Yuan Xianger and his party walked out of the mountains and hills with difficulty in the snowy season. The terrain began to become flat. There were often large fields that were deserted in winter on both sides of the road, and the towns along the way gradually became stronger and more serious.
This is the barrier to the north of the country. Nomads living on the grasslands often drive their horses south, burning, killing and looting on the border, triggering wars of different sizes.
Those city walls built to defend against foreign races are thick and majestic because they have been contaminated with real gunpowder smoke and blood. The famous scribes in splendid and broad-robed robes disappeared, but there were often border guards with sharp armour and unique-looking foreign merchants in the crowd.
To the residents of the Northland, the Hu people, who are wealthy, wolves, tigers and leopards, are more real and terrifying than the monsters that appear occasionally in legends.
Yanmen Pass in Bingzhou is one of the important towns in the north. As long as you leave here, grasslands and even deserts will gradually appear in the field of vision. It was not far from their destination, Fengzhou, under the jurisdiction of Datong Prefecture.
The Spring Festival has not passed for too long, and the streets are still full of New Year flavors. Yuan Xianger was a little greedy when she saw the ice-sugar haws hanging with icing sugar on the roadside. The ice-sugar haws here have a unique taste. The cored hawthorns are filled with continuous and delicate red bean paste, or fragrant and delicious sesame paste. Covered with a layer of dried fruit, it tastes moderately sweet and sour, with a lingering fragrance.
Yuan Xianger took a bunch of bright red candied haws from a hawker selling rock candied haws, ate one by herself, and handed the rest to Nan He.
She puffed out her cheeks, her eyebrows and eyes curved, "Let's eat a bunch of them separately."
She knew that Nan He liked sweet and not sour. Just give him a taste.
Nan He really only ate one with her hand.
"I'll eat any flavor, I want the biggest one." Wu Yuan, who turned into a human figure, stretched out her hand, took a string of rock candied haws, bit two off in one bite, and said vaguely, "Nange want me or not. One of you?"
Nan He turned his head away and pretended not to hear.
Yuan Xianger was standing next to the gang who inserted the candied haws, handing out the candied haws one by one.
There is a string of Wuyuan, a string of Saburo, a string of Qiu Yueming, a string of Zhou Deyun, and the accompanying servants, everyone has a share.
The hawker who sells ice-sugar haws is very happy, this is a rare big customer for him. The beautiful little lady was taking the candied haws from his hands one after another and handing them to the people behind him.
The slender hand who bullied Frost Sai Xue took the last string of bamboo sticks of candied haws and handed it to the empty place, and the string of bright red fruits suddenly disappeared from the sky.
The hawker rubbed his eyes, suspecting that he had read it wrong.
The little lady had turned around with a smile and settled the coins with him.
It must be wrong, how could it suddenly disappear, the hawker thought to himself.
He didn't know that behind him, there was always a demon wearing a robe with a catfish head on it.
The pale arm of the demon caught the candied haws that Yuan Xianger handed him, and after looking at it carefully for a long time, he raised his head and opened his mouth, threw the whole candied haws together with the bamboo sticks into his mouth, and swallowed them clack.
"It's windy."
When Yuan Xianger and his party continued to walk forward, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"It's not suitable to travel on a windy day," said the catfish-headed demon.
Yuan Xianger turned around and waved at him with a smile, "I know, thank you."
Because of listening to the advice of this catfish spirit, everyone did not continue on their way and looked for an inn in the town to stay.
In the afternoon, the yellow sand was rolling on the ground, and the wind was blowing.
People in the town are holding a pilgrimage activity, carrying out the statues of gods in the temple covered with red brocade and parading along the street. The statues of the three kings revered all over the world have many believers. Along the way, the gongs and drums were filled with gongs and drums, and the flags were shining brightly. Along the way, the believers burned incense and prayed, and knelt down and prayed for blessings.
Yuan Xianger pushed open the window a little from the second floor of the inn and looked at the situation on the street through the gap.
