Phoenix leans against the sky

  Night, no stars or moon, the sky is like a canopy, shrouding the spring colors of the rivers and mountains of Southern Qi.

  Nan Qi, the land to the south, with warm mountains and soft water. This geographical feature is reflected in the distribution of mountains and rivers throughout the country, as one goes further south to Anzhou, the first major city in southern Nan Qi, the terrain becomes more gentle, and outside the city walls of Anzhou, the Lu Ming Mountains rise and fall along the horizon, forming a soft arc that slowly extends from the blue-gray city walls, across the lush green plains, illuminating a silver ribbon - that is the Lu Ming River.

  Lumeng River is the sash of Lumeng Mountain, a scenic spot in Anzhou, and the cradle of beautiful articles by famous writers. However, it has recently been occupied by someone who claims that Lumeng River has the warmth of hot springs without the sulfurous smell; the cleanliness of clear water without the confinement of a bathtub; surrounded by mountains, quiet on spring nights, wild flowers swaying, birds perched on branches - only in such an atmosphere can one take a bath without wasting their pearl-like skin.

  At this moment, the Lu Ming River surrounds three miles and is divided into three circles.

  The outermost circle is a large group of horse-riding, whip-wielding golden armored guards patrolling on the distant high ridges, with each person three feet apart, scanning an area of three zhang, radiating within a range of three li, where every movement, rustling leaves, startled birds and beasts, passing farmers breaking wind, and spring-loving girls sneaking peeks will be immediately brought into the scope of alertness and expulsion.

  In the circle, it seems quiet, just the grass is particularly still, and the wind blows by without moving a single blade. A rabbit suddenly appears from the top of the slope, then disappears into thin air at the bottom of the slope with another sudden sound.

  The dense grass moved slightly.

  "There is dinner at night..."

  "Shut up! Don't disturb the master while he's bathing!"

  In the innermost circle, there were no golden armor guards as if they were facing a great enemy, nor were there shadowy guards lurking in the dark. Instead, there was only a group of gentle and smiling young women with thin silk and powder makeup, their hair adorned with flowers, all rolling up their sleeves, revealing their sparkling white arms or legs, bustling around the water's edge.

  "Rolling up spring, tonight's pancake is using the fragrance of daffodils, the master said that tomorrow will be cloudy, so the taste should be brighter."

  "The fragrance of osmanthus is already rich and intense. If the outer garment is scented with it, there's no need to add more. A light hint of lavender scent will do."

  "Undergarments are made of Huainan raw silk satin, while others use celadon luangong, which is coarse."

  The oriole sings and the swallow chirps, in the soft dialect of the south. Beautiful people walk barefoot on the grassy ground, like a group of beautiful fox spirits who have descended to the mortal world.

  On the grass, a row of jade plates, yuba, mung beans, xiangjing, and tanzi were arranged in categories, with small tags made of wutong wood hanging from them, all covered with apricot-yellow silk to prevent non-existent dust from falling. The girls had long since developed good eyesight, and on this dark day, they wouldn't mistake yuba for soap beans or towels for mung beans. Because everyone knew that if you made a mistake, your life would be over.

  Down the mountain slope, there is a sound of splashing water, and the moonlight shines brightly, as if it were a string of crystal clear moons. Someone in the river lazily calls out in a low, enchanting voice, "Clothes are coming."

  "Good!"

  Fresh and lively smile is brighter than ripples on water, a snow-white long dress flows through jade-like fingertips, like a segment of moonlight being bent. Those slender jade fingers are nourished with sheep oil every day to prevent the tips from becoming slightly rough and damaging the fine floral patterns woven with silver threads on the fabric.

  The most beautiful girl brought her clothes into the jade plate, and the rest of the people smiled with envy as they watched her. Being able to serve the master up close was the dream of all the young girls in Anzhou.

  So no one noticed that in the dark sky, a flash of bright blue light suddenly appeared and was about to reach above the Lu Ming River.

  The lotus steps gently, the girl who holds her clothes and comes, in the moonlight quietly gives birth to a halo, beautiful like an immortal.

