The sunset shines through the treetops, and the bright red colors mingle with the verdant greenery of the forest, and the dense jungle seems to be on fire.

The sound of sonorous metal handing over continued through the trees, accompanied by the sound of urgency and slowness, and two figures moved flexibly through the jungle, but both held swords in both hands, and one of them danced like the wind with both hands, and tried his best to hand the blade in front of the other.

It's just that the other person is carrying a sword lightly, the sword light in front of him like a storm, the sword in his hand swept slightly left and right, blocking the opponent's attack, thin and tall, like a bamboo artemisia in the wind and rain, tilting left and right from time to time and standing still.

From beginning to end, Duan Xinnan didn't stab a sword, he just took a defensive position all the time, and his eyes calmly looked at the tenacious face that was almost crazy beyond the sword light.

Maybe it was because he had been attacking for too long, Li Zheng gradually lost his strength, and the speed of the dancing of the two swords gradually slowed down, and the sword in Duan Xinnan's left hand suddenly stabbed out, and his wrist flipped, rolling the sword in Li Zheng's hand into the air.

Li Zheng sat on the ground weakly, gasping for air, his body as if soaked in water, and he was soaked.

"This kind of mind, no matter how good the swordsmanship, is like a kitchen knife chopping meat in your hands, chaotic. Duan Xinnan said coldly.

Li Zheng lowered his head, and at this time, the double swords that were picked up fell back to the ground and were inserted in the soil, Li Zheng looked at the two swords, and did not look at Duan Xinnan, and said, "What the predecessors taught was. ”

"In addition to swordsmanship, swordsmen also pay attention to sword intent. If you are so impatient, the sword intent will be as chaotic and uneven as you, struggling with each other. Duan Xinnan frowned and looked at Li Zheng, as if he didn't know why the unwilling and tenacious young man had become so impatient and irritable after only a few dozen days.

Although Li Zheng had a kind of self-indulgent resentment before, it was this unwilling spirit that prompted him to work harder and harder in swordsmanship, and he became more and more intoxicated with sword intent. Although Duan Xinnan didn't say it, he actually admired this little apprentice very much in his heart. Southern Xinjiang is full of vitality, and there are many medicinal plants with miraculous effects, Duan Xinnan is experienced after all, and knows some, after giving it to Li Zheng, it is only more than a month, and most of the injuries on his chest are healed. Therefore, they went all the way south along Katoqi, and before Li Zheng's injuries were all healed, Duan Xinnan began to teach swordsmanship, or felt that time was pressing. Fortunately, Li Zheng has a good memory, although he is injured, but Duan Xinnan's swordsmanship is firmly remembered by him, and after he recovers from his injury, Duan Xinnan even urged this apprentice to practice swordsmanship.

But since the two met again, Duan Xinnan noticed that there was something more in Li Zheng's eyes, and he became inexplicably impatient and restless. Now that Li Zheng has fully learned his self-created two-handed sword technique, Li Zheng has practiced it hard, but the original firm and quiet sword intent has become sloppy, the sword intent is not reached, and the sword momentum is not successful.

Duan Xinnan said a few times, Li Zheng listened to it, and he wanted to change, but his heart did not change, it was just a vicious circle, every time Li Zheng suppressed his surging emotions, he became more and more irritable, and his sword moves became more and more unformed, and there was still no improvement. The same is true today. Duan Xinnan looked at Li Zheng, who was sitting on the ground with his head bowed, snorted coldly, stopped talking, and walked under a tree.

There was only a moment of silence, and a white figure peeked out from the jungle not far away. Meng Lin was holding some tree fruits in his hand, and he was also carrying a bird-like bird, which seemed to faint, his head hung down, and he let Meng Lin carry it in his hand.

The three of them walked all the way, and the atmosphere was quite weird. In fact, when Xiao Yilan was with him before, everyone didn't feel lonely, and Xiao Yilan laughed or joked or complained along the way, and he seemed to be used to it. It's just that now Duan Xinnan and the three of them, except for Duan Xinnan and Li Zheng, who will say a few words when they practice swords, most of the rest of the time the three of them are silent between them. Especially Meng Lin, she hardly speaks, every day the three of them are in a hurry, Li Zheng and Duan Xinnan practice swordsmanship, and Meng Lin goes to pick tree fruits or hunt during this time, and she cooks the food of the three of them.

The three of them silently finished their dinner over the campfire and began to hurry again. Only at this time Duan Xinnan would show an excited look, as if he didn't walk fast enough, urging him to move forward, and Meng Lin and Li Zheng could only follow closely. Without the protection of the tree spirit, the three of them encountered a lot of vicious beasts and monsters along the way, but Li Zheng had learned swordsmanship and barely had the strength to protect himself, and Meng Lin no longer hid his mysterious skills.

Since he walked with him, Duan Xinnan didn't seem to be curious about Meng Lin's strength at all, and he didn't ask, just as he was indifferent to the strange atmosphere between Meng Lin and Li Zheng. In his spare time, his gaze is always on the south.

