At dusk, the setting sun melts gold, and the official roads are coated with a layer of warm color.
The roadside post station had long been occupied by those who came first. It was the convoy from Hedong County, with hundreds more people than Pingyang County. The girls and young men from the county governor's family had occupied the guest rooms, and the remaining people set up camp nearby, surrounding the post station. Circle, very spectacular.
If it was a team from a small county town, no one would dare to argue about right and wrong if the leader of the team went directly to seize it. It's a pity that Hedong County is a large county in Chu State, and the Wang family of the county governor is very powerful, so no one dares to provoke him. The leader of the Zhao family gritted his teeth and asked the team to camp in the open space on one side, not to compete with them for territory.
When Zhao Shun and his party got off the car, the camp had been set up. During the bumpy ride, many children were too weak to get out of the car and were carried off by the accompanying warriors. The common people were not treated so well. They were thrown out of the car like chickens by their collars, and started to put up their own tents crying.
Zhao Yue and Zhao Mian became energetic as soon as they landed and chatted non-stop.
Wang Cheng seemed to take the recruitment matter very seriously. Zhao Chun found that a middle-aged man in purple robe was following the commander. He said he was following him. This arrogant leader of the Zhao family was very polite to him, talking and laughing.
There are also differences between warriors. Zhao Chun heard from Master Zheng that those who have just entered martial arts must start with skin training. The skin is as hard as iron and cannot be scratched by ordinary weapons. This stage is called body tempering. It is the only way for warriors to enter the important level.
A warrior can be called a warrior only when he has reached the highest level. There are three levels of martial arts training. The first level is full of energy and blood, and the strength can carry the cauldron. The second level is to master the subtle skills, and the martial arts is perfect. The third level is to learn from the skills and integrate them. As for the The ultimate goal of martial arts is to unite all methods into one, to use the body as a magical weapon, and to be a master.
Zheng Jiaoxi caught a glimpse of the opportunity at the moment of life and death, his energy and blood surged through his body, and he stepped into the first level of martial arts. Many people are stuck in physical training all their lives and cannot be promoted to warriors. There are very few who are as lucky as Professor Zheng.
However, in the third level of martial arts, one level is difficult and the other level is difficult. Zhao Shun's father, Zhao Jian, was less than thirty when he perfected his sword skills and broke through to the second level. There was no progress for the next twenty years, and there was no hope in this life, so he placed his hope in his descendants to prevent the Zhao family from falling.
This commander's surname was Pang, with the character Zhen in his name. He had a transcendent status in the Zhao family. He was the only second-level warrior besides Zhao Jian. He was recognized by Zhao Jian as his adopted brother, and Zhao Shen had to call him uncle. Pang Zhen is not a tactful person. He can be so polite. Without Tongtian's strength, even if he is sent by the royal city, he will not be able to lower his head.
Zhao Shun knew in his heart that this middle-aged man in purple robe was probably the third level of martial arts mentioned by the teacher. After practicing martial arts to this point, everyone in the world would respect him as a master.
When I was in the car just now, I saw a man dressed similarly in the station. He was younger than the Zhao family. He should be a warrior sent by Wangcheng to Hedong County. I don't know if every city has one. If so, there are more than a hundred cities in Chu State, and the martial arts masters dispatched by them are almost equal to the entire strength of several small countries. For example, in the Lu State where Zheng Jiaoxi lived before his escape, there were only twenty three-level warriors in the country, and they were already able to separate themselves into one side. It's a pity that under the pressure of Jin and Wu, two behemoths that were not inferior to Chu, they were destroyed in less than a month. As long as a master is not born, the number of martial arts masters is almost the basis for measuring the strength of a great country. The Chu State has been passed down to this day, and its capital is naturally strong. Zhao Shun was lucky among misfortunes, being born in a big country and not suffering from war.
However, being able to send such a large number of warriors down not only shows the importance of recruitment, but also to frighten local forces and consolidate centralization of power.
Political power is far away from Zhao Shun. She only devoted herself to practicing Taoism and was able to spend the rest of her life peacefully. With expectations for the future, the simple meals became sweet. Zhao Yue next to her kept complaining, but Zhao Chun ate happily.