  In the river, lying on a round stone, maintaining a posture of holding his breath and smiling, that person watched as the immortal's clothes fluttered over, her fingertips slowly pinching a blade of water grass, one fold, two folds, three folds.

  Three... Two... One... Slip!

  "Oh no!" The soft cry rang out as he counted to the third beat, and the girl holding her clothes stumbled, her slender waist bending, accurately falling into his arms.

  Indeed very accurate, the person fell down, the jade plate in his hand was still held tightly, and the neatly stacked clothes did not scatter.

  He smiled with a faint interest and a shallow boredom.

  Women.

  If you're beautiful, then it means you're boring.

  Same face, same makeup, same fragrance, same fall every night.

  The sound of water splashing, he lazily got up - isn't it just a stumble to throw oneself into someone's arms? Can you still fall out of style? Can you still fall out of legend? Can you still fall out of a beautiful woman that makes people's ears and eyes fresh...

  The sky above suddenly lit up.

  It was as if the sky had suddenly opened a seam, revealing its white interior, and a strong light dazzled people's eyes.

  Everyone covered their eyes and dodged, but he raised his face, narrowed his inverted eyes, and stared at the stimulating light.

  The brightest spot is also the darkest, and the outline of that strong light tears through the sky, like the vast sky suddenly opening its deep eyes, and then a person suddenly falls out of that dark blue mouth.

  His eyes widened in surprise.

  That person seemed to be ejected from the crack by some powerful force, his body staggering uncontrollably, and he was about to fall when he suddenly reached out and pulled hard on the crack, shouting: "Return it to me!"

  A weird-looking thing was pulled out, looking like a box with some red glow stuck to it. The person still wouldn't give up, grabbing the thing with one hand and rummaging through the crack with the other, "Yaoji? Xiaoke? Wenzhendaibo, return it to me! You dare to close the door... SHIT!"

  The curses had barely ended when the crack suddenly closed like a door, squeezing out that high-flying angry guy. A red-glowing arc fell diagonally, rushing straight towards Luming River.

  The onlookers gasped in shock. The man in the river, however, remained calm and composed. He swiftly grabbed hold of the girl who was about to fall into his arms and gave her a forceful push upwards.

  A loud muffled sound, two human bodies collided in mid-air, fell, the girl's scream and the shattering of the jade plate sounded, a faint "hiss" was heard, a faint smell of scorching spread, the person who fell to the ground muttered a low curse "Damn it!" and scrambled to their feet.

  The lawn was in a mess, the girls had already scattered in fright. The security here is strict, no one can approach within three miles, so inside the circle are all some weak women who have no experience of facing enemies and no defensive alarm instinct. This can't be blamed on them, who would have thought that the enemy would come from the sky?

  There are now only three people left in the field: one is in the river, one has fainted, and one is an unexpected guest from afar.

  A disheveled outsider with a messy short haircut, covered in black soot, only revealing a pair of not very large but sharp eyes. When jumping up, the waist is flexible and powerful, long legs drawing out a sharp yet elegant arc.

  In terms of physical appearance, he looks like a handsome young man.

  People in the water are looking at people on the shore with great interest. Their gaze is like a master painter's brush, drawing from the flat chest to the raised buttocks.

  "Shit!" Tai Shi Lan seemed to be completely unaware of being peeped at, muttered to himself, threw away the small leather suitcase in his hand, and rubbed his scalded red fingers - what did he just pull out from the crack? It was scalding.

  Looking around, there was a beautiful woman at my feet. The jade plate was shattered all over the floor, and there were many exquisite clothes that had been broken and charred. In the air, there was a faint smell of sulfur from incomplete combustion.

  Without looking at the woman who had fainted, Tai Shi Lan crouched down, picked up a piece of clothing, examined it for a while, and then took a sudden breath.

  Wore! Crossed! Passed!

  The clothing patterns, medieval style, let alone this is a movie shoot - the costumes of ancient costume dramas are too rough, and one piece of underwear is made so exquisite, the production side must be profitable.

  Tai Shi Lan's hands were on her knees, half squatting, deep in thought for three seconds.

  In three seconds she missed her research institute, mourned for her pet chicken, recalled her three dead parties, and then it was over.

