The mountain is higher, and the road is narrower and steeper. The man had to jump off the back of the animal and pull hard in front of him with the reins. When it encounters a sudden steep slope, the animal becomes the owner and needs to be moved forward with its shoulders on its buttocks.

In just one day, the thick-soled shoes that Li Xu had just changed into when he left home were worn out. The toes were blistered with blood and poked out from the front of the shoe. The heel of the heel also opened, faintly stained with blood. Every step I take, the pain in front of my feet and behind my feet comes at the same time. I don't know how many layers of cocoons on my shoulders have risen, and when I hold the buttocks of the animals, I am completely unconscious. The thighs and chests were covered with sweat, glued with the dust of the wind, pasted on the skin, and occasionally moved, emitting a sour smell that could make flies faint.

Xu Dayan's condition looked slightly better than his, the expensive robe had long been hung into a robe by the branches, and the delicate short brown that he wore close to his body was also hung everywhere, and when the wind blew, it revealed the fair, but dirty skin inside. A pair of special fast boots for mountain climbing, and the shoes on Li Xu's feet are also difficult brothers, see "garlic cloves" in the front, and eggplant eggs in the back.

Li Xu knew that he was no different from Wang Mazi and the others at this time, just as dirty and haggard. Thinking that such a life would accompany him for a long time, he shuddered. Thinking about how my father has lived like this for so many years, but he has never screamed bitterly in front of himself and his mother, I have realized more in my heart what it means to be a father's love.

"I've got to make money!" Li Xu pushed the mount's ass hard and swore secretly. Such days must end as soon as possible, for the sake of their own future, and for the sake of their parents.

"If the heavens want to descend on the people, they must first suffer their minds, work their bodies, starve their bodies, do what they can't, and gain what they can't!" Before mounting, Xu Dayan muttered that he hung the reins on his shoulders and pulled forward desperately. Tired like this, he doesn't regret his choice at all. Before leaving home, his father originally told him that the Xu family could use the method of bribing the government to let him evade military service, and even buy homeless people to pretend to be him to join the army. However, he refused. Or rather, he wanted to take the opportunity to look outside. It is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books, and only by seeing them can we connect what we have learned with the outside world.

In this way, there is an opportunity to revitalize the whole family. And left his name in the vast history, such as Yang Shuang, the king of Wei, such as the general Meng Tian, and Luo Yi, the general of the tiger ben.

The young man slowly moved forward, forward, and walked through the mountains with his feet.

One day, the mountain, suddenly disappeared. Like the blood blisters on the feet that have turned into calluses, they have disappeared until only a few traces remain.

The scenery in front of him suddenly opened up and was boundless, and the wilderness that did not know when it began lay in front of the caravan. Several 'little mountain grandchildren' lay low on their stomachs in the distance, holding up the semicircular blue sky above their heads with their backs. It was so blue that day that it was pure, it was crisp, and it was so blue that there was no dross at all.

Under the blue sky, the slightly yellowed weeds roll in the waves, reflecting the traces of layers of wind. The waist-high tips of the grass rose and fell, and there were no hidden cows or sheep, no wild beasts, no stones, nothing but grass. A great river drifts southward at the tip of a grass spire not far away, with no bridges, no crossings, and no sails, and you can't believe it is real if it weren't for the sound of rushing water along the wind.

"Whew!" With a bang, everyone in the caravan went mad, threw down their cattle, and ran desperately towards the river. This is the wet water, a wide and narrow seasonal river on the grassland! Seeing this river meant that the caravan had completely walked out of Yanshan and arrived at their first destination, the nomadic area of Xibu.

Walking out of Yanshan not only means that the success of this trip is in sight. It also means that the chance of encountering bandits has been reduced by half, and everyone can make a steady amount of money once safely. Excited, almost all the young traders rushed out, ignoring the cool autumn of the plateau, and drank the river water in their hands. When he had drunk enough, he tore off his clothes and threw them at the tip of the grass, and walked naked into the middle of the river.

Li Xu found that his arms and thighs had become stronger, and after picking off half a load of old mud, the muscles on his body tightened out from under the skin. And the shoulders, which were always worn out at the beginning of the trip, are now no longer in the slightest pain. Washed away with mud and dirt, the places that had once burned became smooth and flat, like fleshy pads, very different from the rest of the skin. This is the trace left by life, and it will be with him forever.

