Seven hundred miles of mountain road, the middle ten miles is Xieting Town, and there are more than 300 miles of mountain roads before and after. If you don't stop at night, even if you ride this donkey that can't run fast, it's time to come.

But the two of them didn't set off until the middle of the day, and they rested on the road for the night, so when it was dark the next day, they couldn't see the archway at the east exit of the pavilion.

"How far is it to get to your town? I knew it was so slow, I just had to walk a little more south and go back. ”

When Zhuang Zuo ran some legs for the great master in the Inch Cliff, he traveled almost everywhere in the empire, but he never went to the two roads of Jihu Lake east of the jaw. It wasn't until a few months ago that he was entrusted by the national teacher to go to Longqiao to serve as a support officer, and he experienced this natural danger for the first time.

In my memory, the mountain is continuous, the Xiangshui is wide, compared with the winding mountain road, although the Xiangshui is wide, it is only one or two hours to cross.

As for why in ancient times, merchants and even the army who traveled to and from Yixia had to squeeze the Najaw Mountain Road, Zhuang Zuo heard the Gong Gong say when crossing the river, at that time, there was the blessing and protection of the Heavenly Maiden, and Xiang Shui crossed to the west and sank when he crossed to the east.

But all this is a legend, Zhuang Zuo has never heard of anyone who has sunk in the east. On the first line of Xiangshui, there are many boatmen who ferry people to make a living, and it doesn't seem like they have existed in recent years.

Gong Gong also told him many stories about the Central Plains army's danger in the Jaw Xiangtian, as if he had to convince Zhuang Zuo that a long, long time ago, there was a heavenly maiden who guarded Yidi Antai.

Just assume that he has it, anyway, the history books and scriptures before the unification of the world were burned clean by the First Emperor, and it is up to people to arrange it. Zhuang Zuo has long known that the people of Yidi worship the ancients, but if they talk to the people of the Central Plains, the three sentences will not leave the ancestors How to reject the Xia subway and ride outside the jaw.

Although Zhuang Zuo is a member of the state religion, he has no belief in the affairs of the gods and the earth, especially the twenty-seven patriarchs who are the favorite of the Tianyi people. Why did the ancients open the mountain road instead of crossing the water? Could it be because they couldn't build good boats at that time?

In the final analysis, this is just a question of whether it can be reconciled or not - to cross the mountain to ask for horses, to cross the water to ask for boats, to go north to the mountain and to the south to cross the water. Absolutely, absolutely not because of what the east crosses will sink and the west will be beneficial.

You see, there are few pedestrians in this mountain road, isn't it because it is more convenient to cross the water?

......

The forest is gradually thinning, the stone road is gradually widening, and there are dozens of miles to the east entrance of the pavilion. But Chen Dibing, who was lying on the donkey's neck, deliberately did not answer the question of the national teacher, and pretended to snort quietly.

She wanted to see with her own eyes the ability of the great master of Cunya to conjure up a house out of thin air - as long as she fell asleep like yesterday, His Majesty would pity her, so she had to conjure up a wall to prevent snakes and insects and a warm bed sheet cover, and cast a spell to sleep peacefully......

Although the matter between the town and the second brother is indeed very urgent, Cutting Ice just can't help but see this magical spell with his own eyes - when he sees me, he won't pretend to be asleep immediately, and immediately tell the national teacher to walk a few more hours to the rest pavilion!

"Hey, hey!"

Cutting Bing was making his wishful thinking, and suddenly, he felt a few gentle pats on his cheek.

"Chen girl, wake up!"

The national teacher's voice was a little eager, and he had no choice but to raise his head and rub his eyes as if he had just woken up.

In front of me, there is still the potholed bluestone pavement, lined with gradually thinning trees, indicating that people are approaching. There is nothing out of the ordinary.

The national teacher's hand stretched out from behind, pointing to the road ahead, and then to the deep dense forest on the right—

"Which way to go?" he asked.

"There's only one way. "Cutting Ice felt like he was being tricked - could it be that he saw through my trick and thought of this crooked trick to wake me up from pretending to be asleep.

Zhuang Zuo was also confused by her, and there were obviously two roads in front of him that were inverted with the word "Bu", the width was the same, and he couldn't see the main and secondary.

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was right.

