Chapter 19 Chapter Eighteen

The dim yellow color is like a long-forgotten canvas, unfolding alone in the corner of the world. Acacia is standing in the sky full of dust. The huge palaces stretched out continuously, extending to the end of the sight.The tall city walls and majestic palaces stretch endlessly into the sky. The majesty and grandeur, majesty and delicacy are beyond the imagination of mortals, as if created by miracles, standing upright under the endless dim sky. But they have all failed. Those magnificent palaces have been fragmented, the bases several feet high are tilted at incredible angles, and the other half is caught in the rising dust. At first glance, it looks like a huge shadow suspended on the ruins, revealing the desolation and fear of the people. .

Ten feet wide cracks criss-crossed down from the tall palace wall, as if being split deeply by the battle ax of the gods. The exquisite corridors were like damaged limbs, withered and slender, twisted and hung on the shocking cracks.Looking up, in the gray sky, most of the doors and windows have turned into deep black holes, only a few hanging in the air, which are the last solitary teeth of the old man. Xiangsi stood at the entrance of a narrow alley, surrounded by walls several feet high on both sides, and the dark red murals on it were mottled, recording the prosperity of an unknown year or month.

Dust fell down like drizzle, piled a thick layer of dust on the ground under her feet. The dust-paved road stretches to the dim yellow shadows in the distance, and it seems that no one has stepped on it for thousands of years. Broken, desolate, and lonely are the only signs here.She looked around in a daze, but she didn't know when she came here.It was as if a memory had been erased, and she seemed to have been thrown into a long-abandoned corner unintentionally. Everything is like waking up from a dream, seeing the sunlight piercing through the curtain, illuminating the sky full of yellow dust in a corner of the attic.It seems to come from a memory that has been dusty for a long time, but I can't remember which part of my life this memory once appeared in.

And I have long been forgotten in this unknowable memory. A deep fear rose from the bottom of her heart. "Is there anyone?" she called tentatively. There are only her echoes around, echoing in the endless desolate ruins. The evening wind blows, bringing with it a dead dust of dust.It stretches endlessly and dimly, and there is no end in sight. Xiangsi calmed down, wrapped her body tightly in thin clothes, and walked forward against the wind. She has to find a way out. Through the incomplete walls on both sides, the scenery outside can be vaguely seen. Beyond the ruins, there are still ruins.Besides, there is boundless floating dust.

Acacia walks through the deserted streets.She saw a dilapidated tea house, on four serpentine stone pillars, the tents had collapsed and were buried in thick dust.A long stone table was placed horizontally in the middle of the stone pillars, a dozen tea bowls were placed here and there, and an exquisitely decorated kettle was placed in the middle, with the lid open, as if someone was still drinking. Next to the teahouse, there is a strange carriage parked. Through the deep dust, one can vaguely see that the carriage is painted with bright red paint, the axles and bars are wrapped with gold leaf, the carriage is decorated with vines, animals, and carved patterns of palaces, and the curtains of the carriage door are entangled with snakes. The shapes and patterns are densely packed and spread out in bright colors, exuding a lingering and joyful atmosphere.

This is a carriage prepared for the bride. A flower made of red silk is tied on the top of the carriage, and gold and silver carvings are inserted in the red silk, revealing the prosperity of many years ago, but it has already been blown into dark brown by the wind, as thin as a cicada's wing. will turn to dust. Disaster seemed to come in an instant.In the dusk of not knowing how many years ago, the residents of this city were spending their days leisurely in the twilight wind, the yelling of merchants, the play of children, the smoke of cooking in the street... a team of welcoming families stopped for a while on the way, and went to the tea house beside the street take a break.The owner of the teahouse smiled happily and filled his blessings for this group of special guests...

At this moment, a catastrophe enough to destroy the city came, and these people disappeared without a trace even before they could put away their joy. Since then, the time and space of this city have been frozen at that moment.The cheerful drumming turned into the whistling of the evening wind, echoing over the city. Dust, like rain at dusk, has been falling for thousands of years. Where the hell is this, what happened here?Why did I stand on the streets of this abandoned city? Acacia looked around blankly, feeling a deep doubt in her heart. Unknowingly, she turned around an abandoned fountain, the long street came to an end, and a gentle slope unfolded before her eyes.

The gentle slope has been covered by yellow dust, only a few abrupt boulders, a damaged railing, and a few withered rotten trees remain.They are sadly scattered in the dust and rain, with their heads raised to the sky, as if they are still talking about the luxury that once existed here. I don't know how many years ago, there was a beautiful garden here. In the center of the gentle slope, at the core of the garden, a tall stone pavilion with a dome still stands. The original white stone pavilion has also been invaded by dust, showing a dark yellow color. Under the afterglow of the setting sun, it reveals endless desolation.

