"When I mentioned Taoist Ji, you said you didn't know anything... were you lying?" Su Li said looking at the expression on his face.
Chen Changsheng could only remain silent, because he was not very good at lying.
Su Li said to himself, "Then what are these old guys trying to push you out of?"
Dialogues happened frequently, and there was often no need for an answer at the end. Chen Changsheng couldn't find the answer, and Su Li only took a short time to think about it.
After confirming that Da Zhou's cavalry was really far away, Chen Changsheng carried him on his back, passed through the black willow forest, and continued walking towards the south.
As the walking or running continued, the weather got warmer, and the scenery they saw was getting closer and closer to the real weather. In Kyoto, it should be thick spring now, and it is already late spring in Lishan in the south, but it is still a bit cold here, and you can still see scattered snow as far as you can see. Fortunately, there are already some stars. Dots of greenery.
Looking at the green grass sprouts re-growth from the weeds that died last year, Chen Changsheng remembered that it had been a whole year since he left Xining Town, and so many changes had taken place in this year, even though he was still an official Every time a young boy looks back, he will inevitably have some emotions that a middle-aged person would have.
After passing through a farmer's settlement called Wolitun, there were some changes around the two of them. There was an extra car pulled by two muscular deer.
Chen Changsheng sat in front of the car, pulling the rope around the deer's neck, and uttered a few calls of unknown meaning from time to time. He might want to imitate the methods of those farmers, but it was obvious that the two deer couldn't understand his commands. , Fortunately, the general direction is not wrong, in short, walking to the south. The south is still far away, but as long as you keep going, it will always get closer.
Su Li was lying in the car, with a thick quilt under his body, a smooth and flexible animal skin covering his body, a yellow paper umbrella by his side, food and drink by his side, a bamboo flute in his hand, and brought it to his lips. From time to time, she made a clear and beautiful voice, looking extremely comfortable, and there was no miserable feeling of being seriously injured and fleeing.
After walking for another two days, in front of the official road, you can faintly see a khaki-colored city, which is different from the military fortress you saw at first. The inside is extremely bustling and lively. If you want to reconnect with the human world, there is no doubt that this is the most convenient place.
Chen Changsheng turned his head to look at Su Li, and asked with his eyes if he wanted to enter the city.
Su Li was holding a piece of fur and was carefully wiping the holes on the bamboo flute, but he ignored him.
Chen Changsheng understood, but he still didn't understand. He shook his head, pulled the rope in his hand, and let the two furry deer pull the cart down the official road, through the slightly hard fields, and around the khaki-colored city.
There is a birch forest in the south of the city. Thousands of birch trees are not thick, but rather thin and straight, like swords, growing from the ground and piercing the sky.
It was late spring, but the birch forest in the frigid zone hadn't grown too many green leaves, and the sight was not blocked in any way, and one could see the opposite side of the forest several miles away.
Meeting Lin Moru, this is not the experience that Su Li taught Chen Changsheng to walk in the world, but an old saying that he has seen countless times in those miscellaneous notes.
Chen Changsheng gently tightened the rope, signaling the two deer to stop.
He didn't perceive any danger, he just did it subconsciously.
Su Li sat up with difficulty in the carriage, and the bamboo flute in his hand had been inserted into his waist at some point, and it was replaced by the yellow paper umbrella.
Looking at the silent birch forest, he suddenly said, "Here we come."
What's coming? Naturally, the enemy came, someone who wanted to kill Su Li came.
Chen Changsheng's mood became tense in an instant, he jumped from the car to the ground, untied the rope around the furry deer's neck as fast as he could, and slapped their thick buttocks twice with the scabbard, The fur deer suffered from the pain and ran in the opposite direction towards the birch forest, but this kind of animal has a gentle temperament, so it didn't run far. Standing tens of feet away, it looked at Chen Changsheng, looking very confused, as if he didn't understand why. To beat yourself.
"You are worried about their life and death, what should I do?" Su Li was very angry, looking at Chen Changsheng and said.
Chen Changsheng held the scabbard and said, "Senior, do you want to go in?"
When he had just left Xueling Hot Spring, he had asked Su Li, but Su Li was unwilling, and it seemed that Su Li had not changed his mind until now. Su Li sneered and said: "I'm going in, what if you die? I don't want to put my life on others, let alone a weak guy like you."