"What nonsense, don't you really break down here, full of delusions. He tapped Chen Jiebing's little head with his fingers, and thought of the black cavalry and white gauze girl she said, and suddenly felt much more reasonable.

"You're delusional, there's only one!" said Bing Bing angrily.

Zhuang Zuo had a headache, he knew that he shouldn't have thought about the useless, what kind of glorious style to learn here, and bring this nonsense Nizi.

He asked impatiently, "Don't make a fuss, which way to go?"

Cutting Bing snorted angrily, raised his hand and pointed forward, "There is no one, just this one." ”

The gray-skinned donkey under his crotch suddenly screamed, startling a crowd of birds.

The two stopped talking, and after nightfall, there was only the sound of donkey hooves knocking on the stone slabs.

......

A few hours later, about the third watch, the archway at the entrance of Xieting East Street at the end of the sight of the two revealed its painted dougong.

A chill pierced the back of the icecut. After that day, she tossed and turned night and night, and her mind was full of the scene of the white-gauze woman on horseback standing under the archway, and behind her, there was a statue-like black cavalryman, the blade in his hand shining with cold light, and a pair of empty eyes staring straight at him, silent, as if silence was their language.

Finally, the moment has finally arrived. In the county town, Cutting Bing was looking forward to returning to the town, rescuing her second brother, and saving her family all the time, but when it really came to this moment, she was so scared that she couldn't stop shaking.

The donkey stopped thirty paces away from the archway, sheltered by an uphill road where the town could not be seen. Looking up, you can only see the upper half of the torii and some of the chimneys that have been built high.

Suddenly, two hands grasped Cutting Bing's trembling shoulders from behind. At such a moment, Rongshi will no longer tease the little girl for her cranky thoughts, but will sink down and take it seriously, care, protect, and support. He will do this, Zhuang Zuo knows very well.

"Don't be afraid, there is a national division. ”

He leaned close to Chen Jiebing's ear and whispered.

"You...... Don't you say I'm cranky......" Bing Bing was still a little scared, and at this time he was a little embarrassed, and said quietly.

"Let's go, let you see the ability of the great master of Cunya. Zhuang Zuo replied with a smile.

Cutting Bing felt much better, she straightened her waist, twisted her shoulders, shook off the comforting hand of the national teacher, and said angrily: "I don't know if this national teacher is in vain." ”

Then she clamped the donkey's belly, and this time, the donkey ran away as if he understood.

"Okay! The fake national teacher behind him replied in a cool voice.

The donkey spread its hooves, and the two men walked through the archway and slowed down in the center of the town.

Breaking away from his momentary courage, he slowly looked around with ghostly fear.

Wang-Wang——! Suddenly, there was a dog barking in front of him.

"What's your name! Ming'er will chop you up for lunch. ”

Where the dog barked, a door suddenly opened, and the owner angrily threw out a clog, which was smashed on the dog's head, and the beast whimpered twice and stopped barking.

Except for the startle of the barking dog, Xue Bing looked around and found nothing unusual—or all of them—she had seen the Black Cavalry slaughtering all the living beings in the town, but there were guards in front of her, irascible owners, early chickens, fat pigs humming in the pens, and the doors of every house were closed, and there was a shallow snoring sound coming from the house.

What the hell is going on?

Cutting Bing turned around and looked at the Great Master for help, hoping that the latter would have a reassuring answer from his mouth.

But no. Zhuang Zuo only felt that everything was very normal, and he believed that the young girl in front of him had confused fantasy and reality for some reason, and what he had to do now was to send her back to her parents completely.

Cutting Bing read his expression, and couldn't help but feel desperate in his heart, and the expression on his face changed from hope to helplessness.

"Believe me, I saw with my own eyes a cavalry surrounded by a black mist rushing down from the mountain, led by a woman on a white horse and a white veil, and all those they cut down disappeared...... The whole town was gone...... "She grabbed the arms of the national teacher, her eyes moistened with anxious and helpless tears, and the hand holding the big arm slipped down more and more, and finally she couldn't hold it anymore, and propped it up on the donkey's back.

Zhuang Zuo felt helpless, if it was a real national teacher, what would he do at this time?

"Let's go to your house first, maybe there are some clues. He suppressed the disbelief in his heart and suggested softly.

At this time, the donkey under the crotch neighed twice, and the dog lying on his stomach raised his head and bared his teeth at it, but did not dare to bark again.