However, although the dust and rain eroded the white color of the stone pavilion, it did not change its magnificent posture. It was like the skeleton of a dead giant, still standing upright in the sky full of yellow dust, forming a sad contrast with the surrounding dilapidated buildings, showing a A soul-stirring tragedy. The stone pavilion is three feet high, the dome is raised, and there are no extra decorations. Four thick giant snakes encircle and circle down. In the four directions of north and south, a huge stone tripod is held in its mouth.The clear water in the stone cauldron has dried up, replaced by a layer of dust exuding corruption.

The evening wind gradually rises, and the wild smoke floats. Xiangsi plucked up her courage, and slowly climbed up the gentle slope. She had just taken two steps, but she was shocked to find that there was a dead skeleton leaning on the front of a stone pillar. It was a slender girl, wearing a red wedding dress, leaning on a huge stone pillar, facing the street in the distance. Her originally plump and fair face had been blown dry and brown by the night wind, and her youthful beauty had already been turned into ugly haggardness by the endless years. The only thing that remained unchanged was the hopeful smile at the corner of her mouth.

On that dusk not knowing how many years ago, she was waiting in the gorgeous garden.She seemed to see the carriage to greet her was slowly approaching her, accompanied by infinite happiness, overwhelming joy, people's blessing and envy.Soon, the handsome lover will reach out to her and lead her into the carriage.From then on, her life is no longer alone, and she will spend her prime years with him. However, time freezes at a certain moment. That was the end of the whole world. Her expectations, her happiness, her homeland, and her years were all instantly destroyed by the huge disaster. The carriage she was waiting for stood forever in the ruins. The lover she was waiting for turned into smoke and dust, never to appear. Everything was wiped out. Thus, those eyes full of happiness and hope also turned into nothingness in the eternal gazing, leaving only two deep holes. Only the bright red wedding dress was left, wrapping the withered and thin body, leaning on the huge stone pillar day and night, blown by the eternal evening wind. Like a desolate red cloud. The bride of unknown year and month stood in this tall and desolate stone pavilion, leaning on the cold stone pillars, waiting forever. Empty eye sockets stare at a direction where happiness will never come again. How hopeless and desolate this is. Looking at the thin and withered corpse, Xiangsi suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness, as if the despair and sorrow that the bride had endured for thousands of years had come to her in an instant. Long years, endless dust. She almost fell to her knees in front of this stone pavilion, unable to go any further. But she can't. Because she knew that once she fell down, she would be stuck here forever like this haggard girl, waiting in despair in this abandoned city forever. She didn't dare to look any more, supported her body, and struggled to walk to the other side of the gentle slope. Yellow dust filled the air. After the gentle slope, a larger ruins suddenly appeared. Broken wheels, windows, and bricks were scattered in the thick dust, like pieces of rubble buried in the yellow sand.Countless huge palace walls collapsed, and the exquisite attics, wide corridors, and stone pillars several feet high seemed to be torn to pieces by a huge force in an instant, leaving only broken corpses piled up on the square. It seems to be closer to the core of the disaster here, and everything is destroyed. Acacia's eyes fell on a circular palace room.This palace is located in the core of the square, without too many decorations, but it looks more solemn and mighty than ordinary buildings. What is horrifying is that the huge dome of the palace was almost completely lifted and split in two in mid-air. One piece was pressed on the ruins of the nearby residential buildings, and the other piece smashed into the garden in the center of the square.The dome is made of huge stones, and the inlays are so delicate that almost no seams can be seen.After a huge catastrophe and years of erosion, it has not completely collapsed, so what kind of power was it that was able to lift it up like a piece of felt? However, Xiangsi no longer has the heart to think about the destruction of this palace, because a situation that horrifies her even more has appeared before her eyes. Beside a huge stone table, seven heavily armored warriors were sitting around the table. Each of them was wearing battle armor made of black iron, and the huge masks fell down, completely hiding their appearance in the shadows.Although the iron armor has been covered with dust, through the exquisite carvings, one can still imagine their majesty in the past.The seven giant swords have been unsheathed, and they are held up in the air. The sword tips overlap each other, as if they are making the last prayer before the expedition. Seven long snakes snaked from tail to head, spiraling down along the spine of the sword. The head of the snake opened its ferocious wide mouth, and its sharp teeth, which were more than an inch long, bit the sword hilt fiercely. The long snake's scales are dense and lifelike, as if