Chapter 0825 Night Walk
The result of driving at night is that no matter how tired or regretful you are, you can only keep moving forward. Shen Xiuming is tired, but has no regrets, so he keeps urging his horse to move forward.
Stars were shining brightly in the sky, frost was spreading on the ground, and the wilderness was surprisingly bright. However, if he looked carefully, he could not see anything clearly. Shen Xiuming stared at the figures in front of him for a long time before confirming that they were really two people.
There was an old man and a young man. The old man looked about forty years old from the back, and the young man was fifteen or sixteen years old. As he passed by, Shen Xiuming glanced at it. The skinny old man had wrinkles on his face. He was at least sixty years old. The young man had delicate features and beautiful skin. He was fair and clean, like a young man from a rich family. He had a baggage slung over his shoulder and followed the old man, paying attention to his every move and not squinting his eyes.
Shen Xiuming was in a hurry and had passed the two of them dozens of steps before he stopped again. He was a kind-hearted ordinary person with two horses, but he turned a blind eye to the walking old man and felt a little sorry.
Walking at night in the cold early autumn, most of the people were probably as anxious to see their families as he was, and Shen Xiuming felt sympathy.
"Are you two heading to the imperial capital as well? Why did you miss Sutou?" Shen Xiuming jumped off his horse and asked politely while standing on the roadside.
To his surprise, there was no immediate response to his kindness. The old man didn't seem to want to talk to anyone. The young man raised his head and his eyes flashed like a wild beast. It wasn't until he got within five steps that a smile appeared on the old man's face. "Your Excellency's two horses are good."
Shen Xiuming looked at his mount, which he got from Treading Wave City. It was slightly larger than an ordinary mortal horse. The horse was originally blessed with some spells and talismans, but they were all used up a few days ago.
"If you two don't mind, I can lend you one...if you really want to go to the imperial capital." Shen Xiuming began to regret his meddlesomeness, because these two people did not have the enthusiasm of night travelers.
The old man stopped and said, "It is indeed easier to have a horse to travel instead. How much is this horse worth?"
"No money, I lent it to you." Shen Xiuming felt more and more weird about these two people.
The old man nodded, put on the stirrups and mounted his horse. His movements were more flexible than that of a twenty-year-old young man. Shen Xiuming was stunned for a moment, then he also got on his horse and kept pace with the old man. He started at a slower pace, but when he found that the young man on the ground could keep up with him, , speed up slightly.
"I'm going to Shen Xiuming. What do you call me, my father-in-law? Are you going to the imperial capital to return home or to visit relatives?" Shen Xiuming asked casually, not wanting to appear too cold.
However, the old man did not answer according to the routine like ordinary people. Instead, he asked another question: "Are you from the country of sacrifice?"
"I came back to Beijing from the south... Why do you think I'm from the Country of Sacrifice? The Holy Talisman Dynasty and the Country of Sacrifice are at war, and there are no humans there for a long time."
"Haha, I guessed wrong. I know a little bit about horses. Your two mounts are both authentic demon horses. They eat meat but not grass, and drink alcohol but not water. This is rare in the Shengfu Dynasty."
Shen Xiuming suddenly realized and said with a smile: "I have a good eye. This is the demon horse. I heard that it was the mount of the King of Sacrifice in the past. The demon army was defeated miserably in Tidelang City. A friend gave them to me."
"Tanglang City was defeated miserably, so you were in Wave Treader City at that time?"
Shen Xiuming sighed, "To be honest, I was arrested by the magician and almost died there. I escaped with my life. I am in a hurry to go home. There has been no news for more than two months. My family must be anxious to death."
"If you survive a catastrophe, you will be lucky. It would be great if you can go home."
"Home." Shen Xiuming sighed again, "Actually, I just moved to the Imperial Capital two years ago. My home is in Duanliu City, and now it is the territory of demons."
"Duanliu City." The old man's eyes lit up, "Who would have thought that the city that the giant demon king could not conquer for a long time would be captured by the Kingdom of Sacrifice two years ago."
Shen Xiuming was touched. He moved before Duanliu City was captured. It was also autumn at that time. He sat in the car and looked back frequently. His heart felt like a knife. He still feels heartbroken to this day. Duanliu City can be compared with Yelin Town. The second home holds a more important position in his heart than Pangshan.
"There is no city without people. It is not Duanliu City that blocks the Giant Demon King, but the city defenders back then. Unfortunately, they are no longer here." Shen Xiuming murmured.
The old man chuckled softly and said, "City defenders, if they had known today, they would have regretted their foolish behavior back then, right?"
"Foolish behavior? Where do you start talking about this?" Shen Xiuming's eyes widened, puzzled, and a little angry.
"The city that you sacrificed your life to protect still fell into the hands of the enemy a few years later. What is the meaning of the sacrifice back then?"
Shen Xiuming's eyes grew wider and wider. He was not good at arguing. He was holding fire in his heart but could not speak out. After walking silently for a while, he spoke: "I know that I will die sooner or later, so I still have to live well. I know Sooner or later, money will flow into other people's pockets, and you still have to work hard to make money to support your family. What's more, the city defenders back then couldn't predict what would happen later. Do you know how many people are still inspired by this song? "General's Journey"? I remember clearly that when the Giant Demon King invaded Xijie Kingdom, everyone was frightened and just ran for their lives. Even the king ran away, as if the sky was about to collapse, but this time he sacrificed his life. When the country invades, the demon soldiers are more powerful and more powerful. Humanity has been defeated repeatedly, but even after losing Duanliu City, it is not as panicked as before. Why? Because a group of people have proved that the demon soldiers are not invincible and there is no orthodoxy. By helping each other, we can defeat powerful enemies. These people were the defenders of Duanliu City back then.”
