Pei Ming and the others entered the courtyard of a family.
They probably wanted to see if there was a well. Xie Lian stepped into the courtyard.
He casually said, "The houses on this street are all so tall and imposing."
Hua Cheng said, "The copper furnace is located in the center of the Wuyong Country, near the imperial city. This place is very close to the copper furnace, which means that it's very close to the imperial city two thousand years ago.
Naturally, it's a rich place because most of the people living here are officials and nobles.
Rich families. "
There was indeed a well.
However, the scene beside the well was very terrifying. Seven or eight people were all lying by the well.
It was as if someone who was about to die of thirst had moved to this place.
They were still dead. When he walked closer, Xie Lian was stunned.
He said, "This … … Rather than people,
Doesn't it look more like stone statues? "
Of course, these weren't living people, but they weren't corpses either.
They were not skeletons, either, but rather, the most crude, grayish-white "stone statues".
Xie Lian was just about to go up and touch them.
Hua Cheng glanced at him from the side. He immediately remembered that the two of them had just agreed not to touch dangerous and strange things.
He forced himself to hold back. Then, he thought about it again.
Who would make so many frightening stone statues for no reason? They should indeed be people, but for some reason, they became like this.
The door of this family was wide open.
He looked into the house to the side and saw two people lying on the ground inside. Their postures were twisted and they were tightly hugging each other. Although their faces were blurry and their expressions couldn't be seen clearly, just from their movements, he could feel the extreme fear of these two people. Between the two of them was tightly hugging something. At first glance, it looked like a bundle. Upon closer inspection, Xie Lian suddenly understood.
That should be a baby.
Things were very clear. Xie Lian said, "Those outside are the servants of this family. The ones inside are the master's family of three."
Hua Cheng said, "Yes. After the volcano erupted, the flowing water of the Wuyong River turned into surging magma. The residents living in the highlands weren't burned to death by the magma and fire, but they couldn't escape the ubiquitous volcanic ash in the air and suffocated to death. "
The overwhelming volcanic ash instantly enveloped their entire bodies, forming a layer of hard shell on the surface. It preserved the moment before people died, turning them into stone statues. The moment their lives ended, the husband and wife hugged their lover and child in horror, becoming one with each other.
Of course, the ancient well had dried up long ago. Pei Ming wasn't interested in studying the dead man's model. She went out to fight Pei Su and continued to search for water. Suddenly, Xie Lian noticed something strange. He entered the house and squatted down beside the petrified statue of the family of three. Hua Cheng also came in and asked, "What do you want to see?"
Xie Lian frowned slightly and said, "I just feel that their movements are a little strange. These two adults are holding each other tightly with one hand, but the other hand … "The other hand was placed in front of his chest, as if he was tightly grasping something.
Hua Cheng said, "Do you want to see what they are holding in their hands?"
Just as Xie Lian nodded his head, Hua Cheng slapped the petrified statue. Xie Lian hurriedly said, "Wait a minute, isn't this a bit too …" However, Hua Cheng's movements were faster than his. In an instant, the family of three turned into a pile of greyish white fragments. Hua Cheng said calmly, "You don't have to worry too much. He's already dead, and there's nothing left of him. "
There was nothing in that pile of debris. These 'stone statues' were actually hollow.
That made sense. Although the volcanic ash on the surface formed a hard protective shell, the corpses that were wrapped inside would eventually rot and decompose. After they finished rotting, all that was left was this layer of ash on the surface.
What was once alive would eventually pass away, but what had never possessed life would instead exist eternally.
Within the volcanic ash fragments, there were still some clothing that hadn't completely rotted and the jewelry on the owner's body, such as rings, earrings, necklaces, and so on. Xie Lian felt that it wasn't very likely that this couple had grabbed these gold and silver jewelry before they died. Just as he was picking and choosing, Hua Cheng picked up something from the ground and handed it to him. Xie Lian asked, "What is this?"
Hua Cheng said, "This is what they were tightly grasping in their hands."
It was a pendant, and on it hung a shiny piece of gold and a bone-like ornament. There were patterns on the piece of gold. Xie Lian gently wiped off the ash on it, and after looking at it attentively for a moment, he said, "Mars guards the heart?"
What was engraved on this piece of gold was actually a diagram of the heavens. Gold as the sky, and agate as the stars. This was precisely the so-called "Mars guards the heart" diagram. In other words, it was the heavenly diagram of the Mars Star staying in the heart for a long time.
The Mars Star had always been viewed by people as a star of war and death, and the Mars guard the heart diagram was even more of an inauspicious omen. This was especially true for rulers, emperors, and other rulers. Why would such a diagram of the heavens be engraved on an ornament?
