incomprehensible

"...I'm fine."

Ye Xuehuan took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the choking in her throat, "Hey...just let me hug you for a while."

He felt that Lan Qi wanted to turn around, so he covered his eyes with one hand, not wanting him to see his distraught appearance.

Lan Qi was at a loss for a while, but soon understood.He was secretly anxious, deeply hated that his body was not up to snuff, but at the same time, he was unavoidably a little sneaky and proud - the mighty and strong Prince Rong would only shed tears for him alone.

He knew that Ye Xuehuan was on the edge of a corner at this time, so he couldn't comfort him by saying that he was fine, that would only make him feel more distressed and blame himself.If this matter really became a thorn in his heart and made him harbor indelible guilt towards himself, there would inevitably be a gap between them, and they would continue to give in to each other, and eventually they would inevitably drift apart .

After experiencing life and death together, no one would want such an ending.

Ye Xuehuan felt that he was sorry for Lan Qi and failed to protect him well, so why didn't Lan Qi feel guilty and guilty for deceiving him several times.Ye Xuehuan was able to forgive him unconditionally, so naturally he would not have the slightest resentment towards Ye Xuehuan.

To a certain extent, he is already in a state where he cannot live without Ye Xuehuan, and Ye Xuehuan will never be able to live without him again in this life.They always depend on each other, protect each other, and redeem each other. The sacrifices and sacrifices they have made for each other cannot be counted or measured concretely, so there is no debt or compensation.

However, people who are in love will probably become cautious in front of their lover, so they can't always see this point clearly, even Ye Xuehuan is not immune.

No matter how strong a person is, there are always moments of weakness.After escaping from the imperial mausoleum for so long, Ye Xuehuan had no idea where he was or where he was going, but Ye Xuehuan never showed any confusion or retreat in front of Lan Qi, and was responsible for the daily life of the two of them day after day, as usual That kind of chatting and laughing; but who knows how uneasy and panic he is in his heart. He is afraid that Lan Qi's injury will worsen if he doesn't take good care of him, and that they will be trapped in this unknown valley for the rest of his life.

Now that he finally found a way out, he tossed Lan Qi to death and life indulgently, which relieved a lot of burdens, and it was time to vent the negative emotions that had been suppressed deep in his heart.

The Ye Xuehuan right now is not Lan Qi who was in Yunshuiguan back then.

Lan Qi could feel Ye Xuehuan's trembling body, but he didn't try to get rid of his hands covering his eyes.Prince Rong had his own pride and decency that he couldn't let go of, so Lan Qi thoughtfully refused to expose it, just stretched out a hand from the cloak, groped and touched Ye Xuehuan's cheek, and slowly stroked it.

That palm was warm and soft, easily soothing Ye Xuehuan's tormented mood.He adjusted his breathing and was about to tidy up his messy face, but Lan Qi suddenly shouted: "Ye Xue looks beautiful."

He hooked the corners of his lips. Although his eyes were covered and he couldn't see his expression clearly, those two small dimples had exposed his complacency at the moment, "You are mine."

Ye Xuehuan burst out laughing, Lan Qi always has this kind of ability, a word can make him clear the clouds and see the warm sun again.

He grabbed Lan Qi's hand, kissed it lightly, and murmured: "Well. I'm yours..."

Before the words fell, Lan Qi rushed to say: "...husband."

Ye Xuehuan was stunned for a moment, then unconsciously let go of his palm, saw the undisguised cunning and playfulness in Lan Qi's eyes, and finally came back to it.

——Such a confession full of attachment and admiration was split into two by him, and turned into a strong and domineering declaration of sovereignty.

Lan Qi hugged his neck with both hands, kissed him on the chin, squinted his eyes and repeated: "You are my husband."

At that moment, in Ye Xuehuan's heart, it was as if the snow-capped mountains collapsed, silently melting into rippling spring water, gurgling through the limbs and bones, and the red eye sockets became a little wet again.

He had never had such a moving moment in his life, he just felt that the little thing in his arms was a blessing that he could only cultivate in a few lifetimes, and said in a hoarse voice: "How can you be so good?"

