"Tianhua!" Tianhua, who was running, heard someone calling him from behind and quickly stopped to look.
In the distance, Ilan was running towards Tianhua...
"Ilan, it's you. What are you doing?" Tianhua looked at Ilan, who had caught up.
"Ah... you run so fast. I was just about to go to your house to find you, and I saw you running out. I chased you from behind, but couldn't catch up. I had to shout to get your attention! No one is chasing you from behind, so why are you running so fast?" Ilan said, panting.
"What's the matter with coming to my house?" Tianhua asked with a shy smile.
"I came to hang out with you!" Ilan said.
"Hang out? It's so late. Where can we go?" Tianhua asked.
"Well, it's late, and you're running up the mountain alone. Why?" Ilan asked back.
Tianhua didn't speak, looking at Ilan and then at the mountain.
"Tianhua, what are you thinking?" Ilan asked when Tianhua remained silent.
"Ilan, I'll tell you something, but you can't tell anyone!" Tianhua looked at Ilan very seriously.
Ilan looked at Tianhua seriously and nodded.
"Do you know, beyond this mountain village where we live, there is a world we don't know?" Tianhua said.
After hearing this, Ilan was surprised and didn't know what to say. She stared at Tianhua with wide eyes.
"There is a road that leads to the outside. As long as we find this road, we can go to the outside world! Then we can see what the people and things outside are like..." Tianhua continued.
"You mean the outside world?" Ilan asked.
"Yes!" Tianhua nodded.
Ilan seemed to be thinking about something and muttered, "The outside world... the outside world..."
"Tianhua, do you find it incredible too?" Tianhua asked.
"Do you think the people in the outside world live happier lives than the people in our mountain village?" Ilan suddenly asked.
The night was very quiet, quiet enough to hear their own breathing and heartbeat. Ilan looked at Tianhua, and his heartbeat was fast.
After hearing Ilan's question, Tianhua was stunned for a moment. He didn't know how to answer this question. After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "Well... I don't know. I'm just curious about the outside world. There's always an impulse in my heart to go out and see. This impulse lingers in my heart, and it's so urgent that it surges up when I have nothing to do."
"I remember seeing a book in my dad's room once. The book described a world similar to ours but very different!" Ilan said.
"What do you mean?" Tianhua asked in confusion.
"People like us also live there, with thoughts and actions similar to ours. Our world is peaceful and tranquil. We respect and love each other, living in peace and always thinking about helping others. We are as close as family. But there, it's full of greed and killing. They are always thinking about how to take others' things for themselves, stepping on others to achieve their goals. They only care about themselves and never consider others. As long as they can achieve their goals, they are willing to sacrifice anyone, even their closest ones..." Ilan said in a low voice.
Tianhua stood there dumbfounded, everything in the world seemed to stop. Looking at the pitch-black forest, Tianhua's heart was in chaos. The world he had longed to go to turned out to be like this, and he couldn't accept it.
"Maybe it's just a story," Tianhua suddenly said.
After hearing this, Ilan didn't know how to respond. She herself didn't know if what the book said was a story or real.
"Tianhua, can you show me that book?" Tianhua asked.
"Well..." Ilan hesitated a bit.
"What's wrong, Ilan? Is there any difficulty?" Tianhua asked.
"After I read that book, I never saw it again when I went to the study later. I asked my dad once, but he said there was no such book at home, and I must have remembered it wrong. At that time, I thought I really remembered it wrong. Today, when you talked about the outside world, I remembered the content of that book." Ilan said.
Tianhua fell silent, wondering why the adults in the village kept so many things from them. What secrets were hidden in all of this...
"Tianhua, we are so happy living here. Why do you want to go to the outside world?" Ilan asked.
"I..." Tianhua couldn't find the words.
"Ilan, I feel confused now. I want to go back. Don't tell anyone about what happened tonight." Tianhua said.
After saying that, Tianhua walked towards the mountain. Ilan didn't walk with Tianhua this time but stood looking at the dark forest, sighed, and then walked towards the mountain.
