The procession marched for more than an hour, and a market town appeared in front of them. At this moment, it was already the shadow of the sun moving westward, and Scarface rode up from behind, and said, "Lord Wang, are you camping in the town in front tonight?" Li Zhiyun nodded and said, "Yes, but don't go into the market town to disturb the people, just find a vacant land outside the town and set up camp." ”

"Yes!"

The procession stopped outside the town, and the soldiers began to pitch their tents and bury their pots for cooking. As the sun sets, the sunset is as gorgeous as a fire, as if God is also going to make a fire to cook. Duan Qu came over to find Li Zhiyun and said, "Lord Wang, there is still some time before leaving the meal, let's go to the town for a walk, okay?" ”

Li Zhiyun estimated that the wine worms in Duan Qu's stomach began to be restless. He was a good drinker, and he never drank water, but only wine. He carried a leather pouch full of wine, which he took out and took a few sips when he was thirsty. Along the way, there are few villages and towns, and his wine bag is afraid that it will be empty a long time ago.

Li Zhiyun agreed, took two subordinate officials and Yinggu, plus a few guards, and walked towards the town with Duan Qu.

The group entered the town and walked down the streets. The town is home to thousands of households, and in the evening, the streets are filled with pedestrians and no noise. What made Li Zhiyun feel strange was that the residents of the town seemed to be afraid of them and fled when they saw them. Someone on the other side walked over with his head down, and when he looked up and saw them by chance, he was so shocked that he quickly turned around and walked back. There were two children playing in front of a house on the side of the street, and Aunt Ying saw that the two children were very cute, and walked over to talk to them, but the woman of the family rushed out like crazy, picked up the two children and entered the house, and closed the door with a "bang".

Everyone was puzzled, Zhang Zheng frowned and said, "What's wrong with the people in this town?" How can you see us like a plague god? Cai Hu said: "Is it that they are not used to seeing strangers?" Li Zhiyun shook his head and said, "This town is located in a plain area, and the roads extend in all directions, and they are not blocked. There must be another reason why people here are avoiding us. ”

As he was talking, Duan Qu saw a wine shop on the side of the road, and hurriedly walked in, and Li Zhiyun and the others had no choice but to follow in. There was a guy in a cloth hat in the store who was wiping the table, and when he saw them, he was shocked and nervous: "What are you going to do?" ”

"What?" Duan was surprised, "What else can you do when you enter the wine shop?" Drink! ”

The guy breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "We're closing, we won't sell alcohol, let's go!" "Then you will drive them out. Duan was really unhappy, and glared: "If you open a wine shop and don't sell alcohol, you have to go out to catch customers, do you have such a business?" ”

"We're really going to close our doors."

Li Zhiyun was afraid that Duan Cheng would quarrel with the other party, so he hurriedly persuaded: "Forget it, since people are going to close, let's go." With that, the leader walked out of the wine shop. As soon as they went out, the man ran to the door and erected the door panel to close it. Duan Qu walked at the back, seemed to be unwilling, ran back again, stretched out a leg to block the threshold and said, "I'm thirsty, give me a bowl of wine to quench my thirst, otherwise I won't let you come to the door." ”

"How are you a scoundrel?"

"I'm just a scoundrel, what's wrong?"

The man had no choice but to turn around and go in, and a moment later, a coarse porcelain bowl came. Duan Qu took it, drank the wine in the bowl in one go, and let out a long sigh of relief. He handed back the porcelain bowl, touched the sleeve and said, "How much?" ”

"Don't want money, you can go!"

After Duan Qu got out of the way, the guy hurriedly installed the remaining door panels.

The group continued to walk forward. At this time, a Taoist priest wearing a navy cotton cloth robe and a scarf walked on the opposite side, he did not look very old, about twenty years old. This Taoist priest did not turn around and walk back when he saw them, as others did, but walked calmly with a gait.

Li Zhiyun greeted him and said, "This Taoist chief is polite below." When the Taoist priest saw it, he hurriedly returned the salute: "The poor Taoist is polite." ”

Li Zhiyun politely said: "Take the liberty to inquire, is the chief Taoist a local?" The Taoist priest nodded and said, "Contempt is on the Jade Dragon Mountain two miles away, I don't know what is the matter with the good people?" Li Zhiyun hurriedly said: "We are from Jinyang, we don't know the customs and customs here, and we want to ask the Taoist chief a thing or two, I don't know if it's okay?" This Taoist priest has a kind face, not like the kind of person who rejects people for thousands of miles, so Li Zhiyun dared to rashly inquire about the situation from him. Sure enough, the Taoist priest said kindly: "What a good person has to say, but it doesn't hurt to say it." ”

"We are strangers, and we have nothing to do with the inhabitants of this town, but when they see us, they avoid us, and I don't know why?"

The Taoist priest smiled and said, "You are asking the right person, except for me, a monk, ordinary people will never say much to you." ”

"Please give me advice."

"Since you are coming from Jinyang, you must have passed through the Black Wind Forest, right?"

"Black Wind Forest?" Li Zhiyun groaned slightly, estimating that the other party was referring to the woods filled with gloomy wind and mist, so he nodded.

