Before Bai Ze had time to say goodbye to anyone, Ye Xuan brought a handwritten letter from Xie Xuan, saying that he would leave the city immediately and go straight to Hulao Pass.
It is necessary to enter Hulao Pass before Xian Zhen's 200,000 troops approach Hulao Pass, otherwise both of them will die.
Bai Ze knew the seriousness of the matter.
The two riders rushed through the Heyang City Road, exited the city from the rear city gate, and headed straight to the north despite the biting cold wind.
Starry night and journey.
Both of their horses were so tired that they foamed at the mouth and died of exhaustion at the end of the first day.
The two flew with their weapons and ran for thirty miles. They found a small town with people, bought two horses, ate some beef randomly, drank two pots of strong wine, and then set off on the road.
The two horses died of exhaustion sixty miles away from Hulao Pass. They fell headlong into the snow, neighed, and never stood up again.
"Commander Ye, let's make a big effort and let the imperial weapon fly over." Bai Ze said, Qingshuang unsheathed it.
"Okay." Ye Xuan had no choice.
The two of them were so angry that they rushed into the sky and headed straight for Hulao Pass. This is a race against death. If they don't get to the gate before Xian Zhen's 200,000 troops arrive at the city, they won't be able to enter.
By then, an army of 200,000 people will surround Hulao Pass, and not even two people, not to mention two mice, will be able to escape.
On the third day, as night fell, the two finally saw Hulao Pass. This gate, known as the most powerful pass in the north, crosses the remaining mountains of Dushan and divides the land of Yan into two parts, north and south.
The Dushan Mountain is vast and the majestic pass stands tall.
At a glance, it looks like a dragon is crouching and a tiger is perched, staring at all the people who are about to enter the pass.
The couplet "The emperor guards the gate of the country, the king dies in the country" is still hanging on the Hulao Pass tower, indicating the brutality of the war when King Yan Zhao and King Qi Cheng faced off here seventy years ago.
Feathers and arrows flew into the sky, covering the sky and the earth.
King Qi Cheng's 400,000 troops attacked Hulao Pass, and King Yan Zhao was shot in the eye by an arrow. The Yan army was horrified, but King Zhao of Yan continued to beat the drum, tore out his own eyes, swallowed them alive, and only shouted: "The emperor guards the gate of the country, the king dies for the country, and the ministers retreat!"
Seventy years later, those words still echo in the ears of scholars in the northern border, deafening and inspiring. It is a pity that the integrity of the kings of the Yan Kingdom since King Zhao has not been as good as the previous generation.
Today, the Yan Kingdom is almost exhausted.
"The emperor guards the gate of the country, and the king dies in the country." Bai Ze sighed when he saw the vigorous couplets on the tower of Hulao Pass, "There are so many stories about heroes in ancient and modern times, and they are all made up of jokes in the sand of time."
"He who dies but does not die will live longer." Ye Xuan said with a serious face, "King Zhao has been dead for seventy years, but the will and spirit of the late king have always lived in the hearts of the scholars in the north."
Bai Ze was noncommittal.
The two of them entered the customs before the sun set. The setting sun is like blood, covering the sky and the majestic pass red.
Bai Ze was taken to Hulao Pass by Ye Xuan, but he did not see Xie Xuan immediately. Instead, he asked Ye Xuan to take him to his temporary residence in Guan Guan.
Hulao Pass is called a pass, but in fact it is not much different from the city. Guanmen is divided into four categories of people, namely scholars, peasants, workers, and soldiers, corresponding to scholars, farmers, blacksmiths, and soldiers.
These people form a small world of their own, and studying for scholars is the only way out of Hulao Pass. Farmers cultivate the land and provide food. Blacksmiths forge iron to make weapons. If there is no military supply, they repair the city walls, including planning the buildings in the city.
As for soldiers, there is only one profession, which is to receive military training from the age of seven and grow up to become a guard at Hulao Pass.
Ye Xuan took Bai Ze to his residence in the city, which was an inconspicuous courtyard house. But there are lights and smoke in the courtyard.
But Ye Xuan told him clearly that Xie Xuan didn't have time to see him at the moment, and told him to wait for him where he lived first, and Xie Xuan would come to him in person later.
If Xie Xuan is not inside, then who is in this courtyard now?
"Bai Ze, I have something else to do. Let's go first!" Ye Xuan brought the person there. Before Bai Ze could ask him anything, he turned around with fists in his hands and left in a hurry.
"It doesn't look like I took it to the wrong place." Bai Ze muttered in his heart, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the door of the courtyard.
"Brother Yuan Fang, hurry up, the fire is almost out!" As soon as Bai Ze opened the door, he heard the girl's crisp voice coming from the kitchen of the courtyard.