"Humans are so afraid of goblins." Wu Yuan squatted on her shoulder and licked her paws, combing the sand in her hair. "Gods are actually fairies, to put it bluntly, why aren't humans afraid of them?"
"Is the gods also fairies?" This was the first time Yuan Xiang'er heard such an argument.
"Anyway, it's a powerful spiritual body, so it can't be counted as a human, right?"
"Perhaps the power of those gods has reached a height beyond the reach of humans, so people only worship and fear him."
On the sedan chair, the tall statues of gods, with low eyebrows and kind eyes, look at the world, and the red silk and gold brocade are flying in the yellow sand. Along the way, the believers crouched on both sides of the road, and the wind and sand could not stop them from bowing their heads and praying for the blessing of the gods.
Yuan Xianger suddenly remembered the dilapidated mountain temple she saw in the mountains and forests. Thinking of the pale-skinned apostle who lost his freedom. It seems to have seen him being held in chains, dragged out of the temple, and paraded in the human village.
The human beings he had helped and loved, after he showed his prototype and lost the power to resist, showed an expression of disgust towards him, and scolded him and threw stones at him.
Du Shuo, he should have been completely disappointed with human beings.
The hurricane was getting bigger and bigger, the yellow sand covered the sky, the wind was howling, and the doors and windows of the inn creaked.
In the restaurant, merchants who were kept by the wind and sand gathered together. The merchants who came from all over the world exchanged cups, talked eloquently, and exchanged news and knowledge during the journey. There are also orchid dancers walking through it, singing and dancing, and the sanxian melodious, directly teaching the travelers in the mundane world to steal their lives for half a day.
Yuan Xianger and others were sitting in the private room in the attic. Because they couldn't leave at night, they opened a few jars of wine and ordered two tables of local specialties.
"Who would have known that the weather was fine in the morning, but such a large sandstorm could happen out of thin air. Thanks to Mr. Xiao's clever calculation. If it is such a sandstorm, if you walk on the wasteland where you can't go to the village or the store, it will be hard to eat." Zhou Deyun Raising a glass in hand, "Come, come, I'll give a toast to Mr. Xiao."
The servants around him nodded again and again, and now these people are not satisfied with this little gentleman.
Yuan Xianger raised her glass and drank it. The wine here is rice wine, sweet, soft in the mouth, but not small in stamina. Drinking it warms the body.
"Ah Xiang, I'll also toast you." Qiu Yueming stood up and held the glass, and said solemnly, "I won't say anything else. No matter what the outcome of this trip is, the kindness of Mr. will be remembered in my heart."
Yuan Xianger had a drink with him and said with a smile, "You don't have to be so polite between friends."
While drinking happily, the chattering voices of the drinkers in the lobby downstairs came.
"Thanks to General Qiu this time, otherwise this old man would not have had his life to meet the old brother." A man with a northern accent spoke loudly, "If it weren't for General Qiu Yueming recuperating in Datong Mansion. This time the Hu people It will definitely break through and enter, Datong Mansion is probably already a hell on earth, a dead city."
His companion replied: "General Chou really deserves to be a star in the world and bless thousands of souls in my prison."
As soon as Qiu Yueming's three words came out, the people in the room upstairs immediately pricked up their ears and looked down at the atrium.
Among them, Qiu Yueming himself was the most nervous.
He seemed to be calm along the way, but he was really uneasy, worried that Mrs. Zhou's soul was indeed in his body. With the weak soul of a woman, she suddenly woke up in the military tent surrounded by wolf and tiger bodies. Will something out of control happen? He was also worried that Mrs. Zhou's soul had not been exchanged with her at all, and that her body had long since been turned into bones, buried under the loess, and there was no place for her soul to return to in the world.
At this time, he suddenly heard someone mention his name taboo, Qiu Yueming's heart twitched suddenly, he leaned on the railing of the attic, stretched out his head and rushed downstairs to look.