No, this shouldn't be an ornament. Xie Lian searched through the empty shell fragments for a while and found another two identical pendants. There were a total of three of them, and even one belonged to the baby in the couple's arms. Normally, why would they prepare three sets of the same ornament? Xie Lian said, "This shouldn't be a protective talisman, right?"
Only a protective talisman would give people the urge to tightly grasp it before they died. In their fear, they would crazily pray for it with their last hope. Hua Cheng said, "Exactly. I've also excavated a portion of this city, and found this protective talisman inside quite a few stone statues. "
Xie Lian muttered to himself, "The Wu Yong people believe in their Crown Prince, so this should be the Crown Prince's protective talisman. But why draw this? What's the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Mars guard the heart? "
Hua Cheng said, "Because on the day he was born, the heavenly diagram was that the Mars guard the heart. Thus, the Wu Yong people used this heavenly diagram to refer to him. "
Xie Lian asked curiously, "How did San Lang know about this?"
Hua Cheng flipped the gold piece over and smiled. "It's written here."
Sure enough, a row of words was engraved on the back. Hua Cheng pointed it out to him and said, "This line of words means' Mars guard the heart, the saint is born '. In our eyes now, the Mars guard the heart is an inauspicious omen, but two thousand years ago, it might not have been so. "
Xie Lian stroked the line of words, but his heart slowly sank.
Because on the day he was born, the heavenly diagram was also that of the Mars guard the heart!
Wasn't this a bit too much of a coincidence?
Xie Lian stood up and said, "Let's go to the Temple."
The two of them walked side by side down the long street. Pei Ming and the others didn't find anything in this area, so they also followed. There were many remnants of carriages and horses on the street. Some were properly resting by the roadside, while others were completely overturned on the ground. They also saw a few scattered petrified people lying on the ground in various postures. Most of the people had hidden in their homes to take refuge. These were either homeless beggars or passersby who couldn't return home in time. The roars and struggles of the moment before death were all preserved. Everyone walked through this dazzling and dazzling crowd. Hua Cheng pointed out to Xie Lian which were the residences of wealthy merchants and which were places for feasts and merrymaking. Xie Lian couldn't help but ask, "San Lang, the Wu Yong country has been destroyed for more than two thousand years. Before that, there were no descendants left in this world. How did you learn these words?"
He couldn't just learn them out of thin air. No matter what, there had to be a way. Hua Cheng said, "It wasn't too difficult. Brother can see that there are some Wu Yong words that are very similar to the current words. "
Xie Lian said, "Yes, the two words' Wu Yong 'are very similar to the current form."
Hua Cheng said, "Yes. That's why these two words were one of the earliest Wu Yong words I learned. There are also some like this, mixed in with the sentences, so we can infer more new words before and after. There are also some that have the same form but have different meanings, but they are very few. "
Xie Lian nodded. Hua Cheng continued, "Then, there are those characters that appear more frequently. For example, these two. "
He pointed to two buildings on the side of the street and said, "You can clearly see what this place is. The front of the words on the signboard are different, but the back is the same. With this, you can roughly determine the meaning of the last two words. If it's not a restaurant, then it's a restaurant. There are still many ways that Brother wants to hear. When I have time, I'll tell you one by one. "
So that's how it is. There were actually people in this world who didn't need any help and relied on their own strength to figure out something. Xie Lian couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.
The Wu Yong Temple was still the tallest and most imposing building in the city. The group of people arrived in front of the temple, but before they could enter, Pei Ming suddenly said, "What's that sound?"
Squeak squeak squeak, squeak squeak squeak. The sound came from afar and dispersed far away. Xie Lian said, "A rat?"
Hua Cheng said, "It's not an ordinary rat. However, if there's a rat, it means there's water nearby. "
After entering the temple, this time, there were actually no scorch marks left on the walls. When they raised their heads, they could see large expanses of brightly colored murals. However, this time, there wasn't just one mural, but three on the left, center, and right! There was one mural on each of the three walls!
Everyone arrived in front of the first mural and raised their heads to look. They saw Prince Wu Yong sitting in the clouds, his entire body shining with a golden light. However, his expression was grim. His left hand was holding a ball of light, and within the halo was a small mountain spitting out flames. His right hand's five fingers were closed together, and his palm was facing forward, as if he was waving his hand.
Below them was a palace, and inside the palace stood a dozen or so people. Their clothes and accessories were all incomparably gorgeous, and each person's movements were different. Some opened their arms, some wore armor and drew their bows, and some had excited expressions as they pointed into the distance.
