Soon after leaving Kasaka, I saw a large body of water in the north, with vast waves and thousands of blue waves, and there had never been such a large water surface above Zhou Yuan. Zhou Kao thought to himself: Is this the sea? No, no, my uncle said that the sea is still thousands of miles away, and this can never be the sea.

At this time, I only heard Xin Jia say: "Legend has it that the area around this Pusaka was once flooded, but after the water receded, such a big lake was left. Every spring, there are countless birds on the lake, and the fish that are three or four feet long in the water are uncommon. I often come here to fish and hunt birds, and every time I come back with a full load. Kao'er, wouldn't it be nice for us to come here together in the coming year and give him a catch? Ha ha. ”

Zhou Kao answered, thinking to himself: It turned out to be just a big lake. He asked, "Uncle, why is there so little of a lake where there are so many birds and fish?" ”

Xin Jia said: "It is said that a hundred years ago, the climate in this area was warm, and fierce beasts such as rhinoceros and dragons often hurt people in the lake. In recent decades, the weather has been getting colder, and the rhinoceros and dragons have gradually disappeared. However, the people in Yucheng are still reluctant to come here, because they can only rely on selling salt to worry about food and clothing, who is willing to work hard to hunt and fish? ”

"Uncle, salt is only used for seasoning, why is it so expensive? You said that there are Jia people in Xirong and Beidi, regardless of the high mountains and long roads, and ran to Yucheng to exchange salt, what is it for? ”

"Salt is not just a seasoning, if people don't eat salt for a long time, they will be weak, and they will get all kinds of strange diseases." Xin Jia said meaningfully, "But up and down this big river, there are very few places where salt is produced, and the salt pond of Yu Country is known as the saying of 'nine points of salt in the world'." Therefore, you should not underestimate this salt pond, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the world's most rushed. In ancient times, Tang Yao's capital was in Pingyang, north of Yanchi, and the capital of Xia Houqi was in Anyi, east of Yanchi. It's just ......"

Zhou Kao listened very attentively, and hurriedly asked, "It's just what?" ”

"However, now the Dongyi people often traffic sea salt to Chaoge, which makes the price of salt in Chaoge lower and lower, so people living east of Taihang Mountain are gradually reluctant to go to Yucheng to buy salt."

Along the way, I talked with Xin Jia in the last week's exam, and I gained a lot of knowledge. After the convoy left the lake area, it marched at the foot of Shouyang Mountain, and the sound of tiger roaring apes could often be heard from Shouyang Mountain on the way. At this time, the bears drove their horses to Zhou Chang's side and whispered, "My lord, there seems to be someone on the southern hillside who is following and snooping. ”

Zhou Chang turned his head to look, and also saw a figure shaking in the woods on the hillside, but he couldn't see the number of people clearly. He said, "Don't make a noise, just wait and see what happens." At most, there are some wanderers in the mountains and wilderness, and they don't dare to do anything to us, so we can't mess with ourselves. ”

So Zhou Chang only told Xin Jia about it, and Xin Jia also said after hearing it: "It's okay, these kind of homeless people, even two or three hundred people are not our opponents." What's more, this place is only a day's journey away from Yucheng, so we just have to hurry. ”

When I reached a mountain range in front of me, I suddenly got out of the woods beside the road and stopped on the road. The first one carried a copper knife in his hand and said loudly: "Quickly put down your belongings, and let you pass, otherwise, let you know this knife in the hands of the uncle!" As he spoke, he shook the copper knife in his hand a few times.

Xin Jia looked at him, and saw that he was five short stature, with a bare head, a few short beards under his cheeks, and a pair of eyes that were extremely large, accounting for almost a quarter of his entire face. He couldn't help but be angry and funny in his heart, and said: "Just because you thieves dare to rob a prince, you really don't know whether you live or die." ”

After saying that, he was about to step forward on his horse, but he saw the dwarf raise the bronze knife in his hand above his head and turn in the air. I only heard that there were people beating gongs and drums on Shouyang Mountain, and dozens of people shouted in unison, and this sudden sound made all the birds in the mountain fly out in shock, and they couldn't stop hovering in the air.