The drinkers were two old men dressed as businessmen. One of them had white hair and hair, and their faces were vicissitudes. They drank a few sips of small wine. Speaking of happiness, they couldn't help but talk about the thrilling battle they experienced in Datong Mansion before the Chinese New Year.
At that time, the iron hoofs of the Hu people even broke Fengzhou, Yunnei, Dongsheng and other places, attracting the Jiedushi envoy stationed in Datong to lead the rescue. Unexpectedly, the Hu people's army and horses were defeated at a single blow, and they were defeated steadily. The defenders of Datong Prefecture were eager to make contributions, mobilized their troops and horses, and chased away, but they did not know that they were caught by the enemy's plan to move tigers away from the mountains. All the way, the elites of the enemy army were lurking near Yunzhou, seeing the timing of the departure of the defenders, and heading straight for Datongfu City, which was empty of troops.
"Those barbarians are like evil spirits, they surrounded the Datong Mansion with three floors and three outer floors, and threatened to slaughter the city for three days and wash the Datong Mansion with blood." The old man recalled the thrilling and terrifying memories, and the decree lines on the corners of his mouth were deeply revealed, " Hu people, you know, those guys rape and loot, they are more terrifying than ghosts, and once they enter the city, the whole city will be destroyed."
His partner sighed and raised his glass to touch him. Obviously, these residents of the Northland have suffered from the alien invasion.
"At that time, the whole city wailed and everyone was frightened and helpless. There were only 2,000 guard soldiers left in the huge Datong Mansion, and the enemy troops outside the city were as many as tens of thousands. She was so frightened that she hugged her concubine and hid in the government office and shivered, screaming that she wanted to hang herself and wipe her neck." The old man sighed and sighed, raised his head and drank his glass of wine, slapped the table and stood up, "Thanks to my awesome general Qiu Yueming. , happened to return to Datong Mansion from Fengzhou for recuperation due to injury. At this time, General Qiu, regardless of his injury, put on his armor and held sharp arms, raised his arms and mobilized all the people in the city, whether old or weak, or women, all put on armor and stood with a flag. up the city wall."
He was excited to talk here, and the noise around him became less and less, and everyone present listened.
The old man's face was red, "Those wolves who came from outside the city thought that Datong Mansion had only an empty city, and suddenly saw the city's flags and flags, people shadows, soldiers in bright clothes and bright armor standing on the city wall, and immediately murmured in their hearts, suspicious of anti-China We caught our trap. Seeing my Dafa God again, General Qiu Yueming ascended the city head with majesty, how could anyone not be so frightened that their legs were weak. I just heard our city head beat drums, and the city gates opened wide for a while , General Chou wears a purple-gold and red tassels crown, wears a Tuanhua plain robe, wears dragon-scale proud frost armor, holds a pear-flower-pointed steel gun, and leads 2,000 soldiers and horses out of the city. In a panic, you will lose without fighting, hahaha.”
The people at the scene applauded in unison. Although there are many exaggerated elements in the story of the old man, the people here all hate the invading barbarians. Listening to this kind of story, it is natural that the more incompetent the enemy appears, the more heroic our hero is. , how can we raise our illustrious prestige.
The old man watched so many people cheering, and the more he said, "The old man was so old, he couldn't put on his armor and couldn't hold an iron gun. It was just in desperation at the time, seeing General Chou ascending to appeal, Dedicated to protecting our homeland, he spoke earnestly and hurried around. He couldn't help but feel the blood boil, and he also became mad as a teenager. At that time, let alone an old man like me, it was all the charming little ladies in the city who stood up one by one. , put on armor and walked up to the city wall to fill the number of people. The chief corner boy also went out of the house to help carry military supplies and deliver food. It was also thanks to the concerted efforts of the whole city, young and old, that the enemy was scared and retreated without a fight. "
Someone in the crowd asked, "Old man, you said you were in the city and climbed the city wall. Can you see the general's majesty with your own eyes? What does the general look like and what is his character?"