it just fell asleep in the sky full of dust, and it will be reborn immediately after a thunderstorm from the sky and the earth. However, none of these long snakes had pupils, and there were only two gloomy black holes left on their ferocious heads. Xiangsi seemed to think of something and was startled. Holding back the fear in her heart, she walked around to one of the warriors, and suddenly took off his mask. Under the mask is a face that has been dry for a long time.The juice, energy and blood around him seemed to evaporate in an instant, leaving only a pile of yellow-brown withered flesh.The lips were dry, and the clenched teeth looked abrupt and ferocious. Under the skin that was already as thin as a cicada's wings, dry blood veins criss-crossed, like the raised tendons on a dead leaf, as if recording the moment of death. suffered great pain. What's even more frightening is that his eyes seemed to be evaporated by the sudden force, and the huge holes seemed to be still glaring at the sky in vain, sending out an angry cry! Xiangsi's hand trembled, and the black iron mask fell to the ground, making a hollow echo, circling endlessly over the deserted city. She couldn't bear it anymore, turned around and ran back. Passing through one street after another, there are ruins everywhere, dusty floors, and corpses that have dried up in an instant and lost their eyes.This place seems to be the world after the catastrophe, but there is no chance of life anymore. She didn't know how far she had run, she just felt her panting echoing in the empty city. Desolation and death turned into thick black shadows, covering her running figure alone. Everything in the city, no matter the broken sculptures, peeling paintings, or corpses of people and animals, all strangely lost their pupils and opened their empty eyes together, mocking her silently. Her eyes, her life, have become terrifying oddities in this spooky abandoned city. Outliers that can be cleared at any time. She didn't know how far she had run. The time of this abandoned city seemed to be frozen at the last moment of dusk. The shadow of the setting sun could no longer be seen, only the endless dim light shining forever. Xiangsi slipped and fell heavily into the dust. She hardly dared to open her eyes, because those dark eye sockets seemed to be following her, ready to drag her into this deep death! Suddenly, she heard a cry. A baby cry. In such a desolate and strange place, hearing the cry of a baby was extremely eerie and frightening, but hearing it in Xiangsi's ears at this moment, it was undoubtedly the hope of life—she was not the only one alive in this city! She breathed a long sigh of relief, supported her tired body, and walked in the direction of the crying sound. Turning around an intersection full of broken doors and windows, a vast cemetery spread out in front of me. The wild smoke was misty, and the stone tablets were fragmented, as if thin arms stretched out from the loess, and they were looking toward the sky in a daze.More tombstones collapsed on the ground, half-covered in the dust, and the dilapidated coffins scattered like leafy boats floating on the sea of ​​yellow dust. The loneliest passenger in this sea of ​​death. The loess is long, and waves are blowing in the evening wind. Countless corpses lie on top of each other, spreading out in a messy manner, and there is no end in sight. The nearby bones are still separated, as if trying to break free from the shackles of the sea of ​​death. But it seems that it has completely merged into the dim twilight, and it can no longer be distinguished from the surrounding ruins. A tall and clean white tomb stands abruptly amidst the billowing yellow dust. If those scattered tombstones are small boats in this sea of ​​death, then this tombstone is a giant ship on the ocean.Everything around it is small and dilapidated just to set off its majesty. The tomb is three feet high, like a fortress made of huge stones, with a carved lintel on the front, half of which is buried in the ground, and the other half stands in the loess.On the top of the tomb, a huge stone tablet towers into the sky. There is no writing on the stone tablet, but there are two giant snakes entangled with each other carved on it. However, this majestic stele has been tilted extremely, like a huge mast on a giant ship that is about to break, trembling slightly in the evening wind, and will fall apart at any time. There is a stark contrast between the solemnity of the past and the ruin of today, the majestic grandeur and the danger of collapse at any time, which is so shocking in the sky full of yellow dust. This is exactly the impression that this city gives people. The wind and mist are misty, and the tombstone is in danger. The figure of a young man in white robe is shrouded in the huge shadow of the tombstone. He sat hanging on the edge of the tomb, and the extremely large white robe hung down from the lintel of the tomb along his toes, almost connecting with the yellow dust on the ground. His figure was already extremely slender and slender, but against the backdrop of his long robe, it created a strange illusion—his entire body seemed to have turned into that long ribbon, hanging from the tall tomb And down. It almost bears an eerie resemblance to the serpentine carvings on tombstones. When the evening wind blew, his thin figure was like a crumbling tombstone, trembling