In the afternoon, the sun was lazy and the wind was still blowing, but it was no longer as strong as before. There were only a few people on the long street, and a few stray dogs wandered around the door of the inn, eagerly watching the guests coming out of the shop, hoping to receive the leftovers.
Xu Feng explained some things to Shangguan Hongqin, and then got on the horse with Liu Ruyan and Xu Ziyi. Shangguan Hongqin and Chu Yunfei came to the street with a few children, and waved to the group of three people. Xu Feng pulled the reins, and the horse raised its head and hissed softly. After pacing for a few steps, Xu Feng turned his head long. After looking at everyone, the three of them turned their horses and ran towards the end of the long street. In the blink of an eye, the three cavalrymen disappeared on the street corner post road with a trail of smoke and the crisp and loud sound of hooves.
They were walking on an ancient post road. In the early years, the local government opened a secluded wild road leading to the outside of the pass specifically for transporting official grain, tea and cloth. The section of road that just left the market was fairly flat and open. Gradually, it penetrated into the vast mountains of the Qinling Mountains and passed through poor mountains and harsh waters.
This road is often passed by horse teams transporting goods, so it will also attract some bandits to block the road and rob it. In recent years, major cases of murder and smuggling have occurred from time to time. The government failed to track down the cases, so under pressure, they ordered all passers-by to show a pass issued by the government before passing through. Officers and soldiers were often dispatched to patrol along the route. After a period of deterrence, the bandits rarely appeared.
The three of them hit the horse more and more urgently, running wildly on the empty and quiet mountain road. After running through a village, they turned around a mountain pass and the mountain road continued into a deeper and dense forest. This is a large broad-leaved forest with large trees with thick branches. The ground is covered with broken branches and leaves, and a decaying and spicy woody fragrance exudes in the air. Some small and agile animals were jumping in the forest, and the sound of wild insects was everywhere.
After climbing over a long and slightly steep slope, there was suddenly a sound of running water in front of me. Xu Feng was running at the front. He pulled the reins, shouted softly, slowed down his horse, and turned around to shout to the two people behind him. "Let's take a break for now. There may be a small river ahead, and this is Yaozi Slope!" He pointed to a slope in front of him, frowning and said, "After Yaozi Slope, we will reach the Flower Market Station. We have been running for two hours. , at this pace, we can reach the foot of Huashan Mountain in another hour." He said, stopped the horse, held the saddle with his hands and turned over. Liu Ruyan and Xu Ziyi also stopped and dismounted. The three of them tied their horses to a tree trunk and sat on the ground on a stone by the roadside.
Liu Ruyan looked around and said, "Uncle is very familiar with the terrain here. If I walk this way alone, I will definitely get lost."
Xu Feng said: "I wandered around when I was young, and I have been to many places. This road was originally a commercial road for transporting government supplies. Later, bandits and bandits frequently occurred, and merchants changed their routes to avoid it, and it gradually became deserted. Now, it has become a refuge for all kinds of prisoners." He took off the water bottle hanging from his waist, raised his head and took a sip, looking at the place where the sound of running water came from in front of him and thinking.
Xu Ziyi suddenly said: "Senior Xu's heroic feats in the world were told by my master earlier. But for some reason, he retired from the world?" He looked at Xu Feng with admiration.
Xu Feng smiled faintly and sighed: "You can't help yourself in the world of martial arts! I'm ashamed to say that back then, because of a friend, I offended a powerful secret organization in the world of martial arts. Those murderous villains claimed that they wanted to destroy my whole family. I hid my friend in the cellar of my hometown to avoid being hunted. Unexpectedly, he was not able to escape and eventually died tragically under the knife of the other party. From then on, I formed a rift with that secret organization, and those people were looking for me everywhere. My whereabouts, fearing that the whole family would be in trouble, I secretly took them to Cuihua Mountain and cut off all contact with the world. Except for a few close friends around me, no one knew where I went." He A hint of imperceptible bitterness flashed through his sharp and firm eyes, and it passed away, and a smile appeared on his face instantly. It seemed that what he just told was someone else's story and had nothing to do with him.