Chen Changsheng thought to himself that this really made sense. Although senior is unable to fight now, his combat experience and wisdom are hundreds of times better than his own. With him by his side, he can always help him a little. There was no movement in the quiet birch forest. He asked a little uneasy: "What should I do next? Should I rush into the woods?"
Su Li didn't understand what he meant at all, and asked, "What are you doing rushing into the woods?"
Chen Changsheng said: "Senior said yesterday that the most important thing in a battle is the moment when the defense turns into the offense. If one can truly catch one's surprise, then even the most powerful opponent may be defeated."
Su Li glared at him and said, "So you're going to rush into this forest, find that man, and kill him?"
Chen Changsheng nodded honestly.
Su Li raised his forehead and said, "Do you know what realm that assassin in the woods is?"
Chen Changsheng shook his head honestly.
Su Li said angrily: "Then you are going to rush in like this? You want to die?"
Chen Changsheng was at a loss, he didn't know whether to nod or shake his head, he thought for a while and said, "Isn't this... doing things according to the teachings of the seniors?"
Su Li was furious, and said helplessly: "You have to understand, what I said, first of all, it must be based on the fact that you and your opponent are at the same level. Even if you are worse, you can't be too far behind."
Chen Changsheng said: "But the original words of the senior clearly said... No matter how strong the opponent is, he may be defeated."
Su Li said angrily: "Rhetoric, this is rhetoric! Do you understand rhetoric! Exaggeration is a language art!"
Chen Changsheng lowered his head in silence, and after a while, he couldn't help raising his head and asked, "Then what if we really meet an opponent far stronger than ourselves?"
Su Li's answer was extremely concise and clear: "Run, or kneel."
escape? Chen Changsheng's speed with Su Li on his back may not be faster than the assassins who have never appeared in the woods. People who are engaged in the profession of assassins have always possessed faster agility and speed than ordinary practitioners. kneel? Like Su Li, Chen Changsheng would not entrust his life to others, even the most trustworthy person, let alone someone who wanted to kill him.
You can't escape or kneel. In fact, there is another way to deal with it, and that is: wait.
Chen Changsheng drew out his dagger, looked at the silent birch grove, looked at the green shoots that were getting darker from a distance but hard to spot when viewed up close, and waited for that person to appear.
That person never showed up.
Time passed slowly, and his hand holding the sword became a little sore, and he shouted to the woods: "Come out, he saw you."
Su Li didn't expect him to do such a thing at all, and shook his head at the sky, feeling ashamed to be with them.
Still no one responded in the woods, Chen Changsheng lowered his voice and said, "Senior, it seems that the method of luring the enemy is not easy to use."
The previous conversation between him and Su Li could even be said to be a dispute, but naturally it couldn't really be a dispute.
Looking at the quiet birch forest, Su Li said thoughtfully, "That man has left."
"Huh?" Chen Changsheng was a little surprised.
Su Li lay back in the carriage again, put down the yellow paper umbrella, and picked up the bamboo flute.
Under Chen Changsheng's call, the two fur deer walked back slowly, and were tied around their necks by the rope meekly.
The bamboo flute was clear and set off again.
…
…
In the following journey, Chen Changsheng became a lot more silent, or more like his usual self—only when facing Tang Sanshiliu and Su Li, did he talk more.
His current silence is of course because of the assassin who will appear at some point.
Just as sometimes it is more powerful not to speak than to speak, an enemy who does not appear is always more terrible than an enemy standing in front of you.
Su Li was the same as usual, he couldn't see any anxiety at all, the bamboo flute continued to play, the wine continued to drink, and the injury continued to heal, just like lying in the Xueling Hot Spring that day, very comfortable and peaceful , as if he was not seriously injured, but just taking an ordinary trip.
Chen Changsheng watched everything in his line of sight vigilantly. He was under a lot of psychological pressure, and some things he thought of made him feel more and more heavy.
Encountered two killers in the army stronghold, Da Zhou cavalry searched everywhere, indicating that as Su Yan guessed, the black robe counted them in the direction of escape, and passed the news to some forces in the human world, those forces What's next? If the Holy Empress ordered Su Li to be hunted down, did she know that she was with Su Li? If he knew, would he let those strong men and assassins kill him as well? If it's... the big shots in Li Palace want Su Li to die, do they know that he is still alive? Or are the demons deliberately concealing their existence
One evening, eight hundred miles away from Tianliang County, the deer cart stopped again for a rest, and the twilight was as thick as blood.