Lan Qi also asked this question when he just fell into the night.He remembered Ye Xuehuan's answer at that time, and couldn't help showing a sweet smile, "Because you hurt me."

He rubbed Ye Xuehuan's arms, "It's you who made me so good. As long as you love me more in the future, I will become better. After all, the art of light concealment is not something that ordinary people should know. , if it is abolished, it will be abolished, it doesn't matter."

"In the past, I didn't know the joys of life in the world, and I always thought that I had to be capable to help you and attract you; now you have taken me to see the prosperity, and I have more wishes, so I don't care about these anymore."

"Now... I just want to stay in this world with you, and I want to become better with you."

"……it is good."

Ye Xuehuan let out a long sigh, seemingly relieved, but also satisfied, "When you recover a bit, we'll... go back to the human world together."

…………

On the night of the private wedding, Ye Xuehuan finally fulfilled another "promise" of his - to keep Lan Qi from getting out of bed for three days.

Of course, the facts are not that exaggerated, it’s just that Lan Qi felt that it was rare for him to take the initiative to seduce him once. Although Ye Xuehuan did lose control to the point where he didn’t even have a good foreplay, it also made him realize that Ye Xuehuan was not willing to use it on him before. He was deeply afraid of his overreaching, and deeply worried about the second half of the bridal chamber he owed, so he pretended to be weak to deceive sympathy, and he insisted on waiting for three days before he was willing to go to the ground.

Ye Xuehuan kept the account in mind, and didn't bother with him at the moment, and only waited to settle it slowly after returning home.

After the New Year's Eve, the valley became warmer and warmer. Lan Qi's body was not as cold as before, and his spirit was much better, and he no longer fell asleep all day long.Ye Xuehuan's previous speculation was confirmed. Lan Qi's cold syndrome was originally caused by Gu blood erosion, and now it has reached the point where he has almost no ability to keep out the cold.This kind of physique may no longer be able to change, but knowing that he is not so weak because of unhealed injuries, Ye Xuehuan can feel a little relieved.

The recovery of the left hand is also better than the two expected. Although they can't lift heavy objects and their fingertips often feel numb, the broken meridian at the wrist has indeed been reconnected.It’s just that those criss-crossing scars can’t be removed, and there will be pain in rainy days, but at least it won’t affect daily life, and it’s not a big problem to take care of in the future.

In a blink of an eye, the first month has passed, not only in the valley, but also in the mountains of the Southern Wilderness. Ye Xuehuan reckoned that Lan Qi would no longer be affected by the cold, so he felt that he could go out of the valley.

Although I have been looking forward to getting out of the valley, after all, I have lived for two months, and it would be a lie to say that I have no nostalgia at all.

The day before their departure, the two took a final stroll in the valley.Ye Xuehuan was thinking about his princess's fish soup, and Lan Qi had to search everywhere. Finally, he found a piece of wild ginger, and finally cooked a pot of delicious fish soup to satisfy his prince's appetite. want.

Because they didn't know how long it would take for the box ladder to send them out of the valley, the two finally decided to leave the valley at dawn, so as to ensure that it was still daytime after going out to the greatest extent, and they could grasp the situation outside at the first time.

Ben was rushed into the valley with a clean body, and naturally there was nothing to clean up when he went out.The two had nothing to do, so Lan Qi asked Ye Xuehuan to comb his hair again.

His hair was too long, if he didn't use a hair crown, if he tied it up, it would still be messy and unmanageable.Originally, he wanted to cut off a section and store it later, but Ye Xuehuan firmly opposed it, so he had to braid it.

Ye Xuehuan has already become a proficient hand in the past two months, and quickly combed him a neat long braid, and finally put the jade comb in his arms, saying that even if he sleeps in the open air, he must comb his princess's hair every day .

Lan Qi didn't bother to pay attention to him, took out a shy bracelet, and patted his leg again.Ye Xuehuan understood, and lay down leisurely.

——Lan Qi is very keen to do some fine work to rehabilitate his left hand recently, such as shaving Ye Xuehuan's stubble.

