(2)
Travelers from all directions seem to pass by these three forked roads. They speak different local accents and talk about different anecdotes. The sound of toasts, the bustling traffic of passers-by, and the simple but prosperous "forest shop" all together form a charming "river and lake" painting. The four people who had just finished eating the "Jianghu rice" were like fledglings seeing the world for the first time, observing everything around them timidly and curiously.
Zhao Kuo was sipping the farm wine and looking at the passers-by. He felt that it was time to hurry up and asked Bai Feng: "Brother Bai, is it time to check out and leave? I think the characters are confused here, so the old woman must be She knows something, why don’t we give her some advice on the road ahead?”
Bai Feng nodded in response. After a while, he called over the old woman who was clearing away the dishes on another table and asked, "Mother-in-law, do you know of any villages or towns on the east side where you can stay?"
"Are these young people going somewhere?" the old woman asked.
Murong Yan replied: "Mother-in-law, we are going to Jiangzhou."
"Jiangzhou?" The old woman thought for a moment and then said: "I remembered that the guest at the next table is from Jiangzhou. You might as well ask that gentleman for advice. Also, the nearest place to stay is in the east. , only Qianfeng Town at the foot of Qianfeng Ridge is about a day’s journey away.”
"Ah! Then where shall we sleep tonight?" Zhao Xiaomei said.
Zhao Kuo laughed and said, "When you go outside, do you still want a silk bedding? If you don't want to, you can just change your route and go back to dad."
The younger sister glared at Zhao Kuo angrily and turned her head to the other side with a "hum" sound to express her inner dissatisfaction. Bai Feng and Murong Yan had already walked to the next table, wanting to follow the old woman's words and ask about the guest. When Zhao Xiaomei saw this, she wanted to abandon her brother and follow Bai Feng. It can only be said that these two are indeed brother and sister. Just when the younger sister had these thoughts, Zhao Kuo had already left his sister's side and walked to Bai Feng. The younger sister had to follow with a slight complaint.
"Sir, I heard that you are coming from Jiangzhou, so I would like to ask what should I pay attention to along the way?" Bai Feng asked with cupped hands.
The short, fat man who was drinking heavily in front of the table had a red face. The silk brocade on his body was tightly wrapped around his body, so that his big belly was clearly visible, and his half-white goatee just reached his throat. When he saw the boy and girl suddenly appearing in front of him, he reacted extremely calmly and replied: "Jiangzhou? Although Jiangzhou is good, it will never be as good as his hometown!"
Bai Feng and Murong Yan looked at each other, confused. At this time, Zhao Kuo and Zhao Xiaomei had already come here, and the four of them sat around the man.
"May I ask some of you, why are you going to Jiangzhou?" the short and fat man asked.
Murong Yan replied. "We are going to find someone!"
"Oh!" The man nodded repeatedly and said: "To go to Jiangzhou, you have to pass through Qianfengling first, and then walk two days to Wandeng Town. When you get to Wandeng Town, you can choose to take the waterway or the land route. The waterway only takes It takes one and a half days to get to Jiangzhou, but it will take longer to take the land route, and bandits are rampant on the land and dangers are everywhere. Therefore, it is better to go to Wandeng Town by land and then transfer to Jiangzhou by water."
"Thank you so much, sir." Zhao Kuo said.
"Oh, it's not as easy as I said!" The man stroked his beard and said, "To cross Qianfengling, you have to have a local Miao person to guide you!"
"Then... what should we do?" Zhao Kuo sighed.
After everyone was silent for a moment, Bai Feng asked the gentleman, "Based on what you just said, could it be that your hometown is in Yangcheng?"
The man replied: "Oh! My little brother guessed it right."
"Actually, this junior is also from Yangcheng..." Bai Feng replied with ulterior motives.
"Fate, fate!" The man exclaimed: "I have never seen anyone from my hometown in so many years in a foreign country. I always thought that Yangcheng had been completely wiped out by the Xianbei people..."
"Sir, seeing that I can still speak here means that Yangcheng still exists!"
"Little brother, because you and I are destined, I will give you this token to help you have a smooth journey." As soon as he finished speaking, the man took out a wooden token from the bag with fine patterns carved on it. The word "order" in the middle.
"This is it?" the other four people asked in unison.
"This is the pass token used by the Chamber of Commerce in Jiangzhou where I am located. Give it to the leader of the Miao people, and someone will take you out." The man continued: "I plan to spend the rest of my life in Yangcheng, so this thing is I'm like a waste."