The three of them don't seem to have the concept of day and night, they rest when they're tired, and they hurry when they're rested, anyway, with Meng Lin's eyesight, it's not difficult to walk at night. The three of them did not stop until the next morning, when the light began to rise. Then, in the faint daylight, the three of them noticed that the scene in front of them was very different from the mountain and forest scenes that had been commonplace for the past few months.

They had been walking along Katoqi for months, and suddenly a fork in the road was not far ahead, flowing left and right. And between these two rivers, it is like a huge sandbar, surrounded by two clear streams, with no end in sight. And the most strange thing is that on this sandbar, there is actually red soil, and on the red soil, the ancient trees are towering, each tree is more than ten zhang high, there is no top in sight, the trunk is thick, and it takes three or four people to embrace. The trees are neatly arranged, with the same horizontal and vertical spacing, and the spacing is much wider than that of the trees on the other side of the riverbank. It was not at all like the jagged jungle they had traveled all the way, but like an artificial arrangement, and this thought made Li Zheng's heart freak.

I don't know how many years these ancient trees have grown before they have grown so thick and tall, for some reason, Duan Xinnan's eyes suddenly showed some fanaticism, without saying a word, he jumped lightly, stepped on the water and rushed over, Meng Lin also lightly tapped on the water, and followed Duan Xinnan and landed on the sandbar. Only Li Zheng was left behind, silently diving into the water, crossing the river, and then landing wet from the other side.

Duan Xinnan completely lost his previous indifference and indifference, and he didn't wait for Li Zheng, who was still in the water, to take the lead and walk forward. Meng Lin and Li Zheng hurriedly quickened their steps and followed.

Li Zheng couldn't understand why Duan Xinnan looked crazy at the moment, and he was still muttering in his mouth, but Li Zheng couldn't hear it clearly. Looking back, Duan Xinnan never said why he came to the extreme south with Xiao Yilan and his party, and he chose to go with Xiao Yilan because he had tree spirit wood by his side, which could save him a lot of trouble in southern Xinjiang. But looking at his current appearance, it seems to be very important to him that he has been looking for something to fight in southern Xinjiang for so long.

What is it that can make such a grandmaster-level figure lose his temper like this?

However, although Duan Xinnan was unusually excited, he still did not lose his mind, and Li Zheng noticed that he used his sword scabbard to gently knock off a small piece of bark on the trees along the way as a mark. Only then did Li Zheng react, they were all moving along Katoqi all the way, so naturally they didn't have to worry about the direction, and it also made them ignore the problem of direction. It's just that on this sandbar, there is almost no difference in the shape and arrangement of the trees, and they all look exactly the same in all directions, and it is easy to get lost in the trees if you are not careful.

Duan Xinnan walked briskly in front of him for a long time, but suddenly stopped, looked ahead and frowned in thought. Li Zheng stepped forward with some curiosity, and a piece of bark was missing from a tree trunk not far in front of him. This was the mark left by Duan Xinnan before, and it was the first trace he left after he climbed the sandbank, because at that time, he was so excited that he raised his hand no matter how heavy it was, and the entire trunk was cut off in half.

This shows that before they knew it, they had come back again.

It stands to reason that Duan Xinnan has taken a straight road all the way, and Li Zheng will look back every time he walks to confirm that the traces left by Duan Xinnan constitute a straight line. But now they went back to where they were, and the river was gone, which means that it is impossible for them to advance or retreat.

Meng Lin and Li Zheng suddenly realized their current situation: there was no way to advance or retreat here, and there was no drinking water and food, so it was almost a dead end. It's just that Duan Xinnan's face showed a more determined look, not following the same path, but moving quickly in another direction, also constantly leaving marks.

Only soon they went back to where they were. Li Zheng looked at the imprints in all directions in front of him, only to feel a burst of despair, and fell to the ground a little weakly. Meng Lin also showed a tired and worried look, leaning against a tree.

Duan Xinnan handed over the two swords to one hand, propped them on the ground and squatted down, his expression was in a trance, and he muttered, "Why...... Are you really ...... Don't you want to see me......"

Li Zheng vaguely heard Duan Xinnan's muttering, and before he could figure out the meaning of the words, an ethereal and calm female voice suddenly sounded in his ears, without any emotion. It's not so much a hearing as it is a voice that rings directly in my head.

He said, "If you want to do great things, you may be needed." ”

The three of them looked up suddenly, only to see a figure standing dozens of steps away, with a delicate face, like a woman in her thirties, but there was a faint blue light all over her body, although her feet were on the ground, it was light and fluttering as if there was no weight, although it was a human face, it was as quiet as autumn water, without the slightest fireworks.

She continued, "Therefore I have come to take you in, the Far South. ”

Li Zheng and Meng Lin both looked inexplicable, and secretly vigilant, only Duan Xinnan's whole person seemed to be struck by lightning, looking at the figure shrouded in cyan light and mist, it was actually old tears, muttering indistinctly, and he couldn't stand up straight: "I actually, can I really see you...... Qing'er ......"