Spirits and demons

Unknowingly, the fog around her became so dense that she could not only "lose sight of everything", but also create a contradictory sense of confusion in the information received by the various sensory organs.

Under such circumstances, the one who was still determined to go on the journey was the young lady who called herself "Ranger", Akira. But at this time, it was inevitable that she would feel regret.

"I said, Khung?" In a troubled tone, she asked the canine demon who was her mount, "Shouldn't we go back?"

Looking blankly at the bewilderment before her, Khung responded helplessly, "But which way is 'back'?"

In this environment where you can get lost even if you turn back, not to mention determining the direction, even if you are really "walking on the ground", it is worth doubting. When the fog clears, it is possible to find that you are climbing a treacherous mountain.

At the moment, you can only continue to go forward.

After perhaps an hour of walking, MingDuan was bored and lying on XiaoKong's back, muttering, "This fog, is it not quite right?"

"Did you just realize that you went blind because of this fog?" Khung spat coldly, "Anyway before I got used to losing my sense of smell, I realized something was wrong."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"What's the use of saying it, reporting to the officer for help?"

Now is not the time for the comic relief! If we continue to argue, it feels like we're in some kind of trap. Ming Chuan said, half proposing, half complaining, "Xiao Tian, use 'Stepping Out' once more."

Did it work? Thinking back to the last few times he had used Stepping Air, it was like diving headfirst into a sea of milk that was suffocating, and Khung didn't hold out any hope. But he couldn't think of a better way, so he just did what Akira said.

When he came to the "air", there was nothing but a milky white color around him, and it seemed that there was a red light in a certain direction!

Just like a drowning man grabbing a straw, Khung ran straight toward the red light without even needing any further instructions from Akaku. Even if it turned out to be a trap, it didn't matter, at least it meant that someone - or something - had set it.

As they approached the red light, the fog around them became less dense, and they could barely see the outline of a village, so it seemed that the red light came from the village, perhaps to show the way to the travelers in the mist.

Soon, Median and Xiaokong finally got out of the foggy sea, as if they had seen the sun again, and realized that the sun on their bodies was such a happy thing that they could even forget about the blinding and burning heat for a while.

As soon as you step into the village gate, the hospitality of the villagers comes to the forefront, as if the entire village, men, women, and children have flocked to the entrance of the village to greet the arrival of their precious guests. This kind of scene, on the contrary, startled both Mingguang and Xiaokong, who were the visitors. After all, to him, fear of "canine demons" was the proper way for others to treat him.

Ming Duan quietly asked Khung, "Is this the one who mistook us for some big shot visiting the village?"

"That seems to be the case. So what are you going to do, tell the truth and accept the blank stares, or make the mistake and enjoy the special treatment?"

"Why do both approaches sound weird?"

Just as the two were tugging at each other, a little girl came out of the crowd and said to the visitors on behalf of the village, "Welcome to our village, please rest assured that no matter who you are, we welcome you."

The little girl later introduced that her name was Little Pear and she was specifically responsible for receiving people who came to the village. It has always been the village's tradition to treat visitors with high standards, so even Khung, who is an alien, is counted as a "guest" rather than a "mount".

After a simple welcome ceremony, everyone in the village went back to their work, while Pear led Akira and Khung to their resting place.

On the way, Xiao Li, like all children of this age, looked up and down curiously at MingDiao, and finally gathered enough courage to ask, "Excuse me, MingDiao, who are you?"

As if she had been expecting to be asked this question, MingDi immediately came to life: "Hmph, you can call me 'Ranger' MingDi!"

"'Ranger'? Is it a ranger, a chivalrous guest, or a tourist?"

"All three are me, and I am all three at the same time."

The two of them quickly drew closer together as Ming Diao's nonsense made Xiao Li laugh.

After laughing, Xiao Li calmed her breathing and said, "I envy you, sister Mingdian, you must have been to many places and seen many interesting things. I've never even left the village."

"Oh, not even once?" It's no wonder because after all, it's very difficult to get in and out of the village because of the fog."

"Would that be so? We don't even think that way." Little Pear explained, "It's just that in the village, life is already very rich in all aspects, so there is no need to go out. Besides, everyone in the village has their job and lives a full life every day, so it's enough to fantasize about leaving the village once in a while."

