Lights on the other side

Li Ruoci and Pei Shi walked leisurely on the streets of Yanzhou.

That day, Li Mo'er told them the ins and outs at the inn, and when they went out again, half of Fengzhou had been destroyed.

Even with mental preparations, people couldn't help but gasp when they saw such a miserable scene in the morning light.

Pei Shi asked Xue Danggui to return to Wuxitian immediately, and informed Elder Huang and Bai to send additional disciples to clean up the mess.

Xue Danggui said: "Do you still need to tell Sect Leader Luo?"

Pei Shi said: "Let me tell you, but the specific situation depends on what the two elders want."

Xie Yun wanted to go back with Xue Danggui, and he didn't want to stay here for another second.

Li Ruoci said: "You really cherish your life."

Xie Yun said: "Last night, we almost died. It's okay, it's okay, You Sheng Wuxia, what can I do in this situation? Of course, I have to go back quickly!"

Sheng Wuxia's injury was too serious and he was still unconscious, so Pei Shi gave the fire phoenix to Li Mo'er and told her to take Sheng Wuxia back to Sanxuntian.

And Pei Shi said that he couldn't control his anger, otherwise he would have a stomachache, so Li Ruoci had to walk with him and even took a carriage ride on the way, but Pei Shi said he was too bored and wanted to come out to get some air.

Li Ruoci once again regretted why he didn't stab him to death with a sword, but wanted to hang out with him here instead.

"Hey, don't be so cold." Pei Shi caught up with him from behind.

Li Ruoci glanced at him and said, "Is the injury healed?"

"No."

Yanzhou is located in the coastal area, and there is a fresh and salty sea breeze blowing in front of it. All kinds of crab, shellfish, fish and shrimp are sold on the street.

Pei Shi suddenly stopped, pointed to a crab, and asked, "Lin Ruoyan, do you know why one of its claws is big and the other is small?"

Li Ruoci leaned over and glanced at the crab in the water, and said, "Born like this?"

Pei Shi shook his head and said, "The small one was broken and grew out halfway."

Li Ruoci sighed: "It's been so hard, it's a pity that I still have to be eaten in the end."

Pei Shi smiled: "Let's buy it, won't it be fine?"

After all, Pei Shi fished the crab out of the water and paid the shopkeeper a few pennies.

He held the crab in his hand, teased it, and moved away as soon as the crab's pincers were about to catch his finger.

Li Ruoci said: "If you are really so free, we might as well hurry on our way."

"I'm injured, you should be considerate of me anyway."

"Then what do you want?"

Pei Shi thought for a while and said, "Drink, take a bath, and have someone take care of you."

Li Ruoci turned around and left.

Pei Shi hurriedly followed: "I'm just kidding."

Li Ruoci pointed to the crab in his hand, and said, "Crabs can't stay out of the water for too long, you should quickly find a bowl with water and put it in."

It was noon, and the two came to a restaurant.

Pei Shi asked, "What do you want to eat?"

Li Ruoci raised his head and said to Xiaoer beside him: "A bowl of bean paste porridge is fine, and less sugar."

Before Pei Shi could speak, Li Ruoci said again: "You have injuries, remember to eat lightly."

"Okay, a bowl of fermented glutinous rice balls, but it's a pity if you don't eat fish monsters when you come to Yanzhou, what do you think of osmanthus octopus?"

"En." Li Ruoci nodded.

Just as Xiao Er was about to leave, Pei Shi stopped him again: "Can you help me get a bowl? Put some water in it, it's cold."

They sat by the window, boats passed by in the river downstairs, and urchins frolicked by the water.

Pei Shi said, "Hey, you grew up in the south, isn't this kind of scene common?"

"It's not as big as Yanzhou, it's just a small town."

Li Ruoci became interested, and said: "I remember that there are rivers and lakes. Some people lived on the boat all their lives, never got off, and were buried in the water. Most people go to the water to make a living. This is true from generation to generation. Rivers and lakes There are countless grievances here, including adults and children. I thought I would live there for the rest of my life, but thinking about it now, it seems like a lifetime away."

"Then you left?"

"Yes."

Xiao Er brought up the dishes, and Pei Shi picked up the crab that had been crawling on the table, and put it into the porcelain bowl. The crab desperately wanted to crawl out, but the bowl was too slippery, and his wishes repeatedly failed.

Li Ruoci looked at it, suddenly felt a little inexplicable, and said: "Put it back in the sea, you can't keep carrying it like this."

"Well, that's what I planned too."

The playful laughter of the children downstairs came over, faintly mixed with a nursery rhyme.

"Life and death at sea turn into souls. The misty passengers on the floating boat want to ask the floating boat where to find it. The floating clouds never let the boat anchor."

Pei Shi said: "This ballad is quite interesting."

