Old Yin is a bad old man who would never be looked at if thrown into a crowd.
At least that's what the young man thought when he saw this haggard man and the young young guard Wu Liuqi struggling to drive four horses over.
Her hair, which had probably not been taken care of for a long time, looked even more dull than Adah's disheveled hair. It was casually pulled into a bun and tied with a piece of rag, but the piece of rag was a little too long. It’s not an exaggeration to say that you are a gentleman. His face was like old tree bark, covered with ravines, and his eyes were like dead fish, which could not be opened or closed. It must be because he often wrapped his cigarette bag. He had black teeth and grinned. As he got closer, he bowed and held hands in salute. The smell of alcohol in his mouth made the young man frown slightly, and he slightly distanced himself without leaving any trace.
"I just heard from Ada that you took a dozen people to walk back and forth in this sea of sand?" the young man said.
The old man Yin Sanye, who Ada said was a bit magical and whose real appearance could only be described as unremarkable, still grinned, showing his jagged black teeth, "No, no, it's all these boys who are joking. "I don't know if Old Yin Boss is being modest or has some unspeakable reason. He is very embarrassed and says, "I was not afraid of death when I was young. I have been wandering in the sand sea for several years, but I don't have the ability to lead others here. Plant a place and walk back and forth.”
The young man's expression when he looked at the old man didn't seem like he was faking it. The embarrassment he felt after being exposed was not something he could just pretend. The young man turned to look at Ah Da. Although he didn't say anything, it was obvious that he was wondering whether the old man Ah Da was talking about was reliable.
Very atmospheric.
Old Yin leader is not a Shou Zhu Lang, and no one in the entire Loulan City knows his specific origins. They only know that he can read horses and raise horses. There are also rumors that he was a high official in General Loulan's Mansion when he was young.
But every time I see him talking to people with saliva flying all over the place, especially those yellow teeth, everyone thinks he is bragging.
Only for that matter that was recognized by the world and the temple at the same time, the soldiers crossing the sand sea to kill the King of Xirong, speaking from his mouth made people feel as if they were actually there, and the dangers in the sand sea came from his mouth. Tao Lai, how can it be summed up by one wonderful thing?
Just seeing the embarrassed look on his face when his lies were exposed, he really couldn't stand it if he was really a drunken bullshit.
The careless Ah Da went up and kicked the old man in the butt, who seemed to be blown away by the stronger wind, and cursed: "Damn it, you are just fooling me every time you say that you walked across the sea of sand to go to Xirong." I’m just having fun, right?”
The old Yin leader looked embarrassed, "They are all drunken words. They cannot be taken seriously. They cannot be taken seriously." With his embarrassed look, his dark, dry skin actually showed a hint of dark red.
The boy's head is as big as an ox.
Is it possible that the prefect just studies how to talk to people and doesn't know how to deal with things? The three people they found were a mute underage, a murderer who seemed to have a mental problem, and an old man who drank a lot and liked to brag. This combination was really unacceptable.
"Third Master is so awesome." Wu Liuqi spoke for the first time in front of the boy, which attracted the boy to look at the child with a strong accent, and made this little Shou Zhuolang who had followed his father westward to Loulan since he was born. He lowered his head, not daring to look at her.
The young man joked: "If you don't speak, I will really think you are mute."
Obviously this joke was not funny, but the old Yin head there who kept grinning and showing his black teeth was very cooperative and laughed, imitating Wu Liuqi's Henan dialect, and said: "It's not awesome, isn't it?" What’s great is that I can take you back to where you came from, just keep it simple. You are still young, and you don’t understand even if I say it.”
Now that the situation has come to an end, the horse can only be treated as a living doctor. The young man ordered "get on the horse", and the old and unattractive-looking leader Yin reached out and grabbed the reins of the horse. He still looked the same, with his black teeth exposed, and he said: " This horse is tired, please ask me to change the horse."
The young man did not refuse, causing Ah Da to curse.
After getting a horse, they let the horse go east on its own. The four of them headed west and plunged into the endless desert.
