twin moon

第147章 No.19幕 擎鹰山 四

The Qingying Mountains run through the northern border of Dasheng Dynasty, forming a clear boundary separating the two prefectures of Changzhou and Mizhou.Because there are many golden eagles circling and building their nests in the mountain, Fang got the name of Qingying.To the west of the mountain is the highland of the imperial capital, which is thousands of miles away, and to the east is a large tract of virgin forest in Suiguo.Standing at the highest point of Yujing Palace City and looking up from a distance, you can see the second highest peak on land after Baimang on the top of the mountain-Tuori Peak.

Every time the sun rises, the golden sunlight will slowly shoot out from behind the ridge, turning the snow on the mountain into a pure gold color, as if the sun was born from the top of the mountain, repeating itself forever.

According to legend, Bai Jiangxi once caught a golden eagle on this mountain when he was old.The eagle's wingspan exceeded two feet, and its eyes shone like jewels.However, he was quite arrogant, and after being brought back to the palace by the emperor, he went on a hunger strike and died ten days later.

Bai Jiangxi was so heartbroken that he wrote down the famous line of "The eagle soars to the sky, unwilling to be reconciled to the brocade", and then cried loudly in the palace for three days and three nights, and immediately issued an edict announcing his abdication.Since then, one person and one horse, with a bamboo stick and straw shoes, have traveled all over the world, but there has been no news.People in later generations often commented that Emperor Baijiang compared the eagle to himself—he fought and killed most of his life, and finally understood life and death. I don't want to ask about worldly affairs.

However, it is not an easy task for ordinary people to climb the towering Qingying Mountains on foot.Although there are many trails stepped by sheep herders in the mountains, it only takes half a day to climb to the mountainside.But if you go to a higher place, the road ahead will become steeper and more dangerous.Those winding trails are all cut off under the snow line.

Although it is still the end of summer, the mountains that were sunny just a moment ago are already snowing in the blink of an eye.The temperature dropped sharply, and in the white snowstorm, two figures were seen clinging to the cliff, braving the wind and snow.Those were Granny Cen and Ning Yue who had just trekked out of the Moon Swamp three days ago.At this moment, as far as they are concerned, there is no other way but to find a shelter from the wind as soon as possible.

"Grandma, how far are we from the passage you mentioned?"

Ning Yue wrapped herself tightly in the thin clothes, but the cold wind still came in through the gaps.Her red hair was already covered with white snow and icicles, and even though she used the heart-controlling spell that the old mother had just taught her to protect her body, her lips were still black and blue from the cold, and her hands had already lost feeling.

"Miss, please... persevere. The passage should... be nearby."

Granny Cen, who was walking in front, turned her head and spoke encouragingly, but her voice was intermittent and could not form a whole sentence.She only walked this road once many years ago with Kun Jie who had just fled to land, and she traveled from west to east.Coupled with years of snow in the mountains, the road signs have also changed. Although I tried my best to remember at this time, there are still many places that I still can't remember, and I can only move forward by luck.

As soon as he opened his mouth, the cold wind poured into his throat.The old woman coughed several times in succession due to choking, and quickly shut her mouth, not daring to say any more.After going on for more than half a mile, she suddenly quickened her pace, ran towards a black rock protruding from the cliff, and stood still under it:

"It's here!"

"Mother-in-law, are you sure you remember correctly? There is no other way here except for the snow!" The red-haired girl looked at the huge boulder that was almost half suspended from the cliff, and shook her head in disbelief.

"The entrance to the passage is right under this stone. It's just that years of wind, snow and frost have buried it."

As Grandma Cen said, she stretched out her hand and dug a few times in the snowdrift under the rock.As a large piece of ice and snow peeled off from the rock wall, half of the toppled stone tablet also exposed a corner from under the snow.Today, the writing on the stele has long been weathered and hard to read, but a dark hole covered by ice is clearly visible.

"How do we get in?" Ning Yue patted the uneven ice outside the cave with a faint blue light, and found that it was as hard as a stone.

"It can't be broken with bare hands. When I passed here with Kunjie, this piece of black ice was already several feet thick. I'm afraid it will only get thicker now..."

Hearing what the old woman said, the girl saw through the ice just now a passable hole that had obviously been melted out of the ice layer, and then it was re-frozen in the years of wind and snow, so she asked again : "Grandma, how did you get through here?"

"Miss, do you still remember the Underworld Curse I taught you yesterday—"

"Grandma wants me to cast a spell to break the ice?"

