The most chaotic area in Xijun is the Panmaling area. This place was originally an unknown mountain range. It was precisely because of the rugged and difficult terrain that it was like a tortoise and a snake fighting each other. It was full of dangers. No matter where a good horse came from, it would have to cross its legs honestly when passing through this place. Otherwise, it would be dangerous. If you walk more than a hundred steps on this ridge, sooner or later your horse's feet will be cut off by loose rocks, and it is common to roll down the mountain. That's why it got such a dangerous place name. It is very difficult to walk.
But although this place is dangerous, if you want to get out of Xijun from south to north, the only shortcut is over this mountain ridge. Although other routes are feasible, they will delay the journey for at least ten days. I mean, it's really too procrastinating.
The Shaowu Escort Bureau has recently taken on such a business. The guest has to go north from the ancient town of Shaowu to the outside of Panmaling, and then go to the northern border of Yizhang. During the first half of the journey, people from the escort agency were required to escort them. Firstly, this was to avoid being intercepted by the gangsters. Secondly, the terrain of Panmaling was complex. If you were not careful, the horse carriage tent would roll down the cliff, and the lives of several people accompanying you would be at risk. I'm afraid I can't even protect him. Then he gritted his teeth, took out three hundred taels of silver and put it on the escort office desk. After saying all the good things, he gathered together thirty or fifty escorts and went to Panmaling to escort him.
It's not that the head of the escort agency is entrusted with the task of guarding against horse thieves and rogues along the road with a formation of thirty or fifty people, but that the boundary of Panma Ridge is too dangerous, with gravel rolling down all day long on the ridge and strong winds undulating, let alone on the ridge. It would be difficult to set up an ambush and hold out for several days; as for the northern border after passing Xialing, there were soldiers stationed there all the time, and few people dared to plunder in front of Yi Zhang's army.
Therefore, the most difficult part of this trip is still how to cross Panmaling safely. Experience is more important than skill. The master's arrangement is actually very appropriate.
Today, the convoy traveled fifty miles outside Panmaling. It was already getting late. The escort leader shouted, and the convoy slowly stopped. A group of people started a fire and planned to drink a bowl of warm soup and eat dry food.
"Boy Han, why are you everywhere? If I remember correctly, you have been escorted six or seven times in the past ten days. At least you have to save dozens of taels of silver, and you are in a hurry to return to your hometown to get married. ?”
A strong man picked up two bowls of meat soup from the campfire, walked two steps and sat on the rocks, handed a bowl to the boy next to him, and then asked with a malicious smile. The young man took the bowl, shook his head and laughed at himself, "Thank you in advance, brother, but making money is not for getting married, but for repaying debts. You must be debt-free and light-hearted before you dare to think about marrying a girl, right?" ?”
"Looking at your appearance, you don't seem to be the type of person who is addicted to gambling, nor do you seem to be a member of the family who is too poor. At first, several old brothers and I guessed which hidden sect you, Han Jiangling, belong to. My disciples went out to practice, and they looked so handsome but were able to wield such a heavy sword. How could any ordinary sect be able to practice it?"
"That's half right," the young man said with a smile, "The hidden sect doesn't dare to take this position, and it's hard to find traces in those realms. I do have the heart to become a disciple and learn Dharma, but other immortals are not willing to accept it. But the second part of the sentence is handsome. Four words, I accepted it with a shameless smile."
The man grinned and said, "Before I could say that you are fat, you were already out of breath. Go back ten years and before I entered this industry, my appearance was much more handsome than yours. You were really famous for your eight shops in ten villages." The handsome young man who came to propose marriage almost leveled the threshold of my house."
The young man nodded heavily, "I think so. Even if Brother Xu is exposed to the weather and his face is wrinkled, he is still very powerful. How about one?"
The man named Xu didn't hide it either. He wrinkled his nose and cursed, "You have a very good nose. If you want to save the good wine and enjoy it slowly, sooner or later you will be able to smell it. Give it to you and drink it." , don’t tell anyone else.”
After taking the gourd, the young man rarely said a few good words and rubbed the man's arms, "What are you hiding for yourself? Good wine must be paired with good scenery. The scenery is desolate now, so naturally I want to find good people to drink with. I will drink first as a token of respect, little brother."
"If you, Han Jiangling, are a good man, I will be our general in the north of Yizhang." Seeing the young man drink up most of the gourd in one gulp, the man's flesh ached, and he punched the latter in the heart, "This is good wine, don't be careful. Savor the taste, isn't it a waste? Drink slowly."
As night fell, it was still a bit cold. The thick fog blowing all the way from the north of Panmaling Mountain was like a light rain. The trees and dead grass were covered with mist, and even the tarpaulins used to wrap the horses were covered with water. From time to time, water drops rolled down.
The big man surnamed Xu was not in a hurry to take a rest. Instead, he left all the people in the escort agency and went to Han Jiangling who was polishing his epee by the stream. He opened his mouth and asked, "Boy Han, what do you think about going to Panmaling now?" With our manpower, do we have more or less?"
At this moment, Han Jiangling was putting the black-edged heavy sword in his hand into the stream, sharpening it on a rough and broken sharpening stone. He moved his shoulders and waist together. When exerting force, his muscles all over his body were flowing. He looked up and saw the man running towards him. He was stunned for a moment. He was stunned, but he still opened his mouth and replied, "If you don't encounter bandits, the manpower is just right, but if you encounter an unexpected disaster, the thirty or fifty people now, although their skills are not low, will appear weak."
"This time, our bodyguard really looks down upon Panmaling." The man also sighed, sitting on the rocks by the stream and sighing. "I don't know about the other people, but my nephew's home is not far from Panmaling. In the past few years, many families had been robbed by thieves, and even many girls from good families had been raped by these thieves who came and went without a trace. In the end, the whole village had to leave their homes and move away together, so as to avoid being bullied again. Tiger and Wolf Lair, if we encounter a group of thieves, we will lose our lives if we don’t make a good deal of it.”
Han Jiangling didn't say anything, he just sharpened the thick sword blade and his thin profile became colder and harder.
The man was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Don't sharpen it, it sounds scary. What are you doing sharpening your sword in the middle of the night? It sounds disturbing."
"Nothing, I just remembered a few old friends. They all died on the road last time, and I was the only one who escaped from death. They were all excellent people. I miss them a bit when I say it." Han Jiang Ling was still sharpening his sword. He picked up a handful of water from the stream and poured it on the blade of the sword. "Thieves in the world all belong to the same family. If we meet him this time, we will have to collect more debts."
It was just a handful of water splashing, but the murderous intent was several times stronger than the sword sharpening action just now.
The man actually wanted to laugh a few words. Although you are a good swordsman, you can't compare to the pair of Emei thorns on the escort leader's hand. If you really encounter a large number of bandits, you will only vomit blood and kill two or three.
But in the end, he just replied in a low voice, "Don't forget to count me in the escort business. Who doesn't want to kill a few more thieves? Maybe more, so that in the future, friends from the same hometown will not be killed by others." ghost."
"That's the truth." Han Jiangling nodded and continued to sharpen the dark heavy sword.
The sound of swords clanging, and the murderous intent layer upon layer.
