night. You are really amazing."
Chen Chang Sheng said honestly, "I really didn't think that much, it's just that things like pressure can easily bring about negative emotions, it's not good for health, so I don't like it."
… …
… …
After the wind and snow stopped, the two left the temple and continued on their way.
Suddenly, they walked into a torrential downpour.
Without waiting for them to think of a way to avoid the rain, the rain stopped.
The sun once again shined on the plains, the rain instantly evaporated, it was hot, it was as if it was summer.
Going forward, the grass was slightly yellow, with white frost. The White Grass Path gradually melted into the plains, it was bleak, it was as if autumn had arrived.
The plains in the Garden of Zhou were indeed very mysterious, it was unknown whether it was because of the distortion of space or the speed of time, but the seasons changed very quickly, often giving people a feeling of being unprepared. At its most exaggerated point, in a short distance of ten miles, they went from spring to summer, then from autumn to winter.
Although the environment was harsh, it could be solved after all. What comforted them the most, and at the same time made them even more nervous, was that they didn't encounter any more demonic beasts.
Running out of the summer that was covered by rain and clouds, Chen Chang Sheng placed Xu You Rong in a field of blooming spring flowers. He then took out a large piece of pure white snow that he had prepared in winter and the utensils he had taken from the first two temples. He began to melt the snow and boil the water. At the same time, he began to pluck the feathers of the autumn goose that he had caught in the early morning and cut open its belly, preparing to make a pot of goose stew with water chestnuts.
The aroma of food gradually filled the air, but the grassland beside the road was silent.
This strange silence used to make them very vigilant, but now they had learned to ignore it.
He was more worried about the problem of time. According to the scale on the flowing water bottle, they had already entered the Garden of Zhou for over twenty days. Every time the Garden of Zhou opened, it would only open for a hundred days. Once the garden closed, the laws of the miniature world within would be reversed. The demonic beasts and fish that lived within would not be a problem, but cultivators with a sea of consciousness would be struck to death by heavenly lightning.
He didn't know what the current situation was in the world outside the Garden of Zhou. Logically, since the gate to the garden was closed, it would definitely attract the attention of those outside the garden. His Eminence, Archbishop Mei Li Sha and Drinking Alone under the Moonlight should have responded, but he didn't know if there was a way to open the gate. Furthermore, the several hundred human cultivators in the Garden of Zhou had already gathered in one place. Would they leave the garden and search for their companions that were alone in the wilderness?
Of course, he didn't have too much confidence in the latter.
"As we go deeper into the plains, time slows down. Right now, where we are, one day is roughly equivalent to fifteen minutes outside, so for now, we don't have to worry about the Garden of Zhou closing." In the past few days when Xu Yourong was awake, she had constantly used the Fated Star Plate to calculate. Through the minute differences between the two flowing water bottles and the speed of the sun that seemed to be on the verge of setting, but was unwilling to set, she had obtained a relatively accurate result.
As she said these words, she was on Chen Chang Sheng's back, holding the flowing water bottle and looking at it. She only had one hand to support his shoulder, so naturally, she was completely lying on his back.
By now, the two of them had already become much more familiar with each other, and their interactions had also become much more casual. Her actions of carrying him were already very natural, unlike at the very beginning, when even if she was weak to the point of not being able to support herself, she would still support his shoulder with both hands, allowing her body to maintain a slight distance from his back. It was very strenuous.
Chen Chang Sheng was also no longer as cautious as he was at the beginning. It was extremely likely that he would use the most comfortable position to hold her leg, and no longer had to worry about whether or not it was a bit too much.
At the same time, her casualness made him feel even more comforted. He could feel the soft body of a young girl, and on this long and seemingly endless journey, it had greatly increased his strength.
The feeling that came from behind him was truly very soft. He was embarrassed to imagine her body, but he very naturally came to the conclusion that it was just as the rumors said, young girls of the Elf race were indeed very enchanting.
Thinking about how the young girl was still heavily injured and yet he was still thinking about these things, he felt somewhat ashamed. Perhaps in order to dispel this kind of emotion, he said, "In the future … can I call you Soft Soft?"
This was still a conversation that had nothing to say, and it was a classic example of the stupidest and worst kind. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt some regret.