In this valley, Yu Zuimian described his beautiful fantasy of living in seclusion in the deep mountains with Fengya, but he is obviously a man who does not touch the spring water. He has a lot of pots and pans, but he never thought of putting a kitchen knife .Feng Ya is not a woman in the true sense, and she didn't prepare a dressing table either.Fortunately, Bai Houhou gave Lan Qi two shy bracelets, one for killing fish and birds, and the other for shaving, which was just right.

Shy and sharp, Lan Qi's left hand is not as sensitive as it used to be. He was afraid that a trembling hand would hurt Prince Rong's magnificent face. He even held his breath carefully. His fingers followed the blade along his jaw bit by bit, focusing on Seeing Ye Xuehuan's heart itch, one hand quietly wrapped around his waist, playing with the braid.

This small gesture was very ambiguous, but Lan Qi was actually unaffected. He shaves his face in a serious and serious manner, pushed his shoulder and said, "Get up, my legs are numb."

"...Little daughter-in-law is so delicate."

Ye Xuehuan got up and pulled the man onto his lap, pretending to complain, "I don't even think about how many times you've slept on my lap, I haven't hated you yet."

Lan Qi curled his lips to express his disdain, and leaned on him with peace of mind, staring at the fire in a daze.

They have been keeping the fire for the past two months, and the fire has never been extinguished, and the whole stone room is warmed; It has been closed since then, and it may really take hundreds of thousands of years for this land to reappear in the world.

Or, after they left, the entire valley would collapse—just like Xingzu had always done.

It is clear that he is more eager to get out of the valley, but at this time he is close to his hometown and timid.

Seeing his expression, Ye Xuehuan didn't want him to suffer any more, so she sighed and said, "Forget it, there's no point in waiting any longer, let's go."

Lan Qi bit his lip and nodded.

Ye Xuehuan took a cloak and put it on him, and did not extinguish the fire, but only took a piece of firewood from it.The two went to the secret room on the top floor, the dim yellow torch could only illuminate the square inch of the ground under their feet, and they couldn't see the dense wall books on all sides; from now on, no one will see it again.

They became the only two people in the world who knew the secrets of awakening the ancestors, and after a hundred years, the names of Yu Zuimian and Fengya will disappear forever in history, and the two short posthumous titles summed up a lifetime of infatuation. Entangled.

No matter whether they loved or hated in life, no matter how much they couldn't let go of what they couldn't ask for, in the end they would sleep together under the ruins of the imperial tomb, and they could never be separated again.

It hasn't come up for half a month, and there is no change in the secret room. The only way out is still open, waiting to complete the final mission.

The two stood in the box together, and sure enough, there was a slight tremor, the mechanism was triggered, and the box began to sink slowly.

Ye Xuehuan threw away the torch, and quickly lay down holding Lan Qi.The stone box was obviously prepared for one person, and it was extremely crowded for two people to lie in, so they could only overlap up and down.Ye Xuehuan bent his legs, and the top of his head and the soles of his feet touched the wall of the box, while Lan Qi could only lie on his chest, with his legs spread out at his waist, and his knees pressed against the wall of the box. It was stuffed to the brim.

The posture was extremely awkward, but they couldn't help being picky.

The box sank below the ground, and the covers on both sides were gradually lifted up and finally closed, completely covering them in darkness.

The speed of the box ladder is slow and steady. Except for changing directions a few times in the middle, it is impossible to feel where it is heading. Stuffed into the box.

Slight bumps were unavoidable during the journey, and Lan Qi's back was almost attached to the lid of the box, and the back of his head hit several times, with a very obvious sound of thumping.

Ye Xuehuan had no choice but to put a hand on the back of his head with difficulty, and said with emotion: "I will not mention any other requirements for the construction of the mausoleum in the future, at least a spacious coffin."

Lan Qi didn't know what to think of, chuckled, and whispered in his ear: "I think it's okay, let the prince live to warm my bed, and die to cushion my coffin."

These are clearly Ye Xuehuan's original words a few years ago, but now they are completely reversed.

Ye Xuehuan laughed and shook her head: "Princess Xiaolan is really too arrogant, I must give you a good boost when I go back."