At this moment, Tianhua's mind was in turmoil. He seemed to have forgotten the time he spent with Ilan and the others. He walked back home alone, came to the door, saw that there was no light inside, gently pushed the door open, and entered. Tianhua came to his room, lay on the bed, thinking about what Ilan said that night, finding it hard to sleep.
Later, Ilan came to Tianhua's house, opened the door, and walked in.
"Who?" Tianhua, inside the house, heard the sound of the door being pushed open and asked.
"Tianhua, when did you come back? Why haven't you slept so late?" The person inside the room said.
Tianhua, upon hearing this, realized it was his mom. He quickly said, "Mom, it's so late. What were you doing outside?"
"Nothing, I was just bored alone in the room, so I went out for a walk. Why haven't you slept so late?" Qinyin said.
"I'll sleep soon." Tianhua said.
"Rest early!" Qinyin said, then walked into the room.
The night was still dark, but the small forest was as bright as daylight. The twelve white-haired old men and the eagle-headed human were sitting in the room again.
Others chatted on the side, but Tianlong frowned and thoughtfully looked at the center of the table, not saying a word.
"Tianlong, you seem to have something on your mind?" said the voice.
After hearing the voice, Tianlong looked at the center of the table, then at the people around him, closing his eyes.
"Yes, there are things I don't know how to say." Tianlong said.
"It's rare to see you like this, with a furrowed brow and silent." the voice said.
"Yes, this matter is more difficult to handle than anything I have encountered before. If not handled properly, it may have a significant adverse impact on our village." Tianlong said.
"Oh..." the voice said doubtfully.
"I strongly advocate abandoning the road to the outside world. Of course, this proposal is also for the sake of the village. But there's another reason that I have never been willing to disclose!" Tianlong sighed!
The voice did not speak, as if waiting for Tianlong to continue.
"Tianhua accidentally heard about the road to the outside world from my conversation with Qinyin, and just a few days ago, he expressed his thoughts to me. He wants to go outside. I don't know how to persuade him. I know it's useless, so I thought about abolishing the road to the outside world. This way, perhaps we can stop him from leaving!" Tianlong said.
"Tianhua, that kid, has been smart since childhood. I didn't expect him to trouble you so soon! But Tianlong, do you really think that abolishing that road will stop Tianhua?" The voice said with a laugh.
"Well..." Tianlong was puzzled.
"Tianlong, don't forget, the barrier is created by humans. If one day Tianhua has the ability to pass through that barrier, do you think he won't leave then?" The voice said.
"Maybe by that time, he understands the responsibility he bears, and maybe he won't think about going outside anymore!" Tianlong said.
"Tianlong, a person who hasn't experienced something won't understand it! Without experiencing war, one won't know what peace is! Their lives are so comfortable. Perhaps the turbulent and colorful outside world is attractive to them!" The voice said.
Tianlong nodded and remained silent.
"Well, quiet down. Let me speak." The voice said.
At this point, everyone stopped talking and looked at the center of the table!
"I've considered it, and there's no need to abolish that road!" The voice said.
There was a small argument among the crowd, and some brought up the viewpoints from the past two days. However, the proposer of this suggestion, Tianlong, did not speak. The conversation they had in their hearts just now made Tianlong understand that even if that road was abolished, Tianhua would still leave when he had the ability. Because he had been looking forward to it for a very long time!
The voice did not speak and watched the people discuss. When the discussion calmed down a bit, he coughed twice!
"As you all know, one day you will grow old. After you grow old, the task of guarding the barrier will fall on the shoulders of those children. Even without that road, I think they will have no problem passing through the barrier one day. They want to go out, and I want to ask all of you, who can stop them?" The voice said.
The small room fell silent, and this silence seemed to imply that what the voice said was correct!
"Since that's the case, there's no need to abolish that road! But since everyone is a bit worried about that road, let the Eagle King guard it! Anyone leaving the village must have my command; otherwise, the Eagle King won't let anyone pass! What do you think of this proposal?" The voice continued.
