The weather in the afternoon became more and more sultry, and the caravan never stopped. At a glance, the team was huge. Because there were many goods, the caravan was not moving very fast.
After walking for three hours, they stopped at an open space by a stream in the wilderness near the Fairy Temple.
It's late at night.
Everyone in the group was so tired that they fell on their backs and their stomachs were rumbling with hunger.
As soon as the team stopped, many people occupied a place by the stream. The caravan's clerks, martial arts masters, driver drivers, and passers-by and ordinary people who followed the caravan with their families, gathered together in groups of three or five, or in twos and threes. People gathered around the car.
Some people even lit a fire by the stream to cook porridge for dinner.
Lighting fire can drive away wild beasts in the forest.
I don’t know if it’s because it’s late summer and autumn, but although it’s hot during the day, it’s a little cool at night.
Yuan Ying found a good place to take shelter from the wind at night and let her horse eat in a place with abundant water and grass.
She picked up firewood and started a fire.
There is no shortage of wood in the forest, and dead wood can be split or chopped for free use.
Dongfang Qingfeng sat on the side of the fire and threw a few pieces of wood she picked into the fire. There was a copper pot hanging on the bonfire with hot water boiling in it. After the water boiled, Yuan Ying scooped out the hot water. Pour into a bowl.
"Ancestor, the steward of the caravan took us thirty taels each! He said he would provide three meals a day."
"...As a result, when I went to get the food, you couldn't even guess what they were supplying us. They were so stingy!"
Que Qingyue sat on the other side far away from Dongfang Qingfeng. Yuan Ying found a square stone from somewhere and made a low stool for her. It was covered with soft silk cushions and she sat comfortably on it.
She was looking at the burning fire when she heard this and looked up at her, "Is there anything else you dislike?" Yuan Ying is not picky about food.
"Tell me, what was given?"
"It's two pieces of hard rough cake for each person. The kind that can break your teeth if you bite it. I have good teeth and can still bite it. Grandpa, if you take a bite, you will vomit. If it goes rancid, I will throw it away. I gave it to the horse to eat. Fortunately, I was afraid that there wouldn’t be enough food on the road so I bought some steamed buns.”
As she spoke, she took off the box, took out a clean and soft white cotton bag, and took out a plump, white steamed bun that was soft and fragrant with the aroma of wheat.
"Ancestor, please wait, I will roast it over the fire. It will taste more delicious this way."
"Yeah." Que Qingyue lowered her head and saw fallen leaves on her knees, and she caressed them away.
"Why are there already fallen leaves at the beginning of autumn?" It's not late autumn yet.
She glanced around casually. This place was backed by a hillside, and there was a wild willow tree not far from her.
By the Yagyu River, this is normal.
She looked away, took the bowl next to her, and took a sip of water.
Soon, Yuan Ying plucked the white willow branches and handed the roasted steamed buns to Que Qingyue.
Que Qingyue weighed the wide sleeves upward, exposed her hand, and took it.
She didn't need to bake it herself, she just took one into her mouth and asked Dongfang Qingfeng opposite if she wanted to eat it.
Dongfang Qingfeng, who was sitting by the campfire adding firewood, was watching every move of the master and servant.
This ancestor of the Que family is dressed in white clothes that are not stained by the world.
If you are not walking in the wilderness, you may want to keep the soles of your shoes away from the ground to ensure they are spotless.
Wherever she wanted to sit, she would either use a mat or a bamboo mat, and she would not sit down until the maid had laid it out.
If it was not paved yet, she would wait beside it until it was paved.
At this time, this outfit is tight at the top and loose at the bottom. There is a silk blouse on the outside. Under the firelight, you can see the exquisite white embroidery on the blouse. The embroidery is not ordinary. It is not the common crab apples and peonies, but a picture of white cranes in the pine forest. .
Very particular.
There are two pieces of decorative ribbons on the shoulders and armpits. The silver threads are intertwined and sparkle when reflected by the fire. They are both solemn and elegant.
And they are all made of silk.