Liu Ruyan suddenly said: "Brother Xu, you and I feel like old friends at the first sight. I am worried about having no one to accompany me. If you don't dislike it, how about we become sworn friends and become lifelong friends?" After he said that, he looked at Xu Ziyi with bright eyes. , eyes filled with incomparable sincerity.
Xu Ziyi smiled and said: "Why not? I went to Huashan with my master since I was a child, and I have never made many friends. Although I live a free life in the mountain, I often feel lonely and bored. I am very happy to know Brother Liu. From now on We treat each other as brothers, sharing blessings and hardships!" He chuckled, then looked around and saw large pink and white flowers blooming on a tree beside the road, so he stretched out his hand to pick a handful, and held it in the willow In front of Ruyan.
Liu Ruyan and Xu Feng were stunned when they saw this. Xu Ziyi said sternly: "There is nothing else here, only this white and fragrant fragrance. Why don't we pledge our oath through flowers? It just so happens that the old man is here, and together with the sky and the thick earth, we can be our brothers." Be a witness! From now on, we will have mutual friendship and will never be at odds with each other!"
Xu Feng looked at the two young men, stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes filled with admiration. Xu Feng held Liu Ruyan in one hand and Xu Ziyi in the other. They stood on a huge stone beside the mountain road and looked at the sun-drenched mountains in the east. It was like a magnificent mountain and river, like a colorful and magnificent picture scroll. Liu Ruyan and Xu Ziyi stood side by side, and Xu Feng stood between them. Xu Feng's eyes were bright and he said solemnly: "The sky is above, the loess is below, and a man stands between heaven and earth. Today, Liu Ruyan and Xu Ziyi meet by fate. , I wish to be brothers of life and death from now on! We cannot be born in the same year and on the same day, but we wish to die in the same year and the same day. Please protect the two kind-hearted children from all walks of life! I use this blessed place to swear an oath to heaven, and from now on, we will be dependent on each other in life and death!" He is honest and honest! said in a loud voice, and after that, he folded the hands of the two young people, and the two strong hands held each other tightly. The two of them looked at each other and nodded in the direction of the westward-moving sunlight.
Liu Ruyan looked at Xu Ziyi with shining eyes and said, "Brother Xu!"
Xu Ziyi also replied seriously: "Brother Liu!"
Xu Feng laughed loudly and said: "Come on, let's rush to Huashan. Gu Zhi will see you soon. One will call him uncle and the other will call him master. It is destiny that you can become brothers."
The two young men nodded happily towards Xu Feng, got on their horses, and the sun shone on them, casting their riding postures on the ground. A cool wind blew from the distant mountains, blowing their clothes, hair tips and colorful sword tails.
The three people galloped along the desolate and silent mountain road. After running for a short distance, there was the sound of running water in the forest ahead, and a clear spring in the valley flowed among the rocks, hitting the big rocks and splashing white waves. Several white cranes were walking back and forth by the stream in search of food, and some birds were jumping in the forest, chirping non-stop.
The three of them ran non-stop, and before long, they had run several miles away, running along the forest stream. There were few traces of people along the way, but squirrels and hares emerged from the forest from time to time, and occasionally wild monkeys could be seen.
The rapid sound of horse hooves broke the silence of the mountain forest, and another burst of running ran wildly. The stream on the roadside suddenly disappeared, and the forest became sparse. An open land suddenly appeared in front of it, and the sloping downhill road appeared. Everyone looked at each other and smiled knowingly, and the horses beat faster. , and ran away down the slope. This long slope leads directly to the foot of the mountain, surrounded by green field crops. There are still some families living on the mountain, perhaps villagers working in agriculture. There are several streets running across the foot of the mountain. From a distance, they are crowded with people and quite lively.