The errand at the side said: "The two guest officials are not locals, are they?"

Pei Shi nodded: "Yeah."

Xiaoer smiled and said, "No wonder, this song is widely spread here, basically everyone knows it."

Pei Shi became a little interested: "What?"

Xiaoer explained: "This is derived from a local legend in Yanzhou. It is said that there is an elder brother and a younger sister in a fisherman's family. The two parents died early, and they depended on each other. The elder brother needs to go fishing every day, and the younger sister is at home. I prayed for my brother’s safe return, so three or five years passed. Finally, one day, there was a storm at sea, and my brother never came back. My sister was heartbroken, so I borrowed a small boat with two red lanterns on it to go out to sea. Looking for her brother, but in the end, her sister did not come back. Since then, a strange ship has appeared on the sea, which only appears when there is wind and rain on the sea, to rescue ships in distress, and there are also red lanterns on it, so some people say that It was transformed after the death of my sister. But this ship is also whereabouts are uncertain, if you meet it or not, it depends on fate, so it is also called Misty Ship.”

Pei Shi said, "Has anyone ever gone up there?"

Xiaoer said: "Probably not, no one knows what it looks like inside."

Pei Shi said again: "Then how can we talk about relief?"

Xiao Er chuckled and said, "It's just a legend, don't take it seriously."

Li Ruoci sipped the porridge with his head down, without raising his head, he said, "Maybe the people who went up didn't come back."

A diner on the side suddenly interjected: "This is true. I haven't been there before, but it's not like I haven't seen it. My brother also encountered wind and rain when he went to sea, but fortunately, he was not far from the port and returned immediately. From afar, I saw two red lanterns floating around."

Li Ruoci said: "It's amazing."

The waiter went to other tables to greet the guests, and the diners turned around to continue eating. Everything just now seemed like a short episode.

The sun was shining outside, and the children sang another song, simple and full of steam from the south.

In the afternoon, the two went shopping in Yanzhou again. Yanzhou is worthy of being the largest state near the sea. It was not until sunset that the two left Yanzhou and came to the nearest seaside.

The setting sun sank into the sea, leaving only a few rays of afterglow shining on the sea.

Li Ruoci found a clean stone and sat down, waving a fan in his hand, and said to Pei Shi, "Let your crab go."

Accidentally, Pei Shi was pinched by a crab. He quickly pulled out his finger, groaned in pain, and then put the crab in the shallow water, watching it crawl into the deeper water step by step.

The sea water surged up and retreated again. After a while, the crab disappeared.

He suddenly remembered something, and asked, "We won't be here tonight, will we?"

"Otherwise? Is there an inn here?"

"Does this look like a place to sleep?"

Li Ruoci laughed and said, "I don't mind leaving you here alone, go back and find an inn by yourself."

"you……"

Li Ruoci pretended to be serious and thought about it again: "The Tongfulai Inn in Yanzhou, I heard that the princes and kings and grandsons will stay there when they come. It costs a lot of money for one night. It is obvious that two people can't afford it, and one person is about the same. ,what do you think?"

"Okay, okay, here it is, the stone is also good." Pei Shi gave up and sat down beside Li Ruoci.

"Those who cultivate the Tao usually take the sky and the ground as usual."

"So, this is also considered sharing the same bed?"

"what?"

The sea breeze is blowing, and the night is getting darker.

Pei Shi turned his head to look at Li Ruoci's face. Although half of his outline was blurred by the night, it was still clear and handsome.

He suddenly remembered that day when they met for the first time, the shadow of half a pear blossom was reflected on his forehead.

Li Ruoci didn't notice Pei Shi's gaze on him, and kept watching the undulating sea quietly. After a while, he suddenly asked, "Have you ever seen the sea under the starry sky?"

Pei Shi came back to his senses and quickly said, "No."

"I thought I could see you today, but it seems like it won't work."

"why?"

Li Ruoci stood up and said: "The stars haven't come out yet, I guess it's cloudy, it will rain soon."

Pei Shi: "..."

As if to verify the correctness of Li Ruoci's words, within a quarter of an hour, heavy rain came suddenly.

The two got off the rocks and walked to the beach, where they were soaked right away.

Pei Shi said: "It's not possible, you are too crow-mouthed."

Li Ruoci explained: "It's June, and the south has already entered the rainy season, so it's understandable to be so sudden."

The rain is getting heavier.

The two of them ran back in a hurry, when suddenly Li Ruoci was driven behind and Pei Shi pulled him back, his foot slipped, and almost fell directly on Pei Shi's body.

He turned his head, but Pei Shi looked at the sea and said to him, "Look... what is that?"

There are two red lanterns looming on the sea, which seem to be far away from them, and some seem to be very close to them.

"Ethereal ship?"

What a coincidence.