On this journey, he had clearly understood that she was a cold girl with a rather dignified air. She definitely wouldn't like this sort of teasing.
Xu You Rong obviously didn't like it. If this was any other time, she would definitely be extremely angry and then beat Chen Chang Sheng to the point that even Luoluo wouldn't be able to recognize him.
But for some reason, at this moment, her face was filled with embarrassment and anger, but she didn't say anything, nor did she do anything.
… …
… …
Amidst the spring flowers, summer rain, autumn fruits, and winter snow, they walked through the four seasons and continued forward. Occasionally, they would rest, fight monsters, cook, and calm their minds. Then, they would always find an old temple. They became more and more familiar with each other. Even when they didn't speak and just quietly looked at each other, they no longer felt awkward. Sometimes, he would even make a funny face to make her smile when she was weak.
Of course, when they were resting and waiting for the meat to be cooked, they would often talk, and it was often Xu You Rong who asked him to say something. Since she was very young, she had become the most famous person in this continent. She was the center of attention and was accompanied by countless elites whenever she went out, but she was lonely. In Xi Ning Village, he only had his senior as a companion. After coming to the capital, he had also gotten used to the quietness of the Tradition Academy, but he was never lonely. He could feel her loneliness, so whenever she wanted to hear something, he would start talking. He would ramble on about some random small things, such as what kind of fish was delicious and not poisonous, when the stream was the clearest, you could see the bottom of the pool dozens of feet deep, and that there was a kind of dolphin there. As long as the poisonous organs were removed, it would be the most delicious, and that the pine trees on the mountain really looked like monsters.
Occasionally, she would also talk about which aunties in the small town liked to curse the most, and which restaurant had the best food. He did not really understand, but he guessed that it should be the place where she grew up. But because she was getting weaker and weaker, and because she felt that her fifteen years of life in the eyes of others was incomparably dazzling, compared to Chen Chang Sheng's life, she felt a little inferior and did not want to talk more.
She was very grateful to Chen Chang Sheng for talking with such a boring person.
One day, the wind and snow came again, and they rested in the seventh old temple by the White Grass Path.
By the bonfire, Chen Chang Sheng ended his memories of his childhood.
She looked at him and said sincerely, "You really are a good person."
Chen Chang Sheng thought that this evaluation was not bad.
She lightly blessed him, "May the Holy Light be with you."
In the old temple in the rain, they started their first real conversation. Up until now, dozens of days had passed.
May the Holy Light be with you.
She would say this blessing once every day.
They got closer and closer to Zhou Du Fu's mausoleum, and she also became weaker and weaker.
Relying on the Black Dragon's Black Frost chill, Chen Chang Sheng's injuries were slowly recovering, but her situation did not improve. The poison of the Peacock Plume continued to spread throughout her body, and gradually began to wreak havoc. She had lost too much of the Heavenly Phoenix's true blood, and there was nothing she could do. Chen Chang Sheng had once ventured deep into the grasslands and killed many monsters, but now, the blood of those monsters, no matter if it was fire or cold, could not help her in the slightest.
She wrapped herself in his outer clothes, and quietly leaned against the pile of grass. She looked at the dancing flames in the pile of firewood, and said no more.
The snowy temple was silent, and even the wind had stopped.
Looking at her pale face and her eyes that were gradually drying up, Chen Chang Sheng felt very sad.
This was the sadness that had started early.
He wanted to say something to break the stifling silence in the temple, but he did not know what to say.
Seeing his lowered head, Xu Yourong knew how he felt, and calmly said, "It has nothing to do with you."
Chen Chang Sheng raised his head, looked at her, and said, "Even now, you are not willing to talk about what happened on the first night, but I know that you definitely saved me, and you never abandoned me."
Xu Yourong calmly looked at him, and said, "It's the same for you."
Chen Chang Sheng said, "I suddenly understand what you said that night. If I was strong enough, as strong as you were before you were injured, when we faced those demon experts that day, I would still have been able to bring you away. I would not have been forced to flee into these grasslands and walk this dead end."
Xu Yourong said, "On the contrary, I feel that what you said that night was more reasonable. If I had not been so stubborn, perhaps I would not have been injured at all."
