Zhou Kao pulled Wan Ji into the secret passage, which was very low, and Zhou Kao could only move forward with his head down. Fortunately, Wan Ji is petite, so she doesn't feel uncomfortable. The men who were not allowed also followed one after another, and everyone walked in the secret passage.

Zhou Kao relied on the light of the torch in his hand, and he could barely see the way clearly; Wan Xi was behind him, and she couldn't see the surrounding situation clearly, but fortunately, she held Zhou Kao's hand all the way, so she didn't need to think about it, just follow along. Although the people behind them did not see the light, they were already familiar with this secret passage, and although they were groping forward with their hands, they were not walking slowly.

After walking for about two or three miles, Wan Xi suddenly said: "No, stop, I want to rest." It turned out that Wan Xida had never walked such a long way in a row since she was born in her mother's womb, and after walking for such a while, she already felt pain in her feet and just wanted to sit down and rest.

They are not allowed to come from poor backgrounds, even if they walk ten miles in one breath, they are like waiting for leisure. And Zhou Kao is also used to it, because Zhou Chang usually doesn't let him ride a horse. But when Wan Ji stopped, everyone had to wait for her.

Wan Xi sat on the ground, sometimes beating her waist, sometimes pinching her legs. I was not allowed to look at her still looking like she was in a good place, and couldn't help but complain: "My eldest lady, if you follow this way, I'm afraid that I won't be able to reach Fengboyu at night." ”

Wan Ji glared at him and said, "If it weren't for you, Miss Ben would have ended up in such a situation?" If you dare to talk more, be careful that I let you lie on the ground and carry me away. ”

You are not allowed to be pinched by her, where do you dare to say more? Shut up obediently and make a fortune with a muffled voice. Zhou Kao didn't want Wan Xi to be affected, so naturally he didn't say anything, just sat next to Wan Xi.

Wan Ji straightened her legs at this time and said, "No, come and beat Miss Ben's legs." ”

"Weiwei" was not allowed to respond, and just walked over, but Wan Xi said again: "Forget it!" How can Miss Ben's body be touched? I was not allowed to be helpless, so I had to retreat again, thinking to myself: This eldest lady's mind is unpredictable, but it is really difficult to serve.

At this time, Wan Ji said to Zhou Kao: "Cousin, you can help me beat my legs." Zhou Kao thought to himself: This leg beating should have been done by a subordinate. But my cousin is delicate and can't stand it, and if she hurts her legs and feet, then it's mine. At that moment, he didn't care about the difference between dignity and inferiority, so he leaned down to beat Wan Ji's legs.

Who knew that he only lightly beat a few times, Wan Xi retracted his legs, and said softly: "I'm fine, I can go." When Zhou Kao heard her say this, he took Wan Xi's hand and stood up, and said incorrectly: "Let's go on." ”

After walking for about two miles, Wan Xi sat down to rest again. Only this time she no longer asked Zhou Kao to beat her legs, but only rubbed her calves a few times. As soon as she looked up, she suddenly saw a small hole above the secret passage, and from the small hole, she could see the clear blue sky outside. She couldn't help asking, "No, how can there be a small hole in the ground here?" ”

He was not allowed to answer: "Miss Hui, this is a hole in the ventilation." This secret passage is small and narrow, and if you don't dig a few ventilation holes, people will die of anger if they stay in the secret passage for a long time. ”

Wan Xi secretly thought: If he was suffocated here, wouldn't he be the burial companion of Emperor Shun? That's not fun. At that moment, she didn't care about the pain in her feet, and said to Zhou Kao: "Cousin, let's go quickly." ”

Zhou Kao nodded and helped her up. Wan Ji held Zhou Kao's hand and said, "Cousin, why haven't you slept all night, and your palms are still so warm?" My hands and feet are cold now. When I leaned on you last night, I also felt that your whole body was hot, what was going on? ”

Zhou Kao said: "That's because Lord Manzi taught me fetal rest." Whenever I practice Fetal Breath Gong, my body emits heat. ”

Wan Xi asked, "Lord Mane?" Who is that? ”

"Lord Manzi is the fire master of our Zhou clan, and he said that if this kung fu is practiced deeply, it can strengthen the body and reach the realm of cold and heat."

Wan Xi smiled when she heard this, and immediately said: "Cousin, this fetal breathing skill is so powerful, then you can teach me too?" ”

Zhou Kao remembered that when Mane Xiong was teaching him the exercises, he had strictly forbidden him to teach others the practice of the exercises without permission. He did not dare to disobey the bear's admonition, and he did not know what to do for a while.