There were four people and four horses, walking and stopping, mainly Lao Yin. After walking a short distance, he had to get off his horse and lie down on the ground, smelling left and right, or run to the nearby sand dunes and look far into the distance. Occasionally, Looking up at the sun in the west, this action really seems to have some experience.
The young man wanted to walk faster, but looking at the yellow sand in front and on the left and right, he could only follow behind Old Yin, hoping that this haggard old man would not just show off.
They walked like this for two or three hours. Except for the crescent moon in the sky, which told the boy that it was late at night, in a place like the desert with no reference, no one could calculate the exact time.
Old Yin, who was still leading the way, just said that they were heading in the right direction, going all the way to the west. Now they should be hundreds of miles deep into the desert. He also said: "Let's try to take advantage of the cooler nights to walk more. It's too hot during the day, so we have to keep walking." physical strength."
Over there, Ada was still brooding over the old man's drunken bragging that had made him somewhat embarrassed. He felt that what he said now was nonsense except that it was understandable. On the contrary, Wu Liuqi, who didn't like to talk, had a fiery, almost blind adoration in his eyes as he carefully watched Old Boss Yin's every move, like a child who was studying hard in a private school, fearing that he would miss important knowledge points if he was distracted. .
Suddenly, Lao Yin raised his hand to signal the people behind him to stop. Then he took a few strong breaths. When he turned his head, his expression could not be concealed, and he said, "There is water nearby." After saying this, he couldn't help but feel excited. He raised his hand and took a sip of wine.
This reminded the young man of his father at home who was always carrying a wine gourd like the old Yin leader.
Old Yin leader still had some skills. After crossing a sand dune, he actually found a well.
Not only is there water, but there are huts, and there are people.
Being able to walk in the sea of sand and encounter water is definitely a blessing accumulated over eight lifetimes in the words of Old Yin.
The young man didn't know whether he had accumulated good fortune or not. He only knew that this place was definitely not as simple as it seemed.
Xiao Shou Lang Wu Liuqi looked very happy, because he drank a lot of water this afternoon, and there was not much left in the cowhide water bag that could hold seven or eight kilograms. With his eager eyes, he did not lose his dignity. According to the rules, just waiting for the order from the young master from the capital, I will definitely go to the well to have a drink.
But what the other Wu Liuqi was puzzled about was that as soon as they climbed up the sand dune, they were pulled off the horse by A Da, who could laugh and tell how he killed people, and then they climbed down with Old Yin, holding the horse hand and foot. Shaqiu, even the young man who had always behaved well in Wu Liuqi's eyes was a little embarrassed.
"That man has a knife?" After the sand dune, Ada looked at Old Yin, who was busy putting on the halter and bit.
The horses were obedient and didn't make any noise, obediently letting Boss Yin control him. Boss Lao Yin was busy with his work and kept talking, "It must be a horse thief. Who the hell would live in this place where birds don't shit? Are they tired of living?"
The young man didn't interrupt, and carefully climbed up the sand dune again, looking at the hut not far away made of unknown materials. Four wooden pillars, surrounded by straw mats and straw felt for the ceiling, are simple and a little awkward in such a situation.
The simple hut is next to a well, which is equipped with a windlass and three camels tied to it. Under the dim light in the hut, a man was lying on the edge of the well holding a knife and leaning on the windlass. He didn't know whether he was asleep or pretending to be asleep.
Ah Da ducked down and crawled to the young man's side, observed carefully, and whispered: "Visually, it's more than a mile away."
"There's one person outside, but I don't know how many are inside."
"Look, this cabin can't hold many."
"The distance is too far. If we go there just like that, we might alert the enemy."
"detour?"
"It takes a longer detour and is prone to changes."
"Shall I touch it and try?"
"No, there are no obstacles at all at this distance. If you are discovered, there is no place to hide."
"You can't just waste it like this. If this group of people are really thieves, they might know the whereabouts of the person you are looking for."
The two of them talked very quickly, and when Lao Yin arranged the four horses and led Wu Liuqi up, the two fell silent again.
What Ada said, the young man will naturally take it into consideration. If the young man is conceited and does not take it into consideration, the distance of these few miles will not matter to him at all. He is afraid that Zhuangyuan is in the hands of this group of people, so he rushes there in case he is exposed. If the horse's feet are discovered, Zhuangyuan will naturally be in danger.