Everyone nodded in agreement and said together, "Good, this idea is good!"
Looking at everyone, Tianlong also sighed deeply. This method should be the best now!
"Since everyone has no objections, let's go with this plan!" The voice said. Then he looked at the Eagle King and said, "Eagle King, starting from tomorrow, it will be up to you."
"No problem, rest assured." The Eagle King said simply.
"Let's end here for today. Now everyone go and rest! Tomorrow, you have a lot of things to do!" The voice finished speaking, and the halo in the center of the table disappeared!
Everyone also left the table and went outside! When they reached the outside, each person walked towards a tree. The tree gradually emitted light, and the closer they got, the brighter the light. Gradually, they were surrounded by light, and after a while, the light disappeared, and they didn't know where they had gone!
The children in the village were still playing happily in the snowy field. Ilan, Luoxin, and others occasionally came out to walk and play. When they were together, they always asked Tianhua. Since the day they played together, it seemed that they hadn't seen him come out. Sometimes they went to his house to find him, but he just said he had something to do. They didn't know what exactly it was.
Since that night, Tianhua rarely went out. Except for the three meals a day, he came out of his room, and the rest of the time, he stayed alone in his room. Qinyin saw that he was absent-minded and suggested that he go out for a walk, play with Ilan and others. But he just agreed in words and didn't go out.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Tianhua, who was in the room, heard the continuous knocking on the door but no sound of speech. He thought, "Did mom go out?" Then he asked loudly, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Ilan!" Ilan said loudly outside.
"Oh, Ilan, come in!" Tianhua said inside.
After the sound of the door being pushed open, Ilan came to Tianhua's room and saw Tianhua alone, looking out of the window!
The snow outside the window was still falling, and the snow on the ground was thick. Winter was cold and quiet. Winter was the most leisurely time of the year for everyone, resting well and waiting for the arrival of spring. But Tianhua couldn't, his heart had many things..
"Tianhua!" Tianhua, who was running, heard someone calling him from behind and quickly stopped to look.
In the distance, Ilan was running towards Tianhua...
"Ilan, it's you. What are you doing?" Tianhua looked at Ilan, who had caught up.
"Ah... you run so fast. I was just about to go to your house to find you, and I saw you running out. I chased you from behind, but couldn't catch up. I had to shout to get your attention! No one is chasing you from behind, so why are you running so fast?" Ilan said, panting.
"What's the matter with coming to my house?" Tianhua asked with a shy smile.
"I came to hang out with you!" Ilan said.
"Hang out? It's so late. Where can we go?" Tianhua asked.
"Well, it's late, and you're running up the mountain alone. Why?" Ilan asked back.
Tianhua didn't speak, looking at Ilan and then at the mountain.
"Tianhua, what are you thinking?" Ilan asked when Tianhua remained silent.
"Ilan, I'll tell you something, but you can't tell anyone!" Tianhua looked at Ilan very seriously.
Ilan looked at Tianhua seriously and nodded.
"Do you know, beyond this mountain village where we live, there is a world we don't know?" Tianhua said.
After hearing this, Ilan was surprised and didn't know what to say. She stared at Tianhua with wide eyes.
"There is a road that leads to the outside. As long as we find this road, we can go to the outside world! Then we can see what the people and things outside are like..." Tianhua continued.
"You mean the outside world?" Ilan asked.
"Yes!" Tianhua nodded.
Ilan seemed to be thinking about something and muttered, "The outside world... the outside world..."
"Tianhua, do you find it incredible too?" Tianhua asked.
"Do you think the people in the outside world live happier lives than the people in our mountain village?" Ilan suddenly asked.
The night was very quiet, quiet enough to hear their own breathing and heartbeat. Ilan looked at Tianhua, and his heartbeat was fast.
