On horseback.
The Red King gently moved his hands forward, holding the reins and following the team.
The official road to the north was flat, and Shen Shizong led his army to clear the way in front, making the road unobstructed. The barbarians were single and weak, with only a dozen or so people. They looked at the "Red Prince and his wife" hugging each other like lovers on horseback, and looked like they were cannibals.
To borrow a common saying: If his eyes were like knives, the Red King would already be riddled with holes.
The corners of Feng Bei's mouth were slightly flattened, that position should have been hers.
Although Feng Bei knew in his heart that Zheng Xiu never liked that woman and that he had other motives, he still couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
"Xiao Feng Miao, you and I are the only ones left now."
Feng Bei rubbed the orange cat's furry head and pressed the fur on its head into the shape of a knife.
The orange cat arched upward to show comfort.
It's winter, the warm sun is shining brightly, the ice and snow on the road are melting little by little with the rising sun, and pieces of light mist are lingering in front of the official road.
Yue Linglong tightened her cloak, covering her face and skin in shadow. Being held in Zheng Xiu's arms in this posture, Yue Linglong didn't say anything, as if she was silently accepting her fate.
This is fate.
Yue Linglong told herself.
It was the first time for Zheng Xiu to have such close contact with the Northern Man Princess.
At this moment, Zheng Xiu didn't feel the slightest bit of charm.
He vaguely felt a vague chill from Yue Linglong's body, which could pass through the thick fur cloak and reach his body. Zheng Xiu could feel a chill creeping up his skin from time to time. It gave him goosebumps all over his body.
"It's like I'm holding a... corpse."
Suddenly, a ridiculous idea appeared in Zheng Xiu's mind.
Yue Linglong is like a... corpse without temperature.
He thought of those eyes without luster, clear black and white, empty, light reflected, no reflection at all, pure black and white.
The two rode on horseback for several miles without saying a word. Zheng Xiu finally couldn't help it, quietly stretched out his hand, walked around the front, and put it on Yue Linglong's forehead.
Yue Linglong was frightened, and while dodging, she shrank into Zheng Xiu's arms and pressed her down.
"Your body..."
Zheng Xiu asked in surprise.
"This is a persistent disease."
Yue Linglong turned her back to Zheng Xiu, and did not hide anything. Her voice was neither happy nor sad, as if she was telling a stranger's story: "Linglong cannot face the sun directly. Her body has been suffering from cold syndrome for eighteen years."
Zheng Xiu was silent for a while: "The corpse stitcher?"
Yue Linglong's delicate body trembled, she lowered her head and lowered her voice: "Your...husband, how do you know?"
If I remember correctly, Zheng Xiu knew that she was a stranger, but Yue Linglong never mentioned her status to Zheng Xiu.
"I ask, you answer."
Zheng Xiu's voice turned cold.
Yue Linglong remained silent, not daring to ask again.
Zheng Xiu thought of Feng Bei.
"Alien" is like a disease.
Strange people will attract each other.
When strangers have magical powers, they always come with certain costs.
Some costs may be insignificant, but some costs can affect a person's life and cause great misery.
Feng Bei's hands are ominous, and the monk's personality is split. The moon is exquisite and suffering from cold syndrome and has never seen the light of day.
It’s not that there are no other strangers, maybe Zheng Xiu doesn’t know about them.
As for Zheng Xiu himself... so far, he has not been found.
"When she was one year old, Yue Linglong fell seriously ill."
Yue Linglong broke the awkward silence between the "husband and wife".
"Dad said that I contracted cold syndrome that year and had a high fever that wouldn't go away for ten days."
"The witch doctors of the clan are helpless."
"Later, my father carried me up the mountain and asked for help from the Great Heavenly Witch for a bowl of 'holy water'."
"My father said that he still remembers that bowl of holy water, which was like poison, with a bitter and stench."
"But after drinking the holy water, Yue Linglong's illness was cured, but the root of the disease remained until now."
Yue Linglong told the story of her childhood in one breath.