Xin Jia and the others didn't know what the dwarf was doing, and when they were secretly on guard in their hearts, they suddenly heard a long neighing of the horses behind them, and the carriage that Mrs. Jiang and Wan Xi were riding rushed out from Xin Jia, Zhou Chang and others.

It turned out that the soldiers were riding war horses, and they were used to hearing the noise on the battlefield, so they were all at peace. Only Mrs. Jiang and Wan Xi rode in the carriage in the Xinhou Mansion, the horse was usually very tame, but once frightened, he galloped desperately.

When the men who stood in the way saw the carriage hurrying towards it, they all hurried into the woods, and disappeared in an instant. The carriage turned a corner at the foot of the hill and disappeared from view.

When Zhou Kao saw it, he didn't wait for Zhou Chang's order, so he rode his horse and chased after him. When he turned the foot of the mountain, he saw the coachman of the carriage and Mrs. Jiang lying on the side of the road, but the carriage stopped beside a big rock more than ten feet away in front of him. Zhou Kao got off the horse and helped Mrs. Jiang and asked, "Auntie, are you okay?" ”

Although Mrs. Jiang's breath was weak, she was still sober, but she pointed to the direction of the carriage and kept saying, "Wan'er, Wan'er......"

The coachman of the carriage was lying aside, and he was not lightly injured, and he endured the pain and said to Zhou Kao: "After I jumped out of the carriage with my wife in my arms, the carriage hit the big rock, and Miss, Miss, she fell off the carriage and was ...... Kidnapped by a few bandits......"

Zhou Kao was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly ran to the carriage, where is there still the shadow of Wan Xi? There are several people's footprints on the surrounding ground, and they have obviously entered the mountains and forests on Shouyang Mountain. Zhou Kao saw that Xinjia Zhou Chang had rushed to Mrs. Jiang's side at this time, and thought in his heart, horses were useless in this mountain forest, so he could only chase after him on foot. If you go late, you can't find these footprints, there is a huge Shouyang Mountain, but where can you go to find your cousin? He didn't have time to ask his father, so he followed the footsteps into the mountains and forests.

However, it was said that Xin Jia Zhou Chang saw Mrs. Jiang and asked about the situation, Xin Jia was so angry that the three corpses jumped violently, and even if he wanted to send the guards into the mountains to search for Wan Xi. Zhou Chang persuaded: "Don't fall for the plan to divert the tiger from the mountain, besides, my sister-in-law has injuries on her body, and she urgently needs to find someone to treat her." It's better to let the mane bear take my guards into the mountains to find it, and you and I will lead the rest of the people to Yucheng first. When we settled in the city, we came out together. ”

Xin Jia calmed down and thought about it carefully, it was indeed the only way. He said, "My mind is in turmoil at the moment, and everything is up to you." So Zhou Chang ordered Mane Xiong to bring about 20 people to stay, and the rest continued to go to Yucheng.

said that Zhou Kao was chasing Wan Xi's whereabouts on the mountain and never stopped for a moment. However, this group of bandits was quite familiar with the terrain in this area, so they were never able to catch up. He walked deep and shallow in the woods, sometimes walking too fast and tripped over the roots of the trees buried in the snow; Sometimes in a hurry to climb a steep slope, slipping down because of an unsteady footing; Sometimes I miss the footprints on the ground, so I have to turn back and continue to chase after them.

Seeing that the sun had set to the west, the light on the northern slope of Shouyang Mountain became even dimmer, and the footprints on the ground became more and more difficult to read. Zhou Kao was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, thinking: What if it was completely dark and he could no longer see any footprints? It was he who did his best to speed up his pace and rush forward.

After a burst of lunging, the men's footprints disappeared without a trace. Zhou Kao secretly said that it was not good, did he miss the footprints again? Just as he was about to look back, he glanced at a hypericum in the bushes beside him, and there was something hanging on the branches, which was glowing brightly. Zhou Kao took a closer look, wasn't this the jade pendant he gave to Wan Xi? He stretched out his hand to take the jade off, and when his fingertips just touched it, he suddenly felt his body sink. Zhou Kao didn't have time to think about it, he grabbed the jade tightly in his hand, and then the whole person fell sharply!