After hearing Ilan's question, Tianhua was stunned for a moment. He didn't know how to answer this question. After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "Well... I don't know. I'm just curious about the outside world. There's always an impulse in my heart to go out and see. This impulse lingers in my heart, and it's so urgent that it surges up when I have nothing to do."
"I remember seeing a book in my dad's room once. The book described a world similar to ours but very different!" Ilan said.
"What do you mean?" Tianhua asked in confusion.
"People like us also live there, with thoughts and actions similar to ours. Our world is peaceful and tranquil. We respect and love each other, living in peace and always thinking about helping others. We are as close as family. But there, it's full of greed and killing. They are always thinking about how to take others' things for themselves, stepping on others to achieve their goals. They only care about themselves and never consider others. As long as they can achieve their goals, they are willing to sacrifice anyone, even their closest ones..." Ilan said in a low voice.
Tianhua stood there dumbfounded, everything in the world seemed to stop. Looking at the pitch-black forest, Tianhua's heart was in chaos. The world he had longed to go to turned out to be like this, and he couldn't accept it.
"Maybe it's just a story," Tianhua suddenly said.
After hearing this, Ilan didn't know how to respond. She herself didn't know if what the book said was a story or real.
"Tianhua, can you show me that book?" Tianhua asked.
"Well..." Ilan hesitated a bit.
"What's wrong, Ilan? Is there any difficulty?" Tianhua asked.
"After I read that book, I never saw it again when I went to the study later. I asked my dad once, but he said there was no such book at home, and I must have remembered it wrong. At that time, I thought I really remembered it wrong. Today, when you talked about the outside world, I remembered the content of that book." Ilan said.
Tianhua fell silent, wondering why the adults in the village kept so many things from them. What secrets were hidden in all of this...
"Tianhua, we are so happy living here. Why do you want to go to the outside world?" Ilan asked.
"I..." Tianhua couldn't find the words.
"Ilan, I feel confused now. I want to go back. Don't tell anyone about what happened tonight." Tianhua said.
After saying that, Tianhua walked towards the mountain. Ilan didn't walk with Tianhua this time but stood looking at the dark forest, sighed, and then walked towards the mountain.
At this moment, Tianhua's mind was in turmoil. He seemed to have forgotten the time he spent with Ilan and the others. He walked back home alone, came to the door, saw that there was no light inside, gently pushed the door open, and entered. Tianhua came to his room, lay on the bed, thinking about what Ilan said that night, finding it hard to sleep.
Later, Ilan came to Tianhua's house, opened the door, and walked in.
"Who?" Tianhua, inside the house, heard the sound of the door being pushed open and asked.
"Tianhua, when did you come back? Why haven't you slept so late?" The person inside the room said.
Tianhua, upon hearing this, realized it was his mom. He quickly said, "Mom, it's so late. What were you doing outside?"
"Nothing, I was just bored alone in the room, so I went out for a walk. Why haven't you slept so late?" Qinyin said.
"I'll sleep soon." Tianhua said.
"Rest early!" Qinyin said, then walked into the room.
The night was still dark, but the small forest was as bright as daylight. The twelve white-haired old men and the eagle-headed human were sitting in the room again.
Others chatted on the side, but Tianlong frowned and thoughtfully looked at the center of the table, not saying a word.
"Tianlong, you seem to have something on your mind?" said the voice.
After hearing the voice, Tianlong looked at the center of the table, then at the people around him, closing his eyes.
"Yes, there are things I don't know how to say." Tianlong said.
"It's rare to see you like this, with a furrowed brow and silent." the voice said.
"Yes, this matter is more difficult to handle than anything I have encountered before. If not handled properly, it may have a significant adverse impact on our village." Tianlong said.
"Oh..." the voice said doubtfully.
"I strongly advocate abandoning the road to the outside world. Of course, this proposal is also for the sake of the village. But there's another reason that I have never been willing to disclose!" Tianlong sighed!
The voice did not speak, as if waiting for Tianlong to continue.
