Entering the thatched pavilion, the room was really cramped. There was only a bed, a table, a couch and two chairs. That was all. Beside the bed there was a stove of firewood, and two young guards in golden armor were already there warming themselves and drinking tea. Judging from their age, the two guards were no more than a year or two older than Feng and Ling. With a long sword at their waists and a bowl of steaming hot tea in their hands, they chatted and drank.
Two young guards watched the old man let Feng Ling and the others into the thatched cottage. One of the guards stood up and walked to the corner of the stove. He smiled at the two of them and moved away from his bed, saying, "Please!" There's a fire here, it's cold, come and warm up." How could he know that Feng and Ling were not afraid of the heat or cold at all. Especially Elara, who is of the Water Spirit clan, can restrain even the coldest of the cold with spirit spells, let alone just a little winter, of course he doesn't care about it.
The other young guard was dressed differently from the other two, and it was hard not to notice that this guard had a Wolf head embroidered on the golden belt at his waist. The Wolf's head was very small, but Elara, who had just entered the house, had already taken a close look in the dark. The guard, who had not risen, was sitting face to face on the couch opposite the fire. A pair of round eyes, now fixed on Elara's moonlit, flower-like face. Elara, not caring at all, pushed the crystal ball with Kellen onto the couch.
The old man brought the wounded to their beds and each served a large bowl of hot tea. He chuckled, his face wrinkled, clearly showing the vicissitudes and depth of time, all in the eyes of Feng Ling and the other. "You two, please have some tea!" The old man handed out hot tea in both hands. Looking closely, the fingers were thick and strong, with layers of calluses, and the black and wrinkled hand lines were in stark contrast to the white nails.
Elara was startled and thought to herself: I wonder if I will be like this after many years? Then I imagined what I would look like when I was old, but I couldn't think of it. Instead, I thought of my mother-in-law in the Disaster Spirit Castle. The old lady was accompanied by an elder who had saved the world all her life, though her hair was white and her face was wrinkled. Always accompanied by the elder Ji Shi, with a smile on her face, she lived a happy life.
Elara thought of herself that she would have Kellen by her side for the rest of her life. Though she will grow old and have wrinkles from the years, there will be endless happiness in her heart. Unconsciously, a smile curled up at the corner of her mouth. Then she sighed again. Elara thought to herself: Even though the elder of the World is by her side, she will not die, but that is not beautiful.
When a man dies, he is alone. To be with the one you love is true happiness. How wonderful it would be if one day one could live forever with the beloved one and stay together like this? But how could there be such a good thing... Nirvana! Yes, Nirvana. Nirvana can leap out of the afterlife, through the cycle of rebirth, and ascend to the realm of Supreme Bliss... But no, the souls of the parents are still trapped in the netherworld, and the matter must be dealt with first... Nirvana, how easy it is! Alas -- let out a soft sigh.
"What's wrong with you?" Kellen saw Elara alone staring blankly at a steaming bowl of hot tea, unable to remember what he was doing, and asked with concern.
"No, nothing." Elara withdrew her dull gaze and smiled faintly, as if she had smoothed out all the thoughts in her heart.
The old man looked at the young man and the young woman, who were in the prime of their love life, full of tender feelings and completely lost himself, chuckled and said, "You two, the old man asks you two something, do you have a universal document?"
"Well... I came in a hurry and didn't wear it. But you see, some of the wounded are seriously injured in the Beast's Abyss, and there is no time to think about it, and they are sent here in a hurry. For the sake of the many wounded, could the old man make some concessions?" Elara, with bright eyes and a smile, spoke sweetly. The old man was naturally pleased and could not refuse, but could not make any illegal concessions. He chuckled:
"We, the Golden Spirit clan, have strict regulations. When it comes to cross-domain matters, I, the old man, have a humble position and really can't handle it. If there is no cross-domain document, I will be powerless, old man." Though the old man refused in words, he spoke very gently, and the serenity between his brows showed kindness to the two of Feng and Ling.
"Old man, look at them, risking their lives to fight on the battlefield, serving the spirit realm and benefiting the people, not to mention whether they are heroes or not, at least each of them is a man of unyielding spirit. For this reason, I am both in awe and admiration. You, the old man, have a lot of experience and understand things better than I do. Their lives are at stake. It would be better..."