Not long after, the three cavalrymen had rushed to the foot of the mountain. There were shops of all sizes on both sides of the street in front, with various shouts and shouts coming and going. There were taverns hung with colorful flags and cloths, and handicraft shops making various exquisite bamboo wares. The smoke and dust filled the air. Stone mills, iron shops with sparks flying, and occasionally Kung Fu performances of a few people dancing with swords and guns can be seen in the middle of the street. It is a lively and prosperous scene.
Xu Feng said: "This is Huashiyi. After passing this small town, not far ahead is Huashan Mountain."
Xu Ziyi smiled slightly and said: "Senior Xu is right. Although Huashiyi is just a little-known place, it is a world of flowers. When the flowers bloom every year, there are people picking and selling flowers everywhere, and even the air is filled with flowers. The scent of flowers." As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Ruyan, "Brother Liu, can you smell the scent of flowers?" He suddenly smiled brightly at Liu Ruyan, with a look of innocence unique to young people.
Liu Ruyan smiled, stretched her neck and sniffed the air, and said, "It really smells good! Brother Xu is very familiar with the surrounding area. Do you also like flowers?"
Xu Ziyi shook his head and said: "This is the boundary of Huashan Mountain. This town is only three to five miles away from Huashan Mountain. I have to go down the mountain every ten days and a half to collect rice, noodles, oil and incense, all at this market. So. , I know a little bit about the abundance of flowers here. The master likes to grow flowers, so I often go down the mountain to pick some nurseries to bring back. I happened to pass by here, and I brought some honey for the master, he likes to drink honey water. "
Liu Ruyan said with an moved expression: "You have taken care of my cousin all these years and never leave me. I want to thank you on my behalf! If you can be of any use to your brother in the future, just ask Brother Xu!" He stretched out his hand and patted Xu Ziyi's shoulder.
Xu Ziyi smiled and waved his hands, saying: "Brother Liu, please stop saying polite words. Since we are brothers, we should work together in the same boat. Come on, let's go over and have a look!"
Xu Feng looked around, smiled, waved his hand and said: "Go quickly, let him be happy too! I'll wait for you at the street corner in front." Maybe he felt a little tired, so he led the horse to the eaves of the house and put it under the eaves. The horses were tied up and sat alone on the curb stone to rest.
Xu Ziyi and Liu Ruyan strode towards the end of the street. The street was bustling with people, and the sounds of various hawkings filled their ears. Most of the people who came here to go to the market were nearby villagers, and there were also vendors and footmen in strange costumes. There were often government inspections. Therefore, this place is an important route for customs clearance. The government has stationed troops to check passing passengers every day. Some caravans passing through the border need to hold customs clearance documents issued by the government before they can enter or exit.
The two came to a mountain goods shop called "Zhenxiuzhai". Some customers gathered around the shop. The shopkeeper was a short and fat man about fifty years old, who greeted the customers enthusiastically. There were all kinds of wild products on display in the store, and Liu Ruyan immediately saw the honey in a glass jar in the window, with the word "wild honey" written on the jar.
Liu Ruyan pointed to the jar of honey and asked the store: "Shop, how much does the honey cost?"
The short, fat man at the counter adjusted his reading glasses and said with a smile: "Oh, a jar of this honey costs five taels."
Xu Ziyi frowned and said, "Can the store be more affordable? In the past, I only bought three taels of honey, why do I have to sell it for five taels today?"
The short and fat shopkeeper hurriedly explained: "Little brother, you don't know something. Now is the end of honey harvesting. The supply of wild honey exceeds the demand, so the price is naturally higher. This is naturally different from the early stage of honey harvesting. Haha, so Well, how about I give you a little less?"
Liu Ruyan stopped bargaining and immediately asked the store owner to bring out two large boxes. He reached into his pocket and took out a few silver coins and handed them to the store owner: "Seller, that's four taels of silver."