Seeing that he was silent, Wan Xi had already vaguely guessed his thoughts. Wan Xi sighed and said, "Cousin, don't think about it, I won't embarrass you." ”

Zhou Kao said: "Why don't I go and beg Lord Manzi to teach you the fetal breath gong." ”

Wan Xi said lightly: "No need, in fact, I don't really want to learn this kung fu." ”

So the group walked around and rested like this, and finally couldn't even remember how many times they stopped to rest during the weekly exam, and finally heard the unallowed: "Arrived, this is the exit." ”

Zhou Kao looked forward, but didn't see any exit. He was about to ask out loud, but he was not allowed to go to the end of the secret passage, and pushed hard with both hands, only to hear the sound of "click", and a big hole appeared at the end of the secret passage, and the light outside the hole shone in, and everyone's eyes suddenly lit up.

At this time, it is not allowed to say to Zhou Kao and Wan Xi: "The light outside is too strong, don't go out first, otherwise your eyes may be blinded." ”

Wan Ji finally walked to the exit of this tunnel, and she just wanted to go out immediately to breathe. As soon as she heard this, her mood immediately plummeted, and she said, "How long are we going to stay in this tunnel?" ”

He was not allowed to say: "Miss, let me go out to see the surrounding situation first, if there is no danger, I will report immediately." ”

Wan Xi waved at him angrily, and immediately got out of the hole. Wan Ji couldn't do anything for a while, so she could only sit on the ground sullenly.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to shout outside the entrance of the cave: "Miss, you can come out." ”

Wan Ji was happy in her heart, so she forgot about the pain in her feet, and pulled Zhou Kao and walked out. When she came to the cave, she saw a big rock near the entrance of the cave, and said, "You have blocked the exit with this stone." ”

"Yes, the villain used this stone to block the entrance of the cave, firstly, so that others could not easily find out, and secondly, it could also prevent some wild beasts from jumping into the tunnel." ”

Wan Ji said: "But if you enter the cave, how can you block the entrance to the cave?" ”

He was not allowed to answer: "This cave is only used for openings, and there are three exits in the entire secret passage, but there is only one entrance, that is, ...... It's ......"

When Wan Xi saw him spitting and spitting, she finished speaking for him: "This is the cave you entered when you took me into the royal tomb yesterday." Well, that entrance is easy to enter or out, and this exit is pressed by you with a big stone, if others want to enter this tunnel, it is not easy. You've thought it through. ”

I can't tell for a moment whether Wan Xi is praising or ridiculing, so I have to bow my head and be silent.

At this time, Zhou Kao looked around outside the cave and found that they were now in a valley, with a mountain in the south and a mountain pass in the north. Seeing that the terrain in the north was relatively flat, he asked, "Do we only need to go north to get out of Shouyang Mountain?" ”

"Exactly, walking along this valley to the north, without going over the mountains and mountains, is the best way to go." After walking through the mountain pass to the north, you will find the road to Yucheng. ”

Wan Xi glanced to the north, and suddenly exclaimed: "Do you want to go to that mountain pass?" Didn't you say that you didn't go far when you got to Feng Boyu? From here to the pass, at least a few miles away, I can't walk! ”

I don't want to say: This is a few miles away, for me it is just a meal away, so naturally I don't think it's far. But he didn't dare to touch Wan Xi's frieze again, so he had to look at Zhou Kao, hoping that he could calm Wan Xi's anger.

Zhou Kao had no choice but to persuade: "Cousin, we are in this barren mountain and wilderness, I don't know what beasts we will encounter, and it will be more dangerous to stay for a while, so it is better to leave as soon as possible." If you can't walk, let me carry you. ”

Wan Xi was secretly happy when she heard this, but said in her mouth: "But if you want to carry me so far, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it." ”

Zhou Kao had already made up his mind, thinking that if he really couldn't carry it, it would be a big deal to stop and rest for a while. So he squatted down, picked Wan Xi on his back, and said, "No, you lead the way in front." ”

At this time, all of his subordinates were not allowed to go out of the tunnel, and they were not allowed to order people to still seal the exit of the tunnel with a big stone, so they led a group of people to the north. Although the valley is flat, it is also full of trees, and there are many vines and rhizomes on the ground, which is still not easy to walk. Zhou Kao was carrying Wan Ji on his back again, and he was more burdened than the others, so when he was halfway there, his head was already slightly sweating.