Xu Dayan also turned into a wild man, standing naked in the water, cleaning his body with river mud and grass roots like the vendors. The cold wind that came from the river had already frozen his fair skin to a pale red, but he could not feel the cold of the river at all. Just blindly squeezing water on his body, stroking water, as if only in this way can he completely turn himself into a man.

After resting for the night on the banks of the Lishui River, Sun Jiu set off again with the group. No longer oppressed by the shadow of the mountains, the caravan soon became active. Especially Du Scarqi and Wang Er Mazi, they thought that they had made the first contribution to hiring a swordsman, and their voices were particularly loud.

"Ahsahi, Ahsahi! Help me tighten my belly. The luggage is crooked, push upwards. Tsk, why are you so stupid, you can't even get this little thing right! ”

"Xuqi, Xuqi, hang this package on the horseback for Uncle Du. Three-year-old Eighteen Han, you are such a big man, you have a straight head, why are you so stupid! ”

Unconsciously, Li Xu once again became everyone's little follower. With the experience of that night, he has completely recognized the "kindness" of these uncles and uncles. So I didn't promise so happily anymore, even if I really couldn't shirk it, I tried my best to be "stupid". Either the animals were frightened, or they used too much force, pushing the luggage that was crooked on the left side to the right, and then they used too much force and broke the strap at once. However, his and Xu Dayan's luggage and livestock are always taken care of cleanly, and there will never be a phenomenon of falling apart halfway.

And when they commanded him not to move, his heart was discouraged. With Sun Jiu suppressing him, everyone didn't dare to do anything to him. After complaining a few times, it was decided to use other means to teach the kid some lessons.

The best way to strike a young man is to isolate him. The old rivers and lakes have walked more bridges than Li Xu has walked, and they soon found the best strategy to clean him up. Therefore, Du Scar, Wang Mazi and others quickly became history fans, and they all surrounded Xu Dayan and took the initiative to ask him to talk about the past and the present.

Young people have the desire to express themselves, and Xu Dayan is no exception to this. Although he has been cultivated according to the standards of wisdom and courage since he was a child, and his eyes can often discover secrets that others can't discover, but in general, he doesn't have too deep in his heart now, and he soon fell into the trap of the old rivers and lakes.

From Huo Quai's seal to the wolf Juxu, Ban Chao's pen from Rong, to the horse leather shroud of General Fubo, Xu Dayan told the story. Being able to come to the grassland to see the footprints of the heroes of his predecessors makes him feel excited. He was already knowledgeable and eloquent, and was helped by Wang Mazi and other old rivers and lakes, intentionally or unintentionally, and soon became the core figure of the caravan. Even Sun Jiu, Zhang San and those well-informed swordsmen, whenever they rested, they liked to gather around Xu Dayan, drink a bowl of hot water, and then listen to this erudite descendant talk about the past and the present.

At this time, Li Xu always sat on the periphery of the crowd, quietly thinking about his own thoughts. To be honest, he used to be jealous of Xu Dayan, but now, his gaze at Xu Dayan was very peaceful. After having a drink with Xu Dayan that day, Li Xu realized that it was the different backgrounds of himself and Xu Dayan that determined the gap between them now. When he was still throwing mud at each other along the small river ditch in front of his hometown, Xu Dayan had already begun to analyze and summarize the essence of "Lü's Spring and Autumn" under the guidance of teaching. When he and his companions were chasing rabbits with straw baskets on their backs, Xu Dayan practiced horse lance and bow riding. He has just begun to read and write, and Xu Dayan has already memorized "The Art of War", "The Art of War", "Huangshi Gongsanlu" and "Sima Law". My highest goal in life was to be a county householder. And Xu Dayan has borne the burden of making the Xu family rise since he was born. (Note 4)

This gap cannot be crossed in a short period of time, and it is also evading military service, in order to avoid becoming a small miscellaneous soldier who dies in the middle of the road. And Xu Dayan is to find the right price and time to sell for his ability. The two armies fought, and Xu Dayan could dance as a son of a good family and accompany the commander to charge into battle. And yourself, if you want to save money to buy a qualified horse lance, at least in this business? Above? Last three years!

But these gaps are not a moat, they can be slowly made up for by personal efforts, Uncle Nine said well, don't bully young people to be poor. I am not yet fifteen years old, and I have time to study. In fact, I have learned a lot from Xu Dayan all the way. The most important thing is that he is no longer the Li Xu in Yixian County School, who doesn't know anything except books, and has no opponent in doing anything among teenagers of the same age.