Kellen's words were sincere, but the old man still had a troubled look on his face and chuckled, "This really puts me in a difficult position! The Golden Spirit Realm Law is strict and harsh. If the old man acts on his own initiative, I'm afraid the entire family will lose their lives. Even though I would like to give this favor, but... Alas, I can't put the lives of the whole family at risk, can I?"
When the old man said this, the two young guards beside him nodded silently. It seems that what the old man said is true. The Golden Spirit clan is strictly regulated and the domain law cannot be violated. The old man continued:
"Moreover, these wounded are mostly of the Fire race, but it's even more difficult. The Fire people have always had little contact with the Gold people. Letting these people go there would be beheading, and the old man could not bear such a charge! Unless it is a special decree of the domain law or the approval of the royal family of the Golden Spirit, this old man can make such a claim. Otherwise, the old man's difficulty is small, his life is at stake, and he can only do the job in accordance with the law."
Feng Ling and the other looked at each other, speechless, and let out a long sigh: "This..." What can be done? If they were to force their way in, not to mention a few guards of the Golden Spirit tribe, even a hundred thousand troops might be able to stop the two of Feng Ling? It would be a piece of cake to break through. But for now, it is a matter of benevolence and righteousness to escort the crown prince of the Jin Ling clan back to the palace. How can we use force? It can only be treated with courtesy.
A universal document. Without returning to the Water Spirit Domain, how could there be any domain credentials? Under such restraint, if we really can't get through and delay the time, I'm afraid these wounded people will lose their lives. How can that be? Not to advance, not to retreat! It's so difficult to get out of a tiger.
"Old man!" At this moment, Huhe Xuan, who was lying on the couch, saw clearly and called out to the old man, saying, "The man beside me is the Crown Prince of the royal family of the Golden Spirit clan. He should be considered a member of the royal family, right?"
The three men, upon hearing that the wounded man in golden armor was actually the crown prince of the Golden Spirit royal family, did not hesitate and kowtowed. But Huo Hexuan said loudly, "No need, no need. No! A man in armor, who serves the country, does not need to pay heavy honors. At the moment, I only want to know if getting his approval counts as an exception?"
The old man bowed respectfully and nodded, saying, "Of course. But... There's something old Guard wants to ask."
Huo Hexuan said, "Say."
The old man still bowed his head and asked, "I see him dozing off and unable to speak. How could he leave a word? If the old guard has no word to prove it, I'm afraid he won't get an explanation in the future, inevitably... Hehe, I'm afraid I'll lose my head."
Huo Hexuan chuckled, "Don't be afraid! Brother Kellen, show him this thing."
Both Feng and Ling were looking at the bright golden waist tag, which was shining in Huo Hexuan's hand. Kellen hurriedly reached out and took it, on which was the inscription of the Golden Spirit Clan: The Crown Prince of the Golden Clan of Shiyuan, personally guarded. Kellen saw clearly that the plaque was made of pure gold, the inscription was clear and neat in the shape of a sword, and it was attached with a red string of jade pendant. Around the gold waist, there is a rusted dragon pattern symbolizing imperial power, and on the back, there is a miniature pattern of the continuous Golden Ridge mountains. The waist plaque is not large, just the size of a palm. The tentacles were extremely smooth, golden and dazzling. It looks so noble that it must be used by the royal aristocracy.
The two young guards, who had never seen such a golden waistband before, looked curious and took a second look. The old man, however, did not kowtow and prostrate himself, saying, "I, a commoner, bow to the Crown prince. May you be blessed and blessed!" The two young guards, not understanding the reason, bowed together. At once, the two of them couldn't help but feel a deep respect for the gold medal.
Huo He Xuan said, "Just let you see, do not pay your respects. Get up and speak, and I ask you, what about this certificate?" The old man, upon hearing this, laughed and said, "Of course I can! Of course I can!" Hearing the old man's words, I was extremely excited.
Huo Hexuan laughed, his voice not loud, but it was very touching. "I've long heard that the Golden Spirit family's cured meat is especially delicious in winter. I wonder if the old man has a constant stock here?" Huo Hexuan, though asking, had already conceived in his heart. Just before entering the house, he had already seen two pieces of dried meat hanging under the eaves outside the window. Asking at this time was just a little probing.
