Walking by the Abyss on Thin Ice

Su Yun stood quietly in front of the firewood gate. Outside the town, Hua Hu was chasing after groundhogs and had bumps all over its head. Foxes were appearing and disappearing in the snow, while villagers from Linyi Village were cawing on the trees, discussing whether to catch a fox for food.

Su Yun slowly withdrew his gaze. He saw Tiantian Town, the small town where he had lived for nearly fourteen years, becoming unreal, like a mirage in the mist, trembling with the winter wind.

He saw the residents of Tiantian Town, their figures in the mist, powerful and incredible, but without substance.

Dong, dong.

The sound of Qiang drums came from the small town, which was a unique instrument in Shuofang.

"…Generations rise and fall, like the waxing and waning of the moon! Dong dong!"

Following the sound, Su Yun's gaze passed by Baozi Zhang, who was selling buns, Uncle Xu, who was drunk, Grandpa and Grandma Le, who were sitting under the eaves holding hands and shaking their legs, Yanfei Ridge's newlyweds, and Fang'er...

These familiar people became vague and illusory. When his gaze passed over them, he saw familiar figures twisting and distorting in the haze, becoming hideous like ghosts and gods in a temple!

They were like gods and ghosts, standing in the mist of Tiantian Town.

The unique tone of Shuofang came from the increasingly thick mist, with the vastness of the loess and the majesty of the mountains, singing along with the Qiang drums: "The mountain man's house is full of books, dong dong! Pine branches hang outside the window, and the ground is covered with ferns. Dong dong!"

Tears welled up in Su Yun's eyes. The ghosts and gods in the mist turned their heads, and their eyes gave him a familiar feeling.

They had already died. 𝗯𝐞𝐝𝗻𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥.𝐜𝗼𝐦

All the residents of Tiantian Town had died in the disaster six years ago.

They stayed here, creating the illusion of Tiantian Town, just to take care of him!

"Why bother to visit the noble gate? Dong dong! The white clouds can make you happy! Until now, the world is unpredictable!"

Su Yun looked towards the voice, and Qu Bo sat on Tiantian Gate, with wrinkles all over his face and dim old eyes, tapping the Qiang drums on his knees with his hands.

The thick and majestic voice of Shuofang in his voice suddenly became extremely strong!

"No hero can be seen in the world, no hero can be seen! Dong dong!"

The last two drumbeats made Su Yun's blood boil. His blood almost burst out of control, emitting a melodious dragon roar. Rolling blood surged out of his body, turning into a blood-colored dragon, coiling around Su Yun's body for two weeks.

The dragon head stretched forward from his right shoulder behind him, and the dragon beard fluttered.

"Roar!"

The dragon roared, resisting the oppression of the drumbeat.

"Little brat, you've grown up!"

Qu Bo on Tiantian Gate laughed heartily, stood up, and carried the Qiang drum on his back.

His body suddenly became extremely majestic, like a multi-armed ghost and god, the spirit of a strong man after his death!

In the mist of Tiantian Town, the eyes of those ghosts and gods fell on Su Yun's face, showing a look of gratification.

"After we died, we had various wishes and unfulfilled last wishes, so we entrusted them to the Heavenly Market. But we have the same wish, which is to let you grow up safely."Qu Bo's body seemed like that of a war god, growing taller and taller, so tall and illusory that it felt like it could disappear at any moment.

The buildings in Tianmen Town were stretched out, becoming like a dream.

"This wish was given to us by Elder Cen. Now that Elder Cen has passed away and you have grown up, it's time for you to leave."

The ghosts and gods in the mist said, "When you leave, we will be relieved of a burden and a lingering wish that weighs on our hearts. Little brat, go quickly!"

Whoosh...

The north wind howled, and Tianmen Town became grand and illusory. Su Yun raised his hand, as if trying to grab onto them, onto Tianmen Town, onto his childhood memories.

But Tianmen Town disappeared.

In its place were rows of desolate tombs, withered grass on the graves and mud splattered on the tombstones. The broken tiles around showed that this was once a bustling town.

No one worshipped here, no one took care of it. Among the graves, there was only a grass hut, which was Su Yun's residence.

"Qu Bo, Luo Dama...where did you go? Are you still around here...?"

Su Yun walked heavily through the graveyard of Tianmen Town.

General Li Xiaoyi's tomb from the Yuanshuo period.

He stood in front of a tombstone, the words on it bringing him into memories. Li Xiaoyi was a name he didn't know, but he knew that Fang'er had a crush on the handsome young man named Mu Zi.

Xu Daoren's tomb from the Yuanshuo period.

He didn't know Xu Daoren, but he knew Drunkard Xu.

The tomb of the Thunder Sound Pavilion Master from the Yuanshuo period.

He didn't know the Thunder Sound Pavilion Master, but he knew the monk Lai who would randomly appear in town to beg for alms.