Maybe I've been holding it in for a long time.
This is the longest sentence Yue Linglong has ever said when facing Zheng Xiu.
"Very good, I like women who are obedient and honest."
Zheng Xiu gave a compliment that was neither salty nor bland.
Not far away, the gazes of the barbarians were still like murderous knives.
Zheng Xiu looked around and smiled: "In other words, your physique cannot have sex or conceive children. Your body temperature is too low."
Yue Linglong was startled when she heard this.
She never expected that Zheng Xiu was thinking about this.
Zheng Xiu touched his chin: "I am starting to regret it and want to break off the engagement. No one would like to hold a cold woman."
It's better if it's hot.
Yue Linglong tightened her cloak and bit her lower lip. She tried her best to appear calmer. After a moment of silence, Yue Linglong whispered: "But..."
Zheng Xiu interrupted Yue Linglong unhappily: "No but, don't refute, I said, I like obedient women."
Walking more than ten feet away, Feng Bei, who was riding a horse with his horse tail swaying, suddenly tilted his head and frowned slightly.
She always felt that Zheng Xiu was "deliberately" bullying others. This time, she didn't hear Zheng Xiu's "voice" clearly. Indeed, she only heard the word "deliberately" secretly. Feng Bei slowed down his steps, trying to hear more clearly.
I saw Zheng Xiu smiling thoughtfully: "Your Great Heavenly Witch is really capable. Has he been in Bagmo Mountain all these years?"
Yue Linglong wanted to correct her and say it was "Baganamo Mountain", but when she thought of Zheng Xiu saying that he liked obedient women, she forced herself to endure it and nodded: "Yes. But after many years, no one knows whether he is alive now. "
"Why?"
"The Great Heavenly Witch has been passed down from generation to generation, and whoever is chosen to be the Great Heavenly Witch must go naked in Bagnamo Mountain..." Yue Linglong deliberately emphasized the emphasis on the five words "Bagnamo Mountain", correcting her that she didn't dare, But she still had to give it a try secretly. After a pause in her tone, Yue Linglong continued: "Sit quietly in Bagnamo Mountain for ten days, without eating or drinking, and wash away all the filth. Then you can enter the Bagnamo Mountain Tomb and carry it out. The remains of the previous generation of Great Heavenly Witches then enter and become the next generation of Great Heavenly Witches. From then on, the Great Heavenly Witches will not step out of the mountain tomb again until the next generation of Great Heavenly Witches appears many years later."
"Today, no one knows whether the Great Heavenly Witch is still alive. The last time the Great Heavenly Witch gave holy water to the people was eighteen years ago."
Zheng Xiu raised his eyebrows: "Is it you?"
Yue Linglong nodded: "Yes."
"Haha." Zheng Xiu closed his eyes and fell into deep thought, carefully figuring out the relationship.
Zheng Xiu has become suspicious since Lu Zhen.
Everyone looks like a clone of "Zhu".
"Zhu" was so shameless that he turned into a woman and cultivated "Orchid". Zheng Xiu couldn't imagine what Zhu couldn't do, and he had exceeded the lower limit. He even suspected that the dog sneaking past his door was Zhu Bian.
Ever since the emperor asked him to confirm the life and death of the Great Heavenly Witch in front of Prince Chi's Mansion, Zheng Xiu had doubted whether the Great Heavenly Witch might be Zhu.
Now I heard about Yue Linglong’s childhood experience.
More skeptical.
"Suspicion" is like a seed. Once planted in your heart, it will take root, grow, and finally bloom.
The entire journey was speechless.
Fifteen days later.
In the thirty-fourth year of my reign, December 30th, reunion night.
Not long ago, with the full moon high in the sky, Zheng Xiu contacted Gu Qiutang with Chang Shihua.
Gu Qiutang was as frozen as a popsicle, but he still stuck to his post and was very dedicated.
"I didn't see the Hundred Demons marching."
Gu Qiutang's answer was concise and to the point.
He added by the way that his "not using the knife" seemed to have reached a new level.