"Where is your home?" Zhuang Zuo asked.

Chen Jiebing raised his hand weakly, pointed to the west entrance of the dam, and hung down weakly.

Zhuang Zuo patted the donkey's buttocks, pulled the reins to adjust the direction, and Chen Dibing sat in front with his head down, without saying a word.

The Jaw Mountain Road tightened again at the west entrance of the town. I can't imagine that there is such a quiet and peaceful town in the mountains. Zhuang Zuo couldn't empathize with Chen Jiebing's helplessness and fear, but he was quite surprised that there was a town of this scale in the middle of the mountain.

The gray-skinned donkey slowly and leisurely swayed to the west ten miles, twenty miles to the west...... People are getting thinner and thinner, and Chen Jiebing, who is riding in front, still has no action.

"Have you arrived?" Zhuang Zuo asked with concern.

Chen Bingbing shook his head, but still didn't speak.

Maybe she couldn't accept that everything was her own fantasy for a while, Zhuang Zuo didn't speak anymore, leaving time for her to digest it herself.

The donkey continued to carry the two of them, not knowing if they were sleepy, and swayed left and right violently. After almost an hour, they finally came to the west eighty miles.

In front of the Chen family, a ten-mile-long long sand hung down. The door was closed, the room was pitch black, and the old man's snoring through the window softened.

Chen Jiebing, who had been hanging his head, finally raised his head, turned his face sideways, and looked at the family.

Zhuang Zuo grasped the reins, the donkey raised his head twice, the four hooves stopped, and shook his head again.

Zhuang Zuo rolled over the donkey, and then picked up Chen Jiebing as well. Behind this house is a forest of masson pines, with a slight fragrance wafting in the breeze.

Cutting Ice hesitated in place, this is her home, this is the home of her father, mother, and second brother, the flag in front of the door, the roof with stones pressed on the thatch, and the new window paper...... Everything seemed so ordinary—except for the extra fantasy in Chen Jiebing's head.

"It's all at the door, don't you invite me in to sit?" Zhuang Zuo lowered his head and said jokingly.

Chen Jiebing glanced at him, walked to the door, and refused to knock on it.

She never thought that this would be the case, and she finally asked for help from the great master of the Inch Cliff, but in the end, it was just many people mocking her.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

Zhuang Zuo saw that she was not moving, so he stepped forward, knocked on the door a few times instead, and asked loudly.

It doesn't seem polite to disturb people in the middle of the night, but I'm sending your daughter back. Thinking like this, Zhuang Zuo didn't feel ashamed.

After a while, the sound of the latch twitching was remembered behind the door, and a delicate young face poked out of the crack in the door.

"Who's ......"

The young man had empty sleepy eyes, and was about to ask, but he caught a glimpse of Chen Jiebing behind the stranger and immediately stopped.

"You little ancestor, why do you want to come back in the middle of the night? You didn't cause trouble to Mr. Academy, right?" his expression softened a lot, and he yawned after speaking.

Cutting Bing stood in place in a daze, she thought that she would never see her second brother again, but now she saw it so easily, but she didn't feel the joy of reunion after the catastrophe, she only felt a chill in her back.

"This is ......" The young man behind the door paid attention to Zhuang Zuo and asked suspiciously.

Everything is clear, it's just that this Nizi doesn't want to study, so she makes up some nonsense and wants to go home. Zhuang Zuo chuckled...... Little urchin.

"My husband asked me to send the ice back, she was a little unwell, but it wasn't medicine that could cure her. - I had to skip a ten-day and a half-month class to be cured, and there was no exit for the second half of the sentence.

The young man understood, smiled and stretched out his hand, wanting to rub Cutting Ice's head.

Cutting Ice squatted sharply, avoiding his hand.

"No, this is not my second brother. ”

She was very scared, and said with a crying voice, while pushing the national teacher and walking away.

Zhuang Zuo was really a little confused, didn't this Nizi make up a lie because he wanted to skip class? If, if it was a real national teacher here, what would he do?

If it was him, he would have seen through it a long time ago.

Zhuang Zuo picked up Chen Jiebing, moved to the donkey in an instant, and put her on it.

"Sister Ling still handed it over to me first, and he will come to visit again in the future. ”

Zhuang Zuo threw his hand at the young man in front of the door, turned over on the donkey, and walked away.