It turned out that he had fallen into a hole in the ground, but fortunately the cave was not deep, and in the blink of an eye he slipped to the bottom of the hole, which was pitch black. He groped his hands along the cave wall and found that the cave was small enough to accommodate only one person.

Zhou Kao looked up at the entrance of the cave, and saw that the entrance had been completely blocked by bushes, which could be described as very hidden. He tried to climb up, but the cave wall was extremely smooth and steep, making it difficult to climb with his bare hands. He thought to himself that the hole didn't look like a hunting trap, it was too deep. So what is the purpose of digging such a hole? Why did the bandits disappear when they got here? Thinking of this, he bent down and groped around the cave again, and this time he found that there was a horizontal passage at the bottom of the cave, and he didn't know where it led.

Zhou Kaoxin said: Since you are here, you can simply go inside and find out. So I got in, and after entering, I found that the passage was higher and higher the space inside, and at first I could only kneel on the ground and crawl forward, but later I could already bend over.

At this time, Zhou Kao saw a faint light in the depths of the passage, and at the same time heard what seemed to be someone talking. He walked to the end of the passage and found that outside the passage was a stone chamber, the exit of which was above the stone chamber, a foot above the ground. The floor of the stone chamber was covered with thatch, and there was a man standing in the center with a torch, and in the light of the fire was a bald head, the same dwarf who blocked the way during the day. Around the stone room, a group of men in tattered clothes sat on the ground, not to mention twenty or thirty people, but all of them were gray-headed and wizened.

Zhou Kao was afraid of being discovered, so he hid in the shadows in the passage and did not dare to show his head. At this time, he heard someone speak, and Zhou Kao recognized the voice of the short man: "Tell me quickly, who are you, what are you doing in this Shouyang Mountain?" After a long time when no one answered, the dwarf asked again, and his tone became more and more agitated.

Zhou Kao poked his head out at this time and saw a person lying on his back at the feet of the short man, with beautiful clothes and a delicate face, but it was not Wan Xi, who was it? I saw Wan Ji with her hands behind her back, probably tied by ropes and unable to move. Zhou Kao was surprised and delighted, his heart was pounding, and he almost cried out. He waved his hand again and again, hoping that Wan Ji would see him.

But Wan Ji always closed her eyes tightly, ignoring the short man, and naturally she couldn't see Zhou Kao. Seeing that Wan Xi was very stubborn, the dwarf snorted in his nose and said, "If you don't say anything, I will burn a scar on your face." You are so beautiful, I will only burn half of your face, and leave half of it so that others will know that you were once a great beauty! After saying that, he shook the torch twice in front of Wan Xi

When Wan Xi heard this, she finally couldn't help but open her eyes and scolded: "Thief, kill me quickly!" ”

The dwarf laughed and said, "Kill you? How can it be so cheap? I haven't touched a woman since I came to this mountain six months ago. If you give me such a flower-like stunner today, wouldn't it be a pity to kill it? ”

At this time, Wan Ji's eyes turned upwards and happened to see Zhou Kao. She was overjoyed, and hope suddenly appeared in her heart, so she said to the dwarf: "My father, Lord Xinjia, is the eldest son of the guard of Xincheng and the Marquis of Xin. If you let me go obediently, I will say good things for you in front of my father, and I will spare you from death; If not, when my father finds this place, he will destroy you thieves. ”

After hearing this, the dwarf looked up to the sky and laughed, and said: "This Shouyang Mountain has already been dug by me like a labyrinth, and there are exits from Shanyin and Shanyang, and the roads below are even more accessible in all directions. Even if your father can get in, he won't necessarily find you. ”

Wan Xi looked at him, and seemed quite complacent, and she believed it a little in her heart. It's just that she said: "Blowing nonsense, how can anyone have nothing to do to dig tunnels in the mountains to play?" The cowhide is about to be blown by you. ”

The dwarf really couldn't stand it, and said angrily: "What do you little girl know? I'm looking for a treasure in this mountain. ”

Wan Xi smiled when she heard this, and said: "The so-called treasures in the world, I also have some in my family, but in the belly of this mountain, what treasures can there be?" I'm just afraid that you are just begging for fish in the edge wood. ”

When the dwarf saw Wan Xi's smile like a flower, he became lustful and said, "You want to know what this treasure is?" Unless you marry me, I'll tell you. After saying that, he stretched out his hand and was about to touch Wan Xi's face.