The old man straightened his chest, cleared his throat, and clasped his fists in all directions, "I am old and not talented, but I have some luck. On the city wall, it happened to be arranged not far from the general, and I was fortunate to see the general's face. It is really majestic. Lin Lin, Qi Yu is extraordinary. What is even more rare is that a general like a general who fights on the battlefield is humble and polite. He eats and lives with the soldiers, and is very considerate to me, the elderly and the weak. character."
The downstairs applauded again and again, applauding this brave hero, but everyone upstairs looked at each other in dismay.
Qiu Yueming clenched the railing repeatedly with one hand, and he was a little flustered, and his heart was full of surprise and joy.
I was so happy that, judging from the words of these people, my body was still alive and well in this world. Surprisingly, the man who lived inside was not chaotic in the face of danger, but he didn't know who he was.
To say that the person who is most concerned about the outcome of this trip is Qiu Yueming. What he was worried about was when he got to the ground and found that the situation was not what he thought, it was like pushing him back into the abyss after giving him hope just now. If he can't return to his body, unless Zhou Deyun is willing, he can't even get rid of the identity of Mrs. Zhou from the perspective of law.
At that time, for him, death is the best ending. Whenever he thinks that he will not return to the military camp again, the blood of serving the country has nowhere to be poured out. However, it is possible to be imprisoned in the backyard, and to pass on the family for a certain man, and it is inevitable that the hair will stand up.
After several deliberation, Qiu Yueming asked Yuan Xianger, "I don't know if I can account for this trip?"
Yuan Xianger drank a few glasses of wine, and when she saw Qiu Yueming's worry, she took three coins out of her arms,
"Then try to make a hexagram, but what I have learned together with Zhanxiao is limited, and it may not be accurate."
She put the money in the palm of her hand, clasped her hands together, and recited a prayer. With a sense of sympathy in his heart, he threw three golden coins on the table in a row. After doing this several times, a hexagram of water and heaven is obtained.
"How is it?" Qiu Yueming asked eagerly.
Yuan Xianger deduced for a moment, "From the perspective of the hexagram, danger is ahead, sturdy and unlimited, righteousness is not poor, and it is beneficial to involve the river, and it is also meritorious. It means that although the future is a bit difficult, but because you have a strong character and adhere to the right path, After all, it will not be a dead end, and there will be good results.”
Qiu Yueming let out a long sigh, and finally a smile appeared on his face.
Zhou Deyun hurriedly said: "Little gentleman also makes a fortune for me?"
His companion said jokingly, "The member is asking about the same thing. Since this guy has a good divination, the member is naturally able to achieve what he wants."
Yuan Xianger's master, Yu Yao, is very good at the art of divination. Even her own apprentice was obtained by Master's one hexagram on a certain day. She has always been yearning for this Dao, but unfortunately she has never been very good at this Dao. After trying, I felt that the hand felt smoother than before, so I played the second hexagram.
"How is it, how is it? The lady must be very happy to see me pick her up." Zhou Deyun rubbed his hands together excitedly.
The wind whistled outside the window, Yuan Xianger looked at the hexagram for a long time, then raised her head to look at him, her face was a little strange, and hesitantly said, "The sky is windy, the world is windy, women are strong, soft and strong, don't use women..."
Seeing that Zhou Deyun's face had collapsed, she swallowed the last sentence "You can't be with you".
Zhou Deyun, from Yuan Xianger's point of view, is a typical scumbag common among wealthy people in this era.
But after walking together for so long, they are already very familiar with each other. Zhou Dechang is very good to communicate as a friend. He has a gentle personality, is generous, and has a wide range of hobbies.
Yuan Xianger couldn't bear to see his slumped appearance, and didn't want him to be so hopeful, but he couldn't get a good result in the end, so he couldn't help comforting him,
"My skill in divination is very inauthentic, and the ten hexagrams are inaccurate in eight or nine hexagrams, and I can't count them. Besides, there is an unresolved change in this hexagram, which means that there are infinite possibilities for things. Don't think too much ahead."