The steamed buns need to be baked before they can be eaten, the hair needs to be combed by the maid before it is satisfactory, the water needs to be poured, the carriage needs to be supported, and even if two leaves fall on the head, the waiter will probably have to help her take it off.
The ninth sister in the palace took people out incognito, which was nothing more than that.
Dongfang Qingfeng looked at her up and down out of the corner of his eye before looking to the other side.
Most of the people at the back of the team paid the money to buy the way with them. Men, women, old and young each took one side, and everyone put their baggage in their own way.
They were a family of four diagonally behind them. The man had just come over to borrow a fire. Although he looked embarrassed, he took a few more glances at the man next to him who was eating a steamed bun while someone else was baking it.
But there should be no problem.
The problem is with the person opposite.
Wearing short robes, wearing fans and sharpening knives, there are five people in one group.
It was obviously just a temporary team.
This was why Yuan Ying was collecting firewood and Liu Sichen was getting dinner, but he had been sitting here without moving.
It's all because of the Que family's ancestor sitting on the stone.
What a hassle.
But if he leaves, her maid will be in trouble.
However, even as he sat here, he kept looking at the five people coming over, and one of them actually had the guts to come over.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
The person who came was tall, fair-faced, and well-dressed, but his eyes were about to fall off.
A look of astonishment on his face.
"The Su family in Xiayun City, I heard that you are also going to the Drunken Dragon Stall. I wonder if you can go together and make friends along the way so that you can take care of each other?"
Before Dongfang Qingfeng could speak, Yuan Ying stood up while biting the steamed bun.
She had just arranged her ancestor's hair, and even the silver hairbands and beads hanging neatly behind her ancestor's hair.
Silver silk and mutton-fat jade are strung together and look very beautiful hidden in the black hair.
As soon as he tucked the comb back to his waist, this boy with a sinister face came over.
There happened to be a stone next to the fire, and she punched it casually.
The stone suddenly flew into pieces and shattered into pieces.
Many people around looked over, and suddenly there were faint sounds of inhalation.
"roll!"
That person probably didn't expect a woman to be so violent.
He quickly glanced at the handsome man sitting by the fire on the right, leaning on a knife, with his arms folded across his chest and looking at him with an indifferent expression.
The person sitting on the other side lowered his head to adjust his sleeves and didn't even look towards him.
"Haha, in that case." He forced out a smile and said, "Then I'll take my leave."
When the five people sitting around saw their companions returning home defeated, some of them suppressed their laughter, laughed at them, and some showed disdain.
"Brother Zhao, although you usually have a reputation as a romantic, you are just like a widow in a flower house. If you take a good look at others, do you dare to think about this?" He patted Zhao on the shoulder, "As a human being, the most important thing is The important thing is to be self-aware.
"Besides, I haven't even looked at you. Judging by your demeanor, you must be from a famous family. Don't think about it. Come on, it's better to drink and eat meat!"
"But I, Li Yucheng, have never seen such stunning beauty..."
"That's all, Brother Yucheng, a beautiful woman in the moonlight is not like a human being."
"Haha, I just said, Brother Zhao, don't ask for trouble."
One of the men in purple clothes and holding a fan said: "When you go out, the most important thing is your eyesight. You all saw that the woman's kick just now had at least five hundred kilograms of gravity, which is called divine power. Brother Yang Qing, you are more knowledgeable." ,What do you think."
Among the five people, there was a man with a scar on his face. He didn't speak until the man in purple said so. He nodded and looked at the man opposite who was reflected in the firelight. His unicorn armor shone brightly, "That's true. "
Zi Yi said: "And you see, the man on the right who has not moved all the time, he is wearing the Kirin Armor that can only be passed down by a family with meritorious deeds for generations!"
"What? Is that Qilin Armor?"
"A in the palace?"
"Looking so young, is he a child of a noble family?"
"Can't afford to offend."
"Have you never heard of such a person in Yuncheng? Forget it, as long as we are commoners, let's not cause trouble."
"Have you heard that the caravan plans to travel overnight tonight? Is there anything wrong with the Fairy Temple?"
