In the early morning, when the sun illuminated every corner of the palace, Su Chen and Xianglan were already standing in front of the south gate of the palace, dragging large and small bags of luggage.

Before setting off, Su Chen made a point of visiting the palace. The dormitory where he once lived, and the small bed that no longer belonged to him, wondered whether its current owner also had pear blossom cakes hidden on the bedside.

The dilapidated kitchen in the courtyard, the walls were still damaged, the red bricks inside were blackened by smoke, and the stove mouth was the warmest place he had ever had.

The hole in the wall next to the stove had long been blocked, and he vaguely remembered the strong taste of the pot of wine.

The stone table and the trash can in Tianchu's yard were once his only way to obtain pear cakes.

The laundry room, where the foster mother was busy day and night, and her small room are still empty.

Finally, there is the garden, a place that has collapsed and been bitten by mosquitoes countless times. Although it has been renovated now, the original rockery turned into black stone, and then into the new rockery now.

When passing by the garden, Su Chen held the Muyang flower in his hand. Although the buds were now withered and looked like a weed, it was indeed the most beautiful flower he had ever seen. It was a pity that he did not appreciate it carefully in spring.

.

It was time to leave the palace, and he almost didn't want to say goodbye to anyone, except Sun Da at the stable. The carriage at the south gate of the palace was prepared for him by Sun Da. The horse pulling the carriage was not an ordinary yellow-brown horse, nor was it the one he often rode.

The Penetrating Bone Dragon was the Zhaoye Jade Lion used by the King of Xizhou. Su Chen did not ask Sun Da why, because he knew that it was not Sun Da who made the decision, but the ruthless father who had treated him in various ways in recent times.

However, no matter how much he was compensated, it could not be worth the loss of his right hand and the trust between father and son.

"Sir, everything is ready."

Xianglan broke Su Chen's trance.

Su Chen nodded and got on the carriage. "Let's go."

The carriage was pulled by a large, white and translucent horse and slowly walked towards the city gate.

When the carriage left, in front of the south gate of the palace, the purple figure of King Xizhou appeared, looking at the carriage gradually going away with a complicated expression.

,,

Lin City is located in the eastern part of Xizhou. From the map, it is a city close to the border of Frost Kingdom. At Su Chen's current speed, it will take at least four days to arrive. After all, this time he is not on an emergency mission. The scenery on the road is

It's time to appreciate it.

Within Xizhou, the landform features are diverse. To the south are mountains and rivers like Dachi City, with beautiful scenery and hazy mist. To the west are endless grasslands and the depressing black soil of Mingshan Mountain. To the east, the terrain is mostly plains, with occasional

The city is built close to mountains and rivers, and it is peaceful under the twilight.

After traveling for a day, the sky was dark, and Su Chen's carriage happened to be traveling in a low mountain forest. It could be said that there was no village in front of it and no store behind, so it could only stay overnight in the forest.

"Oh, I was walking too slowly just to enjoy the scenery, sir. I'm sorry."

Xianglan explained in embarrassment that she was the one driving the car. She was more excited than Su Chen along the way. Every time she saw a scene, she was so excited that she stopped the car and insisted on going sightseeing. In fact, they didn't have time for this day.

No matter how many miles she walked, the inside and outside of the carriage were filled with wild flowers she picked.

Su Chen was also helpless. This girl who was slightly two years older than him was considered the closest person to him. If he was asked if he had any relatives alive, he would not think of King Xizhou first, but Xianglan first.

He has an older sister. When he was not a prince, Xianglan took good care of him, giving him pear cakes and cotton-padded clothes to keep out the cold. When he became a prince, Xianglan still took care of his daily life wholeheartedly.

After it got completely dark, Pandan lit a fire in the forest, built a simple stove with firewood, and placed a small pot in which delicious bone soup was being cooked.

Su Chen sat cross-legged next to the fire, warming himself while sighing at Pandan's preparation for a rainy day. He had prepared so many supplies, so he must have expected that he would sleep in the wilderness.

After the sun went down, it was already cool in the mountains and forests, and because it was just autumn, the coolness was even worse. Su Chen moved towards the fire and asked casually: "Xianglan, why were you so kind to me before."

Xianglan continued to make soup while replying: "You were so pitiful at that time. Before I was bought into the palace, I had a younger brother who was as old as you. My family was too poor at the time, so I voluntarily sold myself to the palace in exchange for

The money was given to my parents and younger brother. Every time I see you in the palace, I will think of my younger brother. He was busy doing farm work in front of and behind our house since he was very young."