The two laughed for a while, not necessarily in a leisurely way, it was really dark and dull in the box, and their bodies were stiff and sore, so they could only tease a few words to distract attention.

After walking in the mountain road for about half an hour, the box suddenly lost weight, as if it had fallen from a height; both of them felt tense, but they did not receive the violent impact as imagined, but were hit by some kind of shock. The gentle strength relieved the tendency of falling, and after a plop, it began to shake regularly.

They have been sent out of the mountain path, and the next step is to follow the underground water veins.

Ye Xuehuan suddenly had a bad feeling.

This underground water vein seems to have a large amount of water, and the flow speed is also very fast. The sound of gurgling water is very loud, and the stone box has become a small boat floating on the water—so it is no surprise that Lan Qi got seasick.

He became unsteady in breathing almost immediately, and soon began to retch, humming in agony.Ye Xuehuan had no choice but to free the other hand with difficulty, caressing his back up and down, and said with a wry smile: "Lan'er, be good, hold on."

Having said that, in such a small and confined space, with the waves swaying up and down, even he himself couldn't help feeling dizzy and chest tight, feeling nauseated intermittently, not to mention Lan Qi.

Xingzu must have never imagined that the host of Deed Gu would actually suffer from seasickness. When designing the mechanism of the box ladder, he may have deliberately dug this water vein, directly passing through several hills, so it is extremely long, winding and slow. Shi Tuan; Lan Qi was shaking in the box, his whole body was spinning, a stream of sour water had already flowed to his throat, and he swallowed it back several times.

I don't know how long it took, the sound of the surrounding water suddenly opened up, and it no longer echoed continuously as if it was underground, and light leaked from the gap in the box, which should have come out of the water veins on the ground.

Lan Qi couldn't bear it any longer, and directly opened the lid of the box with his back, poked his head out of the box, and vomited with a whoosh.The box shook violently because of his movements, and immediately a stream of clear water poured in.

Ye Xuehuan hurriedly supported him, sat up slowly, patted his back constantly, and tried to stabilize the stone box.

This box ladder is indeed designed for one person. Two people are sitting in it. The draft has reached the limit. The water level is less than an inch below the box lid.

It was already bright outside, and he looked around, and found that they were floating on a mountain stream, behind him was a half-sized cave, and the stone box floated out of the cave along the current, and by the looks of it, they could still go downstream Float a long distance.

Although the waterway is the most labor-saving way, one Lan Qi has already vomited in the dark, and the two boxes can't bear the weight of the two of them, so it's better to go ashore and walk along the stream.

Ye Xuehuan paddled the water with his hands, pushed the stone box to the shore, and helped Lan Qi ashore.

Lan Qi's legs were so weak that he couldn't even stand up straight, and his small face was pitiful. He sat on the ground for a while, and seemed to want to yell at Xingzu for being unreliable, but finally restrained himself.

Looking at the surrounding mountain shape and soil quality, it should still be within the Western Hills, but there are no scented flowers surrounding it, the surrounding vegetation is dense, and the trees are deep, so it is really outside the scope of the imperial mausoleum.

Without the map comparison, Lan Qi couldn't judge the specific position.He looked back, and saw that those hills were all similar, and he couldn't tell which one was the imperial mausoleum, and which one was the small valley.

But one night, the life in the mountains for more than two months suddenly turned into an unreal dream, which disappeared in the gradually bright morning light, and could only be recalled and relived in the occasional midnight dreams in the future. temperature.

The two walked downstream along the stream. Ye Xuehuan was afraid that Lan Qi would lose his strength, so he insisted on carrying him.Lan Qi was originally slender, but after the injury, he lost a lot of weight. Ye Xuehuan felt that he could carry it all the time, but Lan Qi couldn't bear him to be burdened, so he had to get off by himself from time to time. walk for a while.

From early morning to mid-afternoon, the two walked out of the forest, and suddenly saw an abandoned village.

This place is almost at the middle reaches of the stream, the water flow widens and deepens, but the water potential slows down, and the terrain is wide and flat. From a common sense point of view, it is indeed a place suitable for people to live together; but the problem is that this place has been inhabited for hundreds of years. Less to the west hills.