After two or three people finished eating the remaining soup and rice, Zhao Shun took the book and entered the tent. The driver said that if we go further and reach densely forested areas where banditry is common, the convoy will no longer stop every day. , but drove all night, all the way to the royal city. Zhao Shun cherished this rare moment of peace and prepared to rest early. The two sisters got enough sleep in the car, picked out their meals, and went to other tents to find people to have fun with.
The people who can camp next to the Zhao family are also well-known families in Pingyang County. The younger generations have seen each other on weekdays, and the Zhao sisters did not look out of place in the past. Several families sat together and made a lot of noise, which made Zhao Chun miserable and couldn't sleep.
The night fell completely, and it was completely dark. No one on the other side of the civilian population spoke, and they all stopped. Several families here were still making a fuss. After Pang Zhen yelled twice, they didn't dare to make any more noise. Zhao Yue and Zhao Mian entered the tent secretly and continued to talk small words. Zhao Shun didn't fall asleep. He listened to a few words with his ears pricked up, and then he realized that several more teams were coming from behind, but they were all from remote small towns, with more than a hundred or dozens of people. The Wang family of Hedong County also asked someone to send drinks, and they wanted to discuss setting off together tomorrow to take care of each other.
On the second day, Zhao Shun got up early, washed his face, and practiced two sets of sword skills. When it was completely light and someone beat the gong to wake up the team, Zhao Yue and Zhao Mian got up.
Sure enough, Hedong County sent someone. He was a tall and thin man, who should be the leader of the Wang family. He spoke straightforwardly and liked Pang Zhen's temper. The two immediately agreed and merged the team into a long queue of four parallel lines. , as for the small town, it is not in the two people's consideration. Whether they want to follow behind or wait until they are gone before setting off, they don't care.
The Wang family chose twelve children this time, twice as many as the Zhao family. Most of them were boys, and there were only two girls, Wang Chuyan and Wang Yijiao. The two were very polite and willing to talk to the Zhao sisters, but their expressions were indifferent and not enthusiastic. Zhao Yue and Zhao Mian thought they were shy and introverted, so they kept asking them about things in Hedong County. However, Zhao Shun could tell that the Wang sisters looked down on them, but it was boring to have no one to talk to, so he lowered his body and chatted with them for a few words.
"I haven't been to the Royal City yet. People say that the Royal City is the richest place. I don't know how it compares to Hedong County."
Wang Chuyan twitched the corners of her lips and said, "How can a remote and poor place be compared with the Royal City?" She pulled the handkerchief on her hand and added, "My grandma and I live in the Royal City, and we often go back during the Chinese New Year. If you go there every year to worship your ancestors, you don’t think it’s anything special anymore.”
The Wang sisters are the legitimate daughters of Mrs. Wang. They have a distinguished status and pride themselves on being superior to others. After Wang Chuyan finished speaking, he stopped talking. The two of them sat in a row, and the arrogance that naturally rose in their bodies made Zhao Mian turn green.
However, Zhao Yue, who asked the question, didn't think it was anything. She was heartless. When she saw this, she said "Oh" and said: "This is our first time to go. I heard from my mother, which Taoist temple should I choose this time?" People go there to become gods, but I don’t want to go there. What’s so good about being a god? You can’t see anything if you’re locked up in a Taoist temple for a lifetime.”
Hearing Zhao Yue's rejection of being selected, the Wang sisters looked at each other, as if they were relieved of some burden, and smiled for the first time since they met. Zhao Shun remained silent. He looked at the other people in the car while reading a book. He was also surprised when he saw this strange situation. It stands to reason that Taoist priests are not popular nowadays, and the Wang sisters should not be like this.
Zhao Chunsi thought about it and gave them the same idea as himself of wanting a stable future life as a reason. Then she heard Wang Chuyan speak: "Everyone has his or her own destiny. The king today is a sect that emphasizes etiquette and morality, so there must be a reason for it." As for the reason, she refused to say it. Zhao Shun became more and more confused and decided to go into the royal city to inquire again.