As soon as Grandma Cen opened her mouth, Ning Yue already guessed her intentions.Now that the opponent's staff has been lost, if she doesn't want to continue to endure the bitter cold in this wind and snow, she seems to have no choice but to agree.

"Miss, your talent is extraordinary. Although it is the first time, you only need to try it a few times, then the Underworld Fire Curse should be able to be used as you wish."

Although she still wasn't confident that she could do it, Ning Yue still acted according to the other party's request.Although she has memorized the key points of the spell these days, it is always difficult to actually use it.An hour later, only a palm-sized depression was burned on the ice surface with fire.

"No, this is too slow."

The girl was a little discouraged, and the cold wind blowing on her body quickly drained her fighting spirit.Seeing this, Granny Cen wanted to cheer him up, but before she could speak, she suddenly heard a whimpering sound in the wind, which seemed to be an unusual noise.

"What's the sound?!"

Ning Yue's reaction also proved that Mama heard correctly.The sound seemed to come from above the heads of the two, like the creaking sound of someone walking in the snow, or something foreign object scraping on the ice.Suddenly, the protruding boulder on the cliff trembled visibly with the naked eye, and the sound of snow breaking was heard in the air one after another!
"It's an avalanche!"

This time, the sound was much louder and clearer than before.Granny Cen's expression suddenly changed, she hurriedly grabbed the girl's hand and wanted to lead her back along the way she came from, but who knew that the huge boulder above her head had been loosened from the cliff, and fell directly beside the two of them less than ten feet away. The narrow mountain road was smashed to pieces!
The fall of the boulder triggered a larger avalanche.In just a split second, deafening roars came from the surrounding cliffs.A piece of pure white snow dust like a cloud suddenly rose in the light gray sky.The old mom knew that they had no choice but to break through the ice in front of them.

The situation was critical, Granny Cen finally cast the Underworld Curse herself.I saw a large group of blue flames burning rapidly on the solid ice, till the surface of the ice sizzled.The fireball seemed to be alive, and it slammed into the ice with the old woman's low voice!
"It's done, go in quickly!"

The moment the fireball pierced through the ice, Granny Cen pulled the girl up and dived into the darkness beyond the ice.What followed was a large avalanche of ten-thousand-year snow layer, which hit the place where the two had just stood along the ridge.Countless large and small gravels are wrapped in the snow, bringing thunderous roars that last for a long time.Snow also poured into the passage from the breach in the ice, completely burying Ning Yue and Lao Mo who couldn't escape.

But in the end, he escaped with a life.The red-haired girl struggled to get out from under the snow, fumbled and took out a fire pocket from her bosom, lit it, and turned to dig Granny Cen beside her.However, after digging away the snow on the old mother's head and neck, she found that her eyes were closed tightly, her face was like gold paper, and her expression was very painful.

"Grandma, what's wrong with you, grandma?"

Seeing that there is still some faint pink in the snow.Ning Yue suddenly realized that it was diluted blood, she only felt a buzzing in her head, she quickened the speed of her hands, and dragged the old woman out from under the snowdrift with all her strength.

Without the heavy snow on her body, Mammy's breathing became a little easier.Panting heavily, she struggled to support her upper body, but still had a sick face, and tried to comfort her with a smile:
"Miss, I'm sorry, I didn't expect the old man to collapse here."

"Mother-in-law, didn't you tell me that the injury on my body is not serious, why would it bleed?"

Tears welled up in Ning Yue's eyes.It wasn't until this time that she realized that subconsciously, she and this old woman who had been with her since she was a child had already formed a bond like a mother and daughter.

"Miss, don't worry, the old man just used up too much energy in the fight with Kunjie before, and he will feel better after a short rest."

"I don't believe it! Just now I clearly saw a faint trace of blood in the snowdrift. I always felt that you were hiding something from me along the way. Earlier when you persuaded me to learn spells, you said that even if you are not by my side in the future, you will not be around anymore. What does it even mean?!"

The girl shook her head vigorously.When she was in Mulu City, she had learned some techniques of looking, hearing, asking and knowing in books, and she reached out to get the old mama's pulse, but Granny Cen suddenly withdrew her hand.The girl refused to obey, and insisted on pressing the opponent's wrist.After rolling up the cuffs, I saw that the old mother's arms were covered with blue-purple swelling and bruises.The wounds looked like chilblains, and several of them had festered.And the blood in the snowdrift before flowed out from these festering places.

