The steps are narrow and long, and the spirals are complicated. The two of them held the lantern and walked slowly up the steps. Li Li walked behind Xue Yue, clutching the only remaining stalk of heavenly snow, ready to guard her at all times. But there were no demons or guards along the way, only some long dead branches from time to time, and it seemed that someone had planted many large trees in this dark room. However, the room is dim, and only the dead branches growing next to the steps can be seen, and the whole picture of the dead branches cannot be examined in detail. Sometimes they would touch some thick metal pipes on the side of the rungs, and the metal pipes were covered with rust, and they didn't know what these settings were for.

After walking for a while, the rungs finally came to an end.

A wooden door appeared in front of Xue Yue. Li Li picked up the lantern and looked at the wooden door carefully, and found that the material of such a wooden door was also the same as the material of the wooden pendant given to him by the land enemy. He reached out and slowly pushed open the wooden door.

Although it is a wooden door, it is extremely heavy, and if it were not for the strength of the land enemy, he would not have been able to open it.

As soon as a crack was pushed open, a ray of sunlight came through the crack. The two of them squeezed in through the crack in the door, and suddenly they were enlightened.

"Is this the seventh layer, the top of the Sharp Battalion?" Xue Yue exclaimed.

The scene in front of me was very strange, surrounded by purple-black trees, as if I had come to a forest. There is no roof on this floor, and the sunlight shines directly through the sky, which makes this floor extremely bright. If it weren't for the fact that these purple-black trees had all dried up, this layer would simply be an aerial forest, extremely strange.

"Who's going to plant a tree upstairs?" Xue Yue pondered for a while, then suddenly clapped his hands and smiled, "I know, those dead branches that we encountered on the road we came to are actually the roots of these big trees. ”

Li Li thought about it carefully, and it was true. He wandered around the dry forest, and saw that the material of each tree was the same as that of the land enemy's wooden pendant, and his heart was even more suspicious. After a while, he walked to the side of the high wall on this floor, and found a row of small metal wrenches on the wall. He gently pulled the first wrench, only to hear a loud rumbling sound, and two large semicircular stone slabs slowly closed from both sides of the ceiling, gradually sealing the ceiling of this floor. The sunlight was all isolated from the stone slabs, and thanks to the ever-bright lights on the side, otherwise the two of them would have been plunged into total darkness again.

"This ......," Xue Yue exclaimed.

Li Li pulled the same wrench again, and the semi-circular stone slab slowly opened again, and the sunlight poured into the room again. It turns out that this wrench is to control the ceiling. This floor is not without a roof, but the roof is equipped with a mechanism in advance, and with the use of a wrench, the roof can be opened and closed like a skylight to control whether sunlight is shining in.

"Could this also be the masterpiece of the Chisu Camp Master? It's the first time I've seen such a huge mechanism, it's amazing. Xue Yue sighed, "You can try other wrenches and see what makes a difference." ”

Li Li tried other wrenches according to his words, but after hearing the rumbling sound, there was no change.

Li Li restored the wrench to its original state and said, "It seems that the other mechanisms have failed." ”

Xue Yue bowed his head and said, "Well, it seems to be so." I just don't understand, why are so many trees planted here? These trees are made of the same material as Lu Tianwang's wooden pendant and Xiaoyezi's grandmother's coffin...... It's weird and weird. You see that Emperor Jie's enthronement picture just now also painted such a jade pendant...... Could it be that her grandmother has some connection with Emperor Jie? ”

Li Li shook his head and said, "I don't know. When we see Xiao Yezi again, we should ask clearly. ”

Xue Yue nodded, and the two of them returned the same way, put away Mu Pei, and went to rectify the Fengrui camp without mentioning it.

Yunxi took Xiao Yezi and Yun Huan and ran all the way to Cloud City.

Seeing Xiao Yezi's superb riding skills, Yun Xi's eyes couldn't help but light up: "Your riding skills ...... It's clear that I've made a lot of progress. ”

Xiao Yezi smiled slightly: "It's all taught well by my master Yunhuan." ”

"Really...... Famous teachers produce high apprentices. Yunxi said lightly.

The two glanced at each other, and suddenly remembered that Yunxi wanted to teach her to ride a horse that day. Xiao Yezi's face was hot, so he was busy not turning his head away and stopped talking. Yunxi also had a straight face, silently galloping forward.

Yun Huan stared at Yun Xi's face, always feeling that something was wrong with the two of them, and he was slightly unhappy in his heart. But he didn't show it on his face, just smiled: "Gang Master Xiao, you have a good reputation, I just taught a little bit of skin." It's that she practices a lot on her own. ”

Facing Yun Huan, Yun Xi looked much more natural, and said with a smile: "Tuta's equestrian skills are famous all over the world, and they are naturally extraordinary. ”

Yun Huan smiled faintly and said no more.

