At this critical juncture, someone outside the valley suddenly shouted angrily: "Who is setting fire to the mountain here? As soon as Zhou Kao heard it, he recognized that this was the voice of the bear, and he hurriedly looked out of the valley, only to see the bear leading more than 20 Zhou guards to come on horseback, and Zhou Kao immediately responded loudly: "Master Huoshi, we are in the valley!" ”

When the bears heard Zhou Kao's voice, he was also overjoyed, and he hurriedly said to those Yucheng soldiers: "My son-in-law is still in the valley, don't let go of arrows!" ”

One of the Yucheng soldiers stood up, and saw that he should be a centurion. The centurion looked haughty and said to the bear, "Who are you?" How dare you stop us from hunting here? ”

The mane bear glanced into the valley and saw that the fire was about to engulf the valley, and the lives of the people in the valley were hanging by a thread. Although he was anxious, he still dismounted and gave a salute, saying: "Under the subordinates of the Marquis of Zhou, the fire master in Qizhou City. My son-in-law is now in the valley, and I hope you will let my son-in-law come out first. ”

The centurion looked back at the young man on his horse, but he was expressionless and silent. When the centurion saw that he was silent, he motioned to his men to stop shooting.

Zhou Kao saw the situation outside the valley and immediately said, "Okay, they didn't release the arrows, we can go out." After speaking, he helped Wan Xi and wanted to get out of the valley. The subordinates who were not allowed had already been choked by the smoke and could not bear it, and after listening to Zhou Kao's words, they immediately rushed out of the valley.

The young man was riding on his horse, and when he saw that all the people in the valley had run out, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he ordered: "Release the arrow!" When those Yucheng soldiers received the order, they immediately fired indiscriminately at those who escaped, and the dozen or so people who were not allowed to run in the front of their men were killed on the spot.

Seeing that the young man had rebelled, he was so angry that he wanted to tear his eyes, and he thought: If they don't stop them from firing arrows, the eldest prince will inevitably be burned alive in the valley, and since the other party is unreasonable, then he can only do it. So the bear drew his bronze sword and shouted, "Kill me!" Then he rushed towards the soldiers of Yucheng. And all his Zhou guards dismounted and rushed with the bear.

However, the Zhou guards used Changge, and the Yucheng soldiers were all archers, and the melee weapons they brought were short spears, daggers, and the like. Therefore, although there is a large gap in the number of people between the two sides, it is difficult to separate for a while.

At this time, Zhou Kao knelt at the mouth of the valley, his whole body trembled, and his fists were clenched. Seeing him like this, Wan Xi asked, "Cousin, what's wrong with you?" ”

Zhou Kao pointed to the corpses of the people outside the valley and said, "Although these people were not killed by me, they died because of me, and I harmed them!" ”

Wan Xi said, "No, cousin, aren't the people who killed them outside at the moment?" It's useless for you to be angry with yourself like this. At this moment, your people are fighting for the lives of the enemy, just to save you from it, if you don't take the opportunity to get out of the valley, won't you waste their efforts? ”

Zhou Kao saw that the bears and the Zhou guards were in a bitter battle, and said, "Cousin, what you said is right, I should go and fight side by side with them at this moment." It's dangerous outside, don't come out. ”

Wan Xi said: "Is it safe to hide in this valley?" Cousin, I'm just following you, and I'll go wherever you go. ”

Zhou Kao thought for a while and said, "Okay, then you must follow me." ”

After speaking, he took Wan Xi's hand and wanted to join the warband to reinforce the bear. At this moment, the boy on the horse was watching with great interest as his men fought with the Zhou guards, and suddenly caught a glimpse of two people coming out of the valley. He looked closely, these two people were not dressed like ordinary commoners, the young man who walked in front of him had a sword at his waist, which should be behind the princes, and the girl behind him was gorgeously dressed, and it didn't seem to be an ordinary woman.

Although they were far away at this moment, he still noticed the beauty of this girl's appearance, which was really rare in the world. His heart moved, and he immediately shouted: "Stop it all!" ”

When the soldiers of Yucheng heard his order, they all retreated. Seeing that the other party was retreating, and Zhou Kao had already come out of the valley, he didn't want to cause more trouble, so he ordered the Zhou guards to stop.