The tomb of Zhang Huozhu from the Yuanshuo period.

Was Zhang Fenta Zhang Huozhu?

The tomb of Yue Shuizhu from the Yuanshuo period.

Yue had the same pronunciation as music, so was Yue Sicheng Grandma Yue or Grandpa Yue?

...

Unknowingly, he had walked to the first row of the graveyard of Tianmen Town, where the tombstone read "Qu Jinchang's tomb from the Yuanshuo period." Was this Qu Jinchang the same as Qu Bo?

In the snow, Su Yun kowtowed to Qu Bo's tombstone, then went to Luo Dama's grave and kowtowed again.

On this winter day, he bid farewell to the people of Tianmen Town one by one, thanking them for taking care of him for the past six or seven years.

He packed up in the grass hut, mainly new clothes, the five zhuang coins he had accumulated over these days, and a few old sacred techniques that Wild Fox Master had given him.

He finished packing and walked out of this homeland that had existed in his imagination. He had been blind for six years, imagining for six years, and Tianmen Town had existed in his imagination for six years as well.

Hua Hu and three little foxes sat outside the graveyard, waiting for him quietly, as if they had known this day would come.

Su Yun looked back and saw that Tianmen Town was still standing there, dilapidated and unrepaired.

That gate had been left unrepaired by Qu Bo for six years.

Su Yun took out four small packages and threw them over. "Hua Erge, these are your clothes and shoes. I don't know if they fit. Put them on. We're going to the Tian Shi Yuan post station to prepare to enter the city."

The fox demons took the packages and turned around, diving into the snow layer. The four packages under the snow made a rustling sound.After a moment, a short and chubby little kid emerged from the snowdrift, wearing a dog-eared hat on his head and a red padded jacket with dark red corduroy pants and tiger head shoes.

He bounced out of the snow but fell in again due to his short stature, leaving only his hat exposed. Su Yun pulled him out and looked him over before asking, "Xiaofan or Buping?"

"I'm your second brother!" the kid replied angrily, taking off his hat to show off his colorful hair.

Su Yun apologized, "Sorry, I thought you were Buping because you haven't grown taller than my waist yet."

"I developed late, but I'm sturdy!" the kid with colorful hair said, puffing up his chest.

Su Yun patted his head while Hua Hu threatened him, revealing his small tiger teeth. Su Yun pressed him back into the snow, leaving only his hat exposed.

Li Xiaofan and Hu Buping also emerged from the snow, even shorter than Hua Hu.

The two little fox spirits were symmetrical in their growth and wore identical clothes, including a flower-patterned padded jacket with cheap fur inside, long floral cotton pants, and a dog-eared hat like Hua Hu's.

The two little fox spirits stared at Su Yun with suspicion. Su Yun remained calm and said, "Your clothes were bought together and look alike, but they are sturdy and cheap. They look good on you two."

Hua Hu popped his head out of the snow and showed his small tiger teeth, "My clothes were bought from the same vendor, right?"

"Yes, the vendor said there would be a discount if we bought more," Su Yun replied indignantly. "Second brother, you should know that I'm blind and can't see beauty."

Something stirred in the snow, and a little girl with a white furry hat with two movable rabbit ears emerged. Li Xiaofan and Hu Buping were jealous and stared at the ears before looking at Su Yun.

"Girls should dress up cutely," Su Yun said calmly, "That's what the vendor told me."

The girl had two green and black braids under her rabbit ears, which were combed from behind to her chest. Qing Qiuyue struggled out of the snow, wearing a white cloak with a red belt tied around her waist that was warm and furry, extending all the way down to her ankles. She wore green fox shoes with fur inside and embroidered with fox head patterns.

Hua Hu pulled himself out of the snow and stared at his tiger head shoes before looking at Qing Qiuyue's green fox shoes, his eyes turning red. "Little sister, your shoes..."

"They are so comfortable!"Qing Qiuyue was very happy, swaying her two braids. Her snow-white clothes made her braids stand out: "It looks so good! And look, the ears in the hat are hollow. I can hide my own ears in the rabbit ears. When I move my ears, the rabbit ears move too..."

Hua Hu stared at Su Yun with red eyes.

"The vendor in Huangji Town picked it out."

Su Yun said awkwardly, "What I'm wearing isn't very good-looking either, and we don't have much money... Alright, let's get going!"

Four cute little monster children followed him, walking along the snowy road with one foot high and one foot low. Suddenly, one of them disappeared. Whenever this happened, Su Yun would stop, reach out his hand, and pull the little monster child out of the snowdrift.

"Second brother, don't run around." Su Yun reminded.

Hua Hu looked very wronged, "I didn't..."

Before publishing, the author gave the manuscript to the editor for review. The editor said this chapter was good, and the starting point has already found a Qin opera artist to compose and sing the music. The song and drum music will be released soon. Everyone can look forward to it.