"Tianhua accidentally heard about the road to the outside world from my conversation with Qinyin, and just a few days ago, he expressed his thoughts to me. He wants to go outside. I don't know how to persuade him. I know it's useless, so I thought about abolishing the road to the outside world. This way, perhaps we can stop him from leaving!" Tianlong said.
"Tianhua, that kid, has been smart since childhood. I didn't expect him to trouble you so soon! But Tianlong, do you really think that abolishing that road will stop Tianhua?" The voice said with a laugh.
"Well..." Tianlong was puzzled.
"Tianlong, don't forget, the barrier is created by humans. If one day Tianhua has the ability to pass through that barrier, do you think he won't leave then?" The voice said.
"Maybe by that time, he understands the responsibility he bears, and maybe he won't think about going outside anymore!" Tianlong said.
"Tianlong, a person who hasn't experienced something won't understand it! Without experiencing war, one won't know what peace is! Their lives are so comfortable. Perhaps the turbulent and colorful outside world is attractive to them!" The voice said.
Tianlong nodded and remained silent.
"Well, quiet down. Let me speak." The voice said.
At this point, everyone stopped talking and looked at the center of the table!
"I've considered it, and there's no need to abolish that road!" The voice said.
There was a small argument among the crowd, and some brought up the viewpoints from the past two days. However, the proposer of this suggestion, Tianlong, did not speak. The conversation they had in their hearts just now made Tianlong understand that even if that road was abolished, Tianhua would still leave when he had the ability. Because he had been looking forward to it for a very long time!
The voice did not speak and watched the people discuss. When the discussion calmed down a bit, he coughed twice!
"As you all know, one day you will grow old. After you grow old, the task of guarding the barrier will fall on the shoulders of those children. Even without that road, I think they will have no problem passing through the barrier one day. They want to go out, and I want to ask all of you, who can stop them?" The voice said.
The small room fell silent, and this silence seemed to imply that what the voice said was correct!
"Since that's the case, there's no need to abolish that road! But since everyone is a bit worried about that road, let the Eagle King guard it! Anyone leaving the village must have my command; otherwise, the Eagle King won't let anyone pass! What do you think of this proposal?" The voice continued.
Everyone nodded in agreement and said together, "Good, this idea is good!"
Looking at everyone, Tianlong also sighed deeply. This method should be the best now!
"Since everyone has no objections, let's go with this plan!" The voice said. Then he looked at the Eagle King and said, "Eagle King, starting from tomorrow, it will be up to you."
"No problem, rest assured." The Eagle King said simply.
"Let's end here for today. Now everyone go and rest! Tomorrow, you have a lot of things to do!" The voice finished speaking, and the halo in the center of the table disappeared!
Everyone also left the table and went outside! When they reached the outside, each person walked towards a tree. The tree gradually emitted light, and the closer they got, the brighter the light. Gradually, they were surrounded by light, and after a while, the light disappeared, and they didn't know where they had gone!
The children in the village were still playing happily in the snowy field. Ilan, Luoxin, and others occasionally came out to walk and play. When they were together, they always asked Tianhua. Since the day they played together, it seemed that they hadn't seen him come out. Sometimes they went to his house to find him, but he just said he had something to do. They didn't know what exactly it was.
Since that night, Tianhua rarely went out. Except for the three meals a day, he came out of his room, and the rest of the time, he stayed alone in his room. Qinyin saw that he was absent-minded and suggested that he go out for a walk, play with Ilan and others. But he just agreed in words and didn't go out.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Tianhua, who was in the room, heard the continuous knocking on the door but no sound of speech. He thought, "Did mom go out?" Then he asked loudly, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Ilan!" Ilan said loudly outside.
"Oh, Ilan, come in!" Tianhua said inside.
After the sound of the door being pushed open, Ilan came to Tianhua's room and saw Tianhua alone, looking out of the window!
The snow outside the window was still falling, and the snow on the ground was thick. Winter was cold and quiet. Winter was the most leisurely time of the year for everyone, resting well and waiting for the arrival of spring. But Tianhua couldn't, his heart had many things..