The atmosphere is delicate, and it is clear that the topic cannot be extended any longer here. However, as long as Xiao Yezi doesn't intervene or implicate, Yun Huan and Yun Xi can talk a lot about the battle situation. After many times, Xiao Yezi also learned to be obedient, and he talked less along the way. The three of them had their own thoughts, and finally arrived outside the city in the clouds one morning.

The first time he came to the border, Xiao Yezi couldn't help but be impressed by the scenery of this Xinjiang. The city in the clouds really lives up to its reputation, a great wall lies between Zhaoyin and Yanjin, the impregnable city wall stretches for several miles, and a hidden entrance and exit are set up every three miles, and when it comes to war, the soldiers can kill from this entrance and exit, and the end is suitable for both advance and retreat. Behind the city walls, the barracks were scattered around the various beacon towers. Among them, there are endless vehicles coming and going, all of which are transporting military rations and baggage. Soldiers dressed in yellow uniforms marched back and forth through the barracks. Two people in a row, three people in a row, everywhere exudes a neat and capable spirit.

As soon as Yun Xi came here, he was picked up by Xue Yang, and Yun Huan also followed, leaving Xiao Yezi standing in the barracks alone. She knew that she was soft-spoken, and it was inconvenient to talk in a foreign land at the moment, so she came to the side with her luggage and sat quietly, waiting for Yunxi to finish their work. When the soldiers who came and went saw Xiao Yezi, they couldn't help but have a few squinting eyes at her. Xiao Yezi didn't care about their gaze, just sat there with his knees hugged, waiting quietly.

And so on until nightfall.

Late at night, Yun Xi walked out of Xue Yang's tent. He saw Xiao Yezi sitting in a ball opposite the camp tent, and he didn't speak, and continued to patrol back and forth in the camp with Yunhuan, Xue Yang and others.

Although Xiao Yezi is tired of waiting, it is not easy to disturb - even Yunxi and Yunhuan don't have time to eat and concentrate on the public, how can she be a little girl?

At this moment, puffs of cooking smoke rose in the barracks, and the sergeants who managed the food also set up a cauldron and began to stew rations.

The smell of this rice wafted in, and it broke Xiao Yezi's fragile spiritual defense line for a while. After several days of running, she was already tired and hungry, and now she smelled the smell of food, how could she not be tempted? If she was in the Liren Pavilion, she would go and pick up the food in the morning and eat it very much. But this is a barracks, so she can't be presumptuous. Seeing this row of sergeants lining up to receive rations from the cooking officer, and then sitting on the ground and chewing with their mouths open, Xiao Yezi couldn't help but feel a little scared. But she immediately comforted herself - didn't Xue Yue also grow up in such an environment? Although she doesn't have a good identity like Xue Yue, at least she is also a disciple of the Heavenly King Gang, and she belongs to the same family, so it should always be okay to beg for food, right?

As soon as she said and done, she stood up and walked to the nearest food distribution to her.

"This big brother, can you give me a little soup......

Before she finished speaking, the cook who distributed the meal rolled his eyes unabashedly: "Our rations are fixed, and there is no excess to give to useless people." ”

"Brother Wang is right, let's fight here bitterly, in order to protect the family and defend the country. It's not for you little women who cling to the powerful to earn food. Several soldiers around him chimed in.

A young soldier saw that she was thin and weak, and couldn't help but want to share a little ration with her, but was stopped by the cooking officer: "Hey, hey, hey, you have too much to eat?" I can't eat it, it's not enough! ”

Xiao Yezi was a little angry when he saw that they were fierce - this is still a big man who protects his family and the country, what can he do if he wants some rations? Even if you don't give it, why do you want to hurt people like this?

Just about to lose his temper, when he saw the soup porridge in their bowl at a glance, Xiao Yezi suddenly became angry.

The bowls were filled with coarse grain bran and a few wild vegetable leaves, which were quite boring at first glance. Even if he was poor in the countryside and struggling to survive, he had never eaten so shabby.

Unexpectedly, the dignified Cloud City has also come to this point because of the deduction of food and salary from the Creation Building. Military spending is so tight, if we don't cut back on open sources, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on for ten days. This Cloud City is the only frontier defense of Zhaoyin, and the reason why the people of Zhaoyin live a healthy life is not because they guard day and night to be happy? I'm afraid that I will be trampled by Yan Jintie and I won't have anything to eat.

Her heart was gloomy, and she had no resentment at the moment, only smiled gently: "Big brother, you are right, Cloud City does not raise useless people. If you want to eat, you have to earn it yourself. ”

She walked back to her original position and sat down, and suddenly understood Yunxi's suffering.