in the sky full of yellow dust.The huge mask, like his flying silver hair, is infinitely pale, appearing abrupt and lonely in the hazy sky and earth. He silently stared at his arms. It was a crying baby. He held the baby in his hands tightly, with endless sadness in his eyes, as if he was a child abandoned in a deserted city, holding the last toy in his hands. At that moment, his tall figure was so lonely, so lonely, so desperate. "Heavy robbery?" Xiangsi couldn't help calling out. That pale long hair, wide white robe, and transparent eyes, who else is it? For a moment, endless questions filled Xiangsi's heart, and she wanted to ask him clearly. Where is this, why did she come here, and how did he appear on the stone tablet? However, before she could open her mouth, Chong Jie gently comforted the crying baby while putting his fingers to his lips, and made a silent gesture to Acacia. Suddenly, he raised his eyes, and the sadness and loneliness in his eyes disappeared instantly, turning into endless hatred, fixedly staring at the cemetery under his feet. In the dust under his feet, there was a young woman kneeling.Her temple hair was disheveled and her face was stained with tears, her eyes were full of fear and despair.She knelt forward a few steps, and knocked her head heavily on the tombstone, her voice was already hoarse: "Please, please let him go!" She knocked so hard that her forehead was already blue and purple with tears There were marks on her dirty face: "Please, let my child go..." The baby seemed to have heard the mother's call, and cried even more fiercely in Zhong Jie's arms. Xiangsi suddenly understood that the baby was snatched from the mother after a lot of robbery.Looking at the young woman's desperate face, Xiangsi couldn't help but burst into anger, and shouted: "Are you crazy? Let the child go!" Chong Jie suddenly waved his sleeves, and when he turned around, his transparent eyes were almost completely occupied by demons.With one hand hanging around the baby's neck, he said in a deep voice, "One more word, and I'll kill him immediately!" Acacia choked, Qinghe suddenly stopped.She had seen Zhong Jie's moodiness before, but she had never seen such evil eyes in his eyes.Afraid that he would really hurt the child, he dared not speak for a while. Chong Jie shifted his gaze to the mother who was kowtowing.His tone became leisurely and calm again, with the usual ridicule: "You beg me?" The young woman was stunned for a moment, tears welled up again, she kept nodding her head: "Please don't hurt him, I can do whatever you want..." Chong Jie sat up straight gracefully, his slender fingers slid across the baby's face: "Why are you begging me?" The young woman was even more shocked.Why?He even asked her why! She really wanted to say: Because you took my child away, but she was afraid of offending the little devil in front of her, so she never dared to say it. Chong Jie slowly straightened his long hair that was blown by the evening wind, and seemed to be lost in thought: "Why? Why do you, people in the deserted city, always beg me, am I like an omnipotent god?" The young woman looked at him with tears in her eyes. His slender body was wrapped in a large white robe, like a white fairy who came out of a spell. But she dared not say a word. Zhong Jie stared at her, with a sneer at the corner of his mouth: "In other words, your devout worship is all hypocrisy. You worship me as a god, but because you want something from me. In your hearts, I am more like a devil?" The young woman trembled slightly under his gaze, how could she have the courage to answer? Chong Jie spread his hands contemptuously, and made a gesture of regret: "You don't even know who I am, how can you beg me?" The young woman felt a burst of despair rising from her heart. She knelt down under the stone tablet again, kept kowtow, her throat trembled, but she couldn't say anything. In order to save the child, she was willing to do anything, but the demon in front of her didn't want her to do anything at all, he just wanted to appreciate her despair.She also knew that her begging and kowtow were futile, but she had no choice but the pain from her forehead could make her feel a little peaceful. Chong Jie watched her struggle in the loess, with a smile on his face all the time, after a long time, he sighed softly, and said: "I can't ask for it, I can only ask for myself... I will give you a chance, are you willing to try?" ?” The young woman immediately stopped kowtowing, raised her blood-stained face, and shouted, "As long as you let him go, I will do anything!" Chong Jie nodded in satisfaction, looked at the baby in his hand, with an extremely complicated expression in his eyes - pity, sadness, and jealousy were intertwined and inseparable. He flicked his sleeves suddenly, and a cloud of dust flew up from the young woman. On the ground at the base of the tombstone, seven white stone jars were exposed.Seven long snakes of different shapes are engraved on the stone pots. The only thing in common is that each long snake has no pupils. The young woman was coughing endlessly in the dust. Chong Jie looked at her and said calmly: "These seven stone jars contain seven kinds of poisonous snakes. If they bite you, they will make you suffer a kind of purgatory. Frozen , fire, ant bite, car crack, mausoleum... Each of them is like rebirth and death, beyond any kind