The rooster crows; the sky is slightly bright, the first ray of sunlight shines into the Zitong County Inn, and Zhao Zhengli and his party continue on their way.
We met Zhang Ziya again on the Qiqufeng Plank Road. He had changed from his miserable state last night and put on a decent Confucian shirt. He was carrying a red tassel gun in his hand, with his legs astride a large horse, and with his small beard, he looked quite handsome. Brave and heroic.
As the saying goes, a man relies on his clothes and a horse relies on his saddle. It should be someone like Zhang Ziya. He is not too ugly when he falls.
Zhao Zhengli and his party all thought that this guy was coming to avenge last night, so they were ready for battle. After all, the opponent had also entered the Grandmaster realm, so naturally they should not be underestimated.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Ziya suddenly said: "Can I follow you all the way north?"
"..."
His unexpected words almost shocked everyone.
Zhang Ziya said very seriously: "Taoist Master Zhao's reminder last night was very reasonable. It helped me to untie the knot that I had felt for many years. I decided to join the army in the spring of next year and take back the Yanyun land from the Khitan."
Before Zhao Zhengli could even praise him for his loyalty and patriotism, he saw Zhang Ziya approaching Li Zhanyi astride a horse and said, "May I ask your surname, Miss? Who is she from? Are you married?"
Li Zhanyi frowned and held the reins, retreated and distanced himself from him: "Get away!"
Even though Zhang Ziya was disliked, he didn't give up. He said with a smile: "The luggage is heavy, isn't it? My horse is very strong, so I can help you share some of the burden!"
Li Zhanyi decided with a cold face: "No!"
Everyone watching the excitement smiled knowingly. Isn't this guy's purpose of being a drunkard too obvious?
Daochang Zhao glanced at Zhang Ziya who had changed from yesterday's arrogance and domineering attitude; he grinned and said: "In that case, let's go all the way!"
"impossible!"
Li Zhanyi was the first to object. After speaking, she glared at Daozhang Zhao to express her displeasure with the protest. She inexplicably hates this shameless guy. From his domineering attitude yesterday to his low eyebrows and submissiveness today, he definitely doesn't look like a good person.
Daochang Zhao drove his horse to Li Zhanyi and motioned for her to speak to her ear. Li Zhanyi reluctantly tilted her head towards him.
Everyone only saw Zhao Zhengli whispering a few words in her ear. Senior Sister Emei immediately relaxed her brows and no longer objected to Zhang Ziya's coming.
This made everyone very curious, but no one asked about the content.
Li Zhanyi was looked at by Miss Yu with a puzzled look, but did not hold anything back. He also whispered to her. After hearing this, Yu Xiaowei glanced at Daochang Zhao suspiciously, and Zhao Zhengli responded to her with a grin.
This made the remaining people confused, and even Zhang Ziya himself felt that there was a huge conspiracy, but what would it do to him?
Handsome? It seems that he has nothing to do with being handsome. High realm? Impossible, he was beaten so hard last night that he was helpless. Making money? This group of people don't look like poor people, and there are armored guards along the way. Which poor person can afford it?
Taoist priest Zhao didn't give him time to think; he waved lazily: "There are a lot of rituals here in this Taoist place, and there are two beauties. Mr. Zhang, would you like to help share some of the duties?"
Zhang Ziya saw that everyone was wary of him, but this white-faced boy with terrible morals was the only one who persuaded him to accept him. To express his gratitude, he happily accepted to share his luggage. He stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "I've heard of Taoist Master Zhao's reputation for a long time, but I accidentally offended him last night. Thank you so much for your mercy. It's my honor to be with you."
Zhao Zhengli closed his eyes slightly with a smile on his face: "You're welcome, we are brothers from all over the world."
Daochang Zhao said he was polite, but his hands were not polite at all. He hung all the Bi family sisters on him, and in an instant they became a walking baggage.
The Bi sisters couldn't stand it anymore, so they shared some of the burden. However, Zhang Ziya still carried four or five bags. He was not angry at all. He was no longer as arrogant as last night. He would also turn his head and smile silly at Li Zhanyi from time to time, adding joy to everyone along the way. A lot of fun, except of course Li Zhanyi himself.
The sisters of the Bi family rode their horses side by side with Taoist Master Zhao. They looked at the free coolies in front of them and asked, "Taoist Master, do you really plan to let him come with us?"
Zhao Zhengli raised the corner of his mouth and whispered: "A free thug comes to your door. Why refuse him?"
The Bi sisters nodded in astonishment. The reason seemed simple and bloody.