The details of the painting were complex, and the content was extremely broad. Xie Lian looked at it for a while before turning his head and saying, "I'll tell you what I understand the meaning of this painting."
"The ball of light in Prince Wu Yong's left hand has the scene of a small volcano erupting. This means that he told his dream to the people below him. As for the gesture of his right hand, it's clearly a negative gesture. He should be rejecting something. "
Pei Ming asked, "Then what exactly is he rejecting?"
Xie Lian said, "That depends on the actions of the group of people below. This palace is located in the mortal world, and it's magnificent and majestic. It should be the imperial palace. This group of people should be the nobles of Wu Yong Country. The one with his arms open, looking at the gesture, is' expanding '. Expanding what? That depends on what he's holding in his hand. "
Everyone focused their eyes and saw that he was holding a map in his hand. Pei Ming couldn't be more familiar with this. She said, "Expanding the territory!"
Xie Lian said, "Yes. As for these generals, they were all dressed in military attire, as if they were ready to go into battle. There are also people beside them giving them directions. Look, their movements are very clear, as if they're saying: 'Go there, attack there'.
"In this way, the meaning of this painting is easy to understand. In summary, it's: Prince Wu Yong told his prophecy to the ministers in the imperial palace. Once the volcano erupts, the consequences will be incomparably serious. It will be a disaster for the Wu Yong Country. The country's territory won't be enough because the volcano is located in the center, and the important cities will definitely disappear. So how should we solve this? "
Hua Cheng said, "If our own territory isn't enough, we'll go and occupy other people's territory."
Xie Lian said, "That's right. So, the ministers proposed to expand the territory and attack the neighboring countries.
"However, Prince Wu Yong didn't agree to do so. So, his right hand made a gesture of rejection. "
After understanding the first mural, everyone came to the front of the second mural. The color of this mural was much darker than the other two, perhaps because it depicted the scene of slaughter on the battlefield.
On the battlefield below, blood flowed like a river as the soldiers of both sides fought fiercely. Xie Lian could tell which side was the Wu Yong Country's soldier because their armor was the same as the generals in the previous mural. The Wu Yong soldiers looked extremely fierce, trampling the enemy's heads under their feet and lifting the corpses on their halberds. They killed until the flesh of their arms and thighs flew everywhere. It was bloody and cruel. There were also soldiers who laughed sinisterly as they stretched out their hands towards the huddled children and women. It was enough to show the horror of war.
Dark clouds covered the battlefield, but there was a sliver of white light within the dark clouds. Prince Wu Yong stuck half his body out from the clouds and looked down at the scene below. He seemed to be somewhat angry, and he stretched out his hand, releasing many rays of golden light. Wherever the golden light went, the Wu Yong soldiers would be collected.
The meaning of this mural was a little easier to understand than the previous one. Xie Lian looked for a while, then softly said, "It seems that the generals and ministers did not listen to His Highness the Crown Prince's advice and still sent troops to attack the neighboring country. The soldiers killed too many people and bullied the old, weak, women, and children of other countries. When the Crown Prince found out about this, he was very angry and once again intervened to stop the Wu Yong soldiers' atrocities. "
When Pei Ming heard this, she softly said, "It's touching. But to be honest, if a country must be plunged into misery and suffering, there's nothing wrong with choosing to protect one's own country. The officers and soldiers charge and break through enemy lines. If they don't get hacked to death on the battlefield, they might first be angered to death by His Highness the Crown Prince. I don't want to fight for this kind of monarch. "
Xie Lian laughed a few times and said a little helplessly, "What General Pei said, uh, makes sense." Hua Cheng slightly sneered. Pei Ming said, "So, the volcano is about to erupt. What does His Highness the Crown Prince plan to do? He can't just let his own people wait for death. "
Xie Lian said, "Let's look at the third mural. It should be able to be solved."
Everyone finally arrived in front of the last mural. This mural formed a strong contrast with the colors of the previous one. Once again, it became extremely bright and was sprinkled with holy light. However, when Xie Lian saw it for the first time, his heart trembled and his eyes widened.
When Pei Ming saw it, she said, "Heavens, is this the idea that Prince Wu Yong came up with? Ha, he's really got guts. I admire him. "
On the third mural, the bottom part was the Wu Yong Country. The Wu Yong River meandered across the land, and the Crown Prince and the four Guardian Deities were also on the mural. However, this wasn't the main point. The most eye-catching part of the whole mural was a bridge at the center.
A gigantic bridge shining with white light was supported by the combined efforts of Prince Wu Yong and his four Guardian Deities. The people on the ground were currently rushing towards the bridge with faces full of smiles.