Mei Mei touched Xiao Li's head half comfortingly, half encouragingly, and said, "You are so capable at such a young age, Xiao Li is great!"

"It's true, compared to someone's childhood, I don't know how much better." Khung saw the opportunity to interject.

As she watched Ming Duan and Khung start fighting again, Little Pear laughed happily again and got the chance to sit on Khung's back. Little Pear was surprised and frightened by this new experience, touching here and there, and then exclaiming, "So the dogs outside the village look like this, they are completely different from the dogs in the village!"

To avoid the child's wrong perception of the world, Mingdian quickly corrected, "No, no, no, no, you can't take Xiaokong as a normal dog."

As they passed through the center of the village, Ming Chan noticed that what was erected there was neither an idol nor a monument, but a tall red lantern. In other words, what they had just seen outside the village was the light of this lantern, and it was because of its guidance that they were able to arrive here successfully.

Noticing Mingdian's gaze, Xiao Li proudly said, "That big red lantern was made by my own hands!"

"That's amazing." Ming Dong stroked Xiao Li's head and praised her, "You can receive guests and make lanterns at the same time, what else can a little girl like you not do?"

"Hehehe, I will tell you if sister Mingchen is willing to stay for more days."

As we laughed, we arrived at the guest room, where a delicious meal had already been prepared. Although it was just a light meal, it was the best food for Ming Cun, who had been traveling for a long time. After enjoying the food, it was getting late. Xiao Li went home, and Ming Chuan lay down on his long-lost bed and fell into a sweet dream. Xiaodong was also able to sleep in the most comfortable position because she no longer had to be in Ming's bed.

The next day, when Ming Long lazily woke up, he found that the villagers had started working early. When they saw the outsider Ming Diao and the alien Khung, they all smiled sincerely and sent their greetings, whether they had met each other or had never met before. The harmony in the village was so enviable that it was probably the kind of paradise people had longed for.

However, all this beauty only belonged to this village and its inhabitants. For a person like Mingdian, who calls himself a "wanderer", a comfortable place to stay is just a temporary inn, a delicious meal is just an occasional refreshing thought, a friendly neighbor is just a casual acquaintance, and she belongs to the "journey" as if she were sealed. "The place to go.

"It's almost time to say goodbye." Mei Mei said.

"Yes." Kokonoe responded.

Since the village rules require everyone to work in the morning, it was only at noon that Xiao Li was able to show up and casually bring in a simple lunch. When she heard about the impending departure of Ming Chuan, she was so surprised that Ming Chuan almost didn't get to eat his lunch.

Xiao Li lowered her head and asked in a sad tone, "Do you have to leave, sister Median? Can't you stay in our village?"

What? Hearing Xiao'er says that Mingentian was confused. Even the most hospitable host family would only stay for a few more days, but it was unheard of to let a guest stay in their home. If we take a step back, some places do take in strangers, but only if they have enough trust in each other and make sure they won't cause damage to the village.

As for the custom of hospitality in this village, it is clear from what I have seen in the past two days, but it is not clear whether Xiao Li's proposal is based on her thoughts or the village's authorization.

Regardless, Akira was not going to let her journey end here - at least not today.

So, she walked up to Pear, squatted down, touched the young girl's head, and said comfortingly, "Thank you, Pear. I love this village and the people in it, but I am a 'Ranger' and need to continue my journey. Therefore, I cannot accept your kind offer."

"Are you going to, too, abandon me?"

Little Pear threw down these words and ran out without looking back. This sudden development, as well as the cold tone of Xiao Li's voice, made Ming Duan at a loss as to what to do. At this moment, Xiao Kong stood behind Ming Chuan, watching the surroundings warily, a move he would only take when facing an unknown situation.

The two of them looked at each other, and without further ado, they immediately rushed out to the guest house.

Stepping into the village again, the place has turned into another familiar scene, the thick fog broke the quietness of the village, raging between the houses and fields. In the detection of intruders, the fog like a wary snake quickly surrounded them.

It seems that this fog is not an ordinary thing. The only way to confirm the direction was lost. Instead, there was some other green light - a large pack of wolves came out of the fog and surrounded Ming Duan and Xiao Kong.

Where exactly did these wolves come from? Are the villagers safe now? What had happened to the village? A series of questions were running around in MingDiao's head, making her head feel like it was about to explode. Fortunately, XiaoKong let out a roar, which tried to deter the wolves and pull back MingDiun's attention.