Chen Changsheng told Su Li all about his uneasiness without any concealment. No matter what problems there are between him and Su Li's camp, since he didn't leave Su Li behind in the snowy ridge, he didn't leave Su Li halfway. The reason Su Li left behind, they are sitting in the same car now, so naturally they have to face the coming storm together.
"Not too many people will know the news that I was seriously injured, the reason I have told you a few days ago. Let's analyze the assassination encountered in the military camp... If such a crude and ridiculous behavior is also regarded as an assassination Then, if you think about those hundreds of Zhou Qi, you can see very clearly that neither they who want to kill me nor I who want to be killed by them are unwilling to let the whole continent know about it."
Su Li picked up a branch and drew a map in the mud, pointed to the straight line and said, "They don't need to surround the points to send reinforcements, so there is only one reason why there is no movement until now, our speed is too fast , so that after breaking through the front line of the Northern Army, those people had no time to send a strong enough manpower to kill us. If this is regarded as a war, their main force is on the way... "
Chen Changsheng squatted aside, listening attentively.
These days, this kind of scene has happened many times. Su Li usually behaves extremely indecently, but at this time, he is very serious. He taught Chen Changsheng how to distinguish the traces of wild animals and people, and how to distinguish which plants are edible. , which bacteria is poisonous, what is the most important thing in battle, and even taught him how to march.
Apart from swords and cultivation, he taught Chen Changsheng many things.
Chen Changsheng asked again: "Senior, why on earth did you teach me these things?"
Want to choose a future Pope for the Southerners? That might be the real answer, but it's not enough.
"Because I taught Akiyama."
Su Li threw away the branch and said, "He has been studying with me for a month. If there is enough time on the road, I will also teach you for a month. Give me back the yellow paper umbrella, and I will take you away from the snowfield , the two have been offset, but you did not leave in Xueling, so I owe you a favor, you can just treat it as my return."
"Favour?"
"In the future, you will always compete with Qiushan. I hope you will not fall too far, and be as fair as possible. This is the favor I will give you back."
After Xueling Hot Spring, Chen Changsheng was once again moved by Su Li's senior demeanor, and said seriously, "I didn't return that yellow paper umbrella to senior, but I just borrowed it from you."
Su Li looked at him quietly, and suddenly laughed: "I'm not used to this warm scene, so I want to break it deliberately?"
Chen Changsheng said, "Yes."
Su Li said: "I'm not used to it either, so don't ask me similar questions in the future."
Chen Changsheng looked at him and said seriously: "Senior, you are really a good person."
Su Li looked at him and said seriously: "Don't say such things again."
"Why?"
"Because you will know in the future that I have never been a good person in the traditional sense. I am moody, and if I disagree with you, I will violently kill people."
"But I really can't tell... Well... Senior, although the words just now were intentional, in fact, the yellow paper umbrella is indeed mine."
"Hey, it seems that you really don't believe that I will violently kill people!"
"Senior, if you can still violently kill people now, why did we dare to leave in the middle of the night?"
If the words are not speculative, there is no need to say any more. In the deepening twilight, Chen Changsheng began to prepare dinner and camping utensils.
Su Li looked at the busy young man by the fire, squinted his eyes slightly, and slowly played the bamboo flute in his hand, wondering what he was thinking.
As the twilight receded, after simply eating the barbecue, Chen Changsheng put out the fire to ensure that it would not become a bright light at night.
There was nothing to say all night, and when the morning came, the morning breeze was slightly cool, with the smell of dew and green grass, which made people feel refreshed. The two fur deer walked happily, and they walked more than ten miles away in a short time.
There are green plants growing on the large fields, which may be sorghum, but these sorghums have just begun to grow, and they don't have the appearance of the green gauze curtains in the legend, let alone conceal their figures.
So Chen Changsheng saw the man in the field at a glance.
It was a handsome man with full armor and seven long knives on his back, which were extremely bright in the morning light.
Doesn't look like an assassin at all.
…
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