Thinking of himself when he was in Yixian County, Li Xu found that his trip was indeed worthwhile. Regardless of whether this business ended up making money or not, I saw many things that I had not had the opportunity to see before, and realized many life truths that I could not understand before.

Perhaps, that's growing up. The boy sat by the fire and whispered to himself. The little wolf Ganluo crouched at his feet, looking at the dancing flames, and strings of golden light flashed in his eyes.

Three days after leaving the water, the caravan arrived at the location of one of the largest tribes of the Xi people as scheduled. Desperately, this large tribe of the steppe has disappeared. It was empty all around, except for a few thousand stumbling wooden stakes and traces left by a circle of felt bags. As if to tell the vendors that they are not lost. It's just that the master's family has something important to do, and tens of thousands of family members collectively migrated to the unknown place after the autumn.

The vendors held their heads and squatted on the ground one after another. Except for Li Xu and Xu Dayan, everyone has only one purpose, that is, to take advantage of the late autumn and early winter, when the sky is just starting to get cold? Last quick money. At this time of year, the Hu tribe decides on the number of wintering livestock based on the amount of hay collected in summer and autumn. A large number of old and weak livestock are slaughtered, a large number of male livestock are sold, and the prices of dried meat, hides, and livestock will fall to the bottom in an instant. As long as you make such a trip safely, you can hear laughter in the vendors' homes throughout the winter.

However, the Xi tribe migrated. The Xi tribe, which had the most skillful hands on the grasslands and could provide fine blankets and cheap hides, migrated. The vendors were hit hard before they could open. One of the largest Xi tribes migrated, and other small Xi tribes must have followed suit. If you can't sell your goods before the snow falls, the sale may be lost. If you don't turn around and return south within the time limit, a sudden snowstorm on the grassland may swallow up this small caravan.

Some people began to sigh in a low voice, and more people began to curse Xi for their lack of morality, and they refused to give advance notice of the move. The two leaders of the caravan, Sun Jiu and Zhang San, blushed and walked a little farther away to discuss how to face the dilemma in front of them.

The sudden blow made Li Xu feel very confused. Before leaving, the first place that my father agreed with him was this Xibu. Compared to the fierce Turks, Xi Bu was much calmer in temper. What's more critical is that this tribe is close enough to the Central Plains, and if there is any disturbance in his hometown, Li Mao can ask the caravan to send the news as quickly as possible. And all these arrangements fell through with the relocation of Xi Ministry. The circles left by the felt bags on the grassland seem to still carry a mocking body temperature. Tell Li Xu that your plan is perfect, but the world is changing too fast.

In the vast twilight, wisps of white smoke emanated from the traces of felt bags. The evening wind blew, and the curses and lamentations of the people were spread far away. Tell everyone in the vicinity that there's a group of people trapped here.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa!" The sound of a wild wolf could be heard in the distance, lingering among thousands of wooden stakes.

"Woo-woo-woo!" The little wolf Ganluo sang and sang at the top of his voice. The voice is like that of a boy who has just begun to develop, delicate and hoarse. The desperate people were immediately attracted by Ganro's inappropriate behavior, and glared at him one by one. Gan Luo knew that he was in trouble, let out a low whimper, jumped up, and fled behind Li Xu.

"It's all this wolf cub who made trouble, the whole calamity!" Wang Mazi suddenly jumped up, pointed at Li Xu and scolded.

"Yes, I told Brother Jiu a long time ago to let him not take this wolf cub. Being born against the season and being alone is definitely not a good thing. He didn't listen, he didn't listen, and look, woe is coming! Du Scar was furious, holding on to his saber, and shouted accusations.

It's all this troublesome little bastard and his little wolf, and as soon as he set off, he made everyone lose their lottery. And then one? If everything doesn't go well, you will lose money wherever you go. Visiting the kiln in Jixian County, I ran into this little disaster star and provoked Hu Ren, causing me to almost soften. came out to gamble on two hands for luck, but lost more than 100 yuan.

"Calamity, it's definitely it!" One could not explain why the Xi people did not migrate sooner or later before they arrived, and poured out their resentment on Ganluo's head.

"It's not a scourge!" Li Xu stood up straight, and the mountain generally blocked in front of the little wolf Ganluo. Du Scar and others looked at him unpleasantly, and he already knew this. One? On the bullying of these people, he can also endure it. But Li Xu couldn't let them hurt Ganluo, this little wolf was his partner, the only friend except Xu Dayan.