Not only did the wolves not retreat, but they saw Little Air's behavior as a signal to start a war, and all of them were shaking their fists, and a fight between them was about to start. At this time, a human figure came out from the wolf pack and suppressed the agitation of the wolf pack. When he looked at her, he saw that it was Xiao Li - perhaps it should be said that she was indeed the lovable young girl, but the aura she exuded at that moment was more like the culprit who had brought disaster to the village.

Ming Diao asked tentatively, "Are you ...... Xiao Li?"

Little Pear tilted her head, seemingly confused by Mingdian's question, "I've always been me."

"But, what is this all about? All this, it can't be related to you, right?"

"No, all of this, whether it's the fog or the wolves, it's all about you, sister Ming Duan." As long as you promise to stay in the village and swear never to leave the village, the fog will dissipate, the wolves will recede, and everything will return to normal."

But she did not want to make a fuss, nor did she intend to compromise. She still wanted to solve the problem with words until she had to: "Sorry, Pear, there is no way to convince me, otherwise I would not have chosen to go on the journey in the first place. "

"Why, why must you choose to leave? Is it not terrible to be lost in the fog, is it not painful to be bitten by a vicious wolf?"

"But for me, being trapped somewhere is the most terrible and painful thing."

"You're lying!"

Along with Xiao Li's wail, a wolf pounced on Ming Duan, who was unable to dodge and had to subconsciously raise his arms to protect himself. The wolf bit into Ming's mouth, and the wolf was so furious that the hair all over his body changed from white to black, with the verve of devouring the sun and the moon.

"Khung, I'll be fine." Ming Duan said with a serene face, successfully avoiding Xiao Kong from falling into a state of rage, "The wolves are only illusions, and the bite is only an illusion. I was startled at the time, but I didn't suffer any harm, so don't get angry."

As if trying to cover up something, Khung responded coldly, "I'm not mad for you."

After dealing with Khung with a "yes, yes, yes", Meishuan turned to face Xiao Li again. Xiao Li was like a child whose mischievous tricks were seen by adults, trying to rely on something, but everything around her was just an illusion.

Every time she took a step, a wolf would pounce on her, either tearing her neck with its sharp teeth or tearing her body with its sharp claws. In the end, Median came to Xiao Li, who was helpless because her bottom card was exposed, and gently held her in his arms.

"It must be very painful inside for you to not know how to hurt others."

Little Pear cried, for the first time in a long time.

It turns out that the real body of Xiao Li is the lantern, and the "Xiao Li" in front of me is the young girl who made the lantern with her own hands. A long time ago, this is a village, because is located in the vicinity of the commercial road, from time to time there will be passing merchants to the village to settle, rest, and stay in the store, for the village brought revenue, but also for the small pear brought the world outside the village.

As she was still young, her parents were worried that she would leave the village alone, so they made up the story of "there are mists and wolves outside the village" to scare her. At first, there was some deterrent effect, but as she saw more and more people and things from outside, and heard more and more interesting stories, Xiao Li's yearning for the outside world became stronger and stronger.

Later, the world changed, the former prosperous business road changed, relying on the business road to eat the village also fell, and the village people had to choose to migrate. At first, it was the young and strong, then it was the children, and later it was the elderly who could still walk until the last person who held on to the village died, and the name of the village was no longer remembered by anyone.

But only by a "thing" alienated into a "monster" lantern remember. Why should we leave? As long as all the people work hard in the fields, they can live happy life. Right, it must be that the mist and wolves did not appear, otherwise, everyone would not have left, people from outside the village would have stayed, and everything would have gone back to the past.

Therefore, the new Little Pear is born, the new villagers are born, the new farmland is born, the new house is born, the mists and wolves that never existed are born, and the new village is born ......

After understanding Little Pear's unknown past, Mingdian asked, "Do you want to know why I, and many, many others, chose to leave their familiar village and go to a completely strange place?"

Xiao Li nodded indifferently.

"Haha, not to tell you!" This joke even bluffed XiaoKong, and MingDiao quickly continued, "Why don't you just go and see for yourself?"

Saying that Mingdian stretched out his right hand to Xiao Li, and in her hand, a piece of talisman paper was placed.

Xiao Li hesitated for a moment and looked at Ming Chen again, perhaps from her eyes.