The Shu road is difficult to walk, and the stone steps are like a spiritual snake entwined between the mountain peaks, zigzag upwards for three thousand miles, and there is no end in sight.

The only way to do this is on foot.

Lost the crotch of the horse, everyone strode up, I don't know who in what year this Shu Mountain opened such a road, the cold and the summer, the wind and the moon washed, the edge of the stone steps was polished bright.

It was stepped out by countless people who came and went from the south to the north with their footsteps.

The strange rocks in the mountains are craggy, but the grass and trees are also lush and lush, and after more than a month, it has suddenly changed from the cold wind in the north to the spring in the south.

The sound of birds and insects in their ears was endless, Liu Xi and the others were extremely fast, like a gust of wind, and the startled birds just wanted to fly, but in the next moment they found that the trees were full of calm as before, and they shrank their necks again, and continued to lie happily among the dense leaves, lazily taking care of the feathers around their bodies with their beaks.

Because they are all martial arts practitioners, and the situation is urgent, they have not rested, and the trees in the mountains cover the sky and the sun, but they can't see what time it is.

In the end, Duguqiu was exhausted, his face was pale, and his sweat was like rain, so the group stopped and rested under the ancient trees next to the stone steps.

Xiao Wu, who had nothing to do, waved his sleeves and threw out the green steel sword, the sword aura was like the wind, and he swept away some of the leaves like oil-paper umbrellas, and then he saw that the sun had set in the west.

The dusk, which was half obscured by the clouds, cast a golden halo like water, jumping between the clear veins of thick green leaves, making the whole mountain appear more silent.

In the distance, there was a faint sound of birds, presumably calling for the tired birds to return to their nests.

Jumping to the branch, Ma Xiu looked around, then jumped down and said, "After a day's journey, it is better to rest here for one night, and you can go out of Shushan tomorrow. ＂

Hearing this, Liu Xi glanced at the panting Dugu Qiufeng, Ma Xiu did this probably to take care of Dugu Qiufeng, among the four of them, Ma Xiu and Xiao Wu were already the cultivation of the grandmaster, and the mountain road on this day was naturally difficult for them, not to mention Liu Xi, who was already above the cave sky.

Only Dugu Qiufeng's cultivation is shallow, probably because he has passed the qi and has not yet reached the realm of Dacheng.

After resting for a while, Dugu Qiufeng took the initiative to ask for some food with everyone, carrying a sword, and disappeared into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

I think I went to hunt game.

"I'm going to gather some firewood."

Liu Xi got up and said, and stretched out his hand to grab Xiao Wu and Ma Xiu, who were going with him, "Brother Xiao Wu, you are here with Jinchao, don't let people disturb Brother Jinchao's thoughts." ”

Liu Xi has never set foot in the land of Nanshu, so he needs more Ma Xiu to get ideas, and Shu Mountain has been in Nanshu, and no one in the province has already put his eyes here, so letting Xiao Wu stay can be regarded as a guarantee for Ma Xiu's safety.

The night slowly fell into the curtain, and the silence in the woods was a little scary, and you could even hear the sound of new green shoots on the branches of the old and quaint trees among the rocks burrowing their heads.

Grabbing the vines climbing on the ancient tree full of knots, Liu Xi tore off a section and used it to tie up the dead branches picked up on the ground.

Maybe it was because last winter's winter was too cold, and most of the dead branches on the ground fell layer by layer, and most of them were already buried in the soil.

It didn't take much effort for Liu Xi to pick up a large bundle, and when he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a faint aura coming out of thin air a few zhang away.

The effort of breathing dissipated without a trace, as if it had never appeared, and the whole mountain once again became a dead silence.

Liu Xi's frowning brows did not disperse, staring at the direction where the aura came from, as if through the thick forest leaves, he could see through what had just happened.

The faint aura seemed to be emitted by a person who had just stepped into cultivation, but Liu Xi didn't dare to take it lightly, because the more powerful the cultivation, the more he could control the aura to send and receive freely.

In his ears, some kind of wild insects came out and screamed wantonly, Liu Xi turned his head and glared at him suddenly, and immediately, the four fields were as silent as ever.

It's better to be careful.

Dropping the dead branches, Liu Xi set his sights on the wild fruits in the forest, because of the 'auxiliary skills' in his body, Liu Xi was very easy to find those fruits that were not poisonous.

After picking some fruits, Liu Xi walked back without stopping, for fear of exposing his traces, so he didn't use cultivation, and relied on a pair of feet to shuttle flexibly between the woods.

When Liu Xi arrived at the resting place, it happened that Dugu Qiufeng also returned, carrying a few pheasants whose blood had not yet dripped.

"Your Highness, your subordinates have made some game, and your Highness will make do with it tonight and give your stomach a cushion."

While speaking, Dugu Qiufeng was about to pluck the pheasant, but was stopped by Ma Xiu, "Autumn wind, that's it, we are not very hungry, just eat some fruit, and the game has to be grilled on fire, even if it is between the dense forests, the firelight is also quite eye-catching, the current situation is treacherous, we should be careful, we must not expose our whereabouts for the sake of a momentary tongue." ”

Seeing Ma Xiu handing over a few fruits, Dugu Qiufeng hesitated for a moment, and then nodded hurriedly in agreement, "Your Highness is very right, your subordinates will throw away these pheasants, lest this fishy smell smoke everyone." ”

Dugu Qiufeng went into the forest again, and soon came out, took the wild fruit, put it in his pocket, sat aside, and stared at the distance except for the wild forest or the wild forest.