"Come on, come on, the firewood is here!" A half-year-old boy ran out from the firewood shed on the other side of the courtyard, holding a handful of firewood, and ran towards the kitchen.
But as soon as he came out of the woodshed, he saw a young man in black armor with a sword standing in front of the courtyard gate.
"Who are you?" Chen Yuanfang didn't respond.
"Yuan Fang, it's me!" Bai Ze recognized the half-year-old boy at a glance. It was Chen Yuanfang who he had met when he and Xie Xuan went to Liuzhuang to eliminate demons.
"Ah!" Chen Yuanfang was so shocked that he dropped the firewood in his arms, rushed to Bai Ze in three steps and two steps, looked at it carefully, and shouted with great joy: "It's you! Xiaobai! Haha!"
"Long time no see!" Bai Ze was naturally happy when he saw Chen Yuanfang. I originally thought that Chen Yuanfang and the others would be in danger due to the war in the southern region and Xian Zhen's army passing through Heyang.
It seemed that the master was well prepared and had already taken them to Hulao Pass.
"Half a year!" Chen Yuanfang hugged Bai Ze excitedly, but was embarrassed to find that the young boy who was just a little lower than him before was already a head taller than him!
"Xiaobai, I haven't seen you for half a year, what have you eaten?" Chen Yuanfang was wondering, "Why are you so tall?"
"Haha, maybe it's because I grew up earlier?" Bai Ze laughed and changed the subject.
"Yuan Fang, who is here?" The door of the main room was pushed open, and an old man with a gray head walked out and asked.
"Master Liu, I am Bai Ze!" When Bai Ze saw the old man, his eyes suddenly lit up, he ran over and patted his chest, making a loud banging sound on his breastplate.
"Ah ha, little friend Bai Ze!" Liu Lingtong laughed so hard that he couldn't see his teeth. He walked down the hall and patted Bai Ze's shoulder. He was surprised and said: "Little friend, I haven't seen you for half a year. How about your cultivation?" But I can’t see through it?”
He didn't see through Bai Ze, but Bai Ze saw that Liu Ling had just made a breakthrough recently and reached the realm of Zhiwei.
It’s just that the 108 acupoints all over the body haven’t started to be cultivated yet.
"Hey, don't mention it." Bai Ze said with a helpless look on his face, "These past six months have simply been a bad life! If I hadn't been lucky, I wouldn't have died so many times."
"It sounds like there are many stories." Liu Ling sighed.
"Hey, little fairy!" Caiyun, who heard the commotion in the kitchen, threw away the iron spoon in his hand and ran out. When he saw Bai Ze, he shouted in surprise: "Is it really you? I haven't seen you for half a year. You look good. high!"
"Little sister, long time no see." Bai Ze saw Caiyun. The little girl was only one head taller than Qinglin's dwarf. She had braids and a rosy face. She was very cute.
Naturally, everyone was very happy when they were reunited.
"Caiyun, please rest, I'll come with Yuan Fang!" Bai Ze and Chen Yuan Fang slipped into the kitchen, laughing and joking, and took over the cooking work.
"That won't work!" Caiyun said, "I heard from the scholars here that a gentleman should cook far away! You two grown men can't cook in the kitchen!"
"Yuan Fang, are you a gentleman?" Bai Ze asked Yuan Fang pretending to be surprised.
"No." Chen Yuanfang added firewood to the stove, watched Bai Ze pick up a large spoon, and asked him: "Xiao Bai, are you a gentleman?"
"No!" Bai Ze laughed.
Seeing that the two of them insisted on cooking, Caiyun had no choice but to compromise and said: "Well, since you are so insistent, this is the only way. However, you guys can't make my best scallion pancake, so I want this Do it with your own hands!”
"No problem!" Bai Ze smiled.
"Xiao Bai, where have you been in the past six months?" Chen Yuanfang asked Bai Ze while lighting the fire, "You said just now that if you weren't lucky, you would have died several times. What happened?"
"Yes, yes, it sounds very dangerous!" Caiyun also asked, "Little fairy, what have you been doing for the past six months? I asked the old fairy, but he refused to tell me, huh! Stingy."
"Since you want to hear it so much, then I will be a storyteller and tell it to you!" Bai Ze started to tell the story while cooking. "By the way, Mr. Bai Ze left Liuzhuang and came to the majestic Heyang. city……"
Bai Ze picked up a few stories and told them to them.
Speaking of the thrilling part, both of them screamed slightly, looking very frightened.
"The Black Snake in Hot Spring Valley is so powerful!" Caiyun patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief, "Fortunately, you were swept away by the underwater undercurrent, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see you!"
"Hey, who am I?" Bai Ze boasted, "I am a man who aspires to become the Nine Provinces Sword Immortal. How could I end up in such an unknown place?"
"Oh, it's better to be careful." Chen Yuanfang said.
