A herd of horses were galloping on the post road. The rammed earth road was very dry under the scorching sun. When the heavy horses' hooves stepped on it, a cloud of yellow dust rushed across the road.
Jingniang and the thin Qingxu rode on a horse, their heads wrapped in white gauze, so tightly that only two pairs of eyes were left. They were behind Guo Shao, where he could see them if he turned around. The others were not wearing armor, only cloth clothes, riding in a hurry without wearing hats, and everyone tied their hair with cloth strips, and each of them only carried short weapons and bows and arrows. The galloping horses, the wind whistled past, and the cloth strips on people's heads and clothes were blown by the wind, covered with dust.
The hurried sound of horse hooves was like the beating of war drums, urging Guo Shao's already burning heart.
Huashan, located in Guanzhong, was under the jurisdiction of the Zhou Dynasty. It was more than 200 miles east of Jingzhao Prefecture, now Xi'an. As long as everyone ran to Jingzhao Prefecture, they could reach it within a day. Jingzhao Prefecture in Guanzhong was an important place in the Zhou Dynasty. The post road was very peaceful and horses could be changed at the post station. Speed was not a problem; the problem was worry.
The group kept running, and by the afternoon of that day, they had already run more than a hundred miles out of Jingzhao Prefecture on the flat post road. Suddenly, there was a loud bang in the front, and a horse fell to the ground with its front hooves. The soldier on the horse flew forward, screamed in pain, fell heavily to the ground, and rolled several times before lying down. Guo Shao hurriedly reined in the horse, and he shouted: Brother, are you okay
The soldier struggled for a while and replied: It hurts so much, my lord, please go first, I have to wait a while before I can ride my horse.
When Guo Shao looked up, the horse had fallen to the ground and was foaming at the mouth. It was not dead yet, but it could not get up. He turned around and said: Leave one person to take care of him. If he is seriously injured, take him back to Jingzhao Prefecture to find a doctor to treat his injuries. After he said that, he took off the purse containing gold and silver from his waist and threw it on the side of the road, and then ordered everyone to change horses. Then he rode around the fallen horse and continued to run forward.
Soon the sky was covered with dark clouds and a sudden downpour began. This was the third time they had encountered a rainstorm in just a few days since leaving Guzhen. Summer downpours are common.
Thunder and lightning flashed between heaven and earth, and the wind whistled. Qingxu's voice came from afar: It's so cold. When Guo Shao looked back, Jingniang had quietly reached the end of the team. He understood that if the rain soaked clothes, it would expose her private parts, which was indeed inconvenient for women to go out. Last time when it rained, he accidentally saw her wearing wet clothes, and the outline of the white silk bound on her chest could be seen, just like exposing the bra strap in modern times. However, when riding a horse, the clothes dried very quickly as soon as the rain stopped. The temperature was relatively high, and there was wind blowing.
Qingxu, are you sure the Taoist in hemp clothes was watching Guo Shao at Huashan Terrace and shouted loudly.
What did you say? Qingxu, who was holding Jingniang's waist, shouted, but her words were not clear. Guo Shao then separated the long sentence and repeated it slowly. Qingxu also shouted loudly: I don't know. Master is in Taiguan most of the time, but sometimes he goes to Wudang Mountain.
Guo Shao was even more worried. What would happen if the Taoist in hemp clothes was not at Huashan
At this time, there was a storm, lightning and thunder, and the sky showed its great natural power. Even though Guo Shao knew that lightning was the collision of positive and negative charges in the clouds, he couldn't help but sigh: Is there really a destiny
The Taoist monk in hemp clothes has lived in Huashan Temple for a long time. If he is not there this time, is this destined by fate
That night, they had reached the foot of Huashan Mountain and were about to enter the mountainous area where the road was difficult to travel. Guo Shao ordered them to find a place to rest for the night and go up the mountain early the next morning. There was no need to find a guide, Qingxu knew where the Taiguan was. It was a Taoist temple that no one present had heard of. No one knew where it was, and for a while only Qingxu knew it. The Taoist in hemp clothes did not seem to like traveling around and giving lectures like Chen Tuan, and his popularity was not as good as his apprentice.
There are inns at the foot of Huashan Mountain, and there are more than one. Although the famous mountains and scenic spots of this era are not as lively as the commercialized scenic spots in the future, there are always many people who travel around to explore the mountains and rivers, and these people are generally not short of money; there is money to be made in a place, especially in Guanzhong, so there is no need to worry about food and accommodation.