Zheng Xiu was not interested in the "by the way" that followed.
One of the reasons why he traveled thousands of miles all the way north was to witness with his own eyes what Gu Qiutang said about the "Zheng Family Flag" and to find out the true identity of the "Hundred Ghost March".
When the moon is full, the barbarians of the Moon Clan will hold simple ceremonies to worship the full moon.
Yue Linglong told Zheng Xiu that this is the worship and belief of their clan.
Nothing happened in the past half month, and everyone was about to arrive at Haoran Pass.
The place where Gu Qiutang was squatting was in the northern barbarian land. He was wandering in the wilderness and had already sneaked into other people's territory.
That is to say, Gu Qiutang is an expert and brave, and dares to squat still in the ice and snow. It is said that there are barbarians wandering in the wilderness. If they see foreigners, they will never leave them alive.
The fourth day of January.
The travel-worn group arrived at Haoran Pass.
The walls of Haorangguan are mottled and weathered. Shen Shizong and the soldiers in the pass got drunk all night, leaving instructions and continuing on the road the next day.
The mission of Shen Shizong and Huo Huo is to escort the groom safely to Bagnamo Mountain, the holy mountain of the Northern Barbarians.
The old Wolf King, who is said to be Zheng Xiu's father-killing enemy, is Yue Linglong's biological father. Their Yue Clan tribe is located at the foot of Bagnamo Mountain.
After passing Haoran Pass, a desolate wilderness came into view.
Vast, boundless, endless.
There are many ravines crisscrossing the wilderness. If you look down from a high place, these ravines are like scars on the earth, ugly and shocking.
After passing Haoran Pass, there is no official road anymore, and many horse hoof marks are left deep and shallow on the deserted wasteland.
The sixth day of January.
Two hundred men camped against an unnamed hill.
In the big tent where the Red King lives, Zheng Xiu is the leader, Feng Bei is leaning on his side, and the monk is responsible for holding the cat, sitting upright on one side.
Huo Huo, Shen Shizong, Qing Shisan, and Pei Gaoya were sitting on the other side.
Among them was a rock full of cracks, weighing hundreds of kilograms. At that time, Pei Gaoya easily carried the boulder on his shoulders and moved it into the tent, shocking the jaws of two hundred soldiers.
Even the barbarians of the Moon Clan, who had always shown dissatisfaction and disdain for Da Ganjun, looked at Pei Gaoya with something different in their eyes.
Huo Huo took off the cowhide kettle from his waist, took a sip of strong wine to warm himself up, and then took out a sheepskin map from his arms.
The sheepskin map has an old texture and hidden cracks, making it an antique.
There are many markings on the map, cinnabar ink color, clear and eye-catching.
Zheng Xiu's eyes narrowed, and the handwriting looked familiar.
"hey-hey."
Huo Huo noticed Zheng Xiu's expression, grinned, wiped the wine stains from the corners of his mouth with his sleeves, and winked at Zheng Xiu: "This map was used by General Zheng twenty years ago!"
He was quite proud as he spoke, as if Zheng Haoran was obsessed with his younger brother.
"Suck."
On the side, Shen Shizong looked envious, and actually took a sip of halazi, stretched out his big hand full of calluses, and gently touched the writing on the map like a lover.
"Don't touch blindly!"
Huo Huo glared angrily and slapped Shen Shizong's hands away.
Shen Shizong smiled coquettishly: "Just a moment, just a moment! I never expected that General Huo would leave General Zheng's relics!" As he said this, he wanted to touch it up again.
Seeing the two generals, one large and one small, fighting for the map like a woman, Zheng Xiu couldn't help but feel a chill. But he soon smiled knowingly, and at the same time he was curious and secretly speculated on how charming his father was back then, which could make many people remember him fondly to this day. More than twenty years have passed, and his original intention has not changed.
"Ahem."