"Grandma, how did you get these injuries? Why didn't you tell me all this time!"

"Miss, I didn't expect that I couldn't hide it so soon..."

Granny Cen sighed deeply, trying to maintain a slightly stiff smile.Seeing that he could no longer hide it, he told the truth, "Do you still remember the Lu Hui pill that I gave you? I had to take that poisonous pill because I was seriously injured a few years ago. There are only a few years of Yangshou left. Only by relying on the piece of black rose on the staff, it can last until now. But the previous staff has been damaged in the fight with Kunjie, and the curse has just been forcibly cast, and the poison of the elixir is in the body It spread, but it could no longer be restrained..."

"Then let's turn back immediately. Lu Hui Dan was made by Kunjie, he must have a way to heal you!"

"It must not be done at this time! The last thing Mrs. Shan Huan entrusted to the old man before she died was to do her best to protect the young lady. How can you let me throw myself into the trap again for the sake of the old man's life..."

Although she heard what the old woman said, Ning Yue still used her hands to dig hard in the snow around her, hoping to find the way out again.But every time they dug some, more fresh snow would pour in from the entrance of the cave, and the two of them were obviously completely isolated under this deep snow layer.

"Miss, don't waste your efforts in vain. Don't worry, this injury looks serious, but it won't save the old man's life in a while. The most urgent thing is to leave here as soon as possible. The other end of the passage is Changzhou."

The red-haired girl knew in her heart that what the other party said was true, so she could only wipe away her tears with her hands, and raised her torch to observe the surrounding environment - what they were in right now was a huge mountain dug out by someone. cave.Although the place for people to stand at this time is only a corridor leading to the depths of the mountain, it is still enough for eight horses to drive abreast.

Due to disrepair for a long time, the top of this curved corridor is covered with large and small cracks, but it can still be distinguished from the rocks in the mountain.On the flat and smooth wall, slender stalactites grow out of the damage, like a strain born from the rotting body of a giant beast, which makes people feel creepy.

"This relic was left by the ancestors, and it has been sleeping here for thousands of years. It is only because it is buried in the deep mountain, so few people come to it, and the damage is not very serious."

As soon as the old mother's words started, Ning Yue was already dumbfounded: "The ancestors? Are those the ancestors who built the holy city?"

"Exactly."

"But why did they build their house in such a deserted mountain?"

"Miss, you misunderstood. This site was not used to live in the past, but was built by the ancestors to avoid the disaster of war. It's just that before it can be used, its owner has disappeared from this land forever .”

"What kind of war would make people want to hide in such a gloomy place?!" Ning Yue twitched her tongue and stretched her neck to look into the darkness ahead, temporarily forgetting that she was still in danger.

"I don't dare to speculate on my own. I just heard from Kunjie that the ancestors seemed to have a powerful magic power that could instantly destroy mountains and lands within a radius of a hundred miles, and destroy people's lives. Compared with that power, what our clan used The cowardice is nothing more than a trivial skill left by the ancestors in this world. Once upon a time, the ancestors were afraid that someone would use this magic power on each other, so they built such a place in the mountains."

"Could it be that this kind of mana is what Kun Jie plans to go to the Holy City to find?"

Granny Cen's words made the red-haired girl tingle all over again.

"Regarding this matter, he kept silent in front of the three elders of law enforcement, staff, and deacon, and the old man had no way of knowing. Maybe it is, or it may not be, but it has nothing to do with the road we are going to take next. -"

The old mother changed the subject, "If Miss wants to stop Kunjie, she must get out of here alive first, so you must keep in mind every word I will say next, and what I will ask you to do next Everything must be obeyed unconditionally, without any hesitation, do you understand!"

Seeing the other party's expression suddenly become extremely serious, Ning Yue couldn't help becoming nervous, and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"From now on, we will walk in the depths of this mountainside for at least several days. During this period, every step will be a matter of life and death, and there is no room for carelessness. You must always remember to keep absolutely quiet, and you must not speak loudly. It is necessary to take it lightly as much as possible, and hurry up to hurry!"

As Granny Cen said, she took out a moon bead the size of a pigeon egg from her bosom, and held it in her palm to illuminate the way forward.

Ning Yue understood that the other party would never joke around at such a time, and even vaguely sensed that there was indeed some danger lurking in the darkness ahead, but she didn't dare to ask any more questions, and even breathed lightly on purpose.

　The starting point is not the starting point, and the whole book is free.

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(End of this chapter)