Chapter 32 Desolate Village

Water Zhuzhou, Qianhua County.

The land under my feet was dry and cracked, and the grass was everywhere. Even in April when the flowers bloomed, it was still withered and yellow, with no greenery in sight.

Lorraine Hill slowly landed on the ground, looking at the end of the road, a small village is located on the hillside, and now sporadic smoke can be seen.

She flew all the way from Minzezhou to the west, and happened to land on Shuizhuzhou today, which is actually not far from Huiluzhou.

According to Leng Yan, a former member of the Tuoshitang, this place should gradually return to a fertile area of ​​water and grass. However, it seems so desolate, and the girl can't even see any animals.

After stepping on the dry ground, some soil clods are very hard, with broken powder on the edges. It seems that it has not been moistened by rain and dew for a long time, and the air also smells of dried bellflowers.

Walking into this small village on the hillside, there was a sound of dog barking. A small black puppy was standing in front of the adobe brick hut in the distance and barking at this strange visitor. Unfortunately, the sound was sharp and weak, and it was not scary.

"Stop barking." The girl said softly, then looked at the hut behind the puppy and slowly approached it.

This is the only house in the village with cooking smoke.

Amidst the creaking sound, the shabby old wooden door that leaked air was pushed open, and an old woman with silver hair bowed her waist and walked out slowly. She looked at Lorraine Hill outside, then picked up the puppy and stroked it a few times to calm down the puppy's barking.

"This girl, you are..." She was a little puzzled, how could there be such a young girl in this remote place, and looking at the clothes, she didn't look like an ordinary person.

"My name is Jialan. I came back from a far away place and want to know what happened here and why it is so desolate." Lorraine Hill said.

"Have you come back from another place? Oh, yes, you should not be an ordinary person, otherwise you wouldn't be able to come here..." She muttered inarticulately, her teeth still leaking. If it wasn't for Lorraine Hill's keen hearing, she might not be able to understand what she was talking about for a while.

"Old man, we have a guest." The old woman murmured for a while, as if she didn't want to talk to Lorraine Hill, and then she carried the puppy into the house.

After a while, an old man with thinning hair but looked healthy came out. He was wearing a thin brown linen suit, his body was thin, basically skinny, his face was full of wrinkles, giving people a shriveled feeling.

"Miss, who are you?" He looked at Lorraine Hill with a little hesitation.

Lorraine Hill repeated a simple sentence, and then the old man on the opposite side answered slowly.

"It's the young man who came back..." He let out a long sigh, then sat down on a stone next to the hut with a cane, and then spoke slowly.

"This is Qianhua County, um, that's how it used to be called."

"However, this will be young and strong, and everyone who can run will go." His voice was dry and hoarse, like a sun-dried reed.

"Why did you leave?" Lorraine Hill vaguely guessed the answer.

"There is no water, and the upper reaches are cut off... There has been no water for a long time... Before I could dig a well to get some water, but now the well is almost dry."

"While still able to walk, many people have left... The old lady and I are getting older and can't run anymore, so we stay here..."

"Look around here. There used to be dozens of houses, but now there are none..." He pointed to the abandoned houses in the village.

"There's no water... There's no water..." He said slowly, staring blankly at the deserted house in the village, and his body remained motionless.

"Sorry." Feeling that it was a little wrong for such a thirsty and uncomfortable old man to talk so much, Lorraine Hill bent slightly, then thought for a while, and waved to the sky.

With the sound of flapping wings, a bird with fluffy feathers slowly flew down, holding a large basket in its paws, which seemed to contain a lot of things.

Even though he knew that the things in the basket were snacks that Dai Ju wanted to bring, Lorraine Hill opened the cover on it and took out one of the sealed jars, which contained clear dew.

"Would you like a drink?" Lorraine Hill handed the old man a glass of water.

"Ah..." The old man turned around slowly, made a hoarse voice, and then looked at the clear water that suddenly appeared.

"You...you are a good person." He said tremblingly holding the glass of clear water, drank it hungrily, then drank half of it, then put down the glass suddenly, turned his head to the side room and shouted.

