In the early morning of that day, the sun had not yet fully risen, and the desert was still bitterly cold. Already draped in a Kaldo blanket, Asana sat cross-legged on a dromedary and set out on her journey east with the Ilo caravan.

She was accompanied by two young retinues. One is a beautiful maiden, Kutsaia. The other was a muscular warrior named Noor. Asana's magical falcon named "Kai" was taken care of by Nur.

Compared to Asana, Kutseya is not as good-looking, but she is younger and has a more graceful figure. Especially when the wind blows in the desert, and the wind wraps her clothes tightly around her body, it looks even more graceful and charming. At this time, the merchants of Ilo walking behind Kutsea always unconsciously aimed their eyes at her.

As for Noor, he was dressed in a white robe, with a grim expression and a resolute gaze, and a camel carrying a bow and arrows and a scimitar, like the garb of a guard.

Not long after walking towards the rising sun, Yao Ping drove the camel to the head of the team. He asked Gong Xiyang in a low voice, "Uncle, it's a long way to the imperial capital. You said that Sa brought the guards, why did you bring a beautiful Sassa with you? ”

Gong Xiyang squinted at Yao Ping and said, "Stupid, then why did you say that a princess of the Khaldo tribe traveled thousands of miles to the imperial capital?" ”

"Her tribe has been invaded, and she must want to go to the imperial capital to ask for help from our Son of Heaven."

"That is to say, how can there be an empty hand to ask for someone?" Gong Xiyang said, "Could it be that our Son of Heaven is like us, and we still lack gold?" ”

"Oh!" Yao Ping realized. He couldn't help but look back at Kutseaa with sympathetic eyes. And Kutsaya was brushing up her wind-blown hair, and when the two were about to meet each other, Yao Ping quickly avoided her eyes.

"Hey.." Yao Ping looked back in a panic and sighed, "Such a beautiful girl.."

Hearing Yao Ping's emotion, Gong Xiyang suddenly smiled and said, "Nephew, you have been walking with me for three or four years." You have seen many of the women of Caldo, Dimi, and even Yasol, but I haven't seen you like this. ”

"What is it?" Yao Ping's face flushed slightly.

"I think you're nearly twenty years old, and it's time to consider finding a daughter-in-law." Gong Xiyang said.

Yao Ping only felt a little shy, and quickly changed the topic and said, "That eagle falcon from Asana Sala is really amazing, it can find an oasis in the desert. ”

Gong Xiyang smiled, and then followed the topic he interrupted and said: "If that falcon has been raised in Seva since childhood, then this ability is nothing. Our pigeons do. ”

Yao Ping: "How could this eagle falcon of Sinwa Sala be raised in Seva." Besides, a falcon is a falcon and a dove is a dove. This falcon named Kai is not like a pigeon, and it flies straight home. It's hovering in the sky all the time, so that you can always see it, follow it. ”

Gong Xiyang: "Oh? As amazing as you say, this falcon must be a priceless treasure. ”

Yao Ping glanced back at the falcon "Kai" standing on Noor's shoulder, and the afterglow swept over Nur's expressionless face.

The desert night is starry and unusually cold. Camels enclose people in enclosures, and people sit together around a campfire.

Asana stared at the dancing flames with some melancholy, and the light of the fire shone on her well-defined face. Yao Ping took a piece of naan and a few dried dates and handed it to her. and plucked up the courage to sit beside her.

When Yao Ping was trying to say something to make Asana feel better, Asana opened her mouth first: "Yao, I heard that Luochuan, the king of your Yiluo, is the place where we are going, and people live happily, right?" ”

"Yes and no" Yao Ping looked at Asana, avoided her gaze again, and said, "Not everyone is happy. Happiness is precious. Yao Ping recalled the time when his parents were alive, and although he was poor and hard, he felt extremely happy.

Asana asked again, "Luochuan goes further east, where is that?" ”

"If Luochuan is further east, it is Kaiyang Prefecture to the north, and Shaoguang Prefecture to the south." Yao Ping said. "I grew up in Shake Gwangju."

"Oh, what about the Shaoguang state you are talking about, further east?" Asana continued.

"That's the sea." Yao Ping said.

