Chapter 1: The Great Thief (Part I)

Li Xu leaned down and saw a haggard face in the lake. "Is this me?" He couldn't help but let out a wry smile, and the reflection in the lake cracked his dry mouth. Bloodshot eyes, cracked lips, undulating on the waves with heavy breathing.

A pair of large rough hands reached into the water, stirring up the reflection on the surface of the lake. The crisp sensation passed from the fingers to the arms and along the shoulders to the heart. The flame in my heart gradually cooled, replaced by a stuffy pain. Throughout the year, the water of Crescent Lake is as cold as ice. Scooping up cold water and pouring it on your face can quickly drive away the tiredness in your body. Li Xu took one handful after another, washing his face and soul with cold water to his heart's content. He didn't like the haggard figure reflected in the lake, so the lazy and sloppy person should not be himself. "Cheer up!" He shouted loudly at the lake, his voice wafting across the empty water, stirring up countless passing birds. After the white feather dissipated, the feeling of exhaustion and boredom was still entangled in my heart.

He knew he should get a good night's sleep, it had been two days and two nights since he left Su Sibu, and he couldn't remember if he had ever closed his eyes. I don't remember if I've eaten or not. The long period of standing in the wilderness made his head a little dizzy, and he was even a little confused as to why he was wandering by the lake.

Passing by this place the morning before yesterday, he naively thought that Tao Kuo would suddenly change his mind and catch up on a war horse. Li Xu smiled bitterly to find out the answer for himself. Black Wind's gallop was too fast, and if he rode his horse wildly, no good horse in the Su Si Department could catch up. Therefore, he had to wait by the lake, and after two days and two nights, the lake was still the same water, but the figure in the lake never reappeared.

Li Xu shook his head vigorously, allowing himself to recover a little bit. You have to get out of here, otherwise once the first snow falls, walking alone on the grassland is tantamount to suicide. In fact, the result of waiting outside the tent that night had already told him of his choice. It's just that Li Xu didn't want to believe it, he would rather guess that Tao Kuo was crying and falling asleep, so he missed the best time for the two to get out.

"Tell Tao Kuo to take silk, I will wait for her on the shore of Crescent Lake!" Before dawn, Li Xu whispered to Ah Yun who got up to say goodbye. He believed that Ah Yun would not miss every word he said, and now, he could only force himself to believe in Tao Kuo's final choice.

"It's okay, with Ganluo as a dowry, the Ashina family's Gu Tulu shouldn't dare to bully you!" Li Xu wiped the corners of his mouth and finally turned his face to the south. The autumn winds have already dyed the pastures yellow, and the time is coming again for the mass slaughter of livestock. This autumn, there will be countless caravans that will follow the route that Uncle Nine took last year to come to the Susi Department. At that time, there will be a warehouse that will make a lot of money, and the parents' reply about marrying Tao Kuo will also come with the caravan. I just don't know if the two old people will be disappointed when they learn the news that their son finally failed to get married!

Li Xu was dazed and let the black wind carry him and gallop south. It doesn't matter how there is a road on the grassland, as long as you keep going south, you can see the Great Wall if you see the mountains bypassing and the water wading. When you see the Great Wall, you are at home. Suddenly, a question flashed in his heart, "Has the conscription period passed?" Have the soldiers and horses of the Great Sui Northern Expedition to Goryeo already set off? ”

What if the conscription order is still there? Li Xu raised his head and looked around blankly. There was no smoke in sight on the open grassland, and there was no place for him to stay. "Forget it, if you are a soldier, you will be a soldier, and if you die in battle, you should go to sleep!" He hung his head down the horse's neck again, thinking wearily. When anger, disappointment, and sadness are deposited into the memory, the young man's heart gradually becomes a little cynical.

Didn't you say I was a coward? Don't you look down on a Central Plains vendor? One day Lao Tzu will be a general, champion Hou, see if you will smile at that time! With this in mind, he slowly reached for the leather bag containing the wine. The arm struggled to lift up, but it dodged itself.

I ran out of wine, and I forgot to fill it when I left the shore of Crescent Lake! Li Xu stiffened up on the horse's back and looked back. In a daze, I didn't know how far I had run, and the crescent moon lake behind me was gone. "Go back?" Realizing that he had another reason to wait another day, he smiled and reached out to slap himself in the face.

"You shit!" Li Xu scolded at himself. Tie the wine bag back to the horse's back and clamp the pedal firmly. Black Wind had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and let out a roar, four hooves volleyed in the air, and the surrounding scenery was left behind.

It wasn't until the thought of turning around could no longer arise that Li Xu ordered Black Wind to slow down. After a gallop, the men and horses were sweating profusely. Finding a depression with particularly green grass, he jumped off his horse, pulled out the short knife from his waist for cutting meat, and dug hard into the ground. This is the method of finding water in the wild taught to him by Ah Silan and others, where there is an underground water source, the grass greens early and withers later. As long as you keep digging, you're sure to find water to drink. (Note 1)

After the half-pillar incense time, mud gushed out from the bottom of the pit. Li Xu stretched out his hand, forcefully pulled out the mud at the bottom of the pit, and then plugged the water hole with a few broken stones. The muddy water became thinner and clearer, and gradually turned into a trickle. Li Xu pulled the black wind and asked it to take the first sip of water first.

Hei Feng snorted in satisfaction, and a pair of big deep eyes looked at Li Xu. Obviously, it cares a lot about whether the owner values itself. After drinking enough water, its spirits soared. Spread your legs and run a few steps, looking down in the grass for the newest sprouts.

Li Xu gently chased after him and untied the wine bag from the horse's back again. This time he had to fill it with enough water, in case he couldn't find a water source within a few days, and the lives of the people and horses would be pinned on the leather bag in his hand. The reflection in the puddle made him see his face again, and within a few days, he seemed to be four or five years older. It turned out that the soft and thin beard drilled out of the cheeks, and it had gradually formed a sphere of influence. A few tousled hairs floated down from between his sideburns, mingling with his curly beard. One of them was particularly piercing, and from the bottom half, it had turned white.

"Wu Zixu has passed the Zhao Pass!" Li Xu smiled bitterly and shook his head. (Note 2)

Hei Feng seemed to know his master's thoughts, and slowly ran over, lowered his head and licked Li Xu's face with his tongue. "It's dirty, do you know that the smell of grass is strong!" Li Xu slapped him lightly and scolded.

Black Wind took a few steps back and snorted unconvinced, as if there was a bit of mockery in his eyes. "You know what!" Li Xu scolded with a smile, sipped his sideburns with cold water, and flew on the horse.

"I struck a wild donkey, a wild donkey, and used his entrails to honor the wolf. I beat a leopard, a leopard, and used its fur to sew a suit. I didn't have the fawn next to the felt bag, which cooked for me when I was out hunting. I didn't shoot the eagle in the sky, it directed the direction of my prey......."

Accompanied by the boy's pastoral song, the sound of horses' hooves became farther and farther away, gradually dissipating into the depths of the twilight.

Drinker's note: 1. Twenty years ago, there were some places in the grassland of Inner Mongolia where a shovel was dug half a foot deep to dig out spring water.

2. According to ancient legends, Wu Zixu passed the Zhaoguan Pass and turned white overnight. Here is the self-mockery of young people.