At this time, Zhou Kao and the two came to the bear, and Zhou Kao saluted the bear: "Master Huo." Wan Xi had already guessed that the burly man in front of her was the bearded man mentioned by Zhou Kao, and he hurriedly stepped forward to salute. Mane Bear returned the salute to the two and said, "Miss Wanxi, although I, Mane Bear, am also the queen of the princes, but now I am just a commoner. The eldest prince is my apprentice, so he has to bow to me. You are the grandson of Xinguo, I can't afford to salute me. ”

Wan Xi smiled and said, "You are my cousin's master, so you can also be regarded as my elder, what's wrong with the younger generation saluting the elders?" Master Huoshi, don't call me Miss anymore, call me Wan'er in the future. ”

Mane Bear has never paid much attention to these worldly etiquette, and Wan Xi said this, which made him suddenly feel a little closer to Wan Xi. At this time, he saw more soldiers from Yucheng coming out of Shouyang Mountain one after another, and joined the horseman in one place, and there were always as many as three or four hundred. The bears were secretly frightened, worried that if the young man turned his face and was ruthless again, how could the twenty or so people on his side resist? He said to Zhou Kao: "Eldest son, this is a place of right and wrong, so it's better for us to leave as soon as possible." ”

Zhou Kao said: "These people seem to be from Yucheng, and they are the masters here, if we don't say goodbye, I'm afraid we will lose our manners." ”

At this time, Wan Xi suddenly said: "Master Huo, when you came here just now, you said that someone was setting fire to the mountain. These Yucheng soldiers came down from the mountain, and I think they are the arsonists, I don't know if I guess yes or no? ”

Mane Bear said, "Who else is there besides them?" I have been ordered by the Marquis of Zhou to look for the two of you here. This morning, I accidentally encountered these Yucheng soldiers cutting down trees in the mountains, and after asking, I learned that they were planning to set fire to the mountain. I was worried that you would be trapped by the fire, so I hurried here to stop them. ”

Zhou Kaoqi said: "Master Huo, according to this, this mountain fire is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster?" ”

"These soldiers of Yucheng set fire on three sides on the nearby hills, and drove all the wild beasts into this valley. Then they stood outside the valley and waited for the beasts to come to their doors. Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence, just when there was a wildfire, they rushed here to pick up this ready-made bargain? ”

After hearing this, Wan Xi said: "Then all the opportunities we have today are all thanks to these Yu people; We almost died at their hands, cousin, what else do you tell them? ”

Zhou Kao thought that he was not allowed to die tragically, and he didn't want to see these Yu people again. Then he remembered that he had been killed by an arrow, so he turned back and shouted the name of the inadmissible.

This is not a man who sees things very quickly, and as soon as he saw the soldiers of Yucheng firing arrows, he immediately hid back in the valley; It wasn't until Zhou took the exam out of the valley and Zhou and Yu people fought twice that he came out of the valley again. At this moment, he was standing far away, and when he heard Zhou Kao's call, he walked over.

Zhou Kao saw that he was still alive, so he felt a little relieved in his heart, and he said, "No, how many people under your command have survived?" Go and gather them and come with me. ”

He was not allowed to receive orders, so he went to find his companions. At this time, the soldiers of Yucheng were busy carrying the prey on the ground into the carriage, and the son on horseback walked over to Zhou Kao and the others with a few attendants who were walking eagles and dogs.

When the bear saw the boy coming, he deliberately twisted his head to the side, pretending not to see it, and Wan Xi also followed his example, just looking around blankly. Only Zhou Kao thought: This person is the master, we are guests, and we should take the initiative to salute him. So he didn't wait for the boy to come to him, so he greeted him and said deeply: "In the next Zhou Hou's son Zhou Kao, I don't know what to call this son?" ”

The young man immediately understood that when he saw that the girl deliberately turned a blind eye to himself, he must have a gap in his heart. He smiled slightly, turned over and dismounted, and saluted back to Zhou Kao: "It turned out to be the son of Zhou Hou, disrespectful, disrespectful." Below is Yu Yan, the son of the Marquis of Yu. The matter of Fang Cai was completely a misunderstanding, and I didn't know that Zhou Gongzi was in the valley, and I hope Gongzi will forgive me. ”

Zhou Kao said: "Those who don't know are not guilty, and Yu Gongzi doesn't have to worry about it." Wan Xi listened to this Yu Yan speak quite politely, so she couldn't help but look at him twice, only to see that he was dressed in brocade clothes, leather boots, and a leather crown; A long sword hanging from his waist, the scabbard was decorated with jewels and jade, and it must have been an extremely precious sword; Even the wrench he wears on his finger for archery is inlaid with jade.

The bear, on the other hand, was greedy for Yu Yan's horse - the horse was fat and healthy, and his whole body was purple and red, and the bear was an expert in horses, and at a glance he knew that this horse was called Ziyanliu, which was a rare good horse in the world. And the hunting dog led by the guards, the bears also recognized it as a famous dog called Zilu unique to Chongguo, with slender limbs, and it was still the best in the world for running fast.