No wonder he was reluctant to distance himself from the Creation Building, wasn't it because he was afraid that such a situation would happen? remembered that he actually asked him to forcibly marry another in order to verify the so-called "sincerity", and he felt extremely naïve.

She sat for a while, and before Yunxi could come, she waited for the little soldier just now. The little soldier walked over quietly, stuffed her half of the nest head while no one was paying attention, and said softly: "Sister, eat quickly, don't let Lao Wang see it." ”

She was moved in her heart, but she was afraid that the little soldier would not be able to eat, so she pushed the nest head back: "It's better for you to eat." Only when you have enough to eat can you defend your family and country. ”

The little soldier grinned: "...... I don't think you look like the kind of powerful person who doesn't eat minced meat. Don't be angry with the king. These cooks have been so busy trying to get enough rations lately that they can't help but vent some nameless fire. If the rations are sufficient, he will not be stingy with you. Aren't we standing guard here so that your family members can eat and drink enough and live a safe life? ”

After he said these words, he heard the drums in the army, and he hurriedly said goodbye and went to work. Xiao Yezi held this half of the nest, and his heart was sour.

She took her handkerchief, wrapped the half of the nest and put it in her baggage, turned to a soldier and asked for directions, and then walked to the commander's tent.

Xiao Yezi walked in front, and he still heard the soldiers behind him talking.

"This girl looks good, could it be the little girl brought by the helper?"

"That's for sure. Except for the helper, who has such a big pomp? Do you still think that Xue Tianwang would do such a thing? ”

"Tut-tut, our military rations won't be deducted because of her, right?"

"That's not it, Gang Master Xiao is still for the country and the people. I think it's all Ren Tianwang's ghost. ”

"I don't think there's anything surprising about this girl, she looks far worse than Ren Tianwang."

"Shhh

Xiao Yezi listened to these words in his ears and remembered them in his heart. At this moment, she didn't want to refute, because it was useless. In this cloud city, if you really want to gain a foothold, you have to prove that you are a useful person with actions, and there is no other good way.

Without saying a word, she sat not far from the manager's tent and continued to wait. But at this moment, her heart is not as empty as it was at the beginning.

It wasn't until the middle of the night that Yunxi and Xue Yang returned from patrolling the city. It can be seen that the two of them are extremely tired, but they are still fighting and talking while walking.

“…… The helper came from afar, and patrolled the city all night, presumably very tired, it is better to rest early. Xue Yang persuaded.

“…… No, it's better to dock things up first, so that I can rest steadily. Yun Xi smiled.

"Alas, if King Ren could have a three-point attitude towards helping the master, he wouldn't be like this now." Xue Yang sighed.

Yunxi smiled: "Let's only do ours, and the rest don't care about her in advance." Fortunately, Yang Yizhao contributed a lot of property in a timely manner, and I am stepping up the purchase of military rations with Chai Song, and I believe that a batch will be delivered within ten days. As long as he survives this period of time, the granary of the imperial court will also be funded again, and then Xue Tianwang will not have to worry. ”

Xue Yang stretched out his hand to brush his beard and said in a deep voice: "I heard that this time about the military rations, the helper also funded a lot. Disturbing the helper so much, how can we people go with their hearts? ”

Yun Xi smiled: "Xue Tianwang, where did you say?" I'm just doing my best, not to mention that I'm a helper, as it should be. If you talk about money, Yang Tianwang is the most important. Xue Tianwang wants to thank him, you might as well wait for him to come back and thank him slowly. ”

"The helper is wholeheartedly serving Zhaoyin, and he is determined to serve Zhaoyin, and all the disciples in Cloud City see it in their eyes, and they also swear to advance and retreat with the helper. Recently, the military will inevitably fluctuate a little bit in the morale of the army. Some unscrupulous people took the opportunity to secretly spread the word that the gang leader was in a high position, and his heart could be punished, and Xue Yang would discipline and inquire to prevent the bad guys from succeeding. It's just that Xue Yang said a lot - although the helper is alone, Ren Tianwang doesn't understand the truth that water can carry a boat and capsize a boat, and he smears the helper everywhere. Although this is a family affair of the helper, the matter of the helper is a state affair. So far, please help the master to decide. Xue Yang persuaded.

Yun Xi smiled a little, sighed, and said with a smile: "I have a measure, everything is still based on Yunda's resistance to Yan." He paused, "Yun Huan, what do you think?" ”

Xue Yang smiled: "He is capable and a manufacturable material. But looking at the meaning of the helper, it seems that he doesn't just want to recruit a talent, right? ”

"Not bad—" Yun Xi smiled, "he is a Tuotar, and his brother is now the leader of Tuotar, and he has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command. The Tuotar cavalry is brave and does not lose to Zhaoyin's boys...... If we can use its strength to reach an alliance with Tuotar, then we can hope for the restoration of the country. ”

(End of chapter)