"Old woman, come, come out quickly, there is water to drink... There is water to drink."

The old woman came out slowly with the puppy in her arms, still muttering, probably thinking that the old man was fainting.

When he saw the jug handed over by Lorraine Hill, he was surprised, and it took him a while to react.

"Thank you girl, thank you..." She pursed her lips and kept chanting, then held the jug carefully, as if she was afraid of falling, carefully placed it on the wooden board in front of the door, and then slowly poured it into her mouth, drinking it one sip at a time.

After the two old men finished drinking the water, they seemed to be much more energetic. At this time, the two took the initiative to recall what Lorraine Hill had said.

"Thank you girl, where are you from? Just now I was dizzy and didn't want to talk, so I hid in the house."

"It's okay, I was wrong." The girl shook her head, and then continued to ask about what happened here.

After listening to the girl's inquiry, the two slowly explained that three years ago, the scene here was just like what Wei Lengyan said, slowly returning to the old water town, Shuizhuzhou, lead-red Shuizhu

Zhihua, the local cinnabar, rouge, and dyes are all well-known, and there are many people.

However, this scene gradually disappeared as the river was cut off and the climate became drier day by day.

At first, the locals asked the priestesses to preside over the rain ceremony, which would bring in some rain and dew from the southern coast to moisten the earth, but as time passed, the rain became less and less, and the priestesses also expressed that they could do nothing.

Later, the local priestesses also gradually left for the ceremony. Before leaving, they told the locals that this place might not last long, and everyone should plan ahead.

"Will the witch festival also leave?"

The girl remembers that the priestess celebrations are generally under the jurisdiction of the government, and they are also officially canonized by the dynasty, and they are not likely to leave or withdraw at will. Even though the environment in the mountains in the evening was so dangerous, the shrine where Granny Geluo was located did not disappear.

"Yes, it is said that after the court sent someone here to check it out, they agreed to this decision."

The girl couldn't imagine that the powerful officials of the four seasons would give up so easily. It seems that the disasters in various parts of the dynasty have exhausted them.

In the past, it is not uncommon to control the dragon to dispatch the rainwater in the South China Sea, and it is not uncommon for the Central Continents to do such things, but now they don't do it.

"The big factions in the surrounding area are still coming. Didn't they do anything?" Even if the government of the dynasty ignored it, as a local big faction, they would still maintain their own territory, and this place is not far from the Burning Sun Xiangyu faction in Huiluzhou, and there is also a powerful colorful valley to the west.

"The Xiangyu sect in Huiluzhou started to close the mountain five years ago, and now they can no longer see their disciples walking around. As for the colorful valley, we don't know, but I heard that the west is not stable."

"I see."

Lorraine Hill let out a sigh, then looked towards the distant sky.

The Scorching Sun and Feather Sect has closed the mountain, did Senior Sister Jinhua know something in advance?

Then she patted Dai Ju on the side, and then handed the big basket to the two old people.

"This place is no longer suitable for living. Do you two want to leave with me?"

"Thank you, girl, but I'm about two years old and I won't live long due to poor health, so I won't bother you." The old man shook his head, then coughed again. As he himself said, his body was already old and couldn't last long.

"So..." Lorraine Hill remained silent.

"There is still a lot of food here, let's give it to you two as well. As for the clean water..." She thought for a while, then walked into the thatched hut, found the water tank in the house, and after a while, a burst of clear water flowed out from the sky, filling the water tank.

"This should last a little longer. I think it will get better after a while." Lorraine Hill saluted the two old men, then stepped into the air with Dai Ju on the side, and flew away.

Looking at the girl who disappeared at the end of the sky, the two old men were amazed, kneeling on the ground and praying continuously.

"Thank you for the immortal gift..."

"Thank you for the immortal gift..."

In the eyes of these ordinary mortals, such a powerful transcendent is actually no different from a fairy, and it is no longer an existence they can understand and come into contact with. I don't want to be lucky enough to meet one today.

The dusky sky hangs low, and this desolate village is a little more lively than before.