The little wolf Gan Luo jumped out from behind Li Xu, his forelimbs were down, his hind legs were tense, and he let out a whining roar in his throat. This threatening action startled Du Scar, and he quickly flashed to the side. Unexpectedly, he tripped over rotten wood under his feet, and suddenly knocked on a.

"Woo-woo, woo!" Gan Luo let out a roar of victory, shook his pointed ears in disdain, and squatted beside Li Xu's legs. A few people who watched the excitement burst into laughter, although life is bitter, but if you face it seriously, you can always find some funny jokes when you are unexpected.

"You two calamities, today with you and without me. Say, you two go together, or drive away this little wolf! Du Scar got up in the midst of laughter, "choked", and pulled out most of the short knife. Wang Mazi followed, holding a wooden stick in his hand, and looked at Ganluo with fierce eyes.

Li Xu was stunned, he didn't expect someone to be so shameless. looked up at the crowd, but found that many of the vendors believed Wang Mazi's words and thought that today's accident was completely caused by Ganluo. And a few sober people have a lively mentality and ignore the actions of Wang Mazi and others. This situation was something he didn't expect in advance, and his father didn't tell him. looked around, wanting to find Uncle Jiu for help, but found that Sun Jiu and a few swordsmen had gone nowhere, and they couldn't be seen nearby at all.

"Drive that little wolf away, or everyone will continue to be unlucky!" Confused by Wang Mazi, or simply to find a reason to vent his anger, more than a dozen sad-faced vendors held the hilt of their knives and slowly surrounded them.

"It's not a scourge!" Li Xu muttered a defense, and was forced to retreat step by step by everyone. Du Scar was unforgiving, and stretched out his big hand, ready to pull him aside. Sun Jiu said that everyone is not allowed to bully this bastard boy, Lao Tzu drove away the wild wolf, it's no problem!

The pain from the tips of his fingers told Du that he had touched the stubble again. Lifting his old face full of scars, he saw that his fingers had been broken at right angles by a pair of white, powerful palms.

"Hey!" Straight lady thief" Du Scar and Wang Mazi scolded in unison. One quickly retracted his fingers back, and the other jumped on the ground with his feet crossed. The little wolf Ganluo was lying in front of Li Xu, holding half a straw sandal in his mouth, and his eyes were shining darkly.

"If you want to fight, follow me. Fists and feet, weapons, whatever you two pick! Xu Dayan didn't know when he rushed over, stood beside Li Xu, and said to Du, Wang and others.

"You! Bullying the old and disobedient! Du Scar shook his aching fingers and scolded Xu Dayan uncleanly.

"It's the two of you who don't respect the old first. Scar - Uncle! Mazi - Uncle! Xu replied with a long voice. With a light toe, he kicked a long wooden pole abandoned by Xi Ren when he migrated into the air, stretched out his hand to copy it, and said to everyone: "One? Come on, who else wants to bully people, I'll let you bully a lot! ”

How could Wang Mazi and Du Scarqi lose their prestige in front of a junior, pulled out their short knives, and jumped forward viciously. Before Li Xu could find the guy to fight, Xu Dayan was not in a hurry, poked the wooden pole to the ground, flicked it left and right, and the two old villains had already fallen out like gourds.

This hand was really beautiful, and even a few vendors who tried to follow Du Scar's back to fight Taiping Quan were frightened. Covering his waist knife, he slowly stepped back. Seeing that the crowd was about to disperse, Du Scar and Wang Mazi screamed, got up from the ground, and tried to work together to find the field. As soon as he took a step, he was hit with a wooden stick again in the same place on his knee as last time, and his leg went limp, and he fell again.

The two villains couldn't get up, lay on the ground, and began to cry and scold Xu for being a bully? Elderly people. scolded Li Xu's father for not having good intentions and making a disaster star son to ruin everyone's wealth. scolding other vendors is a wreck, knowing that the disaster star is around, but they don't dare to come forward. A few vendors who were usually good friends with Du Scar were squeezed into a dead corner, and they surrounded them again with waist knives.

Xu Dayan's heart was on fire, and the wooden pole fell and slammed into the grass beside him. "Shut up for me, chew your tongue again, don't blame me for being ruthless. Do you want to bully fewer people because there are more people? Who dares to step forward, my surname is Xu's guarantee, in the entire Henan counties, there will be no store that will accept your goods! ”