"I stayed overnight at the Fairy Temple, so there's no problem."
"I heard that this Fairy Temple used to be a village. Later, bandits came, killed everyone, and set fire to it. In the end, only the Fairy Temple was left."
"Why call it the Fairy Temple?"
"It is said that someone here was close to becoming an immortal, but unfortunately he failed. After his death, the people called him a land god and worshiped him, but it was just a legend..."
…
Liu Sichen came back with something in his hand. .
"Why have you been gone for so long?" Dongfang Qingfeng's knife was inserted directly into the soil. He had been leaning on his knife. When he saw Liu Sichen, he sat upright.
Although nothing was said along the way, everyone was hungry.
Liu Sichen opened the package he brought: "I am an old acquaintance with some martial artists in the caravan. I got some food from them. Eating steamed buns is boring. I saw they just caught a white sheep. From there. I got some mutton and seasonings, and will make some mutton soup for a while.
It’s autumn, I’m afraid we’ll have to drive through the night tonight and eat some mutton to drive away the cold…”
"Driving at night? Why?"
Dongfang Qingfeng looked at the piece of meat tied with straw rope in his hand. It was quite big.
"According to the martial arts master, it is too dangerous to rest in the wilderness. It is safer to go all night while you have enough strength. Once you get out of the Fairy Temple in front and arrive at Sifang Town, it will not be too late to rest there."
As he said that, he took out another package of things from the bag and opened the oil paper on it, revealing soft, white pastries with a little red.
Seeing this, Dongfang Qingfeng raised his hand from his left arm when he saw his subordinate turn around and put the pastry towards the other side.
"This is Yuncheng's specialty, rose rice cake. It is made with the finest rice milk. It is made from the largest wild roses in Yuncheng. It is fragrant and fragrant. Miss Que, you came to Yuncheng in a hurry, so you must not have eaten it. , I snatched it from the martial artist, you guys have a try..."
As soon as the pastry was taken out, there was indeed a rose scent.
Yuan Ying was greedy, so Liu Sichen offered it again and again, but it was hard to refuse the hospitality. Seeing that it was just a snack, she took it for her ancestor.
"There are also some candied nuts. I know girls like to eat these..." Liu Sichen gave them all to Yuan Ying.
Next to him, Dongfang Qingfeng silently retracted his hand, crossed his arms and squinted at this guy who had forgotten his friends.
If you knew what this person was like, you would have told him to take off his armor and return to his fields, so that he could go home and eat himself.
He raised his sword eyebrows slightly and leaned back on the knife in displeasure.
When the water in the copper pot boiled, Liu Sichen took a knife, cut the cooked mutton into thin slices, threw it into the pot, and added seasonings.
He also got a small jar of wine from an acquaintance.
The four people sat around the fire. The pot of meat in the middle was full of aroma, which made many people by the river swallow their saliva and eat two more steamed buns.
"Okay, okay, the meat is cooked this time, eat it quickly!" Liu Sichen greeted a few people.
"It smells so good."
Dongfang Qingfeng held a chopstick of cooked mutton. When he raised his eyes, he saw the rich ancestor of the Que family sitting on the stone.
Her maid was sitting on the floor leaning against her. This maid was already tall and had long legs.
Probably because it squeezed her, she changed from sitting upright to leaning slightly, with her arms on her knees, her white shoes slightly exposed, and her feet slightly tucked in to support herself.
The maid Yuan Ying was taking a bite of half a steamed bun, and the rolled meat was delicious.
But she didn't move her chopsticks, she just lowered her head and slowly tore the buns apart.
Liu Sichen next to him also noticed, "Miss Que, why don't you eat it? This sheep is freshly killed and the meat is very fresh."
As he said that, he took the bowl and said, "Don't be embarrassed. I'll pick out some cooked pieces for you, and drink more mutton soup to keep away the cold..." After saying that, he scooped out a bowl of meat and soup.
"Yes, this meat is quite fresh."
When he passed the bowl halfway, Yuan Ying stretched out her hand to stop it. She took it and explained: "Unfortunately, my ancestors cannot eat meat. Give me this bowl of meat. I can eat it..."