At this time, Wan Xi saw that Yu Yan's eyes were just wandering over her, and knowing that he had bad intentions, she turned her face away. Sure enough, Yu Yan then asked: "This young lady has a noble temperament, and at first glance, she is from a famous family, dare to ask who is Zhou Gongzi?" Zhou Kao hurriedly said: "Let me introduce you to Gongzi Yu, this is the grandson of the Marquis of Xin, the daughter of Lord Xinjia of Xinchengyi, and the cousin of the next one." ”

Yu Yan was secretly happy in his heart when he heard this, and he also saluted Wan Xi, and said: "It turned out to be the young lady of the Xinhou family, Yu Mou is a lot of offense, and I hope that Miss Yaliang Haihan." ”

Although Wan Xi was reluctant, she still returned the salute and said, "Where did Yu Gongzi say that?" If it weren't for Gongzi's kindness today, Wan Xi would have been buried in the fire, but I should thank Gongzi for that. ”

Yu Yan naturally heard the sarcasm in Wan Xi's words, but he ignored it, and said, "Miss Wan Ji is going to Yu City?" It's still a long way from here to Yucheng, I see that you don't have a carriage to travel, and I want to invite Miss Wan Xi to take my carriage with Zhou Gongzi and go back to Yucheng with me, I don't know what Miss Wan Xi wants? ”

Wan Xi smiled lightly and said, "Could it be that Yu Gongzi thinks that only in the world is the carriage in the Marquis Yu's mansion?" My father is rushing here, and naturally there will be a car to pick me up, so I won't bother Yu Gongzi. ”

Yu Yan was bored, and he couldn't help but be a little embarrassed, but he had another plan in his heart, and said: "Since this is the case, Yu will retire first." If Gongzi Zhou and Miss Wan Ji arrive in Yucheng, please be sure to come to the Hou Mansion for a gathering, and Yu will definitely be a good student to make up for today's mistakes. ”

After saying goodbye, he said goodbye to Zhou Kao and the others, turned around and got on the horse and left. Mane Bear breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Although this Yu Gongzi is hateful, after all, he is not as barbaric as the Dog Rong people, and he doesn't dare to do anything wrong. ”

Wan Xi said: "Master Huo, do you know where my father and them are now? ”

"Lord Yi Shou and Lord Zhou Hou have gone to Yucheng. At the time of separation yesterday, Lord Zhou Hou had instructed that if he found Gongzi and Miss, he would go to the pavilion in Yucheng to meet. Judging by the distance, they should have arrived in Yucheng by now. ”

Wan Xi was worried about her parents, and since she knew that they were in Yucheng, she just hated to put on her wings and fly over. She said, "Master Huo, if we ride to Yucheng on horseback, will we be able to reach it before dark today?" ”

Mane Bear said, "If we all ride horses, we will be able to get there." It's just that Wan'er, your clothes are inconvenient for riding a horse, so I think it's better to send someone back to Yucheng to report the news first, and wait until the carriage comes before leaving. ”

Wan Xi was extremely reluctant after hearing this, and sighed: "If you send someone back to Yucheng to report the news, and then wait for the carriage to arrive, I don't know when you will go." ”

Seeing this, Zhou Kao took a guard's horse, and then picked up Wan Xi and let her sit on horseback. Then he got on the horse, took the reins, and said, "Shall we not go now?" ”

Wan Xi suddenly smiled happily: "Cousin, how did you come up with this method?" ”

Zhou Kao said: "In the past, when Fa'er didn't know how to ride a horse, I often took him to play outside Qizhou City like this. But you have to hold on to me, and be careful not to fall off your horse. ”

At this time, he was not allowed to gather with the rest of his men, and Zhou Kao ordered them to meet in the pavilion after they arrived in Yucheng. Then he and the bear and the others headed east.

