The Glass Maiden

Chapter III Confinement (Part I) ()

That night, Xuanji packed up some clothes and prepared to go to Mingxia Cave tomorrow morning.

While wiping tears, He Danping filled her with some delicious dry food, and then said: "You will have to work hard in the future... Don't make your father angry anymore. Stay alone in Mingxia Cave, don't be foolish" Don’t be afraid, mother must pick you up sooner."

Xuanji nodded boredly and agreed.

Linglong quickly twisted her loose hair into a bun, and said childishly: "Don't be afraid, Xuanji, I will go to the cave to accompany you in two days! Wait for me! I will take care of you."

He Danping was wiping away her tears. He laughed at her words and said softly: "Silly boy, everyone can go to Mingxia Cave! Xuanji, don't blame your father for being ruthless. That Mingxia Cave is an ancestor. The place we set up to exercise our willpower is specially prepared for disciples who are not good at concentration. Daddy let you pass, it is also for your good. As the daughter of the head, let’s not say that she wants to honor her, at least Don't embarrass him. It can't happen anymore like today in the martial arts field, understand?"

Linglong didn't wait for Xuanji to speak, she rushed to say: "Daddy knows face and face! My sister is obviously in poor health and is not suitable for practice, so he doesn't know that it hurts!"

He Danping frowned and said, "Linglong, don't you say a few words! What do you "put in" about daddy?"

Linglong refused to accept it, pouting to the side and muttering.

He Danping held Xuanji's hand and said: "The cave is cold and wet, so remember to wear more. Your sixth brother will bring you meals every day. If you are sick, you must tell him so that we can pick you up. "After all, she is a motherly heart, and she babbles and confesses a lot, all trivial things.

She didn't stop talking until a few young disciples came over and shouted for dinner, and only sighed, "touching" "touching" Xuanji's head.

"Madam, Master said that he was eating at Xiaoyangfeng today. By the way, he discussed with Uncle Heyang for next month's hairpin conference, and he won't be back tonight. Madame and the two junior sisters, please help yourself."

A disciple was talking outside the door, listening to the voice, it was the sixth old Zhong Minyan.

When Linglong heard that it was him, she smiled and opened the curtain and ran out, saying, "The little six can have dinner with us today."

Zhong Minyan quietly made a face to her, but did not speak. He Danping came out holding Xuanji and smiled: "You kid, Senior Brother Zhong is three years older than you! That's not too big or young! Min Yan, your senior brother and your master are not in the other courtyard, so today I will send a few teachers Brothers all call to come home for dinner, and everyone will live together."

Zhong Minyan smiled and answered yes, then stood up straight. He is the smallest one among the disciples of Min Zi's generation. Below him are Linglong and Xuanji. He is handsome, smart and has a sweet mouth, so the master and his wife like him very much, and Linglong pesters him every day.

Seeing Xuanji's face palely standing beside her, his almost transparent little face showed no expression at all, and he couldn't help feeling disgusted.

He doesn't like Xu Xuanji, she is always expressionless, never smiles, like a wooden person. As I approached her, I couldn't help but become depressed, and the air became lazy and solidified. He himself is naturally good at speaking and eloquent, even the master can speak, but he just can't reason with Xuanji. She was very hateful, and nodded repeatedly when she listened. You thought she was so modest, but turned around and did her own way.

Zhong Minyan believes that her city is profound and has two sides, and has never spoken to her since then. It's better to be Linglong, the little girl, she should be innocent and poignant, otherwise, what's the difference with puppets?

He turned around to ask the seniors to come over for dinner, but suddenly thought of something, then turned around and said softly: "By the way, Master has a few words to tell Senior Sister Xuanji. He said: Don't think about being lazy, just stay in the cave. Introspect the exercises. Check again next time. If you don't know Xuanming Quan, don't think of going out."

Xuanji said "Oh", but still didn't respond much. Zhong Min said that he wanted to see her crying, which would feel so boring and had to leave.

As a result, Zhong Minyan's transmission made the dinner atmosphere extremely heavy. Her eyes were red, and she must have cried secretly just now, even Linglong had a bitter face and said nothing. Zhong Minyan felt regretful, so he secretly kicked the second senior brother Chen Minjue and asked him to tell a joke to improve the atmosphere.