Guo Shao and others randomly found an inn. He didn't think these places were shady places. Even if there were, they were mostly soldiers, and it would not be easy to do anything to them; not to mention that Jingniang was very cautious and experienced in the underworld.
The only problem was that Guo Shao insisted on staying in Jingniang and Qingxu's room at night. Jingniang didn't say anything, but Qingxu disagreed. She said angrily: Although she is a Taoist priest, she is also a woman. You, a man, want to stay in the same room with them. What do you want to do
Guo Shao had no intention of molesting the woman at this time. He said: You guys live in the warm room, and I will sleep on the floor here. Don't worry, I am the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards after all, and I will never do anything disrespectful.
Jingniang should have seen what he was worried about a long time ago, so she advised: I will take good care of Qingxu, and nothing will go wrong.
Guo Shao insisted and said coldly: Didn’t you say that you would obey me in everything
Jingniang said nothing and said: We are going to take a shower and change clothes, so don't look over here while you are outside.
Guo Shao was stunned for a moment, then walked outside the curtain and found a stool to sit on. When he heard the sound of water from inside, he gradually came to his senses and thought: How could I become so suspicious and petty? If a person cannot trust anyone and has to do everything himself, how much real work can he do
However, this should be the reason for his recent exhaustion. When people are anxious, they are prone to depression and oppression. He suddenly sighed and said: Why can't the people I care about the most see a good ending
The room fell silent for a moment. Even Qingxu seemed to sense his sadness and stopped yelling or arguing.
Guo Shao did not take a bath either, so Jingniang put a mat and blanket on him and he slept on the floor all night. However, he behaved like a gentleman and did not do anything dishonorable.
The next morning, after breakfast, they bought some dry food and filled their water bags with water. The store owner saw that they had brought many horses with them and kindly reminded them that it was impossible to climb Huashan Mountain because the mountain was steep and riding a horse was impossible.
Qingxu also said that it was impossible to ride a horse, so Guo Shao left a few people to stay in the inn, and then took the rest of the people up the mountain under the guidance of Qingxu.
As expected, the road was very difficult to walk on and very rugged. Some sections of the road were steps carved out of stones, and there were no guardrails on the outside. One had to walk carefully, otherwise one would fall down and die. Guo Shao turned his head and saw the mist filling the air. The mountain looked like a fairyland in the mist. In the mist like clouds, the pine trees on the rocks grew on the cliffs. This seemed to be a very common painting, the Welcoming Pine.
In modern times, he didn't have the time or money to visit this place. This was his first time back to Huashan, but he wasn't in the mood to travel. Visiting famous mountains and scenic spots is just to find a good mood. If you are anxious and worried about something, even if you see this fairyland-like scene in front of you, it will be in vain.
Everyone reminded each other to be careful and cautious, and walked from early morning to afternoon. Guo Shao had no idea which roads and mountains he had walked on, and no one was in the mood to introduce the names and origins of the mountains to him like a tour guide, so everyone was very silent along the way.
Finally, in the mountains and forests, we found an ancient Taoist temple, which was even a little shabby. Guo Shao couldn't help asking: Is this the Taoist temple
Qingxu said: Yes.
Guo Shaosui ignored his sore legs and quickened his pace. As expected, he saw a wooden door with some simple patterns carved on it. The door was not closed but ajar. From inside came a rhythmic and slow noise, as if someone was sweeping fallen leaves.
Guo Shao calmed down and walked forward and knocked on the door a few times. He thought: After all, I am asking for help from others, so I must respect them first before I can do the work.
Unexpectedly, Qingxu said: "Ignore him, he can't hear." She pointed to her ear and said loudly: "He is deaf and can't speak, he is a wooden man."
Guo Shao walked to the door and saw an old man with sparse hair and beard, who was sweeping the fallen leaves slowly in the yard. He swept very slowly. At this speed, it would take a whole day to sweep the whole yard.
The old man looked up at the person who came in. He looked at Qingxu and opened his mouth, then ignored the others and did not stop them. This place really seemed to be free to come in and out. And the old man sweeping the floor had dim eyes. He didn't look like a master sweeper at all. He looked like someone with Alzheimer's disease. How could a capable person have a pair of cloudy eyes like him
Qingxu said: It's useless to ask him, let's go in and see if our master is there.
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