The night in Changcheng is a little cool.
Heavy drops of rainwater passed through the holes in the roof of the ruined temple, and were blown by the wind onto the bonfire that was finally raised in the quiet pavilion.
Zila~
Zila~
A wisp of green smoke rose from the bonfire. The two sleeping beggars lying next to Jingting subconsciously hugged their bodies tightly. The Taoist priest took off his Taoist robes and covered them with them before walking out of the temple door.
There is a continuous drizzle outside the door, and the bluestone and candlelight complement each other, outlining the hazy misty rain like flowers.
The rain above his head seemed to have stopped, Jingting turned his head, and Ren Ruyi appeared beside him at some point, the oil umbrella in his hand opened and tilted slightly towards him.
"It's not safe to let ten thousand taels of gold run around outside." Ren Ruyi said with a smile.
"How did you find me?"
Jingting took the umbrella from Ren Ruyi's hand. The woman's hands were cold, so she tightened her tight clothes and leaned against Jingting gently.
"Just asking around, there is a Taoist priest in the city who treats the victims for free. It's easy for you to find him. There will be more and more victims, and you won't be able to save them."
"If you can save one, count it as one. No one can save everyone, but if you see it, don't turn a blind eye."
Jingting held Ren Ruyi's hand and walked in the rain.
"It's beautiful here." Ren Ruyi spoke first.
"Yes, it's just that those who escaped were not in the mood to appreciate it, and neither were we. The delegation was in a hurry. When they arrived at the inn, they settled down and fell asleep. We have missed a lot along the way."
"Because these are troubled times, luckily we didn't miss tonight."
"Is Miss Ruyi interested in accompanying Pindao for a walk?"
"Of course I do."
The two walked for a long time until the rain stopped, the cool breeze of the summer night blew away the dark clouds, and the gentle candlelight illuminated the woman's face.
Click.
The bamboo umbrella was closed by Jingting, and when it was shaken, the rainwater dripped down the umbrella surface.
"Mian, Xiaomian~"
As soon as the rain stopped, the noodle stall owner on the street straightened up his shop and set up the table with quick movements.
"Would you like a bowl of noodles?"
"Use the incense money I gave you?"
"The shopkeeper in Qicheng didn't accept my favor. This time I really invite you."
Putting the umbrella on the table, the two of them sat down and ordered two bowls of noodles. The noodles were boiled in water, with some local beans and sauce added, which gave them a unique taste.
"full."
Putting down her chopsticks, Jingting leaned slightly on the chair.
"Do you have anything you like? I've never seen you tell me about it."
Ren Ruyi smiled slightly and put down his chopsticks.
"I like many things. I like here, I also like Wudu, Yongcheng, Tushanguan, mountains and rivers, the sun and the moon, and the breeze."
Jingting took out a few copper coins and handed them to the manager, turned around and smiled at Ren Ruyi: "They're not even as good as you."
"You are becoming more and more glib. I should really keep you away from Yu Shisan."
"Having friends is a blessing. Yu Shisan, Qian Zhao, and Yuan Lu are all good people worth making friends with."
"What if they knew I was Zhu Yiwei?"
"I'll explain it to them."
"Some things can't be explained clearly with just words!"
"Is that why you contacted Zhu Yiwei?"
After hearing Jingting's words, Ren Ruyi suddenly raised his head and looked at the Taoist priest.
"I just asked a few beggars to pay attention to the woman in red. The most beautiful one among the crowd is. They saw you making a mark next to a red Suzaku."
"Yue Sanniang is dead. I want to pretend to be her subordinate to see the headquarters' reaction and find out the news. I definitely have no intention of betraying the mission."
Ren Ruyi suddenly panicked.
"You don't have to explain it to me, I believe you."
Jingting smiled softly and hugged Ren Ruyi's shoulders: "So don't lie to me, I will be very sad."
Ren Ruyi's reaction was huge, the woman's eyes turned red, she turned around and hugged Jingting fiercely, tightly and never let go.
——————
Rest one night in Jiacheng.
The mission embarked on the journey to Anguo again. The border between Anguo and Wuguo was not far away. The land under their feet was still Wuguo a few months ago, but now it belongs to Anguo. Everyone walked very carefully on this section of the road, but this section was unlucky. But it was very safe. The peaceful days passed day by day. After passing through the border guard post, everyone walked into Anguo's territory, Xu City.
"It's strange. I've been on many missions. This place was once the territory of Wu State. Why does it feel a bit...far away from my hometown?"
Riding next to Jingting, Yuanlu muttered and took out a handful of sugar pills and stuffed them into his mouth.
"miss home?"
The Taoist held his sword and sat on his horse, smiling at Yuan Lu.
"No, my family is all here."
Yuanlu glanced around the people in the mission and touched his head: "I'm just... a little worried. Taoist priest, do you think our trip will go smoothly?"
"I'm not sure. If Pindao is Emperor An, the replacement will go smoothly when he arrives in the capital of An."
"Um?"
"Your emperor is now a hot potato. He can't be killed. It's useless to keep it. He can exchange it for one hundred thousand taels of gold. When your emperor returns, there will be another riot in the Wu Kingdom court. , you can get gold, and you can attack enemy countries, so there is no reason to refuse, and besides, who can have trouble with gold?"
"Awesome, Taoist Priest! It's only been a few days, and you can already analyze the situation between the two countries."
Genroku gave a thumbs up.
"I didn't know anything when I was in the mountains before. I only knew about the fighting between several countries. Now that I have experienced it myself, my feelings are naturally different. And..."
Jingting gently approached Yuanlu's ear: "When your highnesses were in class, Pindao was secretly listening."
"Then next time I have a chance, I'll go and listen."
Yuan Lu nodded thoughtfully: "By the way, Taoist Master, since you came back from the battle at Tianxing Gorge, Brother Qian has been telling us that your sword skills are magical. I see that you carry it on your back every day and don't pull it out. I don’t see you practicing sword practice on a daily basis.”
"Pindao is raising his sword. This Taoist sword was given to me by my master. It has been beside me since I was a child. It is closely connected with me. I keep it warm and nourished every day. I have raised the sword for thousands of days. Once it is unsheathed, it will naturally shine with cold light. As for using swordsmanship to reach the gods, your brother Qian is just kidding."
Touching the hilt of the sword behind him, accompanied by the clatter of horse hooves, Jingting said in a gentle voice: "Every mountain is higher than the other. When this journey is over, Pindao will go to the rivers and lakes to see those higher mountains. "
"Wow~ sounds really good!"
Yuan Lu's voice was full of envy: "If I can live beyond twenty years old, I will also tell Ning Tou'er and ask him to let me roam the world and become the hero mentioned in the storybook!"
"What does the hero in the storybook look like?"
"Just like you, Taoist priest."
Yuanlu thought for a moment and answered quickly: "Break into the palace, kill the pursuers, and shock the world!"
"Pindao is saying...are they also in love with a woman to the point of death?"
"..."
When the mission entered Xucheng, as usual, they were going to the government office to see General Anguo, who was guarding the border. Jingting was not interested in such things, and the government office did not receive a Taoist priest without official status, so they walked around Xucheng. , calculating that the time was almost up, Jingting walked directly into the post house where the mission was staying.
Snapped!
As soon as he stepped through the door of the post house, a crisp slap came to Jingting's ears.
Slowly raising her legs, Jingting took her feet back.
"Did you hear that? Your child's mother is beating your apprentice." Yu Shisan walked closer to Jingting with a tight step.
"Hmm~ I didn't hear you."