of torture in the world, and beyond your imagination. What you have to do is to put your hands in turn into these stone jars." Behind the mask, an extremely gloomy smile appeared on his pale lips, and his fingers suddenly slid across the baby's wrist. A strand of blood flowed out from the baby's tender skin like a trickling stream, soaking his pale clothes. Xiangsi and the young woman exclaimed almost at the same time, and the baby burst into tears because of the sudden pain. Chong Jie looked at the young woman quietly, and his voice became extremely gentle and full of temptation: "If, before the child's blood dries up, you survive the seventh stone jar and still don't die of pain, I will let you go." killed him." The young woman looked suspiciously at the stone pot in front of her. The first stone jar is carved with a snake dancing in flames.The long snake's body was covered with scorched wood-like cracks, its huge mouth opened, and a stream of viscous venom was flowing down from the bow-like snake teeth. The young woman didn't hesitate too long, because the crying of the child was so heartbreaking. She gritted her teeth and reached into the stone jar. Chong Jie was holding the baby in his arms, sitting on the high-risk stage, Mu Feng raised his snow-like long hair, as if he had sunk into endless memories. Xiangsi couldn't bear it any longer, and shouted: "Stop!" With a bang, the stone from the bottom of the sleeve popped out, smashing the stone jar into pieces. A long fiery red snake jumped out of the debris, its tail circled and its head stood upright, spitting out a red letter at the young woman ferociously, and the mucus dripped down its wide mouth, making a hissing sound. Xiangsi pulled the young woman behind her, and shouted at Zhongjie: "You let them go!" Chong Jie was holding the baby, without looking at her, he just said indifferently: "What qualifications do you have to say that?" Acacia momentarily speechless. Yes, she who has lost all her martial arts, what qualifications does she have to say this?What qualifications do you have to protect others? Chong Jie smiled slightly: "Don't even think about suffering for her, because she is the mother of the child, and you are nothing." He didn't look at her anymore, but shook his head at the young woman who was stunned there: "The jar is broken, unfortunately, you failed to complete my test." He sighed and stood up, his robe fluttering in the wind like a floating cloud.The streak of blood on the floating cloud is like a plum blossom blooming on the snow, revealing a deep-rooted cruelty, but also revealing a thrilling beauty. Chong Jie lightly raised the baby: "This choice is not bad, you will give birth to a new child next year, so there is no need to suffer like this for him." After saying that, he was about to throw the child off the more than ten-foot-high steps. "No!" The young woman rushed over frantically, crying hissingly: "No, no, he is the only one! I can't lose him." Chong Jie stopped his movements and looked at her coldly.There was no more warmth in his eyes. The young woman seemed to understand something, turned around and knelt down in front of Xiangsi, and begged: "Please, don't bother me anymore, I am willing to do as he said, I am willing..." Xiangsi also knelt down, and was about to help her up, when the young woman suddenly threw herself at the poisonous snake. Xiang wanted to pull her away, but it was already too late. Like lightning, the long-awaited poisonous snake left a deep wound on the back of the young woman's hand. At that moment, the young woman's body seemed to be struck by lightning, almost bouncing up, and fell heavily to the ground again.Then a mournful howl escaped from her throat. Then her wailing was replaced by a violent cough.She seemed to be surrounded by thick smoke, coughing so much that she was about to vomit blood, and her nails made deep marks in her throat, as if she had to tear her throat open in order to breathe a little fresh air.Then, her body shook again, and she kept rolling on the ground, as if a raging fire was burning all over her body. Xiangsi looked at her in astonishment, too shocked to speak. The faint voice of Zhongjie came from the tomb: "Every kind of snake venom can most realistically simulate the pain of purgatory. Now, she is suffering the same severe pain as the person whose whole body was burned in the fire." He suddenly raised his head and smiled: " But, good celestial girl, don't try to help her, because this kind of pain is both illusion and reality, and as soon as you touch her, her skin will fall off in pieces." Xiangsi looked at him, with incomparable hatred in her heart. The cruelty of this man was beyond her imagination.Even villains like Riyao do evil because they want something, but Chong Jie is not.He wants nothing more than to create and enjoy the pain of others for pleasure. After a while, the pain seemed to subside gradually. The young woman was drenched in cold sweat, and she was too weak to get up. She barely raised her head from the dust, and looked at the heavy robbery. Zhong Jie looked at her with a half-smile: "Very good, there are still six cans left. It's just that the pain caused by the next snake venom will be twice as much as the previous one. You still have time to change your choice now." The young woman gritted her teeth, and crawled towards the second stone pot with hands and feet.