After practicing hard in the military, the two of them had a bit of a fight, and it didn't take long for them to control themselves, barely maintaining the dignity of their elders in front of a junior like Zheng Xiu. Huo Huo coughed twice, glared at Shen Shizong, a young man, and followed the cinnabar annotations on the map and said in a deep voice:
"Now we are here."
"There was a big river running east-west a few miles away."
"But now it's winter, the river bed is dry, the water level is low, and there's thick ice, so crossing the river shouldn't be a problem."
"After a few days of marching, there is a mountain range here."
"There is a canyon in the mountains. It was in this canyon that General Zheng fought a beautiful defensive battle. He used defense instead of attack. He exhausted the energy of the barbarians and then killed them out."
"It was also after this battle that General Zheng and Huo parted ways. Huo escorted the Holy Lord and the military advisor back to the capital. But General Zheng insisted on taking advantage of the situation to pursue and penetrate deep into the enemy's territory."
Regarding the war twenty years ago, the history books are full of the tragic events and the bravery of General Zheng, but the details have been omitted. This was also the first time that Zheng Xiu learned some details of the war from Huo Huo.
Talking about the past, Huo Huo unscrewed the cap of the bottle, and he took a big sip, making a sound of ah, feeling very happy.
However, Zheng Xiu saw a trace of regret and unwillingness in his eyes.
Huo Huo may be regretting that if he had not escorted the Holy Emperor back to the capital, he could have followed General Zheng all the way north and fought a vigorous fight? Don’t regret the past? Or maybe Huo Huo was thinking that if he had followed him back then, Zheng Haoran would not have died?
Zheng Xiu thought about it a few times, looked at Huo Huo's complicated expression, and understood one thing. No wonder Huo Huo returned from the war more than 20 years ago, not only did he not get promoted based on his meritorious service in escorting, but he abandoned his army and removed his armor. , willing to be the emperor's coachman.
On the side, Feng Bei quietly grabbed Zheng Xiu's hand and wrapped it around him.
Zheng Xiu and Feng Bei looked at each other. Feng Bei smiled slightly and shook his head without leaving any trace.
The fingers are clasped together, and the hearts are connected, all without words.
Huo Huo drank a few sips and became more drunk, then continued: "The terrain of this mountain range is dangerous. Going up the mountain will only increase the trouble. The canyon is dangerous, narrow at both ends and spacious in the middle. If you are ambushed, you will be severely injured...I am afraid something will change."
Huo Huo lowered his voice and emphasized the word "ambush".
"This mountain..."
In front of several people, Zheng Xiu took out the Red King Mirror and connected to Gu Qiutang.
Late at night, Gu Qiutang stayed up all night with black eyes and red eyes, motionless.
There was never an option to "reject" the call from the Red King, so even in the middle of the night, Gu Qiutang had to answer the call from the Red King.
"Is this the legendary treasure used exclusively by the Disaster Prevention Bureau—Jane Shie?"
Chang Shihua became popular in the disaster prevention bureau and once became an internet celebrity in the bureau. It was no secret among Huo Huo. Huo Huo is also very enthusiastic about this "new technology", but Chang Shihua from the Disaster Prevention Bureau can be used normally, provided that it is based on Zheng Xiu's [Painter] thaumaturgy, without him painting with his own hands and absorbing a trace of his own soul. , painted into the mirror, others cannot use it even if they get it.
This is like a fingerprint password, bound to the person, and full anti-theft measures are in place.
Shen Shizong was also amazed by this, and couldn't help but reach out to grab the projection in the mirror. Gu Qiutang's face that stayed up all night was scattered by Shen Shizong and then reunited. Shen Shizong was having a great time.
"General Shen, your hands are very healthy... healthy!"
Zheng Xiu complained while raising the map for Gu Qiutang to see clearly.
"Are you on this mountain now?"
"Huh?"
Gu Qiutang remained motionless, his lips were blue and purple, he was trembling slightly, and his eyes blinked: "How did the Red King know?"
Hearing this, Shen Shizong and Huo Huo looked at each other.
After a while.
Huo Mouhu asked: "Are you ready to ambush in advance?"
(End of chapter)
