It's past three o'clock in the afternoon, and the sunlight is shining through the dense forests in the mountains, still very warm.
The originally quiet and deserted tree-lined avenue became a little lively with the appearance of this group of people.
Everyone has been running on the mountain road for two hours. It is not far from the foot of the mountain. They strive to reach the foot of the mountain at sunset.
The horse's four hooves were tumbling, and it was flying through the avenue. Not long after, it had run out of the jungle, and the bright white sunshine filled the hillside, making people unable to open their eyes.
Just after leaving the jungle, a green hillside appeared in front of us. There were herds of cattle and sheep on the huge hillside, lowering their heads to eat the grass. At the foot of the hillside were a group of farmers' houses with green tiles. Light smoke was rising from the chimney on the roof, and under a cliff in the distance was the rippling blue water of a lake. In the vast mist, several small boats were faintly visible floating on the lake.
The group of people stopped their horses on the hillside. Xu Feng tightened the reins, looked around, and said, "We have left the forest. Let's take a rest!"
Liu Ruyan looked around and asked, "Brother Lu, where is this place?" He stared at the lake under the cliff in the distance and said quietly, "Look, there is a big lake under the mountain!"
Lu looked south into the distance and said solemnly: "This is Xifeng'ao, the only way to go down the back mountain. The cliff in front is Thanksgiving Cliff, and the lake under the cliff is Bilan Lake."
Seeing the magnificent scenery all around, Luo Xiangxue sighed: "What a beautiful place! Even these place names are so beautiful!" She raised a smile at the corner of her mouth, looked at the mountains and rivers in front of her, and glanced at Liu Ruyan.
Lu Xiangnan continued: "There is a ferry by the lake. It is said that there is a strange old man with a broken arm who punts at the ferry all year round. No matter it is sunny or rainy, he stays at the ferry every day, but not everyone can carry him. , it is said that before boarding the ship, you need to answer a question from him. As long as the answer is correct, he will take the people over, if the answer is wrong, he will not welcome the guests!"
Everyone was surprised and looked at Lu Xiangnan in confusion. Expecting him to continue, Lu Xiangnan smiled and said: "It is said that this one-armed old man was a stranger in the world in the past. He was good at astrology, divination and five-element formations, and he knew many martial arts. He was very talented. A powerful character. But now he has withdrawn from the world and is sailing alone here because he was abandoned by a woman he loved deeply, so he saw through the world and had the idea of giving up on himself. I heard that this man is very weird, he is not someone else They all carry people across the river. Whether you can get on his boat depends on his mood. If he likes you, he will even take you without paying. If you don't like him, he may not be willing to pay you double the money. Come on!" He looked at the rippling blue lake in the distance.
Everyone was shocked when they heard what he said. Luo Xiangxue opened her eyes wide and sighed: "I didn't expect there to be such a strange person? He must have suffered some serious blow to become like that?"
Lu Xiangnan said quietly: "No one knows his origins, let alone his martial arts skills. They only know that this man is very skilled in martial arts, and no one dares to mess with him! He stays on the ferry every day, and seems to be living a good life." A life of isolation!”
At this time, a young sheepherder drove a group of goats over from the mountain pass in front.
The shepherd looked to be in his early twenties, wearing a blue plain suit, a round felt hat on his head, and holding a wooden whip. He was shouting and driving the sheep while looking around.
After turning the pass, he drove the sheep towards this hillside. At this time, he saw a few people standing here. He couldn't help being startled, slowed down, and looked this way a few more times.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the shepherd, and Liu Ruyan said, "There are quite a few shepherds here!"
Lu Xiangnan said slowly: "Yes, most of the mountain people here make a living by shepherding sheep! The folk customs here are simple, and few people from the world walk around. However, thieves often appear, and the goats of herdsmen are often lost inexplicably, and some are stolen. , some were eaten by wolves!”
Luo Xiangxue's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "What? There are still wolves here? Wouldn't the people living here be in danger?"
Lu Xiangnan smiled lightly and said: "The herdsmen who have lived here for a long time have a set of strategies to deal with wild wolf attacks. Although wild beasts often appear, the villagers have been dealing with wild beasts for many years and have accumulated a lot of knowledge. Rich experience in evasion. Therefore, they can survive in such a place where wild beasts often appear, and some methods are simply unimaginable to us."
The shepherd had already come closer and looked at these people with great vigilance. Perhaps because he rarely saw strangers, he was suddenly full of curiosity.
Everyone was looking at him, but Lu Xiangnan had already walked up and greeted him with his hands raised: "Brother, please tell me, is the road down the mountain behind the cliff in front still passable?"
The shepherd was stunned, staring at the crowd with a look of surprise on his face, and said, "Who are you?"
Lu Xiangnan smiled slightly, clasped his fists and said, "Oh, this fellow, we are passing by. We just passed by this place. I wonder if it is easy to walk from the cliff in front?"
When the shepherd saw that they did not look like evil people, he relaxed his vigilance. He turned to look at the cliff opposite and said, "There is a road leading to the bottom of the mountain next to the cliff in front. Oh, but there are two. There are feasible roads, one is called the Prince's Road and the other is called the Yellow Ox Road. The Prince's Road is narrower but farther away. Although the Yellow Ox Road is closer, it is steeper. Which one do you want to take?" He said this and was about to rush off with his whip. Sheep, those goats have come to the hillside, munching on the grass.
Everyone looked at each other, and Xu Feng suddenly said: "This fellow is shepherding sheep here. He must be a local. He is familiar with the terrain here. In the opinion of this fellow, which road is suitable for us to take?"
The shepherd looked at him in surprise, thought for a moment, and said, "Both of these roads can go down the mountain. The Prince's Road leads directly to Qingfeng Temple at the foot of the mountain, and the Yellow Ox Road leads to the lake. But I don't know where you are going?"
Lu Xiangnan smiled lightly and said: "We need to go down the mountain before dark. If we want to stay at the foot of the mountain for a night, then we should take the road to Qingfeng Temple!"
Liu Ruyan and Luo Xiangxue looked at each other, and Liu Ruyan said to Xu Feng: "Uncle, it's getting late, let's hurry up!"
Luo Xiangxue also frowned and said, "Yeah, if you can't get down the mountain before dark, it will be troublesome! Besides, there are wild animals here. What if you encounter a tiger or a wolf or something?"
Liu Ruyan glanced at her, smiled, and said, "Xiangmei, tigers and wild wolves can eat people. If we really encounter them, what do you think we should do?"
When Luo Xiangxue heard what he said, her face suddenly showed fear, and she said in a loud voice: "Ah, we won't be so unlucky, right? If we really encounter it, we can't fight it, and we can't escape, then we can only wait to die. Already?" Her eyes widened, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.
At this time, Lu Xiangnan spoke: "Hey, Liu Shaoxia, please stop scaring Miss Luo. Don't worry, we won't be so unlucky." After saying that, he smiled at everyone, which was considered as comfort.