Chapter Sixty-seven: Passage
The old man was a little confused when he heard that he was laughing and suddenly asked about such unrelated things as cured meat. Could it be that these people have come and also want to taste the cured meat of our Golden Spirit clan? Interrogating at the moment, it should not be as simple as just wanting to eat cured meat. But the wounded man spoke in an official tone, far from the two teenagers. It seems that the speaker was no ordinary member of the Fire Spirit Clan.
They know that Elara, in the Water Spirit clan, is a princess.
At that moment, the old man said, "Winter has come, of course there is cured meat. I'll get it right now." Huo Hexuan said, "All right."
In just a few steps, the old man had already carried two pieces of cured meat to his bedside and said with a smile, "I wonder how these two pieces of cured meat are?" Huo Hexuan looked carefully and said:
"Pass the broad skin and thick flesh to this little brother." The people were puzzled as to why they wanted a piece of cured meat. Could it be that they are going to rob a piece of cured meat before leaving? With such a noble status, robbing bacon? It's really ridiculous.
The old man hesitated a little. He had not yet said how this certificate was kept, but what was the point of having this cured meat? Putting aside all speculation, he finally handed the bacon to Kellen. After Kellen took it, she still couldn't figure it out, but Elara laughed.
"I know, Brother Hexuan wants to burn this gold medal and leave a mark on this thick layer of hard skin, and then there will be a written proof, won't there? In this way, there would be no need to leave the gold medal and no need to write by hand, wouldn't that be good?"
"Oh?" It was then that everyone came to their senses.
Kellen looked at Elara and smiled in admiration, praising her for being exceptionally intelligent. With just a pinch of her two fingers, a blazing fire had already spread along her fingers onto the gold medal. In no time, the gold medal was all red, with golden flashes of fire, shining brightly. With a "whoosh --" sound, accompanied by the smell of burnt skin, the thick piece of skin was indeed marked with a deep gold waistband. Between the lines, not only is it clearly distinguishable. Even the lines are clearly visible.
Huo Hexuan suddenly exclaimed, "Huh!" It turns out they are also friends of the same clan. Brothers have extraordinary skills. Come on, print my waist tag too!" Fire Hexuan saw that Kellen's spirit spell was the pure fire of the Fire Spirit clan, and at that moment thought Kellen was of the same kind as the Fire Xing Clan.
Kellen reached out and took it. This fire-shaped waist plaque was not much different from the gold-shaped one in terms of its pattern, except that the dragon pattern was engraved instead of the Qilin Cloud Sea. Two lines of text, both in the Fire language: The Fire King of the Shiyuan Fire Tribe, personally guarded. On the back was a picture of a volcanic eruption, which looked very strange. The texture of this waist tag is somewhat peculiar. It is unknown what material it is made of. It looks like stone or jade, but the spirit fire flickers and does not go out. No calcination is needed, and it can be directly printed on the skin of the cured meat. No wonder Huo Hexuan starts with cured meat, so that's it.
The old man was naturally delighted to have this certificate in his hand. He reached out and took out a gold-inlaid wooden box from under the bed. Look at the box, it is square, very neat, ancient and simple, giving off a kind of ancient charm that has been sealed by the years. The wooden box is brownish-yellow, with golden cloud engravings at the four corners. There are also golden edges of auspicious clouds that extend all the way to the lock position. At the lock, there are two golden dragons playing with golden beads, exquisitely carved and lifelike.
The old man took the key from his waist, inserted it into the lock hole, and with a crisp "click", the lid popped open automatically, revealing a large, transparent, golden ball inside. The ball, about the size of a coconut fruit, was golden all over and had a golden halo inside that would spin and shake like water waves. On closer inspection, the ball is indeed completely transparent. Such a mysterious thing must be a special treasure of the Golden Spirit clan.
Three guards in golden armor, regardless of age, knelt down to the golden ball at the same time and bowed their heads again and again before they could rise. The old man chuckled and said, "Now that we have the credentials, the old man is going to ask the higher-up for the temporary passage of the golden waist sign. It won't take much time. Just wait patiently."