The vast desert is very empty. There is nothing but sand between the vast sky and the earth. There is not even half a house within ten miles of sight. Not to mention people, even a bird can be spotted.
"Bring it here." Wu Liuqi said.
The young man, Ah Da, and Lao Yin, who chose to remain silent in this situation, all turned to look at Xiao Shouzuolang, who was usually silent.
This kid is quite good at grasping the key points when speaking.
Under the reluctance of Lao Yin, who was about to burst into tears, Ada took a large Mongolian wild horse, took off the bridle bit, and pulled off a few tails, and heard the big horse neighing and running away. go out.
Mr. Lao Yin really shed tears.
"I'll come back when I'm tired from running." Ada comforted him.
Since the beginning of written records, all dynasties have attached great importance to the establishment of post stations to send military messages during wartime and letters to families during leisure time. The Zhou Dynasty paid special attention to them. Just because the Northern Yi took advantage of the Xirong rebellion thirty years ago, they began to build inns all over the country. There must be one inn within a hundred miles. It is said that the emperor issued an imperial edict from Xibo to the Andong Protectorate three thousand miles away. The journey took only six days. Since then, there has been a saying that "the east sea is far away from the east sea and the western region is at dusk, and the post ride is like a shooting star."
And Lao Yin, the headmaster of Loulan Station, is responsible for the training and raising of these animals. One after another, the Mongolian wild horses are brought to him and then tamed from his hands. It is impossible to be without emotions, just like his own children. Likewise, this little bad old man who has been a bachelor all his life is lying if he says he doesn't feel distressed.
"What the hell are you doing? Why are you picking out its hair?" Old Yin Boss scolded.
Ada was too lazy to talk nonsense to him, so the young man over there raised his hand to indicate there was movement.
The man who was keeping watch next to the hut was immediately alert when he heard the noise. He stood up and looked around. He saw the blurry figure of the horse in the night. He stared at the place where the horse ran out and took a closer look. Then he raised his knife and knocked on the horse. The pillar of the hut waited until a person emerged from the straw mat. After the two said a few words, the night watchman walked towards the place where the four young men were hiding. The man who came out of the hut reached into his arms and pulled out something unknown. , keep an eye on the actions of your friends in front of you, so that you can react immediately in case of any accident.
This desert is full of yellow sand, and it is not easy to find a stone. The young man asked Wu Liuqi for a piece of broken silver in advance and held it tightly in his hand.
It was pitch dark at night, and the weak lights in the hut could illuminate the surrounding objects roughly. As the man got further away from the hut, he gradually could only see an outline clearly under the dim moonlight. No matter how hard the young man looked, it was just a blurry outline. .
The young man rubbed his eyes and blamed himself for not learning bow and arrow in the first place. It is said that to practice archery, you must first practice your eyes. The most powerful archery masters can not only see at night, but also thread a needle and thread.
"I can hear his distance." Perhaps after seeing the young man's movements just now, Old Yin Boss said, "It's less than a hundred feet."
Reminded by Mr. Yin, the young man closed his eyes and concentrated, adjusted his breathing, and tried to listen to the footsteps of the visitor. However, the desert wind whistled at night. Although it was not very loud, no matter how hard the young man tried, all he could hear was the sound of wind.
"What's the most certain distance, Master?" asked Old Yin.
The young man was at a loss for words, and he didn't know what distance he was most confident about.
As long as he can remember, he has been exercising his muscles and bones to keep fit. Later, he learned martial arts from his family's martial arts master. Later, he felt arrogant about the celestial phenomena and thought it was something great. I just never thought that the old man next to me would hit me twice tonight.
I don't have the ability to identify the location by listening to sounds, and I'm not even sure about the technique of flying rocks and hitting people.
The young man suddenly understood what the ancients said, "It is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books." In the past, he only worked with his uncles and aunts at home, and there were people who protected him, both covertly and covertly. Now that he is traveling alone this time, he has such an opportunity. Isn’t it the ten thousand miles of road behind ten thousand volumes of books?