After leaving Qiqu Peak, we rested our horses at Jiangjun Bridge, then got on their horses and started on their way; we expected to arrive at Jianmen Pass at noon; there is a Jianghu Jianzhuang in Jianmen Pass, so we’ll see if it blocks our way.
Jianmen Mountain looks up to the sky, and overlooks the underworld below. For dozens of miles, the Big and Little Jianshan Mountains are covered with rocky cliffs and piles of rocks. The continuous Golden Bull Trail is carved on the precipitous cliffs, and there are plank roads and thrilling bird trails in the endless abyss. It is like cutting with a knife and an ax, not a blade of grass grows, and there is only one person on the precipitous cliff, leaving endless excellent poems to the literati and poets of the past dynasties.
After passing this pass, it leads directly from Mingyue Gorge to Lizhou and to Xingyuan Mansion in Hanzhong. The rest of the journey gradually becomes smoother.
In fact, it can’t be said to be flat. There are 800 miles of Qinling Mountains on the Tangluo Ancient Road ahead. It can only be said that when you reach Xingyuan Mansion, you can take a horse-drawn carriage to avoid the friction between your butt and the horse’s back. When you are tired in the horse-drawn carriage, you can also take a nap or take a nap on horseback. It's obviously a delusion, but riding a horse can travel faster than a horse-drawn carriage, so there are pros and cons in this measure.
The beancurd and tofu outside Jianmen Pass are as amazing as those at Xiongguan. Daochang Zhao, who loves delicious food, naturally found a farmhouse to taste it. Yu Xiaowei spent the morning looking at the steep cliffs. Her neck was sore and she couldn't bear to lower her head. Enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way, I remember that when they went south, they naturally couldn't see such scenery while sitting in the Luan sedan.
When Yu Xiaowei saw the cliff buildings and the cliff plank road, she was amazed by the feats of heaven and man. Seeing her rare elegance, Li Zhanyi and Zhao Zhengli explained it to her respectively.
Although Daochang Zhao has never traveled far, he is good at reading a lot of books. He often listens to the praises of the storytellers in Yafeng Village and the people in Beijianghu and Tiannanhai, so he has a bit of Jianghu spirit in his belly.
Perhaps because he has heard about the book for a long time, Daochang Zhao has also learned to keep people's appetites, pause at key points, speak emphaticly at dangerous points, and explain back and forth, which made several people listen with gusto and feel immersed in the scene.
While everyone was eating tofu pudding at the farm inn, there was a man in coarse linen sitting on the cliff outside Jianmen Pass. He sat cross-legged with his knees crossed, and a long sword was placed on top of him. Holding a piece of wild grass in his mouth, his calloused hands resting on his scabbard, he quietly looked down at the farmhouse on the plank road down the mountain.
He is a disciple of the Sword Guard of the Sword Pavilion, Mu Dongfang. The long sword on his knee is called "Fenghou", which is thirty-eight inches long. It is forged from fine iron. The Sword Pavilion also has a long sword named "Jianxue". It is said that this sword Hundreds of thousands of Tibetan people were slaughtered that year.
The sword pavilion has used this cliff to practice swordsmanship for generations. The four seasons are the same, which makes young people look older than their peers. Mu Dongfang, who is in his early twenties, has a black beard. The wind and sun have already made his skin rough and thick. A beard looks a bit older.
The purpose of his trip was very simple, just to meet Zhao Huangshi, who was promoted from the Tianshi Mansion under the exception of Huangshi.
After finishing their meal, Zhao Zhengli and the others saw the man on the cliff staring at everyone intently as soon as they left the inn. His eyes were very dull, but extremely sharp, making his whole body filled with inexplicable oppression. This is the aura of a monk, and the aura It comes from one's own strength. The stronger the strength, the stronger the aura.
In the world of martial arts, a strong man's look can scare away a group of miscellaneous fish and shrimps. In the army, the look of a fierce general can scare away thousands of enemy troops and double the morale of the army.
Although the man on the cliff has not reached that level, he still has six or seven points of charm, so everyone can detect that he is unusual.
The armored cavalry hurriedly protected Yu Xiaowei, Li Zhanyi also held a knife and was on guard, while Zhang Ziya immediately raised his gun to protect her in front of her, patted his chest and said: "Miss, don't be afraid, I will protect you!"
He said this with great confidence, completely forgetting the tragic scene of being stabbed dozens of times by "Mandarin Duck" with both blades last night.
Li Zhanyi frowned but said nothing.