Shen Xiuming was a little excited, and his lips were trembling after he finished speaking.
The old man smiled and nodded, "What you said makes sense, but if the rumors are correct, the final winner of the Battle of Duanliu City was a female Taoist priest. She sacrificed herself and emitted a bright light to destroy the Mountain of Demonic Fire. . Without her, just the power of mortals and a group of low-level Taoist priests would never be able to stop the demon army."
"The female Taoist priest's name is Qin Lingshuang." Shen Xiuming said solemnly, "She has created miracles, and there will be others who will create miracles in the future, but the time has not yet come."
"Are you sure?" The old man smiled with interest, which would be an exaggeration to say it was mocking.
"I'm sure." Shen Xiuming raised his head and said with some pride, "Among other things, I have met some people in Tidelang City. They are willing to sacrifice their lives to defend the territory and dignity of mankind. They have already He created a miracle, recaptured the city from the demons, and launched a counterattack against the Kingdom of Sacrifice. In the Holy Fu Dynasty, in the vassal states, on the sea, and in the land of demons, there are such humans everywhere, as well as ancient gods... …”
Shen Xiuming took out a wooden statue from his arms and said with reverence: "I saw with my own eyes that a statue transformed into the person I admired most and killed a half-demon. Some people become demons, and some people become gods. Is this right? Isn’t it a miracle?”
The old man just nodded.
Shen Xiuming got excited and couldn't hold it back anymore. He pointed forward and said, "There are miracles happening in the imperial capital. Empress Xun has gone through many ups and downs in the past few years. She was almost deposed when she was the princess half a year ago, but now she has You are the queen. Before I was captured, a large number of traitors were imprisoned and loyal people were in power. From the princes and nobles to the common people, they all took a piece of reassurance. Haven’t you heard of it?”
"I've heard of it. I heard it when I came from the north. It's very interesting." The old man said.
Shen Xiuming felt that he had convinced the old man, and felt much relieved. After a while, he asked: "My father-in-law came from the north, how is the war situation there? I was in a hurry along the way, and I didn't hear much news."
"It's still the same." The old man said flatly, showing no interest in a war that affected the life and death of mankind. "The army of the Sheshen Kingdom occupied the Dongxijie Kingdom, with its sword pointing to the southeast, and an army of the Shengfu Dynasty was thousands of miles away from the imperial capital. There has been a confrontation across the river, and there has been no fighting for six or seven months. I remember that the prince came to the throne half a year ago. He won a small victory, and the old emperor gave way to him. "
"A small victory?" Shen Xiuming glared again, "The prince personally marched, and all the great talisman masters of Longbinhui led 30,000 talisman divisions to participate in the battle, and 500,000 yellow talisman troops, purple talisman troops, and black talisman troops lined up in the river. On the other side, they were so defeated that they dared not fight again for half a year. Do you think that was a 'little victory'?"
"Perhaps my expectations are too high." The old man's voice was still calm, without any intention of arguing, "The demon army of the Sacrifice Kingdom was defeated, but it was not defeated. It did not fight for half a year and was just accumulating strength. Although the Shengfu Dynasty was victorious, But they retreated to the river and have not regained the lost ground so far, so I call this a small victory."
Shen Xiuming was silent for a while, "What you said makes sense, but I believe that as long as the Empress Dowager Ci is still there, it is inevitable to regain her old land. The Sacrifice Kingdom is just a lackey of the demons and cannot last long. The real powerful enemy of mankind is Those monsters at Wangshan.”
The young man walking on the ground had another cold gleam in his eyes, but the old man didn't care. He laughed a few times and suddenly reined in the horse, "Isn't the imperial capital ahead?"
Unknowingly, after walking for a while, Shen Xiuming and the others stopped on a small hill. More than ten miles away was the imperial capital. Although it was late at night, the lights inside and outside the city were brilliant, and the highest light even More than a hundred feet high, the entire imperial capital is like a mountain made of stars.
It was not for celebration or showing off, but for alertness and caution. Every point of light represented a talisman spell.
"Ah, I'm finally back." Shen Xiuming let out a long breath, "Don't worry, the city gate won't open before dawn."
"Your Majesty, please go slowly, I won't accompany you."
The old man dismounted with the help of the young man.
Shen Xiuming looked around. This place is in the wilderness, and there are no homes around. "Although it is not far away for more than ten miles, it is inconvenient to walk. There is only an hour or two before dawn, so you can't walk."
The old man smiled and shook his head, "I'm already here. Go ahead, human, and whip the demon horses to make them run faster. Maybe you'll have time to see your family."
Shen Xiuming stared at the old man and the young man in surprise. He suddenly understood something and ran away, his heart beating wildly. He remembered that there was a Huangfu Army post a few miles ahead. Maybe there was still time... He felt strange that there were so many people in the imperial capital. With the talisman, why didn't he notice the arrival of the two demon clans?
The old man looked at the imperial capital from a distance and sighed: "Isn't it beautiful?"
"It's beautiful." The boy said dully.
"Beauty often arouses the desire for destruction. I have seen magnificent scenes of burning flames and billowing smoke. Houses are about to collapse. Human beings are running around like ants. Screaming is the praise of destruction."
"Do you want to wait a moment?" The young man raised his head and glanced at the human's back. The old man seemed to have a good impression of him.
"Hope is always beautiful, let him feel death with hope."
The young man understood, untied his baggage, took out a ring-shaped crown, held it in both hands, and respectfully put it on the old man.
There are dozens of small snake shapes erected on the crown. Experienced people will know that this crown only belongs to the King of Sacrifice.