Sky Dragon Rider

The breeze from the mountains blows, bringing a little bit of coolness.

The bighorn blue sheep lingering on the sunny hillside with lush vegetation make cheerful chirping sounds from time to time.

A half-grown boy in the mountains picked up a blade of grass, skillfully folded a grass flute that only commoner children could know, put it on the corner of his mouth, slightly bulged his cheeks, and played a crisp sound that fluctuated up and down. Enjoying himself, the domesticated canine cocked his ears, lying on the rocks warmed by the sun as if listening. It is the boy's best partner and naturally the best listener.

As he was blowing vigorously, the shepherd boy suddenly saw a figure wandering along the narrow path.

The robe that has been worn for so many years is dull in color, dusty and stained with mud, and the exquisite gold thread embroidered on it has also begun to fade. With a wooden stick, he moved his steps with difficulty.

"Grandpa Hanma! Why are you here alone?"

Seeing the hard work of the old man walking uphill, the shepherd boy quickly dropped the grass flute in his hand, and rushed over like flying.

"Grey Sheep! Thank you! I'm a little restless and want to come out for a walk!"

The old man's face was full of wrinkles, but he smiled kindly.

With the support of the half-grown boy, his heavy and dull steps became much lighter.

The boy's parents are mountain people who don't know half of the Chinese characters. They make a living by herding sheep, collecting herbs, hunting and farming a small piece of mountain land. I have seen it, and I have never walked out of this mountain in most of my life.Naturally, I don’t have much knowledge. I named my child like most mountain people, using various mountain creatures as a reference to name my child, hoping that my child can thrive like a bighorn sheep.Live a happy life freely.

The shepherd boy has the simplicity and kindness unique to the mountain people, and said enthusiastically: "Oh! Next time you come out, you can call me, I will carry you behind my back."

"Yes. Yes, dear boy! I shall."

The old man narrowed his eyes with a smile.

At this moment, there was a faint sound of rolling thunder among the distant mountains.

"Huh? Is it going to rain? Looking at the weather, it doesn't look like it's going to rain!"

Hearing the sound, the shepherd boy Huiyang looked suspiciously in the direction of the sound. Although the mountain people had little knowledge, their accumulated life experience taught them how to predict weather changes by distinguishing the current weather.

"My dear boy, that's not thunder. It's not rain!"

The smile on the old man's face gradually receded, and he tried his best to look into the distance with his old and cloudy eyes.

The shepherd boy who didn't know why asked strangely: "What is that?"

"Quick! Carry my back and go in that direction!"

The old man did not explain, but instead pointed the direction of the rumbling thunder with the wooden stick in his hand.

"what?!"

Hui Yang, a shepherd boy, opened his mouth wide, was stunned, and then reacted.

"Oh! ~Grandpa Hamma. Stand up first."

After speaking, he lowered his body and carried the old man's light body on his back.

He whistled at his little domestic animal, and the little thing immediately stood up from the rock, cheered up and looked around, and began to take on the task of taking care of the bighorn sheep.

Many mountain people have this cute and docile little thing in their homes. They don't have much attack power, but they are very good at preying on insects. They are smart and vigilant, and they can take care of livestock and poultry and guard homes.Some exceptionally clever ones are even able to watch over children.

The ferocious beasts within a radius of tens of miles have been hunted down by the mountain people long ago.The small domestic animals are mainly responsible for preventing the bighorn sheep from going too far, so Hui Yang, a young shepherd who left his flock without worry, identified the route and immediately rushed down the hillside with the old man on his back like the wind.Run to another nearby hill.

Looking down from the sky, the straight-line distance of the mountains does not seem too far away.But in fact the road to go will not be shorter than imagined.

But for a young man who grew up in the mountains, walking on the rugged mountain road is nothing, even if he carries an old man who is not too heavy, he still treats it like nothing.

Turning over two hills in one breath, Gray Sheep's chest and back were wet with sweat, and his wheezing was like pulling out a bellows, but he still gritted his teeth and persisted, stepping steadily upward on the jagged steep slopes and grass nests the climb.

The temper of the people in the mountains is full of spittle and pits, and they promise to carry Grandpa Hanma on their backs to cross the mountains and mountains, as long as they don't shout to stop, they will not stop.

Just after turning over a ridge, the old man on the boy's back said, "Grey Sheep! Let's take a rest first!"

"It's okay! Grandpa Hanma, I still have strength." Gently put the old man down, the shepherd boy wiped his sweat indiscriminately, took off the wooden tubular water bottle hanging from his waist, and drank vigorously. After looking over his shoulder, he handed over the water bottle and said with a smile, "Grandpa Hanma, do you want some water?"

"Grandpa is not thirsty, drink it! Take a rest first."

The old man cherished the hard work of the young man. After all, walking down these mountain roads required a lot of energy.

As soon as his words fell, a huge thunderclap came from afar, a bit more violent than what he heard when he was on the road just now.

"Ah? What sound!"

Holding the kettle in his hands, the shepherd boy stopped his movements and stared into the distance dumbfounded.

This unusual movement was by no means a precursor to a thunderstorm.

At the limit of vision, a group of birds soared into the sky, forming a black cloud visible to the naked eye, flying into the sky, and flying in another direction.

The ridge trembled slightly, and the boy also realized that this was unusual.

"Grandpa Hanma, here, what happened here?"

Facing the fear of the unknown, Gray Sheep moved closer to the old man.

"What a violent elemental energy fluctuation, like a forbidden curse!"

Hanma's expression was extremely serious. He stretched out his hand, as if he was stroking some invisible existence in the air. The mountain wind blew up, and the dusty corners of his robe were blown up, making a hunting sound.

It seemed that a mysterious power was emanating from the old man, resonating with the surrounding air bit by bit.

"Elemental energy, fluctuations, forbidden spells? What are they? Beasts?"

Due to limited knowledge, the young man could not understand the words spoken by the old man at all.

"It's magic!"

The old man turned his gaze and looked at the young man kindly.

"Magic? Is there a master magician there?"

Hui Yang, a shepherd boy, suddenly widened his eyes. To ordinary people, a master magician is almost no different from a god, and is synonymous with mystery, power and nobility.

It's just that in the depths of Hailar's central mountain range, many mountain people have never seen a master magician even in their entire lives.

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-(to be continued~^~)