The Taoist priest lowered his voice and said, "About three months ago, Zhu Cang's army was stationed there. When Li Zhiyun heard this, he was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "You mean, the cannibalism was done by Zhu Cang's army?" The Taoist priest nodded, glanced at the several guards behind Li Zhiyun, and said, "Your guards are dressed in armor, carrying swords and swords, and they look like soldiers." Surely you know why the people of the town are afraid of you? ”

After Li Zhiyun thanked him, the Taoist priest walked away. Zhang Zheng, Cai Hu and several guards discussed in a low voice. Duan Qu suddenly patted his head and said: "I remember, when Duan was in Chang'an, he heard rumors that Zhu Cang's army ate people. I didn't believe it at all, thinking it was a rumor. I really didn't expect it to happen! ”

Li Zhiyun was also very surprised, and muttered: "I didn't expect that the man-eating demon turned out to be Zhu Cang." Duan Qu suddenly laughed with a "poof", shook his head and said, "It's so funny that the emperor actually named this demon King Wu!" ”

Zhang Zheng walked over and said worriedly: "Lord Wang, are we going to Jutan?" Li Zhiyun pondered for a moment and said in a resolute tone: "No matter what, the task given to us by Abba must be completed!" Besides, if the prodigal son does not change his money, we don't have to investigate the past, and if Zhu Cang can change from evil to good from now on, it will not be a good thing. ”

Early the next morning, the team pulled out the camp and continued to advance, and after two days of marching, they came to Guantang Town, ten miles away from Jutan (now Neixiang County, Henan). Li Zhiyun had already sent someone to inform Zhu Cang, and the envoys sent by Zhu Cang were waiting for them on the official road outside the town.

The brigade stopped, Li Zhiyun turned over and dismounted, and a guard brought the messenger over to meet him. After the envoy gave a salute, he said: "His Royal Highness the King of Chu, the King of Wu has an order, the army is stationed in Guantang Town, please ask the King of Chu and the deputy envoy to bring his entourage into the city." When Li Zhiyun heard this, he secretly wondered in his heart that Zhu Cang did not let the new army enter the city, and it seemed that he was still wary of them. It's no wonder that people have just returned to obedience, and they don't know much about Datang, so it's normal to be wary. As the guest was pleased, Li Zhiyun ordered the new army to camp in the open field outside the town, and he and Duan Qu took Zhang Zheng, Cai Hu, Yinggu and dozens of other retinues to Jutan City with the envoys.

The group marched for about half an hour and came to the outside of Jutan City. In the distance, Li Zhiyun saw a large group of people gathered outside the city gate. When I arrived, I saw a middle-aged man in his forties standing at the front of the crowd, he was of medium height, looked a little fat, had a large face and plates, two thick black eyebrows, a pair of narrow pig eyes, a garlic nose, thick lips and a big mouth, and a disheveled beard on his chin. Li Zhiyun guessed that this person should be Zhu Cang.

Next to Zhu Cang, stood a young woman. She looked seventeen or eighteen years old, with snowy skin, clouds and crows, pink cheeks, looking forward to Shenfei, wearing a tight-fitting military uniform, and a scarlet cloak, which looked heroic and eye-catching.

Li Zhiyun turned over and dismounted, handed the reins to the guards, and Duan Qu also got off the carriage and walked to Li Zhiyun's side. The two of them tidied up their clothes and followed the messenger forward. The envoy introduced the two sides, and Zhu Cang smiled and said, "King Chu, you have worked hard all the way, and this king has been waiting for a long time." Come, let me introduce you. After that, he pointed to the woman beside him and said, "This is the little girl Zhu Feng'er." ”

Zhu Feng'er smiled and clenched her fists and said, "His Royal Highness the King of Chu, Deputy Envoy Duan, Feng'er is polite." The two hurriedly returned the salute.

Zhu Cang turned around and pointed to a scribe standing behind him wearing a green coat and a scarf on his head and said, "This is Mr. Lu Congdian Lu, he was the author of the Sui Dynasty, and this king invited him as a guest." Li Zhiyun and Duan were busy with Lu Congdian. Zhu Cang pointed to a scholar in his thirties, with a slender figure, white skin, and full of Wenhan's spirit, and said: "This is Yan Chuchu, the general secretary of the Sui Dynasty, and his father is Yan Zhitui. ”

Yan Zhitui? Li Zhiyun knows this person, and the "Yan's Family Motto" he wrote can be described as a household name. Li Zhiyun also knows that Yan Zhitui is Yan Zhenqing's ancestor, and no matter how good his calligraphy is, Yan Zhenqing's name is still thunderous. Yan Zhenqing lived in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and there are still more than a hundred years from now, since this Yan Chuchu is the son of Yan Zhitui, it should also be Yan Zhenqing's ancestor, Li Zhiyun couldn't help but respect him, and bowed his hand again and again.

Then, Zhu Cang introduced several of his generals to them, and then invited everyone into the city. Li Zhiyun took his entourage and followed Zhu Cang and others through the city gate and into the city. He found that although the scale of this Jutan City was not too large, it was still prosperous and lively.

When he arrived at the crossroads, Zhu Cang said to Li Zhiyun: "King Chu, please go to the post house to settle down first, you have a hard journey all the way, and you will have a day off tomorrow." This king has already made arrangements, and the day after tomorrow, King Lao Chu will preside over the canonization ceremony. Li Zhiyun hurriedly said: "King Wu is polite, this king is all under arrangement." Zhu Feng'er walked over and said, "Dad, let my daughter take the King of Chu and them to the post house!" Zhu Cang nodded, and after saying goodbye to Li Zhiyun, he left with his own people.