Su Chen was a little happy at first, feeling that Xianglan also regarded him as a younger brother, but then he thought about it, Xianglan had never mentioned her parents and younger brother these days, could it be?

"So how are they now?"

Su Chen asked very carefully, but after asking, he felt like he was talking too much.

However, Xianglan just sighed slightly and said: "They are all dead. They all died in the second year after I entered the mansion. It is said that bandits came to the village that year. They failed to steal food and killed everyone."

Su Chen had an inexplicable admiration for Xianglan at this moment. He felt that life was unpredictable and he should deal with it calmly like her. Sometimes she lost her freedom but saved her own life. If she had stayed in the village, she might have encountered something unexpected.

"Did those bandits get caught later?"

Xianglan replied: "They are all dead. That year, the king of Xizhou drilled the city guards of Yecheng and wiped out all the bandits in the nearby mountains and forests. In fact, those people were not born bandits, they were just some gangsters in the city.

The gangs that refused to go out were pushed out and became homeless near Yecheng, so they started to engage in banditry."

Su Chen nodded silently. In his memory, he had indeed never heard of the incident about bandits. He thought that the area around Laiye City was peaceful. There was a King of Xizhou who valued martial arts over civility. How could he allow the use of force that did not obey his control?

Existence, like the arrogant Mo Zhu in the palace, was finally subdued by the King of Xizhou.

"smell good!"

Just when Su Chen was thinking a lot, a slightly excited voice sounded from the dark mountain forest. He and Xianglan were so frightened that they quickly moved closer together and looked in the direction of the sound in horror.

"Who is it! Stop being so sneaky and come out quickly!" Su Chen scolded.

But Xianglan screamed: "You are a human or a ghost, don't come here!"

In the night, a man in green clothes showed his head with a smile. He actually floated down from the tree. When he walked closer to the fire, Su Chen saw clearly that he was a young man not much older than him, with a simple and honest face but always smiling.

His expression, dressed in a green gown, looked free and easy, but also looked rustic. The most embarrassing thing was that his stomach was growling and drool was drooling at the corner of his mouth.

"Who are you?" Su Chen asked, his guard slightly relaxed. The person in front of him gave him a sense of humor, and there was no murderous intention at all.

"Don't be nervous. I'm just a wandering cultivator. I'm passing by here and feel hungry. Your soup is so fragrant. Can you give me some?"

The young man in green clothes explained naively.

Xianglan sighed, gave a false alarm, and said: "It's fine if you're a human being, then come over."

The man approached the fire and sat down cross-legged. He couldn't wait to start eating. Xianglan stopped him, but first served a bowl to Su Chen, and then another bowl to him. The man hurriedly started to eat, but was eaten.

After ironing it, Su Chen and the two chuckled in tacit understanding.

Su Chen asked: "You just said you were a casual cultivator, are you a Taoist?"

Xianglan also asked at the same time: "What's your name?"

The young man in Tsing Yi paid no attention to anyone and just took another sip of the soup. He realized that he really couldn't be in a hurry, so he looked at Xianglan and replied, "Just call me Xuan Qi. I'm from Lingguo."

"Are you from the Ling Kingdom?" Su Chen's doubts were cleared. It is said that the ascetics of the Frost Kingdom all wear white clothes. It makes sense that the young man named Xuan Qi in front of him is not from the Frost Kingdom, but his identity as a Ling Kingdom also made him

Surprised, because Ling Kingdom and Frost Kingdom have always been at odds with each other. There is very little contact between the two countries, and they even treat each other as if they were water and fire. How could he dare to travel here alone? He is so brave.

Xuan Qi looked at Su Chen and said doubtfully: "Don't you have prejudice against the people of Lingguo? That is a conflict between two countries and has nothing to do with a good citizen like me."

Su Chen finally understood at this moment, no wonder he was in such a miserable state. His feeling was that no one here wanted to see him, which made a cultivator unable to even have a warm meal.

"Of course I won't. The soup is ready to drink."

Su Chen smiled and took the first sip.

[Author's digression]: Hello, dear readers, the opening volume of "The Legend of Mingshan" has come to an end, and the first volume of this book, "The Burning Furnace of Life" will follow.

I hope all the handsome men and beauties who like this book will vote for it. I wish you all the best and all your wishes will come true.
Chapter completed!