The second child, Chen Minjue, was a little **** who was an assistant to a storyteller before he became a teacher. Seeing that everyone was afraid to speak, he cleared his throat and deliberately mysteriously said: "Hey, we are going to send a major event recently, do you know?"

Linglong was the most clever, and hurriedly said: "I know! It's the hairpin conference next month!"

Chen Minjue smiled and "feeled" his beardless chin, shaking his head and said: "The hairpin conference is true, but do you know where the highlight of the hairpin conference is?"

Linglong frowned and thought for a while, and said, "The main event? Isn't the five major sects in the world sending out elite disciples to learn about martial arts and magic? The seniors of the Min generation are not yet at the age of the competition. Up?"

Chen Minjue didn't speak, but shook his head, with that nasty mysterious smile on his face. The "sexy" Linglong really wanted to grab his collar and "force" him to say quickly.

He Danping smiled and said: "Your senior brothers are rare talents, but they are not the age to participate in the hairpin conference. That one has to be 18 years old. Minjue don't sell it, just say it."

Chen Minjue didn't rush and asked first: "Then, do you know why the hairpin flower conference is called the word hairpin flower?"

Zhong Minyan replied: "I know this. For the winner of the martial arts competition, Lord Rong Gu of the Dotting Valley will personally put a peony flower on his hairpin, so it is called a hairpin."

Chen Minjue smiled and said: "Wrong! That flower is not easy for you to get the first hairpin! Otherwise, you saw the last hairpin conference, didn't Lord Rong Gu didn't wear the flower for the winner of Fuyu Island? The flower not only refers to the peony flower, but also refers to the last challenge that the winner will face after winning the first prize."

It was the first time everyone had heard of this so-called last challenge, and they couldn't help asking each other curiously, and even Xuanji stared at the second senior brother with her eyes rounded. He Danping naturally found Ruomingjing in her heart. She just laughed, without telling the truth, letting the children have fun.

Chen Minjue whipped everyone's appetites, and then said: "The so-called last challenge is to let the winner of the martial arts contest fight a big monster! Of course, the monster was caught in advance by the seniors, and most of the vitality has been gone. Otherwise, how can ordinary disciples be able to subdue it, no matter how powerful it is? But you must not underestimate the ability of the injured demon, even if its vitality is severely damaged, and its skill is only 20 to 30%, few young disciples can defeat it independently. Just learn martial arts, why does the hairpin conference have to be so grand? Since the start of this competition, no more than ten people can really put peony hairpins on. Therefore, it is not as easy as you think!"

Everyone sighed, and then they realized that the hairpin conference has such a wonderful content. Linglong listened with gusto, and asked again and again, "Do you know what the monster is in this hairpin conference?"

Chen Minjue said: "This is not yet clear. But I heard that there was a tengu in Lutai Mountain that caused "chaos" before the people. I guess this is the most important thing this time."

Linglong was full of fun, and only pestered Chen Minjue to say more. He sighed bitterly: "Little Junior Sister, no matter how much it is, I don't know! You might as well ask Madam, she must know more about the hairpin conference."

He Danping nodded and said: "The second child is right. If you can't defeat the monster, you can't get hairpins. Your master also participated in the hairpins conference. He was the youngest, but he was exceptionally talented. He was almost overwhelmingly "sex". In the end, he suffered a loss at the level of the demon and almost died. He still has that long scar on his body now!"

"What kind of monster did Dad fight against? Did he get peony flowers?"

"That's a very famous monster called Feiyi. It has been in the northwest for three years, and the rain has not fallen there. In the end, your master and the elders of other factions tried their best to subdue it as the year The finale of the Hairpin Conference. Your father fought with it for two days and two nights, and finally won. When he came out, he was dry and cracked and almost died. Then I..."

Suddenly, she stopped talking, her face blushed slightly. How could she tell these juniors well, and then she rushed to him desperately, hugging him and crying. But he grabbed the easy-to-obtain peony flower, trembling hairpin on her hairline, and smiled: "I wanted to say very early... Fragrant flowers match beautiful women. Now... I can count as finding a flower worthy of you. Up."