Bai Feng accepted the token and said gratefully: "Thank you sir! I wonder if you would like to give me your last name? This will help the younger generation repay your kindness in the future."
"Duckweed wandering has no roots. You wanderers from the end of the world don't ask. I once wanted to travel to the end of the world with a sword like you, but now I just want to fulfill my wish! Hahahaha..." After the man's heroic and hearty laughter, he said to The four of them said goodbye and returned home.
Several people gathered around the wooden token with exquisite patterns carved on it. While sighing at the skill of the person who created it, they were secretly glad to have met the noble person, and then they drove their horses happily towards Qianfeng Forest. When the sun is still shining, the surrounding scenery can be described as green and lush. All you can hear are the beautiful and harmonious sounds of nature from birds and insects; all you can smell is the fragrance of grass and flowers, and there is nothing unpleasant about it. Make what should have been a tiring journey become unexpectedly relaxing and comfortable. But at night, everything became different.
The four of them expected to spend a night in the wild. Bai Feng and Zhao Kuo went to collect enough dry firewood for one night, and it was already dusk when they returned to the other two. Several people chose to set up a bonfire in a clearing among the trees next to the road and sat around, hoping to spend the night.
But the long night can't be dealt with casually, not to mention that most of the people in front of the campfire have never had similar experiences. Zhao Xiaomei looked at the darkness around her, with a gust of wind blowing from time to time. She felt a fear she had never experienced before radiating from her heart to her whole body and even to her bones. She asked with a trembling voice: "How about... let's talk, I don't want to sleep now anyway."
"Then what does the eldest lady want to say?" Zhao Kuo asked in a mocking tone.
the younger sister asked. "Then... who are the Miao people?"
"Oh!" Zhao Kuo replied: "The Miao people are a group of people who live in the mountains. They are generally extremely xenophobic, so without that token, it would be difficult for us to pass Qianfengling."
Bai Feng said while holding the token. "This token is so exquisitely carved, I'm afraid it was also made by the Miao people..."
Several people chatted around the campfire until they began to feel sleepy, and then they all leaned against the nearby tree to rest. In order to ensure the safety of several people, Bai Feng and Zhao Kuo decided to take turns to keep vigil, with the former keeping watch for half the night and the latter keeping watch for the rest of the night. After the other three people fell asleep, the boy who was still keeping vigil took out the copper bell placed on his waist. While shaking it gently, he looked at the sleeping Murong Yan thoughtfully:
He had spent such a night countless times. But it was the first time to spend time with such special people.
At the end of the first half of the night, Zhao Xiaomei, who was trapped by the darkness and many inconveniences in the wild, woke up from her sleep. She opened her tired eyes in fear and looked at Bai Feng, who was still vigilant. Seeing this, the latter would naturally go to care about her situation.
"Miss Zhao, are you okay?" Bai Feng walked over, crouched in front of the little sister, and asked.
The younger sister thought to herself that this was an excellent opportunity, just him and herself. There were some things she wanted to ask the young man in front of her clearly. Zhao Xiaomei took a deep breath, wiped away the fear on her face, tried her best to look as beautiful as during the day, and asked Bai Feng: "Bai... Young hero, what is your relationship with Miss Murong..."
"This... I can't explain clearly..." Bai Feng said suspiciously, "She said... she is my destiny."
"What about you? I only care about what you think."
"She...saved me, so I want to repay her."
Zhao Xiaomei knew in her heart that this might not be Bai Feng's real answer, but at least now, the boy did not tell her that she had feelings for Murong Yan, which meant that the girl still had a chance to occupy a place in the boy's heart. Bai Feng already knew that Zhao Xiaomei had special feelings for him, but he only treated her as the sister of a close friend, so he would not respond to this feeling.
Zhao Kuo on the other side heard an unusual noise and woke up keenly. He looked in the direction of Bai Feng and Zhao Xiaomei and asked, "Brother Bai, what's wrong with my sister?"
"I'm afraid Miss Zhao hasn't adapted to the life of sleeping in the open air, so she doesn't have a good rest." Bai Feng replied.
Zhao Xiaomei said coquettishly: "Brother, I can bear without silk bedding, but there are not even soft pillows here. I really can't sleep! Why don't you lean on my brother's shoulder, okay?"
"Oh, look at other girls Murong, how can they be as pampered and pampered as you..." After saying that, Zhao Kuo sat next to his sister, using his shoulder as a pillow, and coaxed the little sister to sleep. He himself stayed on duty for the rest of the night until dawn.