The village is not big, but there are only a dozen families. The stone houses and courtyards that were neatly arranged have long since collapsed. It is full of vitality, and it seems that it has been abandoned for at least hundreds of years, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a relic.

There is only one possibility for a village to appear in such a place.

——The mausoleum guardian of Xingzu Huangling originally lived here.

Xingzu did not mention that there were tomb guards in the wall text, but he also did not mention how to deal with those Nanling tribes in the end.In his eyes, those barbarians have committed heinous crimes, and it is not surprising that they exiled the whole family to guard the tomb in the west hills, and confess to Fengya day and night from afar.

They may be the first ancestors of the desolate people, so they left behind the legend of the Holy Mountain and the Son of God; After the collapse, Qi Gu also saw Xingzu's repentance, and the duty of the mausoleum guard has been fulfilled, which is the real "freedom" and "liberation".

However, these mausoleum guards could not wait until the day when they would fulfill their duties and be relieved.

They may have finally perished in the deep mountains, or they may have finally migrated with their families after waiting for countless years, leaving behind legends that even they themselves no longer believe, looking for hope of life in a wider world.

As for how Lan Qi, who somehow became the "Son of God", will leave, that is not the matter of the mausoleum guard.

Although they didn't have much hope, the two went into the ruins.

As expected, there is nothing inside. All the houses have wide open walls and leaky roofs. The large pieces of furniture in the houses are so decayed that they can’t see their original shape. They are half buried and half exposed in the stone mud, and even grow Mycelia such as fungus and mushrooms.The muddy ground is full of large and small holes, and snakes, insects, rats and ants are crawling everywhere, but they are all afraid of the Gu incense on Lan Qi's body, and keep away from the two of them.

The most unbelievable thing is that there are so many rabbits jumping around in the ruins, so many that Ye Xuehuan suspects that the mausoleum guards used to raise rabbits here for a living, and later left the rabbits here when they moved.Rabbits with amazing fecundity have attracted nearby snakes, and snakes have attracted birds in the sky. In addition, there is a clean water source nearby, forming a delicate and balanced ecological circle on this small village ruins. This abandoned village has not been buried by deep forest cover so far.

In the valley for more than two months, every day was either fish or birds; seeing these fat and tender rabbits at this time, Ye Xuehuan's eyes were so bright, he caught them with his bare hands and lit a fire on the spot, roasted them until they were sizzling, and finally ate them to their heart's content After a while.

After eating and drinking enough, the two carefully inspected the entire ruins in order to digest.Lan Qi finally concluded: "There are no human remains in the ruins. It should not be extinct, but moved away."

No matter how powerful the Emperor Qiangu was, he could force these people to stay in the mountains to guard his mausoleum, but after all, this obscenity could not be passed on to future generations.Even if these tomb guards are trapped as frogs in a well who don't know the vastness of the world, when this closed and backward village cannot satisfy their survival, the instinct of survival will still force them to find ways to leave.

This is the nature of human beings, and it is also the strongest point of this weak race. Even Xingzu cannot kill and stop it.

Ye Xuehuan said: "They were able to leave back then, which means that there must be another exit from the West Hills, but it's not in the north, so they were never discovered by Chongyang."

The two continued to walk along the stream.The stream flows roughly eastward, and the general direction is indeed correct; but in the evening, surrounded by mountain walls, the stream flows into the ground from a low karst cave, and there is no way to go except swimming.

But there are other ways. For example, the stone box that sent them out of the valley was floating on the water at this time. Because the draft was too shallow, it was stuck at the entrance of the cave, as if it was waiting for them.

Lan Qi's face was livid, and his whole body was rejecting, but he had no choice but to use water.He took a few deep breaths, but he still didn't do a good job of mental preparation, with an extremely tragic and solemn expression, he said to Ye Xuehuan in a self-defeating manner: "You knock me out."

Of course Ye Xuehuan was reluctant, so he half-coaxed and half-coaxed him into the box and lay down. Most of the box was immediately pushed below the surface of the water, and slowly entered the cave along the water.