Before she had gone far, Wan Xi suddenly pointed her finger at the ground and said, "Cousin, look." Zhou Kao looked in the direction of her finger and saw two little tiger cubs sniffing around a pool of blood on the ground, refusing to leave. Zhou Kao said: "The tiger we met earlier is a female tiger, I think it must have been shot to death by these Yucheng soldiers, and these two little tigers were abandoned here. It's just that they have lost their mothers, and I'm afraid they won't live long. ”

Wan Xi was sad after hearing this. She thought for a while, then suddenly thought about it and said, "Cousin, stop." Zhou Kao didn't know what she was going to do, so he hurriedly reined in the horse. Wan Xi couldn't call him accurately, and said to him: "You said before that if you want to drive a beast, you need to start training from the time you are a cub, aren't there two tiger cubs here?" I want you to catch them and raise them, can you do that? ”

Not allowed: "It's not difficult to do this, it's wrapped up in the villain." ”

Wan Xi smiled at this time and said to Zhou Kao: "That's it, the two little tigers are saved." Cousin, let's go. ”

Zhou Kao said: "Cousin, you have a really good memory, you remember everything that others have said." ”

Wan Xi smiled and said, "Cousin, if others lie to me, then there must be something inconsistent with what he said before and after. As long as I remember what others have said, it will not be so easy for others to lie to me. ”

Zhou Kao nodded, and urged the horse forward. It was the first time for Wan Xi to ride a horse, and it felt like flying in the wind, which made her laugh all the way. In order to comply with her wishes, Zhou Kao let the horse gallop and did not restrain it.

It didn't take long for the two of them to catch up with the group of Yu Cheng soldiers who were hunting, and it seemed that they were on their way back to the city, but they did not see Yu Yan in the crowd. Zhou Kao said: "Why didn't Gongzi Yu go with these soldiers? Wan Xi said: "He must have ridden back to Yucheng first, what does he do?" ”

The two rode their horses, and after a while, they left these Yucheng soldiers without a trace. Wan Xi thought that at this speed, it would not be long before she could meet her parents, and she was even more overjoyed. Unconsciously, she saw a large lake in front of her from a distance, but the surface of the lake was not sparkling, but a large area of snow-white, as if the lake was shrouded in a layer of plain brocade.

Wan Ji said to Zhou Kao: "Cousin, the snow in this lake has not yet melted, don't you look like a piece of white jade?" ”

Zhou Kao said "um" and said, "There is no snow in the large lake we passed through yesterday, how come the snow in this lake has not melted after a day?" It's weird. Did it snow again last night? ”

When the two of them passed by the big lake, Wan Xi said: "The scenery here is so beautiful, cousin, you go slowly, I want to see more." ”

Zhou Kao heard the words and retracted the reins and let the horse walk by the lake. Wan Xi lazily leaned on Zhou Kao, looking at the beautiful "Silver Lake" in front of her, and felt a little reluctant in her heart. She looked at it for a while, and suddenly said, "Cousin, where do you want to go the most?" ”

Zhou Kaoleng paused for a moment and replied: "What I want to go to most is the coast of the East China Sea, and I hope to see the sea with my own eyes." ”

Wan Xi smiled and said, "Cousin, then we will ride this horse all the way to the East China Sea, okay?" ”

Zhou Kao shook his head and smiled bitterly, only to feel that his cousin's words were too naïve. At this time, the bears and the Zhou guards also caught up. Zhou Kao turned around and saw the bear, so he asked, "Master Huo, why hasn't the snow in this lake melted yet?" ”

The bears smiled and said, "This is not snow, this white object is called miscanthus salt, but the crystallization of salt brine in the lake." This large lake is the so-called nitrate pond, and after a short distance of the nitrate pond, you will reach the salt pond. ”

Zhou Kao suddenly realized after listening to it, he thought: It turns out that there are so many things in this world that I don't know, this time I went to Chaoge with my father, and what I saw and heard along the way was all knowledge that was difficult to obtain from the book, and it was worth the trip.

Wan Xi asked, "My father said that Yucheng is next to the salt pond, so are we going to Yucheng soon?" ”

Mane Bear replied: "No, no, the salt pond is several times larger than this nitrate pond, and it is dozens of miles away from east to west, and you can't see the end at a glance. Therefore, although Yucheng is on the bank of the salt pond, it is still twenty or thirty miles away from here. ”

Zhou Kao said: "Then we will hurry up and whip up, these twenty or thirty miles, it won't take long to get there on horseback." ”

The bears said, "This is not good, my lord, we set out from the valley and come here without stopping, even though we are not tired, but the horses are tired, and we must rest the horses." If you run another twenty or thirty miles in one breath, then tomorrow these horses will not be able to walk, and in serious cases, they will even lose fat, and they will have to recuperate for at least a month before they can go on the road. ”

Zhou Kao nodded and said, "Then let's rest for a while before leaving." ”

"There is a small town not far ahead, called Xie Yi, we can rest there without delay, and we can ask the people in the town for some water to drink."

Zhou Kao and Wan Ji hadn't eaten or drunk water for a whole day, so they naturally agreed with the bear's idea. So the group headed for Jieyi.