Alas, those sweet past events have gradually faded with the passage of time. Only in the bottom of her heart, these precious memories are still so bright, as if it happened yesterday.

After dinner, everyone chatted for a while, comforted Xuanji, and then retired and went to rest.

He Danping did not know how many distressed tears she shed this night, and how many worried words she said while holding her daughter. She only hated that one night seemed so short, and the sky was bright.

Xuanji carried the small parcel and opened the door. She saw the disciples of Xiatang and Yang Shishu standing in the doorway. They were all neatly dressed in robes with white background and red edges. When they saw He Danping, they saluted respectfully. Said: "See the wife of the head. I will send Junior Sister Xuanji to Mingxia Cave at the order of the head."

Zhen Xiatang is in charge of the punishment of the disciples who break the precepts, and Xie Lei asked them to pick up Xuanji, which shows his selflessness. He Danping couldn’t help crying again and exhorted a few words. Then Linglong, who was crying into tears, stood aside and watched them tie the Xuanji up with a gold rope and support the black jade sedan chair. The four of them stood on four sides in the sedan chair. Go up, and move the law together, and the heavy sedan chair floats in the air.

"Xuanji, don't be afraid! Mother will pick you up soon!" He Danping waved to her from the ground.

Xuanji rubbed against the sedan chair, her face turned pale, but fortunately she did not look sad and fearful. Seeing her mother and sister crying hard, although she was puzzled, she was also slightly sad, so she said loudly, "I will be fine! Mother, sister! Don't worry about me!"

As soon as the voice fell, the black jade sedan chair soared into the sky, and instantly became a black spot, which was never seen again.

Regarding the legend of Mingxia Cave, Xuanji had only heard of it, and had not really been there, so she didn't feel terrible about this punishment. On the contrary, she was very lucky. In any case, it is better to be confined than to be beaten. She shouldn't be slapped by her father, that's horror.

Mother packed her two baggages, one was clothes and the other was filled with dry food. Her sleeves and chest were also stuffed with things. That was Linglong's little toy to relieve her boredom. It's a pity that she is now tied up, so she can't take a closer look.

But it shows that Xiadong is on the sun peak. The Sun Peak is the shortest peak of Shouyang Mountain. The strange thing is that there are not many trees here, but it is the place where most wild animals are infested, and there are many naturally formed caves. Mingxia Cave is the deepest and largest one.

The black jade sedan car carried her and arrived at the entrance of Mingxia Cave within a moment. Xuanji stretched her head out of the sedan chair to look out, but saw that this was a flat ground, surrounded by pines and cypresses. The strange thing was that the land three feet in front of Mingxia Cave was not growing, and the color was crimson like dried blood.

The four Zhenxiatang disciples lowered the black jade sedan chair, one untied her, and the other took her two burdens, got off the sedan chair, and said: "Sister Xuanji, we have to take you into the cave. "

She nodded obediently, but didn't ask why she wanted to send it. Is it afraid that she would run away?

Who knew it was only after entering the cave to understand that there was a mysterious iron door in the cave, which was ten feet high, and the lock on the door was thicker than her thigh. Whether you go in or out, you can only stare without the key. It is a dungeon. , In vain it has a good name for Mingxia.

After opening the iron door and walking inward for less than a moment, the light was already dimmed, and the human face could barely be seen within five steps. Xuanji looked around, but saw that the wall of the cave was covered with moss. I liked that there were no bats. I thought someone would expel them regularly.

After walking for a while, I suddenly heard the sound of water in front of me, thinking that there was an underground spring here.

Xuan Jiwan didn't expect that there were so many famous halls in Mingxia Cave. Not only did the entrance of the cave have an iron gate locked, but after entering, he would have to take a boat for a moment to reach his destination. At this moment, she couldn't see anything, put her hand in front of her eyes, and couldn't see it too hard.

The four people polished the flint and lit the torch, only to see that a simple stone house was built here. The stone bed, tables and chairs were all primitive bluestone blocks. The so-called bed is just a flat stone, on which is covered with a layer of "tide" chick straw, not even a quilt.