"Xuanmen disciples, can't they eat meat?" Liu Sichen was a little surprised.
"I have seen some people in Xuanmen who also drink wine and eat meat."
"That's them. Our ancestors are different, she?" Yuan Ying turned and glanced back at Que Qingyue: "...different from ordinary people."
As she said that, she put down the bowl and clapped her fingers: "First, don't eat onions, second, don't eat garlic, third, don't eat coriander, and fourth, don't eat anything with a peculiar smell, including meat, seafood, anything that runs on the ground, or swims in the water. She won't eat anything that barks on the tree, or anything that smells fishy, and won't even drink goat's milk, let alone mutton that smells fishy. She has a lot of problems..."
As soon as Que Qingyue bit a piece of steamed bun in her mouth, she heard Yuan Ying sitting at her feet talking nonsense.
She habitually raised her hand at her: "You have itchy skin, right?"
Yuan Ying immediately shrank her neck.
When Que Qingyue saw the person opposite looking at him, she finally pretended to roll down her sleeves and took her hand back.
Save some face for her.
This silly girl is so arrogant that she still dares to arrange for her?
Liu Sichen looked at it so much that he forgot to eat the meat, what a good boy! The ancestor of the Que family turned red and became more vivid when he became angry.
It looks more delicious than meat, it’s really terrible.
It turns out that this is how beautiful and delicious food comes.
Dongfang Qingfeng put the meat into the bowl and said with a half-smile: "Oh, she doesn't eat anything that runs on the ground, flies in the sky, sings in the trees, or swims in the water, so what do your ancestors usually eat? Is it possible that you will be full just by drinking wind and dew every day?”
He mocked seriously: "If you don't eat or drink every day, can you still become an immortal?"
Que Qingyue had just hit Yuan Ying, and her sleeves were not straight. She was pinching the cuffs and looked at him after hearing this.
I understand, this Dongfang general seems to have a lot of dissatisfaction with himself.
She looked at him and smiled at him.
Putting the toasted bun aside, she slowly took out her unused chopsticks, rolled up her sleeves, and fished out a piece of mutton from the pot herself.
After a pause, he thoughtfully put it into Dongfang Qingfeng's bowl.
"General Dongfang, you're welcome. How can I compare with you? Look, you are a general. You are so majestic in this unicorn armor with blood stains on it. You are smelling of blood. No one within ten miles dares to approach you. , It doesn’t matter whether I eat it or not. General, you eat more mutton, it is a great tonic for the smelly food, so you must be good at nourishing it.”
Liu Sichen next to him lowered his head and made a "pop" sound, choking on a sip of wine.
Dongfang Qingfeng turned back and glared at him.
He couldn't bear to smell the scales on his body.
Very good, this Que family person really holds a grudge.
Looking at the pot again, the mutton does have a strong smell.
He hesitated, put down the meat bowl, picked up the wine bowl next to him and took a sip.
"Where did this wine come from? What kind of wine is it?" A strange smell hit his forehead.
"Ah, this..." Liu Sichen hesitated, and finally looked across the way, approached the general, and whispered: "General, this is aphrodisiac wine."
"Zhuang, what?"
"It's for replenishing vitality! Mainly replenishing vitality!"
"We have to go on a night journey at night. The martial arts masters say that this wine is useful and can make people have endless energy. Their martial arts masters often trek at night and when their physical strength cannot keep up, they like to drink this..."
"I can't keep up with my physical strength? Liu Sichen, you!"
"No, no, no, general, it's me, I can't keep up with my physical strength! It's me!"
As he spoke, Liu Sichen moved and lost his grip on the wine bowl, letting it fall to the ground.
"Oh, this wine..." Liu Sichen quickly stood up, "It's okay, it's okay, I'll get another bowl." After saying that, he kicked the bowl pieces aside.
"etc."
Que Qingyue happened to see the broken bowl and immediately raised her hand to stop it.
This bowl...
Broken very cleverly.
Six petals split unevenly in place, but they all fell to the ground.