Daochang Zhao, who was dressed in a green shirt, showed confusion. He couldn't see through the person on the cliff. There were very few people in the Grandmaster territory that he couldn't see through. The fiery look in his eyes that was eager to fight made him frown. It wasn't that he was timid. Normally he would be happy, but now he encounters a rare opponent who is delaying his journey.
Director Zhao looked around the plank road in case there was an ambush and thought quickly about countermeasures.
Mu Dongfang slowly stood up while chewing some weeds: "You're worrying too much. You didn't set up an ambush. I heard that you can rival the pseudo-grandmaster. I'm just weighing your weight. I don't have any hostility."
Daochang Zhao cursed in his heart. People are really afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong. Now it's better. Wherever he goes, there are people who want to quarrel with him. It hurts a lot. In the future, it is necessary to be ruthless and hit him away with one punch to avoid hundreds of punches.
It is definitely not appropriate at this time, and the road is long; if you can avoid taking action, try to avoid it, and you must be mentally prepared to face the unknown road ahead.
Mu Dongfang jumped down the cliff and landed firmly at the front of the plank road. Zhao Zhengli looked at it and said, "Your Excellency is Jiange; Mu Dongfang?"
He touched the hilt of the sword in his arms with his rough, calloused palms and asked, "Am I so famous?"
Zhao Zhengli looked at the rough and mature Mu Dongfang, how many of your peers have grown up to be as mature as you? However, he naturally changed his words: "I have long heard that the new generation of swordsman in Jiange is the number one, and it is indeed extraordinary when I see him today!"
Mu Dongfang laughed boldly: "Boy, you are very good at flattery, but I still want to fight with you."
Taoist priest Zhao looked indifferent and could not help but change his tone. He said in a serious tone: "I am here on orders to go to Beijing. Fighting with you has delayed time. Can you bear the responsibility?"
Mu Dongfang was startled by his sudden seriousness, and then smiled and said, "How many hours will a fight take you?"
Daochang Zhao pressed back and asked: "What if everyone thinks like you? I won't be able to reach the capital for half a year. Who will bear the blame for the emperor's punishment?"
Mu Dongfang was in trouble for a moment, he really didn't think about this.
Taoist priest Zhao struck while the iron was hot, using both soft and hard methods: "The mountains will not change, and the water will change. There will be plenty of time to learn from each other in the future, so why rush now? I will treat you as a friend after this meeting. If it is not possible, I will wait until I return to the capital before heading south. Accept challenges from all walks of life. If we insist on competing now, I will definitely not be able to perform at my normal level if I am in such a hurry. Even if you win, won’t it undermine your title as the number one person in Jiange?"
Mu Dongfang paused: "It makes some sense. After all, you just don't want to fight! Why do you want to make so many twists and turns?"
Zhao Zhengli was at a loss for words after he pointed it out. Yu Xiaowei and others also believed that a battle was inevitable.
Mu Dongfang was holding the long sword and scratching his beard and face with his other hand, as if he was struggling with something?
After a while, he walked up to Zhao Zhengli in three or two steps, patted him on the shoulder and said proudly: "Then after my master comes out of seclusion, I will go to the capital to compete with you?"
After hearing this, Zhao Zhengli grinned his white teeth and high-fived Mu Dongfang, saying, "I'm waiting in the capital!"
The two reached an agreement; Mu Dongfang blew a whistle, and dozens of figures appeared in hidden places on both sides of the plank road.
A group of people led by Zhao Zhengli were all petrified. Didn't this guy just say there was no ambush? The key point was that these dozens of people had concealed the fact that Daoist Zhao and the other three were inspecting the Grandmaster Realm.
Mu Dongfang smiled awkwardly: "They are just here to watch the fun, they are afraid that I will be bullied by you people."
"..."
The whole audience was speechless. This guy seemed so rough and cunning, but he was so scheming.
But it's a good thing there wasn't a fight, otherwise it wouldn't have been a good day today.
Daochang Zhao and his entourage left Jianmen Pass under the watchful eyes of dozens of people from Mu Dongfang. They resolved a bitter battle with just a few words, but before everyone could calm down, they finally believed Zhang Yi, the pre-Qin strategist who relied on his words to deceive other countries.
After passing the cliff bird path, you have to walk on foot. This section is like a natural danger. The vertical cliff is so narrow that people almost stick to the wall. The horses are trembling on the edge of the cliff and are dragged along the cliff plank road.
After crossing the Jianmen Pass, several people breathed a sigh of relief.