Kutsaia saw Yao Ping chatting with Asana, and she also came over, and she gently sat next to Asana and listened to Yao Ping describe the sea.

Another night's bonfire went out, leaving only a pile of ashes. Yao Ping, who was wrapped in a blanket and snuggled up beside the camel, stood up coldly, and saw that at this time, the east had already confided a trace of morning light, and everyone was still asleep. For several nights, Yao Ping and the caravan recounted the story of Ilo to Asana and Kutsya, some of which no one even knew how to express in Khaldo, but they all tried to convey them through figurative body language. Gradually, everyone became acquainted, and Yao Ping also found that Kutsaia and Asana were not as difficult to communicate as before.

"The Yaoshan Pass in front is the westernmost pass of Yiluo, and it is named because it was built at the most important pass of the Yaoshan Mountain Range, and it is almost the only way for us to trade with other countries and tribes in the West." Gong Xiyang talked to Asana about where they were about to arrive.

"And are there a lot of Ilo's troops stationed here?" Asana asked.

"Of course there's a lot of troops stationed, Sala." Gong Xiyang said: "But as for how much, I don't know. ”

After talking, Yaoshan Pass gradually entered. At first, from a distance, it looked like a small building. When they approached it, Asana, Kutsya, and Noor's eyes were filled with amazement.

The majestic stone and brick walls span the mountainsides on either side, and the walls are topped with three-story gatehouses, each of which is flanked by soldiers looking into the distance. The huge and deep doorway is directly below the castle tower, and above the open city gate, there is a writing of Yaoshan Pass.

"Sara, there's something I still have to say." Gong Xiyang said to Asana: "Weapons are not allowed to be brought into the gate. and all of them must be stored outside the customs. ”

"What?" Surprised, Asana subconsciously picked up her scimitar, and then asked, "Isn't anyone allowed to carry it?" ”

"Yes, Sara, no one can bring weapons into the customs without permission." Gong Xiyang looked at Asana's scimitar and continued, "This scimitar seems to be important to you. ”

"Yes, it's important to me." "I can't leave it here," Asana said. ”

Gong Xiyang stroked his mustache and said, "If that's the case, I might be able to help you figure it out." ”

"There's a way? How? ”

Gong Xiyang: "If you are willing to spend some money, I think I can still help you get the weapon into the customs." ”

Asana: "Well, how much does it cost. ”

Gong Xiyang stretched out two fingers and said, "Two silver Caldo coins." ”

Asana nodded, and said that she was willing to pay Gong Xiyang two silver coins to find a way to bring the weapon into the gate.

Yao Ping saw what Gong Xiyang said to Asana, and then Asana gave him the scimitar that he had always worn with him, as well as a few coins. He thought maybe his uncle was helping Asana store the scimitar.

But when Gong Xiyang handed over the scimitar to Yao Ping, he said in a trance: "Uncle, you give me the scimitar, this..."

Gong Xiyang made a look, approached Yao Ping and said: "Your weapon is lost, our caravan can each carry a weapon in and out of Yaoshan Pass, have you forgotten?" That's something they can't do with the Caldos. ”

Yao Ping immediately said with some annoyance: "Uncle, you have gone a little too far. It's okay to help, but why would you ask her for any more money? You know, she's not easy either. ”

Gong Xiyang's face sank, and he said, "It's not easy for her to pull a sass." Then there are so many of us, it is easy to lose the goods? ”

"We've lost our goods." Yao Ping said: "But that has nothing to do with Asana! ”

"Why doesn't it matter? It was the Khaldons who robbed us of our goods. Gong Xiyang said: "I wonder if it was robbed by refugees from Sinwa." You're almost stuck in the desert because of this. Collect some money and compensate us. It's just two silver coins. ”

"Nope." Yao Ping said, "Asana saved me, and I can't bear to deceive her." ”

"Good, good, good." Gong Xiyang untied the sword on his waist and threw it to Yao Ping and said, "You can always take your uncle's sword now, right?" ”

Seeing Uncle Gongxiyang tie Asana's scimitar around his waist, Yao Ping suddenly felt an inexplicable mixture of shame and cowardice welling up in his heart.