Wu Yuan, who turned into a human figure and sat at the table to eat, raised her head and asked, "What is it?"
Hu Sanlang interjected, "This is one of the hexagram images of human gossip. The hexagram word of Weiji says that the little fox is about to cross the river, but its tail is wet, there is confusion of yin and yang, and the image of things has not yet happened, but there are still Unlimited variables."
Yuan Xianger was very surprised: "You actually know this?"
"Well, I was with Sister Ah Qing before. She likes to deduce fortune-telling, and I have heard a lot. But Sister Ah Qing always said that although she is good at this, she can never account for the things she cares about most."
Yuan Xianger lowered her head and collected the three pieces of money. She couldn't see this hexagram very well. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, if Master was here, he would definitely know the direction of things clearly, not as vague as himself.
It turns out that the farther you go on the road, the more you realize that what you have learned is far from enough.
Wu Yuan stretched one arm around Zhou Deyun's shoulder, comforting the human who offered him food all the way, "Don't worry, all of us have passed, no matter who stops you, we can take you even if we grab it. My wife took it back."
"Don't be all depressed, and you haven't even reached the ground, you can't tell." Saburo turned into a young girl, "Why don't I sing a song for you."
She went downstairs and asked Hu Ji to borrow a sanxian, played the tune, cleared her throat, and sang a popular song,
"The ancient garrison is full of fire and cold, and the wilderness is heavy and white. The horns and feathers are brushed first, and the autumn leaves in the suburbs are startled. Who in the world is enlightened, and eavesdropping from the mountains..."
He lowered his eyebrows and smiled, and plucked the strings with ease. His piano skills were not necessarily perfect, but he had a kind of naive romantic, casual and free-spirited meaning.
The girl's slender ankles are tied with a string of silver bells, playing and singing, singing and dancing, singing with a long voice, and the bells are clear. The faces that blur the boundaries of gender, the spirit of the mountains, the voices of ghosts and gods, are scattered in the wind and sand here.
Hu Ji heard about Hu Xuan's dance, and the wandering child felt homesick when he heard it.
At the end of the song, the Luo skirt has been spun to Yuan Xiang'er's feet, the beautiful girl's hands are on Yuan Xiang'er's knees, and she looks at Yuan Xiang'er with her autumn eyes, "Ah Xiang, am I dancing well?"
"Okay! It is rare in the world to have two unique performances." Yuan Xiang'er did not hesitate to praise her.
"Then Ah Xiang, let's have a drink too." The green jade hand filled two glasses of sake, and was about to hand it over with a smile, when the girl suddenly felt a numbness in her scalp, and an icy chill climbed up her spine, as if in an instant He was thrown into the Ten Thousand Years Ice Cave. He didn't even have to look back to know that a pair of cold eyes fell on him behind him, with the terrifying pressure unique to the big demon.
"Hold, I'm sorry. I'm just used to it." Hu Sanlang shivered, and instantly turned back into a harmless little boy. He swiped to take back the wine glass, "I suddenly remembered that I'm not an adult yet, so I can't drink much."
He hugged Huqin and tucked his tail, and quickly slipped downstairs to return the qin.
"Hahaha, I told you to delusionally hook up with Axiang and occupy my favor." Wu Yuan laughed, "But what's so good about wine, my father said that I wouldn't be allowed to drink that before I was an adult."
Yuan Xianger remembered that she had never had a drink with Nan He. So he poured two glasses of wine and turned to look at Nanhe.
"Xiao Nan, can you drink? Let's have a drink
Since Xiao Nan has already reached the skeletal period, he is a wolf between an adult and a minor. A few drinks should be fine, right
The person beside her stretched out her hand, took her wine glass, and slammed it gently with her.
"can."
A voice sounded in Yuan Xiang'er's mind. Strangely enough, this voice had an inexplicable pungent sour taste.
Why does the voice have a taste, Yuan Xianger wondered incomprehensibly.