The four left a handful of flints and a few candles for her, saying: "Then, Junior Sister Xuanji will practice here. I will leave first."

Xuanji nodded nonchalantly, and the four of them put their burdens on the bed. Seeing her dazed and lost expressions, she couldn't bear it, so she left the torch to her, and said: "Junior sister, take care! Hope you will soon Good way."

After they left, the cave quickly returned to silence, or in other words, dead silence.

Xuanji has never been in such a quiet and terrifying environment. It seems that after staying for a long time, her heartbeat has become thunder, and she can even hear the sound of blood vessels and veins.

She was stunned for a long time, then turned and walked into the stone house, and first "touched" the straw on the "bed". As expected, it was wet at all, and I don't know how long it was left. She had to take a few clothes from her bag and spread them on top, and tried to lie down, very uncomfortable.

She hasn't suffered much since she was a child, and the environment is so different now that she finally feels wronged and wanted to cry, but after another thought, she was alone here. Even if she broke her throat, it was meaningless, so she had to **** her nose and stay in a daze. . I don't know when my mother will pick her up, but now she really doesn't want to stay in this place, not at all.

I don't know how long it took, she fell asleep in bed, dreaming strangely. It was faintly that Dad was going to beat her, and his mother was protecting her. Once again, Zhong Minyan ran from nowhere, looked at her mockingly, and said, "You deserve it, who made you lazy!" After speaking, he suddenly became a big brother. Du Minxing "touched" her head and promised to speak nicely for her.

She was asking him to let her dad let him out of the cave, when Linglong suddenly poured a bucket of water towards her and cried, "You are daydreaming again, wake up!"

She couldn't help but shudder, and suddenly woke up, her eyes were completely dark. It took a long time for her to realize that the torch was burned out. It was so easy to "fumble" and get up, only to feel cold all over her body, and the chill was bitter. The "tide" of the straw under her body was sent through the clothes all the time. Her small body couldn't help trembling, so she quickly searched for a few. A piece of clothing draped over the body.

There is no sound, no sound at all. This terrible silence and darkness are more unbearable than death. She shrank into a ball on the stone bed, but she couldn't restrain the trembling of her body. She couldn't even tell whether it was trembling because of the cold or because of the endless fear of emptiness.

After a long time, she remembered that the disciples of Zhen Xiatang had left candles and flints for herself. She "groped" on the bed for a long time, finally found the flint, slapped it a few times, and lit the candle. With the light, she felt a little relieved, shrinking on the bed and staring at the little orange flame in a daze.

There are only four candles, and she can't use them all the time, so by this calculation, she has to live in the dark most of the day. In fact, you can ask Zhong Min to ask for it, but this person has always had a dislike for himself and will definitely not agree. Instead of opening up his own humiliation, it is better not to say it.

The time in the cave was frozen, not moving at all, she didn't know how long it had passed.

She has nothing to do, and she usually has nothing to do all day in a daze, but if she really left her alone, she couldn't be in a daze. I had to take out the toy Linglong gave her, but it was a slingshot, a muddy bird, and a small red rattle.

What's the use of this stuff? It really teaches people to "touch" their heads.

In desperation, I can only continue to sleep. But the stone bed was so cold that she couldn't fall asleep when she tossed on it, trembling with a strange feeling of loneliness.

The rattle in his arms fell on the bed with a crisp sound. She "touched" Hei and grabbed it and held it in her hand. After a while, turn it slightly.

咚咚咚, 咚咚咚.

The little rattle made a loud sound.

In such a dead and gloomy place, there was only a little voice left to accompany her.

She continued to turn.

咚咚咚, 咚咚咚.

It seems to have seen a lively New Year scene.

Big red silk drumsticks beat the Kuipi drum, while Linglong hopped around behind, patted her waist drum. The air smelled of sweet red bean cake made by my mother, and Dad instructed the young disciples to take out the good wine that had been hidden in the cellar for a year.

She actually likes the lively scene. She likes to make a small background color in the lively scene, instead of being ruthlessly eliminated. Everyone forgets her and ignores her.

Xuanji thought about it a lot, and finally fell asleep again, unable to remember these annoying helpless things.