Bai Hao also came forward. Murong Feiyu didn't seem to be good at chatting. He stepped on the horse and leaned on the horse's back, looking towards the hilltop opposite: "I have one more thing to confirm. If you are fine, just go your separate ways here."
Dongfang Shiming was not in a hurry. In addition to Murong Feiyu, he was also very interested in the identities of the group of people on the hilltop opposite.
"Then let's go together." Dongfang Shiming said, turning around and reaching out to pull the lock of the carriage's lanyard, and forcefully separated the rope of the carriage from the horse, "We will go up with you."
"..."
Murong Feiyu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not refuse. Dongfang Shiming got on the horse first, then took Bai Hao's hand and pulled her up. The two of them rode on the same horse and followed Murong Feiyu towards the opposite hill.
When hiking in the mountains, you can feel the strong cold wind coming down the mountain. However, it didn't take long for the three of them to find the bodies of several ambushers.
Several ambushers were killed by an arrow in the heart. Walking back along the mountain road, there were seven or eight people in total.
Murong Feiyu dismounted, pulled out the arrows one by one, wiped the blood on them with a soft cloth, and threw them back into the quiver on his back. When the last person picked everything up, Bai Hao couldn't help but admire him: "Your archery skills are so amazing."
"Nothing strange." Murong Feiyu didn't even raise his head.
Dongfang Shiming squatted beside the ambushers, searching between their pockets and waist bags with his fingers. But apart from a few concealed weapons, no other identification was found.
"Why would they do something like this?"
Dongfang Shiming stood up slowly, "Mr. Murong, do you have any clues about them?"
I didn’t expect anything, but what I didn’t expect was that Murong Feiyu said without hesitation: “These people are most likely [wanderers] from Heling, Qichuan.”
"Qichuan Heling?" Bai Hao couldn't help but think of something, "This name... is a bit familiar."
As she spoke, her eyes glanced at Dongfang Shiming's face, and as expected, Dongfang Shiming also recalled something.
Qichuan Heling, isn't it the place where there are still doubts about the mysterious rivers and lakes. The sentence in Taoist Shoumei's last poem, "The name of Qichuan outside the river is Heling, I look for the thief on a snowy night, but he can't find it." This line points his suspicions directly to this place.
Bai Hao carefully saw Dongfang Shiming's fist twitching slightly, and the muscles in his cheeks gently tensing and relaxing.
Dongfang Shiming's feet were grinding with snow and sand, and he asked calmly: "Master Murong...how did you judge?"
Murong Feiyu had already mounted the horse, patted the horse's back and turned the horse's head neatly, preparing to go down the mountain. After listening to Dongfang Shiming's questioning, he thought for a moment: "There is no judgment. Qichuan Heling [Wanderers] often do evil in this area, and they are the ones who die most under my arrows."
After riding in silence for a while, he added a little: "If you want to know how to judge their identity, you can look at the earrings on their left ears. This is their characteristic. Some have one earring, and up to three."
"I see..." Dongfang Shiming muttered, "Thank you very much."
Murong Feiyu's horse went faster and faster, and Dongfang Shiming and the others needed some effort to catch up. Murong Feiyu in front of me just said "No need to thank you" lightly, and he didn't say much.
The three of them quickly returned from the mountain, and the snow and dust lingered under their feet. Dongfang Shiming buckled the strap of the carriage back on the horse, turned around and asked, "I haven't asked yet, where is Mr. Murong going on this trip?"
Bai Hao lifted the reins and tilted her head. Murong Feiyu originally planned to leave at a gallop, but was stopped by Dongfang Shiming's question. He hesitated and said: "I have no plans yet. I just heard that the painters of the plaques for the Autumn Curtain Painting Banquet came out recently and invited people from all over the world. If you are interested in going to have a look, I just took a detour and met you."
"Autumn Curtain Painting Banquet!" Suddenly, Bai Hao became excited and laughed, "What a coincidence! We also planned to take a detour to see it!"
Murong Feiyu didn't believe it when he heard this. When he looked at Dongfang Shiming in the carport, he saw him smiling and nodding.
"Master Murong, please don't blame me." Dongfang Shiming said, "That's true. This time, the eldest son of the Bai family and Bai Hao's brother are also participating in the selection. This is a rare opportunity, so naturally I have to go and observe."
Seeing that Murong Feiyu's expression didn't seem very happy, Dongfang Shiming asked again: "Mr. Murong... do you mind going with us?"
"...No, let's go together." After struggling for a moment, Murong Feiyu still shook his head, lifted the reins, and the horse's hooves immediately stepped forward. Bai Hao was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and galloped forward to pursue him.
The snow in the valley is still some distance away from the rumored autumn curtain painting feast. The three of them traveled for a day and a night, and finally arrived at the location of the Autumn Curtain Painting Banquet - Huangse Chunlan.
The mountains turn into hills, and the gentle terrain is endless and beautiful. Rumor has it that the ancients lived in seclusion here, plowing fields and cultivating mulberry trees. Later, talented people appeared frequently, and their good sentences and pens were spread thousands of miles away. As a result, it became famous and became a tourist attraction.
The fields are intertwined with each other, and the water channels are like silk threads. Although the permafrost has not receded, it still has a different kind of beauty.
Entering the underworld, you can see more and more people. Many of them are talented and wealthy people who heard that the Autumn Curtain Painting Banquet was coming and came here to feast their eyes on it.
Dongfang Shiming and others slowed down and let the horse walk slowly. Even the winter wind from the plains doesn't feel cold on your face, it's very comfortable.
Since along the way, we have not encountered another ambush from Qichuan Heling. However, Dongfang Shiming could not help but think in his mind that after visiting Kaixiang Temple, he must go to investigate this rumored secret place in the world.
"Well..." Bai Hao sat in front, stretching, just like a soft kitten, "Finally - it's done. I'm so tired, I want to sleep."
"Cheer up, Brother Bai is still competing ahead." Dongfang Shiming smiled, came closer and squeezed her shoulders.
"That's right." Bai Hao opened her eyes wide and clenched the riding crop tightly in her hand, "I want to cheer my brother up! Let's go quickly!"
After saying that, their car started running quickly. Murong Feiyu, who was standing next to him, was startled when he saw this, and slowly followed him.
There were more and more people on the road, and Bai Hao had to slow down under Dongfang Shiming's dissuasion and the obstacles of objective circumstances. But it’s not too far away from the rumored Autumn Curtain Painting Banquet.
From a distance, where the crowds of people are pouring in, you can see a high square standing next to a black mountain rising from the ground, forming a resort encompassing the entire area. A row of yellow glazed tiles looks like maples or tung trees, half-covered by white snow, and an unworldly aura is approaching.
The most beautiful place in the Imperial Spring Land is the Autumn Curtain Painting Banquet. Looking at the black stone mountains surrounding it from a distance, it feels more solemn and solemn than it is sudden.
Murong Feiyu followed slowly from behind, opened the car curtain, said to Dongfang Shiming, "I'll go over there and have a look," and then got lost in the crowd and disappeared.
Dongfang Shiming looked at him again, but he was gone.