Liu Xi, who was half-lying on the trunk of the tree, saw this scene, and the sword eyebrows slowly picked up, from the sunrise to the current sunset, a whole day of mountaineering and galloping, during which a drop of water did not enter, a drop of rice did not eat, ordinary people are afraid that they are tired, even if they are close to the realm of Dacheng, they should be hungry at this time, but Dugu Qiufeng stuffed the wild fruit into his arms, and did not seem to have the intention of eating.

What could be more important than filling your stomach?

Although Dugu Qiufeng is Ma Xiu's retainer, Ma Xiu has regarded him as a brother, and in all fairness, Liu Xi should not suspect this messenger who has traveled all the way without fear of hardships and hardships.

But for some reason, the closer he got to Nanshu, the more intense the inexplicable uneasiness in Liu Xi's heart became.

Could it be that you are too sensitive?

When Liu Xi was thinking to himself, Dugu Qiufeng took off the water bag on his body and handed it to Ma Xiu, but the latter shook his head, "Qiufeng, I'm not thirsty yet." ”

Dugu Qiufeng took the water in front of him again, waved his hand with Liu Xi and said, "Young Master Liu, do you want to drink some water to quench your thirst?" ”

Liu Xi didn't mean to be hungry or thirsty, but seeing that Dugu Qiufeng seemed to have a hint of eagerness in his eyes, it seemed that he desperately wanted to drink a sip of the water in this water bag, so he nodded happily and said, "I happen to be a little thirsty, so drink some water to feel comfortable." ”

After taking the water bag thrown by Dugu Qiufeng, Liu Xi unscrewed it, and sniffed it secretly when he brought it to his mouth, but there was no peculiar smell, because after practicing the 'auxiliary technique', he could still smell some of the poisons that were difficult for ordinary people to smell.

Could it be that I am really overly nervous?

While thinking, Liu Xi drank water, and when the water entered his stomach, his heart tightened, because the sleeping Qinglian in the dantian shone again.

Spit out the glowing green, and wrapped the water that had been drunk into the belly.

This water is poisonous!

Liu Xi, who was drinking water, looked at Dugu Qiufeng again, and the latter's face was vaguely filled with joy that the plan had succeeded, and for some reason, Liu Xi's heart welled up with sadness.

Perhaps it was for the sorrow of the horse embroidery, this henchman who worked tirelessly to come to Yangqu City to report the news was just to use it as a bait to lure the horse embroidery to Nanshu, so as to ascend to the sky in one step and enjoy the glory.

This poison is colorless and tasteless, I am afraid that it is a rare species in the world, but fortunately, Liu Xixiu is profound, and because of the 'auxiliary practice' to protect his body, the poison is unbearable, so he gulped and drank all the water in the water bag.

After drinking, Liu Xi quietly handed the water bag to Xiao Wu beside him, "No, after a day's journey, you can also drink some." ”

After that, he secretly made a look.

Xiao Wu wanted to excuse himself, but when he saw Liu Xi's eyes, he immediately realized a little, and when he received the empty water bag, he understood everything in his heart, so he opened the water bag and drank it in a pretentious gulp.

After drinking, Xiao Wu wiped his mouth with his cuffs, and said to Dugu Qiu with a slight apology, "I'm really thirsty, I don't pay attention, I drink all the water, Brother Dugu, I'll find water for you." ”

Hearing this, Dugu Qiufeng hurriedly waved his hand, "Brother Xiaowu, don't do this, there are few streams in the wilderness here, and I still have a bag of water here, which is enough." ”

Returning the water bag to Dugu Qiufeng, Xiao Wu responded with a smile, "It's still the Dugu brothers who have thought it through." ”

After collecting the water bag, it seemed that his heart was a lot more settled, Dugu Qiufeng sat cross-legged under the tree, and began to eat the wild fruit that he had just stuffed into his arms.

At night, Shushan, which is still a little hot during the day, is extremely cold, even the insects that squeaked before have lost their voices, and they don't know where they got into the cracks to avoid the cool breeze that is invincible all night.

Although Liu Xi was meditating with his eyes closed, he could perceive everything around him, and Ma Xiu, who was exhausted physically and mentally, had already entered his dream, and even snoring faintly.

Although Xiao Wu didn't make a sound, he held the green steel sword that was originally in his sleeve in his arms, obviously pretending to be sleepy.

Dugu Qiufeng sat cross-legged against the root of the tree, without the slightest movement, as if he had fallen asleep.

It seems to be waiting for the right moment.

I don't know who he is colluding with, but Liu Xi understands that it must be related to the eldest prince of Nanshu, since it is related to this great prince who dares to usurp the throne and can make the miscellaneous family disappear, then tonight cannot be underestimated.

It is still unclear what forces in Nanshu are involved, but Ma Xiu can be said to have encountered the double blow of fratricide and betrayal of his henchmen, and I don't know how sad he will feel after the rebellion of Dugu Qiufeng, who is regarded as a brother by himself.

In this world, Ma Xiu only wants to be an idle person, but he doesn't want to be dragged into the struggle for imperial power.

Liu Xi sighed secretly in his heart, remembering all the things he had known with Ma Xiu so far, and secretly made up his mind to protect Ma Xiu's thoughtfulness.

I don't know how long it was, in the dark night, birds rose in the distance, and Liu Xi suddenly opened his eyes.

There is a murderous aura!