The cave is narrow on the outside and wide on the inside, with stalactites of different lengths hanging on the top of the cave, dense stalagmites on both sides of the waterway, and unknown fireflies flickering and dancing, which can be regarded as a wonder in the world.Ye Xuehuan was lying on his back in the box, and it was quite interesting to watch, but Lan Qi didn't have the leisure to appreciate it, lying on his chest with his eyes closed, as if he would die at any moment.

Fortunately, there is a cool breeze in the cave, and the lid of the box can no longer be closed. From time to time, there will be drops of cool water splashing on the face, but it is not as difficult as before.

When they saw the sky again, the sky was already full of stars outside.

Lan Qi wobbled ashore, his face full of grievances, but he finally didn't spit it out this time.

Ye Xuehuan hugged him and comforted him for a long time, until he finally regained his strength, then he stood up and looked around.

Surrounded by mountains in the rear, the mountains in front are open, and it seems that it has left the West Hills.The water channel under his feet meanders and flows forward, and Ye Xuehuan has some points in his mind about the direction.

——This is likely to be one of the upstream branches of the Ye River, the main water vein of the Southern Wilderness.

The water veins of the Yehe River run across the mountains and are as intricate as the veins on the leaves, hence the name.

To be precise, there is actually only one water vein in the Southern Wilderness, but it covers a wide area, and it spreads out in a network across the entire Southern Wilderness. From the border villages under Luoxia Pass to the deserted people deep in the mountains, they all rely on Yehe's various resources. Born out of branches.

The Ye River should originate from the West Hills, but no one knows the exact source location.The amount of water in the upper reaches is too small, and it is close to the west hills, so it is not suitable for survival; the number of branches in the middle and lower reaches is so large that it is difficult to distinguish one as the main vein, and it is difficult to trace the source, and no one will go deep into the Southern Wilderness for this boring spirit of exploration .

Because of the torrential rain in summer and autumn, the branches of the Yehe River were often diverted. In the early generations of Nanfu, dams were built on several branches of the border to consolidate the river course every year to ensure the stable water supply of the border residents and avoid floods; There is also a huge reservoir dug, enough for metallurgy.But the desolate people have no resources, no technology and no manpower, so they can only migrate with the waterways and change places almost every year. Therefore, there are never large settlements among the desolate people.

Now that spring has just begun, the river is stable, and after a winter of recuperation, new settlements should have formed for the desolate people.

——As long as you follow the Yehe River to the northeast, you will be able to return to Luoxia Pass, but you will definitely encounter deserted settlements along the way.

Ye Xuehuan naturally didn't want to conflict with the desolate people, but after all, he was not familiar with the terrain of the Southern Desolation. If he didn't follow the river, he would probably get lost, and he didn't know when he would go around.

After weighing again and again, he still whispered to Lan Qi: "We may encounter desolate people at any time now, so we should hurry on the road at night."

Lan Qi understood the advantages and disadvantages, and the two walked along the river in the dark.

All the way out at night, I was lucky. I didn't encounter the desolate people for several days, and finally saw the first desolate settlement on the night of the fifth day.

This is the most active period of the year for the barren people. The settlement is stable but supplies are scarce. A large number of young and middle-aged people are fighting with the frontier army in the mine, robbing the resources of the frontier people. Some old, weak, sick and disabled.

After discussing, the two finally decided to sneak in at night very unkindly.

Most of the barren people have witchcraft and are good at raising snakes and insects to protect the village. They are too reassured about these poisons, and their human defense is extremely lax. Unfortunately, Lan Qi has no fear of snakes and insects at all.Although his lightness skills are almost useless, it is more than enough to sneak into a small settlement with only the old and weak, women and children, and do some petty theft.

The majestic first-rank prince, just like this, took his own princess to steal clothes in the settlement of desolate people.

——Neither Ye Xuehuan nor Lan Qi wanted to wear the antiques from thousands of years ago back to the center.

Even the coarse linen clothes, even the old clothes worn by the desolate people, cannot be more awkward than the fine clothes of the previous dynasty that have not rotted for a thousand years.

Changing to the costumes that should be Yu Zuimian and Feng Ya's, can make them feel the real breath of the world again.