"What's wrong? Miss Que?" Liu Sichen saw her staring at the fragments.
"What kind of wine is this?" Que Qingyue asked.
"Um, this..." Why are you asking this? Liu Sichen touched his nose, not sure what to say, but the next moment, Que Qingyue, who was staring at the bowl, said it for him.
"People who chase escorts like to drink aphrodisiac wine. This is Yang wine..."
Que Qingyue said to herself: "Wine is Yang wine, and the bowl is the whole Yin hexagram. Yin is strong and Yang is declining..."
At this time, someone from the front shouted: "Those behind, it's going to rain. The leader wants you to pack up quickly and get on your way, and go to the Fairy Temple in front to take shelter from the rain."
rain?
Que Qingyue looked up at the sky.
There are no stars or moon at this time. If it rains again, wouldn't it mean that the world is full of Yin?
"The Fairy Temple is close to here, only half a mile away. If you are lucky, you won't be able to catch up with the rain. General, Miss Que, Miss Yuanying, let's pack up and leave quickly." Liu Sichen said to several people.
Dongfang Qingfeng pulled out the long knife and stood up, but Que Qingyue was still sitting on the stone without moving. She began to look at the wild willow tree next to her.
When Yuan Ying saw that her ancestor didn't move, she didn't move either and continued to eat.
The wild willow is completely shaded, and it has just entered autumn, when other wild plants are flourishing, and it begins to lose its leaves.
At this time, a gust of wind happened to blow, causing the hair on her forehead to flutter slightly, blocking her sight. She immediately clamped the tangled hair on one side with her fingers, and at this time, the leaves were blown off the tree again.
Fall towards her.
I counted exactly six slices.
Que Qingyue faced the leaves, waved her sleeves, and the leaves fell to the ground.
She stood up at once: "Oops, it's not good. Yuan Ying, go away quickly. This place is a place of total yin. The sun will disappear tonight and the yin will increase. If this rain really falls, the weather and the right place will bring out evil spirits."
After saying that, he lifted up his clothes and saw that Yuan Ying was still eating. He reached out and patted her on the shoulder, saying urgently: "Stop eating, pack up. We won't follow the caravan. Get out of here quickly!"
Seeing that everyone around her was rushing towards the caravan, she took out a pure white silk handkerchief from her sleeve, pinched her sleeve, pulled out a stick of charcoal from the fire, hurriedly wrote a few words on the white handkerchief, and handed it to the person next to her. The man said: "General Liu, let the martial artist you know give it to the Celestial Master of this caravan. I hope he can understand it."
It is not easy for a Celestial Master like her to speak nonsense in front of the Celestial Master invited by the caravan, so she can only do this.
After saying that, she turned around and was about to get into the carriage.
People around are packing their things and following the direction of the caravan. Soon the caravan will start again.
Everyone followed the caravan, but the rich ancestor of the Que family suddenly wanted to leave the caravan. Liu Sichen took a handkerchief and looked at Dongfang Qingfeng: "General, look at this..."
"Didn't you say that she was born in the Que family, a famous Celestial Master's mansion?"
Dongfang Qingfeng stood tall and watched her carrying her clothes and getting on the carriage, and he asked Liu Sichen.
"Yes, but she." Liu Sichen reminded in a low voice: "The wooden sign hanging on the waist is..."
"Our mission on this trip is to escort her to the capital, not to escort the caravan." Dongfang Qingji's sharp eyes shot at Liu Sichen.
"I understand." Liu Sichen turned and left.
Dongfang Qingfeng held the knife in one hand, crossed his arms behind his chest, and looked at the two figures in the carriage indifferently.
"Moto Sakura! Hurry up!"
Yuan Ying couldn't bear to part with the pot of meat, so she directly picked up the pot and said, "Here it comes, here it comes."
When Que Qingyue was carrying her clothes and getting on the carriage, she turned around and saw Yuan Ying following her with a pot: "What are you doing? Bring the pot over, you foodie."
"Keep it far away, don't sprinkle it on me, sprinkle it on me, I'll give you this pot and throw it on the ground!"