Wan Xi's face suddenly lost color, and she couldn't help but shout for help. Zhou Kao heard Wan Ji calling for help, he couldn't hold it anymore, and shouted: "Stop!" As he spoke, he jumped into the stone chamber.

The people in the stone room were startled when they saw Zhou Kao suddenly break in, and they all stood up. The dwarf was also taken aback, and turned around. Seeing that Zhou Kao was just a teenager and alone, he rolled his eyes a few times and asked, "How did you get in?" ”

Zhou Kao said: "I came to look for my cousin, accidentally fell into the cave, and accidentally found the passage at the bottom of the cave, so I came here. ”

Wan Xi listened, and only complained in her heart: Cousin, you are talking too realistically, and now anyone can hear that you are alone and isolated.

The dwarf really laughed and said, "Seeing that you are not very old, you are not small, and you dare to enter Longtan alone." ”

Zhou Kao was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had never seen this Longtan, so he asked, "Where is Longtan?" ”

But the dwarf thought he was making a sarcastic remark, and he was furious in his heart, and said to the left and right, "Take this boy down for me." ”

The people in the stone room immediately gathered around Zhou Kao, and they didn't stop until Zhou Kao pulled out the light Lu on his waist. A fierce-looking man bullied Zhou Kao's youth, and raised a wooden stick to beat Zhou Kao's head. Zhou Kao raised his sword, only to hear the sound of "click", the wooden coffin was immediately broken in two, and the head of the coffin turned dozens of times in the air before it fell to the ground with a "clang".

The rest of the people see that Zhou Kao's weapons are powerful, you look at me, I look at you, no one wants to come out. Seeing that they were scared, Zhou Kao took a step forward, but instead frightened the group of people into retreating. The dwarf saw it on the sidelines, and scolded: "You useless waste, can't you even clean up a child? He only has one sword, and if you rush to it, can he still kill you all? ”

Under his coercion, everyone did not dare to retreat, but some people already had a look of anger on their faces. Wan Ji knew that they were all hesitating at the moment, and if they waited until they worked hard to advance and retreat together, Zhou Kao would definitely not be able to cope with it. She was in a hurry, and hurriedly said, "Don't help this dwarf anymore, as long as you help me see my father, I will not only forgive you, but also reward you greatly." Twenty punbes each! ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar, and twenty punbei was a lot of wealth, enough for a common man to spend the rest of his life in peace. These people were fellow villagers with the dwarf, and they had left with him just to make a fortune. Now that they heard that if they sent this woman down the mountain, they would be rewarded richly, and everyone was a little moved.

The dwarf was so angry that he scolded Wan Xi for being a "demon girl" and said to his men, "Don't listen to her gossip, for if your father catches you, you will all be imprisoned." ”

Wan Xi continued: "You follow this dwarf, hide in the crypt all day long, good people don't do it, but want to be ghosts." I can't eat enough, I can't wear warm clothes, what is the picture? ”

Her words all spoke to the hearts of everyone. Someone in the crowd immediately said: "You said you were going to take us to hunt for treasures, but after more than half a year, we haven't even seen a fart." Don't know when you're going to find it? By the time you find the baby, everyone will starve to death. ”

Seeing that someone responded, Wan Xi became more and more proud, and continued: "Even if he doesn't starve to death, after he finds the treasure, he will definitely be afraid of leaking the news, and it is difficult to guarantee that he will not kill you." ”

The dwarf regretted that he hadn't gagged Wan Xi's mouth in the first place, and roared at her: "Shut up! Shut up! ”

Over there, there was a weekly exam that was now sold, and said loudly: "In the next week's exam, my father is Zhou Hou, and he has always practiced what he says." As long as my cousin and I return safely, my father will reward you. ”

At this time, someone in the crowd threw his weapon to the ground and said, "Damn, I won't do it, and I'll go home after receiving the reward." The rest of the people also made way for Zhou Kao, and Zhou Kao rushed to Wan Xi's side to help her untie her hands.