The two men, Feng and Ling, looked strangely and couldn't understand, but were very curious. "Not in a hurry, not in a hurry." Saying "not in a hurry," but actually being in a hurry. Time is running out. Hurry up. After all, the injuries of the people are serious and cannot be delayed. But at that moment, the old man took out such a mysterious object, which was rarely seen by other tribes except the members of the Golden Spirit clan.
Curious and curious, what could this thing be? To pay homage to it might have something to do with the Golden royal family or the regime. However, it seems that this mysterious thing is indeed possessed by spiritual magic and is not an ordinary magic weapon.
At this moment, the old man, with the branded cured meat in his hand, came up to the golden ball. An old hand with a rough callus just brushed the two marks. A strange change occurred, and the two black marks shone with golden glows. The golden glows, like fine water gold streaks, flowed ceaselessly between the lines of the brand.
The old man looked at the golden glow, chuckled, took the cured meat, and pressed the mark tightly against the golden sphere inside the wooden box. The golden sphere, as if stimulated by something, suddenly shone with a golden glow, and all the people and furnishings in the room were simultaneously veiled in a pale golden veil. The scene before the eyes was wondrous and wonderful.
In the eyes of all the people in the room, there was a sudden sparkle. It seemed as if it were illuminated by the golden light, but in fact, there was a sudden interplay of surprise and amazement, and the eyes widened a lot. The face was stunned and the heart was pounding. All are looking forward to what will happen next.
After a while, the golden light gradually dimmed and gradually returned to its original appearance. The old man took the cured meat and placed it beside the table. On the interlaced face, he smiled peacefully. With two fingers, he gently touched the golden ball and silently recited the incantation. At the end, the word "please" was uttered, but there was no response. "How could that be?"
The old man looked so astonished that he could hardly believe his eyes. He said to himself, "Getting old and seeing things?" Then, reciting the spell again, and at the end, the word "please" comes out. This time, the old man had a peaceful smile on his face, looking at a golden waist sign that was drawn out of the golden sphere! Everyone opened their eyes and saw that the golden waistband was drawn out of the ball!
Such a wondrous and illusory spiritual art is indeed different from that of other tribes and is truly breathtaking.
Kellen took the golden waistband to her hand, which was glittering with gold, and the two small lines of golden inscriptions were very clear: Five Spirits, live in peace. Before this, Kellen had already made all kinds of guesses, thinking that the provisional golden waistband must have written all kinds of laws of the Golden Spirit Clan. Or perhaps it was engraved with many rules that a stranger must not break the Lord. Unexpectedly, when held in hand, it turned out to be eight big characters: "The Five Spirits Tribe, Live in peace together." With a smile, I felt that the eight-character mantra was used appropriately.
"Thank you, old man."
The old man respectfully closed the wooden box and took it back. The movements were skillful and the expression solemn, as if he were putting away a supreme sacred artifact. He chuckled and said, "There's no need to say thank you. The old man has only this duty in his life, of course, to serve the people! Hehe... With this golden waist sign, you can travel freely in the Golden Spirit Clan domain, but whether you can reach the Golden Spirit Palace is unknown to the old man."
"Huh?" No sooner had the old man finished speaking than Elara exclaimed in surprise.
"Miss, what's wrong?" " The old man turned back and asked with a smile, as if asking, is there anything wrong? Elara looked astonished and looked around, asking:
"Why did the other golden-armored guard who was with us just now suddenly disappear?" It turned out that his eyes had been fixed on the golden ball and he had not noticed that someone had quietly left the room. When Elara came to her senses, she found that the man who had sneaked away was the young warrior whose belt was embroidered with the "Barking Wolf Head". Elara, with her feminine intuition, was suspicious of the young warrior's unusual behavior.
Hearing Elara's question, the old man also showed a slight surprise on his face, then turned calm and said with a smile, "He is higher than my position, the young man is young, has the spirit, and naturally comes and goes. But the old man is used to it, nothing." It seemed that the old man was not at all bothered by the young man's rudeness.
Elara was indignant in his heart, even though he held a high position, so what? Is it not proper for a junior to show respect to an elder? Even if you leave, say something, why leave without saying goodbye? It's clearly disrespectful to the elders and disrespectful to the people!
Though angry at the moment, seeing that the old man did not agree, he could only suppress his anger. With the old man's sincere farewell, the group had already left the frontier thatched post and headed deep into the Jin Ling tribe.