When Wan Ji saw it, she hurriedly wiped his sweat with her sleeve and asked, "Cousin, are you tired?" ”

Zhou Kao shook his head and said, "It's okay, cousin, you are very light, I'm not tired." ”

At this moment, a large flock of birds flew over the heads of the people with great speed, and some of them even chirped rapidly. When Wan Xi raised her head to look, she saw a large group of apes climbing and jumping on the branches one after another, and they all squeaked and screamed in unison, all heading towards the north.

was not allowed to see this scene, and immediately stopped; He turned, frowning and looking south. Zhou Kao saw that his demeanor was different, and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?" ”

"I look at the movements of these birds and apes, which is a sign that there are fierce beasts nearby." ”

When Wan Xi heard that there was a fierce beast, she was shocked, and hurriedly hugged Zhou Kao tightly. Zhou Zhan sensed Wan Xi's fear, so he comforted her and said: "It's okay, I often follow my father to hunt, even if I encounter fierce beasts such as tigers and leopards, when I see so many of us, I usually just run away, and I will never dare to approach." ”

"It's just that most of the beasts like tigers and leopards come out to forage at dusk, and it's only noon, and they won't come down until they're frightened." ”

After hearing this, Wan Xi laughed out loud and said, "A fierce beast like a tiger and a leopard can also be frightened? You're not going to be talking nonsense again. ”

"Miss Hui, the villain has been familiar with the temperament of beasts since he was a child: tigers and leopards look very scary, but in fact, they are not only timid, but also suspicious, and they generally avoid people when they meet them; In the mountains and forests, the real danger is the stupid and stupid-looking beasts such as wild pigs and giant elephants. ”

Wan Xi smiled and said, "Whether it's a tiger or a leopard or a pig elephant, I haven't seen it." All I know is that when my mother scared me when I was a child, she always said, 'The tiger is coming,' and I never saw anyone bluff with wild pigs or giant elephants. ”

"That's because wild pigs and giant elephants don't eat people when they kill them, but tigers and leopards don't just kill people, they eat people. That's why people think it's scary. And the tiger that has eaten people must be killed, because legend has it that as long as the tiger tastes human flesh once, it will find someone to eat, and it will be a disaster in all directions. ”

The three of them were about to continue walking, when they suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "My mother! When the three of them looked back, they saw a golden-coloured, spotted tiger leaping out of the bushes. Although it was the first time Wan Xi had seen a live tiger, she also had a lot of tiger skins at home, so she knew it at first sight, and she was so frightened that her eyes were closed, and a pair of arms tightly wrapped around Zhou Kao's neck, not daring to take another look.

Zhou Kao's heart was also beating faster at this time, his palms were sweating slightly, and his body was even tighter. He stared intently at the tiger, only to see that the tiger was more than a foot long, with thick limbs, a pair of eyes as big as copper bells, and two small tiger cubs in a big mouth.

When the tiger suddenly saw so many people in front of him, he immediately stopped, motionless, and his body seemed to freeze. At this time, everyone present did not dare to move even a small step, which suddenly gave people the illusion of time standstill.

In the end, he was still not allowed to say: "This big insect is just passing through here, everyone slowly disperses, don't block its way." ”

When everyone heard this, they all stepped back to both sides. When the tiger saw that the crowd had dispersed, he took two tentative steps forward. It wasn't until it was sure that everyone had no intention of causing harm that it quickened its pace and ran forward, and after a few vertical jumps, it disappeared from everyone's sight.

At this time, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and many people felt that their legs trembled, and they could barely stand steadily. Only one of them remained frowning, as if he was thinking about something incomprehensible. Zhou Kao said to him: "No, this tiger has already left, let's leave as soon as possible." ”

"The tiger is gone, but it is fleeing, as if it is hiding from something terrible." ”

Wan Xi almost cried when she heard this, and said, "Don't you scare me, what else can make a tiger afraid?" ”

As soon as she finished speaking, there was another commotion in the mountains and forests to the south, and everyone was at a loss, just standing in place, not daring to move. After a while, all kinds of beasts in the woods rushed at them, including bears, badgers, foxes, wolves, roe deer, musk elk, and countless other small beasts such as mink, pika, and rabbit. When all the wild beasts passed by, they did not stop, but rushed north in a panic.