  Since you have come, make yourself at home.

  Where is it just one word - life?

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly stood up, stepped over the woman on the ground, and grabbed a piece of clothing. She tore it open, tied a knot, and made a simple bag. The clothes were short and wide, with smooth and delicate fabric, and the style seemed somewhat familiar. Of course, Tai Shi Lan wouldn't care about these trivial matters; she only cared about collecting all the broken jade, gold, and other things, throwing them into the bag. Then she put the bag into her half-empty small leather box. Next to the box was a dull grayish-black stone that felt slightly warm when picked up. She thought for a moment, wondering if it was something she had brought out from the crack in the ground when she grabbed the box before falling down.

  Meteorite?

  Is it some unknown treasure in the space-time crack?

  When it fell down and burned these clothes, scalding my palms, was this thing? Unknown objects are often dangerous, but they also imply great potential value, so let's keep them for now.

  She also threw the stone into the box, with a loud crash, damaging the PSP. Tai Shi Lan shrugged indifferently - in this realm, the PSP was just scrap plastic, not even as useful as a piece of tofu.

  The man in the river water was lying on a round stone, watching that strange and weird guy busy picking up trash, like a robber putting valuable and worthless things into that strange big box.

  His slightly raised eyes narrowed, and the light in them was more menacing than intriguing.

  Does anyone dare to take his things?

  The last person who took his things has had their bones reduced to ashes... Oh no, there is no ash.

  The man in the river made a slight movement with his hand, grasping a stone, ready to call out to the strange boy who seemed to be unaware of anything, but then his eyes froze.

  What is that kid doing?

  On the grass, Taishi Lan picked up all the clothes and also picked up a few exquisite lighters to study how to use them. Finally, he chose a large white robe with a cross collar and put it on himself.

  The man in the river suddenly furrowed his brow, he felt that this neat white robe seemed to be wrong somewhere, but for a moment he couldn't think of it.

  Tai Shi Lan put on a white robe, rummaged through the unconscious woman's body, found a box of rouge, and applied it all over her clothes. The sticky and bright red rouge made her look like she was covered in blood stains.

  The people in the river looked at her movements, first stunned, then seemed to have understood something, and their eyes flashed.

  This kid is by no means unaware of his own situation. He clearly knows that there are guards outside and that he is in the river, this is to pretend to be him, in order to break out of the encirclement.

  This man descended from the sky without making a sound, instantly adapting to the unfamiliar environment with composure and calmness. The way he played tricks in front of his master with such nonchalance was truly... shameless, with the demeanor of a great general.

  He hooked up a fascinating arc at the corner of his mouth, and slowly stood up from the water without caring about his wet clothes.

  Because he didn't want to hide, the man's splashing sound was very clear in the quiet night. He half-squatted with his back to him, busy and bustling, but actually secretly listening to his movements, Ta Shi Lan suddenly turned around.

  A fleeting glance, a halo of jade-like whiteness, and the dark night seemed to brighten up. The people walking in the emerald water, with an air of calmness, had faces as clear as jade, and every step they took outlined the most beautiful lines and rhythms of the human body against the night's silhouette. It made one feel ashamed of their own gaze for being too profane.

  Such exquisite and unique, even Taishi Lan was stunned for a moment, his eyes dazed, as if enveloped by a white cloud that suddenly hugged his eyes.

  However, dizziness returned to dizziness. Tai Shi's brain had always been able to give multiple commands at once. His eyes were feasting on the beauty before him, while his hands, which had been digging into the ground, suddenly and decisively lifted up, "Slap!"

  A lump of mud that had long been grasped tightly in her hand shot out with a whoosh, drawing a dark arc, precise and neat, and smashed onto... the golden dividing point.

  "Ah——" The person who was attacked let out a cry of pain and surprise.

  Before he had even finished shouting, Tai Shi Lan flipped over and grabbed a delicate lighter that was already in his hand, lit it with a flick of his wrist, and swung it back again.

  "Girlie, want some beggar's chicken?"

  A spark of fire flew against the wind and landed on a certain important part that was dripping with mud and water...