These were her true thoughts. If, after discovering the traces of the demons in the Garden of Zhou, she had not chosen to walk that mountain path alone out of pride, but had chosen to join hands with other human cultivators, like the youths she was familiar with from the Mount Li Sword Sect, or that fellow called Chen Chang Sheng, none of this would have happened.
The snowy temple became quiet once more, so quiet that it was unsettling.
Chen Chang Sheng did not like this sort of silence. Thinking of her prayer from before, he asked, "Is this a habit of your people?"
Xu Yourong thought, in the end, the Snow Mountain Sect is still a little too remote. He is incomparably familiar with the Daoist Canon, yet he does not even know this.
"Yes, I wish you a peaceful life."
"Thank you."
"I also thank you."
… …
… …
Xu Yourong grew weaker by the day, but she had never forgotten to say those words.
Those were her sincere blessings and hopes.
She knew that it would probably be very difficult for her to leave these grasslands, so if there was still a chance of survival, she wanted to hand it all over to this kind-hearted disciple of the Snow Mountain Sect.
Just when it seemed like her fifteen years of life had come to an end, the White Grass Path had come to an end ahead of time.
Just when her eyes were about to close, she finally saw the mausoleum.
She was on Chen Chang Sheng's back, so she was slightly taller than him, so she saw it a moment before he did.
From a distance, the mausoleum seemed more like a mountain. There were no cliffs on the mountain, and there were very few green trees. As a result, one could clearly see the straight lines from the top of the mausoleum to the foot of the mausoleum.
Chen Chang Sheng found it rather familiar. As he walked closer to the mausoleum, he remembered that it was very similar to the Mausoleum of Books.
After walking through the grasslands for several dozen days, they had finally found the legendary Mausoleum of Zhou. How could they not be excited? It was just that he and Xu Yourong were already very tired, so it was very difficult for them to express joy or nervousness.
Continuing along the White Grass Path, the distance of over ten li still took a very long time. Only then did the two finally arrive in front of the green mausoleum.
From this, it could be calculated just how tall and how big the mausoleum was.
As they got closer, the details of the mausoleum could be seen even more clearly. Its height also seemed more real, such as the divine path of several thousand zhang that led directly to the center of the mausoleum wall, or the huge square stones that formed the body of the mausoleum. Compared to when he first saw it from afar, its grandeur immediately increased by countless times. A pressure and a solemn feeling greeted him.
Chen Chang Sheng noticed that in the surroundings of the mausoleum, there were ten stone pillars. These stone pillars were several zhang tall, and the patterns carved on their surface had long been eroded by the wind and rain over several hundred years into blurry scars. They seemed very shabby. Compared to the majestic body of the mausoleum, these stone pillars seemed rather strange. It was not for any other reason, it was just that they seemed too short, and did not seem to match.
"You might not know, but there are also many stone pillars outside the Li Palace. When I first saw them, I felt that they were very strange. I didn't think that there would be one here as well."
He said, "I don't know why, but I also feel that this mausoleum is very strange. It's like the Mausoleum of Books, but I feel that there's something different about it."
Xu Yourong smiled somewhat weakly. She thought to herself that when she was three years old, she would climb those stone pillars outside the Li Palace every day to play.
She leaned on his shoulder and raised her head with difficulty to glance at the mausoleum. With a slightly perplexed expression, she said, "The layout of the mausoleum is somewhat similar to the golden hall of the Longevity Sect."
"Correct, that's the problem." Chen Chang Sheng said, "This mausoleum is extremely similar to many of the famous buildings outside the Garden of Zhou, but when they're all put together, it feels a little …"
Xu Yourong said at the same time, "… neither fish nor fowl."
After saying these four words, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.
Towards Zhou Dufu, the most legendary expert, anyone would be incomparably respectful. When they arrived in front of his mausoleum, they probably would not even dare to speak loudly, let alone give such an evaluation.
If it were any other cultivator, when they arrived in front of Zhou Dufu's mausoleum, they would not only be unable to control their excitement and have their faces covered in tears, but they would also be shocked speechless. They might even shout loudly to vent the excitement in their hearts.
However, Chen Chang Sheng and Xu Yourong did not. They seemed very calm, and even seemed to not care.
Just when they said these four words in a somewhat disrespectful manner, the tiredness and hardships of their escape seemed to disappear without a trace.
… …
… …
(I really want to see the recommendation tickets in your hands.)
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