At this time, it was not allowed to see a puff of smoke in the sky drifting from south to north, and it turned out that the weather was fine on this day, and the wind direction changed to south. Not allowed to wake up at this time, he shouted: "Not good! This is a wildfire, everyone run away! After saying that, he immediately turned his head and ran wildly to the north, Zhou Kao knew that something was wrong, and he was not allowed to run to the mountain pass to the north at the moment.

But after all, the man's legs could not outrun the wind, and it was not long before the whole valley was filled with smoke. Zhou Kao's eyes were blurry, and if he hadn't been able to hear the shouts that were not allowed to come from ahead, he would have almost lost his way. In addition, he was carrying Wan Ji on his back, so he couldn't run fast at all, so he could only watch his inaccurate men overtake him one by one and run to the front.

Seeing that he and Wan Xi were left behind at this moment, the isolated situation made Zhou Kao's heart even more anxious. He felt the air around him getting hotter, and hurriedly glanced back, only to see the woods behind him being mercilessly engulfed by the fire.

Gradually, Zhou Kao only felt that it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe, and his mouth was more and more thirsty, and the more he tried to walk faster, the heavier his legs became and more difficult to move. Later, he even thought in his heart: My life is at rest, and it is useless to struggle no matter how much I struggle, so it is better to simply stop.

At this time, Wan Xi was choked by the smoke and couldn't stop coughing, Zhou Kao suddenly heard Wan Xi's voice, and then remembered: It doesn't matter if I die, do I want to kill my cousin here? That's a no-no! As soon as he thought of this, Zhou Kao took a deep breath, and urged the breath in the dantian to circulate in his body with his mind, and suddenly felt that his legs were no longer sore, and he immediately ran again.

He ran to the mountain pass in a hurry, thinking that he would finally be able to escape, and was secretly rejoicing, but he heard a loud shout ahead:

"Don't let the arrows go, don't let the arrows go!"

Zhou Kao was already exhausted, and he didn't think about the meaning of the shouting at all, but continued to move forward. At this moment, a feathered arrow suddenly shot from outside the valley, almost flying close to Zhou Kao's body, and nailed it to a big tree behind him with a "Duo".

Only then did Zhou Kao understand that there were people outside the valley who were shooting arrows into the valley. He was busy using the big trees as a cover, and little by little he approached the valley mouth. At this time, he saw that he and his men were trapped in the valley mouth, and did not dare to go out, and the tree trunks and the ground near the valley mouth were already full of feather arrows.

Zhou Kao cautiously walked to the side of Zhu Xu, and then put down Wan Xi and asked, "Who is releasing arrows outside?" ”

"It seems that the soldiers in Yucheng are hunting, and the beasts that escaped earlier have been shot to death." ”

Zhou Kao looked out of the valley, and saw that the valley was full of corpses of various wild beasts, and in the distance stood a row of soldiers armed with bows and arrows, all aiming at the mouth of the valley, and any wild beast running out of the valley was immediately shot. Behind these soldiers was a young man dressed as a nobleman, riding a tall horse, accompanied by several attendants, some with falcons on their arms, others with hounds. Looking at this battle, there is no doubt that these people are indeed hunting.

Zhou Kao turned his head and said, "Since they are here to hunt, they shouldn't hurt us." ”

He replied with some hesitation: "This arrow has no eyes, and as far as the villain can see, it is better not to go out yet." ”

By this time, there were few wild beasts left in the valley, and the feathered arrows shot from outside the valley were gradually thinning. The fire in the valley was about to spread to the mouth of the valley, and a few of his men who could not bear the smoke could not bear the smoke and ran out of the valley.

Seeing this, Zhou Kao hurriedly pulled Wan Xi up and said, "Let's go out quickly." The two of them were just about to go out of the valley, but they saw the boy on horseback wave his hand, and the soldiers outside the valley fired arrows together, and the few men who were not allowed to run out a few steps were immediately shot like hedgehogs. And when those soldiers saw that they had shot someone, they all laughed and leaned back and laughed, and they seemed extremely excited.

When Zhou Kao saw this scene with his own eyes, he only felt unbelievable, and stood there in a daze. When Wan Ji saw this, she was worried that he would be hit by an arrow, so she hurriedly pulled him back into the valley.

Zhou Kao only felt an uncontrollable anger in his heart at this moment, but he had nowhere to vent. But Wan Xi was secretly anxious: if she stayed in the valley, even if she was not burned to death, she would be smoked to death; But if you escape, you will be killed by arrows. What should I do now?